A Review - Yum Yum Cupcakes

I have fantastic news, residents of Atlanta!  The Howell Mill Food Park will now be open year-round, 7 days a week, starting Thursday, April 26.  This means unlimited access to quality food trucks any time we want!  Regulars, such as Yumbii, Sweet Auburn BBQ, Tex's Tacos, The Fry Guy, Good Food, The Pup Truck, and The King of Pops, offer an assortment of delectable treats ranging from Korean tacos to hot dogs to homemade (mostly) fruit-based popsicles.  Some may roll their eyes and say the whole food truck concept has really been over-popularized in the last few years, but I really think it's a brilliant idea.  Truthfully, who can think of a better summer evening than sitting on a park bench eating a messy burrito with friends?  I sure can't.

I have to admit, though, that my favorite food truck in Atlanta, bar none, has to be Yum Yum Cupcakes.  Each and every bite of their gourmet cupcakes is a delightful treat, a little piece of magic, Heaven on Earth.  Made with tender loving care, Yum Yum's palm-sized pastries are packed with flavor and topped with a homemade icing that doesn't even compare with some of the best bakeries/cupcakeries in Atlanta.  They offer about 15 unique flavors, of which my favorites include the Victoria (vanilla with vanilla buttercream frosting), the Scarlett (strawberry cake with strawberry filling and strawberry buttercream frosting), and of course...my all-time favorite...<enter dramatic music>...THE RUBY (red velvet with cream cheese frosting).

You really can't go wrong with what you choose as your dessert here, but, oh, the Ruby...it just melts in your mouth.  Joe can vouch for me when I say this -- I literally close my eyes every time I eat one of these cupcakes.  The Ruby just boasts a sweet, creamy, rich icing that perfectly complements the slight cocoa flavor from the cupcake.  I feel like my entire body melts and is elevated to a greater level of existence when I consume one of these delectable treats.

The Victoria is certainly a close second among the contenders.  I've always believed that the poor vanilla flavor has gotten a bad reputation, being dubbed 'boring' and 'flavorless,' when it is, in fact, the complete opposite. Vanilla is one of the most uniquely beautiful flavors on the face of this universe.  It is anything but boring.  Plus, didn't you know that vanilla bean pods come from a type of orchid?  There is nothing bland** about that!  Anyway, my point is, vanilla buttercream on vanilla is a stellar combination and certainly worth trying at Yum Yum!

**Note: I just looked up synonyms for the word "bland" on thesaurus.com and found "vanilla" on the list. Can you believe that??

The one drawback to this place?  Well, sales only happen from their flamboyantly bright pink trucks (at least you can spot them from a mile away).  There is no publicized bakery.  Not to fret, though -- even though we can't really see where the magic really happens, Yum Yum's calendar is posted on the website, which makes it easy to follow them if you are a devoted fan.  And honestly, I appreciate these quality cupcakes so much more when there actually is a "Yum Yum spotting."

Now, with that being said, anyone heading to the grand opening of the Howell Mill Food Park to enjoy some delicious grub this Thursday?  My only requirement is that after we wash down an out-of-this-world entree, we must  head over to Yum Yum's (or King of Pops, for that matter) for a sweet treat.  

Quick 'n Dirty Migas Topped With Fresh Tomatillo Sauce

Well readers, I promised some more recipes inspired by the Homesick Texan cookbook, so that's just what I'm going to give you.

Taco stands are plentiful in Texas; breakfast burrito shacks are even more popular (Juan in a Million and Villa's Taco Shack in Austin come to mind).  No matter the time of day or year, cheap, authentic Tex-Mex food always seems to hit the spot with me.  And one of the most loved classic breakfast platters at a cheap Tex-Mex joint is the migas.

Last Saturday evening, Joe and I made the most decadent breakfast for dinner -- we fried an entire packet of bacon; made grilled cheese sandwiches jam-packed with sharp cheddar cheese, fresh basil (from the garden!) and thick slices of tomatoes, fried in bacon grease; and rustled up some non-traditional migas served with a fresh tomatillo sauce and an avocado salad.  We felt like we'd be stuffed for a week after THAT meal, but the migas really seemed to hit the spot with the flavors of the rich, smoky bacon, tangy cilantro, and fiery peppers worked into the creamy eggs.

For those of you who are not as familiar with Tex-Mex cuisine, traditional migas are a scrambled egg dish often served with spicy chorizo and fried tortilla strips.  They are usually served with a salsa or pico de gallo.  Spanish and Portuguese migas are actually completely different than Tex-Mex based migas, as they are usually prepared with leftover bread and contain no eggs.  Tex-Mex migas are rich and heavy, but a comforting dish that just leaves a warm feeling inside you when you close your eyes and take in all the flavors from the meats and vegetables mixed together.

Unfortunately, neither Joe nor I bought chorizo from the store last week, so we hoped bacon would suffice.  It turned out not as great as the real thing (i.e. what you would traditionally get from a typical Tex-Mex restaurant), but let's face it, y'all -- ANYTHING with bacon tastes great.  I also used fried tortilla chips as a substitute for regular corn tortillas typically used in migas.  I went for a tomatillo salsa because of two reasons: (1) I bought 4 tomatillos last week that needed to be used, and (2) I thought the extra acidity from this tangy fruit related to the gooseberry would cut the richness of the migas a little (for more information about tomatillos, read here).  Oh, and have no fear, y'all -- tomatillos are really not as scary as they might seem (I was always afraid of them because I never knew how to prepare them!).  They really make a great base for a salsa.  Oh, and homemade tomatillo salsa tastes NOTHING like what you would get at 99% of Tex-Mex restaurants.  Yup, it really tastes that much better.

I glanced quickly through the recipes for migas and tomatillo salsa in the Homesick Texan cookbook, but decided to mostly do things on the fly.  Surprisingly, things turned out pretty decently!  Below are the recipes for the migas, salsa, and avocado salad.  Enjoy!

Ingredients (serves 3-4):

-6 eggs
-2 large tomatoes
-1 large bunch cilantro
-2 cloves garlic
-salt/pepper to taste
-2 fresh limes, quartered
-3 fresh avocados
-4 fresh tomatillos
-2 serrano peppers
-1 handful of tortilla chips
-6-8 pieces (depending on how rich you want to make this) of coarsely chopped bacon // 1 packet of coarsely chopped spicy chorizo
-1 handful of cheddar cheese OR queso fresco
-1/2 large red onion

Preparation:

Migas:
1. Mix 6 eggs, a splash of milk, 1 diced tomato, 2 finely chopped cloves of garlic, 1 handful of chopped cilantro, 1 chopped serrano pepper, and chopped bacon (or chorizo) and heat in a large non-stick pan on medium-high heat.
2. Heat until the eggs are almost done, then add the cheese and crushed tortilla chips to the pan.  Mix thoroughly with the eggs.
3. Remove from heat when done and serve hot with a side of avocado salad and a dollop of tomatillo salsa.

Avocado salad:
1. Dice avocados into small pieces.
2. Mix in plenty of salt, black pepper, the juice of half a lime, and a handful of chopped cilantro.
3. Serve with the migas.

Tomatillo salsa:
1. Remove the husks of the tomatillos and halve them.
2. Add the tomatillos, roughly chopped onion, generous amounts of salt and black pepper, de-stemmed serrano pepper, 1 large bunch of pre-washed cilantro (stems and all!!), and the juice of 1 whole lime to a food processor.
3. Pulse until the salsa becomes somewhat creamy (no chunks of tomatillos!).  It may take a few minutes.
4. Adjust any seasonings and refrigerate for a few minutes to let the flavors marry.
5. Serve with migas and avocado salad.

Sorry for not zooming in on the migas, y'all. You'll see the tomatillo
salsa served atop the migas, with a side of the avocado salad.  Of course,
I had to get a shot of the grilled cheese and the bacon, too!!  Talk about
a decadent breakfast-for-dinner! :)