Recipe of the Week - Cardamom Carrot Cupcakes

Week 19

Thanksgiving is four days away and this week's recipe would be a welcome dessert to follow any Thanksgiving meal.  On a fly-fishing trip to Alaska I came across a cookbook from Winterlake Lodge. Kirsten Dixon (an internationally acclaimed chef) and her husband Carl have spent their lives building remote Alaskan lodges and serving great cuisine.  Kirsten's recipes are just "good home-cookin" and are easy to prepare. 

Two years after I found the Winterlake Lodge Cookbook I went on an Alaskan adventure of my own.  My husband Bo and I took a float plane to Winterlake Lodge (the only way to get there).  I met Kirsten and was privileged to take a cooking class in her Winterlake Lodge kitchen.  What an experience!  The cookbook is more than just a cookbook.  It is the story of their lives in Alaska with recipes sprinkled throughout.  Even if you don't like being in the kitchen, you will enjoy every page of this cookbook. 

Buy the Winterlake Lodge Cookbook and make the Cardamom Carrot Cake recipe(page 217) but instead of making cake layers, I made cupcakes.  Top them with crushed pecans or walnuts for an elegant presentation.