Little Mermaid Cake

Look at this stuff

Isn't it neat?!

Wouldn't you say my collection is complete?!

Wouldn't you say Im a girl, a girl who has everything!


One of my favorite little's and I made this cake in honor of our favorite Disney movie.

I am gonna be honest. It was Epic.

Math Cupcakes

I get the math hat ofter making these fun cupcakes for my sister April. And I thought I was bad at math :)

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies


INGREDIENTS 1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 (6.5 ounce) jar macadamia nuts, chopped
DIRECTIONS
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2.In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into the creamed mixture. Finally, stir in the white chocolate and nuts. Drop cookies by heaping teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.

3.Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks. When cool, store in an airtight container.

Lion King

Correction, I know your Father - Rafiki

Aebleskiver

I first had these little treasures a few years ago and quickly became obsessed with them. Aebleskivers are Danish pancakes that are as darling as they are tasty. I looked into getting a pan from William Sonoma but they are $40 and I just couldn’t bring myself to purchase it. Disappointed I set these little buggers out of my mind.

Last summer we were cleaning out the basement/cellar and I came across a box of old pots and pans when you know what I found?!? An aebleskiver pan! I grabbed it, shouted to my mom “Do you know what this is?” didn’t wait for her response and again shouted “It’s an aebleskiver pan!” Let’s just say I was about as excited as I had ever been.

From that moment on we have been enjoying these sweet treats on a semi regular basis. I love to eat them with homemade jam and powdered sugar, lemon curd, apple butter or syrup. One of the last times we made them I tossed them in cinnamon and sugar like doughnut holes and they were divine. Here is one of the recipes I use found on allrecipes.com. If you want to fork over the 40 bucks at William Sonoma more power to you, but I have also been told that you can pick up a pan at a hardware store by other cast iron pans.

Aebleskivers

Ingredients
• 2 egg whites
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 cup vegetable oil for frying
Directions
1. In a clean glass or metal bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until they can hold a stiff peak. Set aside.
2. Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, sugar, egg yolks, melted butter and buttermilk at one time and beat until smooth. Gently fold in the egg whites last.
3. Put about 1tablespoon of vegetable oil in the bottom of each aebleskiver pan cup and heat until hot. Pour in about 2 tablespoons of the batter into each cup. As soon as they get bubbly around the edge, turn them quickly (Danish cooks use a long knitting needle, but a fork will work). Continue cooking, turning the ball to keep it from burning.

• I use a ¼ measuring cup to drop the batter into the pan. If it’s not to full that should be the prefect size.
• I also use a teaspoon to or chopstick to turn them in the pan.

Care Bear Cupcakes

If I were ever to get a tattoo, I want a tattoo like a Care Bear…

These were made for Eliza’s 1st Birthday. From the time she was born Stephanie had Eliza’s first birthday all planned out including Share Bear Care Bear Cupcakes. She had sent me a link months before showing a bear made with two cupcakes stacked on top of each other one forming the body and one the head. I am sorry I don’t have photos showing the process but essentially you make big and small cupcakes, let them cool, peal off the paper from the small cupcake, frost the larger cupcake, place the smaller unwrapped cupcake just of the center of the larger one and frost that one all while making sure it doesn’t slip off. It sounds harder then it actually is but I am glad I only had to make one for the birthday girl and not for the whole party! Accompanying the bear were cupcakes made to look like Cheer Bear and Share Bears belly’s.

Happy Birthday Eliza! I look forward to many more years of making you Cupcakes!

LOST

It’s finally here, the last season of LOST! I know I am a bit late on posting this but better late than never right? I hand piped dark and white chocolate to make the DHARMA initiative symbol. I am not going to lie; it took a really long time. By the time the chocolate was hard enough for me to pipe out the lettering my hands and eyes hurt so badly. The DHARMA initiative symbols were only about an inch and a half in diameter. They got placed atop a cream filled chocolate cake with chocolate glaze. Thanks to Natalie we enjoyed these little treats with DHARMA wine straight off the compound! By far the best LOST night to date. Big thanks to Graham and Peter, we’d be lost without you guys :)

CREAM FILLED CUPCAKES

Make your favorite chocolate cake according to the cupcake directions.
Let cool completely before filling or the cream will melt.
CREAM FILLING
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup shortening
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 pinch salt
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Make filling:

In a large bowl, beat butter and shortening together until smooth. Blend in confectioners' sugar and pinch of salt. Gradually beat in 3 tablespoons milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Fill a zip lock bag with mixture and cup off the tip. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, make a hole in the top of the cupcake. Fill each cupcake being careful not to over fill. Cover with glaze.

CHOCOLATE GLAZE

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a double boiler over hot, but not boiling water, combine chocolate chips, butter and corn syrup. Stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth, then add vanilla.
Spoon over cupcakes.

Batman Cupcakes

Activate the Bat signal Sawyer is 4!

Happy Birthday Buddy!
Check out his Birthday Cupcakes from last year here.

80's Cupcakes

This year I turned 25 :) I know some people don’t think that is a big deal (Nora) but for me it was! My friends and I celebrated the best way I know how, 80’s style. That called for these totally rad neon colored cupcakes…

Does anyone else think it’s sad I made my own birthday cupcakes?

Colored Sugar Cookies

I love having one recipe that is really versatile. For me that recipe happens to be my sugar cookie recipe. I had a half batch of cookie dough left and I just didn’t have it in me to make and frost one more Christmas ornament cookie… After much complaining to anyone who was in ear shot I sucked it up and took a look around. Last year I got a huge bottle of these big colored sugar sprinkles at one of those warehouse stores that I just don’t use that often so I thought I’d just roll the dough in those. This is how they turned out.

Here are the step by step instructions if you feel like trying them for yourself.

1. Make your favorite sugar cookie dough. Mine can be found here.
2. Refrigerate
3. Scoop out and roll into even balls of dough.
4. Roll into colored sugar to cover.
5. Take the bottom of a glass and press the cookie just to flatten.
6. Follow baking instructions and enjoy!

Quad- Brownie

In my book you can’t go wrong with a brownie, especially one that’s made with four different types of chocolate! Yes you heard me right, 4 kinds of chocolate…

First you start with your favorite brownie recipe then you add a half cup each of milk, dark, semi-sweet, and white chocolate chips. If you are feeling like you need just a little more chocolate in your system or it has been a really rough work week please feel free to add a rich, gooey chocolate frosting :)

Here is one of the brownie recipes I use frequently. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 cup butter, melted
3 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt


Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.

2.Combine the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each, until thoroughly blended.

3.Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture until blended. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish.

4.Bake in preheated oven until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove, and cool pan on wire rack before cutting.

Raspberry Filled

I love these Raspberry filled cupcakes I made for a friends birthday! Each time I make filled cupcakes it gets easier for me. For these you just make a simple white cake, fill them with a raspberry preserve (you can use any flavor you fancy) and top them with an almond frosting.

Baklava

Baklava is one of my favorite treats. I mean I like cupcakes and cookies but I can pass those up but when this stuff is around I have NO will power. I mean none, zip, nada. I make it a few times a year for special occasions. I’ll let you in on a little secrete, its super easy once you get it down. It helps is you have another person around to put on the next layer of phyllo as you brush the butter on but if noone is around its totally doable by yourself.

Here is the recipe, try not to eat the whole tray by yourself!!

Baklava

INGREDIENTS
1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough
1 pound chopped nuts
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup honey

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C).

Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch pan.

Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack in half to fit pan. Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 2 - 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep.

Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You may cut into 4 long rows the make diagonal cuts. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.

Make sauce while baklava is baking. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool. Serve in cupcake papers.

For Sale

I make these yummy sugar cookies for an open house for my favorite Realtor (my dad). If you are looking to buy or sell a house let me know and I’ll hook you up ;)



For the recipe click here.

Halloween Bunco Cupcakes!

Happy Halloween Bunco Style!

My sister hired me out to make Halloween Bunco cupcakes for a friend of hers and I must say I impressed myself! With the help of my mom we dreamt up these little beauties. The finger is half a Twix candy bar wrapped in marshmallow fondant, and the dice is also made of marshmallow fondant. We had a lot of fun making these and I can’t wait for another excuse to make something like this.

Big shout out to my mom for her help on this one.
You are the Best!

Volleyball Sugar Cookies

Rams are ready
Rams are smooth
Rams will take control
And stomp all over you!

Go Rams!

Good Luck Emily, Kylie, Kelsi, Brooklyn, Sarah, Jadee, Kailee, Hannah, Carley, Caroline, Rhianna, Coach Jana, Coach Deanna and Coach Hollen

Pumpkin Bread

Fall… with open arms I greet you, I have missed you old friend.

Here is my grandmother’s recipe for pumpkin bread. I couldn’t resist making mini muffins. I hope you love them as much as I do.


Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients

4 eggs
2/3 C. water
1 C. oil
3 C. sugar
3 ½ C. flour
½ t. baking powder
2 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
½ t. ground cloves
15 oz. canned pumpkin

Directions

Mix all ingredients. Pour into greased bread tins. Bake for 1 hour at 325. Makes about 3 loaves.

Yellow Cake

Yellow cake + chocolate frosting + Baby Leland = a good time.

We went to meet our new cousin Leland and brought along these. I must say I desperately need a new yellow cake recipe. Yellow cake always turns out so dry for me and I am not sure why. If you have a fool proof recipe will you send it my way?

Monday morning pick me up...

Just a little something to start the day :) You can’t go wrong with chocolate on a Monday morning!

Cream Filled

I just can’t get enough of these little buggers! I have to say that each time I make these I love them more and more. This time instead of topping with a chocolate glade I just used the cream filling as a frosting and it turned out wonderfully. Click here for the recipe.