Perfect Fall Cake...

Apple Cider Cake with Walnut Brown Sugar Struesel

Cheeseburger Cake

My sweetie just had a birthday and what other cake could I make, but a giant cheeseburger cake!  One of his favorite foods is fast food burgers, so this was the perfect cake for his birthday this year. 

50th Birthday Party Cupcakes-Part 2!

Now that the hurricane has passed, the 50th Birthday Party was rescheduled and this is what I made for the festivities:

• Irish Car Bombs
• Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
• Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
• Cannoli Cupcakes

Shrimp & Grits

What to do for dinner when you haven't been to the grocery store this week?!  What I came up with was a quick and easy shrimp & cheese grits!

Make 1 serving of quick cooking grits (be sure to salt your water generously when cooking or you will never be able to salt the grits enough when they are done!).  When they are done, stir in a pat of butter, some shredded cheddar cheese and a little parmesan.

I sauted chopped onion in a frying pan, added some chopped green peppers, salt & pepper, garlic powder and oregano.  Cook until soft.  Add a little tomato sauce and I used defrosted frozen shrimp.  Cook until shrimp are done.

Serve over grits and enjoy!

Miami....

On a recent trip to Miami, Fl with my sweetie, we tried some amazing food. 

The first place I'd like to tell you about was a BBQ restaurant my mom and dad found years ago in Ft. Lauderdale.  It was definitely lived up to the hype and the staff was so friendly, the place is clean and so nicely decorated with a very vintage feel that I loved.

It was so good, we drove back to Ft. Lauderdale before the airport to have one last meal!  I even bought 2 bottles of their original bbq sauce to bring home with me and try to recreate the experience!  If you are ever in the area, I suggest you try Tom Jenkins BBQ, you will not be disappointed.

www.tomjenkinsbbq.com

1236 South Federal Highway
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316
TEL: 954-522-5046  

               Mmmmmm good!!!!      Ribs, Corn Muffin, Baked Beans, Mac & Cheese and  Fresh Squeezed Lemonade!

The Pit!  It all looked and smelled so good!

Neil's Donuts-Aaaaamazing!

I was fortunate enough to be introduced to Neil's Donuts & Bake Shop last year.  They have amazing donuts, cookies, pastries, breakfast sandwiches, coffee and more!  This weekend my honey surprised me with a Neils breakfast sandwich (which I wish I'd gotten a photo of) and later on...a chocolate chip cookie sandwich treat!

If you are ever in the area, please stop by Neil's, they are only open certain hours/days, but it is worth the wait in line!  They offer over 30 varieties of donuts made daily :)

www.neilsdonuts.com

Neil's Donuts and Bake Shop
83 North Turnpike Rd, Wallingford, CT
Telephone 203-269-4255
Open Tue - Fri 6am-3 pm, Sat 6am-2pm, Sun 6am-1pm

Magic with Leftovers-Risotto Cakes!

With a container of leftover mushroom risotto in the fridge, I had to think of some other way to eat it, the outcome was risotto cakes.

Mix leftover risotto with:

• 1 egg
• Chopped fresh basil
• Cubed fresh mozzarella
• Salt & Pepper

Heat frying pan with a little butter and olive oil, fry patties on both sides until browned. 

Lemon Coconut Quick Bread

Another great recipe from www.farmgirlfare.com, Lemon Coconut Quick Bread!

Cheddar Dill Beer Bread

I found a great recipe at www.farmgirlfare.com for an easy beer bread.  They have a great blog with lots of wonderful recipes.   I added minced dried onion, pepper and a little garlic powder to the recipe.  I did not use organic flour, so not sure if that made the difference or if my vintage loaf pan was a little smaller than the size required. 

I think I will try this recipe again as it came out a little heavy, but was delicious left over and toasted with butter!

50th Birthday Party Cupcakes

Even with the impending hurricane headed for New England and beyond, I was busy baking 90+ cupcakes for a 50th birthday party this weekend!  Sadly, the party was cancelled due to the weather, but I had some very happy friends and family that got to enjoy the cupcakes.  I baked all 4 kinds, but when I got the call, I didn't bother making the frosting for the 4th batch!  Here are some pics of the 3 I finished.

Top to bottom we have:

1. Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes (chocolate stout cupcake, Irish Whiskey ganache filling and Bailey's Irish Cream butter cream).
2. Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Cupcakes (chocolate cake, chocolate chip cookie dough filling, peanut butter frosting with chopped peanuts and a mini cookie)
3. Caramel Apple (vanilla cake with apple filling and caramel butter cream with caramel drizzle)

Test batch of new cupcakes!

Vanilla cupcakes with strawberry lemonade filing and pina colada butter cream.

Coconut Cream Pie with Chocolate Crust

This was delicious! 

Healthy Sesame Chicken

Thanks to Ellie Kreiger's recipe in a past Food Network Magazine, I was able to make a healthier version of takeout!

Croissant Breakfast Casserole

This is a recipe I found online when searching for a non-meat breakfast bake for a co-worker's birthday breakfast.  I tweaked it a little to suit my tastes and would definitely make it again.  it was very easy and yummy!

Croissant Breakfast Casserole

• 8 croissants
• 4 T. butter
• 4 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions **(I used a couple shakes of dried, minced onion at the end of cooking the mushrooms)
• 8 egs
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 cups shredded swiss cheese **(I used cheddar instead)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• Garlic powder, parsley and oregano to taste

Split croissants in half, horizontally.  Spray 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place bottoms cut side up in one layer in a baking dish (may need to rip some into smaller pieces to make them fit pan properly).
In a medium sized skillet, melt butter.  Saute mushrooms and green onions until tender and liquid has evaporated, add garlic powder, parsley and oregano while cooking. I did not use the green onions and just added some minced dried onion the last minute or so of cooking.  Set aside.

Beat together eggs and milk.

Pour half of egg and milk mixture over croissant bottoms.  Then layer mushroom mixture and cheeses on top.  Top with croissant tops and then pour remaining egg/milk mixture over the entire dish.  Lightly press down on croissants to briefly submerge in liquid.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.  Let stand overnight.

Preheat oven to 350F.  Remove casserole from refrigerator and bring to room temperature while oven is preheating.  Bake for 45 minutes or so until tops are lightly brown and liquid has set.  

Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes

Today was the 25th Birthday for my co-worker and friend, Amber.  Today's cupcake was a chocolate covered strawberry cupcake.  Chocolate cake, strawberry cream cheese frosting and the topper, a chocolate covered strawberry!

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes

Yellow Cupcakes with Raspberry Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

A treat for my sweetie and his co-workers today!

Yellow Cupcakes with 

Raspberry Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

Cupcakes for a Fashion Designer

I was hired by a co-worker to make cupcakes for her daughter's graduation party.  Nicole recently graduated from Drexel University and is a fashion designer!  I had a lot of fun with these cupcakes despite the heat and they were very pleased with the results.

Using her fabric design boards, I took inspiration for colors and some decorations. 

The Inspiration!!!!

Packed and ready for delivery....

4th of July!

I had a great 4th of July holiday weekend!  There was much going on with the family and my sweetie this weekend.  One of the best parts of the weekend was my BBQ on Sunday.  The rule was come whenever, relax, eat whenever and have fun!  Unfortunately Sunday was the worst weather day of the weekend, but I decorated inside the house and we were able to get in a walk down to the beach and eat outside.  The fireworks in my neighborhood, Point Beach, were beautiful and all the fireworks down the shore were amazing to see!

I'm sorry that I was so relaxed that I forgot to take pictures of the food and decorations, but here's the menu as best as I can remember:

Sweedish meatballs (home made with ground chicken)
Ribs with my BBQ sauce, with some fresh apricots this time!
Baked beans
Baked mac and cheese
Tequila glazed chicken kebobs
Potato salad
Pasta salads (2 kinds thanks to mom!)
Green salad
Corn muffins

And for dessert...Death by Chocolate!

Sadly the long weekend had to come to an end, but we all headed to mom's last night for a round 2 of my picnic and some more relaxing.  I'm very happy my office was closed today as well ;)

Baked French Toast

I made this up quickly as I went, but I used 1 loaf of cinnamon swirl bread, 6 eggs, some milk, cinnamon, vanilla, brown sugar and butter.  Pour egg mixture on top of the bread and soak it overnight.  Bake 375 degree oven about 30 minutes, then top each 1/4 with a little butter and drizzle syrup across the top, bake another 15-30 minutes or until set (will come out very puffy!).  Enjoy :)

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Transformers Cupcakes

So, I had another cupcake order...this time for a child's birthday.  


Transformers was the decoration of choice, so I hope he'll like them!  We have chocolate with caramel butter cream (blue) and Cookies & Cream with Vanilla butter cream (red).

Blueberry Coffee Cake

I must be on a coffee cake kick!

Blueberry Coffee Cake

• 2 c. flour
• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. butter or margarine, cut into small pieces
• 1 t. baking powder
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 c. milk
• 1 t. vanilla
• 2 – 2 1/2 c. blueberries

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter or margarine, or mix with an electric mixer on low speed, until crumbly. Reserve 3/4 c. crumb mixture for topping.
2. To the remaining mixture, add baking powder, egg yolks (reserve whites in a separate bowl), milk and vanilla. Beat until combined, about 1 minute.
3. Whisk the reserved egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold into the batter.
4. Pour the batter into a greased 13×9 casserole dish. Cover with blueberries. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture over the blueberries. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 – 40 minutes, until lightly browned and fully cooked.

Fresh Peach Cake

This is an Ina Garten recipe from the June 2011 Food Network Magazine.  It was so simple to make and I was told it was very good.  I made this cake for my sweetie and he graciously shared it with his co-workers today.  I already purchased more peaches on my way home from work to make another one later this week!

Ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 extra large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 large ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (I used regular beaters), beat the butter and 1 cup of the sugar for 3-5 minutes on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy.  With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, then the sour cream and vanilla; and mix until the batter is smooth.  In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix just until combined.  In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the cinnamon.
3. Spread half of the batter evenly in pan.  Top with half of the peaches, then sprinkle with two-thirds of the sugar mixture.  Spread the remaining batter on top, arrange the remaining peaches on top and sprinkle with the remaining sugar mixture and the pecans.
4. Bake the cake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 8

A Weekend in Madison, CT...

I had a great weekend, thanks to my honey, at the Scranton Seahorse Inn in Madison, CT.  This weekend was a great way to celebrate my birthday and was more than I could have ever hoped for.  

The inn was beautiful, comfortable and relaxing. The Innkeeper, Michael Hafford was a gracious and welcoming host.  Michael was a former pastry chef at Zinc in New Haven.  Breakfast both mornings was amazing!  Our first day started off with a wonderful homemade yogurt and granola parfait, followed by waffles and the crispiest bacon cooked to perfection.  The second morning, we had a delicious frittata made with fiddle heads, something I've seen, but never tried.  They taste very similar to asparagus.  If you're interested in fiddle heads, here you go...

We took a quick drive after our waffle breakfast, and then, I was whisked away for an hour long massage, which was just what the doctor ordered.  My afternoon was filled with antiquing, shopping in a gourmet shop and bakery, lunch and a trip to the beach. 

The inn had so many things to offer.  Aside from the welcoming hosts, there were great books, including cookbooks to read, DVDs you could borrow while relaxing in your room and a coffee bar with fresh baked cookies available at all times.  Though I was tempted many times to open that cookie jar, I allowed myself one treat on Saturday afternoon...a cup of hot coffee and a delicious freshly baked cookie!  

I wish I had one of those cookies now ;)  Luckily Michael provides some recipes on his website and now, I have that very recipe for the Molasses Sugar Cookies.  I'm sure you will see them posted very soon!

Please check out this inn, whether you live in the area or not, it is definitely worth a trip!

http://scrantonseahorseinn.com/

Coffee Cake Anyone?!

Banana Coffee Cake with Chocolate Chip Streusel

This is my 2nd time making this coffee cake.  The first was taken to my boyfriend's sister to welcome her newest baby.  They loved the cake and it was so easy, I decided to make it again and take it into work today. 

 

You can find the recipe at: 

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Banana-Coffee-Cake-with-Chocolate-Chip-Streusel-107629