This One Is For You....

I bet you thought I wasn't coming back. Well, I wasn't so sure I was either...things have just been insane lately. It's not that I haven't been baking-- I have-- a lot. Sadly, I haven't taken too many pictures. I know, I know...slacker. I am working on a cake right now for a baby's 1st birthday, and I promise to post a few pics.

Last year when I was working at Key Ingredient I would find billions of recipes that I wanted to make every day. I am a huge pumpkin fan, so anything with pumpkin I would bookmark to refer back to later. Out of the zillion (that's right, zillion) that I tabbed I think I made 2: vegan pumpkin muffins (yum!) and pumpkin brownies. Now, I know that being a pastry chef I should love all desserts equally (kind of like being a teacher and knowing that you should love all of your students equally), but the truth is...... I don't. There are just some desserts that I would die for and others I would just take a shot for. Brownies are one those desserts that I just have a hard time loving. I can take 'em or leave 'em, but this particular recipe caught my eye...pumpkin is it's saving grace. Now, the recipe calls for pumpkin spice Hershey kisses and I had never seen those before. So, the first few times I made these I just used pumpkin pie spice and substituted caramel kisses. It was fabulous! About a month or so ago my mom and I were in Target and there they lay at the checkout...pumpkin spice Hershey kisses. I got so excited I'm pretty sure people starred (probably because they were jealous that I found them first). These little kisses are so good I almost had a hard time saving them for the brownies. This recipe is amazing, and is such a nice twist on the plain ole brownie. You can make your brownies from scratch or just use a mix and add the additional flavorings and kisses.

I posted this recipe last year on The Food Knows using the KI widget, so why not do the same this year. Enjoy!! (This one is for you, Robyn.... I expect to enjoy some of these from you soon!)

Congratulations Paige and Nathan!

Well, the wedding is finally over. Paige is now a Meyer.....weird. I couldn't be more happy for Paige and Nathan and I can't wait to see how God is going to bless their marriage.

I don't have any pictures from the wedding.....sorry. I couldn't fit my camera in my bra, or snap any pics while standing next to the bride, but I did swipe a few photos that friends have posted on facebook. The quality isn't so good, but it gives you a look at how everything turned out. I'll post photos from the photographer as soon as we get them in.



My uncle made this cupcake tower and it turned out amazing! I don't know if you can tell how big this thing is, but it's huge! I loved how it all turned out, and everyone seemed to enjoy the flavors.



The photo booth was a lot of fun, and so many people participated. If you were at the wedding and would like to see your picture they are all posted on Paige's facebook page.

I thought I would be able to take some time off, but the orders are flooding in....which is a good thing! I'm going to have to start hiring some of my students to work as assistants!

Cupcake Palooza!

I used to think cupcakes were soooo cute and soooo creative. Do you want to know what I think of them now? AHHHHH!!!! I swear, if I see another cupcake I'm gonna throw it at someone! A few months ago I had this wonderful idea to do mini cupcakes for my sister's wedding cake...... 1,000 mini cupcakes later I wish someone would have slapped me. Let's take a look at the journey of a mini cupcake:













I will start icing them later today..... wish me luck.

Whenever I start working on a major project I begin by finding my musical motivation before anything else. Most of my major catering jobs so far can be traced through playlists on my ipod. This time I have found myself flipping between 2 playlists: Female Folk and Noise. Female Folk contains my usual lineup: Jolie Holland, Patty Griffin, Neko Case, Laura Marling, Dolly (of course!), Brandi Carlile, Missy Higgins, and a few others. I like to think we are all friends. These girls are my usuals, but every now and then I like to turn things up a bit and get a little sassy. A few years ago I would have blasted some type of rock band, but these days I like to take my dose of sass with a little class. I'm a big fan of the oldies, but I also like the more modern twists on those vintage tunes. Noise is a compilation of some ladies like Duffy, Amy Winehouse (not classy, I know, but brilliant voice none-the-less), Gin Wigmore, She and Him, and my most recent find, Noisettes. Whenever I need a second wind I just turn on these girls. Whoo.

I'll post again soon with pics of the final products (all 1,000 of them).

I don't have time to write you a witty post today, but I wanted to show some of the things that have kept me from blogging.




And here is a little preview of the next recipe I will be giving out.... Homemade Butterscotch Sauce with a little extra somethin',somethin'...

I Want S'more, Please!

I just love tarts! Something about them makes me feel all fancy when I eat them. I guess a s'more tart is more red neck/country-camper fancy, but fancy none the less, eh? I made these tarts for my older sister, Tori's, birthday last weekend. She originally wanted some kind of s'more cake, but I wasn't up to making homemade marshmallows, so I made her these instead. After I tell you what is in these you are going to want one so bad, and I only have one left.... and I'm not sharing!

These tarts start out with a toasted hazelnut and graham cracker crust. The chocolate custard is hit with a few tablespoons of hazelnut syrup (or liqueur...whichever you prefer), and are finished off with a yummy and oh-so-sweet toasted marshmallow meringue! In the words of Rachael Zoe..."I die!" These were sooooooo good!! Betcha want one now, dontcha??

Seriously??

I am making a baby shower cake later this week, and am in need of some serious inspiration. Naturally, I pull out my laptop to consult the creative muse within google's image gallery. I have never ceased to be amazed and thoroughly entertained by what I find when searching for cake ideas, but some cakes are just too much.



Seriously, who would want to eat this? "Sure, pass me a slice of mom's butterfly tattoo." or "Save me the belly button!" or "Oh, no thank you, just half a breast for me." (was that too far?)

I find things like this all the time! What are some absurd cakes you have seen?? Please share! I love this kind of stuff; it's what really gets me through the week, ya know ;)

**Monday Muffin Stops**

So, I'm sure you've picked up that I love baking and I love wedding blogs, but let me tell you something else I love.... decorating/interior design blogs, magazines, books, shows, etc. I love it all! My apartment is a hodge podge of miscellaneous crap that has somehow come together quite nicely. I'm not sure what you would call it.... Garage Sale Chic? Flea Market Fabulous? Whatever it is, that's my style. Every time I have moved it's always entertaining to observe people's puzzled faces as I move things in and out of my apartment....large vase of peacock feathers, glass head, old suitcases, jar of old spoons, vintage green and gold chandelier, large iron moose head.....

photo courtesy of decor8's flickr photosteam

Anyhow, Decor8 is one of my favorite design blogs to visit. It is full of inspiration, unique finds, and beautiful photos. I can't spend too much time there or else I begin to become dissatisfied with my own space and start scheming to redecorate immediately. Aahh... but this blog is blissful, and I can't help but admire all of the collected creativity.