Rose Cake: A story

My friend Kate just recently had a birthday. Her husband contacted a bunch of her friends and we put together a surprise party for her. I volunteered to be in charge of the dessert. 

I had been wanting to try a new way of decorating the cake by using the frosting to make huge roses all over the cake. I knew that the frosting had to be pretty stiff in order to make this work, but I also knew that I love my chocolate butter cream frosting. 

I tried to make the roses stick on the side, but my butter cream was melting too fast. Not a problem, I just did the roses on top (they did melt a little) and just did a textured frosting on the sides with embellishments on the bottom of the cake. Not too shabby, I thought to myself.

Because it was raining all day, in order to move the cake I enlisted the help of my roommate Melissa. I walked her to the car with an umbrella as she held the cake. We got to our destination and I opened the car door for her, opened the umbrella with keys in hand...

and managed to drop the keys on the  cake.

Oh, how my heart broke!

We went inside, I managed to take my keys off the cake. And smooth out the roses.

Kinda boring now, isn't it?

 But I did make these little guys. And that was fun. As was the party.

The end.

And 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATE!!

A treat!

With my first trip to Canada, I didn't know what to expect. Frozen tundra, polar bears walking the streets? 

I was going in December, and was told it was going to be cold. As in really cold. Canada cold. So my mom bought me a new coat (yes, we bought it in Miami!), which got the approval from my cousin-in-law, Ashley, who lived in Michigan and is my go-to adviser for cold weather. So far, that coat has saved me from temperatures that dipped down to 7F. Yuck.

I look like an Eskimo! Notice the bare feet...

But I am not here to talk about the cold weather of Canada (which I am sure will take up plenty of posts next winter). 

Back to my story. 

I didn't know what to expect when I got to Canada. Richard's mother, good woman that she is, gave us a dessert that has changed my life. Richard grew up on these and told me about them, but until I tried them, I had no clue.

Have you heard of Nanaimo Bars? 

If not, I am sorry. It is something that the Canadians are selfishly keeping to themselves. I mean, the French shared crème brûlée. The Italians shared cannolis. I'm just saying...

  Let me describe it to you. 

The bottom layer is a mixture of chocolate, crumbled graham cracker, chopped almonds, and shredded coconut.

The middle layer is a custard mixed sugar.

The top layer is chocolate ganache.

Heaven in your mouth.

These are pink in the middle because I made them for Valentine's Day. 

 I am looking forward to seeing what other culinary treats Canada has to offer...

Another one...

Not too shabby...

Creme...

Brulee?

It was the last day of school for one of the teachers in my department (maternity leave) and as a goodbye, I made chocolate crème brûlée. 

Sorry for the poor quality of the pictures. I forgot to take my camera to school, so my iphone had to do the job... 

Before the torch...

 I forgot to take a picture after I torch it. Sorry....

But you can see some of the caramalization (is that a word?) in this one...I already started eating it...

 

 I would say that they were a hit! Click here for the recipe

 

More cupcakes!

Another baking adventure...

Not really adventure, but something to help me improve my craft...

This is my new toy. It dispenses the batter evenly. It was the hit of the day!

Chocolate...meet Wedding Cake...

My embellishments

Add a little buttercream...and we are ready to go!

I think I need to work on my photography...

Good vs Bad

Good news.

I survived the first half of the school year.

Bad news.

I still have the rest of the school year to go.

Good news.

I baked tonight.

Bad news.

I baked tonight. And now I have to workout tomorrow. Boo.

Don't tell my healthy living blog followers that I made these. These little guys are not exactly on the approved Weight Watchers list...

But here is the process...in case you are interested:

I started with a little brownie batter...

Added a little cream cheese topping...

Don't forget the swirl...

And baked for about 17 minutes (at 350).

Let's take a closer look, shall we?

These are the mini versions. You can also make them in full cupcake sizes.
And they are heavenly.

A family affair...

I helped my aunt throw a bridal shower yesterday for my cousin's fiance, Ashley (welcome to the family!!).

It was the debut of my culinary skills in Miami (well, I have cooked for my family, but not really for others).

I am so pleased with how everything turned out!! Experiences like these help me learn and grow and I am grateful for the chance to do it (and I slept 12 hours last night to recover from the exhaustion!).

So, here are the pictures and the recipes, as requested (just click on the name, it will send you to the appropriate website)...

Mini Cheesecakes

Turducken Cupcakes and Buttercream Frosting

Cranberry Feta Pinwheels

Mexican Quiches


Recipes for items I did not take pictures of:

Cilantro Cream Sauce (Make it. Don't ask questions. Just make it. And then drink it, with tortilla chips or the Mexican Quiches.)

Cheese Fondue (so good!)

Brigadeiros (I like to roll these in powdered sugar. Or raw cocoa. You pick.)

Bruschetta (we omit the cayenne, FYI)

Strawberry and Spinach Salad (the dressing is a-ma-zing!)

Good luck with the recipes!
And as my Aunt Sally says, just follow the recipe and you will be fine...

A little ciabatta

When I have slow days on the Subbing Front, I often look for recipes to try.

I found a recipe for ciabatta the other day and decided to go for it

I think my roommates approved. These loaves didn't last through the night...

"Turducken" Cupcakes...

A little bit of thisTurns into this...
With a little added something on the top...
Becomes this....
The recipe can be found here. And here.

Enjoy!

My loves...

I love a lot of things. To name a few:
1. Traveling (give me a plane ticket and I am yours. figuratively.)
2. Alysia (my roommate who is sitting next to me. and told me to type this)
3. Sleep (does this really need an explanation?)

But there are things that I love more than anything. One thing that I truly love is Abby, Laura's daughter. I spent time with her during Spring Break and I tell you, this little girl has my heart...

I think it is funny that in both pictures, she has a pacifier. I promise, it is not always in her mouth!!

Another thing I love is cooking/baking. Tonight, I decided to try making gnocchi. Have you ever tried it? Heaven. After a few trial boilings, I finally got the timing right and paired my gnocchi with pesto. Success!!

Good day...

Oreo truffles and the Eclipse trailer. What more could I have wanted for today?

Everest...

Have you ever had a project that you wanted to complete, but the task seemed too daunting? For some, it is climbing Mt. Everest or going to graduate school. For others it is as simple as learning how to knit or to finish writing a book.

Ever since I started baking, I have wanted to learn how to work with fondant. That is my Everest. Nothing too terrible, but I feared it! I watch shows like Cake Boss (my favorite!) and Ace of Cakes, and it looks so easy when they do it. But I worried about my own abilities. Besides, they have kitchens full of wonderful tools. I do not.

This weekend I decided to face my fear. I found a recipe for fondant and jumped in. I wish I had taken pictures of the process but it was impossible because I was up to my elbows in marshmallow and sugar. And my camera would have been covered with sticky mess and I would not have been happy. Let's just say that I was a (hot) mess. Just as I was about to give up, the fondant hardened and started working!! I stuck it in the fridge and prayed that it would be ok.

The next day, I made a cake, slapped the fondant on it and served it for dessert. I didn't get a picture of the finished product (as a whole cake) and finally took a picture of the cake after we had dug in.

Oh, and I should say that next time I make this, I will experiment with colors. I just didn't want to get over my head....

So here you go:
A little closer...Maybe a little closer...(and yes, that is Quinn in the background)
I would call this a success and am thrilled that it was much easier than I expected!! Thanks to those who tried it and helped me figure out the right flavoring for the cake, the frosting, and the fondant.

The fondant recipe can be found HERE.

Frittata = Yum

I like to try new recipes. I follow a lot of recipes blogs, but one I particularly like is by Lori Lange, or Recipe Girl. I have tried a bunch of her recipes and have had much success (check out her appetizers, they are amazing!).

This week's recipe was for Squash and Tomato Oven Frittata. I made it for brunch for my roommates and I...and I am declaring it a hit! Just look at the picture:
Delish, though we did discover that we liked it served hot, instead of room temperature, as the recipe says to serve it.
You can find the recipe here