Love Day!

Are you guys totally in LOVE today? I am sure you are just mushie gushie all over the place, right? Did you wear your red, or did you choose pink? Are you soaking in every morsel of divine chocolate given to you by your luva while you smell the long stemmed roses layed out over your bed and try on your new diamond earings...

Wake up people...and look at the simple, comforting romance that surrounds you everyday, not the Hollywood romance that shoots your expectations to the moon on Valentines Day.

My solution...love your luva everyday and eat sweets every chance you get! To entice your sweet tooth, here is a quick tour of my recent Day of Love treats...

the iconic conversation hearts...modern day of course...TEXT ME!

red velvet cupcakes with red heart sprinkles, LOVE THEM!

Combine the two together and you get cute little boxes of confection! I made these sweet treats for a special little guy with a fabulous mom who loves to spoil his classmates with sweet treats!

Chocolate sandwich cookies with vanilla cream filling and of course heart sprinkles, LOVE the HEARTS!

I am pretty sure I HEART these ones, I made them all a little different but equally simplistic. 

And finally, some more HEARTS, the colors are red, pink and deep purple
but they don't look too hot in the pic. 

Well all, I hope your day of love was genuinely happy and as always, happy baking, happier eating!

Happy 2012!

Did y'all know that its almost IS 2012 (yes I started writing this yesterday, yet ran out of time to finish)? Did y'all know I am using y'all to get ready for moving to Texas in just 6 months! Yes, I said it, 6 months from yesterday the hubby and I will be driving our 2 SUVs and a U-haul trailer to the Lone Star State and I don't even have to tell you, but I will...we are excited! Confession, I am not sure that Texans even use y'all as much as the other Southern states use it (please my Texan followers, inform me) but in my mind, they do and you better believe that I will be using it in it's fullest the minute I plant my West coast foot in Texas soil. And you are aware that my West coast foot will most definitely have a boot on it, because that is what I do! But for all of you who think that I bought boots just so that I can live in Texas...I have got a tid bit of info for you...my history with boots (the cowboy variety, not the fashion boot variety) goes WAY back. Way back that is to when I was a little toe-head running around with the sheep and horses that paint the memories of my childhood. Yep, that's right, I was a little cowgirl! I am pretty sure that the cowgirl feeling never dies despite how many urban cities you live in, you can always find it, and I think everyone secretly has a little cowgirl in them! So let's just say I am more than a little excited to explore my inner cowgirl in a place that embraces all kinds of cowgirls and boys alike! Okay, so why am I hear on this beautiful new day of a new year you ask??? To wish you all a Happy New Year and a wonderful start to your 2012! I don't know about you, but I can just feel that this year is going to be a good one and I am ready to face it full force! I mean here are just a few of the exciting things to come in 2012...

Fire Truck Birthday Party

A few weeks ago I was asked to do some treats for a 3 year old's birthday party. The theme was fire trucks and his mom is a terrific party planner who had thought of everything! The set-up was adorable and she even had red and yellow chairs to match the red & yellow bouncy house that was shaped like a fire truck!
This kiddos mom wanted to stay away from cake so I did chocolate sandwich cookies with vanilla cream filling, vanilla bean sandwich cookies with vanilla cream and of course some fire truck sugar cookies. To make the sandwich cookies even cuter, his mom  had gotten these adorable fire truck pics that I placed in each of the sandwich cookies. Everything looked great and she was so nice to send me pictures of her final set-up. Good thing because I totally didn't! So here are the pics that she sent me, isn't her lil guy adorable? I don't think I've ever seen a face that wanted a cookie so bad, great marketing, lol!

 

 

Happy baking, happier eating! 

A Favorite...

So I'm definitely not re-inventing any wheels here with these cookies, but what I am doing is enticing your tastebuds through visual cues to break out your peanut butter and get to baking! You know you want to, even if it means heating up the kitchen in these dog days of summer!

Teddy Bear 1st Birthday!

Wow, where is time going. Ya know, I know I say that a lot, but seriously...where is it going. It's like I blink and suddenly it is almost the middle of June and more importantly almost our first wedding anniversary! Can you believe a year already, ummm...I cannot! And where better to celebrate you ask? Yep, that's right...we're headin' to Texas and I cannot wait! I have always been a southern gal at heart, even though I was raised in the sticks of Northern Nevada, and I am looking so forward to checking out all that Texas has to offer!

Flour Cake...

Hope the week is treating all of you well! I just wanted to post a few quick pics of a cake I did for Mother's day for a gent I work with who ordered it for his wife. The cake was to die for...hopefully...chocolate brownie cake with salted caramel filling and chocolate caramel ganache frosting...sounds like a food coma waiting to happen, eh?

Happy baking, happier eating!

Happy Birthday Hubby!

Just wondering...does cake and coffee constitute a balanced meal? Hope so because I think I had it for at least two meals today. Don't judge because I know if you were at my house with this cake lying around, you too would convince yourself it is totally a balanced addition to any beverage, wine anyone?

Chocolate Peanut Butter Shortbread

So if you are like me...the title of this post has more than enticed you to read a bit further. Chocolate...Peanut Butter...Shortbread! Yes it is as good as it sounds, maybe even better than it sounds! Because it is the week before a very special day, my hunny's birthday, I figured I would share a recipe that I made for him a couple of months ago.

New Sandwich Cookies {Part 2}

Let me warn you, read this post quickly, preheat your oven now, and get out your supplies PRONTO because these are the best cookies you may ever taste! I was asked to make some sandwich cookies for a birthday gift and whenever I do an order I always try to find out a little about the gift receiver. So for these I was told that the birthday girls favorite candy was plain ole Hershey's chocolate bars. Yum!

Keeping With The Theme Of Birthdays!

So as you all read it was my blog birthday yesterday and it was my birthday over the weekend. How old you ask...the big 3-0! Yay for getting older, I love it, I feel like every year it gets better and better! So what was a gal to do on her 30th birthday...have a party filled with lots of food, family, & friends! And that is exactly what I did! It was so much fun, I have not done much in terms of celebrating for my birthday in the last 8 or so years (I blame it on med-school and residency) and let me tell you, I had so much fun! My hunny planned the menu, my wonderful mom and sister executed the menu to a tee, let me tell you the food was amazing! I of course had to make a couple of sweets (big surprise)! I thought I would post a couple of pics, please forgive me as they are not the best of quality given that I was taking them at night with artificial light, 5 minutes before the party started ;)

Snickerdoodle Cake with Marshmallow Creme Frosting

decorated with silver disco dust

 The most delicious Chocolate Marble Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

decorated with gold disco dust

Red Velvet Cake Pops with White Chocolate Coating dipped in yellow sanding sugar. 

Can I just say these were gone in about an hour!

 Lemon Poppy Seed Sandwich Cookies... recipe post & credit to Callye to follow!

Yellow & White Sugar Cookies

 

Happy Baking, Happier Eating!

Fudge Shoppe...

So one day when I was being crazy...I decided that in between batches of cookies, I should use my time wisely by making a few batches of fudge for a fun post on how you can become your own little fudge shoppe! Now I sit here three weeks (really? wow!) later realizing that I am just now getting around to having time to post about it, and guess what, I am writing this post in between baking a few batches of sugar cookies because I just cannot stop! I have to finish my last idea that I had a month ago when all of this baking madness began and I must finish it before the New Year is upon us!

Queen Of The Jungle {Baby Shower}

 

Last weekend I had the pleasure of throwing a baby shower for a girl I work with. Myself and one of my other co-workers organized it and somehow everything turned out great! We decided on the colorful theme of "Queen Of The Jungle" and I couldn't wait to do the cake and cookie favors as I had the perfect idea in mind.

Crumb Of The Month (September)...Homemade Oreos 2 Ways!

So somehow the months are-a-flyin'-by and I have not been keeping up on my Crumb Of The Month posts. So sorry. For September I am so happy to be posting a delicious, nostalgic treat that I have made in the past with a different recipe and I must say the recipe I used this time...mas delicioso! I must thank Ms. Bridget from Bake at 350, she is splendid, and she had posted the recipe for the scrumptious homemade Oreos a while back.

Birthday Wishes!

Wow, August is a busy month for birthdays let me tell you! I have been pretty busy these past two weeks with some very special birthday sweets. I spent the last weekend with friends for a dear friend's birthday in Coronado Beach and we all had such an amazing time. I made a number of things to make the celebration even more special and I think we all met our sweets quota by the end of the weekend. The birthday gal's favorite color is red, so you will notice a bit of red here and there!
This week I was putting together a larger order for another friend whose father-in-law is celebrating his 60th birthday in party fashion and what party is complete without sweets! I made boat-themed sugar cookies and snickerdoodles. Finally this same friend also wanted another smaller order to send to her grandma for her birthday. So, like I said, I have been busy! Here are all of the pics...

Fiesta!

Here is just a quick little post about a little thing I can international deliciousness...and what is that you ask? Mini Mexican chocolate cakes! This past weekend we had a little fiesta and to keep in line with the carnitas tacos we cooked up, I made these yummy cakes for a sweet end to the evening. Funny story about this cake recipe, I actually made it for the first time almost 6 1/2 years ago. Why do I remember this so clearly you may wonder...well that is because I made this cake only a few hours after meeting my wonderful husband. It was that afternoon, I turned in my cynical ways for the belief in love at first sight, and I couldn't be happier I did!

An Old Classic Jumbo Sized...

Who can resist a Hostess Cupcake, sadly I cannot! So what is better than a twin pack in the 10 for $10 section...a homemade jumbo sized one of course! So I, in truth, can take no credit for the design of this big boy, my ingenious better half came up with this idea as we were driving around running errands one day. I in my usual crabby pants fashion was like " ummm...whatever, so not using that idea" (no this is not how I talk, just how I think, haha) and then I thought a little harder and my next thought was "GENIUS!" Why hadn't I thought of it?!?

Cake in Lights...

Well so maybe not really in lights, but I am so excited to say that one of my cakes gets to spend some time on Cake Moms blog, yippee! I am so happy and am so grateful to Jamie @ Cake Mom, thank you!!! So anyway...here it is:

http://jamielz.blogspot.com/2010/07/birthday-month-reader-cake-roses.html

This was a cake I made a little over a year ago for my sister's surprise 30th! I loved the gumpaste flowers because they were HOT PINK! The cake was my favorite (and many others' favorite) marble cake with a chocolate fudge frosting. Yummy...I want some now!

One more thing...just wanted to send a thank you out to all of the fabulous new followers who have left such nice comments and are so excited about the giveaway! I too am so excited to see who wins! Yay! Thank you all! Happy baking, happier eating~especially on the weekend!

To Be A Cupcake or To Be A Brownie...That Is The Question!

So is something that looks like a cupcake but taste like a brownie considered a cupcake or a brownie? The verdict is still out, but I will let you help me decide. I made these the other night after I got off at 4pm, which was oh so awesome it needed a celebration of baking! My wonderful husband (oh how I love saying that word) LOVES brownies, but can I just tell you that I have a mental road block when it comes to making brownies? I don't know what it is...I am just not that good at making brownies. Maybe it is the lack of flour that restricts me ;) I don't make brownies all that often, and although you can make some pretty fabulous concoctions like cheesecake, peanut butter, mint, nut, cherry, etc. I just don't go to brownies when I am in the mood to bake. I will tell you however that I LOVE warm brownies fresh from the oven, and I happen to love box brownies, which I am pretty sure I have mentioned before! They seem to turn out perfect; not too cakey, not too fudgy. Scratch brownies however seem to be a bit more finicky!

Cake Pops & Cake Truffles

 

Who can deny chocolate? Well I know there are some crazy people out there who can...(not crazy in the offensive way of course)...but who would want to? Especially when it comes to chocolate cake, chocolate frosting, and a chocolate candy coating. Three chocolates that are undeniably divine together!

Birthday Wishes!

I made some very special cookies for my very special father for his 60th birthday, yay! Just thinking about these yummy-yum-yum cookies has my taste-buds salivating! Now, my dad is a true sweet tooth, one of the originals I'm convinced! I wonder where I got mine from?!? My dad LOVES chocolate chip cookies! I remember making them with my mom when I was very young. She had this huge aluminum bowl that we would make them in, usually at least doubling the recipe. I always loved "sampling"  along the way. The best part of cookie dough to "sample" is by far the butter combined with the sugars, what could be better (this part is my mom's favorite as well). My other favorite memory about my dad growing up was his "hidden M&M's." Whenever my dad needed to run errands on a weekend he would ask one of us kids to come help. He then would always need to stop at 7-11 to pick up a weekend paper, while inside 7-11 he would get a pack of plain M&Ms and hide them inside the paper to give to us as a treat for coming with him. This was the best! I always wondered if they would be in there, and without fail, they always were! Aren't parents wonderful! I always think to myself, how the heck did they do it?!? Thanks dad & mom for giving me such a wonderful childhood with "sweet memories!"