Ombre two ways

It's been quite the busy week around here on the marsh and I'm just d-i-y-ing (was that a successful play on words?) to get crafty this weekend. I would love to make that pretty ombre hanging chandelier for the girls' room. I actually have a bunch of color swatches leftover from a project I made last month (I'll post that one soon). Anything ombre is irresistible to me right now - those meringue parfaits are no exception! Also, couldn't help but daydream about wearing these flats with this dress. Sigh.

vegan chocolate cake

Happy March! As typical New England Weather would have it, there are about four inches of snow on the ground. To think we almost go out of February unscathed by Old Man Winter. Ah, well... I'm still obsessed with these sandals and painting my tootsies this color in my excitement for spring. Anyway, on to that scrumptious looking cake pictured up there. Made with the very basic of ingredients (you probably have them all in your kitchen at this very moment), baking this chocolate cake is on my to do list this weekend. And, it's vegan! Not that we're vegan... couldn't even begin to think about life without dairy (or hamburgers), but it looks like an easy recipe to whip up when the need for something crowd-pleasing arises, or your vegan friends pop by for a visit. Check out the recipe for vegan chocolate cake.

image via joy the baker

chocolate for breakfast

Nutella is magic. I haven't made anything that tasted bad when Nutella has been involved. This recipe for a french toast bake did not disappoint. Instead of baking a large "caserole," I made individual 8 oz ramekins and prepared it all the night before so the egg mixture could really soak into the bread. I changed a few things from the original recipe: 1. I used Scala bread rather then the called for mulitgrain bread (I've found that denser breads like multigrain make for a tougher outcome). 2. I adjusted the recipe by half and only used two sliced bananas. I'm definitely keeping this recipe in my breakfast repertoire - I might even try it with day old croissants in place of bread.

I highly recommend making a little Nutella sauce as described in the recipe to drizzle over the top before serving. Our guests loved this take on french toast! Ok, I'm getting hungry just typing this post... and also inspired to write a post about all the "make ahead" breakfast/brunch recipes I've tried over the past few years. It's much more fun to just make the coffee and pour the mimosas in the morning rather than have to whip up a full meal, don't you think? Keep an eye out for that upcoming post!

recipe via needful things

pressed for cookie ideas?

I absolutely adore anything font, letterpress, type and paper related. When I saw these cookie cutters, my inner type-nerd sang out in harmonious joy along with my sweet tooth. Letterpress cookies - genius. I have to have these... plus, they'll be a fun way to teach Violet all about spelling (she's got her alphabet down pat and now she's interested in spelling words). Can you spell, SWOON?!

p.s. Don't forget to enter the give-away!


image via perpetualkid.com

mousse my way

I know yesterday's post was about food, but I couldn't help posting this recipe. After a stressful start to the week (oh, how I wish it were the weekend already) making a simple lemon mousse was the best way to get my mind into a positive state. I've been itching to make pots de creme for months now, but my ego can't handle a dessert disaster (they can be very finicky to make). This mousse was easy-peesey-lemon-squeezey. I went light on the sugar for more of a refreshing, rather than super sweet, taste. Hero Hubby indulged and gave it a thumbs up. This key lime mousse intrigues me... I'll have to try this when I'm in more of an experimenting mood. 

Lemon Mousse
1 cup heavy cream
2 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1 lemon, juiced
Lemon zest (for garnish)

1. Whip the cream and sugar until it starts to thicken (don't over-whip)!
2. Add lemon juice and whip just to thicken a bit more.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they start to form soft peaks.
4. Gently fold the egg whites into the lemon cream mixture.
5. Spoon into individual serving bowls or glasses and chill.
6. Garnish with a sprinkle of lemon zest.

Yeah, yeah, I know some of you are worried about the uncooked egg white - sheesh. If you must, you can use pasteurized eggs which are available in most supermarkets, typically located right next to the regular 'ole eggs.

best chocolate cupcakes ever

I would not make such a dramatic claim if this were not true. Of course, we all have different ideas of what "best ever" really means everything is relative. Since I'm a sweets junkie, I cannot be relied upon to objectively rate baked goods, so I put these chocolate cupcakes to the test by swaying my Hero Hubby to try one (the man does not like sweets, crazy right?!) They passed with flying colors. Thus, this recipe is now filed in the "best ever" section in my recipe book. Try them with vanilla buttercream frosting and you and your sweet (or not-so-sweet) tooth will not be disappointed. My little sweet liked them too!

recipe via SimplyRecipes

rustic apple tart

I wanted to post this yesterday, but the ladies and I were driving around aimlessly in an effort to experience some quiet and induce my lovelies into an early morning nap. Violet was up extra early  (thanks, again, daylight savings for continuing to f*ck up our sleep schedules) and a car ride is sometimes the only thing to restore some sanity.

Anyway, I made this rustic apple tart last week with some *superb* pie dough from Immaculate Baking Co. my local market (i love you, Market Basket) just started carrying. I stopped buying ready-made pie dough last year after I realized what nasty stuff is in most brands. So, I tried my hand at making my own. Pate brisee, as it is formally known, is not complicated to make, but it's messy and takes a good chunk of time to prepare (well, most of the time is spent cleaning up). Alas, our pie consumption dwindled and in a tearful nostalgia I thought about apple tarts, chicken pot pie, strawberry rhubarb pie... until that beautiful autumn morning when I saw something new. An artsy, quirky box of pie dough in the refrigerator case; Immaculate Baking Co. "No artificial ingredients...all natural," the box read. Hmmm, thought I as I flipped it over to read the ingredients. To think, it was true! I was in pie dough nirvana. My mind flooded with possibilities - I stashed two boxes in my shopping cart and giddily slipped into the checkout lane. That night I put the dough to the taste-test and made chicken pot and a rustic apple tart. The crust was practically glowing when I drew the pies from the oven (the perfect golden brown) and the flavor was outstanding. You might even say the whole experience was immaculate.

RECIPE (this is for one medium-sized tart)

1 tablespoon butter 
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups sliced red delicious apples
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch ground nutmeg
1/4 package refrigerated pie dough (such as Immaculate Baking Co.)!
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
ice water

Preheat oven to 425° and set oven rack in the middle of the oven. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add brown sugar, stir in apples and spices. Cook for about five minutes to slightly soften the apples. Allow to cool. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into  ten inch circle. Place the dough on a piece of parchment paper on top of a baking sheet. Arrange cooled apples in center of dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold the edges of dough toward center, pressing gently. Brush dough with 1 teaspoon ice water and sprinkle evenly with 1 teaspoon granulated sugar. Place the tart in the refrigerator for 10 minutes (this chills the fat in the dough to ensure a flaky crust). Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

treats, not tricks

Ah, Halloween... property damage, slutty nurse costumes, and the indescribable taste of candy corn. Oh, yeah and pumpkins and trick-or-treaters. Discouraged by the 1/2 inch of snowy-slush on the ground (really? it's not even November), and since Violet doesn't quite grasp the whole Halloween concept anyway, we're going to celebrate at home by making these delicious treats. The recipe's ingredients are much better than the kind one might discover while pillaging her youngster's treat bag and these candies are scarily easy to make. No tricks required.

INGREDIENTS
1 cups creamy peanut butter
¼ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup light brown sugar
1¼ cups powdered sugar
Melted milk chocolate (I like Ghiradelli)

DIRECTIONS
For the filling:
In a medium saucepan, combine peanut butter, butter, and brown sugar. Heat over medium heat until completely melted and starting to bubble. Remove from heat and stir in powdered sugar, 1/4 cup at a time until thoroughly combined. I use a stand mixer to blend mine. Taste and add a pinch of salt if you find the mixture too sweet (salt content in peanut butter varies). Cool completely.
For the candies:
Line a mini muffin tin with paper liners. Roll peanut butter filling into small balls, then flatten them a bit. Pour some of the melted chocolate into the liners and then refrigerate until firm. Next, place a peanut butter filling on each chocolate base and pour more chocolate on top to just about fill the space in the cups, refrigerate until firm. Enjoy your homemade peanut butter cups!

image and recipe adapted from brown eyed baker, original recipe from The Brooks Stead

have a jammin' weekend

Ok, so that post title is a little cheesey... but, really I'll be jammin' out this weekend with all the wild and delicious concord grapes Hero Hubby and I have been harvesting from the backyard grapevines this week. There's nothing like homemade jam (remember this post?) to use in recipes, give as gifts, or simply to spread on toast. I like cutting down the sugar a bit for a tarter taste. Happily, I will fill up many of the empty glass jars I have stored away - some are just too pretty to recycle! Add a bottle (or two!) of my new wine-crush, Baker's Dozen jammy cabernet, and my jammin' weekend will be underway. But, it would not really be jammin' weekend if it were not for the aural gems of Moby Grape in the bluesy/jazzy jam session album, Grape Jam. Not the most mainstream stuff, but worth the price tag to get this on CD. I'll have to dust off the ole' itunes playlist for these guys and have a truly jammin' weekend.

INGREDIENTS
3 lbs Concord grapes, stemmed
2.5 c sugar
2 tbls fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

1. Chill 2 small plates (for testing jam).

2. Slip skins from grapes and purée skins with 1 cup sugar in a food processor, then transfer to a 4- to 6-quart wide heavy pot. Stir in lemon juice, peeled grapes, and remaining 1.5 cups sugar and boil over moderate heat, stirring frequently and skimming foam, until pulp is broken down, about 20 minutes. 

3. Force jam through fine sieve set over the pot. Discard remaining solids. 

4. Cook at a slow boil, skimming foam occasionally and stirring frequently as mixture thickens to prevent scorching, 35 minutes, then test for doneness.

5.To test jam, drop a teaspoonful on your chilled plate and chill 1 minute. Tilt plate: Jam should remain in a mound and not run. If jam runs, continue cooking at a slow boil, testing every 5 minutes, until done, up to 25 minutes more.

recipe adapted from epicurious

diy project no. 003: party animals!

I came across this diy post for candle holders on the sweetest occasion and will be definitely making these for the next birthday party we host.  This is such a great idea, inexpensive to make and they will look amazing on cupcakes!

SUPPLIES
plastic animals
plastic candle holders
drill with 1/8″ drill bit
pliers
gold spray paint (or any color that you like - hot pink, perhaps?)

STEP ONE:
Hold the animal with the pliers and drill a hole straight down, being careful not to pop out the other side. The hole just has to be deep enough for the holder to fit.

STEP TWO:
Spray paint the animals in a few light coats, rotating them to cover all sides. Note: I used gold (w/o primer) and it worked fine for both the nicer plastic animals and the dollar store ones. I wanted a pop of color but some of the animals didn’t take to regular spray paint, be sure to use a plastic spray paint or a primer for plastic and always test one first. You can also spray paint the candle holders to match.

STEP THREE:
Marvel at your craftacularness.

images via the sweetest occasion

strawberry cupcakes + coconut frosting {= yum}

During my hurricane Irene induced web-surfing I landed onto uncharted blog territory; how sweet it is is a wonderfully composed food blog that just so happens to have a recipe for cupcakes that combine two of my favorite flavors: strawberry and coconut. Usually the stuff of smoothies, strawberries and coconuts rarely couple up in a recipe. Thus, my love of the two tastes compels me to share this recipe with you. We are in the thick of canning season and I intend to splurge on some organic strawberries just for these (and I simply must have some pink sprinkles to decorate the tops). 

Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes
makes 12 cupcakes
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped strawberries
1-2 tablespoons milk, if needed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Add flour, baking powder and salt with the mixer on low speed, then gradually increase speed. Add in chopped strawberries and beat on medium speed until the strawberries break down – about 1-2 minutes. At this point, the strawberries most likely have enough liquid that you don’t need to add any milk to the batter. If you batter seems dry and is not like typical cake batter, then add milk 1-2 tablespoons at a time, beating until incorporated.

Pour into cupcake liners, filling 2/3 of the way full, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until cake is set. Let cool, then frost.

Note: I would not suggest using frozen strawberries because of the high water content. If you must, make sure they are completely thawed and as dry as possible. Even the fresh strawberries have a high water content, so if yours seem very wet, blot them with a paper towel. Also, if you can get your hands on some strawberry extract, it would probably be delicious in these. You can also add some food coloring if desired to give it the bright pink look.

Coconut Frosting
2 sticks of butter, softened (1 cup)
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar + more if needed
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of coconut extract (if you don’t have this, no big deal)
1-2 tablespoons of lite coconut milk
3/4 cup shredded, sweetened coconut

Cream butter in the bowl of an electric mixture until completely smooth and creamy. With the mixer on low speed, add in powdered sugar slowly. Gradually increase mixer speed and add vanilla and coconut extracts, then beat for 2-3 minutes, scraping down sides and bottom of the bowl. If frosting is too thick, add coconut milk 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. If it’s too thin, add powdered sugar gradually until it thickens. Fold in shredded coconut and mix until just combined.

wordless wednesdays

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