Pink Martinis and Pearls

Mini Boston Cream Valentine’s Day Cupcakes!

2012-01-25T13:00:00.001-08:00

Three words…

Begin with the cutest mini cupcakes wrappers ever by Meri Meri.

They are part of the give-away I’m hosting that ends on Friday.

Fill them with your favorite vanilla cupcake batter. My recipe is at the end of this post, hot stuff.

While the cupcakes baked I made Julia Child’s recipe for pastry cream. And just like Julia, I made it thicker and added a little cream after it completely cooled to thin it out. As Julia said, you can always make it thinner, but not thicker once it’s made. The pastry cream can also be frozen.

Julia also said, “If you’re afraid of butter, use cream.” What a wonderful philosophy to live by. No wonder I love this woman.

There are so many gadgets on the market to core out cupcakes. I used a large star tip by inserting it into the top of the cupcake, twisting and pulling it up. This worked perfectly.

Something as simple as a grapefruit knife or a small paring knife or a strawberry corer would work equally well. The trick is to go deep enough so you have a good cavity to hold the pastry cream.

Chocolate ganache is nothing more than chopped dark chocolate with hot cream poured over the chocolate to melt it. Bam! You’ve got chocolate ganache. Couldn’t be easier, really.

Finish with a swirl of sweetened whipped cream and decorate with the candy heart sprinkles (also in the give-away).

Plate.

Yummy.

Scrumptious.

Indulge.

Enjoy!

To enter the Cupcake Goodies Give-Away enter HERE.

Crème Patissiere (pastry cream custard filling) Recipe found in, From Julia’s Child’s Kitchen, page 504

Vanilla-Almond Cupcake Recipe (see below)

Chocolate Ganache Recip (see below)

‘Hot Stuff’ and ‘Love’ Spatulas, glass prep bowls, glass cake stand – Sur la Table

Meri-Meri Cupcake Papers –Sur la Table

Heart Sprinkles - Sur la Table

Serving Pieces – my own collection

Vanilla –Almond Cupcakes

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups superfine sugar

3 cups pastry flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 350. Line cupcake pans with papers. In a mixing bowl cream the butter gradually adding the sugar and creaming until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift dry ingredients and add to the mixture alternating with milk, beating well after each addition until smooth.

Pour or scoop the batter into the cupcake papers. Bake for 10-12 minutes for mini cupcakes or 25-30 for regular sized cupcakes. Cool briefly in pans and remove to finish cooling on a rack.

Chocolate Ganache

1 cup heavy cream

6 oz. bittersweet or semi-sweat chocolate, chopped

In a small saucepan, heat cream over medium-high heat to where the cream bubbles along the sides of the pan. Do not boil the cream. Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl and pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let the mixture stand as is for 3 minutes without stirring.

After a few minutes, mix the chocolate gently to a smooth consistency. Let it sit for another few minutes to thicken. If it stands too long and becomes too thick to dip the tops of the cupcakes in, reheat in the microwave. Can be refrigerated.

Valentine’s Cupcake Goodies Give-Away!

2012-01-21T12:53:00.001-08:00

Recently, I took a cupcake class at Sur la Table in Newport Beach.

One can always learn something new. For example, did you know there is a higher level of whipping cream other than heavy whipping cream? It’s called manufacturer’s cream. Restaurants use it. It’s 48% butter fat compared to heavy whipping cream’s 38%.

When I saw the nice helper pour some into my coffee I didn’t stop her. I actually told her to keep on going! That one cup of coffee alone was worth the cost of the class.

I love Sur la Table at Valentine’s Day.

I found so many new pink friends to keep me company in the kitchen while baking my own version of Boston Cream Cupcakes (pictured above - recipe to follow next week). A few goodies followed me home to make their way into my kitchen and some are for you too!

One perfectly pink spatula with sparkles!

A set of perfectly pink measuring spoons ~

A set of perfectly pink measuring cups ~

And the perfect finishing touches ~

(I used these for my cupcakes so you could see how pretty your cupcakes will look but these are yours.)

The whole perfectly pink cupcake kit in caboodle ~

To Enter ~

1. Leave a comment! :)
You must be a follower of my blog or let me know you are a new follower and leave a comment.
I'm grateful and appreciative of my followers and I feel they deserve the best chance to win! :)

For Extra Entry Chances To Win ~
Extra Entry #2 ~ Post about this Give-Away on your blog with a link back to this post.

Extra Entry #3 ~ Add a photo from this post on the sidebar of your blog with a link back to the Give-Away.

Extra Entry #4 ~ Tweet or Face Book about this Give-Away with a link back to this post.

*All entries must be left on separate comments.

Give-Away ends Friday, January 27th at midnight Pacific time.

Good luck and happy baking!

Cupcake Goodies Give-Away Coming Up!

2012-01-20T00:30:00.001-08:00

Whew! Made it to the end of the week!

Because you have been absolutely loves … this weekend I’ll be hosting a cupcake goodies give-away with pretty pink and red lovelies from Sur la Table so make sure you check back on Saturday!

In some fun news, my “Tushie Cookies” were featured yesterday in an article on Bridal Guide. com as one of 5 Fun Bachelorette Party Ideas. These little risque cookies always seem to give a giggle. The magazine called them “cheeky cookies.” Now why didn’t I think of that?

Have a fantastic Friday! I’ve missed you!!!

Thank You, My Sweet Blogging Buddies!

2012-01-14T00:09:00.001-08:00

I wanted to check in to say thank you so much for your well wish comments for Mr. PM’s surgery. I had good intentions to comment in return to each of your kind thoughts but to tell the truth, I didn’t have it in me this week to be at the computer.

To give you a quick update, the surgery wasn’t as successful as we had wished and expected.

I think one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do was explain to my husband during his recovery in post-op, was what we all took for granted as being a fairly straight forward cartilage anchor repair was in fact irreparable. When I walked into the room with the steady sound of beeping machines, the hopeful and slightly groggy face that greeted me suddenly turned quiet and expressionless upon hearing my words. The quickening tone on the heart monitor was the only outward sign of his anxiety and disappointment. There were other things done during surgery so we are hopeful this will in fact help the situation.

We’ll know in six weeks when he’s off the crutches. In the meantime, I’m a constant companion, water fetcher, ice pack changer, meal maker, trash taker outer, washer of all things usable and wearable, market runner, scooper of ice cream and cat box (although not together), and personal valet – the slipping on of socks being my specialty. When I’m not tending I’m shifting, cleaning, folding, picking up, answering calls of phone and of nature.

My blog and camera are calling too. So far they’ve reached a busy signal. Next week I should be able to answer.

Have a wonderfully relaxing three-day weekend and thank you for your kind and thoughtful words of encouragement.

You are the best cheerleaders!

xoxo

New Year’s Week

2012-01-02T12:44:00.001-08:00

I totally dropped the proverbially New Year’s ball this year 3,000 miles west of Times Square. I didn’t realize New Year’s Eve was in fact New Year’s Eve until about 2:30 p.m. on Saturday when son2 informed me his ride was going back up to school and he would be leaving “tomorrow”. I instantly perked up and said, “You’re leaving on New Year’s Eve!?!” He informed me that in less than twelve hours it would be a new year.

I have never lost a day before and this one was important. I was spooked the rest of the day knowing I was a day late in food preparations for what I had envisioned to be our family’s night in to ring in the year and which, of course, meant I had to mentally prepare in record time for the inevitable void a child leaves after filling the house with joy for almost three weeks. While standing over the kitchen sink I quickly worked on thawing 2 pounds of frozen shrimp for what was now to be for an impromptu holiday dinner. It was my hope the thaw would also take effect on my brain.

To make my deep freeze more concerning, over the last week I misplaced the users manual to my beautiful new Canon 5D Mark ll and a package I bought in haste from Nordstrom right before Christmas. Where they are both hiding is a complete mystery and the conspiracy eats at me.

Granted, I’ve had a lot on my mind – which includes my new found love of coffee due to my husband accidentally putting heavy cream into my cup one very fine morning. I tell you, there is no going back to non-fat milk. If there is a more addictive substance out there, I don’t know what that could possibly be. Ever since this seemingly innocent mistake occurred I’ve been looking forward to that morning cup starting the night before – at about 6 p.m. Tomorrow morning I go cold turkey. Wish me luck.

My most generous husband with the dairy products will go under the knife for outpatient surgery this week, on his birthday no less. Not because of some sorted retribution for the cream incident but due to a torn cartilage from the accident we were in in June. You know how it is, you wait to see if something will get better, deny it and then you’re forced to acknowledge it and do something about it. He’ll be on crutches for 6 weeks and cannot drive for at least a week, which his job demands. It’s amazing how one can be allowed to move immediately after such surgery but how immobilized the movement is and for such a long period of time. So at least for the next week until I see how much I’m needed, I’m going to focus on being nurse, chauffer, supportive office worker, and cheerleader as well as being a recovering heavy cream-aholic.

Alas, the recipe I promised for the most delicious espresso martinis when I thought December 30th was the 29th (oh well) will be forthcoming and believe me it is worth the wait but if I need a high fat hit among my extra wifely duties (which I’m certainly in anticipation of) I’m going straight to this cocktail, take photos with my old camera, sit down to sip and share with you.

In the meantime, I want to thank Cathy at Stitchfork Designs who designed and embroidered the apron for son2 for Christmas. I gave Cathy a brief explanation of what took place this summer and that I wished to commemorate son2’s LA and OC county fair wins for his chocolate cake and she came up with this incredible design. You should have seen the other designs she also came up with. Wow! She is one very talented artist and embroiderer and I consider her a sweet blogging friend. I know if she lived 2,500 miles closer we would be sitting in Starbucks talking “design and sons”. Cathy, certainly with a healthy drink, and me with my ~~38%~~ non-fat, decaf misto. Her blog is full of her beautiful and creative work. I encourage you to visit her. You will be in awe - every stitch of the way.

Wishing you all a most happy and most healthy New Year!

Christmas Recap

2011-12-29T02:12:00.001-08:00

Basking. Recovering. Recharging. Putting away the silver, crystal and china.

A MacFamily breakfast tradition. I can’t believe I forgot the Christmas crackers!

So much fun to have received photos on Christmas morning of reader’s cinnamon rolls they made from The Best Giant Make-Ahead Cinnamon Roll Ever. Thank you so much for sharing! I’d love to see more so please send me your photos and I’ll post them.

Here are two – from Lauren in Pasadena and Nancy in Seattle.

And another from Kathy in New York. I love the festive sprinkles! Perfect!

For more readers' photos see the original cinnamon roll post.

I’ll be popping back in tomorrow after a trip to LA with a dessert martini that will be perfect to ring in the New Year. It’s my absolute favorite and I can’t wait to share it with you.

I hope you had a wonderful holiday and are enjoying the rest of the week.

See you tomorrow with that very special martini.

Decorated Snowflake Cookies!

2011-12-23T14:07:00.001-08:00

‘Tis the season for making a flurry of snowflake cookies.

Sugar cookie recipe and tutorial. Roll, cut and bake.

Royal Icing Recipe and Tutorial. Outline. #2 tip.

Fill in. Lightly sprinkle with rainbow Disco Dust.

Sunlight refracted through the chandelier.

Individuality.

Shiny silver dragees.

Finishing touches.

Snow drift.

Flurries. Mini Snowflake Tutorial.

Bearing gifts.

To all my readers, new friends I have made along the way, and to the loves of my life, all unique and beautiful …

… Wishing you a magical holiday and the happiest new year!

Love,

Marilyn

The Best Giant Make-Ahead Cinnamon Roll Ever!

2011-12-13T02:29:00.001-08:00

This spectacular cinnamon roll is the centerpiece of our Christmas morning breakfast and is greeted with the same anticipation at our holiday table as the Cratchit’s plum pudding is at theirs.

The recipe relies on using store-bought frozen bread dough, thawed, and an overnight rise in the frig while Santa makes his rounds. Pop it in the oven while opening presents and the scent of warm cinnamon throughout the house is what a holiday morning is all about.

Of course the cinnamon roll is delicious and a showy presentation in itself, but for our family, the tradition of making it together means much more.

Beginning almost twenty years ago, my two little toddlers boys had the fun of rolling out “snakes” with sweet cinnamon sugar-coated fingers after Christmas Eve dinner. When those little hands became bigger and more interested in video games than helping in the kitchen, I became blessed with the memories of my mom, who has since passed, and my mother-in-law standing over the pastry board at midnight sharing a private giggle while they rolled out ropes of dough ironically while the Pope presided over mass in the background.

My boys’ adolescent years once again welcomed their participation mostly with the encouragement from their father telling them to “help your mother” but it inevitably became a family project by turning off the TV and playing holiday music. I must have been on the “nice” list these years. Thank you, Santa.

With my boys now returning home from college, I find they have also returned to the kitchen on their own terms. I imagine this is due in part for a desire for home cooking where the frig is stocked with fresh fruit, vegetables and milk and in part to reconnect where we, as a family, spend most of our time talking and catching up but I’ve also seen another change. A couple years ago in one bleary-eyed Christmas Eve moment where I had already spent the entire day on my feet in the kitchen, I dared to suggest the idea of making drop biscuits Christmas morning instead of the cinnamon roll. It was met with the wide eyes of two reminiscent toddlers - “but it’s tradition!”

And so the tradition continues in our kitchen, amid friendly brotherly banter from spending months apart, where dough snakes wind their way through melted butter and cinnamon sugar the night before Christmas. “God bless us, everyone.”

The Best Giant Cinnamon Roll Ever!

2 – 1 pound loaves of frozen bread dough, thawed
1 stick butter, melted
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Icing

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 – 1 teaspoon vanilla
milk

Lightly butter a 14” solid bottom pizza pan (non-perforated) with shallow sides. Set aside. On a lightly floured surface cut each one pound loaf of thawed dough into four equal pieces.

You’ll have a total of eight sections from the two loaves.

Form each piece into a rope about 18 inches long.

Brush each rope on all sides with melted butter or roll them in a baking pan where the melted butter has been poured into.

Combine the brown and granulated sugars along with the cinnamon. Place the mixture in a shallow pan or on a sheet of foil.

Roll the buttered ropes one at a time in the sugar mixture, coating it well. We used to call these “snakes in the sugar sand.”

With the first rope, coil the sugar-coated rope starting in the center of pizza pan.

Pinch the ends of a second rope to the previous rope making sure they are sealed together. Repeat with remaining ropes. All the ropes are now coiled together and need to rise in either the frig over night or in a warm location until doubled in size, around 40 minutes.

Sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture over the assembled cinnamon roll and sprinkle the nuts on top.

Doubled in size and ready to be baked.

Remember what I said about making sure the end of one rope was attached well to the next rope end? When the dough raised it pulled two ends of apart. They can be put back together before baking.

If there is any more leftover sugar you can sprinkle more on at this point. I usually do because I like my cinnamon roll gooey and glorious.

When we had our friend, John, over for breakfast, he named the center of the cinnamon roll “The Danish”. We have referred to it as such ever since and there’s always a playful power struggle as to who gets The Danish. It’s usually divided up but it has also been known to mysteriously disappear gradually over the course of the morning if a knife is left on the pizza pan. Hmmm.

Baking Info:

If baking the next morning – cover the cinnamon roll with plastic wrap but not so tight where the dough cannot rise and expand. The next morning, take it out of the refrigerator. If it has doubled, let it stand 20 minutes to take the chill off before baking. If it needs to rise more, place in a warm location and let it rise more (see tips below).

If baking the same day as assembling – cover and let rise in a warm place till nearly doubled, 30-40 minutes.

Bake in a 350 degree oven 30 to 35 minutes. To prevent over browning, cover with foil the last 10 minutes.

Cool about 15 minutes before drizzling the icing.

Icing Recipe Directions

Shift powdered sugar into a medium bowl. Add vanilla and enough milk to make icing into a drizzling consistency. Drizzle over baked and slightly cooled cinnamon roll. Resist the urge to sample the cinnamon roll before it gets to the table. Warning: this is nearly impossible.

Tips:

A pizza pan with sides works best. It keeps the shape together in a spiral.
On rolling out the dough – the ropes will be very elastic at first. Roll them out to at least 12 inches long. As you roll out the remaining ropes, while the dough rests, they will stretch more and can be re-rolled a little to make them longer.
When making the spiral don’t roll the ropes too tight but keep the sides of the ropes touching each other. If the spiral is too tight the dough will have difficulty rising.
Make sure the ends of the ropes are pinched together if you want the finished product to be presentation pretty. If not attached to the next rope, the ropes will separate as they expand in baking and there will be gaps in the spiral. Not to worry. It’ll still taste great though!
If your refrigerator runs colder the dough might not rise well overnight but once out of the refrigerator let it rise as you would normally do with a yeast bread, 30 or 40 minutes. I’ve been known to heat up my oven and then turn it off, open the oven door and set the pizza pan on the door to warm up the bottom of the pizza pan. The dough will also get the residual heat from the oven without it being direct. If you have a toaster oven, you can heat it for toasting, turn it off and place the pizza pan on top. This works too.
I always cover the roll with foil the last 10 minutes to prevent over browning especially around the outer ropes.
If you drizzle on the icing before the cinnamon roll has had a chance to cool a little, the sugar will melt into the roll and you won’t see the glaze. Tell yourself it’s worth the wait for a good glaze. Kids love being the official drizzler too.

I’ve enjoyed sharing our family recipe and tradition with you! I hope it becomes a tradition in your home too. Enjoy! :)

Updates: The photos below are from YOU! Thank you, lovely readers, for sending photos of your cinnamon roll success using the recipe. I love seeing them and sharing them with everyone else.

Lauren from South Pasadena.

Nancy from Seattle.

Jen from central California. How adorable are her helpers?

Kathy from New York. Love the festive sprinkles!

Nancy from Seattle made two more with her grandchildren for New Years.

One traditional and one, monkey bread using the same recipe but cutting smaller individual pieces for the monkey bread.

Great job, bakers!

Random Harvest… The Post

2011-12-11T12:49:00.001-08:00

“I like big tomatoes and I cannot lie…”

Proof Mother Nature has a sense of humor at the end of the harvest.

The last to leave the vines. *sigh* Good-bye my lovelies until we meet again next summer.

This week…

My Scentsy give-away continues until Tuesday. Click HERE to enter.

I’ll be posting a recipe and tutorial showing you how to make the biggest, easiest, make-ahead, delicious cinnamon roll of your tomato pickin’ lives! It’s been on our Christmas morning breakfast table for almost 20 years and the best part is that kids can really get involved in helping to make it. It’s simple, fast and rises in the frig while Santa is making his rounds. Pop it in the oven while opening presents and the scent of it baking is what Christmas morning is all about.

I hope to post this by Tuesday.

And Ahoy decorated cookie lovers! I’m designing boat parade cookies for the Newport Harbor Boat Parade that we’re participating in Friday night. I’ll send up the signal flags when this is ready to post too.

Have a terrific start to a festive week!

xoxo

p.s. Random Harvest, the movie, is one of my favorites starring Ronald Colman and Geer Garson. Go out of your way to find it if you’re not familiar with it. “Oh Smithy!”

Oh, and thanks to my B-I-L who is 61 going on 10 who pointed out to me the photographic side of the lemon variety tomato. Boys!

A Scentsy GIVE-AWAY!

2011-12-09T00:01:00.001-08:00

To celebrate the yummy scents of the holidays and “angles bending near the earth”, I’m hosting an agelic Scentsy give-away!

I was recently introduced to Scentsy and I love it! (See the catalog here.)

And this is why ~ Scentsy Warmers come in all sizes and designs and use a low-watt light bulb to gradually melt a scented wax cube that will not burn or scorch like a candle warmer. I plug it in and leave it warm all day to come home to a scented house that is so welcoming. It really is a safe alternative to candles and soot and if little fingers do find their way into the wax, it is not hot enough to burn.

Here are some of my favorite warmers.

Oh my gosh, how cute is this cupcake for the kitchen with the Central Park Praline scent?

Rah! There are also masculine scents, and many holders to choose from, even college and sports themes.

For my office. (Hey Santa, Christmas gift hint)

So classic. Torino

What I also love is that I can change the scent by warming the wax and pouring it back into the plastic holder it came in and then pop in another scent.

The give-away~

“Hark! The Scentsy Angels Sing!”

A pretty angel plug-in with your choice of scentsy bar. You have 80 scents to choose from!

To be entered in the give-away go to the Scentsy FaceBook page and “Like” it and then come back and leave a comment of what scent you would choose. When you visit the Scentsy site and decide you can’t resist ordering a gift for the holidays, Mizz Marianne, the Scentsy expert, can get your orders to you ASAP for Christmas or Hanukkah giving. Just be sure to send her an email at mizzmarianne@gmail.com

Give-away ends on Tuesday, December 13 at midnight, pacific time.

Good luck!

The Give-Away has ended.

Congratulations Suburban Princess!

Thank you all for entering.

Party at The White House

2011-12-07T13:47:00.001-08:00

l’m sharing some photos my friend sent from the party she and her husband attended at the White House. Everything looked beautiful. Thank you, Lady Kate for sharing them with us!

So fun to see how others entertain “at home.”

The prettiest room, don’t you think?

Simply decorated cookies and a nice presentation of the strawberries and blackberries.

Very interesting arrangement.

Love this! I bet the stars were heavenly!

Using the fuzzy back of magnolia leaves on the garland.

“Santa” and his lovely lady.

Holiday photo special effects found on Picnik. You’ll find them under the stickers tab after uploading your photo but the holiday stickers are found "featured."

. It’s a free photo editing program that’s especially fun to use for these little festive additions. I think the beard is the best.

Monday Perspective

2011-12-05T11:16:00.001-08:00

As I’m taking a moment to think out my schedule this week which will include a cupcake tower with a snowflake theme and snowflake cookies, I’m also thinking of two strangely polar dining events that are taking place today.

My brother and his wife are on day 4 without electricity from the Santa Ana winds that blew through Pasadena last week. They are eating of out an ice chest where there’s going to be a curbside drop off lane for warm meals that is manned by neighborhood volunteers.

On the other end of the spectrum, my best friend and her husband will be at the White House tonight partying it up with the Obama’s.

One moment you could be dining with the President and the next, digging in the ice chest. You just never know. :)

Have a terrific week.

Mini snowflake cookies 2010

Festive Holiday Cocktails

2011-12-03T11:37:00.001-08:00

Entertaining for the holidays is a perfect time for signature cocktails.

Here are a couple of recipes for variations on pomegranate martinis that are red in color. Red, being the key to complement a special decorative rim of flaked coconut that gives the cocktail glass the look of Santa's hat or a snowy touch. It's a festive look to serve up some holiday spirit with your ... spirits.

Things needed to make the decorative snowy coconut rim:

3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
1 Teaspoon water
1/2 cup sweetened, flaked coconut (makes 4 or more decorative glass rims)

Combine the powdered sugar and water.

Place the mixture on a plate and roll the outside of the rim of the glass in the sugar mixture or brush it on fairly thick and about a half-inch wide on the outside rim of the cocktail glass.

The coconut needs something to adhere to. If the rim is coated too thin both in mixture and width the coconut will not stick well. You can see the difference in the photo.

Take the sugar rimmed glass and press a handful of coconut to the rim. You can chop up the flaked coconut if you want a finer texture. To me, the longer coconut flakes looks like the fur on Santa’s hat and the finer texture – snow. I like both.

The coconut rim can be made days ahead. Once the coconut and icing dries it is set.

Cocktail Recipes:

We were experimenting at Thanksgiving making our own version of a pomegranate Cosmopolitan. We came up with this yummy concoction.

Pomegranate Cosmopolitan

7 parts Citron Vodka, of choice
3 parts Limoncello (a sweet lemon liqueur)
1 part Pama Pomegranate liqueur
1 part POM Pomegranate juice

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Add ice. Shake to chill. Pour into two martini glasses. Can be additionally sweetened with simple syrup to taste.

Simple Syrup Recipe

2 parts granulated sugar
1 part water

Combine the sugar and water. Bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar. Cool and store in the refrigerator indefinitely.

Here’s a cocktail using Malibu Rum which is coconut flavored. The cocktail does not have an overwhelming coconut flavor but just a hint. All the flavors complement each other well.

Naughty but Nice Cocktail

2 parts Malibu Rum
Splash each of:
Triple Sec
Pomegranate juice
cranberry juice
Dash of lime juice
* Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice ~ shake ~ and pour.

Tips for making cocktails:

To try the flavors of a cocktail recipe that you're unfamiliar with and don't know if you'll like, purchase the small shot size bottles instead of committing to the larger standard size bottles. It'll save a lot of money while you experiment. I found the mini Malibu Rum bottles at BevMo.
Make a batch of martinis in bulk a day ahead of your party. Keep in a pitcher in the fridge but not in the freezer. The cocktails will not dilute to the right strength if they are too cold going into the cocktail shaker. Place the pitcher on the bar and shake per order.
Fill a cocktail shaker half full with ice and pour in enough of the recipe for one or two cocktails. This is the time to add some simple syrup. Shake for a full 30 seconds or until the shaker is frosty and icy cold.
Garnish the drink with a cocktail pick of cranberries. The glass snowflake cocktail picks were purchased at Pottery Barn a couple years ago. They usually carry them every year or something as equally irresistible. :)

Cheers!

* This post was picked up by the a few Patch sites in New Jersey, Bloomfield and Montclair (the two that I know of) so a special hello to you Jersey gals or guys out there!

The Pippa Bag – Part Duex

2011-11-30T12:55:00.001-08:00

“Oh no I did-n’t!”

I did.

I loved my first Modalu Medium Pippa bag in shark so much that when I saw the croc version in the dark taupe color called oyster… well, we all have our weaknesses.

(Pippa’s backside. Sorry. Couldn’t resist.)

I did resist the first two availabilities of the bag last spring and summer before it sold out both times (self pat on the back) but when it came back again in September I heard that little ‘ugly American’-Californian voice in my head with the bad British accent say, “Why the bloody hell not?” (apologizes to all proper speaking Brits out there).

(love the three big, deep sections)

Besides, the psychological impact of seeing the price in pounds made it much easier to send my order across the pond. I have lots of tricks for justification.

Still, I haven’t taken her out for a spin yet. I wanted to save her debut for a trip we had planned to take to DC this week to visit our friends and congressman but we opted for a spring invitation instead. Dark croc in the spring? I don’t think so. Now I’m feeling a little guilty because I really didn’t need a new bag especially since my travel plans did not come to fruition.

Do I feel guilty enough to return her? No.

When I do get a new bag, I like to admire what I love about it for awhile until I take the plunge to expose it to all the nasty elements in the world.

And like a good mother who worries unnecessarily I know when I remove all the protective plastic strips on the name plates, it’ll be open season. It’s like anything new you want to keep pristine – the new car - until you set the first coffee or soda in the clean cup holder and it inevitably spills.

Then that ugly American-Californian voice with the bad British accent speaks to me again…

“Bloody hell. We need to go Christmas shopping!” and out the door we go - in my new car - with a grande misto, decaf, non-fat, no foam.

Happy hunting.

Jeana's 89th Birthday/Thanksgiving Dinner

2011-11-27T10:41:00.000-08:00

The best MIL in the world!

Taken with my iPad. 8 mm HD app. 70's style. Edited by Reel Director app.

Music ~ "The Brothers Go To Mother's" by Joey Altruda

The Best Pecan Pie and Painted Dough Cut-Outs

2011-11-19T16:40:00.001-08:00

"Of Pie I Sing" - A remembrance, a recipe and an idea

Funny how we tend to keep the traditional childhood foods in our adult repertoire - especially if one is the host or hostess preparing the fare - unless we make a conscious effort to break the proverbial cranberry mold.

My childhood Thanksgiving dinner consisted of the good, the bad and the mysterious. My mom would toil over the turkey rising at dawn to put the bird in the oven after the previous night’s ritual of making the stuffing. My job was to stuff celery sticks with two kinds of cream cheese. One was tinted pink with pimentos. It was my first introduction to cream cheese. I didn’t like it then and I still don’t but playing with it was fun. Mom taught me to make a squiggly pattern by running a serrated knife over the surface. When I think back, this was probably my introduction to making foods look pretty or “plating” as it’s now called.

My aunt brought mixer whipped mashed potatoes that could have hung wall paper and gravy with little dark hard bits that tasted funny. I later learned these bits were cooked organs disguised by the cute sounding name of “giblets.” No wonder. I love my aunt with all my giblets but this was “the bad.”

My grandmother was a true mid-west farm woman born in the late 1880’s which meant she could cook and bake circles around most. She made the pies. They were the good and the mysterious. In the 1960’s in Southern California there were two kinds of holiday pies – pumpkin and mince meat. I made my way through the bland pumpkin thanks to a generous dollop of something new on the table called Cool Whip. I instinctively knew this wonderful white puff would be wasted on that dark, gelatinous mystery pie that the adults were eating. ‘Mince meat pie’ are words you just don’t hear anymore. I decided to Wiki-ed it to find out what’s really in it. You can explore it on your own. I think it’s better that way.

Having my own family and needing a second pie besides the pumpkin variety I found something equally dark and mysterious but utterly decadent and delicious - pecan pie. That wonderful sweet, crunchy – slightly chewy goo that won the hearts and epicurean palettes of my men thus becoming the holiday pie of choice at our table since the mid 90’s. And as you might know, if you read my last post, it also doubles as the Breakfast of Christmas Decorating Champions the morning after Thanksgiving.

Perhaps it will become a tradition in your home for dessert …. or breakfast. :)

For the crust:

Martha Stewart‘s recipe for Pate Brisee is my absolute favorite and is fool proof.

This adapted recipe makes crusts for one deep dish pie, one regular pie and cut-outs for both.

Deep Dish Pate Brisee

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons table salt

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

3/4 pound unsalted butter (3 sticks), cut into small pieces

3/4 cup ice water

In a food processor, place flour, salt and sugar. Process to combine. Add butter and process until mixture resembles course meal, about 20 seconds worth of pulsing. Add 1/4 cup water at a time in a steady stream through the feed tube with the machine running just until the dough holds together. Test the dough after adding 1/2 cup total. The dough has enough water when it holds together when squeezed in your hand. If it is still crumbly, add more water.

Turn dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Press into a flattened circle and wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a round 1/8 inch thick and fit it into a deep dish 8" or 9" pie plate. Decorate the edges* or crimp. Chill 1 more hour or wrap and freeze until needed. If frozen, thaw in refrigerator until ready to use.

To prepare the crust for the pecan pie:

Preheat oven to 400 F. Prick bottom and sides of shell, fit it with a round of parchment paper or foil and weigh it down with rice or beans. Bake shell for 15 minutes. Remove paper or foil liner and weight and bake for an additional 10 minutes. In a small bowl whisk together the egg yolk with 1/4 tsp. of water and brush sides and bottom of shell with egg mixture. This will keep your crust from becoming soggy. Return shell to oven and bake for 2 minutes more. Remove and fill with the pecan filling that follows:

The Best Pecan Pie

6 Tbls. unsalted butter

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

3 large eggs

3/4 cup light corn syrup

1 Tbl. vanilla + 1/2 teaspoon

1 cup finely ground pecans*

1 cup chopped pecans*

Preheat oven to 275 F. In a bowl set over simmering water melt butter. Remove bowl from heat and whisk in sugar, salt, eggs - one at a time, corn syrup and vanilla. Return bowl to heat over water and stir until mixture is shiny and warm to the touch. Add finely ground pecans and chopped pecans. Pour into the crust. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until center feels set, but still slightly soft (it can still jiggle). Cool at least 4 hours.

Recipe adapted from David Rosengarten

Tips:

* Toasting the nuts adds even more nutty flavor. Trader Joe sells pecans already chopped and roasted. Just chop a little finer for the ‘finely ground nuts.’

* I use Nielsen-Massey vanilla and vanilla bean paste interchangeably.

* Who can resist decorating the edges of the crust with these pie crust cutters from Williams-Sonoma?

Decorative Pie Crust:

Easy as pie!

Make cut-outs from left over dough scraps.

Take one egg yolk. Choose your colors. I used cake decorating colors but regular food colors from the store are fine. Green. Yellow. Purple. Red. Orange.

Break the yolk and mix a little of the colors into the yolk like an artist’s palette.

Brush one or more colors onto the raw dough leaves. Chill to firm them up a little. This will make it easier to press them onto the rim of the pie crust without losing the detail.

Flatten the rim of the pie crust and moisten it with water. Press the leaves onto the shell rim. Fill shell with pie filling and bake according to recipe.

Baked!

I’m not baking my pies until Wednesday so I couldn’t show the finished pies but I did bake some extra leaves to show you how the colors stay vibrant and glossy.

For a crimped edge shell without additional decoration I’ll bake individual leaves and place them on top of the baked pie or set one or two on the individual servings on the scoop of ice cream or on top of a dollop of whipped cream, the real stuff. Not cool whip. :)

Questions?

Have a very sweet and delicious Thanksgiving!

I receive no compensation for any retail recommendations. They’re just “a few of my favorite things.”

Thanksgiving at Williams-Sonoma

2011-11-17T14:46:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite things to do at this time of year is to venture into my other Happiest Place on Earth – Williams-Sonoma, and see what’s new for the season or to visit things I annually covet.

Embroidered pumpkin napkins.

They were on-sale in the store at 15% off for a limited time only, as they say. With the heady holiday scent of the mulling spices simmering through the store they rendered me powerless to resist.

These napkins had friends. Turkeys and squirrels. Both so cute.

I think we all have something that speaks to us. I had a whole conversation with these copper leaf cookie cutters. They kept saying, “You need us, take us home.” I answered, “Okay.” Really, what’s the point in arguing?

We usually brine our turkey using Alton Brown’s recipe which is super but I find the juices that run off the turkey too salty to make into gravy so I’m considering a turkey rub that goes on 24 hours before cooking. Sounds interesting doesn’t it? It has fragrant notes of chili and paprika. Yum!

WS also has some recipes online that look delicious.

Another must have is the mulling spices. You do know about W-S mulling spices, don’t you? You must get a tin for yourself and a friend. Besides making the best mulled cider by just simmering a couple heaping spoonfuls in cheesecloth or a large tea ball in a pan or crock pot, you can simmer this all day long for the fragrance alone.

But my favorite bounty item this Thanksgiving is this ~ our heirloom tomatoes from our garden. Picked today. To which I truly give thanks.

Hope you’re enjoying the anticipation of the holidays!

Combining Holiday Decorations On Your Stairs Saves Time, Energy and Calories

2011-11-15T02:04:00.001-08:00

I’ve gotten quite a few search referrals on decorating the stairs for the holidays so I’ve edited a post from last year that gives a great idea to make it easy for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Have you ever thought about how to simplify Christmas decorating when just coming off of the whirlwind of Thanksgiving entertaining? My normal routine after having hosted Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings the day before is to crash the morning after. My breakfast will include coffee, pecan pie (if my boys haven’t gotten to it first) and any two or three extra-strength pain relievers. It’s become my “transitional tradition” over the years. It takes me to the next level of fa-la-la-ing decorating for Christmas that’s scheduled to commence later this morning. If I’m feeling particularly overwhelmed I’ll tackle it after lunch of, um, more pie.

I always start with the hardest thing first, the stair bannister garland. I stand at the bottom and look up. I know what’s coming…big boxes taken out of the crawl space under the stairs from the closet, coats displaced on living room furniture, stepping on little pine needles until I’m finished and can vacuum. Blessed be my Dyson. It’s the most cumbersome task but after 23 years of doing the decorations dance with my banister the morning after Thanksgiving it still gives me the most holiday spirit when it’s finally up. But this changed last year, or at least the morning after part.

Thanks to a conversation I had a year ago while sitting on the Tesoro bleachers when I went back to see the marching band perform where football players happened to be on the marching field (old music boosters joke), one very savvy multi-tasking marching band parent told me she puts up the garland on the stairs before Thanksgiving and then adds raffia and colored leaves for the fall decorations.

Brilliant!

Hearing her say this was like my personal V-8 moment. Why hadn’t I thought of this all these years?!? So I tried it. Not only did the backdrop of muted greenery with glowing, sparkly lights and rustic look of the leaves and raffia add tremendously to the warm and cozy celebratory feeling during our Thanksgiving dinner , it made the task of beginning the Christmas decorating the day after much more pleasant and manageable and therefore, reduced my pie consumption as well.

Benefits all around.

Do you do anything special to make the holidays easier?

Cookies Gone Postal

2011-11-11T12:13:00.001-08:00

This week I received a couple of disgruntled emails.

These two readers have been following my blogging baking adventures as of late and feel deprived and left out of the baking loop, so to speak.

It seems I have forgotten college boys cannot live on Physics and Chemical Engineering classes alone and need chocolate chip cookies sent from home.

These cookies are my grandmother’s recipe. She made them. My mother made them. I make them. They are crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. I have never tasted or seen any other that even come close to resembling them. Based on looks alone, I sometimes wonder if they are the only ones in the world. This is such a lonely thought to me.

When they’ve cooled on the rack I stack them like my mom did. I remember being eye level with them on the pull-out bread board.

It reminds me that I was once a daughter. Something that I miss. Even more so during the holidays.

I wonder if one day they’ll mean anything more to my boys as they do to me but I suspect they already might. It’s the one thing they ask for when they haven’t been home for awhile.

I can’t give out the recipe because I’m afraid of being tarred and feathered. My mom gave the recipe to someone once and they accused her of purposely leaving something out of the recipe since they didn’t turn out like hers. You see, the cookies rarely come out the same from one batch to the next or even on the same baking sheet. They are an enigma and we haven’t been able to figure out why.

My two cookie deprived children will be filtering in a day apart just before Thanksgiving. One arriving by plane, the other by train or doing the college transportation norm - grabbing a ride down with a friend coming this way. It will be a short visit consisting of Thai take-out one night, Thanksgiving dinner and then just a couple of leftover meals but I’m grateful they’re both able to come home at the same time.

Son2 has always said this is his favorite holiday at home. He loves waking up in the morning to the familiar holiday aromas wafting upstairs from the kitchen. I’ve already been asked “what’s for dinner” and specific pie requests have been made and noted. The menu has remained the same from one November to the next but there’s comfort in knowing what’s at home hasn’t changed. Kind of like the chocolate chip cookies - these sweet, creviced, addictive rounds of our collective generational childhoods that are going postal. Today.

I’d love to know what says ‘home’ to your family.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Mini Cupcake Spiral Tower (Autumn, Fall)

2011-11-07T15:19:00.001-08:00

Mini chocolate cupcakes decorated with over-sized dragees and fall themed fondant cut-outs literally reached new heights in my kitchen for a fall open house party this past weekend.

We’ll get ‘up close and personal’ so I can show how you how I made this.

It’s not as complicated as it looks. Trust me. They’re just a bunch of little ol’ chocolate cupcakes dressed up all fancy like.

The number of cupcakes needed depends on the size styrofoam cone that is used but the cupcakes bake up rather quickly at 10 minutes in the oven per batch. One recipe of batter makes approximately 120 mini cupcakes. I used about 150 mini cupcakes.

For the wrappers I used Wilton’s gold foil candy cups which are smaller than mini baking cups but still lined with paper. The candy cups are a true ‘pop-in-your-mouth’ bite whereas a cupcake baked in a mini baking wrapper takes a bite or two.

I used our All-American chocolate cake recipe and the accompanying chocolate icing. Mini spiced cake or carrot cake cupcakes would have been very good too but I was specifically requested to bring the chocolate cupcakes. (I really do need to post those recipes again soon but I’ve never taken a good, well thought out photo when we’ve baked the cake and I feel it’s the least I could do.)

For the fondant decorations on top of the cupcakes I kept with the fall theme.

Pumpkins and fall leaves came to mind.

I didn’t want the use of too many patterns on the display so the third cupcake would be plainer but still elegant. It would be placed between the pumpkin and leaves rows.

I made the fondant leaf cut-outs with the same fondant plunger I used for the grape leaves on the wedding cookies. I took rolled fondant I had colored red and yellow and marbled them together as I did for the fondant leaves cookies and ran the steamer over the leaves as for the Halloween bats cookies to tack up the fondant.

I then flicked strawberry Disco Dust over the leaf cut-outs. The strawberry color is a mix between a warm red and gold. When the leaves were less tacky, I dusted them with super gold luster powder.

For the fondant pumpkin cut-outs I used a cutter I had from the Williams-Sonoma piecrust cutter set. By the way, the Christmas cutters are as cute as can be. I can see them now on a Christmas mini cupcake tree, can’t you?

Back to fall and the pumpkins ~

Thinned royal icing piped with a 1S piping tip made the tendrils and stem. I believe it is the smallest opening made on a tip or at least the smallest I’ve ever found.

For the swirls on the dragee cupcakes I used a larger long tip. No number on the tip but the equivalent plain round tip is a large number 3. I also don‘t know the size specifications of the dragees except to say the container should have read ‘obscenely decadent.’

Of course, I had to give them a slight sprinkle of gold Disco Dust.

With the cupcakes complete, here’s what you’ll need for the structure...

1 styrofoam cone (I used one with a 5 inch base, 21 inches high)
decorative foil to cover the cone
10” round cake cardboard
silk fall leaves
floral pick for the top
box of regular tooth picks
glue gun

Take the styrofoam cone and center it on the cake board. Draw a circle around the base of the cone.

Tip: Having a larger diameter cardboard circle to place the cone on will add support and stabilization to the structure when pushing toothpicks into the styrofoam and especially when the finished structure is being moved around or transported.

Wrap the cone in decorative foil or paper. I used gold foil to blend in with the fall colors I used in the color palette and with the gold foil cupcake wrappers. I wanted everything to shine.

I bought a branch of fall leaves and cut all the leaves off so I could use them individually to circle the cake board.

I first glued a row of leaves so the edge of the board would not show. I added another leaf row on top positioning them just to the inside of the mark I made prior.

Tip: The cake board I used happened to be foil covered. I bought it before I had the idea for the foliage. If I would have known at the time I was going to completely cover the board I would have bought a plain board.

The last step - secure the covered cone to the board with hot glue.

To assemble the cupcakes to the cone ~ It’s so simple ~ just stick a toothpick into the foam at a slight angle up starting at the base and push a cupcake onto it.

Tip: Try for the toothpick to pierce the middle bottom of the cupcake. If the toothpick sticks out the cupcake top, remove the cupcake and push the toothpick farther into the foam. You want a good toothpick/foam/cupcake ratio. You’ll get the idea.

Place the cupcakes in a pattern…pumpkin, dragee, leaf, dragee, pumpkin, dragee, leaf, dragee….

Always begin your second row starting with the first pattern on the cupcake used. For example, I began with the pumpkin so when I added the next row I began with another pumpkin cupcake slightly to the right and above the original pumpkin cupcake. This will get the pattern climbing up the cone in a swirl pattern.

Tip: Where the rows start and stop will be the back of the cone because there will be gaps to fill in where the pattern doesn’t line up perfectly. That’s just the way it is. Cupcake sizes vary and the diameter of the cone gets smaller as you reach the top. Don’t worry about finishing up the pattern perfectly when completing a row. Just begin as stated above with the original patterned cupcake and the front and sides will turn out great and only you will notice the back.

Finish the top of the cone by pushing in a floral pick. All done!

The above photo was taken at the cutest-ever-1923 vintage-storybook-cottage-in South Pasadena anyone has ever seen-open-house! One thing though, I should have plucked an obligatory cupcake from the front because no one wanted to be the first. When I left the open house hours later I saw people eating cupcakes but the front still looked untouched. People were reaching around the back to take them off. So funny. :)

I'd be glad to answer questions in the comments section if you have any. Wouldn't this be a fun and unexpected dessert for Thanksgiving dinner?

Have a great week!

Next Project…

2011-11-04T12:09:00.001-07:00

I’ve been catching up this week on house and work and stocking up for my next project for an open house in Pasadena this weekend. I was asked to bring chocolate cupcakes. If you’ve been reading my blog this summer you know we got quite a bit of mileage out of our OC and LA County Fair wins with the chocolate cake recipe but for this special get together I have an idea in mind for something more spectacular and showy.

I began my hunt for everything I needed..

…Silk fall foliage picks, gold foil, gold covered boards, colored fondant, pumpkin plunger, mini cupcake papers (although I might go gold foil instead), ridiculously large gold dragees which I thought were banned in Cali…. hmmm….

… and tall towers of styrofoam.

I could have gone to Michaels or JoAnne’s for some of my supplies but I drove much farther to my Happiest Place On Earth – Shinoda! (angels sing)

“Shinoda Design Center is a wholesale floral supply center. If you have a resale license, business license, documentation with proof of Federal EIN, or you represent a school, charitable organization, or non-profit organization, you can apply to become a member.”

This picture is just a small corner of happiness. It’s a warehouse of wonder! Aisles upon aisles of floral supplies and silks, baskets, vases, candles, lights, trees, cello products, packing materials, etc. and the ribbon! Ribbon is definitely a weakness of mine.

I love this place so much I feel like offering field trips for those who don’t have a wholesale card just to share the Shinoda love! Anyone want to go?

What is also great about having a Shinoda card is that you can use it next door at the OC Flower Mart. That would be on my fantasy field trip too.

I’ve always wanted a pink flocked tree. My idea has been vetoed by three men for the past few years. Now with two only coming home for school breaks and the third wanting a happy wife, I feel the vote is definitely in my favor. This may be my year!

On Monday I’ll have a post of the open house cupcake project. It would be wonderful for any entertaining venue or even to cap off your special holiday dinners.

In the meantime, have a wonderful weekend, friends!

Bat Cookies! with Steamed, Rolled Fondant

2011-10-31T17:16:00.001-07:00

Our power was off all morning to mid afternoon so I’m a little late in posting to wish you a happy Halloween so “Happy Halloween” at last!

Late, late, late last night after we returned home from a wonderful dinner with our lovely friends I began this project- Yep, sometimes I can be a little batty when it comes to making and decorating cookies. When I’ve got an idea I’ve got to see it through.

The cookies were for a client for my hubby this morning so I needed it to be easy and quick with no icing drying time. By using rolled fondant instead of royal icing I was able to do it all within a few hours from start to finish.

I decided to make the cookies on sticks so the presentation would have more “wow” factor than a flatter basket of cookies. I originally thought of using a cauldron but since the bats were black I wanted a contrasting color. The plastic jack-o-lantern would be perfect! It was from my boys’ trick or treating days so it was a touch sad for me but I had to “carry on and decorate cookies.”

For the fondant shape to cover the cookies I used the cookie cutter. Cookies will always puff a little when baking so fondant cut from the cutter shape will not completely cover the cookie edges unless you "re-cut" the warm, baked cookies which I did for wedding cookies I made. When I decorate with royal icing I come out to the edge of the cookie. With fondant it’s a trade off for the time saved. I guess I could have rolled out the shape ever so gently to stretch it out after it was cut but I chose not to this time.

Another thing I learned with black fondant, it looks rather flat on its own and if you’ve been following my blog for awhile you know I love me some Disco Dust!!!

Rolled fondant does not hold on to the Disco Dust well and it does not like water so I wanted to see what would happen if I plugged in my little garment steamer and passed the cookie in front of the steam like I’ve seen on The Cake Boss.

I held one bat back last night so I could show you in the natural light.

It makes the fondant shiny and slightly tacky.

Tip: I also learned that if you steam the fondant on the cookie for a bit longer after you see the initial shine it will stay shiny. If you take it out of the steam just as the shine happens it will lose the shine it after it dries a bit.

I then dipped my brush into plum colored Disco Dust and rolled the tip of the brush on my index finger over the tacky cookie. This worked beautifully.

I individually bagged the bats and tied them with glittered purple organza wired ribbon.

There’s just something about these googly eyes starring back at me that I just love. It’s like having friends in the kitchen.

Oh, the eyes were made with thinned white and black royal icing I had left over from another project. Make 2 white dots and then 2 backs dots over the whites. Easy.

To finish the presentation I secured the bats by sticking them into a vertical brick of florist foam that I placed in the pumpkin. I also added weight to the pumpkin by filling a couple sandwich bags with rice. The cookie arrangement is still top heavy but weight in the bottom helps to stabilize it.

Wishing you a wonderful Halloween Night!

Sugar Cookie Recipe; Working with Fondant; Working with Fondant ll; Cookies on a Stick

Halloween Cocktail Time!

2011-10-27T16:32:00.001-07:00

Question: “What do black Cosmo martinis garnished with sparkly disco dust and a beating heart on a wooden stake have in common”?

Answer: “It’s what for dinner come Halloween for me and my ghoul friends”.

This year I’m going ghoulie glam with a sparkling rim made with thinned candy coating or white chocolate tinted with icing colors and sprinkled with disco dust.

“Ghoulie Pink Sparkle Rim”

“Twilight Red Sparkle Rim”

I wrote a post on the particulars and challenges of the “Martha inspired” corn syrup technique, (see photo below), with a recipe for a Milky Way martini. Click here for the post and for the cocktail recipe. It’s definitely a treat and not a trick with Starbuck’s cream liqueur, chocolate vodka and cream yumminess.

Here’s the “Pink Martinis and Pearls Technique” ~

Things you’ll need for the glass garnish:

Paramount crystal flakes (found at cake supply stores)
White candy coating or white baking chocolate
Disco Dust in pink, red or rainbow
Thick bamboo skewers
Maraschino cherries
Martini glasses (or any other beverage glass)

Things you’ll need for the cocktail:

Blavod black vodka
Cranberry juice
Triple Sec
Crushed ice to mix

To make the sparkly glass rim ~

Start by melting a few paramount crystals. They take only about 30 seconds in the microwave. The purpose of the crystals are to thin out the chocolate making it more runny. Add either a couple squares of the white baking chocolate or some candy coating wafers. From here on I’ll also refer to the candy coating as ‘chocolate’.

Both chocolates will melt smoother and quicker when added to the melted paramount crystals. Just so you know how easy the crystals will make the chocolate flow, the photo below on the left is the melted chocolate with the tint color only. The tint color alone will seize up both the chocolates. Add the crystals and presto! like magic, all smooth out beautifully.

Take a small spoon (I like to use a baby spoon), a craft brush or place the melted chocolate in an icing bag and place it around the outside top of the glass rim. You might have to pull it down into drip shapes even with the chocolate being runny. It’s just the nature of this white chocolate to want to stay together.

Before the chocolate has set up hard, sprinkle with a like color of disco dust (pink chocolate-pink dust; red chocolate-red dust, etc.).

Rainbow disco dust can be used on everything. It’s just a clear sparkle and picks up any color. It’s my favorite all-around color but for this project I used pink and red.

Tip: One nice thing about working with chocolate on glass, if you don’t like where the chocolate drips have landed, before they set, you can wipe them away with a paper towel and fill in the gaps with more chocolate. It’s very forgiving.

Once the chocolate sets, the disco dust isn’t going anywhere and the combo basically becomes water proof unless you wash the glass with warm to hot water. Barely any sparkles come off on your lips which can be good or bad depending on what you’ve got planned for your Halloween amusement.

To make the wooden stake garnish with the beating heart ~

(Use your imagination here)

I used thick bamboo skewers I found in my baking junk drawer. Uh-oh. Did I say that out loud? I actually have three baking junk drawers. Now my dirty little disorganized secret is out.

Grab a fresh maraschino cherry heart and slip it over the pointed end of the stick. I love how it drips it’s own juice over the red chocolate.

Now, we’re ready for the cocktail itself. Have you heard of black vodka?

It’s called Blavod. I found it at BevMo.

I am loving how it comes in its own zippered wet suit. Tres Twilight chic with its stand-up vampire collar!

When I took the cover off the bottle it naturally curled away. Kind of edgy with the spider web and zipper, don’t you think? If you go through a few bottles of Blaovd you can start your own collection of can cozies!

I know you’re probably thinking how many did I have to think of that little odd idea but I had none! It was well past the witching hour and that may have had something to do with it. lol!

Still, don’t you love martinis that multi-task?

Black Cosmo

2/3 Blavod black vodka
1/3 cranberry juice
splash of Triple Sec
Ice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker and go to town and shake your boo-ty. Strain and pour.

Here are more recipes that use Blavod but you can search online and find one that shakes or stirs YOU!

Boo!

Always remember to drink and ride your broom responsibly.

I Heart Martha!

2011-10-26T13:12:00.001-07:00

I know you've seen this picture before from a recent post on decorated fall leaf cookies but today it is featured on Martha Stewart's Dreamers Into Doers!

It is such a thrill for one of my babies to be featured.

Thank you Martha, & staff, for this honor!

A Vineyard Wedding - Part 3

2011-10-25T13:33:00.001-07:00

As the wedding dinner in the vineyard was transitioning into evening, Adirondack chairs painted specially to complement the colors of the wedding were set up around the large fire ring. Plum colored pillows added coziness when the sun fell as did a basket full of purple and blush hued pashminas for the ladies.

Such a thoughtful touch.

One last push on the swing.

A perfect dinner.

With perfect company.

Magic.

Enchantment.

Good conversation.

Music.

Dancing.

And what kind of a wedding would it be without a dancing hotdog?

Such relish! lol!

Later in the night when the band finished playing, everyone gathered around the fire ring.

One of the groom’s men and another friend took out their guitars and began to play. They were excellent.

Warmth.

Serve yourself S’mores station.

One word. Genius.

Even hand wipes and telescoping forks were thought of.

Uncle George. There’s always one expert roaster in the bunch!

Wishing the bride and groom a lifetime of happiness.

Scott and Lela, thank you for letting me be a small, itsy-bitsy, teeny-tiny part of making a sweet memory for you!

Part 1

Part 2

Happy Birthday to A Best Friend!

2011-10-24T16:00:00.000-07:00

When making party favors for my dear friend Suzi’s birthday party hosted by her equally lovely sister, Kathi, last Saturday, I thought of what images I could capture in a cookie that reminded me of her.

Specific images came to mind when thinking of her style – simple elegance, sparkle, mirrors, silver balls, purple and white.

Suzi, I love having you be a sweet part of my life and the icing on my cake. (I know, corny).

Wishing you many, many happy years to come shared with all who love you.

And my friend, you will be happy to hear you are spared from the premier of your party video on my blog today only because the program froze on my iPad. I don’t know how you managed to do this but I'm blaming you. Hmmm.

Love.

A Vineyard Wedding ~ Part 2

2011-10-24T10:24:00.001-07:00

The ceremony and garden party.

Scott’s 5 o’clock shadow was a bride’s request.

Happy wife. Happy life.

I love this photo. Lela’s veil floated to embrace Scott’s face at the moment of the kiss to give them just a hint of privacy.

Soon it was time for the sunset dinner in the vineyard. Guests were seated at one long elegant table.

Our wine charms pointed us towards the tables we were to sit at.

Mirrors with our names at our place setting reflected the cottonwood trees and the golden light of the late afternoon sun.

Simple and beautiful flowers.

Crystal bowls of plum hued fruit.

Candelabras.

Champagne with blackberries.

We sat across from Randy and Sally, the groom’s parents and my husband’s brother.

Our beautiful niece, Laura, the groom’s only sister.

Did I share with you that my cookies were used to decorate the out-of-towners goodie boxes? Since this was a destination wedding there were lots of them to deliver to 5 hotels. Loved the scorpion in the lollipop for the southwestern touch.

Thank you to Christine of Christine Kay Photography for sharing her beautiful photo of Lela and Scott and to my photog-maven-friend Susan of Susan Keller Photography who took my two underexposed photos of the bride and groom and created her magic and made them so much more interesting in black and white.

A special hello to wedding planner Monica McQueen of Tres Chic Weddings and Events. I was amazed with all her special touches and thoughtfulness.

Part 3, the evening party, to come.

Part 1

Part 3

Kate Spade’s Supercalifragilipstick! Review

2011-10-21T11:46:00.001-07:00

When I found out Kate Spade was introducing lip color I was very excited to try it.

I ordered 3 colors – Fuchsia Fete; Adventurous Red & Pop Art Pink.

I loved the packaging.

With the spring loaded case.

In fact, when I opened the boxes the lipsticks sprang open. Surprise! I eventually would have figured out how to open the case but it was a nice introduction.

But when you like the packaging over the lip color it’s a sign it’s not destined to be a long term relationship.

The Pop Art Pink is a very warm color that I would classify as coral.

Adventurous Red is a true cool blue-red with a deep tone. I’m warming up to this color but for me it needs to be paired with a gloss for more va-va-va-voom.

Fuchsia Fete is a purple-pink, pretty and brighter.

There is also a forth color, Bashful Blush which is more nude but I did not purchase it.

As for the characteristic of the formula, I found it to be more like a colored lip balm than a lipstick. It didn’t lend itself to giving a lot of definition on the lip line and I was disappointed in the lack of color intensity as they looked like they would have offered more. If you like a very light formula, you will we pleased. If you like a little more punch of color, like me, then this may not be enough color for you.

I do love Kate Spade and I own many products in her line and I so wanted to love this too but for now I’m keeping an open mind for future colors and formulations.

A Vineyard Wedding in Sedona

2011-10-19T02:50:00.001-07:00

I had the honor of designing and creating decorated cookies for a beautiful vineyard wedding in Sedona this past weekend.

My time in the kitchen was made even more special since it was my nephew’s wedding.

I love making cookies for people I know (and love). I think of them the entire time from sketch to the tying of the ribbon. How lucky can a baker girl and auntie get?

The destination wedding location was unique and lovely and not at all what I expected to see in Sedona especially after hiking the red rocks to the Boynton Canyon vortex earlier in the day before the rehearsal dinner. See the rocky tower to the right?

We made it!

People asked me if I felt anything at the vortex. I told them, yes – I felt how out of shape I was and how sunburned I got but it was beyond gorgeous.

Later that Friday evening, we took a short drive out of town to a different terrain.

All the wedding festivities would take place at the Dancing Apache Lodge. The lodge, vineyards and surrounding property belonged to the Johnson-Wendall party for the weekend. It seemed a thousand miles away from the world and the desert.

The rehearsal dinner which included 50 guests was held down by the pond at sunset amid glowing lanterns and candle light. Sally, the groom’s mother and my SIL, dressed the night in magic with rustic fall wreaths on the tables and hurricane glasses in various sizes.

The warm feeling of rustic elegance touched every wedding detail.

From the boutonnieres ~

To a fun game to play during cocktails after the ceremony ~

… and for the children, a wedding themed activity book.

The very creative bride and groom made wine charms that sparkled which also provided guests with their table number.

Before the wedding ceremony, guests gathered leisurely on the wrap around porch at the lodge and on the lawn.

The groom’s parents, Randy and Sally.

The lovely Leah.

The bar was set up on the unbelievable porch where the groom’s home brewed pumpkin spiced beer was served to guests along with wine from Randy’s college friend’s vineyard. Bocce ball and other lawn games ensued behind the lodge.

Satin navy clothes draped over cocktail tables dotted the creekside lawn.

A single elegant flower and blackberry in a mercury glass votive adorned each cocktail table.

With the late afternoon wedding about to begin, the guests walked over to the vineyard area where the talented groom, Scott, made the arbor for the ceremony. What a memorable keepsake for their garden at home.

It was decorated with hanging glass bubbles, flowers, grapes and moss.

With the acoustic guitar playing, it was time for the ceremony to begin and for everyone to take their seats.

Part 2

Part 3

Decorated Fall Leaf Cookies! A Tutorial (with rolled fondant)

2011-10-11T14:25:00.001-07:00

I had an idea for decorated leaf cookies using rolled fondant that created a different look than what I’ve done before using royal icing (to see leaf cookies decorated with royal icing click here). With fondant I could blend the colors together to make them softer and muted.

The first step was to make individual colors of fondant.

I used Satin Ice rolled fondant in the Buttercream flavor. It’s very easy to work with and tastes great with my sugar cookie recipe. I’m betting it would taste good with any sugar cookie recipe, for that matter.

I bought a big daddy tub. On the label it says it lasts 18 months, has no trans fats and no cholesterol so that's good. As long as it’s covered well it won’t dry out. If you find it gets a little crusty around the edges, knead it back into the more moist fondant and it will come back to life, so to speak.

To get one of the more muted color schemes I wanted, I used Americolors egg yellow, red, violet, lemon yellow and leaf green and rolled each one into a rope.

Tip: I use corn starch on my board to roll the fondant. Some people use powdered sugar but I find the corn starch takes the stickiness out of the fondant especially when the gel colors make it more wet.

I then twisted the fondant ropes together.

… and rolled it out. I turned it over and around on itself a few times and rolled some more.

Believe it or not, the purple colored leaves below were made from the multi-colored fondant above.

I used red, yellow and egg yellow for the fondant below. I kneaded it more for the marbleized effect.

One thing I do and would recommend is to cut-out all your fondant shapes, place them on top of the cookies to form the shape and come back later to attach the fondant with piping gel.

My reasons for doing this ~

I work with as much fondant as I can as one step so what’s on my pastry board doesn’t dry out.
Laying the fondant shape over the cookie forms the fondant to the cookie shape so I can come back later with the piping gel and adhere the two together. Since fondant firms up rather quickly, if I cut out the fondant shape and laid it flat until I got around to putting it on the cookie, I’d have a flat shape of fondant to ultimately place on a rounder cookie and that wouldn’t look too spiffy.
Set fondant is easier to handle and lifts off the cookie like a shell.
When I’m ready to brush piping gel onto the cookies, I lift off the fondant ‘shell’ shape, brush the gel on the cookie, replace and go on down the line. This just seems to work well for me. I like completing all of one specific task before going onto the next.

With the fondant leaves attached to the cookies, I dabbed on luster dust in cranberry for the lighter colored yellow leaves and red leaves. You can either brush it around or use your finger to rub it over the surface.

Tip: Luster Dust has a sheen and shimmer to it. Petal Powder is matte.

I gave all the leaf tops a brush of super gold luster dust that has even more of a shimmer to it.

Tip: The same powder can be mixed with a clear colored alcohol base such as vodka and be painted on royal icing and fondant.

I loved the water colored effect the marbleized fondant and powders gave to the cookies.

To package the cookies and to add a small touch of contrasting color, I used paper Wraphia. I like to use this because it’s very versatile, inexpensive and it seems to last forever on the spool. It has a more rustic look and feel than ribbon and that’s what I wanted for these particular cookies.

I cut a strand and unraveled it to make it wider before I doubled it over and made a simple tie.

Big tip ~ it’s much easier to make it wider with a bigger piece not tied to your package than trying to do this after it’s cut to the finished size. This was a painful lesson I learned with about 20 cookies left to do.

I then cut both ends at and angle and spread out the ends to form a loose ‘x’. I love the jagged edges.

These particular cookies were used at a trade show today.

I also placed a sticker on the back of the bag with the company’s information. Some cookies were hung on bare, potted tree branches while others were going to be handed out from a basket to potential customers. They made a colorful and unique display, made people come over to the table, created lots of smiles and now people are remembering this company as “the one with the pretty cookies” amid other companies offering pens and key ring freebies with company logos.

I made flower cookie pops for this company this past spring with a Vegas theme.

At home or for a hostess gift, the fall leaf cookies would be lovely for Thanksgiving grouped together or at each place setting. If they were to be wrapped individually I would use a natural Wraphia tie with two stems of wheat tucked into the bow with a touch of yellow shred paper in the bag as a back drop for the cookie.

For sophisticated Halloween party favors, black paper shred with orange tone cookie colors would look very pretty.

Recipe links and tutorials:

Sugar Cookie Recipe; Royal Icing Recipe; Fondant on Cookies; Cookie Flower Pops with Fondant

2011-10-10T10:18:00.001-07:00

Have a beautiful week.

Enjoy the color you can find.

And the Touchdown Cupcake Kit Goes to…

2011-10-10T00:20:00.001-07:00

Miss Preppy 101 scores the Meri Meri Touchdown Cupcake Kit. Congratulations to her southern preppiness and thank you to those who entered.

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 9 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

The Anniversary Recap

2011-10-09T11:59:00.001-07:00

With over 150 cookies to still decorate for this week, half of them needing to be finished by tomorrow and the other half by Wednesday, I expected to have celebrated my anniversary in the kitchen with a few pastry bags but my sweet groom surprised me by heading out early to buy me my favorite misto accompanied with flowers and a very sweet card telling me he had made reservations for dinner at one of my happiest place on earth, Montage in Laguna Beach. Since we hadn’t talked about doing anything with my busy schedule pending it was a complete surprise.

When we arrived at Montage in the late afternoon they were preparing for a wedding to take place on the lawn.

With spectacular flower arrangements.

And pink parasols for when the sun dipped in the sky.

All overlooking the ocean from the cliffs.

My groom of 28 years.

We had the best seats in the house sipping our G&T’s where I found myself a touch emotional knowing we were witnessing a wedding that shared our wedding date.

The most gorgeous sunset of Catalina “26 Miles Across the Sea”.

A most perfect day.

My Cup Runneth Over With Love

2011-10-08T11:23:00.001-07:00

I’d say, “I do. I do.” all over again.

Happy 28th wedding anniversary to the love of my life.

Cookie Blockage

2011-10-06T13:48:00.001-07:00

This is where I am today. This is where I’ve been all week. I’m second guessing all my design possibilities for a vineyard wedding. The save-the-date announcement was decorated with a wine bottle cork so I thought I would tie the cookies into the theme. The cookies will be attached to the front of the out-of-town baskets. No pressure to be front and center!

The creative process has not exactly been flowing as smoothly as thinned royal icing.

I started with my template cookies.

I found out “shrinkage” also applies to the neck of cookie wine bottles when baked. It went into the oven as a wine bottle and came out looking like Dr. Feelgood’s tonic bottle. The champagne bottle remained in tack.

I fell in love with the bride and groom stamp and used it on the label. This gave a more whimsical feel to the cookie but something was not sitting right with me.

I tried an idea I had for rolled fondant to look like colored fall leaves. I’m using this techniques for a hundred cookies I’m making for a landscape trade show due next Tuesday. I haven’t started this little baking venture yet. When I’m creatively blocked time stops until I can figure it out. Is it just me?

I came up with the idea of a wax seal made of fondant with a heart center. I’ll add icing ribbons to the bottle but I’m stumped as to what color to use. The bride’s colors are burgundy, navy and blush pink. I’ve tried navy icing and the color isn’t right. It turned out more of a denim. Even adding black didn’t help so I’m still stumped.

I made false fondant labels so I could interchange them to see how I liked different ones. One sticked and I had to pry it off. It was too big anyway but it took the bottom of the cookie it with. Not pretty. I also tried a leaf for the seal location. Even though I didn’t waste my gold powder on it, it’s not doing it for me. Reminds me of something Mr. T would wear. lol!

I think I’ve decided to go more sophisticated with a 3-D effect on the label using the colored fondant leaves with piped grapes and vines. The icing was wet when I took this photo so I couldn't put everything together.

I’ll use the bride and groom stamp for a tag when the cookie is tied and bagged. The seal, I think, will be the blush pink with a light pink piped glittery heart. The icing ribbon color that the seal will be placed over? I haven’t a clue.

Got any ideas?

Update: My friend Suzi came by and we started to play with the cookie and sample paper labels. She agreed with me the above look was “too winery” and not enough wedding. This is what we came up with. I think I’m going with it with maybe just a few dots of color near the vines. Tied up with a pretty pink ribbon will be fun and wedding-ish with just a touch of the bubbly.

Thanks Suzi!

My Meri Meri Touchdown Cupcake Kit give-away continues while I bake away.

Enter here!

UPDATE: To see the finished cookies click HERE!

Ready! iPad! Action!

2011-10-05T23:00:00.000-07:00

I had some fun this weekend at my niece's birthday party. I took my iPad along and took a video with a new app I downloaded called 8mm HD. There are different styles to film in so I used the 60's and added a little film jitter, as it's called, on the app. It's where the film frame flicks up or down. The room was a little dark but it was fun to just experiment.

Then to make the movie, I downloaded the Real Director app. I did the very basics and added a song from my iTunes library. The file was too big to email so I had to upload it to You Tube. Another first.

I don't own a smart phone and I'm a PC gal so doing this was completely out of my element but it was a lot of fun and I had a captive audience. :)

Happy birthday, Heather!

Meri Meri Touchdown Cupcake Kit {GIVE-AWAY}

2011-10-03T11:21:00.001-07:00

The team is ready to go. Can you feel the excitement in the air?

The cupcake wrappers take the field.

“Touchdown!”

The crowd goes wild!

And so did I when I saw this fun and spirited cupcake kit with 24 wrappers and toppers.

So wild in fact, I bought one for myself with no particular party planned and went back a week later and bought another one for YOU!

The kit is sold out on the Meri Meri website so I feel I’ve really scored big time!

One lucky team player is sure to have a special tailgate or game day party with this cupcake kit.

Here’s the rules ~

Points:

Conversion (1 point)– Let me know if you’re a PM&P alum follower or a new freshman follower. (You get that don’t you?)

Field Goal – Tweet, Facebook, etc., each social media is worth a point.

Touchdown! (3 points) - Bring a new member to the team! Got a friend that would like to be added to the PM&P roster? Have them leave your name in their comment and you get an extra point. It could be the extra point that’s needed for you to win the game!

Notes from the coach:

Yes, I know my points aren’t commensurate with a real conversion, field goal or touchdown. If they were I’d be counting entries until the stadium lights went off. The names are just for fun.

You must leave your contact info in all your entries.

The game will be played until the clock runs out on Sunday, October 9, 2011 at midnight Pac 12 (USC) time and the winner will be chosen and posted in the Monday morning quarter back session.

“Go! Enter! Win!”

I’ll be cheering for you!

The give-away has now ended. Thanks for playing along.

Under The Weather...

2011-09-30T11:32:00.000-07:00

Yep. That's where I've been. Why isn't there a term 'over the weather' when we're feeling chipper and good? Anyway, because of this I haven't been on the computer or at my camera so the Meri Meri cupcake kit give-away will take place on Monday.

Thanks for your patience. Have an 'over the weather' weekend. :)

xoxo

Collegiate Cake Pops

2011-09-26T17:36:00.001-07:00

I love tailgate parties and cake pops are a perfect treat to bring along.

I guess it’s pretty obvious where my allegiance lies.

There are so many recipes and instructions for cake pops on other blogs and websites and of course there is the Queen of all Cake Pops, Angie at Bakerella so I’ll just show you what I came up with for my decorations.

I made my pops a little larger so I could have a larger surface area to place the edible images on. I like the larger size. They’re a touch less dainty for the guy tailgaters and they make a nice display.

To hold the pops upright, I placed them in a school mug filled with rice. I then covered the top of the rice with shredded paper. It makes for a very sturdy base that is bottom heavy.

The images? They’re made from edible paper printed with edible ink on a Pixma printer I use solely for this purpose. The paper works like regular printer paper and cuts easily. There is no backing. I "glued" the cut-out image with a very thin spread of piping gel applied with my finger.

I know not many people have this set up but a simple stencil can be traced from a downloaded image and painted over with candy coating or you can buy the edible paper and draw your own images or draw directly on the cake pops with edible ink markers. I like Americolor gourmet writers. Or make it super simple and colorful with polka dots.

Do you like polkas dots? I love them!

They’re made by dipping an end of a lollipop stick in the candy coating. If they get a little pointy peak on them let them set until hardened and then rub your finger over the point. The heat from your finger will smooth them out.

I wanted flags on the sticks so I made some tags with well known ‘SC lingo.

Ribbons are an easy way to add more color and texture too.

Cut two identical strips of ribbon. Place the color you want closer to the cake pop on top. Make a loop.

Bring the loose ends of the ribbon through the loop and pull tight.

Trim the ends at an angle. Now you have ribbon flags!

So, what do you think? Would collegiate cake pops get your tailgate party on the scoreboard?

Fight On!

On Wednesday, I’ll be kicking off a Meri Meri cupcake kit give-away with a tailgate theme. I hope you’ll get into the game!

2011-09-23T00:29:00.000-07:00

“Arrrgh”…

Have a unique and beautiful weekend with some unexpected color thrown into the mix.

Morro Bay.

College: On A Scale of 1 to 10 - 2011

2011-09-21T00:06:00.000-07:00

1 = :( ............... 10 = :)
and somewhere in between = :/

The Junior Year Drop-Off

Anxious to leave and get on the road by 5 PM, Friday.
Note: It's 10:30 AM, Saturday

Son ~ 5 :/ ............... Mom ~ 9 :)
Really, what's the hurry?

The first off-campus apartment ~

Quite a bit different from last year's resort.

"Hey, we've got a BBQ!"
Son ~ 8 :) ............... Mom ~ 1 =:0

Room Mates ~

Very nice boys who "study hard and go to the library."
I choose to believe.

Son ~ 10 :) ............... Mom ~ 10 :)

The Apartment
Location. Location. Location.
On the corner of two very busy streets.
Across the street from train tracks.
With a chirping cross walk.
With constant pedestrian traffic.
Constant. Pedestrian. Traffic.

Son ~ 10 :) ............... Mom ~ 2 :(

One reason for the traffic ~

I hear short-shorts are the unofficial school uniform for co-eds.
And if they're not, I've been told "they should be."

Parting Words ~

From Mom and Dad ~
"Plan ahead"
"Stay on top of things"
"Get enough sleep"
"Eat well"
"Take your vitamins"
"We love you"

From son ~
"Thank you for everything"
"Love you"
"Okay, okay, okay"
"Bye"

Have a wonderful junior year. See you for Thanksgiving! :)

Posting on Patch Today

2011-09-14T11:56:00.001-07:00

Today, I'm posting "What's In Your Late Summer Garden (Besides Spiders)?" over on Patch. Patch is an online community newspaper via AOL/Huffington Post where I'm a regular contributor. Often times my posts are picked up by other local communities too.

When you visit today, you may be able to find your own community's edition by clicking on "change towns" on the upper right area.

If you do come over, please leave a comment. I'd love to have you visit!

Another County Fair. Another Sweet, Chocolately Win!

2011-09-07T01:46:00.000-07:00

Booyah! (I can’t believe I just said that). Chocolate layer cake lightening can strike twice and it did this past weekend as my son’s entry at the Los Angeles County Fair won First Place in chocolate layer cakes and Best of Division for all layer cakes!

Coming off our victory from the OC Fair in July, we thought, just for fun, to go for the big daddy of fairs and around these parts it’s the LA County Fair. The fair is HUGE in size, exhibits and culinary entries. Since we had to travel about an hour to drop off the cake I also entered extra wedding cookies that I made for my niece’s wedding back in May. They won a ribbon too and no, they weren’t sampled but considered edible art.

A couple days before the fair, we dropped off our goodies. There were so many people bringing in entries (over 400) we had to stand in line for awhile to check in. I decided not to box up the cake but thought it would have a better chance at arriving unscathed if I placed it on a piece of the anti-slip material one puts under a rug. If you ever needs to transport something in your car I highly recommend it. This little trick to transport anything in the car has never failed me. Ever.

Eventhough I was certain the cake itself wasn’t going anywhere during the drive, I still held my breath as we opened the back of the car upon arrival. We had banked on off-ramp curves and inclines and since the cake was iced right before we left home I was half-way expecting to see the top layer separated from the bottom but as you can see all was well and delish.

When we arrived at the fair on Sunday as spectators, my husband saw the cake behind the display glass immediately and said, "It won"! It was so much fun to see my son's face with his name on the card to receive the official recognition he deserved since my name was on the OC Fair registration though he made that cake too.

At first I didn't recognize the cake because they put all the entries on ceramic plates and the green plate kind of threw me

Oh yes. My cookies won second place in the edible arts division.

A spectacular fondant cake with airbrushing, sugar art and obvious superior talent rightly came in first. You can see just the top of the octopus’ head peeking underneath the basket in the photo above. I wasn't expecting to win anything this time around since there were many more entries than the OC Fair so actually winning a ribbon of any place was a nice surprise.

Since all these photos were taken with a shaky phone I'll post the cake recipe after I take better pictures this weekend. The recipe will also be published in the fair’s cookbook.

I don’t know the monetary awards we won at the LA Fair but we won $200 at the OC Fair. That was a nice perk.

We definitely hit a culinary home run this summer and speaking of home runs, the four of us went to an Angel’s game a few weeks ago where it was announced everyone in section 420 would win Jumbo Jacks for an entire year if one of the Angels hit a home run in that particular inning. Up steps rookie Peter Bourjos (rhymes with ‘gorgeous’) who hits one out of the park. We now refer to him as “Burger Boy” and he is doing great this season.

So thanks Peter, for the year’s supply of burgers x4! There’s a college boy I know who bakes award winning cakes that is feeling very lucky that his apartment will be a couple blocks away from his home run hamburgers.

The College Send Off

2011-09-01T14:12:00.001-07:00

My first college send off was in 2006. It was pretty traumatic—for me. My first born had decided to attend a college on the east coast when given the choice of multiple in-state colleges or one of the two 3,000 miles away. We had actually encouraged him to venture out and experience something completely new in his life while he was financially supported.

I did what I suspect all mothers do to help their child and themselves make the college transition; repeated trips to Bed, Bath & Beyond, Target, the mall, sudden crying fits in the car when alone listening to heart-wrenching songs that have nothing to do with college but become a catalyst to let it flow. Think Harry Chapin and “Cats In The Cradle”. Of course, by the time we moms arrive home and the garage door goes up we carry in the bags along with our composure.

Although try as we may not to succumb to the other side of bittersweet, it’s there, along with the inexplicable joy of seeing our child anticipate their next big adventure. After all, this is what we’ve all been working towards- independence, the opportunities of higher education, less trips to the market to buy milk - again. I found it difficult to understand why I felt sadness when all I wanted and expected to feel was that joy and excitement which, in turn, lead me to feeling confused and somewhat guilty. I believe this conflict also added to the heightened emotions.

What I didn’t want was this send off to be about me in any way. It should never be about the parent(s) but I did vent to my closest girlfriends who had gone before me and who understood ‘it’s a mom thing’. I thank god for my friend Lyssa who I called from the hotel room in Boston when I couldn’t catch my breath one morning knowing the good-byes were but a few hours away and we'd be facing that long, lonely plane ride home with a void. I didn’t discount my husband's feelings in all this and he was very supportive but at that particular moment when he slipped downstairs to get coffee, I needed the comfort of a mom just to say, “I know. I know.”

My redemption came at a moment when my son was rooting around his stuff and it hit him he was going to be living in a bustling city, culturally diverse, relying on subway and taxi transportation, knowing no one, topped with an extremely rigorous academic agenda and wasn’t coming home until the winter break. He turned to me and said, “I hope I can handle all of this.” I turned my full attention to him with my body and eyes. “If Dad and I didn’t have all the confidence in you knowing that you could do this, you know we would have said something.” He knew, but he needed to hear it. I could sense any residual remnants of self-doubt lift. Did I really think this? I did, but if I hadn’t my answer would have been the same. It was the best parting gift I could have given my son – confidence.

Three years later, our second and last child flew the coop to a California college. He'll be a junior this year. That initial transition for me was much easier although it left us with an empty nest. I don’t know if it was easier because he was in-state or because his brother lead the way and I knew what to expect. Probably a combination of both but there’s a certain level of comfort knowing your child is in the same time zone. Silly but true.

Our eldest son, since graduated and back in our time zone, is a full-time graduate student working on his PhD who is only able to come home for a visit now and then as his program is year round. Recently, he changed his address on his driver’s license. A sure sign ‘home’ is just for a short visit. He was here last week for one of those visits and is gone again.

Suddenly today, I can feel the air change as if it’s calling my last child away. This seasonal pull of collegiate life always catches me off guard no matter how many times I’ve experienced it. I like the denial days of summer and this one has been particularly pleasant. One thing I learned with this tug of war with my heart come September is to go with the flow when it hits. I am kinder to myself now. I realize the bittersweet mom feelings are natural and it’s surprising how quickly they pass once I see my child settle into his school year which usually happens before we schlep the last box into his room and we get the silent look that speaks oh-so-loudly, “Okay. You can go now.” It’s the best parting gift my son could give me - confidence.

The official count down to another lift-off begins and I feel that little twinge in my chest and tummy as I see the open suitcases laying on his bedroom floor along with a scattering of clean clothes. He'll be in his first apartment this year. Bed, Bath & Beyond, Target and the mall are on my agenda today. I wonder what’s on the radio?

Collegiate Links:

Since conversations with collegiates are notorious for the one word answer of "fine" or "okay" to your many questions, keep up to date what's happening at Huffington Post—College. Helpful articles for both parents and students and general knowledge what's going down on the college scene. You'll seem so hip that your student will think you've installed a cam somewhere on campus.
Did you know you can order anything at Bed, Bath & Beyond locally or on their website and pick it up at the store near the college? Oh joy! Enables you to see out of the back window while driving. Bed, Bath & Beyond
Everything you ever wanted to know about the college experience for both students and parents and even how to handle the naked room mate. Resource books. Don't laugh. It can happen. :)

"Rah!"

Summer Cucumber Salad

2011-08-29T21:31:00.000-07:00

One of the pleasurable successes of our garden this summer has been the English or "hot house" cucumbers. They're long and thin with few seeds compared to the standard waxy cucumbers and are usually seen in stores wrapped in plastic. This helps to retain their moisture. In my opinion, they are more delicate and meaty than the thicker cucumbers and are my choice for this salad but any variety works with this recipe.

This seasonal salad is our family's favorite and takes garden fresh cukes mixed with a few flavorful ingredients to make the perfect chilled accompaniment to what's cooking on the grill.

Summer Cucumber Salad

Serves 6

2 - English cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
1 c. Seasoned rice vinegar
1/2 Sweet white onion, thinly sliced
Sesame seeds (optional)

Peel and thinly slice the cucumbers. Thinly slice half an onion.

In a mixing bowl combine the cucumbers, onions and vinegar.

Cover and place in the refrigerator stirring occasionally until thoroughly chilled.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving.

* Amounts are approximate, increase or decrease any ingredients according to taste.

Tips:

If the garden variety of cucumbers has stayed on the vine too long and is over grown, the seeds may be tough. If you prefer not to have the seeds in your salad, slice the cucumbers in half length-wise and scoop out the seeds by running the tip of the spoon down the center.
You can find seasoned rice vinegar in the Asian section of the market.
The difference between seasoned rice vinegar and non-seasoned is a slightly sweet flavor that the seasoned vinegar has.
If using vinegar full strength is too strong for your taste, it can be cut with a bit of water or mild-flavored oil such as canola.
Do you prefer your cucumbers crisp or soft? A shorter time marinating in the vinegar will produce a crispier salad. A longer time, will produce softer cukes and onions.

Do you have a recipe that is quintessentially summer with just a few ingredients? Feel free to share with us in the comments section. :)

Thinking of You

2011-08-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

My thoughts and prayers go to my blogging friends on the east coast this weekend as you hunker down. Keep safe.

xoxo

Hosting Your Own Backyard Movie Night

2011-08-25T12:02:00.000-07:00

A few years ago we hosted a backyard movie night for the high school marching band. With over 80 teenagers the evening was a lot of fun and something I always wanted to do again for our family and friends.

Not knowing what we needed back then we rented the equipment for the night which included an inflatable screen, speakers and a projector.

The menu for the night was pure concession stand nostalgia: hotdogs in paper boats, boxed candy, soda in paper cups with lids and straws. We even rented a popcorn machine and served the popcorn from paper tubs.

A fellow band mom had the great idea of grilling the hotdogs before the band members arrived and keeping them warm thorough out the evening in the crock pot. This worked beautifully and freed us from being behind the grill while the movie was playing. The kids were able to help themselves to whatever they wanted during the night.

Fast forward to an August night this summer ~ instead of renting the screen, projector and sound system this time around we made the screen from a twin-sized sheet, used pvc pipes for the support ($20), hooked up a couple of our own speakers and a projector we use for work presentations. With my techno sons at the helm, my laptop was hooked up to run the DVD. It turned out to be a great system. What’s especially nice is we can set up again anytime without the expense of a rental which runs $200 for the night.

Our homemade screen (shown here the morning after and missing a few clips) was anything but fancy and I had my doubts when my husband came home from Lowe’s with long pvc pipes a couple hours before our guests were to arrive but in the dark all you see is the movie playing not the pipe supports or the few wrinkles in the sheet that were visible during daylight.

In the future, I’d like to grommet the sheet so it can be easily put up to the support frame with a rope but surprisingly a few black metal clips from Staples with string worked perfectly well. Even the perfectionist in me was quite impressed.

The simple menu for our friends and family movie night included my recipe for the Best BBQ Burgers with brioche buns I purchased from a local restaurant called Hanna’s. The buns have become my secret weapon and are incredibly delicious and add tremendously to any bun worthy meal.

To accompany the burgers we served macaroni salad (my SIL’s recipe and the best I’ve ever tasted), grilled local corn (husks on until charred, the corn will be perfectly cooked and the silks will slide right off when the husks are peeled away). We also had home grown tomatoes, vegetables and fresh lemonade. For dessert, my guys made 4 flavors of ice cream to choose from the day before and of course, popcorn.

“Lights! Camera! Action!”

I’ve listed some resources to get you started to host your own backyard movie night:

Learn from fellow backyard theater enthusiasts – Backyard Theater.com
Blast from the past intermission clips & movies – Movies Unlimted.com
Boxed candy – Smart & Final; Bed, Bath & Beyond; Costco
Popcorn boxes in bulk – FSW.com, Smart & Final
Popcorn boxes in smaller quantities- party stores, Sur laTable.com
Popcorn machine rental – Google for your area.
Burger baskets – Surl a Table.com
Basket liners – Sur la Table.com
Great ice cream book – Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream & Dessert Book
Great online ice cream recipes – Williams-Sonoma.com
An OC rental source for movie equipment set-ups – PopUpPictureShow.com
The “money is no object” outdoor theater system – Frontgate.com

Tips:

Set up all power equipment before dark. This includes a sound and screen check.
Remind quests to “B.Y.O.C.&J.” (chair and Jacket)
Use the popcorn boxes as holders for small flower vases. This ties in your movie theme on your tables and makes cute decorations.
Print out a movie ticket image, secure to a sandwich pick and stick it into the top of the burgers for fun.
Use burger baskets to make your meals more portable when you have larger a crowd and not the table space to sit everyone. The baskets also make great serving pieces for varieties of chips or individual corn-on-the-cob holders.
Have something warm for your guests to drink if the evening turns chilly.

I’d love to know if you’ve hosted or attended a backyard movie night and what ideas you have to make the night fun.

Icy Italian Citrus Granita

2011-08-19T13:24:00.000-07:00

If the name "granita" is not familiar to you, it's an icy Italian dessert that resembles shave ice in texture and is possibly the most light and refreshing treat you can make this summer. In the snooty culinary world of terminology I'd call it a "deconstructed" popsicle. The ingredients are simple: fresh squeezed citrus juice, sugar and water.

No special ice cream making equipment is necessary. If you've got a metal cake pan or baking dish and a fork, you'll have all the equipment you'll need.

What gives granita its special icy flakes of goodness is stirring the mixture as it freezes or by "raking" the mixture's surface after it has frozen solid. Due to the sugar content the scrapping produces an almost soft textured flake.

This recipe uses a blend of citrus juices but a single fruit flavor, such as tangerine, would be very good too.

Perfect for after dinner on a warm evening and pretty enough for company.

Citrus Granita (serves 6)

2 c. orange juice, freshly squeezed and strained
1/2 c. pink grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed and strained
2 Tbls. lemon juice, freshly squeezed and strained
1 Tbls. lime juice, freshly squeezed and strained
1 1/2 c. water
scant 1 c. superfine sugar (1 cup minus a couple tablespoons)

Combine all the juices, water and sugar in a bowl or pitcher. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Transfer mixture to a shallow rectangle metal pan or glass baking dish.

I use a 9x13 metal cake pan. I feel the metal freezes the mixture faster and keeps it from melting if I take it out of the freezer to stir it but I usually stir and rake the mixture in the freezer. I also keep a fork in the freezer for convenience.

To obtain ice flakes:

Method #1- Check on the mixture after about a half hour. Ice crystals will have begun to form. Stir mixture. Stir again every half hour until mixture is more solid than liquid.

Method #2- Freeze mixture until solid. Take a fork and scrape it over the frozen mixture in a raking-like motion until icy flakes form.

Bonappetito!

Kitchen Gadget Love

2011-08-18T01:38:00.001-07:00

My new favorite kitchen toy.

Sharp & Fun.

Kuhn Rikon Pink and Black Dot Paring Knife

Sur la Table – also available in store

A Midsummer Night's Balancing Act

2011-08-09T13:34:00.000-07:00

August.

It's just starting to hit me that time is running out and my opportunities for all my good intentions this summer are dwindling.

Son2 will be back at college next month and how many good home cooked meals have I made? Not many. I need to change that. Son1 flies into town on Friday for a week's visit which we'll also have the pleasure of celebrating his birthday with him at home. This is a real treat. He deserves a party. His request for his homecoming - home cooked meals. I've got to step it up.

We finally purchased a new replacement car a week ago which has helped both my husband and I to move on from our accident in June. I'm surprised how much this one thing has affected us. There is no joy involved that a new car usually brings and my only criteria was the replacement had to be equal or better than what we lost. I needed this emotionally so not to feel the other driver had taken more away from us. This has helped me to release some emotions but I need the closure only the tying up of loose ends will bring and this hasn't happened yet.

I've also been wanting to change my blog over to Wordpress, get a new look and activate my domain name. It's time to tap into the social media world which makes my head spin and overwhelms me. Lisa, at her wonderful blog, Amid Privilege, has been a mentor as Amanda, at Everyday Elements has. I admire them both for stepping into this fray fearlessly confident and competent.

I have also been working with the very talented Anne Harwell at Annechovie. I have admired her artwork since I found her when I began blogging and have commissioned a new pink martinis and pearls header design. My schedule and forgetfulness has held her up this summer but she has been nothing short of a saint. I am so appreciative of all these special ladies.

And of course there are the cookies. I have many ideas and techniques I want to try to create. I feel honored to get email requests almost on a weekly basis although I don't advertise. Some requests I can fulfill and some I can't. They have to fit between my work for our family business that positively has to be done on certain days and what I can push to another. Inadvertently, cookie projects mean my counters are sealed in plastic wrap which also means take-out only and no home cooked meals... yet again.

I love my iPad2! I just finished reading The Help and am reading The Dukan Diet on it. I was shocked when a message came up congratulating me on playing 1,000 games of solitaire! I've had it since mid-June. I quickly shut my pink cover and walked away mid-game. What a waste of time I've gotten into the habit of late at night. My Elizabeth I hardcover book is still waiting for my return. I am ashamed I have been seduced by Angry Birds and glitzy apps.

I continue to write for my community's online newspaper. It's something I really enjoy. The audience is different from here but writing for two blogs in completely different ways can be another balancing act.

For the next few weeks, I have a few cookies orders to fill and samples to make for my nephew's wedding in Sedona at a winery in October. It'll be here before I know it.

I'm attending a second concert at The Huntington Library in beautiful San Marino, the town which we were married in, and planning a backyard movie night as the last hurrah of the season.

I want to study Photoshop Elements more, buy and make friends with a new camera and learn how to work the mouse in my car so I can rock the Sirius radio with the windows down and the moon roof open all without help from anyone under 25.

I need to be a more thoughtful friend, sister-in-law and daughter-in-law and write those thank you notes from my birthday in June. I'm blaming it on the iPad and the thousand games of solitaire whether it's truly to blame or not.

I notice the Boston Ivy on our wall is beginning to change color with the passing season but our sweet corn has yet to fully mature. I want to be like both of them right now. Unpredictable yet with purpose.

So, for the next few weeks I'll be popping in and out but not with any planned schedule. I'm going to let the end of summer take me where it will.

Pineapple Sherbet

2011-08-06T10:31:00.001-07:00

If you haven't tried homemade pineapple sherbet with fresh lemon and orange juices you don't know what you're missing. Prior to this frozen epiphany, I had only tasted store bought from 31 Flavors which left me ordering Daiquiri Ice next time.

Words I would use to describe ~ cold, icy, refreshingly fresh.
And a phrase ~ "One more little cone won't hurt."
And a sound ~ *sigh*

What is particularly nice about this recipe is that it makes 4 quarts from the get go so you actually have enough for company without having to make multiple batches or doubling or tripling the recipe.

It is also a very old recipe.
Lovingly handed down from the Nance family.
To my knowledge it came from their grandmother in Kansas and settled out west in California with their father who recently passed peacefully at 89. I love how recipes are impervious to travel and time but retain their love and connections to so many.

When my boys were younger and we made chocolate chip cookies together they used to ask me why I added 2 drops of boiling water to the dough since they couldn't see how that would make a difference. I told them they were probably right it wouldn't make a difference to the recipe but I do it anyway because it was my grandmother's recipe, then my mom's, now mine and theirs. I do it not so I don't forget, I do it to remember.

This is also quite the unforgettable pineapple sherbet.
Courtesy of Myrtle, then Hal, now Janice, Carole and Cheryl, to me and now, you.

Pineapple Sherbet

2 1/2 - 14 oz cans of crushed pineapple, non-drained
1 1/3 c. fresh lemon juice (approx. 7 lemons)
2/3 c. fresh orange juice (approx. 1 1/2 oranges)
2 quarts milk
4 c. granulated sugar
2 egg whites
Combine pineapple, juices, sugar and milk. Add egg whites. May appear to curdle but will smooth out when freezing. Freeze according to ice cream machine maker's instructions.

‘Best of Show’ and Other Pretty Ribbons

2011-08-01T19:34:00.001-07:00

I hope you’ll allow me my ‘15 seconds, minutes or written lines of fame’ ‘cuz this is going to be one braggy blog post.

It’s my story of entering the 2011 Orange County Fair Culinary Arts Division this summer.

It all started with my husband who lovingly encouraged me to enter cookies I made for my niece’s wedding this past May. Those who love you are always your biggest fans.

Since I had a few extra left over I thought, ‘why not.’

Awards:

1st Place in Sugar Sculpture and Edible Sugar Arts
Division Winner in Sugar Sculpture and Edible Arts

And while I was at it I thought I’d enter my family’s favorite chocolate cake just for fun because they won’t let me make any other cake. I was curious to see if it was really that good. I decided to call it “All-American Chocolate Layer Cake.”

Of course, of all the cakes and cupcakes I’ve made with the recipe, I’ve never taken a glamor shot of it because it isn’t glamorous. It’s just the best darn chocolate cake. Ever. Plain and simple. At least to our family.

Awards:

1st Place 2-Layer Cakes
Division Winner for all Frosted Layer Cakes

There is a story behind this particular winning entry, however.

I had to register my intended submission entries online by June 1. Son2 was still up at college and I had never considered he would be interested in my culinary adventures. Now it was July and he was home for the summer waiting for his internship to begin (as my husband and I were also waiting for the internship haircut to happen). It was the night before the actual cake was to be entered in the fair for judging. Not wanting to lose him for the evening to his laptop in his bedroom upstairs, I suggested he make the cake so I could spend the time with him in the kitchen gabbing as the mixer blended away. I volunteered to be the “icing tester” (sorry excuse, I know) as he made the batter and icing. It was decided I should be the one to take the cake out of the pans (experience needed) and to frost the cake.

Besides winning 1st place and the division win, beating out all other single, double, triple and colossal cakes, we found out later the cake missed Best of Show for all cakes by 2 votes! This included the big fondant multi-tiered showy cakes. Son2 was a very happy baker.

It was the only cake with a third of it gone which we thought was funny.

(bottom shelf, back left)

The icing on the fair cake, so to speak, was for a blog post I entered that originated right here on Pink Martinis and Pearls!

There were three classes of culinary related blog post entries -

Directional Blog Post – Method, Step-by-Step or "How-to" format with recipe
Personal Blog Post – Memoir or Personal Story with recipe
Informational Blog Post – Descriptive, Historical, Event Coverage with recipe

I submitted my post on Decorated Baby Bunny Cookies under the Directional Blog Post Class.

I was flabbergasted when I walked over to the display case and saw the card with my name and blog post name on it with a fancy blue ribbon attached to it and utterly astounded to see the big purple ribbon denoting I had won the big daddy $100 award for Best of Show for the Best Overall Blog Post from all the classes combined!

There were so many blog post entries that I feel particularly honored to have been chosen.

They are printing and enlarging my post for display but I haven’t seen it. They were having ‘technical difficulties’ when I was at the fair last and it was not up yet. Hopefully, it will be up for the award ceremonies.

Yep, I had a great OC Fair experience. Beginner’s luck to be sure.

Although our family recipe for the All-American Chocolate Layer Cake has the honor and distinction of being included in the 2011 Orange County Fair Online Cookbook and it is a great thrill and honor to have outside validation that others appreciate one’s work and skills when it is shared in a public venue, the real prize was sharing the experience with my son…

… in the kitchen past midnight, licking the beater, agonizing whether we should just dig into the cake with big glasses of ice-cold milk and forget the competition (we came sooo close), carefully driving 30 miles with a cake on his lap, wondering what was going to happen, hoping others liked it too and how wonderful and amazing it would be if we won.

My personal Best of Show was seeing the expression on his face when he realized the cake had won and listening to him laugh and yell out as we rode on a spinning ride high above the midway where blurred neon lights mimicked the heady, dizzying celebration of the night .

In time, the colors of the pretty ribbons will fade but I hope these memories of participating in the OC Fair with my son will stay with us both, always.

“O Tomatoes, Where Art Thou?”

2011-07-31T11:33:00.001-07:00

We're not having very good luck this summer with our garden.

Our tomatoes never really grew or took off and I lost interest very quickly when my expected results weren’t happening.

Even the zucchini isn't showing the love. Or maybe it’s me.

Perhaps it started when we realized the yellow squash was mislabeled and were really gourds. Of course we found this out at dinner one night. What does one do with a gourd anyway besides letting it dry and making a birdhouse out of it?

I've been wanting to make Buddy the Cake Boss's Zucchini and Yellow Squash Casserole so I stopped by a farmer's market on Friday to supplement. It's my shame - actually having to buy zucchini in the summer and truth be told it was painful but it’ll be on the dinner table tonight for a small soirée.

Let me live vicariously through you. What’s your bounty this summer?
Do you have glorious pictures to share that we’d want to dive right into with a knife and fork?

If you have posted photos, leave a link in the comment section and I'll edit this post with your information for others to link over to your site so we can see your summer gardening successes! Some day I’ll learn how to do a proper link up but until I so I think this will work out fine.

Happy gardening!

The Best-Ever Chocolate Malts

2011-07-23T11:41:00.001-07:00

What's your favorite childhood summertime memory?

Mine was of nights spent on our street playing kickball, roller skating, playing handball against the side of the house and riding our bikes. We'd sing "Leader of The Pack" as we imagined our bikes turning into motorcycles- “Vroom, vroom, vroom!”

One by one we'd hear our respective moms calling our names from the front porch and we knew it was time to come in. I don't think moms do this anymore. It would be against the CC&Rs nowadays. I remember staying out until 9 PM one night!

A summer's night ritual was my mom getting out the Osterizer to make chocolate malts. We didn't have them often so when we did they were special. What was also special were the "malt glasses" that only appeared at the sound of the purring blender. When we saw the crackled green glasses we knew we were in for a treat.

I learned by watching. A dash of milk, a couple quick pours of the chocolate syrup from the can and a few big spoons of malt powder provided the base of the concoction.

The ice cream would be so hard it would bend the silver spoon upon scooping.

When I came home from college one summer I decided to take physics at our local junior college, as community colleges were called back then. Four of us from USC thought it we would take the summer course and save some money from the regular year’s tuition. I needed help from the start and one of the SC guys offered to tutor me… nightly…. since he first tasted my mom’s malts. I think perhaps he wished his malt would be accompanied with a chance for a date. I decided to keep our relationship at the malted level.

Making a chocolate malt isn’t rocket science and thankfully doesn’t take knowledge in physics.

Here’s a basic recipe to get your engines started or at least a summer tutorial underway. :)

The Best-Ever Chocolate Malts

1 quart to a half gallon of vanilla ice cream
1/3 c. milk
1/4 c. Hersey's chocolate syrup (or a couple long squeezes)
3 heaping Tbls. malted powder

To a blender add milk, chocolate syrup, and malt powder. Blend.

After the mixture is blended, add scoops of vanilla ice cream and blend again. If you want more malts and want them thicker, add more ice cream or you can add more milk for a thinner consistency, more chocolate and/or more malt powder to intensify the flavor.

Tip: After some time in your pantry, the malt powder might harden up a little but it is still good. Blending the powder with the milk and syrup will break up any lumps.

Also, using regular vanilla ice cream allows the true malt flavor to come through. Vanilla bean ice cream competes with the malt flavor and I don’t recommend it. Of course you could always make a “shake” which is the above recipe without the malt, but why would you?

Serves – 2-3 or 4 depending on summer college course taken and tutorial needs.

"And We Have A Winner!"

2011-07-21T09:18:00.001-07:00

I've been a little busy picking up some blue ribbons ...

... and so has my college boy2.

A chip off the ol' cookie, if you will, and I couldn't be more proud!

I'll tell you all about it soon!

Have a blue ribbon - divisional winning - Best of Show, kind of day!

We are! :)

Another Round of Margarita Cookies

2011-07-12T12:50:00.001-07:00

A sweet gal emailed me after seeing my margarita cookies and wondered if I would make them for a party she was giving to honor her mom on her 50th birthday. I thought her thoughtfulness and love for her mom was so sweet that I told her I’d be happy to RSVP with my cookies.

The regular and strawberry margarita cookies would be served.

I wrote a post on how to decorate margarita cookies but this time I made the cookie charms a little different and I already have an idea to try something new next time.

That’s what I love about cookie decorating – coming up with new ideas to try.

Because there are two dominant colors of cookies for one party I wanted to unite them with ribbon. I thought orange would be the perfect choice for both of the colors and I loved the shiny polka dots ribbon I found at Michaels. Polka dots always say “happy”, “fun” and “party” to me.

I always package in what my helpful UPS friend, Judy, calls a tabbed pizza box lined with big bubble wrap. (Thank you, Judy, for all your help and the discounts! You were super!)

I then pack the pizza boxes in an outer box packed with peanuts, say a prayer to the cookie shipping angles (I really do) and off they go!

Happy birthday to your mom, Mindi and thank you for inviting my cookies to your party!

Meeting William & Catherine

2011-07-11T16:22:00.000-07:00

Today is a guest post by my BBF who met William and Kate in Hancock Park last week at the British Consulate ~

Friday, July 8, 2011 Los Angeles British Consulate, Hancock Park

The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge

My sincerest apologies for not giving you any pictures...phones and cameras were forbidden and I was not going to be the one to break protocol. But you can find pictures of the Royal Couple on plenty of websites, she, in her "maja" green Diane Von Furstenburg dress. And did you see any TV coverage, a helicopter view of the Consulate garden perhaps?

Where do I start, except to say I was a giddy little school girl anticipating meeting the future King & Queen of England!

After two checks of ID on the cordoned off street, and being held back by police while the motorcade brought the Royal Couple to the Consulate, we were introduced to the Consulate General, Dame Barbara Hay, then ushered into the garden.

The garden, full of roses and bougainvillea, had about 12 high cocktail tables with white linens and small, elegant rose centerpieces. Champagne was offered and people were assigned to the different tables to which the Royals would come over but not necessarily both of them. The tables were named like they were at their wedding reception except with LA names as “Hollywood” and “Wilshire”. Appetizer plates were passed all evening with British delights, listed in the LA Times: "cheese, leek and onion mini quiche; chicken and mushroom bouchees; chipolata sausages; "devils on horseback" (bacon-wrapped prunes); endive with smoke salmon tartare; figs with goat cheese and prosciutto; Parmesan scallion crostini with pear; Stilton tartlets with apricot chutney; Welsh rarebit; and Yorkshire puddings with roast beef and horseradish sauce."

The British Ambassador introduced and welcomed the couple, where I noticed the Duke and Duchess stood very close to each other with their arms touching. Governor Brown also gave a welcome, followed by some words from Dame Barbara Hay.

The dignitaries, which my husband and I were fortunate to be included, were lined up in what I call a reverse reception line, where the Duke and Duchess walked down the line together to meet those guests.

How warm, personable and confident they both were! The Duke looks to have gotten a bit sunburned as his cheeks were quite red. Taller even in person and more handsome than pictured, he greeted us with genuine warmth. The Duke, of course, has been groomed for this sort of life from day one but the Duchess, though probably schooled the last year or so, seemed to have a knack for greetings, small talk, business talk and conviviality. The warm smile, expressive eyes and confidence are even more prominent in person. Her Royal Highness is definitely tall and thin, and carries herself like a, well, like a queen. How is it that she looks so comfortable in such high heels and her heels don't seem to sink into the grass like so many of us were having trouble with? She was wearing the simple but elegant gold charm bracelet that Camilla gave her, and had a small clutch purse that she carried the whole time. I was able to get a quick glimpse of the engagement ring that was Diana's, which I have admired ever since Diana wore it! I said that I hoped she would see some of the Hollywood stars that were on her list of must sees. She told us that she really hadn't watched too many "films" and that it wasn't until she was going with the Duke that she started to watch "films."

Unfortunately, there were some people who didn't get to meet either of the Royals, as at a precise time, they were whisked upstairs so that they could have some rest and dinner. And then, on to another hectic day for them in Santa Barbara and back to Hollywood.

With the guests of honor gone, it was time to leave, with a warm farewell from Dame Barbara.

Long live the Duke & Duchess, and long live the good relations between the US and the UK!

That night, I was still a giddy little girl who fell asleep, dreaming of Dukes and Duchesses. I will be beaming for days...