Ladies Night In: Cupcake Party!

I happened across the most amazing blog a few weeks back while revamping my blog.  It is called Kevin & Amanda and it has a little bit of everything on it including amazing recipes, photography and blogging tips, free fonts and so much more.  Oh, and her craft room is amazing and will be my inspiration when I can have a permanent crafting space!

I have tried a few of her recipes so far and am in love.  I will be sharing many of them in the coming weeks so stay tuned.  However, it was her post about her cupcake party that really got me excited!  Not only was it an evening to spend with friends, but they enjoyed tasting delicious cupcakes and each of them created a lovely cupcake inspired painting.  How much fun is that?!?  It reminded me so much of last spring in OKC when my friend Kristen and I enjoyed an evening of Wine & Canvas, recently renamed Wine & Palette.  We enjoyed an evening out at a restaurant in Bricktown including drink specials and step-by-step instructions for creating our own masterpiece to take home. 

We had a wonderful time and when I moved to Norfolk, I looked to see if they had anything similar.  Sadly, they do not, however, when I came across Kevin & Amanda's Cupcake Party post, I was inspired to create my own version of Wine and Canvas at home, with the help of Stephanie from All Artful.  Click on this link to view a tutorial on painting the cupcake with a class of milk.  It is wonderful!

Of course, a Cupcake Party would not be complete without a bunch of cupcakes to taste test!  I found three new recipes to try and was impressed with all of them.  My mouth is watering just thinking about them.  I will share the recipes I used in the coming week so make sure to check back!  Until then, enjoy these pictures of the most amazing flavours ever: 

Sugar Cookie Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

S'More Cupcakes 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes



  

Is your mouth watering yet?  I can best describe these cupcakes with words like "Wow," "Amazing," or "Heaven."  They are so good.  My husband tried the Cookie Dough one first and now that is all he wants.  Even though I tell him the others are good too, he thinks it is impossible to top the Cookie Dough cupcake!

Oh, and we had Cupcake Wine too!

Now, when I invited the ladies over for a cupcake party, they did not realize that it was also a painting party.  When they arrived to see my apartment set up as a mini art studio, some were excited, others were a little nervous, and probably a few thought I was crazy.  They were all troupers and played along, and I must admit, these ladies are pretty talented! 

I hooked my computer up to our TV and played the video from All Artful so that everyone could see and listen to Stephanie explain the painting step-by-step.  I made my painting prior to the party so that I knew the steps and could help my guests.  I also knew one of the ladies had to work and was going to arrive a little later so I started hers for her.  We replayed certain parts and pressed pause so that everyone had time to paint their picture and let the paint dry.

The ladies at work: 

It was funny how quiet it would get because everyone was concentrating so hard.

Here are our finished projects!  I love how everyones' paintings are similar yet different.  Great job ladies!

All of the ladies with our finished paintings.  Thanks so much to all of you for coming over and making the evening so great.  You ladies are awesome and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

(I told you they were talented!)

Are you interested in having your own Cupcake Painting Party?  You can easily host one with the help of All Artful and Kevin & Amanda.  If you have any questions, please leave a comment as I would love to help get you started!

Pin It

Beef Dip Sandwiches

When I came across this recipe for Beef Dip Sandwiches, I new I had to try it.  One of my goals this year is to find more great recipes for my crock pot, and who doesn't love a good sandwich?  Let me tell you, the end result is Ah-mazing!  Our whole apartment smelled delicious as the beef cooked in the crock pot, and I almost forgot to take pictures to post as I just wanted to eat this delicious sandwich!  I will definately be making this again-soon!  Sooo good!

Beef Dip Sandwiches

Source: Orginally from AllRecipes, via Macaroni and Cheesecake

Ingredients:
2 pounds beef chuck roast
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary
1/2 tablespoon chopped bay leaves
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 cups water

For Sandwiches:
4 hoagie rolls or french bread, cut in half horizontally
4 slices provolone cheese (or cheese of your choice...we used Pepper Jack Cheese for a touch of spice!)
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 tsp. dried parsley
1/4 tsp. dried thyme

Directions:
Place meat in crock pot. Add garlic, rosemary & bay leaves. Pour in soy sauce & water. Cover & cook on low for 6-10 hours until the meat is tender and is easily pulled apart with a fork.

To assemble sandwiches:
In a small bowl, add mayo, parsley & thyme and stir to combine, set aside.

Take bottom piece of your bread roll & add the meat. Top with cheese. On top half of the roll spread a thin layer of the herb mayonnaise and place on top of sandwich. Place some of the au jus left in the crockpot into a small bowl & serve with sandwiches for dipping.

Enjoy!!

Pin It

Oreo Cookie Bark

I found this recipe and new I had to try it since we love Oreo's in our house. It is pretty tasty, but I must admit, the Oreo Truffles are still my favourite Oreo treat.  Let me know what you think!

Oreo Cookie Bark
Source: Macaroni and Cheesecake

Ingredients:
4 squares Baker’s semi-sweet baking chocolate
3 squares Baker’s premium white baking chocolate
1 tbsp. creamy peanut butter
5 oreo cookies

The original recipe was doubled, but I just wanted enough for us to enjoy at home.  This was more than enough for the two of us.  I think next time I might try it with milk chocolate.

Directions:

Place semi-sweet chocolate and white chocolate in separate microwaveable bowls. Microwave until completely melted, following the package directions. Add peanut butter to white chocolate. Stir until well blended. Crumble half the oreos into each of the bowls of chocolate. Mix well.

Drope spoonfulls of mixture onto a wax paper covered baking sheet, alternating the colors of chocolate. Cut through mixture with knife for marbling effect.

Refrigerate at leaet 1 hour or until firm.

Break into pieces.

Enjoy!  (My recipe made about double this amount.)

Pin It

French Breakfast Puffs

One of the first food blogs that I started to follow was the Pioneer Woman, mostly because she also had a section about photography.  Last year, while living in Oklahoma, a dear friend shared the Pioneer Woman's cookbook.  I had so much fun flipping through the recipes and stubbled across many that I wanted to try...including this one for French Breakfast Puffs.  I just finally got around to trying it this past week and they are absolutely delightful!  I was not disappointed and know that I will be making them again.

Recipe: Adapted from Pioneer Woman

Ingredients


For Muffins:3 cups Flour
3 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon (Original recipe called for Ground Nutmeg but I didn't have any)
1 cup Sugar
2/3 cups Shortening (Crisco)
2 whole Eggs
1 cup Milk

For Coating:
1 cup Sugar
3 teaspoons Cinnamon
2 sticks Butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.

In a large bowl stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a different bowl, cream together 1 cup sugar and shortening. Add the eggs and mix again. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.

Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden.

In a bowl, melt 1-1/2 sticks butter. Feel free to melt 2 sticks right away, but I didn't use all of mine so next time I will start by melting 1-1/2 sticks.  In a separate bowl combine remaining sugar and cinnamon.

Dip baked muffins in butter, coating thoroughly.

Coat with cinnamon-sugar mixture...don't be cheap!!  If you run out, feel free to add more sugar and cinnamon together.  The original recipe called for an extra cup of sugar but my recipe made 16 muffins and this is all I used. 

They are delicious, and best served warm.  About 25 seconds in the microwave reheats them perfectly from in the fridge, or a minute if you decide to freeze some.

ENJOY and let me know what you think!  I am so excited that I can cross off another recipe from my Top 100 list!



Pin It

Cookie Dough Truffles

I fell in love with truffles last year when I made the most delicious Oreo Truffles, so when I came across this recipe for Cookie Dough Truffles, I new I had to try them.  I mean, who doesn't love to steal a little bite of cookie dough when they're baking?

I took these to a surpirse birthday party the other night and they were a big hit.  My biggest mistake was that I didn't think to cut one in half for a picture until they were all gone, but check out the source blogs below for more great pictures, including instructions for making them into Cake Pops from Baked Perfection.

Cookie Dough Truffles

Source: Macaroni and Cheesecake, adapted from Baked Perfection
Makes about 20-24

Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
dash of cinnamon
1 stick butter, softened (it's okay if it is melting a little)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cups mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (I only had regular size chocolate chips so I chopped them up with a knife into 3 or 4 smaller pieces...a little time consuming but worked great)
1/2 package chocolate candy melts  (I used 3 blocks of a package of Almond Bark, chopped into smaller pieces)

Directions:
In a medium bowl combine the flour, salt, and dash of cinnamon.
In a second larger bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract until creamy. Slowly beat in the flour mixture until smooth.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Roll the mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Chill for several hours or freeze for 15-20 minutes until firm.
Melt candy melts in the microwave, heating them in 30 sec intervals, and stirring in between. I melted the chocolate in 3 groups so that the chocolate stayed nice and smooth.
Gently dip the cookie dough ball into the candy coating by placing it on a fork and rolling in the chocolate until coated. Once covered remove and softly tap the fork on the side of the bowl until the excess chocolate falls off. Place on parchment or wax paper until set.

I added a some red swirls over the chocolate to make them a little prettier.

Enjoy!

Pin It

Peanut Butter Snicker Mini Cheesecake

Yeah!  I am so excited to begin trying some recipes off of my Top 100 list.  This was one of the first recipes I came across when building my list and I just could not wait to try it.  Trust me that they did not disappoint!  My mouth is watering just thinking about them...good thing I still have a few left.

I have been wanting to try a cheesecake for a while now, as I have not made one since Home Economics class in high school.  When I came across this recipe I knew that it was the perfect way to reintroduce myself to the world of cheesecakes, and I look forward to making more in the near future. 

Peanut Butter Snickers Mini Cheesecakes
Source: Macaroni and Cheesecake, adapted from Picky Palate
Makes 12 mini cheesecakes

Ingredients:

For the Crust:
1 cup graham crackers crumbs
2 tbsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
For the Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened (I used 1/3 less fat)
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp. heavy cream (I used half & half)
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. vanilla
6 Fun Size Snickers Candy Bars, chopped

For Topping:
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tbsp. heavy cream (I used half & half)
3 Fun Size Snickers, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray, set aside.

Crust:
Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and salt.  Pour in melted butter and stir until all crumbs look slightly moist. Press crumb mixture into the bottom of the muffin tin, distributing evenly. Bake crust for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

Filling:
Beat together the cream cheese and peanut butter on medium speed until smooth. Scrape down the sides to ensure it is all incorporated. Add in the egg, cream, sugar and salt until well combined. Stir in chopped snickers. Evenly spoon the cheesecake batter over the crust.  Bake for approximately 20 minutes, until cheesecakes are set in the middle. Let cool on the counter for 2 hours, then run a butter knife around the outside edge of each cheesecake and pop it out.

Topping:
Melt chocolate chips in a microwave safe container in 30 second intervals, until smooth. Stir in cream and stir until smooth & glossy. Spoon the ganache over the cheesecakes and top with additional chopped snickers. Place cheesecakes in refrigerator for approximately 30 minutes until ganache has set. Serve & enjoy! Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Here they are:

Trust me, they are super easy and so DELISH!  It would be easy to switch up the chocolate bar too if you have others around the house.

Pin It

Coconut Cream Cupcakes

I have finally settled into our new home in Norfolk, VA and am looking forward to a season of baking delicious treats!  My goal this year is to develop a recipe of ten cupcakes that I will offer to people for special events, whether it be a birthday party, wedding or business event.  Before I moved, I had the honour of making 200 cupcakes for my cousin Morgan's wedding.  It was a great experience and I learned a lot.  Thank goodness my Mom and Auntie were willing to help bake, as I got called into sub the two days I had booked for making and decorating the cupcakes!  The three flavours the bride and groom chose were Vanilla (they had a splash of lemon), Chocolate (with a touch of Zucchini) and Carrot cake (with a bit of apple too)!  Each of them were covered with buttercream icing.  I was happy with the taste and how moist the cupcakes were.  I learned, however, that I needed to invest in a few bigger decorating tips to help make the cupcakes look more beautiful.  Shortly after arriving in Norfolk, I made my way down to Michaels to pick up a few tips and couldn't wait to use them...I am very happy with the results and look forward to using them for many events in the future!

On to the Coconut Cream Cupcakes!  The cupcakes are made with coconut milk, have a coconut cream filling with shredded coconut, and then are frosted with whipped cream and topped with toasted coconut!
They are delicious, but I wanted to share a few points with you that I learned along the way.  I opted to toast my own coconut in the oven, and learned that when you open the oven door, make sure you keep your eyes far away, until the door has been open for a bit.  Not only did I get a blast of heat in my face, but my eyes burned like I have never felt before!  This is a lesson I will not soon forget!  Secondly, if you keep the cupcakes in the fridge, bring them to room temperature before serving.  They will be easier to eat and taste so much better!

Mmmm!  I can't wait to share these with everyone!

Pin It

Jessica's Wedding Cake!

I was very honoured to be asked by my great friend Jessica to make the cake for her special day!  The three tiered cake was covered with fondant and then laced with buttercream.  Yellow roses are her favourite and were part of the decor theme, so it was only fitting that they covered the cake, along with some blue and yellow ribbon.

Congratulations Jess and Jerome and thanks for letting me be part of your special day!  I wish you much happiness in the years to come.

Pin It

My First Official Wedding Cake!!

While last week was full of a little nerves and stress, I am so thrilled to say that I made my first official wedding cake and it went off rather smoothly.  I was definately very proud seeing it all finished on the cake table during the reception.  Hours of hard work planning and preparing had paid off and I was thrilled that it was for a great friend and his beautiful new bride.

 Thanks Errin & Heather for trusting me with creating your wedding cake and helping with the photography.  Your day was beautiful and I hope it was more than you ever dreamed it could be.  Congrats again!!

Pin It

Cow Themed Birthday Cake

This past weekend was my nephews birthday.  I have a few wedding cakes coming up and I wanted to practice making tiered cakes and using fondant, so they lucked out and got a really big birthday cake!  Both boys love being on the farm, with the littlest one being a bit cow crazy, so the theme was not too hard to come up with.  Here are a few pictures of the end result.  The boys loved to see it, and the crowd thought it tasted pretty good too!

Pin It