Our trip to San Fransisco....

Food, food, and more food...

You may have noticed that I haven't been around all week.  Matt and I headed to San Fransisco for a long weekend to attend my cousin Timmy's wedding.  We were lucky enough to be able to stay with our fabulous friends, Sean and Shira.  Their hospitality was much appreciated.  We spent time in the city, went to a Giants game at AT&T field, went to the beautiful and fun wedding, then went up Mount Diablo in VERY HOT weather.  All in all, it was a great time.  We got to see lots of friends besides our lovely hosts and lots of family members. 

We were in San Fransisco for more than a day when I realized that most of my pictures were of food.  When Matt pointed it out to me, I thought, "Yeah?  What's wrong with that?!"  We started with lunch at Boudin in Fisherman's Wharf.  None of us spoke during lunch.  We were too busy enjoying our sourdough lunches!  Before we even ordered our sandwhiches, I was oogling the bread animals on display.  

How cute are these guys!? 

Next came our fantastic meals.  Matt and our friends, Sean and Shira, ordered the clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl.  I took a simpler approach and ordered a grilled cheese.  It was the most delicious and satisfying grilled cheese I have ever eaten.  I'm assuming that the murmuring and grunting coming from everyone else meant that they enjoyed their clam chowder. 

Best. Lunch. Ever.

Then we headed over to Ghirardelli Square and checked out Kara's Cupcakes. 

 Sean and I were the only ones to indulge as he shares my affinity for all things cupcake.  Each of us struggled to decide which one we wanted to try, so we decided to order three and split them. 

(Left to Right) Peanut Butter Milk Chocolate Ganache, Java and Key Lime Pie. 

Seeing as I am usually devoted to Chocolate, I assumed I'd have to choose between the Peanut Butter and the Java.  Turns out, Sean and I both agreed that the Key Lime Pie was our favorite.  It was light and refreshing with a graham cracker crust.  YUM!!!

Can you see that delicious key lime center?

Finally, we had a great time at Tim and Meghan's wedding.  They are a super fun couple who have a lot of style while knowing how to have a good time.    This could not have been more evident than in their favors and cake!

Gum Ball machines as favors.  So cute!

The design of their cake matched their invitations, which were designed by the bride.

How cute are the twinkie bride and groom!?  Meghan and Tim really know how to have style but throw in a little whimsy at the same time.

Overall, it was a great weekend, although way too short!  Congratulations, Tim & Meghan, and thanks for the hospitality, Sean & Shira!

Happy 60th Birthday, Mrs. J!

Swimming Pool Cupcakes

One of my best friends' mom turned 60 this week, and her children decided to throw her a pool party.  Denise asked me to make "pool" themed cupcakes for the occasion.  After some googling, I found this idea.  I think they turned out pretty cute!  I used the recipe on the back of the Hershey's cocoa can and made Martha's Fluffy Vanilla icing tinted blue.  I used fondant, Teddy Grahams, gummy LifeSavers, and candy fish I found at HomeGoods for the decorations.  I hope the party was a success.  Happy Birthday, Mrs. J!

Chic Click Carnival

Chic Click Carnival...

Hi, y'all.  This week I'm participating in Chick Click Carnival.  I'm a therapist by day, wife and baker by night.  Cupcakes are my life.  My favorite post this summer so far is probably Jack's Robot Party. 

My new favorite blog that I've found is Its Sew Fun!   Lots of ideas for projects that I'll probably never get to!

Want to find a new Peep?  Go ahead and CLICK!

Creme Brulee

I finally made a decent Creme Brulee!!

Seriously, I've tried to make creme brulee several times, and it never works out quite right.  Its either not done, too done or just plain gross.  There was the time I tried to make a triple chocolate creme brulee for my friend, Katie, and her husband...we call that chocolate soup now.  Or the time I tried to make pumpkin pie creme brulee and forgot to add sugar.  Creme Brulee and I have had a difficult relationship.  Until today...we made ammends.  I stuck with a simple vanilla bean recipe out of the cookbook that came with my torch that I bought several years ago with dreams of weekly creme brulee in my head.   The only part that didn't quite work out was that all of the vanilla beans were on the bottom of the ramekins instead of mixed in with the custard.  Hmmmm.....any ideas on how to fix that?

A nice crispy crust on top. 

Creamy deliciousness in the middle. 

Late night snack

Rice Krispie Treats with Peanut Butter & Chocolate

Matt and I had a "date" night last night.  I made vegetarian Sloppy Joe's, and we watched "Friday Night Lights."  Big night out for us, right?  After dinner, we were both looking for something sweet, so I started looking through the most recent issue of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food.  On the very last page, she had this recipe, and I just happened to have all the ingredients!  I've googled this recipe and couldn't find it for you all, so I thought I'd share with you here.  It comes together very quickly...if you can make Rice Krispie Treats, you can make these. 

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. unsalted butter, plus more for baking dish

4 cups miniature marshmallows (I only had regular marshmallows  on hand and it seemed to work fine)

1/3 cup creamy peaut butter, preferably natural

1/2 tsp. coarse salt

6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Non-stick cooking spray or vegetable oil, for pressing

1 package (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips, melted

1/4 cup chopped, roasted & salted peanuts

Directions:

Butter an 8-inch square baking dish.  In a large pot, combine marshmallows, peanut butter, butter, and salt.  Cook over medium, stirring, until melted, about 4 minutes.  Add ceral and stir to combine.  With a wooden spoon (I used a rubber spatula...no difference) greased with cooking spray or oil, press half the cereal mixture into dish.  Spread half the melted chocolate on top.  Repeat with remaining cereal mixture and chocolate; sprinkle with peanuts.  Cut into small squares and enjoy! 

I stuck the dish in the freezer for a few minutes to set up so we could eat them right away! 

Since we were impatient and wanted them asap, these were SUPER gooey and messy.  Seriously.  I looked like a  toddler eating birthday cake. 

Buttermilk Cupcakes

Book Club!

Book club is tomorrow night, so I threw together some cupcakes for us to enjoy.  I decided to try Martha Stewart's buttermilk cupcakes with Hershey's chocolate frosting.  Can't go wrong, right?  Only problem is that it made 42 cupcakes...my coworkers will be very happy when I come in tomorrow with leftovers. 

My mom and I found chocolate covered sunflower seeds at HomeGoods the other day, and I thought I'd try to do something cute with them.  It didn't quite turn out the way I thought it would, but cute enough, I guess.

I found these liners at Michael's a few weeks ago.  I love the brown and turquoise damask design. 

Sorry for the poor quality of the photos.  Its late, and I just want to go to bed!

Oreo Cake

Lots of baking in one weekend...

So, my third and final post of the day!  You may remember that my friends, Maureen & Andy, had bought me the Oreo Cake Mold from Williams Sonoma a few months back.  Considering that we were heading to their house yesterday to see some out of town friends, I thought I'd give it another whirl.  This time, I followed the recipe on the back of the box.  This cake is a little different in that it is a little drier and sturdier than most cakes...but it tastes just like an oreo cookie!  I followed the recipe for the icing, as well, but I crushed up some oreos and mixed them in.  We weren't able to hang out long enough to try the cake, but hopefully we'll get a report back that it tasted ok!

Doesn't that frosting look delicious?

Blueberry Muffins

I wish Laura could come for breakfast more often...

My lovely cousin, Laura Beth (she may get mad at me for adding the "Beth" part), lives in Indiana with her husband; therefore, I NEVER get to see her.   She was in visiting her family in New Jersey and was gracious enough to squeeze us in!  I made the quiche I made for Mother's Day, some fresh fruit with yogurt, and blueberry muffins from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook.  The muffins were fantastic!  Very simple to make and very fresh tasting.  Laura stated that she liked the "blueberry to muffin" ratio... I just through in an entire pint of blueberries without looking at how much the recipe called for.  I loved the crunchy tops.  There are only three left, and I'm going to rush home to get a final one before Matt polishes them off!

Check out those giant blueberries!

Don't you just love my new cupcake stand?  It spins!  My mom bought it for me at HomeGoods a few weeks ago.  I absolutely love it.

And more Paula Deen cupcake liners.  So sweet...

By the way, Check out Laura Beth's blog.   Her writing is so eloquent and thoughtful that she always makes me wish I could express myself as well as she can. 

Happy Fourth of July

Lemon Cupcakes

My brother and sister-in-law were nice enough to host breakfast and lunch/dinner on Sunday.  I offered to bring a dessert, but I wanted something that would be refreshing on a  HOT summer day.  I've been trying to bake my way through Martha Stewart's Cupcake cookbook, so I found her Lemon Meringue Cupcakes recipe.  I changed it a little though because I didn't feel like making the 7 Minute Frosting.  I made the Swiss Meringue Butter Cream instead.  It was also my first time making Lemon Curd.  I was a little intimidated, but it was so simple!  These cupcakes were delicious.  Her recipe is very similar to her buttermilk cupcakes, but with a lemon twist.  YUM!

Can you see that beautiful lemon curd?  Its tartness really tasted great with the butteriness (is that a word?) of the frosting.

A word to the wise...these cupcakes do not travel well, especially on hot days.  They sort of slid...oops.

I found these liners in the dollar bin at Michael's.  They are from Paula Deen's line.  So cute.

This is Sammy.  Her mommy regularly reads this blog, and I thought she'd love to see Sammy's picture up of her eating the cupcakes!  So stinkin' cute.

Martha's Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Drive-by posting...

I had just gotten in from a long day of shopping with my cousins, sister-in-law, and aunt when Matt called and said his cousin, Doug, was stopping by on his drive home.  We hadn't seen him in a few months, so it was a great surprise.  I wanted to make something quick for us to enjoy for dessert, so I flipped through my Martha Stewart Cookie Cookbook and saw Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies.  Jackpot!  I hadn't made this recipe yet, so I was excited to try it.  It was very simple to throw together at the last minute and was delicious! 

My swirling technique leaves a little to be desired, but you get the idea.

If you are interested in the recipe, check it out here on Martha's website.

Happy Fourth of July Weekend!