Cherry Pie

My cousin, Hilary, is going back to school next week, and my aunt and uncle invited us for dinner.  I wanted to make something summery (is that a word?) to take.  Matt suggested cherry pie.  I couldn't find a recipe I loved so I (nervously) tried my own.  Cherry almond pie.  I used an almond crumb crust from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook and used two bags of frozen cherries, a few teaspoons of cornstarch, a half cup of sugar and a teaspoon of almond extract.  I put all of the ingredients in a sauce pan and heated until it started to get thick.  Then I poured it in the shell and topped with the remainder of the crumbs.  Then baked at 350 degrees for an hour.  I was nervous to take it, but it turned out great!  This gave me a little more confidece to try my hand at creating new recipes.  There was only one small piece of pie left at the end of the night, so I'll take that as a good sign.  Very summer, not too sweet, and perfectly baked.  Delicious!

I started to put the crumb topping on when I realized that I should probably snap a picture of the filling.

Look at that delicious filling! 

That beautiful pie dish was a wedding shower gift from Hilary herself...

The crumb topping really made the pie.  I think this might become my go-to pie recipe from now on...

See you at Thanksgiving, Hilary!  We love you and will miss you!

Happy 30th Birthday to Us!

Several months ago, four of my best friends and I decided to spend a weekend at the beach celebrating us, our 30th birthdays, and over 15 years of friendship.  That's right.  This year marks that fact that we've known each other for over half of our lives.  That makes us old.  Well, me anyway, since (as my friends continued to remind me all weekend) I am actually the only one who has turned 30 so far.  The rest will fall in line in the fall...I can't wait.  In celebration, I made some cupcakes honoring us.  I have to admit, though, that I took the easy way out and killed 3 birds with one stone.  Not only did I have to make the cupcakes for the weekend,  I needed a dozen for Matt's co-worker's son who recently had surgery.  Also, I was having lunch one day with a friend of mine who lives in Massachusetts, and I wanted to give her some to take home, as well. 

Anyway, I used Martha Stewart's One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcake recipe and her Dark Chocolate Frosting recipe.  I'm not bashing Martha, but I hated her dark chocolate frosting recipe.  I couldn't seem to get it thick enough, so I put it in the fridge, but then it was too solid to work with.  So frustrating.  I was finally able to make it usable but I'm not sure I'll be using that recipe again in the future. 

Katie and I had a great time catching up at lunch.  I cannot wait for next year when she moves back to the Philadelphia area.

Matt's co-workers son, Matt, is doing well now.  He's a brave kid.

Each of my best friends on black fondant.  I didn't take great pictures, but the liners were black with white polka dots. 

Sorry for the poor quality pictures...

 

And here we are getting ready to go out to dinner on Saturday night.  From left to right:  Tara, Jen, Lauren, Me, and Denise.  I love these girls and wouldn't know how to get through life without them. 

Scallion Corn Muffins & Bailey's Irish Creme Creme Brulee

Our friends, Erika and Jeff, came over for dinner last night.  It was a late dinner since a few of us had to work late, but it was nice to spend the night eating and chatting away.  It was a simple but delicious menu...

Appetizers:  Bacon Cheddar Toasts and Goat Cheese, Sundried Tomato, & Pesto Torte

Main Course:  Oven-fried buttermilk chicken, Cucumber, Shallot & Celery Salad, and Scallion Corn Muffins

Dessert:  Bailey's Irish Cream Creme Brulee

Yep, I did it again...I successfully made Creme Brulee again!  This time, added with the Bailey's, it was fantastic.  I stole the recipe from The Happy Housewives Club.  Simple and perfect.

(I forgot to take pictures last night, so I found this picture online...looks very similar to what we had!)

The entire main course, I took from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food June 2010 issue.  It was the perfect late summer meal...light and refreshing.    This was my first attempt at cornbread.  I'm definitely going to make cornbread more often.  This was so simple to make!  It came together in a snap and tasted delicious.  The scallions really added some depth to the cornbread.

Can you see the little bits of scallion? 

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Salted Toffee-Chocolate Squares

As I was flipping through my Martha Stewart's Everyday Food looking for ideas for dinner, I found this recipe for Salted Toffee-Chocoate Squares in the May 2010 issue.  I thought, "That sounds good right about now," but I really did not feel like venturing out during a thunderstorm to get the ingredients.  To my surprise, I actually had everything I needed in my kitchen!  These were simple to assemble and quick to make and the perfect blend of salty and sweet.  This was the perfect snack for a Sunday afternoon. 

Happy Birthday, Johnny!

My brother Johnny's birthday was on Tuesday, so we decided to celebrate by having one of his favorite meals last night....tacos.  Johnny, my sister-in-law, Abby, and my cousins Karl, Claudine and Holly came for dinner.  It was a nice, low-key night with lots of laughs and delicious food.  Johnny is not one for birthday cake but is a huge fan of banana bread.  Holly won't eat anything called bread, so instead, we were calling it banana cake.  I think she was upset that there was no icing!  As soon as we sung Happy Birthday, she just started yelling, "I need a plate!  I need a plate!"  HILARIOUS!  I used Martha Stewart's recipe for banana bread but ommitted the walnuts since Abby is allergic to nuts...I think I like it better without the nuts.  Also, I added cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.  I like it a little spicier...

Banana "cake" all ready for singing. 

Can you see all of those delicious spices?

Holly was excited to sing!  She did a great job helping Johnny blow out the candles. 

The table all set for dinner...

Happy Birthday, Johnny.  Love you!

Beer Cheese Cupcakes with Bacon Cheddar Cream Cheese

Sounds gross, right?  WRONG!

As you've read in the previous post, we stayed at our friends Sean and Shira's home in California last weekend.  They were awesome hosts, and Matt and I wanted to repay them in some way.  Shira had printed out a recipe for Beer Cheese Cupcakes with Bacon Cheddar Cream Cheese that she found over at the Cupcake Project, which had both Sean and Matt drooling.  As I mentioned previously, Sean shares my affinity for cupcakes, but he also works for MillerCoors and enjoys the occasional beer.  And what guy doesn't love bacon?  On Sunday morning, I woke up early, headed to the grocery store to buy ingredients and Sean's first muffin tins.  By the time Sean and Shira woke up, Matt and I had the cupcakes just about in the oven.  It smelled fantastically like beer cheddar soup while baking.  Sean helped make the icing and waited not too patiently to taste the final product.  I was reluctant, seeing as I don't even like bacon.  But I have to tell you...they were great.  We each had way too many...

Sean and Matt had way too much fun making the bacon.

Of course, we're all from Philadelphia, so we had to use Philadelphia Cream Cheese!

Sean enjoyed helping...

The Final Product. 

Sean, Matt & Shira enjoying their breakfast...

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!