Stars and Stripes

In honor of Memorial Day I made this red, white and blue platter. There are several sizes from extra large to mini stars!

Wouldn't these be great for 4th of July too??

Mmmm....sprinkles!

Thank you America's Soldiers!

Frickles!!

I am obsessed with frickles served at a local watering hole. What are "frickles" you ask? Fried Pickles!! They are amazing! Today I was craving them, but didn't want to make the trip across town to order some. So, I decided to make them myself. I'm justifying them as healthier because they are pan fried instead of deep fried!

Want to make your own? This is all you need! Olive oil, paper towel, bread crumbs, pickles, salt and pepper (yep, my S&P shakers are a palm tree and flamingo!)

Pour your bread crumbs into a bowl (I used 1/2 a cup....could have used less). Season the bread crumbs with salt and pepper. Or, you could get a little crazy like me and use garlic salt.

Drop your pickle into the bread crumbs.

Make sure its fully covered. Repeat with all the slices you wish to make.

Heat oil in a skillet and drop the pickles in.

Be sure to turn them so they brown evenly on both sides. I found just using a fork worked best. The spatula I had was just a bit too big.

Once both sides are browned, drain on a paper towel (see, another "healthy" move!)

Enjoy!! They are especially good dipped in ranch dressing. You'll be hooked. I guarantee it!

A Buffet Fit For An RN

This last weekend I created a dessert buffet for my good friend Kelly. She just graduated from Nursing School and is about to embark on a career as an RN. We decided to for her celebration to use the red cross medic symbol as the theme. Red and white was the color scheme. Check it out!

Kelly wanted to incorporate her nursing text books so instead of traditional boxes to elevate cake stands, we used her books. Can you believe she actually read all of those?! I actually had to put some back on the shelf because it made the stacks too high! Sheesh! That's a lot of reading!



The cake was the centerpiece. I did a an EKG pattern around the base of the cake. It was a huge hit with the other nurses attending the party!

I also did exploding hearts on the top tier. That was fun!

Of course the medic symbol was on all the cupcakes and cookies.

Who can resist red and white cake pops?!

Or chocolate dipped marshmallows....

Or better yet....chocolate dipped oreos!

Also on the menu were cherry slices, licorice, apples, peppermints, shortbread sandwiches with strawberry buttercream filling, and cheesecake filled strawberries. I made all of the goodies myself. Lots of work, but totally worth the end result.
Congrats Kelly! You'll make an amazing RN!

Jalapeno Madness!

I like to cook. I'll experiment with new recipes and techniques. I love to cook when a recipe turns out easy and delicious. That is what happened when I tried yet another, Pioneer Woman recipe for these jalapeno thingies. SO easy and pretty much amazing!

Ingredients: Cream cheese (I prefer whipped...easier to spread), jalapeno peppers, and bacon. I know, easy right?!


Slice your jalapeno peppers and clean out the insides. Spread in the cream cheese. Wrap with bacon (one slice will yield about 3 "wraps") and secure with a toothpick. SIMPLE!


Pop in the oven at 375 for 20 minutes. Preferably on a rack, placed on a baking sheet. If after 20 minutes they aren't quite brown enough, turn on the broiler for a few minutes.
Remove from oven. Eat and be amazed. You're hooked now aren't you? My mouth is watering just thinking about them. Yum!

Coffee Cookies

Recently while browsing online I came across some "tea cookies". These little circles were cut to fit your tea cup. I loved the idea! However, I'm not much for tea. I decided to try my buttery shortbread recipe and make "coffee cookies".

Aren't they cute?! The shortbread and royal icing combo is just sweet enough for dipping in your morning coffee...

I mean really....who wouldn't love a cookie first thing in the morning?

I think there would be a lot more "morning persons" out there if they could enjoy a melt in your mouth cookie with their coffee. This is coming from someone who is not a morning person!

This batch was made specially for my mom and the ladies in her office. Hope you ladies loved them!

Margarita Anyone?

Friday was my friend and former roommate, Amy's birthday. She mentioned awhile back that she loved my pink flamingo cookies. I decided that Amy needed a surprise box of cookies for her birthday.

Tropical deliciousness! These are made from my coconut cream cookie recipe. Quite appropriate if I do say so myself!

Loving the pink 'mingos!

The margarita glasses were my favorite on this platter.

Although, the flip flops were a close second for favorite cookie!!
Happy Birthday Amy!

Envoking My Inner Pioneer Woman

I know that I normally just blog about baking, but a girl can't live off of just sugar, spice and everything nice. Cupcakes and Cookies might make the world go round, but they will also make your waist go round if thats all you eat!
I'm sure many of you been to the Pioneer Woman's website. She has some amazing recipes and many of them are quite easy to master. I decided to try my hand at Spinach Tomato Blue Cheese Pasta.

Doesn't it look delicious?

I give this recipe a full five spoons. Yummy Yum Yum!

Unfortunately, I was busy preparing this for a friend coming to dinner, so I didnt take photos of my preparation. However, you can find the original recipe here. I'll also share it below:
Ingredients

• 1-½ pound Pasta (angel Hair Or Thin Spaghetti)
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 whole 28-ounce Can Diced Tomatoes, Drained
• Dash Of Sugar
• Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
• Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, To Taste
• ¾ cups Crumbled Blue Cheese
• ¾ cups Heavy Cream
• 4 cups Baby Spinach
• Half And Half, For Thinning
• Extra Blue Cheese Crumbles, For Garnish

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta according to package instructions.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil. When hot, add minced garlic and cook for a minute. Pour in drained tomatoes. Add sugar, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat to low. Stir in crumbled blue cheese. Add cream and stir, then a little splash of half-and-half if sauce is too thick. Cook for a minute or two, tasting and adding more seasonings as needed.

At the very, very, very last minute. toss in spinach. Immediately toss in the cooked and drained pasta. Serve immediately!

Go ahead, try it out. Its easy, delicious, and garlic toast compliments it perfectly! Yum!

Blog Love!

Today I got the nicest email! Joanne over at A Crafter At Sea featured my Mustache Cookies! Check out her blog! She's a creative crafter with a super cool job! You'll love her designs!

In addition to blog love, here is a little of what I've been up to lately.
Vanilla buttercream on top of chocolate cupcakes for a coworker's birthday.



Yummy!

This little cake is for a photographer friend of mine. He wanted a little cake to photograph for fun.

The bow ended up a little lopsided, but it was pretty fun to make.

Its been awhile since I've done a cake, I really enjoyed it!

Strawberry Shortbread Sandwiches

I found inspiration over at Eat Drink Pretty last week. Jenna posted these mouth watering Shortbread Sandwich cookies. My shortbread cookies have always been a hit. I never thought of turning them into sandwiches!
I whipped up a batch, but instead of standard shortbread, I flavored them with strawberry! They had that melt in your mouth buttery goodness with just the slightest hint of a juicy summer strawberry. Pair that with smooth, rich chocolate buttercream, and you have a combo worth savoring! Check them out....







Is your mouth watering yet? Guess what...they are available on my Etsy site! You can order them here.

Stolen Cupcakes!

Last night I received a private message on the website Cake Central. Its been awhile since I've participated in the gallery or forums on that site, so I was a bit intrigued. Another user messaged me to let me know that one of my photos had been stolen from the site. As it turns out a bakery in North Carolina had stolen one of my photos and is using it as part of their gallery. They are claiming it as their own work!! It is not linked back to me, or credited to me in any way.
I took the photo below for my 365 Day Photo Challenge (see here.) This photo is of my computer screen showing the bakery's website and my photo on it!

You can see the original post of my photo here.
I was able to obtain her user name on Cake Central and sent a message to her. I am still waiting for a response.
I am quite flattered that she was inspired by my cupcakes. However, if you're inspired give credit where credit is due. Or, use my photo as inspiration to create your own version. I find inspiration online all of the time. While I typically only post my own work (as in my own creation or my own version of someone else's ideas), occasionally I may post something that is not mine. I always give credit! I often give credit when I recreate a design in my own vision.
My promise, as a blogger, is to give credit where it is due. If I post a photo, and my source is "unknown" please message me if it is yours so I can link it properly.
Should you be inspired to use my work, please link it back to me.
In the blogosphere and Internet in general we all need to be respectful of each other! Feed on each other's creativity, get inspired and make amazing things, but do it with dignity and respect!

OK...stepping down off of my soapbox now. Thanks for reading.