And it Was Called… Yellow

I suppose only the Coldplay fans will understand this title… This fantastic Daring Baker challenge is also dedicated to Livestrong Day, which was two weeks ago. Had I planned a little better, I would have picked up a yellow Livestrong Bracelet and incorporated it into the photo… Yeah, but I don’t tend to plan ahead. Perhaps I’ll add that to next year’s resolution.

We had 4 hostesses this month (Lis, Ivonne, Fran & Shea) and a doozie of a dessert. L’Opera Cake. This was not your usual Opera Cake, however, as the colors had to be light… meaning no chocolate or coffee (the usual flavorings in Opera Cake.) I immediately thought of using a passion fruit mousse to fill the layers, instead of buttercream. Then I realized I have flavored well… almost everything with passionfruit lately. What can I say.. I’m passionate about passionfruit! Anyway, I just happened to have two mangos sitting on my counter… perfectly ripe. It was a sign, I tell ya. So mango it is!

Bragging Time

Its time for a shameless plug for my husband, Stephan. If you follow my blog, you know he takes all of my amazing images. He’s the one who actually pushed me to start blogging about my food and created this beautiful blog for me.

The big news… Stephan has officially opened his first photography studio. He’s been working very hard for the past month or so, decorating and obtaining the necessary equipment for the studio. Its been a lot of hard work, but as you will see in the images here and on his blog, the studio is fabulous. I’m so proud of you, hubby.

So anyone in the South Florida area, feel free to contact him for a photoshoot. He will be offering some great specials over the summer… keep an eye on his blog for details.

May 23, 2008 | Filed Under Kitchen Gossip

9 Critiques

Banana Coconut Cupcakes

I’ve been craving banana flavored desserts lately which led to my trying this recipe from Go Bananas by Susan Quick. I’ve had this book for at least 6 or 7 years, and have never made one recipe from it. There are actually many many books in my cookbook collection I’ve never actually used, but I’ve decided it is time to try to make use of them.

Overall, the cupcakes were good, but I would add less sugar if I made them again, and use a dark chocolate ganache to frost them. The sweetened coconut really put the sugar rush over the top, but gave this a great chewy texture, especially the browned tops. Unfortunately… All my cups runneth over due to overfilling. Doh! So I had a bit of a mess on my hands. But its all good, I just cut off the excess cake and frosted them with a spatula instead of fancy piping. This helped to cover the not-so-pretty edges. One thing that’s important when you cook is to be flexible. Sometimes its easy to fix things that seem nearly impossible to fix. Or… in this case, putting a little lipstick on a pig… :P
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May 21, 2008 | Filed Under Sweet Tooth

7 Critiques

Happy Birthday Buckaroo

Just when all of you think I’m perfectly sane, I go out and bake a cake for my dog. This is a special day for Rocky, our 2nd born. He is a rescue, and since we don’t know his actual birthday, we celebrate the day we adopted him… two years ago today. He’s been a bit of a problem pooch as he has some slight behavior issues… I refer to him as five pounds of raw aggression. However, once he gets to know you, this little guy doles out big buckets o’ love. That’s how he got the nickname Bucky, but he also answers to Rocky and Stinkster.

This is not just a boring cake, but a savory one flavored with pureed chicken and… yes… that’s real bacon lining the sides. Carrots add sweetness and a nice fleck of color. The frosting is simply yogurt and cottage cheese pureed with a dab of swiss cheese (for extra stinky factor) and cake crumbs to make it stiff enough to be spreadable. The candles were Pupperonis cut in half. Good stuff. I’d almost eat it… ehhhh almost.

Spring Has Sprung

It must be spring because English Peas are available in my local grocery store. Of course, its hard to believe its spring because it is already Africa hot down here in Ft Lauderdale. Its been in the 90’s for the past few days. However, it did cool down a bit last night… to 75 degrees. What a treat. This time of year is when I feel pangs of envy towards the snowbirds that have the luxury of spending summers up north and winters down here. Best of both worlds, right? Sighhhhhh.

This is a very simple meal with one of my favorite veggies, English Peas. I kept the salmon simple and healthy with a pomegranate and orange juice glaze and the mashed potatoes extra flavorful and fattening with a nice big dollop of goat cheese and roasted garlic. Everything in moderation. The Peas were kept extra simple… shocked and buttered.
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May 13, 2008 | Filed Under Dinner, Seafood

14 Critiques

Going to the Dogs

When I first started this blog, I really didn’t know what to expect. I figured I’d blog for a little while until I ran out of recipes and/or time. Instead, it has become a part of my everyday life. I find it to be a fabulous creative outlet, and blogging pushes me to think about what I’m making for dinner or dessert. I started out doing mainly dinners, and it has evolved into more desserts and baking, as that is where my true cooking passion lies.

Although my husband is one of the biggest fans of my blog (and food) he is not my most discriminating taste tester. That would be my pooches, Sushi and Rocky. I posted a while ago about one of their regular dinners. They are probably the most spoiled animals on the planet. They get to eat what we eat, minus the un-doggy friendly ingredients, of course. The lucky dogs have even traveled to Germany twice. Although I assume they have no idea they are not in Florida… other than the fact it is cold and my father in law sneaks them German sausage for breakfast.

This is a sweet chocolaty cookie that is only for the dogs. Before you panic about me feeding the dogs chocolate, the ingredients are all natural and are doggy friendly. There is neither sugar nor chocolate in it. Instead it contains honey and carob powder. But shhhhh… don’t tell them, as I think I may have fooled them!
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