Hello out there!

This boy has been BUSY! I've not any time to sit and blog let alone get any real rest! Between work and the Holidays I'm going mad! All said and done I really don't mind the way I've been busy. This year I feel like I got to GIVE a lot and that's a wonderful feeling to have. For the first time I got to help with this organization that my Aunt Rhonda runs with and amazing crew of volunteers called Karing for Kids: Jennifer's Closet. I have posted a picture of just a few of the people that were there Friday night to wrap the 6,000 + gifts we had to wrap. I think the total of volunteers was around 300. It was the best time I've had. I could have stayed there and wrapped gifts ALL night. It felt so amazing to know that the gifts were going to kids and families that would wear the biggest smiles on Christmas morning. I can't wait till next year to do this again. I plan on helping more throughout the year as well. They do more than just Christmas gifts. They do back to school just to name another big time of the year. They do some amazing things and I'm so glad to know them and be a part of this amazing giving.

...

I finally have a few minutes to sit today and wanted to post a slight update and let you know there are things to come! I have one more Christmas dinner to do and the desserts I'm making will be one of the upcoming posts. I also have a small post coming for a dessert I made on Christmas day. I hope that everyone has had a great Holiday season and that the New Year will be a great one for us all! 


I'll be back after the first of the year with a few new posts and I really hope to dedicate tons more time to this blog and make it into what I really want it to be! Thanks for all the support!

Fondant Baby Blocks - A Tutorial!

I'm back! It's been far to long since I've done an update here on the blog. I've been VERY busy lately. I went right from Thanksgiving to a Baby Shower cake. Between the getting the baby figurine made, the fondant blocks, and work I've had very little free time. 


(Going back to Thanksgiving for a second, I have to say that I had a GREAT one. I was off of work for the first time in 6 years! It was wonderful to spend the time with my family and friends. I couldn't have asked for a better Thanksgiving.)


I decided to make my first blog post about the Fondant Baby Blocks I made. At first I decided I could just buy some blocks and put them on the cake. I, for some reason, thought I would be able to find pastel baby blocks...WRONG! It was even next to impossible to find baby blocks in general. Now, it doesn't help that I had a certain look in mind. After running from this store to that one I decided I should just make them. When I was looking around online I had the hardest time finding a tutorial on how to make baby blocks from fondant. Most of the things I found were about using cake and making larger blocks than I wanted. I started to feel a little lost and was going back to my original plan of using plan ole blocks. However, I did find a few pictures that sparked some ideas. I took what I needed from those and I came up with this...

Baby Shower Cake!

So here's my most recent cake. This one was quite a bit of work! I hand sculpted the baby figurine out of clay and I also handmade the baby blocks from fondant. I'll have a post up in the next couple of days on how I made the blocks. There seems to be a short list of tutorials on fondant baby blocks, at least ones like these. 


This cake was for my cousins baby shower this past weekend. She's having a little girl named Payton. The cake went over well and everyone loved it. I'm quite happy with how it turned out as well. The blocks weren't exactly what I wanted them to be but everything works and looks great.


And so, here it is!! Welcome Baby Payton!!

Click the photo to see a larger version.

Happy Thanksgiving!

So I'm going to keep this short and simple but I wanted to send out a

  THANK YOU

to anyone who has viewed my blog. There are also a few people that have been a very big help to me when it comes to the blog whether it be reading over a few posts before I put them up or helping with lighting for a few photos. And there are all those that have tried the sweet desserts and savory dishes that I've made. I love being able to share my adventure and recipes with everyone. I hope all have a very good and

 Happy Thanksgiving!!

UPDATE! Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

     These Pumpkin Whoopie Pies have been an amazing dessert that people just can NOT get enough of! I've made them 5-6 times since I did the original post. The first batch was the best until I made them again the other day. I decided to do an update on the recipe and post because I found a few tricks and adjustments that need to be made due to different ingredients. Here's what I've come up with...

Pan-Fried Green Beans

Ever heard of Pan-Fried Green Beans? If not, here's a very simple recipe! 

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin Cheesecake!

     

Easy Yet Delicious Pot Roast & Roasted Red Potatoes

"When baking, follow directions.  When cooking, go by your own taste."  -Laiko Bahrs

Cranberry White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies

COOKIES! 

New post Sunday!

Hello there! I've been a busy man! I took a weekend and ran away to Traverse City, MI and had a great time. Work has kept me busy ALL week. I have managed to get some of the recipes set up to be printable. You should be able to click on the [Printer Friendly Recipe] link next to the titles and it should automatically start up the print screen. I hope to be getting all recipes set up to be printable soon. I've also got some more posts on the way once I get a chance to test out some more recipes.

On to tonights baking!  I am finally baking (oven is heating up as I type)! I've been seriously craving cookies so I figured I should bake some. I don't know about you but most store bought cookies just don't cut it for me. I've decided to make White Chocolate Cranberry Macadamia Cookies. Yum! Fingers crossed they will be delicious. Post will be up on Sunday, my first day off since last week.

See you then!

Sugar Cookie Cutouts!

I sat down today going through my drawer of recipes and decided to start getting a list together for Christmas Cookies this year. I know I'm like way ahead of schedule, but I wanna be ready to go. There will be the traditional cookies, like these sugar cookies, but I want to try a few new cookies. If I get some ideas I can test them out instead of waiting until baking day with my Mom and Grandmother. I had every intention of having a totally lazy day since I was off work but for some reason, I just can't do it. I was up early and ready to go, well after a few Vanilla Bean Lattes (post coming soon). Anywho, I decided that since I have yet to make sugar cookies this year, I usually do for every holiday, it was time! I've been craving them for a few days so it was perfect that I was off today. I'm ready for the holidays and can't wait to try out some new cookies. Here are some photos I took along the baking way today. Enjoy...

Caramel Sauce

Spiced Caramel Macchiato and Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

In this post I've included 2 recipes for Caramel Sauce and a recipe for a Caramel Macchiato.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

I wanted to try something different with pumpkin so I started searching the net. I came across this recipe. I decided to give them a try. I did alter a few things and used a Whipped Cream Cheese Filling instead of the recipe filling. They were a total hit! I decided I would share my version of the recipe. The photo I took (above) was voted the 2nd favorite photo on allrecipes.com on October 1st!! I was only 4 votes behind the winner. Made me so happy!

The Star Chicken Pot Pie

I decided to title this "The Star Chicken Pot Pie" because I knew it would be the best I've had. :)

Where's all the pumpkin?!

I don't know if I can explain enough about my love for pumpkin. I love pumpkin pie, muffins, and now cupcakes just to name a few treats. Pumpkin is another part of ringing in Fall for me. You can't have Fall without Pumpkin and it's spice spicy companions. I thought I was at my brink of excitement when that Carrot Cake was cooking but I was wrong. When these cupies started baking I can't even explain how happy I was. The house smelled amazing. The spices just filled the house with a smell no Autumn candle can match.

Catching up

So no new posts for some time now. I've been crazy busy with work, took a weekend and went to Cedar Point for the first time, and have been dealing with a slight cough. I'm finally getting around to working on some posts. I have a few to put up. I'm gonna start with some cakes that I did last weekend...

My Take On Carrot Cake [with recipes]

Tonight I finally have a chance to sit and tell the story of My Take On Carrot Cake, which has become kind of a tradition to make every August. Now, it's only been a tradition for 3 years, but still it's something I will never complain about. There are two reasons, I LOVE CARROT CAKE! and it's for a birthday. Not your traditional birthday cake I know, but why not! :) 

The logo!

So I've been working on a few options for a logo. For now I think I'm gonna go with the coffee up logo. I drew the actualy cup outline on my phone and did some editing and added the wording on the computer. I like it. What do you think about the logo?

Spiced Chocolate Chip Cookies

So it's been quite a busy week! It was my "roller coaster" week. The price I have to pay for having a weekend off. All that aside, I thought I wanted to just relax on my day off, but couldn't. Well I did relax but I had to bake something. I wanted to keep it simple, very simple. I decided to skim through The Art & Soul of Baking to see what I could find. I decided to do a cookie. Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Caramel Frappulicious Cupcakes

I wanted to try something new with a cupcake so I got a recipe and made it my own. I wanted to do a coffee flavored cupcake. I LOVE coffee! lol So I got this coffee cupcake recipe and decided to go with a caramel flavor. I changed the recipe a bit to make it a little richer in flavor. I do however still need to do some work on the recipe. It did turn out decent but I want it to be better! I made some homemade whipped cream and caramel for the topping. The coffee flavor, I think, needs to be a little stronger and I don't think I'll use coffee grinds as the recipe calls for. I would also like to infuse more caramel flavor. Have caramel more present than just on the top. Maybe a caramel filling? I'll post next time I make them and I will post the recipe once I get it completed!

Also, I happened to take some of these to dinner last night. They were well liked. But than can be even better with a lil more work! The Vanilla Bean Cupcakes were a sure HIT! They were all gone! They are just too good to leave sit! hehe Thanks to all who tried them both last night!

Here are a few pics...

Grammie's Strawberry Filled Cupcakes

So I tried something that I've not done before...Filling cupcakes.

Having read through the begining of my new cookbook I thought I'd try a cake recipe from it. However, I didn't want to just make a cupcake. So, I thought that I'd make them extra special and use some of my Grandma's (hence the name) homemade strawberry jam. Was a good idea and the cupcakes did taste decent but not great, to no fault of the jam. I'm still trying to work up my baking supplies and ingredients. I have yet to get a scale and all that jazz to measure properly. The way most recipes were made in the cookbook were by weight. Now they do give you the cup amount to add, but it's important to follow the "dip n scoop" method. I think that's where I failed in this cupcake. The recipe used cake flour which I had to purchase, don't keep it in the cabinet. So, I took the bag out and dumped into the measuring cup rather than doing "dip n scoop". BAD IDEA! It doesn't help that I, still don't know why, I don't have a sifter and the flour was to be sifted. In the end, the cupcakes look AWESOME! Unfortunately, they were a little dry. Even after the filling and frosting, they didn't get much better. I will try this recipe again, but I will make sure to do it properly. Anywho, here are some pictures!

The cupcakes shortly after the oven. They look SO good!

Filled and iced with a very good Cream Cheese Frosting!

And a look inside. Kinda looks like a face sticking out it's tongue. lol

My baking adventure...

So I've been inspired to start a little baking adventure. There are a few places my inspiration came from. It started while I was in Chicago in June. We walked by a bakery named Sugar Bliss Cake Boutique. It's a cute little bakery that mainly sells cupcakes. Check out their site but clicking on the name above. They had something called an Icing Shot, which got me and my partner thinking of a way to make icing a candy that you could just pop in your mouth. Here's one form of what I've come up with...

Icing Bites. Candy filled with Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese icing.

Another source of my inspiration was a cupcake blog I came across. Cupcake Bake Shop They focus on trying recipes and creating their own. Blogging and photographing along the way. This was what gave me the idea to start doing research and testing recipes. Along with the blog it's my goal to have baked goods tasting (kinda like wine tasting). So far I've only managed to make one new recipe from scratch which I got from the Cupcake Bake Shop blog. Vanilla Bean Cupcakes. They were YUMMO! It has made me want to NEVER make a cake/cupcakes from a box again. I also made, from my own recipe, a Vanilla Banana Buttercream. Amazing!

My last source of serious inspiration was from the movie Julie & Julia. I FINALLY got to watch it. It was the perfect time to watch it. I went out and bought a new cookbook last night because of the movie and just being ready to start this adventure. I got the book The Art & Soul of Baking. It's a very thick and heavy piece of book. The recipes seem simple enough but delicious. I've started reading all of the information before I get into the recipes. I want to learn all I can before I start getting into breads and trying to make my own cake recipes. It was my goal to just try new cake recipes but this book has made me want to bake all kinds of things. I think I will start with cupcakes because I have some great ideas thanks to family and friends and I brainstorming. More updates will come has I learn and start baking. Thanks!

Here's a picture of the book. If you are or want to be a great baker, I think this book should definitely be in your collection.

Nice and simple

My best friend Stephanie's wedding cake from 2007. I think this was my first wedding cake with fondant. Love it. Nice and simple.

surprise Birthday cakes

Made this for my Aunt Mona's friend. Bought the figurine at Earth Magic.

Made this for my Grandma. We added a cat figurine after I took this pic but didn't get a photo of it.

Hamburger cupcakes

These are my cupcake hamburgers. I made these for my uncles b-day. He loves to grill. These are all cupcake and icing. Well there are real sesame seeds on the top.

The Quilt Cookies

This was a surprise b-day "quilt" for my aunt. It's made of sugar cookies, 9 separate cookies, and royal icing. Each piece of the "quilt" is an symbol of something that describes her.