tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80852090493074887302024-03-18T02:18:55.275-07:00Cakewalk BakingCakewalk Bakinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13048071373486446949noreply@blogger.comBlogger136125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8085209049307488730.post-86334016558195646622013-11-26T22:32:00.001-08:002013-11-26T22:32:14.137-08:00Eight is Great - the favors<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Graham's fabulous party continues with the favors... Everyone received their favor bags when they arrived because I
wanted them to enjoy the fun at the party. They contained mini custom buttons,
finger lights, flashing flower rings, glow bracelets and little lip balms. Funny story: Graham was so excited the morning of the party that he activated
all 150 glow bracelets at 6:00am. I didn’t think they would make through the
party, so I sent my husband to run out and buy more. Well, they had much longer
staying power than I anticipated, so we A LOT
glow sticks! Oh well – no one was complaining! I also made confetti poppers
inspired by Sharon of <a href="http://www.cupcakesandcutlery.com/diy-confetti-shooter-on-you-are-my-fave-guest-post/" target="_blank">Cupcakes & Cutlery</a>.
They were so much fun and yes, I will be vacuuming confetti for the rest of my
life! It has become a tradition to create a CD of Graham’s favorite
music as a parting gift at his parties, so everyone went home as that as well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I'll wrap it up tomorrow with fun pics from the party!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Credits:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Concept, styling and baked goods:
Cakewalk Baking</span></span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photography: <a href="http://www.sherryheck.com/" target="_blank">Sherry Heck Photography</a>
</span></span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Invitations, CD labels, custom buttons,
heart stickers: <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/cakeevents" target="_blank">Merry Happy by Cake.</a></span></span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sugar cookies: <a href="http://www.birdtreats.me/" target="_blank">Bird Treats</a></span></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">DJ: <a href="http://www.mancubsf.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=4" target="_blank">Chip “Mancub” Corwin</a></span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Custom pins: <a href="http://pinbackattack.com/" target="_blank">Pinback Attack</a> </span></span></i></div>
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<br />Cakewalk Bakinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13048071373486446949noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8085209049307488730.post-28822085475596293102013-11-25T10:05:00.000-08:002013-11-26T09:05:25.418-08:00It's the most wonderful time of the year<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0Ln8QFqVyiw/UpLWAjHFazI/AAAAAAAAH94/GckCc6CaOsI/s1600/DSC_0391.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0Ln8QFqVyiw/UpLWAjHFazI/AAAAAAAAH94/GckCc6CaOsI/s640/DSC_0391.JPG" width="456" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">When Kim of <a href="http://www.tomkatstudio.com/" target="_blank">The TomKat Studio</a> asked me to contribute a recipe to her annual gift guide I knew instantly what I wanted to share. I've been making these butter toffee peanuts to accompany a chocolate cake at my day job as pastry chef at <a href="http://www.zutonfourth.com/" target="_blank">Zut!</a> and they have been a huge hit. They make the perfect party favor or hostess gift for the holidays - they're easy to make, they stay fresh for a long time and they are completely addictive. For the recipe (and lots of other amazing goodies), download the <a href="http://www.thetomkatstudio.com/tomkatstudiogiftguide2013/" target="_blank">2013 TomKat Holiday Guide</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Best wishes for a peaceful & fun-filled holiday season to all! </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>Download the printable labels <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0KjbJ1oCbuINWNKbk4wNFRodDQ/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>The adorable jars are available from the TomKat Studio <a href="http://shoptomkat.com/item_147/Mini-Glass-Favor-Jars--Set-of-12.htm" target="_blank">here</a>. </i></span></span><br />
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<br />Cakewalk Bakinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13048071373486446949noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8085209049307488730.post-70317820509712080752013-11-25T07:56:00.000-08:002013-11-25T07:56:06.543-08:00Eight is Great - the sweets!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UXpYrxZFJxI/UpLgiz2JY1I/AAAAAAAAIAA/nsjeDMH-N7I/s1600/Graham_8isGreat_birthday-107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="542" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UXpYrxZFJxI/UpLgiz2JY1I/AAAAAAAAIAA/nsjeDMH-N7I/s640/Graham_8isGreat_birthday-107.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Next up from Graham's Disco party - the sweets! As a pastry chef, putting together the dessert table is
always a passion for me. Since I knew the kids were going to be inundated with
piñata candy, I tried not to go too overboard. I created a 2 tiered fondant
covered fresh strawberry cake, mini vanilla cupcakes, glitter dusted truffle
pops and milk chocolate mousse cups. For the first time, I asked another baker
to contribute. I am so happy I did! Sarah of <a href="http://www.birdtreats.me/Bird_Treats/Welcome.html" target="_blank">Bird Treats</a> created the most
exquisite and delicious G & 8 sugar cookies. It was really nice to take one
thing off of my plate! I already own a ridiculous number cake stands and
platters, but I<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>just had to buy the
acrylic risers to complete the modern, clean look.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Still to come... favors & party pics! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Credits:</span></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Concept, styling and baked goods:
Cakewalk Baking</span></span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photography: <a href="http://www.sherryheck.com/" target="_blank">Sherry Heck Photography</a>
</span></span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Invitations, CD labels, custom buttons,
heart stickers: <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/cakeevents" target="_blank">Merry Happy by Cake.</a></span></span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sugar cookies: <a href="http://www.birdtreats.me/" target="_blank">Bird Treats</a></span></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">DJ: <a href="http://www.mancubsf.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=4" target="_blank">Chip “Mancub” Corwin</a></span></span></i></div>
</div>
Cakewalk Bakinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13048071373486446949noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8085209049307488730.post-54924286742824192822013-11-21T08:00:00.000-08:002013-11-21T08:00:32.618-08:00Eight is Great - a Modern Disco Party<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nEw8VRRERF4/UopnAZpIO6I/AAAAAAAAH9Q/f9tgZcZyX-c/s1600/Graham_8isGreat_birthday-192.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nEw8VRRERF4/UopnAZpIO6I/AAAAAAAAH9Q/f9tgZcZyX-c/s1600/Graham_8isGreat_birthday-192.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I am so thrilled to be sharing my son, Graham’s eighth
birthday party photos. When we started planning his party the one thing he
wanted do “dance, dance, dance!!!”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
liked the idea of a disco party, but I didn’t want to go with the traditional
70’s look. I was really inspired by this party by <a href="http://bashplease.com/2013/07/sammi-yorns-bat-mitzvah/" target="_blank">Bash Please</a> and hoped to create a fun, but sophisticated and modern look. Working with a
small budget, this was definitely a DIY affair. I considered renting a space
for the party, but decided to keep it at home to save money & also give me
more time to decorate and personalize the space. I purchased silver fringe
curtains for a backdrop for the dessert table and also to transform our deck
into a dance floor. I used silver fringe, handmade tassel garlands and honeycomb
balls to decorate both our dining room (where the dessert table was) &
deck. I. I also created a lighted marquee letter “G” for the dance floor. Giant
clear balloons filled with metallic glitter – some filled with helium, some not
– and a silver eight balloon rounded out the decorations. A helpful note:
<a href="http://www.command.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/NACommand/Command/?WT.mc_id=www.command.com&WT.ctod=09:03" target="_blank">Command strips & hooks</a> saved
the day for this party. They held up all the decorations inside & without
damaging any surfaces. They were amazing!</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K6cv9tEZ4Vc/Uopm7XsmfrI/AAAAAAAAH78/p563e1mwAW4/s1600/Graham_8isGreat_birthday-175.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K6cv9tEZ4Vc/Uopm7XsmfrI/AAAAAAAAH78/p563e1mwAW4/s1600/Graham_8isGreat_birthday-175.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--isgVC6M6pE/Uopm8ty0fkI/AAAAAAAAH8Q/b5mH-gmNiDQ/s1600/Graham_8isGreat_birthday-164.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="454" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--isgVC6M6pE/Uopm8ty0fkI/AAAAAAAAH8Q/b5mH-gmNiDQ/s1600/Graham_8isGreat_birthday-164.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VBBTUSsr6sk/Uopm750KHOI/AAAAAAAAH8A/sNxVGoqNoYY/s1600/Graham_8isGreat_birthday-202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VBBTUSsr6sk/Uopm750KHOI/AAAAAAAAH8A/sNxVGoqNoYY/s640/Graham_8isGreat_birthday-202.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I asked my dear friend, Becca of <a href="http://cake./">Cake.</a> to create the invitation and was absolutely thrilled with the results. I knew I
wanted the basic color scheme to be hot pink (Graham’s favorite color), mint
and silver. When Becca added the
midnight blue background it really gave design the sophisticated look I was
going for. We added the caveat “No one over 21 allowed” because with 20 kids
coming, there wasn’t going to be room for all the parents on the dance floor.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MsKxkioZuD4/Uopm4701_1I/AAAAAAAAH7U/O05rSIsiJ4A/s1600/Graham_8isGreat_birthday-120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MsKxkioZuD4/Uopm4701_1I/AAAAAAAAH7U/O05rSIsiJ4A/s1600/Graham_8isGreat_birthday-120.jpg" width="458" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lJc1PJBtGdM/Uoprg-XOEtI/AAAAAAAAH9Y/n-DhmHB4esk/s1600/Graham_8isGreat_birthday-172.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lJc1PJBtGdM/Uoprg-XOEtI/AAAAAAAAH9Y/n-DhmHB4esk/s1600/Graham_8isGreat_birthday-172.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZJdVEWwySrQ/UopsqM9D1II/AAAAAAAAH9o/NFu2U0W7h8I/s1600/Graham_8isGreat_birthday-185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZJdVEWwySrQ/UopsqM9D1II/AAAAAAAAH9o/NFu2U0W7h8I/s1600/Graham_8isGreat_birthday-185.jpg" width="454" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Come back tomorrow for the sweets & treats!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Credits:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Concept, styling and baked goods:
Cakewalk Baking</span></span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Photography: <a href="http://www.sherryheck.com/" target="_blank">Sherry Heck Photography</a>
</span></span></i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Invitations, CD labels, custom buttons,
heart stickers: <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/cakeevents" target="_blank">Merry Happy by Cake.</a></span></span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sugar cookies: <a href="http://www.birdtreats.me/" target="_blank">Bird Treats</a></span></span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">DJ: <a href="http://www.mancubsf.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=4" target="_blank">Chip “Mancub” Corwin</a></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Silver curtains, fringe, confetti: <a href="http://www.shindigz.com/coupon.cfm" target="_blank">Shindigz </a></span></span></i> </div>
<br />
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</div>
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<br />Cakewalk Bakinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13048071373486446949noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8085209049307488730.post-60701156535869883732013-10-03T21:22:00.001-07:002013-10-03T21:22:26.130-07:00Pumpkin, how I love thee<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lbs00MuJ288/Uk4inCuzRnI/AAAAAAAAHxk/FnCuB5upUyo/s1600/photo-5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lbs00MuJ288/Uk4inCuzRnI/AAAAAAAAHxk/FnCuB5upUyo/s640/photo-5.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">With the abundance of amazing summer fruit, I find it easy to avoid the cans of pumpkin puree in the pantry. But as peaches and plums start disappearing and the first chilly mornings arrive, I'm ready to make just about anything with pumpkin. Facing a serious craving, but with limited time and a sick kiddo in need of cheering, I needed a quick fix. These muffins are simple to make (no machinery needed!), super delicious and definitely pack a pumpkin punch.<span style="background-color: white;"></span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Note: I use half whole wheat flour to give them a little more nutritional value, but you could easily use all AP. Also feel free to swap the chocolate chips with nuts or dried fruit.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 1/2 cups AP flour</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 tsp baking soda</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 tsp salt</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 tsp cinnamon</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 tsp ground ginger</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 1/2 cups sugar </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 cups pumpkin puree (1lb 3 oz)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">4 large eggs</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">2/3 cup canola oil</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 cup mini chocolate chips</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sift the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Combine the sugar, puree, eggs and oil together and mix until well combined (either with a mixer or by hand). Add the dry ingredients and then the chocolate chips. Scoop into muffin tins, about 3/4 full. Bake at 350 for </span>20-25 minutes</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PA-Q7Oy0Nhw/Uk47f8cd2yI/AAAAAAAAHx4/xjeMhaZDVxQ/s1600/photo-4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PA-Q7Oy0Nhw/Uk47f8cd2yI/AAAAAAAAHx4/xjeMhaZDVxQ/s640/photo-4.JPG" width="600" /></a></div>
<br />Cakewalk Bakinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13048071373486446949noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8085209049307488730.post-35274920770797011432013-09-30T18:12:00.000-07:002013-09-30T18:12:03.291-07:00Gourmet French Macarons - what's not to love?<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Hello, long lost friends! <span style="font-size: small;">I'm coming out of blog hiding </span><span style="font-size: small;">today for a great reason - to help spread the word about Mindy Cone's fabulous new </span>book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gourmet-French-Macarons-Flavors-Included/dp/1462112196" target="_blank">Gourmet French Macarons</a>. I have been a fan of her blog, <a href="http://getcreativejuice.com/" target="_blank">Creative Juice</a> for a long time and had the pleasure of meeting her at <a href="http://altitudesummit.com/alt-sf/" target="_blank">Alt SF</a> this summer. Let me tell you, this is a subject that she is passionate about. Mindy developed (<i>and photographed</i>!) over 75 unique and creative designs for the book that are perfect for any holiday or season. I'm especially excited about all of the Halloween designs - Frankenstein, pumpkins and ghosts, oh my! When you purchase the book it comes with a CD that has printable
templates to make piping circles or unique shapes so much easier. Though making macarons can be daunting, Mindy's recipes, techniques and templates make it simple.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.getcreativejuice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Gourmet+French+Macaroons_web-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1046" height="640" src="http://www.getcreativejuice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Gourmet+French+Macaroons_web-1.jpg" width="562" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.getcreativejuice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Apple-Macarons.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Apple Macarons" height="800" src="http://www.getcreativejuice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Apple-Macarons-531x800.jpg" width="531" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.getcreativejuice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Frankenstein-Macarons.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Frankenstein Macarons" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-2057" height="800" src="http://www.getcreativejuice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Frankenstein-Macarons-531x800.jpg" width="531" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.getcreativejuice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Chocolate-with-Chocolate-filling.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Chocolate with Chocolate filling" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-2055" height="800" src="http://www.getcreativejuice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Chocolate-with-Chocolate-filling-531x800.jpg" width="531" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Chocolate macarons are my absolute favorite. Mindy has been kind enough to share this recipe and it is </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">on my baking agenda for the week.
</span><br />
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<![endif]--><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Chocolate French Macarons with chocolate ganache filling</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Free 1.5 in circle template download for this recipe <a href="http://www.getcreativejuice.com/2013/08/macarons-basic-printable-template.html">here</a>: </span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Chocolate French
Macarons</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">100g of egg whites aged at
room temperature</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Pinch of Cream of tartar</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">35g of superfine sugar</span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">110g of Almond flour</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">200g of Powdered Sugar</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">10g cocoa powder </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1. Measure out all
ingredients using a gram scale </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2. Prepare the baking
sheets by lining them with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Slide a printed 1
½ inch template sheet underneath and set aside. Prepare piping bag to be filled
and set aside.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">3. Sift powdered sugar, almond
mixture, and cocoa powder together two or three times through a sieve and set
aside. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">4. Place the egg whites in
a large bowl or in stand mixer with wire whisk attachment. Whisk on low until
egg whites become foamy. Add the pinch of cream of tartar. Continue to whisk
until soft peaks form. Slowly add in the superfine sugar. Once all of the sugar
is incorporated, scrape down the sides with a spatula.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">5. Turn your mixer on medium-high
and continue to whisk until you reach a stiff meringue. If adding liquid or gel
food dye, do so toward the end of whisking. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">6. Sift 1/3 of the almond
flour, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder mixture through the sieve and into the
meringue. Fold the dry mixture into the meringue. Repeat with the remaining
mixture. Once all of the dry ingredients are incorporated, the batter will be
thick and have a dull shine. Continue to fold. As you do so, the batter will
loosen. Stop folding when the batter has a glossy sheen, a “lava-like”
consistency, and falls in a ribbon like manner off the spatula. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">7. Transfer the batter
into a large pastry bag fitted with a round tip and pipe 1½ inch rounds on the
parchment paper following the template. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">8. When all of the rounds
are piped on the parchment, rap the sheet pans evenly on work surface a few
times. Remove templates from below your parchment paper carefully. Let the
batter rest at room temperature for 20-40 minutes.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">9. Pre-heat oven to 350
degrees. Reduce temperature to 300 degrees and bake one sheet at a time for 12
minutes rotating the pan half way through. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">10.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remove from oven and allow to cool.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">11.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Match up similar size shells into pairs and
sandwich with filling.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">MAKES</b>:
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">About 4 dozen 1.5 in
shells (two dozen sandwiched macaron cookies)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="color: #1a1a1a;">Chocolate Ganache Filling </span></u></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a;">100 g (3.5 oz) chocolate*</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a;">1½ Tbsp. heavy cream</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a;">Place chocolate in a heat proof bowl.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a;">Boil cream and pour over chocolate.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a;">Stir until all the chocolate has
melted and texture is smooth**</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a;">When warm, pipe onto macaron shells.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a;">*I prefer to use the mini chocolate
chips when possible to speed up the process.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a;">** If the cream is not able to melt
all the chocolate, place bowl in microwave. Heat for 20 seconds on low power.
Remove and stir. Repeat until chocolate is fully melted.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a;">Watch this adorable video to learn more about Mindy and how her passion for macarons developed: </span></span><br />
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="405" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/72709044?portrait=0&color=00f0ec" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="720"></iframe> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://vimeo.com/72709044">Gourmet French Macarons</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/tkproduction">TK Productions</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
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Cakewalk Bakinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13048071373486446949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8085209049307488730.post-1767540247832368842013-01-24T22:35:00.001-08:002014-07-09T08:19:40.564-07:00"Epic" Blondies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2n3_5hLFbpk/UQIW7c2bj8I/AAAAAAAAHa8/v2Wu0eYaWN8/s1600/photo-5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2n3_5hLFbpk/UQIW7c2bj8I/AAAAAAAAHa8/v2Wu0eYaWN8/s640/photo-5.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">(the finished product, <span style="font-size: x-small;">cut when the<span style="font-size: x-small;">y were still warm - we <span style="font-size: x-small;">just couldn't wai<span style="font-size: x-small;">t</span></span></span></span></span></span>)</i></div>
<div class="ingredients recipe-section" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 24px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div class="item-list" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<ul class="content-multigroup-group-ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li class="ingredient first" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></li>
<li class="ingredient first" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I read somewhere recently that blondies are the new brownie. <span style="font-size: small;">I think<span style="font-size: small;"> - or was it just another wacky dream (last night<span style="font-size: small;"> I had a washi tape nightmare)<span style="font-size: small;">? True or not, it got me thinking an<span style="font-size: small;">d <i>ba</i><span style="font-size: small;"><i>king</i>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Most </span>blon<span style="font-size: small;">die recipes I<span style="font-size: small;">'ve tried <span style="font-size: small;">have been<span style="font-size: small;"> dry and a bit blah. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;">I</span> <span style="font-size: small;">found this <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/350047/brown-butter-toffee-blondies">Marth</a><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/350047/brown-butter-toffee-blondies">a recipe</a> and tweaked it a bit<span style="font-size: small;"> to bump up the excitement fac<span style="font-size: small;">tor<span style="font-size: small;">-</span>adding white & dark c<span style="font-size: small;">hoc<span style="font-size: small;">olate chips and my favorite <span style="font-size: small;">secret ingr<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">edient, Mal<span style="font-size: small;">don <span style="font-size: small;">salt.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li class="ingredient first" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I will not often say this, but <span style="font-size: small;">friends, you <b>must</b> make this re<span style="font-size: small;">cipe. <span style="font-size: small;">You will not be sorry. <span style="font-size: small;">Well, you may be sorry bec<span style="font-size: small;">ause you will try one little <span style="font-size: small;">nibble and th<span style="font-size: small;">en an<span style="font-size: small;">other and then another<span style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"> An adorable hostess at work called them "epic" and even though I am way too o<span style="font-size: small;">l<span style="font-size: small;">d <span style="font-size: small;">to be </span></span></span>throwing such terms around<span style="font-size: small;">, the name stuck.<span style="font-size: small;"> So here you have it...</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </li>
<li class="ingredient first" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li class="ingredient first" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Epic" Blondies</span> </span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </li>
<li class="ingredient first" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Ingredients:</span></span></li>
<li class="ingredient first" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2 1/2 sticks (10oz) unsalted butter</span></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour</span></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder</span></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 1/2 teaspoons Maldon or other sea salt, plus more for sprinkling</span></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2 cups packed <span style="font-size: small;">dark </span>brown sugar</span></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1/2 cup granulated sugar</span></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">3 large eggs</span></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract</span></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips</span></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 cup white chocolate chips</span></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 cup chopped toasted walnuts (optional)</span></span></li>
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<div class="recipe-section instructions" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 24px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<ol class="content-multigroup-group-steps" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 18px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li class="step first" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-type: decimal; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper with sides overlapping; spray parchment paper again.</span></span></li>
<li class="step" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-type: decimal; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the butter until it turns golden brown; remove from heat, strain, and let cool. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.</span></span></li>
<li class="step" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-type: decimal; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine browned butter and both sugars; stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Attach bowl to mixer; add eggs. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla, and beat to combine. Add flour mixture, chocolate chips and walnuts (if adding)<span style="font-size: small;">.</span> Mix until thoroughly combined, and pour into prepared pan and spread out as evenly as possible. Sprinkle the top with a pinch of Maldon salt.</span></span></li>
<li class="step last" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-type: decimal; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes (this will really depend on your oven<span style="font-size: small;">, so start checking after 25 minutes, </span>do not overbake). Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Use the overlapping sides of parchment to remove blondies from the pan.</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<span style="font-size: x-small;">R</span>e<span style="font-size: x-small;">ady to go in the oven. S</span>ee those flakey sprinkles of salt<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">? H</span>e<span style="font-size: x-small;">aven</span></span>!</span></span>)</div>
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Cakewalk Bakinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13048071373486446949noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8085209049307488730.post-34937990949688253602013-01-24T09:00:00.000-08:002013-01-24T09:21:50.662-08:00The Theatre of Dreams<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This post is long, long overdue, but here it goes anyway...</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you've spent anytime reading this blog, it will come as no surprise that I have a little obsession with all things glittery. Before the holidays, I had distinct pleasure of meeting </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://wendyaddisonstudio.com/wendy2/about.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">We</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://wendyaddisonstudio.com/wendy2/about.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">ndy A</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://wendyaddisonstudio.com/wendy2/about.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">dd</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://wendyaddisonstudio.com/wendy2/about.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">ison</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, the queen of sparkle, and visiting her charming studio, Theatre of Dreams. If you don't know Wendy by name, I'm sure that you have seen her beautiful work at BHLDN, West Elm, Tinsel Trading and countless other stores. I have been collecting her Christmas ornaments for years and in fact my husband & I picked out one of her silver stars for the top of our Christmas tree the first year we were married. Wendy is as charming and lovely as the art she creates and it was truly an honor to meet her. If you happen to be in the tiny, tiny town of Port Costa, you should definitely pay a visit to her studio. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Learn more about Wendy from this wonderful Martha Stewart <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/914378/vintage-paper-ornaments-wendy-addison">video</a>.</span>Cakewalk Bakinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13048071373486446949noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8085209049307488730.post-8233642353092334842012-11-09T11:48:00.002-08:002012-11-10T15:56:01.859-08:00Vanilla Perfection Cupcake<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">I</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"> shared this recipe last year on </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><a href="http://www.cakeeventsblog.com/">Cake</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">. and as I was making it for the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><i>gazillionith </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">time yesterday, I thought I should finally share it here!</span><br />
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<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have been on the quest for the perfect vanilla cupcake and frosting for years. It seems like every recipe I tested was somehow lacking – too dry, bland, inconsistent. I couldn’t find a satisfying vanilla frosting either – too sweet, too buttery, too shorteningy...</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I made my “</span><a href="http://cakewalkbaking.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-creative-to-do-list.html" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="new"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">to do list</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">” for the year, perfecting my vanilla cupcake & frosting recipes was high on my priority list. I’ve tried </span><a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/saras-secrets/magnolias-vanilla-cupcake-recipe/index.html" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="new"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Magnolia</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and </span><a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/353205/billys-vanilla-vanilla-cupcakes" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="new"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Billy’s</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and countless others, but I was never completely thrilled with the results.</span></span></div>
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<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I came across </span><a href="http://www.amysedarisrocks.com/recipes.htm" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="new"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Amy Sedaris</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">’ (one of my favorite actresses) recipe, I thought it was worth a shot. To my surprise, they were pretty much perfect. My only complaint was that they were a little too dense for my liking. With a couple of tweaks, including substituting the all-purpose flour for cake flour, I got the results I was looking for – tender, moist, and flavorful!</span></span></div>
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<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the frosting, my go-to has always been Swiss Meringue buttercream which I love because it’s light, has the perfect texture and tastes great – as long as you are adding some other flavor (like lemon, espresso, chocolate) to it. When just adding vanilla extract, it was a little blah and overly buttery tasting. After lots of experimentation, I found that by simply including either crème fraiche or sour cream and vanilla bean, it retained the characteristics that I love and added new depth and interest to the flavor.</span><br />
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">
</span></span></span>
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">
</span></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><i style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ingredients</span></i></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 3/4 cups sugar</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 large eggs</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 teaspoon salt</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 1/2 cups cake flour</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 1/4 cups whole milk</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><i style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Directions</span></i></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Preheat oven to 350°F.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Bring the eggs, milk & butter to room temperature (don’t skip this step, it’s very important!)</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and pale.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Add in the eggs one at a time and mix until combined</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. Sift (yes, sift!) together flour, salt and baking powder together</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6. Stir together vanilla and milk</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">7. Alternately add dry ingredients and milk to mixing bowl, scraping down after each addition. Start and end with dry ingredients</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">8. Fill paper-lined muffin tins with batter 2/3 full.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">9. Bake at 350° for 18- 20 minute</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Swiss Meringue Buttercream</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><i style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ingredients</span></i></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 lb unsalted butter, softened</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 cups sugar</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">8 egg whites</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 cup crème friache or sour cream</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 tablespoon vanilla extract</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Seeds from 2 vanilla beans</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><i style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Directions</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Combine sugar & egg whites in mixer bowl and whisk together over simmering water until hot to the touch and all of the sugar has melted and no longer grainy</span></span></div>
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<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Transfer bowl to mixer stand and whip on high until fluffy & cool – about 10 minutes</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. With the mixer on low, add the softened butter 1 tablespoon at a time until incorporated. Add in vanilla, crème fraiche or sour cream, and vanilla beans. Beat until smooth (it may look curdled, but just continue to mix & it will be all come together!).</span></span></div>
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Cakewalk Bakinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13048071373486446949noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8085209049307488730.post-84595166666254153192012-11-01T18:30:00.000-07:002012-11-01T18:30:18.481-07:00Pink & Black Halloween birthday bash - fun & games!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8j1QETXmqOQ/UJCBpp-YeoI/AAAAAAAAHX8/xQENCCwVoSA/s1600/pink%2526blackhalloween.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8j1QETXmqOQ/UJCBpp-YeoI/AAAAAAAAHX8/xQENCCwVoSA/s640/pink%2526blackhalloween.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
Cakewalk Bakinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13048071373486446949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8085209049307488730.post-11944153719628987812012-10-30T11:14:00.000-07:002012-11-01T18:31:01.580-07:00Graham's Pink & Black Halloween birthday bash<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N-t0oKQYHFs/UJAKboMGKOI/AAAAAAAAHSE/tOGCRdRdcO0/s1600/022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="554" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N-t0oKQYHFs/UJAKboMGKOI/AAAAAAAAHSE/tOGCRdRdcO0/s640/022.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I’m so excited to sharing pictures from my son, Graham’s 7<sup>th</sup> birthday bash – A pink & black
Halloween party. We had so much fun at G&M farms last <a href="http://cakewalkbaking.blogspot.com/2011/11/grahams-pumpkin-patch-party-part-1.html" target="_blank">year</a> that we decided to go back again, but give it a completely different
look. I asked Becca of <a href="http://cakeeventsblog.com/">Cake.</a> to design a sophisticated and modern invitation with
a skeleton holding an orange balloon. I loved what she designed – and so did
Graham, but he requested the balloon be hot pink instead. Graham is a quirky kid
and I loved how this choice reflected his personality, so I ran with it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Rather than do a bunch of desserts for the table this year,
I chose to make seven different cupcakes to represent him turning seven. I found
the little skeletons at the Dollar Store and spray painted them black and
crafted tiny party hats for them. They held signs to identify all the different
flavors - vanilla/vanilla, chocolate fudge/vanilla, strawberry, lemon meringue, triple chocolate, pumpkin, peanut butter cup and triple chocolate. I used a variety of cake stands from my collection to show them off.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">For the kid’s table, each child had a lunch box with bone
name tag, a juice bottle with striped straw (for strawberry lemonade) and a
handcrafted party hat and horn. I spray painted larger skeletons for the table
with the intention of them holding balloons, but it was so windy at the farm it
didn’t go as planned. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">For favors, the kids received a cd of Graham’s favorite
dance music (Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, etc - sorry parents!) a skeleton bracelet, a homemade skull lollipop. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Next up: Pictures of the party fun!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Vendor credits:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Michele Wimborough – <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.cakewalkbaking.net/">Cakewalk Baking</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">design, styling, cupcakes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Becca – <a href="http://www.cakeeventsblog.com/">Cake.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Invitation, CD label</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Robert Knowles</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.webrobert.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.webrobert.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Photography</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">G&M Farms</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">www.gmfarms.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Venue</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Shop Sweet Lulu</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">www.shopsweetlulu.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">favor bags, plastic bottles, stripey straws</span></div>
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<br />Cakewalk Bakinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13048071373486446949noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8085209049307488730.post-65058673159918443872012-10-27T22:34:00.000-07:002012-10-27T22:57:28.570-07:00Bake Sale!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--n48UnjPttI/UIyzpwizHDI/AAAAAAAAHQw/F_oJ4J2iPpY/s1600/bread2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--n48UnjPttI/UIyzpwizHDI/AAAAAAAAHQw/F_oJ4J2iPpY/s640/bread2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9wk9s_Em0Is/UIyzq2HPtrI/AAAAAAAAHQ4/qYSlRGYKSBs/s1600/caramelcorn.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9wk9s_Em0Is/UIyzq2HPtrI/AAAAAAAAHQ4/qYSlRGYKSBs/s640/caramelcorn.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">(the <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/288019338640506110/" target="_blank">BEST caramel corn</a>)</span> </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k4f078mP0V0/UIyzrzbYXDI/AAAAAAAAHRA/AGd7dU_SmLg/s1600/caramels.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k4f078mP0V0/UIyzrzbYXDI/AAAAAAAAHRA/AGd7dU_SmLg/s640/caramels.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">(thank you, <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/288019338640486280/" target="_blank">Barefoot Contessa</a>) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> (design inspired by <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/288019338640486263/" target="_blank">Sweetopia</a>)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">My son's school hosted its annual Harvest Festival today and I went a little bonkers making goodies for the bake sale. I found so many tempting recipes via Pinterest, it was difficult to narrow it down. I put my Silhouette SD to great use to make all of the hang tags and tied them on with baker's twine. I had a fabulous time making all the treats and was happy to help raise some money for his wonderful little school.</span>Cakewalk Bakinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13048071373486446949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8085209049307488730.post-15783328487044752642012-09-26T23:20:00.001-07:002012-09-26T23:20:54.899-07:00It's party time!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yowza - I can't believe my baby boy is turning 7 in less than a month! With a late October birthday, a Halloween theme has been our go to for most of his </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">parties. We had such an amazing time last <a href="http://cakewalkbaking.blogspot.com/2011/11/grahams-pumpkin-patch-party-part-1.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">year</span></a> at <a href="http://www.gmfarms.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">G&M Farms</span></a> that we decided to go back again, but change up the look of the party.</span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wanted the invite to have a modern/sophisticated feel and Becca of <a href="http://www.cakeeventsblog.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Cake</span>.</a> definitely delivered with the design. The balloon started out a more traditional orange, but Graham requested the change to hot pink (his favorite color). I have to admit I was a bit skeptical at first. Pink and Halloween don't usually mix, but I have embraced it and love that it's quirky and fun just like him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Stay tuned for lots of party DIY's and recipes (we're making seven different cupcake flavors!). You can purchase the invite<span style="color: blue;"> </span><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/109964281/halloween-party-invitation-black-and" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">here</span></a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />Cakewalk Bakinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13048071373486446949noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8085209049307488730.post-85386152172577634942012-08-30T07:05:00.003-07:002012-08-30T15:13:58.893-07:00Amelia's 1st birthday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A couple of weeks ago, I put together a dessert table for the sweetest little 1 year old, Amelia. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The party, held in Tilden park in Berkeley had a farm theme with a decidedly girly twist. I made a smash cake for the birthday girl, chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, brown sugar caramel corn and homemade giant Oreo cookies. Amelia's mom, Lea, an admitted Etsy junkie, provided lots of great elements to decorate the table including personalized cupcake flags, vintage farm animal tags, monogrammed popcorn boxes, and a beautiful hand sewn cake bunting (which was unfortunately a bit too big for the cake, but looked adorable hanging from the crate).</span> </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Typically when I put together a dessert table, I have the design mapped out far in advance. In this case, the client was providing the table, linens, candy jars, and some of the props (hello, gorgeous wooden crates), so when I arrived at the event I had to put everything together on the fly. While it was a little nerve-racking (especially because the party was in full swing and there were lots of onlookers), it was a fun challenge and I was really happy with the way it all came together. </span></div>
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Cakewalk Bakinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13048071373486446949noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8085209049307488730.post-73627157961858985752012-07-18T17:17:00.000-07:002012-07-18T17:17:03.293-07:00Homemade Fudgesicles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ok, I'll admit to jumping on the popsicle bandwagon this summer. After pinning yummy <a href="http://pinterest.com/cakewalk/popsicles/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">popsicle</span></a> recipes for months, I finally bought these <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-423-Ice-Pop-Maker/dp/B0002IBJOG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342656363&sr=8-1&keywords=norpro+ice+pop+maker" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Norpro</span></a> molds. I love them for their classic shape and use of wooden sticks. I don't know about you, but whenever I've bought molds with reusable plastic holders, they have all disappeared by the time I'm ready to make a second batch. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think store bought Fudgesicles are pretty delicious, but I'm always up for trying to improve on the original (especially when they are full of artificial ingredients that I can't pronounce!). I started with this <a href="http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2012/03/27/homemade-fudge-pops/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">recipe</span></a> and just made a couple of little changes. I had some amazing Valrhona milk chocolate on hand, but you could easily substitute with semi-sweet or dark chocolate. I couldn't have been happier with the results - they were so smooth, rich and super chocolatey - the perfect summer treat!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Homemade Fudgesicles</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 cup high-quality milk chocolate<br />1 1/3 cups granulated sugar<br />4 tablespoons cornstarch<br />6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder<br />5 cups whole milk<br />1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />16 wooden popsicle sticks</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and melt over a double boiler.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Combine the melted chocolate, sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and milk in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until slightly thickened, approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer. Stir in the vanilla.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Cool the mixture to room temperature then pour into 16 popsicle molds. Freeze for 1 hour and then insert sticks. Freeze overnight for best results.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To unmold: Have a chilled container ready to put your popsicles in. Fill a bowl with boiling water the depth of the mold. Place the mold in the water and let sit for a couple seconds. Working as quickly as possible, wiggle the sticks and pull out the popsicles. If they seem to be melting too much, refreeze until hard and try<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> again.</span> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Recipe adapted from: </span><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;">The Brown Eyed Baker</span></span>Cakewalk Bakinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13048071373486446949noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8085209049307488730.post-40079722570103626962012-05-29T11:19:00.000-07:002012-05-29T11:19:36.359-07:00Cakewalk Baking in print!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was super excited when </span><a href="http://teamag.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Tea Magazine</strong></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> asked for my "expert advice" on throwing tea parties for kids. I was interviewed and they included gorgeous photographs taken by</span><a href="http://www.sherryheck.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <span style="color: blue;"><strong>Sherry Heck</strong></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> from the tea party that I hosted for Graham and his friends. Becca from </span><a href="http://cakeeventsblog.com/"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cake.</span></strong></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> designed the invite (now available <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/cakeevents"><span style="color: blue;"><strong>here</strong></span></a>), menu & printables and lended her styling talents. To revisit the complete party, see <a href="http://cakewalkbaking.blogspot.com/2011/06/tea-party-in-garden.html"><span style="color: blue;"><strong>here</strong></span></a>.</span>Cakewalk Bakinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13048071373486446949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8085209049307488730.post-40832350086682021652012-05-15T11:15:00.000-07:002012-05-16T08:41:51.840-07:00My kind of town...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JGoxhRrZiro/T43EOZqIYrI/AAAAAAAAGmA/ydmmXsbmGBg/s1600/nytrip2012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JGoxhRrZiro/T43EOZqIYrI/AAAAAAAAGmA/ydmmXsbmGBg/s640/nytrip2012.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fort Greene, Brooklyn</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.brooklynflea.com/" target="_blank">The Brooklyn Flea</a></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.thegeneralgreene.com/index.html" target="_blank">The General Greene</a></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xDQezwlKnmY/T43GJIZSmZI/AAAAAAAAGmw/s80lQ7rOegI/s1600/nytrip20122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xDQezwlKnmY/T43GJIZSmZI/AAAAAAAAGmw/s80lQ7rOegI/s640/nytrip20122.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">More Fort Green, <a href="http://marlowanddaughters.com/" target="_blank">Marlow & Daughters</a> <a href="http://marlowandsons.com/" target="_blank">(& Sons, too</a>)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Williamsburg Bridge</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ramen at <a href="http://www.momofuku.com/restaurants/noodle-bar/" target="_blank">Momofuku Noodle Bar</a></span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zsTaD0sy-3g/T43JUzEQSsI/AAAAAAAAGno/xyqaBsb0RL0/s1600/IMG_0571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zsTaD0sy-3g/T43JUzEQSsI/AAAAAAAAGno/xyqaBsb0RL0/s640/IMG_0571.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://biggayicecream.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Big Gay Ice Cream</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last <strike>month</strike> in March, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to New York City to attend the Martha Stewart Dreamers into Doers conference. It had been over 20 years (yikes!) since I had been to there, so I arrived a couple days early and tried to pack in as much sight seeing/shopping/eating as possible. I had an itinerary, but underestimated how just how HUGE the city is and didn't get to everything I wanted to do. Here are the highlights and just a couple misses of my trip:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The great:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Dinner at <a href="http://ilbuco.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Il Buco</span></a> - Everything about this first dinner was amazing - the food, the atmosphere and our irreverent server, Johnny.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Fort Greene, Brooklyn - I loved this neigborhood with all it's picture-picture brownstones and quaint restaurants. <a href="http://www.thebrooklynflea.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">The Brooklyn Flea</span></a> was my main reason for going and it did not disappoint. Housed inside a former bank building for the winter months, the place was jam packed with vintage goodies. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://marlowandsons.com/food/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Marlow & Sons</span></a> - cozy restaurant and general store. We were too full to eat at the time, but enjoyed having a bottle of wine at the bar and picking up some delicious (and gorgeously wrapped), <a href="http://mastbrothers.com/shop" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Mast Brothers chocolate</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://www.thehighline.org/about/park-information" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Highline Park</span></a>: This unique park is built on an elevated freight rail line and stretches 1 mile long above Manhattan's West side. Plantings were a bit bleak when we were there, but I'm sure in the later spring/summer it is stunning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://www.fishseddy.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Fishs Eddy</span></a>: Please see my previous <a href="http://cakewalkbaking.blogspot.com/2012/03/heavan-on-earth-fishs-eddy.html" target="_blank">post</a> where a gush about this most amazing store.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://www.momofuku.com/restaurants/noodle-bar/" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;">Momofuku Noodle Bar</span></span></a>: Two words: PORK BUNS (they were devoured before a picture could be taken). Sit at the counter, watch the cooks and enjoy the inevitable kitchen drama.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://thelionnyc.com/index.php" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">The Lion</span></a> - Our friend, former co-worker and San Francisco native, Jonny Leiva is currently at this very swanky restaurant in the West Village. I caught up with Jonny and sat at the bar and devoured the best tuna tartare I've ever eaten.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://biggayicecream.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Big Gay Ice Cream</span></a>: The owners, Douglas & Bryan were speakers at the DID conference and since I was staying somewhat close to their shop, I knew I needed to try it out. I snuck in moments before they were closing and ordered a 'salty pimp' - vanilla soft serve, literally stabbed with dulce du leche and dipped in chocolate. I ate it strolling back to my borrowed apartment, through the somewhat sketchy neighborhood, all alone, late at night feeling like a might be able to pass as a native.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The not so great:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Williamsburg, Brooklyn - the main drag reminded me of the Haight is San Francisco and was more junky than I had imagined. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://www.abchome.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">ABC Carpet and Home</span></a>: I was so looking forward to visiting this shop, but it just looked dated and disorganized. I'm sure there are some amazing items in here, but they were hard to discover in the mess. In need of a face lift!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://www.crumbs.com/about/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Crumbs cupcakes</span></a> - Too big, too sweet and really artificial tasting. My only NYC cupcake was definitely a flop.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Overall, the trip was so amazing and I am so grateful for the opportunity. I hope that it's not going to take me another 20 years to get back! (BTW, if there are any New Yorkers that want to swap houses/jobs for a year or so, we're ready to go.).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">PS - Check out my Pinterest board with lots of other places I wanted to visit: <a href="http://pinterest.com/cakewalk/nyc-bound/">http://pinterest.com/cakewalk/nyc-bound/</a></span></div>Cakewalk Bakinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13048071373486446949noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8085209049307488730.post-75294664084648730192012-04-12T18:00:00.000-07:002012-04-12T18:00:29.195-07:00An Easter collage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t1PQYU_7wtM/T4dzk3O5FaI/AAAAAAAAGkg/OGUxTvLfeM8/s640/easter2012-001.jpg" width="640" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We had a lovely Easter brunch...</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">with <em><a href="http://www.cakeeventsblog.com/2012/04/bunny-scones-for-easter.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">bunny scones</span></a></em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and homemade <em><a href="http://leitesculinaria.com/78672/recipes-homemade-nutella.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Nutella</span></a></em>, <em><a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/lemon-curd-recipe/index.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">lemon curd</span></a></em> and strawberry preserves</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and easy-peasy morning buns (recipe to come soon)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and royal icing bird nests a la <em><a href="http://www.sprinklebakes.com/2012/04/like-porcelain-royal-icing-nests.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Sprinkle Bakes</span></a></em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and macarons made with Italian meringue (my first time)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and neon bunny cookies in sweet bunny bags</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and homemade <em><a href="http://cakewalkbaking.blogspot.com/2012/04/pinned-it-made-it-cadbury-creme-eggs.html?showComment=1334278288729#c2297268229828722458" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Cadbury Creme Eggs</span></a></em> (reserved for the grown-ups)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and cute cousins all dressed up for an egg hunt.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">How about you?</span></div>Cakewalk Bakinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13048071373486446949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8085209049307488730.post-33141479186137399842012-04-05T21:53:00.001-07:002012-04-05T21:59:50.009-07:00Pinned it, made it: Cadbury Creme Eggs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vg-9XJnHJRs/T35tGqwOq6I/AAAAAAAAGkQ/nyRKPQddDIg/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vg-9XJnHJRs/T35tGqwOq6I/AAAAAAAAGkQ/nyRKPQddDIg/s640/photo.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've never been a big fan of eating Cadbury Creme Eggs, but they have always fascinated me. How did they get the sugary yolk inside there? Well, it turns out to be pretty easy! When I saw this recipe on <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/288019338639202427/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: red;">Pinterest</span></strong></a>, I knew I had to give it a try. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The recipe gives two methods of making the eggs - rolling by hand or using a chocolate mold. The later seemed much simpler, so I choose that route. I also piped the "whites" and "yolks" into the chocolate shell rather than rolling them like in the recipe. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The result was quite delicious! Everyone who tried them said the were better than the original and not as cloyingly sweet. Next time, I might make them using bittersweet chocolate to offset the sweetness of the filling even more (and there will definitely be a next time!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy Easter, to all my peeps!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">xoxo, Michele</span>Cakewalk Bakinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13048071373486446949noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8085209049307488730.post-85079482745916988062012-04-05T19:19:00.000-07:002012-04-05T19:19:58.190-07:00Bunny Scones on Cake.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dTP_wguRbeI/T35RD1JRQrI/AAAAAAAAGkI/opx3tGVE22E/s1600/DSC_0290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dTP_wguRbeI/T35RD1JRQrI/AAAAAAAAGkI/opx3tGVE22E/s640/DSC_0290.JPG" width="456" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Do you have any favorite Easter traditions? I'm always up for trying new things, but Easter wouldn't be <em>Easter</em> without bunny scones at my house. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Check out my recipe over at </span><a href="http://www.cakeeventsblog.com/2012/04/bunny-scones-for-easter.html." target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cake.</span></a></div>Cakewalk Bakinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13048071373486446949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8085209049307488730.post-73679358913747697322012-03-28T16:48:00.003-07:002012-03-28T16:49:21.647-07:00Heaven on Earth: Fishs Eddy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BJkQENs6xY4/T2jssglP_xI/AAAAAAAAGjw/b4dFGOMACPM/s1600/2012-03-112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BJkQENs6xY4/T2jssglP_xI/AAAAAAAAGjw/b4dFGOMACPM/s640/2012-03-112.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qvKKNf6WlXA/T2jszIgG2gI/AAAAAAAAGj4/cUzbUEpVg9s/s1600/2012-03-111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qvKKNf6WlXA/T2jszIgG2gI/AAAAAAAAGj4/cUzbUEpVg9s/s640/2012-03-111.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1pUyV-MTVhU/T2js3hBl_RI/AAAAAAAAGkA/ktHVpXTAGws/s1600/2012-03-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1pUyV-MTVhU/T2js3hBl_RI/AAAAAAAAGkA/ktHVpXTAGws/s640/2012-03-11.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm a bit behind (shocker!) with my New York/Dreamers into Doers event recap, but I do have to share some pictures from my most favorite place: <a href="http://www.fishseddy.com/">Fishs Eddy</a>. Cake stands, gorgeous glass wear, vintage stonewear plates - oh my! Huge and meticulously merchandised, I could have spent all day here. Luckily, I packed an empty duffle bag so I was able to take home some treasures - but I seriously loved just about everything in there. I've been pining for since I've been home, but until I can get back, at least I can admire (and<em> maybe </em>buy) all of their lovelies <a href="http://www.fishseddy.com/" target="_blank">online.</a></span>Cakewalk Bakinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13048071373486446949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8085209049307488730.post-36738108230238687742012-02-24T07:00:00.000-08:002012-02-24T07:00:11.541-08:00Pinned it, made it: Earl Grey cake + rhubarb/vanilla bean jam<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I5UPTvCk9wA/T0brot3FhcI/AAAAAAAAGZ8/xxv83WrvMO4/s1600/IMG_0508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I5UPTvCk9wA/T0brot3FhcI/AAAAAAAAGZ8/xxv83WrvMO4/s640/IMG_0508.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Two of my favorite things in the world: Earl Grey tea & rhubarb. When I pinned this <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2011/06/earl-grey-cake-with-rhubarb-cream.html">recipe</a> from <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/">Rasperri Cupcakes</a>, I knew I had to try it out - sooner than later.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YedHQwh915w/T0bttQqyFKI/AAAAAAAAGaI/IjZDV3gBPFM/s1600/IMG_0509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YedHQwh915w/T0bttQqyFKI/AAAAAAAAGaI/IjZDV3gBPFM/s640/IMG_0509.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I made a couple of tweaks to the recipe. Rather than bake it in a round cake pan, I decided to go with loaf pans. I doubled her recipe and got four mini loaves. The cakes were a bit on the large size though, so you could easily get five. I didn't have any cream cheese handy, so I opted to make a rhubarb/vanilla bean jam instead of the glaze.</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana;">The recipe also called for self-rising flour which I do not use. I found a conversion online (adding baking powder and salt to AP flour) which worked just fine. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KvsF-LjLqa8/T0cR6K8lHfI/AAAAAAAAGaQ/tYTFw7siEpw/s1600/IMG_0510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KvsF-LjLqa8/T0cR6K8lHfI/AAAAAAAAGaQ/tYTFw7siEpw/s640/IMG_0510.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The result:delightful! The cake was moist, not too sweet with lots of Earl Grey flavor. I loved it with the jam, but it was just fine without it too. Next week: fresh strawberry cake!</span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rhubarb/vanilla bean jam</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 lb rhubarb, cut into 1" pieces</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 cups sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">juice of 1 lemon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Add all ingredients in a heavy pot and stir over low heat until the sugar disolves. Cook on medium heat until the mixtures boils and begins to gel, about 20 minutes. Stir regularly to avoid the rhubarb sticking to the pan and burning. Remove from heat and transfer to a glass jar and refrigerate.</span>Cakewalk Bakinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13048071373486446949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8085209049307488730.post-38165957456042693342012-02-17T08:10:00.000-08:002012-02-17T09:05:28.397-08:00Pinned it, made it: mini funnel cakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4gqjfueEcXI/Ty10aD6E9SI/AAAAAAAAGXA/wKyZrJ8XAvc/s1600/IMG_0442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4gqjfueEcXI/Ty10aD6E9SI/AAAAAAAAGXA/wKyZrJ8XAvc/s640/IMG_0442.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9DtLfdzksrg/Ty10c0-U4VI/AAAAAAAAGXQ/pjsFhlnhFtk/s1600/IMG_0445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9DtLfdzksrg/Ty10c0-U4VI/AAAAAAAAGXQ/pjsFhlnhFtk/s640/IMG_0445.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Have you jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon? I am officially obsessed! To justify all of the time that I spend pinning away, I am committing myself to trying out a recipe (or maybe something crafty) once a week. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, first up: <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/288019338638955645/">mini funnel cakes</a>. I love classic fair food and was super excited to try out this recipe. A traditional funnel cake is so huge that after a few bites the appeal has worn off. At only about 4" in diameter, you can enjoy the nostalgic goodness without feeling like you've had a few too many spins on the tilt-o-whirl. The tutorial is fantastic and I didn't change a thing about the recipe. I found they were just as good a few hours later (with a quick zap in the microwave), so if you wanted to make them for a dinner party, you could get all the messy frying out of the way before hand. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">One down, 700+ to go!</span>Cakewalk Bakinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13048071373486446949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8085209049307488730.post-60413682562084110312012-02-16T10:40:00.000-08:002012-02-16T10:42:04.904-08:00Sweets for my sweets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eCNYj4P_sWo/TzsOeXhr0SI/AAAAAAAAGZI/Qh66FmPaSQs/s1600/2012-02-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eCNYj4P_sWo/TzsOeXhr0SI/AAAAAAAAGZI/Qh66FmPaSQs/s1600/2012-02-13.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> <em> fresh strawberry milk and chocolate/chocolate cocoa nib shortbread hearts</em></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to win a <a href="http://www.purejoyeventsblog.com/2012/01/giveaway-winner-cute-tape-sweetheart.html">giveaway</a> from one of my favorite party stylists, <a href="http://www.purejoyeventsblog.com/">Pure Joy Events</a> for bunch of adorable Valentine's Day goodies from <a href="http://www.cutetape.com/">Cute Tape</a>. As last minute treats for friends and family, I was able to put the heart straws and little chevron bags to good use. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana;">By the way, have you ever made <em>real </em>strawberry milk? It is easy and delicious and actually tastes like strawberries!</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Fresh strawberry milk</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana;">1 lb strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced in quarters</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana;">6 oz sugar</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana;">Combine the strawberries and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes until syrupy. Pour off the syrup and cool. At this point, you can continue to cook the strawberries for about 15 minutes to make a delicious jam. To serve: Mix 8 oz of milk with 1/4 cup of strawberry syrup and shake vigorously. </span>Cakewalk Bakinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13048071373486446949noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8085209049307488730.post-7268029761935931232012-02-09T08:00:00.000-08:002012-02-09T16:08:31.003-08:00Lollipop, lollipop, oh my little lollipop<div align="center"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CjXun8V8z4Q/TzNy9JGiJzI/AAAAAAAAGYo/Sv5qHMuJDX8/s1600/IMG_0395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CjXun8V8z4Q/TzNy9JGiJzI/AAAAAAAAGYo/Sv5qHMuJDX8/s1600/IMG_0395.JPG" /></a></div><div align="center"><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I spotted these little </span><a href="http://www.sweetstyle.com.au/?wpsc-product=plain-round-lollipop-pink"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">lollipops</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> sold by </span><a href="http://www.sweetstyle.com.au/?page_id=63"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sweet Style</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> in Australia and was charmed by their simplicity and size. I did a little searching and wasn’t able to find them available stateside, so I thought “what the heck, the laundry can wait another day, I’m making lollipops!” There are a lot awesome things about making these yourself – you can control the color, size and most importantly what goes in them. I am not a fan of artificial flavorings, so I used </span><a href="http://www.boyajianinc.com/citrus.html"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Boyajian</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> natural orange oil that made these taste as good as they look. I added a pinch of </span><a href="http://layercakeshop.com/index.php/Shop/Decorating/Hot-Pink-Disco-Dust.html"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Disco Dust</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">to add a little sparkle (fullfilling my New Year’s resolution to be more sparkley).</span> </span><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jjmornr5LPQ/TzN00GipI9I/AAAAAAAAGYw/6bPg5H-FzZ8/s1600/IMG_0391.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jjmornr5LPQ/TzN00GipI9I/AAAAAAAAGYw/6bPg5H-FzZ8/s1600/IMG_0391.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A few words about working with really hot sugar: Working with sugar is super fun, but can also be a bit dangerous (maybe that’s why I like it!). This recipe is best attempted when you can give it your full attention – no kiddos running underfoot or multitasking on your Iphone. When you get about 10° below the desired temperature, do not take your eyes of the thermometer, because it will go rather fast. Take care not to get touch the very hot sugar – there’s nothing worse than a sugar burn!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 7.5pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tHDyctF2LHI/TzN03ypxi_I/AAAAAAAAGY4/W2313QhH92U/s1600/IMG_0393-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tHDyctF2LHI/TzN03ypxi_I/AAAAAAAAGY4/W2313QhH92U/s1600/IMG_0393-1.JPG" /></a></o:p></span></div><span style="color: black; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Handmade Swirl lollipops – yield 12-18 lollipops depending on size</strong>.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Recipe adapted from </span></em><a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_4898249_make-swirl-lollipops.html"><em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">here</span></em></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 cups of granulated sugar<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 cup of light corn syrup<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 cup of water<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/4 tsp. of cream of tartar<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Symbol;">½</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Symbol;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">tsp. of natural flavored oil (or ¾ tsp extract)<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">¼ tsp of citric acid <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 drops of gel food coloring <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 pinch of Disco Dust (if desired)<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">White lollipop sticks<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1. Add the sugar, corn syrup, water and cream of tartar into a large saucepan. Stir the mixture together until it is well combined, and the sugar is dissolved completely.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. <span style="color: black; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Insert the candy thermometer into the mixture and cook the mixture until the temperature on the candy thermometer reads 265 degrees F. Do not stir the mixture while it is cooking.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the food color, flavoring, citric acid and disco dust (if using), stir to incorporate.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Pour the hot candy mixture onto a sheet pan covered with a Silpat (preferably) or sprayed parchment paper. As the candy cools, gently fold it on itself with a heat proof spatula.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. When the candy is cool enough to touch, lightly spray your hands with pan spray and pull off a small portion of the candy mixture. Kneed the candy until it is opaque and roll it into a rope. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6. Create the circle swirl shape by coiling the candy rope around itself until you've achieved the desired size.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">7. Place the candy swirl onto another Silpat covered sheet pan and press a lollipop stick firmly into the candy. Repeat with remaining candy. If it becomes to hard to work with, microwave a bit at a time for 5 seconds or until pliable.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">8. Allow the candy to cool completely, until it is hard and set, then enjoy!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CjXun8V8z4Q/TzNy9JGiJzI/AAAAAAAAGYo/Sv5qHMuJDX8/s1600/IMG_0395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>Cakewalk Bakinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13048071373486446949noreply@blogger.com5