Snow Nice to Eat You

EOPLE WHO SAY "I don't eat sweets" don't make sense to me. It doesn't make me think they're better or healthier or that they have more self control. It actually makes me feel sorry for them because they don't seem like happy people. And because I love desserts. They're good when I wake up, they're good supplements to my meal, and they're especially good right before I pass out in my bed. 

The smallest nibble of a cookie or mouthful of cake can comfort me when no thought, person, event, or form of therapy can. I've seen people who seem like they would never be friends smile over a cupcake, which makes me wonder... why do people even act like peace isn't possible? And these people who allegedly do not eat sweets, do they know what they're missing?

As you might be able to guess, I had a craving one week and a perfect occasion not to gobble them up all by myself. I made some chocolate cupcakes and used festive Christmas toppers I received last year to adorn them. Dust on some powdered sugar and voila!—snow wonder they're so cute, right? It's like staring at a miniature Winter Wonderland.

Pine and dandy Christmas cupcakes.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup butter, slightly softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
• powdered sugar for dusting

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix dry ingredients: flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
2. Combine butter and sugar with a mixer at medium speed for 4 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, then alternately add dry mixture and buttermilk to sugar and butter mixture.
3. Bake at 350° for 17 minutes, then remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes. Lightly sprinkle powdered sugar (I like to use a tea strainer for this if you don't own a sugar duster) over cooled cupcakes. Yields 12 cupcakes. The "snow" may "melt" a little so it might work better if you spread some buttercream frosting on them first.

Happy Feasting!

Margaret

Picnic in the Park

Y A STROKE OF LUCK, the picnic in the park that we threw for my mom's (censored per her request)th birthday took place on the last weekend of clear skies and warm weather. With everything going on in our lives, it's becoming increasingly rare that our whole family can come together and enjoy an afternoon together, so every opportunity is a special one.

This salad was a perfect way to open the meal. I'm sure I'll be making it again soon:

PEACH SALAD INGREDIENTS

• 1 head butter lettuce
• 2 yellow peaches, thinly sliced
• 1 medium-sized red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 a head of raddichio
• pine nuts or coarsely chopped walnuts, whatever you have on hand.
• crumbled goat cheese
• balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste
• garlic powder (optional)

And here's an action shot of some cubed butternut squash. Incredibly simple but amazingly hearty.

WARM BUTTERNUT SQUASH INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 butternut squash, cut into 1" cubes
• 2 sprigs of rosemary
• 1 cup vegetable broth

Chocolate cake is my mom's absolute lust-have. My sister and I adapted a recipe from Ina Garten. We omitted the buttermilk her original recipe calls for and changed out some ingredients so that it  was less rich for the sake of our health-conscious parents. That may sound blasphemous but really, it was still delicious.

CHOCOLATE CAKE INGREDIENTS

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee 

DIRECTIONS

1. Sift the dry ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer on low speed until combined. In a separate bowl, combine the oil, eggs and vanilla.
2. Using a low speed on the mixer, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. Then add the coffee and stir just to combine. Pour the batter into 2 buttered and floured 9" cake pans and bake at 350° for 45-40 minutes. Let cake cool in pans for 30 minutes before removing.

Cheers to my mum!

Margaret

Love at First Bite: Bon Bons

IRTUALLY EVERYTIME I make a resolution, I know I will invariably change it or create loopholes—like the one time I promised not to eat cheese for a month, which soon whittled down to 2 weeks, and finally turned into 2 weeks without blue cheese (which I despise and therefore made my conviction suddenly seem very strong). That's why it probably doesn't surprise anyone that it hasn't even been 2 months and I am already reneging on my cake a month vow. What can I say? I'm consistently inconsistent.

I decided that cake is too limiting, and it's not even close to dethroning cookies in my mind, so instead I will be whipping up a more general birthday dessert every month. I also failed to mention that I started a new job last month, which has kept me busy and picking up the phone to order takeout rather than picking up the spatula to bake. ;-)

Since my friend's birthday falls a couple of days before Valentine's Day, I sent her some not-so-secret admirer chocolates. Her father works at a chocolate company (uh, hello new Best Friend) so I hope her refined taste buds enjoy these Brazilian bon bons.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon salted butter
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 2 drops vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
• unsweetened coconut
• chocolate sprinkles

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine coconut milk, condensed milk, butter, vanilla extract and corn syrup. Using low heat, stir often for 20 minutes until the mixture thickens.
2. Wait for mixture to cool and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
3. Roll teaspoon-sized scoops of mixture into small balls. This can be messy, but if you slightly moisten your hands, it will keep the mixture from sticking to your hands.
4. Coat the bon bon in your favorite topping: I used shredded coconut and chocolate sprinkles which are both pretty and tasty.

Apologies in advance if my posts become increasingly sporadic—working full time and trying to maintain a job is a new challenge for me. You know what they say though... every exit is an entry somewhere else! :)

MARGARET

12 Cookies & Crafts of Christmas

BJECTIVELY SPEAKING, Christmas is the one occasion where parties and cookies will be measured against everyone's fondest childhood memories. OK, maybe I should lighten up on the melodrama, but it's hard to deny the headache that present-hunting or baking can sometimes elicit. Stuff your face and your stockings with my favorite DIY Christmas cookies and crafts.

1. Cinnamon Tree 
A great use of cinnamon besides for adding flavor is to use the bark! What you'll need: cinnamon sticks, hot glue gun, twine, mini stars (you can find these wherever they carry scrapbook making supplies), three buttons, plaid fabric, three consecutively long Evergreen leaves. I would suggest cutting approximately 1.5", 2", 2.5" pieces.

2. Snickerdoodles

Cinnamon is also used in so many Christmas classics, my favorite being snickerdoodles! This recipe makes the most pillowy golden brown cookies.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder 
• 1/2 tsp. salt 
• 2 eggs 
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon and 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar 
• 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature  

1. Mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. 

2. Mix butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar in separate bowl, then add 2 eggs and flour mixture. 

3. Form 18-20 balls, combine cinnamon and 2 teaspoons sugar and use to coat dough balls.

4. Leave about 3" of space between cookies, because they spread! Bake at 350° for 13 minutes.

3.  Santa Gift Tags
These are a cinch to make and therefore a perfect project to do with kids. Draw/paint personalized Santa faces on card stock/watercolor paper. Cut the faces out, making sure to leave room for the beard. Tie together short pieces of white yarn approximately 1.5" long with another piece of yarn, and tape to the back of Santa's face.

4. Cool Jewel Cubes
Bling your drink with these dazzling ice cubes! I've already made Cranberry "garnets", "emeralds" (a drop of green food coloring does the trick), Apple "Topazes", and "Diamonds" (just water!)... the possibilities are endless. You can find the ice cube mold by Fred here. 

5. Snowman Donuts

I found these donut hole snowmen over at partyperfectblog.blogspot.com. They didn't mention what they used for the snowman's face, but I used some brownie crunch sprinkles for the eyes and mouth. For the "carrot" nose, I used some orange tootsie rolls and shaped them into Frosty's nose!

6. Doily Snowflakes

I doubt it was an accident that doilies resemble snowflakes. Look around the house for any crocheted doilies you have stored away, or you can create your own. Paper doilies hang more elegantly, but you could use crocheted doilies for a bunting that would add some charm to a bare table or wall. I needed last minute bags for presents, so I took out my scissors and beautified some ordinary red bags.

7. Nutty Reindeer Ornament
I'm pretty "fawned" of these darling deer ornaments I help put on the tree this year. ;-) Gather some unshelled walnuts, peanuts, pom poms, and googly eyes for this ornament. Add a festive bunch of fabric between the "antlers" and you're all set!

8. Chocolate Crinkles

Chocolate lovers won't be able to resist this one. It's moist, gooey, and bursting with flavor without being too strong. The snowy white confectioners' sugar provides the perfect winter touch too.

Ingredients

• 4 ounces of semisweet chocolate, melted using a double boiler.
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• splash of milk
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1. Use a double boiler to melt the chocolate.

2. Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in one bowl.3. Mix butter and sugar, then adding in eggs, vanilla, and melted chocolate, then flour and milk.
4. Refrigerate dough until firm, which takes 1-2 hours depending on the settings of your fridge.
5. Form about 20 balls, and roll in confectioners' sugar.
6. Turn oven to 350° and bake for 13-15 minutes.

9. Pasta Angel Ornaments
Behold, pasta-haired angels... a twist on your angel-hair pasta! What you'll need: wooden bead for the angel's head, Rigatoni for the body, Bowtie aka Farfalle pasta for the wings, Elbow macaroni for the arms, Acini de pepe for the hair, clear glue, hot glue gun, white spray paint, gold glitter, string, and a fine gold pen to draw on your angel's face.

  

10. Pumpkin Cookies

Why limit pumpkin to Halloween or Thanksgiving? These pumpkin cookies adapted from Martha Stewart's Cookies book have a vanilla-ey icing and you can top them with these gingerbread men that I gave away here.

Ingredients

    •    1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    •    1/2 teaspoon baking powder
    •    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    •    1/2 teaspoon ginger
    •    3/8 teaspoon nutmeg
    •    1/2 stick unsalted butter
    •    1 cup brown sugar
    •    1 egg
    •    3/4 cup canned pumpkin
    •    1/2 cup evaporated milk
    •    1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

*For the icing, use 2 cups confectioners' sugar, 1/2 stick unsalted butter, 1/8 cup evaporated milk,  and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

1. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
2. Mix butter and sugar until fluffy, then add eggs, then add pumpkin, evaporated milk, and vanilla. Lastly, add flour.
3. Bake cookies for 12 minutes at 375°.

11. Claus Cookies
Sugar cookies are a must-have for Christmas! My favorite holiday treat are these Claus Cookies. Using egg paint with a drop of red food coloring, you can opt for a lighter treat than with icing.  And you know what this means--more cookies! A win win situation. You can decorate these with white nonpareils, snowflakes, coconut shavings, icing, or whatever else you have on hand.

12. Petit Four Presents
These petit fours are--quite literally--Christmas presents for your mouth! I didn't have my camera  handy when I made mine, but here are some fabulous looking ones from aperfect-bite.blogspot.com. Check her out! You can use Wilton Fondant with Oreo cakesters and it takes no time at all.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

XO, MARGARET

Mini Mouse

AYBE IT'S too early to be thinking about it, but I have absolutely no idea what I am going to do or be for Halloween this year. The super Halloween extravaganza my boyfriend's family usually goes all out for (i.e. glowing quinine, 10 foot bat props, trick bathroom mirrors, and real blood in the drinks--just joking about the last one.) is not happening this year, much to my dismay.

No worries though; I've resolved the most serious matters, and that is making something delicious. Last year Nick's mom and I made these mini chocolate cherry mice resting in a cage of toasted coconut shavings. They may make an appearance again this year. :)

I've also got a decent number of costume ideas lined up. Two years ago I was a cluster of purple grapes, and last year I was a mail order bride. This year I'm aiming to scare. I'll try to do a proper post once the date actually rolls around. 

What are all your plans? :) 

xo,
Margaret