tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25776473315227934902024-03-05T00:06:32.288-05:00Crumblesmy collection of pictures, recipes, and/or all the other stuff in between of baking things.Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00609271335050441615noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577647331522793490.post-18956015777735833992009-07-06T09:44:00.005-04:002009-07-06T10:47:16.534-04:00Definitely not called FUN-dantBaking and decorating has definitely been a learning process for me. more like a learning JOURNEY, truth be told.... a long, long endless journey.<br /><br />I say that not because I'm not enjoying myself... but more because no matter what I do, I'm finding ways to improve myself, either in skill, recipe/tools, or process. That's a good thing.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><em>frustrating</em> at times, but ultimately good.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />A long time ago, I experimented with fondant. I bought the wilton pre-made kind, and I used it to cover my daughter's butterfly shaped cake for her 2nd birthday. It was fairly easy to work with, but bleh. the taste was GROSS. <strong>chewy.</strong> and bland.<br /><br /><br />As I took a bite into the cake i had worked so hard on, I immediately felt disappointed that all of my efforts got covered up by a flavorless chew-toy.<br /><br /><br />Long story short.. that experience has prevented me from really experimenting with fancy-looking cakes because again... I refuse to compromise the taste of a cake. Cake should be EATEN. otherwise.. might as well make a playdoh centerpiece and stick candles in it, <em>knowwhaddahmean?</em><br /><br /><br /><br />So I did some asking around for better tasting fondants. I got a few recipes, and decided to go ahead and try <a href="http://www.cakesandkids.com/recipes.html">this marshmallow fondant</a> to cover my 4 layer white cake that I had filled with a home-made strawberry buttercream.<br /><br /><br />I'm guessing that I made the fondant a little too dry, because I had a considerable number of cracks.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355353546109002866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdx0l9sFsDB1GDHneCAZIXN0F-AfviDhx7nB4Ykp39YbuSafAZ3WZEu00jhVBZynbkyA_LXxstPCU1PynSyyTxIIpXOVgwIVtE2y20cQvjgZC-crskKwmyfqrj1HhpHVQ1clP6xj6vmME/s400/DSCN5276.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><br />and ripples.<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355352722223113554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8ROEWuzhHxoT3GFyaTxJoYTgdMK8Rbh8VEo6tu9b79_SE99KwWQDqt7OUfTvX8CKYO3uCvdzA5CY3PFmxAGXjnQQ_PSBxphxGiTNSwoC-lWdHEiAwyf0tw2kvvRdLh40ILaEDyXtQrg/s400/DSCN5235.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><br />*sigh*<br /><br /><br /><br />(I made a larger one and a smaller cake, thinking I could keep the small cake for cutting and picture taking, and donate the larger cake to the bake sale... but since <a href="http://czejohnsoncookies.blogspot.com/2009/07/hilariously-not-funny.html">THAT</a> didn't happen.. I kept the larger cake.)<br /><br /><br /><br />At any rate... This marshmallow fondant certainly tasted better than the store-bought kind. and with a little bit of piping and well placed roses... you could almost say the cakes look nice.<br /><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355352735158021906" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUj1xt3RKAphivGMK6qLUDPREYZ0KkeCxK0MoXYukvoz9S6qfLOEw5cLskCpnFHo-0V0bDFEDBuuXK2f8MGa1TWgXnR3vK13htChtzqH3p2LIbjEWSeU8maW6jM4nZBjgQ92jTlZutYhM/s400/DSCN5246.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br />of course.. the proper camera angle does wonders. cause this picture is pretty unforgiving of the cracks and ripples.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355352742849863250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhC075ymEidVyhu2jqYrt7Gnz41gnrMwm4Zm0c2eSJkmnX66GuJoqB6D0jN0MA191mM7_VTV-N6HlfaLy_L0H13eO7md4_24mrmt5MLS8e9eovC07UPGcSY7BKcZL1KD9ZcZ2z3nM87MA/s400/DSCN5250.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br />Again. learning process. I have a few other recipes I can try, and I sincerely think that the more I work with fondant, the better I will get.<br /><br /><br />For now, however... I'm going to stick to a well placed camera, and some pretty gum paste flowers to distract the eye.<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355352728546286898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiUFxbNz5QyE_EfGF4UjBEgb87CuRlub9QmkfXs81yHfnuiBfp54VnN9VvFsVNuDiiXwqVbkDPiqa8rBL0Vh-nmeV20dv0nJ6HklajVT0ypXITMRYt8l79r3v9VsrUErzeZRa4ovHiz9I/s400/DSCN5239.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><br />of course... making a great tasting cake under all of those cracks can certainly help sway any critics from being TOO harsh.<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355353545297969778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeWb7iht9gCJ4tL1r9W3gx4JyVd_5yPuKnbLRlphCvIoGM2knxMq0ctrbdD60wR1zoHtqbKb3fNbmuUUnXLd3zM4WzX0JckF0tAXIhWUkm50bGrp8AgNZ-RR99J_5thVeHFTCXiJkC8aY/s400/DSCN5271.JPG" border="0" />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00609271335050441615noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577647331522793490.post-73651473073720673362009-07-04T15:22:00.000-04:002009-07-06T09:33:15.135-04:00Hilariously not funny<div><div>So.. if you follow me on twitter or facebook, you'll know that I was busy this past week making cakes for this weekend's bake sale at church.</div><div><br> </div><div>imagine the HILARITY that ensued when I took the bounty below to church and realized the bake sale is being held NEXT weekend, on account of the holiday weekend.</div><br><br /><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355338442414272530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXfch-fEIPtcGLa-6QTG7f0Adnl-4Bn0hfFdLeIPE9AM-h0hIzAS_d7gYfAUZrJFS9GCeFdO_MpH93Z4K7N3a2gbYb07Tcs_QQ5q4P4EG560c9txeCv2nd5G9QicYBnhEsX-TggOaJ79A/s400/DSCN5231.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br><div>DOH!</div><div></div><div></div><br /><br /><div>the good news is that our neighbors got a share of cake pops and cakes, and our dinner guests will get obscenely large pieces of cake tomorrow.</div><div> <br></div><div>yes. I am officially a Yankee Doodle Dumbass.</div><div><br> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355338446840320306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA2r8jH0-pU2ubS1Hg7TmPwMvk1xjcWspodgQR-6-PWI2EpE2nVM1cb605gy0cW_JlGISQlgXyaddDZw-6jRmbXuiG-Zz5eMzwVAcC56ppmAxG8na-ieVe66cIkyRxEhyphenhyphenaBnVDB_6HkV0/s400/DSCN5230.JPG" border="0" /></div></div><br><br /><p> </p><p> </p><p>Happy Independence Day, gang!</p>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00609271335050441615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577647331522793490.post-42064453203647674872009-07-02T08:51:00.001-04:002009-07-06T09:16:54.512-04:00Really RosieLast week I tried my hand at making <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">gum paste</span> roses.<br /><br /><br />I figured it was time to start pushing my personal envelope in the decorating arena. I mean.. I'm doing well in regards to cookies... but my cakes. *sigh* my cakes need WORK.<br /><br /><br />So.. instead of diving right in, I decided to see if I could master just one little aspect of cake decorating... decorative roses.<br /><br /><br />I made my own <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">gum paste</span>... which wasn't that hard to do. but like my challenge with <a href="http://czejohnsoncookies.blogspot.com/2009/06/never-say-easy.html">Elmo</a>... I clearly needed a LOT more red at this point.<br /><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355332768270043666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHEeIJBv_VDXK13sj2BPCFfGi5mr-gq8VlZvHkEKApbYSMJ-FOqqLDZglkhM1pM_e3IVBcVZ0nKveADbxH4WnTtL-88nWIM67zTUS74lW594yU9QCHkKE1w9anOKVWf0OUCqT7CNKW1pI/s400/DSCN5223.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br />after I had a decent shade to work with... it was all about making little balls, flattening them out, then wrapping them around each other.<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355332770889938514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1NLYzDldetqQeMnZV2NhidrnRrajndEXX3JzDzasxXf_EQgOeIBUbVmBdXKTfwPY07vSQc1FdaVcfKINH1M-Xl5eiC3aeazl6vKJ7GbjvZlI9cIWef3Th-iixnV16YdFjtZwhpDDVuAk/s400/DSCN5224.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br />I got better with each one I did... or at least got faster.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355332793252467490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGlwkRm7EdghpkrooZcEhuxdBsOeslOa688mVKpKPtDlc6IedWjG-WGXToIyv-0zMwnf3NnDQlutDLC7yxiPA-EurkVDwtUVFh-92lUlZMmKzSMSG2SGOqX0Od5iSioVgqjEfuxiCkExQ/s400/DSCN5242.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br />I also decided to make just a few roses of a yellow shade.... that I ended up using on a chocolate cake.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355333452752603826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1J0ul_w0D3_CluD57ez9G6_fBOf3jdmz1dZyzK8OuYFJ40DDaXRefOLDRVXTWtFRR8LwG7ahoVwEtVSulFxakKqMXCATS-Ne9vn0VFebAdKdY5DaM0hyphenhyphendhxHF9NJ_KopFZq4x0IjXWqM/s400/DSCN5253.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>The thing I think I like most about these roses is that they can be made well in advance of when you actually NEED them. Considering most of my baking and decorating has to happen in the small windows that I am not actively parenting the kids <em>(which.. by the way, during summer is like ALWAYS)</em> I appreciate the whole "set it and forget it" mentality with <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">gum paste</span>.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355332785338072482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZk1dyLnOSKCuV0JQ1sAoSgTj4JgumYg26KbOhxZ-_tczYHdxWffPYpeyaAwS-ChBmBArVv6mZwAzJvm4Kbw3u4YNSjAVza7G3ZYdUCOaU8b3eZfL2isuYWKNe55Fe03gj6gcP9CRGnRA/s400/DSCN5241.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><div>I <a href="http://czejohnsoncookies.blogspot.com/2008/04/garden-variety-cupcake.html">still dislike</a> that <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">gum paste</span> has no real flavor, and essentially will break you teeth if you try to eat it... but hey. they look nice. And every rose has a thorn, right? it's only fitting that <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">gum paste</span> roses have a snag factor, too.</div><div> </div><div>stay tuned for my post about the cakes!</div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00609271335050441615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577647331522793490.post-81883707952531991192009-06-20T11:43:00.004-04:002009-06-26T13:20:26.300-04:00Never say "Easy"<strong><em>I should have known better.</em></strong> By very nature of my mom's maiden name, Murphy, I SHOULD have known better.<br /><br /><div></div><div></div><div><em>Who would have thought that a simple character-cookie like Elmo would have been such a monumental challenge?<br /></em></div><div>Clearly *I* didn't... because I told <a href="http://mccathy.blogspot.com/">Cathy</a> that it would be EASY to do cookies for her son's second birthday.<br /></div><div align="center"><em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha</span></em></div><div></div><br /><br /><br /><strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">HAH</span>.<br /></strong><br /><br /><p>I'm not going to bore you with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ALLLL</span> of the details... but the highlights of my journey into the depths of believing that Elmo was truly the spawn of Satan include:<br /><br /></p><p>not being able to find an <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Elmo</span>-shaped cookie cutter ANYWHERE, thus having to CREATE one from scratch<br /><br />not having enough 'red dye' to create an Elmo-y shade of frosting, thus having to stop mid-mixing to go buy MORE red dye to get out of the pink realm.<br /><br />in new jersey, because I was at my parents' house.<br /><br />waiting 12 extra hours, unable to do anything while I waiting for the 'it's about time it's finally red' frosting to harden. only to find out that it NEVER DID, thus causing me to have to...<br /><br />THROW AWAY entire first batch of cookies and re-create, roll, cut, bake, and apply new first<br />coat of <em>"oh dear lord I have to make red again"</em> frosting.<br /><br />before 9am, because that was the day I promised to take my kids down the shore.<br /><br />Re-attack the final detail <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">pipings</span> so they have a chance to dry before being packaged up and sent off to the birthday boy.<br /><br />only to find out the post office did not offer 2<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">nd</span> day air, and had to ship them overnight.<br /><br /><br /><br /><em><strong>*sigh*</strong></em></p><br />don't get me wrong. This project was a GREAT experience, and I was so so <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">sooooo</span> happy to do it. but MAN! issue after issue! Here's a look at the final results:<br /><br /><div align="center"> <em>Elmo- take two... but with a NICE shade of red</em><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351681711217054210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD6qJgvwL9MwuRuodL_jT4i6mtkiUtNryUa8DDc68xzrMfz9PBT_ZaQ6ZgitkbxfSkHtLCOSlBUlNU4pNmmgYiH-9N9r3ZAqETRLPtMnleKL0OH-zvmPoASdAitYjbC8g4dgXS3qAWH4k/s400/DSCN5149.JPG" border="0" /></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><em>They may look like they're smiling, but they're really laughing at me</em></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351682428682731746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihAOdArJLRz4vwXT_MB-QgEmAo5d16o7F3X0l3YGy-pI9D_NdqxVcahngTQGB8_KEtXU8smZOTDeyi7F78nAQ0BQUy37a9Jo5n4r0v_sNV8HPC7MzOR_-399r0KuOO2DHe_1M4oYrQdj8/s400/DSCN5167.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><em>Elmo heads together with the centerpiece cookie</em></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351681726823292354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6fHcb-CyZQSq2p8QShgJb4xU-SmFugG8b7P34PIH3nxq7g3fYjinhg-8UO5aFR2n2EVG18OG7vuhUOHiT-W6DIillN67GoLxL7f6_5WCH3mh4WTCwHsVPIaGvaeKP9i8KpnkXU-8rHcQ/s400/DSCN5161.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><div align="center"><em>From paper to product-- using <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">clipart</span> and the invite for inspiration</em></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351681721021211122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWsYYZ9ZFtfG1yqeoWJCvvC2L4kiBFuBugtxEvpxcqd2YwVLik5slVuPTntBoFkh7tzqASch1QXgNpDy1oSj7vjGf0s-VHzMbXIliXqmumiL1VQXVjz_HwCSv6MwX_a2L3aGbZAznI0PQ/s400/DSCN5153.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><em>all wrapped up and ready to go</em></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351681733828030066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9KXBrVkzYc_srPmy0UwYSg9HY4VDtlhxwmt7mePOtv9I2z8oiAiRYVPcJ1wdB-FdG6G5svjuw8KrLwBygiTIbj3VeOd-A1x91nsCWqvNr2XrYd4IYqNDZXrZfKu5f8IeIa91WcSxapX4/s400/DSCN5181.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><br />Ultimately, I think that this was a great reminder that I shouldn't take anything for granted... and like baking itself... the slightest variation with technique, ingredients, and/or location can create exponential differences in the final product.<br /><br />There was no question ever I wouldn't get this project done. <a href="http://mccathy.blogspot.com/">Cathy</a> is a wonderful woman whom I've met through the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">internet</span>. She has a heart of gold and is just a KIND person in general. Of course... having a 2 year old myself... there is absolutely NO WAY on this green earth that I would send her son anything that didn't look like Elmo. There was absolutely no room for failure in this project... and I feel pretty confident that Cathy and her birthday boy, Liam, were pleased with the final results.<br /><br /><br /><div align="left">I know my daughter <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Rhena</span> was.</div><div align="center"><br /><br /><br /><em>kid-tested and Elmo Approved!</em><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351681736296826834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiacYTdDpt77Y2fKjNsgwkOk4iIVX1dUxOgD4CVGzkQLRQQL1Cd7a7C_tbASCQRNJXRkUMus89Uuz3HPGFJMPPD-XLKddZadelAy9iGqbJvIN-H7sOGziYzXNi3oz14I9fCmJovwL9U7nw/s400/DSCN5177.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Happy birthday, Liam!!Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00609271335050441615noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577647331522793490.post-81903646886382767752009-06-06T07:58:00.003-04:002009-06-26T22:17:57.186-04:00Little Boy BlueBack in the beginning of the year, I was sitting in a playdate with some friends, and the conversation subject got around to working.. pre-and-post motherhood, that is.<br /><br /><br /><br />I, of course, told my tale of engineering days gone by, to not working, to thoughts about becoming a teacher, then to the present, which is trying to make a go of <a href="http://tasteofstepford.com/">Stepford</a>. Right around that time, my husband Troy had finished putting up the first draft of a website for me. It was exciting step for me in this small business journey, so of course I wanted to share with my friends.<br /><br /><br /><br />One of my friends saw a <a href="http://czejohnsoncookies.blogspot.com/2009/02/and-baby-makes-three.html">set or two</a> of the <a href="http://czejohnsoncookies.blogspot.com/2008/05/old-new-and-taste-of-blue.html">onesie cookies</a> I have done in the past, and asked if I would be able to make something for her sister's shower, which was to be held in June.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I rarely turn down an offer to make cookies for someone. I've found that not only the experience itself of making and decorating the cookies, but the actual PROCESS of working with a customer is completely invaluable. Naturally, I eagerly said yes, and set her date in my calendar.<br /><br /><br /><br />Although I had done onesie cookies in the past, this project presented some great learning points for me. The location in which the shower was being held was a Tea House, and while completely adorably quaint.. space was limited. I was now challenged to find a vertical way of displaying the favor cookies, but yet would still be under the umbrella of Stepford-classy.<br /><br /><br /><br />My client and I tossed around several ideas, and as a result, I am now the owner of a few cupcake display stands. Thanks to her and this project, I now have a way to creatively display the favors, should a client want that. I know that for some folks, this step may be a given, but it was a great lesson to me in that my product still has to look good after it leaves my hands.<br /><br /><br /><br />Outside of that, and a few swallows of time-management lessons, this project was an easy one. Well, ok, EXCEPT for when, the night before the event, I completely scrapped about 20 some-odd cookies because the blue frosting I made dried more int eh teal family, and nowhere like the baby blue that the invitation boasted. oops.<br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><em>Invitation-inspired colors</em></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351615651256170626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvkNH_RfCf2BfaKxUOca0-I8R9bVJzTYLcSB03rO8bx06jKKZd3rq_Z-02QIrR1rosLa2eA6Kav4e0TdBOsE3CkFrJBwfHUf_kXAZIJ1WKsCiWZr5gRZeNRwkhyOs9pTQERGEXnXrCcwo/s400/DSCN5037.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br />All in all, however, the project came out great, and I'm pleased I was able to do it.<br /><br /><div align="center"><em>all set up at the Tea House</em></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351615660441827394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU0ulWEmAg7WLdKp60omEhtkVmvxpGvU5aOq_4QQnAp_iUTl2abk_Ng_PCtWtp-yZmPy5JpKxLVOsf00uSO0metz5lsnmrs76deMFPE-EfGPvpw5FuVoN5NhczacXSGEzwMV6h3qVfGYY/s400/DSCN5044.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><div align="center"><em>Up close and personalized</em><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351615643955943778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHfggXsqv9d3Akm4jUq7NoqfHy0SypdWBOPkYqU7c9-OCPK52IGitpB6x91Oo2nMtjWebAZ_XRZMnSY-f3jA4OmQauCEYtI8OggcSbtR8ZaxcAZZUTBSdr2Cr-VHWeNpQSsOfFdH6Wx7M/s400/DSCN5033.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div align="center"><em>detail view of favor tags and 'cake topper'</em></div><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351615639645536850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioDgesje4g7y9NpwrQgOVDp4Fne2AynWkfUN3CccnQJOiXSLeNdQ-vCH1wT035WcaS3fqTcwvT2iNJ6E-rui-oQ6e5j0g1FiX_vcKC3PYKMTY76qjj_mC-R4I0bf1Pvt7s2cCKZ3iMJ9g/s400/DSCN5032.JPG" border="0" /></p><p></p><p align="center"><em>That's a wrap!</em><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351615647063312754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYmHIBxquvj6JSUxamYlga99kq8rvfGFevk74dPe5bmuBxqyBNfmKlZofWzTtAe8gtS5Km8f_Y_vZ5cgpOsoJkuUnZHocId1Y0QsTSmZ0r3qB5iQCznpHjMbZCwMkaGPTbme4mnST7Mro/s400/DSCN5036.JPG" border="0" /></p><p></p><p></p><p></p>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00609271335050441615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577647331522793490.post-79151460513326541872009-06-01T15:47:00.002-04:002009-06-01T15:56:56.987-04:00I need votes!so the voting period has begun for the ice cream cupcake challenge!!<br /><br />I would SURE love it if you took a minute to go <a href="http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2009/06/time-to-vote-for-your-favorite-ice.html">HERE</a> or <a href="http://scoopalicious.blogspot.com/2009/06/entries-are-in-cupcake.html">HERE</a> to vote for my <a href="http://czejohnsoncookies.blogspot.com/2009/05/coconut-creme-identity-crisis.html">Coconut Creme Identity Crisis cupcakes</a>!!<br /><br />The GOOD news, other than me totally being your <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">bestest</span> friend for voting.. is that every voter gets entered in a drawing to win some cupcake cards! how cool is that???<br /><br />(very cool. trust me on that!)<br /><br />so please. don't make me beg. (at least not TOO much)<br /><br /><br />go <a href="http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2009/06/time-to-vote-for-your-favorite-ice.html">HERE</a> and ignore all those other delicious looking ice cream cupcakes, and vote for my Coconut Creme Identity Crisis cupcakes.<br /><br />please.<br /><br /><br />cause I'll love you forever like that.Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00609271335050441615noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577647331522793490.post-24152283025920008152009-05-31T15:37:00.005-04:002009-05-31T17:40:04.691-04:00The Coconut Creme Identity CrisisI love to bake. y'all know that. But it hasn't always been this way. Long time ago.. back in the days of me being gainfully employed, I would have EASILY told you that I preferred cooking to baking.. because baking was so.. PRECISE. a little too much of this or not enough of that, and you're looking at floppy, vanilla-scented pancakes that taste like paper plates. (not that I'd know ANYTHING about that... or maybe I would. hmmm.)<br /><br />However, since 'retiring' from my life as an engineer, and consequently assuming the life-long role of 'mommy'.. I have found I have a real JOY for baking. like.. REAL JOY. like.. my house is imploding from hostile laundry-takeover and the kids are jumping to and from the couches well over 4 feet apart. on hardwoods. and yet... this happy HUM comes over me as I hear, smell, and taste my way through another baked creation. JOY, I tell you.<br /><br />But I'm an engineer! not a baker! no.. I'm a mommy! but the baking! ohhh the baking.... SO yeah. so what if I'm in my upper thirties and just now figuring out what I want to be when I grow up? chalk it up to a good old fashioned identity crisis, right?<br /><br /><br />At any rate, I've really been making a concerted effort lately to dig in and get to know others that operate (either by hobby or profession) in the trade of baking. I've begun following <a href="http://17andbaking.wordpress.com/">new blogs</a>, connecting with other <a href="http://twitter.com/kgroovy">Twitters</a> (<a href="http://twitter.com/hteac">twitterers</a>? <a href="http://twitter.com/RetroBakery">tweeters</a>? twits??)... anyways.. I've been meeting <a href="http://twitter.com/iluvcuppycakes">new folks</a>. and this is <a href="http://twitter.com/cherryspoon">GOOD</a>! cause WOW! the <a href="http://twitter.com/cupcakeproject">TALENT</a> that exists out there is AMAZING!!!<br /><br /><br />One of the best things that has come of this new venture into discovering me is that I found out about a contest. Now y'all KNOW I love a good contest! I'm always trying to score stuff from <a href="http://erincooks.com/">Erin Cooks</a>, and that <a href="http://bakerella.blogspot.com/">Bakerella</a>'s always hosts contests I can't pass up. But THIS, people. this is different.<br /><br /><br /><br />THIS.. is a CHALLENGE.<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342085845293569090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFdT9m1Qtm-p5676c4EA6h_-EAK66a4rpuU3sofhNOGo2ELMAtrfq9snF1Gu0VqJjoUSn57NbknS2z_YWVCPdkehh0kNdFx_zgVAaL4L76zbPommxPkyNUMIffO6dL1tifuQD5BUOAx3o/s400/icecreamcupcakes2009.jpg" border="0" /><br />Can you BELIEVE I've never entered a baking challenge before? I KNOW! so with my new ice cream maker attachment in hand.. I knew it was a sure sign I had to pop my proverbial cherry and enter.<br /><br /><br />And seriously. cupcakes? and ice cream? together? booyakasha! I was SO down for that!<br /><br /><br />Now, the PLANNER in me had a TON of flavor combinations I wanted to do... but the PROCRASTINATOR in me waited til the VERY LAST few days to even begin creating something to qualify as an entry. So... upon finding <a href="http://czejohnsoncookies.blogspot.com/2009/05/screamin-for-ice-cream.html">the super-easy-my-kid-could-do-it ice cream recipe</a>, I decided to go with something of the coconut persuasion.<br /><br /><br /><br /><strong><em>I am SO HAPPY I DID.</em></strong><br /><br /><br />First of all.. <a href="http://projects.washingtonpost.com/recipes/2008/11/05/coconut-cupcakes/">this recipe</a> I found for Coconut cupcakes is AMAZING! I'll do a full post on the cupcakes soon, but go ahead and check it out (when you're done reading this post, of course! no need to hurry off now, ya hear?) NUTMEG! using nutmeg added such a GREAT layer to the flavor of the cake... oh! seriously the best coconut cake I've had in like.. a LONG time.<br /><br /><br /><br />it took me a few dozen cupcakes to REALLY figure out the proper amount to put in the liners (so as to leave enough room for the ice cream, and the ALL-important crunch layer) Turns out this a mistake I did not mind.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342085852505209394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0KHjC5UCTo4zg3_ChUmRWeJAwMm-1HiBP2l3YGIvQXHDL33D9vKMF1wo1NiMW3uEn0oprkfj_xlBhgP62GF0CIzgwXV3xww9U4WKCSCxwjtjQvINlC8YVexOm8OPhqWhU-8kp1mGEgTY/s400/DSCN4982.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br />Oh.. and I had NO LUCK with my silicone flower pan. I thought I'd be cute with a flower-shaped cupcake? nope. wrecked the first two trying to release the cakes. then decided to eat the others out of spite. oh.. the things I put up with for the sake of art!<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342085846194371330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMcm9eMFYHhpde-LkdGFojekD50edyqffQQxNzZYpnrWBQSCmXyTyCu9YK4VhxhdnwtjueVeqcUQKmu8Z7MxCcRsRgyCkxhchrAnokRWLAbpVeY_t1p66Sg40pzAmKt5NwWMSwOq5Ts10/s400/DSCN4980.JPG" border="0" /><br />Now that I had the cupcake portions made and the ice cream made.. it was time to make the magic happen. Now, I COULD have just slapped the two together and called it good. or GOOD-GOOD cause coconut cupcake? GOOD. coconut ice cream? GOOD. But this is my first challenge, and I wanted to do it right. and besides.. what's a ice cream cake without a crunch layer? that's right.... these cupcakes needed some crunch.<br /><br />So even though y'all KNOW <a href="http://czejohnsoncookies.blogspot.com/2009/05/grahamtastic.html">I can make my own graham crackers</a>.. I went ahead and used some good ole Scooby Bones. and how could I not? I mean.. just LOOK at Scoob! Even HE seems to be giving me a secret smile letting me know I'm on to something good here.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342085856305258802" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31c-t5vueaoZN79DEoFYykf0su4KakBndI01vkHm8ScMHvojEwIvN7pJXgbxoWXvsS2wze1Sh4DE1JEQfLBJreAMCo_0yVno2R9GKHK-Vm4bxIT18ahcd8B58mq-ibmvkwYFg9vofj4s/s400/DSCN4985.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br />I crushed the 'bones' up, mixed with sugar and butter, then baked the pressed-down mix in the oven. cause YES.. I wanted the crunch layer even SWEETER and BUTTERIER (is that a word?) than the regular grahams.<br /><br /><br />Topped the cupcakes with the crumbled graham cracker crust, then topped that with the <a href="http://czejohnsoncookies.blogspot.com/2009/05/screamin-for-ice-cream.html">coconut ice cream</a>. <em>(yes, a few are missing from the pan, since I wanted to test the cupcakes. I wasn't sure if baking such a small amount would dry out the cake.. but I was pleased to find out that even that little layer of cake was moist and delicious!)</em><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342093334231749810" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxBKdJoBvjvhF3-xD8VLqVbrjLhvZc67KYA3tMmYxjQ-aQjfkex5VQM0B_cAK24RyIlo_UKo8C1npZ-UB7_9u0BSaEv4y7bBF0YydyGjM6YMNbYvIf4c36tA7RcWlDTtwlLoOKo-aquMY/s400/DSCN4990.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br />After those set, I topped with a simple whipped cream. store-bought, at that, cause you know.. deadlines and all. I used my piping bag to make up for the lack of home-made, if that earns me any points back!<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342093340275085602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtoP8l39bCVF4gdPsP8r7EXOVd8EQ7pHKf3HwbtJmv9eAALenbsPQs8mUdyERKeuDgF2xeedp1SDWjpHU1OzC9hpFzcXXNELETQHrNeMqNv1CwPlMhgpFHFAwm2WFeyGTyC8wYeuQynOY/s400/DSCN4992.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br />once they had time to freeze a little more, I began the picture taking.<br /><br /><br /><br />Ladies and Gentlemen.. I give you...<br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><strong>The Coconut Creme Identity Crisis</strong></div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342093348132474706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4qFut7pFRP-x9X9XTR60aMHwy4z7E_bfSSHhza36gkki01JagPkHePygZkKTwguGvLCBIjK8gvcS_gZD7E74Wq_ShsuKULPfZEfMk5x-1cTH9QF49tYsiytxMq-fYZa4fWoSScb2Hh4w/s400/DSCN4999.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br />It's a cupcake! no, it's ice cream! but it's got a pie crust! and whipped cream! Do I eat it with a fork? a spoon? my hands? aaaah!! I'm so confused!<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342096106928713602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN7FuFemnuyFx6Ek-XTt0N5jiVo88HGsxHl_Xb1QsYOsZgnaXDt8lHBNSIj8Ofhm1w8Cg1T_h962INQ96ybD8Xbr-63Xxgr2kvaVJjNNvTkJm1RmUIZmuvIkpTlpRzXwBD-LQbP-L9n0A/s400/DSCN4997.JPG" border="0" /><br />Yes.. to pay tribute to my very own identity crisis... I offer you an identity crisis in food form. and GOOD FOOD FORM IT IS!<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342096118012577426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGpKFSVMTi8O7Q7Cn6hAejD-N_kJwXevvc52knNE0xtOIpWGtlfRCaprvIRu6XjBQse09Y02HZhom5sBi9i0iE1XsrfcsvbZXt9iJBlK1-iWHcYplW2oGBZzHhS9qa_eNlhjDXmIVcxro/s400/DSCN5003.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br />My husband Troy tried them, and agreed with me that these are in the <strong><em>"holy Mother#*&%er these are Mother#*&%ing GOOD"</em></strong> category. but we like coconut. we could be biased.<br /><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342096123454324546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqi98JWd7tDfspHVs8fKUejx1ZZ0TXcC5xYvxhVrvprCvXQhaRpZSNhtdbd_ZNIMnSwNbTN1d_Q5Uhec5VuBI4rcCpZ4gkcSBVlC8qVQIvy9fyXqXe6d26GvPCMhKS1wzfDPuQL17fcWc/s400/DSCN5006.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br />YOU, however, my readers, are not! <em>(ok.. maybe one or two of you are, and that's totally cool with me!) </em>ACTUALLY, I'm counting on a FEW of you to be biased and tune in later this week so you can VOTE FOR ME so I can win this challenge.<br /><br /><br />If you're curious, you can check out the blogs of the co-hosts of the contest... <a href="http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2009/04/announcing-2nd-annual-ice-cream-cupcake.html">Cupcake Project</a> and <a href="http://scoopalicious.blogspot.com/2009/05/cupcake-projectscoopalicious-ice-cream.html">Scoopalicious</a>. then, of course, tell them how great I am. and that I deserve to win. or.. you know.. maybe just vote for me once (or twice or like 20 times. )<br /><br /><br /><br />At any rate.. this was SO MUCH FUN to do!! SO glad I took on the challenge of a challenge, and I totally look forward to doing another one. but maybe next month or something. I'm so full of coconut right now, it's a little hard to move.. much less bake.Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00609271335050441615noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577647331522793490.post-45865338362487377252009-05-31T14:21:00.004-04:002009-05-31T15:14:18.991-04:00Screamin' for Ice Cream<div><div><div><div>So anyone who follows me on <a href="http://twitter.com/czejohnson">twitter</a> or <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=767102951&ref=name">facebook</a> already knows that I did indeed get an ice cream maker attachment for my kitchen aide. <em>(enter MUCH rejoicing here!)</em></div><div> <br> </div><div>Unfortunately, in my attempt to thank my folks for buying me such a wonderful toy... well.. I kinda bombed!</div><div> <br></div><div> </div><div>I HAD tried to make a cheesecake ice cream for all to enjoy during the last day of their visit last week, and I THOUGHT I was on to something. I even made a graham cracker crust to crunch up and swirl in!</div><div><br> </div><div>Unfortunately, the recipe itself just didn't pan out. You see, it called for using a pudding mix.. ad while it DID provide a DEAD-ON comparative taste for cheesecake... it never really gave that 'ice cream' texture. it was, for all intents and purposes.. frozen pudding. bleh. even MORE bleh?? 10 minutes after sitting on the counter because I didn't want to finish mine? it still had the pudding texture. it just wasn't as cold. boo!</div><div><br> </div><div>So now, you can probably imagine... I'm feeling the pressure. determined to get a good batch from this $100 toy... I researched some recipes and went to bat again. I was gonna make it work if it killed me this time.</div><div><br> </div><div><em>(now in case you were wondering if I'm really that crazy-psycho-perfectionist... ok.. maybe a little... but I'm really not. I was just under the gun to create an ice cream to go with my entry for the <a href="http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2009/04/announcing-2nd-annual-ice-cream-cupcake.html">ice cream cupcake challenge</a> I was entering. Fear not.. I had already source a store that sold a hearty version of the flavor I needed in case I botched up yet another batch.)</em></div><div><br> </div><div>So here I am... ready to make some <a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Coconut-Ice-Cream/Detail.aspx">coconut ice cream</a> happen.</div><div><br> </div><div> </div><div>I got all my ingredients... and yes.. I was sure to get CREAM OF COCONUT.. not coconut MILK.</div><div><br> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342057513509885026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjADVoaiS6s5ZPNphUnOvdl-5u-gD7fA5BQr2uP-TmsO9fbYzGZcQipRuikiOtLjN_RJLXIB1HbTdgr3h8k-511Tp8XmMBvd20HBGTHKZxiyNxDJ4e9jm-2EoTtIRZhGF4mJPPOhALMQyQ/s400/DSCN4983.JPG" border="0" /></div><div><br><br> </div><div>whisked it all together and poured it in the maker. well.. ALMOST all. I was a little sloppy, and there were some coconut flakes that went AWOL... but not so many that you'd miss them.</div><div> <br></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342057524587950914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoIsqqUE6of1y6o7S2CVTWial-skvdDz0ilDQsKH6N6N1rStbbf9nd9bztz8mLw4o-V0Sm1QmnCwoMiyT0xm1Z4Qi95yhNNi6FnMKAI2RFRW339sKmcSTCuf93hF0Rl7Q1AWEI40OaX4Y/s400/DSCN4988.JPG" border="0" /><br><br><br /></div><div>so just like those lame late-night commercials that beg you to 'set it and forget it'... I did just that. I let the machine churn its fatty-goodness contents, and I got us a nice batch of coconut ice cream.</div><div><br> </div><div> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342057528987407698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7NntRyRdVrwE2SfMSaIR6WDu3nmKfbXr7N9fWaxNTHUuHauNkz486xxKSTwAfSG6HQICz99kf1tMpBr8begjcQM6aVPRWhEAaDcUphVGCuxLvZbn44ULgvCyfaoUs1716Cxbe9IIpHg/s400/DSCN4989.JPG" border="0" /></div><div><br><br> </div><div>The taste was so good! and I'm not just saying that cause I didn't screw it up. I really did like the ice cream! and it's going to be great for using in my entry for the <a href="http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2009/04/announcing-2nd-annual-ice-cream-cupcake.html">ice cream cupcake challenge</a>. but I'd for sure do this again <em>(maybe add some pineapple bits a la pina colada? or chocolate chips? mmm... yeah. I'll do this again!)</em></div><div><br> </div><div>eventually I'll take on one of those crazy ice cream recipes that calls for you to boil egg yolks and make custard and such before chilling then adding to the machine... but I'll save that for one of my 'I've had too much coffee' kind of days.</div><div><br> </div><div> </div><div>even though I linked to the recipe above.. I'll re-type it here for you. cause I'm feeling generous like that. (and it's all of what... 2 steps?)</div><div> </div><div><br><br> </div><div> </div><div><strong>Coconut Ice Cream (</strong>as listed on <a href="http://allrecipes.com/">All Recipes</a>)</div><div> </div><div><br><br> </div><div>INGREDIENTS<br> </div><div>1 cup milk<br />1 (14 ounce) can <strong>cream of coconut</strong> <em>(DO NOT USE coconut milk!!)<br /></em>1 1/2 cups heavy cream<br />1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut <em>(*optional, and see my notes below)</em><br /><a id="ctl00_CenterColumnPlaceHolder_RecipeToolsControl_lnkSaveToRecipeBoxIcon" style="BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px" href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Coconut-Ice-Cream/SaveToRecipeBox.ashx" rel="nofollow"></a><br><br><br />DIRECTIONS<br><br />Combine the milk and cream of coconut in the container of a food processor or blender, and mix thoroughly. Stir in cream and flaked coconut.<br><br /></div><div>Pour into the container of an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. </div><div><br><br> </div><div><em>* NOTE!! the flaked coconut I used was very long. well not VERY, but a bit on the long side. i would, should you choose to add the coconut flakes, either chop them in a food processor or cut them up a little with a knife before adding in. it'll make for more even bites, and decrease the likelihood of you getting a long flake stuck between two teeth, which could cause social embarrassment or slight pain. either way.. you're welcome. I'm only looking out for YOU here.</em></div></div></div></div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00609271335050441615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577647331522793490.post-56825156646408474792009-05-29T08:54:00.000-04:002009-06-26T09:21:47.175-04:00My First Big Gig!I had my first BIG gig!!!<br /><br />Well.. it turns out all my bake sale contributions have finally paid off. A woman at my church happened to come across a batch of my <a href="http://czejohnsoncookies.blogspot.com/2009/02/cordially-cherry-happy-janes.html">Cordially Cherry Happy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Janes</span></a>, and she was smitten. SO smitten, in fact, that she commissioned me to provide her with 25 DOZEN of them for a volunteer appreciation party she was charged with hosting.<br /><br />(insert big huge smiling <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Carrie</span> here!)<br /><br />This project was a true exercise in time management, as well as a chance to create invoices and receipts for my budding business. I'm PROUD to say that the creation of and delivery of this job was done <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">seamlessly</span>. like.. <em>I was done before 9pm the night before <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><strong>seamlessly</strong></span></em>. (I KNOW!! awesome, right??)<br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><em>signed, sealed, and delivered!</em><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351624072459842386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2RtY5Rh0mQbc3xwgILZINP2aYc9PgrP-2flCbBUx2Ko9PndvQzLUvJ8xaN7bnT2hfRRayltBj7YFlVRXG-w6ir-h9V4zmooSkJh4E_4TBfgDiHrE4S5PZKAvsCio3o_x31sbbUhATUo/s400/DSCN4960.JPG" border="0" /><br />In hindsight-- I COMPLETELY undercharged this order. I have no shame in saying that because it WAS an event for church, and it WAS my first big order. But yeah... The church got a GREAT deal on these... I probably averaged about $4/hour BEFORE my costs were taken out... MAYBE 25 cents/hour profit.<br /><br />but that's GOOD. all part of the lessons learned!<br /><br />In addition to those things, I feel I have a better understanding of ground rules and expectations when it will come to ordering and payment. I was a little bummed that it took about a week AFTER the event to be paid for the work, and when I was, the check was made out to A Taste of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Stepford</span>. <em>(which meant I was unable to CASH the check because at the time I did not have an account set up under the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">fictitious</span> name of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Stepford</span>)</em><br /><br />But everything is a step forward in this journey. I do find it slightly meaningful that it was an order from church that forced me in the direction of above-board business practices such as proper account naming and licencing... but that's just me.<br /><br />The bottom line is that I accomplished my biggest order to date with timeliness, style, and a great product.<br /><br />and I got PAID.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Whe</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">hoo</span>!Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00609271335050441615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577647331522793490.post-61882717667289482062009-05-15T10:53:00.004-04:002009-05-15T11:05:15.858-04:00WINNERS!<div>Thanks so much to all of you who participated in my "Fan Appreciation Day" Contest! there were a number of first-time commenters, as well as my loyal readers who honestly... make this whole blogging aspect worthwhile!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>so THANKS!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Now, I know I said I was only going to have TWO winners for every fifty comments, but I decided to let the random number generator choose THREE comments. (honestly? I made a big batch this time, and I have to get rid of them before *I* eat them all!!)</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>so thanks to the random number generator...</div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336066597962596418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 344px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmywod7rfsp6Y-_9Q_nbZKw0e5Tc5urORvLuQ7ZBFGcqmtwBPFnWA7W9zCxQvlduOhOPuTQ_huwzCzx2dDeSae9kqNOd_qrM_u6O4yODg1rTaGRhQuvh8chqM0Qxoi5KxNinJs_wIFMoY/s400/closeup.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I can happily say a hearty congratulations to:</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>1. DIANA</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>2. <a href="http://mccathy.blogspot.com/">CATHY</a></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>3. NANCY</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I will be contacted you each very soon to make sure I have your correct mailing address! THEN, I'm off to the post office to mail your prizes!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Thanks again to each of you for playing as well as all of the promoting that was done! I've got a few more Jane Flavors I've been thinking about, so you never know when I'm going to do another contest!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>xxoo!</div><br /><div></div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00609271335050441615noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577647331522793490.post-30851030677860103312009-05-14T14:55:00.002-04:002009-05-15T09:22:46.075-04:00Fan Appreciation Day - A CONTEST!I really should have cleaned today. or did the laundry. or prepped dinner so I'm not left scratching my head in a mad scramble trying to feed everyone when we get back from my daughter's dance class.<br /><br /><br /><br />instead... I made a new Jane. And while I will have a full post describing the newest <a href="http://czejohnsoncookies.blogspot.com/search/label/Happy%20Janes">Happy Jane</a> up soon... I thought I'd make the introduction short and sweet.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center">meet the "Fanna Banana"</div><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335764002744689602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNXghcWFRT1WcP-rV_RmEsaCC9myXDjKA2-fuf0MDVa4FpZeUSX1nByrCKwbfjYd1MP4zgbIaR79FY3s6XeJzlT3uFcqb39PSXSwGY8d7xr5mfJYQrh9j4NP-b99K86Hda0Oy7VU6uIvc/s400/DSCN4848.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />There's no monkeying around with this Happy Jane... She's got a banana cookie base (which happens to be egg-less, by the way), a white chocolate and banana cream center, and then she's topped with a generous coating of extra dark and bittersweet chocolate.<br /><br /><br /><br />These Janes were inspired because both my husband and son are fans of bananas (get it.. fanna banana = fan OF banana??) and every now and then I like to make the guys in my life happy. Then I figured.. why not make some READERS happy, too?<br /><br /><br /><br />So here goes, gang---<br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>I'm going to give away TWO sets of 6 Fanna Banana Happy Janes for every FIFTY comments I get on this post. </strong>All it takes is a comment telling me what YOU are a fan of. (well, that, and the random number generator picking your comment number!)<br /><br /><br /><br /><em>(wait.. back up.. what do I mean 2 sets of 6 for every fifty? Did I not drink my coffee today or something?)</em><br /><br /><br /><br />so it goes like this: If I get anywhere from 2-99 comments on this post, the random number generator will pick TWO comment entries to each have a half-dozen happy Janes mailed to them. if this post sees 100+ comments? then FOUR winners will be chosen. 150+ comments? SIX winners. you get the drift. I will, however, limit the number of winners to 10. not that I can even IMAGINE this blog post getting more than 250 comments <em>(snort! hah! maniacal laughing like you can't imagine going on!)</em> but in the CRAZY chance that I DO get more than 250 comments, I'm going to keep the winner count at 10. otherwise I'd be in the poorhouse trying to ship these girls to all the winners! That's fair enough, right?<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />so while I'm at it.. here's a FEW other little tiny rules:<br /><br /><ul><br /><li>1 comment per person with a valid e-mail address so I can contact you, please!</li></ul><br /><ul><br /><li>do NOT forget to say what you're a fan of! Keep with the theme, people!</li></ul><br /><ul><br /><li>Winner must reside in the continental USA. (I don't want them spoiling or melting before they have a chance to even arrive!)</li></ul><br /><ul><br /><li><strong>ALL COMMENTS must be received by 9am EST TOMORROW, FRIDAY MAY 15th</strong>.</li></ul><br /><p></p><br /><br /><br /><strong>BONUS ENTRIES!</strong> want to be able to leave another comment/get another entry? Here's TWO MORE WAYS TO ENTER:<br /><br /><br /><br /><ul><br /><li>OPTION A - Link to this contest on Twitter! afterwards, come back here and leave a comment with the URL of your tweet. (URL can be obtained by clicking the timestamp below your tweet)</li></ul><br /><ul><br /><li>OPTION B - Link to this contest on your blog! afterwards, come back and leave a comment with the URL of your blog post linking to the contest.</li></ul><br /><p></p><br />Not bad, eh? Three chances to enter, and since I'm going to say that a person can only 'win' once... the odds are pretty good on the spread.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Good luck! now spread the word, so I can spread some appreciation!<br /><br /><br /><p>_____________________</p><p>Thanks so much to all of you who entered! I'm certainly a fan of people who enter my contests!</p><p>Speaking of contests... this one is officially CLOSED!!! check back later for the WINNERS!!!<br /></p>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00609271335050441615noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577647331522793490.post-72673946764614449162009-05-12T15:12:00.002-04:002009-05-12T15:54:47.106-04:00The Secret Lives of Cupcakes<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLBagTBFV4ZrmCGv3kQvcWTNysUS9e7k7Nz8y6AataUKQJ-new5qsGBZUpLYjosaTeBoJDcXzb02s34vVqaMN68zOwIVAYCSUMDz_3Du6NeENZauD2R2bRPiBO8MlnVhCCKPwYdQFHHAI/s1600-h/DSCN4839.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335018843800042882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLBagTBFV4ZrmCGv3kQvcWTNysUS9e7k7Nz8y6AataUKQJ-new5qsGBZUpLYjosaTeBoJDcXzb02s34vVqaMN68zOwIVAYCSUMDz_3Du6NeENZauD2R2bRPiBO8MlnVhCCKPwYdQFHHAI/s400/DSCN4839.JPG" border="0" /></a> <br />Cupcakes remind me a LOT of people. Cupcakes.. much like people... all are different. different shapes, different colors, some good, some bad... and let's face it... there are pretty ones, and there are ones you don't want to be caught in public with.<br /><br />Consequently.. you just don't know about a cupcake til you get under the wrapper and sink your teeth into one. (please note.. I do not suggest taking wrappers off of or sinking teeth into people. this might not go over very well with people that don't know you very well...)<br /><br />Today I made a simple vanilla cupcake for my daughter and her friend that came over for a playdate. Then I topped with a very simple chocolate ganache buttercream frosting.<br /><br />I'm sure the kids were happy enough with the very idea of cupcakes.. and CHOCOLATE frosting.<br /><br />but I'd be a liar if I didn't say that it made me happy to watch them discover that their cupcakes were techno-blue with chocolate chips inside.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335018835830836594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirpoY0asvDwYj3EjlfvJy5EUUYav4x2mjWd6JjJFtcsqEYEhOV1pJXyZ9EO_G4p7_D3yng9ox_ah_qRMu4XRj8Xg_HnLkbLz1dStXBYw6KGUA-3T_Q834dpotnDVuo8M45VnTojO93h3E/s400/DSCN4835.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br />I guess secrets aren't always a bad thing.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Very Simple Vanilla Cupcakes</strong> (adopted from the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1569065977?ie=UTF8&tag=czejohnfeve-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1569065977">500 Cupcakes</a>)<br /><br />1/2 cup (1 stick) sweet butter, softened<br />1/2 cup superfine sugar<br />1 cup self-rising flour (I used all-porpose)<br />1/2 tsp baking powder<br />2 eggs<br />1 tsp vanilla extract<br /><br /><br />Preheat Oven to 350F, place 12 paper baking cups in muffin pan.<br /><br />Place all ingredients ina medium bowl and beat with electric mixer until smooth and pale, about 2 to 3 minutes.<br /><br />Spoon mixture into the cups, bake for 20 minutes. (I have a convection oven, and took mine out at 18 minutes)<br /><br />Remove pans from oven and cool for 5 minutes, then remove teh cupcakes and cool on a rack.<br /><br />Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to three months.<br /><br />yields 1 dozen<br /><br />___________<br /><br />Feel free to add in whatever mixers you feel appropriate to show a little bit of YOUR inner self. <br /><br />We added techno blue food coloring and a gabzillion semi-sweet chocolate chips. (Playdates just seem more fun with a gabzillion chocolate chips.)<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335018831831632610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxLdFbvDyw6kIG5hLeQhUJwof7XUfp8E3aqvB4QTs3D_1qMLm5doMw6AuHBVNC2cDzBH-0V95u4n5fjo15953Khr6z3jQR0o5jrAnyB9kK9NFguJZmMteCY6r5ZSb36i9KOTCTEAvniR8/s400/DSCN4845.JPG" border="0" />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00609271335050441615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577647331522793490.post-16094548512178357492009-05-11T21:30:00.004-04:002009-05-11T22:26:53.523-04:00getting there is half the fun<div><div><div>So I've been on a mission lately. Not only have I gotten it into my head that I need to make a cupcake counterpart to every <a href="http://czejohnsoncookies.blogspot.com/search/label/Happy%20Janes">Happy Jane</a> flavor I create... but I also want to enter the <a href="http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2009/04/announcing-2nd-annual-ice-cream-cupcake.html">Ice Cream Cupcake challenge</a> this year.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div><br>Two things need to happen for me to accomplish my goals. First... I need to get an ice cream maker. I was TOTALLY hoping to get one for Mother's day... but I got a lawnmower instead. I'm not going to talk about that here, though.. because I do try to keep from using profanities on this blog. So whatever. I'm still ice cream maker-less. But I'm not too worried. my husband may MAKE the money, but I control the budget. There shall definitely be a belated mother's day ice cream maker coming my way soon.</div><div> <br> </div><div> </div><div>So the second thing is that I need to figure out how to make a good graham-cracker cupcake. I don't mean a vanilla cupcake with a graham cracker bottom. I mean.. <em><strong>"holy cow.. this tastes exactly like a graham cracker.. but it's a cupcake!" </strong></em></div><div><strong><em></em></strong> </div><div> <br> </div><div>I found a <a href="http://www.foodbeam.com/2008/09/10/shf-so-horribly-fluffy-smore-cupcakes/">recipe online</a> that I used yesterday.... but the problem is that it's in grams. gar! So I made some conversions and did my best to re-create this recipe.</div><div> <br> </div><div> </div><div>The 'batter' ended up being VERY THICK. like <em>"am I making muffins or scones here?"</em> thick.</div><div> <br> </div><div> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334745692339303026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimlJXgt7dlTWJ309ELHhE6aNA_q8HJmuetmaVg8sCp7NlqckIpKq18KCDFmqqJwr6JW-WUfNQjNvxb9bgcevPkRs0ZWAjVxJ2J7Uc3VKbo15ALGk8JdwFXSOVsKxw8o5JiiskFYdGTsmo/s400/DSCN4796.JPG" border="0" /></div><div> </div><div> <br> </div><div>Nonetheless... they baked up fine. At least by looks anyway. to taste one out of the oven was not what I had hoped for. They tasted a bit... well... <em><strong>bran muffinish</strong></em>. I mean.. they were OK.... but not <em>roll over and find a glass of milk good</em> or anything.</div><div> <br> </div><div> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334745699114466258" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikYE7-zZokxBQWPNoMr8HlMtch0XWqWzJT7FehliuxEhykcMqkAlDvPglhWxTDmZA8vMmYcdBY6g5dLzzElZFOLuQH8oW05fXXKQn74FyFfhDGphkrC-8n0xNlT7uRZalbXHlhRIndLm4/s400/DSCN4798.JPG" border="0" /></div><div> </div><div> <br> </div><div>But I thought... let me forge forward. you never know what they'll taste like after I pipe some buttercream in there and cover them with chocolate. Oh wait.. did I say buttercream? Yeah... I did. Marshmallow buttercream, as a matter of fact. thick, sugary, make-your-teeth-hurt marshmallow buttercream. SURELY that would balance the neutral graham taste of the cake.</div><div> <br> </div><div> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334745702841075938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz1NRTQ0fmk8YaSKjXySAz0XaJgKT2AZYKYujxNDUKGwE5q75ICiRIdPgcYCSmaa4yCfdbqbqtuqG607VIF2XIVqDJQpKpRZUZrOmGLQErgbCLviRRS3VuoczYGbwCC2kBYvPk4u6ju4c/s400/DSCN4800.JPG" border="0" /></div><div> </div><div> <br> </div><div>But wait... because I was looking to re-create my <a href="http://czejohnsoncookies.blogspot.com/2009/01/more-than-smores.html">More than S'mores Happy Janes</a> in Cupcake Formation... I needed to get some chocolate. Thank you, Trader Joe's... this ought to work nicely in a ganache layer on top.</div><div> </div><div> <br> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334745710145216034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpwCeSY6LtqIrFRFdlOCcekrv3gJGZvcd9eMAKFZ8HqtqeC553xFfzznjvBYbPyry0jI_zA0Tc_hG7MTL0y1Mu0yVZXmHcEVwOZlyXddqTIrJq90tU9jrqpT6T7OUTseYqYSqMKe7ua00/s400/DSCN4805.JPG" border="0" /></div><div> <br> </div><div>and nicely it did. I spooned a little on each cupcake, and sprinkled with a few graham crackers for garnish.</div><div> <br> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334746697180785490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYq8Jvk4vusIE_1qy9hEegOoZlud_ACb59Tfep_LJdDVyhziiUexPWKCTajBr6zr47iuleF_wGfd7Wj9K1QULbf88y15umI1pxYiZsb-BXup5BTMqi6nGX4Uz14CtkTDC3D_5gf9GLMbY/s400/DSCN4815.JPG" border="0" /></div><div> <br> </div><div>When all was finally set... I excitedly peeled away the paper to see the treasure that would greet me. Looks good, no?</div><div> <br> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334746704541064434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN1QKxsxpXoCH4JQdqrxXCWfU-tSU56r2hWSg8R1s6kZUM1aX1Lt1YnklQD_-NE3AA8b0_B1iqhGYu9Dmc-zBzktyNWPyEHRe75xevJEZtBebjtiICCZymUasPHqWDHFif9p-PXyRc7Ec/s400/DSCN4817.JPG" border="0" /></div><div> <br> </div><div>Of course... there's no point of piping in the buttercream if you can't see it in there... so here's a cross-section for you.</div><div> <br> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334746706719914674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMlkR2-37_4-snBLhGYd2QQj8d2p81U-WACJTRuVX1NquuQ-MBReEbPfnCsxiTmGNms6ybWggPp-v8BVEDcdPmOiREUHmsZa6yl6XlKAWkmw0DPMjlH58Ms0ZC3qI4uvmoT-ACNd18HwE/s400/DSCN4820.JPG" border="0" /></div><div> <br> </div><div>All in all... it was... lackluster.</div><div> <br> </div><div><strong>I know!!</strong> <em> so sad!!!</em> I was really bummed it wasn't spot on. I even typed out the recipe with the conversions so I could include it here on my blog... but I don't feel right sharing it.. cause it wasn't good enough.</div><div> <br> </div><div> </div><div>All in all... I need to tweak the recipe a little. I think... because I used an entire portion of graham flour... it was a little on the dry side. next time I'm going to use a mix of the graham and white all purpose flour. and instead of non-fat milk, I'm totally gonna break out the full-fat moo-juice. that little bit of fat helps to make a moist cake.. so I need not to skimp on that.</div><div> <br> </div><div>Also?? I need to pipe in MORE buttercream. The cake wasn't BAD... but with the grainy/branny/neutralnessof the cake, and the dark dark bitterness of the chocolate ganache... you really need a bit more punch of sweet for balance.</div><div> <br> </div><div>So hooray for the pictures... but fingers crossed that I can get this right. I really do want an authentic graham-cracker tasting CAKE... and when I DO get that magic combo down.. I will re-post with the winning recipe. <br><br /></div><div></div><div> <br><br />_________</div><div> <br></div><div>let it be known that I am currently doing my best to personally get rid of all these 'bad' cupcakes. They may not be great... but I'd hate to see all that good chocolate go to waste. Besides... I figure, with every one I eat, I'm one bite closer to figuring out how to make it better. I better stop messing things up, though... summer is coming, and my bathing suits will not appreciate all these mistakes I'm eating!<br /><br /><br /></div><div></div></div></div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00609271335050441615noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577647331522793490.post-5246656966836330572009-05-07T14:27:00.007-04:002009-05-07T15:19:33.435-04:00Send 'em Some Sugar (Literally!)<div><div><div><div><div><div>Do you ever see something and think.. <em>oh, that's cute.. I could do that...</em> then forget all about it?</div><div> <br></div><div>A while back I had seen something in one of the many cake decorating books that I buy about decorating sugar cubes for a party. Cute idea, right? I thought so too.. then promptly forgot all about it.</div><div><br> </div><div> </div><div>The other day I indulged and bought myself another book called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0760791791?ie=UTF8&tag=czejohnfeve-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0760791791">Beautiful Cakes</a> by Peggy Porschen. It was in a discount bin, so I really couldn't resist. Sure enough, as if by fate.. the very last feature in her book (as well as the back cover art) is home-made sugar cubes.</div><div> <br></div><div>I figured the baking gods must be screaming at me, cause sure enough.. here we are nearing the end of Teacher Appreciation Week, and a mere few days away from Mother's Day, and I have NOTHING. no gifts, no cards, nothing in the mail on the way anywhere... NOTHING. Ladies and gentlemen.. this is a time to send some SUGAR!</div><div> <br></div><div> </div><div>I will say that this was so ridiculously easy that I almost feel guilty giving this as a gift. With some sugar, a half of a drop of neon food coloring, a splash of water to dampen the sugar and my itty-bitty cookie cutters... I was totally in business.</div><div> <br></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333153297210619330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw3lJeogcxmCqcNSHK70gmBoW7udhYNWPr4riMtaXVd-dIQf96VjSgBa-41EzmifgDws9k5JFlhHlt9-DwTlhSeneHfSmoxjlIczhueS72WUJu7CEfHnTA8I6n-YXYauV_zpoSDOe3qIw/s400/DSCN4778.JPG" border="0" /></div><div><br> </div><div>really. if you've ever built a sand castle... you can do this. Take care that the sugar isn't TOO wet, make sure it isn't too dry, and be sure to pack it down.</div><div> <br></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333153312790306706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz2-Q2vAcR6bYcPTkgfAfx8F2khRpK5kFg_BnYFyRv5fSmvCrss0u6qsJ97Nv2vO1vq1jQgG0ox8r7BSomzA1FXQFeyE4A0d_7Pb1P3nBk9w5PlI94T_VABV_Q5cCCvE5jhuht_a9S1kk/s400/DSCN4784.JPG" border="0" /></div><div><br> </div><div>oh, and wait a few minutes before trying to remove the cutter. otherwise you might end up with a jacked-up sugar shape.</div><div> <br></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333153305953433170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO0FKp71GpKqRZEbDYMxJLTncxWFptakMd7YjV594E4FK38VzMqYF3PnkEQkQxXYlqvC0-ZcpP0XZVr2WJ3JCd7kDx1vKU6AfBhm3QOps_G8RsYTEVJnUYINDSr14PYdAKThbt2NW73hE/s400/DSCN4781.JPG" border="0" /></div><div><br> </div><div>or worse... a real mess.</div><div> <br></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333153308839236130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpKknW0RcNH3zY2snDinBuTfbp-uP-5vr__UuYsqfPgKyU5xxBIWYIzA-UCgAg8zMw2H1FQ45eAWo0-pL1F_ZxOE0BoLl31b9FIKRWVOZWyBBdrJBue8eoJB89qMO8ndn4W1yC5wwxn_U/s400/DSCN4783.JPG" border="0" /></div><div><br> </div><div>within an hour or two, the sugar shapes were ready to be handled (GENTLY) to have their picture taken... but I'll be letting them 'dry' over night before I package them up. Nonetheless... here they are ready to sweeten a special some one's day.<br></div><div> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333153974779192130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUYM4Rxg_F-uANPlxE5uasL2YYiYEOn41SG6lblwnoH4EiQyhCW-FfklTsRMvDgtszIHkFLuatFg_lr6wHYLih6jnGDKo8qarrU7Ys8-HWAZZS1637FprIQEsScQ9XdN1d_3ns-ncH6ZA/s400/DSCN4785.JPG" border="0" /></div><div> <br></div><div>Each of my daughter's teachers (and a few of my favorite friends that are moms) will be getting a box of tea and some home-made sugar cubes. While I have them slated for Teacher Appreciation and Mother's Day gifts.. these can certainly work as adorable favors for a baby shower, bridal tea, birthday, princess party, or even a get-well gift (spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, right?)<br><br /><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333153977891284002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQORMhhOISugEE8OxvlQlSCLZDQXME7xrbTFSMO2CBO7UYKmLL-VDKjTT1Ao9I7saCWq6qvTdRoyprtZUfsDQB5yjoAIcY0eZH8ypNwuZ_CuFMzTlXhAJCpvbVdHpUecCnCZMjBLWLaM0/s400/DSCN4794.JPG" border="0" /></div><div> <br></div><div>Happy Mother's Day... Happy Teacher Appreciation Week, and just Happy Day in general! Now go send some sugar to someone... if they haven't already... they might just do something sweet for you in return.<br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00609271335050441615noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577647331522793490.post-52741857477241522872009-05-06T08:27:00.000-04:002009-05-07T14:26:56.676-04:00GrahamtasticI've said it before. I'm SURE I'll say it again.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2008/03/homemade-graham-cracker-recipe-graham.html">This recipe</a> for home-made graham crackers is GREAT! A certain drawback is that of any other dough I make, I just can NOT help myself from eating this raw. maybe it's the honey, maybe it's the graham wheat flour itself, but all I need is a spoon and a bowl of this stuff. (Just don't tell my daughter... I tell her all the time we can't eat <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">things</span> because of raw eggs. she'd have a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">hypocritical</span> field day with me if she knew how much I was sneaking behind her back.)<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333059414537476322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-oC3rD1LBJ0buddB5MWCdaVCa8sGPsQwjTCgxDrmP9I7Fhhq2vdNedzI55lFKFdxo8bRibyvxSxegTHMiVNNsvyYfNGxRFGJqSwvzr2vsievH0ySYQs2J5g6TPF88JqCNwDcds8KyM20/s400/DSCN4710.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br />Of course, my main reason for making this recipe is so I can get my little graham cracker rounds for some of my Happy Jane varieties. but every time I DO make them I think... "Why don't I make these more often???"<br /><br /><br />If you have ever made a sugar cookie or cookie using a cutter with any success, then you can TOTALLY make these grahams. My only suggestion is to be sure to roll them out so they are thin. In the past I've made them thick like my cookies, and the kids just end up looking at me weird. like I'm giving them dog biscuits or something.<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333059420734905970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjKeLTqFpPawne8QSxNa8a9GNEdrWBsmfI6Sm3cAmcb5z24aQiFU2DfGCk9xBu6kgDtc_-CKyWtzR5Xy5npqLJG9Zp29BbVneV6EkrjTVrb1nJe4lFDuIXqbW3jFypv-beD38FiGPh25Q/s400/DSCN4711.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br />We were super boring and stuck with squares this time around, but I did let the kids 'prick' the holes in the top and 'help' with the sprinkling of the cinnamon sugar before baking. (notice the HEAVY layer of sugar??)<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333059422683339090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYPX_VRy0ZsGA74KEg8vdLEukyztRA9iZvSei-vnRvOJrsh3CrvaKukeYkJGIhXU_d0LU9a5i7aZNURTnEBldPhhz1aRBhvUbmhjHWhA6PPmIvJ5qbIptG1kL4ZrZ_AVyS3hUYUsP5LAw/s400/DSCN4716.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br />no joke.. any time of year these are a light and fun snack. and it should be noted that despite my kids' habit of a heavy pour/sprinkle of sugar on top, this treat has FAR less sugar than the majority of store-bought varieties out there. Almost kind of gives you the green light to cover them in <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">chocolate</span> and marshmallows, you think?<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333059427101762290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_uFjds0jGLa5Hws1Or6pnaIf2XS2-yPiPoOnnWNyP0t6YoJErEhsW_uKmzXjS_yCqMRkeISBeYe0MvgBbt78fi2mxXfDzGqLa2QGO7MlHVlYAHCKxNuYeSYt4NzinZeutV9U1L2J3pLs/s400/DSCN4725.JPG" border="0" />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00609271335050441615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577647331522793490.post-927944342809442672009-05-02T14:33:00.006-04:002009-05-02T16:18:29.718-04:00Right in the Kisser!<div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>So I've mentioned before that some the spring time, I like to find inspiration from citrus. Combine the availability of so many fresh fruits this time of year with all of the grass, trees, and flowers in bloom... and my mind kept seeing shades of green. Consequently, I succumbed to the green as well as gave a nod of respect to my days in Florida and bought myself a bag of Key Limes this week.</div><div> <br></div><div>Of COURSE I was thinking about Key Lime Pies, but then I thought... ooooh... key lime HAPPY JANES. all the taste, tang and creamy goodness of a pie in one uber-decadent bite. SIGN ME UP!</div><br><div> </div><div>Do you like how nice and neat I started with my bowl of key limes and clean cutting board?</div><div><br> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331310249565445794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqP2xcGaeXTD_sR3aeuUr8RY0qURN73k2JXp-TnOsLgmcvj6tUxFsKa6uohaS6w0lIANr5K2tCBVG9EB25emNkAOMDhc1Er76WfFdKfK60Fi_fwm2I802JpGfsyOjPtUbqMFwvhcFfzSY/s400/DSCN4704.JPG" border="0" /></div><div> </div><div>Unfortunately, trying to de-pulp key limes is NOT an easy task. not only did my fingers prune in the prolonged exposure to juice, but man! I made quite a mess!</div><div><br> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331310258225614242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW9d-0nY7PYHlMQhV6-hmDcP2PFBuMglQgCSIv16qsfWa-xUZOyh1ZC86BLDylwneEWeeNbaP-A48ZmM4CiQld98tgVosgSKrhe_kZcrN9laxf5gSaCuRa4LSZ7U-_GIWOlNe11fURTZE/s400/DSCN4705.JPG" border="0" /></div><div> </div><div>I tried everything! A peeler, a fork, knife, spoon... considered the food processor... but nothing but time and effort were the trick to removing the pulp (sans PITS!) from the little green meanies.</div><div> <br></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331310260845235842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDM058Eu9pok6psxRrZFblvfjITqwbCNBrLyinzOno-L6_Kw4nGzB6bKisbq_Zy75OVAo6hFA_yPu3pdgH-JaYeoNSD_saIYVdwOI-mRv3nux86oJb5k3epfaDVQuT_A2Ix6dw7m1zsX4/s400/DSCN4706.JPG" border="0" /></div><div> </div><div>I strained the pulp and juice, because I was really only wanting to add the lime pulp. I knew too much 'juice' and my buttercream would not set, so I tried to minimize my liquid additions.</div><div><br> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331310264555279058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_BqC-wboSbXNS42qFmtHY6JdlbmbdxJPqZyGKWerF2rwhyphenhyphenCmDrT80vDLxDH_3lGlRhxYWo5PsGpP1g69pf_NCUtFyM2I8oNm17pIyZse52M80W4hQEAe-j8VfAbcp7-XKABEGImwj4Y/s400/DSCN4707.JPG" border="0" /></div><div> </div><div>Once my buttercream filling was set, I piped it on to some home-made graham cracker rounds. I know I've said this before, but I LOVE <a href="http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2008/03/homemade-graham-cracker-recipe-graham.html">this recipe for home-made graham crackers</a>!!! So tasty!! (speaking of tasty... don't these girls look so GOOD??? )</div><div> <br></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331313558996332418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZEQLV2oS2NKvNP648YKDxSgI2Wm4C4p2RlCW0ga8oA7esbW2RKeSSRtogs8L0e90y8NyH5HSxNd7mIxnyRrprmA9vYpSOkTNiLqWoVeas9nYetPmjvd5UjeSX258cnVMbZNiJIiehp0/s400/DSCN4719.JPG" border="0" /></div><div><br> </div><div>You know the rest! do the dip.... let harden, and enjoy!! <em> (ok, more like.. do the dip, get impatient waiting for white chocolate to set, stick in freezer, STARE at freezer willing sub-zero temperatures to make the shell harden already... THEN enjoy!) </em>I tried to keep to the key lime pie 'flavor' as much as possible, so I stuck with white chocolate. </div><div><br> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331313563245264562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzUg54J1VlaRKkOT-lO2BF_LdWci7cxYOIRAao_6CMv3t789sxcbWsEbn5oWNJiZAZWb9CHvfb3aaRDO9mUR1nRWr2s_0WH24MjOocCRqXoURThTgEYS7cU1avHh8jyh_NBt-32wHVT_g/s400/DSCN4727.JPG" border="0" /></div><div><br> </div><div>I joked on Twitter that my husband Troy was going to propose to me again when he tasted these.</div><div> <br></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331313568955054674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBQETeF5RuxG0_Wxzb86Lky9dBmWOV17uJ-9_UqCkEDwfvMB-m9myqKK_-jdB2iv9eKTLgvrLLRp3VIYfEismLEyi3HFMTUmZ1zdxoU1aaNfMBtgs2DHQMs2jnpYku2HgnYWwW7a66zyw/s400/DSCN4743.JPG" border="0" /></div><div><br> </div><div>He did. (well... no ring was involved.. but he did actually put his dishes in the dish washer, so that's close enough for me!)</div><div> <br></div><div>Please give a warm welcome to our newest Jane----</div><div><br><br> </div><div align="center"><strong>The Key Lime Kisser!</strong></div><div> <br></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331313575851438802" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzNPtpZQt74o7e-TNsEdvh0PMAan4s0fBNVxn1IepnpKmqjY2lqPyOVguY80edwFEQCm6MZwuFBqaoBUDlSnFyCk9SdcBxgdZe5vzi9gI92xPs-HJ3NPImWI7a8AjgmV67BNY91LJ5nNE/s400/DSCN4750.JPG" border="0" /></div><div> </div><div><br /><br /><br><br><br /><br /><strong><em>Lessons Learned:</em></strong> de-pulping key limes is HARD! I have bought key-lime juice in the past, but man oh man, if I could out-right purchase key lime pulp.... I would totally do it. When I make these again (and I will... these are definitely a high-ranker in terms of flavor in our house, and I see them being made well into and through the summer!) I will try different methods of de-pulping. maybe I'll even try the food processor. you know.. once I figure out if eating key lime rinds is ok.<br /><br /> </div><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00609271335050441615noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577647331522793490.post-72277869659565762572009-04-30T14:56:00.007-04:002009-04-30T20:44:47.489-04:00Holy Orders<div><div><div><div>This week I was busy making a BUNCH of cross-shaped cookies for a first Communion this coming weekend in New Jersey. Coincidentally, the class of student *I* teach is ALSO making their first Communion this weekend, AND our church is having a bake sale.</div></div></div></div><br /><p>It was agreed that I would make 5 dozen cookies for the New Jersey affair, but I ultimately baked 75 cookies... allowing myself a decent margin should I have any mishaps. I figured any extra I made can be donated to the church for the bake sale... with that many first-time communicants on the loose, I figured the cross-cookie might be an easy sell.</p><p> </p><p>Having learned from my own mistakes, I decided I would stick with a simple (and REPEATABLE) design. I was thinking all-white... with some texturization. given the sheer QUANTITY of cookies I was taking on, I knew my hands would be able to handle only so much piping. the idea of switching back and forth between colors would have probably broken me.</p><p> </p><p>The crosses came out pretty simple looking, but those looks can be deceiving. I completed the cookies in about 5 stages. First I piped the 'outline' of each cross. Second came the flooding. that provided a plain white 'background' for each cookie. I let those sit over night so I'd be working on a nice firm surface the next day. <em>(this would also be the best practice if I were thinking about using colors on top of the white. if the white is not completely dry, you will run a VERY high probability of the colors bleeding. </em><a href="http://czejohnsoncookies.blogspot.com/2008/08/plum-pear-apple.html"><em>I should know</em></a><em>.)</em></p><p>Phase three had me doing the jacquard/scroll pattern on each cookie. I finally hit my 'groove' of this step around dozen number three or four. A VERY important reminder if you do something like this yourself is to go back over these cookies within a reasonable amount of time and 'trim' up the excess scrolling. This is particularly important for stage FOUR... where I once again piped the 'outline' of each cross.</p><p>SIDE NOTES:</p><p>without the 'trimming', the outlines ended up being either raised up or crooked, period. I also feared that with the raised up edges, they would be the first area of breakage when the cookies would be shipped. the textured cookies are adorable in all the various ways they can be done.. but<strong> cracko!</strong> first to go every time.</p><p>Also? Some may argue that the final 'outline' is not necessary, but personally i feel it lends a polished and profession touch to each cookie. Blame the engineer in me, but I like seeing definitive edges.</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330566691853068658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61wYL_LjubhPG41TiDyJ4wuNvUeldm4HquBzTpzxFsW22SHj2a6iF6dZziVkvYq5jXk6sjdHj3iMLQusH5bUPfh-d3LUI1LBd9voywJmGua25oT0oaCfid-6zk4raTws_jxo52Q-qm38/s400/DSCN4669.JPG" border="0" /></p><p>The final step for the cookies was to (after one more night of hardening/drying time) was to brush a luster dust over each cookie to give a pearlized sheen. (Note to self-- I NEED to get a bigger design brush.. using the little one took me FOREVER!)</p><p> </p><p>During my 'down time' of waiting for the royal icing to dry.. I worked on the favor tags. I found some great pearlized green card stock that I used as the springboard for my design. (also why I chose to do the luster-dust on each cookie)</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330612891990620482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwV9LDtPe_wmCKqt0rvP37jaWGxftF-v37nNNjkdz02UiMlh-VKxs_x6LvARADH0ki1vJinrQUmRNIWuKj6j91TXEJM8maWtrblyHI7Nu0eXR2iprRDJcyBegT2Xr3sQX98dnp0q6PlEU/s400/DSCN4675.JPG" border="0" /></p><p> </p><p>I printed the pertinent info on some heavy white card stock, then used one of those fancy-shmancy scissors to cut out and glue on to the green paper. Also? found a <a href="http://www.gartnerstudios.com/skuDetail_2009.cfm?sku=76473">bucket of table confetti</a> and glued a flower to each 'tag'. The flower confetti was also pearlized... so it was a perfect match.</p><p> </p><p>Before I knew it, it was assembly time. Bag, tag, tie, pack. repeat 60 times.</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330566678286800898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPozjkAYRlM1jYtOgh86gLBeuaGvTSCIhvJLD5Jx5tTYeaN27AWPQLSEDBCxJ7bBkxqCDxPN4TLUiMuX8RD7p7X8X3MztP3wWt-W0CjIp6yiU44vnSfL4R2VwHOEjtvBzgh-MZwUK1vnI/s400/DSCN4660.JPG" border="0" /></p><p>I will also take a moment to note that the ribbon i used was squeezabley adorable. perfect color match, and just the right width. and who can resist a polka dot? AWESOME, I say!!</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330566687045965570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCSGF3z4y7lUIBA_OnJJsgTOC4y0Y7Ofsm5dGxzGHZDUnFFat96ms447WC_K37hsrqD-Oat6Om1EXFuGO4KTN2wtkQABKwEtzgILGVbIyj60qekNfMk0jH0FdW72nrjVunne5a0QPWJPE/s400/DSCN4667.JPG" border="0" /></p><p>Finally, all 59 cookies were bagged and tagged. (yeah... one broke cause I'm clumsy and dropped it. I was bummed at first, but then I ate it. No sense mailing a broken cookie, and I was running low on energy, anyway. )</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330566682282721570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjysETC7VGkjWer4OOREZwkuHQojaQIHdt4npSzZU3D3tyWrThiaWtZkn4JUbZVrbs8wG8MrfEiMOUnjRXg5_6DiO9TUyw-mUlMAo0069MykNo4PzAx-Xa_gjxLHCqc4VtieL295dXlRvQ/s400/DSCN4661.JPG" border="0" /></p><p>The most unsettling thing in this whole process for me is what came next... boxing up. Usually I shrink-wrap each cookie, but I opted for favor bags this time. I have no idea if they will 'behave' differently en route...but I definitely used about $20 worth of bubble wrap.</p><p> </p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330567573864635586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin7N-hqi_ipzhPfyxUBe3agyNxirc8rG6YuRJ8VLhKCcO-W4CsNcxo1-zmpv9ZVksyiROr1Jbfa5yGo5X4Enhg2P6EUAj9OJNy0tjH00Zd7N_uapB2skkfI43k-I1CpZQPo8KAoEE1Yf8/s400/DSCN4676.JPG" border="0" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>So that's it! the cookies have been mailed, and should arrive either tomorrow or Saturday. I toyed with the idea of driving them up myself, but my husband vetoed it on grounds of not being safe with the amount of time between MY class' mass and the one in New Jersey. I definitely put enough love in each cookie, so I'm sure the guest of honor will know how much we're missing her on her special day.</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330567586551996802" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmrg1RBkx2TMQFQsx-qaq1HOpnn3puTig5ZKgzzjPTZuKS9VTmNGJs2qzToAyjc8FqMDmaQ0LN5ZzNMf2pID5BFcW-bUjcF-IWcIIE0w2m4GcwACoKYNnHnoB8ieE4K1UAvtCP0h0X6vs/s400/DSCN4694.JPG" border="0" /></p><p> </p><p>Love you, Laney-Bird! I hope you enjoy your cookies!</p>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00609271335050441615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577647331522793490.post-62811737527094662392009-04-22T10:17:00.005-04:002009-04-22T15:02:23.623-04:00Citrus Inspiration<div><div><div><div><div><div>So in the springtime, I like to start thinking about lighter flavors. I use a lot more citrus fruits in my cooking, and consequently, the same holds true for my baking. I've recently become a big fan of <a href="http://erincooks.com/2006/10/29/sunday-morning/">these raspberry/lemon muffins</a>, and plan on trying out the BLUEberry/lemon recipe very soon.</div><div> </div><div> </div><br><div>At any rate, with my thoughts on spring colors and lighter flavors, I thought it was time that I gave my Janes a fresh look for the season as well. During Lent I had plennnnty of time to think about what flavor combos I would try next, and while I still have 2 more up my sleeve, I wanted to share my two latest creations.</div><div><br> </div><div> </div><div>The first one stemmed from all those extra lemons I had kicking around. After whipping up a batch of buttercream filling, I added in some lemon extract and a heaping amount of lemon zest. After that filling sat over night, (I wanted the buttercream to REALLY absorb the lemony zing from the zest) I piped the filling on to some vanilla cookie rounds.<br></div><div><br> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327521195054724946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxBT5FiCExazhUeGN9vaY5vUX9qVWNceSKurUjF_wLD0d3zgfRDrsP_rV1WePqNBGBIMRYv2-lfPjPR-f3LHF0OLzcqVeE0pwfLiG91MKLFmxdaryTi61YtjMAgJ3gSWLV8R7-nBcO9S4/s400/DSCN4481.JPG" border="0" /></div><div> <br></div><div>The rest came easy as pie. Lemon meringue pie, that is! Each treat got a dunk in white chocolate, then topped with a few of my <a href="http://czejohnsoncookies.blogspot.com/2009/04/heart-shaped-genius.html">'home-made' lemon sprinkles</a>. Sweet, tart, and refreshing... all in one little Jane! <br> </div><div><br> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327521202186385506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvtgxaV6HjMgCgMVBecol6Wy3Y4zbaHFlSm1QzxB0KMN_peKem4gKWqBkFzSrS47oO-OtfBtcITH5P0DpYluz3t3pJxHs7vNcVFD7B06UWjOPKJvSnSK4LQKVw3XGmTrkh2UXWImN88Ro/s400/DSCN4487.JPG" border="0" /></div><div><br> </div><div align="center"><em>I call this one "Dang Meringue"<br></em></div><div> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327521206328544578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMtMG6CHZbLw_zmjrNWc-OkSJtGsvB8iSqrie3aeHDscL7sN88uZ9VFg84wj0oCAzYwgbn8esVXcBdWYx3dOPef9Hjc0eB-luCf_3KTpPxQ_KnozA9v5XP6yc4w01YeOmKFe2MewXXEGI/s400/DSCN4489.JPG" border="0" /></div><div><br> <br></div><div>My husband Troy is a big fan of orange, so the next Jane was kind of for him. I *like* oranges... but Troy? forget about it! Orange water, orange soda, sherbert, creamsicles, gatorade... BLEH! he likes all of that!</div><div> <br></div><div>So I copied the lemon filling concept, but switched it out for orange extract and orange zest. After 'resting' over night... I also piped that filling on the vanilla cookie rounds.</div><div><br> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327521198345430818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL_sCqW5xsvv4FsJc_lOeOixjS74qkUjRgTTFoDc8BQg-b3wVVSQ0Ogn2xoVy2N7CZ5R3PYxtfwxGU8-XN8qQtpEW3lb0v4gwBfp8PaGZej1hibYMUCZ99Uns3HlneOqXuF52IWNvReLo/s400/DSCN4482.JPG" border="0" /></div><div> <br></div><div>Pretending to be a fan of creamsicles, I colored some white chocolate with some orange color gel, and gave the girls a dunk. A few (store-bought this time.. I got lazy!) sprinkles for garnish later, and another Jane was born.<br></div><div><br> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327523820589250178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEeCmNqSA1-vXSfojya8IjCsLExOVkluq_Rqpb8MgKUth2OtB_C3fohMpAGEWgtM-2I2Qv-dw3Hm2YsfFon7YMcdcX8QYLyhchK3fpAjjMjjagrdog0BHWVrMTBTkj4Q8XZXSOrGKMo10/s400/DSCN4504.JPG" border="0" /></div><div><br> </div><div>I had a hard time coming up with a name for this creation. My 4 year old daughter tried one and upon finding out this particular combination was title-less, insisted that I name them <strong>"Orange Peels".</strong> It's not a bad name.. and for now that's what I'll call them. Feel free to make a name suggestion, though. you never know when I might take a liking to it and send you some of your own Happy Janes as a way of thanking you.</div><div> <br></div><div align="center"><em>"Orange Peel" Happy Janes</em></div><br><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327521211982985314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjly1XnmqJOrlclhFqgOR8veuLKKQvvPqbxs7NqEV1RYkIsH_btg08b019QPSP8J0m1O4WhWUFe4H3X2A6vkRwWFNY3CQO5t623xHJQY8sq-brF8H8h34eWxbHR2tvOyI39NjGppfIsIBI/s400/DSCN4501.JPG" border="0" /></div><div><br><br> </div><div>I hope you're all enjoying your springs, as well as the fresh colors and flavors the season offers!</div><div> </div><br><div>Stay tuned, cause I have some new things with key limes and raspberries on my list of fruit to make bad for you!</div></div></div></div></div></div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00609271335050441615noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577647331522793490.post-34892332097025819442009-04-21T09:06:00.007-04:002009-04-21T09:51:21.550-04:00Heart-Shaped GeniusSometimes, when I'm in the zone of making and creating... I think I come across a stroke of genius. perhaps it's a throw back to the days when I used to work, and part of my job was to come up with engineered solutions to a myriad of things.<br /><br /><br />I'm really not one to boast... <em>(ok, maybe a little!)</em> but when I get these 'great ideas', I certainly like to share them. Then I blog about them! <em>(ok.. so maybe I am a bit more than a little boastful!)</em> but it's certainly validating to tell someone (or post about) my great idea or creation and get some positive feedback. Besides.. it's not like my kids are all that interested in what I'm doing. At least not process-wise. to them, it's all <strong>"show me the cupcakes!"</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong></strong><br />At any rate.. I HAVE to share my latest "ah-hah!" moment. Granted.. it's not a pretty sight. in fact... I SHOULD make the disclaimer that I swear I am not making any illegal drugs in these pictures.... despite the appearance otherwise.<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327131630562850114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzO1J1nrbo3JJmDuI32PyNeAjAYhs3Gx06_a31aWzO7gK2xXfJdvEgVeVwInEPpbYTbhdLAnWOL_0loT_nGsvJB4Hf1Ok_1zgxi4OK6tx4JN5EBeDEnXctXB9Xp7eNCqI2mO84gGFRawQ/s400/DSCN4479.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br />Yesterday, I made sprinkles. Lemon-flavored, heart (and circle!) shaped SPRINKLES.<br /><br /><br />Originally, I was going to take some gumpaste, dye it yellow, add in some lemon extract, roll it out, and attempt to cut out some cute shapes so I could apply them to my newest Happy Jane flavor. but then it hit me..... STARBURSTS!!!<br /><br /><br /><br />They were SO awesome to shape into veggies when I made <a href="http://czejohnsoncookies.blogspot.com/2008/11/birthday-boy.html">Danny's birthday cake</a>... why not melt them down and do the same thing here? So that's exactly what I did. Melted, coated with corn starch to reduce the stickiness... rolled them flat, then used my piping tips to cut out some circles...<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327131641372909778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiso1LO8DTC_Vwyda-T7nq_usDkdfwrFBb7GjRnA7LCNrGoNW1izbbM-E-buWsPmUX_k9rW1vkNwXV0fdZPS6arNYYZn33libmnmy5P7cgTrJL2YKpx92HENaWhf1OlT1QEzfr3m62a0jk/s400/DSCN4477.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br />and used a heart-shaped hole punch to get the heart sprinkles. GENIUS!<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327131644889598306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNVl8u12MDRAnu4eRXvba6rD63_c6a3l_X1JpDYop5cS72L-_Na3A9UM2PVwbtIJZDlZrM7bCkPnwlDUZKCPI_9IGB8iiwCrh0Y7B1RlAUxdG7xofB9M6CxvJrYeZ-wz5qZnBw354iUzQ/s400/DSCN4480.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br />I was so happy with the results, I just HAD to blog about it. I mean.. the color was vibrant! the FLAVOR was perfect in this case... and the hole-punch was just too too easy. TOTALLY worth my $5 hunch I had when I bought the puncher. I can't wait to go and buy more shapes now. The cupcakes, janes, and cakes (as well as pancakes!! and ice cream!!) I imagine waiting to be sprinkled now are endless.<br /><br /><br />I'm sure I will eventually use the gumpaste with color and flavor to match my occasion.. but if starburst makes a color and flavor... you can bet I'll use them in a heart beat. (get it? HEART beat??)<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327131647236809058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNvSAujZIXDkY1mjs81rU2eJydKKGH7OGMCSh2DHsbQxaNgFJkB4A7r7EmHVuqGSxZFXRgvhH54o5XHgksWCgQrSrG3Q7MMczfC7RYvxdfiHODoQZ2NjedRtCRvIi41E_gblTkcQ4WreI/s400/DSCN4484.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br />I love it when a plan comes together!Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00609271335050441615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577647331522793490.post-84469148346762057952009-04-19T15:58:00.005-04:002009-04-19T16:21:07.797-04:00Because "Intense Chocolate" Makes Me HappySo thank GOODNESS Lent is over! I have missed baking!!!<br /><div><div> </div><div>Mind you, I have NOT missed EATING this week... I am certainly doing my share of indulging on all the things I fasted from the past few weeks.</div><br /><div>This weekend, we had some friends over for dinner, and I wanted to try my hand at a recipe I had done a year ago or so.</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326498058362001794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDBoyZIov1en0UsK2_weqHYeJRg76H4agVb8y74SG3maaCkrw8jsqQFbLQtGG2-sj4eFu_mweHlC8fmDajpTASb98zXWFtjeTVxn4nIcy06gsP_MQqhsjOd0FGiwPkcZeHWm8irUJW2dQ/s400/DSCN4447.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>It's called <a href="http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/intensely-chocolate-mousse-cake-52938.aspx">Intensely Chocolate Mousse Cake</a>, and it's a recipe I found over on the <a href="http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/home.aspx">Kraft</a> website.</div><br /><div>I had made this recipe before, as I said.. but this time around, I decided to change up the recipe just a little. For example... instead of just pouring the mousse mixture into my spring form pan... I decided to lay down a chocolate-cookie crust first.</div><br /><div>I used some of my un-decorated chocolate butter cookies, but if you don't have those? chocolate graham crackers crushed up would work just as well. Just be sure to mix in some melted butter so it pats down nicely.</div><br /><br /><div>Another change I made was to use cocoa powder in preparing my spring form pan. Flour works just as well, but leaves a white residue on the finished product. Take it from me.. if you're making a chocolate cake... use the cocoa powder. it'll look THAT much nicer when you're finished.</div><div><br /> </div><div>I also used my favorite chocolate for baking.. the dark chocolate pound-plus bars from <a href="http://www.traderjoes.com/index.html">Trader Joe's</a>. if you use YOUR favorite chocolate... stick with about 9 ounces.</div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326498062457123682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDl7HiomGYyHUmrqMWroXURWMOA9tILa_3VObnx96ye7DskblGDRnCw-4pgxhrTXWuB1WpukobSx_Vvoi9Lrj0sP4G6dmuGQ0vpdCCnSi2Zw-Y5SQWru6v9bIB2Y99qLCem4zmhSFq5g/s400/DSCN4455.JPG" border="0" /></div></div><br /><p> </p><p>I served it up with some nice cold whipped cream, and that was a good pairing, since the title is no lie.. it is a VERY intensely chocolate cake.</p><p> </p><p>just.. don't judge me when I tell you that NEXT time I make this??? I'm totally gonna add chocolate CHUNKS to the mousse filling. <em>huminuh huminuh.. now THAT'LL be intense!</em></p>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00609271335050441615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577647331522793490.post-33477595610702182882009-04-12T15:37:00.001-04:002009-04-19T15:55:56.322-04:00Easter Bunnies are Crumblin' to Town<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Rf8JtwxWvG7lf4NbOcPCnrv-vI3TI11UizqvgepOEbgvcoLcmO1nYz3m0fjFQh2rAiyFOLzZjT7yNfbCvrYC1DfRpkT1U90vqTH71jnRq1v9phsoLxUGCOW0cFUm4AV2qSof3lYZuM8/s1600-h/DSCN4471.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326489765208627890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Rf8JtwxWvG7lf4NbOcPCnrv-vI3TI11UizqvgepOEbgvcoLcmO1nYz3m0fjFQh2rAiyFOLzZjT7yNfbCvrYC1DfRpkT1U90vqTH71jnRq1v9phsoLxUGCOW0cFUm4AV2qSof3lYZuM8/s400/DSCN4471.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Ok</span>... I'll admit it. I enjoy eating rabbits on Easter. you name it.. chocolate ones (solid, hollow or filled!), cookie ones, heck.. I'd even take a Gummy Bunny after giving up sweets for all of Lent! I think it's the ears... the way they stick out? they're just BEGGING to be chomped right off!!!</div><div><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>This year I decided to indulge my affliction for the hoppers in cookie form. (ok.. truth be told, I made too much cookie dough for the <a href="http://czejohnsoncookies.blogspot.com/2009/04/going-going-gone.html">going away party cookies</a>, and since it was Easter weekend, I figured I might as well. Besides... I couldn't do <a href="http://czejohnsoncookies.blogspot.com/2008/03/eat-your-vegetables.html">carrots again</a>. they're SO last year!)</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br />So from my family to yours... the four of us wish you a "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Hoppy</span>" Easter.<br /></div><div></div><div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326489760389269026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2tghOwEmLAW06lZiMF0wjlNoJ17m7nFXpkT-i4SK3laW-csS-47yYubq1NU0TwadTgWhfZDBDs7bpSRqxcs7ZxYx8ajFHgn8rU6w4YhWcI0AB9wgjIgFcb9je1Gv7zUkxCP6eTLAb3K8/s400/DSCN4468.JPG" border="0" /></div><div></div><div><em></em></div><div><em>Just, you know.. pay no mind to the slightly bug-eyed and buck-toothed rabbits. (that was an attempt at quirky-cute that started to border on creepy/possessed. note the style change with the others, yes?)<br /></em><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326489769162462930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh2kuJ2bg7vMWZ-FrYS4CqyzN2GIl7nkod9vuMIhB7OF6cejMNvCI8lRaINsOsAuXuaWhYCAKz8URytoKqbFrns1DMDRblfZcMeKJYRhOncTQZgD0XE5t9TWB_rwJiZ6XpOXb8vC4WVs8/s400/DSCN4475.JPG" border="0" /> <div></div><div></div><div align="center"><em></em></div><div align="center"><em>Happy Easter!</em></div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00609271335050441615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577647331522793490.post-40014284022357605422009-04-11T10:24:00.001-04:002009-04-19T14:17:58.461-04:00Going, Going, Gone<div><div>A friend of ours recently moved to San Francisco. ASIDE from being ridiculously talented (I swear, ONE of these days I'll get the new and improved Stepford site up and running! (Annie came up with what will be my new logo and helped with the new layout design.)) again.. ASIDE from being super-amazing and talented.. she's just a great girl, period. <div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>As a little send-off gift for her, I made some cookies for her going-away party.</div><div><br /></div><div></div><div>As with any new design I do... I draw it out on paper before I attempt to pipe. if I can't draw it, there's no way I'd be able to PIPE it!</div><div><br /></div><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326410288540605442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQJPwtZWS8-9YPbbiKgbffv20o9pI5up1g3a47-q0gCPxXpUIfbfyLGdbTH6MXNVxOfdFzhgCkbCTk8wRoiTbStXpAaK9m4LUafh_jPjqQhK7wmSvfugCMonqZplZfPHzP_26Yf0PazM/s400/DSCN4382.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>a progress shot. if you're wondering why the techno-bright colors, I was matching the ribbons I had purchased to wrap the favors with. they were white with multi-colored polka dots. Hey.. the party was a day before Easter.. there weren't too may options to choose from when i went looking for ribbons!</div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326410289859065602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtDzb6zCDkw7LS3kKqac23hWyJCOxhjgF2CL-IJlFUUPr9CvUizmrJyn3GGbD0YHh-KLUknda_9dNtpbpfUJ01fIvLwkqactX80lFMUBg56drlM57qnCIVN4T0kfgmmAzmfd3zVCb8qOA/s400/DSCN4385.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div>Finished shot of some of the cookie favors. looking back, I think I like the solid-color framed cookies the best. a little less "busy", shall I say?</div><div></div></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326410296150066658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-LTpug6vvZNm_UhSAyDL8pRdE8p8NJYZ4uXyvkF67o_zlzNaQ-aozMumhIKw19xsSURlml1Z2s2QhI06ZsOayB9bMDLrV0US0ge8_EOcZzuPv3WRPU0GUXLwWgpeHk7_c8FZ2O2EfP5c/s400/DSCN4386.JPG" border="0" /></div><div></div><div>Once I completed all the round cookie favors, I set off on creating a larger, central display cookie. for that cookie, I wanted to pipe the Golden Gate Bridge to remind the party-goers where our guest of honor was headed.</div><div></div><div>Although I was happy with how the bridge piping turned out....</div><div></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326410300938950530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl2sDTO66v5mtHHqoZDWxgJvtQ1r4i0HbQnpQyFMVzwrGRaO6XUYpgQYiB2_HseYFBZmFlPJshmeGXXHAvLmzVloigpu4wjHBQh_dtj_U_jneKERBU7R7OtWU58FYUO2JD7aVALtWZsRI/s400/DSCN4395.JPG" border="0" /></div><div></div><div></div><div>I'm kinda mad at my wording efforts. I'll throw you for a loop and do my "LESSONS LEARNED" segment a little early. The "Goodbye and Good Luck" piping was a little uneven. and in my opinion there was too much 'dead space' on the large cookie. It doesn't look so bad when the round cookies were flanking it...</div><div></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326410303038038674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiONjWqlMmpp67kRfHpWcjZf-trAlFq4lN813OmbL66lORqOBIV3_KsqoCuh-dM3TDbiNhmdBvVulA3YDaSzo-d1ML1NM2GRkWRpVdAnIWCNlrpXemKFAcsAWHvwgk6so_dLxt43umuITw/s400/DSCN4397.JPG" border="0" /></div><div></div><div>but I certainly feel like I could have done 'more' with the large cookie. At the very least a bigger center design?</div><div><br /><div><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326464509817055410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLuthCXWTe4q4Xw04a3vQh5P37DXkckym2oIzdudGhm_7lisYYVpHKrcBq1bGOQPaZsW8vX7SkTiAS9Ui8FDScUMWXUd0H0dEuLLdL0dCGpMhT8lmcT0Ik55T6znVWkXhNt1N3HX4bXXU/s400/DSCN4402.JPG" border="0" /><br />Nonetheless, I think the guest of honor enjoyed her special cookies, and it was a pleasure to see her one more time before she left. She will be missed here in the neighborhood, and San Francisco is lucky to be getting her.</div><div></div><div>Good Luck, Ann! Love you much!<br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00609271335050441615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577647331522793490.post-43361237608101969332009-03-17T10:11:00.000-04:002009-04-19T10:23:10.285-04:00Luck of the Irishso my previous post highlighted my FAILED attempt at a new Happy Jane Flavor.<br /><br />it's been a while since I posted it, but I do recall the gist was that the IDEA was good, but it was just falling short.<br /><br /><br /><br />I just wanted to let the record stand that I eventually DID figure out how to make the Jane an acceptable member of the family.<br /><br />I tweaked the recipe so that the 'filling' was thicker (a lot less Bailey's this time, and more sugar. enough Bailey's for flavor, but not so much that the filling was 'soft' like last time, and there was less of an alcohol-y taste.)<br /><br />I also used a better chocolate. I stuck with my instincts of using Milk Chocolate. I know my folks probably preferred that I would have used a dark chocolate, but the milk chocolate flows better with that creamy-dreamy taste I was shooting for. And let's face it... my creation... my choice of chocolate, right? ;)<br /><br /><br />So at long last... let's give a hearty welcome to our newest Jane-<br /><br /><div align="center"><em>"Irish Dreams"</em></div><div align="center"><em></em> </div><div align="center"><em></em><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326405750064664978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfPpw9Z5KCvQ_tBdfqJ897pFbRRyQOPm5K9vuz03cHDKeKOU5u8aQYrE03gUceT4luT4JcaqvKRpfyyO8PLsCtAjVm8D5GJQVcygKy27N7RWJ01MBmskc4kW5-LThGuOkaL29dpGO-hw/s400/DSCN4355.JPG" border="0" /></div><p> </p><p align="center">Happy St. Patrick's Day!</p>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00609271335050441615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577647331522793490.post-36293993078286333362009-02-22T14:10:00.006-05:002009-02-22T14:53:44.554-05:00Stepford's Rejects<div><div><div><div><div><div>I knew it would happen. I was doing too well with the whole "Happy Jane" train I had going. Good flavors, good reviews... all was... well... GOOD.</div><br /><div></div><div></div><br /><div>So I had been thinking on a good flavor combination that I could present in March, and being the good little Irish girl I am.. I thought it'd be a kick to do something with Bailey's Irish Cream. Also, for personal reasons, I give up sweets/desserts during the Lenten Season for my religion. Since March falls during Lent, I wanted to do my flavor testing a little early.. you know... while I could actually taste it without breaking my fast.</div><br /><br /><div></div><div>All started off great. Chocolate cookie bases were made, then set aside while I whipped up a Bailey's butter cream for my centers. Piped that on the rounds, and got ready to do the dip.</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305708879790852098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmULG2BxoVMIvl4xEWkjZULLaTpleJ_LY4HFsmVrvXBuFrBi32ObhUP3YG3Oq5Seldxx7NTASF1ZC7QvcunvRkrWlfYEX50WOuKJJTlsjqDAAjUORcI5vlQPBx88dUKxOOIeH1bI5_Bws/s400/DSCN4249.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><div>So I had decided to use a milk chocolate this time around... thinking I didn't want to squelch the taste of the Bailey's. However... the only milk chocolate I had available was in the form of milk chocolate morsels. from Target.</div><div> </div><div>I've used Target brand things before.. and they're FINE. but this time it didn't work. and i had a nagging feeling in my gut when I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">w</span>as melting it down.. as I usually only use my best chocolates for the outer shells... but still... I proceeded.</div><br /><div></div><div></div><div>Unfortunately.. the chocolate never melted down to be smooth or 'wet' enough. It remained a bit gloppy... and when I went to dip my rounds... things just went further downhill. Despite freezing the rounds topped with the bailey's butter cream... the filling just began to melt away under the heat of the gloppy milk chocolate. Adding to my frustration... I just couldn't get a smooth finish for the rounds. they looked like little rats' nests on my cooling racks.</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305708883414332706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZObA0jYqzFZMm0SZVWtk6C1AgvbaOwwKOKn_4aRY63tkFenEeN_mhCdYrB6nX9yge80PhLX_T6IU4nu2Fn4-VekCnCZCuXEbLw26f0k97s2pkj_vD-PRljzoHq4DfC3VceQ6HnpVulk/s400/DSCN4255.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><div>I even tried to 'doll' them up a bit by adding <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">zig</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">zaggy</span> strips of colored gum-paste. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">meh</span>. still didn't do it for me.... so I gave up and left the remainder as plain. (plain Bailey's rats' nests, that is!)</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305708889557610882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrW4u6ejxcbsHwNOv2ccfV26lCKhAKSz74QVc_K_f-6WO9xGOXQ6A_-mbZMyfFbUItZrqgrHA6KuzXFMMR-EY-J4ZJFi_aHeiAnky75BVIL8YAluuJrMHEZqwou21mQSLbMGPTT6_WXC4/s400/DSCN4259.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><div>After over an hour, noticed the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Janes</span> were just not setting... and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">more so</span> that the centers were beginning to ooze out, since the heat from the chocolate was melting the butter-cream.</div><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305710985039062706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7X6JA4DW88rP0xOwlS99mRvdFKcPEIGPhcX1AWb4VpJXBw32LsP_B0mJETSFu47VvhQFHzD73FRaBY3ofjp_P2zB4M6tjPvM39AhnUA1omJDaZDIEYxp7uBwJobTdi023f4qrVBoHOec/s400/DSCN4254.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><div>finally I just put them in the fridge to set. Once they hardened.. they weren't too bad. As you can see... I still ate a few.</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305708897703476066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifUgB5XF945c3pDD6gqRImZMfXBeKZuyVocJj1O7XRzTrqjdtAT4TTBcAtAD8Sh90zyXEYaj6WHIOD_XU_kwco82Z3EYUseMB0yFMYXE4z69fx3HFHR4xANu1f39xmWIohuLrg6Oih8HM/s400/DSCN4262.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Ultimately... this 'recipe' won't make it to my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Stepford</span> site. the TASTE was good... but the appearance was nowhere near up to par for its sister <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Janes</span>. I will try to re-do this.. perhaps make the butter cream a LITTLE thicker... and either find a better milk chocolate or switch to a dark that I know will melt nicely and form a better shell.</div><br /></div></div></div></div></div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00609271335050441615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577647331522793490.post-1442763361235541382009-02-10T14:34:00.004-05:002009-02-10T15:09:27.422-05:00Cordially Cherry Happy Janes<div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8lmHxKEkJZERWpvYiXZDEQVK6lGj-hs7XbqHSvtdTd1GB16dSimuOZpSReUtSvXTIAk05wPHUbbO-topB6Mjp2piTJgL0a8H7F8jvjji5PDelXDQedXo-E-mN9RnBq3zo_nJbhn0y0U/s1600-h/DSCN4213.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301260058993592322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8lmHxKEkJZERWpvYiXZDEQVK6lGj-hs7XbqHSvtdTd1GB16dSimuOZpSReUtSvXTIAk05wPHUbbO-topB6Mjp2piTJgL0a8H7F8jvjji5PDelXDQedXo-E-mN9RnBq3zo_nJbhn0y0U/s400/DSCN4213.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2l4tYjSdXZBs44QksVDeD8FIwbLNILYqxtzJ5gHmT9VxM6lZC5LDpn-Pxls84drE_1QeumKrgu6Y3p7y0bJB26cEXhvI6TBxsuafbAKfVwSuqw8uYis6aJCAnJW2lnstghpWnEHkz9hs/s1600-h/DSCN4209.JPG"></a><br /><div><div>So as I mentioned before.. I came up with a new flavor of Happy Janes this past weekend. ok.. so the IDEA for the flavor stemmed a long time ago from my husband who, several months ago, begged me to do a chocolate and cherry combination.</div><div></div><div></div><br /><br /><div>well maybe not BEGGED. </div><div> </div><div>he might have done a gorilla-styled "oooh-oooh-oooh!!!" in asking me, though.</div><div></div><br /><div>not one to disappoint, I declared February would be the month to do it. I mulled around some different ideas.. fresh cherries, dried cherries, cherry extract... white chocolate, milk chocolate.. DARK chocolate.... Finally I decided to go with a chocolate cookie base, topped with a cherry-infused ganache, coated in a dark chocolate.<br /><br /><br /><em>cherry-infused, you ask?</em></div><div></div><br /><div>yeah. so I took some cherries, and added them to my heavy cream during the boiling process of making my ganache. once the cream was boiling, I strained the cherries out. This part was NOT very pretty, and gave the cream a funky reddish-brown color... but I definitely feel there was a certain sweet after-taste that the cherries added.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>once my chocolate was fully melted and mixed with the cream, I folded in some finely chopped DRIED cherries. As you can see.. I totally avoided using cherry extract. for one.. because it's crap. but seriously.. it gives things such a maraschino FAKE cherry taste that I can't be affiliated with. bleh! so no extract.</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301260062044989938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJZUC0jRMJvto_Q9_G0eEsWeoBJGQXidRc-vIIALhnXBWzvkOXtP-eyWwKcT2nHSuNlzQdKxv5TTHXiP42SMwY5xgP_Fxvn0-PlcQxxV7gI-4W8bLvWxpbGyVcSwQSXF2mIWppHCwWNFc/s400/DSCN4179.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><div>after the piping was done, I coated in a bittersweet and extra dark chocolate blend, then topped with some festive heart sprinkles.</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301260050156553698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC7Hh9bvwgFPJq_iDbieNLYy1WB17tL_SBu-kv4M6dmojIaRnsThqn7P40M2Ja-rdD11zB48vFUnalcP9Mq3ntYNc-WW4CbELv7EJheU5M14VwFncY-m2geUmBBhjQG8X8T8uo6Su_lJk/s400/DSCN4198.JPG" border="0" /> <div></div><br /><br /><br /><div>these are truly a chocolate lover's treat.... but I do enjoy the chewy and zingy-sweet element the cherries add. So let's say hello and welcome to the newest Jane in the neighborhood... the Cordially Cherry.</div><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301260066917215618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc64GpFmZou-3aXdecsjR6x7xmnYJXU3UtuEsgl90hzZ_P-IK1GbUxpXgeYVVvYRUhtjPjx4kHod9Af-pu-uTWMtgrGT7hswmCAlmEx7S3oATi5MMdZXYItywwekShP0p3s0qB0P68DjE/s400/DSCN4226.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>if the description and pictures of the Cordially Cherry Happy Janes aren't enough for you.. take a stroll over to <a href="http://www.tasteofstepford.com/">A Taste of Stepford</a>. By the end of March, things will be set up there for you to be able to order your very own batch of Janes.</div></div></div></div></div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00609271335050441615noreply@blogger.com2