My Birthday Goal

This is my first post in quite a while.. too long actually... I guess it's appropriate that it is also my birthday!  With a new age (24! gasp!) comes a new post.  I guess you could think of it as my birthday present to all of you!  Only joking.. it's more like my present to myself that I'm actually taking time to do something that means so much to me.  This past month or so has been hectic, to say the least: we moved into a new apartment, I started a new job and am about to start another one, Killer Sweets had a booth at Castroville Market Days for the first time, and I've been taking two college classes online!  Pheww..

At least I have had time to cook and bake, but unfortunately they have not made it to my blog as of yet.  Hopefully over the next week or so, I will be able to make up for that... I intend my 24th year to be full of lots of eating, traveling, and blogging!  So, Happy Birthday to me & Happy Blog reading to all of you!

Love, Rhianna

A sneak peak of my experiences and adventures I hope to blog about in the very near future:

Getting ready for Castroville Market Days

Stewed Cabbage Soup

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Strawberry Festival Cupcakes

Ruby Red Velvet Cupcakes

How To: Build a Bunny Butt Eater Cake

Strawberry & Spinach Spring Salad

Margarita Cupcakes for Fiesta!

Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes

Not Your Momma's Vanilla Cupcakes

Chocolate Chip aka Cookie Monster's Favorite Cupcake

Parent's 30 Anniversary Lunch at La Fogata

Chocolate Covered Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you are looking for a really easy but pretty cookie, why not try the Chocolate Covered Chocolate Chip Cookie?

First you make your favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe, I used Nestle's Toll House recipe.

Bake off the cookies and then let cool completely.  Gather the rest of your items:  Chocolate, sprinkles, parchment paper and a spoon.

I did two variations on this cookie.

For the first one, I dipped the end of the cooled cookie, placed it on the parchment paper and add the sprinkles.

 

For the second one, I took the cooled chocolate and drizzled the melted chocolate over the top and then added the sprinkles.

Personally, I liked the way the second one looks.  Also it was quicker, easier and used less chocolate.

Now you can either keep these babies all to yourself or be nice and share them.. It's up to you, no judgements from me!

To wrap them up to give away, here's what I did:

Take plastic treat bags (I used the smaller size), string or baker's twine, and scissors.

Bag them up, place in a pretty basket or container and you're done!

**Note: My chocolate was taking way too long to dry on the cookies so I put them on a baking sheet and stuck them in the fridge.

DIY Frosty Paws

If there is one things our dogs, Frank and Swizzle love, it's their treats.  Our dachshund, Frank, will literally eat anything and do anything to get his snacks! 

Awhile back we bought the pooches a packet of the Frosty Paws, the ice cream cups for dogs.  They loved them so much!  So the other day when I came across a recipe for DIY Frosty Paws, I just knew I had to try it!

While it wasn't as smooth and they didn't go as crazy for them; they still seemed to enjoy them.  I probably wont make them again just because it costs more than just buying the ones from the store.  Still it was neat to try it out!

Ingredients

Vanilla yogurt

Peanut Butter

1 banana

Honey

Directions

Mash the bananas

Add the yogurt, peanut butter and the honey

Blend together.  I just used a spoon because I was being lazy, but you should definitely use a blender if you want it to be smooth.

Next you want to gather your containers or paper cups to use to hold your "ice cream".  I only had cupcake liners, and while they did okay, you really need more structure to hold the "Frosty Paws".

Pour the yogurt mix into the cups and pop in the freezer.

Let the husband do a taste test!  This recipe would actually make a good midday snack for your favorite two legged family members as well!

After a few hours, once the cups are frozen, pull them out and give them to your pup!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

In 1930, Ruth Wakefield, along with her husband, owned and operated the Toll House Inn in Massachusetts.  One day, while Ruth was baking up a batch of cookies, she realized that she had run out of baker's chocolate.  Ruth instead broke up pieces of Nestle's semi-sweet chocolate with the hope that they would just melt into the batter.  When the pieces didn't melt, but just softened, the chocolate "chip" cookie was invented.  Soon the popularity for the "Toll House Cookie" grew and with it the sales of Nestle's semi-sweet chocolate bars.  Andrew Nestle of the Nestle Chocolate Company and Ruth came to an agreement: Nestle would print Ruth's Toll House Cookie recipes on each of its packages and in return, Ruth Wakefield would never have to pay for another piece of Nestle chocolate. 

Source: http://tollhousecookies.net/toll_house_history, http://inventors.about.com/od/wstartinventors/a/Chocolate_Chip.htm

 Ruth Wakefiled's Nestle's Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1 teaspoon salt 

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened 

3/4 cup granulated sugar 

3/4 cup packed brown sugar 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

2 large eggs 

2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels 

1 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

Set oven to 375° F.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. 

Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. 

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 

Gradually beat in flour mixture. 

Stir in morsels and nuts. 

Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. 

This is one of the things I did with the dough I made: Chocolate Covered Chocolate Chip Cookies

* May be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 week or in freezer for up to 8 weeks. 

Sugar Cookies!

Christmas time in my family means one very important thing: Sugar Cookies!  Not just any sugar cookies, but Ethel's Sugar Cookies found in the Betty Crocker's Cooky Book; and while it might not be a family recipe per se, it definitely has become synonymous with my mom's baking.

This past October, I did some seasonal work as a decorator with Nadler's Bakery in San Antonio, who are known for their Deco Cookies, and it occurred to me that we didn't have to be a "Sugar Cookie Only During Christmas" family, but we could have them year round!

A few days ago, I decided that it was time to put that idea into motion!  Below is the recipe for my mom's (aka Ethel's) sugar cookies.

Ethel's Sugar Cookies

Makes about 4 doz. cookies. 

Ingredients:

 

3/4 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

Directions:

Mix shortening, sugar, eggs, and vanilla thoroughly.  

Measure flour by dipping method or by sifting.  Stir flour, baking powder, and salt together, blend in.  

Chill at least 1 hr. (We usually leave it in overnight.  It can also be held for a few days.)

Heat oven to 400.  Roll dough 1/4" thick on a flour piece of parchment paper roughly the same size as a cookie sheet.  

Cut with your choice of cookie cutter.  

Drag onto your baking sheet.  

Bake 6 to 8 min., or until cookies are a delicate golden color.  Place on cooling rack until completely cooled.

To Decorate:

I choose to decorate shamrocks in honor of St. Patrick's Day!

For the Icing:

Take powdered sugar & add just enough milk to thin it out.  Add whatever food coloring you'd like.  I choose green.  Let it dry completely.

To Make the Royal Icing:

Take powdered sugar and add just enough eye whites to thin it out, but still make it thick enough to pipe.  Add whatever food coloring you'd like.  Once again I choose green, but these time a little darker green so it would stand out against the icing.

Here the cookies are with another St. Patty's Day project: Chocolate Chip Shamrock Bars.

St. Patrick's Day 2012: "Irish Car Bomb" Cupcakes

I have been so busy the last few weeks, that this is my first post in awhile.  Recently, I've quit my job, found another job, got ready for my booth at Castroville Market Days (only to have it rained out), and have been packing up all our stuff because this Saturday we are moving into a new loft!  We are extremely excited about this; the only problem is that Saturday also happens to be St. Patrick's Day.  Which brings me to my post. 

In honor of St. Patty's Day, I made "Irish Car Bomb" Cupcakes.  I've seen these little guys all over Pinterest and other websites and I have wanted to make them for awhile, so I thought what the heck!  Not only do I love the drink for which they are modeled after, but I also really really liked the cupcakes!  While they definitely have an alcohol flavor to them (mostly in the frosting) the rest of the cupcake is well balanced and really delicious.

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes 
Makes about 2 dozen cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

1 cup Guinness stout
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temp

¾ cup cocoa powder
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1½ tsp baking soda

¾ tsp salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

For the Ganache:

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp butter, at room temp
2 tsp Irish whiskey

For the Frosting:

2 cups unsalted butter, at room temp
5 cups powdered sugar
6 tbsp Baileys Irish Cream

To Make the Cupcakes:

Set oven to 350.  Line cupcake pans.  In a medium saucepan, bring the Guinness and the butter to a simmer.  Add the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth.  Let cool slightly.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.  Beat the eggs and sour cream together.  Add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat until combined.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients; folding with a spatula to combine completely.

Divide batter among the liners.  Bake until done, about 18 minutes.  Cool completely.

Next make the Ganache Filling:

Pour the chocolate chips into a metal bowl.  Heat the cream in a small saucepan until just simmering and pour over the chips.  Let sit for a minute and the stir until smooth, starting in the center and working your way outward.  Add the butter and whisky; stir until combined.  Let cool until thick enough to be transferred to a piping bag.

To fill the cupcakes:

Take a large piping tip and insert it into the middle of each cupcake; twist and remove, thus cutting out a small hole.  Take the ganache and fill each cake to the top. Make sure you let the ganache thicken up or else it will spill everywhere!

**If you are going to freeze these; this is the step you would stop on!

Make the Frosting:

Using an electric mixer, whip the butter for about 5 minutes; scraping the bowl occasionally.  Reduce the speed and add the powdered sugar slowly.  Add the Baileys and whip until the frosting is light and fluffy.

Finally:

Decorate however you choose!

**Quick note: If you haven't tried the drink yet (and you are over 21, of course), you should make that a must try this St. Patrick's Day!

Irish Car Bomb (The Drink)

1/2 oz Bailey's Irish Cream
1/2 pint Guinnes Stout
1/2 oz Irish Whiskey

Pour the Guiness (chilled) into a beer mug and let it settle.  Take the whiskey and put it in a shot glass, add the Bailey's on top.  Drop the shot into the beera and chug immediatley.  If you don't drink it quick enough, the drink will start to curddle and it's pretty gross!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!