by Aimee on November 19, 2009
Thought I was gone forever? For awhile I did too. Anybody still listening? I understand if you’ve moved on to sweeter pastures, but I took some needed time to reflect on whether or not I was doing the best thing I could be doing right now with this blog. To be honest, I’m not sure. There are a ton of things that interest me, but unfortunately I haven’t exactly been feeling like the world is my oyster so-to-speak. I realize I’m not the only one who is experiencing difficulty in these economically agonizing times, but I have been dealing with this economically agonizing situation going on six years now. At the same time, I realize things could be worse. However, when you are obsessed about where your next dollar is going to come from, if any, you really start to reevaluate how you spend you time. After six months of thinking, well, I realize I still don’t have any answers (feel free to chuckle). Click to continue…
Holy cow am I late on this one. This was actually supposed to be for the Daring Bakers challenge last month. Jenny Bakes supplied a simple enough cheesecake recipe to follow, but I just couldn’t do it. I can’t handle another cream cheese, brick-in-my-stomach-after-eating cheesecake experience. It’s good going down, but an unruly house guest to my stomach later.
So I hemmed and I hawed all month long….what the heck was I going to do? I want to participate in the challenge, but the thought of cream cheese brick syndrome left me nauseous. I know that some of the other DBers had similar issues with cheesecake and did some tweaks, so I began a search for a light alternative. Then I remembered Martha. That’s right, the woman who started it all for me and the very first baking book I bought offered salvation in a ricotta cheesecake *cue the angels singing with light shining down from the heavens*
(To appease the DB powers that be: The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey’s Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.) Click to continue…
Tagged as:
Cheesecake,
Daring Bakers,
Oops!,
Panna Cotta,
Ricotta,
Strawberry,
Vanilla
Buongiorno! Megan of My Baking Adventures leads us to Italy, the land of Tiramisu with Dorie’s Tiramisu Cake. In an attempt to be faithful to the recipe, I’ve been all over town trying to find mascarpone cheese. My last ditch effort was at a natural food store on Tuesday, but no luck. I know some people have been able to find it at Publix, Walmart (gah!) even, but I did not. Thankfully I came across a great website that gives (somewhat cryptic at times) substitutions for mascarpone cheese, as well as others. Click to continue…
Tagged as:
Chocolate,
Coffee,
Resource,
TWD
by Aimee on April 29, 2009
You know the song in Alice In Wonderland, “A very merry un-Birthday to you!” Well, a very merry un-Iron Cupcake challenge to you! At least I’m going to try since I obviously did not make the deadline…yet again…this month. I still managed to get a cupcake designed and baked though, and that’s what the challenge is really all about right…baking cupcakes outside of the box!
I really wanted to branch out with this month’s Iron Cupcake flavor inspiration of soda pop. There are so many sodas to be had out there other than plain ‘ol cola…red apple, crushed melon, green tea, lavender…there’s even orange cola. Being the bohemian that I am, I wanted to experiment with one of the more uncommon flavors. My only problem was that I couldn’t find any of them available locally. Sorry dear reader, but I’m not going to make a special 45+ minute trip galavanting across Florida trying to find Kumquat soda. If I had had more foresight (which I should have by now) I would have known that I live in a proverbial no-man’s land whose only fizzy consolations come in plain Coke and Pepsi Co. flavors, and I could have simply ordered something unusual from somewhere exotic…like Scottsdale. *sigh* But I didn’t. So I was stuck with cherry. Click to continue…
Tagged as:
Cherry,
Chocolate,
Cupcakes,
Recipe!,
Soda
by Aimee on April 14, 2009
by Aimee on April 2, 2009
At the beginning of March I had great plans and was really getting into a groove. One of those was a concoction for March’s Iron Cupcake theme of Nuts and Seeds. I came, I baked, but again did not conquer because I was unable to get my post up before the 24th. Oh well.
When contemplating the theme, while hazelnuts certainly tugged on my tongue it was lemon that tenaciously stalked my taste buds. For some reason I’ve had citrus on the brain for a couple of weeks now. This predilection wasn’t chastened with March’s Tuesdays With Dorie selection of the French Yogurt Cake, which optioned making it a layer cake with lemon curd. But what to do with a lemon on your mind when you need a nut or seed? Turn to poppy seeds of course! Click to continue…
Tagged as:
Cupcakes,
Frosting,
Lemon,
Recipe!
by Aimee on March 29, 2009
GOOD GRIEF! Hello all. I’m so sorry for the delay. The accursed state of my blog for the past month has been due to some mysterious issue that has yet remained a mystery despite being magically fixed with the latest version of code from DiyThemes. According to the Thesis theme creator, “your server is handling URL-based variables differently than pretty much everyone else’s server that I’ve ever encountered”…lucky me. Unfortunately this isn’t the first time that I’ve blighted with a rare problem that afflicts an astronomically limited number of the populous. The week-long eyes-glued-to-the-computer-screen bender I endured in an attempt to fix my blog produced a copious amount of stress that triggered a spondylitis episode that left me nearly bedridden for the last couple of weeks. Arthritis sucks. I’ve had it since I was 18, and let me tell you it isn’t any easier to deal with before your 65.
So, that’s the reason for the crazy delay in posting. Shesh, I’ve got to stop writing posts like this. I know prior to this last pause in posting I was finally feeling like I was getting into a groove, and almost caught up with where I wanted to be with the blog. Oh well. Sorry about that. If at first (or second, or third, or fourth, or…) you don’t succeed try, try again right?? 
But I digress, you came here to hear about this intriguing cake from Dorie that apparently is a staple in the repertoire of every family in France. This selection is brought to you by Liliana of My Cookbook Addiction. According to both Chocolate & Zucchini and Foodbeam, in France this is most likely the first cake that you are taught as a child. Click to continue…
Tagged as:
Lemon,
TWD,
Yogurt
by Aimee on March 7, 2009
Just wanted to give everyone a heads up that my blog is having a problem (in case you haven’t noticed). What you are viewing is not supposed to be the norm for the blog. The font is incorrect as well as mini-me sized. I’m trying to work with my theme developer to fix the problem. If anyone is a tech guru, my blog is in fact supposed to be in Helvetica, and my post headers (of course) should be displayed in a larger point than the body. I have no idea why this is happening. Hopefully it will be resolved soon. Until then, (please) stay tuned…
by Aimee on March 2, 2009
My first true visual disaster in a Daring Bakers challenge. Who knew that I could screw up a three ingredient recipe? What you see here is actually an illusion. I know, it looks pretty appetizing (at least I think so). However, I had to perform radical surgery to get the cake to look so appealing. Despite that fact, I am IN LOVE with the taste of my visually disastrous cake. I have to add that while I love the cake, the coconut ice cream (recipe below) and strawberries really put this dessert over the top.
The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE’s blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.
While our hosts were kind enough to include two recipes for vanilla ice cream, we had the freedom to choose any flavor our little hearts desired. As luck would have it I just picked up Dessert FourPlay
(nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more! Sorry, but I couldn’t help the Monty Python reference) by Johnny Iuzzini. While perusing this tome of sugar porn, the stars aligned, doves took flight and silver trumpets rang out when I came across a DIVINE recipe for coconut ice cream. It was meant to be. Thoughts of tropical islands, Polynesian gods, and creamy coconut ignited my imagination and the genesis of a rich chocolate, coconut and strawberry confection was conjured in my mind’s eye. Click to continue…
Tagged as:
Chocolate,
Coconut,
Daring Bakers,
Ice Cream,
Oops!,
Recipe!,
Strawberry
by Aimee on February 24, 2009
I’ve been thinking about doing an Iron Cupcake challenge for awhile now, and I couldn’t resist this month’s flavor, coffee. I can’t promise something every month especially since I’m not exactly great at following someone else’s recipes, let alone tinkering with my own. Despite that fact I think I created a yummy little cupcake, if I may say so myself.
Some of you may be asking, “What praytell is an ‘Iron Cupcake’?” Well, it is a challenge in which, “bakers from anywhere, all over the world, to take place in the ultimate flavor challenge and promote world peace, one cupcake at a time.” The way it works is there’s a flavor picked every month and you take that flavor as your inspiration to create culinary bliss inside your mouth through the medium of…a cupcake. But wait there’s more! You can win stuff too! Here’s the booty:
Our February ETSY PRIZE-PACK is from artists:
* something to warm your cupcake heart by DIANA EVANS
* as well as a pair of cupcake earrings from LOTS OF SPRINKLES.
* PLUS, IronCupcake:Earth can not forget our good friend, CAKESPY, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice – sweet!
As an added bonus for February, SWEET CUPPIN CAKES BAKERY AND CUPCAKERY SUPPLY will be tossing in a variety of cupcaking supplies.
Last and certainly not least, don’t forget our corporate prize providers: HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS, HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, JESSIE STEELE APRONS, TASTE OF HOME books, a t-shirt from UPWITHCUPCAKES.COM. Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers. All voting in the Iron Cupcake challenge takes place at No One Puts Cupcake in a Corner. Voting ends March 6th.
Click to continue…
Tagged as:
Brown Butter,
Buttercream,
Espresso,
Recipe!
