spa party cupcakes

my niece julia

turns 12 this month

her party was last week

she asked if i would make cupcakes

with lots of fondant

(apparently, she loves it)

in a spa-sleepover theme

she chose blue and pink as her colors

i made the fondant toppers the day before baking the cupcakes, and let them sit at room temperature overnight.

*note, i used duff goldman black fondant and it worked well--i liked the texture a lot. it is important to warm it in the microwave a bit before working with it.  i didn't use dg white, as it is "buttercream" flavored, not the flavor my niece loves. for the white and colored pieces i used satin ice brand tinted with gel food color.

(i am not compensated for endorsing or mentioning either brand)

i am linking these up to




andtatertots and jello weekend wrap upand
and the tattered tag

cannelloni

after dinner

hubster leaned in real tight

and whispered

you make a great

lasagna

this is delicious

however

lasagna it is not

cannelloni

(printable recipe)

(adapted from mario batali)

fresh pasta sheets--boiled and shocked in ice water

for filling:

olive oil

1/2 lb ground pork

1/2 lb lean ground beef

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 generous Tablespoon flour

1 cup milk

1 egg--lightly beaten

pinch freshly grated nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

glug enough olive oil to just cover the bottom of  skillet. add pork and beef and cook until no longer pink.drain off excess fat. stir in flour.  add milk and parmesan cheese. cook on low for about 10-15 minutes until thickened..  remove from heat, let cool a bit, then add egg, nutmeg salt and pepper. let cool completely while you boil pasta.

for tomato sauce:

use your favorite recipe or even a bottle sauce…you need only a little for this recipe

for besciamella:

3 Tbs unsalted butter

3 Tbs flour

1 1/2 cups milk

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp nutmeg

pinch salt

melt the butter in a saucepan. whisk in the flour and cook for just a minute or two. do not brown.  whisk in milk and bring to a simmer.  as it begins to thicken, add the parmesan, nutmeg and salt.  the sauce is to be thickened, but not gooey. it is a sauce.

  to assemble:

place a bit of tomato sauce in the bottom of an oven safe dish

use a very generous tablespoon of meat for each cannelloni.  place meat in the center of the pasta sheet and spread evenly.  roll the pasta into a tube, leaving the ends open.  place in the prepared dish.  repeat with remaining meat and pasta.  once completed, cover in beciamella, swirl in a bit more tomato sauce.  sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  bake at 350 until heated through and the beciamella begins to bubble.

i am linking this up to

presto pasta nights
hosted at
debbie does dinner healthy

chocolate love {home-made twix bars}

a few years ago

a friend of a friend said to me

regarding chocolate

if you could come up with something

that has

chocolate

caramel 

and a

cookie

i would totally go for that

and i said

you mean

like a twix?

and she replied

exactly like a twix

and i gave her

25 cents

and walked away

fast forward a few years...

i was digging through the freezer

and came across 

shortbread cookie dough

and figured

why not

i could take a twix

and make it just a wee bit better

using

fine chocolate

homemade caramel

and

a smattering of shaved sea salt

folks

this is 

good

this is

valentine good

this is

write 100 times on the chalkboard

"i love you more than chocolate"

in

penance

good

"twix" bars

(printable recipe)

1/2 recipe shortbread dough--rolled out, cut into batons and baked

1 recipe caramel--cooled and cut into batons equal to the cookies

tempered bittersweet (62% or higher) chocolate

flaked sea salt

let the cookie base cool, then place the caramel on top.  allow it to sit for at least 5 minutes so the caramel will begin to stick to the cookie base.  dip in tempered chocolate and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  sprinkle with sea salt, then place in the refrigerator to finish setting.  remove from fridge after about 10 minutes or so. serve at room temperature.

enjoy!

i am linking to 

tuesday night supper club

and

hearth and soul blog hop

also

a little birdie told me

and

go pack go

today is a big day

a Really Big Day

we are big time football fans

hubster is from wisconsin

enough said

i am decked out in green and gold

i've

dusted off the cheese head

practiced keeping calm

and

prepared snacks

like these

 packer eggs

wings

and these

 green and gold bars

now

all that remains

is to 

hoist a glass to

him

and

make a little room

for another one of 

these

GO! PACK! GO!

rock candy

my kitchen has been looking like a science lab lately

not because 

it is pristinely clean

with
clutterless counter tops

and
nerdies wandering around

but because

i have been making
rock candy

several attempts

i might add

it all started out innocently enough

sugar

water

string

but then

i got sassy

like i am debeers or something

i thought it would be

fun and cheeky

to make

rock candy jewels

something 

for a

big night out

i settled on 

 drop earrings

simple, right?

here is the rub

the fun flew faster 

than a spy plane

out this nerdies door
while
obsessive took its place

in the end

i got the perfect pair

 

now

i'm not sure

if i should
 wear or eat 

them
rock candy
(printable recipe)
2 cups water
4 cups sugar
food coloring (optional)
up to 1 tsp flavoring (optional)
baker's twine 
granulated sugar
cut the baker's twine to desired length. tie the twine off to a wooden skewer or pencil.  this will allow you to suspend it in the syrup. Dip the twine in water, then roll in a bit of granulated sugar to coat.  allow to dry while you make the syrup.
bring water and 1 cup of sugar to a simmer in a saucepan.  while the water is still simmering, add sugar, 1 cup at a time, stirring and ensuring the sugar has completely dissolved before adding the next cup.  once all sugar is incorporated, remove from heat and add coloring and flavoring.  allow the syrup to cool slightly, then pour into a clean and sterilized glass jar or tall glass.  you will need a separate glass for each rock candy you want to make.
suspend the twine in the syrup being careful that it does not touch the bottom or sides of glass.  crystals should begin to form in about 4 hours.  if there is no activity within 24 hours remove the twine, pour the syrup back into a pot and heat to a simmer.  return to the clean and sterilized jar and start again.  if you see excessive crystallization on the sides of the jar or glass, remove the twine and perform the above steps, otherwise you will have a glass full of hard sugar crystals.  
check your twine daily. when you have the rock candy of your desire, remove from the syrup and allow to hang dry for a few hours.

duck fried rice

several weeks ago

i tried my hand at crispy duck

and boy was that somethin'

do you remember cartoon eating

where after eating a big meal

they would use the bones of whatever they ate

to pick their teeth

well

after all the work that went into that duck

that was me

i wasn't going to let a single bit of it 

go to waste

it became several meals

(but i did draw the line at picking my teeth with it) 

one of which

is this easy and simple

duck fried rice

it might not be authentic

but it is G double O

GOOD

try it

see what you think

duck fried rice

(printable recipe)

1 Tbs or so peanut or vegetable oil

1 cup cooked duck--chopped or shredded with skin

(if you are looking for a recipe, i have one here)

2 cups cooked rice

1scallion--chopped

1/2 tsp finely chopped garlic

handful of fresh cilantro--stemmed

1 egg--lightly whisked

2 Tbs hoisin sauce

2 tsp light soy sauce

1 tsp mirin

1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger

1/4 tsp (more or less if you like/dislike heat) hot chili sauce

dash sesame oil

in a small bowl, mix together the hoisin, soy, mirin, ginger, chili sauce and sesame oil.  set aside. place wok on high heat and once heated, add the peanut or vegetable oil.  immediately toss in the duck to crisp up a bit.  add the garlic. do not let the garlic brown. add the egg and stir so it doesn't cook in a lump...push it up the sides of the wok, then toss in the rice and the scallions. stir to break up the rice, but also to incorporate the egg and the other bits into the rice. add the hoisin mixture and cook until it is absorbed. at last minute, toss in the cilantro.  this should all take less than 10-15 minutes to throw together. for the most part, you can increase or decrease the amount of everything in this recipe. it is a matter of taste.  if you want more duck, toss it in there...no scallions..no problem.  this is a simple dish that is really about what you have on hand, and what you like.  enjoy!

i am linking to

tuesday night supper club

and

hearth and soul blog hop

blueberry grapefruit jam

confession time

i have 3 freezers

four

if you count the one attached to the fridge

which is really just for ice

and bags of half empty frozen okra

and maybe

a 

mystery soup or two

i tell you this

not so you call hoarders

on my behalf

but to explain

how i can be happily making fruit jam

in the middle of winter

i have a freezer full of summer fruits

gathered in their peak

and frozen to preserve freshness

it is my own secret garden

this jam

combines

the summer goodness blueberries hold

with beautiful winter grapefruit

i love it spooned onto toast

but i also have been using it

as

topping for cheesecake

filling for my homemade pop tarts

and

as a delicious swirl in my morning yogurt 

a collection of jam.  

you can find the recipe for the margarita marmalade here... strawberry rhubarb is coming soon.

blueberry grapefruit jam

(printable recipe)

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

2 grapefruits--flesh only

12 cups blueberries--fresh or frozen

1 tsp cardamom

generous pinch salt

3 cups sugar

1 pouch pectin

slightly mash the blueberries and place in a heavy pot. add the sugar, salt, ginger, grapefruit segments and an juice you can capture, and cardamom.  bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer about 5 minutes.  increase heat and bring to a boil. stir in the pectin and boil for a full 60 seconds.  turn off heat and place in sterilized jars.  process for long term storage as necessary. 

i am linking this recipe to

tickled pink at 504 main