"Frankenstein Brain" Cupcakes

In the spirit of Halloween and my love of baking, I decided to enter the "Booo-tiful Halloween Cupcake Contest" hosted by a blog I like howtoeatacupcake.net. My friend Angie was hosting a Halloween party, to which she suggested we bring goodies, so I figured it was a good excuse! I wanted to create something unique with fall flavorings, so I started pondering all my favorite fall foods and I came up with the following:

"Frankenstein Brain" Cupcakes
(AKA Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting)



Cupcakes:
1/2 c. butter
1 3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. sour milk or buttermilk
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. cocoa
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 c. finely grated zucchini
1 (6 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips
1 c. chopped walnuts or pecans

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
  
• In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add oil, eggs, vanilla and sour milk; beat well.
  
• In another bowl combine cinnamon, cloves, flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda.
  
• Slowly add dry mix to liquid mixture.
  
• Add zucchini and chocolate chips. Mix well.
  
• Pour into muffin tins.
  
• Bake for 10-15 minutes.
  

* NOTE:Since the recipe was for a cake, I added an extra 1/4 cup of milk to make the batter a little less thick.

Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 3/4-6 1/4 cups powdered sugar
sifted 1/2 cup butter, softened, not margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla

• Beat together cream cheese, butter, cinnamon and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy.
  
• Add about half the powdered sugar and beat until mixed well.
  
• Gradually add the remaining powdered sugar until you reach a spreading consistency.
  

* NOTE: I added extra cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg because I like the flavors. I also dyed the frosting green for fun!

The final product:

I am very happy about the way they turned out! A few people (AKA Brad) were a little afraid of zucchini, but for the most part I got really great reactions! Even if I don't win the contest it was really fun to be creative! Not to mention enjoy a sweet treat!

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

After hearing about Martha Stewart's Pumpkin Swirl Brownies from several blogs I like, I decided they were a must try. The recipe can be found here.



I really wish I had thought to take a picture of the whole tray before I cut it though, it was really beautiful!

Unfortunately, I must have done something wrong (or missed a step?) because the batter wa pretty think. When I split into the two sections into the bowl for pumpkin mix and chocolate mix I admit I was tempted to scratch the whole thing. I am really glad I didn't, though my perfectionist side WAS a bit disappointed that they didn't come out quite the right consistancy. When I mixed the oil into the pumpkin side the consistancy turned out perfectly, but there was nothing to help out the chocolate half. Oh well. Perhaps next time I'd add oil to the chocolate half too.

The brownies came out so pretty and my co-workers raved. I con't know if I'd necessarily make these again, but the pumpkin half was excellent and would make for a great pumpkin bread all on it's own. That would definitely be worth a try!

Mother's Day / Glen Ivy Day Spa - 2008

My mom is an Elementary School Principal. While she loves the job most of the time, these last few years have been really hard on her, and I can see how much stress she is taking on, and how the job is really aging her.

Every year, my Dad and "Uncle" Bruce go on a fishing trip in the Spring that always seems to fall on Mother's Dsy. It used to upset my mom, but now it's almost become a joke, and my Mom and I spend the day shopping or something incredibly girly. This year, I wanted to do something special for her (and hopefully take some of her stress off) so I planned a surprise that we could both enjoy. I told her to make the day free, but didn't tell her what the plans were. I think she was about to go crazy from curiosity by the time the day arrived.

I went to her house Saturday night so I could give her card (with a packing list) and wake her up with a light but decadent breakfast.

• "Mock" eggs benedict - I used an artichoke heart instead of English Muffin, and Black Forrest Ham instead of Canadian Bacon. It was actually an idea from the South Beach diet, though they suggested a light version of the hollandaise sauce but I didn't make it.
  
• Strawberries with Whip Cream
  
• Chocolate Croissants - something we'd devoured when in Barcelona a few years ago.
  
• Lemonade -- I wanted to do Mimosas, but I thought alcohol would be a bad idea before a day in the sun!
  

(She wasn't happy I was taking pictures of her without makeup on so she didn't let me take many...)



We then left for Glen Ivy Day Spa, where I'd booked us appointments for massages and body wraps. I'd heard great things about the place but had never actually been there. We arrived and I was pleased to see it was so pretty with lush greenery and flowers everywhere.





They had pretty koi ponds (with turtles)...

We spent the day going from the Clay Mud Area, the Mineral Bath, lap pool, lounge pool, to the "The Grotto"... I can't even explain how cool it is there, you'll have to take my recommendation. But let's just say, my mom and I already have a date to come back!

Hershey's "Chocolate Bliss" / Birthday Party

I discovered HouseParty.com when I went to a Neutrogena party hosted by a friend. Basically the deal is big companies choose to sponsor parties to get the word of mouth going for a new product. You apply to "host" a party, and if you get selected, they send you all the free swag to do it. I had applied for several of them, but had never gotten picked. However, my love of chocolate must have leapt off the pages and I was chosen to host a party for Hershey's newest line of Chocolates, "Hershey's Bliss".

Since the party had to be done between April 25-27, I decided to make it a birthday party too and invite a bunch of girlfriends over for fun, wine, and of course, chocolate. The box o' goodies arrived about a week before the party and I had the hardest time keeping my fingers out of it (AKA I didn't) - the 3 flavors they sent (dark, milk, and "melt-aways") were all incredible.

Anyhow, the evening finally arrived. It was a good group of friends, just enough to feel really cozy, but not be too crowded. (Thanks to all of you who came - it was so much fun!)

I made dinner, chocolatini's and gift bags...

We tried to play an "I Love the 80's game, but it was REALLY hard! Perhaps we would've been better off with "I love the 90's"... hmmm...

Best of all, it was loads of fun and there was chocolate left over!

Fabulous food / condiment must haves...

After attending a baby shower this past weekend and listening to all the moms give advice to the soon to be new mom, I realized that passing on the things we've learned is important. Therefore, being a "foodie", I thought I should pass on some of the things I've learned / can't live without to others who may be newer (or "greener"). As an added bonus, perhaps I'd learn something from others as well!

I do love to cook, however I am usually pretty busy, so I'm a big fan of anything that can make my life easier while making my food 100% better. Therefore, over the years I have come across some serious favorites that I can't live without.

Thankfully all of these also have websites as I don't live where you can access these stores close by! =( (I know, I should move, right?)

(In no particular order)

Super Target:
* Archer Farms Syrup
- It has cinnamon in it -- to die for.

Williams-Sonoma:
* Tupelo Honey
- Fabulous flavor, perfect consistancy alll the time - NEVER congeals!
- Only problem, it's only made (and thus sold) once a year, so you have to make sure to get one when it's on sale!

* Nielsen - Massey Vanilla
- Trust me, you can taste the difference between this and the cheap vanilla extract - it's worth every penny.

* Fig and Meyer Lemon Balsamic Vinegar
- Makes the BEST salad dressing w/ only a little olive oil and pepper
- Only drawback, it's a "refrigerate after opening" item unlike most vinegars....

FlavorMagic.net:
* Gourmet Seasoning Sheets
- Easiest seasoning ever, fabulous flavor, and last forever in your pantry!
- My personal favorite is the "Yucatan Chipotle and Lime" (killer on shrimp for a great salad topper), but I haven't tried one I didn't like.

Easter Dinner Party

Since I moved into my new apartment, my parents have been wanting to see what it looked like. So, I decided to host an Easter dinner w/ my parents, and Brad and I. It gave me an excuse to have them over and an excuse for me to get fully unpacked and the apartment decorated in time for guests to come over.

I've also never held my own dinner party before, and growing up with a mother who could win awards for Best Hostess, I really wanted to make a good impression! I also wanted to make a good meal that everyone would enjoy and not be too stressed out as well.

So I planned a menu...
Appetizers:
Cheese & Crackers
Wasabi Almonds
Deviled Eggs

Sides:
Fresh Green Salad
Warm Sour Dough Rolls

Main Course:
Honey Baked Ham
Yukon Gold Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Roasted Asparagus w/ Hollandaise Sauce


Dessert:
Vanilla Ice Cream w/ Spiced Pear Compote -- Provided by my mom

My new table all set up - isn't it pretty?


And let everyone drink wine, enjoy good food, and play a fun game called "Blokus"!


Overall, I was pleased - seemed like a success!

German Chocolate Cake - Dad's B-day

My Dad LOVES German Chocolate Cake like none other. However, noone in my family ever liked it much so he didn't normally get it as his birthday cake (sad!) when I was growing up. Therefore, now that I'm an adult, and have no clue what to buy him for his birthday, I've started a tradition (this year being the 3rd year) of getting him a GC cake and bringing it in to work (since we work together) and doing the whole singing / celebrating thing there. The past two years I've bought him a store bought cake, and even though I had them write "Happy Birthday" on it, it just felt a little trite. So this year, I decided I'd try to make him a home-made one.

Needless to say, it got rave reviews. My Dad said it was one of the best GC cakes he'd ever eaten (hey, at least he's complimentary even if it wasn't true) and I was proud b/c I've really been trying to make things not just taste good but be pretty too.

Here's the final cake:



I made a little one for Brad too while I was at it. I know I spoil him, but isn't that what girlfriends are for? =)