Thinking Outside of the Box

It was a long week.  I did a cake (which really was 4 small cakes for one person), baked bread, baked and decorated 2 different batches of cupcakes, tried out 5 new recipes, cleaned house and worked on an upcoming project/event.  I'd share all the details about the event, but there are prying eyes on this blog (yes, Chris.....I'm talking about you!) and I don't want to ruin the fun.  So, I'll share some other things with you instead.
I finally did it!  I stepped way outside the box, especially for me.  I've been wanting to try a new combo of flavors, be it with cupcakes or cakes and fillings.  I'm tired of making all of the same things everyone else does, but I'll be the first to admit, I'M A CHICKEN!!!  I don't like change.  I don't like new things.  The tried and true always works for me.  But really, what fun is that?  Coloring inside the lines, makes for a rather boring picture, don't you think?  So, here's my new cupcake and icing combo..............

You probably guessed right away, huh?  Chocolate and Mint???  NO!  That isn't outside of the box.  It's dark chocolate cupcakes alright, but it's what's on top that makes this different.  It's a Creamy Avocado Icing.  I know this won't sound so appealing and my first thought was "gross".  But it turns out to be pretty tasty.  After the initial shock of avocado-green coloring, you bite into it and it's surprisingly refreshing.  The avocado balances out the sweetness of the buttercream and there's only a light hint of the avocado flavor.  Wonderful and a definite must try, if you're looking for something new.
Being that I love photographing everything I make, I've been looking at all the clearance isles, trying to find new and interesting plates, bowls, glasses, etc, that will look good thru the camera lens.  It's been a fun process and I'm getting quite a collection going.  I have a strict "nothing over $3" rule for myself, that way I don't invest a lot of money in another collection.  I thought a good place to check out would be Goodwill.  We pull into the parking lot today and the place is packed!!  I mean, like Christmas-shopping-time-of-year, packed!  What in the world was going on?  I know the economy has tanked, but I didn't think that it was quite this bad.  We finally find a parking spot and go inside....It was crazy!!  I did manage to find 3 bowls and a little plate that I loved and when we finally managed to weave our way up to a register, the cashier rings everything up at half price!  No wonder so many people were there.  We left, spending a whopping $1.82.  I think we might have to take out a loan on that, but my new plates are so worth it.  :-)  Just out of curiosity, why does Goodwill need to have a 50% off sale???  It's GOODWIL!!!!  Aren't they cheap already???
We made the trek out to IKEA today.  Why does it have to be so far from our house?  While we love it for certain items, going out there once a year is about all we do anymore.  Found a couple more plates and a towel rack for the bathroom.  I've got so many home projects I want to do, but never the time do any of them.  The bathroom is just one of many thoughts.  I also want to put up cabinets in our laundry room.  Any volunteers for that one?  I've just got to find the cabinets I want.  Uuhhhhgggg!  I don't want to think about it any more and we haven't even started it yet.
Tonight we tried 3 new recipes. Lean steak in a Red Wine Reduction sauce, Roasted Lemon Garlic Green Beans and Smashed Cauliflower.  Talk about a great taste sensation!  So incredibly healthy and tasty!!  The Red Wine Reduction was a perfect blend to the steak.  The green beans were fresh (another Bountiful Basket  day) and the Smashed cauliflower had a bit of a horseradish taste (even though there was no horseradish in it.)to it with a mashed potato like texture.

I'll post the recipes in a separate post.
Off to do another cake for tomorrow.  It's a fun one and another great flavor combo.  Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cup.  :-)

Onions in Bloom?

Summertime brings a lot of garden veggies here in AZ.  While our little "garden" struggles, our neighbors have a garden that thrives.  Today, upon delivering a cake to the Brook's, Emily asked me if I wanted some fresh green onions.  What a great thing to add to the Beef Broccoli we were going to have tonight!  I was told that the onions were kind of dry and maybe I should put them in some water, to try and keep them from drying out further.  Here's what my Husband did with them.........

Nothing says home, like a vase of fresh smelling Green Onions!  LOL!  Thanks, Emily!  These were wonderful and I really hope they bloom soon......I love fragrant Onion Flowers!!
I'm on a roll today, not only did I finish off a very fun cake (see my cake gallery @ www.alwayswithcake.com), make 38 cupcakes and then cleaned the kitchen down, but managed to find a use for our over-rip bananas.  I made some wonderful Whole Wheat Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread for Chris.  The smell of chocolate, peanut butter, and bananas  wafting from the kitchen (mixed in with the blooming onion fragrance) was heavenly. Fresh out of the oven, I put a little Chocolate Banana Spread on the bread and ta-da..........

If you're not a fan of whole wheat, this might seem sort of bland.  I find that whole wheat is something that you have to get used to, but once you do, you see how much healthier it is for you.  Chris put his stamp of approval on it, so it's another recipe worth saving.
I think I'm done for the day.  I need some rest and a little Tivo time.

Smiley Faces Are Haunting Me...

It's been one of those days.  We all have them.  Some of us more frequently than others...........I have to say I'm guilty of having quite a few lately.  I've been having some horrible back pain and while the bed is a wonderful part of the solution, I just want to feel like I can walk upright again, without pain.  I hate being grumpy and irritable and really, those around me probably hate it even more.  Sorry people!  This too shall pass, right?  Today, I went for a 90 minute deep tissue massage.  Ohhhhhh! I don't know if I've ever felt more relaxed and in so much pain all at the same time.  I knew I was in big trouble when I flinched as the massage therapist was rubbing my ARM!  I've never had sore arms before. When I left, the lady said to me "You could really benefit from a massage more often."  Of course I could!  Who wouldn't benefit from a 90 minute massage every week?  A) I don't have that kind of time and B) That would get awfully expensive after week 2.  So, while investing in a massage therapy salon sounds like a good way to make me feel better, I doubt the financial results would yield big investments.
I'm currently making birthday cupcakes, for the little girl down the street, to take to school on Wednesday.  I love doing things for the neighbors and it's great that they give me relatively free design reign, to create new and interesting masterpieces.   The cupcake designs were my idea and I was trying to come up with something that was relatively easy, not too girly (we don't want the boys in the class to feel left out), and something good for a 10 year old.  I found these cute smiley face cupcake liners and thought they would make for a fun looking cupcake.  I was content just to use the liner, put a swirl of buttercream on each cupcake and top with a Reeses Peanut butter cup.  If you know me, the more time I have to think about something, the more detail I feel I should add.  That being said, tonight I decided to make some very simple fondant smiley faces, that can also go on top of the cupcakes, just to give it that added punch.  I'll be honest, once you've made 30+ of these little smiley faces, they begin to creep you out.

Some of their eyes started to follow me, as I was working on other things.  Who is this happy all of the time?  What are they thinking about?  While I know that these faces are indeed made out of sugar and marshmallows, I can't help but wonder if they're sitting on the table, judging me for the lack of creativity I put into them.  Really, I've got to stop looking at them now.  They're creeping me out.
Tonight, I tried another new recipe - Cauliflower Au Gratin.  I'm on a Cauliflower kick.  I love vegetables and when I can cook them and disguise them to be something completely different than what they are, it's even better.  Cauliflower Au Gratin is pretty good!

It's really surprising what recipes people come up with, in order to eat healthier.  And it's even more surprising that I'm actually liking most of what I try.  Now, if only I could figure out a way to make Reese's Peanut Butter Cups a healthy alternative........................Any ideas??

Recipe - Chocolate Marscarpone Espresso Vodka Brownies

Adapted from ddougee @ Group Recipes

Brownie Mixture -
1 Cup Unsalted Butter
3oz Best-Quality semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped.  (Toll-House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips work just fine)
2 Shots Three Olives Triple Espresso Vodka (You can substitute 2 Shots of Espresso Coffee, if you don't want to use Vodka)
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder (Sifted)
1/2 Cup Mascarpone Cheese (Softened!!)
3 Large Eggs, at room temp.
2 tsp pure Vanilla (Vanilla extract will work too)
1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour
1/4 Tsp Salt

Ganache Mixture -
6oz Best Quality Semi Sweet Chocolate, finally chopped (Again, Toll-House works here too)
6 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1 Shot Three Olives Triple Espresso Vodka (Or 1 Shot of Espresso Coffee)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Butter an 8" square pyrex pan.

Place chopped chocolate in mixing bowl, set aside.
In a small glass bowl, melt butter in microwave (take out before it starts bubbling).  Pour butter over the chocolate and let stand for 30 seconds.  Stir until chocolate is completely melted.  Sift in sugar and cocoa powder.
With a wooden spoon, beat in mascarpone cheese, eggs, vanilla and Triple Espresso Vodka, mixing until smooth.  Gently fold in the flour and salt.  (Make sure that your marscarpone is very soft or it will leave lumps in your batter.  I put mine in the microwave for 10 seconds, stirred it and put it back in the microwave for another 10 seconds or so, until completely softened.)
Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly.  Place into preheated oven and bake for 45-50 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
Place pan on cooling rack and let brownies cool 10-15 minutes while you make ganache.
For Ganache:
Place chopped chocolate in mixing bowl.  In small saucepan, bring the heavy cream and butter to just below a boiling point, over meadium heat.  Pour this hot mixture over the chocolate with the Triple Espresso Vodka and let stand for 30 seconds, then stir until smooth.  Pour ganache over brownies while they are still warm and spread to cover evenly.
Let ganache firm up before cutting.  It's best to refrigerate them until quite firm.  Once the ganache is firm and the brownies have been cut, the do not need to be kept in the refrigerator.  Cover brownies with saran wrap or in air tight container, if leaving out, otherwise, devour immediately and then run out and join the closest gym.  :-)  Happy Baking!!

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Food, Food and More Food!

It's really a wonder I haven't shown up on one of those reality TV series on weight loss.  I've managed to lose a good amount of weight these past 7 months and I really have been good about keeping it off and changing my attitude toward food.  That all being said, I still love to have good food, just healthier stuff, for the majority of the time.  Last night it was Serrano Turkey Burgers with homemade Pico de Gallo and fresh guacamole.  We also tried a new recipe for sweet potatoes.  Sweet Potato Beer Fries.  They were good, but not nearly as good as the Cajun Sweet Potato Fries I make.

Because we made the pico and the guacamole ourselves, the burger probably ended up costing around $15ea, but oh so worth it!!!!!  (I think it would have been cheaper, gas and all to just go to Red Robin, but where's the fun in that?)  There is just something about a fresh grilled turkey burger that makes me want to eat it every night. (I don't, just for your info)
Before our grilled burgers, we went to our local Total Wine store.  Total Wine, to adults, is like Toys R Us to kids.  I know that I seem to talk about alcohol a lot and it's got leave some of you wondering if I have a problem.  Let me just tell you, I don't.  I love to have a drink, but only every now and then and for the most part, it's social.  On a rare occasion that I have a drink at home, Chris is always after me, because I can never finish it.   I'm in love with different flavors of alcohol, but mainly, because I love cooking with them.  It's fun to come up/find new recipes that I can make with whatever I have in the bar.  Total Wine has a great selection of everything a person could want and then some and all at reasonable prices.  I've got to watch myself in that store or I'll walk out with one of everything, just so I can concoct something new and exciting.  Yesterday, I found Triple Espresso Vodka!  Now, being that I LOVE Espresso, this seemed like a must have!  Good thing I bought it.....
I woke up this morning and felt a need to make something that would knock my socks off.  I found a recipe and the title alone won me out, before I even read the ingredients:  Chocolate Marscarpone Espresso Vodka Brownies!  You're kidding me, right???  Who wouldn't die for this?  If they cooked up half as good as they sounded, it was sure to be a winner.  It so was.  It was by far, one of the best chocolate desserts I've ever tasted in my life.  While the title suggests it's a brownie, I can't say that it was.  It was definitely not cake, but not brownie like either.  Chris said it just melts in your mouth.  I said that it was a great way to get even the hardest core workout freak, off their diet.  I had one bite....this morning and I'll be honest....had another bite tonight.  You can't eat much of it, as it's very rich.  A little goes a very long way.  Take a look.

Just looking at the picture, makes me want to reach in and grab the brownie.  If there's ever a time where you need to seal the deal, with anyone, this dessert would do the trick, hands down!  I'm a changed woman!  Between this Brownie and the Snickers Martini recipe I found, I will never be the same.  So, if you pass me and you see that glazed over look in my eyes, just know that I'm off daydreaming about Chocolate Marscarpone Espresso Vodka Brownies and a Snickers Martini.  Tomorrow is Monday and the gym is SCREAMING my name.  It was good while it lasted...............