Happy Birthday to me...

My birthday was yesterday and because I am going to be attending culinary school in the fall, I thought I should try to work with fondant again. I figured there is no better time to practice than for my own birthday, because if it didn't turn out, then the only person that would be let down would be me (or maybe my boyfriend because he paid for the supplies/ingredients since he wanted to buy me a cake. But I don't really think he would care either way).

I was a little bit nervous to attempt this cake, since my first fondant cake took me for-e-ver (picturing Smalls from The Sandlot), and cost me lots of tears and heartache. But I thought it turned out ok.

Problems I had:

• Trouble covering the cake: My boyfriend helped me lay the fondant on the cake since I didn't have a large rolling pin (oh yeah, that was fun...I didn't have my large fondant rolling pin with me and so I had to use my mini one to roll out my fondant. You know the one you use to roll out tiny bits of fondant for flowers and whatnot. *sigh*) and as we're laying it on top he asks me how is the cake going to be smooth with no creases. Good question I told him. I flashed back to my Wilton fondant class to the moment where I was covering my cake with fondant....oh that's right, I didn't cover my cake with fondant, the instructor pretty much did it for me. Great. Now I remembered she kind of pulled on the fondant and it just magically smoothed out and the creases ended up below the cake and I cut them off. So I tried that...and instead of magically smoothing out, mine stretched...and tore. *heavy sigh* Awesome. At least I was adding circles to the cake so I could cover the tears. I managed to get all of the creases out except for the one in the back of the cake....hence no pictures of the back of the cake. Haha. :o) Solved that problem! But seriously, I don't even remember how I did that on my first cake which was quite curvy.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make it so there are no creases?

• Air pockets underneath the fondant: I tried poking a hole but that didn't really work. I had way too much air underneath there.

• Droopy fondant: The numbers are droopy and I know it's because they didn't get to dry long enough. So...
How long do they really need to dry before they will stand up straight?
And once they can stand up straight, how do you secure them on the top of the cake?

In the end, I was a little bummed but I didn't cry about it, so I think it was successful. :o)
However, any suggestions or advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

-amanda

Coming Up....Delicious Food and a Giveaway!

I just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who has stopped by my blog and for all of the wonderful comments! I really appreciate all of you!

Also, Welcome Foodie Blogroll Members!! For those of you bloggers not on the Foodie Blogroll, you should check it out! It's a great place to find other foodie blogs and they have contests & giveaways!

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It's my birthday week so check back next week for some delicious birthday food and dessert!!

Plus! Within the next week or two I will be launching my new layout, and to celebrate I will be doing my first giveaway!! To be eligible for the giveaway you must be a follower of my blog. More details to come!

Thanks for reading :o)

-amanda

Jello Cups

And last but not least for the Hawaiian luau...Jello Cups!!

Simple and delicious!

Jello Cups
Makes 10 cups

• 4 - 3oz. boxes of different flavored Jello
• Cool Whip
• 10 - 9 oz cups
• Drink umbrellas (optional, but why wouldn't you? they are so cute!)

Make two of the Jello flavors according to the directions on the box. Fill five cups half way with one flavor and the other five cups with the other flavor. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until firm.

Repeat the process with the other two flavors and carefully pour on top of the set jello. Refrigerate for another 4 hours or until firm.

Top off with some Cool Whip and enjoy!

-amanda

Hawaiian Cupcakes

I made these for a Hawaiian luau at work and I wanted them to be coconut flavored and have a flower on top that sort of resembled a Hawaiian flower. I was originally going to make frangipani flowers but I didn't have the right fondant cutters to do it so I just used what I had.

They tasted pretty good but I thought they were a little dry, my co-workers disagreed saying that they were "heavy" but not dry. I opted not to do coconut in the frosting because I wanted the frosting to look smooth.



Coconut Cupcakes
(from Simply Recipes)

• 3/4 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cup of sugar
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup of canned coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups of flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/2 cup of sweetened desiccated coconut

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add sugar and cream till light and fluffy again, scraping down the sides halfway through to ensure even mixing.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds each to ensure mixing. Be sure to scrape down the sides after each egg to ensure even mixing.

Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder in one bowl. In another add 1 cup of a well shaken can of coconut milk and a teaspoon of vanilla. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients and mix, then add 1/2 of the wet ingredients. Continue alternating with the wet and dry mixtures, ending with the dry. Stop mixing once just as the ingredients become incorporated; do not overbeat.

Fold in the coconut. Scoop into cupcake papers about one half to three-quarters of the way full. Bake for 18-22 minutes, rotating the pan after the first 15 to ensure even baking. Be sure to check with a toothpick to see if the cupcakes are done. If the toothpick comes out of the cupcake clean, then they're ready. Allow the cupcakes to cool for a minute or two in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

I think these were definitely the prettiest cupcakes that I have ever made but they were very time consuming.

Until next time...

-amanda

Macaroni and Cheese.....My First True Love

Once upon a time there was a girl who loved macaroni and cheese....more than any other food in the world...

Macaroni and cheese has always, always, always been my favorite food. My earliest memory of macaroni and cheese is not actually eating it but writing about it. In kindergarten we all had to write a storybook and then the ladies in the library actually bound them into books for us. Well we had to write a section "About the Author" which included things we liked. And of course I wrote that I loved macaroni and cheese.

When my friends would come over for lunch on a half day of school, they always knew what they would be eating, and I think one of them even asked me once if we could have something besides macaroni and cheese. I am sure that idea was quickly shot down.

As I grew older, I think people thought I would outgrow my love for macaroni and cheese, but they were wrong. I only came to love it more. But recently, I realized that I had never made homemade macaroni and cheese myself. How could this be?? I had to correct the problem right away.

This is how it turned out...

Stove-top Macaroni and Cheese (from Evil Shenanigans)
Serves 4-6

• 8oz macaroni
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 6 oz evaporated milk
• 6 oz freshly grated cheddar cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper
• Hot sauce, to taste
• Salt and pepper

Boil the pasta according to package directions, but reduce the cooking time by one minute. Drain and pour back into the cooking pot.

Over medium-low heat, add the butter and stir until melted.

Mix the egg, milk, and spices and pour over the pasta. Stir until it begins to thicken, about three to five minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat then add the cheese in four installments, making sure the first is melted completely before adding the next.

Now I am a fan of all kinds of macaroni and cheese, but I think that perhaps I should stick to eating it and not cooking it. It just wasn't what I had hoped for: not creamy enough, not cheesy enough. I think it was operator error and not the recipe that ruined it, because Evil Shenanigans' mac and cheese looked delish! Soooo, I think I will wait awhile before I try another macaroni and cheese recipe and just stick to the good 'ol Kraft Deluxe that has never done me wrong.



Speaking of Kraft, stop by their website Share A Little Comfort. With one click you can help Kraft donate 10 boxes of macaroni and cheese to Feeding America!! You can click once per day, so stop by often! Also, if you love Kraft macaroni and cheese as much as I do, they have COUPONS you can print! Yay!

Well, if you've made it this far thanks for putting up with all of the macaroni talk.

And the girl and macaroni and cheese lived happily ever after...The End.

-amanda

P.S. The cutest cupcakes I have ever made (thus far) coming up tomorrow! :o)

Aloha! Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Pretzel rods dipped in white chocolate then sprinkled with sugar, fish sprinkles or drizzled with colored chocolate. Perfect for a Hawaiian luau!


-amanda

More Cupcakes!

So my friend invited my boyfriend and I over for a double date. Since they are cooking us dinner she asked if I would bring some cupcakes. She didn't get to try my 4th of July cupcakes that everyone loved, so I thought I would make those again.



And some minimal frosting cupcakes for my boyfriend. (If I give him a normal one he would wipe off most of the frosting...this may even be too much for him. We shall see..)


Next week I plan on making some Hawaiian inspired cupcakes (maybe even from scratch! lol) for a luau we are having at work, plus some yummy jello treats! So check back!

-amanda