the only roses i have a chance with...

Are those that i can bake in the oven lol. I made this bouquet for a friend's best friend's wedding shower that she couldn't make :(. The sage green and chocolate brown are her wedding colors. I can see all the faults :s. I wanted it perfect as like anything i make for anyone that is for a loved one should be nothing less. I really really really hope that the bride to be loves it, or at least the thought :p. It was fun to make none the less and i got to try out a new "fastening" system for the cupcakes (will have to find out if it held lol), and am currently working on fairy bouquets (really excited about these!)


cupcakes: chocolate cupcakes
icing: green icing is deluxe buttercream (Italian meringue buttercream with vanilla bean crème anglaise folded in half flavored with coconut the other half with orange). "brown" icing is dark chocolate frosting.

strawberries make everything better

I used to be a HUGE strawberry lover, i could eat them by the bucket load, but i lost my strawberry mojo back in November and never found it until this posting by brown eyed baker Strawberry pretzel squares !!!. They are a MUST try, i never eat my own baking (yes the weirdness of the fairy continues lol), but i have to say i inhaled this, and was quite tempted to leave the fork in the pie (i never cut it into bars) as i knew i would be back for second and third. I love love love baking from scratch and i have to admit that when i read jello, i was almost ready to not have a go. then i really started craving that strawberry pretzel squares that i never heard or had before (as you do). I was determined to alter it a bit because I really don't do jello. I had plans of drizzling some chocolate over the pretzel base (ya i also have a chocolate covered pretzel problem) then instead of the strawberries in jello, simply making the strawberry pie filling i had on hand which i love, then drizzling some more chocolate on top to make it all pretty and stuff....

but i got lazy lol and for once just decided to try it as is...i made it late one night, and it was waiting for me in the morning...i may or may not have had it for breakfast X2 that morning ( hey it has 3/4 of my food groups depending on who you are asking lol)

I am actually going to make this again for a get together we are all going to next Saturday (it's the only way for me to have a piece, without inhaling the whole thing). ok my picture makes it look less then appetizing but i was too busy inhaling it to stop to take a decent one. I guess this fairy will have to admit that Kraft might be worth another look on my part.


Strawberry Pretzel Squares
(Source: Kraft Foods)

2 cups finely crushed pretzels
½ cup sugar, divided
2/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
1½ pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. milk
1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
2 cups boiling water
1 pkg. (8-serving size) JELL-O Brand Strawberry Flavor Gelatin
1½ cups cold water
1 qt. (4 cups) strawberries, sliced

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Mix pretzel crumbs, 1/4 cup of the sugar and the butter. Press onto bottom of 13×9-inch baking pan. Bake 10 min. Cool.

BEAT cream cheese, remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the milk until well blended. Gently stir in whipped topping. Spread over crust. Refrigerate until ready to use.

MEANWHILE, stir boiling water into dry gelatin mix in large bowl at least 2 min. until completely dissolved. Stir in cold water. Refrigerate 1½ hours or until thickened (spoon drawn through leaves definite impression). Stir in strawberries. Spoon over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm. Cut into squares to serve. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

my nemisis we meet again...

I kinda like that the word "can't" doesn't have a place in my vocab, it's usually more like i "don't" or "won't" lol add to that a very bad case of the " i think i can" and you have a pretty neat experiment at times. When something flops i sulk, might momentarily gain the mouth of a well verses Irish sailor ( why Irish? no idea first thing to pop into my head, must say i LOVE the Irish accent though!- ok back to original scheduled broadcast)

up to now two things have had me almost sticking my pinkie toe into the river of "can't":

1) Singing - ok i am no Mariah, and the only people i subject to my nails down the chalkboard renditions are my poor kids but i am already popping $$$ into their therapy fund as i type :p.

2) cookies of any kind that i want to decorate with royal icing...i can't flood to save my life. then i stumbled on bake@350 and she lit that fire again that just maybe maybe i am not an absolute lost cause and i should try and try and try until i can toot my own horn on this one. I visit often and drool and dream of trying everything maybe someday or finding someone to physically walk me through where i am going oh so wrong.

Then i stumbled on her cute as a button cookies, and i HAD to make them. I love the fact that Bridget MADE the buttons!! Luckily i was out of icing sugar, so no royal icing for me but since the fondant was already out. i used that instead, and i have to say i love finding ways around my Nemesis and i think i love the look even more (ya ya i am in denial and avoiding the royal icing for a bit longer.)

lets just say i went to bed late that night, and a couple more nights that week...but i am HOOKED even though i so cheated lol

TDK-Chocolate Pavlovas and Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse

The June 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Dawn of Doable and Delicious. Dawn challenged the Daring Bakers’ to make Chocolate Pavlovas and Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse. The challenge recipe is based on a recipe from the book Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard


what would the cupcake fairy be if i didn't attempt to make this in a cupcake form :-p. I was hoping to make the mascarpone from scratch using THIS recipe...but 1.5 litres of whip cream down the drain later, i bought some. that was the most expensive mascarpone cheese ever. They were easy to make (minus the cheese lol) and per taste testers they were lovely and rich (really couldn't eat more then one). I am not a lover of chocolate (i know i know there's something wrong with me lol). A fellow baker poster her own twist (using white chocolate & cream cheese instead) now THAT sound like an amazing combo. Can't wait to see what i will get to bake next month :)

they called it mellow yellow...

take 3...

this is what happens when someone tries to get clever with her blog, it was having a bad hair day :p. Thankfully i am also blessed with a computer/website fairy who made my very short web designer career appear like it never happened.

so here are the pictures, but because this is attempt number 3, you're spared the rambling lol

The cupcakes : lemon cupcake filled with homemade lemon curd, topped with whipped cream and fondant flowers. Payment for some much needed chalkboard paint (pics to come) , why can't i pay for everything this way ( shoes? handbags? wallets? baby/kids clothing????)

The cake: my 1st (??last??) tiered cake, for my baby brother's birthday :). Very short on time and due to blurry vision (sinus headache), it's officially been put into my disaster pile, but the main thing is that he loved it, even with all it's manly-ness lol. chocolate cake . bottom tier has strawberry Italian buttercream (2 layers). top tier is filled with mocha buttercream. The bottom tier should have been covered in a new MMF recipe i found (hmm mistake number one) but it was way too dry, so the layer on there is paper thin (i'll give satin ice that, it didn't tear considering). Either way with this cake i have officially establish a new rule with my loved ones, i bake because i care, so in return you must care for the cake you get warts and all lol...So far it's working :)

from pretzel bark to the circus coming to town.

Ok it's been way too long and i would love to say that the reason that i haven't written is because i have been curred from my baking addiction. sadly not, i have been VERY busy in my lil' kitchen these last two weeks. i am going to try and not make this too pic heavy or for once not ramble on and on and on lol. So baking wise best bits of the last fortnight??

1) We had my 4 year old's circus themed birthday this Saturday. I stressed and faffed around sooo much with it, as i wanted everything to be perfect. But after a venue change, not being able to get my hands on some "planned" goodies & simply it being next to impossible to get out for any lenght of time & severe sleep deprivation. i was feeling kinda bummed that she would be disappointment or her friends would be bored (i never got around to making the circus games i had planned).

I really need to get down to her level on stuff like this more often and remember that she has yet to be lumbered with the curse of adulthood. Simply seeing the balloon arch i whipped up at the entry way of her play room (at 1 AM lol) on waking up Saturday morning had her exclaiming how it was the "most wonderful thing she had ever seen" and that this was the best birthday ever...so through the eyes of my heart next year this mama is going to keep it simple stupid . who knew that a balloon arch would be all it took.

I also made my own mini corndogs, they went down well. For her birthday cake, Madame had rich (Well mama thinks a bit dry) vanilla/white chocolate cupcakes turned into unscary clowns. And chocolate cupcakes turned into popcorn which is a good thing since i burned the real deal.

I also made cake pops & soft pretzels and if i could have made the cotton candy i would have to lol. Everyone seemed to have a good time even though it was a bit squished, and if the noise level was anything to go by all the kids had as much fun as the birthday girl did, she unfortunately for me is still running of sugar from yesterday, but so so so so worth it!!!!

2) i first fell in love (seriously!) with bakerella when i fell on her cake balls/blog by accident, i have been a avid fan since then. I haven't made them in a wee while, but i had promised baked goods to an organisation i am member of. Due to a freaky, sticky yucky heatwave i chickened out on making the lemon meringue/ tres leche and tiramisu cupcakes i had planned (oh i am so tackling them soon :-p), and opted for cake balls. because i love the added stress i chose to try 3 new flavors i had yet to make ( i am the chocolate fudge cake ball queen). I made coffee cake & coffee Italian buttercream balls, and topped them with a hazelnut coffee bean. the pink ones were apple caramel flavored and the yellow/white ones were vanilla cake & cream cheese frosting rolled in coconut. my home testers weren't keen on the apple caramel,but i included them anyways..still waiting to here if the were edible.So hope they went down well.

3)pretzel bark...ok i forgot to take a picture...but so so simple and so so so yummy!!! i made these for a much needed intervention night for myself . Read catching up with some very dear friends who are good for the soul :-) and did the very bad bad thing of trying them ( i am a closet chocolate covered pretzel addict) and usually NEVER even eat or try my own baking but since this wasn't "technically" baking it doesn't count lol will definitely make again.

4) i had promised baked goods for a bake sale for a meetup group i am a member of, the best bit is it allowed me to use some of my new bakeitpretty liners...it was a long day as i made a booboo with the first batch of strawberry cupcakes, so had to start again, and because i am am glutton for punishment and i was miffed at messing up said cupcakes i added vanilla and chocolate ones to the mix to lol. This was only remotely possibly due to the stand mixer...i seriously don't know how i did so long without one, it makes things soooo much easier and i am quicker which = more baking win win in my books (thanks you once again kitchenaid fairy!! <3 )

ok so i lied about not rambling, but come on it's been two weeks, and these are the highlight that spring to mind right this second so i am being kind lol...i won't admit to just how much baking took place this last fortnight anyways :)

Happy Brachiosaurus Day

I personally think that may 16th is a grand day for such an important celebration. I hope that a very special little boy with an absolutely cracking and vivid imagination likes his celebration cupcakes , warts and all. Happy Brachiosaurus Day !



cupcakes: butter cream cake
icing: white chocolate italian buttercream