Bringing sweet dreams to life...

January 2011

Flambéed Banana Crêpes Suzette

January 31, 2011

The challenge: Whip up a “Steamy Valentine’s Day” Inspired recipe. I thought to myself, what could be “Steamier” than a Valentine’s Day dessert so hot it goes up in flames?

17 comments hungry for more…?

Tagged as: all-purpose flour, bananas, brown sugar, cinnamon, eggs, granulated sugar, ManPans, rum, unsalted butter, Valentine's Day, vanilla extract, vanilla ice cream

Pecan Pie Martini

January 29, 2011

You know, it’s a funny thing… my husband says he doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth. But I’m not really buying it. For example, I made this cocktail for him, told him what is was, he took a sip, then his face totally lit up!

35 comments hungry for more…?

Tagged as: bourbon, caramel cream liqueur, heavy cream, pecans, Praline pecan liqueur, Torani caramel syrup, turbinado sugar

A Blackmarket Evening

January 27, 2011

Buttermilk Cake with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Or should I say, an evening at the Blackmarket… Blackmarket Bakery, that is. A week or two ago Chef Rachel from the Blackmarket Bakery in Irvine, asked me if I wanted to participate in a Food Blogger Focus Group. To get some feedback on her new Cake Decorating Concept.

14 comments hungry for more…?

Tagged as: Blackmarket Bakery, Cake Decorating, Rachel Marie

Bittersweet Chocolate Pots de Crème

January 25, 2011

I know we are still a few weeks away from Valentine’s Day… and, if you, or your significant other are football fans you are probably more concerned about getting your Super Bowl menu planned out than you are about figuring out what to serve for Valentine’s day.

32 comments hungry for more…?

Tagged as: bittersweet chocolate, Carole Bloom, egg yolks, godiva chocolate liqueur, granulated sugar, heavy cream, intensely chocolate, Valentine's Day, vanilla extract, whole milk

Nutella embodied in a Shot

January 22, 2011

It’s no secret… I’m a big fan of the Chocolate-Hazelnut flavor combination.

50 comments hungry for more…?

Tagged as: Frangelico Liqueur, godiva chocolate liqueur, heavy whipping cream, nutella

Toffee or Buttercrunch? Call them what you like Meltaways

January 20, 2011

Happy Buttercrunch Day! Caramelized Butter and Sugar… some call it Toffee, some call it Buttercrunch. Up until a few days ago I actually didn’t know there was a difference. But thanks to The Nibble we have a couple of examples to help us distinguish the two:

31 comments hungry for more…?

Tagged as: all-purpose flour, almond extract, Baking by Flavor, baking powder, confectioners' sugar, fine sea salt, ground almonds, Hershey's Heath bits, Lisa Yockelson, unsalted butter, vanilla extract

Frosting for the Cause: Go Pink! Strawberry Cupcakes

January 18, 2011

I’m very excited to announce that today I am guest posting over at Frosting for the Cause. An awesome project that began January 1, 2011 and will end December 31, 2011 with a total of 365 guest posts by bakers, decorators, and bloggers all taking turns sharing wonderful cookie and cupcake recipes with you, while [...]

6 comments hungry for more…?

Tagged as: frosting for the cause, strawberries