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Cakes, cupcakes, and celebrations!

Lately, Mary and I have had lots of fun making extra special desserts for birthdays, celebrations, and more! We are always excited to receive custom orders from friends and family, so when we were asked to make three desserts for this weekend, we couldn't wait to whip up some fabulous treats to help make these occasions even sweeter. 


For our first order, we were asked to make cupcakes for a fairy themed birthday party for one of our favorite seven year old's! We decided to make butterfly wings out of Wilton candy melts and use them to decorate the cupcakes. To do this, we melted the colored chocolate discs, placed the chocolate into a piping bag, and piped the design onto a piece of parchment paper. In order to ensure a consistent shape, we traced a wing template on a sheet of paper underneath the parchment. After piping the wings, we placed them right into the freezer to harden the chocolate before placing them onto the cupcakes. Although piping the wing designs was a tedious task, the hardest part turned out to be transferring the wings from the parchment onto the cupcakes without the wings breaking! Many butterfly wings were cracked in the process, but by the end we perfected our technique and ended up with beautiful butterfly cupcakes!


Our second order was for a late Father's Day cake for one of our great family friends. We knew the dad really loves chocolate and is an avid golfer, so wanted to combine two of his favorite things in a unique and delicious cake. We used a classic two-layer chocolate cake recipe from Ina Garten in Food and Wine Magazine and frosted the top with our favorite vanilla icing recipe (the recipe is in this post!). The "grass" on the top of the cake is piped on with a grass/hair piping tip, which has a few tiny holes giving a perfect grass look! We topped the cake off with a graham cracker crumb sand trap, a flag, and a tee. This cake was really a hole in one, as the dad's reaction was priceless and the family really enjoyed the cake!


Lastly, we were asked to make baseball themed cupcakes for a little league Phillies end of the season party. They asked us to incorporate the Phillies logo, so we used the Wilton melt technique a second time to make the P's! We were a bit more experienced this time after making the butterfly wings, and the P's were definitely not as fragile as the butterfly wings. We wanted to make a variety of cupcakes, so decided to go with a baseball cupcake with laces piped on using red colored vanilla icing, and ball and bat cupcakes with green "grass" icing. We made the bats out of molded tootsie rolls and the little balls out of white ball-shaped chocolate candies! We used the same grass tip for these cupcakes as we used for the golf cake.

We've had lots of requests for the vanilla frosting recipe we always use, so here it is!


Our Famous Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Recipe adapted from Food.com

Ingredients
  •     1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  •     3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
  •     1 teaspoon milk
  •     1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  •     1/8 teaspoon salt
Cooking Directions          
  1.  In a bowl, combine butter, sugar and salt until blended.              
  2. Add milk and vanilla and beat an additional 3-5 minutes or until smooth and creamy.         

If you are ever looking for anyone to recreate that Pinterest recipe you've been dreaming of or just want some extra special treats for your special occasion, let us know! We LOVE baking fun sweets for people. 

A Taste of Italy

Ciao from Italy! Its been too long since we last made a blog post, so after a busy week, we are excited to share a few snapshots and recipes from our culinary adventure last night! Our friend just returned from a ten day vacation to Venice and Florence with some amazing photos, adorable shopping finds and a taste for some fresh Italian food! She wanted to re-create some of her favorite dishes and share them with us, so we embarked upon a trip to Italy with a delicious Italian meal. 

We prepared a three-course Italian menu filled with fresh, authentic ingredients. To start off the meal, we enjoyed one of our friend’s favorite Italian appetizers, Prosciutto e Melone, made with balls of cantaloupe, basil leaves and prosciutto stacked on toothpicks for a fancy presentation. The sweetness of the cantaloupe paired with the salty cured meat and fresh herbs had an incredible flavor. 

Prosciutto e Melone 
Margherita pizza ready for the oven!
For our main course, we prepared Margherita pizza made with lots of Roma tomatoes and a delicious Buffalo Mozzarella, topped with fresh Basil and Oregano from our garden! We tried to make it as authentic as possible by drizzling olive oil on the top and brushing it on the edges, as well as topping the pizza with garden-fresh arugula. We served it alongside a fresh arugula salad (our garden is overflowing with arugula!) topped with sliced parmesan cheese, Roma tomatoes, and a balsamic drizzle. Our friend's family gave the meal excellent reviews and thought we did a great job capturing the true Italian flavor they savored on their trip! 

Finished Margherita pizza with fresh arugula!
Fresh arugula salad with roma tomatoes, parmesan, and balsamic drizzle 
We couldn’t have an authentic Italian meal without ending it with some homemade gelato. Our friend tried many different flavors on her trip, from Watermelon and Almond to Yogurt, Nutella and of course her favorite, Pistachio. We prepared a Pistachio gelato made with pistachios, vanilla bean and a base of heavy cream and whole milk. The creaminess combined with the bits of pistachio pieces combined for an amazing texture. Everyone went back for seconds! 

Homemade gelato, so delicious!
Pizza Margherita

Recipe by Mario Batali
Ingredients
  •     1/4 cup tomato paste
  •     4 roma tomatoes
  •     8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced into 12 equal pieces
  •     1 teaspoon fresh oregano
  •     1 clove fresh garlic, sliced thinly
  •     1 ball Trader Joe's Pizza Dough
Cooking Directions    
  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
  2. Flour dough and roll out thin on a floured surface, leaving a thicker rim around the edges. 
  3. Spread tomato paste over dough, leaving 1/4 inch of dough for the edge of pizza.
  4. Thinly slice tomatoes and place on dough.                 
  5. Scatter sliced mozzarella over tomatoes and sprinkle with garlic and oregano.                  
  6. Slide pizza directly onto pizza stone and bake 15-18 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbling.       

Gelato di Crema

Recipe by Food Network- Aunt Lena's Creamery
Ingredients
  •     5 large egg yolks
  •     3/4 cup sugar
  •     2 1/4 cups whole milk
  •     1 cup heavy cream
  •     1 vanilla bean
  •     6 ounces shelled pistachios
Cooking Directions            
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until mixture is pale yellow and thickens up. 
  2. In a blender, combine shelled pistachios with heavy cream until pureed.           
  3. Combine the whole milk, pistachio cream mixture and vanilla bean, sliced in half lengthwise in a saucepan. Heat the mixture just until it starts to bubble around the edges, making sure it does not boil. Remove from heat.            
  4. Remove vanilla bean and scrape out seeds with tip of a small knife and add seeds to cream mixture. Discard vanilla bean shell.              
  5. While whisking egg mixture, add in 1 cup of warm cream mixture and combine together. Then add in rest of egg mixture to milk. Heat mixture slowly to 175-180 degrees F. Custard should be thickened and coat the back of a wooden spoon.             
  6. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, cover and refrigerate until well chilled.          
  7. Transfer mixture into ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions.         
Though we wish we could have made an actual trip to Italy (and we are definitely planning to visit sometime!), we had such a great time enjoying a taste of the fresh Italian flavors our friend misses so much. We hope you can dream about floating on a gondola as you are transported to Italy with these recipes, enjoy! 

Sugar Cookie Decorating

When Mary and I are asked about our all-time favorite desserts to make, decorated sugar cookies are always at the top of our list. Although the cookies themselves are classic sugar cookies (not to downplay how delicious they really are!) the fun comes in the endless possibilities for cookie shapes and decorating styles. In the past, Mary and I have made mostly holiday sugar cookies whether for Christmas, Easter, Valentine's Day, or the Fourth of July. Now, our cookie repertoire is expanding as just this past week we purchased some fun new cookie cutters and made some great new designs!

Last Sunday before the Blackhawks game a week ago today, Mary and I thought it would be fun to make some festive cookies to help cheer on our favorite team. Though we weren't ambitious enough to try the Blackhawks logo (too many details!) we did make some jersey cookies that turned out to be so fun and not to mention delicious! 

We found the t-shirt or jersey cookie cutters at Sur La Table!
We started by making our favorite sugar cookie dough and leaving it in the refrigerator to cool and harden before rolling it out and cutting the jersey shapes! If you roll the dough out too early after it is finished, it will be very hard to lift the cut shapes onto the baking sheet and will create a big cookie dough mess! By refrigerating the dough you get a cleaner, easier transfer process and cookies with much straighter lines and neater shapes. Making thicker cookies and using colder dough also helps prevent the cookies from spreading and leaves you with nice beautiful cookies with just the right shape! 


After baking the cookies and allowing them to cool, we whipped up a batch of our favorite royal icing and began our favorite partthe decorating! Over the years Mary and I have really perfected our cookie decorating process, and are excited to share some of our favorite tips! To ice the cookies, we place the frosting in a clear condiment squeeze bottle. Start by making an outline around the edges of the cookie, leaving a bit of room around the edge so the icing does not spill over the sides! 

The next part is where you really get the professional sugar cookie look, using a process called flooding. After squeezing a generous amount of frosting in the center of the cookie, use a small spatula, bamboo skewer, or even a toothpick to help guide the frosting as it flows throughout the whole surface of the cookie! Once the whole cookie is dry, you can draw over the first icing layer using squeeze bottles filled with different colors! 

In addition to the Blackhawks jersey cookies, Mary and I were asked to make some shark sugar cookies for an 11 year old's shark-themed birthday party! After finding a shark sugar cookie cutter, which was harder than we thought, we used our favorite cookie recipe again and made some fun shark shaped cookies! 

We found the shark cutters in a Wilton pack from JoAnn Fabrics! 
For the shark cookies, we found that the tip on the squeeze bottle was a little too large for the finer details such as the shark's teeth, eye, and gills. To make these smaller details, we used a piping bag with a Wilton #2 tip, which worked perfectly to give us just the right sized designs. 


Our Favorite Sugar Cookies

Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats
Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 1/2 cups sifted flour
Cooking Directions
  1. Cream butter
  2. Add powdered sugar
  3. Blend in egg, almond extract, vanilla, salt, and flour
  4. Chill dough until very firm
  5. Roll to 1/4" thickness on a well-floured surface
  6. Place on cookie sheets either greased or with baking mat (we use Silpat)
  7. Bake for 8-10 minutes, cookies should not brown
  8. Allow to cool completely on cooling rack before decorating
We hope you enjoy this recipe and try your hand at making some beautiful decorated sugar cookies! They may be tedious at times and require a lot of care and love to decorate, but these delicious cookies are definitely worth it! 


Spinach and Asparagus Frittata with White Cheddar


After a busy week and being away from blogging, we couldn’t wait to start off the weekend with a new recipe post! On this rainy morning, we wanted to brighten things up with a frittata made with fresh vegetables from our backyard garden. With all the rain we have been getting lately, all the plants have had plenty to drink and are growing fast! It is incredible to see them spring up each day! Our spinach plants were getting large and ready to harvest, so this Spinach and Asparagus Frittata was the perfect way to use some of it up. 


Frittata is an egg dish similar to a crustless quiche. It is both simple to whip together (only about 25 minutes in total preparation and cooking time) and full of flavor. We cooked ours in our dad's vintage Griswold cast iron skillet, as it retains heat really well and can be used both over the stovetop and in the oven. After it was finished cooking, we used a spatula to loosen the sides of the frittata from the pan, and it flipped beautifully onto a large plate placed underneath the skillet.
To accompany our frittata, we served a Strawberry Cacao Nib Smoothie made with almond milk. It was such a refreshing treat, and the chocolate flavor of the cacao added an excellent flavor as well as an antioxidant boost.
Although we used spinach and asparagus in this recipe, frittatas can be made with many other fresh vegetables, including tomatoes and zucchini. What a better way to take advantage of fresh summer produce and an easy-to-prepare recipe than with this delicious breakfast!



Spinach and Asparagus Frittata with White Cheddar
Recipe by Farm Flavor
Ingredients 


  • 1 3/4 cups asparagus, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • 8 large eggs
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 5 cups fresh spinach leaves, loosely packed
  • 1/2 cup white cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh basil, optional garnish

Cooking directions
1. Preheat oven broiler.
2. Place asparagus and water in a glass bowl or pie plate and microwave on high for 3 minutes, until tender-crisp and still bright green.
3. Whisk eggs, egg whites, milk, salt and pepper in a large bowl until blended; set aside.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in an oven-proof 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
5. Stir in spinach and cook, stirring constantly, until spinach is slightly wilted, about 1 minute.
6. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in cooked asparagus along with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.
7. Pour egg mixture in skillet and stir gently to evenly distribute ingredients. Cook until eggs are almost set, about 8-10 minutes (eggs will still be runny on top but set on sides and bottom).
8. Remove frittata from heat, sprinkle evenly with shredded cheese and place skillet in oven, about 6-7 inches from heat source. Broil until center is firm and cheese is completely melted, about 1-2 minutes.
9. Remove and sprinkle with fresh basil if desired. Slice into wedges to serve.


Enjoy!


Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake

After sharing several of our recent sweet treats on the blog, we’ve received dessert requests from multiple friends and family members! What better way to combine our love for baking and experimenting with complex recipes than by making custom creations for people we love! This weekend, we were asked to make a chocolate dessert for a good friend's dinner party to celebrate the end of the school year. We wanted to give them a decadent and elegant treat, and after browsing through many recipes, we found this incredible recipe from Cooks Illustrated and were up for the challenge. 


This Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake combines a dense, flourless chocolate cake layer with two layers of airy chocolate mousse, making for a rich yet not overpowering sweetness. The entire cake is assembled in a springform pan, where the bottom cake layer is first baked and later topped with the two mousse layers after cooling. 


When buying our ingredients, we made sure to do our research to use the most highly reviewed chocolate for baking. After reading an article on The Best Baking Chocolate from Real Simple, we found that Trader Joe’s Pound Plus 72% Dark won for the best bittersweet chocolate, and that Ghirardelli Classic White Chips won for the best white chocolate! We couldn’t be happier that both these brands are available in stores nearby.


As the recipe suggests, this cake is best served after being chilled for at least 2.5 hours, so the mousse layers have plenty of time to set. It can even be made a day in advance and refrigerated, however should then be left out at room temperature for about 45 minutes before serving. 


We were happy to see that the crowd was very pleased with how our cake turned out; there were lots of empty plates and full bellies and just one piece of cake left when the night was over. We have already received requests to make this cake again in the near future, and will be saving this recipe in our collection of successes! Thanks to Cook’s Illustrated for doing all the hard work for us! 


Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake
Recipe by Cook's Illustrated
Ingredients
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
  • 7 ounces finely chopped bittersweet chocolate, for bottom layer
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, preferably dutch processed
  • 5 tablespoons hot water
  • 7 ounces finely chopped bittersweet chocolate, for middle layer
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, for middle layer
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • pinch salt, for middle layer
  • 3/4 teaspoon powdered gelatin
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 6 ounces white chocolate chips
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, for top layer
Cooking Directions
  1. For bottom layer
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
  3. Butter bottom and sides of a 9 inch springform pan and line bottom with parchment paper to prevent sticking. 
  4. Combine butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over simmering water. Stir occasionally until mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes. 
  5. Whisk in vanilla and egg yolks and set aside. 
  6. In a stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg whites and salt on medium speed until foamy. Crumble half of brown sugar into mixing bowl to remove any lumps and beat until incorporated. Add remaining brown sugar and continue to beat on high until stiff peaks form. 
  7. Using a whisk, beat one third of egg whites into chocolate mixture to lighten it. Gently fold in remaining egg whites with rubber spatula until no streaks remain. Pour batter into prepared springform pan and smooth top with spatula. 
  8. Bake until cake has risen, is firm around edges and center has just set but is still soft (should spring back after pressing gently with a finger), 14-18 minutes. Transfer cake to wire rack to cool completely in pan, about 1 hour. 
  9. For middle layer
  10. Whisk together cocoa powder and water in a small bowl and set aside. 
  11. Melt chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Once melted, remove from heat and cool slightly, 2-5 minutes.
  12. In a stand mixer with whisk attachment, whip cream, sugar and salt on medium speed until mixture begins to thicken. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form. Whisk in cocoa powder mixture until smooth. 
  13. Using a whisk, mix one third of the whipped cream to the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Gently fold in remaining whipped cream with rubber spatula until no streaks remain. 
  14. Pour mousse into springform pan over cooled cake and tap gently on counter to remove air bubbles. Gently smooth top with a spatula and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes while preparing top layer. 
  15. For top layer
  16. Sprinkle gelatin over water in small bowl and let stand 5 minutes to soften. 
  17. Place white chocolate chips in a medium bowl. 
  18. Bring 1/2 cup of cream to boil in a small saucepan. 
  19. Remove pan from heat, add gelatin mixture and stir until dissolved. 
  20. Pour hot cream mixture over white chocolate chips and let stand 1 minute. Whisk until mixture is smooth and cool to room temperature, 5-8 minutes. 
  21. In a stand mixer with whisk attachment, whip remaining 1 cup of cream at medium speed until it begins thickening. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form. Using a whisk, mix one third of whipped cream into white chocolate mixture to lighten it. Gently fold in remaining whipped cream with rubber spatula until no streaks remain. 
  22. Spoon white chocolate mousse into pan over middle layer and smooth top with spatula. 
  23. Return cake into refrigerator and chill until set, at least 2 1/2 hours. 
  24. Top with cocoa powder, chocolate shavings and raspberries as desired. 
Enjoy! 

Coconut, Oatmeal and Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies


Whenever we think of summer baking, desserts with fresh, juicy berries come to mind. Whether it's a blueberry cobbler, strawberry rhubarb pie, or blackberry crisp, there's nothing quite like a summery dessert using berries in their peak season! While it may not be berry season just yet, the growing raspberry bushes in our backyard inspired us to make this delicious treat using raspberry preserves. 

All the ingredients are measured and ready!
These cookies are adapted from a recipe via My Happy Place and are vegan and refined sugar free! The combination of unsweetened coconut flakes and honey provides just the right amount of sweetness, making sugar not even necessary! Instead of using butter, milk, or eggs to hold the cookies together, these cookies use melted coconut oil as a great healthier substitute. Though they may not contain the typical ingredients of thumbprint cookies (lots of butter and sugar!) they taste just as delicious!

The raspberry jam is added right before the cookies are baked!
Warm cookies on the cooling rack!

Coconut, Oatmeal and Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

Recipe adapted from My Happy Place

Ingredients
  •     1 1/2 cup rolled oats
  •     1 cup unsweetened coconut chips
  •     3/4 cup melted coconut oil
  •     2/3 cup honey
  •     3 teaspoons vanilla extract
  •     6 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
  •     dash cinnamon
  •     raspberry preserves (or any other flavor)
Cooking Directions          
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.           
  2. Add coconut chips and oats into a food processor and pulse until a flour forms.               
  3. Pour into a bowl and add coconut oil, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and flour. Stir until combined.
  4. Roll dough into balls, gently pressing your thumb into the centers.   
  5. Place a small spoonful of preserves into each imprint.                
  6. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool completely before transferring to a jar or container.         
We hope you enjoy this great recipe and as a preview to summer berry season! 

Restaurant Review: Lyfe Kitchen and Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream


We are both so excited to share our first of many Restaurant Reviews after a fun evening in the city, where we visited two of our favorite places in one evening! Because we live only a short train or car ride away from the city, we are fortunate enough to be close to many delicious restaurants. We are always looking for new places to try, and after watching Chopped on Food Network last summer and being introduced to the chef of Lyfe Kitchen (who won the episode!), it has become one of our favorites! 
Fresh herbs inside Lyfe Kitchen!
Lyfe Kitchen (which stands for Love Your Food Everyday) is a new fast-casual restaurant chain originally from California that aims to change the concept of fast food by promoting sustainability and providing a variety of fresh dishes. They have a large menu of breakfast, lunch and dinner options featuring local, seasonal ingredients that are sure to satisfy a variety of dietary restrictions, from vegan to gluten free. They now have two locations in Chicago and one in Evanston, and are looking to expand in the future! 

Mahi Mahi tacos!
After debating what to order (though you really can’t go wrong), we decided on the Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos and the Grilled Chicken and Avocado Sandwich on a homemade Oat Bun, with a side of sweet potato fries. Our food came out very quickly, and was also quickly eaten up! Though we had to save room for dessert, Lyfe Kitchen has one of our favorite healthy desserts (Chia Seed Budino) which is like a dark chocolate pudding made with chia seeds soaked in pomegranate juice. It is packed with the protein and antioxidants of chia seeds, while tasting like a decadent dessert! 

Chicken and Avocado Sandwich 
Following our delicious dinner, we had to make a stop at our favorite gourmet ice cream shop that we hadn’t visited in awhile, Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream. If you are an ice cream connoisseur and enjoy experimenting with unique flavors, Jeni's is the place for you. Based out of Ohio, Jeni's uses only the freshest ingredients for their artisan ice cream, including milk from grass grazed cows of Ohio farms, fair trade vanilla from Uganda and Askinoise dark chocolate. Their menu board changes seasonally, and we couldn’t wait to see what new offerings they would have for the summer.
Normally they have a lot more flavors but this was still a great selection!
Jeni's is the cutest place!
One of our favorites was the Sun-Popped Corn ice cream, made from sun-popped popcorn soaked in milk and cream. It tasted just like a bowl of rich, buttery popcorn. The Root Beer, Brown Butter Almond Brittle and Wildberry Lavender were also incredibly delicious, making our flavor selections incredibly difficult! Jenis also sells pints of their handcrafted ice cream in their Scoop Shops, as well as in local grocery stores including The Fresh Market and Standard Market! 

Salty Caramel and Sun Popped corn was a great combination!
We love our ice cream!
Great time spent with friends!
Next time you are visiting Chicago, make sure to add Lyfe Kitchen and Jeni's to your list of places to visit! You won’t be disappointed!