An Owl Birthday Cake

Some close friends of ours have an adorable little girl who just turned two and we got invited to the party! 

When our friends told us about the plans for her birthday party I volunteered to make the cake/cupcakes for the event, since I wanted to give the birthday girl something special. I originally thought of just doing a few batches of different cupcakes, but I quickly decided to do something a little more complicated after S told me that she had purchased some adorable owl cupcake topper decorations.

Via Beautiful Paper Crafts on Etsy

I couldn't get over how cute the owls were and I kept thinking that their simple shape was something I could maybe replicate as a cake! It took a lot of supply gathering and planning, and even more time, but it was such a fun project!

I sketched out an outline similar to the cupcake toppers, and then baked a chocolate sheet cake in a 9X13 pan. I also learned some things about baking a cake that has a flat top. I still had to level my cake so it was flat, but baking the cake submerged a pan of water seemed to help it bake a bit more evenly with less of a dome in the middle. 

After I got the cake baked and leveled. I put it in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. Then I used a template I had sketched to cut out the owl shape. Once the cake was cut, it was a matter of making the frosting. I followed this recipe for swiss meringue buttercream, and while the taste was spot on and exactly what I wanted, but the consistency wasn't what I needed for holding some pipping designs. I ended up having to alter the recipe and throw in some confectioners sugar to stiffen the frosting, but it still turned out decent. It is certainly something I still need to perfected, but I love the flavor of this less-sweet frosting. I had to mix brown, green, and orange in additional to some white frosting to decorate and used like 5-6 different pastry tips for a variety of textures. I also purchased some modeling chocolate to make the feet and eyes, which worked out really well!

So after about ten hours of baking, freezing, cutting, and decorating...I finally ended up with an owl that I was pretty proud of.

Whoooooooots turning two??? (Best. Birthday. Theme. Ever.)

I still can't get over how cute it turned out! It was really fun surprising S and Z with it! It was pretty cute/funny when we decided to have Z blow out the candles and sing happy birthday, she kind of hand a mini meltdown and kind of freaked out about the cake. She didn't want to get anywhere near it! Luckily, once she had a bite of the cake and cupcakes, she was sucking down frosting like a birthday girl should be!

Since the cake was chocolate I wanted to make some cupcakes for flavor variety. 

I made a lemon zested cake with fresh raspberry buttercream. They were a hit! I didn't think the kids would like them, but most of the kids really enjoyed these as well as the adults! The raspberry frosting was probably my best frosting to-date! It was amazingly tasty!

To really take it to a new level, I also wanted to make some mini "cupcake shooters" (as the BF called them) that were just vanilla vanilla and small for little hands! I saw someone used ketchup cups for mini cupcakes, and at our last burger outing, I hoarded a bunch of cups that were put to good use. 

They were just too cute for words! I loved hot little they were, and the fact that people who didn't want a big cupcake, could just have a little taste. These are certainly going to be my new go-to party option!

Overall, I am so excited that I pulled off some great treats for Z's birthday, and I really loved making the owl cake! Now I just need to find the next cake decorating project....

Cauliflower Fettuccine Alfredo

One of two things is going on with my social media habits. 

1) I am either a really good pinner. (You can find me here)

OR

2) Pinterest really does have a plethora of really amazing and fantastic ideas and recipes.

Let's go with both so I can give myself a pat on the back. I've tried a few recipes that I have found interesting from Pinterest, but to-date, the most recent endeavor triumphs over the others.

Cauliflower. Fettuccine. Alfredo. Yes....CAULIFLOWER. 

It was epic. Creamy. Flavorful (and not tasting like purred veggies), garlicy, rich, filling, and at the same time didn't make me feel like a brick after I had eaten a nice size bowl. It also kept WAY better than traditional alfredo and didn't just break down into a whole bunch of oil. This was boyfriend and dude-friend approved. I can't stop raving about it.

I followed the Pinch of Yum recipe with a few minor modifications.

CREAMY CAULIFLOWER SAUCE

Author: Pinch of Yum

Serves: makes about 5 cups

 

INGREDIENTS

• 8 large cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 5-6 cups cauliflower florets ( I used one full head of a decent sized cauliflower)
• 6-7 cups vegetable broth or water (I used one box, and seemed to cover my cauliflower, but was only about 4-5 cups)
• 1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
• ½ teaspoon pepper (more to taste)
• ½ cup milk (more to taste)- I had some cream on hand, so I used that instead, but a little less than 1/2 cup
• I added two types of cheese- Freshly grated peccorino and parm- I think this is what made the dish! I used probably 1/2ish in total.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Garlic: Saute the minced garlic with the butter in a large nonstick skillet over low heat. Cook for several minutes or until the garlic is soft and fragrant but not browned (browned or burnt garlic will taste bitter). Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Cauliflower: Bring the water or vegetable broth to a boil in a large pot. Add the cauliflower and cook, covered, for 7-10 minutes or until cauliflower is fork tender. Do not drain.
3. Puree: Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cauliflower pieces to the blender. Add 1 cup vegetable broth or cooking liquid, sauteed garlic/butter, salt, pepper, and milk. Blend or puree for several minutes until the sauce is very smooth, adding more broth or milk depending on how thick you want the sauce. You may have to do this in batches depending on the size of your blender. Serve hot! If the sauce starts to look dry, add a few drops of water, milk, or olive oil.

So I also have to say I am bit embarrassed to admit this...but I was so enamored with this sauce, that I had woofed down almost my entire bowl before I thought to take a photo...so you get a photo of my half eaten pasta. Glamorous. Not. (Also please pardon the blurry photo--again I was too involved with eating)

 I also had been having a cake craving. Which is pretty odd. I usually never crave cake. We even tried a cupcake to see if that would satisfy my craving...it did not. So I whipped up this little gem. An easy cake recipe, that completely hit the spot and satisfied that nagging craving!

 Has anyone else found some amazing recipes on Pinterest? I am excited to try this baked salmon!

Snowquester- A Rain Day

True to DC form, the scare of some "major winter storm" cause the government offices to shut down for the day this past Wednesday. The result of this massive overreaction was a day off due to....rain.
Yep. There was less than 1/4" of snow. Instead there was rain. Lots and lots of rain. I wasn't complaining! I woke up thinking I was going to have to go to work, and instead I was greeted with an entire day to myself!

I did have to work a bit in the morning (but work in my jammies, is always much much more fun), but then I was free to go to the gym, read, watch the Food Network, annnnd get some much neglected baking done.

The SO passed along a recipe for cookies inspired by the flavor of s'mores the other day, which I knew I was going to have to make at some point. After a quick glance at the recipe, I kind of panicked thinking about my sub-par grocery store and their almost certain lack of "cookie butter". I found a similar recipe as backup in case I couldn't round-up the said "cookie butter", bundled myself up in rain gear and trucked to the store. Amazingly, the mysterious "cookie butter" was at my Safeway (for just a check $6. Sigh) and baking resumed without a hitch.

What resulted:

Oh goodness. I want more just looking at it! Yes that is a toasted marshmallow, with a kiss, atop a soft, chewy, grahamy flavored cookie. It was a perfect way to spend a rainy day. Particularly a rainy day that I was paid to stay home and bake!

You Won't Find this on WedMD

When I get really fired up, or really upset I sink into this almost sub-human, not-natural, overly cordial and appropriate human who goes through some coping stages to gain "control". Now, this isn't common, but just sometimes I go through what I like to call the 4 phases of freak out.  

Phase 1: Detached and Cordial Hear me Roar

Not much to see here folks. I pretty much become the fake sorority version of myself that got me through rush pulled together power house of a woman I can be, sans the "err, umm" ness that typically accompanies my personality. If you don't spend a lot of time around me, I probably just come off as distracted. BEWARE: Deep down it is like a really tired three year old who is all fun and games until they trip and fall.

This gives away to my need to see results...

Phase 2: Baking to Cope

Cookies typically. Chocolate chip is usually the for sure sign I have moved into phase two (or if one missed phase 1- this is a pretty apparent sign). Sometimes I will go for something really complicated. Seven layer cake. Baked Alaska. Truffles. Usually I go with something that is quick, comes with clear direction and I know the outcome. I like the feeling of pulling out a sheet of cookies and knowing that I followed the directions and therefore got exactly what was expected and predicted. No back talking, no behavior that makes me want to bang my head against a wall. Just pure, delightful cookies that I can eat to distract myself.

Phase 3: Cleaning

If the cookies don't make me feel better, or don't give me time to sort through my frustration (or I realized I made my tush bigger and didn't solve anything).  I move on to cleaning. Deep cleaning. Refrigerators, nooks and crannys, drawers that I usually just pretend don't exist, closets, and under furniture. Luckily, for me this usually results in a pretty clean apartment. You can get out a lot of frustration scrubbing, scrapping, pushing and pulling cleaning products around. You also can run through a few rolls of paper towels. Your skin can also get so dry it hurts the next day. Oh, but it feels so good?

This is the phase that usually breaks me. I can't say I have hit the cleaning phase and not finally, completely and totally lost my ish and finally just cried, and finally verbally diarrheaed on someone. That isn't to say there isn't a Phase 4....

Phase 4: ???

I hope that this could potentially be excessive working out and healthy eating habits...but let's be real, this is me we are talking about. I am thinking it is something more like excessive poodle purchasing. I'd probably have 8-10 poodles in this phase and would start wearing knit sweaters with poodles on them (oh wait....I already do that). You get the point. I don't think I or anyone every wants to see Phase 4.

Let's add some real life examples to this, shall we?

This weekend. I baked. I baked brown butter, nutella stuffed sea salt cookies. I also bought everything to make chewy pumpkin cookies. After the baking? Well I just finished a marathon 5 hours deep scrub of the main room of my apartment. Oh! You are going to open that drawer in my tv stand? Oh! It is perfectly organized and clean? Yea, that is right. I went a little nuts. My hands hurt. I am down one roll of paper towels and my apartment smells like synthetic lemon. I also didn't stop because I felt better. No. Instead I stopped so I could take a shower and put some real clothes on. Pretty sure I have another few days of the Phase 3ness. Unless I lose my ish. Which I might. Never can tell when I am going to hit that point.

For now, I am going to ride out this cleaning craze. Hope I make it to my closet and then I will just anticipate the need to eat all those cookies I made....

Marshmallows & Mice

I leave for Seattle in less three days. THREE days. I have SO much to do. Personally. Work-wise. Christmas shopping wise. It is a bit overwhelming. But we are pushing through and working as much as possible so I can disconnect as much as possible for the Seattle/Idaho extravaganza!


Well tonight as a break from work (and since I have been telling the bf I would) I made marshmallows. Let's just say I didn't exactly execute them very well. Right now I have a giant puddle of marshmallow fluff "firming" in my kitchen. Let's be clear. I don't think this firming that the recipe speaks of is going to happen. Sigh. So maybe I feed it him with spoons? Ugh. Well I tried right?

At least it looks pretty. Just sitting on my counter. All stuck to the pan and not firming.

I will do as the recipe says, and let them sit over night. And maybe, just maybe, with a bit of magic they will set-up and be awesome. Or I will scrape it into the trash.

There are some new additions to my kitchen. They were an acquisition from IKEA. I find them adorable and once I got them home I knew they needed to live in the kitchen.

I need some name ideas if people are feeling creative this evening.

Well keep your fingers crossed for my baking disaster. Let's hope it surprises me in the morning!


_________________________________________________

As I went to finish this post the mice made me think of a story that was told all the time about my sister and my grandma ( on my dad's side). My Grandma Tory never liked mice. In fact she hated them. Down right couldn't stand them. Well my sister made her a little cloth mouse one year. I am not sure if it was for Christmas or what. But it was in a little box and my grandma opened it and if I remember correctly- screamed and didn't want a lot to do with the little cloth mouse. I don't know why this so vividly sticks out in my head, but I always remember that story.

I was also thinking today that I remember her wearing this beautiful necklace. It was on a gold chain and it was like a glass bubble (flatish- kind of like a locket that doesn't open) but it was filled with gold dust. I used to sit with her and constantly turn it over and over in my hands. It was a beautiful necklace and now that I think about it...have no idea where it ended up.

Well officially off to bed! 'Night blog world!

Baked with Love

On a trip to IKEA (oh how many of those there will be in the next two-three months!) the lucky find of a set of "woodland creature" cookie cutters inspired me to battle the roaches (ok ok there really aren't roaches anymore, but I still have to poke fun at the situation) and the small kitchen and whip up some of my grandma Tory's rubber cookies (a gingerbread type cookie with the best frosting you will ever taste). This was my first attempt at the cookies and while they couldn't even come close to the delish ones I was so lucky to savor as a child, they were not bad.

My grandma had a scalloped cookie cutter which I have safely tucked away for when I have my own place (eeee! Oh wait! I DO!) to cut out her cookies. I wanted to do something special since I knew I would be taking these into work. That set of "woodland creature" cookie cutters just so happened to have a HEDGEHOG!! My department has kind of adopter the hedgehog as a mascot from some of our company materials. (Core values, etc.) For good measure I also made a few Idaho cookies with my new Idaho cookie cutter that I have yet to use. Here is what transpired:

 Making some dough

   Rolling and cutting

 Cut out hedgehogs

 IDAHO!

 Version #1 of the frosted hedgehogs

Some Idaho Love

Version two of frosted Hedgehogs

The cookies were a huge success at work and totally worth the tedious process. I always forget that rolling and cutting cookies takes like 6 hours longer than you estimate. The hedgehogs are pretty cute and I already have plans to use the rest of my creatures in the set of cookie cutters!

Rooftop Idaho Happy Hour Kegger

Ben's birthday was this past week and to celebrate he threw a rooftop kegger. The weather was spectacular and the view was beautiful. The keg also made for a good time (Ben and Keg stands...no words). I made some homemade cupcakes (from scratch) and they were amazing!!