A Fresh Face

I am currently in the process of changing the template for this blog. I still love the current one, but it is no longer functional. The text is too small by default, the comments section won't let you reply directly to others, and there have been some neat additions/improvements to blogger templates over the past three years that I simply cannot access with the current one. So it is time for a change.

I took a screen shot of the current template so I can have a memory of how it all began. 

I should have the new one up and running by the end of the week. John and I have been working on the back end and it is almost ready to go!  I will miss the cuteness of the old template, but I am looking forward to the increased functionality. It is time.

iPhoto Archive - Beach Bear Cupcakes

I have thoroughly looked through my photos and this will be the last baking experiment I will post from my archive. I'm ending on a cute one too! A recipe from Bakerella (obvs), I got to play with my food colouring gels and items from the Bulk Barn (teddy grahams and gummy apple rings). Super fun to decorate and adorable to eat!

Swimming Teddy Bears!

I love the guy in front! So cute!

iPhoto Archive - Burger and Fries

We had a big family BBQ in the summer of 2009 and I knew I had to contribute an amazing dessert to end the big day. It helped that the BBQ was at our place, so no worries about traveling with delicate treats.

As I have been describing all week, I was quite obsessed with Bakerella in 2009 and when she posted about Fast Food Fun, I knew I had to try it. This was a recipe that was out of my comfort zone - it had cupcakes AND brownies! And multiple colours of icing! And sugar cookies on the side. I set to work (in hiding) the day of the BBQ and unveiled the treats in the chip wagon boxes Bakerella had created and posted as .PDFs. These were definitely a hit!! Mouths dropped!

Burger Bun (vanilla cupcake), burger patty (brownie), ketchup, mustard,
 and lettuce (coloured icing), french fries (sugar cookies)

In Progress

Cupcake Burger Art Shot

Fun for the whole family!

YUM!!

Valentine's Day Winner

I will be spending the rest of the afternoon in the kitchen and that is alright by me.  I picked up my ingredients yesterday and am just about to make some home made sushi. Nothing says Valentine's like making my favourtie food and eating as much of it as I can!! :)

I have been posting baking ideas all week trying to decide what to make for dessert tonight, and last night I made some...cake pops! Really, once I started thinking about cake pops I couldn't get them from my mind, so Valentine's cake pops had to happen.

I found an easy Valentine's cake pops tutorial on YouTube and had a go at making them last night.  It was my first time making a cake pop that was a shape (not just a ball) and also my first time using candy melts. Making them was a wee bit more challenging than just the basic ball in sprinkles that I'm used to, but I am sooo happy how they turned out. I really love the taste of the candy melts, although I found them hard to use (some of my pops cracked when the coating hardened). I am sure there is a skill to using them that I will need to perfect over time. Find the basic cake pop recipe here.

I mixed pink cake with pink icing to form the hearts

Some hearts and cake balls ready for dipping!

Some completed cake pops! Dipped and decorated!

I dipped some in milk chocolate too!

Valentine's cake poppy goodness - inside and out!

In just a few short hours I am going to be full of sushi and cake pops. Might have to go to bed early! :)

What are you doing today? Cooking/baking/eating anything fun?

Valentine's Baking Ideas III (Cake Edition)

And there is always cake!

If you have been following the blog this week, I have been going through my iPhoto looking over past creations trying to decide what to make for Valentine's dessert tomorrow. An easy hit could be a good ol' cake! I have made some pretty yummy and fun cakes over the years, and even posted about some of my adventures here.

I made this heart cake for an Anniversary John and I had. The round cake was a different height than the square cake, but you get the idea. Tasted good, anyways!

Cherry Chip love cake with pink icing.

My Mom gave me a bag of slivered almonds and I didn't really know what to do with them, so I put them on a cake! Random and tasty.

I don't have a corresponding photo, but I recently made a chocolate Reese's Peanut Butter cake which featured 24 Reese's Peanut Butter cups on the top and between the layers. It was really rich, but I did not regret the giant piece I cut for myself.

As Valentine's draws closer, I better decide what dessert to make soon!! Are you baking anything? What yummy treats will you be making?

Valentine's Baking Ideas II

I did a lot of baking in the summer of 2009. So much in fact that I forgot about these decadent creations.

Oreo Cookie Truffle

Peanut Butter Ball

Also from Bakerella, these Oreo Cookie Truffles and Peanut Butter Balls are so incredibly good, that I am currently obsessing about all the wasted time I've spent over the past few years not eating them. How have I only made these once!?! They are made from mixing a crushed up bag of cookies (oreos or peanut butter creams) with a package of cream cheese. Then they are gloriously dipped in chocolate (milk or white). So freaking good! They are also bite sized so you luckily cannot have just one.

Mmm...a whole tray of them...

Even if I don't make these for Valentine's Day, they NEED to be made soon. Super yum!!

Valentine's Baking Ideas

We don't really invest too much into Valentine's Day around here, but it is a great excuse to make an amazing meal and bake something yummy. For dinner I am making my elaborate home made sushi (my favourite!), and I have spent the past 24 hours obsessing over blogs and YouTube videos trying to decide what dessert will be.  Should I try something new or pick an old favourite? Maybe something old and something new? All the Christmas goodies should be worked off by now, time for Valentine's treats!

Last night during my obsessive dessert research, I turned to my iPhoto for inspiration and discovered a whole series of baking experiments I did before I had this blog. Way back in the summer of 2009 I was obsessed with Bakerella (and why not, she is amazing!) and I tried a number of her recipes and took photos of the results. In a baking salute to Valentine's Day, I am going to post some photos from the 2009 experiments, and hopefully it will help me decide what to make for dessert on Thursday.

First stop on this trip down memory lane: Cake Pops. When I first heard of Bakerella's awesomeness it was because of these spectacular little things called cake pops (find the recipe here). I have made them three or four times, using various cake flavours, but always cover them in chocolate and sprinkles.

My Classic Cake Pop

Around the time I started making cake pops I also started experimenting with food colouring gels. They are so potent and work so wonderfully - you only need a small amount to add a lot of colour.  I decided to try some cake pops with red and yellow cake.

Yellow and Red Cake and with corresponding bowls of icing

Crumbled red cake - just add red icing!

Crumbled yellow cake - just add yellow icing!

Red and Yellow cake pops - pre chocolate coating

Chocolate and sprinkle with red inside Cake Pop!

Chocolate and sprinkle with yellow inside Cake Pop!

Have you made Cake Pops before? Do you like them? Have you made any fancy ones? I have been looking at a lot of different styles that might be perfect as a Valentine's Day dessert. If I had the ingredients on hand I would probably be making some right now!

Winter Walk

Such and beautiful and peaceful day where I am today.  Found a partially fallen tree on a walk through the woods. Nature continually reminds me how amazing it is.