Trick or Treat

Such an interesting wedding cake!

Dear Chase:

I was surfing the Internet last night as I always do once you have fallen asleep. I find it to be the best time to collect my thoughts, research recipes and come up with creative things to make for the upcoming holiday season. So, I came across this very unusual wedding cake that was themed for a Halloween wedding. I don't know many people who would get married on Halloween but nonetheless the cake was very interesting and super creative. It is Halloween this weekend and we are going to go trick or treating for the first time as a family. I think we may go visit a couple pumpkin patches in the neighborhood if the weather permits. This is your 2nd Halloween Chase and this time around you will be wearing a super fun costume along with all your other little cousins. This year I thought it would be fun to dress up and parade around as the all American classic hamburger. You look so adorable and awfully delicious at the same time...ha!  I don't normally dress up for Halloween myself but I do celebrate it in my own way. When I was your age, my parents would bake dozens and dozens of cookies to pass out instead of the traditional candies that you would normally expect. One of our family bakeries was located in a mall and we would give out mini cookies bites to all the little kiddies. We were actually the most popular store....I remember how all the children and adults alike would come back for seconds and sometimes thirds :) I won't be doing that this year but I will be making pumpkin cupcakes with a honey vanilla frosting in honor of this festive holiday. Not that I need another reason to bake something but I do enjoy it so much that I really do take advantage of every opportunity... ;)

A Pinch of Salt

 

Dear Chase:


I just devoured two chocolate ganache cupcakes for breakfast and you can be sure I will be having another one for dessert tonight :) I have been waiting and waiting for an occasion to make these super light and super rich chocolate sea salt cupcakes. I really like how light this cake is and how it turns out perfectly every time. I usually pair this cupcake with my classic vanilla cream cheese frosting but this time, I decided to make it with double the chocolate for double the flavor. This might seem like a simple chocolate cupcake to you but you must know that there are many depths of flavors to it. Let's start off with the rich chocolate dutch cocoa to the instant coffee granules that make any chocolate taste...well more chocolaty, to the mexican vanilla extract that adds a bit of floral aroma to the glaze. Lastly, I like to top it off with a sprinkle of Maldon Sea Salt, which adds the interesting combination of sweet and salty. I have always loved those two flavors together and it all started with the sweet and salty popcorn that I still stock in our cabinets for movie nights. I thought...why not bring that idea onto my cupcakes and have the best of both worlds. So...here is my new favorite cupcake flavor...take your favorite cupcake and add a few sea salt flakes and give the sweet and salty combo a try.....

Sweet Spots!

Dear Chase:

By now you know that your mommy has a love for all things sweet but I do fancy many different kinds of desserts other than the ones that I make myself....ha! For example, frozen yogurt that is all the craze right now. Much like the Starbucks that we have come to know and see on every street corner....yogurt shops and cupcakeries are definitely making their mark right along all the other trendy eateries and hang out spots for patrons of all ages. There are so many different concepts, themes, flavors and toppings with each store you see. I was hard pressed to pick a favorite but I did. I had the pleasure of trying out a few, check them out below.

Yogurtouille in San Mateo

I really liked this place but it is a bit far for me to travel to regularly plus they don't always have the strawberry flavor....my favorite :)

Yogurtland in Las Vegas

This is definitely my Go-To yogurt spot whenever I am in Las Vegas or LA. They have the best selection of flavors from
blueberry, oreo and pistachio to the coconut. This is hands down the best place to enjoy some deliciously refreshing yogurt, plus they have every possible topping you can imagine!

Yoppi in downtown, San Francisco

Yoppi is good as well but not as good as Yogurtland. I do visit this place about one week to get my yogurt fix. I find the yogurt here to be more icy in texture and the yogurt at Yogurtland is more creamy and less sweet.








In conclusion, I would highly recommend Yogurtland to anyone has one in their respective city and give it a try. You will be please and somewhat addicted...like me :)

Pound for Pound

Dear Chase:

As you are taking your routine nap at 10:30am, I am once again jotting down ideas and researching new recipes to try. I find that is the best time for me to think and ultimately get inspired to bake.The great thing about baking, is there are so many variables and so many ways to make them your own; it is so easy to get more creative with all the flavor combination's. Last week I made a lemon pound cake for a family gathering and this week I decided to make toasted coconut with a sprinkling of fresh roasted almonds on top. I get most of my inspiration from reading varies cookbooks, cooking shows but most of all from my mother...the ultimate baker. When I was a little girl, would watch my mom bake at 5am every morning and I thought to myself; I would not want to be a baker when I grow up. You have to wake up so early and there is a lot of work involved with making so many different types of pastries. Not to mention the stacks of dishes that must be washed once the little goodies are in the oven. Little did I know that when I grow up and really figure out what I like to do versus what I love to do.... I can now see why my mother would get up so early to make all those pastries. She loves to bake, she loved the store and she was happy to do it everyday. It is funny...when I am baking, I never watch the clock, get hungry or even get tired for the most part...I just keep baking until there is either no flour left in the jar or I have made everything I set out to make that night. :) Your father thinks I am a bit obsessed and he is probably right, ha! It make me happy so why not do what make you happy! I encourage everyone to do what they love to do and whatever make them happy.

So, in the next coming weeks, I will be make a few other flavors, such as raisin glaze, chocolate walnut and cream cheese filled. I will let you know how it turns out.

Lemon Please!

Dear Chase:

This weekend was unlike any other weekend in the past few months. I did my usual list of To-Do's....grocery shopping, cleaning the house and just getting everything organized for the new week. This particular Sunday...your daddy asked me to make two of my super delicious lemon pound cake for his two co-workers to enjoy. I thought it was such a nice idea and sweet gesture so I happily agreed to make them. Not to mention the fact that your daddy doesn't normally eat sweets that isn't in powder form...ha! I was just amazed that he like it so much that he requested an order for his friends. You know me Chase, I love to bake and to know that others enjoy my baking just as much. It is funny how when you bake as much as I do, I rarely desire to eat my own goodies; except to taste test for quality control. The best thing about this lemon cake is that there is no butter and yet it is still so moist and fluffy, with a burst of lemon flavor. When baking, I normally opt to use either sour cream or whole milk yogurt to give the cake a moist and rich consistency without adding additional fats to it. In this case, I use both. You know...I would normally share my recipe with all my family, friends and fellow blogger's but I think I will keep this one for myself ...at least until I get a special request for the recipe. As for future inspiration...I do believe there is a lemon cupcake with a vanilla frosting on the horizon Chase, what do you think?

An Apple A Day




















Dear Chase:


You know the old saying Chase....."An apple a day keeps the doctor away". I am not a big fan of apples but I will agree they are very healthy and very important to a proper and well-balanced diet. I find other creative ways to eat this staple fruit and that usually entails baking of some sort. We are having an early family dinner for this week in honor of your auntie Monica, who is in town for the weekend. This was also and good time to get together with the rest of the extended family. As busy as we all are in our day to day lives, we do feel it is important to get together, touch base and just see one another as much as time will allow. I normally make some sort of dessert to contribute to the dinner menu and this time is no different. I decided to make a super yummy and light dessert to temp the palette and satisfy every bodies sweet tooth. The comfort desserts of all comfort desserts...the apple crisp. It is a great alternative to an apple pie but still just as flavorful and decadent. This apple crisp is full of hearty apples, a mix of varies spices and a crunchy oatmeal crumble to top it off.