Cupcakes and puppy paintings...

I made some chocolate cupcakes with buttercream for a shower on Tuesday. Here's how they turned out:


I'm trying to do a better job with my photos, also! I'm slowly learning how to use all the features on my camera, and Justin got me a fisheye lens for Valentine's Day! Yay!

Stay tuned this coming week! Tomorrow I am making a 2 tiered cake for a baby shower...and next week I am making a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse birthday party cake. I will probably be on a sugar high for the next two weeks!!

Today, I was outside taking pictures of the puppies and practicing shooting with my camera in aperture priority mode. I got a really cute shot of Minky and decided I needed to do a "blue dog" portrait of her, since I have TWO of Baxter. I didn't want her to feel left out!

Silly Puppy!


"I'm ready for my close-up"


Ready to paint


Sketched out


Green background done!


All Done!

Valentine's day menu....I took a different route!

So, yeah, that "healthy" menu plan I had going on....HA! Who am I kidding? It's Valentine's Day for goodness sakes! We needed something a little more special than scallops and cauliflower. :) There's still plenty of time to get "skinny" for my vacation. (again, who am I kidding)

With the memory of last year's Valentine's dinner on my mind, I decided to make rack of lamb our little love day tradition! Maybe I will try a different variation each year and try to mix up the sides and presentation a little.

This year I tried Giada's Rack of Lamb with Mint-basil Pesto. Click the link for the full recipe from foodnetwork.com. Rack of lamb is super easy to prepare (it just looks fancy and complicated). Once it is carved the "lamb lollipops" give the most beautiful presentation...especially with the "pop" of the green pesto. It was so delicious! I pulled the lamb out a little shy of the 20 minutes suggested for medium rare since we like our meat a little more on the pink side...it was absolutely perfect. Be sure to let the rack rest for the full 10 minutes so the juices can redistribute before you carve it!!
As our side, I decided on polenta. I've made plenty of polenta, but I have never tried it "fried" before. I thought the lamb would look perfect perched on top of a little tower of polenta cakes. Here is how I made them:

Creamy Parmesan Polenta Cakes
Katie Daniels

1 tube of basil-garlic prepared polenta, chilled
1 egg, beaten in a shallow dish
2-3 dashes Tabasco
Salt
Pepper
2 tbsp Freshly grated Parmesan
1 tsp finely chopped basil and mint leaves (left over from your pesto!)
1/4 cup flour
Olive oil

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Slice chilled polenta into 1/2 inch slices (2 per person). Beat egg in a shallow dish with tabasco. In another shallow dish combine flour, salt and pepper to taste, parmesan, and herbs. Coat a polenta cake with egg and then flour mixture and fry in oil until golden brown. Repeat until all cakes are fried adding more oil as needed. Drain cakes on paper towels and season immediately with salt and pepper.

These were beautiful and yummy! Another easy, yet dramatic-looking dish...Check out how it looks plated. Can you believe this whole thing took about 30 minutes total?





Look how pretty my china is!

I put together this cheese plate for us to snack on before, during and after dinner:




Smoked gouda, drunken goat, mini toasts, organic blueberries, bourbon pralines, and local honey. This, in itself, could have been my meal...so, so yummy! My favorite bite: toast dipped in honey with a slice of smoked gouda.

Are you ready for dessert? Always, right?!
In college, our favorite treat was the molten chocolate cake at Chili's. (obviously I wasn't doing much in the kitchen in those days!) This is still my favorite dessert. But when it's made with really good ingredients it is even better!!
I found this recipe for molten chocolate cakes in cupcake form...perfect! Thanks, Martha...I can always count on you!

Molten Chocolate Cupcakes
Martha Stewart

How gorgeous are these?!



Hope you all had a fabulous Valentine's Day!!

Potential Valentine's Day Menu

We never go out for Valentine's day, I always cook. I wouldn't have it any other way! I love cooking for us and getting to use my china!! Here is the potential menu...I'm trying to be healthy (and skinny for our vacation!).

Asparagus spears with smoked salmon

Seared scallops with pomegranate sauce

Roasted cauliflower with herbs and
parmesan

Chocolate meringues

That's the plan for now...

A few of my favorite things...

1. Bakerella!
First of all, Bakerella's blog is simply a work of art! I only hope that one day my photos will be that beautiful. This woman is amazing! She started with a little baking blog, and now has baked on The Martha Stewart Show and has a cookbook.



Could those cake pops be any cuter?! She is the brains behind those red velvet truffles I make for Justin at Christmas. The cake pops are basically these on a stick...only decorated to perfection. Bakerella is my cooking blog icon!

2. Chuck Hughes

Chuck is a Montreal chef and the star of my FAVORITE Cooking Channnel show, "Chuck's Day Off". Not only is he ADORABLE and covered in food tattoos...but there really is some awesome music on the show! I love him! I also love that cooking was his second career. It gives me hope that one day my culinary dreams will come true!
Here is an excerpt from his bio on www.cookingchanneltv.com:
"He loves simple, well-made food: “It’s food!” he excitedly reminds us. “It’s meant to be fun and taste good — it doesn’t have to be fancy ... ” And if you want to know about some of his favorites, look no further than his tattooed arms: lobsters, oysters, bacon and arugula testify that maybe, just maybe, this guy really loves his craft."

3. Food trend: Macarons



The new cupcake?!
http://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/macarons-slip-past-cupcakes-as-the-pastry-trend-du-jour/Content?oid=2015426

4. Parlor Market

Jackson's newest fine dining restaurant. Justin and I went to Parlor Market a few weeks ago, and I fell in love. Brick walls, reclaimed wood tables, slab marble ceviche bar, and the buzz of an open kitchen in the background. Perfect lunch spot, or place to dress up and go out on the town. The food is off-the-charts amazing. There is nothing else like it in Jackson. It is definitely on par with some of the places we've eaten at in New York! Wow! LOVE! I cannot stop thinking about the southern cheese plate...seriously.

5. Mo's Bacon Bar
I can't even talk about this. If I do, I will drive to The Fresh Market and buy them out. Then none of you will be able to experience this. So, for your sake, I won't talk....just go get one before I do. :)
Now I want to go to Parlor Market for lunch then come home and bake Macarons with Bakerella while watching an episode of Chuck's Day Off while eating a bacon bar!

Asparagus Tart

Asparagus Tart
Katie Daniels

1 sheet puff pastry, rolled out, scored, and docked
1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
2 medium onions
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 bunch pencil thin asparagus
1-2 oz goat cheese
3 slices swiss cheese, cut into small sqares
1 lemon
Salt
Pepper

Caramelize the onions: heat 1 tsp oil in a nonstick skillet, add onions and season with salt and pepper. Sautee until deep caramel brown in color. Set aside.
Arrange puff pastry on a parchment-lined baking sheet [score a 1 inch border,and lightly poke holes with a fork (dock) the center]. Brush the mustard over the pastry, just in the center area. Spread caramelized onions evenly over mustard. Arrange asparagus, alternating ends to tips over onions. Squeeze lemon juice over asparagus, then season with salt and pepper. Arrange swiss squares in a checkerboard pattern over asparagus, then place bits of goat cheese in the open squares. Drizzle everything with olive oil and season once more with pepper. Bake at 400 for 15- 20 min until pastry is brown and cheese is bubbly.

I made a cake!!

I think it turned out pretty good...I'm pretty proud of that bow!

Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs

From my new Everyday Food cookbook! I'm ashamed to admit that this was my first time to make meatballs. They were delicious, though. I'm not much of a meat eater, so I thought Justin would eat most of the meatballs and I would eat the spaghetti...but I loved all of it! Here is a quick link to the recipe: Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs from Everyday Food.

New Kitchen Gadgets!

Santa was very good to me in the kitchen department this year and brought me everything I asked for! Here are some of the goodies I got:

Cuisinart Keurig Brewer


This has been on my wish list for quite a while, and I must say it was worth the wait. I love this thing! Coffee, tea, hot cocoa, iced drinks...it's amazing. It will brew 4, 6, 8, or 12 ounces at a time. You can use the prepackaged K-cups, a tea bag, or your own coffee/ loose tea in the My K-cup. Perfect every time. Plus, you can just get hot water out of it for tea or oatmeal if you want!
Thanks Mom and Dad!

Justin's aunt Tabatha gave me a Williams Sonoma gift card! The perfect gift for me! I really, really needed a new muffin tin, so I got one. Plus, an Everyday Food cookbook. And some of their basil scented hand soap, countertop spray, and dish liquid...mmmm...smells like heaven!

Thank you, Tab!

My sweet sissy, Jennifer, got me the juicer I have been wanting! I told you I got hooked up! I haven't taken a picture of it, but I did make some super amazing healthy juices! So far I have juiced beets, carrots, apples, celery, tomatoes, and oranges. So, so fun! And it makes you feel so healthy!
Thanks Jenn!

Brown Sugar Buttercream

For Justin's birthday,(yeah, that was like a month ago)I made these cupcakes.



Butter pecan cupcakes with brown sugar buttercream. The cake was a mix from the grocery store. I had never seen that flavor cake mix before, so I had to try it. And, since I hate canned icing, I decided to try a new recipe. I found this Brown Sugar Buttercream on www.marthastewart.com.

Happy Birthday, Justin!


I haven't posted much lately because I haven't cooked very much lately. We discovered a leak in our bathroom that had made its way into my kitchen cabinet....lovely. So, we have been pulling out cabinets, pulling out sheetrock, fixing leaks, replacing sheetrock, painting cabinets, replacing cabinets, and replacing countertops! FUN! No, not really. But it is done now, so I can cook/blog again!