About once a month (or, occasionally, a bit more frequently…), a group of my girlfriends hold a “Girls’ Night Out.” Last week, I hosted a Valentine’s Day-themed “Girls’ Night In.” About 25 women came together for conversation, cake-tinis, cupcakes and other sweets, and I was left feeling pretty darn fortunate to be surrounded by such [...]
Archive for the ‘In the kitchen’ Category
19 Jan
Onion and bacon tart
Saveur has a fantastic social media presence—I especially love their Facebook page. They regularly share interesting articles, great kitchen tips and incredible recipes, like the one for this easy Onion and Bacon Tart. I made this for my family over the holidays, and based on their feedback, I’d consider doubling the salt if (when!) I [...]
12 Jan
Chocolate Layer Cake
Two notes about this very traditional chocolate layer cake, made from Martha Stewart’s super easy, one-bowl chocolate cake and chocolate buttercream recipes: First, layer cakes are apparently the hip, new thing, and second, they always remind me of a sentiment I share with my girls — “I love you more than cake.” When Ava hears [...]
24 Dec
Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes with Homemade Irish Cream
This year, I decided to do individually-packaged cupcakes for coworkers and friends—26 in all. I found a Peppermint Mocha Cupcake recipe on Bakers Royale, which served as the base for the project. I used the foolproof One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcake recipe from Martha Stewart, adding in espresso powder—I wish I had thought to substitute coffee for [...]
23 Dec
Holiday baking
My friend Erin hosted a holiday baking party last weekend, and anticipating a rather crowded kitchen, I opted to roll truffles. Working in a kitchenful of close friends made an otherwise tedious task fly by. We packaged the truffles by nine, and shared with them friends, teachers and neighbors. A couple of weeks ago, my [...]
16 Dec
Eggnog Cupcakes
I love everything about this Starbucks-inspired recipe—the quick steps produce 24 generous cupcakes, the flavors seem to meld well, and I like any excuse for shiny gold sparkles. I will note the cake may have been a bit dry, perhaps due to over baking. However, there’s booze in the frosting, so I think it all [...]
6 Nov
Caramel Apple Cake
I love everything about this recipe, which I found through my new favorite procrastination tool, Pinterest. I can assure you, however, that I did not make my own homemade applesauce. Nevertheless, this cake had a moist crumb, and the caramel and old-fashioned cooked buttercream both came together beautifully.
23 Oct
Boo!
I made these ghost cupcakes for the party in Nebraska last weekend, and I think I’ll make them again for Halloween weekend. This marked the first time I’ve made fondant from scratch—it was so easy, I don’t think I’ll every buy it again! I used my favorite one-bowl cupcake recipe for the base, then swapped [...]
18 Oct
Green-curry chicken pot pie
I was trying photograph this green-curry chicken potpie last week, because the recipe was great (kudos to Martha), and I thought the phyllo crust was so creative (Martha, again). I struggled to get the right angle, and the right lighting… I wasn’t quite happy, so I continued to shoot. Perfect.
