Cherry Vanilla Cake

Hi! Just a quick post to show you the most amazing cake I've ever made and eaten! The full recipe can be found on www.sprinklebakes.com.

Strawberry Margarita

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  I have a delicious margarita recipe to share with you, so I'll just get right to it!

Strawberry Margarita
Serves: 2

1/2 cup lime juice (about three limes)
1/2 cup strawberry puree (recipe below)
1/2 cup margarita mix (I used homemade, recipe below)
6 oz. tequila
Ice

Combine all ingredients in a jar or cocktail shaker and combine.  Best served on the rocks.

Strawberry Puree
2 cups sliced strawberries
2 tsp agave

Combine berries and agave in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.  You can remove the seeds by placing the puree in a fine mesh sieve, but I don't mind the seeds and just left them in the puree.

Margarita Mix
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups water
Juice and zest of one orange, lime, and lemon

Combine ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat until the mixture comes to a slow boil and the sugar is dissolved.  Strain to remove the zest and chill.

Jumbo Bakery Style Cookies

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty picky when it comes to everything cookies. Some would even call me a snob... And they wouldn't be wrong! I have been burned too many times by cookies from a bakery that look delicious, but end up tasting horrible. I like a combo of a chewy and crispy cookie and this recipe delivers on both!

The original recipe calls for all-purpose (AP) flour and two cups of chocolate chips, but this time I decided to use half whole wheat and half AP flour.  I also used a combination of butterscotch and semi-sweet chips as well as mini-marshmallows. I've also made these with a combo of peanut butter and milk chocolate chips.  That's what's so great about this recipe - The possibilities are endless.

You can certainly make these cookies "normal" sized, but I love how big these are.  People seem very impressed when they see these on a cookie tray.  This recipe has come be to my go-to recipe.  I urge you to make these soon.

For the recipe, please visit Picky Palate.

Enjoy!

Refreshing Grapefruit Cocktail

The warm whether we've had caused me to crave a light and refreshing cocktail! I had a grapefruit and lime that needed to be used quickly. At first, I thought of a grapefruit margarita, but realized I didn't have any tequila.  I decided that gin would be the perfect choice.  I know some people detest gin, but I love it!

This is a light, crisp, and refreshing cocktail and you should go make it now!  I don't have exact measurements listed because everyone's tastes are different.  Depending on how sweet your grapefruit is, you may or may not need to add the sugar.  I also like the taste of the pineapple because it doesn't overpower the crispness of the grapefruit.  Make this now.  :)

Refreshing Grapefruit Cocktail
Serves: 1

Juice from 1 pink grapefruit
Juice from 1 lime
Splash of pineapple juice
Sprinkle of sugar
Ice

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake until combined.  Best served over ice.  Enjoy!

Luck of the Irish!

Happy belated St. Patrick's Day!

Ahoy! Brendan Turns 5!

My nephew Brendan turned 5 this past weekend and he had a pirate themed party. Take a look at the cookies I created!

Popcorn Sugar Cookies

I had the pleasure of making sugar cookie favors for an adorable little boy's 4th birthday party. He and his friends had a special movie day planned, so his mom requested popcorn sugar cookies.

Since I didn't have a popcorn box cookie cutter, I ended up using two different cutters to get the shape I wanted. I started off with a beer mug cutter. I cut off the handle as well as the "head". I then used a flower shaped cutter to use as the popcorn. I cut out part of the mug using the flower cutter so that the two pieces would fit. I've never done this before, so I made sure to bake extra in case they fell apart. I'm glad I did, because three or four did end up breaking!

I started off by outlining and filling the boxes using red and white stripes.  I let those dry overnight.  I decided to use ivory and yellow to make the popcorn more realistic.  I really like how the popcorn turned out! I did this part of the cookie in layers so that there would be more texture. The last step was adding an oval to the box with the number four.  I think this tied in the whole cookie. 

I'm really pleased with how they looked when done and I think the birthday boy enjoyed them too!