Girls Love Pink, Hearts and Sparkles.

Happy (almost) Hearts Day! My valentine this year is a little black dog name Zeuggie. I'm pretty sure he is going to get me something small and sparkly tomorrow. Rule for all boys, men and doggies out there - you can never go wrong with small and sparkly for your valentine.  Wait I take that back, I'd rather have a new flash for my camera or a new pair of ski boots.
 
Since most girls love pink, hearts, sparkles and bubbles, I hosted group yesterday for a little crafting and champagne. Ribbons, stamps, fun papers and glitter provided the activity and was an outlet for everyone to express there one "Tarte and Parcel-esque" creativity.

The menu was equally whimsical. Based on the theme: "Love is sweet and a little savory" snacks included:

* My Heart "Beets" for You Hummus
* Shot of Love Shrimp
* Apple of My Eye Ravioli 
* Be(ef) Tender to my Loins Bruchetta
* Making Whoopie Pies
* Cupid Cakes 

My favorite of the bunch was the"Shot of Love Shrimp" inspired from a Bloody Mary. Here are the instructions! 


Shot of Love Shrimp

* Ingredients * 
1 lb cooked prawns
1/2 lb cherry tomatoes 
1 14 oz can of tomato sauce 
1 cup Absolut Pepper Vodka 
3 tablespoons Tabasco 
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
Pepperoncinis
Celery 
Coronichons (I love mini pickles!) 

* Instructions *  
1. Marinate shrimp and cherry tomatoes in next 5 ingredients overnight. 
2. Alternate shrimp and tomatoes on skewers with celery, pepperoncinis and coronichons.


As an aside, the marathon is at long last finally a commitment. I am running the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon in June. To help with the training I have joined, Team in In Training and raising money for cancer research. If you have a need for dessert or apps for your next shower, luncheon, dinner or party I would be happy to exchange any culinary skills  for a donation. Fight cancer and eat well... I'd say it's a double win. :) 

A Mistake and a Cake

I've started taking professional cooking classes on Monday nights. I asked the chef leading the class if she'd ever have a student that was so bad of a cook that she wanted to kick them out of her kitchen. I think I was looking for story Gordon Ramsay style, but instead she said no. She continued, "The great thing about cooking is there is no mistake you can't fix. Worse comes to worse, you just start over." Such as great metaphor for life. 

Now, as most T+P fans know (i.e, those of you have already liked me on "the book"), I make a mean birthday cake and love the opportunity to do a little catering to make someone's BIG day special. 

Recently, I was asked to make a cheesecake birthday. In all my baking, I have never made a cheesecake. They scare me a little bit... So, since this was a completely new to me, I start with a recipe from the masters - Bon Appétit. 

My creation was a Toffee Crunch Carmel Cheesecake with a Gingersnap Crust. The cake is still getting rave reviews, but like most of the successes in my life, I had to make a couple of "mistakes" to get it right. The first one got thrown out, much to the delight of Zeuggie, who licked up the remnants in the sink. 

Don't do this.

The secret to baking a great cheesecake is this: after baking the crust, wrap the pan in heavy duty foil. Place the cake with the batter in a roasting pan and fill the roasting pan until it is 2-3 inches deep with water. This keeps the temperature even and the oven moist. If you fail to do this, the cheesecake cracks and looks like it was baked by someone who was afraid of baking cheesecakes. 

Blackberries and Boxcars

My recipes are experimentations. There are as many that don't turn out as do. Let's just say this week there was a lot of wasted butter and flour this week at my house. 

The inspiration this week was a blackberry pie. Growing up, our house backed on to a wooded ravine. This forrest provided a perfect backdrop for the imaginative mind. I would often spend the afternoon as a woodland fairy or as one of The Boxcar Children. I even befriended a mountain beaver as a pet, but that's our little secret. Don't tell my mom... they destroyed her rhoadies. And don't tell Zeuggie... he might be jealous. 

Adding to the adventure of my imaginary life in the woods was the expansive thicket of blackberries. They provided a great afternoon snack. When I was bored I would collect baskets full or bowls that my mother would turn into pies or cobblers. FYI, my bother and cousins on the other hand were collecting banana slugs... my mom never made a pie out of them. 

In a ode to those childhood memories, I wanted to create two versions of a blackberry pie to share at work and at a friends rooftop BBQ. I ended up with an Almond Blackberry Bar and Lime Shortbread with Blackberry Currant Filling. Try both and let me know which one you prefer! 

Almond Blackberry Bar 

* Ingredients * 

1 1/2 cups butter, cut into squares 

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons almond extract 

3 cups flour 

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3/4 cup sour cream

1/2 cup flour

4 cups blackberries

* Instructions * 

1.  Using a pastry blender, mix butter, sugar, almond extract and flour until ingredients from a nice crumble. Set 1/3 of mixture aside. 

2. Press 2/3 of mixture into greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool for 20 minutes. 

3. Whisk 4 eggs and powdered sugar. Add sour cream and flour. Mix until well blended. Fold in blackberries. 

4. Spread blackberry mixture over cooled crust. Sprinkle remaining crust on top. Bake for 45-60 minutes. 

Lime Shortbread with Blackberry Currant Filling 

* Ingredients * 

1 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

Zest of 2 limes

Juice of 2 limes

2 cups flour 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

4 cups blackberries 

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons Creme de Cassis 

2 packets gelatin 

* Instructions * 

1. In mixer with paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add lime zest and juice. 

2. Slowly mix in flour and salt. Refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours. 

3. Roll dough on to a floured surface and using a 3 inch biscuit cutter, cut out an even number of rounds. Place on to greased cookie sheet. 

4. Bake for 15-20 minutes in a 325 degree oven. Cool on racks. 

5. In food processor or blender, puree blackberries, sugar and liquor. Stir in gelatin. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours. 

6. Spoon filling onto cookie and place 2nd cookie on top. Dust with powdered sugar. 

And it started with a cupcake...

June was the best month ever for Tarte and Parcel. Thank you to every one who has emailed/ texted/ called with the encouragement and comments. I am honored to say that I have followers in Austin, Atlanta, Paris and London. Yep - T & P is global. Still trying to figure out who is reading this in Russia and Malaysia. 

I am truly flattered by the praise for my food and the blog in general as the origins of this blog start in a sad place. A year ago I lived alone -- yes, yes, I know I still live alone -- but my friends were farther than a block way and no one new my name at the local bar. My brother who for most of my life had been my best friend had just gotten married and was off doing the things that newlyweds do. I spent a lot of time alone. I was a dating disaster (karma is getting me back now, since all the men I meet are disasters - but that is another story) and I ate practically every meal alone. 

For the record, I hate eating alone. 

After one dinner on my own, I went to put my 1 plate and 1 fork in the dishwasher. I realized the entire dishwasher was full of 1 plate and 1 fork combos. A couple had been in there for so long that they I think some of the not completely washed off food was looking like a penicillin factory. I broke down in tears on the floor and just sat there for a while. 

The next day I made cupcakes - Blackberry Swirl Pound Cake. Baking takes a lot of bowls, blenders and utensils and all of these need to be washed. My dishwasher quickly filled up - filled up with happy times in the kitchen. 

I started posting my creations to Facebook and sharing with friends. Many people started asking me bring goodies to their dinner parties, picnics, etc. and a few folks were asking for recipes and the like. Last August, I decide to start the blog to take it one step further. Thus, Tarte and Parcel. 

So, thank you for reading my blog, for the compliments. Your support keeps both my dishwasher and life full.  

Today's post give hommage to that very first cupcake. Of course, I can't stop experimenting so I changed things up a little. 

Blueberry Swirl Cupcakes with Lemon Icing 

* Ingredients *

For the cupcake... 

8 ounces blueberries 

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup butter 

1 1/3 cup sugar

2 eggs 

1 1/4 cup flour 

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sour cream 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 teaspoon lemon zest

For the icing... 

2/3 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons sour cream

Juice from 1 lemon

* Instructions * 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Puree blueberries with 3 tablespoons sugar in food processor. Set aside. 

3. Cream sugar and butter in electric mixer. Add eggs. Add flour, baking power and salt. Add sour cream, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Mix until well combined. 

4. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Alternate adding batter and blueberry mixture until 3/4 full. Swirl with fork for a marbleized effect. Bake for 30 minutes. 

5. Combined ingredients for icing. Drizzle over cooled cupcakes. Top with fruit if desired. 

 

I wanted a boy, I got a puppy…

OK. Maybe it’s not quite like that, but a little. Being single gets well… lonely. Not gonna lie, it  still gets lonely - and I have a lot of fun friends. J Who doesn’t want to be cuddled in the morning? So for a pal, I decided to make a new addition to the family – a black standard schnauzer. What can make you more happy than a puppy? Answer: nothing.

For those of you who don’t know, standard schnauzers are the perfect dog. Big enough to hike to the top of Mt. Pilchuck or run 10 miles, but still small enough to cuddle on the couch. Unfortunately, standards are also impossibly rare, but I was lucky enough to find a breeder in Milwaukee who had a boy ready for me on guess when… my birthday!

Already, lil Zeuggie  has been quite a pal. We have done HHs at Mcglivras and Ohana. (He is german, so of course, he likes beer. Err, only Miller Lite – Milwaukee influence.) So,  in honor of Zeuggie’s arrival, today’s recipe is dedicated to canine friends.

Pumpkin Peanut Butter with Bacon Icing

* Ingredients*

2 1/2 cups wheat flour

2 eggs

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

2 tablespoons peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3 strips bacon

8 ounces cream cheese

* Instructions *

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.     Mix together flour, eggs, pumpkin, peanut butter salt and cinnamon into  a solid dough. Roll out on floured surface and cut into shapes.

3.     Bake on greased pan for 40-45 minutes.

4.     Cook (microwave or fry) 3 slices of bacon. Reserve 1 tablespoon drippings.

5.     Melt 8 ounces package cream cheese in the microwave under defrost heat. Mix bacon drippings.

6.      Dip in biscuits. Let cool on wired rack.

April Showers Bring…

I admit day after day (after day after day) of rain is leading me to be a little stir crazy. Seattle, I know you are a practical joker. You tease with a warm ray here and there, only to catch me in a down pour 10 minutes later when I am without a coat or a bumbershoot. Seattle,  I know you you are a Don Juan, man-whore and are having an ongoing romance with the mist, the rain, the cold, the drizzle and the general gray days all at once. But, Seattle, PLEASE your love affair must end. For god sakes, we need a summer this year! Either that or I need a vacation to Mexico or the Caribbean.

Since I am without my own private jet and spent my frequent flyer miles on a folly, I decided to fast forward the adage “April Showers bring May Flowers” by making some flower cookies. Placed in a pot, these treats make excellent favors for showers, lined up for an edible dessert center piece, or potentially bundled into a larger pot for a Mother’s Day gift (yep… that is right around the corner.)

The pots, foam to hold the flowers, ribbon and straw can all be purchased at your local craft store such as Michaels or Joann’s. Below is the recipe for the cookies… I encourage everyone to make them – not only are they a sweet treat, but definitely can bring a little sunshine into a rainy afternoon.

Flower Shortbread Cookies

* Ingredients *   

1 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

* Special Tools *

Red Food Coloring

Pastry Cutter

Candy sticks

Chocolate sprinkles 

* Instructions *  

1. In electric mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar for 3-5 minutes until fluffy. Add vanilla, nutmeg and almond extract and continue to mix until well combined.

2. Add flour and salt and mix until dough sticks together.

3. Divide into 3 balls. Mix red food coloring into one and yellow into other, leaving one ball uncolored. Wrap each ball separately in saran wrap and chill in refrigerator for 1-3 hours.

4. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. On floured surface, roll out each of the 3 balls. Cut a variety of petal shapes using pastry cutter.

5. Line baking sheets with parchment. Place cut petals around candy sticks. Press dragrees into center. Bake for 15 minutes.  

6. Cool completely. Decorate with icing if desired. Place candy sticks into floral foam inside pot. Decorate with straw and ribbon.

Sticky Cookies

You know the March Lamb and Lion thing? Well, This whole month was LION. UGH. Stormiest time for me in quite a while. I got tossed around a bit like a boat in open ocean. Really makes you appreciate calmer waters. 

On the upside, March was the second most popular month for Tarte and Parcel. I thought I would do one last post in a push to make it the MOST popular month. 

So in an ode to lions, I decided to make a cookie that resembled a lion - macaroons with burnt sugar icing

Macaroon with Burnt Sugar Icing

* Ingredients *

For the cookies…

2/3 cup flour

5 1/2 cups flaked coconut

1 14ounce can sweetened condensed milk 

2 teaspoons vanilla

For the icing…

1/4 cup butter

1 cup half and half

3/4 sugar

1/2 light corn syrup 

1 teaspoon vanilla

* Instructions *

1.    Mix all ingredients for cookies. Scoop batter onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees until coconut is lightly toasted.

2.    In small saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add half and half, sugar and corn syrup. Bring to boil for 5 minutes (note this will splatter and is hot… so maybe a good time to whip out your safety glasses, Ty Pennigton style). Remove from heat. Cool completely and stir in vanilla. Drizzle icing over cookies using a fork or dip them for a little sweeter option.   

Pot O' Gold

Happy St. Patty’s.

Today is all about the positive. Irish Jig – check, done it. Pint of Guinness in Ireland on March 17th  - check, done it.  Baking cupcakes to win an Irish food contest – half check. I haven’t won yet.

Along time ago, I heard a story about kitchen sink windows. Why does every house have them? So through the misery of washing the dinner dishes, you can see beautiful sunsets.

I have amazing friends. They are my beautiful sunsets. They take me to the Attic, plan adventures, let me know they are right across the alley, call me doodles, buy steamed apple juice, hold elevators to give me hugs and take IOUs for amazing shows.  Never in my life have I been surrounded by so many phenomenal people. Thank you. I will never be able to pay you back – even if I had all the pots of gold in the world.

So the cupcakes… pretty awesome right?

I started with the recipe for the cake, that got the most accolades – Birthday Cake ala  Beer. I added 2 shots of Jameson just to Irish it up bit.

Pot of gold was made from a donut hole, filled with gold dragees. Frosting is your basic cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and a little Baileys. I said we were Irishing it up, right?

Erin go bragh! Cheers to Ireland and may you find you own beautiful sunsets through challneging times.

V-Day... The Baking Recap

Well if you don’t have pink paper around to do fancy gift boxes that get ripped open, you still have an option to bake in wash of pink.

I did two projects this year for Valentine’s. The first (and perhaps a bit of an after thought) was pink and red cupcakes for people at my office. Unfortunately, they flew off the plate. Next time, I might need to create some sort of ticketing system based on sugar need. LOL.

A fun add-on to cupcakes is paper shapes glued to toothpicks. Of course, for this batch - it had to be hearts.

Next up on the baking “to do” list was a strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting for my first Valentine’s day dinner. (I get 2 this year. As I explained to my favorite valet this morning, my Valentine’s Day is gonna be spread out.).

I was on a bit of a time crunch this year so I adapted the cake recipe from this one on Allrecipes. My suggestion, add a full cup of the strawberry puree. A half a cup doesn’t add enough flavor or texture.

My big effort in this cake was the candy hearts. These were made by melting Wilton Candy disks and then piping them into the desired shape. Since they don’t offer pink… or at least the store was out, I melted red and white together in the microwave to get the color combo that I was looking for.  

Alright, I am going out to watch a baskeball game or run around in combat boots or something. All this pink talk has me feeling entirely too girlie, princess.

Classics… Football and Cupcakes

Big game is coming up on Sunday. Seattle Seahawks vs. Chicago Bears to decide who plays for the NFC Championship. This is match-up is a tough one for me. Love the home team, love the underdog, but my team has always been “Da Bears.” I think it started out with a fascination with Jim McMahon’s headbands, led a laugh about Ditka’s tirades and finally a total respect for Payton’s runs. And c’mon the Superbowl Shuffle – a classic. I lived with a 1985 Super Bowl Champions sign on my wall for most of my younger years.

I decide to honor the “big game” with a few cupcakes. Since I didn’t want to get run out of the city of Seattle for treats devoted to the Monsters of the Midway, I opt’d for a more neutral design. (Don't worry, I am sure I will get plenty of boos for my sweatshirt this weekend.) Football is made out of piped chocolate. Goal post are candy sticks used to make lollipops and the like.  

Now, cupcakes have officially made it on People magazine’s “not hot” list. Shine.com is calling them a fad equivalent to truffle salt. I have never had truffle salt (or bubble tea for that matter), but I do remember eating cupcakes as a little girl at about every grade school birthday party I attended. I remember making them on mommy-daughter Saturday afternoons. I separated the liners and was in charge of the sprinkles. Yep, that’s right. I was the sprinkles manager. Granted the number of “boutique” cupcake shops is a little out of control, but cupcakes are not a fad. They are a classic, same as diamond studs and cashmere…. and of course the Superbowl Shuffle.    

Resolutions and a Recipe

Happy 2011 everyone! Hope everyone rang in the New Year with fun and a little gusto.

Last year I set some resolutions for myself for the very first time in my life. Overall, 2010 was a tough year for me and it got a little easier seeing the resolution list get checked off. I accomplished everything from moving (twice… ugh) to an Irish adventure to starting up my own blog. For the fun of it, I worked today on my 2011 goals…

1.     Blog more. I know there are some concerned fans out there (Jason!). December was not my best month as a far as blog posts. I had great intentions, but too many Christmas parties, fun with friends, a trip to San Diego and then another killler New Year's Eve bash got in the way. I promise 2011 won’t disappoint. Stay tuned.

2.     Finish house projects. Let’s see I got a TV room to furnish, a spare bedroom to paint, a closet door to install, a backyard to revamp. The list goes on…

3.     Ski lots. After for the most part taking last year off, I want to hit it hard this year. I realized how much I love to ski. It forces you to test your limits. It forces you to figure out challenging situations (how am I getting down off this cliff?). It makes you feel free. The more runs I can get in this year, the better. Whistler, anyone?

4.     Run a marathon. Alright so this is the only 2010 resolution that had to be rolled over. I didn’t make it. No excuses this year.

OK, now since the last two goals involve a lot of early mornings and exercise, I thought I would work on this little recipe for a sweet early morning kick-in-the-pants energy treat to get me going. These may replace Diet Pepsi… wait who am I kidding?

Corn Flake Peanut Butter Balls

* Ingredients *

1 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup peanut butter (I used reduced fat… December weight gain plan is now officially over.)

6 cups corn flakes

* Instructions *

1. Bring corn syrup and sugar to boil on stove. Remove from heat.

2. Whisk in peanut butter.

3. Pour over corn flakes and gently stir.

4. Pour a bowl of cold water and wet your fingers. Make ball with corn flake mixture and place on parchment paper. Repeat until all of the corn flake mixture is used.

5. Allow balls to cool completely. Drizzle with chocolate if desired.