Pinterest IS Yum Yum Yummy!

Everyone knows about the wonderful Pinterest, how addictive it is and how you can spend an entire day messing about. I LOVE it. It's like having a million magazine to flip through but instead of keeping them in a huge stack for 5 yrs, you can tear out what you like and keep it safe and organized. The genius behind Pinterest really should win a Noble Peace Prize. Think about that statement and I am sure you or your spouse will agree.

The one thing about Pinterest that I have heard from friends is they pin and pin but never make. While I haven't set a goal for myself or anything I have been making an effort to try the recipes I pin. Sometimes I search out and pin recipes I have tried in the past and love for you, my dear pals that actually read this rambling craziness.

Last night was a double Pinterest whammy. I made a yummo Chicken tortilla soup (with some changes) that I had found a while ago and used chicken from another Pinterest recipe I had made. You really need to make the crockpot Chix Tacos because they are super yummy. So far I have made this twice and the leftovers are even good cold in a wrap for lunch. If I am saying leftovers are good take it seriously. One thing to take note: this last time I made this recipe I used a ton (2 packages) of chix so I would have extra to freeze but did not increase salsa or taco seasoning. MISTAKE! The second batch wasn't as flavorful and was missing the kick of the first batch.

Now the soup! I found this Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe on pinterest as well. It's from a beautiful website that I recommend checking out. I had to alter the recipe because I wasn't able to find some of the items in my local shop and didn't have time to go to the Base to get US ingredients. I wanted to use what I had in the pantry. Here is what I made:

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped
1 can chopped tomatoes with green chilies with most of juice drained
6 cups chicken stock
Corn tortilla chips (rinse off salt)  or 6 corn tortillas torn
1 1/2 c. frozen corn
Crock pot Chix Taco meat

Toppings:
tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream, green onion, avocados

Cook onion and carrot in pot till soft and add garlic and cook a min or two. Add can of tomato's and let cook for a min then add chicken stock and corn. Bring to slow boil, then add tortilla chips and continue to simmer.

Puree the soup in blender till smooth or leave it a little chunky. Add soup back to pot to warm and thicken if needed.

Place chicken in bowl and pour soup over top. Add toppings, eat and enjoy!

Chocolate Truffle Cupcakes

Some of my friends have requested the recipe for my Chocolate Truffle Cupcakes. Here's a quick tutorial on how to make them and I hope you enjoy!

(DISCLAIMER: I do not claim that this is an original recipe that I created. I am sure someone out there has done this before)

First start by making some YUMMY chocolate Ganache. I use 70% dark chocolate and a tiny bit of milk chocolate but you could use what you prefer.

8oz. chocolate and 8oz Heavy cream

I have started using a scale for measurement. 

Chop your chocolate up.

Heat your heavy cream till it just starts to lightly bubble and pour it on top of your chocolate. Whisk till smooth, set it aside and let cool while you make your cupcakes.

Make whatever chocolate cupcakes you prefer.

Here are the ingredients needed for your marshmallow buttercream.

3 sticks unsalted butter at room temp.

1 7oz jar marshmallow fluff

3 C. sifted powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

pinch of salt

There are many recipes for buttercream. You could taste this with 2 C. pwd sugar and see if you prefer that or you could add more. No rules!

After the cupcakes have cooled cut the middle out with a pairing knife (or buy a fancy cupcake corer or use an apple corer) Don't go too deep (I made that mistake with this batch). Keep the part your cut out because you will need it.

This step is a little time consuming and probably not necessary but this is how I do it.

Cut the excess off and save a little lid for your hole.

When the ganache is cool and has started to thicken up fill the cupcakes. You could put the ganache into a piping bag to make it a little easier.

Put the lids on.

Top with the buttercream and let them set. Both time I have made these cupcakes they weren't consumed until the next day which gave the ganache time to set up like a truffle. 

I hope you enjoy!

Take Your Soup to the Next Level

 Bread dough is one thing that I do not have the time to make very often and I refuse to buy a bread maker (mainly because I wouldn't be able to take it back to the states). My go to product for all things dough is Rhodes frozen bread dough. I mainly use it for pizza, pepperoni rolls, calzones, and freshly baked bread. Now that the weather is getting cooler soup is on the menu and what better to go with soup than a bread bowl! I highly recommend you trying out this recipe because it will impress. Plus there's nothing better than being able to eat your yummy bowl! You should be able to find the recipe here. I am also going to try making the pumpkin shaped bread bowl for our halloween party! Enjoy!

Bread dough is one thing that I do not have the time to make very often and I refuse to buy a bread maker (mainly because I wouldn't be able to take it back to the states). My go to product for all things dough is Rhodes frozen bread dough. I mainly use it for pizza, pepperoni rolls, calzones, and freshly baked bread. Now that the weather is getting cooler soup is on the menu and what better to go with soup than a bread bowl! I highly recommend you trying out this recipe because it will impress. Plus there's nothing better than being able to eat your yummy bowl! You should be able to find the recipe here. I am also going to try making the pumpkin shaped bread bowl for our halloween party! Enjoy!

Mission: Minnie Mouse Cake

  A few weeks ago, my friend Tye asked me to make her daughter Cadence's birthday cake. I gladly excepted because I haven't done much baking since Luci was born. The cake turned out pretty well and everyone at the party seemed to enjoy it. 

Mission: Make Minnie Mouse theme cake to feed min 50 people. 

Colors: Hot pink, white and black

  I am super proud of how the cake topper turned out. Tye and I browsed some photos online and gathered ideas. My main focus was making sure the ear hat looked real and I really think I accomplished my goal. 

  The hat was made of rice crispy treats formed by one of my cereal bowl. I let it cure for a few days and then covered it was royal icing. Royal icing is like the cement of the cake decorating world. Since I wasn't able to apply it completely smooth I had to basically sand it smooth. I them had to make black fondant which was not easy. It took almost half of a Wilton black dye bottle to get a very small amount of fondant black. The ears are black fondant rolled thick, cut with circle pastry cutter and a lollipop stick inserted while wet. I had to use a nail to puncture a hole in the royal fondant.

For the bow I used a large circle of fondant and crimped it in the middle. 

The added a "ribbon" of fondant in the middle.

Pink royal icing polka dots in varying sizes.

They were dried for a few days. The added texture and 

a contrast of color.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

  I decided to go outside of my norm and make a Swiss meringue buttercream instead of traditional buttercream. While it was fun and challenging to make I won't use it for cakes again. Swiss meringue doesn't "crust" like a traditional buttercream. While fine for a cupcake it isn't so great for cake decorating.

The Top Cake Layer:

8 inch Chocolate Cake with Nutella Buttercream Filling.

Bottom Layer:

12 inch White cake with Traditional Buttercream

Tye managed to write Cadence's name in the Disney Font 

thanks to a great website we found (printers were not working).

I then traced it onto the hat and piped it on.

The Birthday Girl

Mission complete! 

  

Birthday Party Success

Liam's 5th birthday party was a success and I really think everyone enjoyed themselves. There was go-carting for the kiddos and food and chatting for the grown-ups. I was very fearful that this party would be a disaster since I unknowingly planned it for Easter Sunday at a horrible time of 3:30! Thankfully, all of Liam's pals came. (If you want to check out the party photos shoot over to our family blog.)

The party menu this year was as follows:

Marinated Antipasta Skewers
Caprese ala Melanie
Roast beef sandwiches on cibatta with horseradish sauce and rocket
Honey Lemon Pound Cake (Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics pg. 208)
Devil's Food Cupcakes (Martha Stewart's Cupcakes pg 34) with Buttercream Frosting (Martha Stewart's Cupcakes pg. 302)

You can find the recipes for the first three on my new recipe page. If you need the recipe for the other items just shoot me a message.

New Mel Approved Recipes

I have challenged myself to start making some of the recipes in the magazines I get in the mail. Most people get a subscription to a food magazine for cooking purposes but I get them for the articles and pictures. Change is good right?

I have two recommendations for you this week from Everyday Rachael Ray March issue. The Orzo Risotto with Spring Greens was very easy and yummy. In the magazine it is presented as a main dish but I would recommend it as a side dish to a protein. We just didn't find it filling enough for a main dish. The next time I make it I plan to add more cheese. (We love cheese!)

The Chicken with Wine recipe was a hit with Liam and I but Mike just found it "ok". I do think this one lacked a little something but it could be because I didn't have the shallot the recipe called for or any onion to substitute. Liam enjoyed it because it was sweet due to the red wine. This is supposed to be a lighter recipe for Coq Au Vin but I had to add some extra oil and butter because my mushrooms were dry. Over all though it was a winner with me.

The problem I have now is finding side dishes that pair well with my new recipes. RR doesn't give suggestions. I think I will shoot them an email and let them know what I think. Hope you enjoy these recommendations and please send me your favorite recipes to try.

The Great Cake Debate

Liam has agreed to cupcakes this year for his birthday party. As much as I would love to make a fun cake this year I just don't think Luci will give me the time I need. My current dilemma is whether to use a box cake mix or go from scratch.

All of the cakes I do are made with cake mix for a few good reasons. With a box cake the product is always consistent, predictable, light and moist. From scratch cakes can be very heavy and there is always the risk of it being dry. I don't have an issue using a box cake mix and let people know what I use. 

Last year when my old pal Deanna came to visit, she brought me the Martha Stewart Cupcake cookbook. My plan was to work my way through the cookbook but I have yet to make one recipe! I am very disappointed with myself because there are so many awesome recipes. 

I am thinking of going through and choosing a recipe for Liam's party and giving it a run through. Fingers crossed I get a chance to do a little baking.  

Birthday Prep Has Begun!

Classic Collage 3x5 folded card

Shutterfly cards for Mother's Day, Valentines Day, Birthdays & more.

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Gooey Butter Cake

If you have never heard of or tasted Gooey Butter Cake you are missing out! I had seen Paula Deen make GBC on her show but never got around to looking up the recipe. Then, one Saturday morning at the Farmer's Market in Pensacola, I found heaven! A local bakery was selling Gooey Butter Cake and after having a sample I knew I was in trouble!

Paula's recipe for Double Chocolate GBC was recently published in The Food Network Magazine's Jan/Feb 2011 issue. It's super yummy and I would recommend you make it for your next potluck. The recipe is super easy and made with ingredients you probably already have on hand.

Last week I had my girlfriends over for bunch and decided to make a Vanilla GBC. I know there is a recipe out there but since I already had to chocolate recipe I winged it. Here's the recipe*:

Active: 20 min | Total: 1hr (plus cooling) | Serves: 20 to 24

1 18.25-ounce yellow cake mix
3 large eggs
1 C. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus butter for the pan
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temp
1/2 vanilla bean (I only used half because it's so expensive for me to get here but I am sure using the whole bean would just make it even better!)
1 16-ounce box confectioners' sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Whipped cream, for topping (I made home made and did not sweeten it much at all since the cake it very sweet)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly butter two round cake pans (I use disposable. The original recipe calls for a 9-by-13 baking pan. Use what you like)

2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, 1 egg and 1/2 cup of melted butter. Stir until well blended. Pat the mixture into the pan and set aside. ( I do this step in my mixer bowl so I don't dirty so much stuff.)

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the remaining 2 eggs and the vanilla bean and beat until well mixed. Reduce speed to low and add the confectioners' sugar. Beat until well mixed. Slowly add the remaining 1/2 C. melted butter and the vanilla extract. Beat until smooth. Spread the filling over the batter in the pan.

4. Bake the cake for 40 to 50 minutes. Be careful not to overcook it: The center should still be a little gooey. Let partially cool on a wire rack before slicing. Serve with whipped cream.

I use the two pans so I can share one and eat the other. The recipe makes 20 to 24 servings.

* I do not claim to have created this recipe.

Book Pig Review

A few months ago I was introduced to Book Pig.com on my favorite deal site Zulily. Book Pig is the Netflix of children's books and they ship to AE! Their selection of books is very extensive and their website offers many handy search options. Book Pig offers different plan options starting at $14.99.

Liam and I gave them a go recently. We chose the 4 book option and they arrived in this great red reusable box.

Inside the box Liam found a sheet of stickers. We were instructed to stick them on the books to rate how he liked them.

My only complaint is the price. $14.99 for 4 books is a little high but this does cover all shipping costs.

Overall I think Book Pig is a great concept. Most people are probably wondering why we don't just go to the Library but we do. A WHOLE lot! We have been going to the Military Base library and have just about read all of their children's books. Plus kids love to get mail and this gives them the chance to pick the books they want and have them shipped to them.

Mel Reviews

When our family moved overseas I soon realized that some of the websites I frequent didn't ship to APO AE addresses. AE is the address designation given to American Military in Europe. There are tons of large company websites like Gap, Walmart, Kohl's that do ship to us but many smaller sites do not. Even Target is very limited on what they will ship to us. Shipping to an APO AE address doesn't cost anymore than shipping to any other part of the US. Postage is paid to ship the package to New York with the USPS and from there the military takes over. There are so many deal websites now like www.Zulily.com , www.mamabargains.com and www.gilt.com. Gilt ships to us and they are very quick and I normally don't have to pay postage, Mamabargains will also ship here most of the time but Zulily does not and that makes me VERY sad! Thankfully I have a wonderful mom that lets me ship to her house and she sends it on but not everyone is so lucky.
I recently decided to start promoting great companies that ship to us and have great products. Plus I was recently turned down as a reviewer for a mommy review blog because of my location. Honestly I don't think they were thinking. The excuse used was the companies they review for don't ship overseas but I wonder if they checked it out. OK so I am a little bitter!
In the near future I plan to start my own mommy review blog geared especially for the AE mom. Companies don't realize that the majority of us shop online and appreciate those who ship to us. Maybe I can even get companies to send me products but that isn't why I am on this mission. If you happen to have a company you love let me know. Keep an eye out for reviews.

luci card

Look at the super cute cards I made on shutterfly today! I can't get enough of this beautiful little face.

Brocade White Pink 5x7 folded card

Modern greeting cards and party invitations by Shutterfly.

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