Summer Sweets

I've been busy in my kitchen again.......

These are the cupcakes I made and sent with the Doc to share with his colleagues for his 30th birthday.

I made an additional batch and took them to the family gathering after he arrived home from work.  

The family LOVED them!!!

This is the scrumptious Carrot Cake that DrH requested for his birthday dessert.  I told him I would bake him anything he wanted and the Carrot Cake was his #1 choice.  

 A closer look!

All boxed up and ready to transport to the In-Laws where we celebrated his birthday a day late... July 4!

Look at those layers!  Mmm....

 I also made a Cheesecake with Brownie Crust.  It was served with a drizzle of raspberry glaze.  Oh my word.... it was incredible! 

 I had another cupcake order for a fun girl.  She isn't a fan of pink and prefers skateboards and electric guitars.  Being a musician, I had to go with the guitars.  = )

 The neon green and neon purple were a hit with my lil' friend, Clare.  She's a rock star!!!

 This is a photo her Mom took.  

These are the cupcakes I made for the Landrunner party.  They are chocolate buttermilk cupcakes with PB frosting.  I also took classic white cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting and my famous banana pudding.  It was all a hit!  Of course, I think it's safe to say that the Banana Pudding was a notch above the rest. 

Cupcakes!

I've had quite a few cupcake orders this year.  
Everybody LOVES them!  

My most recent order was for a birthday party for a 10 year old.  These cupcakes were a lot of fun to make.  

In case you're wondering..... the cupcakes and icing are ALWAYS from scratch.  I do NOT like boxed cake mixes.  Ick!

Have I ever mentioned that we live within walking distance of my favorite bakers supply store?  Well, we do and it's quite convenient.  I've really enjoyed going there earlier in the day this summer.  I like not having to wait in line to check out.  

Today marks a special day in history!  I was asked to cater a 50th Birthday party!!!  I was so flattered!  That's quite the compliment.  : )

Zebra Cupcakes

Remember the ZEBRA cupcake experiment?  Well, I took the leftovers to school for sharing.  I ended up with an order.  Yippee!  I made 1 dozen jumbo zebra cupcakes with peanut butter frosting.  They were ridiculously cute and tasty!  I do believe I make the BEST peanut butter frosting ever!!!

Zebra Cupcakes

The day after the Little Rock Marathon is the birthday of not just one, but TWO friends that are running the LR full with me.  We're celebrating their birthdays the night before the marathon with dinner and dessert. 

 It was requested that I make a birthday cake, so I decided I'd like to make birthday cupcakes.  Cupcakes are easier to transport (6-hour drive) and don't require plates, plasticware, or anything else.  They're easy!  Since my female friend is an OKC Zebra, I've decided to attempt zebra cupcakes.  I had my first trial run and I think they turned out decently well.  It's chocolate and vanilla cake with peanut butter frosting.  We sort of have a thing for peanut butter.  Hahaa... 

Food Review - Gigi's Cupcakes

Pretty= yes.  Taste= meh.....

This is their Orange Dreamsicle Cupcake.  The actual cupcake was dry and bland, but the frosting was dreamsicley delicious.

A blog follower (and friend) commented on my recent food review of Cupcakes To Go Go.  She was curious if I'd tried Gigi's Cupcakes.  I have tried Gigi's here in OKC and wasn't impressed.  
When the DH and I walked in we were greeted with a beautiful case of cupcakes.  They really were quite gorgeous.  We ordered the Orange Dreamsicle Cupcake to go.  Once we got home we were excited to try our cupcake.  As we both took a bite and chewed it, we looked at each other with disappointment.  Our conclusions were that the buttercream icing was piled too high but pretty dreamsicley delicious. The cake part of the cupcake was dry, stale, and flavorless.  The texture was all wrong.  We discovered that we weren't the only cupcake connoisseurs that thought this.  


Here's what a friend said on Facebook in response to the above photo and caption:
"I have to agree!  Darling cupcakes but nothing special taste... Unless all you care about is frosting.  And then, even still, it's quite expensive for just the joy of the frosting.  Oh, well... Gotta try all the cupcake shops!  : )"


Life is too short to get calories from things that aren't worth it. Over 1/2 of our cupcake went in the trash.  We would have been happier with Pillsbury boxed cake mix and frosting.

Food Review - Cupcakes To Go Go

I have a couple of friends that swear by Cupcakes To Go Go located in Edmond, Oklahoma.  They say their cupcakes are the best in the state and that I should give them a try.  I love and adore my friends, but I've come to the conclusion that we don't have the same tastes when it comes to cupcakes. Their #1 flavor recommendation was the Almond Resort.  First of all, I'm not a fan of fake almond.  I love real almonds, but the fake flavoring just doesn't do it for me.  My friends didn't believe there was a fake almond taste at all, but simply explained it to be like the most incredible wedding cake ever made.  So, I gave this place and their Almond Resort a try.  
My conclusions are that these are not from scratch cupcakes.  The texture was that of a boxed mix.  It was piled pretty high with almond buttercream frosting.  I'm also guessing the buttercream was made of shortening (Crisco) and not butter.  My reason to believe that is due to the fact that it was 104 degrees out and I left 3/4 of 2 uneaten cupcakes in my car for about 1 1/2 hours and they didn't melt.  Also, the buttercream frosting tasted like that fake almond extract of which I'm not a fan.  
We all have different tastes and that's part of what makes the world so beautiful.  Boxed cake mix topped with fake flavoring buttercream that's piled high isn't appealing to me in the least. If you're a fan of a consistent cake that's piled high with buttercream frosting, then this is your place.  You'll love it!  I'll stick to my favorite place which meets my snobbish occasional cupcake needs, Sara Sara Cupcakes.  

From The Kitchen

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes 

I made for David's Birthday (July 3)

Recipe by Martha Stewart

(mine look different because I used my cupcake corer and then filled them)

Patriotic Strawberries 

for Independence Day 2011

Homemade Blueberry Pie 

with 2 pounds of fresh blueberries I purchased at Sams.

Roasted Tomato

Clean and slice tomatoes.  Lay them on a parchment lined pan.  Drizzle with good quality EVOO and balsamic vinegar.  Add some crushed garlic, basil, and thyme.  Bake at 425 for 30 minutes.  Peel if desired.

These were amazing!  

Banana Cupcakes 

with PB Frosting

Mmm.....  I'll have to post the recipe for this one later.