Nava's Prickly Pear Margarita

Atlanta used to be home to one of my favorite Latin eateries, Nava. Unfortunately, they have since shuttered their doors. Luckily, I was able to stumble across the recipe for my favorite libation they created. Enjoy!

Prickly Pear Margarita

Makes 6 servings

Preparation time: 10 minutes, plus 1 hour to chill

1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups hot water
1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups fresh lime juice
1 cup Cuervo Gold tequila
1/2 cup triple sec
1/2 cup prickly pear syrup
1 lime, divided into 6 wedges

Mix sugar with hot water to dissolve into simple syrup. Add lemon and
lime juices and stir to mix. Add tequila, triple sec and prickly pear
syrup and mix thoroughly. Chill for one hour. Mix in a blender to
froth. Serve in a salt-rimmed glass, either straight up or over ice.
Garnish with a wedge of lime.

Per serving: 388 calories, 1 gram protein, 72 grams carbohydrates, 1
gram fiber, no fat, no cholesterol, 10 milligrams sodium.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Original recipe makes 1 - 9 inch springform pan 

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs 
1/3 cup white sugar 
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup butter, melted
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese

1 cup Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter 

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I ALWAYS use Nielson-Massey Vanilla Paste)
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, butter and cocoa. Press onto bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch springform pan. Set crust aside.
2. Beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add sweetened condensed milk; beat well. Add vanilla, eggs, peanut butter and beat on medium speed until smooth. Toss 1/3 of the miniature chocolate chips with the 1 teaspoon flour to coat (this keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the cake). Mix into cheese mixture. Pour into prepared crust. Sprinkle top with remaining chocolate chips - add extra chips if you want!
3. Make a water bath for your cheesecake. Basically, find a dish or pan (turkey pans work great) larger than your 9 in springform pan. Place springform pan in center of larger pan. Pour HOT water into larger pan until you're about 1-1 1/2 inches from the top of the springform pan. 
4. Bake at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 1 hour. Turn off oven (do not open oven door) and leave the cake in the oven to cool in the oven for another hour. Remove from oven and cool completely in the refrigerator. Use a knife to cut around the edge before releasing the sides of pan. Keep cake refrigerated until time to serve.
   
   Enjoy!

Happy Valentines Day!

My poor hubby had to get up early for a flight out of town this morning. 

I decided to leave him a little present next to the coffee maker :) 

Add a little (or a lot!) maple syrup and it's heaven!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

King Cake

Well, after more than a few trips to New Orleans, I decided it was time to take a try at baking this NOLA classic- the King Cake! I made a few changes to the original recipe- and would make a few more if I made it again. For starters, this one was way too dense to be a King Cake- but it still tasted heavenly! And two- I didn't have any plastic babies on hand- but I did have a mini PBR can!

Dough rolled out; filling being added.

 

Dough rolled up and then shaped into a ring.

Vents cut about 1/3 of the way down and about every inch.

I made the icing by sight, not recipe. I also made it with milk rather than water and of course, Nielsen Massey Vanilla Paste. If you don't own it, you should. I NEVER bake w/o it. I am also obsessed with this awesome whisk- it's from IKEA.

The finished product- and the hidden prize- a PBR Can! Ha!

While this recipe was very dense (and not very King Cake-like), I didn't get one complaint. They all loved it!

My baking has gone to the dogs...

That's right- I can't stop making home made goodies for my puppy! I like this version for the Brewers Yeast. It keeps your dogs coat nice, shiny and healthy!

Plain Dog Biscuits
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup brewers yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup chicken stock (unsalted if possible)

Preheat oven to 400º F. Mix all of the dry ingredients, then mix in the liquids slowly. Roll dough out on floured surface and cut some fun doggie shapes out with cookie cutters. If you want- this is where I added the dogs names to the bones with letters intended for cement stepping stones. Transfer the biscuits onto a parchment or Silpat lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes and then brush the tops with chicken stock. Rotate and bake for another 10 minutes. Turn the oven off. I then take the biscuits out and coat any remaining visible flour with chicken stock and place back in the oven once again. The oven should remain off, but leave the biscuits in there until there are completely dry- about 2 hrs. Store in airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Enjoy!

Does your dog like Frosty Paws?

I know mine sure does! But then I started reading the ingredients and I wasn't too happy...

FROSTY PAWS® Frozen Treats for Dogs with Peanut Butter Nutritional Information Ingredients: WATER, DRIED WHEY, SOY FLOUR, ANIMAL FAT (PRESERVED WITH BHA AND BHT), DRIED WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, VEGETABLE FAT, SOY LECITHIN, PEANUT BUTTER SYRUP (PEANUTS, CORN OIL, SALT), MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE, MONO-DIGLYCERIDES, CARBOXYMETHYLCELLULOSE, POLYSORBATE 80, POLYSORBATE 60, CALCIUM CARBONATE, NATURAL FLAVOR, CHOLINE CHLORIDE, FERROUS SULFATE, ZINC SULFATE, MANGANESE SULFATE, MAGNESIUM OXIDE, SILICON DIOXIDE, VITAMIN A SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENT, NIACIN SUPPLEMENT, COPPER SULFATE, CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, RIBOFLAVIN SUPPLEMENT, POTASSIUM IODIDE, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN B12 SUPPLEMENT, FOLIC ACID.

Animal fat- this could be any kind of animal including "4D's- dead, diseased, disabled, or dying prior to slaughter"....Eww! Corn and salt? Also bad.

So they are not that bad, because they wouldn't be on the shelf- but if you like to look at ingredients on your dogs food, why not their treats? Lets go for a much healthier, fresher alternative. They're so easy to make, I don't know why you'd ever buy them again!

#1 rule for all ingredients in my home made dog treats:  
Organic, Unsweetened and Unsalted.
Salt and sugar are BAD for the pups.


HOMEMADE FROSTY PAWS

32oz. Plain Yogurt - (spurge for organic if you can!)
2 Tablespoons Peanut Butter
2 Tablespoons Honey
1 ripe Banana

Throw all ingredients in a blender. Pour into 6, flare rimmed, 9oz cups. Freeze & serve!

 As Sophie starts working on her treat, and it melts a little, I pop the remaining treat out and throw it in her bowl.  She LOVES them. I haven't had any trouble with the plastic cups yet :)

 

Sophie APPROVED! 

Toffee Cupcakes

I did a little experimenting this week. I decided it was time to try and conquer Toffee. Sugar arts are hard to perfect since they require such exact temperatures and humidity levels. I had my trials with lollipops and other hard candies earlier this year. Toffee was no different. The first batch burnt. Yuck, smokey toffee? No thanks. I lowered the temp a bit for the second batch, and for the third I will go somewhere in between. I decided to make some vanilla cupcakes with chocolate buttercream to showcase the toffee flavor. Yum!

Baker's trick: I use a Silpat almost exclusively when making cookies, meringue, macaroons, hard candies and now toffee. I don't know how it works, but it works beyond any of my greatest expectations. Nothing EVER sticks to it. Everything removes with ease and without any additive. I wasn't paid for this- I'm just a HUGE supporter! :)

Chocolate Cupcakes with Toffee Crunch
Cake - Classic Vanilla White Cake
Icing - Chocolate Buttercream

Blueberry Muffins

I've relocated to Houston in these last few months and I've finally started exploring the area. One of my favorite websites this time of year is pickyourown.org. It's an amazing resource to find farms that let you pick you veggies and fruit fresh off the farm! They even have great tips on picking, storage and how to preserve your finds. This venture we headed to Chmielewski’s Blueberry Farm. They follow organic methods and had acres of different blueberries. Blueberry picking takes some time, as you should only pick blueberries that are very ripe. They can be identified by being the darkest berries on the branch, almost falling off the branch when touched (you should never have to pull) and by having a white-ish haze to the coat, and no red remaining.
 
 When all was said and done, my husband and I spent over an hour picking and came up with 3.5 lbs. of fresh blueberries...

 

As you can see- we weren't expert pickers. Lots of red in there. I ended up freezing the  unripened blueberries as a nice summer snack for my puppy.

I went on the hunt for a great recipe- and then I altered it a bit. 

 

 

AMAZING Fresh Blueberry Muffins!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon popcorn salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup organic milk (I almost always use skim)
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• Topping:
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
2. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Mix in vegetable oil, egg and milk. (If it seems really thick, add a little more milk) Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full, and sprinkle/cover top with crumb topping mixture.
3. To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done. I take a bamboo skewer, push in, and as soon as it come out clean, I immediately remove from oven & pan. (If you leave them in the pan, they keep cooking!)

Recipe makes 12 muffins.

Yummy!!!!

Not exactly baking...

...but I thought I'd share anyways! Those who know me know I used to kill any plant within my care. Sad, but true. Somehow in my domestic bliss I have found I can care for succulents (because they barely need watering even in this Florida heat!) and apparently I have a knack for growing basil. From seed. Go figure. So, with a mass abundance of basil, and the fact I can only eat so many caprese salads, I decided to make pesto. It's so incredibly simple that I had to share. Olive oil, parmesan, salt, pepper, garlic, a touch of red pepper and a ton of basil. Freeze and voila~ yummy fresh pesto anytime you want it!

Cupcakes Galore!

I have made quite a few cupcakes for quite a few different people lately. Unfortunately- I only took pictures of this one order I had for a five year old's birthday party. He had a "spy" themed birthday and his mom requested thumbprints. So- here you have it! I'm glad the little ones don't mind the grey color ;)

Spy Cupcakes
Cake- Milk Chocolate Cake
Icing- Peanut Butter Buttercream

Sleepover!

My niece lives in another state and I find this terribly depressing. So, to try and make it up to her just a little bit we had a sleepover last night. It included a little baking (and other art too of course) of cupcakes. Sarah was quite a helper from picking out the cupcake liners to the color of the batter and nonpareils. They were quite girl-y, spring-y and delicious!
(I might also add that Sarah was the talented artist behind the inspiration of the Boys and Girls Club cupcake cake a few posts back... I'm such a proud aunt!)

Sleepover Cupcakes
Cake- Vanilla Cake in pink, purple and white
Icing - Vanilla Buttercream

The little baker hard at work!

Taught her that move years ago... ;)

St. Patrick's Day

I haven't been doing very well with keeping up on the blog. Sorry- I have just been so busy! My amazing boyfriend took me to Europe for 2.5 weeks and it was amazing for my creative energy- I have started painting again! So this post is for him. Happy Birthday Damon!

St. Patrick's Day Birthday Cake
Cake - Classic White Cake ( could be an amazing mint cake too!)
Icing - Chocolate Buttercream

Southern Tire Mart

Now that I have completed my first MAJOR cupcake order with Southern Tire Mart, I'd like to share it with you all! :) 168 cupcakes and a small tire cake topper...

I believe these will become my standard palette of cupcake flavors. I must say, I didn't expect to like the smores one too much but it was actually my favorite! So yummy... Enjoy!

14 Dozen Cupcakes!

Mint Chocolate
Chocolate Cake filled with Andes bits and a Mint Buttercream Icing


Peanut Butter Cup
Chocolate Cake filled with a Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup and Peanut Butter Buttercream Icing

Endless Summer
Lemon Cake and Blueberry Buttercream


Irish Car Bomb
Guinness Chocolate Cake, Jameson Ganache Filling and Baileys Buttercream Icing

Cookies and Creme
Vanilla Cake and Buttercream with Chocolate Cookie Bits

Turtle
Vanilla Pecan Cake, Caramel Glaze with Dark Chocolate Buttercream

Smores
Hersheys Chocolate Cake and Marshmallow Icing


Tire Cake
Vanilla Cake with Dark Chocolate Buttercream and Vanilla Fondant

The Boys and Girls Club

I have gotten so behind in my postings! I need a new camera STAT. But until then I have to rely on my good friends to take pics and share them with me :)

This is the first time I have had a "decorating" rather than a "baking" job. The Boys and Girls Club was having a fundraiser at Graffiti in Baytowne Wharf. I was asked to help them out and decorate their large cupcake cake creation (baked by the amazing Chef Molly). I had a idea to do a drawing my niece had done for me. The drawing was beach themed- and had a great child-like fun to it!

The Boys and Girls Club Fundraiser Cupcake Cake
Cake - Red Velvet, Chocolate, Carrot, etc? (I'm not sure of all of them because I didn't bake them!)
Icing - Cream Cheese, Buttercream, Peanut Butter Buttercream
Toppings - Graham Cracker, White Chocolate Seaweed, Logo and Lettering




(Bad Quality pic- but it shows how large it was!)

Chalk It Up!

Sidewalk Chalk Arts Festival
I decided to participate in this years festival at Uptown Station and bring a cake with me! This was done after Wayne Thiebaud's Cakes. I love his work! Obviously mine wasn't as precise and beautiful- but I did still have people coming up to me all day saying it was "making them hungry." Mission accomplished :) Oh yeah... I do fine art and graphic design as well if anyone needs help in those departments!

Mother's Day

Happy belated Mother's Day to all you moms!

Cake - Chocolate cake w/ White Chocolate Chips
Icing - Peanut Butter Buttercream