tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707583898688469862024-03-13T11:45:49.161-07:00Curious CupcakesCupcakes, cakes and confections in the Inland Empire AreaShaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09562516607784660775noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-170758389868846986.post-65355208535388656082010-08-20T17:38:00.000-07:002010-08-20T17:38:11.895-07:00Crazy?So here's the question. How crazy am I? See I know I didn't write for about 6 months. There is a reason for that.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMc8PjaN-G68phI9AtmBz6zL_0pXU7RjeIWXqTSvR1M-tXu_Z4uJ2ywG4yjyYj8ueT7eJ5-Df1dd6FvUO4SnodSCEZPTWy403QRStsgMQmGl7us4CGExq8BvFSimhiYPMFtT4_3vmszQ/s1600/belly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMc8PjaN-G68phI9AtmBz6zL_0pXU7RjeIWXqTSvR1M-tXu_Z4uJ2ywG4yjyYj8ueT7eJ5-Df1dd6FvUO4SnodSCEZPTWy403QRStsgMQmGl7us4CGExq8BvFSimhiYPMFtT4_3vmszQ/s200/belly.jpg" width="142" /></a></div> This.<br />
My third little girl, and if she's like her sisters,<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_6VT3vcZkvVgPsqKWHzysklwsEclv9pGjnbI4k_nUX9zHo07UYrY0b-7hTK0VPp6GARQrBhpbo3zS5bvvBKpaz65coJllAXemlkO0kYoP4dNXDJrzczwAmVL_5u4NwZIpMhTW3gkpvw/s1600/bakershelpers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_6VT3vcZkvVgPsqKWHzysklwsEclv9pGjnbI4k_nUX9zHo07UYrY0b-7hTK0VPp6GARQrBhpbo3zS5bvvBKpaz65coJllAXemlkO0kYoP4dNXDJrzczwAmVL_5u4NwZIpMhTW3gkpvw/s200/bakershelpers.jpg" width="138" /></a></div> my third little bakers assistant. <br />
She is due on September 20th. Coming right up isn't it? Here's the crazy part. There's this wedding. My husband's cousin is getting married, and, you guessed it, she wants ME to make her wedding cake. When is the wedding? September 25. So I ask again...how crazy am I?Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09562516607784660775noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-170758389868846986.post-33061000628727918472010-08-07T22:44:00.000-07:002010-08-07T22:44:01.332-07:00Purely CoincidentalThere is a movie that came out recently, perhaps you've heard of it. <i>Julie & Julia</i>? People have been asking me if I've seen it, and besides the whole Julia Child cooking thing, I really didn't know why they thought this particular movie should have caught my attention. I've never really known much about Julia Child and I'm a baker more than a chef, so what made everybody think I must have seen this movie. I watched it last night. Now I understand. And while I assure you that all similarities between Julie and I are coincidental, the parallels are uncanny! We are both nearly 30 with a passion for cooking and a husband who encouraged us to blog about it. What really made me gasp was the shot of the laptop that she wrote her blog on. It looked like an older (2002 vs 2010) version of this beauty that my sweet husband insisted on giving me to encourage me in publishing my baking fancies.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs127c40fYwHE5ZXXU6rws9rbD5OWihFO7nyuiGJFSxCRJOmFnmhCIzVUdjqZdoRqpM-WUIkzyLuPu0pijp1QcqhjxZscytFxASgYR8j-SmX4JvDKcctWWuLR7pewpe4wF2YR-GjFxH-E/s1600/vaio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs127c40fYwHE5ZXXU6rws9rbD5OWihFO7nyuiGJFSxCRJOmFnmhCIzVUdjqZdoRqpM-WUIkzyLuPu0pijp1QcqhjxZscytFxASgYR8j-SmX4JvDKcctWWuLR7pewpe4wF2YR-GjFxH-E/s200/vaio.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM7WsFWBEPNxBoFdGKzuuT7Ymq3fHGHm3hI-0OwPaE-6WLI95C9Kw2YAKBgCArFGWXdT_SyRGIJhgfEu9w752cACPwIKzZ44K81kIH2mq9XSH0eImUzh6byMA-4p70yGmKuQ82XIQqjz8/s1600/laptop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM7WsFWBEPNxBoFdGKzuuT7Ymq3fHGHm3hI-0OwPaE-6WLI95C9Kw2YAKBgCArFGWXdT_SyRGIJhgfEu9w752cACPwIKzZ44K81kIH2mq9XSH0eImUzh6byMA-4p70yGmKuQ82XIQqjz8/s200/laptop.jpg" width="199" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Seriously? The same laptop? That is just, just, well it just made me laugh. And then it inspired me to get on here and write this post which I've been meaning to do for some time now. This computer isn't the only new gadget that this baking/ blogging thing was the excuse...er...reason to upgrade. There was also this beautiful new camera. Picked specifically for its size (it fits in a pocket or my bag) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge0hN1yGg18zGY4XMIVSugm2MAW87d50DM6nz_NlWwTwVIZ0gUv0SENJYhiG4plph5R2aQZWTvsRDS1XPpyiExWo0F604I9kz4Kri1sTFllnZKkA_zzmmcCxFNi-KRzJ5DeozAEwqtVKk/s1600/lumixcase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge0hN1yGg18zGY4XMIVSugm2MAW87d50DM6nz_NlWwTwVIZ0gUv0SENJYhiG4plph5R2aQZWTvsRDS1XPpyiExWo0F604I9kz4Kri1sTFllnZKkA_zzmmcCxFNi-KRzJ5DeozAEwqtVKk/s200/lumixcase.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz681RJebnAy9Rn2NuOPZtyhqaGUUew034PCwVCPHYt7mOXYfWKv1hraQGTl1zl2Hx8vzcapNcHee_l4xn6dWr85Kc6t0bXrkyZ-8FmXBmmVV9llw2giXQIbhv988rNAtpYty3ILdJlvc/s1600/lumix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz681RJebnAy9Rn2NuOPZtyhqaGUUew034PCwVCPHYt7mOXYfWKv1hraQGTl1zl2Hx8vzcapNcHee_l4xn6dWr85Kc6t0bXrkyZ-8FmXBmmVV9llw2giXQIbhv988rNAtpYty3ILdJlvc/s200/lumix.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">but also its ability to take really great food shots for a point and shoot. Because, I may as well come clean now, I've been obsessed with photographing everything that comes out of my kitchen since long before it was popular. And of course if you have a great camera you have to have something to edit those photos with... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMf-0oeE4Nn7HAP63EZtNBmTb8sWllMfjADvCk2isby3F-2mpet53wq53nmAqb9BzCU_cze56XbKXUAiea63W77CaPL9Jkdw08NH6W2DGijMsrrKUsRvT9ryoz33AqVbj7dP_PvrheC0w/s1600/photoshop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMf-0oeE4Nn7HAP63EZtNBmTb8sWllMfjADvCk2isby3F-2mpet53wq53nmAqb9BzCU_cze56XbKXUAiea63W77CaPL9Jkdw08NH6W2DGijMsrrKUsRvT9ryoz33AqVbj7dP_PvrheC0w/s200/photoshop.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">because even my best shots still need cropping :) This is going to be fun!</div>Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09562516607784660775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-170758389868846986.post-51987211354378868512010-02-18T11:44:00.000-08:002010-02-18T11:44:12.958-08:00Surprise<div>I have a friend. She has been my friend for a very long time. Nearly 30 years. We will have been friends for EXACTLY 30 years on <i>my</i> birthday, but this isn't about my birthday. It is about her's...her<i> surprise</i> 30th birthday party. And what a surprise it was too! This sweet friend of mine was so involved in preparations for her sister's upcoming wedding and studying for law school that she assumed her birthday would pass unnoticed this year. We were not going to allow that of course, but it made for excellent cover, especially since she gave up this weekend nearest to her big birthday to her sister's bachelorette weekend (I baked for that too, but forgot pictures, so I'll recreate and share later) so we planned for the Saturday <i>before</i> her birthday. And there was no way she was going to turn 30 without a big birthday cake from me. Which is really what this post is supposed to be all about, so forgive me if I ramble on about my friend :)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfax4C9S4k9IqIpnlX0uBPOiv2Mk_xRVQF8Is6hpxkV0en-XAVsrNIeR1t8SjHsEilAUyIsk_YzAlQtw8_RndM1oLfYNOIfYMsyTSJBbLNB13vqMvnrOZ7623Rz-JTTMX37VM5fdaNcPk/s1600/cake+layers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439653921923866418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfax4C9S4k9IqIpnlX0uBPOiv2Mk_xRVQF8Is6hpxkV0en-XAVsrNIeR1t8SjHsEilAUyIsk_YzAlQtw8_RndM1oLfYNOIfYMsyTSJBbLNB13vqMvnrOZ7623Rz-JTTMX37VM5fdaNcPk/s200/cake+layers.jpg" style="display: block; height: 168px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a> Now I happen to know that her favorite cake combination is a rich, moist chocolate cake with barely sweet cream cheese frosting (great minds think alike I must say), and I also know she has a fondness for hazelnuts.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;">Since I intended this to be a BIG cake with two tiers, I did chocolate on the bottom and a lovely Hazelnut Brown Butter cake with ganache for the top.</span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKTZOCtliX40XIsj9XEHdikTlN6Di2jIepfrqqLqa-vECTC5t-wo7ajoPe0TmZKK5HG58tcZfP8gJ8LmPis_A2bfhz8qRmP6C5TQgWXO6ARZvqdBECxWiSFxDpRGOj8QmOMNRgnJI5a8E/s1600-h/trim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKTZOCtliX40XIsj9XEHdikTlN6Di2jIepfrqqLqa-vECTC5t-wo7ajoPe0TmZKK5HG58tcZfP8gJ8LmPis_A2bfhz8qRmP6C5TQgWXO6ARZvqdBECxWiSFxDpRGOj8QmOMNRgnJI5a8E/s200/trim.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvknSlxqSW6tcZZjOSauotQ5FC1OzMp1FVoiGK2NlQDiax9v4y7icaIbAAhJ3wEb-FP5ShyExd94T_8-AKa1HPCDRvKRi7yzI48ZW-MCQu7xOzPANHNGzI27rPC3k-bLn6rY3CABR-gdE/s1600-h/crumbcoat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvknSlxqSW6tcZZjOSauotQ5FC1OzMp1FVoiGK2NlQDiax9v4y7icaIbAAhJ3wEb-FP5ShyExd94T_8-AKa1HPCDRvKRi7yzI48ZW-MCQu7xOzPANHNGzI27rPC3k-bLn6rY3CABR-gdE/s200/crumbcoat.jpg" width="200" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a></div><div><br />
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As for decorating, I let her personality and interests inspire me. She is a fashionable gal who spent a semester studying in Paris during college (we tried to study French together, but my language skills...well lets just say its a good thing she was the one in France) so I decided to start with a hat box cake....<i>two</i> hat boxes.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjivR4MTvY968NYTJ0iYBE-CEI9oW1kqX_xlZ7ikhmZFAnFXy3k35bHmNeIXSRxJ2Fxek5YMtLGtZYCts8nkGdhI1t-W0YqB7TsnvVeWyFazU8J74UIArzBpb4kRZfldsELmjdBht72FEQ/s1600-h/limoge+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjivR4MTvY968NYTJ0iYBE-CEI9oW1kqX_xlZ7ikhmZFAnFXy3k35bHmNeIXSRxJ2Fxek5YMtLGtZYCts8nkGdhI1t-W0YqB7TsnvVeWyFazU8J74UIArzBpb4kRZfldsELmjdBht72FEQ/s320/limoge+detail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> The bottom one was inspired by limoges jewelry boxes and piped and brushed accordingly.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiCJEzI6ViVXyoy8xQCyGz4-F7gsLjb6lj6xiurejOjRHvEkW0ZYEX5qzEuQ41h3lIQc6lKXAU8OvB8xKNLKRRt1HIfNB4IqKi7DrxNVce-xLFwkXAdqowXbiMpHAzPGDMF9tSgo_E1m0/s1600-h/quilting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiCJEzI6ViVXyoy8xQCyGz4-F7gsLjb6lj6xiurejOjRHvEkW0ZYEX5qzEuQ41h3lIQc6lKXAU8OvB8xKNLKRRt1HIfNB4IqKi7DrxNVce-xLFwkXAdqowXbiMpHAzPGDMF9tSgo_E1m0/s200/quilting.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF995FTsL97RMpeX5QX-Vr7FNsldRrCg9C8eG0z8qsaqVJlU6tD1JgK9AIauGIQtcaOiGQEyOlhZG55Q_03OHvu95SlPLFMZ_ls7BLYdNaznzgtzozVxgBQiiLTCCXDD8bhtsc4Kj9o04/s1600/pearls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF995FTsL97RMpeX5QX-Vr7FNsldRrCg9C8eG0z8qsaqVJlU6tD1JgK9AIauGIQtcaOiGQEyOlhZG55Q_03OHvu95SlPLFMZ_ls7BLYdNaznzgtzozVxgBQiiLTCCXDD8bhtsc4Kj9o04/s200/pearls.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">The top one was quilted blue with pearls and a hand painted 30 popping out.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJKTIEoMVm4mmo-5GUnAgHPvoAF5eJSZZHqhalDSRLMCUC3_xTCrLBPFyMs3y9Ukpc3eejtbpVo4aXKjSiII8NxVf_QR3XxT-IyOinqmUmxtbuGqqS0EbQLP6ZR8ynETVkvP10gNn7nyY/s1600-h/30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJKTIEoMVm4mmo-5GUnAgHPvoAF5eJSZZHqhalDSRLMCUC3_xTCrLBPFyMs3y9Ukpc3eejtbpVo4aXKjSiII8NxVf_QR3XxT-IyOinqmUmxtbuGqqS0EbQLP6ZR8ynETVkvP10gNn7nyY/s200/30.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
Then I sculpted a ballet slipper in honor of her years as a fabulous dancer...and mine of watching her (I gave up after getting my foot stuck on the bar at age 7).<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYFzcAuDR52e4WB0ufWm9ll8vSDmHJ6A2GEGJmyVnBfJIGagzRVpbBIc0CXlRAg8_ShTB0jHIgs2t8cBalORb515Yywb0_Ic74YuNC0hrG1nLGTbek1cwmdY6jUCEnllLrzwoYyHvRtWw/s1600-h/balletslipper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYFzcAuDR52e4WB0ufWm9ll8vSDmHJ6A2GEGJmyVnBfJIGagzRVpbBIc0CXlRAg8_ShTB0jHIgs2t8cBalORb515Yywb0_Ic74YuNC0hrG1nLGTbek1cwmdY6jUCEnllLrzwoYyHvRtWw/s200/balletslipper.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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She graduated from USC so of course I included her Alma Mater on there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2ACFtdWVK_qTkReY0ZfqsgsbHG751B6Kk7vuh2fKnUICXy1qQMKrVrRa2Uy8U_kBHciPf5_3I82M7mU2hyphenhyphenEB7rZ01YlPm_62oQh8Bh7EuVYoW_2d0PsmpLv1T2ZsX63IdnVZu1IuDUk/s1600-h/usc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2ACFtdWVK_qTkReY0ZfqsgsbHG751B6Kk7vuh2fKnUICXy1qQMKrVrRa2Uy8U_kBHciPf5_3I82M7mU2hyphenhyphenEB7rZ01YlPm_62oQh8Bh7EuVYoW_2d0PsmpLv1T2ZsX63IdnVZu1IuDUk/s200/usc.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEjEB5ca-uPO2HfSr29zsJvj_x6kBEhl7fQG9CsunIBkUB52-8SJhoK8FGQEXaHJFFbRJySmoR1OZ1JttDkaH8G7tiKpADR2mx8Uj-IVwHbqTwOPZaXB3Uv4wyYmgphB7SMkmUe0fpLQs/s1600-h/film.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEjEB5ca-uPO2HfSr29zsJvj_x6kBEhl7fQG9CsunIBkUB52-8SJhoK8FGQEXaHJFFbRJySmoR1OZ1JttDkaH8G7tiKpADR2mx8Uj-IVwHbqTwOPZaXB3Uv4wyYmgphB7SMkmUe0fpLQs/s320/film.jpg" width="320" /></a> And as a tribute to her stint as an actress (I won't tell you which film because she might never speak to me again, but she was great!) I draped it with a bit of Hollywood film.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWB-yXZ7qdBWWOOlV1Z6VpadWrJpbjRnc63rubemNdggXNMWObo0u4wQeliJ4tFcEhzB93t5gUqZ3pqCj31BrveWEAad6eS3x8EvY5tMxag4R11m6s2Wq5ABPdO9aVDmP7wT2-ncZcre8/s1600-h/usd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWB-yXZ7qdBWWOOlV1Z6VpadWrJpbjRnc63rubemNdggXNMWObo0u4wQeliJ4tFcEhzB93t5gUqZ3pqCj31BrveWEAad6eS3x8EvY5tMxag4R11m6s2Wq5ABPdO9aVDmP7wT2-ncZcre8/s200/usd.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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I finished it off with her current school University of San Diego where she is busy studying law.<br />
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The best part about this cake?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVRh4sLxeKl8eRlVmu4vxca-zbflcjKmRVyczqgTV8aytPtVa4VmnIy3c1o4FBRdPzH9qAcJc2DmYv237w91pNinMLs5czkGH0T19l9mkMhac9JK7sSTqD7eMLDAeApi_8zwU8fr5MGQc/s1600-h/jodi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVRh4sLxeKl8eRlVmu4vxca-zbflcjKmRVyczqgTV8aytPtVa4VmnIy3c1o4FBRdPzH9qAcJc2DmYv237w91pNinMLs5czkGH0T19l9mkMhac9JK7sSTqD7eMLDAeApi_8zwU8fr5MGQc/s320/jodi.jpg" /></a></div>When she called to talk about the bridal shower for her sister and found out I was baking a cake "for a birthday this weekend" and she got jealous of the person getting the chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting because "I want a birthday cake". How many times will I get to make someone jealous of their own surprise? Happy Birthday Jodi!</div>Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09562516607784660775noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-170758389868846986.post-71997865693111178932009-12-09T15:25:00.000-08:002009-12-09T16:01:46.031-08:00Giving Thanks for Little Things<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Most specifically for one small daughter who was born just before Thanksgiving last year, and whose birthday we celebrated on Thanksgiving this year.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Since we were doing a Thanksgiving celebration a Thanksgiving cake seemed in order.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">And a brand spanking new recipe that marks my first success at recipe creation.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I will share the recipe soon.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">For now however I want to quickly post the pictures of sweet Cadence’s birthday cake before launching into holiday treats later this week.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Now when I conceived of this Thanksgiving idea I started to think of things that are typically representative of Thanksgiving.What comes to mind?</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Well a turkey first of all, but somehow that didn’t seem right for this sweet </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaBIyOZQB8n1_PQuMT7B-CEpAJFexcvs-bnlDycw59-7LZVGQlf1JPkIBeCAitwxboRILkx29Nat-MTTvK8OM2IOfhA8Vba2EFnRPNjP1bpBc8MOqClcPU_-7Bk0Gm73gkLFL_NEI8WQM/s200/Cadencepumpkinpatch.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 156px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413385487806102242" />little bit of humanity that has blessed us for the past year. Then I thought about blessings and giving thanks and by golly I had it. </span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">A </span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Cornucopia.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The horn of plenty representative of the abundant blessings for which we celebrate and give thanks.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Perfect. <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpirCfHQiECzBPlxSIhb5crT1yy6-Wj07l4lRMH84QcrTgQNmV1e9C6zF4iCvUCs9uFIv-qJ_NZO_s_0UJWe4ddeidc1N-bGx_VZsP2-KY8IHxdt_o4zcyZrLsVWyBT9OkzQ8aS8MExeM/s200/Carved+Cornacopia.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 146px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413385498883772210" /> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;">On to the carving. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">This is a spice pound cake that just seemed to fit the season. </span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">And the decorating. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span></span>I’m telling you, basket weave on a </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9vU8yIYu_TrNCrxOEosxNsKsdvJf_jnePJA-L1dvMRdGIQSX0k9tOlKf5tz-LJ9toAwXC-szLre7fRYv3ouCjjsOOW94knEwL5cWrVETB1laKgU0x-2H9WybFShlANLUv-mYmQBjmTNA/s200/basketweave+detail.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 135px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413385517596186850" /><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">tapered </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">and</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> curved object is no easy task, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">but I prevailed.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span></span>And the detail work. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3iyTmWVNByoxz2Vy6-8TVKiIQuqosns1hye2Cr7Mu0FPQA3b0Hieuo17SuV5LILFZ0afJXJiCDC8-xFsutXStoy70-AT1V0GEedXpV5_mPeBTccC24ZMtceqNyxqvkFTT2zAbYmpoAeM/s200/paint+detail.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 143px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413385490608741922" /> </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">There must be plenty spilling from the horn.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2_2ksFFu-DHlpTEQaMEKW0tTUsiCEfBJMsAfEjGSPZu7dkdjpnRPvPHYYdkJbPjySe2ialV6_xO0NtHDzF8qSDEtYeunWiakrIN0_hz962K2iIyC24ARDO3sqwnZoGxvSr8YTayLvgA/s200/fruit+detail.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 194px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413387494153927602" />In this case the fruit and vegetables are modeled from marzipan and hand painted. </span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">And here is a cake overflowing with love for my little girl.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPdasrvOliqn3glJIntl2DNwG08WmeFt8yJYcxBv6IAH8VmF11YeVBl4FKfNsU5irddqah9FyBZ2Pi4lu4S1dJzNCXsM_On4XxTo5pGHYXjLlb2DRynN4sVK3S-E9I7TsrnykknEu8glk/s400/Cornacopia.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 256px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413388129452662034" /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"></span></p></span><p></p></div></div>Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09562516607784660775noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-170758389868846986.post-74025263930024791042009-11-22T10:25:00.000-08:002009-11-24T23:10:23.149-08:00Lego ConstuctionMy friend's son was having a 6th birthday party on Saturday and requested a Lego cake. He loves Legos. And he loves chocolate. So that is what he got. This is the same chocolate cake I used for the <a href="http://curiouscupcakesbyshauna.blogspot.com/2009/08/one-dragons-journey-from-cake-to-cute.html">Pocket Dragon</a>, and filled with ganache. To get the clean plasti<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHR7L1IpxyF0smHEZd2ADZjHj-yK_fsnhbNNWv260O91LYk75-SkBtqETTWVLZbWWGarXXXTHilzauPXR2tWz850daaPLAel9JZJg9I9MsT_EMnnPyEUd1ITCVR6P-PUF2nzf0hGy_rWc/s1600/legodetailedge.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 166px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHR7L1IpxyF0smHEZd2ADZjHj-yK_fsnhbNNWv260O91LYk75-SkBtqETTWVLZbWWGarXXXTHilzauPXR2tWz850daaPLAel9JZJg9I9MsT_EMnnPyEUd1ITCVR6P-PUF2nzf0hGy_rWc/s200/legodetailedge.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407926302972104802" border="0" /></a>c lines you see in legos I used fondant for this cake.<br /><br /><br />The challenge here is the lining up of different colors without gaps or crooked seams.<br /> <br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;"> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsMe5azbNusLmKW7nK1Uoy2qlWW71hqIgsPytZzp1GdoXd3Cs8Igm_5BY1coctpfTk7tZshvcrGNRqq-40QMC5-D8Ji112SkIRfHQCSHKEs0TzMmiSPQpwnMnsY1_d3yDwYvDPqtkM9oU/s1600/legodetailcorner.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 101px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsMe5azbNusLmKW7nK1Uoy2qlWW71hqIgsPytZzp1GdoXd3Cs8Igm_5BY1coctpfTk7tZshvcrGNRqq-40QMC5-D8Ji112SkIRfHQCSHKEs0TzMmiSPQpwnMnsY1_d3yDwYvDPqtkM9oU/s200/legodetailcorner.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407927951048216386" border="0" /></a> And trying to make the corners as sharp as possible.<br />And then my husband (an avid lego lover) piped up and asked me if I was going to put the logo on them. What? I didn't even know there <span style="font-style: italic;">was</span> a logo. So he brought me some and I busted out my magnifying glass to read the tiny embossed <span style="font-style: italic;">LEGO</span> printed on each of the little dots. Well that settled it.<br />This cake was for a lego-loving six year old and must be authentic.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVK6OrjA9KX_NZmCcYobr96kmQ4czTlM0OmQSY2pHcA4M-QXMFGGYgew80qnw9XHQc129PSTDTO8nyaPmX0TvB8zZ_p9i6l9eQl6Gdc6m8aPjJbOxmJyaXS_sDi18oqhIMlfQV-1Mci5o/s1600/legodetaildot.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 136px; height: 102px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVK6OrjA9KX_NZmCcYobr96kmQ4czTlM0OmQSY2pHcA4M-QXMFGGYgew80qnw9XHQc129PSTDTO8nyaPmX0TvB8zZ_p9i6l9eQl6Gdc6m8aPjJbOxmJyaXS_sDi18oqhIMlfQV-1Mci5o/s200/legodetaildot.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407931012180961682" border="0" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;">I finished it off with a little steam to make the fondant plastic-like shiny and<br /><div style="text-align: left;">topped it with a lego 6.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBinwQiFG9FjSVZiickWP7RyFCTj47mQKCo1rpBu5FcL1if1MPTEuXuUN1vP5bwkStNQ-ue7euXxDfnFC858LIUsGYt26c6NGGOjaQclpZtItdigqZxCY01A_TvnXtIMgaQHlrW5XWijU/s1600/Nov+014.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 122px; height: 91px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBinwQiFG9FjSVZiickWP7RyFCTj47mQKCo1rpBu5FcL1if1MPTEuXuUN1vP5bwkStNQ-ue7euXxDfnFC858LIUsGYt26c6NGGOjaQclpZtItdigqZxCY01A_TvnXtIMgaQHlrW5XWijU/s200/Nov+014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407931460578597266" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Stack up the Legos and you have a sweet chocolate treat disguised as a little boy's favorite toy.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiWfv98Hq6EK0cntlAWWpFpvEcvhOBtY2-7SEHiwSN85NOBu88GibhxCUMvDF6amiDwKBNC-fHMwS_DVCVMJigRwKW9KFjXxBCQq_rLKePgaYwkH3wrS7wMx2kx4hK8Anfw3i0srjCB_E/s1600/Nov+011.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiWfv98Hq6EK0cntlAWWpFpvEcvhOBtY2-7SEHiwSN85NOBu88GibhxCUMvDF6amiDwKBNC-fHMwS_DVCVMJigRwKW9KFjXxBCQq_rLKePgaYwkH3wrS7wMx2kx4hK8Anfw3i0srjCB_E/s400/Nov+011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407933045663710098" border="0" /></a><br /></div></div></div>Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09562516607784660775noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-170758389868846986.post-12683452661549220692009-10-08T10:41:00.000-07:002009-11-02T20:17:13.869-08:00Double BatchSeveral months ago I volunteered to make cupcakes for a post Parade Barbecue for a dog therapy group. They were going to be dog cupcakes that represented each dog in the group. This was <span style="font-style: italic;">before</span> my oven broke. After my oven broke I was still going to make them...just at my mom's house and she was supposed to help me at least watch my children while I worked. Then my mother got injured and there was no way she could help me, but that wasn't going to stop me. I was <span style="font-style: italic;">still</span> going to bake them in the neighbor's (best neighbor ever!!) oven like I've done the whole time the oven was broken. Then I got a message from an old friend asking if I could do 30 cupcakes for a baby shower the same day. Glutton for punishment? Nah. I just like a good challenge! She said the theme was birds and nests with colors of turquoise and chocolate and a design immediately popped into my head. I simply HAD to try my hand at it. And I was making cupcakes anyway, what's a couple dozen more? Fortunately the design I had in mind for the baby shower involved hand modeled chocolate which could be done ahead (we won't talk about how I dumped the tray on the floor after it was done and chilling in the refrigerator and had to start over...I still almost cry thinking about all those hours of work), and meant that most of the decorating work was done and I would only have to place the decorations on the freshly baked cupcakes, thereby saving me plenty of time for the dozen-odd <span style="font-style: italic;">different</span> dog designs I had promised. Then (loud cheers) the oven part came in!! So at least I could use my own oven. We had a very touching reunion as I baked five dozen cupcakes in two flavors to gently break it back in. The dog cupcakes were a fabulous delicate white/spiced strawberry that surpassed the cake I used for the flower cupcakes in August. And the baby shower cupcakes were Red Velvet. The aroma of those Red Velvet cupcakes was so heavenly that I almost refused to let them out of the house! Sweet home-baked perfume. Seriously if someone hadn't been <span style="font-style: italic;">paying</span> (yep, it was my first paid job) for them I think I would have kidnapped them and eaten them all myself while wafting the cocoa-buttermilk scented goodness into every corner of my home.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">I didn't get pictures of the undecorated doggie cakes because my camera had dead batteries by the time I got to them, but here is some of the finished product.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiridvUItN3mVnDnsYBX0vfHovETpxwsAdh1dVUUFijXziBg8uzN4l5i6ajBRU6wWtZP0kyrnRIP0jpfDeUq1FPLezjyXPkwMGC0rphdfqcSQGJbq307c1-vI85N37VAUCW5zcpK9I1yPA/s1600-h/P1030117(2).jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiridvUItN3mVnDnsYBX0vfHovETpxwsAdh1dVUUFijXziBg8uzN4l5i6ajBRU6wWtZP0kyrnRIP0jpfDeUq1FPLezjyXPkwMGC0rphdfqcSQGJbq307c1-vI85N37VAUCW5zcpK9I1yPA/s400/P1030117(2).jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399627196159238290" border="0" /></a>They absolutely loved them and everybody got their own dog, we didn't however share with the dogs. They had to satisfy themselves with dog treats.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDsJrCJZ_oJP0IgF42ZmOneaH84qeTnvsuU3LUKzMHtl_XcY7uwXfYrXXIo2kdN1Gc2BALV5pVER4VSY6S2FJQPCpMwCqqt7iF9AigMG018OCQhV4kZtFs8URivd252LPxmSJm4vyjH8w/s1600-h/food+oct+022.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 241px; height: 181px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDsJrCJZ_oJP0IgF42ZmOneaH84qeTnvsuU3LUKzMHtl_XcY7uwXfYrXXIo2kdN1Gc2BALV5pVER4VSY6S2FJQPCpMwCqqt7iF9AigMG018OCQhV4kZtFs8URivd252LPxmSJm4vyjH8w/s320/food+oct+022.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399630417530155186" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><br />Red Velvet with Cream cheese frosting.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDt-FcsywKOm_lpYat9Iq4RUpifcCtFTUmGgtUnfZvIXm0rXoeZERbq0HKmbbMMjqErYkOoGbumWq3w1jLYQxx8cJ5kEm9wf1X3RCZYGN1PTKzB9hpZ6E5rPIPYQ1jMu2BgpAiwzyuIb4/s1600-h/food+oct+027.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDt-FcsywKOm_lpYat9Iq4RUpifcCtFTUmGgtUnfZvIXm0rXoeZERbq0HKmbbMMjqErYkOoGbumWq3w1jLYQxx8cJ5kEm9wf1X3RCZYGN1PTKzB9hpZ6E5rPIPYQ1jMu2BgpAiwzyuIb4/s200/food+oct+027.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399631054033514834" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I made a couple of different designs so they would look good displayed on the cupcake tower.<br /></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV31my0ipCbJsHdxbf2qEKdbgGE5VcV_yC0cA80pidiFIDtwUwBV0ieweK4rSRGOSfmJ1eMK-s5wk6GzeA4jK1hvyltr2QideNtGmtoF8GBWPyknxHvc_cRkpkLFv1Vwuvol7bF-Zfpio/s1600-h/food+oct+029.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV31my0ipCbJsHdxbf2qEKdbgGE5VcV_yC0cA80pidiFIDtwUwBV0ieweK4rSRGOSfmJ1eMK-s5wk6GzeA4jK1hvyltr2QideNtGmtoF8GBWPyknxHvc_cRkpkLFv1Vwuvol7bF-Zfpio/s320/food+oct+029.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399633344288718290" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"> <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The main design- hand modeled chocolate branches and bird dusted with luster dust.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQ9WYCx72VbitjhUmkOrQYMwIj3w0tpeBXdtu_ScdmL2ezcV-gAPlgLMk3Itw_UzxkAy2ZutQPv9wkvCAJ1zviOWV5I4LA5ojKkoYiTaGLzaK2Sf02iKGTGIs2AqZV2i0N0XTEv_qnBk/s1600-h/food+oct+032.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQ9WYCx72VbitjhUmkOrQYMwIj3w0tpeBXdtu_ScdmL2ezcV-gAPlgLMk3Itw_UzxkAy2ZutQPv9wkvCAJ1zviOWV5I4LA5ojKkoYiTaGLzaK2Sf02iKGTGIs2AqZV2i0N0XTEv_qnBk/s200/food+oct+032.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399634197722004994" border="0" /></a></div> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZVmkuIJgYVEWA7kodxO92sg4J0qE7sI7snWdXZ1SuP2-_amqdNk7WslPESaiIAIDy3g2VG0xVglM3WImS6V1d5HktDL_7T9AhKPPpki11rmxiwKtrwFGSKK98nyrdvB-luvsrqpRWqeQ/s1600-h/food+oct+031.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZVmkuIJgYVEWA7kodxO92sg4J0qE7sI7snWdXZ1SuP2-_amqdNk7WslPESaiIAIDy3g2VG0xVglM3WImS6V1d5HktDL_7T9AhKPPpki11rmxiwKtrwFGSKK98nyrdvB-luvsrqpRWqeQ/s200/food+oct+031.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399633881579262242" border="0" /></a>A couple other designs to keep it interesting. The flowers are rolled fondant, again painted with luster dust.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Now aren't those just the best cupcakes ever? (Okay I admit I'm biased)<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">And just because this was a <span style="font-style: italic;">professional</span> job and I thought it was fun, I drew a logo on the box.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicj9oaoluKTjoatdlLbjYt-RvToiac2PrhKJrphJS-10nCCR2GPXIf_MOmbw6tbObuwgIwPdcTbE5mqX-AYfAfbtDxrb9msYN-foYrIqiqn3n-IcQUBCeq6rHElu70WtAk1sEqOSRL9SY/s1600-h/food+oct+034.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicj9oaoluKTjoatdlLbjYt-RvToiac2PrhKJrphJS-10nCCR2GPXIf_MOmbw6tbObuwgIwPdcTbE5mqX-AYfAfbtDxrb9msYN-foYrIqiqn3n-IcQUBCeq6rHElu70WtAk1sEqOSRL9SY/s320/food+oct+034.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399635816597902018" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /></div><br /></div>Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09562516607784660775noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-170758389868846986.post-36566674104498505892009-09-22T08:20:00.000-07:002009-10-05T11:40:32.288-07:00StuntedSo my oven has been broken for the past three months, but has that stopped me from wanting to bake....of course not, so I borrowed the neighbor's oven for all my recent projects. And I thought I'd try out non-baking dessert recipes, after all they would fall in the <span style="font-style: italic;">confections</span> category. I haven't done much lately though because nothing stops my cooking mojo like a messy kitchen. I must have a clean, tidy kitchen to start or I just fizzle, I'm weird like that. And what did I decide to do when my oven went down? Well it seemed like the perfect opportunity to re-organize my counter space which was never really organized to begin with as I was somewhat distracted from kitchen organization when we moved into this house by the need to get the rest of the house baby ready. And of course that project managed to spread and <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">NO</span></span> cooking, baking, stirring, or creating was getting done until it was finished. Unfortunately I am also slightly weird in that I don't have a lot of motivation to finish organizing or cleaning or any such thing if there is no reason, ie: something to bake, and my life therefore has spiraled out of control. Okay so it wasn't really <span style="font-style: italic;">that</span> bad, but my re-organization of the counters really took so much longer than it should have which left me with not only nothing to bake, but a chaotic kitchen which is overall quite depressing. The moral of this story? Don't deprive me of an oven!! In order to fill the void of motivation left by the gaping hole where my oven panel belongs and the clutter that was supposed to be being organized I turned to finding <span style="font-style: italic;">way</span> too many recipes to try out...and I fully intend to try them all very soon. (I actually have test a couple of non-oven related ones and I'll get to writing about those soon) However I have managed to finish organizing my counter space into a oh so much more recipe producing friendly layout <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">and</span></span> my oven is fixed!! (I installed the part myself too *bows* "thank you, thank you") So my kitchen shall start churning out an abundance of sweet treats, well, <span style="font-style: italic;">now.</span> <br /><br />Stay tuned for the most amazing cupcakes you've ever seen (no I'm not biased, why do you ask?)Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09562516607784660775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-170758389868846986.post-84650425959391280722009-08-29T19:44:00.000-07:002009-09-09T10:59:15.483-07:00One Dragon's journey from Cake to CuteMy mom's birthday was August 25th and of course I was going to make her a cake. I decided this year that she deserved an extra special cake.<br />Now you must understand that my mom <span style="font-style: italic;">loves</span> dragons.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtmD0uQlJWRuIhVepzGtaYOAAcQOXorETpTZubXIS363y5hBDY3JdhOJb2mMfo-CTICcI-UihuQ_fouZkrQGwfsZXUD5cyMnHwUgaZbUZSVgWzNmGE2nJUzQEzwBPLGk0GXMgEWZePBEA/s1600-h/sugardragon.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 96px; height: 108px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtmD0uQlJWRuIhVepzGtaYOAAcQOXorETpTZubXIS363y5hBDY3JdhOJb2mMfo-CTICcI-UihuQ_fouZkrQGwfsZXUD5cyMnHwUgaZbUZSVgWzNmGE2nJUzQEzwBPLGk0GXMgEWZePBEA/s200/sugardragon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378415538748527650" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqEWKTGgDlW9UtJKaKdldZfe3B2VOT-9QT_xbdZSvfpvXGYbkMP5jiE9Q951NH36SkzG7NTO09TbNBQTKxqXU6suG1XtQEG-BFHUUeZ9nsC4tn9SHiZj3shYZ_VDiF1JlQLxHAY-5cvsk/s1600-h/milkandcookies.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 114px; height: 121px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqEWKTGgDlW9UtJKaKdldZfe3B2VOT-9QT_xbdZSvfpvXGYbkMP5jiE9Q951NH36SkzG7NTO09TbNBQTKxqXU6suG1XtQEG-BFHUUeZ9nsC4tn9SHiZj3shYZ_VDiF1JlQLxHAY-5cvsk/s200/milkandcookies.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378415211609441938" border="0" /></a> Particularly these cute little guys.</div><br /><br />These are called pocket dragons and they reside in corners and shelves throughout my mother's library.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_4pSsNMzmmTc61JvuVGs7mbtgDhizswjuopg_6MtE4iV8SJVMa32KnHnEdLFXAMrjlN7gPNbcim26nr2s4ORqM0cC-4hVdPWEnxMix1q2zJv1OuZjExVpsc8ZTgbPmGAuZm4DlhZysEI/s1600-h/myfavoritebook.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 131px; height: 145px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_4pSsNMzmmTc61JvuVGs7mbtgDhizswjuopg_6MtE4iV8SJVMa32KnHnEdLFXAMrjlN7gPNbcim26nr2s4ORqM0cC-4hVdPWEnxMix1q2zJv1OuZjExVpsc8ZTgbPmGAuZm4DlhZysEI/s200/myfavoritebook.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378417934072129138" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />And this one was the inspiration for her birthday cake.<br /><br /><br /><br />It started with several layers of a rich, dense,moist and super yummy chocolate cake.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_uv7mF3vMQa4zlrkUCT1zGp7CF0pAZ4opcj_lN9wj14zVP7i2eYNhVXKa4ndGOqEtjpZk8vw34PEyNOAWedz_ZR_0AEEX0zTmGxmkt__rChmkB2XbuzYB5ARyTtZ-JLPhxrQA6C3nRJU/s1600-h/Dragon+cake+001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 169px; height: 127px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_uv7mF3vMQa4zlrkUCT1zGp7CF0pAZ4opcj_lN9wj14zVP7i2eYNhVXKa4ndGOqEtjpZk8vw34PEyNOAWedz_ZR_0AEEX0zTmGxmkt__rChmkB2XbuzYB5ARyTtZ-JLPhxrQA6C3nRJU/s200/Dragon+cake+001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375584910328128722" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"> Then the carving started.</div><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KoPttLiraO_eqi8q6v_f0j5Zki__89AyCqOdz0AelnYi-jAaMHgfbjLD-d-BBaI7MyTrzBsA2oSfkw2QK1aw9DmC656CBs-qYS9zZT70dqP-f5kkDon-P3tLNHHh7e8Le71gJmMpqjg/s1600-h/dragoncakeface.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 107px; height: 105px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KoPttLiraO_eqi8q6v_f0j5Zki__89AyCqOdz0AelnYi-jAaMHgfbjLD-d-BBaI7MyTrzBsA2oSfkw2QK1aw9DmC656CBs-qYS9zZT70dqP-f5kkDon-P3tLNHHh7e8Le71gJmMpqjg/s200/dragoncakeface.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379515227383600386" border="0" /></a>As the face took shape I really started getting excited about how he would turn out.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Then his wings and legs.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghgvX2yG7b8phNV-2oOR54HNKLaWiRmb6Arqg3m2SqrMjWlIG3McPtZflkUSUmudsZm81z-loKqQzcz3n4_xvzF40GQfkBQQutAvibWxDKghMykPfq7IiMBFCfPXRL2ZzLFaoSUFSSA3Y/s1600-h/Dragon+cake+011.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 194px; height: 145px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghgvX2yG7b8phNV-2oOR54HNKLaWiRmb6Arqg3m2SqrMjWlIG3McPtZflkUSUmudsZm81z-loKqQzcz3n4_xvzF40GQfkBQQutAvibWxDKghMykPfq7IiMBFCfPXRL2ZzLFaoSUFSSA3Y/s200/Dragon+cake+011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379518594429918594" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">And his cute little tail and bumps down the back.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEQoM3dnQnMbjU0ueRM1AauslcsUQvIQvigSOV_lwS5u3JneP0vBt-GO1RfArGKQn5YTvA-zrmJZoSSqwJ1h74oZpReqjy6a0lZXAQ4CLKZop2oMU0fcWXl-xnK9Ys6mui-0ZyYasBGhU/s1600-h/Dragon+cake+017.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 163px; height: 123px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEQoM3dnQnMbjU0ueRM1AauslcsUQvIQvigSOV_lwS5u3JneP0vBt-GO1RfArGKQn5YTvA-zrmJZoSSqwJ1h74oZpReqjy6a0lZXAQ4CLKZop2oMU0fcWXl-xnK9Ys6mui-0ZyYasBGhU/s200/Dragon+cake+017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379522107899254610" border="0" /></a>Isn't he cute!<br />Next came a crumb coating.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5TFiMdA8wG9czKPuhriUvLu5SydYgYw9tyRP_KuPaBSd29wu178vPr0LbG3rKcM8-oPrRNdGuzJVLtVYmmT_oop_oV_abqKv-Q9KSdRRcVKDaD8MaFjKj6qItCSy4Tho5xHr0fIIvWuo/s1600-h/dragon+001.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 122px; height: 91px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5TFiMdA8wG9czKPuhriUvLu5SydYgYw9tyRP_KuPaBSd29wu178vPr0LbG3rKcM8-oPrRNdGuzJVLtVYmmT_oop_oV_abqKv-Q9KSdRRcVKDaD8MaFjKj6qItCSy4Tho5xHr0fIIvWuo/s200/dragon+001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379522719771589538" border="0" /></a> <br /><div style="text-align: right;"> And the decorating began<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuc4rcfe6P01zIn7ct4dEhvlnUIeMIasGZ1zw-UZIS-QRKPxAiyBPFxX-Rjki9SR2W_x4RyC6BeqGn7ok_fsDxNDMzCus4HmjMrPqkIjW0kkK7Wy7qDHJRvnRKujTFjBa0AgPFDs3qc18/s1600-h/dragon+006.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 117px; height: 86px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuc4rcfe6P01zIn7ct4dEhvlnUIeMIasGZ1zw-UZIS-QRKPxAiyBPFxX-Rjki9SR2W_x4RyC6BeqGn7ok_fsDxNDMzCus4HmjMrPqkIjW0kkK7Wy7qDHJRvnRKujTFjBa0AgPFDs3qc18/s200/dragon+006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379524263300831602" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br />...voila,<br /><br /> a pocket dragon on a book.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXGsLVHI6aVuVDzp1xMxbTviQxnAiENhldGekS4pI4KmbTNnvz3sA7ChMVGMsbo_jZK9mOEqtKNNc2-4uML58-GL3QMovyKJN2nwS1ybFb0HbVEampnCHX0bpXiBLhjeoCxJtPTI6-gco/s1600-h/dragon+013.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 238px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXGsLVHI6aVuVDzp1xMxbTviQxnAiENhldGekS4pI4KmbTNnvz3sA7ChMVGMsbo_jZK9mOEqtKNNc2-4uML58-GL3QMovyKJN2nwS1ybFb0HbVEampnCHX0bpXiBLhjeoCxJtPTI6-gco/s320/dragon+013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379527347599086402" border="0" /></a> And of course the book reads "Happy Birthday Mama" in dragon runes.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The best part....he's 100% cake a frosting...no support and no fondant. Okay the eyes are chocolate:)<br /></div></div></div></div></div></div>Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09562516607784660775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-170758389868846986.post-62537943023879039282009-08-24T20:46:00.000-07:002009-08-27T11:34:20.623-07:00Coffee and Cheese?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBcTIRgeeTva4WephN-uZD_puyUPYiOaRrWf_-9y0pZ2Jx5933Mn4fe-E-4ENI69f_RGvzI4n71pIMZ_lFtbNOzWkGoe37jBBQQg7J9wwWdaBme3_zoj4_BrxjqgCekpo-3cM4C-1UTDU/s1600-h/Food+056.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBcTIRgeeTva4WephN-uZD_puyUPYiOaRrWf_-9y0pZ2Jx5933Mn4fe-E-4ENI69f_RGvzI4n71pIMZ_lFtbNOzWkGoe37jBBQQg7J9wwWdaBme3_zoj4_BrxjqgCekpo-3cM4C-1UTDU/s200/Food+056.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374702905952344578" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Okay not really, but these sweet decadent little cups sure do look like espresso. They are in actuality, chocolate-butterscotch and dark chocolate <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Pots de Creme</span></span>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5QGSFS4GhCgbweliWTDr6wPD3wRE_TecDt584VMO9u4yzlg3EEsmTeFUAIMw3obdhFN5gYWcYKyjHktjRsvyeoy09hjev73UpcsC8xid1hZH2-LCFn2nioHDW4lTmEiQ9uGnwTkSJ4Fs/s1600-h/Food+054.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5QGSFS4GhCgbweliWTDr6wPD3wRE_TecDt584VMO9u4yzlg3EEsmTeFUAIMw3obdhFN5gYWcYKyjHktjRsvyeoy09hjev73UpcsC8xid1hZH2-LCFn2nioHDW4lTmEiQ9uGnwTkSJ4Fs/s200/Food+054.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374713059894109010" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Insanely thick, rich and creamy,<br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;">they go rather well <span style="font-style: italic;">with </span>coffee.<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br />So do these...<div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGCcuizu4tixe6GbaIV3qfNDuRyHQG5D0wsx7M_upGSQpYEfGvcD8BppMgYj92MH_tBhTdpcyw3l_y29pIAeD0gSN0f39p9hKQob3wlx5tJzSO6dj8qm71jhdzaHRutLclo1CXCrzXw3s/s1600-h/Food+072.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 251px; height: 188px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGCcuizu4tixe6GbaIV3qfNDuRyHQG5D0wsx7M_upGSQpYEfGvcD8BppMgYj92MH_tBhTdpcyw3l_y29pIAeD0gSN0f39p9hKQob3wlx5tJzSO6dj8qm71jhdzaHRutLclo1CXCrzXw3s/s200/Food+072.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374704457384860114" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFL-fIAHuj_fgd6RU7hW-P6_z521UV47pBWjJARoFXlQrrQPraP4nsk1JbdyNM0j2arrbKhHVNqUnmRaMFxY9jJyik8vjoBBzT9r5qLPb-mGWaK5mXUM4mZaQeaAYmhlVHvg9u_nidluc/s1600-h/Food+069.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFL-fIAHuj_fgd6RU7hW-P6_z521UV47pBWjJARoFXlQrrQPraP4nsk1JbdyNM0j2arrbKhHVNqUnmRaMFxY9jJyik8vjoBBzT9r5qLPb-mGWaK5mXUM4mZaQeaAYmhlVHvg9u_nidluc/s200/Food+069.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374709083328821138" border="0" /></a><br />After all what goes better with coffee that cheese...<span style="font-style: italic;">cake.</span> Which happens to be one of my all time favorite foods! So I am particularly partial to these little beauties.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br />New York Cheesecake (the classic) with sweet little fondant flowers...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9p2DwoF3USLFH6y1-da2S8no_T9IlEBA5kN-_IZQzgOYMQRZXaHD6DwxC7N67La4YOip4HYLRYG52A10ayv-aqnZZs0O7vmq2910WHzW2R358CcmjrB3wcHOxyN0LwJiSE1gdkCuGdWo/s1600-h/Food+066.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9p2DwoF3USLFH6y1-da2S8no_T9IlEBA5kN-_IZQzgOYMQRZXaHD6DwxC7N67La4YOip4HYLRYG52A10ayv-aqnZZs0O7vmq2910WHzW2R358CcmjrB3wcHOxyN0LwJiSE1gdkCuGdWo/s200/Food+066.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374709669515144210" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: right;"> or even better....<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Chocolate</span> cheesecake decorated with cream cheese frosting and raspberries. These are sinfully rich, heavenly scrumptious and perfectly elegant...and I ate them all.<br /></div></div></div><br /><br /></div>Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09562516607784660775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-170758389868846986.post-26698177346735679402009-08-22T10:27:00.000-07:002009-08-22T10:46:57.085-07:00Scrumptious Blossoms<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjluUDioLMMxBimBBMD6hxCcZEf3yQVjPYQJ6f0-d9jzuo_7MF_Wo-6i6v_4M9tmBoZUs1MH53vgbPrsk6Gsnbhf8UnrS9yKUJffYprpUL3r_ITUMhyDz9_yCxAd22ZREj_MiTKE8ioRM/s1600-h/6420_1214684892126_1378934191_598752_7317542_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 173px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjluUDioLMMxBimBBMD6hxCcZEf3yQVjPYQJ6f0-d9jzuo_7MF_Wo-6i6v_4M9tmBoZUs1MH53vgbPrsk6Gsnbhf8UnrS9yKUJffYprpUL3r_ITUMhyDz9_yCxAd22ZREj_MiTKE8ioRM/s200/6420_1214684892126_1378934191_598752_7317542_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372844493915341266" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">This is the project that pushed me over the edge. I had determined that if it was successful and with favorable reactions I would go public :) Which I have now done. We made over a hundred cupcakes for my friend's little girl's first birthday and had them all look like flowers with butterflies and ladybugs. They were yellow cake with strawberry puree and the most yummy cream cheese frosting.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFG7VaNlr_Q_hXevaocZW87-oCLb_-Xcwc6kLTkZSMw9ZydwixrQVmi_xRgqz1LzDqVNZEYjuUvGxTlG9i6tmWFNRhrg_tNU3lB7wcQxknL5cbAhv9Vt-EUX2JSFF0DmpoxnZ_1x9T0NU/s1600-h/6420_1214684932127_1378934191_598753_8368043_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFG7VaNlr_Q_hXevaocZW87-oCLb_-Xcwc6kLTkZSMw9ZydwixrQVmi_xRgqz1LzDqVNZEYjuUvGxTlG9i6tmWFNRhrg_tNU3lB7wcQxknL5cbAhv9Vt-EUX2JSFF0DmpoxnZ_1x9T0NU/s200/6420_1214684932127_1378934191_598753_8368043_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372845722460644386" border="0" /></a><br /> And then there was the birthday girl's own special cupcake<br /><br /></div>Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09562516607784660775noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-170758389868846986.post-44634598775097932362009-08-18T22:49:00.000-07:002009-08-18T23:07:41.175-07:00Inspiration AboundingOkay so enough people have told me to go pro that I'm gonna give it a try. Especially after successfully producing (with help...thanks girls that was fun) over a hundred flower cupcakes that met with many rave reviews both on decoration and content. So I have been taking stock of my current equipment, talent and recipes and I am becoming excited about the possibilities! Cheesecake anyone? Individual, beautifully decorated cheesecakes....unique, one of a kind cupcakes? My imagination is spinning! Now all I need is someone to bake for....oh yeah and a working oven. Hmm I'll have to get on that. In the mean time photos will soon be up and maybe a few new projects I have tumbling around in my head will go into the nieghbor's oven. It is easy to borrow an oven when you promise yummy stuff in return :)<br />Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09562516607784660775noreply@blogger.com2