some pomp and circumstance....

Here are those delicious sugar cookies again. This is why I love them, you can do anything with them. There is no occasion that cannot be represented by a cookie. These are perfect for that sweet little (or big) graduate in your life!

Cake #6

I made six cakes this week, it was insane!!!! This last one was a 12" yellow layer cake with a ton of butter cream frosting. It was for the 10th birthday of a little girl whose nickname is Muffin. My husband met her today and says she is adorable. Happy Birthday Muffin.
Anyway, I had so much trouble this week. The frosting was too soft, the frosting was not soft enough, there was not enough frosting and so on and so on....., I wanted to scream! (and I did!) But in the end, I turned out some beautiful cakes. This is the only cake I photographed because I was too crazy. Six cakes is lot when they are all due at the same time, don't know if I would take that on again.

Summertime, Summertime

What is summer without watermelon and lemonade? Now you can enjoy both in the form of cookies!! Who doesn't love sugar cookies? The lemon slices in addition to looking lemony,(is that a word?) they taste lemony because they are covered in a lemon glaze.
The watermelon slices just look pretty and taste like scrumptious cookie. Maybe I'll try making the glaze with watermelon juice, wouldn't that be interesting?

It's a Boy!!

This cake was made for a baby boy shower(obviously). It is an 8" chocolate layer cake with "blue" butter cream frosting and filling with little tiny fondant baby clothes.
I enjoyed making this cake so much, a lot of love went into it. I wish I could be at this shower to see the reactions to it (pretty vain of me). I can't take credit for the idea, I found it after some intensive "google-ing" of baby shower cake ideas. I actually saw it on several different sites. Now I want to make one for a girl, talk about fun!

Who needs another tie anyway?

Such a sweet way to tell Dad that you love him! Who needs another shirt or a screwdriver anyway? This is my "go to" sugar cookie recipe, the perfect combination of sweetness and tenderness, mouth watering delight!

Here Comes the Bride(s)

As I have mentioned before, I am a big "Say Yes to the Dress" fan. I adore all the beautiful fabrics and am amused by the brides and their families. Anyway, a friend of mine from high school saw the wedding dress cookies I made and asked if I could make them for a bridal shower she was giving for a friend. Needless to say, I was thrilled to accept this challenge. They had to be shipped and I labored over packing them right and am holding my breath until I know they have arrived safely! I loved decorating these cookies and want to show you pictures.

Bring On The Flowers

Give someone you love a bouquet, one that they can eat! These 4" sugar cookies are made from the recipe my sister-in-law gave me. It has become my favorite. The icing is also her recipe, thank you Joanne!

For Jess on her Graduation Day

This is my daughter's favorite cake, chocolate banana sour cream cake with cream cheese frosting. I just had to make it for her graduation from "The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts". Yes, I am very proud of her accomplishment. So proud and happy that I transported this cake all the way to Philadelphia from our small upstate New York town. I carefully placed it in a cooler which had been kept in the freezer overnight and just as carefully place it in the back of the car. When we got to the school, I put it in her studio for safekeeping during the graduation ceremony and the ensuing art show.
Then I had to carry it over to the restaurant where we would have dinner. Actually, I let my husband carry it since he has delivery experience. Now, I have resisted peaking at this cake since I boxed it up the night before, so I did not know how it survived the trip. It had butter cream flowers all over it and who knows, they could have deformed and would no longer be recognized as flowers. Finally, we opened the box (which I kept my eye on throughout dinner) and I breathed a sigh of relief to see that it was exactly the way I left it. It was beautiful and delicious and most importantly, my daughter was so pleased.

Make mine a twist....

What is spring without a trip to the ice cream stand for some soft serve. This was a tradition when my girls were young, one that I carry on by myself. These cupcakes were inspired by that thought. They are vanilla cake and the frosting is chocolate and vanilla butter cream twisted together like an ice cream cone. I took these cupcakes along on a high school field trip. Even though there were an additional 3 dozen cupcakes they did get eaten. I guess kid's just love cupcakes, doesn't everyone?

Mothers Day

So, as I have said before, this was a busy week for me. I made chocolate covered marshmallows, cake bites, cookies and cake! The cakes: two of them were yellow cakes with chocolate butter cream frosting. Love that chocolate butter cream, hmmmmm! The roses are made of vanilla butter cream. I have gotten over my hesitation to make butter cream roses, finally got the hang of it. My writing still has something to be desired, but I am working on it. The 3rd cake was a favorite of mine, chocolate banana sour cream cake with cream cheese frosting. Funny story: the person who asked for this cake requested that it be made with "egg beaters". I said, "sure, I can do that." I go shopping and pick up the "Egg Beaters" come home and tuck the carton into the frig. I proceed with my baking, so pleased with my self because the cakes were beautiful. Later on I am out walking with my husband and he asks how the "egg beater" cake came out and I said "Oh, S---!". I come home in a panic, have to bake another. As you may have deduced, I forgot to use the "egg beaters" and I don't have enough banana. Donald runs out to three local markets, no bananas! Thank God for good neighbors! One phone call and I had my banana and a pleasant visit from the young couple and their adorable baby from up the block. They saved the day. The cake looked great although it did not rise as much as "real" egg cakes. I am waiting to hear how it tasted.

chocolate on chocolate

Some of the local churches take turns providing monthly birthday cakes for a neighborhood nursing home. May is our month, and seeing how I love to bake I volunteered to make 2 dozen cupcakes. I made this commitment over a month ago not realizing this was for the Wednesday before Mothers Day. I was so busy this week, so I decided to do something quick. Ganache is easy to make and then it's just a matter of dipping the cupcake and "voila" it is iced! Place a flower on top and there you have it! They were not only good to eat but pleasant to behold!

Your Name in Lights, no, wait, I mean Cookies

I think this is such a fun way to display your name, or express a sentiment. Then you can eat your words!! hahahaha!

Say Yes to the....Cookie

Not too long ago I started watching "Say yes To The Dress" on TLC. Before long, I was addicted and anxiously looked forward to each episode. I must have seen everyone of them because now I am seeing just reruns, which I watch anyway. I am fascinated by all that lace and tulle. I thought it would be appropriate to make wedding dress sugar cookies. These are not bad for a first attempt, and since I learn from every experience, I am sure the next batch will be even more beautiful.

Spring

Yay!!! Spring is here and whose thoughts don't turn to flowers and butterflies, especially the kind you can eat!

Brownie Bunny Eggs

My house smelled like chocolate last night! It was heavenly indeed! I made brownies, a Martha Stewart recipe that is out of this world. I take it a step further and cover them with a dark chocolate glaze. Since these are for Easter, I used an egg shaped cookie cutter and then decorated them with another glaze to give them that Easter egg like look. I took pictures, then quickly packed them up to send to my daughter Jess who will not be home for Easter this year :-(
I do hope they arrive intact.
The cute little characters in the picture are the M&M people that I used to give my girls on every holiday until they finally said "enough mom". I saved them and bring them out for the holidays. They make me smile!

Hippity Hoppity......

Yay, bunnies and chicks and eggs, oh my! It is that time of year when all the Bunny Beanie Babies come out of hiding and all the beautiful eggs I made with my girls when they were little get put on display. I was inspired by that memory to decorate sugar cookies. So, my girls, these are for you!

Butter Cream Roses

I usually make my flowers out of royal icing. Two reasons: they are so much easier to place on the cake and sometime I like to paint them. I have been shying away from butter cream roses, I find them so temperamental. Sometimes they fall over before I get to finish them, sometimes they are too soft and just lose their shape and lastly, they are hard to place on the cake(for me anyway). Tonight I figured out that if I put them in the refrigerator for a little while they are much easier to handle. Maybe I've gotten over my fear of them. I also kind of suck at lettering. (That may be a little harsh, perhaps I should say that I struggle with it) I can do beautiful lettering on paper, but with frosting; my hand shakes. I guess I am afraid of making a mistake and it is a very hard mistake to fix. I'll have to practice until I get over it.
Anyway, this cake is an 8" yellow layer cake with.....butter cream frosting. It was made for a woman who wanted to surprise her husband at work. Donald will be bringing it in for me tomorrow. I hope they love it!

more marshmallow

Last time I made marshmallow I regretted not taking pictures of it while it was still gooey in the bowl. So this time I did. I think it is so pretty although a bit messy.