Peanut Butter and Jelly Pop-Tarts

Peanut Butter Crust:

1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. butter, cold and cut into cubes
1/4 c. peanut butter
pinch of salt
1/4 c. ice cold water

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or with a pastry cutter until combined.  Knead into a ball. Chill for 1 hour.  Roll out 1/8" thickness, cut into 4"x 6" rectangles. Spread 1/2 t. peanut butter on one side of the rectangle.  Add 1 tsp. jelly, any flavor.  Fold over and press sides together with a fork.  Poke holes with a fork to vent top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  Brush tops with milk about 10 minutes after they've been in the oven.  Bake until they are golden brown.  Let cool slightly. 

Peanut Butter glaze:

1 T. Peanut butter  (To make jelly glaze, substitute 1 T. jelly)
1 c. powdered sugar
1 t. water

Mix all ingredients together.  Brush tops of each pastry with glaze.

Maddie's Birthday Cake, my first fondant cake!

So, finally the reason the blog exists... I had never used fondant before, until now. Marshmallow Fondant, try it!  I made my niece's birthday cake.  

Maddie wanted an Ariel themed birthday party, including an Ariel cake. It took me 3 days, 24 eggs, 10 pounds of powdered sugar, 7 cake mixes, 2 cups of oil, 3 cups of shortening, and a whole lot of exhaustion now.... but it looked pretty and she loved it! I am pretty darn proud at my first attempt to make a fondant cake(s)!

The top layer clam shell was strawberry icing and coconut cake.
The middle layer was triple chocolate butter cake with chocolate cherry butter cream, split in 4 layers.

The bottom layer was butter vanilla cake with strawberry filling and vanilla buttercream.

Clam shell top layer, Pink Coconut cake, strawberry icing, gold sugar and edible pearls

Vanilla Buttercream and Strawberry Cake, two layers because Mom said it didn't need to be four (even though the reason layer 2 is 4 layers was because she said it should be.... Moms are weird like that.)

Chocolate Cherry four layered cake, middle layer

The final product!

Miss Maddiecakes! I can't believe she's already 4!

White Chocolate Godiva Cheesecakes

My friend, whom I haven't seen in 8 years, since we worked at Disney together, was in town tonight from New Mexico and we had a chance to visit. I made these tasty, nommy morsels of White Chocolate Cheesecake goodness. We had a Seafood Baked Ziti for dinner, which I will have to post the recipe for as well, but for now....

White Chocolate Godiva Liqueur Cheesecakes (yield 1 dozen)


12 vanilla sandwich cookies, for crust
1 pkg cream cheese
1/4 c. sugar1 egg
1/4 c. sour cream
1/2 c. white chocolate chips or 4 oz. white chocolate bar, chopped -melted
1/2 vanilla bean, pulp scraped
1/4 c. White Chocolate Godiva liqueur

Beat cream cheese and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg and sour cream, mixing at medium speed. Mix in white chocolate, liqueur, and vanilla bean. Beat on high for 3-5 minutes. Line 12 cupcakes with paper liners. Place one cookie in each liner. Pour approximately 1/4 c. cheese cake batter in each. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes.
 
White Chocolate Whipped Cream
 
1 c. heavy whipping cream
4 T powdered sugar
3 T. White chocolate godiva liqueur
1/2 t. vanilla

Whipped it up. Piped it on!

Pink Lemonade Buttercream Almond Cupcakes with Cherry filling

I've started the New Orleans Cake Club. First two members, me and my fellow 4-Her, Lacey were there for the first meeting. As well as, director of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, Liz Williams, and other museum attendees. Thanks everyone!

Almond Cupcakes:

1 package white cake mix
3 eggs
1 1/4 c. Unsweetened Almond Milk
1/3 c. oil
1 1/2 t. almond extract
1 t. butter flavoring

Mix according to package directions and bake for 20-25 minutes in muffin tins.

Once cupcakes have cooled, pipe filling into cupcakes with a medium round tip.

1 jar Polander All Fruit Black Cherry (I LOVE the Polander All Fruit for fillings! It is the BEST next to homemade.)

Pink Lemonade Buttercream

1 t. clear vanilla
2/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. Pink Lemonade powdered drink mix (Country Time Lemonade)
1 c. Almond Milk
1/2 c. flour
1/2 stick Crisco shortening
4 oz. cream cheese
1 stick butter

In a medium saucepan, whisk first five ingredients over medium heat. Bring to a boil for one minute, or until sauce thickens into a pudding. Cool on a plate in the freezer for 30 minutes. Using an electric mixer, mix pink lemonade pudding, crisco, cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Pipe or spread on cupcakes.

Quick and Easy Baked Ziti

Zita mixture in glass casserole dish

8 oz ziti pasta, cooked, cooled and drained
1c ricotta cheese
1c your favorite Spaghetti Sauce

Ziti ready to go into the oven.

1/2t garlic powder
1/2t salt
1/2c  tomato juice, chicken stock or water
1t parsley, dried or 2T fresh
1t Italian Seasoning
2 oz. Aged Parmesan cheese
3 links Italian sausage, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Mix ricotta, spaghetti sauce, garlic powder, salt, parsley, italian seasonings and stock/juice/water. Grate parmesan cheese and add to mixture. Add ziti and sausage.   Mix well and place in a 13x9 glass casserole dish.  Sprinkle with mozzarella and bake at 375 for 30 minutes.  Serve with a salad and garlic bread.

Backdating blog entries

I'll be back dating a lot of my blog entries here in the next few weeks.  I've been keeping them on Facebook and LJ for so long, I might as well get them in one place.

Happy Baking & Blogging!

Wedding Cake

So, I won this contest for PJ's Coffee (of New Orleans) where you had to come up with a new seasonal coffee blend!  My creation was Southern Wedding Cake.  Tomorrow I will meet with the roast masters and present them with my cake!

It's a special secret family recipe.  I can't share it.  Don't ask.  But if you need a tasty wedding cake, let me know.  I haven't decorated a cake like this in at least 10 years and the icing was a bit too soft, but I'll know better next time.  All in all, it still came out very impressive for being so rusty!