happy sweets

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valentine's day is just a few days away and if sweet treats are your jam, these are the way to go. i never say no to sweets, so i would definitely love these........

~ affiliate links

thanksgiving feast

thanksgiving dinner prep really intimidates me. so year after year i do a fool proof meal of turducken, sweet potato casserole and chinese ham which i just order, bake and "prepare". this year i am sad because the restaurant that we've ordered our ham and yams for over 15 years had closed down this past summer and i am so bummed out.

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for those who want an easy and delicious thanksgiving complete meal, i highly recommend ordering in. that way you get to spend more time with loved ones instead of slaving in the kitchen. i do admire those that do a complete thanksgiving meal from scratch but if you're like me, ordering and mainly "heating" up the food is the perfect way to go. i am seriously afraid of ruining a thanksgiving celebration with a disaster turkey meal.

strawberry pecan fudge

CRAVING

image and recipe from here

nutella cookies

thanks to pinterest, i think i will try to bake this tonight!

recipe (and photo from tasty kitchen)

ingredients :

1 cup nutella
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1 whole egg

blend all ingredients well and form into a 1 inch ball. place on cookie sheet and press down firmly using a bottom of a glass. bake for 7-8 minutes at 350 deg. let cool and serve. 

cheesecake-stuffed peaches

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ingredients 

6 peaches halved and pitted

1/4 cup butter, melted

3 Tbsp cinnamon-sugar

1/2 an 8-oz package, cream cheese softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

preheat oven to 350 deg. 

line a 15 x 10 inch baking pan with parchment paper; set aside

trim a very thin slice from the round side of each peach half so halves stand flat on the baking pan.

dip peach halves in melted butter to coat

arrange peach halves, cut sides up, in prepared pan

sprinkle cut sides of peaches with cinnamon-sugar. set aside

in medium mixing bowl beat cream cheese with mixer on medium speed until smooth.

add sugar, egg yolk and vanilla. beat until combined.

spoon cream cheese mixture into peach centers

bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until lightly browned and softened.

serve warm or at room temperature. 

ENJOY!


recipe from BHG

my dulce de leche

image via

did that photo get your attention or what? did it make you drool? LOL.

 that's not my cake but i have bragging rights to say that my version was pretty yummy too. it may not look like that BUT i'm happy to share a recipe i successfully tried. trust me, my cake tasted as good as that picture looked :-))

last week i attempted to make my own dulce de leche frosting and found this recipe online and re-created it using what i have in my pantry. for the cake, i have a boxed chocolate fudge cake mix and used that. you can certainly bake your tried and tested chocolate cake with this icing. here are the ingredients for my dulce de leche frosting version :

• 1 can condensed milk (small can)
• 1/3 cup nutella
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• beat all ingredients until stiff (about a minute) and you're ready to frost!

i still have a container-filled leftover of this decadent icing and im seriously tempted to bake whoopie pies and fill them with these dulce de leche. if you want to see what mine looked like, dont judge but you can take a peek here.

do you have your own version of dulce de leche? please share!

ice cream cupcakes

therese had me at ice cream.....and cupcakes. 

best of all, it's in one dessert treat. 

she shares the recipe here. 

photography by therese jacinto

recipe : food for the gods

i had a cousin who stayed with us for the past few weeks and she spoiled us with her non-stop baking and gourmet home cooking and i'm blaming her for the added pounds i've gained. for aston's recent birthday party, she baked a popular filipino dessert called food for the gods. it's really a brownie-lookalike bar filled with walnuts and dates. although she made me swear not to share her secret recipe, i found tons of recipes online that are worth a try. this one is from gourmeted, the recipe and baking tips for this delicious dessert can be found here.

 i think this dessert would be a fantastic addition to your upcoming memorial day BBQ party!

 

 

friday faves [sweet bakers]

i'm lucky to be amidst some of the most talented and awesome bakers, gourmet chefs and caterers that are a phone call and deliver away to complete off your party!

i was in for a treat today when i received a batch of the most talked about cake balls and cake pops from angie's cake. they are super moist and very delicious and comes in a variety of flavors. perfect as party favors, holiday giveaways and a great addition to your party's dessert table, the cake ball colors and decorations can be fully customized. visit angie's cake on facebook to browse over tons of cakeball pictures all decorated and displayed or head to her site to pick out a favorite flavor! 

french macarons are my ultimate favorite desserts to eat and serve and i'm just glad to have found susan who can whip up macarons in any flavor or color you can imagine. greeneyed susan macarons are heaven in every bite and i can't get enough of them. they have crispy chewy shell with mouthwatering cream filling that's just very delectable. good news to those that are not in the Houston area, greeneyed susan can now ship to you! also, check out her feature on pam's party starters this week!

HAPPY WEEKEND Y'ALL!

scary snacks [halloween treats]

dont you love all these spooky treats? they're cute and scary at the same time. perfect for your black halloween eery soiree!

pecan caramel spiders recipe here 

vampire blood tomato soup with muenster sammies recipe here

dark and spooky cocktail recipe here

{all recipe and photos from food network}

semi-homemade dessert [sopapilla cheesecake]

{this photo is from when i made it during a 4th of july luncheon - this recipe was with caramelized walnuts}

i made this quick delicious dessert yesterday for a small gathering invitation we had from close friends who happens to love this dessert. i enjoy making this as it requires close to nothing preparation and it's as easy as opening packages and layering ingredients.

sopapilla is a famous flaky airy mexican dessert with cinnamon and powdered sugar that is one of my favorites. this recipe is a cheesecake variation that i've adapted from a friend from church and i've been making year after year. the minute you bake it, your home smells like christmas morning and my family gets in that cheery merry holiday mood. yesterday was actually a perfect saturday day with temperatures slightly dipping low, i thought it was ideal to bake it to kick up the cool crisp fall ambience!

sopapilla cheesecake recipe

2 cans of crescent rolls dough
1 cup sugar (you can also use brown sugar, that's what i did)
1 16 oz whipped cream cheese
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
cinnamon
nuts for topping, optional
1/2 cup brown sugar

mix the whipped cream cheese with 1 cup sugar for the filling, set aside.
on an oven-safe 9 x 13 dish, layer the first can of crescent roll dough. spread the cream cheese and sugar mixture over the dough. layer the second crescent roll dough. pour the melted butter on top, then drizzle cinnamon powder and 1/2 cup brown sugar. sprinkle nuts as desired.

bake for 30 minutes on a 350 degrees preheated oven. i love to see the flakes toasted and golden brown. enjoy!

chocolate malt cake [3 versions]

this is pure torture as i'm back on my nutrisystem diet but i have to share this with you. you all probably got your copy of the sept issue of bon appetit magazine. i really dont have any business having subscription for such magazine as i am scared to try daunting recipes but i love flipping through the pages with the hopes of getting inspired to try the recipes one day.

now back to that chocolate malt cake, i dont know if its the picture of the dripping chocolate frosting or the piled yummy marshmallows, i know i want to try this one day! it is so popular that several bloggers have already tried the recipe and shared their insights and tips for their readers. read on....

too tempting version of the cake by amandeleine

she's becoming doughmesstic's take on the choco malt cake

and the original version of christina tossi's recipe via bon appetit sept issue

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can someone please share a semi-homemade version of this chocolate malt cake for me? i am dead serious. i am so craving to try this.

snack cake tower [no bake cake]

i am seriously thinking of making one for halloween. this snack food cake would definitely be a hit with all the kids and i'm sure this will be a blast from the past for most parents. why not have your old time favorite snack be meticulously arranged and gathered to create a big cake instead of a real cake? definitely an easy cost-effective way!

although im not sure if kids nowadays even tried these calorie-loaded treats, i know for a fact our little one does not know they exist (at least as far as im concerned). they can get hooked to these twinkies, ding dongs, ho hos etc and would demand them be a apart of their daily snack repertoire! LOL

take a look at some of the fun creative snack cakes i found and ill share a quick easy DIY instruction via food network at the end of this post :

fat girl trapped in a skinny body

hostess

tacky living
see below on how-to steps to create this snack cake above via food network

from food network magazine oct 2010 by food stylist brett kurzweil

**start with a 22-in round cake board as the base, then stack up styrofoam rounds to form the layers (use 6, 10, 14 in rounds). you can use any size rounds (or square as desired). the trick is to leave a wide edge between the layers to hold the snacks. cover styrofoam with foil and use dowel to secure them. kurzweil placed suzy Qs (you can use any snack cake) vertically around the bottom layer using a heavy can as a "bookend" to hold the first one in place while he added the rest. he packed them in snugly so no extra frosting or fondant was needed to hold them (this is called "pressure fitting"). Continue layering and alternating between standing and sitting layers of snack until your styrofoam rounds are covered. when done, cover the cake with plastic wrap and store it at room temp for 2-3 hours**

cheesecakes in a bottle [goat cheese cheesecake with berries]

{image from southern living}

this is torture blogging about this goat cheese cheesecake recipe at past midnight while my stomach is growling. the individual cheesecakes in a bottle are just scrumptious-looking!

here's the recipe from southern living magazine june 2010 issue :

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Other: 7 hours 57 minutes
Yield: Makes 10 servings

Ingredients

* 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
* 4 tablespoons melted butter
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* Pinch of salt

* 1 (0.25-oz.) envelope unflavored gelatin
* 1/3 cup milk
* 1/2 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
* 1 (4-oz.) goat cheese log
* 1/3 cup sugar
* 2 teaspoons lemon zest
* Pinch of salt
* 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
* Summer Berries (pls see additional easy recipe for berries - i know, it calls for summer berries but grocery stores have them all year round so why not? LOL)

Preparation

1. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar, and salt. Divide mixture among 10 (8-oz.) glasses (about 1 heaping tablespoonful each); press mixture onto bottoms of glasses. Chill 30 minutes.

2. Sprinkle gelatin over milk in a small saucepan, and let stand 1 minute. Cook milk mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, 3 to 5 minutes or until gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat.

3. Beat cream cheese and goat cheese at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer, using whisk attachment, until smooth. Beat in 1/3 cup sugar, lemon zest, and salt. Slowly add milk mixture, beating until combined.

4. Beat heavy cream at high speed, using whisk attachment, until soft peaks form. Gently fold into cheese mixture. Divide mixture among glasses (about 1/3 cup each). Cover and chill 6 to 48 hours. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Top with Summer Berries just before serving.

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sounds easy enough? i may attempt to do it. its just too tempting not to try at all!

green plate kids and bento boxes [boxed lunch ideas]

for the fall, my son's school has partnered with green plates kids to provide healthy nutritious snacks and meals for the children. you have no idea how glad i am that i dont have to worry about plating and packing his meals this time, im sure they'll do a better job than me!

i have a very picky-eater of a son and i am running out of ideas what to prepare for him. on the other hand, selecting goodies for a party boxed meal could be a little easier. other than it should be age-appropriate, the food has to be colorful, flavorful and healthy of course. a few sites i linked here offer different ideas and tips on how to whip up kid-friendly daily meals and also creatively packed small snack boxes (or paperbags or bento boxes) for any party!

from healthy lunch ideas, this rainbow lunch
is so pretty and no child is not gonna want to try this. such a treat!

wendolonia has a full blog entry on back to school lunch ideas showcasing very impressive presentations in a tiny box!

cooking for monkeys created this lunch box fit for a safari/zoo party. i'm sure every kid's face will lit up upon opening this box - i can spot an alligator carrot!

this is so cute! interesting two-tone sandwiches how-to guide found here in disney family fun site!

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our little boy still love his happy meals from mcdonalds, but our visit there will be less frequent now that we will get to try green plate kids. AND i almost forgot to mention, they cater parties too!