Get the ball rolling...

It is my dream to one day have my own little place.

A place where all things that I love are housed under one roof.

Lately, I feel lost.. I know what I want for my future but money always gets in the way.

My little, cozy bakery will happen, it will! When it does happen, I will be blogging the whole way.

I am just now getting settled into my new home. I am really starting to like this new city, I feel like I could see my business happen here. So, what's next? Spreading my name around town! Order cakes, pies, cookies, & other specialty desserts from me! Like them? Spread the word! With your help I can get my name out into the baking world in & around the KC area. In the next few weeks I am going to be working on price sheets & order forms for those of you out there with a sweet tooth!

Until next time...

Eat sweets & dream big!

>>Fast Forward

It's been over a year, wow!

My sincerest apologies for the long absence.

Let's play catch up...

I finished up that winter wedding cake I was talking about, I did a few other orders & experiments.

Come January, I got engaged and my focus shifted so that I could plan my wedding.

We got a new kitten & her name is Fig.

Got married in August & went on our honeymoon in London!

Shortly after our arrival back in the states, we packed up and moved across states & have settled in a new home!

A lot of other in betweens have happened & I'll definitely be posting several old experiments. Basically, that brings us to now... I am going to be blogging a lot more again. So, please check back regularly for updates & scrumptious recipes. Here's some eye candy:

This evening I made the most amazing cookies!

My Winter Amaretto Cookies & our tree is up...

...Love & Sweets

+much more to come

Autumn is just around the corner...

And I have found the perfect cookie for the season!

These cookies are jam packed full of different chocolates, cranberries, pecans, and vanilla bean. I baked these off a little larger than normal and they were fabulous!

The recipe is as follows:

My Autumn Cookies

-2 cups flour (unbleached, King Arthur)

-1 teaspoon baking soda

-1 teaspoon coarse salt

Sift all of these ingredients and set aside.

-1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter

-1 cup of light brown sugar

-1/2 cup of cane sugar

Cream these together until light & fluffy.

-1 egg

-1 egg yolk

-1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

-1 vanilla bean

Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds from the pod and whisk all these ingredients together.

-4 or 5 ounces of dark chocolate chunks

-4 or 5 ounces of white chocolate chunks

-About 1 cup of chopped pecans

-About 4 ounces of dried cranberries

You can switch up the ratio according to your liking but those are the measurements that I used.

Once all the butter & sugar is light and fluffy, slowly add in the egg and vanilla mixture. After that, add in the dry sifted ingredients little by little. Once everything is fully incorporated add in the chocolates, nuts, and cranberries. Scoop and roll cookies and sprinkle them with some cane sugar before baking for a nice shimmer effect after they are baked. Bake these for about 12-15 minutes at 325 degrees. Enjoy with a nice glass of milk or cup of tea!

These cookies were beautiful, delicious, and fabulously rich: All things that an autumn treat should be! I loved these so much that I think I will be giving these out as part of my Christmas treat baskets. Please do try these cookies out, you will not regret it!

Until next time...

Eat sweet things & enjoy the changing leaves!

I got my chilly, grey, September day...

I woke up to a fierce thunderstorm at about seven o'clock, this morning.

I have been craving Pakastani food so much, it's one of my comfort foods. Growing up one of my dearest friends was Pakastani and I spent almost all my time at her house. Her family became my family and I love them all so much. It's been years since I have spent quality time over at their house but I keep in touch and crave Mama Farzana's food all the time. Since it was rainy and I was all cozied up I thought why not attempt the impossible? I went out and acquired all sorts of ingredients. One of my favorite dishes other than samosas, pakora, and buryani is this keema pilau dish. It turned out really well and here's how I did it...

First:

-1 cup basmati rice

-2 cups of water

-1/2 teaspoon of oil

-1/2 teaspoon of salt

-Pinch of black pepper

Rinse the rice and drain, add oil & rice to to a sauce pot, stir around rice for a minute or two and then add the water. On medium heat allow the water to boil and then turn down to a low heat and cover the pot. Check it in about 15-20 minutes and it should be cooked! Set aside once it is done and keep it covered.

Second:

-1/2 cup of brown lentils (masoor)

-1 1/2 cups of water

Rinse the lentils and drain, add to a sauce pot. Add the water and allow to boil, then reduce the heat and cover the pot with a lid. Check them in about 25-30 minutes, they should be tender. These will need to be cooked for part three.

Third:

-1/3 yellow onion (finely chopped)

-2 cloves of garlic (minced)

-About 1/2 lb. of ground chuck

-1 teaspoon of salt

-2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

-1 small can of tomato paste (you will use about 2/3rds of the can)

-About 2 cups of water (+ or -)

- 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala

-1 box of Shan: Bombay Biryani mix (you will use half of the packet)

*You should be able to find the Shan Mix at almost any International market or Indian specialty food store.

Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic. Add the butter to a pot, then add the onion and garlic and allow them to begin the caramelize, add the meat and salt. Cook the meat completely, then add the tomato paste and stir. Add in the garam masala and 1/2 of the Shan mix & stir. Add in the water & cooked lentils, stir. You may need more water, based on your desired consistency. Allow this to simmer, occasionally stirring. If your would like a thicker consistency bring to a boil & reduce.

Fourth:

Put some rice in a bowl and add your keema pilau to the top according to your liking and enjoy with a nice glass of water and some naan bread. This dish does have a nice kick to it, so be forewarned. Enjoy!

Until next time...

Cozy up with comfort foods & sweet things!

Oh September,

you are just the start of my favorite time of the year.

I cannot wait for the leaves to turn, fall, and fill the roads and sidewalks. I am anxious for scarves and mittens, hot cocoa and spiced cider, roasted vegetables and hearty stews, jackets and fuzzy blankets. This will be my first autumn in Tennessee, and I could not be more thrilled! My last couple years have been spent in a desert so you can tell that I am anticipating the season's every move.

Today after work I came home and decided to make cupcakes for a friend of mine and take them to some of my coworkers. I was inspired by one of my favorite blogs to make funfetti cupcakes, using sprinkles. The cupcakes were quick and easy and everyone seemed to enjoy them!

I am hoping this year has a lot more in store for me. I am really excited about new opportunities and upcoming events! I will inform everyone as the details become more final, I promise! Some friends of mine are getting married in December and they are having a winter inspired wedding (Congrats, Steve & Jan!). I am going to be working on little gum paste decorations for the cake soon. I will be posting pictures and updating as much as I can about their wedding cake, I am super excited about doing it!

Until next time...

Enjoy the upcoming season & eat sweets!

Apologies friends...

I have been absent for a little over two months and I am sorry for that. I have just been so busy with work lately and it seems like any little bit of time I get I spend it cleaning or being out with friends. Also my laptop is about to retire, my track pad and keyboard have slowly been going out. So, I can hardly find time to type out anything but drafts of blogs that I never end up publishing. So, let's play catch up...

In July I had an amazing baking day with two wonderful friends: Brittany and Rae. We set up this lovely table of treats and sipped on raspberry lemonade and tea all day. All while watching Marie Antoinette and baking homemade sandwich cookies (oreos). Oh, I have this terrible addiction to Raspberry Pim's. Buy now and thank me later.

The photos from that day were taken by Rae:

Another event I missed out on posting about was the release of the newest Harry Potter film. A group of friends came over to my apartment and hosted a Wizard Feast full of all sorts of magical treats and played games to prepare for the midnight showing. It was an incredible day, for sure! I made these brown and dark purple swirly cupcakes with green buttercream. I thought they were fitting for wizards and witches!

In April I made a post about chocolate chip cookies. I was craving those very cookies and thought this time all the ingredients could be made with everything organic and natural from my workplace. It made for a better quality overall and I highly recommend that everyone do this. The taste is so much better when you have the real stuff. Believe it or not it is affordable also, you just have to shop store brand. It saves you money with no compromise on the taste or quality. Anyway here are those cookies again, enjoy!

After a long day of work these cookies really hit the spot. Baking is relaxing to me, it helps me unwind. You should try it out! Take a classic recipe and get your favorite record. Grab all the ingredients and pull out a bowl & spoon, press play, sift, measure, stir, twirl around and hum to yourself, bake and wait, eat and enjoy your hard work. Tonight was once of those nights for me and I loved it!

Until next time...

Relax & eat sweet things!

Shiny new toys and salted flowers...

Two weekends ago, I visited Oklahoma. It was a super short trip, I left for Tulsa on Friday and flew back on Sunday. I decided since I would only be there for a day (basically) I would devote all my time to my family. I saw my Mother who I had not seen in a year and spent time with my younger sisters and my Father. I also got to visit my lovely aunts, uncle, and my amazing Grandparents. The trip was mostly to surprise my youngest sister, Emma, who was turning six! During her birthday dinner they brought out her cake and a second one followed, I was terribly confused. They placed the cake in front of me, it read "Congratulations, Jessica!" I was surprised to say the least! It turned out to be a double party: birthday & graduation. At this party my family gave me very generous gifts: one of which got shipped to me in Nashville this week. It arrived on Thursday, check it out!

My shiny new toy:

I had the day off today and ventured up near Gaylord Opry Hotel to a little bakers' supply store called Sweet Wise. I acquired all sorts of new goodies: petal & luster dusts, new gel-based colors, and gum paste. It is a great store and the employees are very friendly and helpful!

Since, I had this new mixer I decided I wanted to make a batch of Italian butter cream (a meringue-type butter cream) it is my absolute favorite. I made a salted vanilla butter cream. I love the combination of salty & sweet. I made some chocolate almond cupcakes to go along with the butter cream.

After everything was cooled I decorated. A special, little, dainty flower atop each cupcake!

It made for a lovely garden of desserts!

They tasted great, too.

After a day filled with all things that I love, I will rest blissful.

Until next time...

Eat sweet things & rest happy!