9.29.2011

It's a Happy Day!

Guess what!?

My good friend
had her baby girl this morning!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, 
ANNE MARIE!

The moment I heard the good news,
I had to get in the kitchen 
and whip up these amazing cookies:


They are an Effie special,
so if you want the recipe
{and believe me, you WANT this recipe!!}

Head on over to

Y'all have a fabulous weekend!

9.22.2011

Exciting News - NEW BLOG!

Good Morning
Sweet Followers!

I have some news ...
after much thought
and encouragement from family
and many of you,
I have decided to compose 
another blog!

LOL - am I crazy!?
Sweet Baby {Mason} James
will be an outlet for my personal recipes
and creative cakes/cupcakes.

be solely and simply
my great-grandmother's recipes.
I will be going through the hundreds
of recipes found in her box,
one at the time.


It'll be an online 
filing cabinet
of sorts! :)
I would love for you to
travel on over, look around
and let me know what you think!

I just posted a new recipe today:


Y'all have a great weekend!

9.20.2011

Rustic Apple Pear Tart with Ginger Caramel Sauce

My beautiful sister
had her sweet baby boy last night!

Man, did she have a tough time -
after 3 1/2 hours of pushing,
Mr. Evans Colton finally made his appearance!

He is just perfect
in every way
and cute-as-a-button!

Since I have been out of town
for a few days visiting them,
I hadn't had a chance to get in the kitchen ...

So, this afternoon
my hands were itching
to create something!!


Ingredients
2 Apples, sliced
2 Pears, sliced
1/2 stick Butter
1 cup Sugar {I used half light brown, half dark brown}
2 tsp. finely chopped/grated Ginger
Juice of one Lemon
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/4 tsp. Ground Ginger
1/4 tsp. Salt
Cornstarch Slurry
Pie Crust {Store bought or homemade will work great}


Method
If making homemade pie crust, prepare that first and place in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt butter in pan and add sugar and ginger. Stir until sugar has melted. Add apples, pears and lemon juice - stir to coat. Season filling with vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt.
To make a slurry, add two tablespoons of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water to a small bowl and mix until the cornstarch has dissolved. Pour slurry over filling and stir until combined. Bring to a boil to thicken. Set filling aside.
Roll out pie crust to a 1/4 inch thick and place on a cookie sheet. Pour filling into center of crust and fold over the edges to seal pie. Sprinkle dough with a little sugar if you would like.
Bake for approx. 20-25 minutes, or until crust is a golden brown and filling is bubbling.

To prepare Ginger-Caramel Sauce: Melt 1/2 cup caramel candies with 2 tbsp. Heavy Cream and a 1/4 tsp. Ground Ginger in the microwave according to the package's directions. When the pie has cooled slightly, drizzle caramel over the top and serve with a dollop of whip cream or scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.


Enjoy and Happy Baking!

9.14.2011

Pumpkin-Pecan Pie

Happy Fall Y'all!

I am so glad it's FINALLY fall!
The temps are cooling,
the leaves are beginning their decent
and Pumpkin Spice Latte's are back!

Whoop Whoop!


Speaking of pumpkin ...
the very first card I removed
from my grandmother's box
read:


Say, what!?!
This recipe combines
my two fall lovesPumpkin
and the fabulous center of pecan pie!

Ingredients
Pie Crust
1/4 cup Butter, cold
1/4 cup Crisco, cold
1 1/4 cup King Auther Flour, all purpose
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 cup Ice Water

Pie Filling
3 Eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup Sugar {I used half brown, half white}
1/2 cup Karo Syrup
1 cup Mashed Pumpkin
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/8 tsp.Ground Ginger
1/8 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
1 cup Pecans

Method
For the crust:
In a food processor, pulse butter, crisco, flour and salt until little balls of dough form. Slowly add water until one large dough ball comes together. Chill for 30 minutes. Roll out on a floured surface and place in a pie dish. Refrigerate until the filling is made.

For the filling:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs and sugar. Add Karo and pumpkin and stir until combined. Season with listed spices and stir in pecans to coat. Pour filling into pie shell and bake for approx. 40-50 minutes, or until center has set. Serve room temperature with whipped cream.

I do not remember mygreat-grandmother 
making this particular pie ...
{I am sure it was a Church Pot Luck dish!}
But, man what a combination!!

The moment I opened
the oven, a billow of
fall scents took over my kitchen!
Ahhh-mazing!


The center is still
ooey-gooey
like pecan pie,
it's just kicked up a notch!


The pumpkin gives it a 
creamy texture
and the spices add such a
great flavor to the pecans!


I'm thinking this will be
replacing my traditional pies
this year for Thanksgiving!
Enjoy and Happy Baking!

9.13.2011

Effie's Recipe Box

If you have been tagging along 
with me for some time now,
you know all about my 
great grandmother, Effie.

She is the one who first
got me interested in cooking ...
I remember helping her in the kitchen -
rolling biscuits and soaking collards.

I would go visit her in Charleston, SC
and stay for a week or two at the time.
She was the kindest, most loving person 
who taught me so many things.

And, although she's been gone
for many years now, 
Grandma Effie still inspires me daily to 
not only be a better chef, but a better person!

So, you can only imagine how ecstatic I was
when my dad called a few weeks ago and told me
he had found her old recipe box!
{It had been MIA since her passing.}

I almost burst into tears when he said the words!
My amazing aunt let me borrow them 
so I could snap some photos and copy down
the recipes Effie used and cherished!

You know me ...
I just HAD to share this discovery with you!
Here are some snap shots of her 
handwritten cards - which I swear still smell like her!





How awesome, right!?
I took 3 of the photos
and printed each on a small canvas
to hang in my kitchen:

Those are her serving spoons, too! :)

How cool is that wooden recipe box!? Had to get a picture of it with the wall art before having to return it to my aunt!


After looking through the TONS
of recipes in her box, I've been inspired!
My plan is to take one of her recipes per week
and share them with you!

My hope is that these special family recipes
will also touch your family's heart
just as they touched ours every time
Effie entered her small square kitchen!

Y'all have a fantastic week!
Talk to you all very soon!

9.11.2011

Going To The Chapel...


Happy Sunday!
I turn 26 today!
Yay! Looking forward 
to relaxing with family today!

But, first I wanted to show you
what I was up to over the weekend!
An amazing couple tied the knot
and invited me to be apart of their gorgeous day!


This antique inspired, 
two toned 6 tier cake
was the perfect addition 
to their romantic wedding!


Each tier featured a unique flavor, including Lemon Blueberry, Mocha, Red Velvet, Toasted Almond and Marble. The entire cake was covered in my Vanilla Buttercream, tinted a beautiful Champagne hue. The decorations were hand piped buttercream in white. A miniature cake was also prepared for the Mother-of-the-Bride ... she has a gluten and corn allergy, so a gluten/corn free lemon cake was created just for her!

This little cake
is being filed under
my Top Favs, for sure!!
LOVE how this one turned out!

The colors were spot on,
the theme was soft and 
just plain pretty,
and the flavors were crowd pleasing!


A BIG 
Thank You
to my awesome couple!!
I loved working with you guys!

{I left before the florists had time to cover the bottom Styrofoam in flowers - can't wait to see how the professional pictures turn out!}

Congrats to you both!





9.06.2011

Apple Butter Stack Cake

Guess what!?
It's my birthday week!
{Yes, I celebrate an entire week!!}

So, to kick my week off right
I baked an old fashion molasses cake!
{And yes, I made my own birthday cake!!


The moment I saw the recipe
for an Apple Butter Stack Cake
I knew I would be making it soon ...

...and I am SO glad I did!
It's warm, fruity, not too sweet
and perfect for Autumn!


Ingredients
adapted from grit.com

1 cup Sugar
1 cup Unsalted Butter, room temp.
1 cup Molasses
3 Eggs
4 cups All Purpose Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Ground Ginger
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Ground Clove
1 cup Buttermilk
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 1/2 cups Apple Butter
Powder Sugar, for dusting


Method
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease three 8 or 9 inch cake pans. Combine all dry ingredients and sift.
In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together. Add molasses and eggs and mix until combined. Alternating dry and wet, add in sifted flour mixture and buttermilk. Stir in vanilla extract and divide half the batter among the three greased cake pans. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when tested in the center of a cake. Let cool for a few minutes, then invert cakes onto paper plates. Bake the other half of the batter.

When all cakes have cooled, spread several tablespoons of the apple butter on each layer - stacking as you go. Dust finished cake with powder sugar.


Enjoy and Happy Baking!

9.04.2011

Vegas Themed Wedding

What do you get
when you mix
playing cards, Jack Daniels
and DIAMONDS?

Glitz and Glam
meets Vegas
themed party!

And that's just what
my super fun couple
were going for when
planning their wedding!

Here is a shot of the reception center pieces:


Those elements were 
the inspiration pieces I used
when creating their 
wedding cupcake tower!


The flavors included
Vanilla Bean, Dark Chocolate
and Marble, each topped with
Marshmallow Fondant.


Edible Diamonds 
Bright Pink
Glitter and Swirls ...
does it get any better than that?!


Congrats to 
Donelle and Josh!
I loved being apart of your
awesome day! Thanks for including me!