A Sweet Tooth Wonderland

This weekend, I had a blissful afternoon, shared with many other sweet tooth fanatics, at Charlotte’s very first Sweet Tooth Festival!  OH happy day!  It was amazing to see so many vendors showing off their beautiful confections to the public, all under one roof.  Truly, it doesn’t get any better than that.  (Well… hanging out at a beach with a cocktail in hand, and the kids splashing in the water might top that… but now we’re comparing apples to oranges; or maybe a whole fruit basket!)

What was this event all about?  No, it wasn’t some yuppy stuffy group of people all dining in their fine clothes. (Although, that can be fun at times.) HA!  Everyone was hanging out in comfortable clothes, chowin’ on sweets!!  And why?  This is the best part!  A portion of the proceeds went to support the Joe Martin ALS Foundation.  So, yesterday, we ate for a cause.  Darn… tough job!  But someone has to do it!

I know what you are going to ask me first.  Did I have a favorite vendor?  Truthfully, I am biased and have a couple of favorites; and seeing them at the festival, I felt complete assurance that I was going to love what I was about to sample.  I was right.  My favorite vendors, to this day remain tops on my list.  You have to read the rest to catch my favs!

Who was there?

• Birdie Buffets
• Cakes By Meredith
• Cakes by Tersey
• Caribou Coffee
• Cupcrazed Cakery
• Delightful Decadence
• Dove Chocolate Discoveries
• Front Porch Ice Cream
• Fumanchu Cupcakes
• Hot Sugar Confections
• Kai’s Kookies & More
• MJ’s Sugarshack
• Savory Spice Shop
• Sky’s the Limit Custom Cakes & More
• Suzi Skinny Cakes
• Sweet Elations
• The Secret Chocolatier
• The Southern Gourmet
• Vin Master
• Yoforia

WHEW!!! What a list, and it’s a good darn thing that I had been given a “goodie box.”  They definitely prepared for us to eat everything, but thankfully, not all at one time.

OK…. ok. My favorites:

Since I am a chocolate lover, NATURALLY I went straight for The Secret Chocolatier.  They had a super smooth chocolate mousse that just melted in the mouth, as well as a vanilla bean truffle to top it off.  Have you tried their truffles from their store yet?  If not, you are truly missing out on chocolate perfection.

Cupcrazed has always been near and dear to my heart before Heather even had her shop.  This lady can cook a mean cupcake!  Did you know she recently won on Cupcake wars?? How cool!  Now I personally know a celebrity!  Truthfully, I don’t get hung up on celebs, as they are people too, and tie their shoes just like I do.  :)  Heather is crazy about baking, and I love that about her.  She’s always creating some pretty amazing flavors that just “wow” the customers.  Have you heard about the “Firefly Cupcake?”  Yea… ask her!

I really enjoyed Cakes By Meredith!! My sister (who had the fortune to sample my take-home samples) said her cupcake was by far the best.  I had to agree it was pretty incredible!  Meredith, you are on your way, lady! Your cakes truly pop in flavor and I was having a hard time deciding which one I wanted to sample!

Delightful Decadence is the final favorite sweet tooth maker on my list.  Why?  These amazing ladies took baking to a unique style and created everything in mini size portions.  Perfect for a bite and go!  They stood out because they didn’t make cupcakes!  (I love all of you cupcake makers!! I DO!!)  These ladies are about to graduate and are already hitting the road with fantastic desserts.  I had the Bananas Foster… I want more.  Right now.  Ladies, I look forward to seeing how your business takes off the next year! You can reach them via Twitter on @dddesserts1, or contact them email at: dddesserts1@gmail.com

As for all of the other vendors?

Suzi Skinny Cakes had a cool concept of using vegetables to hold together the cakes to keep the calories down and keep the cake healthy.  Flavor?  Nothing missing!  It was ALL good.

The Southern Gourmet had this impressive Thyme Cupcake.  I think they could have infused more thyme in the cake itself, but I’m a strong flavor kind of gal.  The combination was really well balanced in the cupcake.

FuManChu Cupcakes had some seriously zesty cakes at their display! I liked this group, as they were a bit unorthodox in the cake making world. I opted for the blueberry cupcake and it reminded me of a muffin only sweeter!  Check them out online and see the crazy awesome concoctions they have come up with!

Lastly, Hot Sugar Confections… think of this: Ginger Bourbon Cupcakes.  Need I say more?  A tad bit sweet for me, but their concept of their cupcakes have hit my radar!  I love what they are doing, and can’t wait what else they have on their creation list!! Ladies, you did an excellent job!!

The entire show was a big success, and I can tell that everyone enjoyed the variety of confections that were available to sample.  Everything was just beautiful, including the choice of location – Blacklion on Park Rd.  What better way to finish eating some sweets, then to have visual beauty of crafty and creative vendors in the shops of the store itself.  I am already looking forward to next year’s affair!

*Image courtesy of Sweet Tooth Festival

Nutella Nanaimo Bars

Nanaimo bars… no, it’s not pronounced “NAN-i-mo.”  Though I see where that comes from!  It’s actually pronounced “Nu-NA-mo,” and has derived from the city itself, in British Columbia.  What is not to love about this dessert?!?  Three layers of sweet deliciousness, and no baking required!  You can see the appeal of this treat already!

I chose to go with my sweet tooth diet, and used a recipe (adapted from Tasty Kitchen) that added Nutella in the middle layer.  The chocolate lover in me couldn’t resist… Sorry!

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks of salted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 5 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1-1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup toasted, chopped hazelnuts
• 6 Tbsp. Nutella
• 3/4 cup confectioners sugar
• 4 oz bar of Bittersweet chocolate

Directions:

Bottom Layer

Melt 1 stick  of butter, sugar and cocoa on top of a double boiler. Add the beaten egg and stir to cook until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. (You will see a definitely change in texture, very smooth and thick.)  Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, nuts and coconut. Press firmly into an ungreased 8×8 pan, and chill until no longer warm to the touch.

Middle Layer

Combine Nutella with 6 tablespoons of softened butter until thoroughly combined. Add confectioners sugar and mix until it’s well blended. Spread it evenly on top of the bottom layer, and chill for 30 minutes.

Top Layer

Melt bittersweet chocolate and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over low heat in a double boiler. Cool slightly. Once cool, pour over the middle layer and chill until top layer is firm.

Cut into squares and eat!!

Nutella Hand Pies

In case you weren’t aware, today is a very special day.  Yes, I know the Super Bowl is today, but it’s also World Nutella Day!!  So in honor of this delicious spread, I created something easy for the kids to make, and I KNOW they will love to eat them fresh out of the oven.  I also have created a couple of pies that include marshmallow fluff too!! Why don’t we get seriously sweet here while we’re at it?!  Reminds me of the days when my Mom would give me peanut butter and marshmallow sandwiches  in my lunchbox for school…

Ingredients:

• 1-3/4 cup of all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix together ingredients until a soft dough forms.  Roll out the dough and using a cookie cutter, cut out the dough and place on a cookie sheet.  I used a silicone cover on my sheet to avoid sticking to the baking sheet.  Smear Nutella on the bottom cutout and then place the top on.  Press around the edges with a fork to seal the edges.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

I have created other items with Nutella that you can find here:

• Mini Nutella S’mores
• Nutella and Goat Cheese Stuffed Berries
• Nutella Banana Crepes
• Bacon and Nutella Napoleons
• Patriotic S’mores
• No-Bake Nutella Cheesecake Cupcake

So, you see, there is much to choose from, OR, you can check out the World Nutella Day site and find 100′s of recipes available for your use!

Other great sites to check out along with World Nutella Day’s site is Ms. Adventures in Italy and Bleeding Espresso.

Anniversary Party in the Queen City

Most of you know that I also write for The Charlotte Moms website for their food and beverage column.  Today was a very special day, as we celebrated our one year anniversary!!  We had many wonderful contributions of items donated for our swag bags, giveaways, and tasty treats!  We truly felt blessed today seeing such amazing support from all areas of Charlotte, including Chick Fil A (Cotswold), where we held our event at.

But I know what you all want to know… what did we eat?  Let’s talk food already!  We had a beautiful assortment of food items.  Of course, there were Chick Fil A nuggets and little mini sandwiches.  And they sure were yummy… who doesn’t love their chicken?  For desserts, Tropical Foods donated some beautifully dipped chocolate covered strawberries, candies and popcorn cakes.  I am a sucker for chocolate and have to admit I like the popcorn cakes.  The sweet and salty combination gets me every time.  Along with those items was an incredible almond flavored cake, so sheer white, delicate like a wedding cake supplied to us from Nona’s Sweets.

There was also an eye catching cake stand holder that was decorated with piped on roses and cake pops all throughout the holder.  This amazing display that was put on by Sky’s the Limit Custom Cakes, was well done in that we knew the flavors of cake pop according to a sprinkle color chart.  (Green and white sprinkles were for mint chocolate cakes, etc.)  Clever!

And finally, the beautiful mini cupcakes… These beauties were donated by two local vendors in the Charlotte area.  The ones on the left with the pink and purple tops were created from Cakes by Meredith, and they were super yummy!!  Cupcrazed had also had donated her wonderful cupcakes to the event.  Just look at the clever tops she put on them!  Crowns!!  (Our logo!)  She always pays attention to details, and has some pretty amazing flavored cupcakes that keep my family coming back to her store.

Thank you everyone for all of your contributions.  I must say that everything tasted delicious, and The Charlotte Moms were so thankful for your support today!

Eat cake, and be merry!

No-Bake Breakfast Bites

I don’t know about you, but I prefer to get a few extra minutes in bed to snuggle with Hubby and think  about the day with a clear mind.  As a parent, that doesn’t realistically happen.  My little 5 year old climbs into our bed and tells me, “Morning Mommy, I’m hungry.”  Not, “I love you” or anything else, just, “I’m hungry.”  How many of you understand my pain?

So I stumbled upon this great recipe for those on the go, with kids on the go (or wake up starving), or with those looking for a change in the breakfast routine.  I like the concept, because it is no-bake and super simple to make.  I encourage you to ask your family to participate in putting these together so they too can learn that great healthy food can be created rather easily, than bought – prepackaged.  What makes these so wonderful for our body?  What’s in them; flaxseed, honey, peanut butter, and oats.  [A little tip on Flaxseed... it carries Omega-3's, Lignans (look that one up) and Fiber.]

Ingredients (Recipe ever so slightly adapted from Coffee and Heels):

• 1 cup oatmeal
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/2 cup butterscotch chips (or mini chocolate chips)

Method:

In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients together and chill for 30 minutes.  Roll into ball form and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Enjoy!

Superbowl Sunday – Easy and Tasty Snacks!

I am a Steelers fan.  Most of you know that, but for those that don’t, now you do.  I was saddened to see my team not make it to the final game, but I am fine with it.  The teams that climbed to the top were amazing and earned their position.  If only the Steelers would have called “heads” on the overtime.  What if??

Oh right, back to what IS.  I recently taught a class for a few wonderful ladies and their very fun children, some pretty tasty Superbowl snacks.  We all think of the usual, pizza, chips and salsa, chicken wings, etc.  I decided because there were kids involved AND because I like variety and a touch of healthy spice too, I decided to present new ideas to the class.  And YOU now have the privilege to learn the items that I taught.

• Pepperoni Pizza Puffs – a great way to reinvent pizza, and wonderful to make ahead of time.
• Asparagus in a Blanket – a healthier alternative to hot dogs (or the mini dogs).
• Basil and Corn Salsa – super healthy and lots of flavor (great for those who don’t love heat)
• Patriotic S’mores – colorful, healthier alternative to the traditional s’more (fun for a party)

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs are SUPER simple and were pulled from Kirbie Cravings.  I liked the recipe because it was SO easy for anyone to create, you could substitute the flour and baking powder for Bisquick if you wanted, and there are so many ways to make it your own style.  Like Hawaiian pizza? Add ham and pineapple instead of pepperoni.  Love basil? Add it!  The sky is the limit and these little babies are perfect for popping.  We added pizza sauce on the side to dip them in and everyone loved the addition!

Asparagus in a Blanket are so much friendlier to the heart and packs a great punch.  We added seasonings and dipped them in pizza sauce as well for more flavor.  Recipe was pulled from Disney – Family.com.

Corn and Basil Dip was a big crowd pleaser.  I’m a basil fanatic and found this recipe to be such a zesty alternative to the traditional tomato based salsas.  When we made the batch, the bowl was completely devoured.  I know that this will be enjoyed by your guests as well for the big day!  Thank you Julia from Fat Girl Trapped in a Skinny Girl’s Body for the wonderful idea!

Patriotic S’mores was something I had done last May, and I found dessert a perfect addition to add to a party.  Set up a station for it, as the marshmallow will melt if you try to prep beforehand.  It’s more fun for guests to design their own s’mores this way anyway!  Plus you will moderate how much you eat.  Personally, though, I could keep eating them.  The kids REALLY enjoyed creating these, and it was fun to see their faces covered in Nutella!  Check out MY recipe for this one!

Forgive me for not having photos this time – but I do my best to not borrow photos without asking, and I don’t believe in taking pictures while I teach.  Many thanks!

Who are you cheering for this Sunday?

Chai n’ Cinnamon Peanut Brittle

A little birdie told me that today is National Peanut Brittle Day!  That happens to be my husband’s absolute favorite dessert, and if I didn’t make a batch to celebrate, he would be SO SO sad.  So, dear Hubby, this recipe is for you. xxxooo

He got to taste the batch out today and said it was really quite delicious.  I enjoyed the hints of cinnamon and chai – though honestly, I’m a tea lover and could have added much more tea to the mix!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 2 cups peanuts
• 1 TBSP. butter (real)
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 teabag of Chai tea. (open the bag to pour into mix)

Method:

In a microwavable large dish, put sugar and corn syrup in a bowl and microwave for 5 minutes.  Take bowl out and put peanuts and butter into the bowl and mix together.  Place back into microwave for 3 minutes.  Be careful removing the bowl, as you now have SUPER hot candy and can really hurt yourself if not careful. (Been there.)  Place the cinnamon, baking soda, tea and vanilla into the candy, and mix together which creates a rich caramel color.  Quickly pour mix onto a greased baking sheet and let cool completely.

Optional: dip into chocolate!! (of course!)

Red Velvet Madeleines

Do you ever have a cooking or baking utensil that just sits and collects dust?  If so, please help me feel better and let me know what you keep in your kitchen and NEVER use!

Truthfully, I must admit that I have had a madeleine pan in our kitchen that has traveled from house to house, NEVER used, for probably about 8-10 years now.  I was inspired by a movie to make them, and just never tried any recipe out.  So there it sat, with the well used baking sheets and muffin tins, probably begging for attention.  Thank goodness bakeware doesn’t talk or I would have seen a protest sign or a moving sign. LOL

Seriously, though, I have finally tried out a recipe and adapted it to fit my style.  I broke out that pan and conquered…and wondered why it took me so long to try it out.

Do you love red velvet?  I do, but I wanted to try something new out rather than go for the cupcake or cake or cookie or brownie.  I made Red Velvet Madeleines and I am SO SO glad that I attempted the recipe alterations.  The flavors are rich with chocolate and butter.  Enough said.  So without further discussion, the recipe.

Ingredients (adapted from Martha Stewart):

• 1/2 stick of unsalted butter (4 TBSP)
• 1 cup of cake flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 TBSP. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 TBSP. red food coloring

Method:

In a small bowl, place cocoa powder and red food coloring together and mix slowly.  If you add more red color, it will become more pasty.  Set aside.  Heat butter to melted and let cool.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Butter and flour madeleine pan.  In a large bowl, blend eggs, salt and sugar until thick consistency.  This takes around 8-9 minutes.  Mix in vanilla.  Fold in flour until mixed together.  Stir in cocoa mixture until mixture is a red color and smooth.  Add melted butter quickly and fold into mixture.  Quickly pour into the madeleine pan and bake for 10 minutes.

This is perfect for a Valentine’s breakfast morning!

Green Tea Filled Oreo Cookies

I was recently informed that there is a cool chocolate dipping contest going on with Tropical foods and my ears perked up!  How can I not participate? I have been meaning to try out their chocolate and this gave me all the motivation I needed.  Just tasting the chocolate before heated up for dipping, told me everything.  Silky in texture and flavor.  PERFECT for dipping all sorts of foods.  Personally?  I love raspberries the most dipped in chocolate.  The pop in flavor that is unleashed after the first bite into the chocolate covered berry… WOW.  Ok, I might have to go out and buy some berries thinking about this now.  Also, my family and I enjoy dipping strawberries, crystalized ginger bites, homemade truffles, and cookies!

Which is why I thought I’d try my hand at homemade Oreo-style cookies, infused with green tea in the frosting!  And… dipped in Tropical foods chocolate of course!

Ingredients:

• Box of Devil’s Food Cake Mix
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 pkg of cream cheese
• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 1/2 Tazo Zen tea (green tea)

Method:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Mix together oil, eggs and cake mix, and roll out little cookies. Slightly flatten cookies with spatula before baking. Bake for 10 minutes, let cool completely.  Mix together cream cheese, sugar and 1/2 a bag of tea to a smooth consistency.  Pipe onto cookie and seal cookies shut!  Dip in chocolate if you wish!

Enjoy and savor the flavor of tea with chocolate!

Easy way to let the chocolate dry!

Green food coloring used for fun!

Chinese Tea Eggs

Normally we don’t celebrate holidays that apply to different nations, however, this year, my family and I find something very cool about celebrating the Year of the Dragon.  I picture a parade full of color and beauty and a giant red dragon “dancing” across the crowds.  What a site it must be!  We had the fortune of watching one this past summer at a parade in Waxhaw, NC, and while it was a smaller version dragon, my children and I were very much in awe of the decor that goes into a dragon.

This year I decided to make a Chinese Tea Egg.  Overseas, this is eaten as a savory snack or a late night snack, but I see nothing wrong with eating this for breakfast if you ask me!  Tea? Egg? I know the concept sounds really strange, and I  had to think over the idea of making them.  I didn’t want to go through a bunch of eggs and not like the flavor.  (We bakers take great care on how many eggs we have in the refrigerator – a daily check!)   So my daughter and I decided we’ll test out two eggs.  Enough for a good pictures, but not too many that we’re going to sacrifice good eggs!

I love the recipes I have seen out there, and one that really inspired me was from Saveur Magazine.  Take a look at the picture and tell me that doesn’t look beautiful!  However, I completely changed the recipe to be something unique for my blog, plus, I was scared off by the idea of using soy sauce with an egg.  Way outside my box, you could say…

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water
• 1/2 tsp. All-Spice
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. Anise
• 1 teabag of Orange tea (I used Tazo Wild Sweet Orange Tea)
• 2 eggs

Method:

Boil 2 eggs in water for 5 minutes to a soft boil.  Let cool for 2-3 minutes. In a separate small saucepan, boil 2 cups of water, all the spices and tea.  For more flavor impact with the tea, rip open the tea bag to let the contents flow freely in saucepan.  I recommend a strong orange tea to get a great flavor.  Slowly bring sauce to a boil.  In the meantime, crack, but don’t peel the egg shells of the soft boiled eggs.  Place the eggs into the sauce and bring to a boil to completely hard boil the eggs.  About 5 minutes.  After finished cooking, take off heat and let the eggs set in the sauce.  It would be best to have them set in the juices about 4 hours, however, I did an hour and you can see my steeping results in a lighter color around the cracks, and lighter flavor.  Again, I was nervous about getting too much flavor in, but trust me, these are really yummy and do recommend that you just “go for it!”  When the eggs are finished soaking, peel the shells and look at the beautiful cracked lines in the eggs!  A work of art!

Can you do this with just food coloring to not get the eggs flavored to orange or soy sauce?  YES!  Have the cracked eggs soak in food colored water overnight and you can have hard boiled eggs decorated just the same.

Happy Chinese New Year to my readers that this would apply to!!  I hope that you have a fantastic day!