Cookies and Cocktails

A few years ago I had the idea of opening up my own little bakery. The concept would be a place where you could pair your cupcake with a cocktail. While I still have that dream some day, right now I'm OK with baking for fun and pairing them myself. Maybe some day that dream will come true.

Inspired by the some day bakery, I am starting a new series called "Cookies and Cocktails". I thought that baking cookies would be something I could have around the house all week without feeling so guilty of having a whole dozen cupcakes staring at me. I always love a little cookie with a cup of coffee, so it was a good excuse.

Week One: Rosemary Butter Lemon Cornmeal Cookies and a Citrus Wine Spritzer

I used the cookie recipe from Martha here. To switch it up a little I replaced one cup of all purpose flour with one cup of cornmeal and I added a little lemon zest.

I had the cookies and cocktails in the backyard by the pool and thought what better way to pair them with then a refreshing wine spritzer. I used the recipe from Food Network as a guide but I used citrus flavored Pellegrino instead of seltzer.

Both are refreshing and light and will make you excited for the sunny Spring days ahead. We have had Spring like weather for a few months here in Florida but there is still a part of me that is excited to say it's Spring! Enjoy.

xoxo~Becca

Sunday Soirees - Game Day

It is Super Bowl Sunday and here in America we will all be sitting around our TVs all night. I'll be honest, I do not have big plans for the Super Bowl this year. My beau is working late and my plans are to watch the game with a stack of magazines and a glass of vino. Funny huh! I have always wanted to throw a fun get together for the big game. Maybe next year I could put together a little party. I think I would put together a little high end game day food. I hope you like them and add them to your game day!

Lump Crab Salsa

Forget the cream cheese high in fat dip. Check it this awesome recipe! click here

Tequila Spiked Popcorn

I mean REALLY! What a fabulous game day snack or even as a sweet after the half time show.

click here

Emeril's Crazy Nachos

These nachos are far from the regular orange cheese wiz layered nachos. He takes pulled pork and smothers crispy Tortillas with them. I'm getting hungry just thinking of them. Click here.

Oven Fried Chicken Fingers

have you seen the nutrition label on fast food chicken fingers {eek!} try these baked ones for an

even better treat. click here

Truffle Mac and Cheese Muffins

Ooo la la. Fancy football night with truffle mac and cheese. Make individual portions so its easy

for guests to grab. click here

Buffalo Style Celery Bites

A little veggies to add to the table on game day. Buffalo style, in replace of the wings. click here

Oreo Truffle Footballs

These are kind of adorable! Not a huge football fan, doesn't matter, you will love these! click here

Oreo Whoopie Pies

Wow! I think I need to bake these! click here

Good luck to the Steelers and the Packers!

xoxo~Becca

{Photos courtesy of Martha Stewart Living, Food&Wine.com, Bakerella, Celebrations.com, Cooking Light & Make Merry Events}

A little cup of Cocoa!

Today I woke up to a chilly Florida morning, it was 40 degrees! I am contemplating making this hot cocoa I whipped up last week for a work event. I was a little hesitant about the powdered milk in the recipe, however it is 1. so easy and 2.... SO GOOD! Enjoy.

{image from Real Simple}

Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Serves: 10-12 people

Ingredients:

For the basic peppermint hot chocolate:
3 cups nonfat dried milk
1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate syrup
1 tsp peppermint extract
7 cups water
marshmallows and candy canes for garnish

For a “mocha”:
Pour the cooked hot chocolate over a shot of espresso or a half-cup of very strong coffee.

For an “adult drink”:
Omit the peppermint extract and pour the hot chocolate over a shot of Peppermint Schnapps.

Directions:

1.Use a 4 quart crock pot. Combine the dry ingredients into your crock pot and stir with a spoon. Squeeze in a half-cup of chocolate sauce, and add the peppermint extract. Add the water, a cup at a time, and stir well. The chocolate mixture will be bubbly and look powdery but it will cook together.
2.Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours, or until completely hot. Serve with marshmallows and candy canes. If serving to guests, keep the pot on low with the lid off, and provide a ladle. If kept on warm, the hot chocolate will not stay warm enough.

xoxo~Becca

How TO: Oreo Cookie Cake

Here is the link for the directions to make this simple but amazing Oreo Cookie Cake featured at Kevin Sharkey's party last month in Martha Stewart Living.

The cake takes 20 packs of Oreos to create the cake.


and a lot of patience...
I love the DO NOT EAT sign they placed on the cake during the photoshoot!

Happy Baking...or stacking:)
xoxo~Becca

Ice Cream Month!

Where did June go? How is it almost July 4th???? Oh my! Well it is now..... National Ice Cream Month! Ice Cream is absolutely up on my list as one of my favorite foods.

It is so HOT in Florida that all I want to do at night is have a cup of ice cream,

a Popsicle, a Skinny Cow (beau is addicted to!).

There is nothing like going to get ice cream after dinner on a hot summer night, I love it.

I have always wanted to have a dinner party and serve ice cream sandwiches for dessert.

A fun child like twist on these desserts. Cookies and creamy cold goodness.

How pretty and patriotic are these cones! One of each please.



I heart just about everything that Amy Atlas creates. Check out the ice cream cupcakes she made for this month's INStyle magazine here !




Today on Daily Candy Miami I read about a bar that is serving unique flavors for $3 a scoop, Coral Bar at the Tides Hotel. Beau and I must take a trip down 95 to get ice cream on South Beach some night soon. They have an ice cream laboratory, a sommelier, toppings cart with flavors like balsamic soaked strawberries! Salty dulce de leche ice cream with popcorn! Need I say more. Not only does the ice cream look amazing but so do the chic rooms designed by the one and only Kelly Wearstler.
Ice Cream date?
For all of you DC readers....have you checked out the new gelato spot in Chinatown?
Pitango Gelato! I use to walk by this place on my way to work, thank goodness it
wasn't opened then. I might have been there every day.
Spicy Chocolate and Bourbon Vanilla gelato sound heavenly!


Enjoy the holiday weekend. GO get a scoop of ice cream....or two! Happy 4th:)

xoxo~Becca

I want CANDY

Did you know that June is..... National CANDY month!

Everything sweets related makes me happy and smile inside.

{I have always loved this cotton candy from Martha Stewart Weddings.

I want to serve this at a party.}

{A candy button table/desk. So fun.}

{It has been raining a lot in the afternoons here in Florida.

A candy coated umbrella might be essential.}

{Gummi Lobsters from the Candy Warehouse. Oh you can find everything on that website! Lobster candy for summertime sounds perfect. }

{When I was little my sisters and I use to get rock candy and peas & carrot candy in Maine. These candies remind me of my childhood. They are quite fun now that I have found them again.}

{I love this Neapolitan inspired stationary. Just like the yummy pretty Neapolitan candies of layered Strawberry, Chocolate and Vanilla Coconut, the stationary is just as sweet.}

{ A Gummi Bear lamp could be perfect on my desk!}

{I have been stalking this Kate Spade Salt Water Taffy shirt. I mean really unnecessary and so lovely!}

{Beautiful French chocolates with beautiful wrappers.}

{Cute labels on simple pink candy.}

Live a Sweet Life! Go out and buy something to satisfy your sweet tooth. Happy Sweet Month!

xoxo~Becca

the vegan way

So last week I was reading an article about Food Inc. I had already watched the movie and it had really made me start thinking about what we eat and what we put into our bodies. I thought to myself, "hhhmmmm, could I really be a vegetarian, could I really be vegan?". Working in the catering business I am faced with dietary requests daily. I have an event for 1,000 guests and I will receive a request for one gluten free, one no seeds, one vegan no sugar. There are so may requests recently it is a daily task for me. Now a days there is about every thing you can think of! I have always considered myself a fairly healthy person. I try to eat locally and organic when I can. I have tried over the past year to really cut out a lot of processed foods and health "junk" (Pirates Booty is not good for me, just because it is Organic!). So as Easter is creeping up on me I thought, well why don't I try out a vegan diet for a week to see how it feels. So here I am...Day #4.

Ok, I am not writing and saying that I am going to practice a vegan d

iet moving forward, no. I enjoy a nice cheese with a glass of wine, I love a nice filet and some great grilled fish, however I do understand the principle behind it. I can understand why people do not want to eat all of the food that is produced in industrialized food manufacturers now a days. Did you know that there are now 10 billion animals raised and killed in America and nearly all of them are inhumanely treated. Hearing this does not quite make me want to go out and have a chicken barbecue.

I believe that supporting Local Farmer Joe and his practice to humanely and fairly kept produce and animals while keeping up his organic farm is the right way to go. It makes me feel better knowing where the food on my plate comes from. I am pretty sure that I can not eat this way every day, but I believe if we make a conscious decision as much as we can, maybe it would change the ordering in the fast food industry, the Walmarts, the delis, everywhere. The past few days I have had to stop, read the nutrition labels and say, "nope", this contains or MAY contain animal products. I have actually become to like my vegan diet and can see how it can give you a kick of energy. Here is sampling of what I have been eating....

- Hummus and Carrots

- English Muffins and Peanut Butter

- Irish Oatmeal and Blueberries

- Mixed Nuts

- Brown Rice

- Whole Fruit

- Kashi Crackers

- Whole Fruit Sorbet

- Wine (always!)

-Sweet Potatoes (roasted and baked)

- Roasted Beets with Roasted Garlic and Pine nuts

- Salads with Roasted Veggies

- Alternative Baking Cookies - Pumpkin Spice, yum

See, the list sounds yummy doesn't it! Alicia Silverstone (yep, fabulous CLUELESS star) just wrote a NY Times bestseller about her Kind Life book. The book is full of tips regarding the Kind Life, be it health, fitness, fashion, decor. The book is really informative on the Vegan way of life.

I think I will crave a burger and a bowl of real ice cream, but I am looking forward to seeing how I feel after this week. I see my requests at work through a different eye now. I can agree after reading up on the Vegan way why people may not want to eat animal products. hhhmmm what are your thoughts? I could write for days.

Off to enjoy a cup of tea. xoxo~ Becca

I had to share....crepe cake

I was craving something a little sweet this evening....and then I stumbled upon this website. Charleston Crepe Company Oh my! Now I'm really craving something!

The crepe cake looks like heaven. Crepes layered with pastry creme and can be topped with chocolate......yum! yum! yum! $50 per cake, serves 10 guests. I might need to order a fabulous amazing Crepe Cake for my next together. I had to share!

xoxo~Becca

Cupcakes=Love

Yes, I have a little obsession with cupcakes. The little cakes are so pretty and comforting. Who doesn't want a pretty little cake as a treat. Well, yesterday when I saw Style Me Pretty's post on Enjoy! Cupcakes in California, my heart stopped for a second and started to beat really fast. I'm in love!

Enjoy Cupcakes is a great story of a woman who quit her day job to create her dream....a bakery! I have had this dream for many years as well. Seeing these pictures made me think...hmmmmm...event planning or cupcake baking;) Above is the Cupcake Trailer you can rent for events. How cute is it!

The bakery is connected to a wine tasting room with cupcake flavors like: Chocolate Blackberry Syrah, Pomegranate Meyer Lemon Chardonnay and Cherry Vanilla Merlot. Ooo la la, I would love a cupcake and a glass of vino!

Pink Champagne Cupcakes! Need I say more!

This is the inside of the adorable airstream trailer you can rent for parties. Absolutely in my event file now! Now I need to get to California for a party and use this soon.

Check out the beautiful video that they have created with the owner. It is beautiful. Oh my, I'm craving a cupcake now! The beautiful California sun, wine and cupcakes. I need to visit Enjoy soon!

xoxo~Becca

wings?....I would rather have Pizza!

Super Bowl Sunday. Now I am not usually one to sit in front of the TV and watch sports on my couch. If Syracuse is on, I'll watch it, otherwise, nah. However, there is something about Super Bowl Sunday that makes me excited to make game food and sit on the couch (with some magazines) and take party in the festivities. Most people love wings and a cold beer during the game, I prefer pizza and a glass of wine.

This weekend Washington received a crazy snowstorm. We have had over 24 inches of snow cover the Capital. I have spent the last day and a half inside my apartment cleaning, sorting through piles of magazines and catching up on much needed TV series on my DVR. I have had plenty of time to hibernate and relax. Yesterday I took out some frozen pizza dough to get ready for tonight and placed it in the fridge to thaw out. Making the dough homemade is awesome, but luckily I have a great Italian market down the street that makes amazing dough and is much easier for me! Vace, in Cleveland Park is fantastic and so inexpensive.

Place the frozen dough in a well oiled bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let the dough thaw out in your fridge all day, when you arrive home it should be doubled in size. Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a floured surface, gently press the air bubbles out of the dough and reshape it into a ball. Place the ball back in the bowl covered in a warm area for about 20 minutes. After about 20 minutes roll out the dough, voila! Pizza dough is ready!

There are so many toppings to place on pizzas. I feel like Pizza has come along way in America since the Pizza Hut Pepperoni and Cheese pizza I had as a kid. Thai Chicken Pizza, Goat Cheese, Smoked Salmon. Get creative! Open your cabinets and see what items you have lying around and make your new creation. I think I am going to try out this Potato Pizza tonight, it looks really yummy! I'll make sure to share pictures when it is complete.

A healthy easy pizza alternative is to use whole wheat pita bread as the crust. Whole Living magazine has a great suggestion for these pita pizzas.

I am a huge fan of veggie pizzas. Goat cheese, caramelized onions and arugula could be amazing! Maybe I will split my pizza in half with two toppings.

I hope everybody has a fun evening of pizza, wings, beer, wine, whatever it may be!

xoxo ~ Rebecca

holiday sweets

I'm a girl with a MAJOR sweet tooth. The holiday season gets my mind dreaming of holiday goodies before Thanksgiving is even over. I have wonderful memories of my sisters, me and my mom decorating sugar cookies for hours. We were never a family to make pre sliced cookies....oh no! We would spend hours, days, baking the sugar cookies, rolling them out, cutting out many different designs and decorating them. Decorating sugar cookies has started to be an art to my family. Martha Stewart has truly taken over our sugar cookie skills!

Tonight I am flying away to Seattle to spend the holidays at my sisters new fabulous place. The D'Amato family will be drinking lots of vino and no doubt, consuming a lot of cookies.

This lavender snowflake inspired dessert buffet is so pretty. I love the snowflakes on the cake.

Last week I went over to my friend Besse's for a night of cookie decorating, catching up, drinking bubbles and watching Rudolph. I saw these gingerbread men with ties and stole the idea and made a Chuck and Blair gingerbread couple. Too cute!

Every year I am very intrigued to make my own croque em bouche. The layers of profiteroles layered in caramel are just as yummy and sweet as they look. Maybe this year I will take a shot at it. It looks so intimidating!

OMG! I think I lost my breath when I saw these photos. Of course, Amy Atlas is at it again. I dream of waking up and being part of Amy Atlas's amazing dessert team! This year Amy created a holiday party for O magazine. How much better does it get, Oprah and Amy Atlas! LOVE! Check out the entire set of photos on Amy's sweet site here.

xoxo