Sugar Coma

 So me and Dez went to Sonic and got one of these today! (Not together though since we live in different cities lol.) Me love you long time Sonic!!! It's sooo good and worth the fat that will collect on my ass soon. YAY!

Sunday Breakfast: Blueberry Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

 I usually like to make my muffins from scratch, but I cheated a little with this one because we had this bag of blueberry muffin mix on hand.  But even if you use a premixed batter, you can always doctor them up to taste even better! I followed the directions on the bag and then added 1 TBSP of poppyseeds and about 1/4 cup of lemon juice to the batter. While they were baking, I decided to whip up a sugary lemon glaze to top the muffins. I added a few TBSPs of lemon juice to about 1/3 of a cup of powdered sugar and popped it in the microwave for about 30 seconds. (The measurements on that really don't matter that much...it just depends on how tart or sweet you want your glaze. Play around with it!) After the muffins come out of the over, I slathered on the glaze with a heavy-hand because it's so freaking good lol. I let the muffins cool, sprinkled with a little powdered sugar and tasted. Results: Mmmm mmmm geeewwd! I wanted an extra lemony zing, so I served these with lemon curd (that yellow blob you see above lol).

Happy Sunday!

MK

p.s. TIP OF THE DAY: If you don't have powdered sugar on hand, don't run out and buy any! You can make your own at home. All you need is regular granulated sugar and a blender. Put the sugar in the blender and blend it for about a minute. Check out the consistency, if it looks and feels like powdered sugar, you're done! If not, keep blending until it does but don't overdo it :D  I forget where I picked that tip up but it's come in handy so much!

Sunday Breakfast: Bacon Pancakes

aka how to get your boy to do what you want-cakes.

Basically you make buttermilk pancakes and sprinkle cooked & crumbled bacon on one side before flipping it over. (I added white chocolate chips to some of them too. I'm being naughty today haha) I topped the pancakes with a maple cinnamon butter and lots of maple syrup. The boy was VERY pleased. There's a perfect combination of sweet & salty going on in these! I got the inspiration for these from Big Daddy's House on The Food Network He used sage sausage instead of bacon and made his pancakes from scratch. His recipe is called "slammin' sausage pancakes if you want to look it up.) I used a pancake mix since we had a little left and whole milk instead of butter milk but they were still tasty :D Mmm mmm mmm! I don't eat bacon very often (and I'm trying to eat less meat now anyway) but I have to say the flavor is divine especially when paired with maple syrup *drool* I only wish I had a little cinnamon ice cream to go on top ~___*

<3

MK

Sweet Victory!

As I mentioned in the last post, me and 2 others won the bumper sticker contest! The three winning designs are now for sale at Muddy's Bake Shop! I won 5 stickers, a pie, and a dozen cupcakes!

To see my work in an a bakery that I love is amazing!! My sticker is even on the side of their coffee maker right next to the register where everyone will see it :D Thank you Kat for giving me more than yummy goodness...you give me HOPE that like you, I can make it doing what I love to do!

Now let's look at the goodies shall we?

my bumper sticker! thanks to everyone who voted for me :D

Walk in the Woods pie - it's got thinly sliced apples inside with this beautiful and crunchy granola topping. The topping has cranberries in it too. HEAVEN ON EARTH people!!

cupcakes! strawberry fields forever (strawberry icing on strawberry cake), the classic (chocolate icing w/ sprinkles on vanilla cake), monkey around (banana icing w/ pecans on banana cake), grasshopper (peppermint icing w/ sprinkles on chocolate cake) pucker up (lemon icing w/ sprinkles on lemon cake) frankly scarlett (cream cheese icing on red velvet cake).

The Monkey Around cupcake is my NEW favorite. I didn't think it got any better than the Frankly Scarlett, but I almost dropped dead when I took my first bite of this one haha! It's soooo good!

I knew this old cupcake carrier would come in handy one day ;)

I hope you're having a great weekend! Remember tonight is the last night to enter the mini-giveaway. Answer this question right and you're in the running to win something super cute!

♥MK

Junk Food Junk Food Junk Food!

This is why you never EVER send your junk food lovin' boyfriend/hubster to the store to get groceries alone. The boy was told to get a little bit of junk food and a lot of staple stuff that we can cook meals with. Yeah the reverse happened. Exhibit A:

and the best of all, lol:

A freakin' King cake!? You know the mardi gras cakes? Well apparently he found one and he bought it.   Reasoning: because it was on sale....wow.

Next time I'm just going to suck it up and go with him or I'll never lose any weight this year, lol :P

♥MK

Valentine's Day Cupcake Inspiration!

I want to make the most amazing Valentine's Day cupcakes EVER! Are you baking any sweets for the sweet in your life? Details, details!

♥MK

Foodie Love ♥ I Made Mint Brownies!

Ever since Muddy's mint brownies were featured in Everyday with Rachael Ray, I've been wanting a mint brownie baaaad! I haven't made the trip to get one yet, but I tried my hand at making them at home and they're SO GOOD!! They are kind of fudgy and slightly cakey...perfect for eating warm with ice cream! I had mine with vanilla and the boy had his with peppermint. Mmmmm!

Here's some shots from the whole process:

The recipe is from here:

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cold large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of the baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.

Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. (*I added two shakes of ground nutmeg in this mix because I like the flavor.) Stir from time to time until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger fairly quickly after dipping it in to test. Remove the bowl from the skillet and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot.

Stir in the vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes. Stir in the nuts if using. Spread evenly in the lined pan.

Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack.

Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 or 25 squares.

Mint Frosting: (the recipe is from here)

½ c. butter softened 
2 Tbsp. milk
2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. peppermint extract
green food coloring

Mix all ingredients until smooth. Spread generously onto COOLED brownies before or after cutting. Pop them in the fridge for about 30 minutes to set the frosting.

If you try this recipe let me know how you like it! This one is going to be in heavy rotation in my house :D The boy melted when he took a bite of this sweet treat straight out of the fridge, haha! I love his response to my baking ;)

toodles!

p.s. check out the serene view outside of my kitchen door. I love how woodsy it looks out there...

 

Foodie Love: Addicted To Baking!

Since we've moved, I've been baking up a storm. I've made a goal to cook and bake more now that I have more than enough counter space! Another goal was to stop using boxed cake mix and start learning to make baked goods from scratch. Nothing against cake mix, but I want to do it like grandma did, you know? So today I made 2 mini chocolate cakes and used the rest of the batter for cupcakes. I also made the icing from scratch too and it was so easy! The cakes came out moist, yummy, and uber doober chocolately (I finally got to use my organic cocoa powder and it's sooooooooo good!)

How do they look??

You can never have too much icing, right?? ;)

p.s. If you're having a NYE party and you like artichoke hearts, I have an awesome dip for you!

1 pkg of softened cream cheese

1/2-1/3 cup sour cream (I eyeball it)

3/4 to a whole can of roughly chopped artichoke hearts (once again eyeball it, you want just enough but not too much)

1/4 cup lemon juice

a few generous shakes of dried parsley (about a tbsp or so)

salt and pepper to taste

Mix sour cream, cream cheese, and lemon juice. Then add your other ingredients and mix thoroughly. (If using a food processor, don't over mix if you like your dips chunky.  Add more lemon juice if you need to smooth the dip out a bit.) I added a little lemon pepper seasoning on top because I love that stuff! I also add a little grated parmesan/asiago/romano cheese mix in this dip too. It's GREAT with cracked pepper & olive oil Triscuits!!! I could eat a whole bowl by myself lol. You could add cooked (and well drained) spinach to this dip too. MMMmmmm!

Hope You're Having A Yummy Christmas Eve ♥

I decided to make some yummy muffins from scratch this morning for me and the boy. I made us a nice brunch and these muffins were the highlight so I figured I'd share the wealth :D I just used the basic dry ingredients and fiddle around with my own wet ingredients and then voila, tasty tasty things came out! I'm sure others have similar recipes, but I didn't use anything written so I'm claiming it as mine damnit, lol!

Cinnamon Spice Muffins w/ Homemade Cream Cheese Icing
(t = teaspoon, T = tablespoon)

2 c flour
2/3 c sugar
1/4 t salt
1/4 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1 t ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
1/2 c apple sauce
3/4 c oil
1 c milk (I used WestSoy Vitality Vanilla soy milk)
1 t vanilla extract

Line your muffin pan with paper liners and pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour and then mix all "dry" ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl. Beat eggs in a separate bowl and then add the rest of your "wet" ingredients in that bowl. Make a well in your flour mixture and pour the wet ingredients in. With a rubber spatula, fold your ingredients together slowly but thoroughly until well blended. Use a large teaspoon or ice cream scooper to evenly distribute your batter to your liners. Fill cups about half way and bake for 15 minutes or until a thin knife or tooth pick through the center of the muffin comes clean. You'll have more batter so repeat until your batter is gone :) Reminder: Let your muffins cool completely before you take the liners off! I tried to do it too soon and it ripped the bottoms off of some of them, lol.

Cream Cheese Icing
1/2 a package of cream cheese; softened
sugar to taste (I used about 1/4 c) 
1 t vanilla extract
splash of dark rum (optional)

Whip everything together thoroughly until smooth and refrigerate. (You may want to use a food processor to avoid cream cheese lumps.) Once the muffins have cooled completely, spread or pipe the icing on and enjoy! (I sprinkled a little nutmeg and cinnamon sugar on top of the icing, Mmm!)

Everyday With Rachael Ray Appreciates Muddy's!

 Photography by Con Poulos

Muddy's Bake Shop, my favorite place for sweet treats, has been featured in a big magazine! Their Minty Brownie is featured in Everyday With Rachael Ray, woo hoo! I love that magazine because it offers countless easy recipes and all kind of tips and tricks, gadgets and gizmos. I just like the overall look and feel of the magazine. I'm so happy for Kat and the whole Muddy's crew!

To read the article, please visit Everyday with Rachael Ray online.

I ♥ Sprinkles

Nothing makes me happier than colorful sprinkles! All images are click-ably credited ;) I really love that last one! Very sexy in a foodie kind of way, heh. Happy Friday my dears...ENJOY your weekend! ♥

p.s. Speaking of sprinkles, the adorable Becky from A Lovely Little Deer made me a beautiful sprinkles necklace and ring for me! Pics tomorrow lovelies ;)

Foodie Love: Candied Yam Cupcakes!

OMG I must have this cupake! I read about it on CakeSpy and I had to share ;)

Candied Yam Cupcake: This delicious confection starts with cake made using Garnet yams, toasted pecans and traditional fall spices--and then it gets even better with the addition of marshmallow meringue, which is torched for a perfect crispy edge and gooey inside. This cupcake has developed an almost cult-like following since its debut in 2007!

Is anyone else drooling yet? I love fall flavors and spices and this cupcake sounds like heaven! It's available at Trophy Cupcakes in Seattle...which unfortunately is nowhere near me. Boo! :( Anyone from that area had one of these precious things?

image credited to CakeSpy ♥

Foodie Love: It Smells Like Chinese Food...

The boy brought home muffulettas last night (after I told him not to even) but I'm SO glad he didn't listen to me! He got them from Yang's Deli...they serve Chinese food and deli sandwiches (odd, kinda) which is why the butcher paper my muffuletta was wrapped in smelled like Chinese food, lol. They were sooooooooo good! I'd venture to say this was the best I've ever had. Mmmm mmm gewd!

image credit / image credit

 
In other foodie news, I tried the Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks two days ago. Supposedly it's all the rage. Well it's was OK for me. I got a grande iced one. Next time I will get another pump of pumpkin syrup and another shot of espresso. (or would getting a venti do the same thing?) It was tasty but I think it could be better. The pumpkin flavor could be a little richer or something. But maybe I got a crummy barista so I'll try it again before I write it off ;) I do give it bonus points for it being the color of orange sherbert though, hehe.

Hmm what else? Oh! I plan on making chocolate banana cupcakes soon. I'm trying to tweak a recipe to make it over the top good. Stay tuned for that yumminess. I also want to make a special candy treat to share with you. I can't tell you what it is yet, but just know you will laugh your ass off when you see it. It's so kawaii and yet kinda of gross at the same time, lol.

Anyway, I'll leave you with a super cute picture of the most awesome dog on the face of this earth.

can i has muffulettaz 'n punkin spicy lattez???

hee hee. toodles!

Bananas Foster & Spice Cupcakes

I got the recipe from Just Jingle and yowza are they goooood! I didn't follow the recipe exactly...I swtiched a few ingredients and used a cool whip frosting, which is a bit lighter, instead of the caramel pan frosting. Thanks for sharing the recipe Jen!

Here's my tweaked version:

(yields 24 cupcakes)

1 box of white cake mix
1 box of banana instant pudding mix
2 large eggs
1/2 cup applesauce
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup of vanilla soy milk
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp of ground cinnamon
a few shakes of ground nutmeg

Frosting/Toppings:
a tub of extra creamy cool whip (thawed)
1-2 tbsp of banana flavoring (or liqueur) to taste
sliced banana (optional)
chopped nuts (optional)

I blended all the ingredients together thoroughly and cooked the cupcakes for about 20 minutes. They bake pretty quickly so check I'd them around 15 minutes depending on your oven. For the frosting, I just mixed the cool whip and banana flavoring together and spread it on the COOLED cupcakes. (I accidentally put it on a hot cupcake and it slid right off, lol.) The banana slices and chopped nuts are optional but man-o-man are they good with both of those additions!! Also, you want to keep these cupcakes in the fridge because of the cool whip frosting. (It will get too soft if they sit out too long.)

The boy and I took some to work and everyone loved them. My boss says they are to die for haha. I ate about 5 last night (I know, horrible) but they are just so tasty and fluffy! mmm mmm mmm!

These are going to be in heavy rotation come fall!

Foodie Love: Pink Stripes Rules.

1. Pound Cake 2. Homemade Avocado Ice Cream 3. Grilled Avocado 4. Homemade Bagels 5. Sweet Corn & Edamame Salad 5. Chewy Peanut Butter Cookie & Homemade Cinnamon-Honey Ice Cream Sandwiches...What's not to love?

I came across this blog a few months ago and I'm sad to say I kind of forgot about it...which is totally my fault as I read way too many blogs! Today, I was going through my Tasty Blog Roll to visit sites I haven't been to in a while and I'm so glad I did! It reminded me of Wendy from Pink Stripes. I just had to make a little foodie board to show off the amazingly yummy looking food on this blog. PS is an AMAZING foodie blog full of beautiful photos and all kinds of scrumtious recipes. The recipes run the gamut from savory to sweet to the rather unusual (um, avocado ice cream anyone?)...but you'll love to look at everything. If you're into food photography, this is the site for you. The photos make you feel like you can reach your fork out and take a bite. It's highly inspirational to say the least!

So if you have a minute (or an hour) to browse Pink Stripes, do it! You won't regret it...well I take that back. You may regret it because you'll be SUPER hungry when you're done, LOL.

♥ all images credited to pink stripes, wordpress blog ♥