I am entering a contest put on by one of my favorite bloggers, Sweetopia! Every month she has a theme-based contest and opens it up to her readers for voting. This month the theme is Spring/Easter. I had the idea of combining cake, cookies and candies into an epic tower of goodness.

At first I thought about incorporating Peeps since they are an icon of the Easter basket. I thought about trying to make a cake “basket” and then filling the basket with a ton of Easter candy but in the end I decided to keep it simple.

I did end up cutting up some Peeps and putting them into the cake mix but that was pretty much pointless. They just melted right into the batter just like a co-worker told me they would. I used lemon cake mix for a three-tier cake.

I made some bunny cookies ahead of time to cut down on the amount of work I would need to do on assembly day. I used Martha’s sugar cookie recipe and royal icing as usual.

In the end, I liked the look of the Easter egg decorated cookies better than the bunnies for the type of cake I wanted so I put the eggs towards the front of the cake.

I also made some little candies using a spring-themed candy mold and some candy melts. You just paint the candy inside the mold and they harden pretty quickly.

The best decision in my opinion anyway was to use Smarties for decoration. The pastel colors are perfect for spring.

I also used a few mini jawbreakers and some pearl candies for a little added detail.

I couldn’t resist topping the thing with a chocolate bunny. I can’t decide if I like the look of the cake best with the gold foil on the bunny or without.

I had a good time making this cake. I am definitely looking forward to next month’s challenge as well!

I love donuts. I had thought that baked donuts would never even come close to the taste of a fried donut but I was wrong. My husband bought me this little donut pan and Donut Book for gifts and I got the chance to try out some recipes on my day off Monday.

First I did a recipe from the book that was for a baked yeast donut. They turned out pretty good but I burned the bottom of them because I didn’t use parchment paper and they bake at a high temperature. The delicate dough was singed. Next, I whipped up a batter for my donut pan. The recipe is on the back of this label. I think my husband got the pan at Target since Nordic Ware and Target are both companies based in Minneapolis. But Amazon has some similar pans from Wilton. The donuts were very fast and easy to make. I was worried about the amount of nutmeg but they turned out perfect.

The inside was nice and light and airy. They turned out a lot better than I expected and were much easier than any other donut I have made. I highly recommend them!

Baked Buttermilk Donuts

From Nordic Ware

Ingredients:

2 cups cake flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

2 Tbsp melted butter

1 tsp vanilla

Method:

Heat oven to 375. Grease and flour pan. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir in buttermilk, eggs, butter and vanilla; beat until just combined.

Fill each well 2/3 full. Bake 10-12 minutes, until the top of the donuts spring back when lightly touched. Cool 5 minutes in pan; invert onto cooling rack and cool completely. Glaze and decorate as desired.

Over the weekend I played around with the concept of “cake in a jar” as seen numerous times on Pinterest and other websites. They were easy to make but the novelty wore off pretty fast after I tasted  them. I’m not sure if it was my recipe of choice or the length of time I baked them but they seemed a little dry. My husband thought they were too sweet and then said, “I think I would rather have chocolate cake in a jar.” So my verdict on these is that they look cool but make sure you have a good recipe. Since the recipe I used didn’t turn out the best, I won’t reprint it here but I will say the one I used was for a homemade white cake and was from a website I very much admire. Again, maybe I baked them too long. I thought I would post some pictures anyway and my review of the concept in case others are interested in trying these.

I do think these would work well for a kids’ spring picnic birthday party. The jar would make a nice container for an outdoor event as there are always those parties where plates and napkins are blowing away or people are balancing their plate on their lap. They would be fun for kids too- a lot less messier than the cupcake often served at kids parties.

Like I said, I did a basic homemade white cake and then added my own jimmies or “sprinkles”.

I also used cake flour for the first time ever. I can’t say I’m a convert yet. . .

You put the cake mix in a jar but don’t fill them very high otherwise you a) won’t have room for frosting b) will have cake Vesuvius in your oven. I would say a jar filled about half way would be good.

You need to bake the cake jars in about 1/4 inch of water.

Serve to willing participants such as husbands on lunch breaks!

I gave my husband a zombie cupcake book and told him I would make any recipe from it for a zombie apocalypse party he would be having this weekend while I am away snapping pictures on the north shore. I was a little overwhelmed however when I actually looked and read the recipes in the book. He picked a really cool bloody eyeball recipe that involved gum paste and fondant and I wussed out. Maybe I’ll try my hand at some of the creations from the book when I have more time on my hands (and money). Instead, I decided to make something a little easier (and inexpensive). So these are my variation of that.

I used box mix to whip up some cupcakes. Then I did the crushed up Oreo on top of chocolate frosting thing for the “earth”. A white Lindor Truffle makes a perfect “eyeball”. I decorated them with food writer pens for the iris and red veins. I had some leftover black gel I used for the pupil. Some trimmed cherry gummies and red Gushers worked great for “blood”. I think they turned out pretty good. I hope his friends are totally appalled.

Before I moved to Minnesota, the only foods that came to mind when I thought of the state were hotdish, wild rice and blueberries. I am proud to say that since making Minnesota my permanent residence, only the latter 2 have become beloved staples in my kitchen. Of course my Minnesota husband does appreciate the occasional hotdish for supper. Unfortunately I have not mastered the fine art of the hotdish. But I do keep trying.

Every now and then our local newspaper the Star Tribune will poke fun at the hotdish in their Taste section and every now and then they will have a recipe like this that I clip and add to my recipe box. It is the type of recipe you make with care and eventually evolves into “comfort food” for your family.  The recipe is inspired by The Boundary Waters Canoe Area, a protected area in Minnesota that is incredibly special to me even though I have never been there. It is a beautiful place but one does not just drive up there to visit. Permits must be purchased, you need to have some basic wilderness skills and planning is everything when dealing with the mosquitoes in this area. My first trip up I will mostly likely stay nearby, at this lodge. I will most likely “feel out” the are before embarking on a grand adventure in this region. It is so primitive that people who don’t know what they are doing have died. Until I get to go up to the BWCA and experience it for myself, I have this recipe.

Food is obviously important for a lot of reasons but for someone like me who has lived many places and experienced different local cuisines (continentaly anyway), the food I cook can instantly transport me to that location. I can’t wait until my kids are old enough and I can whip up some giant muffalettas. I hope that I can wow them with stories about alligator sightings in Alabama while they bite into the cheesy ham and olive delicacies!

Meanwhile, back in Minnesota, we will be cultivating our kids’ heritage and eating this soup. The soup is delicious as made but I did find it to be a little too rich. Next time I will cut the amount of butter used in half if not more.

This year I am sending out some Valentine’s Day packages to friends and family. There is a lot of cute in the stores and I want to share it with more than just my kids. We are busy baking cookies and making valentines. I can’t wait to send some of these out.

The “love” cookie cutter used in the first photo is vintage, I found it in a thrift store. But the teen lingo sugar candy decorations are obviously of this era and come from Wilton. They were $1.74 at Joann Fabrics.

Most of my better cookie cutters came from thrift stores. The weather is so nice here today I feel like thrifting and hunting down more along with maybe a new Pyrex bowl or two. . .

There are a lot of really good cookie decorators out there. I feel like this is something I could get into in the future when the kids are in school and I don’t have to rush and hide things.

There are a lot of Cookie decorating books  that have some amazing looking projects in them too I will eventually invest in.

For now I will keep dinking around with my own designs.

I call these “bunny love” cookies:

My 2 year old really enjoyed these.

I hope the teenagers in my life enjoy these:

As far as baking sugar cookies, this is what I’ve learned. If your house isn’t 90 degrees inside there really is no reason to chill the dough before baking. I still use Martha’s recipe because I think it is the best but I no longer go through all the chilling process. I think I read this over on Bridget’s blog and I figured, if it works for her then I am for sure going to give it a try. It definitely makes an already time-consuming process go much, much faster.

I have been wanting to make this for a while but needed a lot of time to prep it and chill it so I waited for the holiday weekend. It worked out great to have for today since it is a low-fat dessert and a guilt-free dessert to ring in the new year with. From the outside, the layers didn’t appear as defined as I would have liked but the inside didn’t disappoint.

A spiked version using vodka can be made for a grown-up party. (My husband says, “for people who want to puke rainbows later.”)  The website where I found this recipe publishes the vodka version. I made a virgin rainbow.

Very impressive and festive. It took a long time but it was worth it. The taste isn’t fabulous but I think the overall look of it kind of makes up for the bland taste of the jello. I wish the sun were shining today so I could have got some really good shots of my chunks of rainbow in my kitchen. But then again, I think that’s probably another reason why I made it. As we head into January and the dreary winter months here in Minnesota, everyone could use a little rainbow in their kitchen.

Rainbow Ribbon Salad

From: jellyshottestkitchen viaRock-UR-Party by Tablespoon

We have been getting a lot of kale in our CSA box this year and I haven’t always been sure what to do with it.

Kale is a very beautiful leafy green. But some people would rather use it for garnish than eat it. The trick is to put it in something you enjoy eating like a cheesy omelet. Although it does defeat the purpose a tad bit. . .

Our CSA, Loon Organics, puts out a nice newsletter each week and this week’s newsletter included a recipe from the blog Kate in the Kitchen. I knew just by looking at the recipe that I had to try it.

While stirring the ingredients I inhaled the aroma of many of my favorite ingredients and couldn’t help but to steal a bite before even adding the cheese sauce. It convinced me I don’t need to jazz up kale to eat it. I probably just need to cook it.

Adding in fresh corn off the cob just sends this dish over the top. I would definitely make something like this for a potluck or large gathering. It’s a little unique and still as good as the “standard” potluck dishes. An adaptation of this as a dip would probably be good too. Before being baked it reminded me a lot of spinach dip- yum! Here is the recipe:

Cheesy Corn and Kale Bake

Adapted from Kate in the Kitchen

1 red bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced (can also use a leek)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large bunch of curly leaf kale, washed and spun dry then chopped
4 c. fresh corn kernels
4 T. unsalted butter, divided (can also use evoo for original sautee and then use butter later)
2 T.  flour
1 c. milk (can also use soy)
1 c. freshly grated cheddar cheese (or mix it up a bit with pepper jack)
1 T. sour cream (can also use cream cheese)
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt and black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375°

In a deep cast iron skillet, or other oven proof skillet, sauté the onion and pepper in 1 tablespoon butter until soft. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about a minute or two. Add in the kale and stir until it’s coated with the butter (or oil), then cover the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring once or twice. Scrape veggies in to a bowl and set aside.

In same pan, melt the remaining 2 TB butter, then add the flour and stir to make a roux. Cook, stirring, for about two minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Slowly whisk in the milk until smooth, then cook, stirring constantly until the mixture is very thick. It may look a bit reddish brown from the bell pepper, but that’s just fine. Mix the cheese in a little at a time until you have a nice cheese sauce, stir in the cream cheese and cooked pepper mix, and then the corn kernels. It will be very thick. Season with salt, pepper and the cayenne and spread it evenly in the pan. Place the pan, uncovered, in to the oven and bake until hot and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Last week a coworker asked me if I wanted to try this dip. When he told me what was in it I was hesitant but did try it. And after trying it I couldn’t stop eating it. Then I couldn’t stop thinking about making some of it to have at my own house so I got the recipe. This is a really easy dip to make and it tastes sooooooo good. The Hawaiian theme makes it a great recipe to serve at your end-of-the-summer party.Josh and I thought we would adapt this and make a summer veggie dip that would be just as good but with more veggies from the garden.

Hawaiian Cheese Dip

Recipe courtesy of Brian R.’s “lady friend”

Ingredients:

1 8oz package of cream cheese

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

3 tablespoons crushed pineapple DO NOT DRAIN THE JUICE!

1/2 green bell pepper, diced

1/4 cup chopped green onion

1/2 teaspoon Lawrey’s seasoned salt

Blend all of the ingredients well, chill, and then serve.

This, my dear friends, is the papery husk of a tomatillo. A tomatillo is a fruit much like a tomato and they are a staple of Latin American cuisine.

I think they are just beautiful. I used the tomatillos today to make this:

The tomatillo husk itself is much nicer to look at, but don’t let the color of the Salsa Verde put you off. Many years ago I was at a summer party and someone had brought Salsa Verde. I spent much of the afternoon hunched over the bowl of Salsa Verrde, hoarding it. It’s one of those things you can’t stop eating because the flavor is so good. I’ve been looking for a good Salsa Verde recipe ever since and I finally found one. The flavors will linger in your mouth for hours after eating it, it really is one of those special recipes. You don’t have to eat it with just chips either. You can use it to serve with chicken too. The recipe is in this awesome book:

Put ‘em Up!

The book is put out by one of my all-time favorite publishers, Storey Publishing (they have some of the more unusual and best-designed books!).

Storey is allowing me to give away a copy of this book to one lucky reader! Just comment on this post to be entered to win. The deadline to comment will be midnight on August 26th.

The author is Sherri Brooks Vinton, an author with a stunning resume. She is the founder of FarmFriendly LLC which has done great work raising awareness and finding support for local agriculture. She is a member of the Chef’s Collaborative, Women Chefs and Restauranteurs not to mention a member of the Northwest Organic Farmers’ Association. This book is about nourishing friends and family and keeping with tradition. Storey Publishing is a perfect fit for this book since they promote “country living” in harmony with the environment.

The book is divided into 2 sections: Technique and Recipes. The book spends quite a bit of time on technique so if you have never preserved anything before and have been scared to get into it, this is the book for you. It will teach you everything you need to know to preserve with confidence. If you have canned before and have been hoping to get into some newer and more up-to-date recipes, then this too is the book for you.

The book isn’t just about canning either. There are dehydration recipes, recipes for freezing, cocktail recipes, etc.

Here is a sampling of the recipes I hope to try soon:

-Berry Leather (Better than sugary Fruit Roll-Ups!)

-Olive Salad (for Muffalettas, yum!)

-Charred Chili Barbecue Sauce

-Homemade Raisins

-Chinese Plum Sauce

-Pickled Watermelon Rind with Cinnamon and Clove

If I still drank I would make the Red Hot Vodka and if I still had scapes I would make the Garlic Scapes in Oil. I don’t want to say this is a “hipsters” guide to preserving but it kind of is. The art in the book will appeal to a younger crowd as will the fresh, clean ingredients that are coming back around again in the culinary world. I give this book 5 stars!

Here is the recipe for the Salsa Verde:

Salsa Verde

From Put’em Up by Sherri Brooks Vinton

4 pounds tomatillos, husks  removed

1 tablespoon oil

1cup vinegar

1 pound onions, chopped

1/2 pound chilis, seeded

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup cilantro

1 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the broiler. Wash and dry the tomatillos.  Lightly brush half of the tomatillos with olive oil and arrange on a baking sheet, stem side down. Broil until blackened in spots. Remove and cool to room temperature.

2.  Puree the remaining raw tomatillos with the vinegar in a blender or food processor and remove to a large saucepan.

3.  Puree cooked tomatillos, onions, chilis and garlic.  Add to pan.

4.  Bring to a boil, simmer 10 minutes.

5. Stir in cilantro and salt.

To can, process for 15 minutes then turn off heat and let the jars rest in the water for an additional 5 minutes. Remove jars and let sit for 24 hours. Store in a dark place for up to 1 year. Makes A LOT and is great for gifts.

Update: The winner of the giveaway is Gloria!!