This Blog Has Moved!

Please continue to follow me, as I move my food blog to Wordpress.com. In efforts to separate my family blog from my personal one, I've chosen to use separate accounts for them. Please visit the new location of "Livin Sweet" here:

LIVIN SWEET BLOG

Be sure to update your accounts to follow this new site:

http://www.livinsweet.wordpress.com/

Stay tuned to my new site to see what new cakes I've been decorating and crafts I've been trying!

I've been very busy...

Happy Birthday Gabriele!

The cake perfectly matched her dress - sparkle polka dots included! I wish I'd gotten a picture of her with the cake, she looked so adorable! The perfect little Minnie Mouse! Happy first birthday Gabriele!!!!

Veggie Soup

Please forgive me for not also posting a picture...I didn't like any of the ones I took...and well, the soup got eaten too fast for me to try and take another!

It is, indeed, the new year and basically everyone is on some sort of crazy diet. I decided not to have any major resolutions, just to try and get back down to my pre-baby size (and I'm almost there!). I am not a huge meat eater - unless I'm going all the way with some great BBQ or a guaranteed-to-be delicious steak. On a regular basis, I prefer veggies, carbs and oh, fish is okay. So last night I decided to make an "Everything veggie in my cabinet and fridge" soup. It included the following ingredients (and they can certainly be substituted for your favorite coordinating vegetables).

Fresh Garlic (minced)
Carrots (whole carrots sliced - more flavor!)
Celery (sliced)
Canned Stewed Tomatoes (diced - I took mine out of the can to cut them smaller, they came halved)
Canned Green Beans
Fresh Romaine Lettuce
Black Pepper
Garlic Powder
Chicken stock (32oz box, or coordinating amount to your veggies)

I like to use whole carrots - they are much more fragrant and flavorful than the baby carrots. The stewed tomatoes won't get soggy and fall apart like fresh tomatoes would - they also have a little more flavor to them.  You can certainly use fresh green beans, also - but I find they're softer from the can. You can substitute the romaine lettuce for any of your other favorite greens like spinach or kale. You could also add onions and potatoes if you wish - you can add the potatoes along with your other fresh veggies. If you want meat, you can also add that - just put it in and cook thoroughly along with the garlic (and onions) - or cook separately and add in the meat later...but of course, it would no longer be veggie soup - it would be regular soup!

I started with a little bit of olive oil in the bottom of my pot to brown my garlic, on medium-high heat. If you have any onions, you could dice them and add them in with the garlic - I just didn't have one. Once garlic and onion is browned, add in the chicken stock. I then added in all of my carrots and celery. Bring to a boil and let these fresh vegetables soften for about 5-10 min (you want to give them a head start since the canned ones are already soft).
Turn the heat down to medium. Then add in your canned veggies. I think the tomato really makes the dish- it adds such a great flavor and provides adequate salt. You could, of course, add more salt if needed, but we're trying to stay away from that, too. Stir periodically. Once everything is well incorporated, add in your greens. It's okay if your pot is VERY full - it'll go down as it cooks. Cover with lid, and let your greens cook down and soften. Stir occasionally, mixing in your greens as they cook down. Add in black pepper, garlic powder and, if desired, salt to taste. Viola! Stone soup.

Happy New Year!

This is the cake that Jana won from my drawing a few weeks ago! Happy New Year!

I barely had time to finish this and get out to door to deliver it...so please forgive my fondant mess on the counter if you can see it!

One.

One Boy, Two cakes.

My son turned one year old today. I made his cake, of course.

The bottom layer was a lemon white chocolate cake with white chocolate pudding in the middle and the top layer was french vanilla with chocolate pudding in the middle. The design of the cake was inspired by the decorations in my son's room. The walls in his room are light blue with one milk chocolate brown wall that has white (vinyl) birds flying across. I also used a print from a painting in his room from Creative Thursday. This artist is incredible and I adore her work!!!! She is creative and genuinely inspiring. The characters from the painting "Jackalope and Friends" are made of gum paste, sculpted by yours truly...I must say, I don't think I have ever sculpted a thing in my life! I was, however, pleased with how they turned out...I did learn a lot, however - which will be beneficial for gum paste figures in the future.

This is the baby cake that my son didn't actually eat, but only poked his finger into lots of times, licking off the icing. Weird kid, I know. I'll let him have a real piece tomorrow.

Dang, I love that kid.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas.

The white ones are mint Oreo...On one of my new plates I got for Christmas. I have a thoughtful spouse, who shops at Anthropologie for me.

I had a birthday cake that got cancelled, so I used my already baked cake to take to our Sunday dinner with family. The face is a little rushed, we were running late. But the concept is pretty fun. I just used a square cake and buttercream frosting.

It's a white chocolate cherry cake with white chocolate pudding in the middle. Stay tuned next week for more cakes...it's my baby's first birthday next week!

Soup - Broccoli Cheddar

I love broccoli cheese soup. As a matter of fact, it is one of the only ways that I will eat broccoli. I especially like this soup at Jason's Deli. They have the best!

That, actually, might be the downfall of this particular recipe. While it tasted fine, it was not all that and a bag of chips - like I had wanted it to be. I won't say where I got it (since I don't want to discredit the source), but I did get it online and that particular blogger had raved about how great this recipe was. I followed it to the t- but it was not great. I will have to try this soup again - perhaps making up my own recipe? I'll let you know what I find out.

On another note - I made peanut butter truffles again last week, but this time with my own recipe...they were pretty dang good and JC ate about half of them on his own before I finally told him to take them to work and share! They're not quite perfect yet, so I'll keep working on that.

In the mean time, here is the recipe for the soup:

Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 can chicken broth (about 1 3/4 cups of broth)
1 small onion, diced

1/3 c. flour
1/4 c. butter
Pepper to taste (I used about 1/2 teaspoon)

2 c. milk (I used 1% with great results)
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese (the sharper the better for flavor - I used sharp cheddar and hopefully next time will have extra sharp cheddar on hand)
1/2 c. shredded swiss cheese
steamed chopped broccoli (the amount of broccoli really boils down to preference - I wanted a lot of broccoli in my soup, so I chopped and steamed approximately 2 1/2 to 3 cups of broccoli florets)

Simmer chicken broth and chopped onion for 15-20 minutes in a covered small saucepan, until onions are soft. Heat milk in microwave for 1-2 minutes. In a separate medium-sized stockpot, melt butter then add flour and pepper. Cook together for a couple of minutes, then whisk in warmed milk. Stir and heat together on medium-high heat until soup starts to thicken. Next add chicken broth and continue to stir until well blended. Add cheeses and steamed broccoli. Serve immediately.

Makes approximately 4 servings (with two adults and three kids, we finished the pot of soup in one dinner serving it in bread bowls, so if you are serving more adults or serving the soup in regular bowls, I would consider doubling according to the number of people)

So here are some of the changes I suggest doing when making this particular recipe - first - I simmered my chopped onion (finely chopped!) in the chicken broth for about a half hour...then did become clear, but they remained a little too crisp for my liking.

Second - I normally like most cheeses, however, I didn't like the stronger taste of the swiss cheese in what was supposed to be broccoli cheddar....I say do a little less swiss and a little more cheddar in its place.

I personally like my broccoli to be really soft...I got one of those steamer bags in the frozen section...I don't think it got soft enough. It was convenient, but it might be better to put the broccoli in a food processor briefly, breaking up any bigger chunks that might hold their fresh crunch.

My last grievance was that it was kind of grainy...not sure that many other people would notice. My husband didn't, and neither did my baby...they both ate tons of it. I am not sure why it did this, but I am going to look into it. It might have been the flour, it might have been that I heated my cheese to hot? Not sure. Just watch out when you make it and beware that it has that tendency....

Otherwise, the flavor was pretty good and making it was SO easy! Really simple to make - and it was perfect for the freezing weather we're having here right now.

And the Winner is.....

For the cake: Jana!!!

For the truffles: Anjelee!!!

Thank you so much to everyone who participated! This was a lot of fun and I am sure we'll do it again...so stay posted!!!

Winners, please contact me with dates and details on what you would like your cake and truffle flavors to be: mallory.livingston@gmail.com.

Congratulations!!

Who Likes Cake? Giveaway!

It's the season for giving, so I've decided it's time to do my first giveaway! Here's what we're giving away....

• 6" round four layer cake, decorated as a Christmas gift in colors of your choice. Choose from the following available flavors for cake: French Vanilla, White Chocolate Cherry Chip, Chocolate Devil's food, Milk Chocolate, Butter Pecan, Red Velvet, Strawberry Cheesecake (flavored cake, not actually cheesecake). Cake will be filled with choice of Almond, Butter, Vanilla, or chocolate buttercream frosting. For Utah locals only.
• 1 batch of truffles - your choice between Oreo, Chocolate Chip Cookie, or Peanut Butter Cookie (for truffle details, please see previous truffle blog posts). For Out of Towners & Local Folks! If you live outside of Utah, truffles will be mailed to you.

Here's how to enter -

Leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite childhood Christmas gift and why it is your favorite. Simple enough, right?

All comments must be posted by THIS Wednesday, Dec 9 at midnight. The drawing will take place and results will be posted the following Day, Thursday Dec 10. Stay tuned to see if you're the winner!

You choose when you'd like the cake! Offer must be used by Jan. 15, 2010. Dates exclude Dec. 24-29. Will deliver to Utah and Salt Lake Valleys - if you win the cake and live outside of that, we may have to work something out :)

Truffle offer must also be used (or mailed) by Jan 15, 2010. Please allow time for shipping. Dates exclude Dec. 24-29.

Early Christmas Present

I made this cake yesterday for a church Christmas dinner. It is a white chocolate butter pecan cake, added white chocolate chips and a cinnamon cream cheese filling. It was quite delicious, if I do say so myself.

The ribbon is a little rushed, I, of course, waited until the last minute to finish it and was only five minutes late. Note to self: better time management.

Superman Luke

My nephew turned four yesterday. I made him a very special Superman cake...it wasn't perfect, and I am definitely my own biggest critic. But to see his face when he first walked in the room was totally worth it! I'm not sure he even knew that it was a cake; but he was definitely happy with it!

It was a vanilla cake with chocolate buttercream, covered in Superman-style fondant.

The foil WAS clean...It shifted a little on transport...I let JC drive and he decided to make a U turn....I'm just happy it made it!

Pecan Pie for Thanksgiving

Once again, I used one of Paula's recipes...love her....this is her Mystery Pecan Pie - it has a layer of cream cheese filling and BOY is it delicious.

Ingredients

Topping:

• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pie:

• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 un-baked deep-dish (9-inch) pie shell
• 1 1/4 cups chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine all topping ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar, salt, vanilla, and egg until combined. Pour into pie shell. Top with chopped pecans. Pour topping over pecans. Bake for 45 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I also made a traditional pecan pie...for this one, I used the same recipe that my Great-Grandma used. Her neighbor had a pecan tree that leaned over the fence into her yard. She would ask me to gather the pecans and then help her shell them. This is definitely one of my very favorite holiday desserts.

Paula Deen's Pumpkin Roll Cake

I made Paula Deen's Pumpkin Roll Cake. I know I don't do this often, but seeing as how it's not my recipe, I'm going to share! Here is the recipe...

Ingredients

Cake:

• 3/4 cup cake flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 6 large eggs, separated
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup golden brown sugar, packed
• 2/3 cup canned pumpkin, packed
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Powdered sugar

Filling:

• 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
• 2 tablespoons dark rum
• 1 cup whipping cream, chilled
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 6 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup English toffee pieces for garnish
• Additional powdered sugar, for garnish
• 1 1/2 cups purchased caramel sauce, warmed, for garnish

Directions

For the cake: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Line a 15 by 10 by 1-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray the parchment with nonstick cooking spray.

Sift the flour, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice into a small bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until very thick. Add the pumpkin to the egg mixture and combine at a low speed until incorporated. Add the dry ingredients and beat at a low speed until mixed. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites and salt until stiff but not dry. Fold into the cake batter, stirring with a spatula, until most of the white streaks are gone.

Spread the batter onto a baking sheet and smooth out. Transfer baking sheet to the oven and bake until a tester comes out clean, about 15 to 18 minutes. While the cake is hot, dust generously with powdered sugar. Loosen the edges and turn the cake out onto a kitchen towel. Fold the towel over the edge of the cake and roll up. Cool completely, edge down, for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

For the filling: Soften the gelatin in the rum. Stir over low heat until the gelatin dissolves. Cool. Beat the chilled whipping cream and powdered sugar in a large bowl until peaks form. Fold in the gelatin and 6 tablespoons English toffee pieces.

To assemble, unroll the cake and sprinkle with 4 tablespoons of English toffee pieces. Spread the filling over the toffee. Start at 1 long side of the cake roll and, using the towel as an aid, roll up the cake to encase the filling. Place the cake, seam side down, on a platter.

Trim the ends of the cake at a slight diagonal. Dust the cake with powdered sugar. Spoon some warm caramel sauce and the remaining toffee chips over the top of the cake. To serve, use a serrated knife to cut the cake crosswise into 1-inch thick slices. Drizzle more sauce on each slice and serve.

I normally LOVE Paula Deen, but I was a little disappointed in this cake. Don't get me wrong, it was delicious - but I think I was hoping for a little bit more than what it turned out to be. First, it called for Rum...which is fine. I made a special trip to the state liquor store and wandered blindly for a few minutes before asking someone to tell me what I needed. This was actually my first experience with Rum...did you know it smells like cleaning products mixed with gasoline? Anyway, unless you are accustomed to the boozey flavor and appreciate it more than I do, then I suggest leaving it out entirely. It was way too strong, and I, personally, would have liked it better without.

Second, the filling was made with whipped cream, made by yours truly, none of that Cool Whip stuff....I did add extra caramel sauce to the center of the cake before I added the filling and some extra toffee chips...why not? Again, leave out the rum - the filling was pretty good on its own. My complaint about it though is that I kept wishing it had cream cheese....I love cream cheese....and I think I would have liked it more with cream cheese.....

Third, it was Paula Deen's recipe...but it didn't call for any butter. Not a stick, not a pad, not a shaving...I think the cake would have been better if it was slightly buttery - and I think it would have been a little more "Paula Deen" if it had at least a tiny bit of butter! Oh well...

Like I said before, it was a perfectly delicious cake. Only, if I'm going to absorb the calories, I'd like to not be left wanting....

I'll let you know when I find/come up with a better recipe....one with cream cheese, perhaps?

White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

I decided I wanted something sweet last night.

Yum.

More Truffles - Chocolate Chip Cookie Style

Quiche

It's my aunt's recipe....bacon, onion & swiss cheese.

Spider Cake

Happy Halloween! I made this cake for JC's aunt & uncle's Halloween Party 2009.

The top layer is a white chocolate cherry cake with a white chocolate ganache. The bottom is layers of milk chocolate devil's food, white cake with cheesecake accents, filled with a bittersweet chocolate ganache.

I made the little spiders out of cinnamon chocolate truffles.

I also made the little oreo truffle ghost pops.

They were all quite delicious. I am happy to have been a contributor to their fabulous party!