Tuesday, March 29, 2011

sweet cravings

followed my craving today by immediately baking cookies.
but not just any cookies..
coconut chocolate butterscotch cookies
pure bliss.



always.
yellow butt(::)n

Monday, March 28, 2011

mama cakes.

mom & bob finally got married after 16 years!!

mom planned a simple wedding.
tulips in vases.
spring colored napkins.
a short wedding dress.
& white on white cupcakes!
s i m p l i c i t y

some liners were little tulips, the rest in white.


all topped with yellow and green sugar pearls.




love you, mom.

always.
yellow butt(::)n

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

motherly love.

my sunday afternoon was spent baking with mom.
and oh, what a mess that was! haha
i love her, she loves me, but i was soo off that day.
i overfilled the cupcake liners,
which caused the cupcakes to bake 2 minutes too long.
they came out great,
but my buttercream was too soft
because i tried showing off by not measuring the milk. wah!
but pictures were captured. they just had to be.
:::
ANYWAYS!
my mom is getting re-married on saturday!
so let's hope i bake the best cupcakes ever for the wedding.
:::
moms choice; white on white.
enjoy :)


mom picked some tulips from her garden for me :)


i love my momma goose.
the best baker i know.

always.
yellow butt(::)n

Friday, March 18, 2011

we kids.

new favorite; 'we kids' in flemington.
the most sweetest children's consignment shop
i wanted to buy some things for Jaime & also for Alysia!

i spent about twenty minutes
and spent only sixteen dollars on 15 outfits.
oh.my.word.
i cannot wait to have babies so i can shop here!




i can't wait to give these to Jaime & Alysia tomorrow!
i hope they love them as much as i do

always.
yellow butt(::)n

Thursday, March 17, 2011

morning scones.

cherry vanilla scones


&
 lemon apricot scones


the sweetest treat.

always.
yellow butt(::)n

dark chocolate cupcakes.

whoops! i baked these cupcakes yesterday
but simply didn't have the time to post.
so here we go.
wednesday turned into "lets bake more carrot cupcakes cause they're so good
and dark chocolate cupcakes for another mommy-to-bee!"
after working at the bakery, i came home and baked for a few hours.
always a fun thing to do when the sun is shining!
alysia wanted chocolate cupcakes
and my fudge shoppe family wanted carrot cupcakes!
oh, and my husband is loving having a different sweet in the house

carrot cupcakes, round 2.
this time, smaller carrot pieces, and more raisins and walnuts.
mmm, i just love the green liner and orange sanding sugar!

chocolate cupcakes, extra dark!


im still searching for the perfect chocolate & vanilla cupcake recipe.
i always try out new recipes and make changes to them.
this recipe will be made again, adding cold coffee to the batter!

always.
yellow butt(::)n

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

carrot cupcakes.

this week is 'cream cheese icing week!'
over the weekend, i made about 3 times too much
and have lots of leftovers [about 10 pounds, id say]
yikes! but im excited !
this just gives me more of a reason to bake for others :)

tuesday; carrot cupcakes.
fresh out of the oven.

filled with cream cheese icing

i love the little imperfections.

yum! delivering these today to Jaime[sister in law] since she is pregnant
and Chris [brother in law] since his birthday was last week.

i love this recipe because i can use it without the carrots
and use it as a spice cake, adding apples or pears!

always
yellow butt(::)n

Monday, March 14, 2011

waiting for spring.

endless sunshine, where are you?

jersey tomatoes, where are you?

bright rooms, where are you?

summer sunsets, where are you?

fresh herbs, where are you?

i'll be here...
w a i t i n g.

always.
yellow butt(::)n

sunday soup.

sunday soup is becoming a weekly tradition.
mike & i love cooking, and eating.
on weekends, we seem to be so busy that soup is the the perfect dinner.

last sunday & this sunday i made my tuscan soup.
garlic, yellow onion, carrots, chicken stock,
water, white beans, spiral pasta, and fresh spinach.

i love a good broth-y soup. so rich, yet still so simple
and ready in less than 35 minutes.




we enjoyed this soup last night with some french bread.
i made a double batch so we can enjoy it today for lunch & dinner.
it's one of those tastes that never gets old.
happy soup-ing.

always.
yellow butt(::)n

Sunday, March 13, 2011

baby cakes.

i love all things baby.
the faces, the noises. the gestures. the little body. the little heart. the smile.

well...........
no, i am not having a baby.
but my sister Jaime is!
[this is Jaime & I from my wedding day]


Emma Lynn is her name, and is due to arrive in may!
as future aunt & uncle, mike and i decided to make a special shower gift.

mike painted a tree on a canvas, and i decorated it!
it turned out beautiful.

once Emma is born, all of the family members
are going to leave their fingerprint on the branches
just like we did for our wedding guestbook!


Jaime's baby shower was Saturday, and I baked 85 red velvet cupcakes!
everyone loved them. luckily there were a few extras for Jaime to take home.

we are so blessed to experience our family growing
and we are eager to meet the little one in may!

always.
yellow butt(::)n 

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Monday, March 7, 2011

raw.

mike & i went raw for the past week and we LOVED it!
raw fruits and vegetables for 5 days straight.
and some hummus and beans.
i highly suggest doing this body cleanse to fix your eating habits.

mike and i tend to eat foods that make us really tired
so after this week, we feel rejuvenated!
we are going to continue eating partial raw,
but adding some basic things to make the diet a bit more heartier
grain breads, homemade soups, yogurt, cheese, and rice.
maybe meat once or twice a week.
...any one else bored?

heres my turkey sandwich.
yum.


health nut bread, honey turkey, muenster cheese, greens, & spicy mustard.

happy eating.

yellow button

loaf.

pumpkin bread in march? okay!
on a weekly basis, i bake for the local coffee shop in town.
and boy, do i love it...hmm..okay, sometimes i love it...
BUT i do love them for selling it. 
what more could i ask for.

usually i make 8-10 loaves a week, as well as my scones.
the flavors are usually the same, but pumpkin bread...still?!
i really don't mind, the pumpkin comes in a can
but i just didnt realize customers would still be buying pumpkin anything in spring.

enough pumpkin talk, lets see some pictures.



there it is.
pumpkin raisin walnut loaf..
in march.




3 tips for quickbreads
1. taste, taste, taste! dip a spoon into the batter and taste what you've created. just a little bit. i always do that especially with pumpkin bread because its supposed to be pumpkin-y, and spicy. when the bread bakes, the flavors burst even more so you want to make sure you haven't under-or-over done it.

2.  most quick bread recipes make a loaf that is small in height. since i bake them for a coffee shop, they want the slices to be legit. therefore, i double the recipe, and with the leftover batter, make a smaller loaf or some muffins for home :) it all works out. the business is happy and so is my husband.

3. you literally can alter any quick bread recipe to your liking. for pumpkin bread, add raisins, nuts, fruit, spices, or make it plain. if you're making a banana bread, add the same! nuts, fruit, spices, chocolate chips! anything you want, you can do. do not be afraid to mess up. its a good learning experience, & we all go through it.

happy baking.

yellow button