Monthly Archives: January 2012

Cherry Vanilla & Cream Cheese Cupcakes for Two

  By Dawn | January 30, 2012 - 10:14 pm | , , ,
30 Comments

I had cream cheese frosting left over from Red Velvet cupcakes I made last week. Every time I saw opened the refrigerator I could here it whispering, “Eat Me. I’m your favorite.” Something had to be done, but what? I couldn’t throw it away. That would be some kind of crime against cupcakes everywhere. Eating it by the spoonful wasn’t an option or was it? I did go cross country skiing this afternoon and I ate a late breakfast and didn’t eat lunch. These thoughts actually went through my head before I was reminded that I’m in the midst of a “biggest loser” competition. Frosting by the spoonful was not going to get me any closer to that $450.  Read more... (525 words, 23 images, estimated 2:06 mins reading time)

Red Velvet Valentine’s

  By Dawn | January 26, 2012 - 10:33 pm | , ,
17 Comments

I have lived in Alaska for almost 12 years.That’s long enough to stop calling all sodas a Coke & long enough for my southern drawl to have mostly faded away. I say mostly because about 5 minutes after I step off of a plane in New Orleans,it all comes flooding back. I suddenly I hear myself saying things like “bamamamas” (if you don’t speak N’awlins that’s by my mama’s). I have no idea how it happens; I don’t call my mom “mama”- EVER. Deep down inside of me there’s still a Southern Bell that needs to rear her pretty little head from time to time. I actually love that I grew up in New Orleans. How can you not love a place with so much character and such great food? One of the foods I love the most is Red Velvet cake.  Read more... (690 words, 12 images, estimated 2:46 mins reading time)

Happy National Pie Day!

  By Dawn | January 23, 2012 - 10:13 pm | , ,
9 Comments

Its National Pie Day so I baked you a pie.

This fall while shopping at a Farmer’s Market  in Kauai, I had what I might say was one of the BEST slices of pie I have ever eaten…gooey layers of chocolate ganache & coconut custard topped  with  toasted coconut.  This chocolate coconut macaroon pie was made by a local bakery called  The Right Slice.  They sell their pies at various farmer’s markets on Kauai & recently opened a store front in Lihue. Yay! Next year I won’t have to wait until they are a nearby market to get a piece of pie. I’m not ashamed to admit it. My real motivation for checking out farmer’s markets was to find the Right Slice and get a piece of that pie.  Read more... (504 words, 2 images, estimated 2:01 mins reading time)

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

  By Dawn | January 10, 2012 - 8:20 pm | ,
2 Comments

Banana bread is one of my favorite things to bake. Its yummy, quick, easy and it makes my house smell amazing for hours. I like to use really ripe (almost completely black)  bananas to make banana bread for two reasons. First, because as they ripen they get sweeter and second, because they are so much easier to mash when really ripe. My problem is that a bunch of bananas rarely last more than a day or two in my house,. On the rare occasion bananas get the chance to become too ripe to eat, I seize the opportunity to use them in banana bread.  Read more... (380 words, 1 image, estimated 1:31 mins reading time)

Apple Ebelskivers- puffy, bite-sized, spheres of apple filled goodness

  By Dawn | January 3, 2012 - 6:37 am |
2 Comments

I hadn’t heard of an Ebelskiver until this afternoon when a friend asked if I wanted to borrow her Ebelskiver pan and Ebelskiver book written by Kevin Crafts.

Ebelskivers (pronounced “able-Skeevers”), a traditional Danish treat, are are bite-sized, filled, pancake spheres that can be sweet or savory. According to  legend, they were created by hungry Vikings. After returning from battle with no pans they used the divots in their damaged shields to cook pancakes over the fire.

Making Ebelskivers does require a special pan. I used the electric version by Dolce which is available here at William-Sonoma . It looks like this:  Read more... (547 words, 2 images, estimated 2:11 mins reading time)