Wedding Cakes Take One

It is about time to start making practice wedding cakes again. The cupcake above was a trial Apple Spice Cupcake I did for my friends wedding last fall. The next big wedding is in the summer of 2014 and the cake request is Vanilla Champagne with Strawberries. I'm thinking we'll take the angle of a light angel food cake soaked with champagne simple syrup and layered with strawberries! I'll post pictures of how it goes!

Ma Ma Zoe

During my recent trip to Colorado, I was planning to have lunch with a friend in Boulder and she told me she wanted to go to Zo Zo Ma. So I googled Zo Zo Ma to get directions and I couldn't find it. But I did find a Ma Ma Zoe and we did end up at the same place giggling about it in the end. Ma Ma Zoe had a small sitting area inside with tables covered in newspapers and more seating outside. Colorado is always beautiful and sunny so we opted to eat outside. My favorite part of Ma Ma Zoe, were the homemade egg noodles. They were delicious! We also had dumplings and steam buns which were also very good. I can't wait to go back for more!

Stuffed

Recently I was having lunch with a friend in Rochester at a small eatery called Open Face. We chose to go here for lunch, based solely on the menu design. I love how simple the O and the brackets create the image for the business. The gentleman who opened Open Face designed the menu, printed the tshirts and creates the sandwiches. He is quite the individual and this was quite the cookie. I think there was cinnamon in there! Yum!

Granola Bars

My number one go to food is applesauce. My second go to food would be granola bars. When I was working at The Broadmoor in Colorado one of my friends used to bring these in and share them with the group. For my parting gift she made me a whole pan! Her granola bars were amazing. Here is my stab at it!

Piece, Love & Chocolate

The last time I was in Boulder I checked out this sweet store, Piece Love & Chocolate. I could really go for some chocolate. And the hot sipping cocoa that I enjoyed while I was there.

My Dream Cookie

I love cookies and cakes and all things sugar. And when I dream of cookies....I dream of this lovely giant from Mary's Mountain Cookies in Fort Collins, Colorado! I stumbled into her shop this Valentine's Day looking for something sweet. And I found just that! It is a cross between a comforting chocolate chip cookie topped with all the fun of going camping. My dream come true!

Check out my new flickr!

In efforts to consolidate all of my pastry documentation. I started a flickr! Check it out here.

Packaging for Caramels

This was how I decided to package the caramels to send out! I think the next batch will be Earl Grey Caramels! Yum!

Caramels

I am on job hunt, sending out resumes and cover letters weekly. I was wondering what might accompany my graphic designer/pastry artist resume well and I decided on caramels! So I made a few....hundred. We've been eating caramels for weeks over here!

Surprise!

Together Cooking has been a little slow at getting posts up these past few months! But we're trying to get back into the swing of things. To celebrate we'll start with this cake. It was an order I received for a Surprise/Birthday Party last weekend. I layered chocolate guinness cake with vanilla buttercream and finished with chocolate buttercream. From what I've heard it went over very well! I am currently in Rochester, New York and available for any sweet commission your heart might desire by email (annemariedenton@gmail.com).

Moxie Cupcakes

I am currently in my last two weeks of school at The Culinary Institute of America and I'm trying to check off places that I'd like to go in the area and haven't yet. Yesterday I spent the day in New Paltz, New York. I started at Taco Shack for lunch, which was not as impressive as I would have liked but then headed to Cafeteria Cafe to enjoy a hot chai latte and to do a little job searching. I was very happy to sit on one of the gold embroidered couches and sip my chai. Cafeteria Cafe was a really cool cafe. I can't believe that this was my first time there! My final destination was Moxie Cupcake. I ordered the one of the right, a peanut butter cake with chocolate chips and a peanut butter buttercream. And my adventure partner for the day ordered a chocolate cupcake filled with caramel and topped with salted caramel buttercream. Both cupcakes were heavenly and so was the atmosphere. We arrived, ordered our cupcakes and cuddled up in the cozy dining room and almost forgot to offer each other a bite before we finished our cupcakes. The best part of both of the cupcakes was their moist texture. It makes me want to start tweaking my cupcake recipe. Good job Moxie! I will see you soon!

Parisian HOME COOKING

The Red Queen has been SO busy taking care of her kingdom there has only been time for work, preparing and eating meals. So my gift to you is this MAGNIFICENT cookbook by Michael Roberts. Many many years ago, the RQ happened upon this book quite by chance one afternoon at the bookstore. My favorite part of the story is how this gem was snatched up for only $5! The wealth of gourmet recipes are easy for the home chef to prepare; a truly fabulous resource! You'll have to take The RQ's word for it! Last night, she and P< ate up chicken roasted in the oven with a lovely garlic sauce...scrumptious! Check it out on-line or at your local bookstore. And as always, ENJOY!

Dinner in "a snap" - Chicken Scarpariello

Chicken Scarpariello is a fabulous dish which is easy to prepare and delicious! Several years ago a friend introduced this dish to me and it has been a staple in The RQ's kitchen ever since as well as a favorite of Little Brother.

Shopping List-
2 boneless chicken breasts, flour to dredge w/ salt & pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
red pepper flakes to taste
3 Tblsp. parsley
3-4 Tblsp. butter
1/3 cup white wine
juice of one lemon
3 Tblsp. capers
Freshly grated Italian Cheese

Cut breasts into cube size pieces. Dredge in flour, salt, pepper. Fry over med-hi heat in 1 Tblsp. oil in skillet on stove (non-stick preferrable) till nicely browned all sides. Remove chicken to heatproof bowl and cover. Add butter to skillet, garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute 30 seconds. Deglaze w wine. Return chicken to pan, add capers cover and simmer on med-hi for 5 min. Sprinkle with parsley and freshly grated Italian cheese of choice. ENJOY!

Eggs & Hash Browns for Dinner

This post is for my darling friend Anne and her lovely daughter Grace!

As observed, this meal fits in an iron* skillet! After preparing stovetop it is finished in the oven! The combination was inspired by Cindy Petters from Hidden Pond Farm in the Finger Lake region. You can peek at an article about Cindy in Where Women Cook on page 40 or buy the fall edition.

Using an oven safe skillet brown thinly sliced small red potatoes in olive oil on med-hi heat. Be sure the potatoes are nearly cooked before moving to the next step. Sprinkle with paprika, salt & pepper. Make as many spaces as needed to melt a pat of butter and drop an egg. Bake at 400F for 10 minutes. Remove & sprinkle with favorite cheese (coarsely grated), green onions, and parsley. P< enjoys bacon so The RQ added a few yummy slices of Hickory Smoked. This dish can be tweaked in many ways. Just peek in the fridge and in the garden for fresh ingredients and ENJOY!

* An iron cast skillet is one of the most versatile pieces of equipment for the cook!

Thanksgiving Dinner

Roasted brussels sprouts, root veggies, marinated 'shrooms, popovers, cranberry sauce,  Spinach-Artichoke stuffing, and turkey roulade made a scrumptious feast for this year's Thanksgiving meal. Plenty of vegan dishes for CC and turkey for our meat lovers! We hope ALL of you enjoyed a leisurely & festive day with family and friends enjoying delicious eats and good company!