I know of two special people who are expecting a baby soon, and neither one knows if it’s a girl or a boy.  So, I’m hoping that at least one of them has a little pink to look forward to and will be thrilled to received this cute little cupcake sweater.

The pattern is the same as one I previously posted for Sweet Baby Norah.  It is from the book Knitting Just for Baby, by House of White Birches.  The yarn is a machine-washable cotton blend by Classic Elite, called Pebbles…great for spring and summer.  I embellished the sweater with a little crocheted cupcake applique that I made using some dk cotton stash yarns.  The pattern was from one of the Japanese crochet books that I bought a while ago, Crochet Edging and Braiding.  If you are not inclined to spend $25 for this book (which is written in Japanese but has lots of graphs), check out “Cupcake Applique” on Ravelry which looks (amazingly) just like the one in the book.

I love this sweater, and I’m tempted to place it in my “keepsake-handknits-in-case-I-ever-have-a-grandchild-treasure-box”.  But I think, instead, I’ll make a cupcake hat to match and hope that one of my pregnant friends has a baby girl.

Baby boy???  I better get  moving on something blue.

Fast.

“A”

Today is a big day for my friend, Jen, as she celebrates a milestone birthday.  Her grade-partners have prepared a surprise celebration, and I volunteered to bake the cake.

Since I wasn’t at the party, I don’t have any photos of the sliced cake (bummer).  I will do my best, though, to describe it.  I started with a Betty Crocker Super Moist white cake mix.  To this, I added: 1 cup milk, 3 eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla and 1 stick melted butter (a la Paula Deen).  Mix it all together and bake in two 9-inch round cake pans for approx. 25 minutes (you know what a cooked cake looks like!)

The filling is Henry & Henry raspberry filling and it is wildly delicious.  I purchased it at Ladybug Cake and Candy Supply, but if you don’t live anywhere near a shop like this, it is available online.  I frosted it with Magnolia Vanilla Buttercream, but I substituted 1 tsp. almond extract for 1 tsp. of the vanilla (it calls for two).  I love the taste and creamy texture of this classic buttercream.  It’s easy to make, but the secret is to beat it (just beat it…)

Happy day, dear Jen!  Hope you enjoyed your cake ;-)

“A”

Note:  My addiction to disco dust continues.  I may need a 12-step program.

I have her written recipe, and have watched her dozens of time, so I’ll try my best to keep this authentic.  First up, you’ll need 4 – 5 lbs. of red bell peppers:  (she would usually make 10 lbs. ;-)

Remove the seeds by cutting around the green stem at the top of the pepper and then pull the stem out.  (sometimes you have to give the stem a little twist)  Reach into the pepper and remove as much of the pulp and seeds as possible:

Next, place the cored peppers on a broiling pan:

Place peppers under the broiler, and broil until skins are somewhat blackened.  You’ll have to rotate each pepper during cooking so that all sides blacken.  It took about 35 minutes for my peppers to cook:

Place cooked peppers in a paper bag, or plastic grocery sack, and allow to cool until peppers are easy to handle, but still warm.   This process helps loosen the skin, making it easier to remove the skin from the pepper.

Now…the messy, not-so-fun part.  (Don’t give up…it’s still worth it!!)  Remove the skin from the pepper by peeling it off with your fingers.  The goal here is to remove the entire peel. (Well, sometimes close enough is good enough.)  After the skin is removed, separate each pepper into three or four sections and set aside until all peppers have been peeled and separated.

Drizzle olive oil on the bottom of a casserole dish (I used a 13 x 9 x 2) and arrange the first layer of peppers.  Sprinkle lightly with bread crumbs (mine are seasoned), place some fresh, thin garlic slices on top, sprinkle lightly with salt (pepper is optional) and drizzle olive oil across the entire layer.

I started with 4.5 lbs. of peppers, and I sliced 5 cloves of garlic:

Place the next layer of peppers directly on top of the first, and repeat the seasonings.  There are three layers here:

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for approx. 45 minutes (they’ll be really hot and bubbly).  Remove the foil and continue cooking until they are completely soft and tender, and slightly browned on top…about 15 minutes more.

Yes, you can buy roasted peppers in a jar but, trust me, they do not compare.

I hope that I have honored my mother-in-law by sharing this version of her treasured recipe; one she generously and lovingly prepared for her grateful family.

“A”

Note to Mom:  I got the peppers for $1.29 a pound!!

The coconut bites are way too easy.  I purchased a 1/2 lb. of coconut dough at my local cake & candy supply shop, scooped it into small balls and dipped them into melted chocolate.  They taste like mini Mounds!

I’m hoping to share these on Valentine’s Day, but they’ve already started disappearing.

Sweets (with me around) have a way of doing that.

“A”

I’m not sure if you can see it, but I brushed some rainbow disco dust onto the ruffle after the icing had dried, which added just the right amount of dazzle and sparkle!! (I love disco dust so much that I wanted to brush it over the entire cookie.  After all, the only thing better than “some” sparkle is “more” sparkle.  How-Ever, I resisted temptation…this time…and left well-enough alone.)

Each cookie is wrapped in a cellophane bag and tied with a sweet little shiny ribbon.

I can’t wait for Nicole to see the cookies, and I look forward to celebrating the upcoming wedding of two very special people.

“A”

The recipe is on allrecipes but, after reading the reviews, I made the following changes: I added 1 1/2 tsp. strawberry extract to the pink layer, and I added 1/8 cup dutch-process cocoa and 6 tbsp. melted dark chocolate to the chocolate layer.  The cocoa made the batter a little thick, so I thinned it slightly with a bit of milk.  (it was still thicker than the vanilla and strawberry).  The vanilla glaze came from allrecipes, too, but I tinted it pink and used strawberry extract instead of vanilla.  Also, 2 1/2 tsp. milk was not nearly enough to make the glaze pourable, so I kept adding milk until I got the consistency that I wanted.  (I think I may have gotten carried away with the milk because the glaze was a lit-tle too runny.  Next time for me, less milk.)

I would definitely make this cake again.  With a scoop of strawberry ice cream on the side, it’s a Valentine’s Day super-treat!

“A”

So, for me, these cookies are a stand-alone favorite, and Betty Crocker seems to do it best.  These cookies have a mildly crunchy texture and wonderful peanutty flavor.  I was tempted to make a few changes, like chunky peanut butter, mini-chocolate chips, or those highly-addictive peanut butter m&m’s, but simple old-fashioned goodness won out.  I followed the recipe exactly, but instead of dipping my fork into sugar before I made the criss-cross pattern, I rolled the whole cookie in granulated sugar and then made the pattern.

Cold milk + two (or more) of these cookies = happy day.

Here’s to another happy day.

“A”

I went to a friend’s house for a few days.

It was GREAT seeing her again,

and I just loved spending time with her husband.  Magically, after all these years, it seems they never change.

Their estate is breathtaking and there is so, so much to do!!  With glorious weather, scrumptious food, and adventure rides that literally took my breath away (not kidding), it was a most memorable visit.

As we said our farewell bippity boppity boo-hoos, I promised to be back soon.

A happy ending, indeed.

“A”

To quote Sean, the oil burner serviceman that I shared them with today, “OMG!  Best muffins E-VER.”  Since he ate three of them, I believed him.  And, since I ate uhhhhh two of them, I had to agree.  The topping is deliciously sweet and crunchy, and the soft, tender crumb of the banana muffin is the perfect complement.

The recipe came from Allrecipes, and I made them exactly as described.  Their yield is 10 muffins, but I filled 12 muffin cups.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

No need to wait for a visit from your oil burner serviceman.  If you have some golden, spotted, ripe bananas, now is the time to use them.

Trust me, you will not regret it!

“A”

Wow.  They are packed with coco-nutty flavor and the magical power to turn a gloomy day bright.

I’ve had this recipe for years, and I’ve seen it on the web, but here’s my take:

ALMOND JOY COOKIES

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup Crisco shortening

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup light brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon coconut extract

2 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups milk chocolate chips

1 cup sweetened coconut

1 cup chopped roasted almonds

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  Place 1 cup whole almonds on a baking sheet and toast in oven for 8 – 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool.  Cut each almond in half:

Combine dry ingredients; set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together butter, shortening and sugars.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and stir in extracts.  Stir in the dry ingredients until well mixed, then stir in chocolate chips, coconut and almonds.  (Note:  you may have to blend it together with your hands, because the mixture tends to be crumbly).

Form into large rounded balls using a 1 1/2″ diameter cookie scoop.  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten tops slightly:

Bake for 8 – 10 minutes.  Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack.  Yield:  38 large cookies.

Give these cookies a go… they’ll make every minute you spend on the treadmill well worth the effort!

“A: