Cake.

It’s a magical thing. Some how it’s able to celebrate, cure, be delicious, be a good friend and do it all looking oh-so-sassy!!

I need this cake today, I feel like I need cake every day – and if I could, trust me, I would. But today’s different, I need a slice ( or two). It’s been a rough week. Work has been nuts, after hours I’m meeting with potential clients, filling orders, planning a wedding, recipe testing and all in that mix, I manage to get some sleep.

Speaking of sleep … you know that person you see every single morning sleeping on the train – - that’s me. Two things, first – you know I’m the sleeping lady … DO NOT sit next to me if you plan on talking on your cell phone at 6:45 am. Who’s up and needs to chat every.single.day at 6:45?! Second, thank you kind people who gently tap me when we get to my stop … I love you. And if possible, I would share this cake with you. You deserve a slice or two.

And so, my plans for this weekend … nada!! I want to kick back, do nothing at all and eat cake. Will it happen? –  Doubtful … but I’ll try my best. Let’s start with the cake

Joy did her funky magic and added tea to cake. Remember when I did that to muffins? And then I did it again? Joy is cooler, she made petite cakes and then dunked them in frosting … her’s are pretty … delicate and delicious looking. Buy her book, make her cakes, and you’ll see.  I took her idea and did my funky magic.

I added earl grey instead of chamomile, skipped the honey frosting but added some extra butter – brown sugar – pineapple and cherries. It’s a beast of beauty. One that I will get to know at least once ( maybe twice … or thrice ..) this weekend.

 Pineapple Upside Down Earl Grey Tea Cake

Adjustments:

Earl grey tea used.

Didn’t make, or add the frosting.

Additions:

1/4 Cup Butter

2/3 Cup Brown Sugar

3 Slices of Fresh Pineapple, cut into 1/4 segments

15 cherries ( or enough to make a pretty circle)

__________________________________________________

Melt 1/4 cup butter and pour into cake pan. Sprinkle brown sugar over melted butter. Arrange your pineapple and cherries in a pretty pattern. Cake – it should be simple, and pretty.

The rest, was all Joy.

Enjoy darlings, have a great weekend … eat some cake … be merry… make magic <3

Love this advice!

Have a great rest of the week, Ladies & Gents <3

Chocolate + Booze + the weekend.

This is my kinda paaarr-taaayy!!

Cheers to the weekend sweethearts …

After a long week of hustling through the rat race … all a girl wants to do is get reacquainted with some chocolate – a splash ( or two ) of alcohol doesn’t hurt and carbs make it all better.

Technically, I need this bread in my life. I don’t even know if I can call it a bread to be honest, it’s quite cake-like. But, I’m of course thinking ahead … if I call it bread, and due to the fact that I added oats … it’s TOTALLY breakfast food …. or something like that. Can I convince you it’s healthy ? pushing it? – sorry.

But breakfast, that works!! Oh yess …. chocolate and booze before 9:00 am. We got a deal

I originally made this bread for St. Patty’s day … and then I had to make it twice since. Can I let you in on a little secret ? – Papa LTSL is like a chocolate Hoover Vacuum … he sniffs it out, and consumes it in the blink of an eye. Truth is, I love that man – - I suggest I keep him around for a while.

My dad and I we have a pretty good thing going, I bake … experiment to my hearts desire and he eats. Even the unsuccessful recipes, he’ll at least try. I remember when I was a lot younger, I burnt scrambled eggs ( yes it’s possible … stop laughing) and he ate every bit of it. I’m sure it was the most disgusting thing ever … but he did. If that doesn’t qualify for him to be my superhero … I don’t know what will.

So, shall we get a slice on what all the jazz is about? – Let’s bake!!

Double Chocolate Chip Nutella Guinness Bread

2 1/4 Cups Flour

1/4 Cup Cocoa Powder

1/2 Tsp Sea Salt

4 Tsp Baking Powder

1/4 Cup Quick Oats + 1 Tbsp ( keep separate)

2/3 Cups Brown Sugar

1 1/2 Cups Dark Guinness

1/4 Cup Nutella

1/2 Cup White Chocolate Chips

1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 oc – prepare loaf pan.

In a large bowl sift together flour, cocoa powder, sea salt, 1/4 cup of oats and brown sugar.

In a small bowl, whisk together Guinness and Nutella.

Add your Guinness mixture to your dry ingredients. Mix well.

Add both kinds of chocolate chips. Fill prepared pan, top with 1 tbsp Oats and bake for 45 minuets.

Allow to cool and enjoy!!

Have a fantastic weekend Ladies and Gents – - stay sweet

xox

Truth.

Happy Wednesday my darlings <3

xoxo

On that note, muffins any day are a good idea. The sweet aroma of being fresh baked, the soft cushion center and the slightly crunchy muffin tops … it can leave a girl caught up drooling … just saying.

And for the record, in my parts of town we NEED these particular muffins. I need to do my part to trick mother nature into bringing spring our way. On Saturday … there was frost on the ground … last Wednesday, I saw people in open-toe shoes and shorts.

WHAT THE HECK MOTHER NATURE?! It’s almost May.

And so, I’ve stocked my kitchen with tulips .. fresh citrus and it’s bursting with berries. But obviously, that’s not good enough for me.

I need muffins. And they need to be special. Special enough, to make me want to leave my warm and cozy bed … crawl down the stairs, remove the wrapper and dig in. I know you get it – that’s why we’re friends. So I added an extra punch of lemon, sprinkled some cranberries and well … Mmmmm.

Lemony Lemon Cranberry Muffins

2 Cups Flour

1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar

1 package Lemon Jello

3 Tsp Baking Powder

1/2 Tsp Sea Salt

1 Tsp Fresh Lemon Zest

2 Eggs

1 1/4 Cup Milk

1/2 Cup Vegetable oil

1 Cup Dried Cranberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 oc, prepare a 12 Cup Muffin tin.

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, jello, baking powder, sea salt and lemon zest.

In a medium bowl, mix together eggs,  milk and oil.

Next, stir together your wet ingredients and dry.

Last, add the cranberries.

Fill the prepared pan and bake for 25 minuets.

Allow to cool and then, Mmmm … taste a little spring weather.

Stay sweet darlings, it’s going to be a great week!!

I’ll give you a minute.

No, you’re not dreaming and I won’t judge you if you’re thinking about licking your computer screen.

I’ve never been so excited for banana’s to go brown.

2 x the amount of bananas – 2 x the amount of bourbon – a wholelotta Mmmmm.

oozing with brown sugar syrup, caramelized crispy bananas – the cool burst of french vanilla ice cream … and that’s just the topping.

That lovely cake you see  - – bananas, brown butter and chunks of chocolate to take your taste buds on a roller coast to yum-town.

Friday’s are meant to be celebrated so I saved the best Sunday’s With Joy Recipe, for last.

This is one killer of a desert ( let’s be honest, I want it for breakfast, lunch and dinner too)!! It’s rich, it’s decadent and it’s out of this world delicious.

Your weekend needs a little foster – you bring the spoons, I’ve got dessert covered and the best part is, we don’t even have to share!!

Chocolate Chunk Bourbon Spiked Banana Bread Foster 

As if those baby’s aren’t gorgeous enough. Let’s foster a little foster ( bad joke, I know .. sorry):)

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp Cinnamon
• 1 Tsp Sea Salt
• 1 Banana – sliced
• 1 Tbsp Bourbon
• Ice cream ( I used French Vanilla … feel free to use any flavour your heart desires – OMG, if any of use chunky monkey … please.send.pictures.)

1. Melt butter over low heat, add brown sugar and cinnamon.
2. Add sea salt.
3. Throw in your sliced banana and allow to caramelize.
4. Add a splash ( or two) of Bourbon and let the good times roll.

Building a beauty :

Cake – ice cream – foster

Time to fall into a dessert love affair : you, spoon and Ms / Mr Foster.

Happy Weekend Darlings <3 I hope you had a great week, and an incredibly sweet weekend xox

Peanut butter and chocolate addicts – unite! Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Brown butter all in one punch of yuuummm! Come my children .. welcome to the dark and delicious side.

As soon as I read Joy’s recipe for her Brown Butter Peanut Butter Crispy Rice treats, I knew I was in trouble. I knew instantly she was talking my language, I was about to put down my pb spoon and create something kind of wonderful.

And so, I did. And ate every single morsel of it. Addictive – yes, but in the BEST.WAY.POSSIBLE.

Before I show you what I did, can we have a little heart to heart.

Have you kids seen this little sucker :

HOLYCRAPOMGGETINMABELLY …

Yep. That was my expression exactly. General Mills / Cheerios people – I love you.

Marry me.

… And then I added chocolate.

You’re welcome …. and sorry; all at the same time. After munching, you’ll get it. You’ll both hate and love me.

I get it – I really do.

Extra Peanut Buttery Chocolate Brown Butter Cereal Squares

Alterations:

• Peanut Butter Cheerios used instead of rice cereal 
• 2 Cups Mini Reese Pieces added to the top
• 1 cup melted chocolate chips to drizzle.

Ready, to get your peanut butter pants rocked?

Add your cups

Drizzle

Yum.

Go ahead, no one is looking … it’s okay if you don’t share. I didn’t – there wasn’t enough time

Also, if you thought today’s remix of joy’s recipe was nuts. Wait til you see what I have for your tomorrow. One word: Bourbon.

Stay Sweet!!

xox

They can say what they want – call you any name in the book

You won’t be able to hear them when you

take over the world

xox

Happy Wednesday!!

It’s true. Okay, it’s no where near true, I can’t even do a card trick without messing it up ( now that’s true). But I did turn pancakes into Madalines. It was an idea. A great idea. And I got to play in cream cheese frosting.

Joy(look at me – calling her Joy as though we’re BFF), is in fact the magician. 3 words Carrot. Cake. Pancakes.

Dessert and Breakfast all in one – YES! Cream Cheese Frosting before noon – YES!  … Magician.

Except, then I went and LTSL’ed this whole magic trick and I baked the bad boy, dunked it, and then …. mmmm.

Let’s just say, I don’t even have crumbs left.

Madalines are pretty. And they’re french – I feel like everything french is pretty and a little more sophisticated. I can’t speak fluent french but Madalines .. I could get use to that language.

Don’t forget to get your copy of the recipe, in this glitzy / glam book.

Carrot Cake Madelines

Alterations:

• Added 4 Tbsp Ground Flax and Chai Meal
• Filled A large Madeline Pan and baked for 20 Minuets.

Let’s french

Cream Cheese Glaze

Dunk!

Enjoy!!
Don’t forget to stop by tomorrow, I’m making my take on Joy’s Brown Butter Peanut Butter Crispy Rice Treats

xox

Moi.

I’m here … I’m baking and munching through the sweet life.

It’s been quiet on the blog, I know.

I have to share a little secret with you crazy kids. A little secret that’s pretty major.

For the last sixteen weeks I’ve been planning a wedding.

My wedding.*Cue the freak out music now*

Mr. LTSL asked me, I said yes and I instantly heard Etta James ” At Last” in my mind. Mr. Fiance ( side note: did you know fiance, is the male form of fiancee … we may have totally had a long discussion about such),makes my sweet life, that much sweeter and I couldn’t be happier / more excited / nervous / scared / anxious / giddy. This is huge to me. With that being said though, planning a wedding is hard and keeps both a little lady and her soon-to-be busy! And so, I’ve been MIA.

But I’m back. And I’m sprinkling your life with a little joy today. Actually, this week I’ll be doing a little Sunday’s With Joy catch up.

Keep your eyes, ears and taste buds tuned for a full week of Joy Recipes. And to start;

Blueberry Peppercorn Goat Cheese Biscuits.

Yes! Sweet - savory - spicy. You want and need this in your life. All of Joy’s recipes can be found in her outstanding cookbook, below I will simply include my adjustments ( because I can’t leave amazing alone, without added a little extra sweetness ) .

Blueberry Peppercorn Goat Cheese Biscuits.

Adjustments:

• Substituted Whole Wheat Flour for : 1 1/2 Cups Brown Rice Flour, 1/4 Cup Chai and Flax seed Powder, 1/4 Cup fiber curls.
• Used Peppercorn Goat Cheese
• Added 1/4 Tsp Cumin Seeds
• Added 1 Cup Fresh Blueberries
• Baked as one large biscuit, then cut into wedges.

Shall we make some biscuits?

Bake – slice – drizzle with a little extra honey and…

Ta-daaa!!

Have a great day children of the playground

xox