I’m probably the only kid who would lie to my parents about not feeling well because I didn’t want to miss school. I would try SO hard to fake feeling well, but when I’d come home from school and fall fast asleep on my parents’ bed, they’d know. Then they’d take my temperature and tell me I couldn’t go to school the next day. I’d cry. I absolutely hated missing school because I felt like I would miss something important and never ever be able to catch up. I would obsess over it. I’ve carried that same fear over to my adult life and there’s nothing I hate more than getting sick and being forced to miss stuff.

Lucky for me, I don’t get sick very often (knock on wood), but when I do, it comes on strong. And after working from home for 4 years, I knew coming back to the work world would do a number on my immune system at some point. Not only am I around people all day every day instead of all by my lonesome in my safe and sterile little apartment, but I take the yucky MBTA to and from work. Germ central. It’s actually kind of amazing it took me 4 months of working before I got sick. But now I have a nasty cold and have felt miserable all weekend. Boo hoo.

I definitely wasn’t going to miss celebrating my sister’s birthday, though. So, I pulled myself together and headed to my parents’ house with Chris on Saturday afternoon. Oh, and we brought Mitzi along for the evening, too.

The cutest.

My mom ordered a cake from Brookline’s Party Favors and I decided to whip up some frozen yogurt. It was a total experiment as I’ve never made frozen yogurt with actual Greek yogurt. It was super duper easy. Unfortunately, most of my family didn’t love the tartness of it (though I tried to counter it with some extra sugar!), so be sure you enjoy tart yogurt if you’re planning on making this. And ginger, too. You really need to love ginger.

Ginger Honey Frozen Yogurt (makes about 1 1/2 pints):
Print this recipe!

• 16 oz. Greek yogurt (I used whole, but 2% might work, too)
• 1/3 C honey
• 1/4 C grated ginger
• 1 T sugar

Ginger is weird to grate. But smells amazing.

All you gots to do is mix everything together: The yogurt, honey, grated ginger, and sugar.

I used whole Greek yogurt (Chobani!) because I wanted to make sure it would be creamy enough to turn to ice cream, but I think 2% would probably work, too, and would cut out some of the fat.

And then chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.

When you’re ready to freeze the yogurt, pour into your ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s directions.

I spun mine for about 30 minutes until it got nice and creamy.

And then I transferred it to a separate container and put in the freezer for about 6 more hours. The longer you can freeze, the better. It had kind of a soft serve-like consistency.

My parents made an absolutely scrumptious dinner, including curry mussels for an appetizer.

And the most delicious salmon atop mashed potatoes, with a side of asparagus for an entree.

There’s really nothing better than finishing a celebratory meal with a cake from Party Favors. It’s where Chris and I are planning to get our wedding cake from and it’s some seriously amazing cake. I’ve been dreaming of having it as a wedding cake since I moved to Brookline almost 7 years ago.

I topped the frozen yogurt with a little bit of crystallized ginger, as well. Because you can never have too much ginger!

I thought the lightness of the ginger honey frozen yogurt complemented the sweetness of the cake well.

And I was super impressed by how creamy and ice cream-like it was. I definitely want to try this with a lighter yogurt to see if it would be as creamy. If so, then this is an awesome way to enjoy a low-cal frozen treat. Again, this is a tart dessert, so when I say frozen yogurt, I mean frozen yogurt.

Then we had a great big photoshoot as per usual. I actually went a while majorly slacking on picture taking… It felt nice because I could just relax… But I also kinda missed having photos, which I know I’ll really appreciate having in the future. Plus, sometimes it’s fun.

I just love this photo.

Most photogenic dog ever.

Basically, the entire time we’re at the dinner table, Mitzi tries to get one of us to pick her up. Not because she begs for food or anything like that. She just really wants to be on our level and can’t stand to miss out on anything.

We obviously decided to take some family photos with her. With the birthday girl and Adam!

And me and Chris! Please excuse my pale, sickly complexion.

This one made me laugh.

Happy Birthday to my most fabulous sister!! I’m so lucky to have a sister and a best friend all in one and it’s such a great feeling to know we’ll be able to share the rest of our lives together and all that they bring!

Hope you all had fabulous weekends and are ready for the week ahead. I’m just hoping I start to feel better and can make it through the week because I have a busy weekend planned (yes, I’m already thinking about the weekend), including the Super Bowl!!

Do you like tart fro-yos or prefer sweet?

[Sues]

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You know those commercials for the cookie diet? You see them and you’re like “Oh, hell no. There is no way I can eat all cookies all day every day and lose weight. Liars!” So, you laugh at the gimmick and then laugh a little harder when you see the lovely straight-from-Jersey-Shore Snooki promoting the product. But then, then, you see Snookie again and she’s lost like a million pounds and you’re like “Huh?! But I thought she was only eating cookies…” And then you maybe start to believe in the cookie diet a little bit. Right? I don’t know where I’m going with this because I’m not trying to lose weight. And I’d never buy a cookie diet that has commercials on television that Snooki is promoting. But I do strongly believe in a world where we can eat as many cookies as we want and not gain one billion pounds. And I’m pretty sure I found it. A world that contains a cookie diet that works.

I spotted a version of these cookies in Shape magazine and was astounded. I mean, there is no flour or granulated sugar in these cookies. No baking soda or baking powder. They’re made from bananas. And oats. And applesauce. Basically. I changed up the recipe, but followed the banana oats rule and discovered a cookie that’s actually good for me. Bananas, oats, ground flax, and dried cranberries. You can eat these all day every day and will probably lose weight. But uh, don’t take my word on it. They don’t involve kale, after all… But now my mind is working over-time.

Banana Maple Cranberry Cookies (makes about 24):
Print this recipe!

• 3 very ripe bananas
• 2 C rolled oats
• 1/3 C unsweetened applesauce
• 2 T real maple syrup
• 1 T ground flaxseed meal
• 1/2 C dried cranberries

(heat oven to 350 degrees)

Also, this is the easiest recipe ever. I was literally IN BED when I started craving cookies. And I decided to hop out of bed and make these. They needed to bake for 20 minutes, but they only required about 10 minutes of work from me. Easy AND healthy are not two words you hear together very often.

Start by mashing your bananas all together in a bowl with a fork.

Then, mix all the other ingredients together with the banana. The oats, applesauce, maple syrup, flaxseed meal, and dried cranberries.

I’ve never had flaxseed meal, but found it at Market Basket and thought I’d check it out. All I know is that flax has lots of vitamins and healthy stuff in it… And it’s really filling, too.

Drop dough on a parchment-lined cookie sheet by the tablespoon. This is how I dropped the dough down.

And bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. I realized that my cookies weren’t very cookie-like, so for my second tray, I pushed the dough down with my palm to flatten them a bit.

A little more cookie-like.

I know, I know. You’re probably thinking: THIS IS NOT A COOKIE. This is a banana covered in oats and applesauce. Woo hoo. But they’re delicious. Really, they are. Kind of like a nice and chewy granola bar.

Obviously, you have to like bananas to enjoy these because there is a strong banana flavor involved.

But there’s also a delicious maple touch and a nice chewy oat texture. I swear they’re cookies. Really, they are. I had a few after lunch today and was completely satisfied and happy.

Of course, I couldn’t help but wonder what these would be like if I added chocolate chips instead of dried cranberries. Because you never know. And coconut maybe? But I AM a Craisins lover, so these totally hit the spot for me.

And since I rarely post about healthy desserts, I feel like you have to trust me on this one. After all, I’m the first person to down a package of Fudge Stripes or Keebler’s Chewy Choclate Chip Cookies (Soft Batch!), but sometimes I want to feel a little better about my choices. Not often, but sometimes. I do, after all, have to fit into a wedding dress in 4.5 months (eek!). And I’m sure as heck not giving up cookies. Nor do I plan on befriending Snooki.

What’s your favorite healthy-ish dessert?

[Sues]

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There’s nothing I love more than waking up in the morning knowing that I have something delicious waiting in the kitchen for breakfast. After a week filled with oatmeal and cereal, I wanted something else to start my day. I decided to make a Blueberry-Lemon Bread figuring it was just what I needed. Simple, tasty, slather it with some melted butter and enjoy a cup of tea and it’s the perfect start to any day, in my book. Plus, I just love the blueberry/lemon combo!

Blueberry-Lemon Bread (makes 1 loaf)

Print this Recipe!

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• zest from 1 medium lemon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1.5 cups fresh blueberries
• 1 packet of Sugar in the Raw (for topping, optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) combine eggs and sugar. Add the milk, vegetable oil, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice and lemon zest and whisk gently until all ingredients are nicely incorporated.

In separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Now, in batches, slowly begin to incorporate the flour mixture into the egg mixture, making sure to blend between each pour.

Lightly toss the blueberries in flour to prevent them from sinking while they bread bakes.

And carefully fold them, using a spatula, into the batter.

Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan (5×12 works). I topped the batter with a packet of raw sugar just to add some extra crunch and texture to the top of the bread.

Bake for an hour or until the bread is nicely browned or until a toothpick comes out clean.

I love a simple baked good, especially for breakfast. And this would also be a great bread to wrap up all pretty to bring if you’re someone’s house guest or to just have around your own house if you have people visiting. It’s so quick. It took only about 15 minutes to prep, then just baking time. Plus, my apartment smelled like pure delight. I couldn’t help myself and had three slices with butter right when it came out of the oven. Ooof.

Speaking of delicious baked goods. A couple weeks ago, while I was at Paper Source, I met a gentleman named Carltaro, the owner of Baby Sistah Cookies. This chance encounter pretty much happened based on the simple fact that I’m just nosy. I saw Carltaro and his wife looking at treat bags and ribbon, so naturally I asked what they were working on. He ended up telling me all about his company, how people can order them from his website, what types of cookies he bakes, etc.

The next part of the conversation is where I obviously got excited. He asked me if he could bring me some of these special treats to try out. Long story short, I was out to dinner with my friend Rebecca last weekend, when I saw that he emailed me about dropping the cookies off. I wrote back, said I was at dinner in Washington Square, and about 40 minutes later, he appeared at the restaurant with a bag filled with cookies. Definitely a “You know you’re a food blogger when…” kind of moment. He baked me a special nut-free batch and another batch for Sues. He even made us each our own sweet potato cookie that had a delicious frosting on top. It was more like a cake. And I loved it. It reminded me of my grandmother’s sweet potato pie, which struck a cord and brought back all kinds of memories

There was also a lemon glazed shortbread cookie with a creamy lemon icing that I couldn’t walk away from and the ginger molasses cookies are my new everything!

The “motto” of the company is “gourmet taste with a family touch”. These cookies aren’t pretentious. They taste real but fantastically homemade which, to me, is the whole appeal!

For the Boston readers, word on the street is these cookies are on sale at the newish Render Coffee Bar in the South End! For all of you out-of-towners, you can purchase the cookies online at www.babysistahcookies.com.

[Chels]

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Things that make winter in Boston a little more bearable:

• A daily cup of hot tea
• Lots and lots of blankets and flannel sheets
• Candles lit in every room
• The possibility of a snow day
• Stacks and stacks of books and nowhere to go
• Leggings worn under pants
• Furry Cole Haan earmuffs and furry Sorel boots
• Ugg Slippers
• An excuse to drink hot cocoa

I mean, you never see people drinking hot cocoa in the summer, do you? Hot tea and hot coffee sure, but hot cocoa is mostly reserved for cold snowy days when you need a fast warm up and a little bit of cheer, too. Or when you’ve just come in from sledding and can’t feel your fingers and have snow down your pants. Not that I know what that’s like anymore. Anyway, the only thing that makes hot chocolate better is marshmallows. And maybe a couch piled with blankets and the heat set to 75.

These cookies involve all the components of hot cocoa, including the marshmallow. At first I was going to put the marshmallow inside the cookie, but since I decided to use fluff, I realized it would be a bit too liquid-y. Also, because I know someone will ask, of course you can use store-bought Fluff for these cookies. But I PROMISE making your own fluff is basically the easiest thing ever. If you have a stand mixer, you can do it in about 8 minutes, just throwing a few ingredients into the bowl. You’ll do it once and then want to make it every week. I do. And I do. Nope, not dangerous at all.

Hot Cocoa Cookies (makes about 3 dozen):
Print this recipe!

• 1 C butter
• 3/4 C granulated sugar
• 3/4 C light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 t vanilla extract
• 2 C all-purpose flour
• 3/4 t baking soda
• 1/4 t salt
• 2/3 C hot chocolate mix
• 1/2 batch homemade fluff (it’s easy!)
• 3/4 C dark chocolate chips

(pre-heat oven to 350 degrees)

Start by creaming together the butter and sugars in an electric mixer or with a hand mixer, until light and fluffy.

Then mix in the eggs and vanilla until well combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and hot cocoa powder. I chose to use Ghiradelli Cocoa, but you can use any brand you want… Even Swiss Miss!

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients on low-speed, being sure not to over mix.

Add about 1/4 C of fluff into the bowl. Yummmm.

And 3/4 C dark chocolate chips. If you don’t want to use dark, you can use semisweet, but I wanted to get that extra depth from the dark chocolate. Mix together with a spatula or wooden spoon.

At this point, I would chill the dough for at least 30 minutes. I didn’t do this and my cookies were a tad flat, so I think chilling the dough would have helped.

On baking sheets covered with parchment paper, drop down teaspoonfuls of batter.

Bake for about10 minutes at 350 degrees, until the cookies are set, just like you like them. I like them a little bit soft.

Cool the cookies on racks and when completely cool, drop a dollop of fluff on top. Let cool again until the fluff sets.

Serve with a mug full of hot cocoa because you can never have too much hot cocoa. Plus, bonus points if it’s snowing out: you get to eat an extra cookie. I know. You gotta keep yourself going somehow in the winter.

I am absolutely obsessed with how much these cookies tasted like a nice mug of hot coca. They were rich and chocolatey, but you could definitely tell it wasn’t from cocoa powder. I think this would be even more prominent if you used a milder hot cocoa mix, like Swiss Miss. While I’m sure the cookies would be fabulous without the marshmallow on top, you really should add it. Because what’s a cup of cocoa without a nice fistful of marshmallows? Everybody knows that’s the best part.

Something tells me these cookies would be even better if enjoyed on a snow day. But it doesn’t look like we’ll be getting any of those in Boston any time soon.

Are you a hot cocoa drinker?

[Sues]

Sierra Mist Giveaway Winner!

I’m so sorry it took me so long to announce our Sierra Mist giveaway winner! But better late than never, right? After all, it is a pretty lovely price. And the big winner is Mami2jcn with her holiday sangria recipe! It sounded SO good, I’m pretty sure I’ll be making it despite the fact that the holidays are long over (though out Christmas tree is still up… What? It’s fake and the box is at my parents’ house. We legit have no place to put it, so we may as well keep it up!). Anyway, congrats, Mami2jcn! I’ll email you right away to get your shipping information.

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I know. I KNOW. Why is Sues writing a post about jello shots? How old is this girl, anyway? Clearly she can’t let go of her college days. Now we see the truth behind all that Cocktail Friday business. She probably sits on her couch and drinks herself silly every day of the week. But no… I swear it’s not like that. Seriously. I’m just here to keep you up to date on all the latest trends and things that are hip in the food world. And Ladies and Gentleman, jello shots are it.

Of course, not the jello shots you remember from your college days. Oh no. These are the more grown up kind. Not the “let’s do jello shots to get drunk” jello shots. But let’s treat jello shots like culinary masterpieces and enjoy them like we would any dessert slash after-dinner drink. And my sister and Adam ended up having quite a few jello shot delicacies at their New Year’s Eve party. In addition to my jello shots, they made a cosmopolitan jello shot. And even a chocolate peanut butter jello shot. Sounds odd, but was actually amazing tasting. And beautiful at that.

Believe it or not, there is actually a whole book on grown-up jello shots called Jelly Shot Test Kitchen. And I got this recipe from their blog… a recipe that was actually inspired from Harry Potter. Seriously. They’re were originally Butterbeer Jelly Shots and I’m pretty sure they taste actually like what you would imagine Butterbeer to taste like… If, you know, Harry Potter and gang had the opportunity to have jello shots. And guess what? This isn’t the only Harry Potter-inspired jello shot this gal has come up with. I  changed up the recipe a bit and came to the conclusion that if you enjoy butterscotch, you will enjoy these.

Butterscotch Jello Shots (makes about 24):
Print this recipe!

• 1 C cream soda
• 2 envelopes plain gelatin
• 1/2 C vanilla vodka
• 3/4 C butterscotch schnapps
• Sprinkles or other decorations

It’s simple, simple to make these. Seriously, just as simple as making jello shots in those little plastic cups. But way classier.

Start by putting the cream soda in a medium-sized saucepan and sprinkling the gelatin over the top. Let it sit for about 2 minutes, to soften.

The mixture will look a bit funky!

Heat the mixture over low heat, making sure to keep stirring, until all the gelatin is dissolved (4-6 minutes). And it will start to look normal again. And now you can stir in the vanilla vodka and butterscotch schnapps. You can change up the proportions if you like. If you want a bit of a stronger jello shot, add more vanilla vodka. If you prefer sweeter, add more butterscotch schnapps.

Pour the mixture into a heat-resistant 9×5 loaf pan… Though I do believe you could use a square pan or anything, really.

And refrigerate for about 3 hours, until the jello is fully set.

Cut the jello into cubes… Or how ever you want to cut them. I found my rounded loaf pan made for some oddly shaped squares, so next time I would probably use one with straighter edges.

Of course, you’ll want to decorate your butterscotch jello shots. But just know that the sprinkles will dissolve into the jello VERY quickly. So, you should decorate them until right before you’re going to serve them.

But for at least a few minutes, they’ll look super fun and New Year-sy.

And honestly, delicious. But unlike the jello shots from back in the day, you don’t gulp it down hoping not to taste any of the liquor. You enjoy it like you would any cocktail or dessert that you normally indulge in. How’s that for a Cocktail Friday?

If you’re interested in jumping in on this jello shot craze and trying some classier versions, definitely check out the Jelly Shot Test Kitchen Blog. And their Jelly Shot Test Kitchen book is getting rave reviews. Personally, I’m just waiting for summer, so I can make these adorable little delights.

Would you try making an adult version of jello shots? Or will they always just be too college for you?

[Sues]

So, it’s a new year but that doesn’t mean my cereal obsession has ended When I received a package from America’s Test Kitchen a few weeks back containing their holiday cookie magazine I first drooled, then I started bookmarking recipes I wanted to try. The first was their Crispy Chocolate-Cherry Treats. Basically an adult/fancy version of the basic Rice Krispies treats. Cereal, white chocolate, marshmallows, and cherries. I mean, you can’t go wrong with this. I think that covers every food group, yeah?

To be 100% honest, I wasn’t going to write about this recipe. I made them a couple days before Christmas and I thought they were insanely too hard and crunchy. Not the fluffy treats I was used to. I decided to put a couple in the microwave for a few seconds and was pleasantly surprised by how tasty they were. Although they weren’t perfect-looking and were a bit crunchy, I packaged them up in cute little holiday containers anyway and brought them to my parent’s house figuring we’d be able to salvage them. Plus, family and friends are the best guinea pigs and usually offer the best feedback. The weekend went by and I ended up forgetting all about them until my mom called me a couple days later gushing over how good they were! She told me she put them in the microwave to soften them up a bit and she loved them. Her favorite part was the dried cherries. Hooray!

Crispy Chocolate-Cherry Treats
America’s Test Kitchen
Print this Recipe!

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 (10-ounce) bag of marshmallows
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 cups Rice Krispies cereal (each one of the little boxes is a cup. Thankfully, because I wasn’t about to buy a family size box of it!)
• 1 cup dried cherries, chopped
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted

Start off by making a foil sling by folding two long sheets of foil in opposite directions, making sure there’s a few inches of foil hanging off the edges of the pan. Press the foil down into the corners of the pan. The photo in the magazine obviously looks 1 million times neater than my hot mess. But hey, it worked. Once the sling is situated, grease the foil.

Melt your butter in a large saucepan over low heat.

Add the marshmallows, white chocolate chips, and salt, and cook making sure to consistently stir until everything is melted. I think this is where I made my mistake and why the treats were overly crunchy. The heat on my stove was probably more medium/low than just low so I think the marshmallows melted a lot faster than they were supposed to. They got very sticky and unmanageable pretty fast.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and incorporate the cereal and cherries. I didn’t snap a photo of the melted marshmallows because I was trying to rush before they got too hard. Ahhh. Once the cherries and cereal are incorporated, pour/scrape them into your prepared pan.

And press the mixture into the sides of the pan using a greased spatula. Let this cool for about 1 hour.

Next, you’re going to melt the chocolate chips. I used a ramekin and ATK suggested melting the chips until smooth for about 30 to 60 seconds, making sure to keep an eye on them and stir occasionally.

Drizzle the melted chocolate over the treats. Also, feel free to pretend you’re a pastry chef and go crazy with the chocolate drizzling. You know I went overboard and tried to get all artsy with it

Let the chocolate cool for about 15 minutes then lift the foil sling out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Using a greased knife, cut the treats into squares and serve.

Or in my case, wait two days, store them in containers, let them get rock hard and have your mom bring them back to life by popping them in the microwave. Evidently, it’s the same difference. The combination of the plump and sweet cherries with the white chocolate and crunchy cereal sure did win her over. Next time I make these, I’m definitely going to be a bit more aware of the heat level when mixing the marshmallows to see if I can make them just right from the beginning.

Hope everyone had a fantastic New Year’s! I always say it blows me away how quickly time flies by but I have a good feeling about 2012 so hopefully this year doesn’t go by too fast! I’m starting the year off with a hefty amount of freelance design jobs under my belt and a few “resolutions” that I actually plan on sticking with:

One is to attempt to sound slightly more intelligent by cutting back on using the word “literally”. I want to punch myself in my own face whenever I hear myself saying this for no good reason.

The others are typical:

Go to the gym more often, which shouldn’t be an issue since I’m already there twice a week working. Stretch more. I’ve been having some nasty back pain lately, so I want to make a conscious effort to put my body first! Plus, I’m in two weddings this year so if that’s not motivation, I’m not sure what is.

Cut back on the booze. Not that I even drink all that much, but recently I’ve been far more aware of when I’ve been grabbing a glass of vino or a cocktail. When I go out to dinner with friends it’s always automatic to order a drink but lately I’ve just been getting water and I actually feel better. So, since that worked at the end of 2011 I’m carrying into the new year.

This one is weird. But in 2011 I learned that saying “no” sometimes is so empowering. I’m always running around all over the place (LITERALLY, ha!) and often put important things that I have to get done for myself/my life/my career on the back-burner in fear that I’ll disappoint someone else. I cram waaaay too much in a day sometimes, so I’m aiming to simplify things a bit in order to get tasks done that need to get done. Like writing on this blog!

I had other ideas for resolutions but I’ve already forgotten them

[Chels]

This year, I resolve to become a better cake decorator. Which also means a better cupcake decorator. Which also means I’ll be devouring a lot of cupcakes in 2012. And I’m OK with that. My new cupcake papers that my sister and brother-in-law got me for Christmas proclaim the perfect New Year’s resolution. One I think we can all handle.

I’m also resolving to learn how to make the perfect pain au chocolate and to bake more bread. And to make at least 20 new cocktails and to improve my photography enough to get at least 30 of my photos on FoodGawker or TasteSpotting (but not to feel bad when they don’t make it… Because these sites are definitely not the be all end all!).

I’m also resolving to fit into a wedding dress in about 5 months. But the rest of my resolutions don’t seem to be jiving too much with that one, do they? OK, fine. Add eat more vegetables to the list. (notice that doesn’t mean “eat less cake”).

If I succeed in accomplishing all of the above, I will consider 2012 to be a grand success. Even if I don’t, I’m still marrying my best friend and I think he’ll forgive me if I don’t perfect my pain au chocolate. And maybe even if I don’t fit into my wedding dress. Well, maybe I should try to achieve that resolution.

These were my last cupcakes of 2011 and definitely had celebration written all over them. There are three components to them, including the confetti cupcake, the champagne custard filling, and the vanilla champagne buttercream. The custard filling does need some time to cool, so you can make it ahead of time if you want. Or you can just wait for it to cool while you sip the rest of the bubbly.

Confetti Cupcakes with Champagne Custard Filling and Vanilla Champagne Buttercream (makes about 20 cupcakes):
Print this recipe!

• 2/3 C butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 C sugar
• 2 3/4 C all-purpose flour
• 3 t baking powder
• 1 t salt
• 1 C milk
• 1 T vanilla
• 6 egg whites
• 1/4 C rainbow sprinkles
• 1 batch champagne custard (see below)
• 1 batch vanilla champagne buttercream (see below)

(pre-heat oven to 350 degrees)

Start by creaming together the butter and sugar in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, until light and fluffy.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a separate bowl.

Now, mix the dry ingredients into the mixer with the wet ingredients, alternating with the milk. At this point, the batter will be pretty thick and not very cupcake-like. Don’t worry. The next step will fix that.

In another separate bowl (yes another!), beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. This might seem like a crazy cupcake recipe, but it’s similar to what I did for my white wine cupcakes (a recipe I originally adapted from here). And I thought those were so wonderful that I decided to do it again.

Fold the egg whites into the batter. And then stir in the sprinkles. It will immediately start to look like Funfetti cupcake batter. Which is clearly the best thing ever.

Fill your cupcake papers 1/3 of the way with batter.

And bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Pretty!!

Let the cupcakes cool while you whip up some champagne custard filling. This recipe makes quite a bit more than you need… So feel free to cut it in half. Or make it all and eat it out of the bowl with a spoon. Who needs New Year’s resolutions anyway?

Champagne Custard Filling:

• 1 1/2 C champagne
• 1/2 C water
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 C sugar
• 2 t corn starch

Whisk all the ingredients together in a double boiler (with water boiling). Cook while beating with a whisk constantly for 10-12 minutes, until mixture thickens. If the mixture isn’t thickening, you can add a bit more corn starch, but make sure you whisk it well, so it doesn’t lump. Also, once your custard cools, it should thicken a bit more.

Put custard in the fridge to cool. And whip up that buttercream!

Vanilla Champagne Buttercream:

• 1 C butter
• 3-3 1/2 C confectioners’ sugar
• 2 T vanilla
• 3 T champagne

I totally forgot to take a photo of my frosting in process. But it’s super simple. Just cream your butter in your mixer (or with a hand mixer). Then add the confectioners’ sugar 1/2 C at a time, alternating with champagne and vanilla, until it’s at your desired consistency.

Once the champagne custard has cooled and your cupcakes have cooled, too, core your cupcakes (you can simply cut out a piece of the center or use a nifty cupcake corer, like I have!).

Fill the center with champagne custard!

Frost. And decorate to your liking.

I’m not the best cupcake froster. At all. But that’s what 2012 is for. And maybe when the craziness of my life calms down a bit, I’ll actually take a class. It’s one of those skills that I believe can take me very far in life.

But when it comes to a delicious cupcake, I suppose looks aren’t the most important thing. It’s what’s in the inside that counts. And when that’s champagne custard filling, you really can’t go wrong.

I took these cupcakes to a fabulous New Year’s Eve party thrown by my sister and Adam.

Their party was the perfect way to ring out the year… And the fact that they live just a few blocks from us, didn’t hurt either. It was also wonderful to catch up with Eat Well with Janel, who I know through blogging and through about a million different connections.

All’s well that ends well… And we’re on to a huge one with 2012!

I hope you all had wonderful a New Year! And are all prepared to head back to work tomorrow… If that’s where the day will be taking you.

What food-related resolutions/goals are you making for 2012?

[Sues]

Don’t forget to enter our Sierra Mist giveaway to win a fabulous prize pack!

I enjoy cinnamon buns so much that I often fear I will turn into a cinnamon bun. Which obviously wouldn’t be a good thing. Especially since I need to fit into a wedding dress in approximately 5.5 months. But during the holidays, we don’t count calories and we indulge to the fullest extent. Or maybe that’s just me. Then again, I also count shopping as one of the best kinds of exercise (you’ve got power walking for cardio and bag-holding for strength training). Anyway, all of this especially holds true ON Christmas. As a blogger, however, I’m required to develop the recipes well before the actual Christmas holiday. And due to my moral values, I cannot let food go to waste.

Ever since I made the Pioneer Woman’s cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning a couple years ago, they have become the epitome of Christmas to me. But this year, I wanted to try something a little different. A little more Christmassy, if you will. I feel like the name of these may be a bit deceiving… After all they don’t look like gingerbread. But ginger rolls? That just doesn’t sound very appetizing, does it? The gingery zing to these will truly put you in the holiday spirit… And the butter and sugar will make your day even brighter. You’re welcome.

Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls (makes about 16 rolls):
Print this recipe!

• 2 C whole milk
• 1/2 C vegetable/canola oil
• 1/2 C sugar
• 1 packet yeast (2 1/4 t)
• 4 1/2 C flour
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 T salt
• 1/2 t ground ginger

Filling:

• 1 1/2 sticks butter
• 1 C brown sugar
• 2 T ground ginger
• 1/4 C white sugar

(Eggnog glaze recipe below)

(pre-heat oven to 350 degrees)

Start by heating the milk, vegetable oil, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Let it get hot, but don’t let it boil. Then take the pot off the heat and let it cool for about 10 minutes.

Pour the mixture into a large bowl and sprinkle the yeast over it. Let sit for one minute.

Add 4 cups of flour and mix together until just combined.

Then cover with a dishtowel, sit in a warm spot, and let rise for about an hour.

Remove the towel and add baking powder, baking soda, salt, 1/2 t ginger, and remaining 1/2 cup of flour.

Stir to combine.

If you’re tired and want to go to bed… Or need to go out and finish your Christmas shopping, you can stick this dough in the fridge for up to 3 days. And if you haven’t started your Christmas shopping, you only have about 3 days to go, so you might need to do just that.

Otherwise you can start rolling the dough out now.

Roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 24×12 inches. If you don’t have that much space, you can always cut the dough into two halves and do this in two batches.

Melt your 1 1/2 sticks butter and pour almost all of it over the dough (saving about 1/4 C). You will make a mess. The butter will flow onto the floor. But there are worse problems to have in life. Like the fact that you haven’t started your Christmas shopping yet.

Now, generously sprinkle the brown sugar, white sugar, and ground ginger over the butter.

Time to roll the dough! Start at the end farthest from you and roll the dough tightly toward you. Pinch seams together.

Cut the dough into 1 1/2-inch slices with a sharp knife.

You’ll likely need 2 baking dishes for these rolls. Be careful not to overcrowd the dishes. Pour the remaining butter on the bottom of the dishes.

Now, cover the dishes with a dish towel and wait for them to rise AGAIN. But this time only for 20 minutes.

See how they already rose a bit and moved closer together?

Pop them in the oven at 375 degrees for about 15-20 minutes.

While the rolls are in the oven, whip up your eggnog glaze.

Eggnog Glaze:

• 1/2 C eggnog
• 1 C powdered sugar

Whisk the eggnog and the powdered sugar together. And it’s done!

Take your beautiful gingerbread rolls out of the oven.

Pour the eggnog glaze over the top. And indulge!

Almost just like a cinnamon roll… But gingery!

Perhaps you prefer your gingerbread in the shape of tiny men. But I think rolled up with lots of butter and sugar in pastry form is better than any little man you’ll ever find. Let’s face it- these are basically cinnamon rolls with a ginger zing instead of the cinnamon. Yum!

I’m a ginger fiend, so I can see myself making these any time of year. But… I’m trying not to. Mainly because of that wedding dress issue. But once I’m through with June, it’s gingerbread rolls all day every day! Just kidding… Kind of

But for this week, indulge. After all, Christmas only comes once a year. And your family and friends will absolutely love you if you serve these up for breakfast on December 25. Maybe with a side of bacon.

What do you have for breakfast on Christmas morning?

[Sues]

Yes, more peppermint. And more marshmallows, too. This was a sort of experiment in weirdness. But awesomeness as well. I really wanted to dip marshmallows in chocolate and peppermint. But I also wanted to do this totally from scratch and make my own marshmallows. And THEN in a moment of over-eagerness, I decided I really wanted to make chocolate marshmallows, too. And dip them in white chocolate and peppermint. So, I did. This was my second time making regular marshmallows and my first time attempting chocolate marshmallows. I’d say they were a success, but when it came to the dipping, things did get a little bit messy.

I’m giving you the recipe for chocolate marshmallows here. If you want to make both, head over to my post about regular marshmallows, halve the recipe, and use an 8×8 pan to let it set in.

Chocolate Marshmallows:
Print this recipe!

• Vegetable/canola oil
• 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
• 1.5 C granulated sugar
• 1/2 C, plus 2 T light corn syrup
• Pinch of salt
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1/2 C cocoa powder, plus 1/4 C for dusting

Regular Marshmallows:

• See recipe here (I halved it for this recipe’s purposes)

Chocolate Peppermint Covering:

• 8 oz. quality white chocolate (for chocolate marshmallows)
• 8 oz. quality semi-sweet chocolate (for regular marshmallows)
• 10 candy canes, crushed
    

For chocolate marshmallows:

Start by greasing an 8×8 baking dish with vegetable or canola oil. Line the dish with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang and brush the parchment with more oil. Set aside.

In a medium-size saucepan, add granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/4 C plus 2 T water. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve all sugar.

Once sugar is dissolved, continue to cook without stirring until mixture reaches 238 degrees. This should take about 5-7 minutes.

While the sugar is boiling, add 1/4 C, plus 2 T water to the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle gelatin powder over the top and let sit for about 3 minutes, to soften.

When mixture has reached 238 degrees, set the mixer on low using whisk attachment and beat the hot syrup into the gelatin mixture.

Add 1/2 C cocoa powder and turn mixer up to high speed.

Mix for about 6 minutes, until stiff peaks form. And the mixture looks like fluff… Well, chocolate fluff! Add the vanilla in right before you’re done mixing.

Here’s where you need to work QUICKLY. Pour the fluff mixture from the stand mixer into your prepared parchment-covered pan. This will seem easy at first, but the longer you take, the stickier the fluff will get. So, use a good spatula and move as fast as you can.

Smooth the top with an offset spatula, too. The marshmallow needs to sit in the pan for at least 3 hours… I let mine sit overnight. You should cover the pan with plastic wrap or something… Just make sure the plastic wrap doesn’t touch the marshmallow… It WILL stick!

Right after I was done preparing my chocolate marshmallow mixture, I got going on my regular marshmallows. The more you do this, the easier it gets!

The next morning, I sprinkled about 1/4 C of cocoa powder on my work surface and flipped the marshmallow out of the pan. It came out very easily since I had brushed the pan well with canola oil. But unfortunately, because the surface of the marshmallow was a bit oily, it made the cocoa powder kind of smear on the top. Not so pretty.

With an oiled knife of pizza cutter, cut marshmallows into desired size. You should be able to get about 16 or so, if you keep them smallish.

In a double broiler (or a homemade one like I use!), melt your white chocolate.

Dip the chocolate marshmallows into white chocolate, covering about half of the marshmallow.

And sprinkle crushed candy cane over chocolate.

Set marshmallows in waxed paper or parchment paper to set.

The chocolate marshmallows were a bit messy because of the oil and because of the fact that white chocolate never melts as smoothly as I’d like it to.

The marshmallows with semi-sweet chocolate worked out much better.

When all of your marshmallows are covered in chocolate and peppermint, let rest in fridge for about 10 minutes, so chocolate will harden.

And dig in. I debated whether or not to put these on popsicle sticks, but decided not to. If you wanted to give these as little holiday gifts, I think they would be adorable in a little baggie tied with ribbon.

While I was happy with my results, I think they would have been a lot neater if I had used pre-packed marshmallows. Of course, they’re not as sticky or oily and would be much easier to dip into chocolate.

But I’m not known for doing things the easy way. Plus, once I made from-scratch marshmallows, I never wanted to ea a packaged one again.

And I still don’t. These are just too good. Plus, how often do you see packaged chocolate marshmallows? That’s what I thought. And these really truly did taste exactly how you’d expect chocolate marshmallows to taste.

Can you believe there’s less than a week until Christmas? I absolutely cannot. But I’ll take it. That means a 4-day work-week, followed by a 4-day weekend. Plus, lots of family time, delicious food, and maybe even a gift or two. Can someone please speed this week up already?

Do you have a favorite holiday treat from this season?

[Sues]

Peppermint again? Yes. Ice cream right when it finally starts to get cold in Boston? Yup. If ice cream wasn’t meant to be enjoyed year round, it wouldn’t work so well with holiday flavors. And if I wasn’t meant to cook and bake with peppermint every day leading up to Christmas, then it wouldn’t be so awesome. But it is. And peppermint ice cream is some of the very best ice cream. Add a little homemade marshmallow fluff in for extra silkiness and you’ll want December to last year round, too.

In case you don’t know, my absolute favorite holiday song from childhood is Marshmallow World. The Johnny Mathis version. I played the song so much when I was a kid, my sister hid the cassette tape on me. But that obviously didn’t stop me from singing it out loud all season long. Which was probably worse for her. But it’s a seriously catchy song that will make you happy… Annd stay in your head forever. Shhh I’m allowed to be a Johnny Mathis fan for Christmas. Leave me alone. And since it really is a marshmallow world in the winter, I’m tempted to add it to all my holiday treats. So, I am.

Peppermint Marshmallow Ice Cream (makes about 2 pints):
Print this recipe!

Ice Cream:

• 2 1/2 C heavy cream
• 1 C whole milk
• 3/4 C sugar
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 1/2 T peppermint extract
• 1 batch fluff
• 6 candy canes, crushed

Fluff:

• 1 egg white
• 1/2 C corn syrup
• 1/8 t salt
• 3/4 C powdered sugar
• 1/2 T vanilla
• 1/8 t cream of tartar

As you may know, making ice cream is a put of a process and, while it’s not difficult, it requires a bunch of patience. Which I’m not very good at having. But seriously, making lots of ice cream is teaching me the art of patience. Just know, you’ll need at least 24 hours from start to finish, but 36 hours is even better!

Start by heating the cream, milk, and sugar in a medium saucepan and stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is hot.

In a small, heat-resistant bowl, whisk the egg yolks (make sure you save one of the whites of the eggs… you’ll need it for the fluff!).

Slowly pour half the heated milk mixture into the bowl with the egg yolks, whisking the entire time.

Then pour the egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the milk, continuing to whisk.

Cook over medium-heat until the mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of a wooden spoon, about 5-7 minutes.

Then strain the mixture into a heat-resistant bowl.

Place the bowl over an ice bath until cool, stirring occasionally.

Then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold. I would refrigerate for at least 5 hours. I had my ice cream plan timed out ahead of time and refrigerated mine overnight. The longer, the better!

While that’s cooling, you can get started on the fluff.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the egg white, corn syrup, and salt on high-speed for about 4-5 minutes, until it’s nice and thickened. At first it will look like this:

But after 4-5 minutes, it will start to look like fluff!

Now mix in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and cream of tartar on low-speed, until combined.

Hello, fluff.

The marshmallow fluff should stay good in your fridge for about 10 days, so just pop it in there until you’re ready to use it in your ice cream.

Once your milk/cream mixture is sufficiently cold, you’re ready to make ice cream the old fashioned way. Er, with an electric Kitchen Aid mixer. Whatever.

Before you pour the mixture into your ice cream maker, stir the peppermint extract in. Add less then I suggested if you’re not a huge fan of strong peppermint flavor. Then again, you wouldn’t likely be making this if you’re not. If I were you, I’d add a little at a time, tasting as you go.

Then freeze in your ice cream maker, according to manufacturer’s instructions.

When the ice cream began to thicken, after about 20 minutes, I added the marshmallow fluff in.

Then, right before I was done mixing the ice cream, I crushed up my candy canes.

And added them to the ice cream. P.S. did you know Wegman’s makes pre-crushed candy canes?? I’ve heard that Wegman’s is basically a heaven, but this just seals the deal. I must make the trek out to Northborough… And I cannot wait for the Wegman’s that is slated to arrive in Newton! Pre-crushed candy canes are a dream come true!

Now, pop your ice cream into an airtight container and put it in the freezer, for about 8 hours. Told ya it was all about patience.

I let my ice cream freeze overnight. And served up a huge bowl of it with some extra candy cane crumbles on top. If I was going to go through the work of crushing up my candy canes manually, I was going to enjoy them, darn it.

At first I was kind of confused as to why my ice cream was super soft since it usually hardens up quite a bit more in the freezer. Then I remembered I added in a ton of marshmallow. Duh. The marshmallow added a soft smoothness to the ice cream, making it even creamier (didn’t think that was possible, huh?), almost like silk!

The peppermint taste was like whoa. Which is exactly how I like it. Christmas in a bowl!

If you generally leave cookies out for Santa, I highly recommend leaving a bowl of this candy cane ice cream out for him instead. It could mean extra gifts! Of course, you may want to simply write Santa a note letting him know this is waiting for him in the freezer… Otherwise it could just be a big bowl of soup by the time he arrives. A delicious bowl of soup, but still.

You know, I’m actually really sad Christmas is a mere 12 days away. I’m just getting in the holiday spirit and have so many more holiday flavors I want to experiment with. Instead of thinking of the time in “shopping days,” I’m thinking of it in terms of “cooking days” and there just aren’t enough left! That may be a sign I’m getting old.

Peppermint ice cream is one thing, but peppermint ice cream with marshmallow is a whole different ballgame. Johnny Mathis would be proud.

What’s your favorite holiday flavored ice cream?

[Sues]