Smart Cookie – Graduation Time!

May 22, 2013May 21, 2013 ~ Angela ~ 7 Comments

It’s graduation time!

All across the country young men and women are graduating from college, brimming with excitement for their futures. A few months from now many of them will be realizing that the only thing that oh-so-expensive piece of paper has done is cause them to be overqualified for that job at Target they applied to. A few years from now a bunch of them will still be living with their parents – part of the Boomerang Generation. Maybe a few years after that they will be like me – contemplating going to grad school, hoping that maybe a BETTER degree will be the key to getting out of a dead-end job.

But for right now let’s let them celebrate, shall we?

Congrats Grads!!

A coworker asked me to make cookies for her sister who is graduating from Rutgers University. Being a Rutgers grad myself, I thought it would be pretty fun to make this set. I used a tutorial from The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle for the basic design of the caps and diplomas. I had originally planned on just doing the letter R for the logo cookies but I had forgotten how tiny the letters in my alphabet cookie cutter set are. The little “R” looked so small and forlorn next to the other cookies that I decided to added the “U” to bump up the size a bit.

I ran into a little trouble when I was outlining the letters. I usually have a pretty steady hand when it comes to writing on cookies or cakes but this time around I was a shaky mess. My outline was kind of wobbly and I really didn’t like the way it looked so I covered the outline is black sanding sugar. This is a great way to cover up a not so smooth outline and let’s face it, what girl doesn’t like a little sparkle on her cookies?

I found the perfect ribbon to tie the cookie bags with – red and black polka dots:

I wish that I had been making cookies when I graduated – I would have made these for myself!

In other education related news I got a B in my Statistics class!!! Take that p-hat!! (Seriously, I still don’t know what the point of the whole p-hat thing is. Why are we playing dress up with the alphabet? What does that have to do with anything? I think I have post-traumatic Stats disorder…)

One Smart Cookie (blovelyevents.com)
It’s Graduation Season! (sugarcookiesandconfections.com)
Rutgers graduates largest class in its history; Degrees conferred on 14,000 in the rain (nj.com)
Diplomas, Diplomas Everywhere! (blovelyevents.com)
Graduation Mortarboard Cap Cookies (margebake.wordpress.com)

Da dun dada da da da da…TEQUILA!

May 14, 2013July 7, 2013 ~ Angela ~ 15 Comments

Guess what?! I am participating in my very first recipe challenge!

As you can see, it’s called Spiked and it is being hosted by Carrie at Frugal Foodie Momma and Julie from This Gal Cooks. The challenge is to create a recipe – anything other than a drink recipe – using the chosen liquor of the month. Entrants can use other recipes as inspiration, but must make them their own somehow.

I must admit, I am nervous! I checked out the competition and everyone has such lovely blogs full of fabulous recipes and pictures. Meanwhile, I’m over here doctoring cake mixes and snapping pics with my point and shoot camera. Don’t get me wrong -I love my camera, but it apparently does not help me in taking Foodgawker worthy photos.

I thought doing this challenge would be a perfect way to expand a bit on my usual repertoire of cookies, cupcakes and cocktails (again, don’t get me wrong – I LOVE my cookies, cupcakes and cocktails!). The ingredient for this month is tequila and it just so happens that a few weeks ago I had a very awesome mango margarita at Chili’s. I loved the mango/tequila combination so much that I made my own version of the cocktail for Cinco de Mayo weekend. However, the rules say no drink recipes so I spent some time trying to come up with ways to translate those flavors into a baked good of some sort.

I think I managed to come up with something pretty different (for me anyway!). Drum roll please!!!

I am always eyeballing the alcohol infused whipped cream cans at the liquor store, so I thought it would be fun to make my own tequila whipped cream – especially after I recently discovered the existence of 1800 Coconut Tequila. Everything is better with coconut, right?

When I think of whipped cream and baked goods I think of strawberry shortcakes – the kind made with a biscuit like my mom used to make. However, I had originally wanted to go mango and not strawberry so I decided on making a mango shortcake with coconut tequila whipped cream. Since I really don’t know how to invent a recipe from scratch (how do you decide what measurements you need of all the ingredients? how do you know what ingredients you need?!) I adapted two different recipes and combined them to come up with my dish.

I made the shortcakes using the traditional strawberry shortcakes recipe from the good old box of Bisquick. It can be found here on Betty Crocker’s website. For the whipped cream, I adapted this Tequila Lime Whipped Cream recipe from Domestic Fits.

This is a pretty simple recipe to make if you don’t count trying to get the stopper out of the tequila bottle. After several attempts I finally wrenched it loose only to end up soaked in tequila. At least I smelled like coconut…

Mango Shortcakes with Coconut Tequila Whipped Cream

Mango Shortcakes

2 1/3 cups Original Bisquick mix
1/2 cup milk (I used almond milk)
3 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon sugar, divided
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
3 mangoes, diced
2 tablespoons agave nectar

Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl combine diced mango, 1 teaspoon of sugar and agave nectar; set aside.

In another bowl stir Bisquick mix, milk, 3 tablespoons of sugar and the butter until soft dough forms. On an ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by 4 or 5 spoonfuls, depending on how many you want to make. Bake 10 to 12 minutes.

While the shortcakes are baking, prepare the whipped cream:

Coconut Tequila Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon lime zest (optional)
2 tablespoons 1800 Coconut Tequila

Combine all ingredients in a chilled metal bowl and beat on high until soft peaks form.

Once shortcakes have been baked and slightly cooled, cut in half and fill with mangoes and whipped cream.

Double Shot

May 3, 2013March 23, 2014 ~ Angela ~ 4 Comments

I’m baaack! Yup – two posts in one day!! One might say I am procrastinating because I really don’t feel like studying any more for my statistics final, but I just remembered these margarita cookies I made a few months ago and wanted to share them for Cinco de Mayo!

If you’re looking for something with a little more kick to it, check out these recipes from my blog:

Blackberry Margarita
Mango Margarita
Beergaritas

Coconut Creamsicle Margaritas (howsweeteats.com)
10 Fabuloso Cinco de Mayo Recipes (thedomesticrebel.com)
Mango Coconut Margarita (snappygourmet.com)

The Margarita Distribution

May 3, 2013July 7, 2013 ~ Angela ~ 12 Comments

I haven’t been posting much lately because I have been busy taking the online Statistics class straight from the depths of HELL. That’s right my friends, my useless Political Science degree wasn’t enough for me and I’ve been toying with the idea of going to grad school. Before I can apply to any of the programs I am considering, I have to take a few prerequisite classes that my undergrad degree did not afford me. One of these classes is Statistics.

When I thought it would be a good idea to take this class online, essentially having to teach the subject to myself, I apparently grossly overestimated my intelligence. The book might as well be written in Turkish for all I understand of it; the language of Statistics is completely foreign to me. Stem and leaf plots, p-hat, x-bar and z-scores, Chebychev’s Theorem, letters from the Greek alphabet… You can see why I needed to take a break from studying for my final to have a drink.

Since Cinco de Mayo is this weekend, I decided to make it a margarita.

My boyfriend and I went to Chili’s a few weeks ago and I had one of their Mango Margaritas. It was so good I wanted to try to recreate it at home, and I think I came pretty close!

Mango Margarita

1 oz Jose Cuervo Silver Tequila
2 oz Triple Sec
2 oz Monin Mango Syrup
1 Tbsp lime juice

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker, fill with ice, shake and then pour into a salt-rimmed glass. Use Statistics book as a coaster while you kick back and relax with a yummy tropical margarita. There is a 99% probability that you are really going to enjoy this drink!

Wish me luck on my final tomorrow morning. It’s cumulative, and it seems that I have already forgotten everything except the last two chapters!

Cookies for the Cure

April 26, 2013May 8, 2013 ~ Angela ~ 2 Comments

A few weeks ago, in my post about Operation Cookie Takeover, I shared with you how happy it made me feel to be able to donate my cookies to a good cause. Well, this week I got to make some very special cookies for a good friend of mine at work.

Her family does a yearly memorial benefit for her aunt Norma who sadly passed away from cancer. This year she is putting together a ton of cool baskets to raffle off: scratch-off lottery tickets, Phillies tickets and ballgame themed goodies and a baking basket full of cake mixes, sprinkles and cupcake liners.

I wanted to help out so I made a batch of cookies that they can sell at the benefit.

I know my friend’s aunt would be very proud of all the hard work she has put into making the raffle baskets, and I was really happy to be able to contribute. Hopefully the attendees like my cookies enough to want to buy them!

The Bunny Trail

March 27, 2013March 23, 2014 ~ Angela ~ Leave a comment

I am hoping to get a giant gummy bunny for Easter, and maybe some sunshine and a little warmth? We did have the first day of Spring last week, right?

I also wouldn’t mind getting some of these cookies in my Easter basket. They are pretty cute, if I do say so myself.

PEEPS Glorious PEEPS!

March 22, 2013April 14, 2014 ~ Angela ~ 26 Comments

It’s that time of year again folks!! Peeps are here!!

Technically, Peeps are becoming a bit of a year round thing. They have Halloween Peeps, Christmas Peeps, Valentine’s Peeps, star shaped Peeps for 4th of July….but the best Peeps are the iconic Easter Peeps in bright, happy Spring colors. Even if you don’t like to eat them, you have to admit they’re pretty damn cute!

Last year I told you about some of my favorite PEEPS related activities and tried my hand at making PEEPS Bunny cookies. (Is the word “Peeps” starting to look funny to you too?) This year, I bring you the Rainbow Peeps Trifle!

This oh-so-colorful and perfect addition to your Easter festivities was born from a failed attempt at making rainbow Easter egg cupcakes.

A friend at work gave me the Wilton Easter Egg Cupcake Pan. I decided that I was going to make swirly multi-colored eggs with said cupcake pan. I whipped up some white boxed cake mix, separated it into five different bowls, colored the batter in each bowl with my gel colors and then plopped some of each color batter into the egg cavities. I swirled the colors together with the handle of a wooden spoon and stuck them in the oven.

Then I watched them grow, and grow, and GROW (kind of like a Peep in the microwave)! Turns out I put waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much batter into each egg. When they were finally done baking I had eight swirly-rainbow conjoined blobs. The colors were exactly what I had been hoping for, the shape…not so much.

So, I ate one just for the hell of it and stuck the rest in a Ziploc bag. I wasn’t sure what to do with the rest of the “eggs” besides eating one for breakfast every day. I briefly entertained the idea of making cake pops but I made a gooey mess last time I tried those and I just don’t have the time for the rolling and dipping and drying and dipping again right now, so that was out. Then it hit me – I’d crumble up the cake and make a trifle!

And what better to put in a rainbow cake trifle at Eastertime than some brightly colored Peeps?!

Rainbow Peeps Trifle

Rainbow Cake

Box of white cake mix and ingredients listed on box
Blue, Green, Yellow, Pink and Purple gel colors or food coloring

!. Prepare cake mix according to directions on box.
2. Separate the cake mix into five bowls and add the coloring to the batter
3. Spoon blobs of the batter in a random color pattern into whatever cake pan you are using and give them a little swirl to mix up the colors. Don’t swirl too much or you will end up with an unattractive mess.
4. Bake according to the directions on the box for the type of pan you are using.
5. Let cake cool completely, then cut into bite-sized cubes.

Trifle

Rainbow Cake Cubes
12 oz container or Cool Whip, thawed
22 oz can of lemon pie filling
4 10 count packages of Peeps Chicks in the colors of your choosing (there will be extras – eat them!)

In a clear bowl (because a Rainbow Peeps Trifle is no fun if you can’t see all the layers) make a layer of the cake cubes. On top of that, spoon a layer of the lemon pie filling followed by a layer of Cool Whip. I used a piping bag to make the Cool Whip layer rather than trying to smear it around with a spatula – it kept things nice and tidy. On top of the Cool Whip make a ring of Peeps, alternating colors as you go around. Once that it done, start your second layer in the same order, topping off the whole thing with another Peeps ring.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

And there you have it! A bright, fun and refreshing dessert perfect for gracing your table at Easter dinner (and a great way for me to redeem some seriously deformed should-have-been-egg-shaped cupcakes).

Cookies for a Cause

March 18, 2013March 23, 2014 ~ Angela ~ 4 Comments

Cookies are pretty awesome.

Cookie Monster (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I mean, what kind of weirdo doesn’t like cookies? They come in a zillion varieties, you don’t need utensils to eat them, you can dunk them in milk or turn them into ice cream sandwiches, they make fabulous birthday “cakes.” They are fun to bake and decorate, especially with family or friends. Some of my favorite Christmas memories are of making decorated sugar cookies with my mom, dad and brother. They are great for gifts, party favors, ~~breakfast~~.

You know the one thing that could possibly make cookies even more awesome than they already are?

If they tasted just the same but had no calories, you say?

Okay, okay, there are TWO things that could make cookies more awesome. That’s one of them. The other is when you get to make them for a cause, and I found a really good one!

I was poking around Facebook one day and came across a page for something called Operation Cookie Takeover. They were looking to have people volunteer to bake cookies to send to our troops in Afghanistan. Their original goal was to have 1,200 cookies pledged for shipment in March. They have now surpassed 11,000 cookies pledged and shipping started on Friday!

I am proud to be a participant in such an amazing event. I pledged two dozen cookies and I will be shipping them out today. I decided to make ice cream cookies, because like cookies themselves – who doesn’t like ice cream? It’s fun, and nostalgic and for me, always brings to mind memories of good times.

The last day to ship cookies is March 22, so it’s not too late if you’d like to join the fun! You can send ANY kind of cookies – they don’t need to be decorated. If you would like more information, please go here. Kudos to the folks at Operation Cookie Takeover for coming up with and organizing such a wonderful project and, as always, many thanks to all of the brave men and women who have served/are serving our country!

Do Irish Potatoes Count As A Vegetable?

March 7, 2013March 2, 2014 ~ Angela ~ 9 Comments

St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner. That means it’s time for green beer, four leaf clovers and Irish Potatoes! I don’t drink beer, green or otherwise, and I’m completely lacking in the luck department, but holiday candy? I’m all over it!

Cream cheese, coconut, confectioners sugar, cinnamon… I was thinking the other day that these flavors would make a good drink. I found a bunch of recipes and plan on trying a few (has anyone ever had an Irish Potato cocktail???). After I did some research on drinkable versions of this little treat I go to thinking that I should also make an Irish Potato cupcake.

For the most part I am not yet brave enough to completely make up a recipe on my own, so for these cupcakes I combined two different recipes that I found online. I made the cinnamon cupcake recipe from Duncan Hines’ Snickerdoodle Cupcakes and topped the cupcakes with a Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting recipe from Allrecipes.com.

These were good, but they didn’t quite capture the flavor of the Irish Potato candy. Even though I added extra cinnamon to the cupcake batter, they were nowhere near cinnamon-y enough. The frosting was good, but the cream cheese flavor was definitely the most prevalent. If I were to attempt these cupcakes a second time I would cut the cream cheese down just a bit, add more confectioners sugar and definitely add more coconut extract.

Or maybe I would try this recipe that I just found…. It has an Irish Potato stuffed in the cupcake! My only problem would be trying not to eat all the Irish Potatoes before I got around to sticking them into the cupcakes. 🙂