Valentine Cupcake Idea Round=up! + Hello, Cupcake!

For Valentines Day this year, E surprised me with an early present... and Guess what it was!?!?

THAT'S RIGHT... the CUTEST cookbook I've ever seen.  Hello, Cupcake! So, I decided to find all the helpful items I'll need to make some of these delightful confections and share them with you, so you can all make some awesome Valentine's day treats as well!

My favorite designs are the dirt + worms garden cupcakes.  They are absolutely adorable, with itty-bitty shovels stuck in the "dirt" next to sprouting carrots and peas made of various candies. 

And here, is What's New, Cupcake?  In case you already have Hello, Cupcake!
















For your favorite little princess at home... the sweetest little kit with flower baking cups and princess cake toppers!

A Cupcake TOWER Stand for presenting your creations at home!

And then, a great holder for travel!

 

And, to finish it off... these cute little boxes to transport gifts!

Valentines Day Idea and Coffee Drinking Genius!

"I had no idea that I’ve been needing this my entire life, until right … now. " Thank you Diana! 

If you're like me, I am always looking for something just fun and cute for Valentine's day.  The fact of the matter is, the holiday is IN YOUR FACE, so it's pretty difficult to ignore, but E + I don't necessarily like to go all out either... Hence, this idea for an adorably ridiculous coffee mug!

thedailywhat:

Drinkware of the Day: “Face Mug” from Uncommon Goods.

Put a smile on that mug with a hungry mouth cubby that bites off more than you can chew. Perfect for serving milk and cookies, coffee and doughnuts, tea and biscotti, or your favorite snack-time combinations.

I am at once delighted and sufficiently terrified.
[colossal.]

and...HAPPY MONDAY!  Now, I need to make some gluten free donuts to justify this.  

Dainty Lemon Shortbread Bars- Perfect Winter Snack

At work one morning, I walked in to find a beautifully presented tin of lemon bars in the conference room.  Every person who came in to try one would leave, exclaiming that it was the "BEST thingggg they had ever put in their mouth!"... or something equally as convincing. 

Sister Baking Day!

Dainty Cakes, featured in out Holiday Display! (Left platter, center)

Gluten Free Wedding Cake in SoCal!

So, I've been scouring the web in search of gluten free wedding cake vendors in Southern California, and with the help of friends and fellow foodie bloggers, I've found a handful of extremely talented cake vendors capable of making gluten-free wedding cakes! 

Here's the shortlist:

1. Enjoy Cupcakes!- Amber made me the most delectable cupcakes this summer, and I'd love to use her for a cupcake topping bar. 
2. Helena Wirth Cakes- Has beautiful cake designs and amazing reviews from clients. 
3. Rossmoor Bakery/ Sensitive Baker- The Sensitive Baker and Rossmoor Bakery have recently announced a wedding cake collaboration!  Sensitive baker specializes in kosher, dairy free and gluten free baked goods, while Rossmoor specializes in beautifully decorated confections... match made in heaven.  I ordered my birthday cake from the Sensitive Baker this year, and it was absolutely fabulous.  
4. A Sweet Design- Recommended by my caterer, this bakery also has beautiful cake designs and great reviews from clients!

Spiced Mexican Chocolate Cookies! Gluten Free!

I've been occupied with finding the perfect Christmas cookie recipe... and I think I found it!  I couldn't try them at the recent cookie exchange party I went on (as they weren't gluten-free), so after the rave reviews, I decided I should make them for myself!  This is a mini pre-Christmas project that one of my bridesmaids and I will embark on tomorrow night!!!

photo credit: http://web.me.com/mikejdunlap

Mexican Chocolate Cookies!!!

Ingredients

• 1 cup gluten free flour
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch Process cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons sweet butter, slightly softened
• 3 tablespoons stick margarine
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Generous pinch of ground black pepper
• Generous pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg white
• Red Sprinkles!

Directions

1. Combine the flour, cocoa, soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix thoroughly with a whisk. Set aside. Combine the sugars in a small bowl and mix well with fingers pressing out any lumps. 
2. In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter and margarine until creamy. Add sugar mixture, cinnamon, peppers, and vanilla. Beat on high speed for about one minute. Beat in egg white. Stop the mixer. 
3. Add the flour mixture. Beat on low speed just until incorporated. 
4. Gather the dough together with your hands and form it into a neat 9 to 10-inch log. Wrap in waxed paper. Fold or twist ends of paper without pinching or flatting the log. Chill about 1 hour.
5. Place oven racks in the upper and lower third of the oven preheat to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
6. Use a sharp knife to slice rounds of chilled dough a scant 1/4-inch thick. Place 1-inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake 12 to 14 minutes. 
7. Rotate baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back about halfway through.
8. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. 
9. Once cooled, sprinkle red or other festive colored sugar sprinkles atop the cookies and SERVE!!! 

Loads of Holiday COOKIESSS!!

Macau Almond Cookies- Gluten Free for Camp Blogaway!

This weekend, B w/ Corque Blog and I went to Camp Blogaway for a meeting of the minds with about 60 fellow food bloggers in LA!  It was the first event of it's kind that I had gone to, so it was really exciting for me to participate and meet like minded foodies from all around LA, and to listen to advice from some seasoned bloggers.

Anyway, we were asked to bring a Potluck dish for a Competition at the event.  Betty and thought long and hard about the possibilities.  We wanted to do something "different" and gluten free (of course).  We thought that it would be great to bring something that would showcase our Chinese culture... something that others may never have tried before.  So, we decided to bring Macanese Almond Cookies 杏仁餅 (xing ren bing)!  Our favorite ones growing up were from Pastelaria Koi Kei in Macau.  In fact, when our parents go to Hong Kong and Macau each year, this is still our most often requested gift. 

Photo Credit Pastelaria Koi Kei

Katz Gluten Free- Challah for some Holla! (Or Vice Versa)

While it's still Rosh Hashanah, I wanted to send a shout out and a HUGE thank you to Katz Gluten Free!  Check out that link for some DELICIOUS, Gluten Free Challah rolls. 

I had the fine fortune of sampling some amazing goodies from Katz Gluten Free recently.  My ABSOLUTE favorite type of bread growing up was Challah bread... specifically, the braided egg bread from Diamond Bakery in Newton, MA.  I was the only one in the house that craved challah, so I would have to be VERY convincing (and very good at home) in order to persuade my mom into driving me to Diamond Bakery to pick up a loaf.  Once we got there, I would peruse the bakery, scrutinizing every baked item on the shelf.  And once in a while, my mom would let me leave with a box full of goodies ranging from chocolate rugelech to black and white cookies to hamantascen along with the loaf of challah.

Photo Credit: Katzglutenfree.com