Cookie Dough Dip!

My friend Julia made this last week. It's amazing! Definitely a keeper recipe for parties!

Cookie Dough Dip
makes about 1 1/2 cups
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 8-ounce block of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cups chocolate chips
1/2 cup heath bar toffee crumbs

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture starts to bubble. Set aside to cool, and whisk in vanilla.
Cream together cream cheese and powdered sugar for 60 seconds. With mixer on low speed, add in brown sugar and butter mixture. Mix until combined. Add the chocolate chips and toffee. Stir.
Garnish with additional chopped chocolate. Serves with fruit, cookies, crackers, pretzels or a spoon.

Recipe is a modified version of How Sweet It Is.

Girl's Tea Party

Every year, my friend Lyssa hosts a girl's tea party.

We all bring a little something to share...cookies, scones, tea cakes, jam etc.

Lyssa brings out her collection of beautiful vintage spoons and her Grandmother's tea set from India!

Devonshire Cream

My Mother has had this recipe for years. Traditionarly Devonshire Cream is a clotted cream made in Devon Cornwall and Somerset England. Here is my mom's take on an easy Devonshire Cream without all the hastle of boiling, cooking and skimming milk!

Mom's Version of Devonshire Cream:

Cream Cheese (softened) 8 ounces

1/2 Cup Confectioners Sugar

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 Cup Whipping Cream

In a bowl, beat cream cheese, confectioners sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Then gradually beat in whipping cream to achieve a buttery consitency. Chill for 2 hours.

I made this for Lyssa's tea party the other day. Everyone always loves it!

I like to put a dollop on top of scones or plain cakes.

Thanks Mom.

Boston Cream Cupcakes

I had my first piece of Boston Cream Pie last weekend. Shanny, David, Dan and I went to the Nordstroms Cafe in South Coast Plaza and I couldn't resist getting a slice of my own! Its' smooth chocolate glaze, sweet custard filling and vanilla cake were teasing me from behind the bakery glass, "Buy me...you know you want to!"- if desserts could talk. I caved...and I'm so glad that I did!

Here is a repost inspired by my amazing piece of Boston Cream Pie from the Nordstroms Cafe.

Boston Cream Cupcakes

By: Woman's Day

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Serves: 18

This miniature version of the classic custard pie leaves nothing out, with rich vanilla pudding, buttermilk and a semisweet chocolate glaze.

Cupcakes

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp each baking powder and salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

Filling

1 package (3 oz) cook & serve vanilla pudding

1 1/4 cups milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Glaze

8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped

1/3 cup each sugar and water

3 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

Recipe Preparation

1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners.
2. In a bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until blended.
3. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Beat in vanilla extract.
4. With mixer on low speed, alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, until just blended.
5. Spoon about 1/4 cup batter into each muffin cup. Bake 18 to 20 minutes until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack to cool completely.
6. Prepare pudding as package directs, using 1 1/4 cups milk. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Scrape into a bowl; cover surface directly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold.
7. Place chocolate, sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, until melted and smooth, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in butter until it melts and mixture is smooth. Let cool.
8. Slice off top of cupcakes to come to top of paper liners. Spread cut surface with about 1 Tbsp filling. Top with cupcake top. Spoon about 1 Tbsp glaze onto top center of each, easing it over top.

Churros con Chocolate

One of my dreams is to temporarily house swap and live in Spain with Danny! Oh how great would that be? Dan was a lucky duck; he grew up in a bilingual family and can switch from English to Spanish like it ain't no thing. Spain could be my chance to finally learn Spanish fluently! Until then, I will continue to practice my Rosetta Stone and make Churros con Chocolate -- a popular breakfast treat among Spaniards. Believe it or not, this recipe is really easy to make. And...it's AMAZING!

Churros are usually served plain with a hot chocolate dipping sauce in various European countries. And check this out...when we were in Costa Rica, they made their version with dulce de leche in the middle! Awww so good! But my all time favorite would be rolled in cinnamon-sugar and dipped in chocolate!

Makes approximately 20 churros (depending on size)
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter (I used salted butter, if you use unsalted add a pinch of salt to the batter)
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup flour
3 eggs
oil for frying

Cinnamon sugar
2 cups sugar
2 tbsp ground cinnamon

Chocolate sauce
100g (3.53 ounces) dark chocolate
50ml (1.69 fluid ounces) cream

• Start by making the chocolate sauce and the cinnamon sugar. Melt the chocolate and cream together and set aside. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar and set aside.
• In a saucepan, combine the water, butter, sugar and salt. Allow the butter to melt and stir everything together.
• Combine the saucepan mixture with sifted flour and stir until a ball starts to form.
• Transfer the mixture to your stand-alone mixer or to a separate bowl if you are using a hand-held blender.
• Allow the mixture to cool for 5 minutes.*You don't want the hot dough to currdle the eggs
• Place enough oil into a pot to fry the churros and allow to heat.
• Start beating the dough and add the eggs one at a time. Beat well after each addition. The mixture will become slightly sticky and more like a batter, but still thick.
• Place the batter into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle.
• When the oil is hot, pipe long shapes into the oil and allow to fry until golden brown, flip them over and fry on the other side.
• Continue until all the batter has been used.
• Coat the churros in the cinnamon sugar.
• Serve warm with chocolate sauce.

Adapted from Simply Delicious

Mmm...Reese's Stuffed Chocolate Covered Oreos

Ooooh my. These are a must! Click here for this awesome "how to" recipe by Cookies and Cups.

Bartlett Pear Pastries with Almonds and Spiced Honey

I bought some pastry sheets from Trader Joes a few weeks ago and I've been eagerly brain storming what I could make with them! It was a stormy Sunday and I was in the mood for some cozy cooking. Here's what I came up with! They are super tasty, EASY to make and fancy to boot!

Here's what you'll need:

Makes ~12:

Pastry Dough (flat sheets)

1 Pear

1 Handful of Almonds

Almond Paste:

1 Cup Almond Meal

1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar

1 Egg White

1 Teaspoon Almond Extract

Spiced Honey:

1/4 Cup Honey

1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon

Directions:

- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

- Mix 1 cup of almond meal with 1/2 Cup powdered sugar, 1 egg white and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract in a small bowl. Set aside.

(the consistency of the almond paste will be a tad soupy...don't worry it will thicken-up in the oven)

- Cut your pastry sheets into 4-inch squares and place them on a cookie sheet lined with a silpat.

- Spoon a bit of almond paste onto each pastry square

- Cut your pear into thin wedges and place on each pastry

- Chop almonds and sprinkle over pastries

- Place pasteries in the oven for 15 minutes

- Mix 1/4 cup of honey with 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon and drizzle over the pastries

Enjoy.

Kina Grannis 'In Your Arms' Jelly Bean Music Video

I saw Kina Grannis 'In Your Arms' music video for the first time today. It's simply amazing - literally a work of art! It took almost two years with the work of 30 people, and required 288,000 Jelly Belly jelly beans. Mmmm I love Jelly Bellies (my favorites are Pear and Root Beer)! Director Greg Jardin and his team assembled every bean, in every 2,640 frames and shot them individually! Yikes! Basically he created a music video with the same concept as the flip book.  Props to Greg and his extreme patience! Check it out. P.S. the behind the scene's clip is great too!

Happy Halloween!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE! I wish all of you a wonderful evening full of fun and fall festivities! Here are some great pictures from our Neighborhood Halloween Party last Saturday and some cute costume ideas.

Unfortunately, I've been sitting on the couch with a fever for the past day. Boooooooo! Not fun. Danny and I are planning on staying in, so that I can get rid of this bug. We wanted to rent a Halloween movie (maybe Nightmare Before Christmas or Frankenstein), drink some apple cider and pass out candy to  trick-or-treaters.  Sounds like a pretty good night, despite feeling so blaaaaahhh.

Have a fun Halloween you crazy kids!

Our dessert table! 

 Me and Shanny

Love Thy Neighbor

King Danny

Pat flew down from Oregon just for the party!

Guy Fieri on the dance floor

Kara, Shanny, me and Dan

Aunties

Greg, Uncle Chris, Aunt Cherie and Lisa

Mo and Jay

Stella (my future Mama in-law), Danny, Me, Aunt Gita and Uncle Phillip

Baby Bee <3

Aj and Christina

Here are some more cute Halloween costumes for the kiddies...I couldn't resist.

Cabbage Patch Kid

Oompa Loompa

Nacho Libre Baby

Hahahahaha too funny.

Cookie Boy

These cookies are amazing! I am thoroughly impressed!

Theinfamous “Cookie Boy” was born 1984 in Kyoto, Japan.He studied arts and textile design at Kyoto Seika University and laterbecame infatuated with cooking! He discovered his personal canvas – the cookie. His work is deliciously artistic inevery way. Cookie Boy is based in Japanand sells all over the world, including Kitson in Los Angeles, California.