Almond Tart!

This tart is going to be the death of me or the death of most of my clothes, which ever comes first!! It is to die for! Perfectly sweet and balanced, you get a nice crunch from the almonds that top it. I am in the process in trying other flavors! Other nuts, candies and fruits! They are all pretty good but the almond is my favorite!!!

XOXO

Amanda

Shortcakes on a Stick!!

I got this idea from the Bakerella blog and thought it was really cute! These "Shortcakes on a Stick" were fun to make and SUPER tasty! I made Christmas trees and cupcakes and am working on other ideas right now! These were made for a cookie party I had and were a BIG hit. They are perfect size for a child's birthday party or for the "big girls" who only want a bite!

Watch for more ideas, shapes and colors to come!!! Or let me know ideas of yours!!! I'll up for it all!!

XOXO

Amanda

What I want for Christmas!

Christmas is coming up and here is a list of things I want!

1. A food scale
2. A set of silver mixing bowls
3. Food Processor
4. A new car
5. A commercial kitchen to use!

I am hoping to get into the farmers markets here in town. I want to make and sell cheesecakes, cupcakes and tarts. I am working on my recipes and perfecting them BUT you need a commercial kitchen to sell to the public. Anyone know of one here in Sonoma???

Well Off to the kitchen!

XOXO
Amanda

Luna the Cat

This is my Cat Luna. She LOVES hanging out with me while I bake. Right now I am up to my eyeballs in COOKIES!! Tomorrow, Nicole and I are having a cookie party at our house. I have baked 3 different kinds, Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Quickies, and Amaretti cookies! I am also trying a new recipe that I am calling Cupcake Kisses. I got the idea and recipe from the Bakerella blog. Its a GREAT idea! Pictures will be up soon!!!

XOXO

Luna and Amanda

Cookies Cookies and more Cookies!!!! American Style!

American cookies are hearty cookies. Chocolate chip, Oatmeal Raisin, Peanut Butter are all examples of these hearty "meal" cookies. To me they are a Dessert instead of a garnish or snack. These cookies are a mixture of all different kinds of American style cookies I made. The cool thing about these cookies is they can be frozen in the dough stage of the game. SO the next time you are making a batch of your favorite chocolate chip cookie, double or triple the recipe, and scoop out all of the dough. Then freeze it. Once they are frozen, you can wrap them up and whenever you want cookies just pop one out of the freezer and bake them off! Its a great time saver. They are great for an easy dessert. Just put them in the over just as you are sitting down to dinner and by the time you are done, you will have warm cookies out of the oven!! YUM!!

Cupcake and kisses!!

Amanda

Chocolate Boxes!!!

In my chocolate class, I was assinged to make a chocolate box. This box is 100% made from chocolate that has been tempered. Tempering chocolate is the process of heating the chocolate up and then cooling it down correctly so the chocolate stays solid and shiny while at room temp. While making my box, I wanted something very victorian and elegant looking. The box was filled with beautiful chocolates filled with all sorts of yummy flavors.

Gingerbread!!!!

Its Christmas time! That means Gingerbread! These little houses were made for Lola's holiday party. They turned out chewy, flavorful and sweet! We wrapped them in plastic and attached business cards Lola made for me. She said they were a BIG hit.