Pineapple Empanadas - Part 1

Well, I'm not exactly setting my kitchen on fire these days.  Hmm, bad turn of phrase.  Let's try this again.
 

This was a thoroughly unproductive weekend.  Last weekend I saw a great concert (thanks again, Mary Beth, for a fun time!) and tried a new recipe to bring to the pre-concert picnic -- pineapple empanadas.  They were cute and tasty and relatively healthy, too.  Check out the recipe from Eating Well here.

In my head, I've played around with the recipe to make it my own.  Now I just need to get the rest of me working with my brain (not always an easy task).  In the meantime, we'll call this Part 1. 

rolling and cutting the dough

adding just a wee bit of pineapple filling

all ready to bake

 Look for Part 2 coming soon!

Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes

 

Okay, so jumping back into life as usual has been a bit hit or miss.  Guess the point is just to keep on trying.  In that spirit, I'm really, really going to try to get (and keep) myself back into Sugared Sam mode.

Figured I'd start with something nice and simple.

These cute little liners inspired me and I found the perfect doctored cake mix recipe on Bird on a Cake.  

Dump, mix, fill, bake.  I can handle that.

I added the zest of an orange to vanilla buttercream and dyed half of the frosting orange.  Then I filled one frosting bag with white and one with orange and put both bags inside another to create a swirled pattern.

For an extra touch (and because I'm terribly clever), I cut the tips off toothpicks and inserted them in orange Mike and Ike candies to create little creamsicle toppers.

 

Voila!

Dark Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 


Today I whipped up a batch of dark chocolate sugar cookies.  I found the recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Sweetapolita.  Rosie's creations are always delicious and beautiful.  You can find the recipe here.

 

Following the instructions on Sweetapolita, I rolled out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper.  To keep the paper from slipping, I placed a Silpat liner underneath.  The quarter-inch wooden dowels helped me roll the dough to the perfect thickness.

Cutting the cookies.

 

I outlined the cooled cookies with royal icing.

Yum.

Daring Bakers' Challenge - Gevulde Speculaas

It’s official.  I’m a terrible blogger.

Since the sudden loss of my dad I’ve felt adrift.  Just forcing myself through each day seems to take all of my (limited) energy and (reduced) brain power.  But let’s face it, just existing is no way to go through life.

If you’ll bear with me, I’m making an effort to rejoin the world.  I used to love playing in the kitchen.  I used to love doing lots of other creative things.  The plan is to keep forcing myself to do those things until one day it’s no longer such an effort.  

I’m very late in posting this, but here’s the January Daring Bakers’ Challenge, a spiced Dutch pastry filled with almond paste, gevulde speculaas.  They seemed to be a hit at work – and they make your kitchen smell fantastic while they’re baking.  Check out the recipe here.

the speculaas spice mixture

 

 

fresh from the oven

Anniversary Cake

Hi!  Just a quick post tonight.

This weekend I made an anniversary cake - not just any anniversary cake - a 70th anniversary cake.  (Did I just write anniversary cake three times in one sentence?  You'll have to forgive me.  I always get a little loopy after a big job.)

Anyway, 70 years.  How great is that?  I wanted to take a minute to share that with you.

I LOVE taking a blank slate - or cake

 - and making something to help celebrate a special event.