Coconut Banana Bread. A Tale Of A Food Trade.

I have raved about Leslie Green of The Hungry Housewife in my Lowel Ego Light Post here. I first noticed the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup cupcake way back when (here and here), then most recently, Leslie's Banana Bread French Toast post which put me RIGHT OVER THE EDGE.

Well, what else could I do then to email her and ask her if:

a) I could come over for breakfast.

or

b) Do a trade.

Sadly, she responded in her email that she wasn't much of a "potions and lotions" gal. Well, geez, I don't know if I've ever met anyone NOT into products. No tantalizing Leslie with my only positve trade-able asset? Hmm. I couldn't drive to Tampa for breakfast. A fast friendship was growing, but a drive was not happening. Sorry Leslie, I know how much my presense would be appreciated because I'd eat ALL of your fattening leftovers and save you from yourself. (Yeah, I read Fat Jeans)

I must be able to offer something she might like. She seemed reluctant, but would do a trade and maybe she'd use the cream before bed. She didn't want to interfere with her perfume. Not a product junkie? Huh. My new goal: To make Leslie a Product Body junkie. For life.

Then her box arrived. As I was ripping the package open, it occured to me that her baking could be a flop and how was I suppose to be nice about it if it was inedible? Then my thoughts went to: Oh no! What if she hates my products? This whole trade could be a nightmare.

This is what I found in the box....

Beautifully wrapped....


Beautifully baked....

Moist and smelly good. When I cut into it, a coconutty banana scent wafted up and knocked me right onto my very own slice of heaven. I am in love - It's official. Two breads arrived and I was doubly pleased. It is the best banana bread I have EVER eaten. And I make a pretty mean loaf. Who thinks to put coconut into banana bread? It's pure genious and I thank my lucky stars that I stumbled on The Hungry Housewife and bookmarked it on the day that I did.

Sadly, I only have one loaf left and I think I am not sharing it with anyone. More fat on my hips, better to knock you over with, my dear.

How cool would it be to have a monthly trade with a new friend? She sends me a treat and I send her a treat. We could even get a theme going every month to see how creative we could get. The more I think about it the more I love the idea.

Leslie wrote about the trade, too. Maybe she will turn into a "potions and lotions" gal after all.

Chocolate Heaven On Earth

I think this is my dream dessert:  Reese's peanut butter cups and cupcakes.  Oh yum.

I found this on The Hungry Housewife and now I am going to have to make this as soon as I free up my kitchen for baking.  Maybe this weekend!!

This is my altar today.

International Green Sugar Delights

creamy korichio drink

Green Tea-ramizu (P95), a Kozui spin on the traditional Italian dessert

Click The City- (TOKYO) Everything at the cafe is made with green tea. I'd love to try that!

The Scent Of Green Bananas Blog has Tortoro matcha green tea cupcakes with pistachio cream frosting (GUAM) There are recipes on how to make them there.


Matcha Green Tea Cupcake

Food Lover's Journey blog has green tea cupcakes (AUSTRALIA)



Green tea baozi

Found this at Life Of Guangzhou -The inside is filled with a sweet taro pudding and the outside provides a wonderful clean green tea flavor

I watched a show last night with a famous chef traveling through Hong Kong and even though I had just eaten dinner, I got famished for delicious foodie delights! Yum.

Gorgeous Cupcake Heart Stoppers

mini chocolate mud cupcakes with chocolate fudge frosting

Every photo that o'holysweet takes is stunning. It is perfection: cake and vision. What more do I need at 10:30 p.m. at night?

Here are a few more, I can not resist the art of it all.

lemon yogurt cupcake

Yellow cake with vanilla mousse filling (Dad's Birthday cake)

whiteness

I Can Make It And Eat It, Too

I have to say, that experiencing 4 classes of cake decorating was super fun. Last night (last level 1 class), we learned how to make the rose. So fun. I am in shock, though, because I never had any decorating juice in me, but check out this cake! I made that! All by myself... I baked the cake, whipped the icing up, colored it, decorated it and VOILA! I start level 2 next monday. I wonder what's in store... Too fun!

Cupcake Heaven

I've got sugar on the brain.....

Cake Clowns - Class 3

Cake decorating class was a blast last night.  We made clowns, which I am generally not a fan of, but they were fun to make.  Just so you know, the clown heads are plastic and they get inserted into the icing body.  The whole process I did myself, which is great because the only frosting I have ever done in the past was with a tub of Betty Crocker and a knife.  I actually baked the cupcakes and created the icing clouds and the clowns.

I had left over icing in my bags and two extra cupcakes, so the pictures below show me trying out some designs .  They didn't get home without getting banged around, unfortunately, but they were delicious....

First Cake - Wilton Decorating

I had to make icing for the first time at home before my cake decorating class, ice my cake and bring in the cake to decorate in class.  Can you believe that the main ingredient for icing is Crisco?  Pounds of Crisco and confectioners sugar, a couple of tablespoons of meringue powder, flavor oils and water and ***voila!*** icing!

That is me in my kitchen mixing the first batch of icing

The class was super fun, although I think my cake turned out pretty ugly.  Why you ask?

a)  The cake looks very lopsided and weird

b)  I don't like the colors so much

c)  I'm not big on rainbows unless they are in the sky or from a crystal in the sun

The rainbow took me over an hour to make.  Each part of the rainbow is made of hundreds of star squirts,  with each tiny star taking about one second to squeeze out.  The process was very fun and I thought of nothing but icing while I was decorating.  Immersing myself was a way to completely detach and de-stress, although I don't think I breathed because I was concentrating so hard.

Now I know why professional cakes can be pricey.  It's not the ingredients.  It's the skill of the decorator.  I will continue to share, but being a beginner is a challenge and can be embarrassing.  ;)

Cake Decorating With Wilton

As one of my Christmas presents, my husband signed me up for Wilton's cake decorating class.  He knows how excited I got after I saw how beautiful bath cupcakes could look like.  Anne-Marie of the Soap Queen blog gave a tutorial (with pictures).  I was so happy for her when they came out so well after some sad bath bomb cupcake flops.  This is what the final cuppies looked like:

So you can see why I got inspired to expand my knowledge of bath and body and test the waters where I have zero skill:  Confections.  It is one of my goals this year to try new things where my comfort level is seriously compromised and be willing to fail when I do attempt a new thing.   Like cake decorating.  I have no more experience with decorating a cake past the can of chocolate frosting you buy in the supermarket and a butter knife.  Maybe some sprinkles and candles.

So I am out of my comfort zone with this class, 'tis true, but only because I have never done it and I am a bit clutzy with fine detail. This is an understatement, folks. 

My class started last week, but we only talked and there was a quick demo in making the icing and .  Tonight, my class meets and I am supposed to bring in a cake, already baked and iced with the stiff buttercream frosting I am to make.  Hmm.  I know I should have practiced this week, but with work, company and other family related events, I could not get to the cake thing before today.

:*

dd's Cupcake Shoppe

I finally went to the new cupcake shop that opened in Jupiter and it was pure heaven. The owner, dd, was truly a sweet and friendly woman, who has opened the shop because of her passion for the mini cakes. Her boyfriend, Chad, travels all the way from Miami every day to bake with her and help her business get off the ground. What lovely people! This is the shop and dd and Chad (I admit, my 7 year old took the shot of the two of them...)

The Shoppe looked much prettier in person with the holiday lights a-glow on the dark busy street... my flash ruined the night scene. It is an adorable shop and everyone should eat the cupcakes every day and give them as presents and share them with loved ones.

I didn't note the name on these. I call them Chocolate Ball Delights

Hannah Montana Cupcakes

Princess cupcakes

My son chose the oreo cupcake (not shown), my daughter, the princess cupcake and I, of course, chose the red velvet with cream cheese frosting and coconut flurries on top. Oh oh oh.

Here are my red velvets, folks....mmmm:

Would you like to see the magic trick of the disappearing red velvet cupcake?

yum

dd's Cupcake Shoppe is located at 121 Center Street in Jupiter, Florida 33477 and their phone number is 561-401-5636. If you are local, go see dd and Chad and buy lots of goodies and tell them I sent you! :)

Real Cookie Monsters....

I don't know how I ended up at Tim Boucher's blog. Isn't it funny how looking for beautiful cupcakes online led me to "big mouth-o-cookies"?

Halloween Cupcake Design

You know I am cupcake obsessed. But now it is Halloween and I am loving the creepy confections. Allow me to share the love.

These 2 were created by Wisdom Of The Moon (also and Etsy shop).

This is made by Cake Creations By Lisa in San Francisco.

Ghostly Castle. This is a kid craft....but I think I would have chosen it for a wedding cake. Who is kidding who? Kiddley.com.


Creepy Goodies by Brownie Points Blog. Note the "tissue sample" in the background... :)

Love it! Will someone please mail me some cupcakes? I am so hungry!!

Okay, back to work. The next entry I write will be work related. This is just so much fun!

xoxox -Jo

Chocolate Is Good For You

Chocolate is one of my favorite foods. Sarah's Candies, a gorgeous pastry and candy shop in Chicago compiled some information on chocolate that I think everyone should know. It also made me feel better about eating it as much as I do.

Chocolate stimulates the secretion of endorphins, producing a pleasurable sensation similar to the 'runner's high.'...Chocolate also contains a neurotransmitter serotonin that acts as an anti-depressant.

Chocolate's scientific name, theobroma cacao (\The`o*bro"ma\ \Ca*ca"o\)
A literal translation is 'Food of The Gods'.

Its feel good chemicals have long been associated with feelings of love, safety, and comfort.

Babies born to women who had been eating chocolate daily during pregnancy were more active and 'positively reactive'- a measure that encompasses traits such as smiling and laughter. And the babies of stressed women who had regularly consumed chocolate showed less fear of new situations than babies of stressed women who abstained.

Research reported cocoa powder and chocolate contain a relatively high amount of phenolic compounds, which possess antioxidant properties that may be beneficial in reducing the risk for coronary heart disease.

The finer varieties [of chocolate] provide a range of valuable nutrients....vitamin E, iron, and magnesium... and can help lift your mood.

It is the hidden substances [of chocolate] that are being craved as they are an antidepressant and help create a state of euphoria. This is why some people crave chocolate when they are feeling down. Chocolate also contains substances which act as stimulants thus giving energy.

Research indicates a possible antioxidant benefit in chocolate, similar to that found in red wine.

Chocolate contains vitamins A, B¹, C, D, and E, as well as potassium, sodium, iron, and fluorine. Now, researchers say those creamy chocolate confections may actually help us live longer, too. Harvard researchers tracked nearly 8,000 males... Those men who enjoyed chocolate and candy lived almost a year longer than those who did not.

Antioxidants, flavonoids and the subgroup called catechins, are found in dark chocolate four times the amount that it is found in green tea.

So, if you are in Chicago, go see Sarah at her shop and tell her I sent you. And have a cupcake for me.

Cupcake Heaven

I've always loved cupcakes. Cake is overwhelming, because of the size. It's hard to moderate oneself with portion control. Cupcakes are really a perfect treat. Perfect sized portion, and cupcakes have every element of what every dessert should possess. Presentation, color, frosting texture and taste, embellishments, exterior cake-eyness, and then there is the moist interior. Of course, it can be eaten any old way, but it is always important to maintain fosting on every bite for the full effect.

I found Perfect Fairy Cakes with the most beautiful cupcake photographs and I knew I had to share them. This artwork in cupcakery shouldn't be missed. I know that when it gets stressful during the day, I can look at any one of these photos and instantly go to a peaceful and confectionary state of bliss for a moment.

Feast your eyes.