Guest Blogging at Family Ever After
Hi everyone! I am guest blogging at Family Ever After today! I share my favorite double chocolate mint cookies! Head over and check it out!
Cheers!
Jenny
Cheers!
Jenny
Latest and Greatest Friday #11, A Tease!
Look at what my sister made for my nephew's Italian class! I cannoli believe they were delicious! (heh heh)
Happy Friday!!! Happy Christmas Eve Eve! Happy Happy Days to All! LINK UP and be Merry! Last Link Party of 2011!!!
Happy Friday!!! Happy Christmas Eve Eve! Happy Happy Days to All! LINK UP and be Merry! Last Link Party of 2011!!!
Features from Latest and Greatest Friday
I decided to do some features tonight instead of for Friday's post. I am always left in awe of what people are able to accomplish and create! Take a look at these!
Peppermint Macaroons
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| Castles and Carriages WOW. These look amazing. I have wanted to try making macaroons for a while now and this may be my inspiration now. |
Teal Dresser
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| Becoming Martha I love the color and the details. And I love that she kept the top dark. |
Gingerbread Cookie Dough Truffles
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| Crazy for Crust Can you even believe these are true?? I want them now! They sound so good! |
Bow-Tie Sweater Pillow
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| Vixen Made She made this out of an old sweater! I love it and such a great way to recycle and create from what you already have. |
So there you go! Some of my favorites! And I'd love to grow the party so that we can all see even more cool stuff you all make. If you know a blogger who did a really neat craft, creation, recipe, DIY, etc. project feel free to direct them to my Friday party! Looking at all the links is one of my favorite things to do when the kids go to bed!
Cheers!
Jenny
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!--Shabby Apple, Decorating, Christmas Idea
So as promised I am announcing the winner of the gorgeous black Boogie Woogie dress from Shabby Apple!
The winner is lucky #42!
Congratulations to tmc480 who said...
I'm going to email you! I hope you enjoy your new dress! Thank you to everyone who entered! I was so excited to be able to offer the giveaway!
So Jim and I move very very very slowly. We moved in the week before Halloween and all my pictures are still in boxes. Most of my pretty china, my living room accessories, and I have yet to hang curtains in almost all the rooms. ACK! So I started doing a few things here and there and now I'm anxious to get going on the rest of the house.
I scored this lamp at Home Goods for $25. I love it. Jim thinks it's weird. But I have such traditional tastes that I felt like my living room was more like my grandma's so I wanted a little more contemporary style. The shade is a beautiful peacock in real life! It was a little short so I stuck some books under it and now it's the perfect height.
And I want to do 6 ft bead board in the breakfast nook of our kitchen sometime this fall. But until then I hung some plates. The black ones I bought in an antique store years ago and the other two toile ones were from Home Goods. I didn't think I'd like all the black against the dark brown but I really do!
And Jim is still getting into the decorating scene too. Remember his window coverings? Well, look at this picture and guess what element he added.
Love this PB knock off ornament. You know how I love me some PBKO.
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| It's Overflowing |
Cheers!
Jenny
Peppermint Ganache Cake & Last Day for Shabby Apple!
Today is the last day to enter my Shabby Apple giveaway! Go enter. I'll wait.
"Let them eat cake!" is what I always say! I also say things like "chork pops" instead of "pork chops" because that's what my goofball mom always said. But back to the point of cake...the best 4 letter word ever. I adore cake (as evidenced by my not-losing-baby-weight statement from my earlier post). So when we decided to host Jim's family here I knew I wanted to make a festive cake that didn't include things like fruit bits from a plastic container in the baking aisle or any dessert made with vegetables (Pipe down, Pumpkin. You had your time.)
So I served a Peppermint Ganache Cake and it was delish! Here's how I did it:
Peppermint Ganache Cake (real directions are in bold for those who want to bypass the snarky fluff)
1 box of vanilla cake mix (or make your own and I bet you make your own mayonnaise too, don't you!) and the ingredients for that particular mix
1 bag of high quality chocolate chips or the equivalent to 2 cups of the finest semi-sweet chocolate you are willing not to eat in it's natural state (really ganachers will shrink back in horror at the mention of using chips but I had good results so that's up to you. Don't hate the playa, hate the game)
2 cups of heavy whipping cream
1/2-1 tsp of peppermint extract depending on how minty you'd like your ganache
Enough vanilla butter cream to frost your cake.
Bake cakes according to directions on your mix. I chose to bake mine in 3 pans instead of two so I'd have more ganache in it. To do this I just used a measuring cup to ensure each pan had the same amount. Real bakers will tell you to do this on a scale by weight but frankly cake and weigh are two words I try not to put together. Pie and Pilates are two others. Moving on....
So when they cakes have cooled, use a serrated knife to slice the little dome off the tops if you'd like toeat cake scraps have perfectly flat cakes.
Make the ganache:
Put chocolate in a big bowl and heat 2 cups of cream in a sauce pan until it's super hot but not boiling. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute to let the chocolate melt. Then you can gently encourage the melting by stirring with a rubber spatula. Once it's mostly worked together and it is glossy, dark brown, and you are itching to pour it in a glass and drink it, you can add the peppermint extract. Reserve about 1 cup and let the remaining ganache get to room temp. Whip it until it is spreading consistency and frost the layers of your cake. I piped a small ring of butter cream around the cake edge and then filled it in with the whipped ganache icing so that it wouldn't bleed out and make my icing on the sides streaky. You will have tons of ganache left over so you can really frost anything with it.
Stack and then frost your entire cake with the vanilla butter cream. To get a really smooth finish, dip an offset spatula into super hot water and then wipe on a towel. The hot metal will melt the butter ever so slightly and you'll get a super smooth finish.
Nuke the remaining ganache (the unwhipped cup) until it is warm enough to pour. Pour the entire cup over the top in the middle and then gently push the ganache out with a knife to let it drip down the sides.
It was da' bomb and da' bumdiggity.
Here is my butter cream recipe:
2 sticks softened butter
2 cups powdered sugar (more or less depending on the consistency you want and how sweet you want it)
1/2 tsp vanilla
4 tbs heavy cream
Whip to spreading consistency, adding sugar and cream to achieve the feel you want.
Bad blogger that I am, I forgot to take a picture of that first beautiful slice and remembered after we'd attacked it. But you get the idea on the inside of it:
What holiday goodies are you making?? Share some yummy recipes!
Cheers!
Jenny
Linking up here
and these great parties! Visit!
"Let them eat cake!" is what I always say! I also say things like "chork pops" instead of "pork chops" because that's what my goofball mom always said. But back to the point of cake...the best 4 letter word ever. I adore cake (as evidenced by my not-losing-baby-weight statement from my earlier post). So when we decided to host Jim's family here I knew I wanted to make a festive cake that didn't include things like fruit bits from a plastic container in the baking aisle or any dessert made with vegetables (Pipe down, Pumpkin. You had your time.)
So I served a Peppermint Ganache Cake and it was delish! Here's how I did it:
Peppermint Ganache Cake (real directions are in bold for those who want to bypass the snarky fluff)
1 box of vanilla cake mix (or make your own and I bet you make your own mayonnaise too, don't you!) and the ingredients for that particular mix
1 bag of high quality chocolate chips or the equivalent to 2 cups of the finest semi-sweet chocolate you are willing not to eat in it's natural state (really ganachers will shrink back in horror at the mention of using chips but I had good results so that's up to you. Don't hate the playa, hate the game)
2 cups of heavy whipping cream
1/2-1 tsp of peppermint extract depending on how minty you'd like your ganache
Enough vanilla butter cream to frost your cake.
Bake cakes according to directions on your mix. I chose to bake mine in 3 pans instead of two so I'd have more ganache in it. To do this I just used a measuring cup to ensure each pan had the same amount. Real bakers will tell you to do this on a scale by weight but frankly cake and weigh are two words I try not to put together. Pie and Pilates are two others. Moving on....
So when they cakes have cooled, use a serrated knife to slice the little dome off the tops if you'd like to
Make the ganache:
Put chocolate in a big bowl and heat 2 cups of cream in a sauce pan until it's super hot but not boiling. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute to let the chocolate melt. Then you can gently encourage the melting by stirring with a rubber spatula. Once it's mostly worked together and it is glossy, dark brown, and you are itching to pour it in a glass and drink it, you can add the peppermint extract. Reserve about 1 cup and let the remaining ganache get to room temp. Whip it until it is spreading consistency and frost the layers of your cake. I piped a small ring of butter cream around the cake edge and then filled it in with the whipped ganache icing so that it wouldn't bleed out and make my icing on the sides streaky. You will have tons of ganache left over so you can really frost anything with it.
Stack and then frost your entire cake with the vanilla butter cream. To get a really smooth finish, dip an offset spatula into super hot water and then wipe on a towel. The hot metal will melt the butter ever so slightly and you'll get a super smooth finish.
Nuke the remaining ganache (the unwhipped cup) until it is warm enough to pour. Pour the entire cup over the top in the middle and then gently push the ganache out with a knife to let it drip down the sides.
It was da' bomb and da' bumdiggity.
Here is my butter cream recipe:
2 sticks softened butter
2 cups powdered sugar (more or less depending on the consistency you want and how sweet you want it)
1/2 tsp vanilla
4 tbs heavy cream
Whip to spreading consistency, adding sugar and cream to achieve the feel you want.
Bad blogger that I am, I forgot to take a picture of that first beautiful slice and remembered after we'd attacked it. But you get the idea on the inside of it:
What holiday goodies are you making?? Share some yummy recipes!
Cheers!
Jenny
Linking up here
and these great parties! Visit!Random Stuff
We have been so busy and I know my posting has been sporadic. But we had Jim's whole family here for a Christmas celebration and it took us some time to prepare. It was such a great time though! Molly and Ellie were in their glory with their cousins and aunts and uncles showering them with attention. We are very lucky to have such a great relationship with both sides of our family.
Cheers!
Jenny
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| I've come to the realization that I'm not losing my pregnancy weight right now so I finally let a family picture get taken. Focus on the cuties in plaid! |
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| Such a princess! |
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| That's my man! Doin' the dishes...sigh-swoon-sigh |
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| It's time for bed. The fun has ended! |
Jenny
Latest and Greatest Friday #10, Features, Candied Orange Peels
Don't forget to enter my Shabby Apple Giveaway!!
Thank you to my followers...I just made it over 200 and I'm so thankful for all of you! I love reading your comments, following your blogs, and sharing my little slice of life with you. Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts and to share your life with me!
WOW...we had 40 link ups which is the most we've had. I love seeing all your beautiful projects!! Thank you for taking the time to link up! Here are some of my faves!
For some reason the code kept screwing up my page so I put the link party at the end of this post. Scroll scroll scroll until you reach it and until I get my web developer husband to figure out why the code is being stupid.
Today I made candied orange peels. I have always wanted to try it because it just doesn't seem like it could really be a good idea. But it is and I'm so glad I gave it a shot.
Here is how I did it. I cut the peel off of two large naval oranges and sliced it into small pieces. I put them in a sauce pan with water and brought it up to a boil. I boiled the peels for 15 minutes. Drain. Refill with clean water. Boil 15 minutes. Drain. Refill. Boil. Drain. Refill. Drain. I didn't want my peels to be bitter at all so that's why I boiled them 4 x.
Add 1.5 cups sugar to the pot with the peels and 1.5 cups water. Cover, bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer on low. Keep your eye on it but resist lifting the lid. The steam will wash down all the sugar that crystallizes on the sides. You also don't want your sugar to brown and burn. Simmer for 45 minutes.
Remove using a slotted spoon and toss them in regular white sugar to coat. Don't worry if they are clumpy when you first take them out of the syrup mixture. The sugar helps separate them. Cool on a rack.
After they cooled we dipped them in melted semi-sweet chocolate mixed with a little shortening to help it set up. You don't have to do this. I'm not sure why you wouldn't want to unless you are seriously weird. But that's your call.
And that's it! They are chewy and sweet and citrusy and we really liked them! I think they are a nice thing to have out at a party for in between the main meal and dessert. It's like a dessert appetizer. I would love to try lemon peels with white chocolate.
Or frankly, skip the peels and let's take the chocolate and run.
Here are some other citrus holiday dessert ideas!
I hope you are all enjoying the prep and hustle and bustle of the holiday season!
Cheers!
Jenny
Thank you to my followers...I just made it over 200 and I'm so thankful for all of you! I love reading your comments, following your blogs, and sharing my little slice of life with you. Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts and to share your life with me!
WOW...we had 40 link ups which is the most we've had. I love seeing all your beautiful projects!! Thank you for taking the time to link up! Here are some of my faves!
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| Just Sew Sassy Holiday Tea Towels ADORABLE!! Make these for your kids' teachers. We don't want mugs or candles. And if you homeschool then you deserve a huge present so make yourself a margarita and then a tea towel. |
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| Sew Rugged at Bear Rabbit Bear Pottery Barn Knock Off Advent Calendar I will admit that PB knock offs are my secret villainous pleasure. I feel like we are all bringin' down the man when we make their stuff. |
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| Giggles Galore Gingerbread House Decorating Party Umm, what can I say? This is perfection. Every detail is spot on! Love! |
For some reason the code kept screwing up my page so I put the link party at the end of this post. Scroll scroll scroll until you reach it and until I get my web developer husband to figure out why the code is being stupid.
Today I made candied orange peels. I have always wanted to try it because it just doesn't seem like it could really be a good idea. But it is and I'm so glad I gave it a shot.
 |
| Of course I dipped them in chocolate too. Wouldn't want to know there is actually fruit in this candy. |
Here is how I did it. I cut the peel off of two large naval oranges and sliced it into small pieces. I put them in a sauce pan with water and brought it up to a boil. I boiled the peels for 15 minutes. Drain. Refill with clean water. Boil 15 minutes. Drain. Refill. Boil. Drain. Refill. Drain. I didn't want my peels to be bitter at all so that's why I boiled them 4 x.
Add 1.5 cups sugar to the pot with the peels and 1.5 cups water. Cover, bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer on low. Keep your eye on it but resist lifting the lid. The steam will wash down all the sugar that crystallizes on the sides. You also don't want your sugar to brown and burn. Simmer for 45 minutes.
Remove using a slotted spoon and toss them in regular white sugar to coat. Don't worry if they are clumpy when you first take them out of the syrup mixture. The sugar helps separate them. Cool on a rack.
After they cooled we dipped them in melted semi-sweet chocolate mixed with a little shortening to help it set up. You don't have to do this. I'm not sure why you wouldn't want to unless you are seriously weird. But that's your call.
 |
| no, not chocolate covered shrimp. orange peels. |
Or frankly, skip the peels and let's take the chocolate and run.
Here are some other citrus holiday dessert ideas!
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| Southern Living Chocolate-Citrus Cake with Candied Oranges |
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| Joy of Baking |
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| Lemon Cranberry Cake Family Circle |
I hope you are all enjoying the prep and hustle and bustle of the holiday season!
Cheers!
Jenny
About Jenny
If I can create beauty, you can too! Creativity is within your reach, trust me. I believe that you don't need any special talents to be creative and you only need to have a willingness to try. So in addition to being a mom, teacher, wife, and sister, I am also a creative tryer!
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