Happy Halloween!

Here are a couple of pictures of my most recent cupcake endeavor.

They are pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and chocolate lettering. I'm still working on the piping front, but these were still fun! They are for Lyle to take to work tomorrow.

Have a safe and Happy Halloween! 

Margherita Pizza

The other day Lyle had a craving for something that was that was simple and delicious. We are very big fans of fresh mozzarella, basil, and amazing bread, and it was easy for us to decide that we should make a Margherita Pizza. In case you are unsure, a Margherita Pizza doesn't have any alcohol in it (some people get confused by the name). It is a simple pizza that is created with a great crust and the simple toppings of tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and maybe sauce. We did make some tomato sauce to use for dipping. 

This recipe is one that I use as a basis for all of the homemade pizzas I make. Sometimes we get crazy with the toppings, but these are great instructions for a simply delicious pizza pie. 

I handmade this focaccia, which is my family's favorite for homemade pizza, but it is amazing for sandwiches and other thing fun dishes. The recipe originated from Le Cordon Bleu's, "Professional Baking" book that I used in my baking class. I have changed it slightly, but it's really amazing as is. 

When baking, it's better to use weight measurements (oz, grams, lbs, etc.). There are many little chemical reactions that create the final product and exact measurements are sometimes needed. For the bread recipe, I will put the weights, but I did measure them out by cup, tsp, etc. so that you can still make this if you don't have a scale. Although, Christmas is coming, and I would highly recommend that you add a scale to your list. They are wonderful. 

Frost Doughnuts Continued...

I felt really guilty about not posting pictures in my last post about Frost Doughnuts. Since I love you all so much, I bought some more doughnuts and took pictures of them for you.

Enjoy! (You may want to put on a bib to catch the drool...)

The amazing Maple Bacon Doughnut

A vanilla and sprinkle doughnut.

The Strawberry Shortcake doughnut in the back and the Bavarian filled in the front.

In My Kitchen: (Spatulas and Spoons)

During my time in kitchens, any kitchen, I developed a love hate relationship with spatulas (rubber scrapers, or whatever you choose to call them). They are a great tool, but I have had many handles break, give me splinters, melt, etc. Plus, many of them have a dirty little secret. Have you ever had the rubber part slip off of the handle while you were stirring something and been disgusted by the sludge that was inside of the spatula? I don't have any pictures, but you know what I mean right?

I have thrown away my share of doughs, batters, and spatulas, because of that little nasty trap. The last time it happened was over a year ago and I vowed I would find something that would never let that happen again.

I am proud to tell you, that I found it! I have had this amazing spatula for a year now, and I adore it. It is completely covered in silicon, so the handle can't come off and the inside structure is so sturdy, no amount of stirring has been able to bend it! There is no hate for this spatula at all. 

This spatula has been absolutely perfect for that entire year. The little knick that you see it in was caused literally 1 week ago in a freak knife-in-the-sink-ate-a-chunk-of-my-spatula accident. Despite the little knick, it still works amazingly and probably will for a while. 

Before this accident, I also realized something shocking, I only had one rubber spatula! What?! I only had 1 rubber spatula?! Well, with the favorite child of spatulas injured, I decided it was time to grow our little spatula family. It's a good excuse, right? 

Here they are! Please excuse the little bit of dust that is on some of the spatulas. I just unpacked them and was so excited to take pictures of them, that I haven't even washed them yet. 

Ok, you caught me, there are some spoons in this mix too. How could I resist? Look at those fun colors.

Am I little crazy for being so excited about spatulas? Possibly. But the next time you are in the market for a rubber spatula or a stirring spoon, I highly recommend that you get something similar to these. They are definitely some of my favorite kitchen utensils. 

(Just as a side note, I'm not being paid by anyone to review these spatulas and I am making no guarantees as to the performance of this product in your kitchen.)