{WEDDING} Zeina & Alejandro

Exactly one year ago today I had the privilege of baking for a friend of mine from high school, Alejandro. His beautiful fiancé Zeina, saw some of my work on facebook and contacted me about making cupcakes for their wedding. In addition to the cupcakes, she wanted to surprise her Pilot groom with a 3-D airplane cake. A 747 airplane to be exact. Right away I told her I didn't feel comfortable making one, but that I would contact some local cake artists to get pricing for her since she was out of the country teaching English. Her response was "oh, it can't be that hard. You can make it out of rice krispy treats." I had never met this girl before, but when I did for our tasting, I had this strange feeling she was going to be my first "bridezilla." 

When Zeina got back from teaching in Spain, she came over so we could practice making the plane. I really wish I had a photo of the practice planes to share with you, but needless to say, she realized it wasn't as easy as she thought. I believe she said my plane looked like a "killer whale." Thanks, Z. We ended up bonding over some laughs, and that's when I realized I wasn't dealing with a bridezilla but instead a girl who just knew exactly what she wanted. A girl who wanted to do something extra special for the man of her dreams. <3

We ended up compromising and decided to go with a small round cake with a fondant airplane topper. I think it came out really cute!

Not sure if you noticed, but that's Jim Vance (news anchor from NBC4) who officiated their wedding! 

Happy Anniversary Zeina & Alejandro! I wish you both a lifetime of happiness! Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your special day!

Photography Credit: Samantha Smith Photography

Carnival Party

I suppose it's probably time I share this party, being that it took place back in February!

My friend Julie, who owns StudioX, a Zumba Studio in Gaithersburg, MD, contacted me in January about throwing a carnival themed party for her daughter's 7th birthday. She wanted to include a full dessert table and asked if I would be interested. Uh, DURR! I immediately turned to my trusty friend Pinterest and started pinning away! Check out my inspiration board here.

Since I typically work with party planners who do the table design, I was so excited to finally style one all by myself. While searching for ideas, I came across this adorable cart from Fairy Floss Party and REALLY wanted to replicate it. But although it would have been an awesome element to have, I decided it would be too big of a project to take on. On top of that, I'd have to worry about storing it after the party. I barely have enough space to store my flour and sugar, let alone a large piece of furniture! So, sadly I scratched that idea.

I had a lot of fun making the desserts which included: a carnival tent cake, sugar cookie whirly pops, "popcorn" and "ice cream sundae" cupcakes, and my favorite, the clown and "corn dog" cake pops.

Overall, I think it came out  really nice and I think everyone enjoyed it. Looking back now, I can think of a few things I would have done differently. I think I'll leave the styling to the pros in the future though because styling AND baking together proved to be a much larger task than I thought it would be.

As for the party, Julie thought of everything! From inflatable bouncies, to  cotton candy and popcorn machines, a tattoo station, goldfish toss game, THREE piñatas, to a huge spread of delicious food!! Both the adults and the kids had a great time!

 
Seriously, are these not the cutest little girls you ever did see?

If you haven't taken a class at StudioX, what are you waiting for? The instructors are awesome and the classes are tons of fun, even if you are as uncoordinated and have no rhythm like me!
Also, since StudioX is such a large open space, it's the perfect place to throw your next party. Contact StudioX for details. http://www.dancestudiox.net/

Thank you to my friend Lanh for snapping and sharing these photos! 

Have a great weekend, everyone!!!

A Peacock Wedding

Winter weddings aren't the most common in the DC area, but these two lovebirds couldn't wait to get married! So after a short 6 month engagement, Lana & Matt exchanged their vows in January and I had the honor of providing the desserts for their big day.

The ceremony took place at the Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC, and made for a beautiful backdrop for their photos. I mean seriously, how gorgeous is this?

Ryan snapped a photo of me setting up. Don't you just love my dress/chucks combo?

With a guest count of just under 200, Lana and Matt decided to go with a cupcake tower display with a small cake topper for their cake cutting ceremony. Going the cupcake route allowed them to offer a variety of flavors without breaking the bank. Flavors included, chocolate peanut butter, red velvet, chocolate espresso, chocolate chip cookie dough, raspberry, and almond coconut (a gluten free option).

The inspiration for the desserts came from their wedding invitation. I wanted to create a display that tied in their peacock theme, but didn't scream peacock.

I made the peacock feathers out of fondant and used some edible paint to paint on the design. I just love how they turned out!

Congratulations Lana & Matt!!! Thank you for allowing me to be part of your big day!!!

Photo Credit: Peter Bang Photography
Photo Credit (images 4 & 5): Ryan Guthridge
Reception Venue: Harbour View

Peanut Turns 6!

Yesterday, we celebrated my favorite little guy's 6th birthday. Seems like it was just yesterday that I brought his little 2.5lb self home.

Of course, no birthday is complete without some type of yummy treat, so this year I made him his own little personal cake, full of his favorites - peanut butter & bananas, and iced it with a peanut buttery carob "buttercream." My original plan was to make a carob glaze, but carob doesn't melt like regular chocolate, so I ended up using a spatula to spread it on. And finally, a party ain't a party with out a party hat, so I made Peanut a tiny hat out of some leftover scrapbook paper. He absolutely hated the hat but LOVED the cake.

 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY BOY!!!!!!

SCAM Alert!

First off, congrats to all the Ravens fans out there! I guess if it can't be the Redskins, I'm happy to see our neighbors bring home the win!

Moving on...

Last week I received the following email:

From: Barbra Williams <barbra_sugardiva@yahoo.com>

Hi! Been to your website. I'm Barbra Williams. Tom & I will be getting married soon. We are interested in learning more about your CAKES. If you would get back with the necessary pricing. We are currently looking for a 3-4 tier tall wedding cake, cupcakes to feed our guest count of 200 people.

Safe to say we are looking for a 3-4 tier tall wedding cake to feed 100 people & 200 cupcakes in assorted flavors..

- wedding is Saturday- MARCH, 16th, 2013.. and in Virginia.
- No delivery is needed, we arrange to pick these up at your store OR at your preferred location...

Just get back with the necessary pricing information to discuss further.

Thank you
Barbra Williams

I responded with a very lengthy and detailed email explaining all the pricing, options, and even offered to set up a tasting with her. Her response was that she was "out of the country and hearing impaired." It sounded a little fishy to me and sent me googling her email address. The first result: SCAM ALERT! Ugh. I couldn't figure out how this person would benefit from this situation. So, I bake a 4 tier cake & 200 cupcakes and get stuck with them, what do they get out of it? A laugh? So, I read into it a little more. Here's how they get you. They send you a bad check for more than you asked for, to which they say "oops, I sent you more than I should have, please wire me the difference" and by the time you realize that their check has bounced, it's too late. These people are so persistent. I once tried to sell a laptop on ebay and had someone try to pull one over on me. Craigslist, same thing. It's so frustrating. Lucky for me, I am aware that these scams exist and can detect them pretty quickly. But there are obviously people out there who aren't aware and fall for them, which is why these scammers keep on keeping on. With the amount of time they spend thinking up new ways to scam people, creating all those false email addresses, and communicating with their targets, they could be doing something positive and maybe actually be a productive member of society. Anyway, I'm posting this in hopes that I can help someone else from being scammed. If it weren't for others outing this person online, who knows how much longer I'd be wasting my time with "Barbra."

Cinnamon Bun Tuesday {RECIPE}

When Ryan and I first got our place together, we dubbed Tuesdays "Cinnamon Bun Tuesday" with the intention of baking fresh cinnamon buns for breakfast every Tuesday morning. It might be because I burned my batch or that sleep trumps cinnabuns to me, but either way, the idea was short lived lasting only about 3 weeks before we gave up on it.

So today, I thought I'd surprise Ryan with a nice little treat since it's been awhile. This recipe comes from one of my favorite Chefs at L'Academie de Cuisine. It's a yeast-less dough, so it's quick and easy, but just as fluffy and delicious.

FILLING:
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2t cinnamon
1/8t salt
1/4 cup finely ground pecans
1T melted butter

DOUGH:
2.5 cups all purpose flour
2T sugar
1 1/4t baking powder
1/2t baking soda
1/2t salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
6T melted butter

ICING:
2T cream cheese
2T buttermilk
1 cup 10x

DIRECTIONS:
1. Prepare a 9 in cake pan with parchment paper and coat with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
3. Make the filling by combining all the ingredients using a fork or your hands (my preferred method).
4. Make the dough by whisking the dry ingredients in one mixing bowl and the butter and buttermilk in another. Combine wet ingredients into dry and stir with a wooden spoon until all dry ingredients are absorbed, about 30 seconds.
5. Dump the dough onto a floured work surface and knead gently until the dough becomes smooth. Once smooth, pat the dough into a rectangle thats about 1/2" thick using your hands.
Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough leaving 1/2" border around the edges naked.
Press the topping onto the dough firmly and begin rolling the rectangle into a tight log.
Crimp the seam and turn it so the seam faces down.
Cut into 8 equal pieces and arrange in the prepared cake pan.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until edges are golden brown and immediately invert the baking pan on to a plate to unmold buns. Let them cool slightly.
7. Prepare the icing by first whisking the cream cheese and buttermilk, then adding the confectioner's sugar and whisk until smooth.
8. Drizzle the icing over the buns and scarf 'em down!!

Of course, being that it's almost February, I just had to add a little bit of Valentine flair and sprinkled some mini hearts over them.

If you haven't taken a class with L'Academie, you are missing out! They offer a wide range of recreational classes from culinary to pastry, beginner to advanced. They even have classes specifically for kids, teens, & couples (which is a nice change up from your typical dinner-and-a-movie date night). Check them out!

Enjoy your Cinnamon Bun Tuesday!

2013: Let's Do This!

{via}

2012 brought lots of changes for me both personally and professionally, leaving behind many things that were holding me back and causing me lots of stress. One of the biggest changes was taking the plunge and leaving my full time job to pursue my passion for the world of pastry. It was an incredibly ballsy decision for me, but I did it, and I'm so excited for whats ahead.

I don't normally make New Years resolutions because I end up like the rest of the world, giving up about a month in. However, I decided to try something new this year. I'm going to share my goals & resolutions with you in hopes that you will light a fire under my ass and hold me to them. So here goes:

1. RUN 365 MILES
This idea stemmed from one of Ryans friends, whose resolution for 2012 was to run a mile a day. I'm pretty sure he accomplished it but let's be real for a minute. There are just some days that I don't even feel like getting out of bed, let alone going for a run. So to make this resolution a little more realistic for me, my goal is to run a total of 365 miles for the year so that I can treat myself to some of those lazy days. I downloaded the RunKeeper app on my phone to help me keep track. It is now day 15, and I am at 12 miles. I know I am a little behind and I'm not trying to make excuses already, but I was sick for the first few days this year, so cut me some slack.

2. RUN A 5K
This sort of piggy backs to my first resolution. It's been something I've wanted to do for years, but never felt "ready" to. It may not seem like much, but I've already worked my endurance up to 2 miles. So, I'm making progress!! If you have any recommendations for local 5k's, please share!

3. LIVE BEYOND THE PJs & ELASTIC WAISTS
For years I dreamed that I could work in sweats and was stoked that I could when I started working from home. But it hit me about two weeks ago. I looked at myself in the mirror and realized I had really started to let myself go. What started out simply wearing comfy clothes all day, turned into not doing my makeup, throwing my hair in a sloppy ponytail and just overall looking like a hot mess. And I started to feel it on the inside too. So, this resolution is all about making myself feel good inside and out, even if it's just Peanut that gets to enjoy it with me all day. I chopped my hair off last week so I have no choice but to style it, and hopefully with all this running I'm doing, I'll lose a pound or two and treat myself to a new stylish wardrobe! Oh! I finally gave in and bought myself my first pair of skinny jeans!!! Never in a million years did I think I could rock them.

4. TAKE MORE PHOTOS
I envy people that can compose and snap great photos. I want to be like them. Last year I purchased a DSLR thinking that if I had a fancy camera, I'd have fancy photos. WRONG. It's not as easy as it looks, people! I'm definitely spoiled because I have my own personal photographer to photograph my creations but I know I'll never learn unless I just take more photos. So that's what I'm going to do!

5. COOK
People think that just because I can bake means I can cook too. That couldn't be further from the truth because I actually hate cooking. If it were up to me, I'd eat Cheez-Its for every meal. Maybe a little canned tomato soup and grilled cheese if I wanted to get fancy. Feel free to send some delicious and EASY recipes my way if you have any!

6. BLOG MORE
Truth: I delete more posts than I publish because I am rarely happy with my writing and feel like no one is really interested in what I have to say. So, I am going to make a better effort to write, even if it isn't perfect and even if no one actually reads it.

7. LEARN HOW TO MAKE BUBBLE TEA!
Anyone wanna teach me? Anyone? Bueller?

Here's to seeing my resolutions through!
Happy New Year!!!