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Adventures in the Land of Happy Cows

October 1, 2011 By Julie 10 Comments

This past week I had the privilege of venturing to California to learn more about what it takes to bring milk from the farm to my kitchen table. I met a handful of men and women that work tirelessly day in and day out to provide a wholesome delicious product and learned about the love and passion that goes into each and every gallon we buy. I witnessed a baby calf being born, saw 52 cows being milked all at once, observed a multitude of milk jugs spinning through the creamery’s production line and tasted the most A.mazing frozen yogurt, cheeses, and creams. I stayed at a breathtakingly beautiful Inn steeped in history and grandeur, and experienced meals that would rival even the finest five star restaurant. Best of all, I met new friends. Generous, beautiful people who welcomed me into their state, shared their knowledge, answered my questions (even the dumb ones, not that there’s any such thing of course) and treated me like I was one of their own. It was an experience I won’t soon forget.

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The PAM Challenge Part 1: Pumpkin Molasses Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Buttercream Frosting

September 26, 2011 By Julie 17 Comments

It’s been way too long since I’ve posted a truly delicious and decadent dessert up on the blog. With the cooler weather finally creeping in and fall flavors edging their way back onto our menus, it’s high time I bring on a sweet or two. So without further ado, allow me to present the almighty pumpkin molasses cupcake with none other than dulce de leche buttercream frosting. I adore these cupcakes. The subtly sweet flavor of the pumpkin paired with the sweet pop of the caramel buttercream is enough to make me want to run around the block two times just so I can have a second. And believe me, that’s definitely saying something. I don’t run around the block for just any old cupcake.

I’ve made these treats once already using cupcake papers, but PAM invited me to try out their new and improved cooking spray to make them again sans papers (not that I need an excuse mind you) and even sent along a muffin pan to assist in my baking. Will they or won’t they stick? That is the question. Let’s see if we can find out the answer and let loose some amazing smells in the kitchen to boot.

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Peach Pistachio Praline Trifle

August 23, 2011 By Julie 19 Comments

August is a month I look forward to for more reasons than one. Aside from sending the kiddos back to school (love ya boys but I can’t argue with education), we enjoy the much anticipated arrival of fresh, local peaches. Let me reassure that living in the South, you quickly learn to appreciate a tasty stone fruit. In recent years Georgia and South Carolina have pitted themselves against each other, both claiming that they produce the better yield. All I can say to that is; you won’t see this mama taking sides. I’ve had peaches from both ends of the border and can safely declare that both are winners in their own rite. But if you decide you still want to perform a bit of your own research on the subject, the New York Times put out an interesting article highlighting their take on the situation. I also found a fun video from the CBS Early Show discussing the heated rivalry.

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The Rice Krispies Challenge Part II: Summer Pastimes

July 12, 2011 By Julie 24 Comments

The summertime Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treat Challenge is upon us. After much krispielicious experimentation, Team Asheville is ready to share our entry.

When TheMotherhood.com announced the theme of this season’s challenge “favorite summer pastimes”, we knew COOKOUTS were at the top of our list.

Summertime cookouts are something children and adults alike look forward to. Whether at the lake, in the neighborhood park, or in your own backyard, cookouts can be enjoyed by all. Family cookouts bring loved-ones together to appreciate a good meal, warm sunny weather, and most importantly, each other.

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Revisiting Rice Krispies and a $100 Giveaway!

June 23, 2011 By Julie 173 Comments

Remember these critters? Welcoming their cute little faces back to the blog can only mean one thing; it’s time for another Rice Krispies competition! With the rising mercury and school free, lazy long days officially here, the new theme for this round is… you guessed it, favorite summer pastimes. As we prepare to introduce our newest entry into the mix, I wanted to take a minute to reflect back on our recipe from the first round.

When you strip away the feathers and facial features (apologies to my furry and feathered friends) , what you’re left with is a refreshing and simple lemonade rice krispie treat that can be shaped and molded to your liking or simply cut into squares and served up as is. As you can see with mine below, I cut them into letters and had a little fun with my picture. I’ve attached the basic recipe at the end of this post, so feel free to whip up a batch and let your own creativity flow; if you can keep from eating them all first, that is.

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Wilton Bloggers Workshop

June 13, 2011 By Julie 23 Comments

Last week I ventured up to great state of Illinois for a Wilton Food Blogger Workshop with a handful of my fellow fabulous food bloggers (Whew, trying saying that five times fast). If you aren’t familiar with Wilton, they are the resident experts on the art of cake decorating and let me just say, they do a fantastic job.

To kick off the workshop, we were introduced to buttercream piping ( I finally learned the art of leaf and shell piping) by the amazingly talented Sandy Folsom.

Here are a few of my attempts at piping shapes and lines. What do you think? Did I challenge my inner cake decorator?

We toured the design center, where they’re already planning out the new trends for 2013. There is seriously impressive stuff going on in there. So impressive in fact, that we weren’t allowed to take pictures. You’ll just have to trust me on this one.

After wandering through the design center, we made our way to the photography studio where I witnessed a prop room that would make any food photographer smile with delight.

This was followed by lunch and then a lesson in the art of fondant. Considering I haven’t done much work (ever) with fondant, I learned a bunch from this little session. Here’s the results from one our activities. Not too shabby if you ask me.

We finished up the day with a friendly little cake decorating competition. I reveled at the talent in that room. There are some bloggers that seriously know how to decorate a cake. My team mustered through and came up with a respectable result.

So respectable, in fact, that we won best design at the awards ceremony that night. You can send all future cake decorating orders to…

… just kidding. You don’t want me to decorate your cake just yet. Trust me on this one.

I conclude this post with a heartfelt thank you to Wilton for putting together a top notch blogger’s workshop. I left with a deeper appreciation for cake decorating, a handful of new friends, and a massive stash of new toys to play with (look out, this blog may take a turn for the beautifully sweet in the upcoming months). It was an experience I won’t soon forget.

Competing cakes on display at the awards ceremony. Photo courtesy of Wilton.