Happy Halloween!

I hope you all have something fun planned for Halloween Weekend. Ian and I will be dressing up as Mr. and (soon to be) Mrs. Peanut, we thought it was creative since he is allergic to nuts. In order to kick off the weekend I made these Pumpkin Spice Halloween themed cupcakes and while decorating with cream cheese frosting can be difficult I was pleased with the final result (especially the mummy).

Lemon Meringue Tart

Have you ever made Lemon Meringue Tarts? I never had, but after making them in class they are my new favorite dessert. The sweet meringue balances out the tangy lemon flavor and when torched they make a beautiful presentation.

Halloween Costumes

Tiger Retriever

Panda Chow

With Halloween quickly approaching I spent my downtime this weekend sewing halloween costumes for Ian and myself. I could never get Sierra into a costume, but these uniquely painted dogs offer up another halloween costume option. I don't think this is the most humane way to treat your dog, but they sure are cute!

Embracing the Rain

Ian and I are off to the wine country to try and find a wedding venue in the rain. While I'm not exactly looking forward to the wet weather forecast, I guess it's better now than later.

Image via A Cup of Jo

Cookie Boy

CookieBoy is a cookie genius! I am so inspired by all of his work and he has definitely inspired me to make more cookies. I've been trying to get my hands on a mustache and bow tie cookie cutter ever since seeing this cookie set and finally found them from CopperGifts!

Clown Cupcakes

These Clown Cupcake's would be perfect for a child's birthday party...too bad I don't know very many young children or I'd be in business. Instead, I'll be using the striped buttercream technique to create more adult looking cupcakes in the future.

Happy Birthday Kathryn!

Chocolate Souffle

Souffle is one of those impossible desserts that I never would've attempted until I started culinary school. Now I've made both sweet and savory souffle's and plan on making them for many years to come. They are surprisingly easy, but fall very quickly so timing is everything!

P.S. I haven't been posting recipes because the majority of the desserts from school are primarily focused on technique which is hard to describe in words. If you want any of these recipes just let me know and I would be happy to pass along!

Cloudy Morning

I've been wrapped up in work, culinary school, and wedding planning which has made me a very bad blogger. I never thought so many things would change simultaneously and while all of them are great, I realized I haven't had a moment to relax in the last 3 weeks. Since it probably won't let up anytime soon I figured I might as well enjoy life's little pleasures, like the beautiful clouds in the sky on my way to work this morning.

Creme Brulee

Creme Brulee is one of my all time favorite desserts, but up until now I would've never imagine making it myself. We made it in school last week and my favorite part was definitely using the giant blow torch...note to self, register for one of these.

Cream Puffs, Eclairs and Swans...Oh My

I've only been in Culinary School for one week and I already feel like I've learned so much. My favorite class so far was learning how to make Pate a Choux (or Puff Pastry). We used it to make cream puffs, eclairs and swans among other things. It's actually very easy and incredibly rewarding since few people take the time to make homemade cream puffs.

Coconut Cupcakes

I made these delicious coconut cupcakes a few weeks ago and just realized I never posted the recipe (or pictures). I used this recipe, but substituted buttercream frosting for the cream cheese frosting in order to make the flavor a little less rich.