Sweet Success: Another baby shower DONE!

Bridal and weddings events are my favorite to cater to. Why? Each event is one-of-a-kind and I love creating something extra special.

This past weekend, I cater a small baby shower and host asked me to make 3 custom cupcake flavors....my choice! I love it when the host lets me use my creative juices: it means, s/he trusts me to do the job RIGHT and SWEET!

The 3 cupcakes I made:
 1) Strawberries and Cream: Strawberry cake with vanilla buttercream and fresh strawberries.
2)Cup of Joe: Coffee cupcake with cinnamon buttercream and a "dot" of ganache.
3) Peanut butter Bomb: Peanut butter cake with peanut butter buttercream, topped with ganache and peanuts.

Of course, every one of the guest loved my cupcakes! I, once again, feel honored to be a part of their special event and can't wait to make more custom-made cupcakes.

Recap on Seattle's annual VEG FEST!

This past weekend, Seattle's Annual Veg Fest, happened at the Seattle Center. What is Veg Fest? A gathering of veggie peeps trying new vegan and vegetarian food from veg-friendly companies, business, and vendors.

Am I vegeterian? Nope. Yes, I used to be. Currently, my diet is 75% vegetarian and I am proud to say it! Why? It cost less and keeps me healthy and energized. Trust me, I work every day and need my spirits UP. A well-balanced diet keeps me mood and body right. And, a vegetarian diet helps me do that!

Of course the "big veggie players" were there: Boca, Garden Burger, and Field Roast brands. Many healthy and organic snack treat brands handed out full-size servings to the community. Plus, many 100% juice and smoothie vendors were quenching everyone's thirst. Afraid to try meatless meat? You can at Veg Fest, many "veggie" meat companies were offering samples. My fave: the samples of coconut water and vanilla soy ice-cream bars.

The festival was PACKED, even in late afternoon. Seattle is a very veggie-friendly community and we are open arms to anything new and healthy. This was my third year attending Veg Fest and I love getting new samples to try and inspirations for dishes.

Happy Baking,
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Why you NEED to eat more SWEETS!

Us pastry peeps, chefs, bakers, cooks, and foodies have it hard...we need to convince people to EAT MORE. Plus, the food we are promoting is "not-so-healthy". Chocolate, sugar, cake, and butter is not on any doctor's "must eat" list. We are constantly informed by medical professionals, media, and the community to "watch what we eat," only choose healthy choices, and avoid excess fat and sugar.

Then, WHY are more and more cupcake shops, coffee cafes, and fine dining restaurants are appearing in our local food scene? It is OK to indulge. In fact, I urge it. Limiting foods to a "complete no" will only make you want to eat it more. Tip #1: Never limit yourself, is it ok to fest in your life!

Make sure when you do FEST like a king or queen, you choose wisely. Only eat the best! You do live once and you should enjoy what you eat. I like real butter over fake fat, real sugar, and a 100% homemade baked good over a store-bought treat. Tip #2: Eat only real foods! Foods that other countries would recognize!

All that food will cause you to bounce off the walls with energy. Don't worry, with the outdoor scene in Seattle, you can walk around Greenlake, play frisbee in a nearby park, or play hoops with your neighbor. Want to stay indoors? Try yoga, circut training, or rock climbing. Tip #3: Stay active. Being healthy and physically active will make you mentally and physically sharp. Plus, it will burn off any extra calories you may be enjoying!

Overall advice: Make smart food choices 80% of the time, and for the rest of the 20%, indulge in delicious food. Stay active and fit. Live life and don't be afraid to try new food, activities, and diets!

Happy cooking,
SC

My top 4 baking ingredients that have a DOUBLE USE!

Did you know some baking/cooking ingredients ALSO DOUBLE as gentle, eco-friendly cleaners? No harsh chemicals and not another "thing" to buy. Plus, you can get more use of your ingredients.

Here are my top 4 favorite ingredients that double as everyday cleaners:

1) BAKING SODA: Double as a gentle cleaner for non-stick and stainless steel cookware.
How: Make a "paste" with baking soda and water. It should be thick like wet sand. Rub that on the stain on your cookware, leave it for 15 minutes, and wash off with regular dish soap and soft sponge. Repeat this process, 2-4 times, if the stain is very bad and harsh. Forget those "special cleaners" for cookware, baking soda and regular dish soap is all you need. Want that nice stainless steel "shine" back, on your cookware? Use a stainless steel polish on the exterior of your cookware.

2) DISTILLED WHITE VINEGAR: Double has laundry cleaner to remove "very stinky" smell from clothes.
How: If you have very bad smelling clothes, from gym/sweating or outdoors, soak your clothes in a solution of water and distilled white vinegar. (3 parts water: 1 part vinegar) Avoid "wine vinegars." Only use wine vinegars in cooking/baking. After soaking, rinse with water, and wash as you normally would.

3) LEMON JUICE: Double has a cleaner for stainless steel stain remover.
How: Did you burn something in your lovely stainless steel pan, and now your pain is fried and burnt? Let the pan cool to room temp, FIRST. Then, filled with a solution of lemon juice (1 part) and water (2 parts). Simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let cool for 10-15 minutes. Pour the water-lemon juice solution down the drain and wash the pan with regular dish soap. Repeat, if the stain is very bad. Don't have any lemon juice on hand? Use distilled white vinegar!

4) HONEY: Double as a skin scar cream.
HOW: Have a minor (NOT major) burn, scab, or scar? Try putting honey on it. Yup, HONEY. It naturally has minerals and enzymes that will help the healing process. First, clean your scab (with hydrogen peroxide) and with a cotton swab, spread a thin layer of honey on the scab. Put a bandage over the scab. Repeat until it is healed. Have a more serious infection? See a doctor or medical professional.

I learn these "special" tricks from: product warranty information, grandmas, and fellow social media buddies (example: tweeples and blogger peeps). Before you starting buying more and more cleaners for your house, check out if there is any "other ingredient" you can use first. Do you have a serious stain? Then, a store-bought cleaner may be the answer.

Happy baking,
Kimm

SWEET SUCCESS: Gender Revealing Cupcakes for a baby shower!

When Liz and Sherwin found out they were having TWINS, they wanted to reveal the gender in the the form of a CUPCAKE! That is right, a CUPCAKE. Outside, the cupcake will be custom decorated and inside, the center will be blue or pink. Thank you to the host, Liz, for the creative idea.


I made 4 custom-made cupcakes:
"Lemonade Cupcake:" Lemon cake with lemon and vanilla buttercream.
"Blueberry Summer:" Vanilla cake with lemon buttercream and blueberry compote.
"Double Chocolate-lish:" Chocolate cake with rich chocolate frosting and pink-strawberry buttercream.
"Caramel Swirl:" Chocolate cake with caramel and vanilla swirled buttercream.

The cupcakes were a hit! All the close friends and family that attended loved the idea of "revealing" the gender in a cupcake.

...and SURPRISE! It will be GIRLS! TWIN GIRLS! Congrats to Liz and Sherwin.

This is another event to show off custom made cupcakes for your extra special party.

Happy Baking,
SC

A homemade cupcake versus a store-bought cupcake: the details!

Homemade cupcakes and other baked goods cost more than store-bought ones. There, I said it. What it cost for me to make 2 dozen cupcakes is different than a large chain grocery store to make 2 dozen cupcakes. Many people do not know the details WHY it cost more for a small, independent baker to create delicious treats versus a grocery store.

Here are the top 3 main facts:

1) Ingredients: Ingredients are costly, esp. dairy. I make my own cake, I do not use a cake mix. Many large chain grocery stores will use an "all-purpose baking" mix from a box, "just add egg and water" brownie mix, or frozen cookie dough. Why? To keep product control correctly. Not only are the baking goods for their store, but every other store will have to have the exact same treats.
Also, since they use mixes, we never "know exactly" what goes into your cookies, brownies, and breads. Some mixes will have extra special ingredients that are not-so-great for your body.


2) Time: It takes more time to create, mix, and bake cake versus dumping cake mix in a bowl and baking it. Plus, since I always butter my baking dishes (versus using a non-stick spray....ewww.), that action takes more time. And well, time IS money in a large business.

3) Custom decoarting: I always custom decorate to the host's special request. I may be making mini roses on top of mini cupcakes, baking cookies for a nice cupcake topper, or add toasted nuts for a crunch!
Most grocery store will be limited in custom decorating. If you do request something extra special, they may not have a staff member that is able to do it.

I know price is an issue when buying delicious baked goods. There are many local grocery stores that are, now, carrying in-house baked goods and making custom made cakes. Make sure everything is MADE in-house, not just BAKED in-house.

Happy Baking,
Kimm

LATEST INTERVIEW: With Lynn Lovejoy, fellow foodie blogger of "Order in the Kitchen."

Hi gang! My last few interviews were from local business owners, where I gained general information for a small business and learned how "they get your name" out in the community. This round of interviews will be with fellow foodie bloggers, friends, and industry people. Not necessary small business owners, but people who JUST ENJOY FOOD and gaining more information on what they eat.



My NEW interview is with the "lovely" Lynn Lovejoy, from North Carolina. Lynn has a very informative "food-law" blog called "Order in the kitchen." She mixes her passion of law with her love of food and cooking. Where did we meet? On twitter! We both use social media to gain new blogger friends and followers.


Lynn's brief bio:
Well, I'm sure you already know I went to law school and graduated, passed the bar etc. I went to law school at UNC Chapel Hill and I'm originally from Charlotte. I'm now a licensed attorney in NC and seeking full-time legal employment here in Raleigh. I'm an NC Native all the way! As I said above, I'm not classically trained and everything I learn and do is a process. The blog is really fun because every recipe has a Verdict, where I tell you how it went, and when I mess up, I call them "Trial and Errors". In case it isn't evident already, I'm kind of a dork, which I totally own up to! I love cooking because it calms me and lets me put my energy into something that I really love (except it doesn't calm me when I'm making a cake for 60 and all three layers break in half! LOL). Basically, I do this because I love it. I love tweeting and interacting because I think the food blog community is something really special and I love being a part of it. If you want to know anything else, feel free to drop me a line in the Contact Me section at the top! Thanks for reading! :)

My questions to Lynn:

1) Why did you start "Order in the kitchen" blog?
I started Order in the Kitchen because I had been working on another food blog with a couple of friends during my 3rd year of law school. After we all graduated, I decided I wanted to continue with food blogging but wanted to branch out and do my own thing, so I started from there. I decided to do a law-theme because I was in the midst of finals in my last year, and gearing up to take the bar exam.

2) You started with a passion for law, when did your passion for food come alive in your life?
I began cooking during my late 2L to early 3L year because I needed a form of de-stress in my life, and cooking was a perfect way to de-stress, and bring a little creativity to my life. Plus, I was (and still am) dating a guy who could survive every day on spaghetti with ground beef and ragu, and frankly, I can't and needed to bring some creativity to our dining experience. I never grew up cooking, and my mom was a working mom and didn't cook or teach me how (which is fine) but I kind of just figured it out on my own. I certainly had wonderful influences, including my Aunt, who is a superb cook, and my late grandmother Mimi, who passed away during the bar exam study period. Mimi lived with us for 11 years and cooked for us almost every day. She was a fabulous inspiration for cooking from the heart. Because I was never really taught how to cook, I still make lots of mistakes and have learned a lot already. But I love what I do and fortunately my boyfriend doesn't complain too much when I totally botch dinner.

3) What influence does social media have in your blog?
I use twitter and facebook a lot when reaching out to people who read my blog. I love twitter because it is interactive and I get to talk to and form relationships with others who have similar passions. Facebook is a good way to reach out to readers, but to me, doesn't provide the same amount of interaction as twitter and I like that about twitter more. I use instagram to show pictures of my food and life to others there and I find that to be a fantastic social media outlet because it's like twitter but in pictures (so easier to scan through quicker and catch all the good shots!) I use pinterest like it's my job. It's terribly addicting. I could probably use it in a more marketing/promoting way, but I really just use it to pin things I love and want to refer back to. I try to pin things that I think my followers will enjoy, but I never pin things just for others to see and repin (and bring me traffic) or whatever because that seems silly. I do sometimes pin my own work, but it's on a board called "Order in the Kitchen Photos" and therefore, if people don't want to follow my stuff, they can just unfollow it.

4) What is your most memorable meal you ever ate and why?
Oh wow that's a toughie. I would actually have to say that my most recent meal at Roy's in Waikiki was one of my most memorable meals. Although, that's partially because my other meals at Roy's have been memorable. I got Roy's famous butterfish, which I have had a multitude of times and it is a plate with the perfect proportion of components and flavors and is almost indescribable. I had basically been talking up Roy's to Matt (the bf) for about 2 years, going on and on about how amazing this place was. It got to the point that once we were there, I was worried it wouldn't live up to how much I'd hyped it. Well it absolutely did. We shared the best crab cakes I've ever had in my life and each got a salad. Mine in particular was superb-- it had goat cheese panna cotta (with goat cheese from the Big Island), braised tomatoes, red onion and a wasabi balsamic. So unbelievable. Then the butterfish came. Just as I had remembered it... perfection. Matt got the filet mignon with mushrooms, risotto, and a sous vide egg. When you took a bite with each component, it was like a flavor explosion in your mouth (in the best way possible). I only wish I had had room for Roy's molten chocolate cake because it is the best ever. Ok, I have to stop, I'm salivating on my computer...

5) What is your favorite recipe on your blog?
Ok seriously? I have to choose!? Ok hmm, there are a bunch to choose from that I love for a variety of reasons, including the Pie for Mikey (honoring Jennifer Perillo's late husband), Mimi's green beans (my grandmother's special recipe), kir royale cupcakes (to celebrate passing the bar), and my first time killing and cooking a live lobster (complete with instructional video). I'd have to say that my all-time favorite is this one: Pappardelle with Italian Meat Sauce. ( http://www.orderinthekitchen.com/1/post/2011/08/pappardelle-with-italian-meat-sauce.html ) This one is probably my favorite because I can make it all the time, it's easy, takes pretty minimal effort, can be changed and worked around in multiple ways, keeps my spaghetti-and-meat-sauce-loving man happy, can be used with pasta or lasagna, and tastes incredible. It is seriously one of the best things on the blog. I highly recommend that one, although I (obviously) recommend you check out the Recipe Index at the top or the Categories on the side to see what piques your interest!

For more information, check out Lynn's blog:
http://www.orderinthekitchen.com/

Happy Baking!
-SC