This is How I Roll - Happy New Year and a T-Shirt Giveaway

When I began this blog in 2007, I was a technical trainer.  I did not consider myself a baker, nor did I consider myself a writer (although I wrote lots of corporate training materials).  In 2010, I'd been blogging for three years and I was no longer a technical trainer, but when people (and the voice in my own head) asked what I did for a living, I never knew quite how to answer.  Let me explain...

...this is how I roll:

Rice Krispie Treat Cupcakes

"It's genius!" I squealed as I emerged from the shower and explained my concept for Rice Krispie treat cupcakes to my husband and 16 month old child (there's no need to be modest in one's own home).  "All I would need to do," I exclaimed, "is use Rice Krispie treats as an edible, crunchy cupcake liner, put a baked mini cupcake inside, frost, and add some sprinkles for fun!"  They both shook their heads (Jonathan because he knows that there is no stopping me when I come up with one of these ideas, and Myles because he thinks it's funny to shake his head).  "People will love it," I pronounced, "since it combines two of America's favorite desserts into one easy to make package!"

Chocolate Pop Rock Rice Krispie Treats Snap, Crackle, and POP

Rice Krispies only snap, crackle, and pop in milk.  Rice Krispie treats are silent friends unless you add a few of these:

Honey Nutella Rice Krispie Treats

Rice Krispie treats are on a short list of kid-friendly, three ingredient, always popular things to bring to a holiday party without resorting to a store-bought snack.  Most people will smile pleasantly when you show up with them, the host will put them out on the dessert table, and they will get eaten. However, they will be the Dasher or Prancer of desserts - definitely not the steal-the-show-and-save-Christmas Rudolph.

Arrive at your affair with these honey Nutella Rice Krispie treats and heads will turn as if Santa himself had just walked in the door.  It's your choice whether you share the secret that honey Nutella Rice Krispie treats are just as easy to prepare as the original Rice Krispie treats - just three ingredients and a microwave. If you'd like, you can tell people that little elves worked on them all day (they'll never have to know that the elves were your kids and that most of the working was licking the Nutella-filled spoon). 

Friday Funnies from Krafted by Kelly

Early this week, I woke up to a fantastic surprise. Krafted by Kelly had turned this Facebook status update...

...into the cartoon that you see above - totally unprompted! We had no prior relationship.  I had never met her before and wasn't even following KraftedByKelly on Twitter (you can bet I am now!). 

Kelly has, as far as I know, a totally unique blog idea.  She's taking quotes from food bloggers and cartoonizing them.  Check out some of the other cartoons that she's made based on quotes from The Pioneer Woman and Dorrie Greenspan (my quote is in some pretty good company!). 

When Kelly is famous and has a HUGE book deal (I suspect that she will), I can say that her first blog cartoon was inspired by me and then I'll blush like the cartoon version of myself.

Christmas Stollen Cupcakes - A Christmas Classic Transformed

These Christmas stollen cupcakes stole my heart.  I got the stollen pun out of the way in the first line. Now you (specifically my Dad, the pun master) can proceed with reading the stollen cupcake post without waiting to see if/when I would use the bad pun.

Each year, I like to share a new Christmas cupcake recipe ('tis the season for baking)!  I've made gingerbread cupcakes, eggnog latte cupcakes, mulled wine cupcakes with roasted chestnut frosting, and panettone cupcakes.  As I was debating what to make this year, I received a free copy of the inspiring book A World of Cake by Krystina Castella. (Skip Read all of the way to the end of the post if you want to know how you can win a signed copy). 

Candied Orange Peel - Pub Peels

 

My candied orange peel came out all wrong.  You see, I wanted the candied orange peel to be smooth and shiny, like little sticks of orange covered in glass.  I envisioned my candied orange peel served in crystal and daintily eaten one at a time by ladies and gentlemen in cocktail attire. 

I ended up with pub peels (a term that I am proudly coining).  My pub peels are candied orange peels that are rough around the edges and more likely to be eaten by someone like me, someone who would do this while making them:

My good Twitter friend, Garrick_S says that this photo
makes me look like Homer Simpson.

How to Ship Cupcakes

It is notoriously hard to ship cupcakes.  When trying to ship cupcakes, there is that pesky problem of keeping the cupcakes from turning upside-down and the gift arriving as a frosted box rather than frosted cupcakes. 

So How Do You Ship Cupcakes?

Thanks from FilterPure

Huge thanks one more time to everyone who donated to FilterPure as part of Cupcake Project 4.0!  We raised over $3000! 


The Director of FilterPure sent me the photos in this post.  They show some of the filters that were installed with our donations.  While I am no longer collecting money for FilterPure, if you would still like to donate (and I encourage you to do so), you can donate on their website.

Lastly, the winner of The Cupcake Tower is Kristi Seiler!  Congrats, Kristi!

If you donated and did not receive the recipe, please check your spam folder.  Drop me an email if you still don't see it.

Lamb Burger Recipe with Chocolate and Homemade Ketchup

This lamb burger recipe with a touch of chocolate and homemade ketchup is the first of Jonathan's (my husband and personal chef) recipes that I have ever posted.  While Jonathan is best known on this site for taking the gorgeous food photos in every one of my posts, he is just as (if not more) comfortable in the kitchen as I am.  I bake.  He cooks.