Sumthin' Special...

 A birthday cake for a lovely person. :) My friend D asked me to make a skull and roses cake for her lova, and this is what I came up with. I used my usual Wedding Cake recipe... Never fails! I was considering making roses out of fondant, but decided real roses would look better.
 I really loved how they turned out. D said that her love is very interested in tattoo art/being a tattoo artist. I think it suited him perfectly. :)
 Pursuing your passion is very important, and is something everyone should do! ;)

xo,
      Devon Esque

Winnie The Pooh Inspired...

 Today I had a consultation with a friend of mine, who was looking for a dozen "Winnie The Pooh" inspired cupcakes for her birthday. I used this recipe, "Wedding Cake". It works really well because the cake isn't too sweet and it offsets the sweetness of the icing...

Recipe for icing:

1 cup butter
5 cups icing sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream
1-2 tsp vanilla extract

Here is the finished product, all ready to go, I used Fonderific fondant for the decos. Making these cupcakes were so much fun, I love the way they turned out. :)

 Devon Esque

Sneak peak...

Happy Valentines Day!

 Here's a little sneak peak at what I got up to last night. :) My very first commissioned cake! I received this order on the evening of the 12, so I had to shop for it and make it all last night, (it took 5 hours). I will post the recipes I used and pics of the process a.s.a.p. When I have more time. :)
x,
   Devon Esque

4 things...

1. Jalapeno Mozzarella Hamburgers

2. Guacamole 

3. Low fat Jalapeno Poppers

4. Blueberry Syrup

 So, the last few weeks I've put together some yumminess for me and my hubby. These four simple recipes are great for a quick cure for the munchies, or a hearty dinner!

●Craving something hot, spicy, and cheesey! A must try is the mozzarella burgers!

● Here's a yummy tip! You can put your guacamole into a grilled cheese sandwich! Simply layer the guacamole on two slices of bread, add some cheese, and grill away as you would a normal grilled cheese sammich! YUM!

●I learned how to make the Jalapeno poppers from my Sister In-Law. I had some and fell in love, and just had to make them as a side dish, although, they would make a better snack. ;)

● I made the blueberry syrup this morning for a pancake brunch. The pancake recipe I found online was the worst one I have ever tried! Seriously, the only thing that saved it was the syrup! Hence no good pics of the pancakes, and lack of said pancake recipe.

 Below you will find the simple ingredients and simple cooking instructions to  make your own yumminess. :) I hope everyone is having a fantastic Sunday!

xo,
     Devon Esque


1.) Jalapeno Mozzarella Hamburgers
Ingredients:
1 Package extra lean ground beef
1 large jalapeno
4 slices pizza mozzarella cheese
4 kaiser buns
Seasonings and vegetables of your choice

Directions:
-Light up the BBQ!
-Finely dice one large jalapeno and mix well into ground beef add spices of your choice.
-Make 8 even balls out of the seasoned hamburger meat and flatten into thin patties. Set aside.
-Cut four slices of pizza mozzarella and cut in half to make 8 squares slices. (set 4 aside for the top of your burger)
-Take two of your thin patties and place a slice of mozzarella cheese in between and flatten/pinch sides together. (Do this will all 8 patties to make 4 mozzarella filled patties)
-Toss em on the BBQ and prepare your buns with your vegetables and condiments.
-When the burgers are just about done, but the extra slices of mozzarella on top to melt.
-Cook patties all the way through, put together your yummy burgers, and enjoy!


2.) Guacamole
Ingredients:
2 avocados, mashed
The juice of one lime
1. jalapeno, finely diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely diced
1/2 purple onion, chopped
1 roma tomato, chopped
1 pinch or two of salt (or to taste)

Directions:
Mash, cut, dice, juice, put it all together and enjoy. Super simple, super healthy, and super yummy!


3.) Low Fat Jalapeno Poppers
Ingredients:
4 Jalapenos
3-4 tablespoons low fat cream cheese
8 strips of turkey bacon

Directions:
-Halve and de-seed/de-vine jalapenos, you will have 8 halves.
-Spread cream cheese on jalapeno halves
-wrap each one with one strip of turkey bacon
-Bake at 300 degrees for 5-10 minutes, and then on broil for a few seconds-1 minute to crisp up if needed

4.) Blueberry Syrup
Ingredients:
2 cups frozen blueberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 the juice of one lemon + a little bit of lemon zest

Directions:
-Toss blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a saucepan and heat until boiling, reduce heat and let simmer for 5-10 minutes. Let cool for a bit and put on anything from pancakes to ice cream to Greek yogurt.

Vegetarian Chili...

 So I made this chili with my mom ages ago and can't remember if we put any chili flavor or any other spices in it. If I were to guess, I'd say we did... But my mind is blank... :| So use your sense of smell and taste buds, and decide for yourself. :) After this was done and we ate until our tums were full, we still had a lot left, so we did a little quick canning and stored some in the fridge for a few days. Have fun and enjoy!


 Ingredients:  

1-2 tablespoons oil
3-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 small purple onion, or 1/2 of a large one, chopped
3-4 celery sticks, chopped
1 can black beans
1 can white beans
1 can red beas
1 can chick peas (all strained and rinsed thoroughly)
1 can whole tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste for flavor
3-4 carrots, shredded
1 box of Quinoa plus water (directions on back of box)
1 teaspoon or to taste coarse salt.

 Directions:
 
1. Grab a pot and saute three to four garlic cloves over medium hear in about a tablespoon of canola oil. Cook until soft, careful not to burn. Garlic can be very bitter when overcooked. :)
2. Add your purple onion and celery sticks (chopped or sliced in a food processor) Cook until beans are prepped and ready to add...
3. Open your beans. I used black, white and red beans as well as chick peas. Strain, rinse thoroughly and add to the pot.
4. Chunky chop your canned tomatoes and add to the mix, along with the tomato juice and tomato paste.
5. Toss in your shredded carrots!
6. Add a box of Quinoa and follow directions for the amount of water.
7. Add a teaspoon or to taste of coarse salt.
8. Cook over medium heat until boiling and/or Quinoa has opened and vegetables have reached desired tenderness.
9. Eat yummy vegetarian chili.

P&S The Jaded Recipe 

Cupcakes...

 One of my favorite pass times includes baking and eating of cupcakes...

Banana Flavored Cupcakes...