Cake Decorating Class

I was signed up for a Wilton cake decorating class as a Christmas present this year. I was super excited about it. I learned a lot and ate a whole lot of desserts. Here are my projects week by week.

Our first class I decorated cookies with the star tip.

The second class I made a layer cake and learned how to transfer an image onto the cake. Can't wait to make a hamburger one come summer time.

For the third class we learned how to fill and decorate cupcakes. These were peanut butter cupcakes with strawberry jelly filling.

For our final project I had to make a two layer cake. I was making it for my trip to Foxwoods to see Gary Gulman so of course I had to fill it with double stuff Oreo's. "Double the stuff double the price right? No, we don't care about profits."

Here is my final project!

Risotto

Apparently on snow days I just can't stop cooking. For dinner I made a sweet potato spinach risotto. I got the idea from here. I would like to know why mine was brown and theirs was white, but it tasted delicious anyway.

Snow Day Lunch

I spent an hour and half shoveling out my car this morning. Most of that hour and a half was spent deciding what to eat for lunch. There is nothing more glorious than cooking myself a nice warm lunch on a snow day.

Flat bread with roasted garlic and artichoke hummus, brie, and a chicken cutlet:


Sprinkle it with a little Parmesan cheese:

So warm and melty and cheesy.....

Happy Anniversary!

This is Why I'm Hot turned 1 year old on Saturday. To celebrate we made shrimp tacos with an avocado salsa, fried plantains, and saffron rice.

Roasted shrimp with cilantro and lime and fried plantains:


Avocados, tomatoes, cilantro, lime, olives:


My plate of all of the above:

Enchiladas

Ever since I left California I have been wondering why we can't have delicious tortillas on the east coast. Today I was lucky enough to discover some fantastic tortillas on my enchilada ingredient run today. Hooray for all the Mexican's living in Port Chester!

For the filling I cooked up corn, zucchini, and chipotles in adobo.


Roll em up, drench it with enchilada sauce, cover it in cheese, and wait for it to get all bubbly and melty.

MMMmmmm. How about I don't work and my one job is to cook dinner every night?

Panini Lunch

On my snow day last week I decided to waste a good chunk of day in the kitchen, one cake failure, one cake success, and a delightful little lunch for me and my mommy.

Inside this panini is turkey, brie, and a Parmesan garlic artichoke spread that I mixed up.

I made myself another one today since I once again had a day off.

Dachshund Cookies...Sort of

I was so excited to get a dachshund cookie cutter for Christmas that I headed all warnings to not use it with store bought sugar cookie dough. Naturally my results came out less like adorable little dachshunds and more like weird obese dachshund-esque creatures.


Here is a tray before it was baked, I made a little turd pile with some excess:



I guess they don't look soooo unlike a dachshund. I will try again with a more cookie cutter friendly cookie. Perhaps with the brownie roll out cookies from St Patrick's Day.

Christmas Bounty

Top row: Pampered Chef gift certificate, Dachshund cookie cutter (!!!!eeeee!!!), Hello, Cupcake

Middle row: Gingerbread cake in a cup, America's Test Kitchen cookbook, Wilton's decorating kit with icing and colors

Bottom row: cookie press, baking pan with engraved lid "Homemade by Katie Canonico" eeee!!

Not pictured: 3 Williams Sonoma cookbooks, cookbook stand, apron, annnnnnnnnnnd I got signed up for a cake decorating class that starts tomorrow!!

I am so excited to use everything. I wish I had another week off so I can cook like a maniac.

Old Bay Chicken

I'm not sure how famous my love affair with Old Bay is, but it is quite a passionate love affair. In fact I rarely leave home without it. Well this lil chicken marinade was on the side of the Old Bay box so when I was entrusted with doing something with nearing expiration date chicken I looked to they bay box. I ate mine on a foccacia roll with cheddar cheese and bbq sauce..aaaaaaaamazing.

Tired

My vacation is over and all I want to do is cuddle in my cozy new robe, wander the internet, and drink hot cocoa...with hot cocoa ice cream in it. Too much? Nah.