Inspirational Tuesdays #120

 Hope you all have a great Independence Day tomorrow!

 

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Inspirational Tuesdays #118

With all the rainbows and double rainbows that have been popping up lately in NYC, I've been inspired by all the vibrant colors!

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Tasty Thursdays: Cherry Baby Cakes

Inspired by a super cute candle from Pookaberrys Candle Bakery that I received from Cameo PR's press preview (which I will post at a later date), I decided to make this Tasty Thursdays recipe about Cherry Baby Cakes. I found this recipe on Better Homes and Garden. This makes about 30 small cakes.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 
• 2/3 cup sugar 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 2/3 cup milk 
• 1/4 cup butter, softened 
• 1 egg 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 2/3 cup cherry marmalade or cherry preserves, large pieces snipped if necessary 
• 30 maraschino cherries with stems, drained 
• powdered sugar icing

Directions: 
1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Line thirty 1-3/4-inch muffin cups with miniature paper bake cups;* set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add milk, butter, egg, and vanilla. Beat on low speed until combined. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Spoon 1 scant teaspoon of batter into each muffin cup. Add 1/2 teaspoon of cherry marmalade and top with 1/2 teaspoon additional batter.
3. Bake cupcakes about 12 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire rack.
4. Pat cherries dry with clean paper toweling. Frost each cupcake with about 1/2 teaspoon icing. Dip half of each cherry into remaining icing; place on top of baby cakes. Makes about 30 small cakes.

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Tasty Thursdays: Tiramisu Parfait

I was first searching for a berry parfait - so perfect for summertime, and found this recipe from Taste of Home for a Tiramisu parfait instead. Looks pretty easy to make and looks so tasty! The following recipe serves 6.

Ingredients:

• 4-1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
• 1/3 cup boiling water
• 2 cups cold fat-free milk
• 2 packages (1 ounce each) sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
• 4 ounces fat-free cream cheese
• 1 package (3 ounces) ladyfingers, split and cubed
• 2 cups fat-free whipped topping
• 2 tablespoons miniature chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon baking cocoa

Directions:
Dissolve coffee in boiling water; cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. In another large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually fold in pudding.

Place ladyfinger cubes in a bowl; add coffee; toss to coat. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Divide half of the ladyfinger cubes among six parfait glasses or serving dishes. Top with half of the pudding mixture, 1 cup whipped topping and 1 tablespoon chocolate chips. Repeat layers.

Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Just before serving, dust with cocoa.

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Inspirational Wednesday #109

Been busy lately, so here's Inspirational Tuesdays a day late! ;) Be sure to enter my giveaway for a choice of an Ann Taylor necklace! As a bonus, I will be giving the first 15 non-winners a $50 off discount card!
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Tasty Thursdays: Apricot-Anise Tarts

Browsing around, looking for some a great Easter treat to share, I stumbled onto this recipe for Apricot-Anise Tarts on Epicurious. It looks so good! The following recipe makes two 10" tarts.

Ingredients:
2 cups dried California apricots (9 ounces)
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup apricot preserves
1 1/4 teaspoons almond extract, divided

Master Sweet Dough
1 1/2 teaspoons whole aniseed
1 large egg
Powdered sugar (for dusting)
1 cup chilled heavy cream

Directions:
Combine apricots and 2 cups water in a large heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring and mashing apricots occasionally, until fruit is very soft and broken down and most of liquid is evaporated, about 15 minutes. Add 1/2 cup sugar; stir until dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in preserves and 1 teaspoon almond extract. Let cool completely. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.

Follow directions for Master Sweet Dough, adding aniseed as directed.

Punch down dough; divide in half. Place half of dough in the center of a 12"-square piece of parchment paper. Using your fingertips, shape dough into a 9" round. Slide dough on parchment paper onto one end of a large baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough on another piece of parchment; transfer to other end of baking sheet. Divide apricot mixture between rounds, leaving a 3/4" plain border.

Loosely cover tarts with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free area until puffed but not doubled in size, 45–50 minutes.

Meanwhile, arrange a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 375°F. Beat egg with 2 teaspoons warm water in a small bowl.

Brush border of dough with egg wash. Bake tarts until crusts are golden, 25–30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. DO AHEAD: Tarts can be baked 1 day ahead. Let cool completely. Wrap in foil and store at room temperature. Reheat in a 350°F oven until warm, 10–15 minutes. Alternatively, freeze in a resealable freezer bag for up to 1 month. Thaw before reheating.

Dust hot tarts with powdered sugar. Let cool slightly. Using an electric mixer, beat cream, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon almond extract in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Serve tarts warm or at room temperature with almond whipped cream.

What do you usually eat/serve on Easter?

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Inspirational Tuesdays #105

All collected images were found randomly online. Click on image to view source.

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