Sprinkle Glory

It’s Amelia and TeeTee day, and what else did my cutie niece want to do but bake. I decided to take her for a little ride to Michael’s Craft Store as I just knew she’d love the baking aisle there. And oh my did she. She was literally in sprinkle heaven! She absolutely loved it. I told her she could pick out 4 sprinkles. We bargained a bit but ended up with 5 packets.

Then we went next door to the supermarket where she picked out funfetti cupcakes (sorry sis, no organic today. And sorry fans for the dark pic here!).

Pink whipped cream frosting, of course. Her giggle of happiness putting in the dye was so great.

So much fun decorating these cupcakes! There are sprinkles everywhere, but I’ll vacuum tomorrow. All OCD cleanliness out the window when baking with little ones. And anyway, it’s time to dig in to these delicious bites with Shrek as the movie of choice tonight 😊 Best auntie and niece day!

Du’s Donut Dreams

Stuck at home due to train issues, so missing my monthly donut date with my co-worker. So I’m dreaming of the donuts I stumbled upon on Wednesday with said co-worker. Whether you’re in Brooklyn to visit their shop or find them in a coffee shop like I did, I totally recommend the coffee cake donut! Also, I’ve heard they ship…. just saying… 🍩

The Universe is Talking to You

Listen and take action… the signs are there.

An Elevated Chicken in a Pocket

Love is in the air… is it your food, your Valentine’s date, or both? With this dish, it’ll most definitely be both because you’ll for sure win your date over.

I needed to do something with the leftover puff pastry I had from an Oscar party appetizer, had chicken cutlets in the freezer, and so this dish was born. And anything wrapped in puff pastry just feels fancy, right? So here’s what I did. Roll out the puff pastry sheet and cut in fours. Spread a (lactose free!) cream cheese that’s been mixed with Mexican spice onto half of the quarter of pastry dough.

Slice up some green olives and pickled jalapeños. Layer that with uncooked, thin cut chicken cutlets and shredded cheddar cheese.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper before folding into little pockets. Fold the corner over the chicken and fold over the ends to make the pockets.

Sprinkle a little garlic powder over top. You can also use an egg wash, but I didn’t want to waste the egg! Ha!

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until the puff pastry is browned. Serve along side salsa and a beautiful green vegetable to fancy it up even more. A gorgeous, delicious meal to romance any Valentine.

Pretty in Pink and Gold

Girls night, baby celebrating, Oscar fun. Icing is a glaze of powdered sugar, a little half n half, and a little vanilla. Up the game by adding some cocoa powder after doing half vanilla. Yum.

Pretty Accurate

Crab Dip Pasta

When you crush the presentation you made to your entire business unit (120 people plus the company president!), you feel like celebrating. An indulging pasta is just the ticket. Using the leftover crab dip from super bowl provided that indulgence I was looking for, without making me sick from too much dairy, and without needing the energy to go out. Plus that lump crab meat is expensive! So I’m glad it’s not going to waste. Haha.

Just cook pasta to al dente, warm the dip in a pan, added some frozen peas, and mix in the pasta with a little cooking water to coat. So easy and rewarding after a tiring week! Although I do have a feeling I may be asked to present more often now…

Big Game Treats

Sunday morning thoughts… Sometimes in life, I wonder what’s truth from people and what’s not.

But food is the second thought of today. And for anyone still looking for some recipes, here are a few ones I’m trying out.

I’ve posted about this amazing bread dip I’ve been having all my life before, but today in honor of the 49ers I’m switching out the ham for lump crab meat and adding a few dashes of hot sauce. Dungeons crab is a staple in the Bay Area. This should be a touchdown! And the extra point? I found lactose free sour cream and cream cheese!

Tip! Mix all ingredients except for the crab first. Then fold in the crab so some of the larger chunks don’t get too broken up.

Can’t find a bread bowl? No problem! Heat up the dip and bread separate. Just reduce the time to 30-40 minutes

Jalapeño poppers are a big game day food, so I’m switching it up a bit with making jalapeño popper meatballs. A recipe I’ve seen in a bunch of places lately so I’m taking a bit from them all. Mix together a pound of turkey chop meat, three slices of cooked bacon chopped, 1 fresh jalapeño pepper diced, and a half cup of shredded cheddar cheese, 1 egg, 1/2 cup bread crumbs and a couple of dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Get some (lactose free) cream cheese and form a meatball around about a half a tablespoon of cream cheese. Bake in the oven at 350 for about 25-30 minutes. Yum!

Tip! If you’re using spreadable cream cheese or lactose free, make balls of cream cheese and freeze before making the meatballs. This will make it easier to form.

Serve with salsa!

And now on to rep Kansas City, even if my brother in law will hate this! (Have I mentioned he’s from the Bay Area so has an affinity to Bay Area teams?) I’m making some extra meatballs slow cooked in barbecue sauce. My sell – not everyone likes spice! (But you guys will know I’m going for the theme!)

And last but not least. Cupcakes with my favorite girl, decorated in red/gold and red/black for the teams. Sorry in advance for the heavy handed sprinkle action! No penalties for my cutie niece though 😊

All lined up and ready for game time! Even the ref is in gear 😂

Happy American Sunday!