Friday, April 13, 2012

Contest!

I need YOUR help to promote my Facebook page! So, today I'm starting a month-long contest. While I appreciate my far-away followers, I'm hoping to drum up local business. If you're far away,  you can still help by referring your local friends.

Rules:

The contest will run from April 13, 2012-May 13, 2012
Refer your friends to the Facebook page and make sure they "like" the page and tell me who sent them
Your referrals must remain fans of the page for at least the month of the contest
The person with the most referrals will win a dozen cupcakes!

Thank you to all my new followers out there! I'm excited to share my culinary adventures with you.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Manic Monday

My day job has been a little slow lately. It gives me a lot of time for culinary daydreams. Today, I was thinking about the spinach in the fridge that needed to be used today. I thought about making some spinach pockets, but decided to go a different route.

Spinach Pizza (spinach, provolone, Romano, Parmesan, and spices)


Recipe:
1 package crescent rolls
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
 2 c. spinach
3-4 tbsp parmesean/romano blend
1/2 c. provolone 
1 tsp pizza or Italian season blend
Spread the crescent rolls across a baking sheet and brush with olive oil and garlic. Layer spinach and top with cheeses. Sprinkle with Italian or pizza seasoning. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes, depending on your oven.

My 10-year-old buddy asked me why I was taking pictures of the food. I guess he didn't think it was as pretty as I did. However, he ate two slices. I'd say that makes this dinner kid-approved.

Coming soon:
-Blog and FB page contest!
-Pink cupcakes for a baby shower

Saturday, April 7, 2012

What's Cooking for Easter Weekend

I have a friend and cooking for her is a challenge. Her relationship with food is the polar opposite of mine. She eats to live, I live to eat. She doesn't eat much meat and loves her vegetables. I wanted to cook her something hearty but healthy. 

Roast Root Vegetables with Rosemary and Garlic

 She also doesn't eat sugar. That made dessert a challenge. I decided to bake some fruit with no added sugar or synthetic sweeteners.

Baked apples with cranberries, walnuts, ginger and spices

Yesterday, my mom also met with a nutritionist who put her on a high-protein, high-veggie diet. She requested an "egg casserole" which I took to mean crustless-quiche. 

Zucchini and Cheddar Crustless Quiche

Tomorrow is Easter and I have no plans to cook. I'm not sure that will last long.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Welcome

I've been baking since I was a small child. I was a picky eater and my mother decided if I wanted special food, I would have to make it myself. Then, at age 9, I met my mentor. My grandma Katy adopted me and taught me to love food. The most important thing about food is serving others. I love to feed people.

Recently, my baking has become a business of sorts. I feel that God has opened a door and I should walk through it. I started baking for my friends and close co-workers. Then other coworkers started asking if they could place orders. That has led me to develop a pricing guide. Today, I also started some paperwork to take on "Stilettos & an Apron" as the name of my business.

My next steps:
  • Order business cards from vistaprint.com because they have crazy sales
  • Take orders and bake my heart out
  • Link up with a photographer for a business photo for the blog and Facebook
  • Link up with a blog designer and trick this place out!

I use real, simple, whole ingredients. I don't use imitation. I don't like fondant. As my friend always says, "pretty is as pretty does." Fondant might be pretty, but it doesn't have the taste of rich, creamy, buttery frosting.

Next week, I may have 2 orders for carrot cake cupcakes. I'm also developing a cupcake for a book club. We read "Smitten" so I wanted to create a romance themed cupcake to go with the book. I'm going to do a Big Hunk cupcake inspired by the candy bar with flavors of honey, peanuts, and nougat.

Let's get started! I hope you'll follow me on this sweet adventure.