Saturday, October 31, 2009

Happy Halloween Everyone!!

Hope everyone has a fun and safe night!! I LOVE Halloween and this year it's making me go "GaGa" :)

Love, KellyCakes

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Definitely A Treat, Not A Trick!

Pumpkin Cupcakes

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 2/3 cup sugar
1 cup canola oil
16 oz. pumpkin puree
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
dash nutmeg

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil and set aside. In a smaller bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and nutmeg. Add dry mixture to the pumpkin mixture a little at a time and stir well. Pour into 24 lined muffin tins and bake at 350* for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
*These can also be made into squares by pouring the batter into a 9x13" pan and bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes, or until center is done.

This recipe is perfect for any fall get-together, Halloween, Thanksgiving, or even when you're craving them in the middle of July! This is a very moist, but not too spongey cake and the cream cheese icing is rich and thick. The smell of cinnamon and nutmeg when they are baking really brings you into the mood for Autumn!

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Beary Adorable!

Was looking through some old pictures and came across the most ADORABLE cupcakes I have ever seen! I'm a big fan of the Forever Friends bears (as seen on Hallmark cards) and I would love to have these for my wedding!

Monday, October 19, 2009

Really Good Potato Salad



This recipe has been a favorite of mine for years. Very basic, but the result is amazing! Try it out at your next BBQ or potluck!





Spaghetti Potato Salad

Ingredients:
5-6 white rose potatoes
1 cup spaghetti noodles, broken into 1-2 inch pieces
4 hard boiled eggs
1 cup diced celery
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice (added to the mayo)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
*Wash the potatoes and place in a large pot filled with water. Bring the water to a boil and cook for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. (Cooking time may be more or less, depending on size of the potatoes, so check them often!)
*In the mean time, bring a medium saucepan of water to boil and cook the pasta 8-10 minutes. Drain the pasta and set aside.
*Chop the celery and onions and set aside.
*Peel the hard boiled eggs (I usually make these in advance to save time) and chop.
*Once the potatoes are done, put them into an ice bath and let cool. Then peel and chop the potatoes and put in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well.
*Enjoy!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Cream of the Crop



When it comes to cafes, Creme de la Crepe sure is the cream of the crop! With two locations in the South Bay and one in Long Beach, Creme de la Crepe offers a wide variety of both sweet and savory crepes to satisfy any palate. Not in the mood for a crepe? They also serve heary soups, fresh salads, appetizers, and traditional French items such as quiche and beef bourguignon.
Although I've been to Creme de la Crepe many times, I always seem to order the same thing: Caprese Panini and a build-your-own Strawberry and Nutella dessert crepe. Both delish! The panini is freshly grilled and filled with roma tomatoes and thick slices of mozzarella. Instead of whole basil leaves like in a traditional caprese salad, they use a basil and oil spread, which still packs in all the great herb flavor! The panini also comes with a baked cheesy, potato layered side (think scalloped potatoes, but with parmesan and asiago) that is to die for! The dessert crepe is stuffed with freshly sliced strawberries and then drizzled with warm nutella - both inside and out. The dish is garnished with freshly whipped cream - nothing out of a can here!

Check them out:
424 Pier Ave.
Hermosa Beach, CA
http://www.cremedelacrepe.com/menus.php

Monday, October 12, 2009

Are You There Martha? It’s Me, KellyCakes.

As I sat in my room one Sunday night, contemplating what to do with my future, the idea of starting a blog to share my creativity popped into my head. All these ideas started flowing about what I could write about…restaurant reviews, party ideas, “how-to” for college kids on a budget, how I’m a recent college grad trying to figure it all out, etc. Hmm…all interesting to me, but who the hell else will want to read my mumble-jumble? Maybe you? Maybe not…Maybe the Editor In Chief at Martha Stewart Living and she’ll give me my dream job of food styling in Los Angeles??? Well, probably not. But, as somewhat of a self-proclaimed Martha myself, hopefully this blog will be more than an outlet of expression for me and actually be intriguing to you guys in the Internet world. Enjoy!