Join me on my new website!

Hello everyone!

It is time to make some changes!!

And with that comes a new website.  And my own domain!!

All of the recipes here are not moving anywhere.  Don't worry.  But if you want to check out what is happening with all the pixies in my life and the new cakes I am making, please head on over to The Baking Pixie.

Can't wait to see you there!

Welcome to 2016!

33 chocolate bourbon pecan pies, 140 mini cupcakes, 15 dozen cookies, and 4 fondant cakes. That was my month of December and the first part of January.  Oh, and keeping up with these two.

   

The smallest pixie turns two this Friday and I need to start filling out paperwork to register my other pixie for kindergarten this year.  I can't believe how time flies when you are running around screaming "Don't sit on your brother!".

The first cake I did was based off the phone app Geometry Dash.  My neighbors loved it and so did everyone else in Red Lobster apparently.

I also made another game themed cake and this one was based off of Team Fortress 2.  My neighbor had absolutely no idea about the game that her son loves so I was able to play around with this one a little bit.  

I even made a cake topper in the form of the beloved "Sandvich" that one of the characters eats to replenish his health.

The last cake that I just completed was for a very special person in my life.  My grandmother turned 80 this past week and the family threw her a surprise birthday party.  When I called her on her birthday, and asked how she was doing, the first thing she said was she was sore from doing 2 hours of water aerobics that morning.  Yes, my 80 year old grandmother could kick my butt in the gym.  

My grandmother is an amazing woman.  She has bungee jumped with me and my brother.  She has jumped out of an airplane and gone white water rafting. She has traveled the world and yet knows everyone in our small hometown. She has taught swimming lessons for as long as I can remember.  She has taught so long that she is teaching people's grandchildren now.  I have watched her open her heart and home to people in AA.  She has been sober for 35 years now and has seen people at their lowest.  And it doesn't turn her away from helping someone in need. 

She volunteers with the Red Cross teaching CPR and life guarding courses.  She volunteers with the Special Olympics.  She has won medals of all kinds swimming in the senior Olympics.  And she was just inducted in to the Boys and Girls Club Hall of Fame.  

Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is who you strive to be when you get older.  

Happy 80th Birthday Maga!

Dark chocolate banana muffins

I found this recipe from Erica's Sweet Tooth here.  The recipe originally called for the bananas to be transformed into bread but I always like making muffins.  It's a little easier for my husband's coworkers to pick it up and go.  Please go to her website for the recipe!

I didn't have to do anything special to change from bread to muffins.  And the only thing I added to the original recipe is cinnamon chips.  If you have read my blog at all, you will know how big a fan I am of cinnamon chips.  Cinnamon just goes with bananas.  At least in this crazy house, it does.

Have a great week bakers!

Another busy summer ahead

Thanks to friends and family, I have been super busy with cakes lately.  I have had at least a cake a week, if not two.  And word keeps spreading.  Not that I am complaining.  I love meeting new people and talking cake!

I got to make another grooms cake for a family friend a few weeks ago.  Navy luster dust was used to paint the Patriots football logo onto the cake.  I finished off the edge by cutting out names of players (and coach) that the groom loved.  The Patriots are a big thing in this house.  Not for me....but for my husband and his family it is. Being from the Boston area, I am pretty sure it is in their DNA to love this team.  I, on the otherhand, will choose to scrub floor boards over watching the Patriots.  Unless Julian Edelman is talking...then I might sneak a peak at the television now and then.

The second cake for that weekend was for my awesome little neighbor who turned 10.  Think pixie fairy combined with Hermione Granger when it comes to this one. She is smart, tough as nails, and beautiful to watch as she is growing up.  She is also quite the little artist.

I was able to recreate some of her artwork and frame it on the cake.  I was able to see pictures from her birthday party and seeing the picture when she sees her cake for the first time was pretty awesome.

I was also able to squeeze in our traditional Easter cake.  Ever since we moved to North Carolina, I have been making cakes for our family dinner.  This cake was made in between egg hunts, trolley pub tours, and fun with the family.  Out of all the cakes I have made this year, this is one of my favorites.

The last cake I am going to show you was for another neighbor who turned 12.  She wanted an "Alice in Wonderland" cake and was very specific about her ideas.  She even came prepared with pictures and colors for me when it came time to discuss the specifics.  It was my most ambitious cake to date and I am not looking forward to doing that much detail work again anytime soon.

Next up, I get to make a first communion cake and a Nike sneaker grooms cake! And I made some absolutely delicious dark chocolate banana muffins that I will hopefully get to post about soon.  I hope everyone is having a great big busy Spring!

Flower Cakes and Retro Cupcakes

We can talk, right?  Good.  Because my kids are driving me crazy.

I made it through college with honors.  I made it through basic training, more school, and being miles and miles away from the ones I love.  I worked full time and went back to school for the fun of it.  I'm not trying to brag here.  I came out with a few bumps and bruises along the way.  But I made it.

However, my down fall is going to be these two little brown-haired high energy whirlwinds on legs.  Most days are good and I sooo have the mom thing down.  But other days, I long for my Tempur-Pedic bed and there is not enough chocolate in the world to drown out the shrieks and shrills coming from the living room.  And do I even need to mention that my baby is walking now?

And even with all that going on, I somehow managed to get a sweet 16 cake and some really cool retro arcade cupcakes done this week.

I worked with the Americolor edible ink pens this week and I have to say I loved it. Finally.  I have tried the black ones before and failed miserably.  I think it was because I was trying to copy someone else's work.  I needed to find my own way with them.

I did find some inspiration on Pinterest for the sweet 16 cake.  But I didn't go searching to see how they pulled it off.  I just went for it.  And I love the results. And so did the birthday girl.

I hand drew the flowers with the black pen and then would work in small sections with the color.  A paintbrush dipped in a little water to spread the ink and I was on my way.  Just a little bit of water will do since you are working with fondant.  I love the effect it created.

I was also able to make some really cool cupcakes for a really cool kid I know.  I have a neighbor who is completely into retro arcade games right now.  As a matter of fact, he is spending his birthday weekend playing in an arcade that is stocked with old school upright boxes.  Of course, he is turning twelve and when you ask him what "old school" means he thinks about Pokemon and Kirby.  I took it a little further back for him and his parents though.

I included his Pokemon and Kirby characters but who can argue with a little Mario and Galaga?

Busy Summer

I know I promised at the beginning of the year that I was going to post more.  What I didn't realize was how busy and how tired I was going to be this summer.  We have been working on the house, hosting cul de sac BBQs, planning a HOA community picnic, meeting new neighbors, watching our babies grow, and so on and so on.

I have also found a fan of my baking in one of my husband's coworkers.  So I have been busy baking for him and his family recently.  One of the new things I tried was a Nutella buttercream frosting on top of a chocolate cupcake.

I got the inspiration from the Cannella Vita website.  As you can see, my cupcakes look a little different, but goodness they were delicious.  I used a chocolate cupcake recipe that I have been using for a while and then followed Erica's instructions on making the buttercream.  I just swirled mine instead of piping two different frostings.

I also had the chance to make my son a birthday cake this past week.  My little man turned three this past weekend and is blowing me away with what he knows.  His favorite television show right now is Paw Patrol.  And his favorite dog on the show is Rubble.  He helped pick out the colors and everything!

I make baked goods so often that our son informed his doctor at today's visit that our last name is "Cake".  Hey, it could be worse.

Cakes, cakes, and more cakes

I get asked a lot if I am a professional baker.  And the answer is "no".  I then get asked if I want to do this for a living.  And the answer is " I don't know".  Why do I feel weird telling people that I am still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up?   I am going to be 33 soon and I still haven't figured out yet what I want to do with my life.

But for right now, with my two beautiful babies still at home, I am enjoying what I do.  I really don't make any money off of my baking.  I sold two dozen cupcakes the other day but I have also spent a small fortune at the grocery store this week buying other supplies.  My husband recently asked me what I want for my birthday at the end of the summer and I sent him my Amazon wish list full of fondant cutters and other goodies.  It never ends.

This week I got to make three different cakes for three different occasions.  I was completely swamped with other things too.  I am worn out and my back hurts tremendously...but I kinda can't wait to do it again.

The first cake I made was for my father-in-law.  He LOVES golf.  Every single Sunday and Wednesday he is on the course.  And what's with the "Faja" you say? Apparently, he is also a huge Austin Powers fan.  He even has my son calling him Grandfaja.

The second cake I made was for my New York born and bred neighbor.  He just retired from the Post Office and makes me laugh every single time I see him.  As soon as I told him it was his favorite chocolate cake I make, he gave me a huge hug too.

The third cake I made this week was for another very special neighbor of ours.  I got to meet the mom and son while I was out walking with my children.  Her little boy was 15 months at the time and she explained that over the last few months he had been battling brain cancer.  I told her a little later on that I wasn't sure whether I wanted to cry or give her and her boy a hug.

You see, I left the conversation feeling so many things.  I was having, what I thought, was a pretty crappy day.  My daughter was not feeding well and my son was not listening to a word I said.  I went for a walk to get some fresh air and to wear out my energetic boy.  I quickly realized after talking to JR's mom that I could be dealing with so much more.  For all the heart break and stress she was going through, she had a huge smile on her face the whole time talking about how great he, her Superman baby, had been doing with his treatments.

So I just knew I had to make a cake for him to celebrate his treatments ending soon. I got to deliver my promise on his cake this weekend.

And seeing the joy on their faces when I showed up was payment enough for me.