New pics are up! I was invited to make sweets by Jewelry by Monica Lauren for a holiday event last weekend. Check out her beautiful pieces. The open house and sale donates a portion of their proceeds to community needs. The event was hosted at a grand old craftsman home in South Pasadena. Each artist was featured in a different room of the home. My decorated Texas chocolate sheet cake bites were hosted outside. The event started at noon and people immediately began rambling through the home speaking to artisans about their wares and purchasing on the spot. Many vendors sold via the Square market and made sales on mobile devices. You can tell from the pictures this is a bunch of incredibly talented artists. I made fresh chocolate mini cake bites some were decorated with chopped pecans others with crystallized iceberg rose petals. The best part is the buttery fudge frosting on the top.
Category Archives: desserts
Holiday Decorations: Balboa Park, The Zoo and Extraordinary Desserts
I’ve been meaning to post these since they were taken last Christmas Eve and days after. I found a parking spot right in The Prado lot and while we still can pulled in to take a quick walk through the Botanical Gardens before they closed for the day. Lovely. Also went by at night and snapped some, and the San Diego Zoo lights too, very cool! We live in a wonderful city! On our way out we stopped at Extraordinary Desserts for a Cream Cheese Brownie with overtones of coffee. Really yummy. Enjoy!
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Old Globe Theatre Tree |
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The SD Zoo |
Our Holiday Sweets in fotos
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Lemon Pecan Pie from Hob Nob Hill Restaurant to go |
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love Cotton Candy! |
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Cream Cheese Brownie from Extraordinary Desserts |
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Sof’ella Caramel Monkey Bread Mix from World Market |
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Post Nap remnants of Monkey Bread and Caramel Sauce |
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Sugar Cookies |
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Peanut Blossoms |
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ChexMix |
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Cheesecake Factory Key Lime and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Yum! |
Ice Cream Pie with Easy Caramel Sauce | The Pioneer Woman Cooks | Ree Drummond
I had to pass along this yummy recipe from The Pioneer Woman.
I love Laura Ingalls Wilder and all things Pioneer, so I have to try this tempting recipe. Thanks to Ree Drummond for this post. You must click over to this amazing site full of great inspiring thoughts and images. Enjoy!
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SOURCE: THE PIONEER WOMAN |
Ingredients
- Caramel Sauce
- 4 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 cup Brown Sugar, Packed
- 1/2 cup Half-and-half
- Pinch Of Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla
- Crust
- 1/4 cup Egg Whites
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 1 cup Pecans, Finely Chopped
- Filling
- 2 pints Ice Cream (1 Pint Each Of Different Flavors)
Preparation Instructions
Mix butter, brown sugar, half & half, and salt in a saucepan over medium low heat. Cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until thicker. Add vanilla and cook another minute to thicken further. Turn off heat and pour sauce into a jar. Refrigerate until cold.
To make the crust:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat egg whites until frothy. Add sugar and salt and beat on high until stiff. Fold in nuts. Spread mixture all over the bottom and sides of a non-glass pie pan, making sure to adequately coat the sides. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, watching toward the end to make sure crust doesn’t get too brown. Remove from oven when crust is golden brown. Allow crust to cook completely.
When crust is cool, remove ice cream from freezer. Allow to soften. When soft, spread one pint of ice cream (I used Butter Brickle) over the bottom of the crust. Spread the other pint (I used Vanilla Bean) over the first flavor. Cover with foil and freeze until very hard.
To serve, cut slices of pie and serve on individual plates with cold caramel sauce spooned over the top. *Note that the crust will be a bit sticky…but it’s oh, so good!
Ice Cream Pie with Easy Caramel Sauce | The Pioneer Woman Cooks | Ree Drummond
Rainbow Cherry Jigglers! – Style-Elise
I posted this over on my style blog at Tumblr a few days ago – Click here for the link to Style-Elise.com. My personal blog is a micro blog full of images and inspirations. I love the bright colors of this photo and I adore anything jello. Enjoy this recipe from great blogger you might want to follow at jellyshottestkitchen. The post has all the details on where to get colored marachino cherries online. Enjoy
Scroll down for a copy of the recipe: Here is link to original post Rainbow Cherry Jigglers Recipe – Tablespoon.
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PHOTO SOUCE: Jelly Shot Test Kitchen’s photostream |
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PHOTO SOURCE: jellyshottestkitchen |
Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies | Recipe Binder
Ingredients
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Photo Source: atticpaper.com |
3 1/2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
2 teaspoons vanilla*
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
12 ounces chocolate chips
*I also use butter-vanilla flavoring in place of vanilla,from http://www.doitwithicing.com
Method
Preheat oven to 350*.
Sift together flour,baking soda, and salt and set aside.
In Large bowl beat butter, sugars and egg, milk, and vanilla.
Stir in flour mixture alternating with oil.
Add cereal, oatmeal and chips.
Drop by spoonfuls or scoop onto cookie sheets. (I spray mine with buttered Pam cooking spray. Due to oil cookies brown on edges sooner so be careful)
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until done.
Makes nine dozen.
See this recipe and more at: Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies | Recipe Binder
Pine-cones and Pie: Driving Trip to Julian – Fall 2012
The pie in these photos from Julian Pie Company was straight from the oven, hot and juicy with apple tastiness! Perfect day in Julian, California. Stopped into Julian Realty and said “Hi” to Dennis Frieden, Owner/Broker and long time friend. Photos include views of Mount Laguna, California and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Enjoy
Slideshow and links after the jump.
Blueberry Bar recipe from Water’s Fine Foods shared
Water’s Blueberry Bars, a summer tradition
I noted this recipe for Blueberry Bars recently listed on Waters Fine Catering Facebook page. Back in the early 90’s, I worked for Mary Kay Waters at Water’s Catering. She was my neighbor, which also made me the occasional family babysitter. I held the position(s) of sous chef, catering secretary/assistant; creating menus, proposals, working parties and prepping in the kitchen for credits towards my culinary arts/hospitality degree.
Today her enterprise has expanded to include Water’s Fine Foods to Go, with two locations, one near Mission Hills on W. Morena Blvd, and the other in Solana Beach. Also new, Fibonacci’s Campus Pointe Bistro by Waters brings delicious, quality artisanal food to La Jolla’s UTC area. Recipe after the jump with more photos.
Be sure to take a trip by Water’s Fine Foods to Go and pick up some Water’s Brand Hand-Crafted Granola, Salt & Pepper Blend and Salted Peanuts. Perfect gift ideas!
Lemon Bar Recipes
A recent family request for recipes has my mouth watering. Following are some of my favorite recipes for tart, tangy, mouth puckering Lemon Bars. Classic takes, a lite version, and an inspired variation with grapefruit from a contest blogger. Enjoy
Serves: 20 squares or 40 triangles
- 1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup flour
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
- 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more to decorate the finished bars
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 7 large egg yolks, plus 2 large eggs
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup lemon juice (from 4 or 5 medium lemons), plus 1/4 cup finely grated zest
- Pinch of salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- Confectioners’ sugar, optional
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
- 2 tsp. grated lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 large egg plus 1 egg white
- 2 Tbsp. flour
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1 Tbsp. finely chopped lemon zest
- 6 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp. confectioner’s sugar, for dusting top
4) Texas Pink Grapefruit Bars with Cardamom Shortbread Crust by Camilla Cooks
Cook’s Country Cookie Contest 2007
Ingredients:
1 and 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
4 large eggs
1 and 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated grapefruit zest
2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest
2/3 cup freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Optional: 3 drops red food coloring (optional—to further tint the filling pink)
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch metal pan with foil; spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Process the flour, brown sugar, cardamom and salt in a food processor. Add butter and process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Press mixture into prepared pan. Bake shortbread in middle of oven until golden brown, 30-35 minutes. While shortbread is baking, prepare topping.
Whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, grapefruit zest, lime zest, grapefruit juice, lime juice and food coloring in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until pudding-like consistency, about 6-8 minutes. Strain over warm crust and spread into even layer.
Bake until filling is set, about 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours. Cut into 2-inch squares. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving. Makes 16 bars.
Bacon on Apple Pie? Maple Bacon Donuts? Yum!
Tasty Trials: Not your grandma’s apple pie

Recipe and more after the jump…
Tasty Trials: Not your grandma’s apple pie
And here is a fav foto from Voodoo in Portland
Here is my recipe for a Maple Bourbon Apple Pie with a Bacon Pecan Crust. Bacon and apple? Not uncommon. Pecan and apples? Not uncommon. All together and topped with maple and spiked with Bourbon? Uncommon, and delicious! I’m so tempted to throw cheddar cheese into the crust so it’s even crispier, but I’ll start you off slow with my unconventional non-Stepford wife recipes!
My recipe for this was inspired by a Maple Bourbon Ice Cream Sandwich I ended up eating with bacon at an epic foodie BBQ this summer – see here. This is the pie version of it, made 2.0. It is a sweet, savoury and nutty dessert that’s perfect for summer BBQ’s… or breakfast. Bacon for breakfast and you get your serving of fruit too! I’m so efficient! I’d call it a great start to the day, and a “healthy balance”… okay well maybe it’s not doctor approved, but it’s Follow Me Foodie approved.
Note: The measurements are a bit rough, and you may have to taste along the way and adjust accordingly to your own preferences.
Maple Bourbon Apple Pie with a Bacon Pecan Crust Recipe
Serves 8.
Crust
¼ cup of crispy fresh bacon bits (cooled)
¼ cup of toasted unsalted pecans (cooled)
2 tsp sugar
1 ¼ cups unbleached all purpose flour
½ cup chilled unsalted butter cut into cubes
4 tbsp ice water, or more until dough bind together
12-15 strips of uncooked bacon
1/4 cup crushed pecans lightly tossed in maple syrup
Filling
3-4 Medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
¼ cup sugar
1 ½ tsp fresh lemon juice
¼ cup maple syrup
½ tsp vanilla
5 tbsp Bourbon
½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp unsalted butter cut into cubes
Maple syrup for brushing bacon strips
Crust
1. Coarsely grind together the crispy bacon and toasted pecans until a coarse crumble forms.
2. Combine flour, sugar, bacon and pecan mixture.
3. Using a food processor add the chilled butter to flour mixture and pulse until the butter is the size of peas and combined.
4. Add ice water a tbsp at a time until the dough forms into a ball. Flatten dough into a disk, wrap and chill for 2 hours or overnight.
5. Preheat oven to 375°F.
6. Roll out dough and cover bottom of pie pan. Peirce dough with a fork about 10 times and bake in oven for 30-35 minutes of until fully cooked and browned.
Filling:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Combine apples, sugar, lemon juice, maple syrup, vanilla, Bourbon, cinnamon and butter in a large skillet and toss over medium high heat until liquid starts to bubble and apples get fork tender. Stir occasionally so it doesn’t stick.
3. Bring to a simmer and allow juices to reduce and thicken into a syrup. Transfer apples to separate bowl with 4-5 tbsp of syrup from the skillet.
4. Fill pre-baked pie crust with apple mixture and syrup.
5. Take uncooked bacon strips and create a lattice crust by alternating strips – see here if you need help.
6. Brush bacon strips with maple syrup and sprinkle maple syrup coated pecans on top of pie.
7. Bake the pie for 20 minutes or until bacon is crisp and fully cooked and pecans are caramelized.
8. Optional: Serve with maple Bourbon ice cream, or maple pecan/walnut ice cream and bacon bit sprinkles on top.
Maple Bourbon Apple Pie with a Bacon Pecan Crust Recipe! | Follow Me Foodie