mmm guava

guavas are number one in my book.  they are tangy and delicious, and just a little crunchy if you eat the seeds.   they are high in antioxidants and vitamin C and even made the Men's Health Top 10 Best Foods list.  Best of all they are available now at your local quality food center, so you don't have to plan a trip to Hawaii or Guatemala to enjoy them.  although you should still plan a trip to Hawaii or Guatemala.  both places are high in vitamin D and excellent for your overall wellbeing.

cups of love

valentine's day cupcake preview. these mini cakes come complete with mini cupids and hologram kiss rings.

shady business

Over Christmas break I spent a little time sprucing up an old lamp.  The final product looks like fancy flowers on a lamp shade. Should you decide to make one, it will most certainly brighten your day in so many ways.  


This is one of many fabulous craft tutorials from the great lady at Design Sponge. It will take few hours of your time, but the result is worth it. My next plan is to try it in a bright color for extra flair!

What You'll Need:
- IKEA Klivsta Lamp Shade ($10.99)

- felt (1.5-3 yards or about 20 felt sheets from a craft store)
- hot glue gun
- scissors

Directions:

1. Cut out hundreds of felt circles, approximately one or two inches in diameter. They can vary a little and do not need to be perfect circles.

2. Fold the felt circle in half and put a small line of glue down the center crease. Place petal down onto shade and secure the crease to the surface. Keep adding as many as you want, and overlap some to fill the entire surface. Folding some of the petals in quarters looks nice too.

fond of you

The coming of the new year called for something extra special, so Dan and I brought 2009 to a close with a little experiment in cheese fondue.  It was great, but next time we'd involve more people, 8-10 servings of cheese fondue is just too much for two people to handle. fondue party anyone??

CHEESE FONDUE

Ingredients (Serves 8 to 10)
1 tbsp. butter
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup white onion, chopped finely
1 1/2 cups apple cider or dry white wine
1 cup Gruyere cheese, grated
1/2 cup Smoked Gruyere cheese, grated
2 cups cheddar, grated
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice or milk
1 tbsp. cornstarch
Freshly grated nutmeg
Freshly ground white pepper
salt to taste
1 loaf French bread, cut into one-inch cubes
Assorted pickled vegetables, such as cornichons, pearl onions, cauliflower, baby carrots, and mushrooms

In a saucepan, melt butter and saute onion and garlic until translucent. Pour cider or wine into pot, and place over medium-low heat. When liquid starts to bubble, start adding cheeses by the handful, stirring until melted and combined.

Whisk together lemon juice (or milk) and cornstarch in a small bowl until cornstarch dissolves; stir into cheese mixture. Continue stirring until mixture is smooth and bubbling slightly, about five minutes. Season with nutmeg, pepper and salt.

Transfer fondue into fondue pot at the table, and keep warm over the fondue pot warmer. Serve with bread and pickled vegetables.

james turns two!!

James Fernando turned the big TWO this year and we celebrated with trains and a larger than life cupcake.

sampling the frosting, trying to hold back the excitement.

blowing out the candle and requesting "more fire." pyromania does not skip a generation.

setting up his choo choo train. 4+ hours of solid entertainment.

25x bigger than a regular cupcake.  check it out.

To recreate this for your next birthday celebration, you will need:

1 Big Top Cupcake Pan (Found here or here)

1 Box Funfetti Cake

1 Container Creamy Vanilla Frosting

Sprinkles

Food Coloring

Pastry Bag & Tips

Birthday Candles

holidays with HMG

we celebrated the holiday season on Friday evening with a most lovely HMG Christmas party. Natalie took lots of good pictures, but my favorite is of everyone during Brian's speech, we all look very nervous.

the kids are nervous.

tarte tatin

the apple tarte tatin is akin to an open-faced upside down apple pie, only it tastes very different given the slow-cooked apples and caramelized butter and sugar.  the cast iron skillet is perfect for this dish because it can transfer from stovetop to oven and it withstands high enough heat for a good caramel sauce to form around the apples.

CRUST

1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes
3 tablespoons ice water

FILLING
8-9 apples, peeled, cored and halved (tart apples work best, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Gala, McIntosh)
1 stick butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup sugar

For the crust, mix flour, salt and sugar in a medium bowl.  Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle in the water and mix until the dough holds together and form into a round ball.  Refrigerate 30 minutes or overnight.

Preheat oven to 425° F. To prepare the filling, spread butter pieces and sugar in the bottom of a cast iron skillet.  Arrange apple halves in a circular pattern in the skillet one on top of the other.  The apples will all be facing the same direction and will be holding each other up on their sides.  Place two halves into the center of the skillet.  Place pan on medium-high heat and allow to cook untouched for about 20 minutes or until juices turn from light golden brown to amber. Once juices turn in color, remove from stove and place skillet in preheated oven.  Cook for another 15-20 minutes.  Remove from oven and cover with prepared crust.  Tuck edges of crust inside skillet.  Careful not to burn your fingers while tucking in the crust, a knife can help with this part.

Once the crust is in place, bake for another 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  Serve with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!