Tiramisu Crepe Cake

A coworker tagged me in a picture, asking if I can make this cake for her.  Crepe cake and tiramisu, how could I say no?!  Once I knew I was going to work with cognac and rum, I couldn't wait to begin.

She sent me the recipe from Tasting Table.  I made a few adjustments due to availability of ingredients.

Salted Caramel Cheesecake

I signed into my Facebook account one day and saw a message.  It was one of my friends requesting a cheesecake for her husband's birthday.  Of course it wasn't just any cheesecake, it was a salted caramel cheesecake.  Ummm...YES!!

The cheesecake recipe I use is from Food for A Hungry Soul.  Each time I make it, I experiment, making my own tweeks to it, and so far, I have not been disappointed.

One of the most important things about making a cheesecake is making sure the cream cheese, eggs, sour cream, and butter reach room temperature.  I didn't let my cream cheese get to room temperature once and I had a nice, lumpy cheesecake (it was still delicious.)

Orange Cranberry Shortbread Cookies

Autumn, my favorite time of the year.  I know we are still in summer, but here in New York, we hit a high of 78 degrees yesterday.  When I stepped out of the house, it was actually a bit cool.  I loved it!  With this crisp air comes feelings of comfort.  Comfort = dessert, and today, dessert = cookies.

Chocolate Cake Meets Chocolate Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting

As I sat down with the Pottery Barn catalog, my mind began to wander.  The baker in me wasn't allowing me to focus on the duvet sets but on salted caramel sauce.  I've made it before and drizzled it atop some vanilla ice cream...mmm mmm good.  However, this time, I wanted to pair it up with chocolate.  It came to me like a bolt of lightning...chocolate cake and chocolate salted caramel frosting.  Yes!  I went to bed like a giddy child waiting to open presents on Christmas day.

Pistachio Snowball Cookies

I was home, and so were the pistachios.  I looked at them and they stared back.  They knew their lives were coming to an end, and what a delicious end it was going to be.  This is the day every pistachio patiently waits around for, the moment to be used in a mouth-watering, buttery, and delicious dessert. 

As I laid them out on the cutting board and began to cut into them, they released their heavenly scent into the air, begging to be chopped up some more...

Okay, enough with the Fifty Shades of Pistachios, time to make some cookies!

No-Bake Granola Bars

 

At my largest                     As of 7/21/14

    

It's time to get a little personal.

I've been overweight for as long as I can remember.  Towards the end of last year I began working with a wonderful couple over at The Live Well Company.  With all the work I was doing with them, I slowly started to see myself transforming.  School (I'm a teacher) ended in June, which meant I had to start working out on my own (I live in Queens, and they are located in Tribeca.)  I found a wonderful app, weilos (they also have a website), and it has given me so much motivation to be a better me, a healthier me, and a more confident me.  I've met some amazing people on this app.  We motivate each other and, of course, share recipes.  Now that I've changed my lifestyle (I feel guilty when I don't work out!), I knew that I needed to come up with some healthy treats for myself.

The hubby likes to snack, and I always try to keep healthy options in the house.  One of his snacking favorites is granola bars.  When I was running out of the house the other day, I grabbed one from the box, and headed out.  While on my commute, I opened up the bar, took a bite, and was immediately hit with an overwhelming amount of sweetness.  Something had to be done.

Pistachios, Dark Chocolate, and Sea Salt...Oh My!

I know, I know, it's been a while since I posted some deliciousness.  It has been a crazy week, but I'm back now, and boy have I got a cookie for you!  I saw this recipe over at Two Peas & Their Pod and made very minor adjustments.  

Now, about this cookie: pistachio and dark chocolate cookies, sprinkled with a bit of sea salt.  They are chewy with just a touch of crisp on the edges and the salt enhances the sweetness of the chocolate.  Mouth-watering goodness, don't you think?  Go ahead, I'll wait while you wipe the drool from your mouth.  Finished?  Okay, let's get to the recipe!

Lemon Cupcakes, Strawberry Buttercream, and Candied Lemon Peels

What do you do when you have lots of lemons and strawberries?  You make lemon cupcakes topped off with strawberry buttercream frosting and candied lemon peels.  Of course!

A July 4th Breakfast

July 4th is tomorrow and I know many of you are looking for red, white, and blue inspired recipes.  Well look no further.  Red = strawberries, blue = blueberries, and white = powdered sugar.  You know what else is great about this recipe?  It can be made at any time of the year.  Woo hoo!

I've been wanting to make this as soon as I found it on Joy the Baker's website.  She teamed up with King Arthur Flour on a baking challenge called Baking Bootcamp.  I missed the first round, which was this recipe, but I'll be sure to keep an eye out for the next one.

Now, about this bread.  It is buttery, tender, and just melts in your mouth.  Let's not forget the delicious cinnamon and berry filling!  OH MY GOODNESS!  Words cannot describe this amazingness (yes, I just made up a word.) Please, make this and find out for yourself!

Pear Cake

This cake is what sparked the idea of Freshly Baked Sweets.  I have to thank Sarah, over at Prairies on Petals, because this is where I first found the recipe.  I've made some tweaks to make it my own and now it is all my family and friends ever ask me for.

The first time I made it was for my fellow coworkers during Teach Appreciation Week.  Then I made it for my mother-in-law for Mother's Day.  It again made an appearance for my Aunt's family gathering, and once again for Father's Day.  Each and every time the cake is devoured within 10 minutes of cutting.

The recipe for this cake is the one most sought after by my family and friends, and now, I finally present it to you!

Husband's Choice - Hazelnut Brownie Cookies

Look at that ooey gooey goodness!

As we sat down on the couch, watching one of the FIFA matches, I turned to Mr. Sweets and asked him, "What should I bake for the next blogpost?" I don't even know why I asked because I knew what he was going to say.  "Brownies!"

Don't get me wrong, brownies are amazing!  That fudgy, chocolate square paired with an ice cold glass of milk...divine!  But I wanted to challenge myself - do something I hadn't done before.  In order to come up with a recipe, I did some research and made some modifications to Martha Stewart's Outrageous Chocolate Cookies. (Next time, I'll top the cookies with nuts instead of incorporating it into the dough.)

Lemon Mousse Crepe Cake

It was by best friend's birthday (Isabell over at HalfPint-Kids) on Friday, and when there is a birthday, there is cake!  I immediately called her up and told her that I was planning on baking  a crepe cake for our dinner on Saturday.  I gave her some filling options and she chose...lemon mousse!

The great thing about this cake is that you can make the lemon curd and the crepe batter the day before.  This cake is also what I call the labor of love cake.   First you begin by making a batch of lemon curd.  I got this recipe from Irina over at Pastry Pal.  It is the only recipe I use!  When you taste it, you'll see why.