cupcakes

Who doesn't love cupcakes? Me. That's who. I am not a huge fan of sweets, but... and that's a big but... I think I am pretty darn good at knowing what makes a good cupcake. Not too much icing. Plenty of butter. Fresh ingredients. Real vanilla. And they have to be cute. Cuteness is essential. I am doing a party this coming weekend with three different types of cupcakes, so more pictures to come.

Easter Caramel Cupcakes

Strawberry Brownie Cupcakes

bonnie's bun in the oven

Last weekend we had a baby shower for my dear friend and business partner, Bonnie Cross. I made lots of mini or "baby" finger foods. They turned out really cute. I think she was happy! I know her belly was thrilled. Ha.

box it up please!

Long time no see. Whew - I have been so busy catering up a storm! I want to get better about sharing pics and recipes, but I can't make any promises. :) Today I prepared my first box lunches for a ladies luncheon. They turned out so well, and I wanted to share a few pics. The menu is below also. They ordered Turkey & Brie sandwiches with pasta salad, and Roasted Veggie Quiches with spinach salad. Everyone also got a brownie cupcake with strawberry frosting.

faux fried hearts

Long time no see! I have not posted anything in a long time, but I have made a resolution to post a lot more often this year. We shall see! Look for many new posts in the next few weeks.

This is a super easy new appetizer that I have been making lately. I got the idea from Southstreet, a Nashville favorite. They serve fried artichokes with their fried calamari and serve with a side of warm marinara sauce. It is so yummy! I don't fry these chokes at all. Instead, I simply coat them with a combination of seasoned Italian bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.

I created an assembly line. I drain a can of quartered artichoke hearts. You can also use whole chokes and quarter them yourself. The smaller they are, the better they will taste. I always try to get whole chokes that are 10-12 per can. You can also get the frozen variety. The important part is making sure they are not soaking wet. I roll them in a clean dish towel after they are drained.

Then, one by one, I roll them around in the bread crumb & cheese mixture. Lay them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake them in a 375º oven until they begin to brown, roughly 15 - 17 minutes.

Serve with a little warm marinara or a spicy aioli sauce. So easy and simply wonderful!