Strawberries!!

Well strawberries are in full bloom, so I decided to take the kiddos strawberry picking. After getting home, as usual the kids just wanted to eat the strawberries plain, but I personally opted for some strawberry shortcake!! It turned out YUMMY!!! I made the biscuits from scratch and put the strawberries with a little sugar, and layered them on. Then I topped it off with some whipped cream! Yum Yum!! Happy strawberry season everyone!

Whoopie Pies!

Whoopie Pies are known as a "New England Thing", but I don't care where you live, Try Them! Growing up in New England, I never realized the rest of America was being deprived of this delicious dessert. And, I never really realized it until I couldn't find a recipe for whoopie pies in a cookbook, but only from my family in friends who also live in New England.

These whoopie pies are delicious, but be warned they were made in true New England style. So, you're going to need a tall glass of milk and a friend to split the whoopie pie with...they are huge!

Baby Showers

Baby showers!! These cookies were for a friend of mine who was throwing a baby shower for a friend. She is having a little boy, so I was asked to make shortbread cookies frosted in blue and detailed in white. I thought the baby onsies cookies were absolutely adorable! Congrats Shelly!

1st Annual Krauss Family Golf Tournament 2009

Here is the cake from the 1st Annual Krauss Family Golf Tournament 2009. This was a full sheet cake, half vanilla and half chocolate. It was topped with a rich vanilla buttercream frosting, and decorated to look like the 18th hole. The tournament was for a very deserving family who has a 5 year old daughter named Sophie who was diagnosed with Mitochondrial. I was honored to be asked to donate a cake, and to help out during the tournament. I got to be the Hole-In-One Lady!! I had lots of fun meeting such wonderful people and learning so much about golf. And...from all the feedback, the cake was a hit.

Cupcakes!

Let me tell you, these are no ordinary cupcakes! Well this was quite the find, and a hit at the party I attended. They are made with multiple steps, but in the end are really delicious! They are a delicious chocolate cupcake made with Guinness, with a rich chocolate filling, and topped with a wonderful vanilla frosting.

I got the recipe from Squash Blossom Bakery who originally got the recipe from Smitten_Kitchen. I made my cupcakes with only the Guinness in the actually cupcake, and omitted the rest of the alcohol in the recipe, but I am sure they would be even better with all the alcohol included. They were fun to make, and I encourage all fellow bakers to give them a shot.

Raspberry Bars & Lemon Bars

Hello everyone!! The last couple of days have been a bit rainy, so I thought it would be a great time to do some baking. Yesterday I made Lemon Bars, which as always, were a hit. Even people who don't usually like lemony things enjoyed them! I also tackled a new recipe for Raspberry Breakfast Bars. They turned out delicious! I will definitely make these again. Hope everyone stays warm and dry today!

And We're Off!

Well this comes in two forms...First: The Messy Kitchen has successfully completed it's first order!! Yeah! I feel like we are off to a wonderful start. I made a 9 inch Chocolate Flourless Cake accompanied by a raspberry sauce, and a 8 inch White Almond Cake, with Raspberry filling, and a whipped cream frosting. See below the delightful outcomes:



Secondly, I was off for a mini vacation this weekend. Off to Maine I headed!! I went to the Rockland area, which just happens to be one of my most favorite places. I went to visit some friends of mine, and of course I had to bring some goodies to share. I brought Coconut Macaroons dipped in Chocolate, Lemon Bars, and Plain Bagels. By the time I got there, I managed to arrive with all the Macaroons I left with, all the Lemon Bars I left with, and 11 of the dozen bagels I left with....what can I say, I'm a good baker and I got stuck in stopped traffic on 95 for half an hour....probably not the best combination during a long road trip. =) The goodies went over well, and my friend was very resentful to share with anyone! I had a wonderful time, and cannot wait to return.







Sorry it took so long to catch everyone up...I'm still trying to keep myself in vacation mode and function during my normal daily routine, ask anyone: Monday morning was not the best haha. As always: keep posted for more goodies, and have a wonderful day!!

....So, I know I posted this yesterday, but I completely forgot to tell you all about The Squash Blossom!!! (http://www.squashblossombakery.blogspot.com/) While I was in Maine, I went to visit my friend Jessie (who just happens to be a spectacular baker.) She has started her own bakery, and runs it out of The Sea Store in Spruce Head, Maine. Of course I had to bring some of her baked goodies home with me, so I got some granola, Peanut Butter cookies with Chocolate Chips, Ginger Molasses Cookies, and Blondies. They were absolutely delicious!!