Campari & Orange

I am a HUGE fan of Campari! A Negroni (Campari, Gin and Vermouth) is one of my favorite cocktails out there. Campari is a bitters and aperitf made from the infusion of herbs and fruit in alcohol and water. It has a very distinct flavor that people either love or hate. And I personally LOVE it!  Now that Spring is here and the weather is getting nice outside, I love to drink Campari & Orange. All it is is a little Campari, a little orange juice, and a little Pellegrino served over ice. It tastes a little like grapefruit juice with an herby kick...YUM! And if you buy the Campari and decide you don't care for the taste, send it to me and I'll take care of it ;)

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

It's been a while, sorry folks! I have lots of stuff to post; a folder full of photos and recipe notes. I've just been busy, or lazy... or both. Probably just hibernating, like I do in the winter.

Siobhan sent me lots of fun Irish quotes earlier today, including this one: I'm troubled, I'm dissatisfied. I'm Irish. So there! That's my excuse for not blogging for a while.

But what better way to get back into it than by sharing with you this delicious I MEAN DELICIOUS chocolate stout cake that I made?? Yesterday I was at my studio and snow was coming down. It always seems to snow on or around St. Patrick's day here, which always freaks me out. I guess being from southern California it will always strike me as completely bizarre. Anyway, I was all, I can't paint right now, I really need to bake something chocolatey. You can ask Jimmy, I believe those were my exact words. So I came home and made this:

It's made with chocolate and stout! And in case you haven't guessed already, I'm having a Guinness while I type this! My cake didn't come clean out of the bundt pan as you can maybe see, but guess what! Who cares! I decorated that s**t anyway. Also, I used this year's Christmas sprinkles! Yeah, those are xmas trees making that shamrock! Here's the recipe, from the wonderful Smitten Kitchen blog.

Here's another quote Sio sent me: St. Patrick's Day is an enchanted time... a day to begin transforming winter's dreams into summer's magic! Cheers to that. 

Happy St. Patricks Day!! 

xo ~Shauna :)

Pumpkin Banana Mousse Tart

We had a very lovely Thanksgiving meal this year (as always), and for dessert I made this Pumpkin tart.  I have made it before and it is quite tasty and more exciting than your generic pumpkin pie.  It requires only 10 minutes of baking for the crust, otherwise the rest is done on the stove top and chilling in the refrigerator.  The orange zest, banana and spices in the mousse are quintessential fall flavors, and they go so nicely with the pumpkin.  This tart is definitely something you could make for dessert after any meal since the pumpkin isn't overwhelming and it's much lighter than the dense pumpkin pies we are used to.  Try it while it's fall out there!  I promise you will love it!

We passed on the whipped cream topping - and I don't think it really needs it.

Happy Halloween from Sandy-Ravished Jersey!

Well you guys, the super-storm has been crazy, but the good news is, I was able to get these Halloween treats baked before the power went out:

They are Chocolate Halloween Devil Kitties! Super yummy chocolate cookies with a touch of spice. So good, and so much fun! 

I used this recipe from a really great baking blog that I like a lot, but with a different shape, obviously. And I didn't have dutched cocoa powder, but she explains in her baking basics section why it is OK to substitute regular unsweetened. They were delicious!

Papi was running around our apartment like a crazy person a few hours before the hurricane hit, and we were convinced he sensed it coming.  So the little bit of cayenne pepper on top (which is such a super tasty finishing touch by the way) was a perfect representation of his friskiness.

I have to say this is one of the most exciting things I've made in a while. Tiny spicy chocolate kitties!! They have gotten us through the hurricane, for sure. 

Meow!

xo,

~Shauna :)