Polar Bear Martini

Cheers for the New Year~ This is a Duh-licious Duh-rink that is sure to impress everyone at your New Years party :) Mix drinks over ice before serving in a candy cane rimmed martini glass. Tastes like a york peppermint patty.

Ingredients

~

1 Part Creme de Cacao

1 Part Creme de Mente

1 Part Vodka

~

Shaker

Ice

Crushed Candy Canes

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

I want to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday. Hope it's Duh-licious, and see you in the New Year.

Love, 

Madalina

Christmas Recipes

Ohh Goodie.. Only two days left 'till Christmas! This is what I've made so far...

(Click on the picture for the recipe!)

Oh.. and more recipes to come.. soon, I promise!

xoxo

Christmas Cupcakes

They keep getting cuter, right?

 I added the meringues I made earlier as toppers to mini cupcakes :)

Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

1/2 cup of butter at room temperature

2/3 cup of sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp of salt

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F (177 C), and line cupcake tin with paper liners

2. Cream butter an sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, and mix well. 

3. Add zest and vanilla extract, and stir until fully mixed. Set aside

4. In a separate bowl, mix flour, and salt.

5. Slowly add the flour mixture and milk to the the butter and sugar. 

6. Mix well, and fill the cupcake tin. If making mini-cupcakes, bake for about 8-10 minutes, for larger cupcakes, takes about 18-20 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean). 

*Allow to cool before frosting. Makes about 12 Large cupcakes, or 50 Mini Cupcakes

Buttercream Frosting

2 cups of SIFTED powdered sugar (also called icing or confectioners sugar)

1/2 butter or margarine, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp light cream or milk

Icing color (optional)

1. Cream the butter or margarine until smooth. Add vanilla extract

2. Gradually beat in sugar.

3. Add the milk, and beat on high until the frosting is light and fluffy. * Add more milk or sugar if needed

4. Tint the frosting with icing color if desired 

Taa-Daa

Snowman Meringues

How cute are these? I made them for an office Christmas potluck. I used the same meringue recipe  for the snowmen as for the Christmas Tree Meringues-- except I added food coloring accordingly to make the scarf, button eyes and hat (Next time I'll try ear muffs too). 

These are so easy to make, and oh so cute. Did I mention that these can be stored upto THREE WEEKS? Make 'em in time for Christmas.

Have you made your snowman yet? 

xoxo

12 Days of Christmas Calendar

As the 12 Day count down 'till Christmas starts; I made this spiffy little count down for someone special! It's quite easy, and a cute way to show some one you care. (Okay, okay.. I know its not a recipe.. but I had to share)

Supplies

- Old cupcake tin

- 12 cupcake liners

- 2 sheets of red tissue paper

- 1 sheet of dark green tissue paper

- 1 sheet of light green tissue paper

- 1/4 cup white liquid glue

- 0ld paintbrush

- 1 tsp of water

- treats or messages to fill the cups

- glitter to decorate

Directions

- Start by taking an old cupcake tin (you can use 12 , 6 , or 4 cups..depending on how many treats you have)

-Add a teaspoon of water to the glue, and mix it so that it is slightly runny.

- Cut the red tissue paper into small 1" squares.

- Start brushing the glue on the tin, and apply the red tissue squares. Once you lay your red tissue, brush on more glue on top. 

- Apply glue to the bottom of the tin cups, and place a cupcake liner 

- Allow to dry (approx.  20 minutes)

- Fill your tins with treats-- I used special messages and candy.

- Cut the green tissue paper large enough to cover the tin opening.

- Number the squares, and decorate.

- Line the tin opening with glue, and seal.

Taa-Daa...

Christmas Tree Meringues

2 egg whites

• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup white sugar
  
• Green Icing Color
• Piping Bag, and Star Tip
• Parchment Paper
• Permanent Marker
• Mini m&ms, and colored sugar (for decorating)

1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees F (110 degrees C). Line cookie sheet with parchment paper

2. Draw stencils of a whimsical Christmas tree using the permanent marker, and flip parchment over so the marker side is facing down (you should still be able to see the stencil) -- Set Aside

3. In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, add egg whites, salt, vanilla and lemon juice.

4. Beat to soft peaks, gradually adding sugar

Picture 5 shows the egg whites half way to soft peaks

Picture 6 shows the meringue at the perfect peak consistency.

7. Gradually fold in green icing color. It is important that you fold the color, so you do not remove the air from the meringue

8. Fill a piping bag with the meringue, and follow the Christmas tree stencil.

I started getting a little creative, and I even made holly meringues, and mini wreaths! Even though I had my stencil, I found that my free hand trees were cuter.

9. Sprinkle crushed peppermint candy, or colored sugar over the cookies.

10. Bake for about 40 minutes in a preheated oven. Meringues should be completely dry on the inside. Do not allow them to brown.

11. Turn off oven. Keep oven door ajar, and let meringues sit in the oven until completely cool.

Store loosely covered in cool dry place for up to 3 weeks. :) ENJOY

Frosty the Snowman!

I made these dipped cake balls in a hurry! They don't look as well as I had hoped, but they were still tasty!

How did I make these you ask?

1. I took a plain cake and put it through the food processor

2. Once I had cake crumbs, I added about half a cup of my favourite icing until it was moist enough to roll into balls

3. I rolled the moist cake + icing mixture into balls; and insterted candy sticks.

4. I froze them for 20 minutes in order to make the next step easier

5. I melted chocolate in a double boiler, and dipped the little guys

6. Finally; I used edible writers to draw on cute faces..er..kind of:)

Holiday Contest Winners!

Lemon Cheesecake Bars

I am back home in Toronto taking a breather before my hectic week starts! My mom surprised me with a recipe she got from The Complete Canadian Living Baking Book, and we spent the afternoon making them! The recipe makes about 20 squares; and served 3 people (hehe!!) They were phenomenal.

Happy Baking

xoxo

4 eggs

1 1/3 cups sugar

Lemon rind of 1 lemon

Lemon juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

250 g plain cream cheese

1/2 cup melted butter

30 social tea cookies

1. Preheat oven to 325 F

2. Grease a 13x9" cake pan and set aside

3. In a food processor, pulse the social tea cookies to make about 2 cups of crumbs

3. Add the butter until moistened

4. Press into the prepared pan and bake until firm(about 12 minutes). Let Cool in pan.

5. In a bowl, beat cream with sugar and 1 egg until smooth.

6. Spread over base; and set aside

7. In a bowl; crack the remaining three eggs

8. Add lemon juice, lemon rind, flour, baking powder and sugar until smooth

9. Pour the mixture over the cheesecake layer, and bake in oven until edges are set and lightly browned. Let cool in pan on rack, cut into bars and dust with icing sugar

Make sure to let the bars cool completely before cutting and removing them from the pan. Use parchment paper to line the pan, to lift the bars out. You can wrap these bars and refrigerate for up to five days (but I can guarantee you these won't stick around that long!)