It feels like it's been ages since I wrote a baking post! While I haven't been diligent about documenting my various creations, I love surprising my friends and family with a homemade baked good (typically of their choosing) for their birthday.

For example, my parents' cake this past July we nicknamed the earthquake/flux capacitor cake. If the photo doesn't answer any questions you may have as to why we named it that, there was a massive crack/rift that occurred in the top layer. It was a complete and total #pinterestfail and absolutely not "blog worthy", but rest assured it was delicious and was all consumed in short order.

Alex's birthday in November brought about a labor intensive but crowd pleasing sea salt caramel cupcake. These little goodies consisted of a caramel cake, filled with gooey caramel, and topped with a swirl of sea salt caramel buttercream. Personally I found them a little too sweet, but the birthday boy gave them two thumbs up.

Which brings me to this holiday season's latest birthday treat. A good friend of ours has a December birthday, and when I asked her what kind of cake I could make her this year she was brave enough to leave it up to the baker. I poked around online for some inspiration, but no matter what I looked at I ultimately kept coming back to her favorite childhood cake, red velvet with candy cane frosting. I made this for her a few years back and wanted to put a new twist on it this time around. 

The last time I put the candy canes in the frosting I crushed them almost to dust and wasn't thrilled with the slightly gritty texture. In order to solve this issue this time around, I ultimately landed on the idea of baking a chocolate cake with a mint frosting, decorated with candy canes. 

The chocolate cake was a simple Ina Garten recipe I found online, but any recipe for your favorite chocolate cake will work well. The thing I liked about this particular recipe is that it was very moist but wasn't overly sweet which works well when paired with such a sugar rich frosting. I baked the cakes according to the recipe and then gave them ample time to cool. (They also needed a bit of extra encouragement to get them out of the pan.)

While they were cooling, I started on the mint buttercream.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (two sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 4 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoon mint extract
• 2 tablespoons fat free half and half (optional/as needed -- you can also use milk or heavy cream)
• pinch kosher salt

Directions

Using an electric mixer, cream butter on medium speed until smooth. The real key here is to use room temperature butter. 

Slowly sift powdered sugar into the mixing bowl, combining with butter at low speed. As it combines the butter and sugar mixture will begin form somewhat fluffy concoction.

Once fully combined, scrape down sides and add the salt, vanilla, mint extract, and half and half. Mix again at medium speed until well combined and the frosting reaches a smooth, creamy consistency. I make sure I continually taste the frosting to determine if I need a little more salt, a little more extract, or need to loosen it up a little with more half and half. It's a rough job to be the taste tester, but I couldn't risk serving improperly flavored buttercream to the birthday girl and her guests, after all! 

Once the buttercream was given the stamp of approval, I got to work frosting the cooled chocolate cake. Since I wanted the presentation to look nice, I slid small slips of parchment paper under perimeter of the bottom layer. This way I can frost away to my heart's content, and simply pull away the paper when I'm done, leaving a clean cake pedestal behind.

With such a moist cake, you have to be careful not to apply too much pressure or go over frosted areas more than is necessary. Otherwise you'll start to see chocolate crumbs make their way to the surface of the frosting.

Like in the photo below.

While I was able to keep the top relatively crumb free, the sides were a challenge. Professional bakers would tell you to apply a crumb coat, which is a thin layer of frosting that seals in the crumbs before you apply a final later of frosting. But I'm not a professional and I was worried I might run out of icing, so that's where my peppermint accents come in.

I took two bags of peppermint disks, placed them into a ziplock bag, and then proceeded to take out any pent up aggression with a rolling pin. This quickly and effectively crushes the candy into smaller pieces while leaving some decent sized chunks.

Once the candy was crushed, I applied it using a wooden spoon, gently pressing it into the icing around the lower 1/3 of the cake as well as a small pile on top in the middle of the cake.

To get just a little fancy (and cover up the less than perfect top edge), I piped beads of frosting around the top using a small round Wilton tip.

The final step was to insert large and small candy canes into the center pile of crushed candy to add a whimsical and three dimensional element to the cake.

While not perfect by any stretch (ugh, I just couldn't get those sides perfectly smooth!), all who partook deemed the cake to be rather delicious. But most importantly, the birthday girl loved this take on her childhood favorite. While it works well for December birthdays, it would also be a fun addition to a Christmas party or as a surprise left for Santa. 

Do you have a favorite cake recipe that you like to make? And if you had your choice of any homemade birthday cake, what flavor would you choose?

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One of my go to appetizers that looks elegant, tastes great, yet is relatively simple and easy to assemble is this recipe for walnut and goat cheese stuffed endives. It's great for gatherings at any time of year, and can be easily doubled to accommodate larger groups.

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese
• 2 heads endive leaves (approximately 15-20 leaves)
• 2 mandarin orange snack cups (in their own juice)
• Chives, chopped
• Freshly cracked black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Combine walnuts and 1 tablespoon of the honey and spread in an even layer on the baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes, stirring after 5 minutes, or until the walnuts turn golden brown.

While the walnuts are baking, combine the remaining tablespoon of honey, vinegar, and 3 tablespoons juice from the mandarin cup in a small saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat, and cook until reduced to 3 tablespoons (about 5 minutes).

Wash the endives and carefully peel the leaves, cutting off and discarding the core. Fill each endive leaf with 1 mandarin orange section. (Note: I've also made these with fresh cut orange sections and freshly squeezed juice. It's a great alternative and tastes better, but it's a lot more time consuming.) Top each section with 1 teaspoon goat cheese and 1 teaspoon walnuts; arrange on a plate. 

Drizzle the vinegar mixture evenly over leaves, and sprinkle evenly with chives and pepper.

Sprinkle with chopped chives and freshly cracked black pepper, and serve slightly chilled or at room temperature.

No matter your plans tomorrow night, we wish you a happy, healthy, and safe new year! 

Interested in low key entertaining ideas for New Year's Eve? Check out my No Fuss NYE Menu tutorial. Looking for other easy appetizers? Take a look at these recipes for Bite Sized Brie Bites, Gorgonzola Stuffed Dates, or our Recipes, Cockails, and Entertaining page for more ideas.

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The frigid temperatures have caused many, ourselves included, to embrace full-on hibernation mode, spending countless hours barricaded indoors near the fire, and eating and drinking to warm the body and soul. This winter I've embraced many of my classic winter recipes, but I've added a new warm and healthy soup to the mix. This creamy carrot soup is healthy, filling, easy to make, and inexpensive. It's quickly become a go-to meal in our house. 

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 lbs. peeled carrots, cut into 1" pieces
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp. dried thyme
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 4 ounces light cream cheese
• Optional: Light sour cream and smoked salt to top.

Directions

In a large soup pot over medium heat, warm oil. Add onion, stirring occasionally. Cook until softened, 5-6 minutes.

Add carrots, cook, stirring occasionally, 5-6 minutes. (While a bit more expensive, you can save the step of peeling the carrots by buying bagged baby carrots. All they need are a quick chop.)

Season with salt and pepper (to taste) and dried thyme.

Add garlic, stirring frequently, until fragrant for approximately 1-2 minutes.

Add vegetable stock. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Once ingredients come to a boil, reduce heat to medium low. Cover, and simmer for 20 minutes or until carrots are tender.

Using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth. 

Add in cream cheese and blend again until soup is creamy and cream cheese is well incorporated. (Fat free half and half can be a good substitution for the cream cheese.) Taste, and adjust seasoning if needed. 

Ladle soup into bowls and top with a dollop of light sour cream and a sprinkle of smoked salt if desired.

To make into a more hearty meal, pair with warm, crusty bread and cheese or serve as a side to a sandwich or grilled cheese.

Who else is ready for Spring? Do you have any traditions, recipes, or activities that help you brave the long, cold winter months? Darn Punxsutawney Phil and his shadow. Someone needs to have a sit down with that little bugger.

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While we may be very busy this time of year that's no excuse for getting lax on your contributions to these wonderfully festive events. Whether you're throwing a party of your own, or you're bringing a dish to a friend's or relative's shindig, we've got an awesome recipe for an adult and children's dessert beverage (or sweet aperitif) that's sure to win over the masses. The best part, it only takes minutes to assemble.

I'm talking about the delectable and delightful spiced milkshake shooters with an optional shot of chocolate liqueur.

We served them at a party just last weekend and one of the guests remarked, "This is what you expect the pumpkin spiced latte to taste like but it never does!"

Ingredients

• Light vanilla bean ice cream
• Skim milk
• Spices to Taste (i.e. Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ground Cloves, Ground Ginger, and/or Pumpkin Pie Spice)

Directions

Let ice cream soften slightly, and spoon desired amount into a small pitcher. Add milk to thin ice cream, and stir until smooth. Add spices to taste, and stir until combined. 

For an adult version, add a small amount of liqueur to the bottom of a decorative shot glass. In this case, I used Godiva liqueur. Fill the remainder of the glass with the milkshake, and serve immediately.

While we lean towards the pumpkin spice, cinnamon and nutmeg version, the cinnamon and gingerbread version is equally as festive. Regardless of your decision and preference, we're sure your concoction will be the hit of the party. This goes doubly true if your party happens to be just you and one or two loved ones. Nobody said you need a house full of people to call it a party.

If you give this a shot (pun intended) be sure to let us know how it goes. And if you make any modifications that work particularly well, we'd love to hear your twist so we can give it a try. Happy holidays!

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Ingredients

• 1 bag fresh spinach (approximately 8 cups)
• 1 cup light sour cream
• 1 8oz package light cream cheese
• 1/2 cup crumbled light feta cheese
• 1/2 cup fresh minced chives
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

Add two cups of water in the bottom of a small saucepan. Place spinach into the water or into a steamer basket and cover with a lid. Bring the water to a boil on high heat and cook for one minute. Drain well.

While the spinach is steaming, place the sour cream, cream cheese, and feta cheese into a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.

Once fully combined, add spinach, all but 2 tablespoons of chives, lemon juice and pepper.

Puree until well blended but still slightly chunky. For our processor this only takes a little bit of time, nothing too major. We don't want it to become a single light green tinted puree.

With that the basis for the dip is done, add about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and give it a taste. If all is well, spoon dip into a bowl and sprinkle with reserved chives. 

I like to serve this dish with cubes of artisan bread, and/or fresh cut vegetables like carrots, celery, zucchini, broccoli, or strips of red pepper. 

This dip serves 8-12, and is ready in just a matter of minutes. Ideally you Chill for one hour or up to overnight. 

What are your plans for the Thanksgiving holiday? Do you have a favorite dish or dessert? Do you try to keep a healthy option or two on standby, or do you throw caution to the wind for the day, break out your elastic waistband pants, and welcome the holidays with gusto?

For another family favorite, check out the recipe for my mom's famous Sweet Potato Casserole. Warning...this one may contain vegetables but it tastes more like a decadent dessert. 

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