Wedding Desserts

Recent my good friends Jessica and Eric Weber got married.  Jess and I went to culinary school together and immediately became friends based on our common backgrounds and love of small town live.  I was more than excited to be invited to her wedding and thrilled when she asked me to help her prepare some of the desserts.  Jess is an amazing baker and took on the ambitious task of making all of her wedding desserts by herself and from scratch.  The menu included fruit tarts, chocolate tarts, individual pies (cherry, apple and strawberry rhubarb), cake balls (cherry, coffee, almond, strawberry), homemade marshmallows and Carmel corn.  Most everything was prepared when I arrived two days before the ceremony, however the fruit tarts needed to be done as close to service as possible so they became my task.  I haven't had a large scale baking project in months and I almost forgot how much I love it.  I had such a great time making pastry cream, chocolate silk and fruit glaze.  The tarts turned out beautifully and tasted amazing!  The dessert display at the wedding was phenomenal, people were stealing treats before they even had their dinner!  I count myself blessed to have wonderful friends like Jess and Eric and to have been able to be a part of their big day. 

Independence, IA

My one and only vacation this summer was to a sleepy little town in Iowa called Independence for a friends wedding.  I knew I would have a wonderful time seeing old friends and spending a few days away from the stresses of everyday life but I had no idea I would fall so in love with this little town.  On our last day Theary and I asked the bride and groom to send us to their favorite restaurant before we had to leave town.  They sent us to Okobojis, the local golf club with a bar and grill.  As we walked up from the parking lot we knew we had stumbled across something special.  Coming from the patio was the sound of an acoustic guitar and the voice of a scruffy long haired musician; the kind that every girl loves.  We were initially seated inside but quickly moved outdoors to hear the music and enjoy the view.  We were seated right on the bank and could see nothing but river in both directions.  As we ate our meal and sipped on screwdrivers and bloody mary's we also waved at kyakers and canoers as they lazily made their way down the river.  I could have sat on that patio for hours, content with life. I was so obsessed with the atmosphere, the food could have been horrible and I wouldn't have minded.  It wasn't, the food was delicious, although I hardly remember what I ate.  The restaurant was a great recommendation, a great meal, great atmosphere in an amazing little town. 

Okoboji Grill 
1749 Golf Course Blvd.
Independence Iowa
319-334-6576

Chicken Parmigiana

This is one of my favorite dishes to make for company.  It is easily prepared, contains familiar ingredients and looks amazing.  Here's what you need:
Chicken breast-trimmed of fat and pounded 1/2 inch thickeness
bread crumbs
fresh parsley, thyme and basil
eggs-beaten for an egg wash
marinara sauce
fresh mozzerella- fresh is key, don't get the shredded stuff
salt and pepper to taste

Start by seasoning your chicken with the salt and pepper. Next finely chop up your herbs and mix them with the bread crumbs.  First dredge your chicken through the egg wash and then dredge through the bread crumbs.  Make sure they are well coated on both sides.  In a heated saute pan with a touch of oil brown your chicken on both sides.  While the chicken is browning, pour your marinara sauce (homemade or store bought) into a glass baking dish.  Once your chicken is browned on both sides add it to the sauce.  Top each piece with a 1/4 inch slice of fresh mozzarella.  Finish cooking in a 375  degree oven.  Serve with fresh pasta lightly tossed in butter and any left over  herbs.  A handful of fresh greens with a tangy vinaigrette or Italian dressing goes wonderfully with this dish as well.  And what's dinner with friends without a bottle of wine? 

The Cup

One thing I love about moving around as much as I do is discovering new favorite places in every city.  A few months ago, while catering the appetizers for a 80th birthday party I was treating to an amazing strawberry cupcake.  It was moist and flavorful without being sticky; the icing was thick and creamy.  The ratio between icing and cake was just right.  The styling was simple and elegant, smooth creamy swirls of icing with just a touch of the strawberry colored cake showing on the edges.  A deep red parchment wrapper to match the pink cake and off white icing.  I've always appreciated it when a chef goes the extra mile with a little detail like color coding the packaging to the food inside.
These cupcakes stuck with me for months.  I constantly had the thought in the back of my mind, if I drive by this shop I will stop in and get a second taste.  However, I've never came across this delicious bakery on my own.  Finally I reached my breaking point and set out on a specific trip to fulfill my carving for these cupcakes.  I learned that I've never found this place on my own because it is in one of Lincoln's more historic areas.  Sweetly nestled inside and old bottle factory covered in lush green Ivy is The Cup.  A bakery / coffee shop / local artist haven / foodie heaven.  My soul was instantly soothed as I stepped out of the muggy Nebraska summer heat into a cool, dimly lit little shop.  The exposed brick walls covered in eccentric prints by local artists, the colored light bulbs that reflected off the high ceilings and most importantly the sweet smell of cake batter and a warm oven.
There were several varieties of goodies for sale in the display case, I skipped over the muffins and cakes and focused solely on my mission, cupcakes.  There were four flavors in the case so I took one of each.  I decided to gift them to my dad as a father's day present, which he was more than pleased to accept.  I did take a vanilla bean strawberry for my own and it did not disappoint.  My memory served me well, these cupcakes are to die for.  Anyone in the Lincoln area looking for a good cup of coffee and a perfectly sized couple bites of deliciousness, The Cup is where you need to be.  Correction, where we need to be.  I would not pass up the opportunity to sample some more flavors from this bakery.

Vanilla Bean with Strawberry Icing

Mocha with Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans

Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Icing

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing and Pecans

The Cup

Simple food, fair trade coffee and tea, organic baking

643 South 25th Street #7, Lincoln Ne

402-475-0494

www.thecuplincoln.com

Chicken and Chives

Some of my best taste testers are my family.  They are always up for letting me take over the kitchen for the evening.  I like to experiment a little when I have a larger group to cook for, however I've learned the best results come from clean, easy dishes with simple and fresh flavors.  Chicken is always a big hit, and both my parents love it if I can add something strait from the garden.  This dish is a particular favorite because it is low on ingredients and high in flavor. 

Here's what you'll need:
1lb chicken breast, cleaned of all fat and cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 stick butter
1 medium onion, sliced thin
2 to 3 cloves garlic minced
1 cup dry white wine
Flour
Salt and pepper

Lightly season your chicken with salt and pepper, then dredge through the flour.  Melt a couple tablespoons of the butter in a hot skillet and brown your chicken on both sides.  Remove from pan and set aside.

Add your onions and garlic to the pan, satuee until translucent.  Add your wine and cook until the wine is almost completely evaporated. 

Add your chicken back to the pan, along with a couple more tablespoons of butter and your freshly cut chives.  Give it a gentle stir to ensure all the chicken pieces get evenly coated with butter and chives.  Enjoy!

MONSTER cupcakes!

These cupcakes were supposed to go up in May, as they were apart of my cupcake month.  I made a few different versions of these themed cupcakes for my too-cute-for-words nephews for their birthday parties.  I had planned to do all the photo editing and blog updating over memorial day weekend, however, mother nature had other plans for me.  I ended up spending the long weekend fussing over the wreckage of my car after it hit a deer.  No injuries, thank goodness, the only casualty was my time.

So here we go, MONSTER cupcakes! 

Since these cupcakes were meant for children ages one to five, I didn't bother with fancy flavors.  I made half chocolate and half vanilla to suit the taste buds of my little dinners.  The frosting is a basic butter cream with food coloring added.  I like to use butter cream for this type of decorating because you can pop them in the fridge or for a couple hours before delivering and the frosting will firm up making them a little more durable.

To make the 'furry' texture you need a star shaped pastry tip.  To start build up a bit of frosting in the center.

  Apply a little pressure to get the base started and ease up as you pull away.

Move your pastry bag in different directions to give the fur an unkempt look.

Use whatever candies you desire for spots, eyes, hair, tongues, ect.... M&M's, skittles, air heads and twizzlers are all great candy for these cupcakes.