Strawberry cream filled love!

These are Vanilla Bean cupcakes with Strawberry Cream filling and a Strawberry Cream Cheese frosting.  I want to live inside one like James and the Giant Peach.  Mmmmm.  Order them!  $40 a dozen.  A full menu and price sheet is coming soon, on my new hot to trot website:)

Thank you:)

Thank you for all the support out there, I'm pleasantly surprised.  This is my first piece of fan mail, and the Strawberry Pie I made for one of my customers this morning.  I'm happy!  Now Its time for a Mani-Pedi and a Blow out, I have been in this kitchen covered in flour-with my hair in a bun for days! 

Pies for the People!

4 Berry Summer Pie

Today I made pies for my neighbors and it was a great experience.  I even got a couple new orders!  I think everyone was happy with the pie.  Even though it was really hot in the kitchen today, I had a great time (drinking beer in my bikini of course).  I made a Strawberry Rhubarb, Apple and 4 Berry Summer Pie.  I will be posting a price sheet soon, so if you want any desserts, I am your girl...I mean it!  This evening I will be posting  step by step instructions on a perfect pie crust.  Thank you to my neighbors and all the people supporting me, it means so much!:)

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Apple Pie

A perfect slice

Skinny Bitch Meals: Work out fanatics that only eat chicken and fish! Inspired by Ruby Red, a meal made for a hot summer night!

As you all know its been so damn hot, the thought of eating anything heavy is scarring.  I got these big, juicy ruby red grapefruits at PC greens yesterday, and inspired me to make a refreshing light and healthy meal.

• Arugula, feta and pine nut stuffed chicken breast
• Ruby red braised beets (just try the beets, that's enough...they are good, I mean it!)
• Quinoa with fresh mint and wilted arugula

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Serves 4

This is easy for people who do not cook often, because all of these items take 30 minutes to cook, so it does not take a rocket scientist to time this meal. 

Ingredients:
Chicken
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts that are cage free and roaming around.  Seriously, I learned the worst facts in culinary school about how regular chickens are bred in a room the size of a bathroom, 1,000 chickens on top of each other, and they are not happy.  So if your taking the time to cook for yourself and be healthy, spend the extra 4 dolla and get the proper chicken.
2 oz feta cheese
2 TBS pine nuts
1 TBS olive oil
2 TBS chopped shallot
1/2 cup chopped arugula
2 TBS grapefruit zest
1 t sea salt
1 t pepper

Ruby red beets
4 large red beets, blanched, peeled and quartered
2 TBS grapefruit zest
Juice of 1 ruby red
1 TBS chopped shallot
1 TBS balsamic vinegar
1 t honey
Sea salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Quinoa with fresh mint and wilted arugula
1 cup organic quinoa
2 cups low sodium organic chicken broth
3 TBS olive oil
2 chopped scallions
1 cup arugula
2 TBS chopped mint
1 t garlic powder
1 t cayenne pepper
1 TBS lemon juice
1 TBS grapefruit zest
Sea salt to taste
Pepper to taste

First take the chicken out of the fridge, the meat needs to be room temp when you cook it.  Take the tops off of your beets, scrub them and put them in a salted pot of water to boil for 10 minutes, this is to remove the skin easily, not to cook them.  While the meat is sitting and the beets are boiling, make your chicken filling:

 Take all the ingredients and put them in a small bowl and mush them together. Get your chicken breasts out and put each one in a layer of saran wrap.  Lay one layer of saran on the counter, put down the breast, then put a layer of saran on top.  Get a mallet and beat the breast until it is about 1/4 inch thick.  Be careful not to break it apart, if it is thicker in some areas, its cool.  Salt, pepper and olive oil both sides of the chicken, and divide the chicken filling.  Put filling in the center of the flattened breast and roll up.  There is no need for tussling or tooth picks, just have the crease of the roll on the bottom.  Set aside in an olive oil greased oven dish, or a piece of foil if your doing it in the toaster oven ( if your just cooking for yourself this is ideal.)

Make an ice bath for your beets and scoop them out of the boiling water, put in bath and let sit.  Run the beets under the sink and the peel should easily come off in your hands, dry off with a towel and cut into quarters.  Have your zest, shallot, ect..ready to go.

Boil 2 cups of chicken broth in a sauce pan and get the cup of quinoa ready to add, have all your other ingredients chopped.

Put the chicken in the oven for 30 minutes; please note this needs to sit 10 minutes before slicing.

Add the quinoa to the boiling broth, reduce to medium, put lid on and simmer for 12 minutes.

Saute shallots in olive oil then add beets, cook until dry then pour grapefruit juice over them, it should bubble and make a grand sound.  Reduce to low, add zest, balsamic, honey and reduce until thick and sweet.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Just keep them on low, your almost done.

Once quinoa had cooked for 12 minutes, you will see all broth is absorbed.  Open lid and add the remaining ingredients except the arugula, toss lightly with a fork, then put arugula on the top and cover again until your ready to serve.

By now the chicken is done and as it is sitting for its 10 minutes, get your plates out, make a drink ect...

Cut the chicken in a diagonal against the grain, and plate with the beets.

Stir the wilted arugula into the quinoa, see if it needs more seasoning or lemon then plate that too.

Please Enjoy

Just let me know if you have any specific questions! xo

Skinny Bitch Meal: Bird pecking, nothing naughty granola.

A couple of friends have asked for the granola recipe that I used yesterday when I had all of that drama dropping the lb of nuts on the kitchen floor.  I was severely mocked on facebook for getting hot and bothered in 90 degree weather, cooking granola, dropping nuts, crushing them into carpet with high heel, cant work the fancy vacuum..ect..  So anyway for you no gluten eating, anti-carb, vegan, seed pecking punks, this is a very good granola that is low in fat and low in carbs.  And it actually tastes good.  I had some in a non-fat Greek yogurt today, and was satisfied.

Bird pecking, nothing naughty granola
 Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees
2 cups steel cut rolled oats
2 cups chopped raw unsalted walnuts
1 cup chopped raw unsalted pecans
2 cups slivered raw unsalted almonds
1 cup raw unsalted pumpkin seeds
2 cups raw unsalted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup grade B maple syrup
1/3 cup almond butter
2 TBL spoon cinnamon
1 cup dried fruit (if you dare, it has more carbs)
1 TBL spoon sea salt

• Put all of this in a bowl and mix it up.  I used my hands. 
• Spread the mixture out in one layer on a cookie sheet or in shallow pans, if its too thick, it wont get crispy.
• Bake for 1 hour and stir it up half way through.
• Let cool completely, then store in a dry place-like a jar.  All of you psychos that cant throw away a jar- here is your big chance to utilize one.
• YUM!  Its good and way more low cal than the stuff at the store, and if you do not like a certain nut, then use whatever ones you want!  (cashews are naughty though:)

Welcome! Mwa ha haaa!

I have finally started a blog, with the original idea of sharing my recipes that I am constantly e-mailing my friends and family.  I think it will be grand to have this area to share my thoughts, my adventures in the kitchen, and my failures.  I  currently have a small baking/catering business that I run out of my home.  I hope that one day, by doing the things I love, can expand into a shop- perhaps a pie shop.  I am also studying for a BS in nutritional biology, to learn more about the foods we put into our bodies.  I want to incorporate that knowledge with my love of cooking and health.  Even though baking sweet treats is something I love to do, there will be a lot of recipes that are carb free, fat free and gluten free.  I also like to garden, sew, and crochet, and I enjoy doing so with a martini in my hand and wearing a dress and high heels.  I know I am a piece of work, but for all of you that know me-I'm silly, I love to cook, I mock out of love, and I'm excited to share my clumsy, funny, sightly tipsy (at times) adventures with you!  Cawww!