Wuthering Iris: January 2009

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Dreaming of Summer

It has been snowing for the past 3 days
and I am beginning to miss Summer.

Here are a few of my favorite summer pictures
and what they remind me of.

Summer gardening...

The Raven
and their $2 margaritas...

Flathead Lake
(right now it is frozen over)...

Summer Iced Tea and Lime-aide...

Fresh Herbs...

Hiking and Trailing in the Mountains.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Finally

I was finally able
to watch this movie
the other night.

I really am a fan.
The first one made me cry....
this one is making me wait anxiously
for the next addition.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Easy Caprese

This is the easiest appetizer to make.
And it is so delicious.

Caprese Salad

1 Tomato (sliced)
Mozzarella Cheese(sliced)
Fresh Basil Leaves
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil

- Layer in this order: Tomato, Basil, then Mozzarella Cheese.
- Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
- Serve!

Monday, January 26, 2009

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I made these for the Bridal Shower last night.

I always love it when I need to use food coloring in a recipe!

Red Velvet Cupcakes.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 pound cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
Chopped pecans and fresh raspberries or strawberries, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

Garnish with chopped pecans and a fresh raspberry or strawberry.

**Thanks to this chef for the recipe.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Bridal Shower

This is what I have been doing for the past week.
Planning a Bridal Shower for my
soon-to-be sister-in-law Danielle.

And with all that preparation
I think that it went great.

We had lots of goodies that I was able to make.
I tried two new cupcake recipes:
Coconut Tres Leche and Red Velvet Cupcakes.

We had the always present Brie with Fruit.

And I also made a Caprese Salad,
which was to die for!

This little decoration was fun to make.
Or should I say, it was fun to watch Micah go out
in the snow with a saw and hack a branch off a tree
so that I could spray paint it black and stick it in a vase.