Bakerella in T.O.

What a day!

I would never in a million years have thought that this would lead to this! Which would lead to this followed by this!  This brings us to December 4, 2010.  The day that Rich and I met Angie Dudley, a.k.a. Bakerella! 

Saturday Morning:

Saturday began with a thrill for Rich and I since Bakerella was in town for the signing of her new book, Cake Pops.  All of the excitement took place at Williams Sonoma on Bloor Street. 

What was even more exciting...

As soon as we got to the store, the employees at Williams Sonoma knew exactly who we were (once Rich mentioned our names) and led us upstairs to meet with Bakerella.  She gave Rich the biggest hug and began to tear up as soon as she saw me. It was the first time we had met in person.  She is definitely one of the sweetest people we have ever met.

Beside her in the photo above is Roseanne Dela Rosa, associate editor of Weddingbells magazine.

As soon as she finished her interview with Angie, she interviewed Rich and me for an article she will be writing for an online feed of Wedding Bells. That was pretty cool! Rich was super excited!

Saturday Afternoon:

By this time, it was well after the noon hour. After Angie answered many questions from her fans, she began the signing...She brought Rich and I right to the signing area (no line up for us). I noticed one girl whisper to her mom, "Mom, that's the couple who got married on Bakerella's site!" That was hilarious!  As we sat beside her so she could sign the book, she asked all of the fans in line if they remembered us.  No joke, people actually started cheering. It was nuts! We were a famous couple...for a few minutes anyway! 

The message written in fuchsia pink was perfect!

In this shot, she was eyeing my labels on the back of the cupcake sugar cookies I baked for her.

These girls were by far the most creative "gift bakers." Carolynn, (in the middle) drove in all the way from Ottawa just to have her book signed and meet Bakerella.

She and her friend Candy created their own original "Canadiana" to welcome Bakerella to town.  They included the most amazing moose and beaver cake pops! (Way, way more creative than my cookie pops.)

For those of you who would like a lesson on these cookie pops...here goes...they were were pretty simple to make.

I decided on cupcakes since Bakerella loves everything cupcake!

I used a skittle for the cherry on top and stuck it to the cookie with royal icing.

Then, I piped and flooded the cookie with more icing and added a few sprinkles as a garnish! Simple as a cupcake!  For my sugar cookie recipe, click here. For the recipe I use to make royal icing, click here. 

Saturday Evening:

Saturday evening was the "icing on the cupcake!" The rumours are true.  We went out for dinner with Angie and her mom!  And we had a blast! All joking aside people....Rich and I had dinner with BAKERELLA! We went out for dinner with the next Martha Stewart! The picture above was awesome...how funny is her mom?!  She was cracking up because as soon as our dessert, (buttery, phyllo pastry crepes filled with melted white chocolate and fresh blueberries) arrived at our table, Angie and I both took out our cameras and began shooting photos! I got a great shot of her taking a picture of the dessert!  

What a day!  It certainly was a memorable one for us. Thanks Angie, for including us in your first trip to Canada. We hope to meet again, perhaps on your next book tour?! 

Have you ever met a star before?

How to Dry and Store Your Cookie Cutters

There are so many cookie cutters out there!  I began my collection quite a while ago, but it has multiplied significantly over the past few years. No one really told me how to organize my cutters. Here is what I have come up with.  But before I explain how I organize my cookie cutters, I'll explain how to prevent metal cutters from rusting. 

After using any cutters, I always soak them in a bowl with warm water and soap.  I then clean each cutter with a sponge and more soap and water to ensure that all of the grease is removed. 

A great tip that I learned from the book Cookie Craft is how to keep metal cookie cutters and icing tips from rusting. 

After individually washing and towel drying each cutter, place metal cutters on a cookie sheet, cut side down. Next, place the sheet in the oven for 10 minutes at 200 degrees. This will absorb any remaining moisture.

Finally, set warm cutters on a towel to cool before putting them away.

The way that I organize my cutters is usually by theme. I write the name of the theme on a Ziploc bag and store the bag in a plastic container.  Inside the front of the container I write down the names of the themes on a piece of paper facing outward. 

This way, I can see which cutters are in which container.

Other suggestions may be to organize your cutters by shape or size.

Hope this helps!

Melissa :) 

Bakerfella

I can't believe my husband...always coming up with some new idea to make me smile!  On Sunday afternoon, Rich forwarded me an e-mail he had sent to Bakerella just a few days before! Of course, (without telling me), he e-mailed Angie (Bakerella) to tell her that we are now married and sent her a link to my Cookie Seating Card Post.  As if that wasn't enough, he also sent her the link to our wedding highlight video. And now this...!  Bakerella posted a follow up post to our proposal!  Check it out by clicking here....Thanks Richie, I love you! 

Crêpe Ballon Rouge

Yum!

This was definitely my favourite "nut free" dessert that I indulged in on my honeymoon.  Prepared tableside at Celebrity's specialty restaurant Murano, Crêpe Ballon Rouge was worth every single calorie!

 

On the little serving cart in front of our table, sat all of the required ingredients and tools required to prepare this delicious creation. A prepared crêpe, one scoop of vanilla ice cream, some fresh pepper, balsamic vinegar, about half a shot of Chambertin...

caramel sauce, sweet strawberry sauce with cinnamon and clove, and finally, some fresh strawberries.

To try this at home, lay one crêpe flat on a plate and place one scoop of ice cream in the center. 

Roll crêpe to form a pocket around the ice cream and set aside.

Set the burner to medium low heat and warm up a non-stick saucepan with high sides. Pour the caramel sauce into the pan and let it sizzle.

Add five strawberries to the pan cut side down, allowing the sauce to warm up the strawberries.

Pour the Chambertin into the pan.  The liquor is the key ingredient required to flambé this dish. Before adding the flambé to the pan, heat the liquor in the saucepan just until bubbles begin to form around the edges.

OPA!!!

Once the flame has disappeared, add the strawberry sauce, balsamic vinegar...

and some fresh pepper.

Set the cooked strawberries around the ice cream filled crêpe and dress with the mouth watering sauce. 

Cut into the middle and enjoy.

Until there is nothing left!

Matza Crunch

It's that time of year again. Passover! Beginning on Monday evening, families who celebrate Passover are unable to eat yeast or foods that rise for an entire week.  It's okay!  I will be posting a few of my yummy Passover dessert recipes over the week for you to add to your collection and enjoy! 

Set oven to 375 degrees.  Double line two rimmed cookie sheets with tin foil, and top with wax paper. This is very important as the mixture becomes very sticky during baking.

Use your favourite brand of matza and arrange on cookie sheets.

Approximately 6 matza boards should fit. Four matza boards should fit as wholes and the other two can be broken into smaller rectangles.

Make the caramel.  In a medium sized pot, melt 1 cup of margarine or butter.  Add one cup of brown sugar.  Combine over medium heat and whisk constantly until caramel forms and comes to a boil.  Remove from heat.  Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla and whisk into caramel.

Pour caramel over matza boards.  (Since I find the caramel to be very sweet and thick when poured,) I often take a brush and immediately spread out the caramel over top of the matza boards.  Doing it immediately helps to avoid clumps.) This thins out the layer of caramel.

Place in oven and immediately turn down temperature of oven to 350 degrees.  Bake for 15 minutes, rotating cookie sheets to opposite racks in between. Check every few minutes to make sure the boards are not burning.  If the matza boards seem to be browning too quickly, lower heat to 325 degrees. 

Be sure to wear a good pair of oven mitts when removing trays from the oven.  These were my Bubbi's! When my dad asked me if I wanted anything from her condo, I had to grab them! 

Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Break the cooled matza into squares or odd shapes.

 Melt 3/4 cup of chocolate chips in the microwave at 30 second intervals. Fill a piping bag or Ziploc bag with melted chocolate.  Squeeze bitter sweet chocolate first, followed by white chocolate.  

Mmmmm!  It actually tastes even better than it looks!

Let set in refrigerator for about an hour.

Store in an air tight container hidden from family, or it may very well disappear in no time at all!

Bring over to your first Seder for dessert. It makes a great gift!