a goodbye to cape may

hello my wonderful readers...

well... just to let you know, this post has nothing to do with baking... it's a goodbye to what was our home for 4 years, the lovely little coastal resort town of cape may, new jersey...

to the people who have come into our lives these past 4 years, and to the wonderful town of cape may... we are truly going to miss you...

this place has become more then just a 4 year tour living in military housing, its become our home, a place where our family has become the family it is... i will truly miss everything about this place... thanks for all the sweet memories, the laughter and fun, and of course the unforgettable friendships we all have made...

here are a few pictures from our four year adventure... if i shared them all you'd be looking at my blog for days... i hope you enjoy them :)

our coast guard base

jack jack a few days after we moved in

jack jack growing up so quick...

jack saying goodbye to the hubs as he leaves to get underway...
welconing our newest member... benjamin scout

our blue eyed baby boy out and about in town :)

my little loves

summer time cuties!!

benjamin scout... or is that donald sutherland?? haha...

my goofy boys :)

my sister meggie, my cousin jamie and me :)

the hubs and jack jack in our front yard

benny boo

our private coast guard beach

the best view from a kitchen window :)

jack jack

the moving truck... it's hard to believe our whole life will fit in there...

i'll cherish the four years of amazing memories... thank you cape may... i'll miss you :)

where, oh where is fat bottom???

hey readers...

if any of you have been wondering where i've been these past few weeks, well... it's been a very busy end of summer for me and my family... there has been so much going on, all mainly relating to our move from cape may, new jersey to...

MAINE...

i now live in maine... never thought i'd ever utter those words... but there you go...

stay tuned for more of an update... i have lots to share...

let the journey begin....

cookie cakes :)

hey everyone... just got back from a wonderful vacation... did you miss me?? i missed my kitchen... and my bed... but honestly other than that, i wish i could be back in our beachfront cottage right now... it truly was a great time, full of family, drinks, laughs, sun and surf...

well, yesterday i jumped right back into baking, with two orders... 2 cookie cakes.. 1 single layer and 1 triple layer sandwiched cookie cake... mmmm....

i used my goto chocolate chip recipe by the fabulous dorie greenspan, and the only thing i did differently is i lowered the oven temp by 25 degrees... oh, and i baked the layers in a spring form pan... the layers baked up perfect... crispy on the outside and still soft and chewy on the inside... plus that added goodness of vanilla butter cream...

this cake was for one of my neighbors, and a heck of a football stud, josh :)

i was happy to bake this monster for him for his birthday... i'm sure going to miss him, his wifey morgan (i'm really going to miss her), and their two adorable boys when we move in a few weeks... whaaaaaa... i don't wanna move...

thanks for being wonderful neighbors and friends to me, the hubs and my boys... <3

and here is the other one... a lovely one layer cookie cake... hope it was a sweet surprise for shannon... happy birthday :)

happy birthday josh and shannon... and as always... happy baking everyone :)

happy 6th birthday to my amazing JACK!

i just wanted to share with you some pictures from my biggest little guy, jacks' 6th birthday... i cannot believe how quickly time has gone... it seems like only yesterday i was swaddling him in blankets at the hospital (well trying to at least... he was a wiggler who couldn't wait to stretch his legs once out of the belly)...

jack has taught me more about myself then i ever thought possible... he changed my life when he came into my arms 6 years ago... and he continues to amaze me everyday since...

happy birthday my little man... mommy loves you...

what a serious pirate, huh?
arrrggg... it's pirate jack!
here's the fondant showpiece cake i made for him... he said it was just what he wanted... tattoo, sword, map and all...



some of the birthday spread...


yummy vanilla bean cupcakes...

and here are just a few other pictures... enjoy :)

jack was so excited to get a package from daddy :)

waiting "patiently" to open his mountain of presents :)

finally... it was present time...

ben was feeling a bit blue about not being able to open the presents :(

on the phone long distance with daddy... thanks to the hubs for making this birthday even more special... love you so :)

the fierce pirate duo, the Perkins brothers!!! Jack Tucker and Benjamin Scout :)
that ol' drooling scallywag benjamin :)

aaaarrrrggggggggggg! silly pirate faces!!
happy 6th birthday jack tucker... i love you so :)

banana cream pie cupcakes

so yesterday i made some yummy banana blueberry muffins for my main man jack, but i also made some plain ol' banana muffins that i decided to jazz up... so then by altering the muffin with toppings and such, do they then become cupcakes?? so would you call those cuffins?? nahhh... or how about muffcakes?? ehhh... the more i ponder over that word, the more and more it makes me giggle...

well whatever they were, they were delicious... topped with vanilla cream pudding, some finger lickin caramel, and some crunchy sprinklings of nilla wafers...

check out yesterdays post for the banana muffin recipe...

here's one all dissected for your viewing pleasure... mmmm...

hehe... muffcakes...

happy baking everyone :)

banana blueberry muffins just for Jack :)

every so often i i let my oldest son decide what i should bake... and yesterday was one of those days... usually he gets very creative... pairing things that make you raise your eyebrows and go "whaaa??", and sometimes i shake my head thinking, "hmmm... that's not bad"...

so when i sat down and asked him yesterday, he twisted his mouth in thought, and casually said "how 'bout some blueberry muffins??"...

huh? that's it??? no sprinkles? no chocolate chips? no gobs and gobs of frosting?? wow... how simple... but... i was more than happy to satisfy his request... i just changed it a bit... i went with a banana muffin with blueberries, and nixed the sugar topping... there was no need for the sugar topping anyways, the bananas were so ripe and sweet...
so here is the recipe... i'm happy jack wanted these... they made my moring cup(s) of coffee so much more enjoyable :)

banana blueberry muffins
recipe yields 12 standard sized muffins

recipe:

dry ingredients
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup blueberries
3/4 cup (1 1/2 stick) melted and browned unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups smashed bananas
2 lrg. eggs
2 tsp vanilla

directions:
1. preheat oven to 350 and line 12 cupcake tins
2.in a medium bowl sift together all dry ingredients
3. make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add all the wet ingredients
4. using a wooden spoon, incorporate together, but do not over mix, then add the blueberries
5. divide batter evenly among the tins and bake until done, about 17-20 minutes, and cool on wire rack

simple... yet very very satisfying...

happy baking everyone :)

sweet peaches in a yummy, yet deflated puff pastry...

afternoon all... hope everyone had a fabulous weekend... mine was rather relaxing, although a bit boring... but i was kinda in the mood for a do nothing weekend... me and my two little men had a jam packed week up in new york with the family, so when we got back in cape may i was all about doing ABSOLUTELY NADA...

the only thing i had on my mind was doing a bit of light baking... so with a bit of left over puff pastry i've had sitting in the freezer, and with some yummy summer peaches i bought at the farmers market, i decided to make a sweet little treat...

i rolled out the puff pastry, and trimmed 4 1-inch edges, and brushed them on with a bit of eggwash... then with a bit of strawberry preserves spread on the bottom, i layered on some fresh peaches... sprinkled the peaches and the edges with a bit of vanilla sugar and popped it in the oven until it was puffed up and browned... well... almost puffed up...

even though the puff factor was a bit on the sucky side of the spectrum... this was still a tasty treat... which by the way, i ate all by myself... the boys opted for italian ices...

happy baking everyone :)