Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!

For those that don't spend their time learning Cajun phrases, Laissez les bon temps rouler means "Let the good times roll!" And for those that don't know me well, I spent the better part of 2010 - and a few months of 2011 - living in New Orleans. There are few things I love more than (kosher) gumbo, po'boys, the Saints, go-cups, and of course KING CAKE!

The past few years, Justin and I have celebrated by putting on beads, wearing green, yellow and purple, and drinking Abita beer. Even Bo wore beads!

2012

2013

But we all know it's just not the same. This year, I decided that we were going to go all-out and do it right! Because we were invited to a Mardi Gras party tonight, we decided to make red beans and rice last night. And of course, I made a king cake, but saved it for co-workers today!

Delicious red beans & rice with beef sausage (don't worry dad, it's kosher!):

I have sadly attempted king cake before, and while it was unbelievably delicious, it fell on the floor and so I drowned my sorrows by dipping the non-floor touching parts in the bourbon icing. Needless to say, it was high time I made another attempt. This one went far more smoothly, as Justin assisted me as it went from the cookie sheet to the cooling rack. Success!

Since my trip to Argentina back in August, I've had a can of dulce de leche cooped up in our pantry. It's time had come to share it's joy with the world, so I opened up that bad boy and spread it all over that king cake before I rolled it up into a neat circle, baked it, and poured whiskey icing and sanding sugar all over. I have to say, even I was impressed with the outcome!

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler! Happy Mardi Gras y'all!

Bake Sale & the Return of Love!

Oh my, it's good to be back! How I've missed writing and picture taking and sharing all of my treats with all of you readers (all? some? a few?)! I took several months off - about 3 to be exact - and I'm not even sure why. After Thanksgiving, I started getting a lot of orders, my full-time job picked up big time, and quite frankly, I just kept getting bogged down in the day to day. But I'm back, and I've got lots of fun, exciting news to share and delicious goodies that are calorie-free if you just LOOK these pictures. No touching. See? I'm looking out for you...

Last weekend I was lucky enough to be part of a very important bake sale. The lovely founder of Tiny But Mighty Fund reached out to me to help with a Puppy Love Bake Sale. And if you didn't know, I love dogs. LOVE. DOGS. So supporting the fund, which donates to the Nashville Humane Association, through my treats was a no-brainer.

So, I got my little thinking cat on (right, meow)....

I decided on a combination of seasonal treats that would be fun, simple, and tasty, so I made my Mardi Gras cupcakes - because duh! - and my oatmeal cookies with white chocolate chips and raisins (which tasted like yogurt covered raisins, bonus win). 

 Here are the beginning stages of those cookies...

Look at that nutty, brown sugary goodness! Yum!

And the final product, all dolled up with a sprinkle of kosher salt on top for good measure.

And then there was whiskey caramel...

Which, is what I like to call, angel sauce. Because it tastes like what I imagine heaven to be. And that goodness was mixed with toasted pecans and well, that's what's inside these almond flavored cupcakes. And yes, that's cinnamon cream cheese frosting. You're welcome.

But no so fast, my friend. I quickly realized I needed to bake something new for this bake sale. And there was no one more pleased with my choice than my big, silly Bo Dog. That's right, I made dog treats! Pumpkin and peanut butter to be exact, and they were a hit!

So coming up this weekend is another post about - you guessed it - Valentine's Day! Love is in the air with Littlest Love, and usually, love means butter...and sugar. May your Friday be filled with sweet excitement, if for no other reason than the fact that it's Friday! And if it's not exciting to you, then hopefully this will cheer you up...