Reminder about new blog – TheSugarPixie.net

Heads up for new subscribers, since I’ve been getting a lot of hits from Stumbleupon – check me out at TheSugarPixie.net. Old and new posts there!

A new home!

Hi All! This week I’ve moved to a new domain: thesugarpixie.net! It’s been just about a year since I started food blogging, and I’m excited to have my own little corner of the ‘net. I have some exciting new posts lined up and can’t wait to share them with you all.

Thank you for your understanding as I feel my way through WordPress and all it’s wonderfulness. See you on the flip side!

-The Sugar Pixie

Key Lime Ice Cream

Time for Recipe Club again, and theme was ‘Summer Treats.’ We have a new hostess, Christey from FotoCuisine.com. I will admit I forgot that RC was on Tuesday and not the normal Wednesdays it used to be, so I did not have much on hand, BUT I have a tree filled to the brim with key limes.

I quickly looked around for what I had, and I happened to remember I had some heavy whipping cream for an alfredo sauce I did not make (lightened up version using yogurt instead). Okay, so sugar and cream and limes, how about ice cream? Could I make ice cream without the aid of an ice cream maker = YES! Read More

I went to my trusty recipe search engine – Google, which eventually brought me allrecipes.com. I found a few recipes to use, but I decided to substitute key lime for lemon. I can not wait to try this with some other fruits as well: pomegranate, raspberry, goji, orange, lemon, mango….etc!

Yield: 1 quart size container

• 3-4 average sized key limes: zested and juiced (just about 1/4c)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
• 9×5 loaf pan

Directions

1. Zest approximately 3-4 key limes, and juice to acquire just under 1/4 c of juice.
2. In a food processor, combine zest and sugar and blend until fine and well combined.
3. In a medium bowl dissolve the sugar/zest mixture with 1 cup of milk.
4. Whisk in the key lime juice to the milk mixture.
5. In another bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff but not grainy.
6. Gently fold the whipped cream into the key lime mixture until evenly blended.
7. Pour the mixture into a 9×5 loaf pan. Cover with a piece of plastic and press down gently into the ice cream to form a nice seal.
8. Freeze for approximately 3 hours or until firm.

Steps

Zest approximately 3-4 key limes, and juice to acquire just under 1/4 c of juice. In a food processor, combine zest and sugar and blend until fine and well combined.

In a medium bowl dissolve the sugar/zest mixture with 1 cup of milk. Whisk in the key lime juice to the milk mixture.

In another bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff but not grainy. Gently fold the whipped cream into the key lime mixture until evenly blended. Pour the mixture into a 9×5 loaf pan. Cover with a piece of plastic and press down gently into the ice cream to form a nice seal. Freeze for approximately 3 hours or until firm.

Just a tiny scoop goes a long way! Enjoy!

Finger Friendly Foods for a Salon Birthday party

In June, my friend Cherie turned the ever so fabulous 40 (which is the new 30)! Her husband ever so sweetly asked if I would be interested in catering some items for the event. It was my first time doing such a task, but I was happy to oblige and fit it into my schedule for a friend! We were keenly aware since most of the guests would probably getting manicures that the food should be ‘finger friendly.’ I tried to come up with things that were not too messy and could be eaten in one bite maybe with the help of a toothpick or fork.

Strawberry Cupcakes

Photo courtesy: Fotocuisine.com

Belated Happy Canada to our friends up north, and here’s to yet another exciting Fourth of July. Mine is going to start off with a bang by running a 5k in the morning and slowly go from there! I was thinking back this week that it has been just about a year since I started food blogging, even though I didn’t start my own blog until October 2009. I fondly, okay, I fondly remember NOW Christey (@fotocuisine) planting the seed in my head I should start my own blog. Like a good bread, I just needed some time to rise and think about it before I started to pull my own blog out of the oven!

Thinking back to where I was a year ago, here’s the recipe that started it all – Strawberry Cupcakes! Decorate them with some crushed pecans, blueberries, sprinkles or just leave ‘em naked and enjoy every delicious bite of icing!

Strawberry Cupcakes with Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting!!

Five Minute Chocolate Cake

This is a recipe I’ve been wanted to blog about for a while now. There was some talk about chocolate and cake on Twitter, so this was finally the push I needed. (I also think we’ll be having it for dessert tonight!)

Yes, you did read that right FIVE MINUTE CAKE. I found this recipe on instructables.com and doctored it up a bit. Make it your own by adding some nuts, berries, crushed candy bar, marshmallows etc. I made this as a quick birthday cake for my husband Dave, but don’t add the candle right away because it will melt into it. (I wasn’t lazy, we just had a lot to eat that weekend and he chose this recipe!)

Mini-Banana Muffins

Blogging has sort of taken a back burner, even though I have been working behind the scenes fully intending to post something. When push comes to shove, here I am! I am hoping this next post is followed up quickly with a post about my friend’s 40th birthday party I cooked for! Without further adieu, I bring you….Banana Muffins!

Butterscotch Toffee Bites

I got an email from my husband Dave asking if I had time to make some treats for a work meeting he had the next day. At this point it was early afternoon and I had to make due with whatever we had in the pantry. It just so happened I had some Martha Stewart recipes sitting in my email, and this was one of them. I made a few changes and here’s what I came up with using ingredients on hand.

Honey Vanilla Sour Cream Cakes

It was time for recipe club again, and I wanted to try something new. Some friends and were talking about poundcake on Twitter, which lead to a search for various poundcake recipes. I took some inspiration from a Honey Vanilla Sour Cream Poundcake and a lightened up version of Sour Cream Poundcake with Rum Glaze to come up with my recipe.

I actually made this recipe twice: the full version, and a half version, because my first cake got stuck in the bundt pan! I must say the halved version of the cake was tastier, but the first cake made for great strawberry shortcake.

Chocolate Blackout Forest Cake

This is the second part of my birthday cake post.

I was hungry for a Black Forest cake, but more specifically chocolate and cherries. I thought about making this for Valentine’s Day but plans (LASIK surgery) got in the way. So I decided to make this and share with family for our youngest daughter’s first birthday. The thing I love about black forest cake is the chocolate and the cherries, so I wanted to feature those two things in my cake.