jamie of all trades

party favor bags

since i sort of threw the type of birthday party you went to when you were eight; i though i would make party favors to give away like you got a birthday parties when you were eight.  no one does party favor bags any more!

everything was orange since it's my favorite color.  I made name tags and used orange ribbon to tie them.

 

found orange candies {chocolate, orange + tangerine jelly bellies}, coffee and tea.  

wrapped 'em up and gave 'em to all the girls.  cute, huh?

:: don't forget about the cupcake card contest! ::

cupcake card :: giveaway

want to win some of my cupcakes cards?  my friend and fellow blogger, shelby nycole, is giving away some of my cards.  and they are all cupcake themed!  all you have to do is leave a comment on shelby nycole about your joat favorite tip or trick and she'll choose a winner at random.  and since you're already a joat reader, this couldn't be easier! good luck!

marble cake with white chocolate glaze

i was flipping through martha stewart's baking handbook and the marble cake with white chocolate glaze caught my eye.  it's so pretty and marble-y.  i had to make for myself.

cake:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 3/4 cups cake flour

2 tsps baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

3 eggs, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup buttermilk, room temperature

1/4 cup plus 1 tbl dutch-process cocoa powder

1/4 cup plus 1 tbl boiling water

glaze:

3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted

2 tbls milk

2 1/4 oz. white chocolate, melted and cooled

preheat oven to 350.  grease or butter a 9x5 loaf pan.  sift together the cake flower, baking powder and salt.

in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light & fluffy.  add the eggs, one at a time.  mix in the vanilla and beat until light until well combined.  add the flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the buttermilk.  set side one-third of the batter.

in a bowl, mix the cocoa and the boiling water together until smooth.  add the cocoa mixture to the reserved cake batter, stir until well combined.

spoon the batters into the pan in two layers, alternating spoonfuls of vanilla and chocolate to simulate a checkerboard.  To create marbling, run a table knife through the batters in a swirling motion.

bake for 40-50 minutes.  transfer to a wire rack to cool.  

to make the white chocolate glaze whisk together powdered sugar and milk.  add the melted chocolate and whisk until smooth.  pour glaze over cake.

i think i did a little too much marbleizing in mine so there wasn't any marbling.  whoops!  still tastes good and there's always next time to get it right, right?

a wish come true

since i'm a big fan of crafting and card making one of my wishes has been to have a party where all my friends are crafting.  this past saturday, it came true.  about 15 of my girlfriends and mom came down to impress in tukwila for my b*day crafting extravaganza.  we had an instructor show us seven different cards and then we each made them.

it was a blast!  i was so happy having everyone around me crafting, making cards.  i made everyone take a photo with their favorite card.  i couldn't have asked for a better birthday party!

oh happy friday!

to you!  i am so happy it's friday.  i am doing something so fun this weekend... for my birthday.  {yes, i'm still extending it.}  it really is my b*day dream come true.  i can't wait to share with you.

it's been a hard week getting back into the swing of things.  i'm going to work real hard this weekend and get back to it!  my etsy shop needs a little love so i'm going to focus on that.

:: happy weekend! ::

{via me}

pepsi natural

i'm not a big soda drinker.  but i recently picked up a 4-pack of pepsi natural to try. it's made with natural sugar and kola nut so it's 'better' for you. i really enjoyed it.  look for it at target if you want to try too.

recreation: cauliflower leek soup

a few weeks back i had a really great cauliflower parmesan soup from macrina bakery.  delicious.  a few days later the barefoot contessa made this roasted potato leek soup.  looked delicious.  they seemed similar so i thought recreate by sort of combining the two.

3 cups chopped cauliflower {about 1 1/2 heads of cauliflower}

2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts, clean well

1/4 cup olive oil

salt + pepper

1/2 cup white wine

4 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

preheat the oven to 400.

mix the cauliflower and leeks on a sheet pan.  drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss the veggies so they are evenly coated.  roast for 40 to 45 minutes.  half way through turn the veggies and continue roasting until tender.  remove the pan from the oven and pour the wine into the pan to de-glaze.

place a food mill with a medium coarse blade over a dutch oven pot so there's a something to catch the veggies. transfer the roasted veggies to the food mill and puree.  

place the pot over medium high heat and add chicken stock, parmesan, salt, pepper.  allow to simmer until all the parmesan cheese is melted.  serve hot.

birthday recap

i had a really fantastic birthday.  thanks for all the warm wishes, it was so sweet to hear from all of you!

one of my favorite b*day events was a trip to georgetown with my friend, coffey.  i had to introduce her to the best sandwich in seattle {at least in my opinion} the troublemaker from smarty pants. afterwards we drove around and she took some photos of me around the area so she could find some fun spots for future photo shoots.  my favorite is this one, in front of the wood door.  i think it's the corson building. which i'd like to go to too.

 {via coffeycart}

thanks again for all the b*day love.  every year i always lay out all the cards i get and keep them out for at least a week.  keeps the celebration going all week long. xoxo - joat

ginger ale

i have two friends who love ginger ale.  i mean, l-o-v-e ginger ale.  i thought a homemade version would be fun.  the only thing you really need to do is make the ginger syrup and mix with club soda.

2 cups ginger slices, peeled (1/8 inch thick)
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 quart soda water
1 lime cut in wedges (optional)
4 mint sprigs (optional)

the most time consuming part is peeling the ginger.  i first cut the ginger into smaller pieces, sliced the little nubbins off and then peeled.  i think it was a little easier.  once the ginger is peeled slice into 1/8-inch think slices.

mix ginger, sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a slow simmer. simmer until a syrupy consistency is reached. it might seem a little runny but the syrup will thicken as it cools.

strain warm syrup and allow to cool. use a funnel to pour into a glass jar for storage. 

when you're ready for a glass of ginger ale, mix 1 part ginger syrup with 7 parts club soda.  serve over ice.  you can add a mint sprig and lime wedge if you so desire.  tastes like it does on the airplane.  that's where you drink ginger ale, right?

another year older

so... guess what?  tomorrow i am another year older. it's my birthday {and one year closer to the european extravaganza.}  i look forward to my birthday every year.  i love to celebrate!

i'm doing a little celebrating this weekend but i've got a little something up my sleeve for next weekend.  i'm really stretching it out this year.  but that's okay right?

hope you have a fantastic weekend too.  have a cupcake for me, okay?

xoxo - JOAT