Baci's Baking | Caramel Apples

How perfect would these caramel apples be for a dessert at a gorgeous, Fall Wedding? Easy to make - all you need are apples, caramel, and some twigs from the backyard!!!

Caramel Apples
Original Recipe by Allyson Baker Design

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5-6 medium apples
Twigs broken into 5 or 6 pieces
1 (14 oz.) package of caramel candies OR 1 (11 oz.) package of caramel bits
2 tablespoons water

1) Wash apples and twigs and dry thoroughly.
2) Cut ends of twigs at an angle and use to pierce the top of the apple.
3) Place caramel and water in microwave-safe bowl.
4) Microwave caramel bits on high for about 3 minutes, or until melted. Stir at 1 minute intervals.
5) Swirl each apple in the bowl of caramel until coated, remove and let excess drip off.
6) Place dipped apple on waxed paper or aluminum foil and let chill in the fridge to set.
7) Serve at room temperature.

Baci's Baking | Lemon Cream Cake Bars

These are positively delicious!!! They're the perfect combination of a lemon tart and lemon cream cake :) yummmmm! Another great recipe from recipetips.com.

Lemon Cream Cake Bars

Original recipe from recipetips.com

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1 box lemon cake mix

1/3 cup butter or margarine - softened

1 egg

8 ounces cream cheese - softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 lemon - grated

2 tablespoons lemon juice or 1/2 fresh squeezed lemon

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1) In a mixing bowl, blend dry cake mix, butter, and 1 egg
2) Press into a 9 x 13 pan, ungreased
3) Beat the cream cheese until smooth
4) Gradually blend in the powdered sugar
5) Stir in lemon peel and lemon juice until smooth
6) Reserve 1/2 cup of this mixture and refrigerate it for later use
7) Beat the remaining 2 eggs, add the vanilla, and then beat this mixture into the remaining cream cheese mixture until well blended
8) Spread over the cake mixture
9) Bake at 350° until set, approximately 25 to 30 minutes
10) Cool completely
11) Spread the reserved cream cheese mixture onto the bars
12) Refrigerate until firm; then cut into squares and serve.

baci's baking | S'more Pie

I know I keep talking about summer, but it LITERALLY is almost here!!  At least for me... (Graduation is approaching...ahhh!)  S'mores automatically get associated with summer and bonfires, so why not make them in pie form?  Who doesn't love pie?  Here's a great recipe to impress all your future bonfire-goers!

Image from Disney FamilyFun

S'more Pie

Recipe from Disney FamilyFun

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Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 1/4 cups sugar

6 tablespoons butter, softened

4 egg yolks

1/4 cup cornstarch

6 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk
2 teaspoons vanilla abstract
2 cups miniature marshmallows

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375*.  In a mixing bowl combine graham crackers and 1/4 cup sugar.  Add 4 tablespoons of the butter, rubbing it in with a pinching motion until evenly distributed.  Press the crumb mixture into a 9-inch pie pan and bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.  Allow the crust to cool.
2. Beat the egg yolks in a medium bowl and set them aside.  Combine the remaining cup of sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt in a 2-quart saucepan.  Set the pan over medium heat and gradually whisk in the milk, stirring until smooth.  Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often.  Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly, then remove the pan from the heat.
3. Whisk 1/2 cup of the hot chocolate mixture into the egg yolks.  Repeat with 1 cup of the chocolate mixture, then return the chocolate and egg mixture to the saucepan.  Boil over medium heat for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
4. Remove the pan form the heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the vanilla extract.  Pour the filling in the pie shell and allow it to cool at least 15 minutes, or chill it in the refrigerator overnight.
5. Just before serving, heat the oven to broil.  Cover the pie with the mini marshmallows and broil i on the uppermost rack for about 30 seconds or until the marshmallows are lightly browned.  (Watch carefully, or the marshmallows will burn.)  Serve warm or chilled.  Serves 8.

Handpicked | St. Patrick's Day

Happy Monday everyone! St. Patrick's Day is this coming Saturday, and I'm sure everyone is already brewing up some green beverages for a party! ;)  Are you in need of some ideas for costumes and decorations for your party?  Well you're just in "luck", because I've put together some fun decorating ideas and festive outfits that will be sure to impress your guests! :)

1) St. Patrick's Day Tin - Cutouts from Cheryl's - $38.99 - Super cute cookies for all ages to love!

2)  Kiss Me I'm Irish Women's T-Shirt from TeeShirtPlace.com - $17.00 - Every girl deserves a few extra kisses ;)

3) Drink Til Yer Green Personalized Beer Mug from PersonalizationMall.com - $18.70 - These would definitely be a big hit!

4) St. Patrick's Day Shamrocks Party Pack for 8 from Celebrate Express - $26.39 - Who wouldn't love eating off a shamrock plate?

5) Irish Mug "Welcome" Sign from Terry's Village - $10.00 - Invite all your guests in with a cute outdoor sign!

6) Green Butter Popcorn from The Popcorn Factory - $9.99 - Who doesn't love popcorn?  Especially when it's green!

7) Bead Necklaces with Shamrocks from Oriental Trading - $9.00 - No St. Patrick's Day event is complete with beads!

8) St. Patrick's Day Chocolate Coins from Terry's Village - $8.99 - These would be a lot of fun to scatter around the room and decorate with!

9) St. Patrick's Day Stove Pipe Top Hat from Wholesale Halloween Costumes - $4.90 - To "top" your outfit off, you can finish it with a classic St. Patrick's Day hat!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Join us for The Royal Treatment with Something New Entertainment and Friends!

{Image by Brandy J Photography}

This Tuesday, baci will be a special guest star at the Something New Entertainment Headquarters along with friends PartyPix PhotoBox and Every Blooming Thing!!

RSVP to this event by Monday, February 27th to experience The Royal Treatment (as well as sweet treats from Main Street Cupcakes) at the Bridal Open House Event this Tuesday, February 28th at 7 PM!

Something New Entertainment Headquarters

1340 Home Avenue, Suite E, Akron, Ohio

We're honored to be invited to this great event and hope to see all our engaged friends there! :)

baci's baking I Deluxue Stuffed Rice Krispies

You read the title and are already craving these, right?

Recently, I showed you a website to go to, to make Cake Pops, well this is from the same lady---

lovefromtheoven.com!

In her post she tells you how to make S'more and Caramel Rice Krispies :) 

Yummy!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope you enjoyed this receipe as much as I did!

baci's baking | Ritz Cracker Fluff

Hey everyone! I’m Brittany, baci’s new intern, and I wanted to jump at the opportunity to provide you all with one of my favorite recipes for my first blog post! :) My Aunt Mary gave me the recipe for Ritz Cracker Fluff, which besides being absolutely delicious is a great dessert for any occasion! It’s super easy to make too!

Ritz Cracker Fluff

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Ingredients:
2 Rolls of Ritz Crackers
1 Stick of Margarine (melted)
¾ Tablespoon of Sugar
2 Small Boxes of Vanilla Instant Pudding
1 Cup of Milk
1 Quart of Vanilla Ice Cream
1 Tub (8 oz) of Cool Whip

Directions:
1. Crumble Ritz Cracker rolls and put into a 13 x 9 pan. Be sure to save a small amount of the crumbled Ritz Crackers to sprinkle on top at the end.
2. Add the sugar and margarine and mix into the crumbled crackers.
3. Make the instant vanilla pudding, but instead of the 2 cups of milk specified on the pudding box, use 1 cup of milk and the quart of ice cream. Mix together the vanilla pudding mix, milk and ice cream. (You may have to soften the ice cream to mix.)
4. Spread the pudding onto of the crumbled Ritz Cracker in the pan.
5. Once you spread the pudding, put the Cool Whip on top of the pudding. Spread the Cool Whip evenly over the entire pan.
6. Sprinkle the remaining crumbled Ritz Crackers you had left over on top of the Cool Whip.

And you’re all done! :) You can serve it right away, however I recommend refrigerating it at least an hour before serving. This will allow the pudding to thicken up and everything to settle. The dish must be kept in the refrigerator when not being served.

I hope you enjoy Ritz Cracker Fluff as much as I do, and I look forward to future blog posts for you all!

baci's baking | Cake Pops

A few weeks back on baci's baking | baby shower food I talked about cake pops. Cake pops are becoming more popular and more people are wanting to know how to make them. I found the perfect article that gives you step by step instructions and pictures to make these delicious cake pops. They are perfect for any get together, birthday, holiday, or to just have as a dessert at home!

Cake Pops on Love from the Oven

Enjoy these tastefully treats!!

and P.S. there are MANY more great ideas on the website!!

Jess' Baby Shower Brunch | 07.03.10 {Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio}

I'm not really sure how I let this little beauty slip past the blog, but it is most certainly better shared late than never!

You might remember Jess from the other life events baci has been a part of, starting with the engagement party Ilario and I hosted at our home for her and Glenn, their 2009 wedding held at Goodale Park and even their holiday card from last year :o)  Well right in the midst of all that wonderfulness, I, along with her sister and two sister-in-laws hosted a Chic Black, White and Yellow Baby Shower Brunch for her - right here in baci's back yard :o)

It all started with the incredibly unique paper and fabric invitations I designed and printed in-house.  They were finished off with a hand-stamped dahlia and machine sewed to a coordinating dahlia print fabric.

 The plain white invitation envelope was spiced up with another hand-stamped dahlia and gorgeous abstract postage.  The menu for the day was also designed and printed in-house by baci.

 The event decor continued with the black, white and yellow color scheme - we even added a pop of zebra, which Jess adores!

The menu for the day went as follows and it certainly didn't disappoint!

Appetizers

Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwiches

Fresh Fruit Kabobs Served with Marshmallow Dip

Main Course

Schtone

Rosemary Potatoes

Herb Roasted Bacon

Spinach, Apple and Walnut Salad

Cinnamon Toast with Blueberry Compote

Dessert

Madeleine Cookies

Beverages

Mimosa

Lime Sherbet Punch

Canada Dry Ginger Ale

San Pellegrino Sparkling Water

Dark Roast or House Blend Coffee

Even the gifts for the shower games matched the decor!

The favors were Homemade Lemon Iced Sugar Cookies, using my Grandmother's Recipe, of course!

We even grabbed a photo of all the ladies at the end of the event!  Though the heat was definitely intense that day we all had a wonderful time :o)

A special thank you to:

Brandy J Photography for the amazing photos of the custom designed stationery

Alexis Moore and Klaus Rothe for the wonderful event photos

Sitting Pretty Linens for the beautiful napkin rentals

Benny of Tallmadge Tents for the perfect white chairs

And of course, Ilario Cursaro, Alexis Moore, Laurinda Moore, Allison Rothe and Carolyn Moore for making this event possible!

Best of baci's baking | 2011

Another year-end wrap up today with some of my favorite baci's baking recipes from 2011!

Avocado Pesto-Stuffed Tomatoes - This is a must have recipe for our annual New Year's Eve party and this year is no exception :o)

The Perfect Valentine's Day Meal - 2011 was the first time I did a full Valentine's Day menu and it was a huge hit (especially since I had Chocoholic Torte as a dessert) so I think it will become a yearly baci's baking tradition!

Top Five Ways to Kick Up Store-bought Mac'n'cheese - I love macaroni and cheese, but I don't always have time to make it from scratch so making some fun tweaks to store bought spices thing up perfectly!

Flank Steak with Salsa Verde - A best of list wouldn't be complete without this favorite of Ilario's.

Chipotle Pork Loin with Italian Simmered Rice - We make this yummy meal at least once every few weeks.

Penne a la Betsy - This is probably one of my favorite finds for the year. . . partly because you can drink the extra vino while you're cooking - lol!

Grilled Cupcakes - The cuteness factor here is through the roof!

Baked Brie - I can't tell you how many people have asked me for this recipe - it's easy and delicious!

Roasted Red Peppers with Feta - I love this recipe because it's an original of mine that I threw together last minute one night that turned out great!

Peanut Butter Cookie Cups - This post is one of my favorites because Caroline and I had so much fun shooting the photos (and eating the cookies!!).

Did you have a favorite recipe from 2011?  We'd love to know what you tried out!

baci's baking | Chocolate Cherry Trifle

If you are looking for the perfect dessert, this is it!! It looks amazingly delicious!

Chocolate Cherry Trifle

Original Recipe from Food Network

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Ingredients:
2 (approximately 12 oz. each) chocolate pound cakes
1/2 cup black cherry jam
1/2 cup cherry brandy
2 cups drained bottled sour cherries (recommended: Morello)

Custard:
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa, chopped
1 1/3 cups plus 1 T. milk
1 1/3 cups plus 1 T. heavy cream
8 egg yolks
1/2 cup plus 1 T. sugar
1/3 cup cocoa

Topping:
3 cups heavy cream
1 oz. bittersweet chocolate

Special Equipment: Large wide trifle bowl

Directions:
1.  Slice the chocolate pound cake and make jam sandwiches with the cherry jam, and layer the bottom of a large wide trifle bowl.
2.  Pour over the cherry brandy so that the cake soaks it up, and then top with the drained cherries.
3.  Cover with plastic wrap and leave to macerate while you make the custard.
4.  Melt the chocolate on low to medium heat in the microwave, checking after 2 minutes, though it will probably need 4 minutes. Or you can place it in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Once the chocolate is melted, set aside while you get on with the custard.
5.  In a saucepan warm the milk and cream.
6.  Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and cocoa in a large bowl.
7.  Pour the warm milk and cream into the bowl whisking it into the yolks and sugar mixture.
8.  Stir in the melted chocolate, scraping the sides well with a rubber spatula to get all of it in, and pour the custard back into the rinsed saucepan. Cook over a medium heat until the custard thickens, stirring all the time. Make sure it doesn't boil, as it will split and curdle. Keep a sink full of cold water so that if you get scared you can plunge the bottom of the custard pan into the cold water and whisk like mad, which will avert possible crisis.
9.  The custard will get darker as it cooks and the flecks of chocolate will melt once the custard has thickened. And you do need this thick, so don't panic so much that you stop cooking while it is still runny. Admittedly, it continues to thicken as it cools and also when it's chilling in the refrigerator. Once it is ready, pour into a bowl to cool and cover the top of the custard with cling wrap to prevent a skin from forming.
10.  When the custard is cold, pour and spread it over the chocolate cake layer in the trifle bowl, and leave in the refrigerator to set, covered in plastic wrap overnight.
11.  When you are ready to decorate, softly whip the cream for the topping and spread it gently over the layer of custard. Grate the chocolate over the top.

baci's baking | Gingerbread Cheesecake Bites

Every time I log into Pinterest I find another tasty recipe that I must try - yesterday was no exception!  I found these Gingerbread Cheesecake Bites and I plan on making them this holiday season :o)  Enjoy!

Gingerbread Cheesecake Bites

Original Recipe from Created by Diane

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1 30 oz. package Pillsbury Gingerbread Cookie Dough (refrigerated section)
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

1) Roll two teaspoons of cookie dough into a ball for each cookie.
2) Place balls of dough into paper lined mini muffin pans.
3) Make an indentation into each ball of dough with a flour dipped mini rolling pin or the back of a teaspoon.
4) Beat room temperature cream cheese with powdered sugar. Stir in vanilla. Place filling into a piping bag, cut off edge of bag.
5) Place one teaspoon of filling into each cookie dough. Don't over fill the cookies or filling as they will rise when baked.
6) Bake at 350 degrees for 9 minutes or until cookie tested with tooth pick comes out almost clean. Let cool before removing from cupcake pan.

baci's baking | Chocolate Marble Cheesecake

This recipe is from Wilton Recipes and is the perfect combination of chocolate and original cheesecake flavor. It's absolutely perfect, please enjoy!

Chocolate Marble Cheesecake

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Ingredients:

Crust
20 creme filled chocolate sandwich cookies (2 cups ground)
2 tablespoons Melted butter
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Filling
4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese , softened
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract Easy-Add vanilla extract
3 squares (3 ounces) semi-sweet baking chocolate , melted

Makes:
Serves 16.

Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 325º. Place a large shallow pan of water in bottom of oven. For crust, lightly grease 10-inch springform pan with vegetable pan spray. In food processor, grind cookies until fine. Combine cookie crumbs with melted butter and sugar; press into bottom and up sides of pan. Bake 8 minutes; cool completely.

2) Lower oven temperature to 250°F. In mixer bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping often. Beat in sour cream, vanilla and cornstarch until mixture is smooth. Place 3 cups of the batter in a small bowl; stir in melted chocolate until well blended. Using large scoop, alternately scoop plain and chocolate batters over crust. Use a wooden pick to swirl together, forming a marble effect.

3) Bake 1 hour-1 1/4 hours or until filling is set but still jiggles slightly in center when pan is gently shaken. Turn oven off and with door closed allow cheesecake to remain in oven for 1 hour. Cool on wire rack. Refrigerate 3-4 hours or overnight.