California Girl Confections

Last Post to this blog!

2011-02-19T16:16:00.000-08:00

Hello~
I will be posting to my Pinks & Needles blog from now on....Come see me over there!

Butterflies & Buttercream DIY Cupcake Kit Giveaway Winner is.....

2010-05-05T10:26:00.001-07:00

Congratulations Sugar Sugar 2010 for winning this fun baking giveaway! Thank you everyone who entered to win! We'll be doing another giveaway really soon!

DIY Cupcake Kit Giveaway! Open until May 5th! Cinco de Mayo!

2010-04-30T15:03:00.000-07:00

This giveaway is for the US only - sorry International friends : ( Don't worry I'll be doing another giveaway soon!
Please leave a comment here if you would like to win this DIY Cupcake Kit! The winner may choose Classic Yellow Cake Mix or Devils Food Cake Mix (hermetically sealed). The kit includes: cake mix for 12 standard cupcakes, rainbow sprinkles, 12 cupcake liners, a PDF to make your own Cupcake Toppers (as shown in the picture) and last but not least a tote bag sewn by me with fabric I designed : ) The lining of the bag is a pretty white background with butterflies that match the outside of the tote bag! A perfect gift for a friend or a good excuse to bake some cuppies of your own! Please note frosting not included! Open to US only! Sorry International peeps...I'll be doing another giveaway soon Worldwide Welcome!

Here's what's inside:

Happy Baking!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-01-29T06:10:00.000-08:00

I baked these a while ago and forgot to post. So here they are a little late. I used the original Toll House recipe on the back of the chocolate chip bag and then added a ton of shredded coconut to add chewiness and a little crunch. My mom and I both love crunchy cookies. I like soft too but there's something really satisfying about taking a bit out of something and hearing it crunch! I love these particular cookies right out of the freezer too! Yum!
So here's the ingredients:

Here's the cookie dough all balled up via a melon baller. The regular recipe made 84 small cookies! That way you can eat 3 and not feel totally guilty! Only 2.5 grams of fat per cookie (not including the healthy fat from the walnuts. Never count healthy fat!

The final resting place in the cookie jar (which I bought at Wal-Mart over the holidays). I think it was under $5! I love it because it has an old fashioned feel to it - don't you think?

Until next time........ : )

Potato Kale Soup

2010-01-11T21:37:00.000-08:00

My mom used to make this all the time! I love soup in Winter and seriously make a pot every week while it's cold here in Arizona!
This one is easy and seems to do well if you add extras to it like today I had some celery, mini peppers and broccoli that normally doesn't go in it : )The flavor is heavenly!

Easy Fire Roasted Salsa

2009-12-31T08:10:00.000-08:00

I have made salsa for years and I always like to experiment with ingredients : ) This time around I used fire roasted canned tomatoes instead of petite diced canned tomatoes! Final result? Delish!!!

Ingredients:

2 small cans fire roasted tomatoes (undrained)
1/2 bunch cilantro (chopped)
1/3 - 1/2 of a red onion (chopped) - depends on how oniony you like it
1 whole fresh jalapeno (seeds included) - I love super spicy so I keep all the seeds
juice from 1/2 of a lime
olive oil (float a bit on top once it's in a storage container - this helps to keep it fresh)

Options: serrano peppers instead of jalapeno - in case you like it really hot!

Once you get all your ingredients ready - put it into a food processor and pulse a few times until it's a nice small chunky salsa - that's it!

I do not add salt since most tortilla chips are riddled with it. I feel adding salt to the salsa itself makes it way too salty : )

My Gramma's Cranberries

2009-11-27T07:26:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone - a day late! I wanted to post this before Thanksgiving but I didn't have a chance to. I had to wing this recipe since I couldn't find my Gramma Mere's recipe, my mom couldn't find her copy and Gramma herself couldn't find hers. So I did it from memory and in my opinion it came out perfect! And it's so easy!

Recipe:
(2) 12 oz bags fresh cranberries - rinsed
(2) c. sugar
(2) c. water

Bring these ingredients to a boil and and let them cook about 10-12 minutes. They'll start popping and making noise : )

They look like cranberries in the snow!

They're starting to pop!

At the end of about 12 minutes they've reduced down to this!

Remove the cranberries from the stove and let them cool a bit.

Meanwhile zest 3 nice size oranges and juice 2 of them. You'll hopefully end up with about 3/4 of a cup of juice. Set aside zest and juice.

Take about half of the cooling cranberries and push them through a sieve. The idea is to push them through to release the pectin (that's what makes it thicken as it cools). Don't throw away what's left behind in the sieve!!! That's where all the nutrition is! Mix it all together with the other half of the cooling cranberries that didn't get pushed through the sieve.

Add your orange juice and zest to the cranberries and mix well : )

You'll end up with this! The color is amazing! The taste is out of this world! You'll never want to eat congealed cranberry out of a can ever again!

I love this cranberry on pancakes, waffles, vanilla ice cream, and my favorite marzipan white on white cupcakes I'll be blogging about in my next post!

And the Winner is.............

2009-11-02T14:10:00.003-08:00

Catherine of Mrs. Toad Designs!!!!
Thank you to all who participated in Pinks & Needles First Blog Giveaway! Catherine will be receiving this handmade Holiday Cupcake Ornament made by me with lots and lots of LOVE!!!
Be sure to check out Catherine's blog at:
Mrs. Toad Designs
See you all for our Big Re-Opening of Pinks & Needles on Etsy Monday November 16th! Tons of fun Holiday gifts will be available! We'll be hosting another Blog Giveaway for the month of December - please stay tuned!

See you all for our Big Re-Opening of Pinks & Needles on Etsy! Tons of fun Holiday gifts will be available! We'll be hosting another Blog Giveaway for the month of December - please stay tuned!

My Very First Blog Giveaway!!!!!!

2009-10-19T09:50:00.001-07:00

Choose which blog you would like to follow by clicking on "Follow Blog" at the top of the page. I keep 4 blogs current (listed below)! Choose to follow 1 or more. The more blogs you follow the better your chances for winning! I will enter your name in once for each blog you follow : )
Pinks & Needles Blog a place to keep up to date with my Etsy shop Pinks & Needles!
California Girl Confections a place where I share recipes!
California Girl at Heart a place where I share fun things!
California Kiss Studio a place where I share art!
I will be giving away a lovely handmade surprise to the Lucky person who's name I pull from a hat on November 1st!!!!!!
Please note: you can comment here but in order to be entered into the drawing you must "follow" me at 1 or more of my 4 blogs : )
Thank you so much! I look forward to my first giveaway!!!! If you are already a follower you will automatically be entered into the drawing!

Homemade Limoncello

2009-10-14T15:40:00.000-07:00

I've never made Limoncello before but have wanted to for years! I searched the internet over and over for a recipe that had a long steeping time and this is the one I found. ~Patty's Recipe from California
So far I have only done Step 1. I used the zest of 21 California grown lemons....I hand peeled the first 2 lemons but I was getting little bits of the white so I switched gears to zesting instead. I had quick results as far as the color of the brew changing from clear to bright yellow so I'm thinking it's going to be a good batch!!! Tune in in 2 weeks (October 27th) for Step 2! I should mention too that I used Tito's Vodka from Austin Texas. They have excellent ratings! Beating out Grey Goose & Kettle One among others!

Campy Cotton Candy Cake

2009-10-11T15:07:00.001-07:00

The easiest recipe ever! Bake a white cake as directed. I tinted my batter the lightest color pink. For filling: Mix 2 c. sugar with 2 c. sour cream and 1 bag of coconut together ( I tinted mine aqua - hence the cotton candy refrence ). Add one container of cool whip to about 1 c. of the filling mixture - this is what you will frost the top and sides of the cake with. Once the cake is cooled split the 2 layers so you have 4. Spread the filling in between the layers and then frost with the Cool Whip mixture! You're suppose to refrigerate this cake for 4 days!!!!!! I can't wait that long!!! But if you think you can hold out before you dig in - by all means do so! It mellows and makes the moistest cake on the planet!!!

Pumpkin Coconut Bread

2009-10-07T10:19:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe on www.allrecipes.com. Originally submitted by Donna Abbott
This is a wonderful recipe!! My husband is a huge fan of coconut so when I told him about it - he was thrilled! The bread itself is very dark but I think it's becasue of the brown sugar in the ingredients. I didn't over bake it but it might look that way. It's very moist and chewy too : )

Ingredients:

* 2 cups white sugar
* 1 cup packed brown sugar
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 4 eggs
* 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
* 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon ground allspice
* 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 2/3 cup water
* 1 cup flaked coconut
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

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DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.
2. Mix together sugars, oil, and eggs. Mix in pumpkin. Add flour, salt, soda, and spices, and then water. Stir together until just moistened. Stir in coconut and nuts. Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake for 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Pumpkin Breads ~ Squirrely Little Pans

2009-09-24T15:15:00.000-07:00

The first week of Fall is really here! And it seems like it's been a horribly long Summer! Especially since we live in the desert - Hot desert I should say!
What better way to celebrate (the weather throwing hints anyway) that cooler days are upon us than to bake up some yummies!

I found this recipe on All Recipes. It's called Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread! Submitted by Laurie Bennett who states: "This is a great old Maine recipe, moist and spicy. The bread actually tastes even better the day after it is baked. Great for holiday gift giving!"

INGREDIENTS

* 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
* 4 eggs
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 2/3 cup water
* 3 cups white sugar
* 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (I used All Spice instead)
* 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
3. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

The loaf pans I used are small so I baked them for 30 minutes then rotated them in the oven and covered them loosely with foil. I think I baked them another 10 minutes and then turned out perfect!

Barbadian Pound Cake Turned Strawberry Shortcake

2009-08-30T20:22:00.001-07:00

Strawberry Shortcake
Originally uploaded by Gigi & Big Red

As promised! Here's the finished product! It's amazing how much real whipped cream vs. canned can make or break a dessert!

Ingredients for Barbadian Pound Cake

2009-08-28T06:53:00.001-07:00

Ingredients for Barbadian Pound Cake
Originally uploaded by Gigi & Big Red

I found this recipe online from Bernadette Beekman

She is quoted as saying:

"My grandmother, Gladys Payne Gittens, came here from Barbados about 1906. She read this to me over the phone when I was in law school in 1978. Thanks to my friend Elayne, the Soulful Yenta, to whom I gave a copy, I was able to find this on Mother's Day. It's a great simple pound cake, good with tea."

INGREDIENTS

* 1 1/2 cups white sugar
* 2 cups butter
* 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 4 eggs
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* 1 tablespoon almond extract
* 2 cups milk

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Lightly grease and flour one 9 or 10 inch bundt pan.
2. By hand with a spatula cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs all at once and beat well.
3. Sift the flour and the baking powder together. Add to butter mixture along with 1 cup of the milk. Continue to beat well (the batter will be doughy). Add the remaining 1 cup of milk along with the vanilla, and almond extracts. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
4. Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 1 hour. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and continue baking for 15 minutes longer.

Note from Gigi: it seems my oven has a mind of it's own so I was a little worried about over baking it at such a high temperature. i did cover it with foil the last 10 minutes or so.

But it turned out delightful! Very moist!

Big Red's 34th Birthday coming up!

2009-08-25T13:17:00.001-07:00

Well how sad is it that I haven't blogged in a year! Whoops! Hubby's birthday is in a couple of days! This year he requested strawberry shortcake! Sounds delicious and easy enough to make! I promise to post pics of the "real" delectable fruity goodness soon! For now I leave you with a picture of my newest obsession Re-Ment. These are Japanese miniatures - so life like! So real! It's hard not to get hungry when I'm playing around with my stash! The detail is amazing as you can see!!!

Big Red's 33rd Birthday!

2008-09-15T09:23:00.000-07:00

We don't have a Sprinkles Cupcake Shop close to us here in Tucson so I went to Williams Sonoma and bought the DIY cupcake kit : ) They turned out lovely but were extremely rich. There's 3 sticks of butter in 12 cupcakes! Yikes! I love the look of them probably a little more than the taste. When I bake my own cupcakes they're usually much lighter and make me feel way less guilty : )

A Bit Behind Schedule

2008-03-30T09:53:00.000-07:00

I'm just now getting around to posting a mosaic of all my baking for February! The sadest thing is that March's baking journal is sparse and lonely. I haven't had much time to spend in the kitchen these past five weeks....but it's been a good trade off. It's not that I haven't been creative ~ just into a different medium these days...polymer clay. The opening of my etsy shop has been life changing.

But enough about that and back to baking! February 17th was my birthday and I always love to bake up a storm right around then so here's a few of the things I baked up for my birthday month.

I actually had a hankering for cupcakes last night and whipped up a batch! I'll post pics soon!

Welcome to the Circus!

2008-02-02T15:08:00.001-08:00

Busy today baking fun whimsical creations! I'm always inspired this time of year because my birthday is right around the corner. The wooden animal candle holders are from my 5th birthday! They are still in very good condition ~ my mom gave them to me a few years ago as a birthday gift : )

Frost Tah Tahs

2008-01-30T07:06:00.000-08:00

These cuppies turned out so good. My husband has named them Frosty Tah tahs : ) Cute eh? Theses are a yellow cake with pink buttercream and coconut topped with a Meiji strawberry chocolate candy! Delish! I pack my husband a lunch for work and instead of putting in a messy cupcake I put in his favorite chocolate candy Reese's Peanut Butter Cups : ) thinking he'd be happy with that...I guess not. He told me when he got home from work it was the first time he was dissapointed to see those in his lunch- he says it's becasue of the cupcakes he was dreaming about all morning long...poor guy...he's so deprived!

Easy Recipe for Coconut Ice

2008-01-19T13:43:00.001-08:00

Hello Naomi posted a couple of gorgeous pix of her pink and white treats COCONUT ICE! She reminded me of how much I love this special treat and how easy it is to make : ) I made some last night and kind of put a little twist on it : )

Recipe as follows:

In a large mixing bowl combine (on low speed):

1 lb. confectioners sugar (about 4 cups)
I and 1/2 bags of Sweetend Coconut
1 can of Sweetend Condensed Milk
1 t. Vanilla extract

You will have to scrape the mixing bowl a few times. Make sure it's all good and mixed (it will be VERY sticky!). Remove about 1/2 of the mixture and press into a 7 X 7 in pan lined with waxed paper. I dipped my hands in powdered sugar before pressing because this stuff is like sticky glue!
Add a couple of drops of Red food coloring into the remaining 1/2 of the mixture and mix until a nice pretty pink color emerges. You can tint it any color you choose depending upon the holidays! Green for St. Patty's Day, Orange for Halloween etc.
Now press this layer on top of the white layer.

I added a chocolate layer to mine and it makes it more like a Mounds Candy bar!!! Mmmm yummy!
If desired melt about 1/2 bag of chocolate chips with a couple of T. of half and half and spread evenly over the top. Cover with foil or plastic wrap . Chill for a few hours or it's best to chill it over night.
Use your sharpest non serrated edge knife and cut into squares. I got about 50 pieces. They're very rich and look beautiful laid on their sides so you can see the three layers!
Keeps well in the freezer.

Super duper easy recipe ~ great for making with kids because it's no bake!

Thanks again Naomi! I had forgotten all about COCONUT ICE! I'm so glad to have made it again and this time with a twist~ I bet chopped up cherry chips would be delish to add too...

Guten Tag Cupcake Lovers!

2008-01-17T14:19:00.001-08:00

Just a quick batch of Old Fashioned Applesauce Spice Cuppies with Lemon~Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting I whipped today. I was in the mood for some comfort food!

Mushroom Cottage ~ Sweet Real Estate

2007-12-10T22:07:00.001-08:00

I finally finished my little cottage today! I wish I would've kept track of my hours I put into it but I didn't. I'm guessing probably around 4-5 maybe give or take.

Gingerbread Mushroom Cottage ~ Striped

2007-12-08T22:24:00.001-08:00

Gingerbread Mushroom Cottage ~ Striped
Originally uploaded by Gigi & Big Red

Just messing around with gingerbread today! It's so fun to work with because it's resilent!

Sex and the City Cookie

2007-12-07T14:38:00.001-08:00

Cosmo Girl Cookie
Originally uploaded by Gigi & Big Red

For my sister to go with a set of cute dishes I got for her.

Cupcake Cookie

2007-12-07T14:14:00.001-08:00

Cuppie Cookie
Originally uploaded by Gigi & Big Red

Another cookie for my sister. I made her a cover for an ice pack I'm giving her. She's a ballerina and always seems to need an ice pack for one thing or another : )

Pink & Brown Skull Cookie

2007-12-07T14:12:00.001-08:00

Skull Cookie
Originally uploaded by Gigi & Big Red

For my sister to match with a notebook I got for her.

Hope there's lotsa monkying around!

2007-12-07T14:11:00.001-08:00

Monkey Love Cookie
Originally uploaded by Gigi & Big Red

I made this to match a DVD case I bought for my sister. I'm going to give her the movie Curious George for Christmas.

Stocking Stuffer Cookies

2007-12-07T14:08:00.001-08:00

Poinsettia Cookies
Originally uploaded by Gigi & Big Red

These are for my parents stockings this year. I will post pix of their stockings "stuffed" in a bit!

Peppermint Cookie Fudge

2007-12-03T20:48:00.001-08:00

Mmmm Delish!
Originally uploaded by Gigi & Big Red

Every year I make some kind of Peppermint Bark! This year I made fudge with a cookie crust and Peppermint Crunch. It looks really good ~ and I'm forcing myself not to eat it right now!!!

Delicate Pink Heart Gingerbread Hearts

2007-12-02T16:41:00.001-08:00

Delicate Pink Heart Gingerbread Hearts
Originally uploaded by Gigi & Big Red

These have hopefully made it to their destinations by now. I was in a Pink Christmas Ornament Swap and gave each girl one of these and they each received a pink feather wreath with "Fa la la la la" ribbon on it also.

Gingerbread Garland

2007-12-02T16:38:00.001-08:00

Gingerbread Garland for Swap
Originally uploaded by Gigi & Big Red

This is a fun way to give cookies to friends, especially the ones who love to decorate for the holidays. I have a feling this will go on Kirsten's fireplace mantle.

Pinky Horsey Cookie

2007-12-02T16:35:00.001-08:00

A Horse of Course Cookie
Originally uploaded by Gigi & Big Red

My girlfriend loves to ride horses so I made this cookie for her. The wrapped gift is a horse calander.

Zorro the Black Lab Cookie

2007-12-02T16:31:00.001-08:00

Zorro the Black Lab Cookie
Originally uploaded by Gigi & Big Red

My brother in law and his wife have a hunting dog Zorro who just happens to be the sweetest Black Lab ever! I wanted to dedicate my love to him!

Match the Wrap with the Cookie!

2007-12-02T16:28:00.001-08:00

Gingerbread Dots Cookie
Originally uploaded by Gigi & Big Red

The holidays are the only time of year when I do this but it has become a habit of mine!

Gingerbread Man

2007-12-02T07:37:00.001-08:00

Gingerbread Man for my Dad
Originally uploaded by Gigi & Big Red

It's officially the time of year when my husband comes home from work and exclaims......"Mmmm whatcha baking?" Gingerbread more than likely!!! I can't think of a Christmas in my adult years where I haven't baked these little gems!!! They fill the house with a delightful aroma and I always use extra cinnamon!!!
Recipe coming soon....

Quick Mississippi Mud Cake

2007-10-04T08:23:00.001-07:00

Here's a quick dessert that makes a huge impression! Adapted from my friend in 6th grade Angela White's mom's recipe for Mississippi Mud Cake Brownies.
I change things up a bit and add or subtract according to what's in my pantry. This time I used:
Devils Food Cake Mix (Bake in a 13X9 as directed).Wait until it cools and then spread a jar of Marshmallow Creme over the top.Sprinkle with Coconut (Toasted if you like) and then I added a lot of Chopped Pecans on top of that! I had some left over Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips that I melted and added a scant amount of milk to make it thin. Drizzle the Chocolate over the top and thats it! The cake turned out really light and fluffy because I used "Smart Balance" oil. It's high in Omega Three Fatty Acids and good for you at the same time!

Wedding Cookies

2007-09-22T22:03:00.001-07:00

I made these a while back for a bridal shop in Santa Barbara, CA. They took uber amounts of time, but the effects came out right nice! They were made from a Classic Shortbread recipe (Martha of course) and I iced them with Royal Icing, Edible 14K Gold and Dragees!

Come Visit Me Too at: California Girl Weddings

2007-09-16T12:24:00.000-07:00

Even though I got married 3 years ago in June I still love to keep up with the Wedding Trends of today! At California Girl Weddings Blog we will be dedicated to every Creative aspect the DIY Bride might want to dabble in! Please feel free to share your thoughts!

Click on "California Girl Weddings" Blog above to see more!

Thanks for stopping by,

Gigi Minor

Chocolate Panna Cotta Pie

2007-09-15T18:32:00.000-07:00

I make this pie about once a year! I love the meringue piled extra high so I make a double batch! It's so delicious! The higher quality of chocolate you can get your hands on the better! Oreo cookies make the crust!

Corsets for Nibbling!

2007-09-15T15:15:00.000-07:00

I was inspired to make these when I saw a drawing that resembled Madonna in a pretty cute lacy ensemble! I wish they had a cookie cutter for corsets ~ I had to hand cut each one! It would've made these go a little faster!

Other Uses for Cigarette Cookies

2007-09-15T09:57:00.000-07:00

Caramel Apples never looked so Good! I used Kraft Caramels and after Dipping them I Rolled them in Crushed Honey Roasted Peanuts! I used regular Wooden Popsicle Sticks in these and then put the Cigarette Cookie over to hide the stick!

Candy Warhol Cookies

2007-09-15T09:26:00.000-07:00

My love for Pop Culture somehow transformed into these little heart cookies!