Until next time,
Pumpkin Pie Bread Pudding & Le Creuset #Giveaway
Until next time,
Disclaimer: I received a dozen Pinata Apples from Stemilt to use for a recipe. All opinions are my own.
I love Brunch! You can probably tell from when I hosted BrunchWeek this past May. I don’t think Brunch needs a special occasion – just good food and good company. Hash House A Go Go took care of the good food. As far as the good company, Mr. Love & Confections, our friend Susan, Marilyn from Forkful and a few of her friends joined us for a fabulous brunch.
We went on a busy Saturday morning, and I would highly recommend making a reservation, especially with a group as big as ours. We got seated pretty fast and the only drawback was that they didn’t actually have a table big enough for our group. We had to add a small table to the end of one of their large booths to have everyone fit.
A few people at the table got some of their fun drinks and coffee. After Baby L&C comes, I am definitely going there for happy hour! The drinks looked fun and delicious and the coffee hit the spot.
Hash House A Go Go’s tagline boasts its “twisted farm food”. Their take on traditional dishes was awesome and the portions were huge! Susan’s BLT came out to the table first and then we knew what we were getting in to.
Everyone was wide-eyed as their order was set down in front of them, salivating as each plate came. The food kept coming and kept getting bigger by the plate.
The biscuits were so good and the pictures don’t do them justice. They were so tall, flaky and moist. I had the Griddled French Toast dipped in a Banana Cinnamon Cream with Pecan Maple Syrup.
Mr. Love & Confections had the Tractor Driver Combo with the Brown Sugar Banana Flapjack – He used his had as a reference to how big the flapjack actually was! It was DELICIOUS and next time I go, I am getting that!
for more information on the restaurant including locations, hours and menu, visit the Hash House A Go Go Website!
Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!
Disclaimer: I was not compensated for or asked to write about this restaurant. All opinions are my own.
Sometimes things don’t always go your way. The promotion and/or raise doesn’t happen, something is broken and needs fixing at home, an opportunity passes by. Sometimes it gets you down. The same thing happens in the pastry world. A souffle falls, cracked and ‘footless’ macarons, mousse doesn’t set, cakes stick to the pan. This cake is my dilemma.
So what should I do when a delicious cake, that supposedly doesn’t need a greased pan, doesn’t come out properly? Cover it with frosting! Put on a happy face and cover up the mess. Sometimes that is the best solution – the only solution.
Nothing was wrong with the cake, other than the fact that it didn’t come out easily and the top looked ugly. It was devoured in a day by co-workers, but I am still disappointed. I know I shouldn’t be, but I am. So back to the drawing board. It’s tart and sweet at the same time. Some people might think it too heavy for a chiffon cake, but I kind of like it.
“Most of us are acutely aware of our own struggles and we are preoccupied with our own problems. We sympathize with ourselves because we see our own difficulties so clearly. Ian MacLaren noted, ‘Let us be kind to one another, for most of us are fighting a hard battle.'”
Citrus Chiffon Cake
Citrus Chiffon Cake adapted from About Professional Baking
Citrus Frosting is a Love & Confections original recipe
Citrus Chiffon Cake Ingredients:
– 255 grams sifted Cake Flour
– 50 grams Granulated Sugar #1
– 12 grams Baking Powder
– 3 grams Salt
– 120 milliliters Canola Oil
– 95 grams Egg Yolks, room temperature
– 120 milliliters cold, freshly squeezed Orange Juice
– 30 milliliters freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
– 30 milliliters freshly squeezed Lime Juice
– 12 grams Orange Zest
– 12 grams Lemon Zest
– 12 grams Lime Zest
– 224 grams Egg Whites, room temperature
– 1 gram Cream of Tartar
– 255 grams Granulated Sugar #2
Citrus Frosting Ingredients:
– 113 grams unsalted Butter (1 stick)
– 300 grams Powdered Sugar, sifted
– 1 tablespoon Lime Juice
– 2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
– 3 tablespoons Orange Juice
Citrus Chiffon Cake Directions:
– Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature before starting. Preheat oven to 310F. Zest, then juice Oranges, Lemons and Limes. If using a false-bottom tube pan, do not grease – as per the original recipe instructions. I chose to use a bundt pan and neglected to grease it – hence the cake fail. If using a bundt pan, I suggest greasing it and cutting the recipe down by 1/3.
– Sift together Cake Flour, Granulated Sugar #1, Baking Powder and Salt into a medium mixing bowl.
– Whisk in Oil, Egg Yolks, Juices and Zest and blend until smooth.
– Whip Egg Whites in an extremely clean bowl of your stand mixer until foamy. Add in Cream of Tartar and whip until soft peaks form. Gradually add in Granulated Sugar #2 and whip until stiff peaks form.
– Whisk 1/3 of the whipped egg whites into the cake batter to “lighten”.
– Gently fold in the remaining egg whites in two additions with a rubber spatula, being careful not to over-mix and deflate the whites.
– Pour the batter into your chosen cake pan and bake for 30-45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean – time depends on the size of your pan and the amount of batter used
– If using a tube pan with metal tabs, cool upside-down, if using a bundt pan, let it cool right-side-up – you can attempt to turn it upside-down if you dare.
Citrus Frosting Directions:
– Melt Butter over medium-low heat.
– While butter is melting, whisk together the Powdered Sugar and Lime, Lemon and Orange Juices until combined.
– While whisking, pour melted butter over the sugar juice mixture. If you don’t use it immediately, the frosting starts to crust – just re-whisk to smooth it out.
– Pour over Chiffon Cake and enjoy!
Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!
Disclaimer: I was in no way compensated for this post in regards to the external links – I just happen to love the product. All opinions are my own.
Since the weather has been in the mid 90s here in Central Florida, I have been experimenting and enjoying making homemade ice cream over the past few weeks. To start off, this ice cream is awesome! I don’t mean to brag, but my light bulb idea turned out really well this time… you know when you have the “light bulb”, right? Believe me when I say, you HAVE to make this. This ice cream is friends, family and local chef/food truck owner approved!
So my light bulb idea started when I made a huge batch of Key Lime Curd. It was delicious, and I put it in various things, including these amazing Key Lime Cupcakes. I had quite a bit left over and decided to combine it with one of my all-time favorite sweets – ice cream. Added some sweetened condensed milk and toasted graham crackers… and Key Lime Pie Ice Cream was born.
This Key Lime Ice Cream is a 2 day process – but so worth it! I love the taste and texture. It stays creamy and easy to scoop, even after days in the freezer. I don’t particularly like rock solid ice cream that is hard to scoop and goes from impossible to eat in one minute to melted in the next.
On a side note, thank you Chef Tony from Big Wheel Truck & Big Wheel Provisions and Lake Meadow Naturals for making farm-fresh eggs available to the public! If you are in the Orlando, FL area, you can pick up fresh eggs from Big Wheel, Monday nights at the Audubon Park Community Market, or directly from the LMN Farm Store. Please check the Lake Meadow Naturals website for store hours and information.
Key Lime Pie Ice Cream
a Love & Confections original recipe
Key Lime Pie Ice Cream Ingredients:
– 350 grams Whole Milk
– 120 grams Heavy Cream
– 100 grams Egg Yolks
– 140 grams Granulated Sugar
– 200 grams prepared Key Lime Curd
– 200 grams Sweetened Condensed Milk
– 200 grams toasted & cooled Graham Cracker Crumbs
Key Lime Pie Ice Cream Directions:
Day 1 (Ice Cream Base)
– Bring Milk and Heavy Cream to a slight simmer in a small sauce pan, careful not to boil it.
– While Milk & Heavy Cream are heating, crack eggs into medium bowl (bowl needs to be big enough to contain the egg and milk/heavy cream mixture). Add Sugar and whisk together
– Temper* the warm milk & cream into yolks
– Return the whole mixture to the sauce pan and heat to around 105F or nappe**
– Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.
– Once cooled, store in the fridge, with a lid, for up to 5 days.
– Place ice cream attachment/bowl in the freezer at least 24 hours before churning
Day 2:
– Whisk together the Ice Cream Base, Key Lime Curd and Sweetened Condensed Milk
– Churn according to your ice cream maker manufacture instructions
– Remove ice cream and fold in the toasted Graham Cracker Crumbs
– Store in an airtight, freezer-safe container for no longer than a week (but I’m sure you will devour it before then)
* – Tempering (in this case with eggs) is increasing the temperature of a certain ingredient by gradually adding and constantly whisking a warm/hot item into it. Be careful not to add too much at one time and curdle/scramble the eggs.
** – Coat the back of a wooden spoon in the mixture and run a finger down the middle, if the mixture stays separated and doesn’t run, then you should be good. Be careful not to overcook it and curdle/scramble the eggs.
Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!
This is an example page. It’s different from a blog post because it will stay in one place and will show up in your site navigation (in most themes). Most people start with an About page that introduces them to potential site visitors. It might say something like this:
Hi there! I’m a bike messenger by day, aspiring actor by night, and this is my website. I live in Los Angeles, have a great dog named Jack, and I like piña coladas. (And gettin’ caught in the rain.)
…or something like this:
The XYZ Doohickey Company was founded in 1971, and has been providing quality doohickeys to the public ever since. Located in Gotham City, XYZ employs over 2,000 people and does all kinds of awesome things for the Gotham community.
As a new WordPress user, you should go to your dashboard to delete this page and create new pages for your content. Have fun!
Pancakes are a favorite in my house. We love having them for breakfast or brunch on the weekends, and usually have brinner (breakfast for dinner) at least once a month on a weeknight. Box mix pancakes are definitely easy, but I love homemade pancakes because of all the different flavors you can make.
I associate gingerbread with Winter and the holiday season. There is just something warm and cozy about all those spices that screams Christmastime. I partnered with Florida Dairy Farmers to create an easy and delicious homemade pancake recipe that you will want to make year-round.
Some of the best pancakes are made with buttermilk, but since I don’t use buttermilk often, I end up with a lot left over, so here’s a little trick when it comes to making buttermilk pancakes. I measure my desired amount of milk and add lemon juice to it. Let it sit for 5 minutes and voila! instant buttermilk substitute. If you don’t have lemon juice, you can also use white vinegar, but I personally like the taste with lemon better.
This batter comes out fluffy and the whole kitchen smells delicious. You won’t take much time away from Christmas morning present opening, and everyone will be glad you decided on these homemade gingerbread pancakes! Enjoy!
For more great recipes and inspiration, visit Florida Dairy Farmers on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and YouTube.
By Love and Confections
Yield: 12-15 pancakes
Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!
I have an ongoing relationship with Florida Dairy Farmers as a recipe developer. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Love and Confections possible. This post may contain Amazon Affiliate links – if you make a purchase after clicking the link, the price will not be higher, but a portion of the sale will go towards the sustainability of this website. As always, all opinions are my own.
This post was sponsored by Fresh From Florida as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central, however all opinions expressed are my own.
You can find delicious Fresh From Florida recipes on their website, as well as follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
I have an ongoing relationship with Dixie Crystals as a recipe developer and brand ambassador. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Love and Confections possible. This post may contain Amazon Affiliate links – if you make a purchase after clicking the link, the price will not be higher, but a portion of the sale will go towards the sustainability of this website. As always, all opinions are my own.
The perfectly pink frosting gets its color from cinnamon candies. I warmed some milk and let the candies sit in the milk before straining and adding it to the buttercream. I have seen some people try and pulverize these candies in the food processor, but they are pretty tough. Soaking in milk really brings out the cinnamon flavor and you don’t have to worry about grainy candy bits ruining the frosting. I added 1 small drop of gel food coloring just to brighten up the pink.
Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!
I have an ongoing relationship with Dixie Crystals as a recipe developer and brand ambassador. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Love and Confections possible. This post may contain Amazon Affiliate links – if you make a purchase after clicking the link, the price will not be higher, but a portion of the sale will go towards the sustainability of this website. As always, all opinions are my own.