Asparagus Aficionado

It's asparagus season!  You can typically find asparagus year round, but the freshest stalks are usually available February through June; the actual time may vary a bit depending on your location, but don't hesitate to take advantage of this delicious veggie.  Some tips to help you tackle these stalks:

• Buy firm spears with tightly closed tips and no wrinkles.  Size doesn't necessarily matter - thinner spears are not always more tender than thicker spears.
• Store asparagus bunches in the refrigerator for up to four days - simply wrap the bottoms of the spears in a damp paper towel and place in an unsealed plastic bag.
• The bottoms of the stalks tend to be very "woody," i.e. tough and stringy.  You can either trim the bottom of the spears with a knife or snap the ends off - the asparagus will naturally break where the spear starts to become "woody."

And, did you know - asparagus comes in other colors besides just green.  The white asparagus is milder and softer, while the purple asparagus is slightly sweeter.

Mmm...tasty!

Animal Kingdom

Animals inspire so many things in our everyday lives - fabrics, prints, designs...the list goes on.  Cakes, cupcakes, and cookies certainly aren't exempt from the effect either.

For instance, bunny rabbit and peep chick cookies, accompanied by tulips and crosses for the Easter holiday.

Or a leopard print inspired cake - though not in a color scheme found in nature.

The bow on this cake was HUGE, but oh so fun.  And, it had a very "blingy" center that matched the border on the cake - quite a statement piece.  There were also cupcakes to match.  Have you ever tried to make leopard spots on piped buttercream with more piped buttercream?  It was an interesting experiment that turned out quite a bit better than I expected.

And, yes, those are chocolate cupcakes in wrappers that you can still actually SEE the design on - and it's a black and white design to boot.  The secret?  Wilton's new "ColorCups" baking cups.  I picked some up just to give them a try, never expecting them to work nearly as well as they did.  I'm very impressed - they are actually foil lined so the color from the cupcake doesn't bleed through onto the wrapper.  The cups seem to come in a pretty wide array of colors and designs and I think they add to the line-up fairly regularly.  All I can say is I'm sold!  You can check them out here.

Is it just me or do monkeys and flamingos seem to be everywhere these days?  There's no flamingo on this cake, just an adorable monkey.

I pretty much had free reign to design this one however I chose, just as long as I stuck with a monkey theme and bright colors.  For a first birthday, I thought this one was a super fun choice.

Talk to you soon!

Disclaimer:  Wilton Industries has no idea who I am and they did not ask me to say nice things about their product.  Just wanted to share a product that I love.

Frozen Zest

You never have zest when you need it , right?  And no, I'm not referring to energy for life or the soap, but rather to the yummy goodness you get from citrus skins.  It always seems that I need either fresh citrus juice or zest, but seldom do I need both.  Or is that just what happens to me?

My solution - save the hollowed out rinds after juicing.  Just pop the lemon, lime, or orange rinds into a plastic bag and place them in the freezer.  Next time a recipe calls for zest, just grab one of the frozen rinds and grate!  Added bonus:  frozen rinds are easier to zest, too!

Mmm...tasty!