Cotton Candy Cocktails & My Two-Year Blogiversary!

I cannot believe it has been two entire years since I first stepped foot on this blog journey.  It really has been an amazing ride filled with ups, downs and everything in between.  I asked my husband last night, "Can you believe it has already been two years?"  He replied, "I honestly feel like you've always been doing this."  Though Cooking Creation has only been in existence for two years, it has become an integral  part of who I am.  I want to sincerely thank all of my faithful followers and subscribers for all of your kind comments, constructive criticisms and helpful suggestions.  

Quite a few things have changed since last year.  Cooking Creation now has a Facebook page, is on Pinterest, uses Twitter (sparingly), was featured on the front page of AOL.com and has been featured weekly in the Pottstown Mercury newspaper both in print and online.  One of my greatest joys has been cooking side-by-side with my daughter and seeing her love for cooking and baking grow.  My husband's palate has expanded and I proudly no longer consider him a picky eater.  He has even been watching cooking shows on his own.  I have gained confidence in cooking and baking, enough so that I have joined my church's bake team for Sunday mornings and meals group for those who need help with dinner after surgery, childbirth, etc.  

About a week ago, I asked my readers, family and friends for suggestions about what to post for my anniversary and I had a lot of great responses.  A friend of mine suggested that I post something that has to do with the traditional two-year anniversary gift of cotton, such as cotton candy.  It was a brilliant idea and I jumped all over it!  Thanks, Mona!  My first thought was to simply make cotton candy and do a tutorial but I wasn't really looking forward to the sticky mess.  For my one-year blogiversary, I made a three tier cake (which became known as humble pie) but I wanted to do something other than bake this time.  I decided that this year, I was going to do a simple cocktail to celebrate -- a cotton candy cocktail.

This is a sweet, pretty cocktail that is a lot of fun.  You simply place a heaping bunch of cotton candy into your cocktail glass, pour the liquid over it and watch it dissolve into a pretty pink (or blue) cocktail.  This would also be super cute for a kid's birthday party... but make sure you leave out the vodka!    

Please celebrate this special day with me by raising your cotton candy cocktails.  Here's to cooking with and for family and friends for many more years to come!  Salute!

"The Best Carrot Cake"

(A special thank you to my sister, Monica, who took the picture of my carrot cake before it was sliced to pieces at the party.)

On February 11, 2012, my family got together for dinner to celebrate my Grandmommy's would-be 80th birthday.  For the dinner menu, we all brought dishes that she used to make.  When I was very young, one of my favorite things that she used to do was cut up little cubes of cheese and stick toothpicks in them for an appetizer.  As simple as that was, I always looked forward to it because I was (and still am) a cheese addict, so I brought that to the party.  Some other things she used to make were Waldorf salad; macaroni salad with green olives, cucumbers and eggs; green jello mold with walnuts; German chocolate cake; and, what I decided to contribute, carrot cake.  Unfortunately, I didn't have her carrot cake recipe but the one I did have was exceptional.  The recipe originated from SouthernLiving.com but I found it on MyRecipes and chose it because of the rave reviews.  I followed the recipe for the most part with the exception of adding nutmeg, subtracting some cinnamon and halving the buttermilk glaze because there was too much of it (this is all reflected in my recipe).  It was deemed "the best carrot cake I've ever had" from multiple people at the party -- and I agree!  The buttermilk glaze is what really puts this cake over the top.  It is so moist, flavorful and a definite must-try!  It is a very rich and sweet carrot cake that needs very little frosting.  

Mini Red Velvet Cakes Dipped in White Chocolate

Chances are, as you're reading this, my husband and I are up in the air on our way to an island to celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary.  While we're having fun in the sun, I planned ahead and scheduled some Valentine's Day recipe posts to share with you.  These little cakes are a perfect Valentine's Day dessert.  They are adorable and delectable.  

How do you normally celebrate Valentine's Day?  Do you go out to dinner or do you prepare a special dinner for your significant other?

Tomato Bruschetta with Chipotle-Aioli Sauce

We had cod with chipotle-aioli sauce one night this week for dinner and I wanted to use up the remaining sauce before it went bad.  I decided to use it to make bruschetta (being the bruschettoholic that I am) and it turned out fabulous.  The sauce is creamy, slightly tangy, garlicy and has a little kick and smokiness from the chipotle peppers.  Pair that with sweet tomato, mozzarella cheese and crunchy bread and that spells heaven!  Aioli sauce is an emulsion, which means it contains two or more ingredients that are normally un-blendable.  For the sauce to come together properly, it is important to very slowly incorporate the olive oil a few drops at a time.  If you don't like the taste of extra-virgin olive oil, you can substitute with equal parts EVOO and vegetable oil or you can substitute completely with vegetable oil.

Cuban Ropa Vieja (Cuban Shredded Beef Stew)

One late night, my husband and I were watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and we simultaneously found ourselves drooling over a restaurant's version of Ropa Vieja.  Ropa Vieja is a Cuban dish, which is Spanish for "old clothes" because it resembles a slew of colorful rags.  This cuisine is new territory for me, so I did some research and decided to base my recipe from Epicurious' version, making a few tweaks here and there as I went.  The verdict?  My husband loved it and asked that it be put into our regular meal rotation.  My 8-year-old daughter asked me to pack it for her school lunch the next day.  Success!  My opinion?  While it did take a lot of time and effort (and dishes!), it was very good!  The leftovers are even better so I would suggest making this a day in advance.  Happy eating!

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

There is something elegant about red velvet cake and it really is a perfect Valentine's Day dessert to impress your significant other with.  This cake is so moist and when paired with the rich cream cheese frosting, it is absolutely divine!  Red velvet cake is not a chocolate cake but it does include some cocoa.  If you prefer a more chocolately taste, add another tablespoon of cocoa powder to the batter.  Delicious!