Melinda’s German Chocolate Icing

By Aurelia

Mmm.. Yum. My husband’s birthday was last week (remember our post on iFly?) Every year he asks for either carrot cake or German chocolate cake, and since we had carrot cake last year, I decided to whip up a batch of gluten-free cupcakes and use his mom’s delicious icing recipe to make them extra special!

I’ve used this recipe before (on a Father-of-the-bride’s cake order for Cake Jubilee). That was when I first learned that German chocolate cakes are the hardest to ice EVER. Seriously. I remember freaking out on the first one thinking I was doomed. But somehow it always comes together.

I frilled up the cupcakes using coconut shavings and chocolate chips, and I also added pecans to the little 6 inch cake. But the icing on these treats is the star of the show. It is absolutely delicious; so much so, that I had to share the recipe! (Also, thanks to Aunt Cindy for my newest cupcake stand!)

Melinda’s German Chocolate Icing: 

Ingredients:

• 1 can of evaporated milk
• 1 cup or so of chopped pecans
• 1 cup or so of dried coconut
• 3 beaten egg yolks
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

• Cook all ingredients in a saucepan over the stove at high heat, stirring often until thick.
• Spread on cake or cupcakes.
• Enjoy with milk!

(I tend to cook it over the stove for about 15 minutes and then refrigerate it until it has reached the desired consistency.)

Sweet Saturday: Grain free cinnamon donuts

By Aurelia

Happy Saturday everyone! It has been quite a while since I’ve done a Sweet Saturday post, but I am so thrilled about today’s subject. Check out these Cinnamon Roll Almond Flour Donuts that I found over at the Roost blog (LOVE this blog). They are a gluten free, grain free DELICIOUS treat that also happen to be totally guilt free as well!

Lyle and his mom both thought they were eating cinnamon donuts with a chocolate topping until I told them that the topping was actually made from medjool dates. They were THAT good and super easy to make. I did make a few changes though, by using xylitol instead of honey, coconut oil instead of ghee, and pecans instead of hazelnuts. I will definitely be making these again soon!

What’s making your Saturday sweet?

A French Occasion

By Aurelia

Recently my friend Lauren, who just so happens to be engaged to a Frenchman (so romantic!), came to visit me, and we spent an entire day cooking some traditional French dishes. It was so FRILLING that I simply had to share! 

For lunch: Salad Lyonnaise

 This is a classic French salad made up of frisee greens (we had to substitute for another green), bacon, a poached egg, and mustard vinaigrette.  Try this recipe if you are interested. I loved it because it tasted wonderful, was filling, and there are essentially no simple sugars involved!

The Wine

We also had our own miniature wine tasting. Only three of the five wines pictured here are actually French because the local grocery store didn’t have a whole lot of French options. However, they were all delicious!

Aperitif

Before dinner, we had an Aperitif, which is a French tradition of snacking before the actual meal. Our Aperitif included a mixture of olives and cheeses, tomatoes and rice crackers. We paired it with a French red wine and red wine blend. I could get used to this custom!

For Dinner: Poelee de Saint-Jacques et gambas

YUM! This shrimp dinner was absolutely FRILLING. We served it with Jasmine rice and a white wine. We also added Tony’s cause we’re both from Louisiana, and we just couldn’t help ourselves! Get the recipe here.

For Dessert: Mousse Au Chocolat 

For dessert, we made Julia Child’s chocolate mousse, and it was TO DIE FOR. Seriously, I ate it for breakfast AND lunch the next day. And the day after that, I rushed home from school, left all of my things in the car, and ate the last of it straight out of the dish. Seriously – SO GOOD. 

All in all, we had a wonderful night together making some great traditional French dishes and enjoying each other’s company. We decided that French people are able to eat such rich, delicious foods so often because the food isn’t the focus, but rather, it’s about the people you share it with. LOVE. 

Here’s to hoping your Saturday is filled with delicious food and delicious people!

- A

Frilling Recipes: Spicy Fries

By Aurelia

One of my favorite go-to, recipes to cook with a simple and fast meal are these spicy fries. First of all, I love spicy food A LOT. I’m talking, i-love-for-my-mouth-to-BURN, I love spicy food so much. Also, these are a fun way to FRILL up a simple meal when you might not be in the mood for a bunch of prep work. Recipe below!

Spicy Fries

Ingredients

• 8 medium-to-large new potatoes, sliced into wedges
• 2 tbls olive oil
• 1/2 tbls chili powder
• 1/2 tbls salt
• 1/2 tbls pepper
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 450
• Add all ingredients in a large tupperware container, seal lid, and toss to coat potatoes evenly.
• Spread onto baking sheet and bake 30-40 minutes, tossing every 15 minutes or so.
• Enjoy!

- Aurelia

3 Frilling Post-Christmas Treats

By Aurelia

Lyle was so excited to have received the Star Wars movies on blue-ray for Christmas, and seeing as how I have never seen them, we decided to watch all six of them in a span of three days. I have to admit, this was not the most exciting prospect in my opinion, so I knew we would have to frill things up a bit with some fun, after Christmas treats – one for each night. 

Everyone knows that it’s nearly impossible to get back on track with things right after Christmas. New Years is just around the corner, so there’s no point in laying off the sweets just yet, right? Recipes below!

Nutty Irishman:

• 1 part Baileys
• 1 part hazelnut Kahlua
• 1 part cream
• Dash of cinnamon 

Amaretto Stone Sour:

• 1 part Tequila
• 1 part Amaretto
• 1 part sweet and sour mix
• 1 part orange juice

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chex Mix:

• Melt and mix together 1 cup of chocolate chips, 1/2 cup of peanut butter, and 1/4 cup butter. Mix in 1 teaspoon of vanilla. 
• Stir chocolate mixture into a bowl of 7 cups of Chex cereal and 2 cups of pretzel sticks (I used gluten free!).
• Pour into a container with 1 and 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and shake well. 
• Let cool on a strip of parchment paper. 

- Aurelia

Roost Recipe

By Aurelia

Yesterday I tried my second recipe from the Roost Blog Fran found recently. The Roost Blog features beautiful foods that are generally grain/sugar/dairy free. AKA: foods I can eat on the Candida Diet!

The first recipe I tried was a carrot cake, and it was A-MA-ZING. I didn’t get pretty picture though so you will never see it in all its glory. 

The recipe I tried last night was a herbed flatbread with prosciutto, arugula pesto, and sheep’s milk cheese, except I used mozzarella cause it’s what I had in stock. The crust was made using almond flour, herbs, coconut oil (she called for ghee, but I didn’t have any), and eggs. I found the whole process simple, and I think it turned out lovely! 

What do you think?

- A

Sweet Saturday: Delicious Homemade Sangria

By Aurelia

I hope you are having as sweet a Saturday as I am! I’m currently basking in the rays of south Louisiana sunshine and sweet family traditions. 

Speaking of family traditions, I think my sister found a new one. Over Father’s Day weekend, we made this Sangria recipe that she had found and was wanting to try. It was delicious! It was a hit! It was so good that I decided to make it again for a friend’s birthday party this week. 

Look how pretty: 

What’s making your Saturday sweet?

- Aurelia

Frilling Friday: 7/1/2011

By Fran

Happy Friday and Happy July everyone! I’m filling in for Fran on this Frilling Friday. Does anyone have any frilling plans for the fourth? I’ll be studying for a final, but after that, my BFF is coming to visit me for a fun Austin holiday. I’ll document our trip and write a post on my favorite Austin spots in a couple of weeks. 

Until then, check out this festive apple pie. If you love to bake, this might be the perfect treat to get your 4th of July party going. 

Also, I LOVE this DIY on 4th of July sparklers. 

And in honor of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their trip to North America, another reason to love Kate Middleton.

This is my crafting pick of the week. Did you find anything good?

And on the style side of things, I’m still loving the Nautical look that’s been so big this spring/summer. This style blog is one of my faves. 

Finally, I’ve been noticing that long skirts are really trending lately. Is there a special name for long skirts? Could someone please tell me so that I can sound more fashion savvy? Anyway, I love how Kendi styles hers on her style blog. Now if only I wasn’t so short. It’s really hard to find a long skirt that doesn’t swallow you when you’re 5’1. 

Did anyone find anything in the blogger world worth sharing this week? Sound off in the comments!

- Aurelia

DIY Summer To-Do List

By Aurelia

I’ve been having so much fun on Pinterest, but I think it’s causing me to become overly ambitious! After sifting through my boards, I have come up with three DIY projects and three recipes that I REALLY want to try out this summer. After that, just call me an over achiever. 

Check out my list below. My hope is to re-post each link along with my version once I’ve finished each project/recipe. 

DIYs:

1. DIY Mirror from The Lettered Cottage: 

My friend pinned this on her Pinterest board. I want to paint mine turquoise, of course. 

2. Ruffled Streamers from Made:

Fran posted this link once on a Frilling Friday post, and I never forgot about it. These are just so fun and fabulous. I love how they add extra flare and frills to your ordinary streamer. 

3. Ruffle Butt Onesie from Ucreate:

I’ve been working on lots of baby gifts lately (4 of my closest friends have had/will be having babies between May and July). I actually had the idea to do the ruffle butt, but didn’t know how to go about it. I rightly assumed that someone else had the idea before me and blogged about it. This is my next project I’ll be working on. 

Recipes

1. DIY Oreos from Annie’s Eats:

These look so fun, and I doubt I’ll make time for them during the school year. Who doesn’t love Oreos?

2. Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade also from Annie’s Eats:

What a perfect summer-time recipe! I can’t wait to try this one.

3. Cupcake Fondue from the Modcloth blog:

I’ve been wanting to try this out ever since I relocated my fondue set. It was given to us as a wedding gift, but we never used it. Four years later, I’ve realized how much I love Fondue and am glad to have my set back! This will be a fun, easy recipe to start out with. 

I’m hoping that by posting these projects/recipes, I might actually do them! I have exactly two weeks until summer officially begins for me, so be on the look out for follow-up posts!

Do you have any fun DIYs or recipes we might like?

- Aurelia

Sweet Saturday: DIY Recipe: Easy Mini-Cinnamon Rolls

By Aurelia

My freshman year of college, my roommate and childhood friend, Amy, used to make these easy mini-cinnamon rolls for me. Every time she made them, I would be EVER so excited. First, cause I love any good sweet-treat, and second, cause I’m a sucker for miniature versions of things. Aren’t mini things just so cute and frilling? 

Luckily, Amy blessed me with the recipe when I moved out, and it hasn’t left my recipe book since. I’m telling you, it’s so simple. Check out the easy steps below: 

1. Pop open a can of biscuits, and spread them out on a flat surface. I suppose if your ambitious you could make them from scratch. Apparently I’m not ambitious. 

2. Using a glass, roll out and flatten each biscuit. 

3. Spread some butter on the biscuits. Then, sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top. 

4. Roll up each biscuit into a log shape. 

5. Slice each log into about 5 or 6 pieces. Place side by side on a baking sheet. 

6. Bake for about 15 minutes or so at 350 degrees. While baking, mix a cup of powdered sugar, 2 tbls of milk (It doesn’t matter what kind. I used coconut; it wasn’t my fave, but still good all the same.), and 1 tsp of almond or vanilla flavoring together for the glaze. 

7. Pour your glaze on top of the rolls and serve immediately. If you love nuts as much as we do, you’ll add chopped pecans for extra FRILLS. Either way, you’ll really enjoy this fun and easy treat. Thanks Amy!

- Aurelia