My PB + J

Black Forest Cupcakes

This post was taken from my cupcake blog, Le Petite Kŭp’kāk. I hardly ever post there anymore because when I get orders they are usually for the same flavors but there are some creative flavor combos over there. I think I might start sharing a recipe every Tuesday for a “Too-Sweet Tuesday”. What do you all think? This recipe was first published in 2010 a week after my Grandma passed. Since I first hit that orange publish button it has been the #1 recipe viewed on that blog, like over 2,000 views. Who would’ve thought? 





Black Forest Cake, also known in Germany as Schwarzwälder Kirsch torte is one of my personal favorites. I am a sucker for cake filled with any type of fresh fruit and custard filling but this one takes that over the top. In order to bake this cake correctly the way they do in Germany you have to soak the cake with Cherry Brandy or Kirsch. In America we commonly see this cake soaked with maraschino cherry juice ,which in my opinion, loses it’s flavor in the chocolate cake. The Kirsch has a smooth, robust kick that pairs nicely with the cherries and chocolate. When baking this cake you have several options for cherries; if you take the canned route you will find black cherries in syrup (think cherry pie filling) or you will find tart cherries in water. If time is not an issue you can make your own with a few simple ingredients: a pound of fresh pitted black cherries, a cup of sugar and cornstarch. I wanted to bake a traditional German Schwarzwälder Kirsch torte so I purchased the tart cherries. In my opinion the tart cherries are more pleasant with the sweetness of the cake, brandy and hyped up whipped cream. 

For the recipe I used my go-to dark chocolate cake recipe, don’t have one? E-mail me and I will share mine. You could even jazz up some box mix, too! I lined the tins with greaseproof red glassine wrappers from Sweet Cuppin‘ Cakes Bakery and Supplies. Glassine wrappers are nice because they do not show the grease from the butter through the paper. 
Tip: Though most cupcake wrappers say, “greaseproof” they aren’t. Trust me. If you have a gorgeous wrapper, double line it with a plain wrapper to make sure it isn’t ruined by that baked in butter! Unless you use a glassine wrapper. 
Whipped Cream:
  • Whip 1 cup heavy whipping cream until you have soft peaks.
  • Add in 1 cup powdered sugar and 1 Tablespoon of Kirsch. Continue whipping until you have stiff peaks. Do not over beat, it will separate.
Once you bake the cupcakes and they are cooled cut out the centers. Sprinkle a little kirsch or juice into each cupcake, do not over soak, it will go through your wrapper and then you’ll have a soggy cupcake and nobody like a soggy cupcake. Place 1 teaspoon of whipped cream in the center and top with roughly 3-5 cherries. Cut the cone part of the cake tops off and place tops back onto the cupcakes. Pipe whipped cream on with desired tip (I used a round tip). Garnish with chocolate shavings or sprinkles and a chocolate covered cherry.
Perfect for Valentines day, holiday dinners or just for that someone special! 

crunchy barbeque chicken salad

if you’ve known me for a while (in real life) then you know that i have a niche for flavors and telling the spices/ingredients used in a dish. i like to believe that this is one of my god-given talents but helped along by my daddy growing up. when dieting this comes in handy because i can literally take items on the list and make something that is damn tasty. like this crunchy barbeque chicken salad. i guess my restaurant background also helps me think of yummy salads, too! 
the ingredients:
1 head of romaine lettuce, chunky shred
1 jicama, peeled and sliced into sticks  
1 pasilla pepper, seeded and julienned
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into sticks 
1 avocado, diced (this is not approved on cycle 1 of the 17-day diet, but we used it anyway)
1/4 cup fat-free cheese 
4 baked chicken tenders
barbeque sauce (see recipe below)
cilantro dressing (see recipe below) 
here’s how:

in a bowl add in the lettuce and dressing. with the dressing, a little goes a long way so use your best judgement. toss the lettuce to coat. 
place lettuce onto a plate. layer the veggies, then cheese, and chicken. top the salad with a drizzle of the barbeque for some extra sweetness. 
enjoy. super easy and quick for a week night meal, especially if you pre-slice the veggies and cook the chicken! 
barbeque sauce:
(17-day diet adapted recipe)
1/4 cup low-sugar ketchup
a few dashes worchestershire sauce 
1/2 tsp agave
1 tsp chili powder 
mix all the ingredients together. you can marinate the chicken tenders with the sauce like i did and then bake them at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until they are cooked all the way through. 
cilantro vinaigrette: 
(my recipe)
1/2 cup packed cilantro 
1 garlic clove
1-2 TB minced pasilla pepper 
1 TB agave 
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (you could use white)
1-2 TB flax seed oil
1/2 tsp cumin 
salt & pepper to taste 
in a small food processor combine all ingredients and pulsate until you have a creamy, emulsified blend. you can adjust the agave/vinegar ratio depending on your taste. my dressing was slightly sweet, with a big cilantro kick and subtle kick of spice from the pepper. 

a case of the mondays.

so, it’s monday. it feels like a monday. rainy, cold and i am still living with a cold i have had since Christmas. speaking of which, i finally (ahem. the hubby finally called the doctor for me on saturday) got a prescription for antibiotics. i am sure y’all are sick about hearing about my diet-schmiet so it’s throwback myspace monday survey time! thanks to amira over at the shades of gray for the questions (though, they weren’t intended for me, i am high jacking them. 😉 i know amira won’t mind).

My questions from Amira 

one : Share the last item that you pinned on Pinterest:
 I pinned this bedroom. We are currently looking at new houses so I am dreaming of new bedrooms. 


two: If you could snap your fingers and be qualified for any career in the world, what would you be? 
tough one. i am a jack of all trades. deep down, if i woke up fully qualified; own a bakery or be a photographer.

three: What would you do with a million dollars?
 buy my dream house, have a clean slate, money for the kids for college. 

four: What are the first 3 blogs you look at each day?

five: Show us a picture of your dream house. 
something a little like this. 



six: Tell us what you do for a living.
as of right now, a full-time mommy. before brayden i was a restaurant manager. 


seven: Tell us about your dream vacation. 
i love going anywhere but italy is top on my list. 


 eight: What is your #1 pet peeve? 
the sound of food being chomped on. if you ask my hubby, everything is my pet peeve. 

nine: What is your favorite book?
while i have a degree in english i am not one to just pick-up a book and read. i love buying books though. since graduating college the twilight series would have to be my fav. however, i do love cookbooks more!  

ten: Are you a Mac of PC girl?
 mac 

eleven: If you could have one superpower what would it be? 
to have my house clean with the twitch of my nose, toys and all! 



how about you? 

Trop50 True Resolutions

have you gone over to the Trop50 True Resolutions Facebook page where you can earn yourself a $1 off coupon plus 50¢ off coupon for up to fifty of your friends? When you’re there make sure to enter for your chance at one of four $1,000 gift cards they are giving away. make sure to head over to make your true resolution by january 31st.

Have you entered the $50 Spa Week gift card giveaway below? Go now. It ends on Friday!

I received the product mentioned above free of charge for editorial consideration, and I’m also eligible for additional incentives. However, all opinions expressed are 100% my own.

VCUG & rant

first, i need to make a statement: this is my blog! my opinions, my feelings. i share about my family and how we deal with events on a daily basis. yes, my son was born with a cleft lip. before he was born i was scared shitless. the doctors told us he would be born with a cleft lip and palate, parents worry. the feelings i expressed on my blog are honest. my son was born with only half of the original diagnosis, we feel more than blessed. so, to the snarky comments stay away. until you are in my shoes you have no idea what i am going through as a parent, or what my son is going through. i so want to call out the anonymous comments that have been left for me, but you know who are you. if you were once a friend, a complete stranger, i don’t care for you to read my blog. you must be a miserable soul. 
now, that i have gotten that off my chest i can now go on to write about my son whom i have not written about besides his monthly letters because i was scared of a virtual bully. 
when i was pregnant my ob/gyn had informed me that his left kidney was more dilated than the right. when he was a few weeks old we took him to the hospital to have an ultrasound of his kidneys now that he was an outside baby. dr. martinez called a few hours later and said that the left was still in fact a little larger and said radiology would be calling to schedule a vcug. we finally got the call a month later and went in last friday. i was a nervous mess! i just kept smiling at him and he would coo and smile back not knowing what small procedure he was about to endure. i know these things are so routine but it’s just sad to watch them cry out of pain. 
beforehand, while we waited for the doctor he was happy as can be. 
i thought he looked so cute in the oversized gown. 

i had the maturity level of a fourteen-year-old, i had to snap a picture of the gonad shields, they made me giggle. 
looking at his bladder filling up 

we got the results right away. he does not have kidney reflux which is great news! but, his left kidney dilatation is still larger than the right. we should be hearing from his pedi on the next step. probably another ultrasound in a few months to check on it again. 

my fav picture of the day. i love his eyes, just like his sisters they just speak to me. he is such a happy baby!