Chantico Dream

A long long time ago in a far away time, I would go to my local Starbucks and purchase this tiny little  (maybe) 4 oz. cup of dreamy chocolate. My younger self was not partial to coffee or the taste of it AT ALL (my how times have changed). This little cup was so cute, and honestly the sugaraholic in me could've drank 5 of them in one day. 

Then one day *gasp* I merrily skipped to Starbucks, only to have my heart crushed! They had discontinued my precious drink, apparently their were not enough people ordering it. I genuinely believe this to be because not enough people knew about it!

Why were they not advertising this magic?!

Okay, I digress...

Fast forward about a decade, no I'm not kidding...

While in California visiting relatives I found some yummy chocolate bars, like the extra special *wine-tastebud-quality* chocolate. This was the kind of chocolate that would be sacrilege to just open and eat, so I brought it back home and stewed over what special thing to do with it.

You guessed it! I had a sudden flashback to my precious chantico, so I got to work trying to find the perfect recipe. I had one shot to get it right, and SO right it was!

I halved this recipe, considering I didn't have enough chocolate to make a full batch, and it was still perfect I assure you.

And so I made cupcakes…

Since I couldn’t have sampita for my birthday treat, I scoured Pinterest for ideas.

I found these Tres Leches cupcakes. I did not, however use the recipe for the icing that goes on them. I found a different one that used a box o’ cream cheese & whipping cream. I know it doesn’t look as pretty, but tasted light & airy, so as not to take away from the amazing cupcakes themselves.

My brother also has a birthday close to mine, two days before actually. He came up to visit, and chocolate is his fav, so chocolate cupcakes of course. I had my best friend on the phone at the time, and I also know that chocolate cake is one of her favs as well. She too likes to use her Kitchen Aid, so I ask what was the best recipe to use. She suggested the one on the back of the Hershey’s cocoa container, pretty good I’ll say. I also have to let you in on the fact that I do not like chocolate cake. *gasp* Love chocolate, but not so much chocolate flavored things.

I have been munching on these Tres Leches cupcakes since Saturday, & still can’t get enough of them. I had one minor hang up: once I got to the ‘use a meat injector for the milk’ I was lost for a moment, then, rummaged through my utensil drawer…. SCORE! I surprise myself some times. I used a children’s medicine dispenser, worked like a charm ;)

Everyone have a nice Easter?

I realize I have been away for a few days, but I promise I have good reason! It was Easter and my birthday all in one day…

I made this cute little basket for “my” Easter present. Target dollar spot is where I snagged the basket, but what I want to talk about is how everything is edible. The suckers are so sweet, pun intended, and the bunny? Lindt dark chocolate (holy yumm), and the grass is imported from Germany, it is edible too! It’s not delicious, but not bad either, just eh.

So I know I am a little on the Easter post, but what you think? Cute huh?!

My Birthday gift!

Easter Sunday just also happens to be my birthday this year, yeap! I feel kinda special. There is something else that I am feeling the most special about though. Wanna take a guess? Well, Finally got an extra special gift I’ve been eye-bawling for a few years now.

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*drum roll please*

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She’s like the retro Cadillac of Amazingnesses! Can you tell I am super excited? First moment we will be having together will be Sampita. Here is your mission: comment below your first moment together with your KitchenAid/your favorite recipes that involve the KitchenAid mixer. I need some wonderful things to try!

<3

Porto’s Bakery

I was first introduced to this wonderful-in-everyway-place by my lovely sister in law. This introduction, unfortunately was over instagram. You see my SIL lives in LA. Once she finished USC (yes, extremely proud over here), she officially took the plunge of living the high life of a studio apartment *sarcasm indeed*. What is not sarcastic however, is that I am living vicariously through her. Who wouldn’t want to be young, with tons of fun friends, on your own, in Los Angeles? So when we went to visit this past summer my only wish was to go to this place. It’s obviously the closest I was going to get to being young and fun in LA, with children behind me. haha So off we went:

The architecture inside and out was so pretty. I wanted to take tons of pictures, then redecorate my house accordingly.

Tell me one thing in this case that me, my husband, and my two girls wouldn’t want to take home?! Every. single. thing. I wanted to buy and smuggle on the plane.

This is what my husband and I settled on: Tiramisu on the left and mochachino on the right. Mine is the right, good thing, cause it was the most delicious one! I could use one right now, this 1200 calorie diet I’ve been on needs to be blown up!

A Latte Love <3

I know that Valentine’s Day is done, but one more post on that thought, okay?

I made this drink cozy for my husband a couple years ago, but came across it again just in time for the day. Unfortunately things have been crazy at work for him, so I stopped by Starbucks & bought the biggest cookie I could find… because I equate chocolate chip cookies with love, don’t you? I believe that he thought it was the best Valentines as well.

Happy Valentine’s Day 2013!

 

I wish you all a very loving & lovely day…

I am happy to announce that I am off to party it up with a bunch of Kindergarteners.

So? Are you loving my chocolate décor as much as I? I am beaming with pride for myself on this one! I don’t usually toot my own horn, but I’m lovin’ myself on this Valentine’s Day.

A Chocolatey Idea

I need to start off this post by saying, I am no chocolatier. I am, however, a chocoholic. Not the kind that I crave it one week a month, and not the kind that I LOVE, love. Love! Chocolate (although I do). I do mean it in ever sense of “aholic” you can imagine. Hide it? yes. Horde it? yes. Not willing to share? yes. But the one that made me stop and evaluate my situation is the day I stopped to get lunch and bought three salted dark chocolate caramels, individually wrapped. I put one in my mouth, and the other two in my pocket. Within the ten minutes I needed to get back to work, I had another one gone… I sat at my desk, seething for the last one. LOL desperate? I think so! I really wanted to keep it for that 2 pm crash/hang up, but no! It was gone 10 minutes later.

Now that you know my love/hate relationship with this most wonderful/most loathed object in my life, I have a nicer story to end with…

As I was drifting off to dreamland the other night I had a vision of creating chocolates for Valentine’s Day. They were going to combine two of my favorite flavors, Chocolate (of course) & raspberry. I had some jam in the fridge…

I also had a very lovely silicone heart mold I wanted to use for the occasion. You guessed it, the idea nagged at me, just as that last salted caramel. I decided to try my hand at being that non-chocolatier. I have to say, for my first time with “filled” chocolates, I feel like I did a fabulous job! The professionals seem to get more “stuff” in the middle, but I was fearful it would ooze out the back or the sides. They tasted just like my vision as I drifted off to sleep.

<3