Tuxedo Strawberries

These are the ones I made for the wedding, they actually looked ok.

So I hate fruit in deserts.  It's like you are almost trying to get me to eat healthy.  I am not fooled by your chocolate and sugar covered fruit.  I know it's fruit and no way and I going to fall for it!  That being said, I have a few exceptions, but then again, I am a whole ball of confusing rules and they are not to be explained.  So just know that I know what I am talking about. Okay?

 So I have seen these strawberries many times, and I had never made them before.  I promised them to my friend when I was doing her wedding, and then I realized I had not made them.  And I sort of knew what I was doing, but not really.  I had the idea, and I had no time to look it up.  So I just did it and they turned out really well. Other than the fact I hate working with white chocolate, they were super easy.  And other than the fact that I never took any real pictures at the time, this is what you get.  I was at the store and the strawberries actually looked nice so I planed to do a whole tutorial about them.  Then I actually got to it and wanted to hurt someone. Lucky that Pork Chop and Hubby were at hockey.

I gave up after four, the chocolate was all crappy and I was tearing the green part out trying to dip them. So the rest were just covered in milk chocolate and I ate them, and got sick.  It must have been the fruit, it was too healthy and my tummy revolted.

  Firstly my stupid white chocolate was too thick and I was just not able to get a nice dip on,  in the end I got one half decent strawberry.  And that is all your getting. I did get a great comment from Tam and I am going to try her way one of these days, just not today.

So to start, you need clean, dry strawberries with the stems on.  Milk (or dark chocolate) and white chocolate.

This was the only one that half looked like a real good one.  I didn't even take a picture of the strawberry I piped on, no idea why, I may have been just ticked off with the whole thing.

  So I wash all my strawberries and lay them out on paper towel, rolling them into new dry paper towel a few times.  If they are wet it can ruin your chocolate.  So then you need to melt your white chocolate, this will be the "shirt" of your tuxedo.  So hold your strawberry by the stem and dip it as far as you can in the white chocolate, shake a little to get the extra off and place it on parchment paper to dry.  Now if you know what you are doing with white chocolate, this will be easy.  If you are like me, you will try and your stems will rip off, and you will have gloopy strawberries.  Even though you thinned it out with paraffin crystals and everything.  This will result in you giving up after four strawberries.  Just so you know.

  Anyway let those dry while you melt your milk  or dark chocolate.  I also envision someone doing an 80's version with baby blue chocolate. That so has to happen!!! Anyway, once your chocolate is melted you start double dipping your strawberries.  I think this will be the only time you can actually double dip without it being gross.

I took this picture to show you my cone making skills.  Which really are not skills since they are pre cut papers, I just roll them together.

  So holding the strawberry by the stem, dip it on an angle so you cover one side then the other, doing it so you have a v of white chocolate showing still.  I was going to get action shots, but by this time I just wanted to toss it all out the window.  So whatever.

  So once that is done you can decorate them.  There are a few ways to do this.  I took the fastest way, which should be no surprise to any of you.  I used a parchment paper cone and piped on the buttons and bow tie.  If you want you can use edible markers or even sprinkles.  How cute would two heart sprinkles be as a bow tie?  Anyway you can do whatever.

  Now when you are storing these you do not want to put them in the fridge.  They are best the day of, but if you have to keep them over night just box them up and leave in a cool environment.  If you put them in the fridge they will get condensation on them.  I usually just put mine in the fridge because no one else but me will be eating them.  Pork Chop just takes the chocolate off and eats the strawberry, which is crazy. What kid removes the good part and eats that fruit.  Only mine it seems.

 Anyway, they were at hit at the wedding, and I ate these ones only to make sure no one saw how bad they were.

Wedding Sweet Table-Black and White

So last September I did my first, and probably last, wedding table for a friend.  I say last because I just don't think I have that much time to do something like that again.  I loved it, but until I am rich, this will be it.

  Anyway, it was for a smaller wedding of about 50 people.  I took three days off work and baked my little heart out, with some help from my mom and sister.  I finally got the professional pictures so I get to share them here.  They were all taken by the wedding photographer Megan Ursini.  It was really nice to see some good pictures of my treats for a change.  But don't get used to it, this is not that kind of blog.  I do snap shots, and some times they are in focus, but usually not.  Anyway I thought  I would show you all the pictures then link the recipe posts to them in case you want to try making them.

I could eat these all day, I used simple black and white sprinkles.

Simple but great, chocolate covered pretzels.

I linked to these down below, but those are baby pies, the bride wanted a crunch so I rolled them in chocolate covered rice puffs.  Oh and the black candies are Sixlets, seriously those are so good.

This is an artistic shot.  And this is why I will never be good at pictures, I am just thrilled when they are in focus.

A close up of the vanilla ones, yummy!

Cute baby whoopie pies.

I made lots because it was just easier to make whole batches of items than it was to cut the recipe.  So there was lots to be had.

My mom said the ones with the regular swirl didn't look very professional.  I said as long as it was vanilla and not chocolate icing, it was all good. No poop icing here, at least this time.

This was a throw away cake stand, it was perfect to match 

The best from scratch cupcakes ever, Here!

More rod pictures.  And yes I know I am immature.  No need to point it out.

So these were the first attempt at gluten free for me, and they were killer.  I was so paranoid I didn't even put sprinkles on, because I don't know if those have gluten. Do they?  Please someone tell me, I don't want to google it.

These Gluten free cupcakes were the bomb!

These are my first attempt at these, and they turned out great, I have a post coming up about how to make them.  Sorry I'm way behind on that one.

This was the one and only time ever that my white chocolate melted and was perfect.  And then I was cocky and thought I could do it again that way every time.  Well never happened again, stupid chocolate!

I could eat these all, only three ingredients and I have a baby donut maker so super easy.

Super yummy, and super simple, Nutella donuts.

Again, I got cocky, I made these once before and they turned out so I was all, I can do this no problem.  They didn't turn out perfectly, but whatever, people still ate them.

And these little macarons that were a little over done, sorry.

Okay so I made two kinds of brownies, using the same brownie base.  I found that awesome chocolate frosting recipe on line, and now for the life of me cannot remember where. And that stinks because Hubby actually liked the frosting.  Sigh.

Here is the base for these great chocolate chip cookies.

And those brownies, oh those brownie are good!

Another nice picture.

I cut those brownies way too big, but whatever, if you cannot handle it, you need to leave it alone!

So apparently the biggest hit was the strawberries, weird.  Considering how I feel about fruit as desert.  But whatever, I filled the table up a few times and then headed home to my mom and Pork Chop.  I was happy to have been able to do something like this, made me feel sort of professional, but not really.