Valentine's Day Dinner for Two!

Oh, how I love Valentine's Day!  Besides Christmas, it is my favorite time of year.  And other than chocolate, cards, and flowers, nothing says Valentine's Day more for me than a delicious meal:)  So this one is easy.  If you're eating in this year, simple and accessible ingredients are sure to produce a fantastic result.  On the menu:

 

Spinach & Feta Stuffed Chicken breasts, with asparagus and brown rice with a

Chocolate Creme Brulee custard (for dessert). 

 

Ding, ding, ding...we've even got dessert on the list and you can make this at home in a jiffy!

 



 

For your stuffed breasts you will need:

Two boneless skinless chicken breasts

Two scallions, chopped

One cup of fresh or frozen spinach (if frozen, chopped & drained)

1/2 cup feta cheese

 

 

In a saute pan on medium high heat, saute you spinach and scallions until soft.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Once cooled, mix in your feta cheese. 



 

 Slice your chicken breasts horizontally, center of the side to form a little pocket to place your filling.  Stuff each breast with about 1/2 cup of your mixture.  Place both breasts in a pan or on a lined cookie sheet in an oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  While you're waiting on your chicken breasts you can go ahead and get your brown rice ready. 

 

If you are not a fan of brown rice, I think that after you try this recipe you will be! I have been using this for our family for at least the last 12 months. I originally came up with it to please my no-brown-rice-for-me-please protesting family. This recipe did the trick!

No-fail brown rice:

2 cups of water

1 cup of uncooked brown rice

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

2 chicken stock boullion cubes

In a medium saucepan, add rice, water, salt, pepper, olive oil and bouillion cubes and bring to a boil. Cover pot on place on low heat for the next 30-35 minutes. And perfecto!

 

Next go ahead and grab two handfuls of your fresh asparagus.  Chop off the bottom four inches of the ends and you're ready to go! (I know that four inches seems like a lot but trust me, you don't want eat those ends.  They can taste very "woody").   Add them to a saute pan that is already on high heat, and saute for two minutes in olive oil and them turn the pan off, but leave it over the heat, add 1/4 cup water to the pan and a lid and let it steam for another two minutes.  Remove from pan, and immediately serve on the plate.

 

For our Chocolate Creme Brulee custards, add a heaping 1/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips to 2 cups of heavy cream in a medium saucepan.  Stir and heat over medium heat until your chips are completely melted.

 

 

Add your chocolate cream mixture:

 

5 egg yolks, 1/3 cup of granulated sugar, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract that has been whisked together.

 

 

You will want to add the warm cream 1/8 of a cup at a time, whisking while you add, to temper the eggs (and to keep them from scrambling by the heat of the milk on you;)

 

Next, fill about 6 small ramekins with the chocolate cream custard mixture.  And place them into a large 11x15 baking pan.  Fill your 11x15 pan halfway with warm water to give your custards a smooth and creamy texture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes and allow to cool to room temperature before placing in the refrigerator to chill.  Allow 3-4 hours to chill before serving.  Garnish with fresh berries.  Bon Appetit!

Whether you're staying in or waiting till the weekend to celebrate, this meal is sure to sweeten up anyone's day.  So get in the kitchen, get out your apron, pull this recipe up and take a hack at it.  You never know....you just might impress yourself! 

 

Happy Valentine's Day to One & All!

 

xo Chemeeka

 

 

 

Sweets N' Snapshots with Jennifer Louise Photography

This weekend, one of my dear friends, Jen with Jennifer Louise Photography is hosting a wonderful, wonderful event at a place that serves up on of my favorite treats....you guessed it,

cupcakes!   Join Jen & the team at Dottie's Cupcakery in downtown Waxhaw for a memorable

moment and something special:-)

 

Jennifer Louise Photography is holding mini-sessions, for mommies, daddies, little ones, young & old for Valentine's Day.  Let Jen capture you & your sweetie pie.  Or get your picture taken to sweeten up someone else's Valentine's Day.  You won't want to miss this event!

 

 

Everything's Better with {a little Washi tape!}

Okay, I am looovvving this new & lastest "find" of mine.  Haven't heard of it?  That's okay:)  It's called washi tape.  I stumbled upon it while shopping over at Etsy and was smitten right away!  Since another family birthday has rolled around and it's time to mail a card I thought, why not?  Now let me back up to say that my little sister Chenelle is always sending the sweetest little dressed up cards and packages in the mail.  When something is coming from her, you know it even without checking the return address so I figured that I'd send that same sort of love to someone else to brighten their day.

 

I bought this set of washi tape (and some other...of course!  You know that I just couldn't stop at one;)  And for this card, since I had a nice blue envelope and a red one, I went the "kraft" route.  Looove kraft color.  I feel like it's totally making a come back.  And so help me God if everyone's packages this coming Christmas aren't "brown paper packages tied up in string...these are a few of my favorite things!"  Julia Andrews and I are both dancing upon the mountain top & I am dancing with my washi tape.  Okay.  Back to reality!   But this here washi tape really dressed things up.  I can't wait to get some more uses out of it and put on some more things. 

 

Have you tried using washi tape?  Ever heard of it to begin with?  If not, you've got to get out there and get some.  Serious!  And start slapping it on EV-REE-THING.  I know that I will!

 

Cheers Everyone!

 

-Bakie (Chemeeka)

A Meal with a Resolution!

On any given weekend in our home, you can find either my husband or myself cooking up something yummy.  Since we are both "foodies" by nature, many times we try to go "over the top" in impressing the other person.  This weekend, it was my husband's turn.  He was making me chimichurri sirloin steak, sauteed brocolli rabe, tri-color peppers and onions and a cauliflower-brown rice blend (with a little carrot) that made what we're calling "risotto".  Introducing.....

 

A Meal with a Resolution!

 I say that because this meal was not only delicious but more than half of my plate was taken up vegetables, not including the veggies that were in our rice as well as the yummy chimichurri sauce that was drizzled over the meat.



Here's how you make it:

*Chimichurri sauce If you have fresh herbs laying around you can always make something average extraordinary but even if you don't...get out to the grocery store.  There are tons of fresh markets and farmer's markets (in season) that have readily available what you are looking for.  For the chimichurri sauce you will need a package (or 1/2 cup) fresh parsley leaves, chopped, 1/2 fresh oregano (again, this is in your produce section), 1/4 extra virgin olive oil, one clove of garlic minced, kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, to taste.

 

Finely, finely chop your herbs as best as you can.  Many times for either a pesto or a herb-based sauce we will use a food processer, and you can do that in this case.  If you are not using a machine and you are chopping it by hand, make sure that you mince your garlic thoroughly so that you get an "even" flavor throughout your chimichurri.  Now in a bowl, add first your olive oil (to infuse the flavors of the garlic and the herbs) then the kosher salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside & wait for our steak to be ready :-)

*The Risotto
This one was a real treat.  For our "risotto" Don sauteed up a small yellow onion in a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and then added in about 1/2 cup of hand-grated cauliflower.  Yeah.  When I heard him out using the grater, I thought, "what is he doing?"  We both have our "signature" dishes that we make and he doesn't always use the grater for his.  So this was new.  Next, he added about 1/2 cup of chicken broth and cooked the cauliflower until soft.  Sauteed up the already cooked brown rice (1 and 1/2 cups) and mixed the two together.  He let those cook together for about ten minutes and added ten finely grated baby carrots and 3 tablespoons of grated parmesan.  YUM!

*Brocolli Rabe

Now Mama loves her some brocolli rabe!  I was first introduced to the dish by an Italian woman that I used to work for.  She was having a family dinner for her entire immediate family and their spouses and children and that totalled up to about 40 people including the children.  She and her sister were making dinner and I offered to help and this was one of the dishes that I was assigned to.  I was smitten ever since!  For the brocolli rabe, you start it the "traditional" way: a little olive oil in the pan with two cloves of sliced garlic.  Next you add your cleaned brocolli rabe (rinsed and with the ends chopped off) and you sauteed until wilted.   If you feel that your pan is not moist enough, you can add a little bit of water.  No more than 1/4 cup.

*The Steak

 For the steak, you want to go with your favorite cut of meat.  Be it prime rib, or filet.  The choice that we made in this case was: sirloin.  Now interestingly enough, this was (1) the cut that was on sale, and (2)just as delicious as prime when it was cut.  For the meat, it's all about how you season it or tenderize it and how it's cooked.  If you know what you're doing, a good steak only needs a little drizzle of kosher salt and fine cracked pepper.  My hubby fired up our cast iron skillet for this one.  He seared it nicely about 4 minutes on each side & then he let it rest.  Once it rested for about 6 minutes then he sliced it and served it with our sauce.

 

I have to tell you that this meal was deeeeliiiicious!  And it was so easy on the waist line.  I had about 4-6 ounces of steak and 1/2 cup of starch that was 1/3 vegetables.  The rest were all veggies.  You couldn't ask for more!

 

This is my meal for the month.  A meal fit for your resolutions!

 

Happy New Year Everyone!

 

xo Chemeeka

Sweet Sophia's 1st Birthday Party

I have been a fan of the parties that I've seen on Frog Prince Paperie and Celebrations at Home's site for a long, long time.  I had finally decided to try my hand at trying to create my own party-masterpiece  And this birthday party for my sweet Sophia is my first real attempt:-)

 

I was originally going to go with a "penguins" theme but the more I approached the thought and searched for inspiration, I found more natural, classic and even vintage touches speaking to me:-)  I was largely inspired by this party for my layout and styling.  As the time for the party approached, the idea of penguins was definitely out, and I had to go with things that I more had at my disposal.

 

I hand tinted several clean plain white coffee filters a pale pink by add one centimeter of pink food coloring gel to a large bowl of water.

I then spread them out to dry on my counter top until they were completely dry and used those as box liners.

 Everything at our party was either pink, kraft, or white.

 

I added little touches of soft pink yarn everywhere possible.  Our guests, received little jelly mason jars (that I cleaned and had in the garage) with touches of kraft colored coffee filters and pink yarn, filled with little chocolate kisses.



 

 Our sweets table was adorned with everything "winter" and "pink" to celebrate our 1-year old little girl.  I also incorporated her little white and pink teddy bear from her bedroom, as we like to affectionately call her, "Sophia-bear" at times:)  Her cake was a 4-inch circle frosted in a sweet Swiss buttercream with rosettes.  The frosting was tinted a pale pink.

 

 

 

 

 My husband helped out by making our pink frosted Christmas tree cookies.  (I am terrible at making cut-out shaped cookies...don't ask me why, but I needed his help here and he gladly obliged:-)

 I wanted little soft touches of pink everywhere and of course, white.  The milk bottles are re-purposed coffee beverage drink bottles.  Striped paper straws were adding for that "pink" touch. 

I added faux snow and ornaments from a baby's 1st Christmas ornament set strung on kraft twine.

 I'd have to say that the Pink S'mores, which were my original idea were my favorite part of all this!  I took pink wafer melts, and melted them down into square molds and added them to graham cracker and marshmallow sets.  I finished them off by tieing them with more of my soft pink yarn.

(I added in a few styrofoam bowls turned upside down to create a little "fill" for this gorgeous pitcher for pictures).

 

The milk pitcher and cake stands were all adorned with additional ribbon scraps that I had left over from previous hairbow projects.

Everything from Sweet Sophia's 1st Birthday was soft, pink, and sweet.  We had a great time celebrating our little bear, Sophia.

 

Happy 1st Birthday to a wonderful little girl!

 

Credits:

 

Photography/Styling/Cupcakes/Pink S'mores/Milk Bottles/Treats: Chemeeka Sparks

Tall 3-tiered pink stand (originally black): Home Goods

White porclain cake stands: Marshalls' Home Goods

Rectangular trays: Crate N' Barrel

Center Square Tray: Target

The actual table itself: courtesy of S. Michael



 

 

 

 

All I Want for Christmas!

Ah, Christmas time!  One of my faaavoritte times of the year.  I love Christmas!  I love the decorations, the scents and the smells.  And quite honestly, I cannot get around the whole Christmas season without a little bit of peppermint.

 

It seems that these days, it's all that I want.  Whether it's a cup of peppermint hot cocoa or a little minty-mint in my eggnog....I'm gaga over Christmas & peppermint this year!

 

 

Hence, my facsination with this recipe: My Red & White Peppermint Delights.  These babies are as easy as pie.  No really!

 

Here's what you'll need:

 

Chemeeka's Peppermint Cookie Treats

Cookie:

* one package of sugar cookie mix

* one teaspoon of peppermint extract

 

Frosting:

* half a teaspoon of peppermint extract (two separate places in the recipe)

* one bag of red candy wafers

* white sprinkles

 

Directions:

Prepare your package of sugar cookie mix according to the instructions, and add in one teaspoon of peppermint extract to the mix.  Bake according to the instructions.  Let the cookies cool completely on a cookie sheet or in an air-tight container.

 

Frosting:

 Once the cookies have completely cooled, begin working on your frosting.  Melt an entire bag of Wilton or name brand red candy wafers in the microwave for one minute on high heat.  Stir.  And place back in the microwave for another 30 seconds.  Remove from the microwave and even if the wafers are not completely melted, continue to stir until any lumps have become smooth.  Add half teaspoon of peppermint extract.  Frost each cookie with your peppermint-flavored red melts and cover with sprinkles right away.

 

Place the cookies on a shallow cookie sheet in the fridge for 20 minutes to set. 

 

And there you have the most delicious, easy-to-make, fun-to-look-at, put-you-in-the-holiday-spirit, if there ever was one, cookie.

 

 

Happy Holidays Everyone!

 

xo Chemeeka

 

 



I'm Back!

If there is one thing that I have found, it is the fact that I cannot run from baking no matter where I go!  It's inside of me & it is at the very core of me.  It's who I am & all that I love and will be.

 

 

I love to bake.

 

 

I can bake.  I can craft.  I can write.  I can do a lot of things but the thing that I love above (all of the things that I can do) is sweets/treats & baking.  That's me.  So that is why I am back, at Bakie Me Sweet!

 

Dust off your aprons honey, and grab the sugar.  'Cause we're getting back down to...the baking business!!

 

 

 

Love you ALL!

 

Enjoy the journey:-)

 

 

xo Chemeeka (for Bakie Me Sweet)

Apple Cider-Glazed Doughnuts

 

Apple picking season is here and there’s nothing more that keeps apples on the brain for me than my recipe for homemade apple cider doughnuts and a tall glass a milk.  So grab your aprons and let’s get to baking!

First you’ll need either an old-fashioned donut maker, that drops them into the oil hot or this nifty little pan that I picked up here.

You’ll start spraying your donut pan with a little bit of non-stick spray and combining 2 teaspoons of cinnamon with a tablespoon of granulated sugar and evenly sprinkling it into the pan.

 Shake off any excess onto a sheet of wax paper.

Blend your ingredients according to the recipe and fill up your donut pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for just 10-12 mins and voila!  You have your donuts:-)

Now, I decided to take it a step further and whip up this little glaze.  This one’s just 1/8 cup apple cider to two cups of powdered sugar and two teaspoons of cinnamon.  Just bring the cider and cinnamon to a low simmer and then quickly whisk in your powdered sugar.

 It will give you a thin syrupy glaze.  For something a little bit thicker to coat your donuts reduced the amount of cider to two tablespoons.

SEPTEMBER 4, 2012 FOOD

APPLE CIDER DOUGHNUT RECIPE, Y’ALL!

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Apple picking season is here and there’s nothing more that keeps apples on the brain for me than my recipe for homemade apple cider doughnuts and a tall glass a milk.  So grab your aprons and let’s get to baking!

First you’ll need either an old-fashioned donut maker, that drops them into the oil hot or this nifty little pan that I picked up here.

You’ll start spraying your donut pan with a little bit of non-stick spray and combining 2 teaspoons of cinnamon with a tablespoon of granulated sugar and evenly sprinkling it into the pan.

 Shake off any excess onto a sheet of wax paper.

Blend your ingredients according the recipe and fill up your donut pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for just 10-12 mins and voila!  You have your donuts:-)

 Now, I decided to take it a step further and whip up this little glaze.  This one’s just 1/8 cup apple cider to two cups of powdered sugar and two teaspoons of cinnamon.  Just bring the cider and cinnamon to a low simmer and then quickly whisk in your powdered sugar.

 It will give you a thin syrupy glaze.  For something a little bit thicker to coat your donuts reduced the amount of cider to two tablespoons.

Pour a tall glass of milk and you’re ready to enjoy!

Here’s the recipe:

Apple Cider Glazed Donuts

3 tablespoons of granulated sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large egg whites, lightly beaten

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup apple butter

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

1/3 cup apple cider

1/3 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Apple Cider Glaze

1/8 cup apple cider

2 cups of powdered sugar

directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1. Spray the molds of 2 mini bundt cake pans (6 cakes per pan) with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl combine the granulated sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon.
3. Distribute this cinnamon/sugar mixture evenly amongst the cake pans, shake out the excess onto a sheet of wax paper and return to bowl for use at the end of the recipe.
4. In a larger bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and remaining 2 tsp of cinnamon and set aside.
5. In another large bowl whisk together the egg whites, brown sugar, apple butter, maple syrup, apple cider, yogurt, canola oil and vanilla extract.
6. Add the dry ingredients and stir just’til moistened.
7. Divide the batter among the prepared molds (approx 2 heaping Tbs of batter per mold).
8. Sprinkle the reserved cinnamon/sugar mixture on top of the batter in the molds.
9. Bake 10-12 minutes or’til a wooden pick inserted in a doughnut comes out clean.
10. Remove from oven, cool 2 minutes in pan, loosen and place doughnuts on a cooling rack.

Happy Apple Picking Everyone!

Chemeeka