Say Cheese!

I know this is not a dessert related topic...but I had to share this. Last weekend I went to the Grilled Cheese Invitational, which was basically a big cheese festival!


There was a grilled cheese competition, a bunch of grilled cheese trucks, and best of all, free samples!! We chose The Grilled Cheese Truck and the sandwiches we got were totally worth the long lines. The TBM one below was maybe the best sandwich I've ever had, seriously.


Tomato Basil Mozzeralla Grilled Cheese


Brie and Pear Grilled Cheese on Raisin Bread


Some people really like their cheese...

Cool Haus Ice Cream

Who doesn't love a good pun?! The architecturally inspired ice cream sandwich truck, Cool Haus, was brought to my attention through another blog so I started to follow them on Twitter. I was so excited to hear they were going to be at Coachella so the search was on! We found them in the back of the VIP section with a long list of predetermined options (usually its a build your own kind of thing). We tried two:


The Oatmeal Cooke with Cinnamon Ice Cream (my favorite of the two we chose)


Chocolate Chip Cookie with Maple Bacon Ice Cream

I definitely want to find the actual truck again and build my own...YUM.

The Griddle

We went to The Griddle Cafe for breakfast since it has a reputation of having great pancakes. The menu alone for pancakes and french toast was somewhat overwhelming as there were a million choices, but one in particular called to me: Peanut Bubba Crunchy French Toast.

It is explained on the menu as "Our Mom's French Toast dipped in a peanut butter crunch, then grilled to perfection...topped with powdered sugar and whipped cream". It was really great - sweet and salty. The bread itself was super thick and warm, and the topping tasted like a gourmet Butterfinger. I could do without the mounds of whipped cream, but I would definitely order this one again!

Peanut Butter Brownie Cupcakes

This was inspired by Giada De Laurentiis, they looked so good I had to try and replicate this myself. They were amazing! Chocolate chunk brownie as the cupcake with a peanut butter cream cheese frosting. The brownie part was so soft and dense, and the chocolate chips inside added an amazing texture. The frosting was super dense and rich, that a little went a long way. This was the first time I piped anything, and it was just as easy as it looks on TV! Thanks Food Network!

Easter Cupcakes

For today Meg and I made Pillsbury Funfetti cupcakes since they are our favorite. They turned out great! We colored the vanilla frosting in pastels, dyed coconut green to look like grass and used Jelly Belly's for eggs, but of course some of them needed chocolate frosting.

We also made a batch of mini ones, because they are so cute.


Happy Easter!

Ladurée

Oh boy. Jimmy went to Paris and brought these back for me from the famous Ladurée patisserie, and it was the best gift ever! I'm not exaggerating when I say these macaroons are the most delicious, flavorful, amazing things I've had in a really long time. Even with the traveling they came so fresh, with a crumbly outside and super gooey inside fillings.


The flavors included: chocolate, vanilla, raspberry, caramel, coffee and pistachio. I seriously had trouble picking a favorite, I took a little bite of each one then kept rotating which was my favorite. When it came down to it it was a classic struggle over vanilla vs. chocolate and for the first time I think ever, I chose vanilla to be my favorite!




The fillings they use are like no other. The raspberry is actually jam, the chocolate was a rich ganache, the vanilla was like a dense vanilla bean creme, the caramel was thick and gooey, I was seriously overwhelmed with how amazing these are. I heard a rumor that a La Duree would be opening in Beverly Hills, and if this is true I will be there everyday.

Sprinkles Goes Kosher for Passover!

I saw these online and had to go try them: flourless chocolate cupcakes with vanilla bean glaze frosting. They are AMAZING! They taste nothing like a regular Sprinkles cupcake, and look completely different - much more casual, like your little sister made them for her class. But they are super dense and rich, just how I like it. I really needed a glass of milk while eating this, they are intense. Plus, how cute are the stars?! (They taste horrible, do not eat). I kind of wish they had this as a year round option.