Chocolate and Peanut Butter...

chocolate and peanut butter is there anything better together? ok, well maybe peanut butter and jelly, but i think that is a tough race. this is my tribute to everyone's favorite couple. a moist espresso milk chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting. not just any peanut butter frosting either. instead of a dense thick peanut butter frosting usually made with peanut butter, butter and sugar, this is light and airy with all the real peanut butter flavor you love without the addition of butter and sugar. now don't get me wrong i am not saying butter and sugar are bad things, in fact they are very close friends of mine, but peanut butter in itself is wonderful and using it as a base cut with a heavy whip cream makes it almost mousse like. the espresso added in the cupcake gives the chocolate a rich and deep flavor. just to tie it all together it is topped with a reese's peanut butter cup. fun to eat and completely delicious. a favorite of adults and kids alike.

monkeying around!

Nothing makes a child smile like cupcakes, and nothing will ever make me forget the smile on my son's 8th birthday when he saw the monkey cupcakes i made for him.
being born on valentine's day, usually means sharing with holiday school parties and a long holiday weekend where most people go away. sometimes it's hard to compete with crowds, schedules and all that goes with. so when asked what he wanted to do for his special day he informed me just a trip to the zoo with some friends and monkey cupcakes!
i guess it's not a strange request for the kid who's mom is known to all the kids and parents in the school as the cupcake lady, but monkeys? that was a new one for me. so i put my thinking cap on and came up with these cute little guys that were a huge hit.
the cupcakes where moist and yummy yellow cake and the frosting underneath a milk chocolate mousse, topped with a fondant monkey.
there were smiles all around and one very happy boy, who informed me at the end of the weekend of fun and sweets. "This was the best birthday ever!!!!!"

fun, easy valentine's day gifts!

looking for something fun and fabulous for your funny valentine?

* think sweet, treat that is. order your cupcakes, cookies or candy confections now.

* is your valentine watching their calories or just not that big on sweets? order up a custom cooking class just for them.

* looking for something quiet for the two of you, how about a romantic dinner in the comfort of your own home, no driving, no crowds and heck you can even eat in your sweats if you want.

email me @ gina@alwaysgourmetpcs.com and an order up a valentine's day you won't forget. don't be caught in the last minute frenzy of store bought chocolates, fuzzy teddy bears and the bouquet of flowers from the guy on the corner on your way home from work!

what do you think?

so here is my problem. i am putting together a menu for a cooking class i will be doing. the class is a brunch with a fabulous savory egg dish, a light and yummy salad, and some "good" morning beverages. this is where my road block begins, what should my sweet treat be? i decided to ask my fans and followers "what do you think?" so here is what is running through my mind, be it crazy and confused, it's all I have to work with. so tell me what you think. the choices are: a muffin, perhaps apple-cinnamon snickerdoodles. a breakfast bread, maybe lemon-blueberry love. or a warm and wonderful coffee cake? ok...so you know my problem, what is your solution? post a comment or a suggestion and let me know what you think. if you have a great recipe you like to offer, I always love to try new things. looking forward to hearing what you think and have to say. remember, we all should be living La Dolce Vita! (the sweet life), so this is an important part of the menu!

looking for a diet friendly treat

I would like to dedicate this next post to a friend who has been working hard and missing his cookies. this recipe is for you Ken!

Dieting is hard and sometimes very frustrating. the worst part of it is, feeling deprived of dessert. so to help get over the hump of frustration or as a reward for a really great day of eating and exercise, these cookies are the perfect answer. Low in fat and filled with cocoa powder and semi sweet choc chips, they can curb your sweet tooth and the chocolate is an antioxidant as well. so enjoy guilt free.

Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookie

Yield: 4 dozen (serving size: 1 cookie)

3 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
3 tablespoons semisweet chocolate minichips

Preheat oven to 300°.

Beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt at high speed of a mixer until soft peaks form. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Sift cocoa over egg white mixture; fold in. Fold in minichips.

Cover a baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat. Drop batter by level tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet. Bake at 300° for 40 minutes or until crisp. Cool on pan on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 22 (12% from fat)

Fat: 0.3g (sat 0.2g,mono 0.1g,poly 0.0g)

Protein: 0.3g

Carbohydrate: 4.7g

Fiber: 0.0g

Cholesterol: 0.0mg

Iron: 0.1mg

Sodium: 16mg

Calcium: 1mg

Rainy Day Tomato Soup

looking for a way to keep warm on a cold rainy day? my rainy day tomato soup warms from the inside out. it's filling enough by itself for dinner, or add a salad or some grilled sausage to stretch your menu a little further.

Rainy Day Tomato Soup

1 Tbsp olive oil
3 oz pancetta, chopped (substitute bacon if you like)
1 small onion, chopped
2-3 cups cubed rustic italian bread
6 cups low sodium chicken broth or stock
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes in juice (you can use the kind with garlic and basil too)
1/4 cup coarse chopped basil (2 Tbls of dried)
1/2 teas dried oregano
1/4 teas red pepper flakes (crushed)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 marscapone (u can substitute cream cheese)
1/4 sour cream (you can substitute plain yougurt)

heat olive oil in large pot, add pancetta and saute till golden and crispy, remove from pan. add onion to pan and saute. add bread and coat with drippings, saute till crisp and golden. (if needed you may add a little more olive oil to help coat the pan and the bread. add chicken stock, tomatoes, basil , oregano, red pepper to pot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to med-low, cover and simmer about 10 mins. taste and season with salt and pepper to your liking.

mix marscapone and sour cream together and use to top your steamy bowl of warm and satisfying soup. For my cheese lovers out there you can top with shaved parm or romano cheese!

I don't know about you, but after just typing this recipe I'm hungry. I think I will make some myself, the weather outside is perfect for it.

winter day hot chocolate!!!

don't you just love rainy days? i know i do. a warm fire, pjs, books, games and best of all a warm and cozy drink that just screams comfort. so how about a steamy. warm mug of hot chocolate. the recipe below is an adult version, but if you want to leave out the liqueur and the brandy the kids can enjoy it with you too.

winter day hot chocolate

3 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup Dutch process unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup coffee-flavored liqueur (kahula, frangelico, amaretto) optional
1 tablespoon dark rum or brandy (optional)
Whipped cream
Grated bittersweet chocolate

In a saucepan, bring the milk and cream to a low boil. Remove from the heat.

Whisk the cocoa and vanilla into the milk. Add the sugar and simmer over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved.

Add the coffee liqueur and rum and stir well.

Remove from the heat and pour into 4 mugs. Top with a spoonful of whipped cream and grated chocolate. Serve.

so light the fire, grab your favorite book and enjoy.