It's an Election Year and I Need Your Votes!

It's time to vote!! The inaugural Iron Cupcake: Earth is under way. This is my entry (Fiery Devil Cupcake) and I NEED your votes.

Go to left side column of Nobody Puts Cupcake in a Corner , scroll down to Susie's Homemade and vote, vote vote for me:-)

My Third Award

Yippie!! I got my third award. This one is a little different because one of my readers, thotlady honored me with an award!! Someone who didn't know when... Thank you so much.

Sorry it took me so long to pay it forward. I got featured on Tuesday and I have been busy responding to not only comments but orders from my etsy shop too!!

So, this is how you play:

1. Put the logo on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3. Nominate at least five other blogs.
4. Add links to those blogs on your blog.
5. Leave a message for your nominee on their blog.

Here are my award-winners:

1. Just Add Laughter : I just found her recently and I am enjoying reading about her and her family. What I like most, is that she supports Autism Research which is a cause close to my heart and my family.

2. Buried with Children : I read this blog when I feel like I have too much to do. She reminds me that if she has the energy to do it with triplet girls and a big brother , I can do it too.

3. Zander and Me : This is one blog I really look forward to reading. She is so sweet and always comes back and comments and encourages me:-)

4. Sunshine and Lemonade : This is another new blog for me. She all ready has a lot of awards but if you read her once, you will see why. This is another one I look forward to.

5. Texas Word Tangle : I have a lot of new friends because her is another new one. I love her way with photography! Sometimes it is very psychedelic:-)

Those are my girls:-) Go and check them out:-)

Friday Foto Fun with Offspring

Time for Carrie's Friday Foto Finish Fiesta !!

Ok...I usually don't post pictures of my kids on this blog. It really isn't what this blog is about. But, I have posted all of the cakes I have ever made and so, I thought...in honor of her starting college, I would post my favorite picture of my oldest daughter. It was taken at our wedding 5 years ago.

Congratulations, Baby. I am very proud of you.

Ok...I couldn't do a Friday post without some baked goods. So, I thought I would also include something ironic. My wedding cake. No, I didn't make it. I wasn't baking back then. I just find it interesting that the queen of chocolate and fancy cakes, had niether on her own wedding day.

Bush Gardens

And now, time for another episode of Susie's Homemade Gardening. This week, I am going to introduce you to my Front Garden or what I like to call "Bush Gardens'. This is where I planted my bigger statement plants because really, we only enjoy this garden from the road. We don't really spend anytime on this side of the house unless we are inside.

Check out that picture window!! Brand spankin new this year. I love it!! I actually like having my blinds open now. It is like having a whole wall of art!!

Anyway, the middle has some May Nights (a purple bush that blooms in the early summer, hence the name). Along the sides of that are two what I call Cabbage Plants. I call them that because they look like that in the spring and then bloom into neat pink flowers in the fall. On the sides, I have my rose bushes.

The roses are both climbers and the one along the house did really good this year. The other one was actually my grandmother's. She passed away in 1991 however, my brother bought the house that we grew up in. I told my sister-in-law that if she ever dug up that bush, I wanted it. Now, I have a piece of my grandma with me in my gardens which is fitting. She is the one who inspired me to be a gardener in the first place. So really, this is all her fault:-)

So that's it....my "Bush Gardens". Next week, we will take a trip in the back yard to my "Tropical Garden". You know...just to give summer one last prop!

Grilled Strawberry Shortcake

I know that everyone is thinking about school and fall but, I am not willing to give up on summer yet.

This is my favorite summer dessert and although it is perfect finish to your grill party, it is elegant enough for any fancy dinner party. My husband says that I should to charge $15 a plate in "one of those swanky restaurants". The key to this dish is that the shortcake is grilled. So, you get a crunchy base for the strawberries to soak into. The whipped cream offers a smooth finish. It is light as air and it looks like it is floating on water here. Enjoy!


Ingredients:
6 store-bought short cakes
1 pint of strawberries, hulled and cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup sugar
4 oz whipped cream
Mint sprigs for garnish

Directions:
1. Heat strawberries and sugar in a small saucepan over low heat until a sauce is formed.

2. Grill the shortcakes on medium heat until it is lightly marked on both sides. It should be slightly crunchy but not burnt.

3. To assemble, place one grilled shortcake on a serving dish. Top this with a few scoops of the strawberry mixture. Finish with a dollop of whipped cream and garnish with a sprig of mint if desired.

Makes 6 Servings

Welcome Blog Around the World Fans:-)

Well, I am just tickled pink to be featured on Blog Around the World today:-) Thanks Debbie for inviting me to the party:-)

Anyway, my name is Susie and this is Susie's Homemade blog. I am a SAHM of a 4 and a caretaker to my 66 year-old mother. My older daughter just started college so, there will be lots of tailgating to cook for:-) I am a foodie at heart and that's the gensis of this blog. I just wanted to write about the things that keep me sane in an otherwise crazy life. Those things are baking, cooking and gardening.

The baking thing has really taken off. It all started with a sun flower cake for my older daughter last year . Everyone loved it so much, I got 2 requests right away to make cakes. One was for my niece (which I stupidly forgot to photograph) and the a spider cake was for my nephew. Then, I took a leap of faith and made my sister-in-law's wedding cake . That was when I had an inkling that I might be good at this:-)

So, I started Susie's Homemade Etsy shop where I sell Cookie Dough Balls. These things are to die for. Cookie dough (minus the eggs so they are safe) rolled into balls and dipped in chocolate. To me, there is nothing wrong with that sentence:-) But now, I am getting requests to do cakes in the shop too and it is a dream come true! In addition, I have entered a cupcake competition and I am just having a blast. I am meeting new people (in person even) and I am starting to make some good money. All because I decided to follow my passion.

Now, I have a loooooooong way to go. However, I think this blogging thing has really given me the courage to stretch a little bit farther in this direction. Certaining farther than I ever would have on my own. So, I have to love the comment love. Keep it coming girls!! You are feeding the dream (pardon the pun:-)

Iron Cupcake Wine!!

Well, tonight was my very first participation in Iron Cupcake Milwaukee . And although I didn't place as high as I would have liked, I still had a great time.

The ingredient was wine and the competion was really steep. My entry was a Chocolate Cabby Cucpake. It was a chocolate cabernet cupcake with chocolate cheesecake frosting topped with a raspberry cabernet sauce. Yummo!

Changing Things Up

I know, I know...I usually publish a recipe on Mondays. However, this week, I am participating in the Iron Cupcake Milwaukee. The ingredient is wine and I think I have a winner:-)

So, if you guys can hang on until Wednesday for the recipe, I promise you a great post on Monday about the cupcake competition.

Spider Cake

With fall coming (along with Halloween), I decided to post my 3rd cake: The Spider Cake:-) I made this for my nephew's 10th birthday party which just happened to land on Halloween last year.

What we have here is chocolate cake with vanilla pudding filling that was colored red to look like blood. The frosting is white buttercream and the web is black gel. The spiders are vanilla cupcakes with black sugar on the "body" and black licorice legs. The kids thought this was really neat. Enjoy:-)

Gardening Thursday

Welcome to Gardening Thursday! This is the day that I talk about the gardening aspect of Susie's Homemade:-) Over the next couple weeks, I am going to introduce you to all of my garden areas on our 3/4 acre piece of the pie:-) On Tuesday, I showed you my vegetable garden. Yikes:-(

This week is my favorite garden: "The Fence Garden". It is my favorite because it is the only one that is the most "done" and is the most seasonal of all my gardens. I have it broken into 2 areas:

1. The planted ares: In the spring, I have yellow daffodils and in the summer I have yellow day lillies. The rest of the season is just green but I don't have any winter interest.

2. The boxes: In the spring, I have German Ivy on the sides and then orange and red impatiens. My husband said that the colors are so deep that they are almost neon:-) These plants I have had for 3 years because I take them inside and keep them going over the winter. The middle planters house yellow Marigolds because my mom likes them. I also have new boxes set and ready to go for the fall and the winter which I will cover in a later post.

So that's it. My favorite garden. Next week, I will show you my "Front Garden".

My Garden This Weekend

With all the baking and entertaining and blogging and swimming I have been doing this summer, two things have fallen to the wayside: Cleaning and Gardening. This weekend, I tackled the garden.

I am almost embarrassed to show the before pictures but I feel it is cathartic to do so:-) Here is my vegetable garden before:

And here it is after:

Now, I feel better. Yeah me:-) And...here is the fruits of my labor (check out the alien looking carrots):


I am also going to start posting garden things on Thursday. I find that if I dedicate a specific day to a specific topic, I can plan my posts better. You have all ready met my vegetable garden. On Thursday, I will introduce you to my other gardens. See you then:-)

ICM:Vegan and/or Gluten Free

ICM:Vegan and/or Gluten Free
Originally uploaded by mkecupcakequeen

Two posts in one day? Well, I can't help it. I had too much fun tonight!

I went to my first Iron Cupcake Milwaukee and it was a total blast! I got to meet The Cupcake Queen ! She is the sweetest thing who makes the sweetest things!!

Iron Cupcake Milwaukee is just like Iron Cupcake Earth only it is here in Milwaukee. Same premise: they pick the ingredient, you bake and judges (anyone who wants to judge) decide the winner.

Tonight the ingredient was Vegan and/or Glutten Free. The winner was a Vegan Maple Walnut Cupcake made by an engineer from Marquette University. So, anyone can play and anyone can win.

I think I am totally going to play next week. The ingredient will be wine. Shut up!! My two favorite things: wine and cake:-)

Susie's Semi-Homemade Garden Salad

This rustic salad has homemade veggies (I grew the tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and parsley) however, the dressing is bottled and the cheese is bagged. That's what makes it semi-homemade. It is the perfect accompaniment to any grilled or spicy lunch or dinner because it is mild in flavor and cool and crisp in texture. And, top the salad itself with grilled chicken or fish and it becomes the main dish. Enjoy:-)


Ingredients:
1 medium cucumber, seeded and roughly chopped
1 medium ripe tomato, seeded and roughly chopped
1 small red onion, roughly chopped
1 handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
1/4 cup bottled Italian dressing
1/4 cup shredded mozzerella chesse
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Toss all ingredients in a medium bowl. For a milder salad, serve immediately. Allow salad to marinade for an hour for deeper flavor.

My Second Award

Therese at The Musings of a Mom gave me this award, and I am tickled pink! She is one of my best friends in real life and has always supported everything I have done/tried. And here she goes again...supporting me again:-)

So here are the rules:
* Pick 5 Bloggers that you feel are Kick Ass Bloggers
* Let em' know in your post or via email, twitter or blog comments that they've received an award
* Share the love and link back to both the person who awarded you and back to Kick A** Blogger Award
* Hop on back to the Kick Ass Blogger Club HQ to sign Mr. Linky then pass it on (which you can also get to on the above link)

Pretty simple, right?

Now, I put some thought into this. Who did I think was Kick Ass? Someone who has me laughing out loud all the time. Someone who is in fact Kick Ass. Well, here is my list:

1. The Journey to the Hot Tub is hilarious!! I could see hanging out with her for a couple drinks and getting along famously:-)

2. Spit-Up and Stilettos has a great "voice". She's also a fellow Etsy seller. Support homemade!!

3. No One Puts Cupcake in a Corner is someone I might actually have a drink with on Monday. She holds a local cupcake contest and a world wide one at Iron Cupcake . (Voting for your favorite is coming soon. I hope I am your favorite:-)

4. Zander and Me is really cool too! I just starting visiting her but I thoroughly enjoy her photos. They are great!

5. Motherhood Uncensored is exactly what it says. Another blog I just got a hold of but, I love that she is raw and honest and just damned funny:-)

So there you have it. 5 blogs that I think are kick ass!! Check em out:-)

Garden Love

Da, da, da, daaaa...Brought to you by Candid Carrie :

The first ripe tomato of the year!!!

I am so going to eat you. You, my dear, are going in a scrumptous salad with your cucumber neighbors.

Readers, look for Susie's Semi-Homemade Summer Garden Salad on Monday:-)

Iron Cupcake!!

Well, I have kind of fallen off the planet since that 3-tiered cake. I missed my weekly recipe and my Tackle It Tuesday (my weekend tackled me) but this post will explain why.

I have entered a cupcake competition called Iron Cupcake!! It is like Food Network's Iron Chef but with cupcakes! Every month, they announce an ingredient and I have to come up with a cupcake using that item. I have been working all week on my entry and that's why I have been incognito.

This month's ingredient is Chili Pepper and I think I have a good one. I call it Fiery Devil Cupcake. It is a devil's food cupcake filled with dark chocolate chili ganache and topped with whipped spicy white chocolate ganache frosting. The chili pepper really compliments the dark chocolate and the white chocolate frosting balances well against the spicy chili.

I have a chance to win prizes from Cakespy, Jessie Steele Aprons, The Cupcake Courier and Taste of Home. So, please go to No One Puts Cupcake in a Corner and vote for me the first week in September:-) Don't worry...I'll remind you:-)

My Second 3-Tiered Cake

Well, this is it. The cake that I have been working on all year. It is a yellow cake with homemade lemon curd filling and lemon buttercream frosting. It was the first time covering an entire cake in fondant and I think it turned out pretty well. Everyone really enjoyed the flavors. The consensus was that it was a lemon dessert that actually tasted like lemon:-)

So...what do you guys think? Do I have a future in the cake industry?

Food from Wisconsin

Since I am a foodie, I thought that I would write about the wonderful food that Wisconsin has to offer. There is the obvious: cheese and beer but beyond that, there are many culinary excursions to be had in the Badger state:-)

On any given Friday, in any given town in Wisconsin, there is Friday Night Fish Fry. Just like every regional delicacies, there are a lot of different recipes and takes on them but the basics include: Fish (cod, perch, walleye) that is breaded and deep fried with tartar sauce on the side, coleslaw, french fries and rye bread. Yummo!! My favorite is Serb Hall on Milwaukee's South Side but ask any Wisconsinite and they can tell you where to find theirs.

The Wisconsin State Fair is in full swing and an afternoon would not be complete without one of their cream puffs!! Delicatable!!

Door County has cherries and cranberries are grown all over the state. My favorite is the Warren's Cranberry Festival . I go by their every September on the way up to Eau Claire to get my daughter.

And finally, on your way to Green Bay to watch the Packers, stop in Sheboygan for a big juicy bratwurst! It is the quintesential Wisconsin experience!!

My First Wedding Cake

I made my second tiered cake this weekend, I would post my first this time. Here it is:



I made this cake for my husband's sister's wedding. It is chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling and frosted in chocolate buttercream. I surrounded the tiers in dark and white chocolate truffles.

Grilled Citrus Salmon with Lemon Rice and Cucumber Salsa

This moist salmon dish is bursting with the wonderful tartness of lemon and lime. It is a pefect light lunch or dinner for warm summer days and nights when you don't want a heavy meal bringing you down. Thanks Martha Stewart for the inspiration and the sauce recipe!

Salmon

4 Salmon fillets

Olive Oil for rubbing

Salt and pepper for taste

Citrus Sauce

Lemon Rice

2 cups instant rice

2 cups water

2 tbsps butter

1 Lemon, zested and juiced

Cucubmer Salsa

1 medium cucumber, cut into 1/8-inch chunks

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

1 Lime, juiced

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Rub salmon with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place salmon skin-side up on a hot grill pan. It need to be hot to get a good sear for a crispy skin and to lock in the juices. Cook 5 minutes a side.

2. While the salmon is grilling, prepare the Lemon Rice. Add all ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and cook on high for 5 minutes. Let sit for 5 more minutes before serving.

3. While the rice is cooking, make the Cucubmer Salsa. In a medium bowl, toss cumcumber, onion and parsley together. In a small bowl, whisk lime juice and olive oil together until it thickens slightly. Season with salt and pepper.

4. To serve, scoop a mound of Lemon Rice in the middle of a dinner plate. Top the rice with the salmon and drizzle with Citrus Sauce . Spoon the Cucumber Salsa around the rice and salmon. Garnish with additional parsley and grilled lemon wedge, if desired.

Serves 4

Sunflower Cake

This is the cake that started it all!! It was for my daughter's 17th Golden Birthday. She wanted chocolate and I wanted gold to go with the theme and this is what I came up with. It is a chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling and chocolate ganche frosting surrounded by yellow cupcakes decorated to look like the petals of a sunflower:-) It was such a hit that I immediately got requests to do more cakes and I haven't looked back...well, except for today:-)