Hummingbird Cake

Happy Monday! It is a beautiful Spring day today and I actually felt warm while outside which is a wonderful thing! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! My nephew turned 2 on Saturday and my brother and sister-in-law hosted a super cute Train themed birthday party! I love parties, I love to see decorations (everything was super cute and into the house she had it look like railroad tracks and naturally my train loving boy wanted me to pretend we were a train riding into the house;)), eat Cake/Cupcakes, I love to watch kids open presents! I just love it all, I love to celebrate birthdays. We are coming upon Birthday party season and I could not be more excited! July is our BIG birthday month. Before the 13th alone my husband and nephew have a birthday on the same day, my mom, 4th of July party, my dear friend's baby Grace turns 1, our sweet neighbor girl turns 2, and my baby turns 4!!! Those are just a few from July 1-13!! We are busy July people. So since cake season is upon us, I thought I would try this delicious Hummingbird cake! 

I thought I had never heard of nor tried Hummingbird Cake before until it dawned on me the other day that a local cupcake bakery had a Hummingbird cupcake that I fell in love with and every time I go back they never have it...sad...but it was no wonder this was so divine and I loved this cake so much. Beware the frosting alone is so lick able and decadent! Eat a slice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner:)!!

You put a whooping 2 cups of frosting in the middle of this cake and it is so worth it! I gave some to my dear neighbor & friend Kylynn, my dear friend Lindsey, my sister-in-law, and the ladies @ Bible Study. It was a huge hit, everyone loved it and I was almost sad I only got 2 pieces but my waistline however was not sad;)! Spring is here and this is the perfect cake for any Easter occasion. My favorite Easter Cake is a Carrot Cake but this one might have almost surpassed it, however maybe I should make my carrot cake to refresh my memory! Get our your flour, butter, Pecans, your best spring apron, a whisk and wooden spoon, no kitchen aid until you reach the frosting, and get ready to fall in love with this decadent cake!!

Hummingbird Cake

Adapted from Cook's Country

Cake:

2  8 ounce can crushed pineapple

3  cups all-purpose flour

2  teaspoons baking powder

1  teaspoon baking soda

1  teaspoon cinnamon

1  teaspoon salt

2  cups granulated sugar

3  large eggs

1  cup vegetable oil

4  large ripe bananas, peeled and mashed into 2 cups

1 1/4  cups Pecans, chopped and toasted

2  teaspoons vanilla extract (the good stuff)

Frosting:

2 1/2  sticks of butter, room temperature (20 tablespoons)

5  cups powder sugar

2 1/2  teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2  teaspoon salt

2 1/2  sticks of Cream Cheese, cold and cut into pieces (20 ounces)

3/4  cup pecans, toasted and chopped

Cake:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease & flour 2 9-inch cake pans lined with parchment paper. Drain pineapple in a fine mesh strainer set over bowl, pressing to remove juice. Pour juice into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat till reduced to 1/3 cup, about 10 minutes (it can vary depending what kind of stove-top you have, I have electric), set aside.

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a bowl. Whisk sugar and eggs together in a separate large bowl; whisk in oil. Stir in bananas, pecans, vanilla, drained pineapple, and reduced pineapple juice. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. 

Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake until dark golden brown on top 45-55 minutes. or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cakes cool in pans on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Remove cakes and discard parchment paper and let cool completely.

Frosting:

With your stand mixer or hand mixer, use your paddle attachment and beat butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt together on low speed until smooth, continue mixing for 2 minutes and scrap down the sides of the owl as needed, increase to medium-low, add cream cheese one piece at a time, and mix until smooth; continue to mix for 2 minutes.

Place one cake layer on platter. Spread 2 cups of frosting evenly over the top. Top with second cake. Spread the rest of the frosting all over the cake and top with chopped Pecans and put some on the bottom for an extra pretty factor!

Place in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. Can be left in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Get Baking & Enjoy!

Gillian

Ms. Marquet's Kitchen

Weekly Roundup

This week has gone by faster then I know what to do with. We were jammed packed with fun activities, lots of cooking & baking, spring sunshine and well in tradition with Seattle weather it is back to Spring Rain.  

 I have started my Little man in Ski Lessons and it has been so fun to watch him love skiing. We grew up skiing and I look forward to the day when we can go on ski trips and skip school for the day, head up to the mountain and ski is fresh powder together!

Have you purchased any Mrs. Meyers products before?!?! I love there hand soaps and counter-top sprays when I want an extra scent in the kitchen. I just saw this Rosemary one at Target and had to have it! I am in Love, it smells wonderful! 

I love ANGIE'S Popcorn!!! Costco sells the yellow bag in a huge Costco style bag and it is dangerous and delicious! But yesterday I was at Top Foods and saw this BOOM CHICKA POP with only 70 calories per cup!!! I am so excited about this and it is just as delicious!! If you haven't tried Angie's popcorn yet, you need too. They have tons of different flavors and for holidays I have found special flavors at Target in perfect snack size bags you can put in a gift basket or give to kiddos. Also Angie's is part of the GMO free certified project which I LOVE! I want to eat real ingredients.

 How cute is this Eater printable from BLISSFUL ROOTS, I just discoverd her site and I am in love. She has tons of super cute Printables and fun games! I am excited to print this of and many more things from her site!

She also has the super fun Easter game BLISSFUL ROOTS!! I look forward to playing it with my son and having it at our Easter Egg hunt for him and his Cousins to play!!! 

Is this not so true and I so wish I could find this water bottle. Oh Lulu how I love you but not your price tag and how the good stuff always goes so fast!! Have a wonderful and blessed weekend everyone!!

Gillian Marquet

BBQ Chicken & Bacon Chopped Salad

I love a good hearty salad that is light on the dressing but heavy on the goodness that really makes a salad truly healthy for you. Lets face it sometimes salads can be good for us until we add the dressing. I have a few different salads I make for us but this is one of my husbands favorite. I am a huge meal planner, it has saved me so much time and trips to the grocery store since I started, I will get into that on another post and start sharing my meal plans for the week and my menu planning board:)! Once a week I do a salad for my Husband & I and one serving homemade Mac & Cheese for my 3 1/2 year old. It gives me a break from the challenges I am currently facing with my picky eater and we all eat happy!

Here is what you will need to assemble this quick and healthy salad. Organic Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, Bacon, Kale, Lettuce of Choice(my store only had Organic Red Leaf). On a side note I can not wait for Lettuce to start growing in my garden again, if there is one thing I do not like buying from the store it is my greens, I just love picking them fresh from my garden. My Kale is softer, my lettuce tastes better(well to me at least), anyway I am ready for sunshine and fresh pickings from the garden! But back to the salad...hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, corn, your favorite BBQ sauce(I love Annie's, it is GMO free so for me that's what we go for), and your salad dressing of choice.

Lets talk Bacon for a moment. My husband and I were on a date night and naturally he ordered the chopped salad for a starter. Not sure if I mentioned above but they are his favorite. This one had bacon in it so that made it even more appealing;) I am not a huge bacon gal, I could take it or leave it. However I do enjoy bacon in salads, potatoes, and other dishes I just do not really enjoy eating a slice of bacon, my husband thinks I am crazy but that is okay;) So he was talking to our waiter about how much he loved the bacon and were they purchased it from. So long story short if you are looking for some pretty delicious Applewood Smoked Bacon to have chopped up in Salads and such order this stuff Nueske's Applewood Smoked Bacon. If anything the men in your life will love it!

I have tried a lot of different ways to do my hard boiled eggs but the best and most consistent way I always get the perfect egg I found here @ Picky Palate. Jenny @ Picky Palate is another blog I love to follow and she has some delicious recipes. I always have Hard-Boiled eggs in the fridge my husband, he will grab them before work or for a snack, so when salad night does arrive I always put them in his.

Grill your corn till it is done to your liking, I left mine so it would have a crunch to it. That way it eliminates wanting croutons or anything crunchy that may not be the best for you in your salad. However I do not think corn has any nutritional value but it sure it pretty and tastes nice and sweet in season;)!

Chop up your Kale, Lettuce, and Tomatoes.  Always remove the rib of your Kale, I don't recommend eating that part;) 

Fry up your bacon. I always cook up the whole package because my husband loves it in his eggs in the morning. But you can always just do 5 pieces and that would be plenty for the salad. But since your cooking it you might as well do the whole package;)

Then let it rest on a paper towel after it is nice and crispy to your liking.

I like to leave some of the bacon grease in my skillet and then I chop up my chicken into 1 inch cubes, season with salt and pepper, and cook it up for about 8 minutes total. When it is done remove it from the heat and pour in 1/4 cup BBQ sauce for 1 chicken breast and 1/3-1/2 cup for 2 chicken breasts. 

Assemble your salad together, sit down and enjoy:)! 

Or for my husband I throw it all into a bowl with about 2 teaspoons of ranch and mix it all up. He has told me that he strongly dislikes to eat salad on a plate, so I always try to get it in the bowl for him;) 

Peanut Butter M&M Rice Krispie Treats

I love to do fun things for my neighbors and for my Husbands office around the holidays, I also love to make it fun and easy for my 3 year to help with! He loves to help me make Rice Krispies treats and he loves to eat them. In high school one day I decided it would be a great idea to add these fun Easter Egg shaped M&M's to this classic treat, it was, they are one of my favorite ways to enjoy a Rice Krispie Treat! These are so simple, so fun, and such a cute Easter/ Spring idea to do with your kiddos and share some Easter fun with those around you!

I always seems to have extra marshmallows leftover in the bag, and when I go to use them next time they are no longer fresh, adding them in after the Rice Krispies gives them an extra fluffy factor that I love. I went to a friends house for a movie night and her dear friend did this with her treats and I have been hooked ever since, it was genius!!

Next add a bag full of these pretty Speckled Egg M&M's. You could chop them up if you wanted too but then the Peanut butter and chocolate gets messy and they do not look as pretty try to keep them whole!

I used some help from these plastic eggs to make the perfect Egg shaped Krispie Treat that will fit into any Egg Carton perfectly! I tried by hand and it did not work they were just too big and the egg carton would not close.

I just love the little pop of color and the surprise you will get when you bite into these fun treats! Easter is coming up fast and I am so excited! My daffodils are in full bloom and my tulips are right around the corner!!! My son and I have all the Easter books out and it has been so exciting really teaching him the true meaning of Easter(and him grasping it), but also the fun we get to have too(and him remembering last year) . We did an Easter Egg Hunt last year for all my nephews and I cant wait for it again this year! 

 I got this super cute printable from, Our Best Bites, my sister-in-law introduced me to this blog about 4 years ago and I have been hooked ever since. They are fabulous ladies with some great stuff! I had no idea that food blogging was even a thing, ever since I have been hooked and thinking of starting my own! They came to Seattle a few years back for a book signing and it was so fun to meet them! So, grab your kiddos and have them help you make these fun treats for friends, family, co-workers, or yourself!!

Black Bean Dip

 I have a huge LOVE for really good Mexican food. I think I could eat it 5 nights a week and not get sick of it. We had Mexican at our wedding and everyone loved it!! So if you are a Mexican lover like myself then you will have plenty of recipes coming your way! We recently went to Cabo in December and I ate Tacos to my hearts content! The best I found were at Cabo Wabo, I can still taste them, or maybe not I guess I need to get back on a plane and refresh my memory;) I also had Chile Rellenos for the first time at the famous Miguels in Todos Santos and they are famous for good reason, they were AMAZING! We went back twice, first time I ordered a pure cheese and the second time I got fish in them. Again I think I need to get back on a plane to refresh my memory of how good they are!! 

So here is Miguel's and they were actually featured in the New York Times! Miguel himself was so nice and friendly! He has a passion for his Restaurant!

But back to my Black Bean Dip. My little sister & BFF is home for Spring Break!!! I love it when she is back in town we always seem to find a good reason to head to the Nordstrom Rack. She needed a dress for an upcoming formal at her sorority and $50 to spend, she found a super cute dress and sweater to wear on top, all for $49 and she saved over $200!!! Finding deals on high quality pieces is the best!!!

 Back in her college town there is a Mexican Restaurant with a delicious Black Bean Dip they serve with the chips and salsa, I wanted to recreate it for the Mexican dinner I was making the other night! It turned out to be a success and she said it tasted just like it! So next time you are having a Mexican dinner or craving Nachos put this bean dip in the slow cooker and you wont be disappointed!

 Here are the players that you will be needing: Black Beans, Water, Garlic, Salt, Dehydrated Onion, Bay leaves(I love Bay leaves they are magical), Cumin, Coriander, Oregano, Chicken Bouillon Cube, Lime

Fresh Strawberry Pie

 Fresh Strawberry Pie

Growing up there was this delicious restaurant called the Hungry Goose open for lunch M-F that was very close to our school. My mother would sometimes bring us an amazing piece of pie when we were done with school! When we had doctors appointments she always ended up taking us there. It was such a treat, the rolls and pies were handmade daily by two amazing ladies! The Banana Cream was heaven! I actually ended up working there and boy was that a treat!!

It was extra nice and sunny here in Washington when I decided to make this pie and thought it was perfect for the beautiful weather! But currently it is back to rain. Joannie's Fresh Strawberry Pie was one she would make every June when Spooners (the local Berry farm) first started picking the first berries! It would sell out so fast, if you did not get there right on time, by 11:30 it might be gone! Since her pies are no longer there I have been wanting to figure out how to make that pie. I tried Jello recipes I saw and nothing measured until I came upon this bad boy! I ate one piece and then another and since we had company I did not want to appear like a pig, and wanted to make sure others got more as well. Plus my Dad could not make it and I knew I needed to leave a piece for him;)

 So onto the recipe...I am a visual person so you will see a lot of pictures, to help you while you cook. However, I have just starting to take pictures while I bake, so I missed a few things. Now, grab your favorite pie crust recipe, store bought, or the one I will give you below (you will need to blind bake it). My mother always made a wonderful flaky pie crust growing up and I made her crust for years until I came upon the Pioneer Woman's pie crust. My mom has currently switched over to hers as well!

 First start out with 7 cups of  Good Quality Frozen Strawberries. I freeze pounds of my garden berries and also the local farm berries each summer, that way I have delicious berries ready in my freezer all year round! Then cook over medium low heat for 3 minutes to release juices.

 Cook for an additional 25-35 minutes over medium-high heat until the mixture measures 2 cups. I would take it out at the 25 minute mark and measure.

 I highly recommend cooking in a big pot. As you see my hand above, the first time I cooked this in a much smaller pot the constant stirring and random splatter left me with two very pretty burn marks, maybe not so pretty! But since I already have a burn scar on that hand from my babysitter growing up I thought well at least it will be another story haha.

 So, say you have cooked for almost 35 minutes and you still have a few tablespoons extra just save it for yourself and if you happen to have a Shortbread girl Scout cookie you can dip that into, do it! Its delicious! Or even better extra pie dough from your baked pie crust.

 Once your mixture is 2 cups pour it into a separate bowl and let cool for 30 minutes. 

 While cooling, thinly slice up 3 cups of fresh strawberries. Then after the 30 minutes, fold the fresh berries into the gelatin mixture. Summertime is the best, when you can use fresh garden berries, this will be even better!

 Once your pie crust is completely cool and your strawberry mixture is cool. Pour into the pie crust and then refrigerator for 4 hours or up to 24.

When ready to eat serve with a delicious cream cheese whipped cream and Enjoy:)!!

Welcome to My Kitchen

Hi!! My name is Gillian and thank you for stopping by Ms. Marquet's Kitchen and my very first blog post!! I am so excited to start this new adventure and to share with you what comes out of my kitchen and home!! There will be party planning tips, meals, delicious baked goods, organizing tips, meal planning, and healthy living! I believe in putting real food and real ingredients in our bodies. 

Today I just want to show you a little about me and the fun we are going to have on this blogging journey and the things I hope to show you a long the way!! Don't mind all the pictures, I promise this will be the only time I go all out with crazy pictures or maybe not...haha! But all these remind me of Spring and the start of my big party season under way! Here are some of my past parties and treats I have made. I won't show these parties again only new ones in the future...promise;) Enjoy and at the end I will give a teaser for my very first desert post!!

 This was my little sisters 18th Birthday Party! It was so much fun to put together, we did a Western theme.

 I LOVE Pie Pops, Pie is one of my most favorite things and to make it small and the no fuss serving is a great party idea! To save even more time use pre-made crust. Not as delicious as home made but sometimes sleep is worth it!!

 The western printable is from http://www.chickabug.com/teens-and-tweens/country-western-party/  I used my Cricut for the glitter paper. 

 My little Sister Carmen's grad party was so much fun, these a just a few pics from it and the banners I made with my Cricut, its an amazing machine! I LOVE it!

 CUPCAKES, CUPCAKES, CUPCAKES!! No party is complete without them!!

 Chocolate Chocolate, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Fresh Strawberry, and Oreo Truffle above! YUM!!!!

Above is lunches I have made in the past for our office as a Thank you to others who send us patients! I so enjoyed doing it and of course doing it around a holiday to theme it all together and a great way to show our appreciation. At the moment I have taken a time out from it but will get back into it on a smaller scale when my son goes to school. Look forward to Thank you lunches and gift bags in the future!

  I LOVE Easter! It is a beautiful time of year, my tulips and spring bulbs are springing, birds are chirping, Chickens are laying more eggs, Sun is Shinning, and we get to celebrate our Savior and his Love and Grace for us!! Oh and Carrot Cake, Spring and carrot cake...I am ready for my first Carrot Cake of the year!

Showers of any kind scream Spring to me! This is a Bridal Shower for a dear friend of mine her sister and I threw. Her sister is a photographer and has wonderful pictures I still need to get. I however and learning. so bear with me!

 Strawberry Cheesecake bars with fresh Strawberry Sauce, Yogurt Parfaits, Fresh Fruit with a delicious dipping sauce! It was a wonderful Bridal Shower brunch!

 Blueberry Muffins, oh my! Those will be coming soon. I have made the same ones since High School and I will never change they are divine. Especially when you use fresh picked local blueberries! So those will come in August!

 Baby Showers!! Another sign Spring is upon us! This was such a treat for me to host for another dear friend of mine and everything was so fresh and the lemonade stand perfect for a sweet cravings table! 

 This is my sweet baby girl Koco! While she is no longer a baby at 10 years old we still call her that! She is alwasy front and center at every party and in the kitchen waiting for something to come her way!

 This was such a fun cake to make for my older sister's baby Shower!

 I love to celebrate Birthday's and I always try to do something for the girls at our office who work so very hard for us! The patients love it to!! 

 How cute was this Watermelon lunch! While this says Summer more then Spring, today its like 55 and beautiful in Washington so after all the rain we have been having sun makes me want to do all things spring/Summer!!

So this is my handsome little man eating his very first Strawberry from our garden! There is nothing like a fresh Strawberry right from the Garden! Stay Tuned because in the next few days I am going to whip up a mean Fresh Strawberry Pie that will leave you wanting to make it and then maybe eat the whole thing!!! 

Thanks for listening to me go on and on and look at all my pics. I am so excited to share this journey with you and all the thoughts in my head:)! 

Much Love,

Gillian Marquet