SUZIE SWEET TOOTH

Cakes, Treats, and Everything Sweet

recent posts

    • Moscow Mules

      Moscow Mules

       

      Do you like your drinks ice cold? Me too. I can’t drink a warm beer or even one that is somewhat cool-it has to be ice cold! Do you love to experiment with new cocktails? You KNOW I do by just perusing my blog. Quite often we see particular mugs or glasses associated with a certain drink. The Moscow mule drink is no different-there is actually a mug that pays homage to the drink; and it is a copper mug. They are beautiful mugs that keep your drink nice and cold as they are great conductors for cold AND heat. The traditional mule drink has fresh lime juice and a lot of people are not aware that if you drink your beverage from a mug that is lined with copper, that includes something acidic such as lime juice, the copper leaches into your drink and you are consuming copper.

      When looking for copper mugs, make sure to buy one that is lined with Nickel. Check out these amazing and beautiful copper mugs that are shown here. They are  hand made and lined with Nickel.  I have been drinking EVERYTHING from them since I got them. I am obsessed!! I cannot describe how beautiful these mugs are. The color of the copper changes color when you add your beverage and they take on a gossimer glow. They would make a great gift for the Holidays or just to have for yourself when entertaining, they are very comfortable to hold and not heavy at all.  Head on over to there to check them out.  They come packaged very secure.

      Fall is just a skip away so I’ve also included a recipe for an apple cider mule. The mugs are perfect for sipping spiced cider as well, as they will keep your beverage hot while you sit in front of the bonfire or fireplace. They are perfect for hot chocolate, mochas, pumpkin spice lattes or anything hot. They are truly a 4 season mug. Happy sipping!

       

      Traditional Moscow Mule 

      crushed ice

      1 1/2 oz. premium vodka

      1/2 oz. fresh lime juice

      1/2 Cup ginger beer

      garnish: lime wedge

       

      Fill a Moscow mule mug with crushed ice. Add ingredients and gently stir. Garnish with lime wedge.

       

      Apple Cider Moscow Mule

      1 1/2 oz. premium vodka

      1/2 oz. lime juice

      1/3 Cup apple cider

      Ginger beer

      Garnish: (optional)  thinly sliced fresh apple and cinnamon stick

       

       

      Fill a Moscow mule mug with crushed ice, then add first three ingredients. Top off with ginger beer, stir to combine. Garnish as desired.

       

      Passionate Pear Moscow Mule

      crushed ice

      1 1/2 oz. Pear flavored Vodka (Such as Sky Bartlet pear)

      1/2 oz. (1 Tbsp.) fresh lime juice

      1/2 Cup cold ginger beer

      1/2 oz. (1 Tbsp.) passion fruit syrup (Such as Monin brand or)

       

      Fill a Moscow mule mug with crushed ice. Add ingredients and stir to combine.

       

    • Vanilla Pudding Parfaits with Salted Caramel, Cookie Crumbles & Peanuts

       

      We are still in triple digits here in Arizona. I can feel the weather changing though as the days get shorter and the nights cooler.  l’m starting to welcome the idea of Fall and everything that comes with it. Fall is akin to comfort food. As Summer slips away, we start day dreaming of stews, hot dishes and firing up the oven again to bake. These parfaits are Snickers inspired in terms of flavor.

      Pudding is the ultimate comfort food that you can still make when the weather is hot.  I have such a fond memory of my childhood and making homemade pudding. My Mother taught me how to stir the pudding gently in a figure 8 motion, being careful to get into the corners of the pot. When making pudding, I always succumb to a hypnotic dreamy state while I stir. I don’t know why, but it just happens organicly EVERY TIME. Pudding can be a great problem solving task for things that you have been pondering about or troubled over.  Stirring and zoning out, I can finally meditate over where the Husband left his keys that he’s lost for 3 days now. Oh yeah…stirring, meditating, day dreaming of Fall evenings sitting on the porch with creamy pudding parfaits.

      These little jars have everything you need, creamy pudding with bits of crunchy chocolate cookie crumbles and smooth salted caramel topped with peanuts. Comfort food in any season. You’ll most likely have some salted caramel sauce leftover- store it in a glass jar in the fridge. Slip it into your morning coffee or sneak a spoonful now and then straight from the jar!

       

      Salted Caramel Sauce

      1 C sugar

      1/4 C water

      3/4 C heavy cream; nuke until slightly warm

      2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

      1/2 tsp. fleur de sel or kosher salt

      In a medium saucepan place the sugar and add the water and mix gently until the mixture resembles wet sand. Cook over medium high heat and let it come to a boil without stirring; until the caramel reaches a deep amber. Turn off the heat and remove the pan from the heat. Carefully pour in the cream, it will bubble and spout a bit; whisk carefully until combined. Whisk in the butter and then the salt. Let cool, then refrigerate.

      Vanilla Bean Pudding 

      yield: 4 servings

      2  1/2 Cups whole milk, divided

      1/2 Cup sugar

      pinch of salt

      3 Tbsp. cornstarch

      2 egg yolks

      1 Vanilla Bean, scraped for seeds

      1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

      For Parfait Assembly:

      Purchased Famous brand chocolate cookies

      Salted roasted peanuts 

      1. In a small to medium bowl whisk the cornstarch along with 1/2 Cup of the milk. Add the yolks and whisk to combine; set aside.

      2. Place the remaining 2 cups milk in a saucepan along with the sugar, salt, and vanilla bean seeds. Bring to a boil; then slowly pour about 1/3 of the hot milk into the bowl with the cornstarch mixture to temper the mixture. Pour that back into the saucepan and bring the pudding to a gentle boil over medium heat while stirring with a rubber spatula. Let the mixture boil for about 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the butter. Pour the pudding into a container and place a piece of parchment circle directly onto the surface of the pudding. Let the pudding cool on counter for 30 minutes, then place in fridge.

      Once the pudding is poured into the bowl, DO NOT STIR OR PUDDING CAN TURN WATERY!

      Parfait assembly:

      Layer a few tablespoons of vanilla pudding in the bottom of a 4 oz. glass container, then pour in a couple tablespoons of salted caramel, followed by sprinkling of coarse cookie crumbles and salted peanuts. Repeat with one more layer. Serve chilled.

    • Summer Cocktail Series: #3: Blueberry Mint Lemonade with Vodka

      We had such a lovely Fourth of July yesterday. It was a beautiful day here in Arizona and we lazed around all day and I threw together a quick blueberry puree in my ninja blender. I had quite a bit of fresh mint left in the fridge and whipped together this refreshing sipper with some store bought lemonade. Normally I make fresh lemonade when our ginormous lemon tree is in season, but I think it is yummy even with store bought. I like the brand Simply Lemonade. The great thing about this quick cocktail is the little ones can enjoy it sans vodka, so it’s family friendly. Just whip up the puree earlier in the day and keep it in the fridge with the fresh mint.

      We finished off the night swimming in the pool and sipping cocktails with our friends, while watching our neighbors’ fireworks. We are lucky to have neighbors a few blocks away who shoot off fireworks every year so we stay home and swim in the pool while taking in the bright display. Stay safe and enjoy Summer everyone!

      Blueberry Mint Lemonade (with optional Vodka)

       

      Blueberry Puree 

      2 pints fresh blueberries, rinsed

      1 Cup water

      Place the blueberries and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Once cool, puree in a blender until smooth (some little bits of blueberry are fine).

      How to make cocktail:

      In a tall Collins glass place 1 1/2 Tbsp. of blueberry puree and mint leaves from one sprig. Smash lightly the mint with a spoon. Fill the glass with 1 oz. of vodka, one more sprig of mint, then top off with crushed ice and lemonade.

      Tip for storing fresh mint: When you bring the mint home from the store, take it out of the package, rinse in cold water, and place in a glass of cold water (I use a mason jar). Make sure the sprigs are immersed in the water.

    • Summer Cocktail Series: #2: The Key Lime Pie Martini

       

      I have a serious THING for key lime pie, so turning that into a martini? yeah…

      Is there really anymore to say? Other than this is for my Summer Cocktail Series. Cocktail # 2

      Commence with the sippin’ and the porch sittin’ !!

       

      Key Lime Pie Martini

      (serving: 1)

      1.5 oz. vanilla vodka

      1 oz. key lime juice

      1 tsp. sugar

      2 Tbsp. Coco Lopez

      0.5 oz. (1 Tbsp.) pineapple juice

      1 oz. heavy cream

      One drop mint green (gel) food color

       

      Fill a martini glass or coupe glass with crushed ice to chill.

      On a small plate mix the graham cracker crumbs and sugar together.

      Mix the martini per instructions* in the cocktail shaker.

      Pour out the ice water from the martini glass and wipe dry.

      Cut a small piece of lime and wipe around the rim of martini/coupe glass.

      Dip the rim of the glass into the cracker mixture.

      Strain the cocktail into the glass and serve immediately.

       

      * Fill a cocktail shaker with all the ingredients then fill with ice. Shake vigourously.

      Graham Cracker Rim:

      1 full rectangular square graham cracker ground to crumbs in either a mortar/pestle or in a ziplock bag using rolling pin. Mix the crumbs with 2 tsp. of sugar. (You could also use cinnamon graham cracker if you prefer).

       

       

       

       

    • Summer Cocktail Series: # 1: The Amelia Cocktail

       

      Summer

      Fresh ripe juicy blackberries

      Elderflower St. Germain liqueur

      Warm gentle breezes

      Porch sittin’

      A few of your best friends

       

      What do all of these have in common? The Amelia cocktail– named after Amelia Earhart is a wonderful, berrylicious,  bright and fresh cocktail that comes together quite easily in a cocktail shaker. The end result is a gorgeous purple-maroon colored beauty. Sorry guys- this is a girly girl drink.

      Summer lends itself to our creative senses when it comes to sipping on something refreshing, so I’m starting a new category called “Summer Cocktail Series” to get us in the mood. The star of this beautiful libation utilizes fresh blackberries, sugar, lemon juice and St. Germain liqueur. St. Germain is a liqueur made from elderflower and it pairs nicely with berries and lemon because of it’s citrus notes.

      Mix this up ahead of time and find a pretty glass container and invite your BFF’s over for some lazy sipping on the front porch. Serve it in coupe wineglasses if you have them, (or a martini glass will do) placed on a pretty serving tray for a style reminiscent of old Hollywood glamour. You can multiply the recipe and keep it in the fridge in a pretty glass container of your choice so easy pouring and seconds will not distract you from your lazy porch sitting-slow sipping-catching up on neighborhood gossip-entertaining duties. Serve it alongside simple hors d’oeuvres and you will never leave the porch or pool side. Enjoy~

       

       

      The Amelia Cocktail

      recipe: adapted slightly from Nordstrom Bar

      yield: two cocktails

       

      12 fresh large plump blackberries

      1 Tbsp. super fine sugar

      2.5 oz. vodka

      2 oz. St. Germaine liqueur

      1 oz. fresh squeezed lemon juice

      ice to fill cocktail shaker

      Garnish: fresh blackberries, mint, super fine sugar for rimming glasses

       

      Chill glasses ahead of time in the fridge or place ice in each glass to fill then fill with enough water to fill each glass. Right before serving, dump out the ice cold water before pouring the cocktail.

      Prepare cocktail: In a cocktail shaker place the berries and sugar. Muddle the berries and sugar (with a cocktail muddler or end of a large wooden spoon) until broken down and juicy. Add the vodka, St. Germain, lemon juice and enough ice to fill the shaker. Cap the shaker and shake vigourosly about 20 times.

      Prepare glasses: Remove chilled glasses from fridge (or dump out the ice water from glasses and wipe dry). Swipe a small piece of lemon around the rims of glasses and then dip the glasses in sugar (place sugar on a small plate for easy rimming). Strain the cocktail into the glasses and serve garnished with fresh mint and blackberries.

       

    • Blood Orange Poppy Seed Loaf

      Blood Orange Poppy Seed Loaf

      Lets face it-there are certain fruits or foods which given their name do not exactly evoke a tasty image. Case in point, the blood orange. I mean….how could one get excited over something with the word blood in it if you’re going to be shoving it in your mouth? Well, these little beauties lend the most amazing ruby red color when juiced. You’ll find them used in everything from cocktail recipes to baking. Mix the juice with a little confectioners sugar and you have the most beautiful AND flavorful princess pink icing.

      It’s always a surprise when you slice one in half to find how deep in color your prized beauty really is. When picking one out you want to find one that has a good patch of crimson red mixed with deep orange.

       

       

      Blood Orange Poppy Seed Loaf

      1  1/2 C all purpose flour

      1/4 tsp. baking powder

      1/4 tsp. baking soda

      1/4 tsp. kosher salt

       

      1/2 Cup unsalted butter, room temp

      1  1/4 Cups sugar

      2 large eggs, room temp

      1 tsp. vanilla

      zest of 2 large blood oranges

      2 Tbsp. blood orange juice

      1/3 Cup milk

      1 tsp. white vinegar

      2-4 Tbsp. poppy seeds

       

      Combine milk with vinegar and set aside for about 10-15 minutes.

      Preheat the oven to 350° F. Prepare a standard loaf pan with non stick baking spray and line with parchment paper so the ends are extended over the long side of the pan. Leave at least 2 inches of overhang.

      In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and mix until combined. Add the vanilla and combine. Zest the oranges over the mixer bowl and also add the blood orange juice. With mixer on stir setting, stir to combine. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Add in half the flour mixture and beat gently to combine. Add in milk mixture with mixer running on slow speed and mix gently to combine. Add in last half of flour mixture and beat gently to combine. Stir in the poppy seeds (Note* this is a matter of preference on how much poppy seeds you like-I add in only 2 Tbsp. but you can much more to your liking).

      Pour the batter into the pan and smooth out the top. Bake in preheated oven for about 55 minutes to an hour or until a wooden skewer inserted shows a few moist crumbs.

      Make the Blood Orange Syrup by placing ingredients into a liquid glass measuring cup and microwaving until mixture comes to a boil.

      Let the cake cool for 30 minutes then gently pour the Blood Orange Syrup over the cake until cake absorbs all of syrup. Let cake cool completely, then apply glaze with a large spoon until top of cake is covered.

      For glaze– in a medium bowl place sifted confectioners sugar and blood orange juice and whisk to combine.

       

      Blood Orange Syrup

      1/2 Cup water

      2  1/2 Tbsp. sugar

      1 Tbsp. blood orange juice

       

      Glaze

      1  1/2 Cup confectioners sugar, sifted

      3-4 Tbsp. fresh blood orange juice