Coffee and Cannolis

Just because an expectant mother can't partake in drinking alcoholic beverages doesn't mean she doesn't want to enjoy the occasional mocktail to celebrate.  With Cinco de Mayo just around the corner a margarita sure sounds nice, but minus the tequilla of course! A few months ago I bought a fantastic mocktail book - " Preggatini's-Mixology for the Mom-to-be " and started making a few of the recipes recently.  The first I made was this Mamarita recipe for my sister-in-laws baby shower which had a Mexican food theme.  There was no need for the two of us to just drink water while everyone else was enjoying a margarita!  Sure, there was lemonade, but for anyone else that's pregnant or has ever been - you get burnt out on lemonade REAL quick!! While I prefer a real margarita, this was a good substitute to calm my craving for a few more months.  It is pretty sweet so it's not something I'll make on a regular basis, but I'll definitely be making

How cute are ice cream sundae cupcakes?  I was looking for something simple, but a little different recently for a coworkers birthday and I decided to make a variation of ice cream sundae cupcakes.  The main variation is that I didn't include cherries on top, though that would have made them look significantly more like sundaes.  My reasoning - coworker isn't a fan so why would I do that?!  Considering I do not like cherries I wasn't too heartbroken :) Ice Cream Sundae Cupcakes Ingredients: For the Cupcakes 2¼ cups cake flour (9 ounces), plus more for dusting the pans 1 cup + 2 tablespoons whole milk, at room temperature 6 large egg whites (¾ cup), at room temperature 2 teaspoons almond extract 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1½ cups + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (11.35 ounces) 4 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon table salt 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1½ sticks), softened but still cool For the Frosting 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 pound (4 c

It's no secret that I love cooking with beer, and ironically, one day while Rob and I were enjoying some beer cheddar risotto   I received an email, that I was able to check on my handy iPhone while eating, from Foodbuzz asking for submissions to be a Foodbuzz / New Belgium Brewing Company Tastemaker.  Yes please!  I didn't expect to be selected as I'm sure numerous people submitted for the opportunity but lo and behold I was selected. While debating what to make I couldn't decide between a dessert or main course.  One day while craving pizza I had an inspiration that a pizza dough made with beer would be fantastic.   (But trust me, I have plenty of dessert ideas rattling in my brain to try out with beer!)  Knowing that I really wanted to take advantage of grilling season I chose a Spring seasonal beer (New Belgium Mighty Arrow Pale Ale) to complement and not overpower the pizza.  Plus, I wanted to grill the pizza (my favorite way to prepare pizza) and seasonal beers j