BBQ Beans, Slaw and Smoky Green Beans=Heaven!

Tonight: BBQ beans, slaw and smoky green beans! Recipe @thelocalvegan 

http://www.thelocalvegan.com/recipe/bbq-bean-sandwiches-and-smokey-green-beans

Carolyn Braden: Strawberry Lemonade Cake

I created this as a Mother's Day/Birthday cake for my mother-in-law. It was truly delicious. 

Get the recipe at myrecipes.com. Search for Southern Living's Strawberry-Lemonade Layer Cake. It will be your new favorite cake! 

Carolyn Braden's Under the Sea Cake

I created this Under the Sea cake for my friends 1 year old. It was her first birthday so it had to be special. It was 3 cake layers that were each 4 layers of fresh strawberry cake with lemon zest and homemade strawberry lemonade jam. I also dyed it bright pink to match the white chocolate sea candy I made. I dusted the candy and fondant "pearls" with an edible shimmer powder. I love having an idea in my mind come to life and look even better! It was my first try at the ruffled fondant and I love the look. I dyed the fondant so it would have an ombre look. I put took picks under the ruffles to keep them 3-D as it dried. 

Here was Brinley's own cake. I made this with buttercream icing so she could easily eat it. She loved it. 

Carolyn Braden: Spider-Man Cakes By Me!

I created these Spider-Man cakes with some inspiration from Pinterest. 

Carolyn Braden's Monster High Cake

I created this Monster High themed cake for my niece. I added a touch of shimmer dust as everything looks better with a little sparkle! 

Carolyn Braden: How to Make Oreo Pops

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5tfyZNwJ7Y

InStyle Mag: Wendy's Wunderbars by Carolyn Braden

I created Wendy's Wunderbars from InStyle Magazine and they are yummy. They are the perfect combination of sweet, sour and salty in a healthy snack. Here is the recipe (made a little easier by me). 

Place wax paper in a 8 oz. square baking pan, covering the entire pan. 

Melt 2 oz. dark chocolate (I used 71% cacao organic chocolate) with 1 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate in a double boiler. 

I created my own double boiler by melting the chocolate in a saucepan that was sitting on top of another saucepan filled with boiling water. 

While the chocolate is melting, finely chop 1/3 cup shelled pistachios with 1/3 cup toasted almonds (I toasted my almonds for 6 minutes on 400 degrees). 

Finely chop 8-9 oz. halved and pitted dates. You can use a food processor if you wish. 

Combine the dates with 1/3 cup dried cherries. Mix in 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract and 1/8 tsp. sea salt.

Mix all ingredients together (either in a food processor or by hand) and pour into the wax paper covered baking pan. Cover with wax paper and press all the ingredients firmly into the pan. Chill until firm. (About 1 hour). 

Remove from pan and use a serrated knife to cut it into 16 bars.