From Scratch

Gruyere and Apple Muffins

Do you see that muffin runt? He's the one in the top row, in the middle. He seems rather small compared to his peers, huh?

And that's because I was running out of batter. This recipe only made 10 muffins.

Not a dozen. Not half a dozen. But ten.

And that, my friends, is concrete proof that I truly did just make this up. And, apparently, still need to perfect this recipe.

Which I don't mind, since gruyere and apples together are divine.

But if you don't mind 10 delicious muffins... well, then we can just call this a complete and total success.

I think I'm going to go with that. Feels right.

Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 stick melted butter, 1 large egg, 1 granny smith apple and 1/3 cup shredded gruyere cheese.

In a mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix in melted and slightly cooled butter and egg. Now add in the peeled and chopped apple plus 1/4 cup of the cheese. Spoon batter into a well greased muffin pan. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese. And bake at 350 F for 15-20 minutes.

*Side note: if you are ever baking muffins or cupcakes and don't end up using all the cups in your pan, fill the empty ones with a little bit of water to help preserve them from the heat. I forget were I first learned this... it may have been Martha Stewart or possibly my Home Economics teacher...

xo. Emma

P.S. I have noticed lately that ya'll (yeah, that's right, I typed it) sometimes have cooking/business questions for me. If you ever want to email, feel free: emma AT redvelvetart DOT com

"I like your sweater."

That's what the cashier at Staples told me yesterday while I was wearing this outfit. I said, "Thank goodness, because I couldn't decided if this sweater was cool or totally crazy."

Sometimes I just want to wear an oversized "ugly" sweater. I think it's really awesome, in a Bill Cosby kind of way.

Which is the best way.

I recently got these new glasses too. I love picking out new glasses. These happen to be tortise shell. But not literally.

Outfit details:

Sweater and necklace: thrifted

Jeans: Jessica Simpson

Hat: Red Velvet

Shoes: TOMs

 

Making my own Cake + Cupcake Stands!

Guess what? Elsie and I decided to make a few cake stands from vintage items in our store. It was super fun and easy! I especially love the single cupcake stand we created from a cocktail glass and ashtray.

For the full DIY tutorial check out Violet Bella's World.

Hope you have a happy weekend!

xo. Emma

Jalapeno and Pepper Jack Scones

Thoughts on scones:

Scones remind me of English ladies having afternoon tea. Of berries and cream. Of proper china adored by butterflies and flowers.

But these particular scones remind me of Truckers. Of dirt bikes and swear words. They are tough.

Tough scones. Because that just makes sense.

I served these along with black bean soup and it was a match made in heaven. Cheesy, spicy bread along with a filling healthy soup is such a great meal to share with your family!

Jalapeno and Pepper Jack Scones, makes 6-8 scones

Ingredients: 2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 8 tablespoons cold cubed butter, 2 large eggs, 1/2 cup cream (I used half and half) 8 ounces cubed pepper jack cheese, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 2 jalapeno peppers

Take the seeds and veins out of the peppers, and dice. In a small sauce pan lightly saute the peppers in olive oil, then remove from heat and lay over a bed of paper towels to cool.

In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Using your hands, or a pastry blender, mix in the cold cubed butter until you have a nice crumbly batter. Now incorporate the cream and eggs. Knead in jalapeno bits and cubed cheese. Form a thick disk. Place on a baking sheet and slice into 6-8 triangles. Bake at 400 F for 20-25 minutes.

Adapted from Joy the Baker

xo. Emma

Simple Black Bean Soup

As much as it pains me to say it-I think I need a little break from cake. I think a healthy soup is in order.

This soup is SO simple to make, healthy and... wait for it... Vegan!

Unless you add a little sour cream to it when serving.

Which I did.

Whoops.

Oh well, it's still healthy and vegetarian. And really yummy. The perfect soup to warm you up as we wait for spring.

I'm no longer calling it winter around here. It's "pre-spring time."

The power of postive thinking.

Black Bean Soup, makes 3-4 servings

Ingredients: 2-3 cans of black beans (drained and rinsed), 1/2 red onion, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon chili powder (or more/less to your tastes), 2 cups vegetable stock, 1 tablespoon olive oil and salt+pepper to taste.

In a pot, heat oil and saute the chopped onions until soft (2-3 minutes). Add the garlic, salt, pepper and chili powder and cook for another minute. Turn the heat down a bit and add in the stock and black beans. Let the flavors cook together for 5-8 minutes (add more salt and pepper if needed). Serve hot with sour cream.

Or with some homemade super cheesy/spicy scones (spoiler alert for tomorrow's post).

xo. Emma

Birthday Cake

First off, thank you so so much for all your warm birthday wishes. I had a truly lovely birthday (see picture of giant cake slice above).

I hung out with family and friends. Ate a lot of great food. Maybe had a few drinks. And received a few truly lovely presents. :)

My brother and Sarah got me a large portrait of my pug. It. is. awesome. I need to take a picture and show you soon.

You see, I am starting a collection of pug portraits. Do you know that part in Royal Tenenbaums where they show all the portraits of Margot hanging on the wall? I've always thought that was charming, so this year one of my goals is to complete my collection of pug portraits. I currently have three. I'm planning to collect ten to twelve total. 

I better get on that.

This weekend I also finished making my birthday list. It's a tradition for me.

Every year I make a list of goals for that year, the number of goals grows with my age. So this year I have 25 things to do before I turn 26. Some of the goals are pretty easy and can be accomplished in a week or so, some are much more difficult. But they are all things that are important to me, and it's exciting to make that list every year.

I look forward to it.

Almost as much as I look forward to eating cake.

Almost.

This cake (ahem) had a layer of chocolate, a layer of red velvet, a layer of pink vanilla, a layer of soft pink vanilla, plus cream cheese frosting. I made a ton of frosting and I just barely had enough.

I was in a pink mood. So sue me. :)

xo. Emma

A Birthday present to myself

My birthday isn't until tomorrow... but... yesterday I got my self an early birthday present: a tattoo!

I finally got my Red Velvet tattoo! Elsie, Rachel and Holly have all gotten theirs already, so I decided this year, as a birthday present to myself, I would take the plunge and get mine. Finally. It's an electric egg beater with a ribbon that says, "Red Velvet" across it. Plus a few cute flowers just to even it out. :)

If tattoos really aren't your thing, that's cool. I can totally appreciate that. But I happen to be totally in love with mine! But boy did it hurt. I am such a sissy about pain! So this will probably be the biggest one I ever get. So all you cuties out there will half or full sleeves-my hat if off to you. Geez, you are tough.

Outfit details: hat from Red Velvet, dress was thrifted, belt thrifted, camisole thrifted, jeans by Jessica Simspon and boots from Urban Outfitters.

I have been wanting to dye my hair really blonde and get a tattoo like this for a few years now, and I couldn't be more happy with all the new changes. I know that the way we look is only skin deep, but it has meant something special to me to go through this process and changes with my family and living a new dream this year!

Tomorrow is the big TWO FIVE for me (I'm going to be 25 years old ya'll) and I feel like I've already gotten everything I could really hope for. I'm a very blessed lady right now.

Thanks for letting me gush. I know it's gross. I'm getting very sentimental in my old age. :)

xo. Emma

Coconut and Curry Vegetables

Any night I am going out to eat with friends or family and someone asks me to suggest the place, I nearly always suggest one of my favorite three Thai places in town.

I just love all the flavor combinations found in Thai cuisine. Sometimes you find raisins in your stir fry, sometimes you find pineapple in a curry soup... and it's so so good!

I cannot really claim that this dish is Thai, it's more "Emma thinks this is Thai." As I am certainly no great Thai chef (or chef at all for that matter).

But I can assure you that this is good. And easy to make. And really tasty.

It also happens to be vegan. I am not vegan, just vegetarian. But when a dish is good, it's good. So there.

Coconut and Curry Vegetables, makes enough for 4 servings

Ingredients: 2 bell peppers (I used two different colored ones just for the fun way it looks), 1/2 white onion, 1 small can of pineapple chunks (if you have fresh pineapple where you are, go with that, otherwise canned it ok too) 1 small container of tofu, 1 can coconut milk, 3 tablespoons curry powder, 1/4 teaspoon coriander, 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, and sea salt to season.

In a clean, dry pan heat the curry powder over medium heat until toasted but not burned (2-3 minutes) Slice up the vegetables (and pineapple) very thin and saute in olive oil and a bit of sea salt until soft (4-5 minutes). Cube the tofu and pan fry until crispy on the outside. I tried dipping my tofu cubes in flour but they seemed to stick more than usual, so I am not ready to recommend this. :) Now combine the vegetables, tofu and coconut milk in a large skillet (or whatever you have been working with so far) add in the spices and a pinch or two more salt and heat until it's hot and bubbly.

Serve over white or brown rice to the delight of your family. Eat more than you should, it's ok, it's vegan. That means it has not calories... right? :)

xo. Emma

Local Favorites: The Hub's Coffee

If you are a Springfield native, or visiting AND love good coffee (or tea) then you really ought to make a stop at the The Hub sometime.

They have some of the very best coffee in town. Truly. I try and go once a week or so. I make it my reward if I get my work done. Little rewards are the best.

And their cups are cute. Not that packaging should matter, but let's be honest-it does.

And they are a joint venture between two brothers. The business is a bicycle shop/coffee shop.

If you can't ride a bike to save your life, it's ok. Neither can I. But I sure can drink good coffee like a pro.

Also the owner is nearly always there, and he's really nice. And sometimes his wife is there knitting on the couch. And I've even seen his daughter (or maybe his brother's daughter?) watching Elmo in Grouchland at the shop too. Pretty cute, huh?

Oh, and did I mention it's REALLY REALLY good, well made coffee.

One of my favorite coffee places in town. Local love. :)

The Hub is located at: 811 North Boonville in Springfield, MO.

No one gave me any money to say any of this. In fact, I receive no money to say anything ever. And it hasn't stopped me yet.

Green Bean Bites

These were adorable, and cheesy, and yummy. I recently discovered that I like green beans, so now I am on a mission to find ways to eat them. Other then the classic green bean casserole.

Nothing wrong with the classic, just looking for variety.

I was also looking for a vegetable side dish. Yep, I was planning a dinner and I thought, "this meal needs a vegetable side dish." And these are what I came up with. Green Beans wrapped in cheesy bread.

Pretty healthy solution, huh?

Green Bean Bites, makes 1 lb of bites.

Ingredients: 1 lb fresh green beans, 1 sheet of puff pastry, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper.

First you need to rinse and de-stem the green beans. I usually line a bunch up and chop off the ends, but if you are prone to snapping off the ends while sitting in a rocking chair on your front porch listening to Willie Nelson...

... well aren't you just charmingly country. I'm a little jealous.

In a pot of boiling, salted water blanch the beans for 5-8 minutes. In drain and plunge into cold water (this stops the cooking process). Lay them out on a towel or paper towels to dry a bit while you slice up the puff pastry into thin strips. Dip and press these strips in cheese, then wrap around the green beans. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 F for 10-12 minutes, or until the puff pastry looks golden.

Devour. Never apologize.

xo. Emma