These rose cupcakes are a new standard in the store.  We started the cupcakes around Valentines Day -  thinking some people may like to gift an edible rose, instead of the traditional version.  They’ve been selling ever since.  A simple yellow or chocolate cupcake is topped with a buttercream rose and leaves.  The rose is piped directly onto the cupcake using a large rose tip.

We recently had a large order of these cupcakes (this is just half the order) and I just thought they looked so striking all lined up together.  It certainly warrented a picture.

I am a lover of all things banana, (except for bananas themselves, strange huh?) and therefore have amassed quite a collection of banana recipes.  Having tried several versions of banana bread over the years, I finally settled on this particular recipe.  With a true fresh banana flavor, a wonderfully moist texture, and a subtle nutty crunch, this is a winner in my book.  I made a batch today (I had to do something with those browning bananas) and thought I would share the recipe with everyone.

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When it comes to making desserts for myself, I usually chose something with fruit.  (I am one of those odd people who doesn’t love chocolate).  In the summer months when berries and melons and stone fruits are wonderfully sweet and in season, I don’t have any problems creating fruit desserts.  The winter months, however, are a different story with limited produce options.  Yet, even though our temperatures sink below zero, the tropics are ever-producing.  Due to vast globalization, we can now get our hands on tropical fruits that were previously unavailable.  Most tropical fruits have more than one peak season, and therefore you can still get a great pineapple or mango at your grocery store in the middle of winter.  (I will admit this goes against my attempt to buy locally and use what’s in season – but I am just not ready to give up tropical fruits all together, so yes, I pay to ship them half way around the world to arrive neatly packaged at my local grocery store.  I’m not proud of it, but I’m human). (more…)