Sweet News!

I am very excited to share some exciting news! First let me fill you in on my journey over the last two years that brought me to my big news today. As some of you already know, My sister Jessie and I started companies a few years ago. She started first by opening a chocolate company called Vita Dolce Chocolates. I followed some time after by opening Bocca Felice Italian Sweets and Cupcakery. Yes, we are Italian, hence the very Italian names to our businesses! Within a short amount of time we decided to offer "sweet" tables. For those of you who are not familiar with that term it is basically a very beautiful, one of a kind table filled with a variety of sweets, graphic design, and elaborate backdrops. Tables are designed after meeting with clients to accommodate their individual style and needs. As word got out we booked more and more of them. They quickly became a popular item for Birthdays, weddings, and corporate parties. With Jessie living in a a different state, we found ourselves having to order items from each other, or trying to teach each other our different techniques over the phone so we could have each others sweets on our tables! As much fun as this was, it was not convenient. Some time last spring I made the trip to North Carolina to visit. Well, not just visit...We were going to cross train each other. I swapped some of my secrets and techniques for my baked goods for some of her knowledge of the wonderful world of chocolate! We both had dabbled a little in both worlds since we were little but now it was official for both of us. Before I knew it She was making beautiful sugar cookies, perfect cannoli's, and even piping cupcakes! As for me, I learned to temper, flavor, and decorate chocolate! I was very excited to come home and practice my newly learned skills. I have always enjoyed sending in chocolate loli-pops to the kids bake sales at school and making lovely chocolate bark around the holidays to top my cupcakes and give as gifts, but now I have the know how and experience to do more! Ok, so here it is.....I have purchased a portion of my sisters company from her!!! In just a couple weeks a sampling of Vita Dolce's wonderful products will be available from Bocca Felice! This includes gorgeous artisan chocolates, loli-pops, and a variety of seasonal items. I am excited about all the possibilities. My mind wanders with fun ways to incorporate chocolate and cake....Nothing better than taking something that is already good and making it better! Below is a picture of some Vita Dolce chocolates I made for a wedding this summer!

Poptarts

My favorite Halloween recipe this season is this completely simple one for homemade jack-o-lantern poptarts! You get to enjoy pumpkin pie in the morning, and the kids LOVE helping!




You can find the recipe on the family kitchen website, however, I took the recipe and made it even easier. I love short cuts when it comes to baking in the kitchen. My sister, Becky, would never use my short cuts, she believes it is a cardinal sin to bake anything out of a box, package, bag ect...
Just decide what recipe works best for you!

My Recipe for Pumpking Poptarts:

1 can Libby's Pumpkin Pie Filling
1 package refrigerated pie crust
1 dash of sugar

Frosting:
1 Cup Powder Sugar
3 Tablespoons Milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. You will bake your poptarts for about 10 mins.
Roll out your pie dough and cut dough into rectangles. You will need one rectangle of dough for the top and bottom of your poptart. Put a small amount of filling onto one side of your poptart and cover with the other rectangle of dough.
Use a fork to pinch all sides of the poptart closed. (This is a great time to let your kids help!) After the poptarts are assembled, you get to cut out the jack-o-lantern faces. Use a small pairing knife to make scary or funny faces on the poptarts. Sprinkle with sugar, and it is time to bake. Bake until just slightly golden brown.
When the poptarts are done baking drizzle the light frosting over top.
Let cool and enjoy!


...Jessie