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February 14, 2015

Sharing the Love

Happy Valentine’s Day! It’s a beautiful, sunny morning here in London and my man is still asleep so I’m sneaking around doing some last minute surprises. I have a few tricks up my sleeve for our first married V-Day {red velvet pancakes in bed! at-home massage via UrbanMassage!} and tonight we’re heading out to dinner at The Ledbury.

If you’re looking for an easy sweet to enjoy, a perfect choice is chocolate-covered strawberries. I made them last night to kick off our weekend, and they were so simple and delicious.

Strawbs

A fun fact about chocolate: in the late 1800s, the Swiss (no surprise) were the first to develop processes for making solid chocolate candy and the process hasn’t changed much since then. Why mess with a good thing?

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Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

Melting chocolate {I used Valrhona}
10-12 ripe strawberries
Sprinkles

Wash your strawberries and pat dry, then place wax paper onto a baking sheet. (Trick: if the wax paper keeps rolling, just spray some baking spray onto the sheet, and then put down the wax paper. Ta da!) Set both aside.

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Cut 6-8 small pieces of chocolate off the melting bar (to make it easier to melt) and place into a small sauce pan on low heat. Stir constantly for about five minutes until completely melted. Dip the strawberries into the melted chocolate till mostly covered. Place onto the wax paper-covered baking sheet. Put on sprinkles immediately so chocolate doesn’t start to harden. Repeat for each berry.

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Once all the dipping is done, let the strawberries sit out on the baking sheet for as little as one hour and as many as 3-4 before consuming (if same day!). If you’re waiting to give, after they’ve cooled and hardened, place into a lock-tight container and into the refrigerator.

After an easy Friday night dinner, we poured some wine while watching The Good Wife {obsessed}, and tucked right into these.

IMG_1995BenMy handsome man sampling the strawbs — he approved.

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Posted by Kristen Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Holidays, Recipes Tagged: Date Night, Dessert, Valentine's Day

February 10, 2015

Favorite Paper: Valentine’s Day Cards

I love cards, stationery, thank you notes… basically any excuse to send a handwritten message on pretty paper and I’m in.

Here are my favorite romantic cards to give your valentines this weekend. {If you happen to have friends or family staying with you, leave a sweet card on their pillow for when they arrive. It will make their visit extra special.}

You Have My Heart RPCoRifle Paper Co, $4.50

Emily McDowellEmily McDowell, $4.50

Sugar Paper XOSugar Paper Los Angeles, $6

Pine For You RPCoRifle Paper Co, $4.50
{A perfect Modern Pineapple!}

If you want to give a card and know the postman can’t deliver in time, I’m also a huge fan of Paperless Post. Sign on and send away!

Kate Spade PaperlessKate Spade New York

Jonathan AdlerJonathan Adler

Emily McDowellEmily McDowell

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Posted by Kristen Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Holidays Tagged: Cards, Paper, Valentine's Day

February 9, 2015

Pretty in Pink Cupcakes & Champagne

With Valentine’s Day this weekend, I’ve been on the hunt for a special way to enjoy the day with my guy. No matter your relationship status, it can be such a fun time to celebrate. Whether you’re having a galentine’s day with the girls or a cozy date night with your man, these sugary-sweet cupcakes will have everyone giggling with delight. Here’s a sneak peek of what I’ll be whipping up for the big day.

My mom and I found these in a cookbook called Seriously Simple Holidays a few years ago, and let me tell you they are absolutely amazing. Anytime I need to make cupcakes, I whip up a batch of these babies and everyone swoons. I use our KitchenAid Mixer (ours is medallion silver which I love, though I’m also obsessed with the copper finish one at Selfridges) to make them easily.

IMG_1926Eeep! You can tell my muffin pans have gotten a lot of use over the years! They still do the trick. 

Cooling Cupcakes

While the cupcakes are cooling, you can make your frosting. If you do have a mixer, I recommend having two bowls. It’s easier than washing the bowl in-between, and plus you can just pop the bowls into the dishwasher for a quicker cleanup. I added two drops of red food coloring into the icing for a pastel pink color. It came out the palest shade of pink and was so pretty.

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Once your frosting is ready, it’s time to do the icing. I’ve found the easiest way to decorate the tops of cupcakes is by scooping the frosting into plastic sandwich bags. I just snip off the end, which can vary in size depending on what I’m doing with the icing, and use that as my tip. Starting with the outside edge of the cupcake top, I used a circular motion working inward with the icing, finishing with a little swirl in the middle. Once frosted, I added a little pinch of pearlized sprinkles to give it that little something extra.

Icing Cupcakes

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Once the cupcakes were frosted, the hardest part was waiting! I put the cupcakes on our Mariposa pearled tray {love this one here} and set out our Waterford toasting flutes we used at our wedding. My husband and I snuggled up on our love seat, accompanying our pretty cupcakes with a bottle of rose champagne from Moët & Chandon. The flowers, the bubbles, the sugar — it was a dreamy way to celebrate our sweet love. Don’t forget to add music! It makes any occasion special. We usually pick a channel from iTunes radio that suits. We played our wedding song: “How Sweet It Is” by James Taylor, melts my heart every time. No matter the celebration you make these for, you’re guaranteed a truly sweet treat. I hope this inspires your Valentine’s Day this weekend!

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Sour Cream Vanilla Cupcakes

Cupcakes
1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream

Icing
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-4 tablespoons of milk

Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Line your muffin tin with paper liners. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. In a large bowl with an electric mixer in medium-high speed, beat the eggs and sugar together for 3-4 minutes (until light and creamy). Add the butter and vanilla, and beat on medium speed for about 1 minute, or until well blended. Add the sour cream and beat until smooth.

Fill each cup with equal amounts of the batter. Bake for about 23 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick to the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Let cool in pan for about 10 minutes, and then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

While the cupcakes continue to cool, make the frosting. In a large bowl, combine the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Using the electric mixer on medium speed, beat until the mixture comes together. Add enough milk, beating on low speed, to make a creamy consistency. Frost your cupcakes (again, I love to use a Ziploc bag to apply the frosting, but you can always use a metal spatula) and add any extras — sprinkles! Serve on a pretty platter and enjoy.

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IMG_1946A dessert fit for two! I served up the cupcakes for us on our wedding china {Vera Wang Wedgwood Platinum Lace}.

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Posted by Kristen Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Entertaining, Holidays, Recipes Tagged: Cupcakes, Sweets, Valentine's Day

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