Remembering One of My Favorites

Two years ago today I got a horrible phone call that shattered my world.  My (at the time...now ex) boyfriend's little brother was in a car accident and passed away on site.  I'll never forget the feeling that came over me when I heard the news.  It was gut-wrenching and heart breaking.  Eric was one of the sweetest, most loving, loyal people I've ever met.  He was just barely 20 years old when it happened - he still had his whole life ahead of him.   Not a day goes by that he doesn't come to mind at one point or another.  He was just like a little brother to me.  We had our own dinner dates and inside jokes and did each other favors when we needed them.  I could always count on him.  We talked all the time about life and where it would take us both and the work it would take to get there.  I miss those talks and times together - but most of all I miss his smile and his hugs.  The MOST sincere smile and hugs I've ever known.  I know that he is looking down on those he loved and is watching over them.  Today I am not sad about losing him, I am at peace knowing that he is one of my angels. 

Eric, I miss you and love you forever.

Monthly Presents to ME!

One of my guiltiest pleasures in life is online shopping - there are few things more exciting than getting packages in the mail.  Over the years I've become very close to the FedEx, UPS, and USPS guys that deliver to my office and they bring such joy to my day when they drop off my packages! Some of my favorite ones come from monthly subscriptions - Birchbox and Ipsy are my current boxes of choice!  They are both beauty boxes that cost $10 a month.  Each one comes with 4-5 different products a month that are selected for you based on a few simple questions you answer when you join.  Things like "do you enjoy nail polish?" or "what type of hair products do you use?" or "what is your skin type?".

This month's boxes were fun!  I've been getting Birchbox for almost a year and a half now.  I've always loved it but I've started to get mixed feelings about it in the 4 months that I've been getting Ipsy.

February 2014 Birchbox:

Birchbox always comes in a cute pink shipping box that makes it stand out in a stack of mail so you know it's there!  

My February box come with:

• RESIST Ultra-Light Super Antioxidant Concentrated Serum - it went on really lightly and didn't feel greasy at all which I liked a lot.
• The HALF-UP - it's a foam hair styling tool that helps make easy up do's even easier.  I haven't tried it yet and it's not something I would have bought for myself but I always enjoy trying those kinds of things out.  Anything to make the morning hair issues easier! ;)
• Whish Three Wishes Body Butter in Pomegranate - this is the second Whish brand product I've gotten and I LOVE their products.  They go on super smooth and leave your skin feeling incredibly soft!  I love this brand SO much.
• W3LL People Color Stick in #8 Dusty Rose - love this color!  It's a perfect pink for me! It's a creamy texture that can be used for your eyes, cheeks, and lips.  I love multi-use products!  They make my makeup bag much lighter!
• Harney & Sons Fine Teas - these two teas came in White Vanilla Grapefruit and Paris Black Tea.  They were both really tasty and definitely something I would consider drinking again!

February 2014 Ipsy Bag:

Ipsy is definitely my favorite of the two!  They send their products in a shiny pink bubble wrap pack and every month the products are in a different makeup bag!  So not only are you getting new products but you get a cute bag to use every month!  They have all been very different so far and are perfect for keeping organized or giving gifts in!

This month I got:

• City Color BE MATTE BLUSH in Fresh Melon - LOVE ITT!!!
• Zoya Nail Polish in Dot - I love Zoya polish and this color reminds me a lot of Ballet Slippers by Essie, its a perfect light pink!
• IPKN New York Brightening and Wrinkle Care BB Cream - they are always so good at sending the right colors for my skin!  This BB cream went on very smoothly and I really liked it.
• Ambrosia Eyeshadow Tint - it's a creamy eyeshadow that almost looks like a lipgloss.  I liked this one a lot.  It was a purple-y gray color that made my eyes pop!
• POP Beauty Lipgloss in Peony Petal - reallyyy loved this color!  It's a very happy pink!  It wasn't overly sticky and it lasted most of the afternoon.

I love getting these boxes in the mail every month!  It's always fun not knowing what is coming my way! With both subscriptions you can log online to your profiles and review the products and earn points for more stuff!  It's a great concept and I have discovered a ton of my favorite everyday products through these boxes! I'll keep you updated on all my favorites! :)

CakesbyAmberLove.com!!!

I'm so EXCITED!  After months and months of making decisions and organizing things and baking like crazy - it's finally time to launch my website! Cakes by Amber Love's website has been in the works since mid-October and I'm so in love with how it came out!  A very special thanks to Vanessa from Girly and Pretty for her amazing ideas and design skills!  I couldn't have done it without you! :) I've spent the last three hours uploading all of my pictures to the gallery and I think everything is finally PERFECT!  I can't wait to announce it!  Along with being able to view a gallery of all of my cakes and other creations - clients will be able to place online orders, ask questions, and leave testimonials about their awesome experiences!  It was definitely time to take this step and I am really looking forward to being able to share this with everyone!  Cakes by Amber Love is growing and I'm loving every second of this adventure!  I hope you stick around and join in on the fun!

Have a great day everyone!! xoxo.

Winter in Miami!

While the rest of the country is covered in snow and recovering from that crazy Arctic Freeze, here in Miami we are enjoying a gorgeous 65 degrees!  It's the middle of the winter and this is only the third time the weather has gotten lower than 70 degrees and I wouldn't have it any other way.

This has been one of the few Saturdays that I was done with my baking early enough that I got to enjoy the day!  So naturally I headed to the beach to walk, shop, and people watch.  Lincoln Road is a long strip of shops and restaurants on South Beach full of people galore!  So we opened up the sunroof and rolled down all the windows and jammed out on the 20 minute drive there.

The weather was PERFECT!  I would pick palm trees over snow any time!   It was so nice to be able to walk around without a time schedule or a care in the world.  We stopped for a drink and then went to H&M and spent too much money!  I got some really cute stuff for work though so it was worth it!

Then we headed to Nexxt Cafe for drinks and spinach dip!  After that we browsed Dylan's Candy Bar and got ice cream.  I had the Candy Bar Blast that has 17 different kinds of candies in it.  It was delish!

All in all it was a great day!  I'm loving this weather and hoping it sticks around for a while!

Have a great weekend everyone!! :)

Happy New Year!

Happy New Yearrrrr!!!!  Hellllooooo 2014!  This is a new year, there are new hopes and aspirations, new resolutions and new spirits, and a new chance for everyone to get things right!  

I've never been very good at making resolutions and when I do I rarely keep them all year long, but THIS year is going to be different.  2014 is going to be MY year!  As much as I'd like to say I'm going to lose weight and keep a budget and all the usual resolutions - I'm not.

This year here is what I'm thinking:

• I'm going to start talking to new people.
• I'm going to aim to have at least 20 new regular baking clients.
• I'm going to open a savings account and not spend all the money by the end of the year.
• I'm going to go on a real vacation this year - minimum seven days...because I deserve it!
• I'm going to put myself first and make 2014 about me!

They aren't the usual resolutions but they are what I think will be best for me this year!  I'm really looking forward to this year, I think it will be a great one!  Also, for some weird reason I've noticed years ending in even numbers are generally a little bit more exciting for me, so let's see what this year has in store!

I'm not a very superstitious person but I do believe in good juju and creating a good vibe around yourself. For the new year I like to do a few things to hopefully bring in the luck!  So I'm making Hoppin' John for dinner tonight!  Hoppin' John is a Southern dish with black-eyed peas and ham.  The black-eyed peas are supposed to bring luck and prosperity in the new year.  I also made sure to eat 12 grapes at midnight - the grape symbolize each month of the new year and are supposed to bring luck as well!  

Here's a picture of my Hoppin' John that's currently cooking away in my crock-pot!

It looks so good and my house smells amazing!  I can't wait to dig in!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and a promising and fulfilling New Year ahead of you! 

Favorites of the Month!

December is a month of celebrations and there have been tons of them for Cakes by Amber Love! I have been super busy all month with orders and projects - I've worked with a few new clients and some very faithful ones from the past! I also had my 5th Annual Cookie Exchange with a group of girls that I absolutely adore. This year we did a little switch up and included things other than just cookies so I made super cute Christmas shaped rice krispies!

Here's a highlight of some of my favorite cakes and treats that I have had the pleasure of creating lately:

This month also included an adorable pancake pop breakfast bar complete with every topping one could want on their morning pancakes!

Aren't they to die for?!

As the month is wrapping up I love looking back on all the fun things I've created and celebrations I've got to be a part of.  I think that's my favorite part of what I do - there are definitely those stressful scary moments that come up - but the finished product is always always worth it!  That first moment a client lays eyes on their order is the greatest feeling a baker can have!  They share their ideas and visions with you and you have the power to make that vision come to life!  It's truly an amazing feeling and I love love love it!  I can't wait to see what fun projects January has in store for me!

As always, I'll be sure to keep you guys updated!  Thanks for stopping by! :) 

Christmas is over already???

Good morning! I hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas filled with tons of joy and love! There was so much hustle and bustle going on here, but it's finally calmed down. I'm super thankful that I have today off work because yesterday was exhausting. It's pouring outside so I'm trapped at home for a bit, which makes me feel like I should really use this time to take down my Christmas tree but I just don't wanna!!! It's so pretty! I've honestly spent hours and hours on end just sitting on the couch staring at it. I think I probably have around 200 ornaments on my tree and at least half of them are personalized and have meaning to me. I'm all about memories and being sentimental (I'm also a big cry baby...but shhh! Don't tell!) I think maybeeee I'll keep the tree up until this weekend - I do still have 2 more people that I need to celebrate Christmas with so technically Christmas isn't over yet. ;)

As I sit here and enjoy my tree for it's last few days I can't help but think about the new year that is quickly approaching us. I've got big plans for 2014 and I'm really excited to get started on them and watch it all come to life, but let's save that for another post! Today is about finishing up Christmas - tonight I will be making spinach stuffed shells and sangria for Christmas dinner with one of my best friends so I'm hoping this rain stops soon because I need to get to the store and buy the groceries! I think I might be craving brownies too - I'll have to add that to tonight's menu! Yummyyyy!

The movie My Best Friend's Wedding just came on... I see that slowing me down a little bit! Haha, gotta love days where you can be a little bit lazy! Happy Thursday everyone!

Recipe Remakes - Part 1

My love for being in the kitchen isn't just about baking - I REALLY love cooking food too! You can definitely consider me a serious Foodie. My cooking ranges from the tried and true family recipes that I will always love, to Saturday morning Food Network inspirations, to yummy things I've tried in restaurants that I recreate in my own kitchen.

This will be my first Recipe Remake post! How exciting! :)

Today's Remake: Chicken Kitchen's Deluxe Chop-Chop.

Now if you aren't from Miami you might not be familiar with the Chop-Chop phenomenon, but we have several places you can find them or variations of them - Chicken Kitchen, Pollo Tropical, Three Chefs and a Chicken, Chicken Grill, etc. As you can see they are all about the Chicken! A Chop-Chop is basically a bowl of rice (yellow, white, brown, or lo-carb aka lettuce!) with chopped up chicken breast and toppings (tomato, lettuce, black beans, cheese, and sauce). The sauce is a BIG part of this meal. There are a few different options - but there's really only one worth mentioning.... the curry mustard. OMG, it is SO good! It's really not a complete meal without it, ask anyone! Don't worry - today's recipe remake has the sauce, so I've got you covered!

Chicken Kitchen Deluxe Chop Chop -

- Chicken Breasts*
- Rice (I'm using yellow today!)
- Desired toppings (let's do lettuce and tomato - that makes it the Deluxe!)
- 2 tbsp mayo
- 1 tsp yellow mustard
- 1/2 tsp curry powder
- Maybe 2 tbsp water (depends on how thick you want it)

1. Cook the chicken and the rice to your liking. I usually season my chicken with salt, pepper, and lemon pepper seasoning and just plop it in a hot pan with some olive oil in it. For the rice I like it a little mushy so I do 1 cup of rice to about 1 1/2 cups of water, little salt, and a spoonful of olive oil in the pot.

**Once the chicken is done let it rest for a few minutes before you cut into it so the juices can reabsorb and you don't end up with dry chicken.

2. Mix the mayo, mustard, and curry powdered - check the consistency and add water if you want it a little thinner. Set aside until ready to use.

3. Chop up your veggies and drain your beans if you are using any.

4. Place finished rice in the bottom of your bowl - I like to use a pasta bowl because it's a nice dome-like shape and that makes me happy - top with chicken and your veggies and then COVER in curry mustard sauce! Trust me, you won't regret that!

*Note: The amount of ingredients really just depends on how many people and how hungry you are! :)

It's really a simple dinner and it's so tasty! Also much cheaper than eating out and I usually have everything I need to make it on hand. Try experimenting with different rices and toppings! The possibilities are really endless! Chicken Kitchen serves it with half of a pita, which I like to do too when I think about it on the way home and have time to stop to grab them. It's also really good topped with fresh salsa! But the curry mustard is the classic topping for any Chop-Chop!

I hope you guys enjoyed my first Recipe Remake! Many more soon to come!

Ahhhh!!!!

What a crazy week it's been! I've got so many projects going on, and I almost don't know where to start! I've been busy Christmas shopping, baking, and just trying to get everything ready for the new year. Luckily so far it is all going pretty smoothly! I made a ton of fondant tonight so that should hold me over through my next few cake adventures. Other than some basic Christmas orders, I also have a Mickey Mouse 1st birthday cake in cute pastel baby boy colors and an anniversary for a public relations company. I don't think I have a night off of baking until after Christmas - but I wouldn't have it any other way! I love planning my orders and researching new techniques and test them out. Of course my absolute favorite part is the excitement on a client's face when they see their ideas come to life! Well, I just wanted to check in - I'm headed back into the kitchen to get a few more things done! xoxo :)

Hello, December!

Happy Mondayyy! I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving holiday! Mine was great but left me completely exhausted after spending two days cooking it up in the kitchen. I love to cook as much as I love to bake so I went all out! Luckily I had a few days off afterwards so now I'm all rested up and ready to dive into Christmas EVERYTHING! My house looks like it's part of the North Pole and I love it! Last night I made my first batch of Christmas cupcakes and they came out adorable.

Check out this fun video of me making them:

How cute is that?! Gotta love a little Santa Baby action in the kitchen. ;)

Tonight I'm making chili for a few friends and having our Secret Santa name draw. I'm looking forward to it, which means I should probably get off the couch and get my stuff together instead of watching The Millionaire Matchmaker, but I can't help it, there's a marathon on and it's sucked me in! Super guilty pleasure! 0.o

I hope you all are having a great Monday!

The holidays are officially here!

I can't believe December is only a week away! The holidays are officially here and the year is almost over! Craziness! Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday and I refuse to acknowledge Christmas until Thanksgiving is over, but Christmas is EVERYWHERE already - and has been since before even Halloween! I can't handle it! But I will admit it's been tough not busting out the Christmas decorations this year before Thanksgiving because I LOVE having the house decorated and there are SO many cute things out there!

Today I got to start my first batch of holiday baking. I bake all year long, but the holidays always have me on baking overdrive and I get to bake my most favorite things. Here's my first batch of Thanksgiving cakepops -

Aren't they adorable?! Next week the fudge and toffee making starts and I can't wait! They are my specialties and I only make them between Thanksgiving and New Year's and they are always in high demand! I'll be sure to keep everyone updated!

Stay tuned! :)

Welcome to my Blog!

Hi, I'm Amber! Welcome to my blog! I've finally decided to take my baking to the next level and am ready to share the adventure with anyone who is willing to read about it! Stay tuned for recipe experiments, new inspirations, and ways to always have a little bliss in every bite!