Dine & Dish with Dawn: Society Bakery in Dallas – It’s Not Just Their Desserts That Make Them Sweet!

Life might not be a cake walk, but don’t tell Society Bakery that.

The oven is always on at Society Bakery in Dallas, where they bake as much sweetness as they add to the world around them!

The oven is always on at Society Bakery in Dallas, where they bake as much sweetness as they add to the world around them!

A bakery whose motto is “Be good to your sweet tooth, be good to society,” Society makes it its mission to sweeten the world, while giving back.

And, I’m not the only one who’s noticed. Ellen Degeneres and AOL have named them one of the Top Ten Cupcakes in America, and People Country Magazine listed Society Bakery as one of “Four top bakeries in L.A., Dallas, Birmingham, and N.Y.C.”.

Society Bakery founder, Roshi Muns and I established a friendship last December when I was referred to Society when I needed a last minute cake for an impromptu holiday tea party with my girlfriends. I tasted the cake (delicious!), and met Roshi (the sweetest!), and it was friendship at first sight! We’ve followed each other on social media since then, so when Roshi saw I was headed home to Dallas, she told me she wanted to “roll out the red carpet” for me and my family and friends, and host a tasting brunch for us.

Knowing I would need some help from other discerning tastebuds to taste such delectable treats, I invited my mom, my fabulous Dallas blogger friend Lee Cordon of DoSayGive, my best friend Jenny Harris, her son Shepherd, Jenny’s sister Dr. Sally Falwell, and her daughter, Evie.

Lots of love at the table with my tasting crew by my side!

Lots of love at the table with my tasting crew by my side – and that’s Roshi right behind me!

And oh my, were we ever treated!

We started out with Pimento Cheese on toast with hardboiled egg, bacon, lettuce and tomato.

Society Bakery's homemade pimento cheese on toast, with hardboiled eggs, bacon, lettuce and tomato

Society Bakery’s homemade pimento cheese on toast, with hardboiled eggs, bacon, lettuce and tomato

Then, came out the chicken salad on croissant, tuna salad on wheat, grilled cheese and pasta salad with tomato and mozzarella.

Chicken salad on croissant, truna salad, grilled cheese and pasta salad  at Society Bakery - delicious!

Chicken salad on croissant, truna salad, grilled cheese and pasta salad at Society Bakery – delicious!

The next course was ricotta with fresh peaches and strawberries, served with a side of some of the most delicious homemade peach jam I’ve ever enjoyed.

Ricotta with fresh peaches and strawberries with a side of scrumptious homemade peach jam by Chef Erin

Ricotta with fresh peaches and strawberries with a side of scrumptious homemade peach jam by Chef Erin

After all that, came the…DESSERTS!!
And, I do mean desserts plural!

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Life really is a cake walk at Society Bakery (details of desserts in this pic below)

We were treated to the following dessert smorgasbord (as pictured above clockwise witht the brownie, standing in for 12 o’clock): Brownie, Frosted Sugar Cookie, Red Velvet Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting, Jessie Jessup Cupcake (vanilla cake with buttercream frosting & my FAVE!), Strawberry Cupcake, Coconut Cupcake, Salted Caramel Cupcake with Salted Caramel Filling, vanilla Cupcake, White Petits Fours with filling, Monster Chocolate Chip Cookie, Bread Pudding Whoopie Pie, Apple Pie, another Whoopie Pie, Monster M&M Cookie, and their signature Chocolate Cake in the center.

Here’s a closeup of some of that deliciousness.

FullSizeRender-8

Sugar Heaven at Society Bakery with cupcakes, cookies, petits four, pies, brownies and whoopie pies!

As delicious as the food and “sweet treats” (as Sally & Evie call them) are, Roshi’s mission is even sweeter. Society Bakery is active in giving back to the local community of Dallas, by giving thousands of cupcakes away in exchange for items that local charities need. Society Bakery also donates throughout the year to over 100 different charities, schools and non-profit organizations, refraining from taking tax write-offs for donations because Roshi and her team believe that a business can be profitable and charitable at the same time. Sounds like someone else I know!

My heart was so full getting to share both my love for what I do, and my love of food, with some of the people I love best in my own hometown of Dallas.

What it takes to capture those delicious food pics y'all love looking at! My friend Jenny was praying I didn't fall off that step ladder!

What it takes to capture those delicious food pics y’all love looking at! My friend Jenny was praying I didn’t fall off that step ladder!

 

My dear friend (of 21 years), Jenny Harris Crandall and I cakewalking at Society Bakery

My dear friend (of 21 years), Jenny Harris Crandall and I cakewalking at Society Bakery

 

With my friend - and fellow influencer & blogger - Lee Cordon, of the fabulous blog, DoSayGive

With my friend – and fellow influencer & blogger – Lee Cordon, of the fabulous blog, DoSayGive

 

So, when in Dallas, head on over to Society Bakery, where the oven’s always on – and the place, where when you buy sweetness, you also add sweetness to the world around you!

xoxo,
Dawn

Holiday Hosting: Festive, Floral Holiday Pies

Dress up your dessert.

You heard me.

What’s a super simple and cheap way to dress up your festive holiday pies? FLOWERS!!

Festive, floral holiday pies!

Here is my sour cream apple pie – not so beautiful on its own – that I topped with some holiday red gerber a daisies for Thanksgiving dinner. Instant americana beauty!

I’ve found that just buying a few extra bunches of flowers can come in handy when dressing up desserts or sad looking pies. Try it yourself this holiday season!

xoxo,
BF

 

BF Asks: What pies will you and your family bake up this holiday season? 

High-Low 15: CAMP THANKSGIVING

I am calling this past week, Camp Thanksgiving!
It was craaaaaaazy busy! And I felt a bit like a camp counselor, or like Julie McCoy on The Love Boat, what with planning activities for the week for my brother and friends and me!
I had at least one event/activity every night and I will probably be catching up on sleep all week.

And this next week is my birthday week (the big day is on November 30th) so I have no time to get sick or exhausted!

Without further ado, here is High-Low 15!

HIGHS

 

1) A fashion illustration by the talented fashion artist/illustrator, Bee, at the J.Crew & Vogue party. I can’t wait to frame this piece!

 

 

2) My big brother came into town for Thanksgiving. It’s always so fun when he’s here! But, I swear, if he lived here year-round, I would never get ANYTHING done!

 

3) The most epic Thanksgiving ever with good friends. My most memorable to date. In my friend Sarah’s backyard with lots of candlelight, wine, games, laughter and a full-on dance party. I kept saying that I felt like we were in some winery commercial. So fun! We were up til 4:30!

4) All of the baking fun that comes with Thanksgiving!!

One of my friends said that this was the best pie he’d ever tasted!

Moonshine Pie (the recipe will be up on Friday):

Cowboy Corn Casserole:

Farmhouse Green Bean Casserole:

Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits:

Pumpkin Cherry & Pumpkin Cranberry cupcakes:

And speaking of cupcakes, check out this southern church social/cakewalk spread. Utterly delightful & delicious!

5) The Counting Crows at The Wiltern with friends. Between staying up late, sleeping til noon and catching these guys, I was pretty sure I must have travelled back to 1997 in a time machine.

Such an amazing week and what a sweet way to see this year come to a close for me!

LOWS

Ahhhh, the lows. We have to have a good dose of those with the highs, now don’t we?

This week, I have three. Booooooo.

First of all, I’d like to address my sadistic curling iron: “Listen, honey, if we’re gonna be friends, you’re gonna have to stop burning me. Ouch! ” This is the second time that’s been a low in my life.

I had a miscommunication with a good friend and that pains me even more than the burn did. I feel miserable about it and my heart hurts. That’s when you know a friend is a good one – when you hurt because you may have hurt them. I hope it clears itself up soon. I hope.

And, lastly, as you guys know, I am a little on the Pollyanna side.
Okay, A LOT.
So when people bring out the hate, I am always shocked, appalled and – to be honest – a little amused. Last Friday, my dear friend – a talented blogger, writer, artist, photographer and social media expert was attacked on her personal wall on Facebook…by a “friend”. When will the unhappy & unfulfilled stop projecting their own self-hate onto other people who dare to stick their necks out creatively? Go into therapy, read a self-help book but don’t let the hate win, folks. Life is too short.

 

xoxo,
BF

BF Asks: What was your High-Low this week? 

Recipe Box Friday: BeautyFrosting’s Avocado Pie

This is for Caitlin. And Hope. And everyone else who looooooooves my Avocado pie.

BeautyFrosting's Avocado "Lizard" Pie

I know it sounds weird, I do. But oooooooooooooh is it tasty!!!!
You can also call it froggie pie or lizard pie or ALIEN pie. The kids end up loving it simply because it is a total avocado green color.

And the adults love it because it’s delightfully different and utterly delicious!

Perfect for a fiesta, BBQ, beach party, taco night or any night, this pie is sure to please!

And it’s perfect for a dinner party with new friends because it’s an instant conversation starter.

Enjoy!

Avocado Pie with Tequila Whipped Cream & Toasted Coconut

Avocado “Lizard” Pie with Coconut Graham Cracker Crust, Tequila Whipped Cream & Toasted Coconut

(Takes about 45 minutes to prepare and needs to be chilled for at least 3 hours)
Crust:
1 1/2 c Graham Cracker Crumbs
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
1/3 c Melted Butter
1/2 c Flaked, Sweetened Coconut
Filling:
2 Medium Avocados
1 14-ounce can sweetened, condensed milk
5 Tbsp Fresh Key Lime Juice
1 8-ounce package Cream Cheese (softened to room temperature)
Dash of salt
Tequila Whipped Cream:
1 c Heavy Whipping Cream
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
4 Tbsp Confectioners Sugar
2 Tbsp Tequila
Toasted Coconut Topping
1 c Coconut
Preheat oven to 350.
Put graham crackers in a ziploc bag. Grab a hammer (I knew that was good for something!). On a chopping board, hammer away at the crackers until you’ve got your crumbs.
Mix graham cracker crumbs and sugars. Brush a glass Pyrex pie dish with some of the butter. Be sure to coat the sides and bottom.
Add rest of butter to crumb & sugar mixture. Add coconut. Mix well.
Press mixture into butter-coated pie pan.
Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350.
Make the filling while crust cools.
Cut avocados into halves. Scoop out the insides and toss in blender. Add condensed milk and lim juice. Blend well. Add cream cheese and salt. Mix until smooth and green.
Pour the filling into prepared crust.
Cover with plastic wrap and chill in fridge (preferably for at least 3 hours).
Prepare whipped cream.
In a large bowl, whip cream until heavy and stiff peaks are about to for. Beat in vanilla and sugar. Add tequila. More sugar can be added as desired. Be careful not to overbeat as you don’t want lumps.
For toasted coconut, place coconut on foil. Make a little dish of the foil by folding up edges. Bake at 350 on top rack for 5 minutes or until coconut is toasted.
*If you’re short on time, you can cool crust and pie in freezer for 30-45 minutes to cool quickly.

The Crust Makings

The crust ready to bake!

The "Froggie" filling part

Fresh Tequila Whipped Cream

Avocado Pie: A slice of summer heaven

 

 

High-Low 6

Is it just me or was this week super weird?

I feel like my routine got all out of whack simply by having a holiday right smack-dab in the middle of the week. I’m prone to “Sunday Blues” and July 4th felt like Saturday and Sunday all rolled into one. There was so much to do, yet I wanted to relax, and then there was the dull numbness that sometimes comes with a Sunday before a big week.

Still, as with every week, there were some shining moments that stood out. Here’s this week’s High-Low.

HIGHS

1) Fun summer nails!  I chose to match my nails to my BeautyFrosting business card!

Fun summer nail design: BeautyFrosting-inspired

2) Inspired by the leftover Oreo frosting and Oreo double stuff cookies, from the cupcakes I made last week, I decided to bake a Choc’o’gasm Pie: a chocolate cream pie with cookies and cream crust, fresh whipped cream and an oreo frosting trim. Perfect for July 4th festivities! It was choc’o’gasmic!

Chocogasm Pie

3) I started keeping my first Quote Book in 1989 when I was 12. Last Monday, I wrote the final quote in Quote Book #5 (4/16/08-7/2/12).
I realized how much has changed since it started. My album (Sweet Time) came out, I moved back to Los Angeles from Nashville, broke up with my boyfriend of 7 years, left my job with Barbra Streisand, started this blog, found a world of new friends and found myself again. Funny that the last quote, of this journey, came from a contestant’s father on The Bachelorette. Oh, Life and God. You guys have got quite a sense of humor, sometimes.

Quote Book #5 came to a close this week

4) Discovering new summer recipes like this one: Chicken Broccoli Parmesan Casserole. Yummylicious!

Chicken Broccoli Parmesan Casserole

5) This week, one of my all-time favorite bands, Minibar, reunited for an anniversary show to celebrate the 11-year anniversary of their album, Road Movies. A fun evening with old friends at O’Briens.

Seeing my good friends, Minibar, playing at O'Briens in Santa Monica

6) A puppy slumber party! Miss Ellie and I are having a fun girls’ weekend with our little black Schnauzer friend, Sophie, from down the street.

Puppy Slumber Party!

7) I live for family and friends. But sometimes it’s nice just to take it easy and have a little date with myself. One of my favorite indulgences of being a single gal is to take an afternoon bath on a Friday afternoon with L’Occitane Foaming Lavender bath bubbles and a glass of Pinot Grigio. A serene start to the weekend!

Benefits of being a single gal

LOWS

This past year has taught me that there are times to hold on and times to let go. It’s not always so clear to see.After a particularly challenging day on Thursday, I came home to an unexpected little visitor.

My little visitor with a lesson

This little guy was sitting on my front stoop blocking my door (see bird on ledge in pic). It just looked at me but looked like it needed my help. I approached the door and it tried to fly but didn’t seem able to do so and landed on a plant nearby. I asked my friend Jennifer, across the street, what she thought I should do. She said she would take it and nurse it back to help. But when she & her daughter, Nora, approached, the bird crawled under the door to my stairwell. We decided to let it be.

But then I thought it might be thirsty, so I got a little plastic cup and cut it down to size so that the bird could reach the water without much effort. I took it into the stairwell and set it near the birdie. It didn’t go for it. I pushed the water closer and it flew on to the ledge of a window on my stairs. I was afraid it would hurt itself and would fall from this great height with (what I thought was) its broken wing. So I got a small box and tried to capture it just so I could bring it safely to the ground. It suddenly found its wings (and bravery) and took off towards the tree where its family lived.

I don’t think things like this are accidents. I believe them to be signs. Laugh if you will. But it was a powerful message and I got it loud and clear. If a bird wants to fly, it will fly. No other person or beverage or box or amount of love, hope or will is going to make it happen.

The bird has to do it himself. It taught me that I need to let go of trying to help someone who doesn’t want to be helped. In doing so, I hope they find their wings and fly. Even if they fall first.

May we all find OUR wings and fly.

 

Have a beautiful week, beauties!

 

xoxo,

BF

BF Asks: Share with me your High-Low this week!

BeautyFrosting’s Buttermilk Lemon Chess “Peep Pie” Recipe

Hi beauties!
I hope your Easter and Passover were memorable!

My “Classic Southern Easter Dinner” was such a lovely time.
There’ll be more details on that tomorrow but, for now, I wanted to give you a little taste.
And by taste I mean my Buttermilk Lemon Chess “Peep Pie” recipe.

BeautyFrosting's Buttermilk Lemon Chess Peep Pie

BeautyFrosting’s Buttermilk Lemon Chess Peep Pie

1 c Sugar

3 tbsp. All-Purpose Flour

3 large eggs (beaten well)

1/2 c Unsalted Butter (1 stick), melted

1 c Buttermilk

1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

3 Tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice

1-2 Tbsp Lemon Zest

Preheat oven to 425.

You can either make a Shortbread cookie pie crust, a Cornflake pie crust (recipes below) or use a frozen pie crust to keep it simple.

Filling:
Combine flour and sugar. Mix well.

Add butter, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest.

Fresh-squeezed lemon juice is super easy with a juicer!

MIx completely until smooth. There will be bits of lemon zest.

Pour into pie crust of choice.

Bake at 425 for 10 minutes.

Turn down oven to 350 and bake for 30-35 minutes longer.

Filling will be puffed up a bit and a little jiggly.

Remove from oven and cool so it firms a bit.

At Easter or in Spring, top with yellow duck Peeps.

Best served warm! But chills beautifully, as well.

 

A little slice of lemon-y, Peepalicious heaven!

Shortbread Cookie Pie Crust

1 c Butter

1/2 c confectioners’ sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy. Stir together flour and baking powder; blend into butter mixture. Press into a 9 inch pie plate
Bake at 350 for 12 to 15 minutes, or until edges are golden.
Use pie guard to protect edges while baking pie, OR,
Let cool before filling with prepared filling.
Corn Flake Cereal Crust
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) Unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 c Cornflake Crumbs
1/4 c Sugar
Combine butter, sugar and corn flake crumbs.
Press into a 9-inch pie pan/dish.
Bake for  8 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool on rack for 10 minutes.
Use pie guard to protect edges while baking pie.

I’ll have a full rundown tomorrow and recipes will be going on for daaaays!!

Enjoy.

And,as always,  if you try a BeautyFrosting recipe out, please shoot me a note or a pic letting me know how it went. I love that!

 

xoxo,

BF

BF Asks: Have you ever had chess pie before?