Today
I'm getting to know Erica Pitera, the dentist and dessert blogger who
has the cure for your sweet tooth! Erica shares her original recipes
and baking creations over on her blog Erica's Sweet Tooth. Not
only is she giving us a tour of her home today, but she is also
sharing her recipe for S'mores
Marshmallow Shooters at
the end of this post!
Jacquin:
Hi Erica! Tell us about your blog and life as of late...
Erica:
Hi! My name is Erica Pitera - I'm the Erica behind the dessert
blog Erica's
Sweet Tooth. Baking and blogging, along with food styling and
photography, are some of my favorite hobbies, but I actually spend my
days as a pediatric dentist. The irony of being a dentist with an
extreme sweet tooth is real, but I try to keep everything in
moderation and brush and floss extremely regularly. I recently moved
back to my home state of Connecticut after spending two years in New
York City, and live here with my husband and official taste-tester
Ryan and our adorable new puppy Piper.
Jacquin: What is your favorite space in your home?
Erica: The
easy answer for this question as a food blogger is the kitchen, but I
actually love our living room most. Although the kitchen in this new
rental house is more than quadruple the size of our NYC one, I'm not
the biggest fan of the layout and we don't have anywhere very
comfortable to sit down in there. So I'm always drawn to the comfort
of our big sectional and the surrounding decor that has developed
from trips we've taken together. We have travel photos and antique
maps, tons of wine corks, and special little mementos all
displayed in our main room - how could it not be my favorite!? The
space is screaming for a nice plush rug, but we're waiting until
Piper is fully potty trained before I'm allowed to indulge my
interior decorating tendencies!
Jacquin: Have you always been interested in baking? What is one of your
earliest baking memories?
Erica: I've
always been creative and into arts and crafts, and since I love
sweets so much, baking was a natural progression. It's definitely my
creative outlet, and baking allows you to play with your food and
create beautiful and delicious things that make people so, so happy.
I started loving baking blogs my senior year of college, and once I
was in dental school and needed a way to de-stress, I started one of
my own. Six years later, here we are! One of my earliest baking
memories has to be making peanut
butter cup blossoms around Christmas time every year. I got
a cookie cookbook from my Aunt when I was young, tried the recipe on
my own (with some adult supervision of course), and have been making
them ever since.
Jacquin: As a pediatric dentist, what is something most people don't
know about being a dentist. Any surprises about the career
since you've been a working dentist?
Erica: The
staff or break rooms at dental offices are almost guaranteed to
have an excessive amount of sweets stashed away. It's crazy, but
people who work in the dental field really tend to have more of a
sweet tooth than the general population in my experience. I know tons
of dentists and dental hygienists that are also very talented bakers,
and I think it has a lot to do with the OCD/type-A personality that
is conducive to both activities. Unlike cooking, baking is very
precise, as is dentistry obviously, so you find the two interests
together quite often!
Jacquin: What has been inspiring you in life most recently?
Erica: With
a puppy in our little family now, I have a new focus in my day-to-day
life, and it has forced me to slow down and simplify things. I don't
know if that's "inspiring" necessarily, but now that I have
responsibilities beyond myself, my job, and my blogging, I try to
minimize my distractions when I'm home so I can spend as much time as
possible with our furry daughter. Right up until we brought Piper
home I was obsessing over the decor in our new home and meeting
blogging deadlines (these NFL
Jello Shots almost did me in!), but now my priorities have
shifted. I realize I've become a crazy puppy mom in the process, but
I guess you could say I've been inspired by simpler recipes and
minimalist decor in order to maximize my happiness.
Erica: For
a special get together, especially for a birthday party, I have a
rule that it must involve cake. Cookies on their own, no matter how
delicious, just aren't celebratory enough for birthdays in my
opinion. Everyone deserves a cake with candles on top! So my personal
favorites are the cookie stack cakes (funfetti, caramelized
banana, andm&m)
I've made for friends and family members who love cookies, but need a
cake to pass my birthday test.
S'mores Marshmallow Shooters Recipe
Ingredients
For
the marshmallows:
25
large (or Jumbo if you can find it) marshmallows
6 oz semisweet
chocolate chips
1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
For
the filling:
1
part cup marshmallow (or cake or chocolate or plain) flavored vodka
1
part Bailey's liquor
Drizzle of chocolate syrup
Instructions
Use
a strawberry huller, or just your clean fingertips, to remove the
insides of the marshmallows. You don't want to squeeze too deep into
the marshmallow or you'll tear through to the bottom of the
marshmallow. Fingers or the end of a wooden spoon dipped in a bit of
water helps even out the insides and makes things less sticky. I used
a paring knife to smooth off the tops of the marshmallows once I was
done. If you wish, set the marshmallow on top of a heatproof mug or
bottle and lightly toast with a kitchen torch.
Melt
the chocolate chips in 30 second intervals in the microwave, stirring
between each interval, until completely smooth. Dip the tops of the
hollowed marshmallows in the melted chocolate, use a toothpick to
make sure the opening is cleared, and set aside on a wax paper or
parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle with graham cracker
crumbs and allow to set completely. You can store these in the fridge
for up to 2 days, but I recommend waiting to fill them until right
before serving.
Prepare
the filling in a large cup, and then use a small cup with a spout or
a plastic squeeze bottle to fill the marshmallows. Serve, gobble them
up in one bite, and enjoy responsibly!
This recipe for S'mores Marshmallow Shooters is perfect for your next party or holiday get together! For more great dessert recipes visit Erica's Sweet Tooth blog.
Stop by and let us know if you try this recipe!
