Monday, April 28, 2008

Tiny Stuff Rocks!

I love these fruit shaped cutters from Sur La Table. I love the fact that the tiny little fruit shapes are separate from the cookie cutter. I can imagine so many adorable uses for those little guys! Fondant cupcake decorations would be tops on the list! They have been placed on my "to buy" list for sure! Maybe we should do a giveaway for these soon....keep checking back...these are just to die for imho!
I am still working on my camera....I have been downloading pics like crazy and just need to get rid of some saved stuff. Boy all this administrative stuff sure takes time! Needless to say, I have several spring produce baked goods pictures and recipes coming soon!

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Flowers for My Blogging Friends

Gorgeous Flower Picture From Wedding Style Guide

So sorry for my absence, blogger friends. This is directly due to my side business, taxi service. I have never driven so much and the only reason I am not on the road right at this moment is because my husband so kindly volunteered to take ALL children so that I could have some moments at the home front. Instead, I was relegated Webkinz duty, ensuring that timed prizes are won by all. Oh, I am also still in my pajamas at 5:20 in the afternoon. This being the result of a lovely day had cleaning and scouring our own personal trash basin, the basement.

Beyond all of this family business, I am passionately baking. Well, not cakes, but using the ingredient in my freezer. I recently made rhubarb crunch and was fascinated by this lovely vegetable. Ohhh, so delicious it was that I had to make it twice in the same week. I am off to the store soon to replace the camera batteries, because when you have children, somehow the camera is turned on and off constantly when taking pictures of backyard turtles and snakes. Those lovely pics of the rhubarb crunch are coming forthright. Where did I get my rhubarb you ask? My lovely mother-in-law keeps us in full stock of rhubarb and raspberries and jams fresh from the family farm in the thumb of Michigan. After tasting my rhubarb crunch I am going to beg her for more this summer. I think she will be pleased that I used it. My husband buckled at the knees after tasting it, giving me the confirmation that the recipe is a keeper. For a full run-down on rhubarb, click here.

The flower picture above was from a new favorite website of mine, Wedding Style Guide. It is a gorgeous site based on the Australian wedding magazine by the same name. They have very beautiful pictures and plenty of information for those of you planning a wedding. To die for cake pictures as well!

Rhubarb Crunch Bars, Cooks.com:

Crust:

1 1/2 Cups Oats

1 Cup Brown Sugar

1/4 tsp. Salt

1 1/2 Cups Flour

1 Cup Butter

1/4 tsp. Baking Soda

Filling:

3 Cups Chopped Rhubarb

1 1/2 Cups Sugar

2 Tbsp. Corn Starch

1/4 Cup Water

1 tsp. Vanilla

Combine all ingredients for crust, mixing until crumbly, as for a pie crust. Pat half of the mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan.

For the filling, combine the rhubarb, corn starch and water in a medium saucepan. The mixture will be a white color. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook on low until the mixture is a pink color but clear. Take off heat and stir in vanilla.

Pour filling over crust and bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Allow to cool before slicing into bars.

Sooo delicious!

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Cakespy....great goods!


More pretty macarons, Courtesy of the MadBaker


Having recently discovered the blogger Cakespy and her Etsy shop, I found her post today quite appropriate to my interest in macaroons/macarons. For an education on the origins of the American macaroon check out her blog! I love both the American and French macaroon/macaron, but find the French version much more difficult to perfect.

Monday, March 31, 2008

Macaroon Madness On The Run

Photo From Serious Eats



My lastest interest is little desserts. Naturally the French macaroon came to mind, with them being such a worldwide craze right now. I am not over the cupcake craze, but am very interested in learning the exquisite intricacies of The Macaron (notice French spelling). Way too many bloggers have posts on them to list here. For fun's sake though I will list some of my favorites: Mad Baker, Chubby Hubby, Cake On The Brain and etc.


Why do I love The Macaroon, you ask? What is not to love? A petite cookie that makes you feel like a french lady in her designer clothes sitting by the Seine? The cookie itself is Beautiful and the thought that comes to mind just looking at their gorgeousness brings me back....back to a time when I was young(er), but that is too much story for today.


One of our activities right now is Girl's On The Run. Apparently my oldest daughters cannot run enough. Besides playing soccer they are also running on their days off. They are identical twins and I do wonder if they do it because deep down they just can't stand not to be competitive all of the time. This year they also wanted me to coach for them so one day a week I am right there with them. Unfortunately my running passion left me when I was up eight times a night with two baby girls. It never came back after eleven years. Thanks to my blogger friends I have discovered the Couch To 5K program and I am on my way to completing that 5K with my daughters. Due to our chaotic schedule I am forced to adjust it on my own, but it is very realistic for getting up to the 5K mark.


With all the running there is virtually no baking going on. I finally used up all of the cream from my previous whoopie pies...it lasts a long time refrigerated! Yes I still need to post pics and just when I found time and energy to get online my camera battery was dead. Funny, making a short stop into Walgreen's for a battery is low on priority when I have to tow in my four year old son to get it.


I have found a great website to share with you though. Vanilla Bake Shop has a beautiful web site and Hollywood-worthy cakes and cupcakes. Amy Berman left her day job on Will & Grace (yes, the show) and went to pastry school. But she says she is finally happy...even after being so successful in La La land. How inspiring!

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

World's Largest Bake Sale

Tempt your sweet-tooth and join us for a Mall of America sized version of Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale. Over 40, 000 mouth-watering treats baked from Food Network celebrity recipes by students from the Arts Institute International Minnesota will be available to tempt your palate. Sandra Lee star of Food Network's "Semi-Homemade" will be signing copies of her latest books. Duff Goldman from "Ace of Cakes" will be attempting to achieve a world's record for building the largest cupcake. A special cookie jar sale will round out the day's events. Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale is a national campaign that mobilizes Americans to end childhood hunger by holding bake sales in their communities.
Since 2003, more than 1 million people have participated in Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale, raising nearly $4 million to ensure that no child in America grows up hungry.Sunday, March 30, 200811 a.m Rotunda


If you are in Minneapolis this weekend, check it out! This reminds me that I have not uploaded my picks from the kids' bake sale. I am happy to report the whoopie pies went fabulously quickly. Amazingly I was quickly e-mailed with requests for the recipe which made me feel like I must be doing something right.


Yes, I have been too busy carting the kids to and fro to pay any attention to my sugar friends. As I drive I really do think about all of the lovely posts I could provide you all with once the spring sports rush dies down. For all of you soccer moms out there, I bow down to you!

Monday, March 17, 2008

Win Your Favorite Cake at Brides.com

Jan Kish-La Petite FleurColumbus, OH Kish based her stately mossgreen cake on an English boxwood garden. Fondant gold-edged cake with piped royal icing Fiji mums and fondant leaves and stems. $13.50 per slice, serves 155; jankishlapetitefleur.com.




Happy St. Paddy's Day everyone! I had to find a green cake for us all to drool over and Brides delivered for me! The above cake is a Jan Kish cake and I have been a fan of her since I saw her interesting website early last year.

And if you really love this cake, vote for it over at Brides in their Vote For-And Win-Your Favorite Cake. How exciting is that? The top wedding cake designers in this country have their gorgeous creations in this contest....so step your little leprechaun fingers over to Brides and vote for your favorite!

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Bake Sale....Coming Soon To A School Near You

Photo Courtesy Martha Stewart




Phew! It sure has been too long since my last post. I have the winter blues because the snow just won't stop piling up here in West Michigan. We are looking at record snowfall this year which makes life tough just getting out to the store. I am seriously lacking on my baking. However, I did bake some homemade brownies last week. Somewhat boring but I switched up my regular Hershey's cocoa for a mix of Dutch cocoa and American cocoa.

What's the diff you ask? The Dutch version has alkali added to neutralize it's acids. I don't know all the science behind it, but it is much more bitter tasting than the American cocoa powder. So beware! My hot cocoa recipe that I posted earlier was waaaay stronger with the Dutch cocoa powder.

I am coming up with some ideas for a bake sale that I am participating in next week. While browsing for ideas, Martha's year of cakes popped up. I love that idea, and I have had a goal of creating one really fabulous (decorated) cake each month. Check out
Martha's list of cakes to make for the year!