tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966784113748322052024-02-21T01:14:12.142-08:00A Year of BakingOne woman's mission to bake every day for a year.Mrs. Undomestichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12209301755036096311noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396678411374832205.post-84914943877496888252011-01-25T08:29:00.000-08:002011-01-25T08:29:12.193-08:00An Executive DecisionOk, so I've been thinking. And thinking a lot. And I've come to a hard truth. I am failing miserably at this mission. I bake maybe once a week. While I love to bake, there is no way this is going to get updated every day.<br />
<br />
So I made an executive decision. We're shutting our doors here at A Year of Baking. Well, technically, A Year of Baking is merging with my new, more generalized for the home, blog,<a href="http://mrsundomestic.blogspot.com/"> Mrs. Undomestic</a>. I'll still post recipes, but they will be there instead of here. And I'm going to leave the blog up for awhile, as I slowly move the recipes over to the new blog. So you can still get them as you need them.<br />
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Sorry folks, but we're shutting our doors. Head over to <a href="http://mrsundomestic.blogspot.com/">Mrs. Undomestic</a> instead and see recipes and more!Mrs. Undomestichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12209301755036096311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396678411374832205.post-55289840708579662732011-01-20T11:09:00.000-08:002011-01-20T11:09:00.423-08:00Thursday's Tips and Tricks-HoneyAnother new addition, we'll cover some awesome kitchen tips and tricks on Thursday, that can make your life slightly less stressful.<br />
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Today's tip actually comes from a recipe I made earlier in the week, <a href="http://ayearofbaking.blogspot.com/2011/01/granola-bars.html">Granola Bars</a>.<br />
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One of the main ingredients in these bars was honey. 2/3 cup to be exact. While honey is healthy and sweet, making it a nice sugar substitute, it is also a pain to get pour out of measuring cups and spoons. Once you've dumped most of the honey, you end up standing there for another 5 minutes waiting for the drizzle to finish.<br />
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Which leads us to today's tip and trick. The simple way to save some time when using honey. Before you pour the honey into your measuring cup or spoon, spray the insides of the utensil with non-stick cooking spray. Just a quick spritz should do the job, as long as you get the entire thing (especially important when using a measuring cup). When you do this, it will simply cause the honey to plop right out, no dripping.<br />
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Additional Tip/Trick: Spraying the measuring cup/spoon also helps remove shortening and peanut butter quickly and easily.Mrs. Undomestichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12209301755036096311noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396678411374832205.post-77707918935711707542011-01-19T23:00:00.000-08:002011-01-19T23:00:46.884-08:00Wednesday's Wacky Grocery ListsAfter some consideration, I decided to add a few "theme days" to the blog and this is the first one. 95% of the time, I do my major grocery shopping on Thursday, since we drop Beautiful G off at school a little earlier than usual and pick her up a little earlier than usual, which makes Wednesday the day I make my grocery shopping lists.<br />
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So what makes it Wacky? Well, I buy according to what's on sale/the coupons I have. To some this may seem normal (it now does to me) for for others, this is completely wacky. If you would have told me a year ago that I would go to three different grocery stores and one drug store just to get my grocery shopping done, I would have laughed. A year ago, I shopped at one grocery store and one health food/produce store (which was located directly across the street). Despite the fact that another grocery store was literally down the plaza from my health food store, I would only shop there in the middle of the night if I needed something in an emergency, since they were the only grocery store opened past 10 pm (this was also true of our Walmart and Target. If it was past midnight, I had to drive a good 15 to 20 minutes to find an open store).<br />
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Tonight, I went to one store and tomorrow I'm going to 2 more, plus CVS. And I'll probably pay the same amount of money as I would have a year ago and bring home more food. And I'll still save more than the gas I spent to get to my various stores.<br />
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Ok, so my lists! Here's how this is going to work. I'll list the stores and what I'm buying. If something is an exceptional deal you can't pass up, I'll post the price information and coupon (if an online coupon is available, otherwise I'll tell you it came from the paper). Otherwise, I probably won't bother with prices. After all that, I'll tell you our dinner plans for the week, so you can see how my shopping played into my meals (or, if a meal is from my stockpile, I'll mention that). The stuff I plan to use in recipes, I'll write in <span style="color: red;">RED</span>, so watch for them!<br />
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Normally I do all the shopping on Thursday, but Beautiful G had basketball practice tonight and it was literally around the corner from the store and they had stuff I needed before tomorrow, if we wanted to eat lunch that is! So tonight, we went to Stater Brothers and bought:<br />
<br />
13 Stater Bros yogurts (PRICE: FREE! There is a coupon for <a href="http://www.realcaliforniamilk.com/for-californians/coupons/">$0.55 off any Real California Dairy Product </a>and yogurt was $0.50 each. Stater Bros doesn't give overage, so they rang up as $0.50 off instead. The really nice part about this is that the coupon is a PDF that you can print many, many times validly and is good until 2012. I saved a copy of the PDF and will keep buying yogurt that way! Also, this works on any dairy product with the "Real California Milk" label, so even if you don't have a Stater Bros nearby, check your local store and see if any of the dairy products are labeled that way!)<br />
<br />
15 Jose Ole Chimichangas/Burritos<br />
2 boxes of Cheez-It White Cheddar Crackers<br />
1 jar Skippy Peanut Butter (no coupon)<br />
5 Stater Bros flavored waters (no coupon)<br />
1 small can Stater Bros mushrooms (no coupon)<br />
1 small jar Stater Bros relish (no coupon)<br />
1 small can Stater Bros olives (no coupon)<br />
1 42 oz bottle Stater Bros Ketchup (no coupon)<br />
1 Twix Peanut Butter (no coupon)<br />
1 box Slim Fast mint-chocolate bars (no coupon)<br />
1 Haas Avocado <br />
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Tomorrow, I plan to hit up the following stores:<br />
<br />
Ralph's<br />
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2 California Pizza Kitchen pizzas<br />
<span style="color: red;">6 Fuji Apples (approx. 3-4 lbs) (no coupon)</span><br />
2 Haas Avocados (no coupon)<br />
3 Roma Tomatoes (no coupon)<br />
3 Dole Salad mixes (no coupon)<br />
2 lbs Baby Carrots (no coupon)<br />
2 lbs Brown Onions (no coupon)<br />
1 2-liter Diet Coke<br />
1 2-liter Sprite<br />
3 10 count Mission Flour Tortillas (no coupon)<br />
3 cans Rosarita Refried Beans (no coupon)<br />
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Vons:<br />
<br />
3 lbs Navel Oranges (no coupon)<br />
3 6-oz containers of Blueberries (no coupon)<br />
5 lbs ground beef (no coupon)<br />
2 64-oz Minute Maid Orange Juice<br />
1 Zone Bar<br />
13 Anthony's Pasta (Price: FREE! They are running for $1 this week and there is a coupon for $1 off one that is also allowing more than 2 copies to be printed. It's <a href="http://www.anthonyspasta.com/coupons/list">here</a>. You do have to sign up, but you have the option not to receive email from them and once you sign up, the coupons are available to print right away.)<br />
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So what are we eating this week?<br />
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Thursday: Fried Diablo (from the stockpile, except the mushrooms and olives. Sorry, no sharing the recipe, from a friend and I promised)<br />
Friday: <a href="http://ayearofbaking.blogspot.com/2010/09/macaroni-cheese.html">Mac & Cheese</a> (except the macaroni noodles, from the stockpile)<br />
Saturday: Taco Pizza (not on the grocery list. Dave knows the ingredients and requested it. He hasn't shared with me what to buy for it yet!)<br />
Sunday: No cooking day (we usually eat out)<br />
Monday: <a href="http://mrsundomestic.blogspot.com/2011/01/salsa-chicken.html">Salsa Chicken</a> (From the stockpile, except for the tortillas)<br />
Tuesday: Pizza<br />
Wednesday: Burgers (except the fresh toppings like tomatoes, from the stockpile)<br />
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Not much in the way of baking stuff up there. Means I'll have to get creative with what I have!<br />
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What's on the menu at your house this week?Mrs. Undomestichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12209301755036096311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396678411374832205.post-18390430597808385482011-01-18T17:46:00.000-08:002011-01-18T17:46:54.791-08:00Granola BarsI bought oats a couple weeks ago and have been wanting to make something with them. I kept telling myself I'd make Oatmeal cookies. Finally, today, I sat down to make them. Then at the last minute I changed my mind and made granola bars! The nice part of this recipe is that you can throw in your own extras so you can make them all your own.<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
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4 cups rolled oats (traditional, not quick or instant)<br />
2/3 cup white flour<br />
1/3 cup whole wheat flour (if you don't have it, substitute white flour, making it 1 cup total)<br />
1 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla<br />
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted<br />
2/3 cup honey<br />
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon<br />
1/3 cup brown sugar<br />
Up to 2 cups of mix ins (I used 1/2 cup peanut butter chips, 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup chopped walnuts)<br />
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1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.<br />
2. Combine everything but your mix ins in a large bowl. Yup, throw it all together and mix well with your electric mixer<br />
3. Add your mix ins and mix them in by hand, using a spatula.<br />
4. Spread the mixture across a baking sheet with edges. I also used my new bar cookie pan which worked exceedingly well for this!<br />
5. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes until slightly brown.<br />
6. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then cut into bars.<br />
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This should make 24 bars, and because I'm on a health kick, you get the calorie information too!<br />
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Based on the way I made it for 24 bars:<br />
<br />
Calories: 194<br />
Total Fat: 10.7<br />
Cholesterol: 10.4<br />
Sodium: 54.9<br />
Carbohydrates: 31.9<br />
Dietary Fiber: 3.4<br />
Protein: 3.1Mrs. Undomestichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12209301755036096311noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396678411374832205.post-23448472283905273222011-01-13T22:28:00.000-08:002011-01-13T22:28:35.354-08:00Their Mother's Apple Pie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk8c9afJJAwu6C5AoaPClsjoOCqjrRFkMU9tLBIY5rtEqHffnbfktJm6GUWe5S8a3FFtOgT0hDVSoN1bOBH4nMlDB-eXSHZ7JoklZ9hhKz8V1vWwFk5-4KfuN_C71CD1zh7C7B_CYmfUU/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk8c9afJJAwu6C5AoaPClsjoOCqjrRFkMU9tLBIY5rtEqHffnbfktJm6GUWe5S8a3FFtOgT0hDVSoN1bOBH4nMlDB-eXSHZ7JoklZ9hhKz8V1vWwFk5-4KfuN_C71CD1zh7C7B_CYmfUU/s320/001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Ok, it may not be your mother's apple pie, but it is good. Apples were on sale this week at a couple places and I picked up 6 of them. Then I got my first chance to use my brand new apple corer/slicer! WHOO HOO! And yes, that's my brand new apple corer/slicer in the picture above! So I made apple pie.<br />
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I love apple pie. I love making apple pie. And I love the whipped topping you put on top of apple pie. What I don't like is making pie crust. That's because I suck at making pie crust. I can't make one at all. Which is why I bought my crust. Yup, I cheated. I'll freely admit it. If anyone has an easy pie crust recipe, please share it with me (and if you don't mind, I'll share it with everyone else! You'll get full credit in the form of a guest post!)<br />
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Ok, so the recipe:<br />
<br />
1 recipe (or pre-bought) double pie crust (this means both top and bottom)<br />
5 Apples, cored and sliced (and peeled if you want, I don't like to peel them, though)<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice (optional, I don't but many people do)<br />
1 teaspoon cinnamon<br />
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg<br />
1/4 teaspoon cloves<br />
2 Tablespoons flour<br />
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1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.<br />
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2. Throw all the ingredients into a bowl and mix it all around. I mean throw it all around and use your hands! It's very therapeutic. I love, love, love mixing it all. Sorry, I was distracted by a phone call as I was finishing up the mixing and forgot to take a picture. Oops!<br />
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3. Press the bottom of the pie crust into the bottom of the pie pan and add the apples. If you have any of the dry ingredients sitting on the bottom of the bowl, throw them on top and mix a little more.<br />
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4. Add the top layer of the pie crust over the apples. Mush together the top and bottom edges of the crust (yes, mush is my technical term. Go with it!)<br />
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5. Cut 4 "X"s into the outer sides of the top pie crust. This will help vent the pie while it cooks. If you want, you can cover the outer edges of the pie with aluminum foil while you bake it. This will prevent the outer edges from over-crisping/burning. I didn't this time, because it turns out I'm out of aluminum foil. Oops again!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQEoZhK0GIo4uK75uRe39NdJJoq9XAyL5i6H7jkaPNl5CzLTZvnRY_bd-IsnQWtmRxmJD9isx0eXW-G0vYtNf9e-7SM0_1nfPaW3AudcP_vjka776KjCXb1eVLNd1Bfu9AadW3SDUxw40/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQEoZhK0GIo4uK75uRe39NdJJoq9XAyL5i6H7jkaPNl5CzLTZvnRY_bd-IsnQWtmRxmJD9isx0eXW-G0vYtNf9e-7SM0_1nfPaW3AudcP_vjka776KjCXb1eVLNd1Bfu9AadW3SDUxw40/s320/003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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6. Bake for an hour. I baked mine for 45 minutes and while it was good, it was still slightly gooey when I cut into it later, so if you like yours a little drippy, then go with 45 to 50 minutes. Otherwise, go with 55 minutes to 1 hour. Also, I have no idea why, but none of my stuff comes out looking great. It always tastes good, but I have no clue why it comes out looking weird...Mrs. Undomestichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12209301755036096311noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396678411374832205.post-68645015627902136712011-01-08T22:00:00.000-08:002011-01-08T22:00:14.262-08:00No BakingYeah, no baking, at least not today. I baked <a href="http://ayearofbaking.blogspot.com/2010/09/macaroni-cheese.html">Macaroni and Cheese</a> last night for dinner, but unless you count the premade pizza I bought from Costco, no baking today. I was way too busy with a friend's baby shower. I swear, it was totally worth it. See my post about it over on <a href="http://mrsundomestic.blogspot.com/2011/01/baby-shower.html">Mrs. Undomestic</a>.<br />
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Hopefully I'll have a new recipe for you tomorrow!Mrs. Undomestichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12209301755036096311noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396678411374832205.post-30704156575154436532011-01-06T22:11:00.000-08:002011-01-06T22:11:08.366-08:00Chicken EnchiladasI couldn't believe that I hadn't put this recipe up here before, since I make this at least once a month. Dave is half-Mexican and I love chicken enchiladas. This is fairly simple and makes a wonderful dinner. We usually have enough for Dave to take leftovers to work the next day.<br />
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For those worried about the spice, don't be. Dave may be half-Mexican, but I'm a blonde-haired, blued-eyed girl from Ohio. I don't like spicy food, with very few exceptions. I don't make mine spicy. If you want to make yours spicy, you simply add more spices!<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
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2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes<br />
1 15-oz can of cream of chicken soup (you can substitute cream of mushroom if that's what you have)<br />
1 8-oz can of green chilis<br />
1 Tablespoon chili powder<br />
1/2 teaspoon cumin<br />
1 teaspoon red pepper<br />
1/4 teaspoon oregano<br />
8 to 12 oz sour cream<br />
8 to 12 flour tortillas<br />
2 to 4 cups cheddar cheese<br />
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1. Turn the oven to 375. Because the first rule of baking: preheat the oven! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsKkHI_ovNJAXJHfJD81KzlKu4n2-cUeAyHP8Y-7-MCSQKkSBwg6i4j3Ug2yd-MUixHM0HTjyglhlBcOYzYogGAmort43E-iOlexHMtPV3XXP_HeumyeiXBMUFAK2SAONJ0MuM1Ubmz_E/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsKkHI_ovNJAXJHfJD81KzlKu4n2-cUeAyHP8Y-7-MCSQKkSBwg6i4j3Ug2yd-MUixHM0HTjyglhlBcOYzYogGAmort43E-iOlexHMtPV3XXP_HeumyeiXBMUFAK2SAONJ0MuM1Ubmz_E/s320/001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
2. In a skillet, thoroughly cook the chicken. I had it easy tonight, I went to buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts (because it was on sale) and found that the store only had frozen pre-cooked cubed grilled chicken (at the same price). This saved me the step of chopping and of defrosting the chicken. You can use either if you prefer, but usually its cheaper to buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cut them up.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVustEUUQVKgjH2_oSN-OXy_pb6YYRayiKuxqszZBQDyDI2HLFuYtOXlNSLFGXfY6WpCTFDlEuXb31ORWSyzfiJWpwHa2L7Ea38NV_1hMv3SZr3gMsS9NwlQp3Q2fQ_6gpgmXQPV9Reg/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVustEUUQVKgjH2_oSN-OXy_pb6YYRayiKuxqszZBQDyDI2HLFuYtOXlNSLFGXfY6WpCTFDlEuXb31ORWSyzfiJWpwHa2L7Ea38NV_1hMv3SZr3gMsS9NwlQp3Q2fQ_6gpgmXQPV9Reg/s320/003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
3. At the same time, combine the cream of chicken soup and green chilis in a pot and heat it through, stirring occasionally. Sorry the picture is bad, but I promise, it's just those two ingredients. They don't look so hot in real life either.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeg77v_iIwCQ7ROYdGzNl4RYG7hEytTQbDkYqsE5kNUnrEX4uD51-mjcOEUFx67itwDqeAEYIzTow5qSSviUJDYkb9i3yE-VBEe5ChmX_l_gxutQ7IhTp9H9D0M1q4lRV6pm46jwpB1ZA/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeg77v_iIwCQ7ROYdGzNl4RYG7hEytTQbDkYqsE5kNUnrEX4uD51-mjcOEUFx67itwDqeAEYIzTow5qSSviUJDYkb9i3yE-VBEe5ChmX_l_gxutQ7IhTp9H9D0M1q4lRV6pm46jwpB1ZA/s320/005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
4. Once the chicken is cooked, add the chili powder, cumin, red pepper, and oregano along with about 2/3 to 1 cup of water. Mix it together and let it cook until the water has cooked off.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ZJDrJMeGXHbGo_p5IjJQNK58pn8WaVCMnFboDFUKwfx3H-exwe0OspRPQn2yi2ObNYcwFjgf06MAof5fsNnXdEWsZRVv4qbK-527ZiMKQ3wr_3Xrf3MmoiiSYcqjeAyR0KuPiwJzPGg/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ZJDrJMeGXHbGo_p5IjJQNK58pn8WaVCMnFboDFUKwfx3H-exwe0OspRPQn2yi2ObNYcwFjgf06MAof5fsNnXdEWsZRVv4qbK-527ZiMKQ3wr_3Xrf3MmoiiSYcqjeAyR0KuPiwJzPGg/s320/009.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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5. Once the cream of chicken soup and green chilis have heated through, add the sour cream. I usually put between 1/2 to 3/4 of a 16 oz container of sour cream. Mix well and heat it up, stirring ocassionally.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiPnZD7Xtgj8yoLjiHnNDQhjBuoxbW5HhNiQFj1oOoCReqrWcrd2RPUpfTHS62ni_pNgBlsFHksyAC7ji12Az_2KklrVMY12wYhTIqyOa8a9VXVZ5POxQeaQzdWkbmx9UxNd2VolbghBI/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiPnZD7Xtgj8yoLjiHnNDQhjBuoxbW5HhNiQFj1oOoCReqrWcrd2RPUpfTHS62ni_pNgBlsFHksyAC7ji12Az_2KklrVMY12wYhTIqyOa8a9VXVZ5POxQeaQzdWkbmx9UxNd2VolbghBI/s320/008.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
6. Once the chicken is completely cooked, put a small amount onto a flour tortilla. A note about tortillas. If you refrigerate your tortillas (and you should if you want to keep them fresh), then microwave them for a few seconds (30 seconds each side when you do 12) to soften them back up. Add some of the cheese to each tortilla as well and roll it up into the burrito (or enchilada, eh?)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUiigt0FsPk1E7Ri5y9ZYI5Sw4fG-gCcy7mISMMq1TezEJ6mI8PsJKw7hTNl1QwoIgZbBaZ39ldh1hBHu6vTUFmxU0sJX9rgIC_3NdMN2N-9aCvm9Kekl1Ja6oX3PH6XM0MhHckKHrz8U/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUiigt0FsPk1E7Ri5y9ZYI5Sw4fG-gCcy7mISMMq1TezEJ6mI8PsJKw7hTNl1QwoIgZbBaZ39ldh1hBHu6vTUFmxU0sJX9rgIC_3NdMN2N-9aCvm9Kekl1Ja6oX3PH6XM0MhHckKHrz8U/s320/010.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
7. Roll them up and place them in a 13"x9" pan. Mine usually make 12 to 14, but tonight it only made 10. It usually also takes 2 13"x9" pans.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ZJDrJMeGXHbGo_p5IjJQNK58pn8WaVCMnFboDFUKwfx3H-exwe0OspRPQn2yi2ObNYcwFjgf06MAof5fsNnXdEWsZRVv4qbK-527ZiMKQ3wr_3Xrf3MmoiiSYcqjeAyR0KuPiwJzPGg/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ZJDrJMeGXHbGo_p5IjJQNK58pn8WaVCMnFboDFUKwfx3H-exwe0OspRPQn2yi2ObNYcwFjgf06MAof5fsNnXdEWsZRVv4qbK-527ZiMKQ3wr_3Xrf3MmoiiSYcqjeAyR0KuPiwJzPGg/s320/009.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
8. Once cream is cooked completely, it will look thick and be bubbling.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTxiTPbrMW_G4qNKEF8FGYgTUlrwcxwc4z52SUvGiBX7uHJLBM7SeSKL7NTTyjmlxYLsXAYrOf7q2IQ7MhfN5LG-woM2A6e1VaV_FZ3MPW1kxpmXSXbjK4nLtebPdFRw6oVr-vRrDAxfs/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTxiTPbrMW_G4qNKEF8FGYgTUlrwcxwc4z52SUvGiBX7uHJLBM7SeSKL7NTTyjmlxYLsXAYrOf7q2IQ7MhfN5LG-woM2A6e1VaV_FZ3MPW1kxpmXSXbjK4nLtebPdFRw6oVr-vRrDAxfs/s320/011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>9. Pour the cream all over the enchiladas and add a whole lot more cheese to the top.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV84lPb5ehGq9hJC645fM3_Tye-_ENxxU4IktC5pX1COZ9k6v-M31RnS12yZEFjDc_Vd7XKyr8DVv4wuy9FFCG4jwfOs1bgfuGR9Ap4c_7iX3g7NMsffOAlb5-L4WSUQCUkAS7YahN64U/s1600/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV84lPb5ehGq9hJC645fM3_Tye-_ENxxU4IktC5pX1COZ9k6v-M31RnS12yZEFjDc_Vd7XKyr8DVv4wuy9FFCG4jwfOs1bgfuGR9Ap4c_7iX3g7NMsffOAlb5-L4WSUQCUkAS7YahN64U/s320/012.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
10. Bake the whole thing for 20 minutes until the cheese is melted. It may not look great, but it sure does taste good. We all eat seconds, except Sunshine. This is another meal she simply doesn't eat. No explaining her.Mrs. Undomestichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12209301755036096311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396678411374832205.post-20359200959050833402011-01-05T22:50:00.001-08:002011-01-06T08:35:18.812-08:00MeatloafHi!<br />
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It turns out that something kinda crazy is happening. Blogger doesn't want to let me post tonight, so this is instead coming from my email. I'm hoping and praying this works correctly. If not, I'll fix it in the morning. Now, onto our recipe. (<span style="color: purple;">Next Morning Update: I added the pictures</span>)<br />
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I am weird, I admit, but I don't really like meatloaf. I like everything in meatloaf, but when you put it together I'm not a big fan of it. Not sure why, but this is the truth. Not a meatloaf person. Dave, on the other hand, actually likes meatloaf. I make it and he tells me how good it is and occasionally wonders out loud why I don't make it more often. The reason, of course, is because I don't like meatloaf!<br />
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Tonight, to appease him (and because we had all the ingredients in the house) I made meatloaf. Besides, it became my baking recipe for the day, right?<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
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3/4 cup bread crumbs<br />
3/4 cup milk<br />
2 lbs ground beef (can substitute ground turkey if you want to make it healthier)<br />
1/2 brown onion (any type should do, it's what I had), chopped<br />
1 egg<br />
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard<br />
1/4 teaspoon basil<br />
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic<br />
1/8 teaspoon dill weed (can probably move this up to 1/4 teaspoon without a problem)<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
1/2 teaspoon black pepper<br />
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese<br />
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1. Turn the oven to 350.<br />
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2. Combine the bread crumbs with the milk in a small bowl and let them sit for about 5 minutes.<br />
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3. In another small bowl, beat the heck out of the egg<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWBg4VkrMthQITo9kehThoqi7m9beHqPvn5ldxJ3OTysLoodDuN7Wnlmz1hUEZqJabbMIo7X2CxiQ8gMTNckqOeeXLwKfLfzLJGgq8Az1qHdS_-zOngaiF7AK2_Qkd7z_v78KJVV7YhV8/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWBg4VkrMthQITo9kehThoqi7m9beHqPvn5ldxJ3OTysLoodDuN7Wnlmz1hUEZqJabbMIo7X2CxiQ8gMTNckqOeeXLwKfLfzLJGgq8Az1qHdS_-zOngaiF7AK2_Qkd7z_v78KJVV7YhV8/s320/003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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4. Once the 5 minutes are up, throw all the ingredients in a large bowl. Oh, and please make sure your ground beef is thawed, or you'll have issues. Just thought I'd throw that out there for people who used to be like me and didn't realize that. Yup, I've tried to make more than one meal with frozen ground beef. It's a bad plan.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0sFZlx1uvjhRRKJl9YBKiEzOcdVz_nbMosNS0hX-euDEonC6sO3I-eoDWhcHnRQQD1KGKksMATVDuayTAlbfNl4kIz0gOV8oNVkj9dhBqXmuG6ASBOaIgLvfqJx7HLSF1W01IC15ka_w/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0sFZlx1uvjhRRKJl9YBKiEzOcdVz_nbMosNS0hX-euDEonC6sO3I-eoDWhcHnRQQD1KGKksMATVDuayTAlbfNl4kIz0gOV8oNVkj9dhBqXmuG6ASBOaIgLvfqJx7HLSF1W01IC15ka_w/s320/004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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5. Mix it all up. I started with a wooden spoon, but found it a lot easier to just mush the whole thing together with my hands. Just get it thoroughly mixed together.<br />
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6. Put the whole thing into a loaf pan. If you don't have a loaf pan or prefer a more "freestyle" meatloaf, put the lump in a 13"x9" inch pan and form it into a rectangle.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0UQh8g5558fbZD5901ZLNBvo7IF_3_vnsAmG9wqqm3rYbQ4vQwXwRo_22HisGziBv4Ty8r4CWSOb67GjbgWGYfl7lW1rJTGXP9wod0fdlSL7fuLA0NE-qOzDbE_rCWs6_-MA9_Cgzckg/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0UQh8g5558fbZD5901ZLNBvo7IF_3_vnsAmG9wqqm3rYbQ4vQwXwRo_22HisGziBv4Ty8r4CWSOb67GjbgWGYfl7lW1rJTGXP9wod0fdlSL7fuLA0NE-qOzDbE_rCWs6_-MA9_Cgzckg/s320/007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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7. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 and a half hours, until thoroughly cooked. A meat thermometer should register the internal temperature at 165 degrees and there should be no pink.<br />
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To me, it tasted blah. Sunshine didn't eat it, but she doesn't eat 3/4 of the things we have for dinner. Beautiful G ate hers and Sunshine's, but she does that all the time too. Dave really liked it, so that's the ringing endorsement I give it. The person who likes meatloaf really likes this one. Enjoy it for your own dinner one night and tell me what you think!<br />
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<div id="avg_ls_inline_popup" style="color: black; font-size: 10px; left: -5000px; line-height: 130%; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: absolute; text-align: left; visibility: hidden; word-wrap: break-word; z-index: 9999;"></div>Mrs. Undomestichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12209301755036096311noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396678411374832205.post-42675716317418840482011-01-04T22:39:00.000-08:002011-01-04T22:40:11.668-08:00Cheap and Easy Cheesy BreadWhen dinner came around tonight, I hadn't made it to the store yet. I knew we were having spaghetti but I also never got around to making french bread like I planned. So today's recipe is one that I haven't made in years, but worked in a pinch.<br />
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When Dave & I were first married, the only dishes I could competently make were tacos and spaghetti. But our budget was so small that I really couldn't afford all the side dishes that normally go with them, like garlic bread. Instead, I would make cheesy bread as a side dish for spaghetti. Now I use coupons and have a bigger grocery budget, so we can afford to buy garlic bread, but this still works when you are short on time and/or resources.<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
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8 pieces of bread (I used white, but wheat should work fine too)<br />
Spreadable Butter (not your normal stick butter you bake with)<br />
Shredded Cheese (amounts are up to you, but at least 1-2 cups. Kinds of cheese are also up to you, I had cheddar blends that I used)<br />
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The first rule of baking is to preheat the oven and this recipe needs 350 degrees.<br />
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Grab a baking sheet (I normally use one with sides that is not an air-bake) and spray it with cooking spray. Butter one side of each piece of bread and place them on the baking sheet, butter side up. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top of each slice of bread, until they are covered.<br />
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Bake in the oven for 3 to 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the bread is a "toast" like texture without being burnt.<br />
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To make it more like "garlic" bread, you can sprinkle garlic powder onto the bread after you spread the butter but before you add the cheese. Don't go overboard (did that a time or two many years ago!).<br />
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It's not the greatest thing out there. It certainly not real garlic bread, but it works in a pinch and can save you when your family expects bread to go with your Italian meal.Mrs. Undomestichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12209301755036096311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396678411374832205.post-54592572901868480962011-01-03T22:35:00.000-08:002011-01-03T22:35:26.251-08:00Whoops...I had about 4 different ideas for baking today, three of which were comfort foods. The fourth one was for french bread, but I didn't make spaghetti for dinner so I didn't need french bread.<br />
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The rest, though, didn't get made for an entirely different reason. I let some of my supplies get low and I hadn't realized it. I have 1 egg right now. 1 egg! How on earth did I get only 1 egg??????? I'm low on a few other baking supplies, but this was the big one. Then I realized that my entire cupboard looks empty. I need to real grocery shopping and I have to do it very soon. Probably won't happen tomorrow, because we have enough for one meal, but definitely by Wednesday. A quick glance through the ads gives me an idea of what to shop and where, but I have to do major comparison shopping and do it tomorrow night.<br />
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I'm still kicking myself for letting my stuff get so low. Don't do this to yourself! It just adds to your frustration, especially when the weather gets bad. We're having major rain right now in Southern California which is leading to other problems.<br />
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Today's big tip: be smart, have a plan and always have a stock for bad weather. Make sure you can survive if you lost power, got snowed in or had some other natural disaster that prevented you from leaving your home. This can save your life. Here are some great links for what you should have for emergencies:<br />
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<a href="http://www.ready.gov/america/getakit/index.html">Ready</a>- This is provided by the US Government shows you exactly what you should have in an emergency preparation kit<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1815130319"><br />
</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bt.cdc.gov/planning/">CDC Emergency Preparation and Planning</a>- This covers both natural disaster prep and prep from major medical problems like anthrax or massive injuries.<br />
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<a href="http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/">FEMA</a>- Yes, the same FEMA that gets trashed in the media at every turn. They actually can do quite a bit of good work if WE ARE PREPARED! FEMA has several different pamphlets you can get to help you with emergency preparations.<br />
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So, get your stuff together and I'll get mine. Plus I'll go grocery shopping soon so I can bake!Mrs. Undomestichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12209301755036096311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396678411374832205.post-7979874942812401352010-12-31T20:21:00.000-08:002010-12-31T20:21:48.814-08:00And Now a Word from Our Sponsor...AKA ME!<br />
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I just wanted to let my followers know that I started another blog. Don't worry, this one isn't going anywhere. But I started another one for all the rest of the goals I hold for 2011. It's more mommy/generic than this one and will hold more information about my life. While I can bake wonderfully, I'm not so hot on the rest of the Domestic front, so I named it <a href="http://mrsundomestic.blogspot.com/">Mrs. Undomestic</a>. Please come check it out!Mrs. Undomestichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12209301755036096311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396678411374832205.post-6849675825025846192010-12-30T10:39:00.000-08:002010-12-30T10:39:57.819-08:00A Few of My Favorite ThingsFirst and foremost, I'm a really tiny blog. I mean, up until this week, I was having a spectacular day on the blog when I had 10 visitors. I state this to point out a very important fact: I'm about to show you some stuff I absolutely love and it will include specific product names. None of these people have given me any money whatsoever to promote them. They don't know I even exist. I just happen to love them and want to share with other people. So when you see this stuff, don't think I'm getting any compensation, all I get is the chance to share stuff I really like with other people. That said, let's go onto a few of my favorite things!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Xscl6DCQs22GUNmZBWJWFRw-LeLdS6ymdCaXor3nVE3hY4v-aKsV8loQ4ICMyEUZGnFe1dUkamtszo8x_aGG7-pc-q44RF12n-yUOGjQmrEZvRUyDLirtHUOe9qA8uSj3MPlRf761Iw/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Xscl6DCQs22GUNmZBWJWFRw-LeLdS6ymdCaXor3nVE3hY4v-aKsV8loQ4ICMyEUZGnFe1dUkamtszo8x_aGG7-pc-q44RF12n-yUOGjQmrEZvRUyDLirtHUOe9qA8uSj3MPlRf761Iw/s320/001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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I first bought this stuff a few months ago when I was out of cooking spray. I had a coupon for it and it was on a good sale, so I ended up buying 3 cans of the stuff. It's AMAZING! Pam put flour in the spray, making it easier for me to properly coat my cake pans, cookie sheets and other baking stuff that works well with flour instead of just butter or regular cooking spray. If you like to bake, bake regularly, or are just starting out, I totally recommending picking up a can of this stuff!<br />
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I still have a lot of what's in this haul (see the original post about it <a href="http://ayearofbaking.blogspot.com/2010/09/flour-chocolate-chips-and-vanilla.html">here</a>). I bought these when they were on sale (and for the chocolate chips, with a coupon) and knowing I have them on hand makes my life so much easier! I never worry about whether I have enough flour, since I know there is a bag up in the cupboard. Stockpiling, in moderation, can be a salvation when you are baking. Right now I'm kicking myself for not stocking up on unsweetened cocoa powder!<br />
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These pictures show you probably the my most used items when it comes to baking. My mixer, bowls and basic ingredients are essential to this blog!<br />
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Yeah, this is my dishwasher. I hate washing dishes. I mean I hate it with a passion. It's been on the bottom of my list (along with laundry and sweeping, I'm kinda domestically challenged) for many years. So this dishwasher saves my sanity. Putting dishes away isn't nearly as bad as having to wash them myself and I love the fact that a 2 minute dishwasher load up can turn my kitchen from disaster to neat and tidy.<br />
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The last picture is only sort-of baking related, but mostly cooking related.<br />
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Mark Bittman, who writes for the New York Times, made this cookbook. It's not kidding when it says everything. I love this cookbook. I can't think of a recipe yet that hasn't come out well when I follow the directions in this book. It also contains lots of hints and tips on how to cook. While I don't use recipes from this book to bake, I use them to cook and I read the tips on baking regularly. It's wonderful and worth every penny!<br />
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My very last favorite things will not have a picture listed. This is for privacy reasons. My favorite thing is my family. Dave is my husband of 5 and a half years and is the most awesome man I've met. He works very hard every day to provide for us so that I can stay home with my girls. He also always has time for us when we need it and with 3 females, we need his time! We also have 2 little girls that I'm incredibly grateful for. They are funny, sweet, kind and over-helpful. God blessed me greatly with the little girls he gave me, even when they have more energy than a nuclear reactor! They are part of the reason I run this blog.<br />
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So those are my favorite things. What are your favorite things?Mrs. Undomestichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12209301755036096311noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396678411374832205.post-8516160782323108092010-12-29T12:30:00.000-08:002010-12-29T12:30:07.505-08:00The Microwave Cupcake DisasterI am having quite a day. I'm blaming the rain, because right now I need to blame something.<br />
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For those of you who don't know, I have 2 girls, one age 5 and in kindergarten and the other age 3. My 5-year-old has been on Christmas break since December 17 and doesn't go back until January 3, like all of the schools in the area. This is not unusual. What is unusual is the massive amounts of rain we've gotten in Southern California in the last 2 weeks. We usually get 1.31 inches of ran in December. We've gotten 3.68 inches. While neither number sounds high, if you think about it comparatively, we've gotten 3 times the normal amount of rain for the month. This has kept my girls cooped up quite a bit. Add the excitement of Christmas and New Years and we've got two balls of energy flying around an apartment that is less than 900 square feet. Not a good combination.<br />
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Which leads us to our recipe. I was in need of chocolate. Lots of chocolate. And while I was searching the web for something completely different, I stumbled on the idea of making cupcakes in the microwave using actual cups. This sounded wonderful. A quick dessert that could help save my sanity. Alas, it was not to be. Instead, it turned into a chocolate disaster.<br />
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Here's the recipe I made. I'd love feedback on how to fix it if any of you have suggestions. I will be trying to fix it myself, but not today.<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
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1 1/2 cups flour<br />
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder<br />
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda<br />
1 teaspoon baking powder<br />
1 1/2 cups sugar<br />
3 Tablespoons butter, softened<br />
2 eggs<br />
1 cup milk<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
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1. Don't preheat the oven. I didn't use it, although I wish I had!<br />
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2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and sugar. <br />
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3. Next add the softened butter and eggs and beat well. It's going to look like that. A slightly damp, mushed up version of the dry ingredients.<br />
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4. Add the milk and vanilla and beat them in well. Now it looks more like a batter, although it was a little thin for batter. Maybe only a half a cup of milk next time??<br />
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5. Spray your mugs thoroughly with cooking spray to prevent the cupcakes from sticking (HA HA) and pour your batter into them. I have exceptionally tall coffee mugs, so I used 3. If you used normal sized mugs, I'd stick with 6. I also filled them about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way full. Another mistake, perhaps???<br />
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6. Bake in the microwave. The original recipes I found all called for 2 minutes, but since I had more batter I checked them at 2 and decided to microwave them for 4. Oh, at 100% power.<br />
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7. Disaster. In the microwave they overfilled and I ended up scrubbing chocolate goo off the tray. The cups were covered too. I bit into one right away and while the top was cooked, the insides were goo. I spent some time trying to clean up the mess and tried them again after about 10 minutes. Of the three, only one came out the way I wanted. They all tasted good, but only one even resembled a cupcake in texture.<br />
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There you have it. My baking disaster. And to top it off, that was the last of my unsweetened cocoa powder, so I can't even make regular chocolate cake like I had been planning. Ah well, live and learn.<br />
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So, what do you suggest for this recipe? Ever had one blow up in your face like this?Mrs. Undomestichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12209301755036096311noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396678411374832205.post-46017215171835745612010-12-29T08:42:00.000-08:002010-12-29T08:42:47.790-08:00A Basic Egg StrataGood morning! As I write this, the rain is pouring down again. I keep thinking that I moved to Southern California for sunshine, but December has provided me anything but! At least we haven't gotten snow, unlike the rest of the country.<br />
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Today's recipe is great for a morning like today or a quick dinner for your family, like we did last night. It's a very, very basic egg strata that you can gussy up as you see fit (and I may just post some variations on this later, so watch for them!)<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
Bread. Type doesn't matter. Amount should be enough to cover the bottom of a 9x13 pan and maybe layer it some.<br />
1 lb Meat. The first time I made this, I used sausage, the second time (the one with pics) I used bacon.<br />
Eggs. The amount of eggs really depends on the amount of everything else. At least 8, but a dozen can easily be used.<br />
2 cups Cheese. Whatever type floats your boat. I used cheddar, but we really like cheddar.<br />
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Now, the recipe:<br />
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1. TURN THE OVEN TO 350. Yup, I really mean it when I say pre-heat. I am never, ever kidding.<br />
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2. Spray the pan with cooking spray or grease the pan with butter.<br />
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3. Add the bread to the bottom. Last night, I used 8 pieces of white bread. When I made it last week, I made it with about 16 pieces of wheat bread. Personally, I'm going to stick with more bread rather than less, but that's personal preference.<br />
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4. Add the meat. I used bacon last night, but sausage the last time. One big thing to note: you don't need to precook any of your meat. It will cook when it bakes, so that saves a lot of time.<br />
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5. Whisk the eggs together. Last night I used 8. The time before I used a full dozen. Again, I'm going back to a dozen, but that's personal preference. I added a little bit of salt and pepper to my eggs, but feel free to add other spices you like to it. Once you've whisked the eggs together, pour the eggs into the baking dish and mix the all the ingredients slightly. The mix will help coat the bread and meat with the eggs.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsW-cBrDAeiEqA3QAREOnJLiahY4uS6ZSzxJ-6CdyQ4jsv0xU-HA2d6cD9TwwrehIFgPST0qnV_MdAppFK4q_cN5ShWCfBZyWPU4AcA-BWNi-4CMZg4luewp8x1sN5ineQl1us_appwgE/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsW-cBrDAeiEqA3QAREOnJLiahY4uS6ZSzxJ-6CdyQ4jsv0xU-HA2d6cD9TwwrehIFgPST0qnV_MdAppFK4q_cN5ShWCfBZyWPU4AcA-BWNi-4CMZg4luewp8x1sN5ineQl1us_appwgE/s320/004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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6. Add the cheese to the top, covering the whole thing. 2 cups should do fine, but if you like more cheese, add it! This is really basic and easy to change if you want.<br />
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7. Bake the whole thing for 35 minutes. If you want to make something to go with it, I suggest fried potatoes, but this doesn't really need a side dish if you don't want one.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnmCoBhmwTauU_mgIrr6qw-ZhUGhFYJ_RTFjwtYE695YEbvFjJGrLYlprljRiu1Rcl8i2Cc9CoOqgURe0oDB785cRD97TdPBop2A8HHKQ5g7mPVQU1tFIMdCP4wFlRNTWWgeM81xf6Udo/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnmCoBhmwTauU_mgIrr6qw-ZhUGhFYJ_RTFjwtYE695YEbvFjJGrLYlprljRiu1Rcl8i2Cc9CoOqgURe0oDB785cRD97TdPBop2A8HHKQ5g7mPVQU1tFIMdCP4wFlRNTWWgeM81xf6Udo/s320/005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
That's the finished product. The last time I made it (with more ingredients) the dish was much fuller and so were we. It still tastes quite good, though, so enjoy it like we did.Mrs. Undomestichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12209301755036096311noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396678411374832205.post-91991307576515594782010-12-28T12:32:00.000-08:002010-12-28T12:32:12.927-08:00All Sorts of AdditionsOver the last few days I've been doing some blog pimping. This includes adding some new features and promoting the blog.<br />
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If you're new to A Year of Baking, then Welcome! Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to leave me a comment about how you found or if you have any questions. You can <a href="http://ayearofbaking.blogspot.com/feeds/post">subscribe</a> by email or RSS or if you prefer, you can follow via Google Friend Connect, which will include updated blog posts.<br />
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For those both new and old, we've added some new features to check out. A Year of Baking has joined <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Year-of-Baking/155792957801879#%21/pages/A-Year-of-Baking/155792957801879?v=wall">Facebook</a> and <a href="mailto:http://twitter.com/#%21/AYearofBaking">Twitter</a>! Both places will list blog updates plus some extra goodies. Please Like/Follow us on both and share A Year of Baking with your friends and family. Also, if you come to the blog and read (and comment! I like comments, so feel free to leave some!), you can now share the posts on Facebook and/or Twitter by clicking the "Share This" link on the right hand side of the blog.<br />
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Finally, I want to ask, what else would you like to see at A Year of Baking? Would you be willing to share this with your friends and family and why/why not? I'm all for honest reviews, so let me know either by leaving a comment below or <a href="mailto:yearofbaking@gmail.com">emailing me</a>.Mrs. Undomestichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12209301755036096311noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396678411374832205.post-70680857429306071442010-12-27T09:42:00.000-08:002010-12-27T09:54:44.488-08:00A Very Baking ChristmasSo the message that I love to bake and need/want baking stuff made a very big impression this Christmas. While not all of my presents were baking related, most of them were. Which made me a very happy camper! In today's post, I'll share the wonderful stuff I was given specifically for the kitchen.<br />
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Of course, the very first thing I got were the mixing bowls. Check out the<a href="http://ayearofbaking.blogspot.com/2010/12/mixing-bowls.html"> blog post</a> I already made. <br />
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Next, I have 2 things I was given that are cooking related instead of baking related.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4nvbSAFPQ-T6Rb0ByQFDHPa4iiAycHT7AfyOtMr21BZoGnJQ1nviJb4LQG8rLI0fCa06wwfsD6IM7C8_CCySHpwfDH9c4fZzO8-NI5wE8cnFpkOVNMWeymppOON2KZcQqZlSzz6821Ds/s1600/029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4nvbSAFPQ-T6Rb0ByQFDHPa4iiAycHT7AfyOtMr21BZoGnJQ1nviJb4LQG8rLI0fCa06wwfsD6IM7C8_CCySHpwfDH9c4fZzO8-NI5wE8cnFpkOVNMWeymppOON2KZcQqZlSzz6821Ds/s320/029.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The big thing is a pressure cooker, from my aunt. The only time I've ever used a pressure cooker was at her house, but I was very impressed with it there. Plus looking at how quick and easy I can make various things, like cooked beans and rice (two things I need to make regularly and hate to do) this may get used quite a bit in my house!<br />
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The little red thing is a meat thermometer. Dave got it for me, stating that this might solve my problem of chronically under cooking meat dishes. Before you shake your head at me, please remember that I suck at cooking and rock at baking, OK?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4rA-zWUDlcBW3rBhZW91zW807Cv0gRe-FlmMTEKREbgZ2yt4FqPdbPFiXZ3tGaIoWnVsxLMRGwnyhmCy-J0C5Ehhm_hsq220HYw4MQ96QROkxUrWay0OfRTTn1la9bMwR7ag8ji1_Jk/s1600/030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4rA-zWUDlcBW3rBhZW91zW807Cv0gRe-FlmMTEKREbgZ2yt4FqPdbPFiXZ3tGaIoWnVsxLMRGwnyhmCy-J0C5Ehhm_hsq220HYw4MQ96QROkxUrWay0OfRTTn1la9bMwR7ag8ji1_Jk/s320/030.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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These three are from my in-laws. Dave told my mother-in-law I needed baking stuff and she went a little crazy. She got me a recipe box (that came with recipe cards already, perfect for me to write down my recipes as I make them!), measuring spoons (they are in the middle and a little hard to see, they get lost in the pattern, sorry!), and measuring cups. I really, really needed measuring spoons so I was especially grateful for those. Missing from this picture (not sure I how I managed to miss them) are two sunflower dish towels.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzU4LspRUUavrCf2jwGwGW7od-oN2sZMw4VWn58xpTMLiqhh8HybXp-KC2OFC6mO1ZsViN4-fr3gY63rg-QNgdTjZStGGZMCpuB1hiCrkYi9RRXz_eNtAL1uzvG1t3Y1JJ9ea4wJ2EKw/s1600/031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzU4LspRUUavrCf2jwGwGW7od-oN2sZMw4VWn58xpTMLiqhh8HybXp-KC2OFC6mO1ZsViN4-fr3gY63rg-QNgdTjZStGGZMCpuB1hiCrkYi9RRXz_eNtAL1uzvG1t3Y1JJ9ea4wJ2EKw/s320/031.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
These two come from my grandparents. On the left, we have my yearly gag gift from my grandpa. It's a gingerbread man spatula! It's very cute! The item on the right is a bar cookie baking pan. Dave was happy because now I can make bar cookies that aren't in a square (or rectangle) baking pan that we have to cut.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2tKS00X5wOnqTpSarjCYr3QT5_6TPjSkwVuGyV21kMbSjd4UlfRjrliYeAH_QpOIYqGQ3iEITcHIxjY0iGPL1-fxRedPFBKG4DdnnBH9YyXf5rl7bqpZuktaUxYhpwqHua2CkqEa_lQ/s1600/032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2tKS00X5wOnqTpSarjCYr3QT5_6TPjSkwVuGyV21kMbSjd4UlfRjrliYeAH_QpOIYqGQ3iEITcHIxjY0iGPL1-fxRedPFBKG4DdnnBH9YyXf5rl7bqpZuktaUxYhpwqHua2CkqEa_lQ/s320/032.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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This is an apple slicer/corer. I used to have a cheap one my mom picked up for me at a flea market and I used it constantly until it literally gave up and broke. So Dave got me a new one this year, that shouldn't have the handles snap in my hands. He knew how much I loved the other and wanted to replace it. This should mean more apple recipes, since I can quickly get them cored and sliced!<br />
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The final present is also from Dave. This was my big present and I AM SO HAPPY! I kid you not, the man did an awesome job this year and deserves husband of the year award (sorry ladies, he's all mine, you can't have him). Here's my last present:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr_ehJKc-cYMRkuQ8btBYlhsyGRlvDdLoT51ZrGcwROdhNCP9UrIaXQkoxaIXya9zF-9rENjhFYktAInpFktPr4tbjhHwD9Ry5tsgC-Qbv5btVRfG-TxPkivNKA9YX4BOt30_FQO4i6lQ/s1600/033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr_ehJKc-cYMRkuQ8btBYlhsyGRlvDdLoT51ZrGcwROdhNCP9UrIaXQkoxaIXya9zF-9rENjhFYktAInpFktPr4tbjhHwD9Ry5tsgC-Qbv5btVRfG-TxPkivNKA9YX4BOt30_FQO4i6lQ/s320/033.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Canisters. Yeah, for many people this sounds completely dumb, but this is so perfect for me. Now I have my baking stuff right at hand instead of up in the cupboard. I filled them up this morning and they now hold: white flour, white sugar, brown sugar, wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder and corn starch. The four taller cans also have a metal spoon on the side making it easier to scoop too, instead of searching for a spoon constantly.<br />
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While these were by no means the only things I received (thanks Mom for the GPS! We love it!), these are the stuff that you might actually care about. Did you receive any baking-related stuff for Christmas and if so, what?Mrs. Undomestichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12209301755036096311noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396678411374832205.post-31454539976578937062010-12-24T20:40:00.000-08:002010-12-24T20:40:04.250-08:00Peppermint CheesecakeFor Christmas Eve with my family, I made Peppermint Cheesecake. Partially because it's Christmas and partially because I've found cream cheese on such a good sale. They got to be my taste testers today and agreement was that the crust was slightly off (I adjusted the recipe, so it should come out just fine for you) but otherwise, this was delightful. The peppermint is not too strong but it does give it a definite flavor enhancement. It was very rich and I had trouble finishing piece number two simply because of how rich it was. Everyone else stuck with just one piece. Here's a picture of the finished product:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB8M8q72G17uTpLx5krC4Ymm3e2VAFQ37TX0XxQCeOXlX_4TYwXtOpGnYmaTTmDg2iEzXv15fYc4qXydrD7CxkJkf8ubgBTo2mV9M5kBjJy39rNNET_PyuIgv6bDwLrbVh23vOqgLawQE/s1600/photo%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB8M8q72G17uTpLx5krC4Ymm3e2VAFQ37TX0XxQCeOXlX_4TYwXtOpGnYmaTTmDg2iEzXv15fYc4qXydrD7CxkJkf8ubgBTo2mV9M5kBjJy39rNNET_PyuIgv6bDwLrbVh23vOqgLawQE/s320/photo%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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It's hard to see in the picture, but there are pink streaks throughout, thanks to the candy canes I added.<br />
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Crust Ingredients:<br />
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3 cups crushed Oreo cookies (for an alternative, you can add peppermint Oreos, sold at Christmastime only. I think it will only add a slight peppermint flavor to the crust, but it won't make that much of a difference)<br />
1 cup melted butter<br />
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Cheesecake Ingredients:<br />
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8 candy canes, crushed (aim for 3/4 cup. For me that was 8 candy canes, but you may have a different amount)<br />
3 8oz boxes of cream cheese, softened<br />
2/3 cup sugar<br />
1 Tablespoon flour<br />
1/2 teaspoon vanilla<br />
1 teaspoon peppermint extract<br />
3 eggs<br />
1/3 cup sour cream<br />
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To make the crust, crush the Oreo cookies (I found it took me an entire container of Oreo cookies to make enough for the crust). I crushed them using a bag and rolling pin, but if you want to do it another way, you can.<br />
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Once crushed, add them to a mixing bowl and combine with the melted butter. When I made the crust I only used 1/2 cup and found the crust not quite right, so add 1 cup. Press this along the bottom of your springform pan.<br />
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At this point (say it with me now) TURN THE OVEN ON! 375 degrees for this recipe.<br />
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Next is to make the actual cheesecake. You need softened cream cheese. If you forgot to take the cream cheese out of the fridge a few hours before (like I did when I made it), microwave it for 15 to 30 seconds. By the way, did I mention my <a href="http://ayearofbaking.blogspot.com/2010/12/mixing-bowls.html">new mixing bowls</a> are microwave safe? My old ones were not (ask me how I know!) so this made my life a lot easier since I plopped the cream cheese into my large mixing bowl and put the whole thing in the microwave!<br />
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The other big thing you need to do before you can really make the cheesecake is to crush the candy canes. I tried a couple different methods, but the most effective thing I found was sticking them in a Ziploc bag and pounding on them with a hammer. It crushed them into lots of little pieces and the only trouble I had was Dave asking why I was using his hammer. Simply dump the pieces into a measuring cup, because you need 3/4 of a cup (or very close to it. Going either over or under slightly is fine).<br />
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Once you have softened cream cheese and crushed candy canes, you can make the cheesecake!<br />
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Mix the cream cheese with the sugar and flour using your mixer on a low speed. Once thoroughly combined, add the vanilla and peppermint extract and mix well again. Add the eggs, mixing after you add each one, followed by the sour cream. Once you've got the sour cream thoroughly mixed in (and your cheesecake batter looks a bit yellow from the egg yolks), add the crushed candy canes and mix for 30 seconds to a minute on a low speed, enough to mix them in.<br />
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Pour the cheesecake batter on top of the crust and bake the whole thing for 45 minutes. Around the 25 minute mark my house started smelling like cheesecake and when it came out at 45 minutes, it looked glorious. Allow the whole thing to cool before serving. If you want, you can chill it. I made mine the night before and allowed it to chill for nearly 24 hours, but that shouldn't be necessary. I would at least make it 6 to 8 hours before eating, though, with chilling time in between.<br />
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Like I stated before, my crust came out slightly funny, so watch for that. Otherwise it was rich cheesecake with a great peppermint flavor that didn't overwhelm you (like I worried it might). I also did not having candy cane chunks, even though some of my original pieces were about 1 to 2 inches long (something else I worried about). Instead, it melted and blended in, added pink tinges to the cheesecake.<br />
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Oh, and if you're looking for another good holiday cheesecake recipe, you can always try the <a href="http://ayearofbaking.blogspot.com/2010/12/pumpkin-cheesecake.html">Pumpkin Cheesecake</a> I made for Thanksgiving. My grandmother was telling me today that her neighbor (who had a piece) is still raving about it a month later.Mrs. Undomestichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12209301755036096311noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396678411374832205.post-91806211919809689332010-12-20T10:20:00.000-08:002010-12-20T10:20:13.880-08:00Mixing BowlsI've still got one more recipe from Cookie Day, but I don't have it yet, so instead I'll share with you my newest thing: mixing bowls! I'm part of a writing group for moms and signed up for their Secret Santa. My Secret Santa sent me these:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxfXyZp4yl6ggxi4h5bldivGYg_rWdAdq-Tmv3z50azAle5qrw2ivGWJCK9NYqzGnR6mBXnfH5h1dSF5hyphenhyphenpZAD2482JivsgLwKQCbpgI5abzsfgEpPpY_xZRE-N5Qu4WpvRLFJBiTB-E/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxfXyZp4yl6ggxi4h5bldivGYg_rWdAdq-Tmv3z50azAle5qrw2ivGWJCK9NYqzGnR6mBXnfH5h1dSF5hyphenhyphenpZAD2482JivsgLwKQCbpgI5abzsfgEpPpY_xZRE-N5Qu4WpvRLFJBiTB-E/s320/001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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They are ceramic, dishwasher safe, and microwave safe. It's a little hard to see, but they have these beautiful apples along the side, along with some branch type decorations around. I'm so excited and I can't wait to make something in them!Mrs. Undomestichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12209301755036096311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396678411374832205.post-31121933264384637792010-12-19T09:16:00.000-08:002010-12-19T09:16:11.915-08:00Crackled CrescentsCrackled Crescents have been in my family longer than I have. My grandmother makes them every single year. We expect them. So yes, this is definitely a recipe from Cookie Day 2010. According to my grandmother, the recipe originally came from some magazine somewhere, but after all this time, nobody remembers which one and we've never found the recipe anywhere else.<br />
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You almost didn't get this and neither did we again. My grandmother's dog grabbed the recipe the other day and nearly destroyed it. Fortunately, we rescued it and are able to provide it to you. Plus, now we have multiple backups of the recipe in case that happens again.<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">3 1/2 cups flour<br />
1 tablespoon baking powder<br />
1 cup margarine, softened<br />
1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened<br />
2 cups sugar<br />
1 egg<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla<br />
1/8 teaspoon almond extract<br />
1 cup miniature chocolate chips<br />
Regular sized chocolate chips<br />
Chopped walnuts</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Blend flour and baking powder and set aside.<br />
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Beat together the margarine and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in sugar, egg, and extracts until thoroughly blended and light.<br />
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Add flour mixture to margarine mixture and thoroughly blend. Stir in miniature chocolate chips.<br />
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Chill several hours or overnight. Roll into one inch balls, then shape into crescents. Bake on ungreased baking sheet for 10-12 minutes in 350 oven.<br />
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Spread melted regular chocolate chips in half of each cook and top with walnuts</span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span>Mrs. Undomestichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12209301755036096311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396678411374832205.post-75822309292968838942010-12-18T10:30:00.000-08:002010-12-18T10:30:19.845-08:00Peanut Butter Chocolate CookiesYup, another Cookie Day 2010 recipe. This one is the "easier" version of <a href="http://ayearofbaking.blogspot.com/2010/12/buckeyes.html">Buckeyes</a>. To be honest, it's only somewhat easier. It does make a lot fewer cookies and you aren't rolling 400 some odd little balls. This also has a nice crunch that Buckeyes don't have. If you like peanut butter and you like chocolate, you will like these. Yes, you will, I promise!<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
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1 cup butter, softened<br />
1 1/2 cups peanut butter (I used creamy, but either will work)<br />
1 cup white sugar<br />
1 cup brown sugar, packed<br />
2 eggs<br />
2 1/2 cups flour<br />
1 teaspoon baking powder<br />
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla<br />
3 bags of chocolate chips, melted (maybe 4, fair warning!)<br />
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Mix the butter, peanut butter, white sugar, brown sugar and the eggs together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Slowly add the flour mix to the sugar mix, mixing as you add it in. Add the vanilla and combine thoroughly. Allow the batter to chill for at least an hour in the fridge.<br />
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Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool completely.<br />
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Once the cookies are cool, melt the chocolate chips and dip the bottom of the cookies in the melted chocolate. Place the dipped cookies on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Once you have a full cookie sheet, place the whole cookie sheet in the fridge until the chocolate hardens, usually 30 minutes.<br />
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Honestly, it's just like Buckeyes. My very first thought when I bit into them was "Oh, it's buckeyes with a crunch" and my family all agreed with me. You can't go wrong with peanut butter and chocolate cookies...Mrs. Undomestichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12209301755036096311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396678411374832205.post-11344097899266282072010-12-16T15:46:00.000-08:002010-12-16T15:46:41.460-08:00GingerbreadAnother recipe from Cookie Day 2010! This one is the multi-generational cookie recipe. I made the dough, my daughters cut out the shapes and my mom decorated them. Also, my mom had the wonderful patience to help my girls cut out shapes. I don't know if I could have sat there and done it, but she did and did it wonderfully. The girls had an awesome time cutting out cookies with grandma!<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
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3 3/4 cup flour<br />
1 teaspoon baking soda<br />
2 teaspoons ginger<br />
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon<br />
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg<br />
1/2 teaspoon cloves<br />
2/3 cup butter, melted<br />
3/4 cup molasses, room temperature<br />
1/3 cup white sugar<br />
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed<br />
1/4 cup water, room temperature<br />
1 egg<br />
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
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Mix flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a small bowl. In a large bowl, mix butter, molasses, brown sugar, white sugar, water, the egg and vanilla. Once the liquids are thoroughly combined, slowly add the dry ingredients into the liquid ingredients, mixing as you go along. Chill the dough for at least 3 or 4 hours. I chilled for 2 hours, took it out to transfer it to my mom's and when they tried to make cut them out, it didn't work very well. We chilled it for another half an hour to an hour and cut them out again. We chilled the dough in between baking between batches.<br />
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Cut out the dough using cookie cutters (we used all sorts of different Christmas designs, but of course men are the most common). Bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes. Allow them to cool completely before decorating with icing. We used a white icing along with a red and green gel icing.Mrs. Undomestichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12209301755036096311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396678411374832205.post-45943593726042794802010-12-15T15:42:00.000-08:002010-12-15T15:42:27.505-08:00Blog Hop and PrintingFirst, I want to give a great big shout out to those who came here from The Relax and Make Friends Blog Hop. The goal around here is for me to bake everyday. So far it hasn't happened, but January 1st is around the corner and that is prime resolution time! Anyway, I post lots of recipes of various things (90% of which are dessert based, fair warning!). I hope you enjoy yourself and find some recipes to try at home.<br />
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Which leads me to the second thing. I have fixed the print issues (mostly). Now, if you hit the print button at the bottom of every post, you will get the header, the recipe and the comments. The header still prints on a separate page, but its a lot better than it used to be, with a recipe taking 5 to 8 pages and including a lot of stuff nobody wants to keep. This should save you ink and the recipes are all on one page now. Once I figure how to get the header not to print, or at least get it on the same page as the rest of the recipe, I'll fix it again. In the mean time, feel free to use the Print This feature at the bottom of every post!<br />
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Also, this is a nice time to remind you that you can share recipes on Facebook or Twitter with a simple click of the button. At the bottom of every post, there is a small link to either major social network that you can click to share. If you really like a post and want to share it with your friends and family, feel free!Mrs. Undomestichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12209301755036096311noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396678411374832205.post-43017640985766037092010-12-15T15:28:00.000-08:002010-12-15T15:43:02.373-08:00Cherry Chocolate CookiesDay 2 of the Christmas Cookies from 2010. This recipe is one of mine.<br />
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I had exactly 2 complaints about this. One, dried cherries cost an arm and a leg and two, dried cherries are a lot bigger than I thought they would be. Other than that, this recipe is very good, especially if you like chocolate (especially dark chocolate). Since I do, I've been working very hard at not eating all of these at once.<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
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1 cup butter, softened<br />
3/4 cup white sugar<br />
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed<br />
2 eggs<br />
2 cups flour<br />
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder<br />
1 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract<br />
1 teaspoon almond extract<br />
1 6oz bag dried cherries<br />
1 12oz bag of dark chocolate chips (look for Hershey's or Ghiradelli, both make dark chocolate chips)<br />
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Start by heating your oven to 350. Yes, always, always, always preheat your oven!<br />
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Cream together the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and beat well. In another bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder and baking soda. Slowly add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, mixing as you go. Add both vanilla and almond extract and mix well. Finally gently mix in the cherries and chocolate chips.<br />
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Plop them down on cookie sheets and bake for 12 to 14 minutes. Mine came out very soft at first, but once they finished setting up, they were wonderful, soft and chewy, lots of chocolate with a wonderful surprise of cherry in it. Trust me, if you like chocolate, this will send you reeling!Mrs. Undomestichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12209301755036096311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396678411374832205.post-50567039164866790092010-12-14T08:02:00.000-08:002010-12-14T08:02:27.842-08:00Orange Wedding Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj44YymJXDMR_rlkbGSOtaTB9UdddfO63SAKi-Yu7tjDCwmA_Ct3ibKSqrFV1Li0OSyTCzAh3khlM8kp1cPuUxbXHkeurXVYxwG4QzDbZ608KE2qUmsLaS5ocJAa1WPtB00r1IWcn1SslQ/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj44YymJXDMR_rlkbGSOtaTB9UdddfO63SAKi-Yu7tjDCwmA_Ct3ibKSqrFV1Li0OSyTCzAh3khlM8kp1cPuUxbXHkeurXVYxwG4QzDbZ608KE2qUmsLaS5ocJAa1WPtB00r1IWcn1SslQ/s320/004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Our first recipe from Cookie Day 2010 is from Jandy, also known as She Who Must Be Obeyed. Funny story, by the way. When my sister, the Sardonic Girl, started a blog over a year ago, she asked for names and my mom decided she wanted to be called "She Who Must Be Obeyed." It turns out the name is from a book, but its a book my mom has never read (which is rare. I mean, have you seen her <a href="http://www.jandysbooks.com/">website</a>? She reads everything!). So now I've given my mom a new book on her every growing list (aptly named Mt. Bookpile).<br />
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While I give my mom new books to read, she gave me her recipe for Orange Wedding Cookies. It's a variation on the Mexican or Italian Wedding Cookies. I've had some. And by some I mean at least 5 yesterday alone. These are wonderful and very easy to grab and go!<br />
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Orange Wedding Cookies:<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter <br />
<div class="yiv2000295855MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar</div><div class="yiv2000295855MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Dash salt</div><div class="yiv2000295855MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">1 1/2 cup finely ground almonds or pecans</div><div class="yiv2000295855MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">3 teaspoon orange extract</div><div class="yiv2000295855MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">1 teaspoon vanilla extract</div><div class="yiv2000295855MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">1 teaspoon grated orange peel</div><div class="yiv2000295855MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">3 cups flour</div><div class="yiv2000295855MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">1/3 cup confectioner's sugar </div><div class="yiv2000295855MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv2000295855MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. </div><div class="yiv2000295855MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> </div><div class="yiv2000295855MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Cream the butter and slowly add in the 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar and salt. Beat the whole thing until it's light and fluffy. Add the nuts, orange extract, vanilla extract and orange peel. Mix well. Gradually add in flour, mixing well.</div><div class="yiv2000295855MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv2000295855MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Take 1 teaspoon of dough each and roll into balls. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, but do not let the cookies brown. Let them cool completely. Roll the cookies in the remaining 1/3 cup confectioner's sugar. </div><div class="yiv2000295855MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div>Mrs. Undomestichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12209301755036096311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396678411374832205.post-64498435657900198022010-12-13T09:09:00.000-08:002010-12-13T09:09:42.464-08:00Cookie Day 2010<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIGPxSBA-NLSP7uBxMCzZJfnqepjxD9MwPP8qR9wPKuTmLSYkTLONOr7OSseaOEDVKxxny8zITfWp_5_Vx8sDrzXheXRQFMGLdJdF-vAQlQCarHm_g7y8rBfPQPNubvoID9cMPsl-48rU/s1600/cookie+day+2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIGPxSBA-NLSP7uBxMCzZJfnqepjxD9MwPP8qR9wPKuTmLSYkTLONOr7OSseaOEDVKxxny8zITfWp_5_Vx8sDrzXheXRQFMGLdJdF-vAQlQCarHm_g7y8rBfPQPNubvoID9cMPsl-48rU/s320/cookie+day+2010.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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This picture is just a sliver of what we did on Saturday. Christmas cookies, christmas cookies, christmas cookies!<br />
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Here is what we made:<br />
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I made peanut butter-chocolate cookies, chocolate cherry cookies, and gingerbread.<br />
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Jandy, my mom, made sugar cookies, pecan tassies, m&m cookies, and orange flavored Mexican wedding cookies.<br />
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Marsha, my grandmother, made crackle crescents, cinnamon sledges, and one more (I will get you the title later).<br />
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Right now my house is in cookie overload! <br />
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The recipes you will be getting over the next few days: all of my recipes, orange flavored Mexican wedding cookies, crackle crescents and cinnamon sledges. If there are any recipes listed above that I don't post (like pecan tassies), leave me a comment below or send me an email <a href="mailto:ayearofbaking@gmail.com">here</a> and I'll let you know where the original recipe came from.Mrs. Undomestichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12209301755036096311noreply@blogger.com0