Ok, 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.
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, Mrs. Undomestic. 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.
Sorry folks, but we're shutting our doors. Head over to Mrs. Undomestic instead and see recipes and more!
Showing posts with label no recipe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label no recipe. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Thursday's Tips and Tricks-Honey
Another new addition, we'll cover some awesome kitchen tips and tricks on Thursday, that can make your life slightly less stressful.
Today's tip actually comes from a recipe I made earlier in the week, Granola Bars.
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.
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.
Additional Tip/Trick: Spraying the measuring cup/spoon also helps remove shortening and peanut butter quickly and easily.
Today's tip actually comes from a recipe I made earlier in the week, Granola Bars.
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.
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.
Additional Tip/Trick: Spraying the measuring cup/spoon also helps remove shortening and peanut butter quickly and easily.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Wednesday's Wacky Grocery Lists
After 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.
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).
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.
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 RED, so watch for them!
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:
13 Stater Bros yogurts (PRICE: FREE! There is a coupon for $0.55 off any Real California Dairy Product 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!)
15 Jose Ole Chimichangas/Burritos
2 boxes of Cheez-It White Cheddar Crackers
1 jar Skippy Peanut Butter (no coupon)
5 Stater Bros flavored waters (no coupon)
1 small can Stater Bros mushrooms (no coupon)
1 small jar Stater Bros relish (no coupon)
1 small can Stater Bros olives (no coupon)
1 42 oz bottle Stater Bros Ketchup (no coupon)
1 Twix Peanut Butter (no coupon)
1 box Slim Fast mint-chocolate bars (no coupon)
1 Haas Avocado
Tomorrow, I plan to hit up the following stores:
Ralph's
2 California Pizza Kitchen pizzas
6 Fuji Apples (approx. 3-4 lbs) (no coupon)
2 Haas Avocados (no coupon)
3 Roma Tomatoes (no coupon)
3 Dole Salad mixes (no coupon)
2 lbs Baby Carrots (no coupon)
2 lbs Brown Onions (no coupon)
1 2-liter Diet Coke
1 2-liter Sprite
3 10 count Mission Flour Tortillas (no coupon)
3 cans Rosarita Refried Beans (no coupon)
Vons:
3 lbs Navel Oranges (no coupon)
3 6-oz containers of Blueberries (no coupon)
5 lbs ground beef (no coupon)
2 64-oz Minute Maid Orange Juice
1 Zone Bar
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 here. 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.)
So what are we eating this week?
Thursday: Fried Diablo (from the stockpile, except the mushrooms and olives. Sorry, no sharing the recipe, from a friend and I promised)
Friday: Mac & Cheese (except the macaroni noodles, from the stockpile)
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!)
Sunday: No cooking day (we usually eat out)
Monday: Salsa Chicken (From the stockpile, except for the tortillas)
Tuesday: Pizza
Wednesday: Burgers (except the fresh toppings like tomatoes, from the stockpile)
Not much in the way of baking stuff up there. Means I'll have to get creative with what I have!
What's on the menu at your house this week?
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).
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.
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 RED, so watch for them!
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:
13 Stater Bros yogurts (PRICE: FREE! There is a coupon for $0.55 off any Real California Dairy Product 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!)
15 Jose Ole Chimichangas/Burritos
2 boxes of Cheez-It White Cheddar Crackers
1 jar Skippy Peanut Butter (no coupon)
5 Stater Bros flavored waters (no coupon)
1 small can Stater Bros mushrooms (no coupon)
1 small jar Stater Bros relish (no coupon)
1 small can Stater Bros olives (no coupon)
1 42 oz bottle Stater Bros Ketchup (no coupon)
1 Twix Peanut Butter (no coupon)
1 box Slim Fast mint-chocolate bars (no coupon)
1 Haas Avocado
Tomorrow, I plan to hit up the following stores:
Ralph's
2 California Pizza Kitchen pizzas
6 Fuji Apples (approx. 3-4 lbs) (no coupon)
2 Haas Avocados (no coupon)
3 Roma Tomatoes (no coupon)
3 Dole Salad mixes (no coupon)
2 lbs Baby Carrots (no coupon)
2 lbs Brown Onions (no coupon)
1 2-liter Diet Coke
1 2-liter Sprite
3 10 count Mission Flour Tortillas (no coupon)
3 cans Rosarita Refried Beans (no coupon)
Vons:
3 lbs Navel Oranges (no coupon)
3 6-oz containers of Blueberries (no coupon)
5 lbs ground beef (no coupon)
2 64-oz Minute Maid Orange Juice
1 Zone Bar
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 here. 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.)
So what are we eating this week?
Thursday: Fried Diablo (from the stockpile, except the mushrooms and olives. Sorry, no sharing the recipe, from a friend and I promised)
Friday: Mac & Cheese (except the macaroni noodles, from the stockpile)
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!)
Sunday: No cooking day (we usually eat out)
Monday: Salsa Chicken (From the stockpile, except for the tortillas)
Tuesday: Pizza
Wednesday: Burgers (except the fresh toppings like tomatoes, from the stockpile)
Not much in the way of baking stuff up there. Means I'll have to get creative with what I have!
What's on the menu at your house this week?
Saturday, January 8, 2011
No Baking
Yeah, no baking, at least not today. I baked Macaroni and Cheese 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 Mrs. Undomestic.
Hopefully I'll have a new recipe for you tomorrow!
Hopefully I'll have a new recipe for you tomorrow!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Whoops...
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.
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.
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.
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:
Ready- This is provided by the US Government shows you exactly what you should have in an emergency preparation kit
CDC Emergency Preparation and Planning- This covers both natural disaster prep and prep from major medical problems like anthrax or massive injuries.
FEMA- 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.
So, get your stuff together and I'll get mine. Plus I'll go grocery shopping soon so I can bake!
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.
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.
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:
Ready- This is provided by the US Government shows you exactly what you should have in an emergency preparation kit
CDC Emergency Preparation and Planning- This covers both natural disaster prep and prep from major medical problems like anthrax or massive injuries.
FEMA- 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.
So, get your stuff together and I'll get mine. Plus I'll go grocery shopping soon so I can bake!
Friday, December 31, 2010
And Now a Word from Our Sponsor
...AKA ME!
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 Mrs. Undomestic. Please come check it out!
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 Mrs. Undomestic. Please come check it out!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
A Few of My Favorite Things
First 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!
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!
I still have a lot of what's in this haul (see the original post about it here). 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!
and
and
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!
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.
The last picture is only sort-of baking related, but mostly cooking related.
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!
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.
So those are my favorite things. What are your favorite things?
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!
I still have a lot of what's in this haul (see the original post about it here). 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!
and
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!
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.
The last picture is only sort-of baking related, but mostly cooking related.
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!
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.
So those are my favorite things. What are your favorite things?
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
All Sorts of Additions
Over the last few days I've been doing some blog pimping. This includes adding some new features and promoting the blog.
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 subscribe by email or RSS or if you prefer, you can follow via Google Friend Connect, which will include updated blog posts.
For those both new and old, we've added some new features to check out. A Year of Baking has joined Facebook and Twitter! 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.
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 emailing me.
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 subscribe by email or RSS or if you prefer, you can follow via Google Friend Connect, which will include updated blog posts.
For those both new and old, we've added some new features to check out. A Year of Baking has joined Facebook and Twitter! 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.
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 emailing me.
Monday, December 27, 2010
A Very Baking Christmas
So 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.
Of course, the very first thing I got were the mixing bowls. Check out the blog post I already made.
Next, I have 2 things I was given that are cooking related instead of baking related.
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!
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?
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.
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.
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!
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:
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.
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?
Of course, the very first thing I got were the mixing bowls. Check out the blog post I already made.
Next, I have 2 things I was given that are cooking related instead of baking related.
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!
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?
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.
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.
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!
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:
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.
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?
Monday, December 20, 2010
Mixing Bowls
I'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:
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!
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!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Blog Hop and Printing
First, 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.
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!
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!
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!
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!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving
Today is the day we all look back and are thankful for all the things we have. I know I'm thankful for the life I have, the family I've been blessed with and a blog that people read!
If you haven't met my family (there may be a few of you!) There are 4 of us in our immediate family and a much larger extended family. We spent this past Saturday with a small portion of my family (the group living close to me) and today with most of Dave's family. I baked for both and I tried really hard to convince my mother in law to let me bake at her house (it didn't work, I'm sorry to say, but she promised to let me bake next time I come over.)
We had a great time for both holidays, although both were very different. My family was very loud and a bit everywhere. The only kids there were my girls. At my in-laws, the loudest thing was probably the TV we all were watching, except all 4 kids (my girls and my sister in-law's kids, who are close in age to my girls) who were outside running around. It was incredibly cold for Southern California, so we all spent the day in long shirts, pants and jackets. It was weird, but the kids had a great time.
In case you were wondering, I made pumpkin pie. But I don't have a recipe for you. The reason is because I used a pre-made pie crust and used the recipe on the back of the can (I won't say the brand name, but most people use this pumpkin puree and it comes in an orange can. The name rhymes with Gibby)
If you haven't met my family (there may be a few of you!) There are 4 of us in our immediate family and a much larger extended family. We spent this past Saturday with a small portion of my family (the group living close to me) and today with most of Dave's family. I baked for both and I tried really hard to convince my mother in law to let me bake at her house (it didn't work, I'm sorry to say, but she promised to let me bake next time I come over.)
We had a great time for both holidays, although both were very different. My family was very loud and a bit everywhere. The only kids there were my girls. At my in-laws, the loudest thing was probably the TV we all were watching, except all 4 kids (my girls and my sister in-law's kids, who are close in age to my girls) who were outside running around. It was incredibly cold for Southern California, so we all spent the day in long shirts, pants and jackets. It was weird, but the kids had a great time.
In case you were wondering, I made pumpkin pie. But I don't have a recipe for you. The reason is because I used a pre-made pie crust and used the recipe on the back of the can (I won't say the brand name, but most people use this pumpkin puree and it comes in an orange can. The name rhymes with Gibby)
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