tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38037134380004001842011-12-28T21:19:05.480-06:00Ginanoreply@blogger.comBlogger361100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-23947579571936813432009-07-27T00:29:00.002-05:002009-07-27T00:34:38.768-05:00

The July Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.The challenge this month was to make one or both of the above listed cookies. Because of time constraints for the challenge deadline, I chose to do the Milan Cookies only but plan on doing the Chocolate-Covered

Ginanoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-79454680738456598412009-06-27T00:01:00.021-05:002009-06-27T00:01:05.082-05:00

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.  The recipe will be posted on the host blogs. In the recipe directions for the frangipane, it said:  "The batter may appear to

Ginanoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-5501813440347370792009-05-30T16:54:00.000-05:002009-05-30T16:54:29.116-05:00

The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers. Linda and Courtney will have the recipe posted - and you should know that with as much as my kids love apples and raisins, I followed the recipe

Ginanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-58102350430671547232009-05-18T15:11:00.000-05:002009-05-18T15:11:09.192-05:00

Some friends of ours at church had their first baby (a girl) last Monday so tonight Allison and I are providing dinner for them.  Allison is making barbeque (don't know what recipe she's using) and veggies.  I'm doing buns and dessert. For dessert I'm making Magnolia Bakery's Vanilla Cupcakes and topping with vanilla buttercream that I have left from decorating Nin's birthday cake. For the

Ginanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-65351491621400583342009-04-29T16:59:00.000-05:002009-04-29T16:59:51.787-05:00

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge. I would have a photo here - but once again, the Daring Bakers challenge went to Care Group and the camera didn't.  It was desimated by the time the night was over!  I chose to make a turtle cheesecake - actually, I did a turtle topping.   I made the cheesecake as Jenny gave

Ginanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-75813717656800130422009-03-19T13:43:00.000-05:002009-03-19T13:43:18.826-05:00

I had to make marshmallows for Heather's baby shower last Sunday.  I borrowed my Dad's Cuisinart stand mixer.  Oh. Man.  He and Mom managed to snag it for a great price when Linens 'n Things was going out of business.  Love this thing.  Love. It!   1000 watts of power.  Seven-quart bowl.  It's a monster!  Love the timer.  Just wish I had counter space for one.

Ginanoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-3868137890331767542009-03-01T03:05:00.000-06:002009-03-01T03:05:23.817-06:00

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.Due to my being a total moron and mother of four children (three of whom have been sick over the past 10 days), we have photos of the cake but not the

Ginanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-7968313735510735552009-02-16T23:38:00.000-06:002009-02-16T23:38:54.405-06:00

My youngest child - my first and only (and last, to quote my husband) son - turned one on Sunday.  We had his party on Saturday.  It was a hopping party - but that's because it was a frog-themed party more than anything else.  I had decided when he was just a wee one that we would do the frog theme.  I searched Wilton's website for frog ideas.  I elected to go with this cake - hoping I'd be able

Ginanoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-70023356601582518172009-01-27T20:35:00.080-06:002009-02-07T23:21:48.563-06:00

(photo © Amano Artisan Chocolate and used with their permission) The last of a bar of Amano Artisan Chocolate Jembrana chocolate has just melted on my tongue.  There's no heavy, thick coating of chocolate in my mouth; no feeling like I need a glass of water to rinse or wash it down (a red wine would be good - but that's just because...well...a red wine would be good!) I received this bar of

Ginanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-54295868660615442002009-01-16T23:48:00.000-06:002009-01-17T00:03:35.773-06:00

My girls love pancakes, especially for dinner.  On nights when Brad is gone, pancakes make for a quck, easy dinner that all five of us can eat.  And, if I make them look like Mickey - well, I'm just the coolest Mom ever. I got the recipe here.  The only modification I make is tossing in a little bit of flaxseed meal (I don't measure, I just sprinkle it on - maybe a teaspoon-and-a-half to a

Ginanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-15564991148007105572009-01-14T12:05:00.000-06:002009-01-14T12:25:32.328-06:00

Almost every Christmas since we've been married, my husband has made his mom's sugar cookies.  They are a big favorite - crisp, melt-in-your-mouth cookies.  They are my kids' favorite cookies. Harrison actually squeals when he sees them.  We took them to a Girl Scout meeting one night and sixty cookies were gone in no time.  Brad gets "requests" for three things:  his chicken fajitas, his salsa,

Ginanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-49112552259648971132009-01-04T22:56:00.000-06:002009-01-04T23:09:52.674-06:00

What in the world does birthday party themes have to do with food?  Well...it turns out that next year I will be hosting a "food themed" birthday party (yes, 'next year' as in 2010 - Elizabeth has already decided on a theme for her 7th birthday).  E has decided she wants a "sweets" themed party.  We're going to use the Nordic Ware ice cream cone pan (at left).  Everyone will decorate their own

Ginanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-18889052786573313192008-12-09T23:22:00.000-06:002008-12-09T23:29:56.788-06:00

When I was pregnant with my first child, my gallbladder went incredibly freaky on me.  I couldn't eat more than 3g fat at one sitting or else I would end up in excruciating pain.  Not fun to deal with when one is hugely pregnant.  Well, things didn't get any better after she was born (it actually got worse and I had surgery 8 weeks after she was born).  A friend of mine from church brought us a

Ginanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-77108654172863686422008-12-03T11:10:00.000-06:002008-12-03T11:38:28.363-06:00

Marye at Baking Delights is giving away a basket of chocolate from Hershey's and all you have to do to win is comment on her post here!  She gives several other ways that you can earn bonus entries as well - blogging about the contest is a way to earn another entry.  :)   

Ginanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-36867467009358434982008-11-29T00:00:00.004-06:002008-12-04T09:26:11.960-06:00

edited to add: Pilgrims and Indians were made by my oldest daughter and me a couple of years ago (when she was three). I got the idea out of Family Fun magazine (my favorite magazine on the planet, I think). You can find them here should you wish to recreate for your own table next year. :)Oh. My. I love the flavor of caramel and I like browned butter - combine the two - and well, as my 4-

Ginanoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-8932698934392646812008-11-11T23:25:00.000-06:002008-11-11T23:28:55.372-06:00

If you like Pace Salsa (I'm a little addicted to my husband's) you should visit Linette over at She Knows Parties.  She's having a give away of a very nice Pace Salsa Assortment.  And, ahem...check this out.  How cool is THAT?!  I squealed. Loudly.  And I'd had such a crappy day that I almost couldn't believe it!  That's also why I'm not entering the Pace Salsa giveaway.  :)  No need to snap up

Ginanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-61121029438817609132008-11-02T14:49:00.000-06:002008-11-02T14:59:45.041-06:00

Don't I wish I had a cool give away...but alas it isn't me.  It's over at She Knows Parties and she's giving away a NESCAFE Dolce Gusto.  It's a single cup brewer from Nescafe and Krups. It is nifty looking and would be a great addition to your kitchen.  All you have to do to enter is comment on Linette's post - here.  There are a couple of ways to earn additional entries if you're so inclined. 

Ginanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-44021367746827649162008-11-01T23:07:00.000-05:002008-11-01T23:33:40.751-05:00

I am such a bad girl!  This was supposed to have been posted on Wednesday and life caught up with me...eek! October's hostess was Rosa's Yummy Yums.  She was originally slated to hostess with a couple of other ladies - one of them was Sher, who sadly passed away in July from a massive MI.  As a tribute to Sher, Rosa elected to continue with the idea Sher had about the challenge for October. 

Ginanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-11277272688121043272008-10-19T17:37:00.000-05:002008-10-19T18:14:00.046-05:00

I love to bake, remember (see up there in the header in case you've forgotten - my favorite line from High School Musical).  So, one day while reading some of the blogs I stalk I found a link to Reynolds' Parchment Paper page and learned they were giving a $1.75 off coupon.  $1.75 off parchment paper?  That makes it just over a buck a roll at Wal-Mart.  I'll take it. So, if you're looking to

Ginanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-41637756447445208262008-10-13T19:52:00.001-05:002008-10-14T12:09:20.271-05:00

I read this on Slashfood and have to say, I'm not surprised in the least.  I mean, if Coke cleans your car battery terminals then this is not surprising...Diet Coke Prevents Pregnancy (by killing sperm on contact)

Ginanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-65802485101698443302008-10-10T13:46:00.000-05:002008-10-10T14:42:00.626-05:00

I'm planning on making Christmas gifts for friends this year.  Kathie, cover your eyes.   I was thinking about doing homemade s'mores - well, homemade marshmallows and graham crackers not homemade chocolate.  Then, while cruising Food Gawker I came across a blog that featured these cookie cutters...I think I've GOT to have them!  There are a couple of shops in my area that carry them, so I'll be

Ginanoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-81217229449318492008-10-07T23:34:00.000-05:002008-10-07T23:39:47.836-05:00

I am so excited!  I won a set of these trays (not sure if I won letters or numbers - won't know 'til I get them) from Blake Makes.  Once they come in, I'll play with them and talk about them here.  I'll definitely be using them for homeschool.  If I get the numbers, we'll be able to do some great subtraction work, don't you think?  ;)

Ginanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-30964637376178506752008-10-05T15:20:00.000-05:002008-10-05T21:28:12.768-05:00

Wednesdays are pretty much insane around here and since we have to be out the door by 5:45p.m. at the latest, I try to do simple and kid-friendly.  This past Wednesday I hit upon the idea of doing a homemade pizza.  I knew I could throw the ingredients for dough into the bread machine and then roll it out.  Don't hate me for using a bread machine, IMO it's not that different from throwing dough

Ginanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-77198985998926951642008-09-27T01:00:00.001-05:002008-09-27T09:26:34.585-05:00

I've been wanting to try my hand at crackers for a while now. And along came another Daring Bakers challenge to make me do just that!Natalie from Gluten A Go Go, and co-host Shel, of Musings From the Fishbowl chose Lavash Crackers from Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice. The Challenge: You can make the Lavash Crackers either with all purpose wheat flour or you can try making them

Ginanoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-79219099637443467102008-09-06T11:05:00.000-05:002008-09-06T13:38:31.501-05:00

So, Amazon is having a grocery clearance sale - up to 55% off selected items.  I was checking it out - if you need three pounds of decorating/sprinkling/sanding sugar, non-pareils or candied rose petals, check out the sale stuff from India Tree.  I'm thinking I'd dig one of those *jars* and I really like that spring green sugar...but not enough to spend my entire $30 Amazon gift certificate on it

Ginanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-43513229775177586622008-08-31T06:00:00.001-05:002008-08-31T06:00:00.675-05:00

Our wonderful hosts for the Daring Bakers challenge this month were Tony Tahhan and MeetaK. You can find the recipes we used for this challenge on Tony's and Meeta's blogs. Their challenge for us was the Chocolate Éclairs by Pierre Hermé with the following specifications: The dough used for the eclairs must be a pâte à choux from Pierre Hermé Keep one chocolate element in the challenge. Choose

Ginanoreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-40270407112451205682008-08-30T22:24:00.003-05:002008-10-05T21:28:06.338-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I decided I'd get Brad's bread machine (collective gasp goes up around the baking world - how dare she?!) out of the garage. Hey, this is helping me work my way out of my fear of yeast breads, okay? Please don't beat me.When we got the machine out, Elizabeth and I stirred up a sourdough starter and we've used it several times to make dough (which then got shaped and baked

Ginanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-65542905407952713212008-08-18T23:32:00.000-05:002008-08-19T00:14:25.232-05:00

One of my favorite episodes of Good Eats is the one where Alton makes three different types of chocolate chip cookies for his "sister."  I love the science he covers in this particular show - the choice of "fat" for the cookie (butter, melted butter, or butter flavor shortening), the choice of flour (bread or AP), and the ratio of brown to white sugar all affect the outcome.  And no where does he

Ginanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-80014288267926453032008-07-30T15:54:00.000-05:002008-07-30T15:55:31.593-05:00

This weekend my girls and I are going to be baking cookies and then on Monday - on my way to the office - I'll be dropping off a package at the post office -- those cookies are going to Iraq as part of Operation Baking GALS (Give a Little Support....Bake!)  You can read more about it and sign-up to participate here.

Ginanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-59669111550930168642008-07-23T00:24:00.000-05:002008-07-24T16:07:49.506-05:00

Over the past week I've made homemade strawberry ice cream and coffee granita - both of which I meant to blog about but the busy-ness of life as the mother of four children, a wife, a full-time employee, a friend and a freelance mommy blogger caught up with me and the food blogging never happened. However, the buttermilk cookies I made tonight are wonderful and must be blogged!  Here I sit at

Ginanoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-60112519741550990022008-07-14T09:39:00.000-05:002008-07-14T12:34:53.489-05:00

One of my girls' favorite snacks is marshmallows. They love those things. Well, the ones from the store are practically nothing but chemicals! I've seen homemade marshmallows several times in Martha Stewart Living and I've always thought, "someday I'd like to try doing that."Well...someday finally arrived...Saturday night after dinner, we made marshmallows. I say "we" because the entire

Ginanoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-58972853533408974452008-07-09T16:34:00.000-05:002008-07-09T21:10:59.551-05:00

About a month ago, Steph at Cupcake Project posted an interview with Vere Chocolate's owner, Kathy Moskal. She broke it up throughout the week and each day a lucky commenter won one of these...Yes, that's a bag of Vere Chocolate Bars. My initial shipment got lost in the mail and I didn't want Stef to think I was a slacker since, as a winner, I had promised to blog about what I thought of the

Ginanoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-53854154969959247642008-07-06T21:51:00.001-05:002008-07-07T01:13:29.744-05:00

I've been following many of the Tuesdays with Dorie bloggers and have been mesmerized by many of the goodies they've made. I decided to request the book they're using (Baking: From My Home to Yours) from my local library to see if it was something I wanted needed to add to my cookbook collection. Based on the Post-It(tm) tabs I have throughout the book, I'm thinking the answer is a resounding

Ginanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-36890180607329207682008-07-05T01:05:00.000-05:002008-07-06T19:34:49.985-05:00

I know that we're all looking for ways to decrease our food budget - but do you think buying food at the "dollar store" is the way to go? You know, the stores like Dollar Tree, Dollar General, Everything's a Buck, etc (whatever the ones in your area are called).Our local paper did a story about a month ago about buying food stuffs at the dollar store - and the reporter seems to have done a lot

Ginanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-63030836467066162732008-06-20T13:52:00.001-05:002010-07-23T10:16:45.280-05:00

These are Housepoet's Famous Oatmeal, Chocolate-Chip & Flaxseed Meal Lactation Boosting Cookies. The original was apparently posted on LiveJournal and housepoet is not a member there anymore from what I can tell. The recipe was posted on an online playgroup I visit and is legendary amongst breastfeeding moms - just google "lactation cookies" and see what I mean. The cookies are basically a

Ginanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3803713438000400184.post-54558671580855867232008-06-20T13:05:00.000-05:002008-06-20T13:07:40.991-05:00

I've decided I'm going to join the foodie blogosphere. Of course, "home" will always be My Egg-citing Life, but I'm going to use this blog for my baking and other cooking endeavors.

Ginanoreply@blogger.com0