Ok crafters, fellow bakers, and hobbyist alike. It's February which for most people means it's Valentine's day but for me it's all about my birthday. I recently got back from an awesome international vacation so this month (although short) has been very busy. Before jumpin' on a jet plane (maybe it wasn't technically a jet?) I did do a little baking to share the love . Specifically I sent my youngest niece and nephews a first class package of love. And no it's wasn't a dick in a box (SNL references rock!). What else says your tia loves you than the fact that she spent the night before her birthday trip baking and packaging your valentine gift? NOTHING!!!!

In my mind a wee box calls for wee treats so I decided to use my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe but make it miniature by baking the cookies in my mini-muffin tins. Also FYI you can also use your waffle to make quick cookies if you have some frozen cookie dough left over once you get back from your international vacation. Not that I did that... not at all.

So this is just a quick post b/c I'm recovering from my trip and trying to get back into the swing of my normal life. I'm going to try to post about something savory next week... I made some lentil soup and some chili a while back but didn't think about getting out my camera during the process. Mostly I was thinking about finishing so the food could get in my belly.

Happy crafting/baking/art making.

Hey yo! So, in an effort to cook more savory things and to expand the diversity of my diet I joined a little food sharing cooperative. My friend Devin, who also likes to cook and has an interest in bid'niss, started a google group which has grown into something more. It's called Real Good Food and basically it helps connect local cooks. If you make a lot of soup, tamales, or curry you can write up a post and swap it with another member's samosas, stew, or pot roast. You can agree to an immediate sway or to something in the future. It's a great way for a single gal like me to NOT have to eat enchiladas all week just because they can only be made by the pan full. Since most of members' interaction is virtual Devin organized a meet and greet so people could chat and talk about the future of the group. In order to have some nosh Devin asked if I would help him make cupcakes.... a favorite past time of mine and who doesn't like sweets?! Ornery people that's who! So this past Saturday Devin and I got together and made some magic in the kitchen. As you all know, I loves the chocolate. Devin had been wanting to use some AWESOME sweet chili powder he picked up on a trip to Mexico this past summer. We put the two together for some sweet heat cupcakes.

Now, let's see if Devin actually reads this and then petitions to have that last picture of him removed!

P.S. If you want to know more about Real Good Food check out the website.

Whew! It's been a while. Life gets busy sometimes you know? I hope everyone had an awesome holiday season... I'm trying to be inclusive here peoples. I have been baking on a regular basis since my last post FYI. I just failed to document a lot of the action in my kitchen. My wallet and I were dreaming of a DIY only gift giving season. I made some lovely token of friendship holiday baskets for some local friends... The theme? Chocolate. Here's a quick list of what was in the baskets:

• chocolate shortbread
• chocolate balsamic vinegar
• malted hot cocoa mix (I swapped the powdered milk for malted milk powder)
  

I got positive responses on all three items so I trust they were enjoyed by all. I realized at the end of my academic term how long it had been since my last post and was determined to write one more before the new year. Obviously that did NOT happen. But I did do some cooking with the family. We hosted a Sweets, Treats, and Apps part-hey! at my grandpa's condo. I got a lot of help from my older sister, my niece, and my brother in-law. We made lots of things to nosh on including:

• triple pepper cookies
• spinach and artichoke dip
• sweet potato rounds
• latkes
• Mexican chocolate cake
• bittersweet chocolate cake w/ cherries
• pecan treat
• holiday marshmallow wreaths
• curried deviled eggs
• basil deviled eggs
• chilled ginger cinnamon tea
• yellow jacket punch

I tried so hard to be organized-REALLY. I had a list of all the different foods. I made a grocery list that organized all ingredients according to where they're found in the store (no running back and forth to produce!). Broke down the to-do list into a 2 day schedule. Bought stuff to label everything. I thought I'd thought of everything... but alas I hadn't. I forgot to charge my camera. So there is no evidence besides the links that I included and memories of those there. Trust me though... t'was delicious.

Thankfully, I do have foto evidence of my latest kitchen adventures. I made quick truffles using Alton Brown's recipe because he's a food scientist genius!






But wait! There's more! I also made a curry spiced popcorn for an Indian food dinner party a friend had.






So that's what I did this weekend. What did you get up to?

I do! It's me! So I'd been thinking about making muffins- mostly because I love baked goods for breakfast. And as everyone knows muffins is the legit way to eat cake for breakfast! I also originally wanted to make up my own recipe. I've heard tale of a basic "creaming method" that allows for a standard fats to flour ratio then add in the additional flavors and textures you want. I know Alton Brown talks about this in his 2nd cookbook "I'm Just Here For More Food," but I don't own that one. I was on my way to the library to check it out when I stopped in to TJMaxx and found a small cookbook ALL about muffins. It uses a basic recipe and then tweaks it for a variety of recipes. Of course I bought it:


The recipe I chose was for Coffee Hazelnut muffins. Sounds good right? Let's find out what's in them:


That's right... good ol' instant coffee and the tangy goodness of buttermilk mixed with brown sugar and safflower oil. Also the usual suspects of flour, salt, and baking powder to "activate" the buttermilk. Now for the obligatory shot of baking in progress:


Here's what they looked like before I enjoyed them throughout the week as part of my AM routine:

...and I made a lemon cake! For my grandpa's (PaPa's) birthday. As you probably know by now I loves my family...and we bond a lot through food. So to celebrate my PaPa's 87th birthday he hung out, had some fancy aged cheddar cheese (not Kraft brand=fancy) and cake. Previously my PaPa had expressed some interest in a lemon cake recipe I had in a magazine. He doesn't own a zester so he wasn't about to buy one. I thought... I own a zester and I can't imagine what I'd be able to afford to buy him so I'll make that cake. At least that way I know he'd get some use out of my gift. It's at times like this (when I need to buy a gift for my PaPa) that I think back to that Cosby show episode where Cliff wants better Fathers' Day Gifts... And I feel bad for all the tie/cufflink combos I've bought my loving gramps. So without further mumbo jumbo here's the video:



I got a bit ahead of myself once I started the crumb coat. In an attempt to make the best use of dwindling time I took a break to the store to buy other appetizer stuff while the crumb coat set. Then I forgot to take a process pick of the just crumb coated cake. So there's only the final view for you all. If nothing else this picture tells me I need to take one of those Wilton frosting 101 courses... I even bought myself a new off-set/angles spatula. Making those nice even lines when frosting a cake is hard!

Hahahaha! I crack myself up with my third grade humor. And now for an awesome transition....

Speaking of making the grade (badda bing!) my eldest sister's wee ones recently started school. Okay, technically it was like 3 weeks ago which is when I actually made these whoopie pies. I wanted to help my niece and nephew celebrate their return to school with a big whoopie... or hurray but that wouldn't have been such an awesome pun. Also I know for a while whoopie pies were supposed to be the new cupcakes. But I don't think that ever panned out. Actually, I think donuts may be the new cupcake now. I guess someone should tell those TV executives (zing!). In case you didn't get that food media joke let me hip you to it... As of late (a little too late) there's been an influx of cupcake themed tv shows. However cupcakes are at the end of their fadome according to some (moi). I still loves them though! So maybe my next blog post will be about putting some new cupcake wrappers to use. For now, here's me making whoopie (pies). It's not a sex tape folks!




As I've mentioned before I usually freeze all baked goods prior to shipping them. These whoopie pies were a bit trickier though due to the cream filling... So I bought a box with a bit of extra room, one of those chilly bags from the dollar store, and an ice pack. I pulled the whoopie pies out of the freezer post prepping the box, wrapped it up in the chilly bag, threw in the ice pack and shipped it all off priority mail. My sister reported they arrived in tact, fresh, and tasty! Here's a picture of the results... I had a couple extra that I shared with some more local friends.

So in my summer quest to keep busy baking... and not eating it all I sent some new cookies in the mail. A dear friend of mine took the bar exam this summer. Thus, the beginning of her "vacation" was filled with 10hr study days. I decided to send her some sweet 'n' salty cookies to celebrate the beginning of the end of her training as a lawyer and the beginning of the beginning of her chosen profession (lawyering).

I have always been a fan of the sweet and salty combo which usually ends up being chocolate and peanut butter in my book. However, I wanted to try something new. And since the bacon craze has died down a bit I felt it was okay for me to jump on that bandwagon without being accused of trying to be too trendy. I looked through my bookmarked food pages and came across an awesome recipe for peanut butter and bacon cookies at Joy the Baker.

What makes this recipe so awesome? It has no flour! How amazing is that?! As a result, the cookies were super easy and baked super quick. Which on a hot summer day makes for a GREAT time in the kitchen because I don't end up shvitzing into the batter.... Which I never do anyways (ever) b/c that'd be gross. That's what headbands are for people! Now without further ado....

A last note on the final pick... the cookies look foggy because my rule for sending baked goods in the mail without paying $30 to overnight them is to freeze them first. Then I send them priority mail for a lot less. This hopefully explains the wee bit of condensation on the bag/ The days following my friend's bar exam were kind of wild and crazy. I do know she got the cookies...and I think she enjoyed them. I had fun making them!