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Oh, how times have changed! Remember when…gas was $1.00/gallon, burgers were $0.25 and two could see a movie with popcorn and a drink for less than $5.00? To some of us those days are not too far in the distant past, yet sadly they are long gone! If you’ve been to the grocery store lately I’m sure you were in “sticker shock” as you perused the aisles! It seems the price of everything has gone up: tomatoes rose 18 %, eggs 40 %, pasta rose 30% and don’t even get me started on fuel! I often find myself looking in my cart ($250 worth) wondering “Where’s the Beef?” (as the old Wendy’s commercial used to say). With the rising cost of virtually everything in the grocery store I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands… enter my own garden! While I am by no means a gardening connoisseur, I decided to give it a try.

With little ambition to design an actual garden I opted for container gardening (if Disney can do it, why can’t I?). This method would benefit me two fold: I would reap delicious, homegrown vegetables without the tedious task of weeding while beautifying my deck all summer long; an excellent compromise. For less than $300 I was able to purchase enough 15 gallon containers, potting soil, window boxes and vegetables to maintain my vegetable cravings throughout the summer. However, as I was checking out with my “treasures” I again found myself in “sticker shock” but reconciled my decision to the fact that after my initial investment my family & I would enjoy fresh, organic veggies summer after summer with only the start up cost of veggies each year! Read more…

Yippee! My friend and I are “Tuesdays with Dorie” bakers! We really enjoyed this challenge. For our first challenge, Peanut Butter Torte, it wasn’t overwhelming. Yummy! I was worried that it was going to be too salty but my friend (who is so much more experienced baker then I am) assured me it wouldn’t be! How did I find TWD? I noticed other blogs where people are baking a recipe,posting it every Tuesday then chatting about the book Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. I thought that it was a fantastic book so I bought it a month ago. I was really getting into it and decided to join TWD to bake with others! So I asked my baking buddy if she would help. We picked May 6 as a start date. Let me tell you, I think I would be lost without her! She is one of the most creative people that I have ever met. When it comes to baking, she can tell you exactly what to do, what to substitute or how to improve it! I know I wouldn’t be as far along with my baking without her. We make an excellent team!

The requirements for TWD are having a blog and owning the book Baking From my home to yours by Dorie Greenspan. Each week someone picks a recipe that gets posted on Tuesdays. This week Elizabeth of Ugg Smell Food has chosen Peanut Butter Torte. If you haven’t picked up Dorie Greenspan’s book I highly recommend that you do! All baking bases are covered in this book. From muffins to cobblers, she’s got it covered. Dorie Greenspan’s instructions are concise, and she uses everyday ingredients that are readily available to the home chef! Be sure to stop by TWD to see what everyone else has done!

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When the moon hits your eye
Like a big-a cupcake
That’s amore
When the world seems to shine
Like you’ve had too much wine
That’s amore

Dean Martin - That’s amore

Moon Walker cupcakes for 16 Pre-K kids? What was I thinking?? I must be insane. Why do I keep volunteering to do things for the class? It’s because I’m so in love with my 4 year old daughter!! I want her to have fond memories of mom doing things with her. Things like dance, swim, soccer practice and games. School parties with home-baked goodies will be remembered. I know when she’s a teenager (if not sooner) she won’t want to be seen with me. She will hate the music I like and will not want me walking with her in the mall. Forget about trying to pick clothes for her! Sounds like all the things I did to my mom, so I guess I’m trying to create a ton of fond memories (more for me than her).

Once again I am Crazy about Cupcakes! I am enjoying this book written by Krystina Castella showcasing over 300 recipes. This book is perfect for a beginner-novice baker. Featuring “themes” to be an inspiration to your imagination this book is definitely the key to unlocking creativity. Also included in this book is a “Kids’ Cupcake” chapter. Aimed specifically at teaching children simple ways to bake and decorate, it’s also perfect for any adult who has the inner child!

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I’ve recently joined the Daring Bakers Challenge and this month is my first challenge! I was so excited when I found out that the challenge was Cheesecake Pops! I joined the Daring Bakers to (hopefully) take my baking skills to the next level! I do admit I was a nervous wreck. I have seen a lot of the previous challenges and was worried I wouldn’t be good enough! Well, I stepped up to the challenge and did a great job. The cheesecake batter came out dense, rich and delicious! We placed it in the refrigerator for approximately 8 hours and then my friend got all the pops ready. We froze the pops for 12 hours, melted the chocolate and dipped away! The only problem that we encountered was that it was a very warm day. We decided to decorate the lollipop sticks at the last minute and the cheesecake pops started to soften pretty quickly. So we had to pop them back into the freezer to harden and then curl the ribbon. My only problem with joining the Daring Bakers is staying on my diet! I can’t resist trying these!

These cheesecake pops are sure to be a crowd pleaser. Between oo’s and ah’s everyone will remark about the fun decorations. The cheesecake recipe is New York style, and can be jazzed up in a variety ways. If you’re having a party, place the cheesecake pops on a table with an assortment of melted chocolates and sprinkles, nuts, crushed oreos, etc and let your guests decorate them! Read more…

Anywhere and anytime; that’s where and when to enjoy a smoothie. The 50 recipes in The Smoothies Deck will show you how to blend your own healthful and delightful refreshments in minutes. This fun and easy-to-use and guide is full of creativity for adventurous mixtures of fruits, yogurts, ice cream, and sorbet. Some with a splash of champagne! The Smoothies Deck is the perfect book for deliciously healthful indulgences.

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I wanted to make S’mores the same way you would at a campfire. That delicious union of graham cracker, chocolate and marshmallow was calling to me. Who doesn’t enjoy gooey marshmallow squashed between two graham crackers with chocolate oozing out from under the melted marshmallow? I went in search of a very special S’mores cupcake recipe. One that would bring me back to my childhood which was filled with nostalga. One that would be oozy and gooey and chocolatey! One that would be messy as heck, yet no one can resist! The cupcake batter would be chocolate -silky and airy. The marshmallow placed in the cupcake batter would turn brown, just like toasting marshmallows at a firepit. Topped off with graham cracker, fudge and marshmallow-Bam!- instant hit. Read more…

Laundry….for me it’s like a term paper not started that’s due the next day. I spend all day laboring to get it done. I don’t have a problem sticking it in the washer then moving it to the dryer. I seem to get stuck at taking it out of the dryer and putting it away. I hate laundry. Are you imagining mounds of dirty clothes? Just like a term paper, I wait until the absolute last minute then spend the entire day trying to knock it out. All so I can be in the same situation, same time next week! My husband tells me “just do small loads everyday.” Read more…

Once again I was “Stumbling” and found this recipe at eatmedelicious.com. The muffins looked delicious and I’m trying to implement more fiber into my diet. They were amazing! Anything with pumpkin, pecans or raisins is a huge hit in my house. I figured I’d give it a try but wanted to add a little extra hit of nutrition. So, I added wheat germ to the recipe! I’m also trying really hard to eat healthfully. I think the next time I bake this recipe I’ll use Splenda in place of sugar.

These muffins received rave reviews from my family. Comments of “moist” and “fantastic” were stated! Definitely a winner!

I attempted to make these muffins putting the ingredients in a blender. Unfortunately, it didn’t work well. So I ended up using a bowl and mixing everything together. With the extra pumpkin I made a delicious Pumpkin Cream Cheese using an immersion blender. You can also use a mixer or a food processor.

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I was “Stumbling” the other day and came upon this site that featured Roasted Potato Leek Soup. I read it and moved on. Then I started obsessing about it. All I could think about was the last picture of the empty bowl. It was completely scraped of all soup, with only a few minor traces left. I thought YUM! I’ve simply got to have some of that soup. I didn’t care that Spring had started or that the weather was getting warmer. Easter had passed and there were days that I could open the house windows. My daughter was playing outside all the time! It didn’t matter. I HAD TO HAVE THIS SOUP! Not feeling real well with a bad cold coming on and allergies kicking in, all I wanted to eat was soup. When I woke up Monday the weather was back to being cold, rainy and dreary. My opportunity had arrived! Off to the store I went to purchase the needed ingredients. Roasting the potatoes truly transformed an average recipe into a delicious comfort food!

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