baking

Halloween Is Around The Corner

~ Laura ~ Leave a comment
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Strawberry Shortcake

It is October and for our family that means several birthdays and Halloween. My girls love to dress up and role play. They play house, school, weddings – you name it they create it. I adore this about my girls. I am thrilled that my almost 12 year old plays young for her age. This is partially due to the fact that we sensor / shelter her from a lot of today’s media and partially due to being a big sister and best friend to her almost 8-year-old sister. Some days I am torn over this … am I sheltering her too much? These lingering questions all fade away when I see how advertising in today’s society is focusing on over-sexualizing EVERYTHING!

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Snow White and Cinderella

I am not a perfect parent, nor do I pretend to be. I do however pride myself in letting my girls be little kids. I am perfectly fine that they still think Miley Cyrus is in her “Hannah Montana” phase, that they play dolls and enjoy mothering them, and they enjoy a good princess and/or fairy movie.

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Tinker Bell and the White Witch of Narnia

Halloween has recently become a hard holiday for my oldest. She is in that in between stage with her body … not quite a child, but definitely not a teenager. She has never intentionally wanted to be anything at Halloween that is sexual, but as anyone who has ever “Googled” a Halloween costume can tell you – there is a sexy version of almost everything. Case in point – the Sexy Pizza Rat costume. Seriously! It exists. Now that she no longer fits in child size Halloween costumes, one would think that the teen costumes wouldn’t be risque, but that unfortunately isn’t the case. Most everything is low cut or too short. So we end up improvising.

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Cowgirl and Indian Princess

I love Halloween because it keeps my creativity flowing. I love creating either the costume itself or items to go with it. My oldest has really raised the bar at times with what she wants to be and if she wants me to make it. When she was too young to trick-or-treat I would do co-ordinating costumes for us and then go to my moms house and her other grandmothers house for photos. We have gone as Strawberry Shortcake and Blueberry Muffin and Alice in Wonderland and the Queen of Hearts. As she got old enough to go trick-or-treating she has been going with her best friend. We get together as families and walk around the same neighborhood each year. We have a blast! Kailee has been princesses and animals, witches and more. My favorite one that I made was the White Witch of Narnia.

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Young Maleficent

So, as each Halloween rolls around, I hope that my kids still want to be kids and dress their age (and not just for Halloween). This year she is debating on being a peacock or Queen Susan from Narnia.

12065782_414331258773908_4098726853279398467_nEasy Monkey Bread
2 cans Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls
1 bag chopped pecans (optional)
10 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 c. light brown sugar
2/3 c. white sugar
1 tbsp. cinnamon

12079125_414344275439273_7941216974119773686_nPreheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bunt pan or 2 loaf pans. Sprinkle pan with a handful of nuts if using. Put brown sugar and butter into a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir to combined as butter melts. Once the butter starts to melt turn heat to low to keep the sugar from burning. Once the mixture is completely combined pour a few spoonfuls over the nuts. Set remaining sauce to the side. Unwrap cinnamon rolls (you won’t need the icing for this recipe). Cut each roll into four  pieces and set aside. Pour white sugar and cinnamon into a large Ziploc bag and shake to mix. Roll gently each piece of cinnamon roll and put into bag. Gently shake pieces to coat in C&S mixture. Place piece in pan to coat the bottom. Once you have a layer, add another layer of nuts and gently pour remaining C&S mixture over the pieces. Now mix your brown sugar and butter mixture and gently pour over the entire dish. Be careful as you need to give it time to drip into the empty spaces. Place dish on top of a foil lined baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes. The dough will expand while baking so some pieces may jump ship from your dish if you are using loaf pans. The sugar will be extremely hot so make sure you wait a little before turning the dish out onto a serving plate or dish. 12096071_414344328772601_5296295506606273997_n

It’s that time of year … birthday’s galore!

~ Laura ~ Leave a comment

1264684_10101235834868869_552775041_oWe have a lot of family birthdays from September to February. My little family has birthdays in September, October, December and February. The girls always like to pick out what they want for a cake … do you blame them?? That’s half of the birthday FUN! Their dad doesn’t care what he gets, as long as it contains SUGAR. The girls love coming up for ideas when it comes to his cake. If it’s homemade then they usually get their hands dirty making and or decorating it.

The girls always challenge me with their fun and creative ideas for their birthday cakes. One year Kailee wanted strawberry shortcake (such a good idea!) and everyone loved it! Paula Deen has an excellent shortcake recipe.

225882_889340826749_315394_nKeianna wanted a chocolate and pickle cake – yes pickle! I thought outside of the box and made candy melt “pickle” chips … no pickles were hurt in the making of her cake. Although I did find a yodeling pick at Bullmoose Music to place on top.

1504540_10102077259122919_4348964921899950437_nThen one year Kailee wanted to get an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen, but she wanted it to be an ice skating rink – like the one under Grama’s Christmas tree each year. So I found ice skating penguins and some neat clear illuminated candles for the top. Cute, fun and just what she wanted!

860999_10100889439383199_1803405043_oKeianna’s next birthday, it was requested to have a doughnut cake. Only she didn’t want doughnuts in the cake – it could only look like one!

There have been many times where their requests don’t quite come out as planned. Like when Kailee wanted a rainbow layered cake and once assembled and frosted it ended up falling in every direction and onto the floor hours before her party. They don’t tell you in all those fun rainbow cake posts that the food gel needed to color the layers so vibrantly in a 1/2 box of mix makes the layer very, very, very unstable. Lesson learned. Kailee ended up with rainbow cupcakes instead. Just a tasty and very cute.

My kids know I love to bake and they love eating what I make, however, it I don’t go “baking snob” on them if they want something store bought or made by someone else. It’s their birthday and they get to call the shots. Cake decorating is a talent I haven’t mastered by any means, but cooking with love I have down and can do with my eyes closed.

Truth, Stigma and Healing

~ Laura ~ 1 Comment
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Photo: Valerie McKeehan

This blog is part of my path to health. I am a hot mess – aren’t we all?  I finally realized at 33 that I am not capable of changing how I handle and/or manage my stress. I have always been hard on myself … ALWAYS. Let’s be real, it needs to stop or I will end up teaching my daughters this bad habit.

I am use to dealing with a million things at once; I am a mom of two, best friend to their dad, who owns his own business, and my job requires me to multi-task in several departments. I have stress on a daily basis. We all have our laundry list of daily responsibilities. I always thought I was good at dealing with stress – I honestly thought this with all of my being.

Then it happened. I had a “melt down.” I was sitting at my desk at work tearing up over something I knew wasn’t my fault. I had been snapped at by someone else (who was obviously stressed out also). I was absolutely dumb-founded. I kept replaying the scene over and over and over in my head. What could I have differently? How did I not know ahead of time this would happen? I shouldn’t have said anything. I am so stupid. And around and around it went. I felt like I was vibrating in my own skin. My ears were pounding and I shaking, I felt like the room was closing in on me and I couldn’t breathe. I know now I was the proud owner of my first panic attack.

I called my doctor’s office and they fit me in the next morning. I was nervous at first. I remember thinking geesh, another ailment. Lets add to the list. I wasn’t ashamed to talk to my doctor about my feelings – he is an amazing doctor. He goes out of his way to help me when it comes to thinking outside of the box in regards to not being able to take any kind of pain medicine. The first thing his medical assistant said to me is “Just breathe, it gets better from here.” Wow! So simple and yet so powerful for me.

I have a hard time releasing control. I am in the school of thought that if you want something done right, do it yourself. Sitting in that room, then and there, many memories flooded back to me of times where I chastised myself over and over for something that went wrong – where I felt I had disappointed someone. I knew in that moment I need to let go and let someone else (my doctor) be in charge.

Fast forward to today. People are noticing a difference. My daughters notice a difference. I notice a difference. There is no shame in needing help, regardless of what it is for, and asking for help is truly the first step – AND IT IS A HUGE ONE! Knowing there is a light at the end of a dark tunnel, happiness and smiling is possible, this is relief that you don’t understand until you have been the opposite. I took what my doctor told me to heart and really listened to what he had to say. “There are three types of people with anxiety and depression that receive medicine to help them. One is someone who takes medicine for a time and gets to a point they don’t need it anymore, kind of like a reset. Two is someone who takes medicine for a time, then goes off of it for a time, then back on for a time, and so on. Three is someone who takes medicine for the rest of their life. Is there a right or wrong way to do this? No. Everyone is different and that means their needs are different. Should you try to define yourself as one of the three? No. Just know that whichever third you happen to be, there are others, and that you are trying your best to help yourself into the light.” So I have chosen to breathe, take time each week for myself and not feel guilty, and do what I do best and love … bake.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
2 1/2 c. AP flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 c. canned pumpkin puree
1 lg. egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 bag semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt; set aside. In a med. bowl cream together the butter and sugar. Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Add in chips and stir gently to combined. Drop onto parchment lined cookie sheet (I use a 2 tbsp. cookie scoop). Bake for 15 to 20 mins. in preheated oven.

Turn these into whoopie pies! You can make a simple cream cheese or buttercream frosting, or your favorite whoopie pie filling, and you have a double duty recipe!

Look for the signs!

~ Laura ~ 1 Comment

I am a firm believer of everything happens for a reason and there is no such thing as a coincidence. There are little signs everywhere (each and every day) that sometimes we see and most of the times we don’t. Then out of left field (at least that’s how most of us feel … right?) this huge sign drops out of nowhere and hits us like a ton of bricks. What’s the saying? Hindsight is 20/20? Looking back we can somehow connect all the little signs that lead up to these huge events, but we often aren’t seeing them in the moment.

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My loves on their first day of school! 2nd and 6th grade.

I had every intention last night to race through the evening to get everything done so that when my girls came home from karate and soccer I could hear all about their first day of school with all my attention just on them. Daddy was picking them up and I was cooking dinner, I had it all mapped out in my head. I had decided that while the chicken was cooking I would make a box of brownies and doctor them up with an amazing topping – quick and easy, and a blog post entry. Only as I was reaching for the measuring cup to add my water to the bowl that already contained the eggs, oil and bag of mix … it fell into the sink full of soapy water. GAH! There is no coming back from that. You can’t discretely fix that mistake! So, I cleaned up my mess and thought, well it just wasn’t in the cards to make this box of brownies tonight. I finished making supper and had great stories to listen to while we ate dinner as a family after their first day of school, and I was thankful.

IMG_0884Later on that evening, I decided that I needed to unwind and clear my head. For me baking is my zen, I get in a mindless groove and create scrumptious goodies for others. Bringing a smile to someones face and knowing that even if for only a few moments they get to forget about what ails them, then my job is done. I took out my trusty Betty Crocker’s Cookbook from the 70s (?) and dug out her brownie recipe. I figured if I had all the ingredients to make brownies from scratch then that is why my bowl of mix dumped. That was my sign. As I have said before, if you have quality pre-made items, USE THEM! Don’t feel like you HAVE to do everything homemade … just make sure it’s made with LOVE.

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Betty Crocker’s Recipe

Brownie Ingredients:
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1/2 c. shortening
2 c. sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. almond extract
1 1/4 c. AP flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 13 x 9 pan. Melt chocolate and shortening in a small pan on the stove over low heat. Stir constantly. Remove pan and pour mixture into a large bowl. Add in sugar, eggs and almond extract. Blend together until eggs and sugar are combined. Add in remaining ingredients and stir until just combined. Pour into prepared pan. Bake about 30 mins. or until batter has just left the sides of the pan and the top is dull looking. Do not over bake.

IMG_0885Digging through the cupboards I found I only had two cubes of unsweetened chocolate, but never fear, good ol’ Betty has the answer to everything! I just used the additional quantity in unsweetened cocoa powder and shortening – voila, problem solved.  So I whipped up a batch of Betty’s brownies with a small tweek. I used almond extract instead of pure vanilla as I was making an Almond Joy topping for my brownies! Once the brownies were cooked and cooling I started on the yummy topping!

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IMG_0889In a medium bowl I mixed 2 cups of shredded sweetened coconut, 1 cup of almonds, 1 cup of mini chocolate chips and 1 can of sweetened condensed milk. Can we just take a moment to relish in how amazing sweetened condensed milk is? There are two things that come from cans that I can lick the spoon after … sweetened condensed milk and tomato paste (weird … I know). Once it is all mixed, try not eat it all before you spread this gooey deliciousness onto the brownies!IMG_0890

IMG_0891You can cheat and not wait for the brownies to cool before spreading this on top, but be sure to remember that the mixture is thick and spreads rough. Then just stick them in the fridge (so the chips don’t melt) to cool. These are sinfully rich. I was able to cut mine into 32 squares easily. ENJOY!

 

Versatility – Zucchini Bread with a Twist

~ Laura ~ Leave a comment

IMG_0867Versatile … any food that you can use in a sweet or savory dish is a blessing. Many times I have had a dish in mind to make and then life gets in the way … it’s either make something quick or waste food. My original dish idea isn’t always an option at this point – especially when may not have a lot of time on my hands.

A co-worker bestowed upon me a good size zucchini that she didn’t want to go to waste as she was leaving town this weekend. My kids don’t like zucchini, but I do! I love it drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with garlic salt and put on the grill or steamed with butter, salt and pepper, and even on kabobs or in a gratin – it can be eaten so many ways and they are all delicious!

Life has been slightly stressful the past two weeks – as evident by the patch of shingles I am now blessed with (this is my second time with them and I am less of a fan this time than last time). So, I decided to break out some ingredients and go to my happy place to destress – BAKING! When life starts to get the better of me and I need something to ground me and bring me back to the happy in my life, nothing does that better than using my hands to create something delicious. The feel of my hands getting dirty in a good way, the aromas that increase with each added ingredient and the instant gratification when those ingredients come together to form a batch of goodness; what isn’t to love?

IMG_0857Ingredients:
3 1/4 c. AP flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 c. sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/3 c. water
2 c. grated zucchini
1 tsp. lemon juice
zest of 1/2 a lemon
1 c. chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
IMG_0859In lg. bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, cinnamon & sugar.

IMG_0858In separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, water, zucchini, lemon juice & zest.

IMG_0860Mix wet ingredients into dry, add nuts & fold in.
IMG_0861Bake in 2 standard loaf pans, sprayed with nonstick spray, for 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Alternately, bake in 5 mini loaf pans for about 45 minutes. I always put my loaf pans onto a sheet tray of some sort, just in case. It is much easier to scrub a pan than clean the bottom of an oven!
IMG_0862This bread is so moist and delicious. The spices give it just a little warmth. IMG_0863I chose to top one with homemade cream cheese icing (the twist) and leave one plain. I can easily use this a breakfast/brunch item, a snack item or dessert – VERSATILE, just like the zucchini itself. IMG_0866

Downeast Delicacy

~ Laura ~ 1 Comment

IMG_0834Blueberries are bountiful in Maine, especially Downeast. When I travel home down on Route 9, I am constantly in awe with the beauty of the blueberry barrens. With the last of my fresh blueberries from the Route 9 area I made an open face pie and treated my co-workers to some sweet semi-homemade deliciousness.

Semi-homemade you say? YES! There is only one area in life that I condone, and sometimes even encourage, cheating! That is when it comes to the kitchen. There is no shame in utilizing a quality pre-made product. I am a mom of two girls, I work full time, the girls have karate 2-3 times per week … the list goes on and on. Doesn’t it for everyone? I don’t always have time to knock out a pie crust or batch of brownies, but I will spruce it up and make it my own by adding homemade components.

I hear over and over again how people don’t have time to bake. I get that andIMG_0829 fully understand it. I think with baking people feel it’s not okay to use a pre-made pie crust or a box of brownie or cake mix, but we don’t always have this mind set with cooking. Sometimes I want an easier and sometimes faster way to make something yummy. I have NO SHAME in this EVER!

Pie Crust:
IMG_0830Use your favorite recipe or use store bought. Make sure to blind bake your crust. Once I line my pie plate with the crust and crimp the edges, I line my pie with parchment paper and fill it with beans (that I re-use) to weight the crust down. This ensures that the crust doesn’t shrink down the sides of the pie plate and keeps it from bubbling up all around, since I don’t want to prick the bottom of the crust.

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I bake the pie crust following the directions on the box for the oven temp., however, I rarely use a timer. Once I start smelling the heavenly scent of toasted butter, I know my crust is just about ready! While the crust is baking, I prepare my filling.

 

Pie Filling Ingredients:
You can substitute any frozen or fresh berry for this type of open-face pie.
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup water
Zest of one lemon
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 cups blueberries

IMG_0833In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, water and lemon zest and juice until smooth. Add blueberries and stir gently. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir until it has thickened. It should coat the back of a spoon, and you should be able to run your finger through the mixture and have the line stay. (CAREFUL, mixture will be HOT). Once the pie crust is baked add this mixture slowly and gently into it. Let pie cool before serving.

IMG_0835I added homemade whipped cream to this pie just before serving. I hope you enjoy this pie as much as my co-workers did. It was gone shortly after it was brought in! (Note the pie plate is for a cherry pie – oh well!)

 

 

Simple, but key ingredients.

~ Laura ~ Leave a comment

imagesWhenever I stumble across a recipe that I fall in love with, there is usually one ingredient that makes me say, “Wow, using that made a difference.” For instance, I don’t drink coffee and I never have. Seeing that many dessert recipes that are chocolate based used hot coffee to melt the chocolate or had espresso powder in the batter, I couldn’t wrap my head around it. I mean, I don’t drink coffee or like the taste of it, so why on earth would I put it in my dessert? Well, I had been doing it wrong for so long! I finally tried it when it came to making a Pot du Creme. I had such a new love for how coffee really does enhance the chocolate flavor.

There are so many basic ingredients that enhance the flavor of what we eat tangerine-19062_640without us even knowing it or giving it much thought! For example, berries are so much brighter in flavor with some lemon or orange zest and some fresh squeezed juice of either added to them. Many sauces that adorn your dish when eating in a restaurant “finish” that sauce with a some butter to give it a glossy shine, a rich flavor and even at times to thicken.

a-glass-salt-shaker-100311902Many people also overlook salt. I understand that people have diets that require them to reduce salt intake or remove it completely from their diets, however, if that isn’t you, then don’t skimp on seasonings, especially salt! There are many dishes I make that I season throughout with salt. It may be that I am sweating down or caramelizing vegetable, and then I will season the protein that goes into the vegetables, and finally the sauce that will go onto the protein and vegetables. Many think that this may create a dish that is too salty. The key is knowing how much salt to put in at each stage so that it doesn’t overpower the dish. Salt is just as essential to many baking recipes as it is for cooking recipes. Adding a touch of salt to many dishes gives it just what is needed to bring out the best in the dish.

There are hidden surprises in many dishes we know and love, and sometimes they are not so hidden; regardless, never under estimate a simple ingredient, as it just might be your key to success.

Get your fat pants ready!

~ Laura ~ Leave a comment
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I love this sign! Every time I bring something into work, someones groans and says, “I am on a diet, I should be good.” Then they smile and take what I am offering, and they don’t regret that they did.

I have always had a passion for baking, which was instilled in me at a very young age. There is nothing I love more than to work with my hands and share a little piece of my heart every time I bake. Baking is my happy place. I am a firm believer that Grama’s always tastes better because it was made with love, and I tell that to my girls when they eat something delicious I have made – It was made with love.

I am fortunate to have grown up in a family that loves to cook and to EAT! It is in my blood on both sides of my family. I hope to share with you the love that I have for baking and of course eating!