Pretzels!

I started this blog on the advice of my Mother in law. I started baking after I had my first little and spent a year at home with her. So I baked.  And cooked.  Not sure why she suggested it but I am glad she did.  I also LOVE to write so it was a beautiful marriage.  Check out my other blog page, This is Life for my other stuff.

Time to discuss these pretzels.  A few weeks ago my girls' God-mother gifted a baking set for kids.  My little baker loved it of course! In it was a cookie cutter for a pretzel and that's how this craving began.  Auntie Anne's Pretzels are a must have whenever I visit the mall.  The cinnamon sugar bite size pretzels take the win!  I remember working at Payless in the Coral Square Mall, (first job) and sneaking in pretzel bites in my apron so I could snack on the job. 💁 Hey, it was my motivation some days and they are irresistible. 😊  I made them a few weeks ago but my yeast was flat and I misread or read confusing directions about the baking soda bath.  (That will make sense once you read the directions.)

Here is the recipe I followed yesterday that worked...with non-confusing directions. lol

Sally's Baking Addiction
While this is supposed to be a quick recipe, I decided to take my time.  And I suggest taking a bit more time after shaping your pretzel.  It's all about the yeast.  You want to give it time to rise in warm water by itself and then after you have made your dough, let it rest again.  It makes for softer, lighter pretzels.  I was so pleased with this batch.  They don't look magnificent but they were a hit!

This picture is after I brushed them with butter and rained cinnamon sugar all over them.  Yes, I got carried away a bit but they were tasty!
Looking forward to making these again soon.

Try something new.  It's easier than you think!

Watercolor Icing

Happy New Year! Welcome to the year of perfect vision. 👀
I am grateful for another year.  My hope for this year is to complete a few of my goals and to keep them alive well into the next decade.  Stay tuned!

Now let's start on these beautiful accidents.
The last Sunday in 2019, my husband and I dedicated our girls.  A Dedication is a Christian tradition where parents give their children back to God.  Naturally I wanted to bake so I made Sugar Cookies and used angel and heart cookie cutters.
I was determined to keep it simple and just do a plain white icing but the artist in me would not oblige.  The dilemma was getting some of the icing I made out of the piping bag to color it.  That idea did not sound fun so I thought of dropping food coloring onto the plain frosted cookie.  Not a good idea.  The food coloring just came out the other side of the cookie with a color stain in the middle.  I had a few other thoughts then came up with using a short skewer dipped in food coloring to paint the icing.  That worked!!!  And it was beautiful. 😍. They looked like watercolor paintings.

Here are the tools I used: 

1. 1 flat plate
2. 1 dot of color (per color) 
3. toothpick or skewer (thin wooden stick with a point).

Must Have Christmas Cookies!

Happy Holidays!!!
It's here!  The Christmas season is here!  This season, rooted in the recognition of the birth of Christ Jesus, prompts people all around the world to give more, love harder, and to be a little kinder.  What's not to love about that?  And then there's time with family, (if you like them 😜 ) and food!
This year I decided to take on the venture to bake cookies as gifts for family and friends.  Yes, it's cheaper in terms of money but boy oh boy you pay for it in labor.  I. AM. TIRED!  But it was a labor of love. ♥
These are the cookies my little and I baked:

1. Brown Sugar Cookie 

2. Sugar Cookies with Almond Flavored Frosting 

3. Snicker doodles 

4. Thumbprint Cookies 

                                                                                   
Now for the process and pictures!

I love to cream butter and sugar! The smell takes me right back to baking with my Mommy. ☺ Just take a look at that texture. So smooth and creamy! The next picture is from our Snicker-doodles.  This cookie demands brown sugar and white sugar.  What an inclusive cookie. 😉  And once the cookie making started, we just flowed and got them done.
I hope you all enjoy the holidays with your loved ones.  Remember thoughtful gifts make memories that last for a lifetime.
Be safe out there!
And love a little harder for the rest of the year. ♥♥♥

Cake, Bread, & Cookies!

Hey guys!
It has been a minute.  I was enveloped into full Mom-mode from last Saturday when my Little ran a high temp.  So we were not baking or even thinking about baked goodies.  Well, kind of.  😏

My Mom's birthday was Wednesday so my brothers and I surprised her with a lunch a few days before and my aunt and uncle were coincidently in town to join in on the festivities.  My mother is a difficult one to surprise.  I wanted to bake a cheesecake to take to this surprise event but she was busy being her 😒 so it didn't happen.  But, I made it for her this weekend when my Little felt better. The recipe I used came from one of my favorite baker bloggers' and it was OMG good! The title did not lie: https://sugarspunrun.com/best-cheesecake-recipe/.  My mother was very pleased and gave it higher kudos than Cheesecake Factory! Yup, it was that creamy and delicious.  (Thank you Mommy 😘)
                                                                     Maybe I missed baking because my ambitious behind decided to bake challah and shortbread cookies as well.  Why challah bread? Well, my friend purchases challah dough weekly and was curious to find out if making her own is something she could consider.  I offered to try it out and it was surprisingly easy to make. Unlike other types of bread, it didn't require butter or shortening. https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/challah/
I only used half the recipe so I had a small bread.  There is a lot of waiting so you must have patience baking challah.  I rushed the rising process because I was running around the kitchen doing 3 different things. 🤦🏾‍♀️
Now I love shortbread cookies.  They are so buttery good! I have made them a few times but I never made chocolate ganache. The term alone sounds intimidating.  Like it is isolated for the use of pastry chefs only.  Once again, I was pleasantly surprised that it was easy.  Semisweet chocolate and cream. That's it! Cream must be warm so as to not stiffen the chocolate or burn it.  This recipe does not call for a ganache but I like to get creative when necessary.  I only had a few chocolate chips and wanted its application on the cookie to be easy.  So I basically thinned it out and viola: shortbread cookies with chocolate ganache.  https://www.livewellbakeoften.com/how-to-make-chocolate-ganache/
{See comments below for answers to frequent questions.}
 Shortbread cookies require a bit of rest before baking. In the picture, (not my best capture) you will see the dough sort of balled up.  That was before I flattened it and put it in the fridge.
I love cookie cutters but I tend to have extra dough.  My Little decided we should make a girl with two puffs. 😁 (Waiting for that emoji with Afro puffs. 😉)

So there are our sweet treats to make up for the last couple weeks.
Try baking something new.  Try tasting something new. ♥

Pizza for you. Pizza for me.

Hey there everyone! This week is all about pizza.  I love pizza! Like serious heart eyes emoji about pizza.  😍🍕
That wonderful Italian creation is a true gift to the world.  Almost every week I order from my favorite neighborhood pizza place, (perfectly named) My Pizza Place.  Now I can't say whether these pizza makers are Italian but they sure know how to get my pizza right.  Quick anecdote about them before I move on to the actual pizza making. My husband and I were in search of local pizza place years ago when we stumbled upon this one with a great carry out deal: Large one topping pizza for $6.99. Hubbie is a big advocate of supporting local businesses. Anyway, we used trusty ole Google and found this one less than a mile away from where we used to live.  We get to the spot and we pause.  In bright neon lights, XXX. We thought Google messed up for second but next door sat what eventually became our go to pizza place.  The pizza was so good I didn't care where it was located. It was a well lit thanks to their neighbor. I called them XXX pizza for the longest.  😂 They eventually moved to a bigger location and made a few upgrades. Still great tasting pizza.  And I no longer call them triple X pizza.  They are My Pizza Place. 😊

Ok, now on to my homemade pizza.  My pizza spot still has great carry out deals and they use fresh, great tasting ingredients but every now and again I like to make things at home.  

I made my own dough using Bobby Flay's recipe from Food Network. 

 Really simple.  

Sometimes I buy dough from the grocery store so it eliminates one step.

I remember the first time my mother, brothers, and I made pizza. My mother got really inventive with the extra dough and made pizza pockets.  It was so good with cheese spilling out of each end.  I know that sounds like a fail but not to crispy cheese lovers. That was a deliciously crispy accident. 😋
My little and I made 2 pizzas, no pockets.  Our mini veggie pizza had light pesto sauce, tomato basil feta cheese, tomatoes, onions, spinach, pineapple, and a sprinkle of mozzarella.

The other pizza was pepperoni and pineapple.  Yes, we love pineapple on our pizza. 😎 Tomato basil sauce, mozzarella, Colby jack, pepperoni, pineapple, and dried basil. Fresh basil would be amazing too.

Only part had basil because Little miss doesn't like "spice" on her food.

I would suggest getting pepperoni from your grocery deli.  You can control the thickness of your pepperoni slices.
I did not capture more of the process because we were hands deep in the ingredients. But overall, homemade pizza is really easy and a great family activity.  (As is eating it too. 😉)

Till next time,

Savory not Sweet,

It's time to eat!

D.

Twice the Celebration

This week was a busy week.  We baked twice because our family celebrated 2 birthdays.  On Monday we baked Peanut Butter Cookies for the peanut butter lover and on Thursday night we baked a pound cake for the hard working man of our life. ♥️

I love love love this PB cookie recipe!  It is soooo good!  It satisfies your peanut butter craving.  I have a hard time saying no to just one. 🍪 🍪 🍪 (accurate depiction of my serving portion 🤦🏾‍♀️) 

And it is, once again, a very easy recipe. The bloggers' recipe I used is so good at explaining the whys of baking.  She explains that the eggs and butter must be at room temperature so that the ingredients emulsify.  Little things like that make a huge difference in the consistency of your cookie so take your time and read through this one.

Here is the link to the recipe: https://www.livewellbakeoften.com/soft-peanut-butter-cookies/

And you're welcome! Because I know you will be thanking me for this recipe.😉

Simple yet important task

This was ONLY butter & sugar
Had to get a bigger bowl 

Now for this pound cake.  Man oh man! The birthday boy was very excited about this cake.  And my Little was beyond excited to participate as this cake was especially for her Daddy.  This was my first time making a pound cake and I was more than willing to try because I got the opportunity to buy a bundt cake pan.  Although I bake often, I tend to just make do with what I have.  Blogging and Baking is leading to lots of new baking equipment. 💃🏾 

Pound Cake recipe here: https://sugarspunrun.com/best-pound-cake-recipe/ 

Cake Batter in the Bundt Pan
Heavy!!!

Baking with your Little is challenging but simple tasks like greasing the pan will keep them busy for a while. I also let her hold the mixer and pour ingredients in the bowl.  My girl is a pro now so she has graduated to decorating cookies.  

Yum!

The highlight of my early baking days was "licking the bowl" of cake batter.  My mother would say, "who wants to lick the bowl?" Growing up with siblings meant sharing the bowl or choosing the spoon over the bowl. A great tradition I am glad to pass on. 

😊

I am SO glad this cake turned out great.  It was definitely a labor of love.  And it was enjoyed as much as it was appreciated.

Cake with Glaze

Till next time,

LET'S EAT!!! 

D.

Pumpkins On My Mind

Last year's Fall Festival

Pumpkin Sugar Cookies popped into my head as the "must have" cookie this week.  I think these cookies were manifested from my search for Fall events.  This week and last I have been looking for Fall Festival type events in neighboring cities while impatiently waiting for my city's Fall Festival.  Last year we had such a great time! Keep in mind I was pregnant yet I enjoyed hours of outdoor fun in Florida's Fall weather with a 3 yr old.  That alone should tell you quite a bit about this festival.  I am definitely hyped for this years' event.

Anyway, back to cookie talk.
Lately I have thought about new spins on traditional cookies but was truly surprised by this one.  Didn't think it would be as good as I imagined but it was.
I added cream cheese frosting because my daughter suggested we bake a cheesecake for my husband's birthday so cream cheese was on the brain.  And I must say it was a wonderful compliment to these cookies.
You can find the cookie recipe here: https://www.wineandglue.com/pumpkin-sugar-cookies/
And for the cream cheese frosting I used Allrecipes.com.

Once again, I did things a little different. I used fresh pumpkin boiled then blended in my trusty magic bullet. I used a little less than required but I don't think it made much difference.  The container you see with the puree is a 4 oz size but it's not full.

Do keep in mind that pumpkin has a lot of water naturally so your cookie dough may be a bit moist, (which makes for a moist cookie!) I was hoping for dough I could roll out hence the cookie cutters.  BUT I added flour at the end and made that sucker work for me. 😁

One of the best things about having a 4 yr old helper is her willingness to help and eagerness to try new things. Children will encourage (and sometimes demand) creative expression. ♥

Didn't photograph our cookie cutting and shaping but I did capture the universal feeling of waiting for cookies to bake. 🤣

And here they are!  

We colored some of our frosting for a truly pumpkin looking cookie.

Peep the background artwork. 😎

 I know her pumpkin looks like an apple pumpkin hybrid but it's actually a rainbow pumpkin that I captured before its transformation.  Maybe she's on to something.

She's enjoying the cookie she cut out and frosted.

And don't worry about an overwhelming pumpkin flavor, it's just a tasty cookie.  

Confession:She ate 5 yesterday. 

That's our sweet treat,

Bon appetite!

I’m Falling for You Scones

Fall is here! 🍁🍂🌻

And she brought along her friends sneezy and cough-ie. 🤭

Regardless, I am in love with this season! Plus it gave me a reason to indulge in a little citrus fun as Oranges are also in season. Fun fact: Eating fruits that are in season helps arm the body for changes in that season. Similar to how eating local honey helps with seasonal allergies. (Whey the honey at!!! 😜) 

Today’s baked goods were Orange Scones. I usually make Orange Cranberry scones around the Holidays, (Thanksgiving and Christmas) but wasn’t in the mood for cranberries.

 I used 2 different recipes for this scone.

• I didn’t want the scone recipe but I liked the icing recipe.
• I only had whole cream so I used the Orange Cranberry recipe and just left out the cranberries.

This is the recipe I used today: https://natashaskitchen.com/cranberry-orange-scones-recipe/

I love making scones because you can grab the ingredients right out of the refrigerator and mix. Also, no rest time necessary. Quick and simple. 

And here’s the icing recipe: https://www.alattefood.com/orange-cream-scones/

As for the icing, I was out of confectionary sugar. 

Dreading running to the store at 9:25pm, my husband was convinced that my Mother in Law made icing from ordinary grandulated sugar. After calling her at about 9:30pm to ask, turns out he was mistaken BUT it did encourage me to run to Google. 😁 

Found out all I had to do was blend regular sugar and voila! Powdered sugar. (Add cornstarch if you want to avoid clumping or store for another time.

I used my magic bullet to get the job done ✅ 

Felt like win to me!

So tasty! The orange in the scone and in the icing is so refreshing and not at all over powering.  I love how the icing compliments the scone and is just the right amount of sweet.

For this week,

that's my treat,

 Now let’s eat!

D.