Jul. 4, 2008
Happy 4th of July!
Posted in Cooking and Baking
Above is a picture of the
Fruited Cheesecake Flag we made for today.
The kids helped with the crust and the blue part of the flag.
It would look so much prettier if it was on something other than a cookie sheet,
but I don't have any 13" x 18" serving platters. It still tastes good
Have a happy day!
Jul. 1, 2008
Kitchen Tip - Keep the lead out!
Posted in Cooking and Baking
Many of you may already know of this possibility. I learned of it only a few years ago, so I am supposing someone may stumbled across this that has not heard of it before....
Excessive lead consumption can cause major damage to the kidneys, brain, blood, and nervous system. Children that are exposed to too much lead can have their development severely impaired.
Using hot tap water in baking and cooking could lead to higher levels of lead consumption. Hot water dissolves contaminants in the pipes much quicker than cold water. So use the cold water to fill your tea pot and saucepan.
Also, it is a good idea to let the water run for a minute or two first thing in the morning. Water that has been sitting in the pipes for 6 hours or more, may contain higher levels of lead.
If this is of concern to you, you may want to have your water tested. Do-it-yourself kits are available at many hardware stores.
If you would like to know more, here are a few articles to read:
Hot Water Hazards?
Actions You Can Take To Reduce Lead in Drinking Water
Never Drink Hot Water From the Tap
For more kitchen tips, visit
Tammy's Recipes
Mar. 29, 2008
A little cooking post...
Posted in Cooking and Baking
This has been a very exciting day for me....
I made English Muffins!!
I have always loved English muffins. They are so nice toasted with a little butter. Delicious.
My mother blessed me with the Sue Gregg Cookbook set for my birthday (thanks mum). In the Breakfast Cookbook there was an English Muffin recipe (page 154.) It uses the two stage process which involves soaking the flour overnight. I thought It would be difficult, but it wasn't.
Here is a picture:
And one toasted with peanut butter and jam (my daughter's request):
I used my cast iron skillet on a very low heat. They turned out great. It was a little time consuming, but it was fun (and I do like knowing what is I my food.)
This is a silly thing, but I really do find so much joy in cooking!
Feb. 1, 2008
Frugal Friday - Stove top Savings
Posted in Cooking and Baking

Saving money in the kitchen is always nice. The following ideas are little steps that save a few cents here and there. It may not seem like much, but in the long run they add up.
For the stove top:
- Cook with the right size pot on the right size burner.
If the pan is smaller than the burner, energy is lost. Obviously extra energy is used to heat up a larger burner. So if the pan is small, use a small burner.
- Use pans with flat bottoms. Warped pans let heat escape, causing the food to take longer to cook.
- Cooking time can be reduced by using a lid on your pot; it keeps the heat in.
- If using an electric stove, turn off burners a little before you need to, since they stay hot.
For the oven:
- Don’t pre-heat the oven.
It is usually unnecessary and uses a lot of extra energy. Turn it on and stick that casserole in!
(I guess you do need to pre-heat when cooking pastries)
- Cook back to back. Instead of heating the oven all the way up for a tray of muffins, plan ahead and bake your bread and dinner too. When possible, turn off oven before done, it stays hot for quite a while.
-
See what other appliances can do the job; a crock pot may use less energy than an electric oven.
Click
here to see the cost of cooking a casserole using different appliances (this link also has some great tips for saving in the kitchen).
Lastly, if you have a wood burning stove - use it!

Soups, stews and beans all cook very well on top of a wood burning stove. Cast iron pots and pans are great for this job.
If you are already using a stove for heat, then this would really save you money. Since it is already in use, why not make it do double duty.
(Of course, if you have small children you must be very careful and take proper precautions).
Here is a link with some tips (and recipes) for cooking on a wood burning stove: Tasty Tips for Cooking on Your Woodburning Stoves
Th above picture was from this morning. Inside the pot....

Rice! It turned out great.
Happy Cooking!
Jan. 21, 2008
Dessert Anyone?
Posted in Cooking and Baking
My company had to cancel because of sick kiddies.
So I'm left with a little dessert.....
Caramel Slice and
Cherry Mash Bars.
It's too dangerous to have that much dessert on my counter top;
so I'll be making some deliveries!
My friend and I decided we will have to do last minute get togethers.
Everytime we plan, someone gets sick!
Next time everyone is well, we will just have a quick dinner.
It won't be as fancy. But at least it will happen
Dec. 12, 2007
Cooking up a storm
Posted in Cooking and Baking
I wanted to share some pictures of two desserts we made yesterday. My sister and I always love to cook when we get together. And this time is no different!
First we made mini cheesecakes. Yum!
They were quite easy....especialy the toppings: We used blueberry pie filling for one and cherry pie filling for the other. The third cheesecake is topped with melted chocolate.
The next dessert is a rather dangerous combination as far as I'm concerned:
They may not look like much, but let me tell you, they are delicious! Homemade Shortbread cookies sandwiched together with
Nutella (a Chocolate hazelnut spread). My daughter helped put them together - can you see the chocolately finger prints all over them?
Both these ideas came from
Seasonal Delights, a quarterly magazine which is packed with ideas for enjoying each season.
I subscribed when there was a free special and have enjoyed it very much. I’m not sure of the price to subscribe at this time, but I can assure you that it is a beautiful publication.
To read more about Seasonal Delights click
here
Nov. 10, 2007
Best Fall Desserts
Posted in Cooking and Baking
I want to make a fancy fall dessert this friday. I can't decide what to make!
So far it is between the following:
(Click to view recipe)
Marbled Pumpkin Cheescake
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Autumn Harvest Pie
Spiced Pumpkin Layer Cake
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Caramel Apple Cake
What do you think?
I could make two different ones....
This is a very special occasion.
A dear friend of mine (who is also a homeschooling mom) will be coming for dinner with her husband and four kiddies. Joining us will be the preacher and his wife, who lived in the house where we now reside for 11 years.
The first time my friend came over she realized that she had been here before. Come to find out, the preacher and his wife would pick her up and bring her to church when she was a young teenager (she lived in a children's home at the time). They even tried to adopt her! Isn't that amazing!? They haven't seen each other in many years.
Needless to say, this is a special occasion and I want a good dessert!
Feel free to point me in the direction of any good recipes you have seen online.
Jul. 6, 2007
More-with-Less
Posted in Cooking and Baking
The More-With-Less Cookbook came in the mail today. It looks wonderful!
Most of the recipes appear to be simple and healthy.
You can be sure my next menu plan will have lots of meals from this book 
If you own it, let me know what your favorites are.
Jun. 14, 2007
Catering Job - COMPLETE!
Posted in Cooking and Baking
Here is just a quick note for my dear friends....
I am SO tired ....but also very excited!! The desserts were a hit and everything went very well. Many people asked what catering company provided the desserts and even requested my phone number! I certainly could not do this on a regular basis...but maybe every now and then.
Thanks so much for your encouraging words and support. I appreciate it.
There will be more details tomorrow...for now here a few pictures:
Black Forest Cakes


Almond Berry Bars

Good night...and thanks again to all of you who said, "You can do it".
Jun. 11, 2007
Running out of room!
Posted in Cooking and Baking
Look at my freezer:
I had to put everything I could in the door and bottom shelf. The rest is cake!! And I still have 4 cake rounds on the counter!
This morning between breaking up a fight over the blocks, getting breakfast and second breakfast, dealing with a bug in my daughter's bedroom and numerous other interruptions....I baked 6 cakes.
Here is one cooling:
We live at a high altitude so I have been tweaking the recipe a little.
It looks cracked but it is nice and moist and didn't sink...so that is very good.
My new best friend:
This stuff works really well. The box says, "The simple secret to better baking."
I was certainly skeptical but have become a believer.
Look at this round of parchment paper AFTER the Black Forest Cake was baked, cooled and then removed:
The cake came out so easily! No sticking!
Last of all I wanted to share this picture:
At one point I was so tired that I just cracked the egg right into the egg carton instead of the bowl.
I also almost left out the baking soda once - thankfully I noticed before it was too late!
So far I have 5 Strawberry Rolls and 9 chocolate cakes made.
I plan to do the frosting on Wednesday evening.
Tomorrow I will be grinding the almonds for the Almond Berry Bars and also making a Berry Drizzle to go with it. Wednesday and Thursday will be very busy.
I will try to post the Strawberry Roll recipe and a picture in the next few days.
It is a great one to have on hand for unexpected company - it keeps in the freezer very well.
I am feeling rather nervous - pray for me!
( I think I need a new category for all these food posts - what should it be called?
Food? Cooking and Baking? Yummy Stuff?)
Jun. 9, 2007
Cake Decorating Tips!
Posted in Cooking and Baking
Since I am getting paid to make desserts next week, I want them to be REALLY good. That desire has caused me to do a lot practicing and researching. Here are a few helpful links:
How to Make Chocolate Curls
How to Frost a Cake
How to Level, Trim and Tort and Cake
How to Split a Cake into Layers
All of these links are helpful when making the Black Forest Cake in my recipes section.
Here is a picture of a practice cake I made on Thursday.
I made lots of mistakes, but with 3 sticks of butter in the frosting alone....how can you go wrong!!?
Jun. 6, 2007
Catering Job! Who me?
Posted in Cooking and Baking
Something crazy is happening at my house! I have a catering job. Not a real job.....just a one time thing.
Next Thursday I will be serving my homemade desserts to a crowd of 50 or so. I will be making at least 11 desserts!
This is very exciting and scary! On the menu we have: 3 or 4 Black Forest Cakes, 5 Berry Almond Bars, and 3 Strawberry rolls. I’ll keep you posted with pictures and recipes.
Did I mention that I am getting paid to do this? That makes it a little more terrifying! I want it to be perfect. This hostess wants to go "all out". I hope I can help her do that.
Pray for me 