| PIE BIRD | vents while baking ~ ~ ~

Note to Self

2012-01-09T07:23:00.000-08:00

Bird Feed: A Cookie to Save My World a.k.a. Peanut Butter Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies

2012-01-05T19:02:00.000-08:00

When you feel like this, I have a cookie for you:

I actually remembered to take a picture
before eating this last one.

The Peanut Butter Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies recipe from Annie's Eats is ridiculously delicious. I was looking for a couple of recipes that could withstand the mail and turned to my trusty recipe to-do list when I remembered these babies. I don't make sandwich cookies all that often, mostly because the cookie ends up too puffy or crumbly or some other attribute that sounds whiny but just doesn't allow for cookie sandwich success.

After having a few good experiences with recipes on the Annie's Eats blog, I had a little faith and ended up thoroughly impressed. This is my favorite type of peanut butter cookie - not too hard, not to soft, a slightly chewy and not cakey. It was a perfect sandwich storm. The filling is appropriately sweet, and I look forward to making these again with small filling flavor tweaks like jam, chocolate and chopped candy bars.

Here's the recipe - or get it right from the source:

Cookies:

¾ cup all-purpose flour

½ tsp. baking soda (1/4 for high altitude)

¼ tsp. baking powder (1/4 for high altitude)

½ tsp. salt

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

½ cup creamy peanut butter

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup light brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup quick-cooking oats (not old fashioned!)

Filling:

3 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

½ cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

3 tbsp. heavy cream

Directions:

To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir together with a fork to blend. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, peanut butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Blend in the egg and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until incorporated. Stir in the oats until evenly blended.

Use a small cookie dough scoop to portion out the dough (about 2 teaspoons), rolling each portion into a ball, and place them on the prepared cookie sheet, a couple inches apart. Bake about 10 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through baking. The cookies will be light golden brown and slightly puffed. Let cool on the baking sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cook completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Once the cookies have cooled completely, pair them up by size. To make the filling, combine the butter, peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Cream together until well combined. Mix in the heavy cream until smooth and fluffy. Use a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip to pipe a swirl of filling onto the flat side of one cookie of each pair. Sandwich together with the remaining cookie and press down so that the filling reaches the edges.

Sounds for the New Year, From the Last One

2012-01-02T20:16:00.000-08:00

One of the great things about "year in review" posts is that I learn about all of the things I missed last year. This is definitely the case when it comes to music, which is why I was psyched to find a treasure trove of 2011 music that spans a lot of the genres I enjoy.

NPR Music recently posted their 100 Favorite Songs of 2011, and while a lot of the artist names were familiar, it became increasingly obvious that there were quite a few new albums that came out in 2011 that I should have been ready for, like The Decemberists' The King is Dead (indie+Americana, what a no-brainer) and Lisa Hannigan's Passengers (mostly because I adore Damien Rice).

Anyway, here are three of my favorites from the list: Fleet Foxes, Gillian Welch and Lisa Hannigan. Be sure to check out the list and see if you can dig up some new tunes for the new year (even if that means you are a little behind on the times, like me). A gal can always use new music for the kitchen - nothing goes better with the whirl of the stand mixer than a few toe-tappers.

Recipes in Review: 2011 Part 2

2012-01-01T17:36:00.000-08:00

As promised, here's post #2 of my 2011 fall/winter recipe round-up. Be sure to poke around of the blogs listed below, there's enough to keep you busy for years...

Puff Pastry Cream Cheese Cherry Danishes

I have really been wanting to dive into more advanced pastry, which is why I'm excited about my new copy of The Pie and Pastry Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum. I really enjoy baking for breakfast, but I feel like I've reached a point where stratas, muffins, and scones aren't very inspirational. This recipe was a fun way to branch out a little without making the leap into homemade puff pastry. I wouldn't suggest going the route I did, using canned cherry pie filling since I didn't have any preserves for the middle. That said, the pie filling tasted great, it just doesn't do well in the oven. If you decide to use something similar, consider adding it after the fact. These are visually impressive and a wonderful addition to normal breakfast fare. Click here for the recipe from Baking Bites.

Baked Doughnuts: Maple Cinnamon Sugar & Mexican Chocolate Sprinkle
Call me crazy, but I'm putting you on notice that doughnuts are going to take over cupcakes - especially when they are this easy and delicious. A 50% coupon in hand, I picked up a doughnut pan from Michael's for $5 and sought out some relatively healthy recipes for baked doughnuts. It didn't take me long to find this incredible recipe, which turns out so much better than any of the mixes I've tried since - from texture to flavor. The ingredients are typical staples, at least in my world, and I can always whip up a quick batch in minutes and have them on the table 10 minutes after that. To make a Mexican Chocolate Glaze, melt 3 oz of semisweet chocolate with 2 tbsp of butter and add a dash or two of cinnamon. Click here for the recipe from Handle the Heat.

Mint Nanaimo Bars
I'm somewhat ashamed that I hadn't tried these out before now- I've certainly eaten plenty growing up! Of course, I wasn't going to try just any recipe, which is why I headed straight to The Best of Bridge for this Canadian classic. I decided to make it a little more festive for a work holiday party by making the creamy center layer minty fresh. If you'd like to so the same, just add 1 tsp of peppermint extract and a little green food coloring - or just make the top ganache layer minty with melted mint chocolate chips. And, if one of the reasons you're thinking of passing this recipe by is the custard powder, you might be pleased to know that you can usually find it at World Market stores or any store that has a decent international isle with British food items. Otherwise, use vanilla pudding powder! Another great trick is for cutting the bars - keep two knives warm in a glass of hot water and dry off to cut the bars without breaking the ganache. Alternate between the two as they cool. Click here for the recipe from The Best of Bridge.

Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies
Dear Lord, this flavor combination is quite possibly my new favorite. (In fact, I'm scheming to make a baked pumpkin doughnut recipe with butterscotch glaze.) These cookies are soft and pillowy but not without substance. Unlike some cakey cookies that get a little sticky and overly moist, these will not disappoint. Go ahead and make a double batch, trust me. Click here for the recipe from Annie's Eats.

Orange Blueberry Rolls with Citrus Frosting
Here's another recipe from Annie's Eats that was a fun experiment and nice change to the normal breakfast options. I substituted orange for lemon and heard no complaints! The only reason I would hesitate to make these again is that I always have the same problem when making a large tray of cinnamon or other breakfast rolls - the middle is way too doughy. I think I'll give these another go and try splitting the rolls into 2 square pans and see what happens! That's me, the problem solver. Click here for the recipe from Annie's Eats.

Bacon Scones with Maple Glaze
When it comes to scones, this is the recipe for me. Yes, bacon is trendy and has been completely over-hyped (I like to blame hipsters). However, bacon is also pretty delicious and even more so with a hint of maple on a fall morning. I've made these several times now, including making the dough in advance, freezing it, and dropping it off with instructions for baking and a little bag of glaze. They are flaky, robust and can even convince the burliest of bison wranglers to forgo his typical bacon and eggs. That's saying something in my book. Click here to get the recipe from How Sweet It Is.

And that just about does it! If you need me, I'll be spending lots of quality time on Pinterest finding new recipe inspiration: http://pinterest.com/piebirdkate.

Recipes in Review: Winter 2011

2012-01-01T16:32:00.000-08:00

I know this is the time of year that bloggers look back at the past year and post their favorites. Examples: Annie's Eats, Brown Eyed Baker, Bake or Break, and Love & Olive Oil. However, this is also the time of year that I post a list of all the recipes I've taken on in the last few months and have been too lazy to post! I don't know what it is about this time of year that gets me so behind other than the combination of 2 things - my absolute adoration of fall flavors (pumpkin, ginger, apple) and the inevitable slide into the holiday season and lots of homemade food gifts.

While this list isn't totally comprehensive, it captures some of my favorites from the last few months. I plan to post more thorough run-downs on a select few of them in the next few weeks, but this is my insurance policy that I have at least shared the recipes to my dear friends. And if you notice that the photo quality dramatically improves over time, it's because I scored a sweet deal on a new Canon Rebel T3i (Merry Christmas to me!) and have just started playing around with it.

In this first of two posts, let's start with 4 recipes that were my go-to's this Christmas - complete with ridiculously cute boxes that I picked up on clearance:

Clockwise from top right: Vanilla Bean Caramels, White Chocolate Gingerbread Blondies, Molasses Cookies with Orange Sugar, Pistachio Cranberry Shortbread Rounds

Pistachio Cranberry Shortbread Rounds

These cookies are not only festive but also completely addictive and a nice compliment to more traditional holiday flavors. I ended up making 4 batches of these so I can pretty much assure you that they are worth the investment in shelled pistachios. As icebox cookies, they require very little prep - and best of all, no cookie cutters! I made mine into rounds and didn't need the egg wash at all. After letting your dough soften just a little, roll it in the decorative or turbinado sugar and go on your merry way! Click here to get the recipe from Epicurious.

Molasses Cookies with Orange Sugar

I've had these bookmarked forever! I made the mistake of leaving them to the last of my holiday baking, which meant that I in no way felt like messing with rolling out the dough. It turned out to be a good decision because this dough is super STICKY. I ended up sticking it in the freezer to get it to a point I could slice it with a heavy knife, essentially turning it in to an icebox cookie. The orange sugar is well worth the tiny bit of extra effort, and the slightly adult flavors made them a perfect recipe for coworkers. Click here to get the recipe over on The Kitchn.

White Chocolate Gingerbread Blondies

Just the sound of this recipe screams delicious. I ended up making 3 trays of these, the final version being my favorite after a few small tweaks. Be sure to make them in a 9x13 pan (much easier to spread thin enough) and cut the butter down to 2 cups. I baked mine for an extra 5 minutes as this seemed to ensure that the center was cooked a little more thoroughly. These were really easy to cut with the help of a pizza cutter and packaged up nicely in the box as well as stacked in cellophane bags. Click here for the recipe from Martha Stewart.

Vanilla Bean Caramels

2011 was the second year I tried my hand at caramels for the holidays. It's a relatively simple process that doesn't require much more than a candy thermometer and a little patience for stirring constantly. While it was probably the 6th time I'd made the recipe, I did manage to screw up one batch by overheating. Not to worry, though. If you make the same mistake and your caramel becomes much to hard, just cut it up and put it in a sauce pan with some heavy cream and you'll have some delicious caramel sauce to gift instead! Here's the recipe I've used - substituting the vanilla with vanilla bean paste and sprinkling the tops with a little sel gris. Click here for the recipe from Allrecipes.

In addition to the box of deliciousness, I also decided to branch out of the baking arena with a huge batch of roasted mixed nuts.

Chipotle and Rosemary Mixed Nuts

I'm not sure if I would have attempted this recipe without having access to a store where I can buy nuts in bulk due to cost. However, they are sooo delicious and perfect for gifting and snacking that I highly recommend them. You can use any combination of nuts that you like - I used pecans, walnuts and cashews - and really really really use fresh rosemary. Not only is the rosemary beyond tasty combined with the hot spice, it also adds some nice color. I packaged up 2 cups per gift in tin tie kraft bags (wax lined) and sent them on their way. Click here for the recipe from the Barefoot Contessa.

Here's the basket that went to my office -

and earned me the title "Baking Ninja."

Halloween Bird Feed: Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Spiced Pumpkin Buttercream

2011-10-31T07:46:00.000-07:00

These cupcakes are perfect Halloween treat for adults - and kids, if you must. Besides being the right colors, the overall flavor is deliciously warm and very fall. I'm going to take a risk and share my absolute *favorite* go-to chocolate cupcake recipe, the ingredients of which might surprise you just a little (no eggs, no butter)! In the past, I have also added mini chocolate chips to the batter with lots of approvals.

The recipe makes about 32 minis or 15 regular cupcakes, depending on your pans or size of cups, and I suggest making a double batch in order to use up all of the frosting (unless you find yourself eating it along the way for breakfast, like me).

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp baking soda (1/2 tsp if at altitude)
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup + 2 tbsp Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp distilled white vinegar

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients together until smooth. Fill liners 3/4 full (trust me, you'll get the nice dome) and bake for 14 minutes for minis or 24 minutes for regular size. Cool on racks.

Spiced Pumpkin Buttercream
modified from Loves to Eat

2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup pumpkin puree, or more to taste
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1.25 lbs powdered sugar, or more to taste

Cream together butter, pumpkin and spices until combined. Slowly add powdered sugar until you reach a desired consistency and sweetness. I prefer this frosting to be on the less-sweet side to let the pumpkin shine through. Less sugar will also help the frosting retain the pumpkin color.

Happy Halloween! Let all goblins, ghosts and ghouls enjoy a tasty night.

The Road to You... and a Song

2011-10-27T12:22:00.000-07:00

I'm reposting this because I've read it three times this week alone and I'm pretty sure I'm just going to print it out and carry it around with me. The song is my pick - I've also been playing it all week. Guess they go together in my mind!

From kind over matter:

The Road to You

By Jo Anna Rothman

The journey of you may be a long one. It winds and switches back on itself, leaving you unsure of how far along you actually are. It is one that holds the perils of abandoned feelings and lost moments of expression. Dips, plateaus and mountains to climb. Yet, you walk because it is the opportunity to come home to your Self. You are propelled by the calling of love and pleasure and dreams come true. You are inspired by the great joy you feel as you imagine getting closer and closer to the truth.

This road is a returning to the essence you once knew so clearly...so dearly. It is something that you experienced cosmically. Intimately. Yet it may feel as if you have lost the connection to the wild creator that you are most certainly designed to be. There is a hollowness in your movements and a longing for life to regain that magic glint it held for you some time ago. So you search and the path appears. You intend, open your heart space and move forward with an otherworldly courage, previously only known to mystics, children and certain poetic heroines of days gone by. The aurora borealis of connection and meaning lights the way. One foot in front of the other. Off you go.

You question yourself. The Self. The whole wild world...universe included. You stop seeking what no longer matters. You dive deep into the finding of who lies beneath the myth of skin and personality. On the way, you rediscover what it is you want in this glorious expression of the soul otherwise known as life. There are moments when you think you are lost and curse embarking without a map and compass. And moments where you know that you are living on, in and with purpose like never before.

The exhaustion sets in. You get tired of trying. Once again, the end turns out to be a mirage out in the never ending distance. It feels as if surrender is the only option. You have walked in hopes of reparation long enough to know that the cracks are simply too plentiful. And fixing them all now seems like a penance for a crime you did not commit. You lay down the hopes and come present.

What becomes abundantly and suddenly clear is that completion happens in a breath. A choice. An opening of your eyes. There is a knowing that you can never truly leave who you are. You have become a disciple to the loving...following the curve of its energy to ride into the ever lasting ever after. It comes not from a space of brokenness, as any notion of that was a simple misunderstanding. What once appeared as cracks are merely the places where the light of all that is streams through. It has always been a journey of recognition rather than one of seeking that which seemed lost.

From a new place of being, you make a choice. You walk the road because the movement is what brings you home to you. You walk because path holds the most love. The most joy. The greatest experience of you that could ever be...which was always and forever the point. You are home. In your heart. Without matter or reason. And you continue on the road.

Original Bird Feed: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins by Pie Bird

2011-10-23T16:54:00.000-07:00

The perfect autumn Sunday treat...
that you can pawn off on coworkers on Monday.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
Makes 24 full-size muffins

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder (or 1 tsp for high altitude)
1/2 tsp baking soda (or 1/4 for high altitude)
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 cups canned pumpkin *NOT FILLING
1-1/2 cups quick oats (can also be used)
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat together butter and sugar until well-blended. Add in eggs and mix well. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, powder, soda and salt. Add half of the dry mix to the butter/sugar/egg combo and stir. Add half of the pumpkin and stir. Repeat until all dry mix and pumpkin is combined. Stir in oats and chocolate chips.

I use unlined paper souffle cups for muffins and cupcakes (freestanding) so if you're using tins be sure to grease them or use paper liners. I filled mine with a regular size ice cream scoop and they were perfect. Otherwise fill about 3/4 full. Bake for 22-26 minutes or until browned.

Bird Feed: Maple Shortbread Alfajores for Thanksgiving

2011-10-10T19:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

In your honour, I whipped up possibly my 2nd favourite cookie EVER (after ginger molasses, of course). Wanting to use some of the maple syrup my family sent down from Ontario, I found inspiration in the traditional alfajor cookie - what about maple and dulce de leche doesn't sound incredible?! That's right - maple shortbread alfajor cookies sandwiched with creamy milk caramel and topped with maple sugar. Ooooooh Canada.

As more time passes, the more I miss the Great North. Luckily, I've been working with Parks Canada on a media project and get a little Canuck-love once a week via conference call. It doesn't nearly suffice, to say the least. In the meantime, we've come up with a Tim Hortons action plan and I keep baking things with maple in them.

I found this recipe online - although I can only speak to how awesome the cookies are since I stumbled upon a jar of Dulce de Leche a couple of weeks ago and didn't try making it from scratch.

Maple Shortbread Alfajor Cookies

from SouthAmericanFood.About.com

1 cup of butter, softened

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 egg yolk

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 cup corn starch

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp maple sugar

1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter with brown sugar and maple syrup. Add the flour, corn starch, salt, egg yolk, and vanilla. Mix until smooth (use your hands if easier).

Divide the dough into 2 halves. Roll out the first half on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with cookie cutters and re-roll to cut out more cookies. My batch made a total of 30 cookie sandwiches (60 cutouts).

On one half of the cutouts, brush the tops with the beaten egg and sprinkle a little maple sugar. Leave the other half of the cutouts plain. These will be the bottom of the alfajor. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are light brown. Mine took 9 minutes. Cool for a few minutes and then place on cooling racks.

Spread the plain cookies with dulce de leche and then top with the maple sugar-topped cookie. Done! These are perfect for the holidays - or just because you keep a secret stash of pure Canadian maple syrup in the back of your pantry... like me.

Cookies for my co-workers!

How Sweet: A Dream, Aloud

2011-09-02T21:57:00.000-07:00

Lemon blueberry cinnamon rolls.
Chocolate chunk cookies.
Maple bacon scones.

Pretty good summary, I think.

2011-08-12T15:52:00.000-07:00


Flickr Photo by Alaskan Dude

Goodbye, Wyoming. Montana is calling. Change is coming.

Part of moving to Montana is creating a life that is better suited to me. It might sound simple, but in reality it is hard to accomplish. The patterns, choices and behaviors we create in other places tend to follow us around, some good and some bad.

So it's baby steps - living in a townhouse IN TOWN, starting a new career that is better suited to talents and skills that I want to develop and explore. I'm not anchored, but I'm not feeling so lost at sea in a new place. Perhaps I've moved from floating around in an inner tube to an inflatable raft with a paddle...

So, bear with me, I just have to tell you about this job. For the last few years I have been tied to a position that complemented my education but not necessarily built on personal interests. Don't get me wrong, I like what I accomplished but I slowly developed new paths - social media, websites, digital mapping, design. I assumed there was little chance I could actually land a position doing these things considering my previous employment and the economy... but what do you know... I actually did!

I'm managing websites, social media, publications, and graphic design and involved in creating interactive content, iBooks, interpretive signs and visitor experiences (and all on a Mac, no less). I will travel to London, Germany, and New York to work with powerhouse communications and publishing firms. And, the cherry on top, I'll be working with National Geographic in D.C. to create NatGeo-branded maps, video, and other projects. Pretty much a geography nerd's dream.

I also have to throw in that I'm so encouraged by my new co-workers. Not only are they dedicated, intelligent professionals, they are genuine, thoughtful and full of integrity. That, and we floated a local river my first day with a cooler of beer. Enough said.

No more bragging, just a big hello to the Big Sky state. Even if I thought I was going to feel alone here, that hasn't been the case just yet. In fact, I ran into my cousin at Costco on Monday. I haven't seen her in 15 years so I hope she didn't think my 25lb bag of flour was weird. And if she did... I guess she's still on the right track.

Baking Brunch: Recipes for After the Wedding

2011-07-12T16:49:00.000-07:00

A friend's daughter is getting married on Friday, and, as the mother-of-the-bride, she is also hosting a casual brunch for a group of 30 out-of-town friends and family Saturday morning after the wedding.

Not wanting (understandably) to do much more than put out plates, fruit, and juice, she asked me if I would be willing to put together a spread of muffins and coffee cakes. I'm pretty sure I didn't even let her finish the question before enthusiastically responding "YES!"

While my first instinct is to go into brunch overdrive - cinnamon rolls? sausage and egg braid? cherry danishes? - I have been trying to keep my baking imagination to a minimum in order to match her low-key, country style. Instead, I'm throwing in just a touch of flare with the presentation via a little shopping trip to World Market recently. Hellloooo baskets!

Since the bride's favorite color is red, I picked up these:

Square Isabella Baskets (in red)

Red Rattan Square Tray

as well as some bright turquoise chargers. That's right, flare.

So what am I making? Here's my list right now:

Orange Blueberry Muffins

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Maple Glaze

Apple Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze

Strawberry Jam Coffee Cake

Lemon Ginger Scones

Bacon & Cheddar Scones

I still really, really want to make some danishes just to try it out a recipe. We'll see if I walk past the puff pastry without putting some in my cart... I think you know how that will end.

Lofty Thoughts: Doors and Walls

2011-06-28T19:26:00.000-07:00

Photo by TerryJohnston

OK, I'm going to be honest here. I feel as if I've gotten to a place in my life where I have no plans, no back-up plans, no crazy plans. Are you seeing a trend? I don't need a road set in front of me, but I feel like I at least always have a compass direction. A hunch.

In essence, I'm standing in front of a brick wall. No windows, no doors - only the sinking feeling that there's a wall behind me, too.

There's a quote I've always enjoyed from Emerson:

Every wall is a door.

Except I'm calling bullsh*t on that. I'm going with Coco Chanel:

Don't spend time beating on a wall,

hoping to transform it into a door.

Maybe it's the impatient pessimist in me. I'm pretty angry with this wall and the fact that I'm not sure how to knock down the whole thing or climb over it or drill a big, fat hole in the middle. Angry!

Guess it's time for wine and a bubble bath.

And maybe some fresh mango cake.

Farmers Market Fresh: Getting Ready!

2011-06-16T13:08:00.000-07:00

Cupcakes This Week:

Carrot with Cinnamon Buttercream and Carrot Curl

Vanilla Bean with Raspberry Buttercream and Raspberry Preserves

Chocolate with Marshmallow Buttercream, Graham Cracker & Hershey's Piece

Also this week:

PB and Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Citrus-Glazed Ginger Cookies

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Bars

Rosemary Honey Shortbread

And now you know how I've blown through 15 pounds of sugar

and 30 pounds of flour in the last few weeks...

Sweet Delivery: Cupcakes on the Move

2011-06-10T18:23:00.000-07:00

OK, I know I've been a little MIA - but don't fear, I've been baking up a storm. Unfortunately, the weather also decided to whip up a storm or two... just in time for the first farmers market of the summer! Rain quickly turned into 2 inches of snow and hail, followed by some very gusty winds. After spending days prepping doughs, batters and frostings, I was incredibly disheartened. How can you let good butter go to waste?!

Luckily the weather cooperated enough for the market to take place yesterday, and I was able to unload a little more than half of my inventory. Perhaps the best thing though was a call to deliver a dozen to a local business as a thank you from a customer. So fun! Turns out cupcake deliveries might be a great way to make up for market leftovers. I also got a custom order to do make cupcakes for a dinner party on Sunday. Guess this small town could really use some cupcake lovin'.

Pictured above are the 3 flavors I made this week:

Strawberry Limeade: Fresh strawberry cake with a key lime buttercream

Zucchini Caramel: Zucchini spice cake with vanilla bean caramel frosting

Lemon Lavender: Rich lemon cake with lavender, honey & lemon buttercream

The Tweetest Little Baby Shower in Texas

2011-05-31T12:40:00.000-07:00

Favor Bags: Homemade Strawberry Jam, Fruit-Scented Hand Sanitizers,
Pearberry Bath Fizzies and Handmade Felt Bird Brooches

For the first baby shower I've ever been too - and the first one I've thrown - I think it went well... and was definitely tasty! We had lots of inspiration along the way as you might remember from THIS PREVIOUS POST. So here's the recap - with recipes to follow this week:

Grandmas in yellow and the Mom-to-Be with the diaper wreath and their sashes

Day and Time: Saturday at 2:00 pm
Season: Summer
Theme: Birds
Colors: Red, Yellow and Turquoise
Baby: Girl (Riley)

What a feast! (Minus the platter of apple/brie/walnut toasts)

DIY Items: Invitations, Diaper Wreath, Game Cards, Wishing Tree, Favors (Bath Fizzies, Strawberry Jam, Felt Bird Brooches), Bunting, Table Runners, Game Prizes (Layered Cake in a Jar)

Guests filled out their best wishes for baby Riley...

... and hung them in the wishing tree!

Menu:

Savory - Chicken Skewers with Sauces (Thai Peanut, Buffalo, Honey Mustard), Caprese Skewers, Roasted Red Pepper and Corn Salad, Roast Beef and Turkey Pinwheels, Jalapeno Artichoke Dip, Guacamole, Brie/Apple/Walnut Toasts
Sweet - Vanilla and Red Velvet Cakeballs, Lemon Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream, Strawberry Pretzel Salad, Lemon Whoopie Pies, Orange-Berry Mini Cheesecakes, Lime Margarita Fruit Dip with Fresh Fruit
Drinks - Strawberry Lemonade, Pearberry Mimosas with Prosecco

Top Row (L-R): roasted red pepper and corn salad, dips, caprese skewers;
Middle: strawberry pretzel salad, cupcakes, lemon whoopie pies;
Bottom: orange berry cheesecakes, pinwheels, cakeballs

Decorations/Special Touches:

Fabric Table Runners and Bunting
Wishing Tree with Chipboard Birds
Diaper Wreath
Flowers - sunflowers, daisies and mums
Fabric sashes for Grandmothers and Mom-to-Be
Blue and Yellow Tin Bird Watering Cans with flowers

Birds and daisies - perfect for a summer afternoon shower!

Games:

Nursery Rhyme Fill-in-the-Blank

Pick Her Traits Guessing Game

Present-Opening Bingo

Saltwater Stories: Sailing and Cupcakes

2011-05-23T13:43:00.000-07:00

Flickr photo by cogdogblog

A spent a lot of time during my childhood on boats - sailboats, motor boats, boats with outboards, canoes - so it was pretty likely that my little vacation down here on the Gulf Coast was going to involve getting on the water! Today was the day.

It's breezy here, to say the least. With winds around 30 mph, we got a 44 foot sailboat up to 9 knots (about 10 mph) in 4 foot waves. And I was even at the helm - water crashing over the bow, the main and jib sails only unfurled halfway. It was glorious after so many years away from this life of racing, weekend trips to Galveston, and skipping out of school early to sail with friends on Friday afternoons.

As I stepped in the shower to rinse off oily sunscreen and salty seawater, I felt fresh and new, scrubbing away layers of stickiness and grit. Likewise with the heat, I feel like I've been sweating out negativity and years of my own grit. How good it is to wash away the grime.

Licking my lips, I still taste a little tang from the waves and have this notion of something spicy and sweet, with a pinch of salt on top. That's me, right? I made these zucchini cupcakes with caramel frosting a few weeks ago and they were a MAJOR hit. I think they would be divine with a pinch of sea salt on top and would encourage you to give it a try.

Sidenote: I went to my FIRST EVER cupcake shop - Sprinkles - this week and had a bite of my mom's salted caramel cupcake. This frosting is not the same as the one from Sprinkles (not as creamy) but I rather liked it that way!

Zucchini Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting (Taste of Home)

3 eggs
1-1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon almond extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1-1/2 cups shredded zucchini

CARAMEL FROSTING:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup 2% milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 to 2 cups confectioners' sugar

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, oil, orange juice and extract. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to egg mixture and mix well. Stir in zucchini. Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

For frosting, combine the brown sugar, butter and milk in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Cool to lukewarm. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until frosting reaches spreading consistency. Frost cupcakes. Top with a pinch of sea salt, if desired.

Yield: 1-1/2 to 2 dozen.

Bird Feed: Mini Fillo (Phyllo) Cheesecake Cups

2011-05-18T06:19:00.000-07:00

I can't lie - this last week has been perhaps the hardest of my life. A lot of big disappointments, a few exceptionally hard decisions that I'm not sure are right. (Do you ever really know?)

The one highlight is that I'm leaving town for a whole week to go down to

Texas to help throw my sister-in-law a baby shower. This break couldn't

have come at a better time.

I've done a lot of recipe experimentation recently to figure out which

ones would be good for the shower AND which I might want to sell at the farmer's

market this summer. These cheesecake cups seemed like a good fit for an

afternoon summer shower - and since it's a bird theme I think they

conjure up the idea of a cherry cheesecake nest!

It's a pretty standard recipe that would be super simple to whip up

for a dinner party or backyard BBQ. You could flavor the filling in different

ways - I'm thinking anything from chocolate to lemon would be so yum.

I even have a small dream to make a "turtle" version...

There are lots of recipes out there, but I found that the one over on

the Athens Foods website appealed to me the most - and besides, I tend

to trust recipes from the companies that make the main ingredient!

PETITE CHEESECAKE CUPS

Ingredients
4 oz. softened cream cheese
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon flour
1 egg
1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon juice
15 Athens® Mini Fillo Shells (1 box)
1/4 cup sugared berries, preserves or canned pie filling

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and flour. Blend in egg, vanilla and lemon juice, until smooth. Spoon 1 rounded teaspoon of filling into each Fillo Shell. Bake in preheated 325°F oven 12-15 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Top with 1/2 teaspoon of fresh fruit. Serve immediately.

Makes 15 Desserts

Monday Music: Sarah Harmer's "Almost"

2011-05-09T14:31:00.000-07:00

Funny how a song more appropriately matched to my upcoming trip to the Gulf Coast reminds me of a place so completely opposite of all things Texas. Sarah Harmer, Canada, I miss you.

And if I am a sailor

You are the warm Gulf wind

And you've blown into this little port

And roused my dreams again...

Big "News" Day: Pie Bird Cupcakes in the Paper

2011-05-05T13:01:00.000-07:00

Excuse the camera phone quality, but my cupcakes made the local paper this week. Hooray! Although I admit it must be a slow news week when a photo of cupcakes get a 1/3 page spread, I'm pretty sure that any news involving delicious cupcakes is appreciated by most people.

These cupcakes - coconut with lime infusion, berry tart lemon, and vanilla vanilla - were made for a local food fest reception last week. If you think eating locally is hard, try baking locally... especially when you live in Wyoming! I ended up using local eggs, flour from Montana, butter from Utah, homemade vanilla extract and milk from Idaho! Not ideal, but hey, I'm proud of the effort.

After I e-mail the reporter to ask for some copies of the photos, I'm off to go buy some copies of the paper!

Tunes for Foot Tapping: Be My Honeypie

2011-04-26T23:08:00.000-07:00

How I love The Weepies!

Sweet Deal: $5 Taste of Home Cookbooks plus $1 shipping! 54 books to choose from

2011-04-26T06:51:00.000-07:00

Spring cleaning isn't just for your house - bust out of your recipe lull and clear the way for some new Taste of Home cookbooks... for just $5! Right now there are more than 54 different books to choose from.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE BOOKS

And for an even sweeter deal, enter code 2046P for $1 shipping!

Happy Spring :)

(even though it's snowing in Wyoming)

Baking Bonus: Icing Fruits, Flavors, and Batter Babies!

2011-04-22T08:12:00.000-07:00

Oh, how I dream of living near a specialty bake shop! Luckily, I have friends and family that do and on occasion a little treat or two arrive on my doorstep. With Easter approaching, my mother decided to make a stop at Houston's Make-A-Cake decorating supply warehouse (baking warehouse? swoon) and send me a few fun baking additions:

Icing Fruits

Concentrated fruit with real fruit pulp to add

flavor and fruit to icing, confections, or cakes.

I had never even heard of icing fruits - but I am

sure looking forward to some experimentation!

CK Products makes a bunch of different ones:

banana, cherry, lemon, orange, raspberry and strawberry

Go to their website!

Lorann Natural Flavor

This natural flavor is produced in a base of vegetable glycerin and/or natural grain alcohol and contain no added sugars or fats. The flavor is designed to be used in cakes, fudges, frostings, fondants, cream centers, hard candy, ice cream and a wide variety of other baking applications.

I have seen the small bottles of this stuff at grocery stores, but now I've made it to the big time with a large bottle of strawberry flavor! If you've ever seen one of their displays, you know that there is an enormous variety, so here's just a few:

almond, banana, blueberry, cherry, cranberry, creamy caramel, maple, pomegranate, strawberry, toffee, apple, bavarian cream, black walnut, butterscotch, champagne, cheesecake, coconut, coffee, egg nog, guava, key lime, mango, marshmallow, melon, orange cream, peach, pina colada, plum, watermelon

Go to their website!

Kimber's Batter Babies

Bake one of a kind cupcakes containing two flavors (or colors). Batter Babies fit most standard size cupcake pans and cups. Buy two packages to save time and fill all 12 cups of your favorite cupcake pan with Batter Babies. Made from a foodgrade plastic, they are reusable. (Remove before baking)

I have seen these on a few of my favorite supplies sites recently but have yet to meet anyone who's used them. Looks like more experimenting is in order! Cupcakes just got a whole lot more delicious - two flavors?! I'm in.

Go to their website!

Butter and Sugar and Deep Breaths

2011-04-20T15:29:00.000-07:00

It's been two weeks since I embarked on Funemployment - and I feel like I've contemplated 900 career paths since then! I'm lucky that some great part-time work came my way almost immediately and will provide me with the income and time to pursue something new... a home bakery.

Wyoming cottage food regulations allow for home baking in limited ways, including selling at farmers markets, and I'm looking forward to a full summer of cupcakes, cookies and more starting in June. So without further ado, put your hands together and lick your lips as I introduce the Pie Bird Bake Shop!

I've found some great resources, recipes, ideas and suppliers in the last little while I hope to share them all with you as I sort things out. From where to find packaging to specialty ingredients, this is sure to be a couple of very sweet months!

Transitions

2011-04-05T09:08:00.000-07:00

Photo by Bluespete

I quit my job yesterday.

I am

resigned

to be happy.

The decision to end something is never easy -

the choice to be let loose in the world is terrifying

yet exhilarating.

A horoscope is a horoscope, but this was mine this weekend. It was the exact reminder I needed and the perfect summary of my mental struggle:

You can’t know what – or who – will prove to be ‘important’ further down the road. Therefore, curtail your know-it-all tendencies, Aquarius, when it comes to determining which exchanges to devote your time and attention to. As long as you’re caught in your head, attributing value to a potential interaction in advance of seeing how the moment spontaneously flows (or doesn’t), you’re still operating in a world of abstracts… a place where it’s too easy to overlook the actual people right in front of your face, offering you something you probably couldn’t have foreseen, because you’re too busy orchestrating ‘best-case scenarios’ and ‘ideal situations.’ Please let random remarks divert your focus, scramble your priorities, throw a wrench in the works. Bless the sudden shift in scheduling. There’s nowhere else to hurry off to; you’re already where you need to be. Nonchalantly explore the cast of curious characters populating these environs. Speak the strange thoughts swirling around your lips, inviting the adjacent human to respond as she or he sees fit, and see where it goes. Flexibility and responsiveness are winning strategies; forcefully struggling to ‘stay on track,’ not so much.

That is my prayer this week. Amen to nonchalant exploration.

Almanac

2011-03-23T12:17:00.000-07:00

Photo by MoHotta18

Time to plant tears, says the Almanac.
- Elizabeth Bishop

If there was an almanac
that told you how
your fingertips could
caress the flesh of a woman
as you might plough
your father's fields (which
is a beautiful thing to some)
if there was a calendar of days
when a girl grows into
a man's woman, sprouts
from the mother - which is warm
which is sunny autumn days
which is first loves -- if there
was such an almanac for the sexes
would we know the proper times
to sit together, to walk in the fields
watching the seasons? There are seeds
to be planted when weather is right.

(Kathryn Loynes)

Cupcakes and Cookbooks: Celebrating the Life of a Family Foodie

2011-03-16T14:50:00.000-07:00

Sisters in the Kitchen (L-R: Mother Pie Bird, Aunt)

I'm headed to Seattle this week - but unfortunately not for some grand taste-the-town outing (really all I want is some Thai food - pretty please?!). A dear aunt passed away suddenly and I'm flying out to help with packing and organizing and a memorial service.

One of the reasons this aunt was so special to me was that we shared a love of the kitchen - and cookbooks! We would spend afternoons hunting through used bookstores, picking up old classics and finding new culinary adventures. In graduate school, I would drive up from Oregon and we would cook together for Thanksgiving. More recently, she brainstormed ideas for pies for the pie buffet at my wedding and we exchanged recipes for butter tarts and poutine over e-mail.

Now that my family is packing up her things, deciding what to keep and what to sell and what to give away, one thing is for sure... her cookbooks are in high demand! Notes in the pages, folded corners, a favorite cookbook is a wonderful way to remember someone - I'm fortunate to even have a handwritten and hand-bound cookbook of her recipes. After family and close friends pick out cookbooks from her stack this week, the remaining ones will be set out at the memorial service so that everyone can take a little bit of her with them. It gives me goosebumps!

The other part of celebrating the loss of a foodie that I have discovered is that sending flowers just won't do. Edible fruit arrangement? Didn't seem right. Potted rosemary plant? A little odd. And then it hit me. Cupcakes.

Since it's Seattle, I had no trouble finding a cupcake shop practically down the street from her house - and where my family members are now gathering. Cupcake Royale had every flavor I wanted AND they deliver. I sent a dozen cupcakes that should arrive tomorrow - an assortment of Peppermint Party (had to have something green!), Lemon Drop, Coconut Bunny, and the Plain Jane (her namesake!).

Fingers crossed that there are some left when I arrive Friday night! If not, I think I'll be venturing down there myself to try out some of their other flavors: the Kate (it's my namesake, after all), Triple Threat, Royale with Cheese, chocolate Coconut Bunny, Orange U Glad, Dance Party, Classic, Lavender, Red Velvet, Carrot Cake, Salted Caramel... and their cupcake of the month... Bacon Whiskey Maple!

I love that they work so hard to source local, fresh ingredients (from flour to cherry liquor!) and, really, how can you go wrong with a company blog called Legalize Frostitution? I didn't need to look anywhere else.

So, in sum, cookbooks and cupcakes are my celebration of her life - and I know she would love it (and is probably a little peeved that she's missing the cupcakes). Luckily, she's now busy enjoying lemon meringue clouds and endless shelves of cookbooks that exist in the Big Kitchen in the Sky.

Sweet Deal: 60% off Irregular Aprons at Flirty Aprons with FREE Shipping!

2011-03-10T18:42:00.000-08:00

Flirty Aprons is clearing out their "irregular" aprons at 60% off their regular prices - from about $35 to a cool $13 with FREE SHIPPING. There are 13 styles to choose from right now - a lot of them perfect for Spring!

More details:
Flirty Aprons go through a rigorous quality inspection. As with all things sewn, sometimes things don’t turn out absolutely perfect.

Currently, a limited variety of Flirty Aprons are on sale for some irregularities.

These aprons typcially have small blemishes like restitching, loose seams or pockets, or minor printing flaws. Most of the flaws are minimal and difficult to detect.

Additonal Sale Details:
Aprons range from 60-63% off normal price
There are limited amounts available in each style

Most flaws are minimal and difficult to notice

All irregular sales are final

USE CODE Ship4Zero to get free shipping!

Bird Feed: Super Moist Cinnamon Coffee Cake

2011-03-10T07:50:00.000-08:00

Business meetings at 10 am are a baker's dream - scones? muffins? pastries? This week I opted for a coffee cake, but I was going to have to make it the morning of the meeting - and since I'm not particularly fond of waking up at 6 am - I wanted it to be easy to throw together and slide in the oven while I got ready for work.

Enter Paula Deen. Come on, like you're surprised. I had seen her recipe for Spicy Cinnamon Cake in the past - I just couldn't get around using store-bought cake mix. It seemed so... sacrilegious. However, when I learned that the meeting was going to be with some potential partners from down South, I knew Paula was my girl.

Off I headed to the little local grocery store in search of a simple spice cake mix and vanilla pudding - only to discover that it wasn't going to be that simple! I ended up picking up a box of Betty Crocker's Decadent Supreme Cinnamon Swirl cake mix (which I had never seen before) and crossed my fingers. Not like you can really go wrong with something called Decadent Supreme anything...

So here's the recipe from Paula - with a small change on baking time:

1 (18-ounce) package spice cake mix or similar
1 (4 serving) package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup corn oil
5 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 10-inch tube (I used a bundt) pan. Combine cake mix, instant pudding, sour cream, eggs, and corn oil and beat together well. In a separate bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, and pecans.

Pour half of batter into prepared pan and sprinkle with sugar mixture, reserving a little to sprinkle on top. Pour the rest of batter into pan and sprinkle with the rest of sugar mixture.

Bake 45-50 minutes. Let cool and remove from pan.

This cake was a dream! I've made sour cream coffee cakes in the past, but the addition of the vanilla pudding mix really seemed to kick the moisture up a notch. I think one sign of a good coffee cake is whether or not people actually have a piece during a meeting - like you just can't help it - and this cake definitely achieved that.

Thanks, Paula, always happy to bake with a friend!

Heroes in a Half Shell: Turtle Cookies!

2011-03-04T21:19:00.000-08:00

People that know me know that "my animal" (besides my obsession with bird motifs, of course) is the turtle. Turtle sign on my office door, turtle jewelry, metal turtle on the wall, ceramic turtle... it's not quite an obsession...yet.

So, when I saw a a turtle cookie recipe by Diamonds for Dessert over on The Kitchn today, my heart soared. That, and it's possibly the CUTEST turtle cookie I could ever imagine...

Turtle cookies... what a great start to the weekend!

Can't wait to make these :)

Always a Winner: Put a Bird On It

2011-03-03T08:26:00.000-08:00

Portlandia, you are amazing. I'm not even offended.

Sweet Deal: $1 Simplicity Sewing Patterns at Hancock Fabrics!

2011-02-22T11:27:00.000-08:00

Normally around $17 retail, you can score some great patterns over on Hancock Fabrics for a buck! I'm definitely getting the baby bibs and shoes! With more than 2 dozen different $1 patterns to choose from, I'm sure you can find something you like! Here are my favorites:

Baby Bibs

Sweet pea, strawberry, carrot, watermelon,

apple, orange, lemon, purple flower and pink swirl

Bags

Clutch, overnight bag and luggage tag patterns

Child's Aprons and Accessories

Aprons, bags, potholders, and felt accessories

Childs and Misses Aprons

Waist aprons in three sizes and potholder

Misses Aprons

Bib and waist patterns

Misses Aprons

Aprons, hat in 3 sizes and bottle cozy

Misses and Babys Shoes

In three sizes each (s, m, l)

Misses Bags

Shoulder bag pattern

Misses Easy to Sew Skirts

Slim and flared skirts, each in two lengths

Oh So Tweet! Planning a Baby Shower

2011-02-21T13:41:00.000-08:00

With my sister-in-law due early this summer, the season of baby showers is quickly arriving for those of us hosting! My mother, sister and I are planning a shower for the end of May - which poses some interesting problems not the least of which is that the planning spans 3 distant cities and 2 states!

So far the planning has involved phone calls, and Facebook messages and e-mails - and I'd say we're doing pretty well! We've considered the wishes of the future parents who are much more pro-yellow and red than the typical pinks and purples for girls - and their outdoorsy and laid back style.

While at first I was leaning toward a yellow/grey color scheme, the addition of red to the yellow followed by a few inspirational photos online with a hint of turquoise has resulted in a fun, vibrant and certainly summer outcome! Strawberries and lemons!

The three of us have found lots of great ideas across the web for food, fun, games, and decor. Here are a few of my favorites:

Aqua/red/pink/yellow inspiration on The Finer Things

Summer Strawberry Social on The Finer Things

The Bird-Inspired Yellow and Gray Shower on HWTM

Another Yellow Shower on HWTM

Preggatinis over on Real Simple

Marshmallow Pop Color Inspiration from MakeMerryEvents

Lemon love from Project Wedding

Turquoise inspiration from PepperDesignBlog

Cake posted on CakeCentral

So far, though, the best inspiration has come from - shocking - cute fabric! Since we're all crafty gals who will no doubt end up making bunting and centerpieces and favors and table runners, fabric is always a great place to look for inspiration. That, and it gives all three of us something to work off of in a separate cities. Check it out:

I can't help but mention that I found both of those fabrics for less than $4/yard on sale. Super bonus! And since the preview images of both designs were fairly large, I was able to use them for a sample invitation! I've been slowly teaching myself Photoshop skills in my free time, so this shower is also a great excuse to play around in the software. Here's the first draft:

Of course now I'm all motivated to create matching pieces - enclosure card, menu, napkin rings, game cards, place cards, signs for food (oh how I can't wait to plan the food!), hang tags for favors, labels.... that's right, I'm a baby shower maniac.... funny since I've never been to one myself!

And don't worry, I'll make sure to post FREE PRINTABLES of all the designs for you to download and edit for your own uses if you so desire :) Stay tuned for more baby mania!

Lofty Thoughts: Valentine's Edition!

2011-02-14T17:25:00.000-08:00

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in

my heart)i am never without it(anywhere

i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done

by only me is your doing,my darling)

i fear

no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want

no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)

and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows

higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

e. e. cummings

Sweet Deal: Reflections on Pi Shirt from Woot

2011-02-09T06:44:00.000-08:00

It's coming.... Pi Day! Nerds across the land will celebrate their dorkiness on 3/14 (or should I say 3.14?) and you had better be ready for all of the pie celebrations that accompany it. Hence:

Get it today for $10 + free standard shipping over on shirt.woot.com. Pretty sure I'm going to pull the trigger and get this in a few minutes... like you're surprised...

Doing the Bathroom Backstroke

2011-02-08T07:38:00.000-08:00

Apologies for the absence - with weather dipping into the -40s last week in NW Wyoming, the pipes in the little log cabin just couldn't take it anymore.

After removing the cabinets

First it was the bathroom pipes, which resulted in a mad dash to get to the main... which first meant removing the custom cabinets that someone thought would be a good idea to install in front of the water heater. Then it meant gutting the counter in the case we had to remove it from the wall. After a hour of gushing water, the washer/dryer area and kitchen then began to flood...

Futile attempt to soak up water

Once the main was off, water was shut off for the night. Unfortunately, the plumber forgot to close the crawl space door and it was discovered the next morning that the main had exploded, too, when it froze overnight. Another night without water.

Carpeted bathroom floors are a terrible idea.
Especially with an inch of water.

When that was fixed, it caused the pipes in the kitchen to go! Once the stove was removed and the kitchen counters cut into (old cabins like this have the pipes along the outer wall, which is totally inconvenient when there's a problem), it seems like all is well.

Empty bathroom counter, ready for removal!

Fingers crossed - and a sigh of renter relief!

Bird Feed: Toffee Butter Tarts with Shortbread

2011-01-28T07:40:00.000-08:00

The cell phone camera strikes again.

I realize that there is a certain sacredness to butter tarts if you're Canadian. Some people are purists - no raisins! no nuts! Some, like my dad, don't care what's in it as long as it's runny and requires skill and finesse to slide it out of the tin and in your mouth before you become a gooey mess. Personally, I'm proud to be a butter tart opportunist. Count me in, nuts or not! Raisins are just wrong in anything other than oatmeal cookies.

Which brings me to this little culinary adventure. I broke my own rules and changed the butter tart recipe... don't judge, toffee is always worth it. And since I was making these in a mini muffin pan, something about a shortbread crust just seemed right. The overall effect was like butter tarts on crack - upped the sweetness with a little salt with the shortbread, added bite and kick of flavor in the filling. Sooooo worth it.

Mmmm toffee

This recipe will make between 32-36 mini tarts (sidenote - does this make them "tassies" ?) - although I halved the shells recipe for a reason I could kick myself for and now have leftover butter tart filling in the fridge - I'm hoping to be inspired to use it in something else this weekend. Any suggestions?! Here's the recipe:

Shortbread Tart Shells
Adapted from Joy of Baking

1 cup (227 grams) (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (65 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all purpose flour
2 tablespoons (30 grams) cornstarch or rice flour
1/8 teaspoon salt

Lightly butter, or spray with a nonstick vegetable spray, 36 miniature muffin tins (approximately 2 inch (5 cm) in diameter). Set aside. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together (approximately two minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour, cornstarch and salt and mix just until incorporated.

Divide the dough into 36 even pieces and place one ball of dough in the center of each muffin tin. With your fingertips, press the dough up the sides of the individual muffin tin so there is an indentation in the center. Once filled, place the tart pan, with the unbaked shells, in the freezer for about 10 minutes so the shortbread can become firm. (This will help to prevent the shortbread from puffing up during baking.)

** At this point I'm going to diverge from the JOB recipe - instead of 18-20 minutes of baking, bake for about 10 minutes (since you're going to put them back in the oven later).**

About halfway through the baking time, lightly prick the bottom of each shortbread, with the tines of a fork, if they have puffed up. Check again after another five minutes and prick again if needed. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. When completely cooled, remove the tarts from the pan. (These may be made in large quantities and frozen.)

Lesson learned - never half a butter tart recipe. You'll eat them all.

Butter Tart Filling

Adapted from Food.com

1/4 cup soft butter

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 pinch salt

1/2 cup corn syrup

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

**For toffee tarts, you'll also need a cup of toffee bits**

In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, mix together the soft butter, brown sugar, salt and corn syrup; stir well until sugar is dissolved and butter is creamed. Add egg and vanilla and mix well.

Retrieve tart shells and divide toffee equally into all shells; then divide butter mixture into all tarts.

Bake at 400F for 12-15 minutes; filling will be lightly browned but still bubbling.

Let cooked butter tarts cool in pans for 10 minutes after removing from oven; then remove and place on racks until completely cool.

The Superbowl of Pies: National Pie Championships and National Pie Day!

2011-01-23T09:24:00.000-08:00

Today might be all about football - but as I set out to enjoy a low key morning before the big Bears v. Packers game, I came across a video on Hulu that was a perfect addition to my day... coverage of the American Pie Championships! Why is that perfect? Today is NATIONAL PIE DAY!

As far as I can tell, there's not much to National Pie Day other than the pure enjoyment of pie - what a terribly simple and delicious idea. Check out some of these posts as you look to celebrate in the most scrumptious ways:

National Pie Day - A Baker's Dozen Ways to Celebrate

Happy National Pie Day from SeriousEats

It's National Pie Day! from About.com

How to Celebrate National Pie Day from eHow

Football and Apple Pie from MontclairPatch

Healthy Ways to Celebrate National Pie Day from Blisstree

So what about the Pie Championship? Put on annually in April by the American Pie Council (I know! How do I get to be on a Pie Council?!), the championship takes place in Florida and includes categories for both professional and amateur pie makers.

About the competition:

The 2011 APC Crisco National Pie Championships will take place at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, FL. Amateur pie makers, professional bakers/chefs & commercial pie companies from around the country & Canada have been competing at the NPC since 1995. The APC has created a standard of quality in pie making on all levels. We have a well-established record in the pie-judging field for both amateur bakers, professional and commercial bakers alike.

...flavors will include apple, apple crumb, banana cream, berry, blueberry, cherry, chocolate cream, citrus, coconut cream, cookie/candy cream, open cream, custard, key lime, silk cream, peach, pumpkin, raisin, nut, open, open fruit/berry, peanut butter and Best New Product.

Make sure to spend some extra time on the American Pie Council's website - you can find recipes, pie events around the country, and even a pie poster.

Whether you're more excited about pie or football today, just remember that you don't have to choose between them!

P.S. Look closely at the video and see how many PIE BIRDS you can spot during the competition!

Lofty Thoughts: C. S. Lewis

2011-01-21T18:53:00.000-08:00

Photo by foxypar4

It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.

C. S. Lewis

Sweet Idea: Denver's Handmade Homemade Market Club for Small Producers

2011-01-20T11:20:00.000-08:00

Hand-Churned Raw Milk Ice Cream at HaHo

Since Wyoming is really just one big main street, I often read the HuffPost's Denver section to get the "local" news from the big city. Today was a real treat - there's a profile on Denver's Handmade Homemade Market Club (HaHo), what a wonderful idea!

Here's a brief excerpt:

To encourage local craftsmen, agriculturalists and cooks to take their products public, Gettleman and HaHo co-founder Kylie Manson created a venue with minimal red tape or financial barriers.

At HaHo, which operates out of Greenspaces on 26th and Walnut, vendors and guests sign up at the door to become members of the Handmade Homemade Market Club. Transactions are all based on suggested donations and bartering, so there are technically no "sales;" just trading amongst friends.

Nonetheless, Gettleman sees an entrepreneurial element in the HaHo Market's model. That's why he's hosting a 4-part workshop series over the next several months aimed educating the public on the basics of starting a business. The workshop, entitled "How to turn your business idea into a business," covers everything from where to find funding, to legal issues.

We want to be "[an] incubator for those really small businesses and people who are thinking about starting businesses," Gettleman explains.

So great! I adore the concept, especially since being a smaller "producer" definitely comes with challenges - no commercial kitchen, for example. Our local farmers market has been a wonderful outlet for me, but I am so envious of the opportunities that seem to be springing up in more populated areas. Do you have a support system like this where you live?

Vendors at Haho

Don't forget to check out the HaHo website: CLICK HERE.

Bird Feed: Barefoot Contessa Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel and Maple Glaze

2011-01-18T07:55:00.000-08:00

When a coworker's birthday coincides with a week of staff inservice, there's really not that much to celebrate. Unless, of course, you like to bake and therefore make the case for a birthday breakfast cake! I've been looking forward to making Ina Garten's Sour Cream Coffee Cake for some time and was not disappointed.

You can make the cake in a tube pan or - like me - a bundt pan. Following the advice of some of other reviewers, I doubled the streusel topping so that I have streusel on the top of the cake (add about 1 cup to the bundt pan before putting in half the batter) and in the middle (add the remaining streusel and top with the rest of the batter). I also doubled the maple glaze - shocking, I know.

As we sit down to hours of meetings today, I'm satisfied knowing that no one's stomach should be growling. How can you go wrong when you start the day with the Barefoot Contessa?

Here's the recipe - which you can also find over on the Food Network:

CAKE:

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sour cream
2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

STREUSEL: (I doubled for the bundt cake)
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional

GLAZE:
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons real maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan (or bundt pan).

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Finish stirring with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

For the streusel, place the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and butter in a bowl and pinch together with your fingers until it forms a crumble. Mix in the walnuts, if desired.

Spoon half the batter into the pan and spread it out with a knife. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter in the pan, spread it out, and scatter the remaining streusel on top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Carefully transfer the cake, streusel side up, onto a serving plate. Whisk the confectioners' sugar and maple syrup together, adding a few drops of water if necessary, to make the glaze runny. Drizzle as much as you like over the cake with a fork or spoon.

Sweet Deal: Diana+ Mini Camera On Sale at Urban Outfitters for $40 (normally $70)

2011-01-17T11:36:00.000-08:00

I have been keeping my eye out for good lomography camera deals for the past couple of months. I love the vintage look and concept of using these kind of cameras - especially in this super fast world of digital photography. I've struggled with diving right in as I would also love a new DSLR - but I couldn't resist this deal!

Sidenote: Want to learn more about the images that are possible with a Diana+ Mini? Check out the Diana+ Mini Flickr pool!

Photo By GymeeDee

As part of a new sale over at Urban Outfitters, you can score the Diana+ Mini (in all-white) for $39.99 + 10% off (use code TAKE10). Shipping is sucky at a flat $10, so make sure to pick up some 35mm film while you're there. The camera normally retails for around $70.

This version does NOT come with a flash, but I figure it will be a great start and allow me to figure out if I want to invest more. Here's what it does come with:

Down to size. 35mm Diana takes the same glorious, dreamy shots as the full size classic Diana+, but with the option to format your shots in either a half-frame (the frame is divided in half so that you can shoot two separate images and have them show up side-by-side... you get double the amount of shots!) or vintage-inspired square format. Multiple exposure function; B mode for long exposures; cable release attachment; bright and cloudy exposure options; carry strap; Diana Flash Plug. The included full color hardback photo book, Shoot, features photos taken with the Diana Mini as well as tips and advice for using yours.

CLICK HERE to visit the Urban Outfitters Diana+ Mini Camera page and check it out for yourself.

Sew Wonderful: New Fabric and Patterns from the Fat Quarter Shop SALE

2011-01-14T07:41:00.000-08:00

As my birthday creeps closer this month, I am reminded mainly of one thing.... I have a gift certificate from Fat Quarter Shop that I need to use before it expires! Although I received it last year as a birthday gift, I guess I've been hoarding it waiting for the perfect project. Since I haven't been sewing much since the holidays, it's time to jump back in - and here's what I've decided:

Flea Market Bag Pattern

Reversible, 4 Styles

I can't believe I've never really made a bag - this one seems like a

great first step. Each bag needs 2 yards of matching fabric - so here were

my choices for two different bags...

Sugar Caramel Scoops - *ON SALE* 40% off by the yard

Sugar Fuchsia Swirled Trees - *ON SALE* 40% off by the yard

Art Gallery Coral Connecting Flowers - *ON SALE* 40% off by the yard

Art Gallery Blush Scattered Flowers - out of stock

And since I'm going to be an aunt in the upcoming months,

I also decided to get started on a few baby gifts...

Little Bitty Bib Pattern

3 Designs

...with this fabric!

Woodland Friends II Fat Quarter Bundle - *ON SALE* 30% off

Thank goodness they are having quite the sale - my gift certificate went a long way and my order arrived on the doorstep yesterday. My mother had the good sense to get me new sewing scissors and pinking shears for Christmas, so I'm ready to go!

Bird Feed: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Mini Loaves

2011-01-13T10:08:00.000-08:00

Since I apparently needed an excuse to use my new mini loaf pan, I picked up some overripe bananas at the grocery store last week with crumb-topped banana bread on the brain. By the time I got home from the store, though, I had a brilliant banana epiphany involving some mini milk chocolate chips leftover from holiday baking. Then, as I was putting away groceries, I spotted a half jar of peanut butter. The vision was complete.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread.

With the best thing about quick breads being the whole quick part, I easily whipped up a batch based on the recipe over on Recipe Girl and ended up with 8 mini loaves + 1 mini bundt. And the friends and neighbors rejoiced! What better way to spend the weekend than making little loaf deliveries of complete deliciousness?

Here's the recipe as it appears on Recipe Girl:

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1¼ cups whole wheat flour
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbs baking powder
¾ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1½ cups mashed bananas
1 cup milk
¾ cup smooth peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9×5-inch loaf pans (or muffin tins.)

2. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugars, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

3. In another bowl, combine mashed bananas, milk, peanut butter, vanilla and egg. Add to flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

4. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 50 to 55 minutes (give it a check at 40 minutes), or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.

Yield: 2 loaves

P.S. I am sans-camera for the time being - all hail the camera phone!

Recipe Resolutions: Challenge Yourself!

2011-01-11T21:39:00.001-08:00

If 2010 was challenging for you - personally, professionally - it might have been because life decided to challenge you in ways you weren't expecting, wanting, or, let's face it, able to deal with as gracefully as you might have wanted. And if you know all too well what I'm talking about right now, high five! 2011 is going to be different.

As part of this new year, I'm resolving to take the reigns back a little bit and challenge myself in the small ways that I can both control and take ownership of. So, without further ado, here's my first step - Recipe Resolutions! You know what I'm talking about, those recipes you've never attempted but find sexy and interesting, possibly a little out there, or maybe back-to-basics. Start your list today - and maybe hit up the grocery store for all those exciting new ingredients on the way home!

PIES and TARTS

Mojito Key Lime Pie

Butter Tarts

Linzer Torte

Apple-Pear Galette

Caramel-Pecan Tart

COOKIES and BARS

Nanaimo Bars

Whoopie Pies

French Macarons

Toffee Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Homemade Girl Scout Tagalongs

Lime Squares with Gingersnap Crust

CAKES and more

Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream

Cream Cheese Pound Cake for the Grill

Tiramisu

Texas Sheet Cake

Strawberry Shortcake Cake

SAVORY

Herb and Brie Biscuits

Thai Chicken Pizza

Garlic and Rosemary Goat Cheese Tart

Asiago-Artichoke Turkey Spread

Apple-Smoked Mozza Mini Calzones

Bacon-Wrapped Potato Bites with Spicy Sauce

OTHER

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Canned Apple Pie Filling

Sun-Dried Tomato Jam

Creme Anglaise

What are your recipe resolutions this year?

I'm sure my list will grow and change - I'm hungry just thinking about it!

Just Because

2011-01-11T09:12:00.000-08:00

There is no value in life except what you choose to place upon it

and no happiness in any place except what you bring to it yourself.

Henry David Thoreau

Sweet Deal: FREE "Always the Baker, Never the Bride" Kindle Book Download

2011-01-07T12:05:00.000-08:00

For those of you with a Kindle or the Kindle reading apps on your mobile or laptop (also free!), check out this FREE book download from Amazon. I haven't read it, but it gets glowing reviews - and any book that includes recipes is a winner in my opinion!

From Amazon:

Thirty-six-year-old Emma Rae Travis has been baking specialty cakes and melt-in-your-mouth pastries at The Backstreet Bakery in historic Roswell, just outside of Atlanta, for the last six years. But here s the rub about her job as a baker ... Emma is diabetic. When she tastes her creations, it can only be in the most minute portions. Emma is considered an artisan for the stunning creme brulee wedding cake that won her the Passionate Palette Award last year, but she s never even had one full slice of it.

When Jackson Drake hears about this local baker who has won a prestigious award for her wedding cake artistry, he tells his assistant to be sure and include her in the pastry tastings scheduled at his new wedding destination hotel the following week. And for Jackson, that particular day has started out badly with two workmen trapped in a broken elevator and a delivery of several dozen 300-thread-count bed linens in the wrong size abandoned in the lobby. But when the arrogant baker he met a week prior in Roswell stumbles into the dining room with a platter of pastries and a bucketful of orders, he knows for certain: It s going to be a really rotten day.

Can these two ill-suited players master the high-wire act and make a go of their new business venture? Or will they take each other crashing downward, without a net? And will the surprise wedding at The Tanglewood be theirs?

Total Pie Domination: Food Trends of 2011

2011-01-07T05:41:00.000-08:00

Yep, that's right. Pie is officially taking over the world. Don't believe me? Check out "The Food Trends of 2011: Vegetables and Pie" over on HuffPost.

Some of the pro-pie sentiments:

"Pies are really coming back into style. We are seeing pies have their day in the sun because they are the ultimate comfort food. There is something so familiar about pie. In many ways, it can be a one-dish meal." (Liz Vaccariello)

"Cupcakes Are Dead. Long Live The Pie! .. Trend-spotters are calling pie the food of the year. Texas and New York restaurants offer pie happy hours. Pies are showing up at weddings, and pie shops are opening in a neighborhood near you. Pies come in sweet and savory, maxi and mini, deep dish and deep-fried." (NPR)

"Pie for Dinner, Meat Pie, Pies 'n' Thighs, there's no stopping The Age of Pie." (The Feast)

"If I had one trend -- one trend -- of the year that I could predict, that's why it's in the No. 1 position, this would be the trend for pie. I think that we're going to make room for pie shops in the next year. ... This is not just sweet pies, this is savory pies, bite-sized pies. They are even blended into milkshakes," he said. "I'll eat pie if I don't get this one right at the end of the year." (Andrew Freeman & Co.)

I guess I had better get busy and post a new pie endeavor! I have been busy in the kitchen in the last couple of weeks - Oatmeal Raisin bars, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, Glazed Orange Loaves, 4 Grain Wheat Bread, Snickerdoodle bars - so there's a good indication of what's coming your way! Now to add pie to that list....

Thanks for the Good Tastes, 2010!

2011-01-01T09:31:00.000-08:00

As you look back on 2010, don't forget all of the memorable munches you had throughout the year! And if you need a little inspiration, check out these "best of" roundups from around the web:

2010 Best Recipes from Southern Living

Greatest Hits: 2010 from Cooking Light

Top Dessert and Baking Recipes of 2010 from About.com

The Best of 2010 Posts over on The Kitchn

Top Recipes of 2010 from The Food Network

Favorite Cookbooks of 2010 from Bon Appetit

Top Recipes of 2010 from Craftzine

The Best Blogs-to-Cookbooks of 2010 from HuffPost

Top 20 Unique Cupcake Recipes of 2010 from My Recipe Finds Online

The Hit List: Top Recipes of 2010 from MyRecipes

The Best of 2010 from Love & Olive Oil

The Hottest Posts of 2010 from Simple Bites

Happy Tasty 2011!

Was Your Kitchen Naughty or Nice This Year?

2010-12-30T11:46:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but apparently my kitchen was VERY good this year based on how kind Santa was in adding to the mayhem. From books to bakeware, I'm heading into 2011 with some great new toys. Thanks, friends and family, for being incredible enablers of this baking addiction!

What fun, new additions are you playing with post-holidays?

Professional Mini Loaf Pan, Eight-Count
from Sur La Table

Kuhn Rikon Frosting Decorating Pen
available at Sur La Table

Collapsible Cupcake and Cake Carrier

available on Amazon

Preserve® BPA Free Mixing Bowls

available from BB&B

Wilton Icing Colors, Set of 12
available on Amazon

Very Merry Cookie Party: How to Plan and Host a Christmas Cookie Exchange

available on Amazon

Bear Down! Chi-ca-go Bears!

2010-12-28T09:27:00.000-08:00

Bears v. Jets

Soldier Field

Dec. 26, 2010

Who cares if it's 10 degrees with lake effect snow?!

Sign of a great game: removing your gloves to find your hands

covered in the black powder of the hand warmers that exploded

with so many high-fives.

Hope everyone had a lovely holiday!

Back tomorrow with Pie Bird deliciousness :)

Compliments of the Season 2010

2010-12-22T09:43:00.000-08:00

Whew! I finally finished all of my little goodie bags of homemade gifts for my coworkers. As you know, I look for any excuse to try something new or cross a project off my list, so this holiday season was no exception.

Not everything was new, however. You might remember the cookie dough tubes from last year - click here for that post - they also made an encore appearance this year after many requests! And I did resort to an oldie-but-goodie recipe when the thought of rolling out dough for gingerbread cookies made my head want to explode - who doesn't love a spiced molasses cookie?!

So here's most of what was in the goodie bags this year - minus the addition of a small box of peppermint fudge and the cutest clean paint can container of homemade caramels that I inexplicably forgot to take pictures of! Dang! Here's the recipe for the caramels and the recipe for the fudge (add 1 tsp peppermint extract and top with Andes mint pieces to make my version).

Cookie Dough Tubes:

Citrus Christmas Shortbread Cookies

& Holiday Cheer Chocolate Chip Cookies

Personalized Mug Candles**

Made with Water Slide Decal Paper

**Check out my tea cup candle tutorial here

Spiced Molasses Cookies

with Homemade Peppermint Patties!

Get the peppermint patty recipe here.

Hot Stuff! Coffee/Tea Sleeve Cozies

Read more on how to make these...

Flight Light Firestarters

...little nest and all!

Select Goat Milk Soaps:

Chai Tea, Tea & Ginger, Farmhouse Cider, Orange Clove, Honey Oat

Key Fob Wristlets

a fun and useful way to attach gift tags!

I'm headed to Chicago for the holidays tomorrow - fingers crossed for good travel - so I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. See you next week :)

Sweetie Pie Deal: Your New Favorite [and FREE!] Christmas Music for Download

2010-12-18T13:36:00.000-08:00

Head on over to the downplayer today to get a bunch of FREE downloads of Christmas music that will literally rock your socks off (and not in a Kenny G or Alvin and the Chipmunks way):

Carol of the Bells - The Bird and the Bee

It's Christmas - Coconut Records

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - David Bazan

Christmas Song - Denison Witmer

Lo How a Rose Ever Blooming - Feist

Frosty the Snowman - Fiona Apple

Christmas in Harlem - Kayne West

Christmas Time is Here - Mayer Hawthorne

Winter Wonderland - Radiohead

Winter Song - Sara Bareilles/Ingrid Michaelson

Click here!

A Bird Can Dream: Back to Basic Toys

2010-12-13T10:16:00.000-08:00

I went with a friend on a little shopping excursion this weekend - she did her holiday shopping for her two sons and I stocked up on all of the butter, sugar, flour, and chocolate chips I needed for my Christmas baking and a work event on Wednesday (more on that later).

Having no children of my own (and more than completely OK with that), I was totally blown away by the toy sections we bravely crawled through amidst other holiday shoppers. Who are these TV cartoon characters? What does this mechanical looking bug do exactly? Why are there so many weapons? Is EVERYTHING animated?

As someone who grew up watching Shirley Temple movies on VHS and playing with Lincoln Logs, I was overwhelmed by plastic and action figures and "batteries not included" and dolls that don't look even remotely soft and cuddly. How sad! In response, this edition of A Bird Can Dream is turning back time - and not that far! - to take a look at the toys that I remember being the bee's knees, courtesy of Back To Basic Toys.

Lincoln Logs - $39.99

Wooden Marble Run - $34.99

Snoopy Sno-Cone Maker - $19.99

Skittles Game - $49.99

Tinker Toys - $25.99

Children's Classic Card Games - $10.99

Magic 8 Ball - $8.99

Etch A Sketch - $17.99

Swivel Bridge Train Set - $59.99

Lofty Thought: Carl Sagan

2010-12-12T09:09:00.000-08:00

“In order to make an apple pie from scratch,

you must first create the universe.”

Bird Feed: Iced Lemon Sour Cream Mini Cakes

2010-12-07T06:46:00.000-08:00

Fine, so these little babies aren't exactly in season, but I tend to think that doesn't matter when you take into account the deliciousness factor. After I picked up these mini bundt pans at World Market, I couldn't resist taking them for a test drive and decided to go with my gut on the recipe choice... citrus!

These iced sour cream lemon cakes originally come from the glazed lemon cake recipe in The Silver Palate cookbook (one of my favorites!), found here on nigella.com, and were absolutely yummy. Add a little lime zest to the batter and glaze for an extra tangy kick! Mini bundts are great gifts for teachers, neighbors, and coworkers, as if you needed any more motivation to give these a whirl...

You'll Need:

1/2 pound sweet butter, softened

2 cups granulated sugar

3 eggs

3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, sifted

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sour cream

2 tightly packed tablespoons grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Glaze/Icing:

1 lb confectioners sugar
8 tbsp butter
3 tbsp lemon zest
1/2 c lemon juice
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour your mini pans or a 10-inch tube or Bundt pan
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition.
Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture alternately with buttermilk or sour cream, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Add lemon zest and juice.
Pour batter into prepared cake pan. Set on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 45 minutes (or an hour and 10 minutes for a regular pan), or until cake pulls away from sides of pan and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool cake in the pan, set on a rack, for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan and spread on icing at once, while cake is still hot.
To make the icing: Cream sugar and butter thoroughly. Mix in lemon zest and juice; spread on warm cake.

My mini bundt pans from World Market

Sour cream

A mix of mini pans!

Prepping the glaze/icing

Hot out of the oven

Cooling on wire racks

Iced perfection

This is a breakfast food, right?

Sweetie Pie Deals: Bacon Resurgence?

2010-12-06T13:42:00.000-08:00

OK, I know my last post indicated that Pie is on the rise (watch out!) but it seems as though Bacon is still uber popular on the clothing front. Check out these 2 deals on bacon-related tees - perfect for that pesky little brother who is hard to shop for... or just because bacon is delicious:

Mmmerica! T-Shirt

$6.99 + $2.50 shipping

(originally $14.99)

Periodic Bacon Table T-shirt

$4.99 + $3.50 shipping

(originally $16.99)

Pie is Winning the Web!

2010-12-04T06:34:00.000-08:00

Via Eater

Look out Cupcakes and Bacon, Pie is the new internet superstar.

According to Google trends, nothing compares to the almighty Pie:

"...while charts suggest that cupcakes' increased popularity signals the slow decline of the cult of bacon, neither of those come even close to the unending and infinite popularity of pie." (Eater)

Very sweet indeed.

A Bird Can Dream: Museum of Useful Things

2010-12-02T08:51:00.000-08:00

With categories like Carry, Affix, Clean, Read & Write, Hold, Measure, Organize, and Assist, the Museum of Useful Things is bound to be, you guessed it, useful. If you're having a difficult time shopping for the practical person on your holiday shopping list, head on over there!

The Museum of Useful Things byline has always been “the beauty of function” the satisfaction of a well-designed product that is economical (not just in price, but in usage) made of appropriate materials, and one that does the job well, intuitively if possible.

Machinist Apron

Canvas Mason Bag

Pencil Dispenser

1-1/2 Bushel Canvas Basket

Bridle Hook

Craft Show Recap: Booth Photos!

2010-11-30T14:50:00.000-08:00

My first of two craft shows/markets of the season was last Saturday. It is the same show that I did last year (click here for that post) although this year I snagged two booths and really spread out in an L-shape that worked nicely as I had the two spots on an end of a row.

The holiday market put on by the local farmers market is on December 12th so I'll be taking inventory and whipping up a few new things between now and then. I also hope to get some items into the Pie Bird Etsy shop so be on the lookout as you do your holiday shopping!

Bargain Bins + Bookmarks + More!

Fabric-Covered Button/Felt Bookmarks with library card/pocket packaging

Fabric-Covered Button/Felt Brooches + Button Earrings + Button Hair Pins

Goat Milk Soaps in my lovely vintage apple baskets

Bath Fizzies + Lotion Bars + Bath Tea + Sugar Cube Scrubs + Mini Soap Sets

Shower Sugar Cubes - Sold out!

Bath Teas

Lotion Bars for cracked heels & other stubborn spots

Snowball Bath Fizzies - Sold out!

Giving Thanks - and Getting Full!

2010-11-24T14:16:00.000-08:00

Even though I'm traveling this week and am not making my own Thanksgiving dinner, I continue to bookmark tasty recipes from around the web with reckless abandon! Check out these delicious dishes and I'll see you back here next week...

Cauliflower Gratin with Roasted Chestnuts and Parmesan Cream
Curried Sweet Potato Soup with Goat Cheese Biscuits
Pumpkin macaroni and cheese

Herb Stuffing Muffins
Thanksgiving Stuffing Croquettes with a Gravy Center
Savory Spinach and Artichoke Stuffing
Apple and Cheddar Scones

Bacon-Wrapped Turkey Breast Stuffed with Pear Hash
Cajun-Injected Spicy Turkey

Cranberry Curd Bars with Walnut Shortbread Crust
Lime Squares with Gingersnap Crust Recipe
Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Sweetie Pie Deal: FREE Thanksgiving Cookbook Download from Martha Stewart

2010-11-19T05:56:00.000-08:00

If you're planning a menu, looking for a dish to share, or simply looking to drool over some Thanksgiving recipes, then Martha is going to help you out! Travel on over to SIRIUS radio's website to download the Martha Stewart Thanksgiving Hotline Recipes Cookbook - either all at once or by chapter:

We’re delighted to share this collection of delicious recipes to help you prepare the best meals for your family and friends this holiday season. Our 2010 Thanksgiving Hotline cookbook is filled with recipes for every course, from savory entrées and sides to delectable desserts — all from acclaimed chefs and experts, including Martha Stewart, Emeril Lagasse, Wolfgang Puck and Charlie Palmer.

Some of my favorite picks:
Butternut Tamales with Chipotle Chicken
Turkey Roulade with Peach and Sage Gravy
Autumn Pumpkin Risotto with Thyme, Apricots and Pecans
Bacon-Maple Squash Spaetzle
Fried Stuffing Bites with Cranberry Pesto
Apple Praline Tart
Cranberry Pecan Pumpkin Upside-Down Cake
Holiday Cocktails

Enjoy!