Tag Archives: baking

How to Make Vanilla Extract

Yes, you can make vanilla extract at home. The process is simple and will produce vanilla extra with much more flavor and nuance than the stuff you can buy in the store, so you’ll want to especially use it in dishes and deserts that have a strong vanilla component. Homemade vanilla extract is, of course, wonderful to use in any recipe that calls for vanilla extract. Your version will be smooth and taste pure. Before you get started, you will need a glass vessel of some kind that contains a strong seal. You can choose a fancy container bought for … Continue reading →

Williams-Sonoma and the Dutch Chocolate Dilemma

I couldn’t wait to open the package in the mail. Earlier that month, I had “ordered” a new book from Paperbackswap. The title is simply Willams-Sonoma Muffins. It’s a gorgeous full color cookbook filled with, well, muffin recipes, but also quick breads. (By the way, if you have gotten a chance to read some of my posts over at the Frugal Living blog, you’ll know that I am a fan of Paperback swap. The retail price of the Williams-Sonoma Muffins book is $16.95. An average credit will cost you $2.25-$2.75). As if by divine providence, the Muffins book fell open … Continue reading →

Experiment with Different Flours

For the person who is gluten free, you can tend initially to stick to using either rice flour or a general all purpose gluten free flour. For self raising flour this is usually a combination of rice flour, soy flour, maize starch and tapioca starch. Gluten free flours don’t rise as well in cakes and bread as wheat flours so I often add a little baking powder as well. Recently though while shopping, instead of just reaching for the rice flour and the self raising flour, I had a little more of a browse. I ended up coming home with … Continue reading →

My Cute Cake Adventures

When spring comes, I typically don’t start thinking about growing things in the garden, but rather creating things in the kitchen, specifically cakes. We have a lot of birthdays in the spring and summer in this family, and everyone expects a special cake. Sometimes there are requests attached to the cakes, such as a pirate ship or a princess castle. Other times it is simply to make a “cool” cake. Sometimes these cakes are requested not for birthdays but for other family get together. There is really only two requirements for these cakes. The first is that I must be … Continue reading →

Recipe for Frugal Cookies

All cookies are not created equal when it comes to how much they cost. Yes, homemade cookie gifts are a good way to be frugal and generous at the same time, but do you know exactly how much that batch of cookies is costing you to make? I don’t want to be a scrooge, of course, but when choosing between two recipes, it might be nice to see which batch of cookies will cost you less. Here are some guidelines about ingredient costs and which recipes are generally the most expensive. Ingredients If you get a good deal at the … Continue reading →

Spending Time in the Kitchen

As we rush around, trying to keep pace in this hectic world we live in, it’s hard to make time to really think about food, and that, in my opinion, is the #1 reason we’re getting fatter. We have so many things to balance that proper meal planning isn’t a priority. Back in the olden days, women would spend most of their day preparing food. That doesn’t sound very fulfilling or exciting, but we’ve gotten away from that with all these convenience foods. Some would say we’ve come a long way, baby, and I have to agree – to a … Continue reading →

Bread Machine Wheat Rolls

These are by far the absolutely best bread machine rolls that I have tried. I make them often, at least once or twice a week, and they go quickly in my home. In fact, I’ve had to make extra batches of these rolls and send them home with guests. My eldest child is now an expert at forming them. The rolls are so easy to make, because you use a bread maker to form the dough and put it through the first rise. The recipe has the added goodness of powdered milk, which gives it a smooth texture as well … Continue reading →

King Arthur Flour and The Baker’s Catalogue

A whole new world of amazing delights I never knew existed has just opened up to me. Some people have sweet tooths, but not me. I am a Sweet Tooth and I found perhaps what can only be deemed my Mecca: The Baker’s Catalogue. Recently I wrote about how I’m definitely not opposed to having food delivered by mail. That’s how I stumbled across this amazing find. Wayne and I got to talking about a favorite cookie from our youth: cherry chip. King Soopers, a grocery store back in Denver, our hometown, used to offer kids a choice and Wayne … Continue reading →

Two Favorite Ways to Save Money in the Kitchen

Saving money in the kitchen is one of my favorite ways to save money. I am not sure if it is because I thoroughly enjoy cooking and baking or if it is just because with such a large family, we have to find ways to save money. I have been collecting ideas and tips for as long as I can remember. I refuse to share a tip in this article unless I have tried it out for myself and see that it works. These tips are all things I do in the kitchen myself, are super easy and save quite … Continue reading →

Christmas Cookie Exchange: Pinwheels and Tassies

My daughter and I finished up the last of our major Christmas baking projects on Friday in anticipation of Saturday’s big cookie exchange. It wasn’t an official cookie exchange, rather a holiday party with a ton of sweet treats (I’m still peeling my 3-year-old off the ceiling). Still, we returned home with a tin full of cookies neither one of us had ever tried before PLUS this afternoon I got my hands on the recipes for two of our new favorites. Take a look: REFRIGERATOR PINWHEEL COOKIES Ingredients: 1-1/2 cups sifted flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 … Continue reading →