This is what I've been up to...

Cakes by Nancy....















Took a cake decorating class...



Working in my garden....















And my mom and son-------------------------






and my mom and my sister







and we couldn't keep track of who was supposed to close their eyes while we took this picture...



And a couple of my sweet babies...

Kelby loves the grass = )















and then there's Ozzie who can get comfortable just about anywhere...

Hiatus

I'm going to take a hiatus from baking and blogging for a little while. My mother has been ill and in the hospital and will probably need to move to an assisted living facility. So whatever free time I did have will be taken up with the work that needs to be done to accomplish that. Till sometime in the future...

TWD: Caramel Crunch Bars

Whitney from What’s left on the table? chose Caramel Crunch Bars for this weeks Tuesdays with Dorie. You can find the recipe on Whitney blog or on page 112-113 of Dorie Greenspans cookbook "Baking From My Home to Yours".

These were easy to make and taste great. The little bit of coffee and cinnamon flavor really shine in these cookies. Although they are maybe a little too sweet for my taste, the family really liked them. Great choice Whitney!

TWD: Devils Food White Out Cake

Stephanie of Confessions of a City Eater chose this weeks Tuesdays with Dorie baking project and what a project it was...I think everyone was waiting for this recipe to be picked since it is on the cover of Dorie Greenspan's cookbook "Baking From My Home to Yours".

I've learned over the months that I've been baking along with the TWD group, that it's very, VERY important to read Dorie's recipes through and then read them again and maybe even read them a third time to make sure I know exactly what she's saying. For instance, in this recipe I wasn't sure when making the frosting what stage the egg whites needed to be whipped to before I started adding in the syrup, because she says to begin whipping them on medium, but if they get firm, shiny peaks before the syrup reaches 242 degrees then you have to slow them down. I personally would like information that said beat the whites until they were at such and such stage, then add the syrup, which should be 242 degrees. And then if she would want to add the part about how she might want to go about doing that, at least I would understand where I wanted things to be when they go together. I know...picky-picky. I just have a difficult time understanding what she's saying many times. I get so caught up in the recipe, I forget to take pictures as I go. Oh well!


After reading the P&Q this time and everyone having problems with the cake rising very much, I was a little hesitant to try. And I didn't have 8 inch round pans. But I found a couple of 8 inch square ones and decided to give it a go anyway. And of course, my cakes didn't rise very much either. One of the difficult tasks of this recipe was cutting the layers in half since they were so flat anyway. The picture on the cover has much fatter layers than my cake!! But the cake does taste delicious! More like a cakey brownie! The frosting tastes like whipped marshmallow and the mix of the two is just pure bliss.




Yum! Thanks Stephanie for a great choice! Go check out the recipe on Stephanie's blog and taste it for yourself!

TWD: World Peace Cookies

These cookies are definitely yummy enough to create world peace! Jessica of cookbookhabit chose World Peace Cookies , for Tuesdays with Dorie this week. The recipe is on pages 138-139 of Dorie's cookbook or you can get the full recipe on Jessica's blog.

When I was mixing these up and the directions said to pulse the mixer on low and that the mixture would be kind of crumbly, I had no idea how crumbly Dorie meant. I really never thought I was going to get them into a roll to refrigerate them to slice them later! I dumped a bowl full of barely mixed flour on the counter. Somehow I got the two logs rolled and in plastic wrap. Slicing them was a new adventure. I had serious doubts that they would even come out at all! But yummy they are...so rich and dark and deliciously chocolate! The taste of the salt with the sweet of the chocolate was just another wonderful surprise! Luckily my cookies didn't come out too large...I don't think I would have wanted a larger cookie, they are so rich! I've never made a cookie without some other kind of liquid or egg or anything else to hold it together! But it works...













...and warm from the oven - they were especially yummy! Thanks Jessica!

TWD: Fresh Ginger and Chocolate Gingerbread

Heather of Sherry Trifle chose Fresh Ginger and Chocolate Gingerbread for this weeks Tuesdays with Dorie.



There was a LOT of ginger going into this recipe. I'm very surprised that it didn't taste more gingery. It was kind of like spicy chocolate cake to me. I have to admit, I'm not a big gingerbread fan, so I was a little reluctant to try this week and give an opinion because of that. It was a very quick dish compared to other recipes that we've tried from Dorie's book.

Go to Heather's blog for the full recipe or Dorie Greenspans cookbook and try this one for yourself!

TWD: Savory Corn and Pepper Muffins

Rebecca of Ezra Pound Cake by Rebecca chose Savory Corn and Pepper Muffins on page 6 of Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan for this weeks Tuesdays with Dorie project.

I think a lot of people had the same idea about a nice pot of chili and these muffins - and well...it goes wonderfully together on a cold January night - the chili, the muffins and the warmth you feel after eating these.



I would have to say, they are very colorful, even though I didn't use the cilantro. (We are a 'no cilantro' family.) They tasted fine without it, I will have to say. The only problem I saw was that mine were a little on the dry side. I'm used to corn muffins that stick together a little bit - and these just seemed to crumble in my hand. I didn't think I baked them too long, the only thing I can think of was that I used frozen white shoepeg corn that seemed a little smaller than the usual yellow corn. (I couldn't find any frozen corn in the store that didn't have butter sauce in the package!!) My husband really enjoyed these.


















It looks so pretty getting all mixed up!


















Mmmm...warm and buttery fresh out of the oven! Thanks Rebecca for this weeks pick and thanks that it wasn't something sweet! You can find the recipe on Rebecca's blog or in Dorie's cookbook.

TWD: French Pear Tart

This week, we at Tuesdays With Dorie are actually "baking with Dorie" in a virtual cyberspace sense kind of way! Dorie Greenspan herself chose this week's adventures in baking - and it was delicious!

This was the tart out of the oven waiting for it's apple jelly glaze.



I am always kind of anxious when baking something for the first time and I don't have a picture to go by. I should have done what other people on the list did and search the internet for a picture, but I didn't and it was OK anyway! It was more than OK...My husband and I really loved it as well as my daughter-in-law! The tart crust was incredible...more like a cookie and the sweet almond cream nestled the pears with just the right sweetness and nutty flavor! I only wish I had a tart pan with the removable bottom since we lost some of that delicious crust in the pan I cooked it in, but my daughter-in-law wasn't going to leave those crumbs behind! Haha!

It was a pretty straight-forward recipe and now that I've made it, I think I could easily do again. And I love that you can use the canned pears and come out with a wonderful tasting dish and not feel guilty about not having done everything from scratch!




Something very simple with such an elegant look and wonderful taste...that's an A+ in my book!
Thanks Dorie for all your wonderful recipes. It is really a pleasure trying them all!








You can find this recipe on Dorie's blog Dorie Greenspan or in her wonderful cookbook, Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan.

Happy Baking to all in 2009!!