Tag: Food

Hello Kitty

From the day I saw the post on Sugarbelle’s site about her new Hello Kitty cookie cutter, I knew I had to have it.  Even though my daughter isn’t a fan of the cartoon character, it still melted my heart to see the perfection of the cookie.  I was surprised to see there were so many …

Chocolate Chip and Cherry Scone

With the holidays coming, everyone’s time will be tight.  The days leading up and after the actual celebration day are filled with family, meals, and chaos.  A scone is a quick breakfast which can be made the night before after everyone has gone to bed and thrown into the oven when the coffee is brewing. …

Individual Makes It Sweeter

Thanksgiving means pie.  Don’t try to deny it.  You’re guests are expecting pumpkin and probably apple.  How can you surprise them with something different, but sticking to traditions?  Make it individual. Tia made this little goodie as a Treat of the Week and vowed to never do it again.  It’s a popular post 0n Pinterest and …

Eight-Legged Fun

I love adding a splash of color in the web against the black background.  This same effect can be done with white or any color combination you like.  I happened to have black on hand. I considered adding sparkles to the spider, but the multi-colored body won out. Warning:  If you do serve your children …

Sink Your Teeth Into Them

With Halloween around the corner, there are tons of cute crafts and treats out there.  I couldn’t resist the fangs on sticks that I saw on Sugarbelle (my cookie idol.)  This photo is minus the sticks and has the addition of our vampire fiend.  He doesn’t sparkle or drink synthetic blood.  Instead, he takes after the old …

Chocolate Truffle Cake

I love chocolate cake.  It has to be one of my favorite sweets in the world.  Luckily, my husband shares the same opinion.  Well, kinda.  We recently discussed what makes the best chocolate cake.  I said something decadent with layers of different chocolate textures.  He said the traditional frosting and cake combo like grandma used …

A Flexible Meal

Quiche is one of those simple mysteries in life.  Is it breakfast?  Lunch?  Brunch?  Would you dare to serve it at dinner?  When is the perfect time for the savory pie? There are two things I adore.  1.) Quiche.  The flaky crust holds in a fluffy egg mixture mixed with the most interesting flavor combinations you can …

TTW: Peanut Butter Cookies

Tia took her solid peanut butter cookie and customized it per request.  In her regular peanut butter dough she added chocolate and peanut butter chips after a suggestion from her husband.  Then she altered the size from the tradition “normal” cookie size to the bigger version I want to sell at the bakery.  She did …

TTW: Applesauce Coffee Cake

Fall is just around the corner and will bring the harvest fruits with it.  Some people will have the opportunity to pick a bunch right off the tree and then end up with tons of apples they aren’t sure what do with.  Applesauce is the staple for these situations, but then you are back to …

A Cookie Is Worth a Thousand Words

Recently, a friend of mine received tragic news about a family member.  As people on the outside, we stand around helpless wondering what we can do to help.  We don’t know what to say.  Distant from offering anything of actual comfort.  Patiently waiting until there’s a sign we are needed. A couple weeks ago, I talked about making …

TTW: Gingerbread Cupcakes

When Tia said she was going to make a gingerbread cupcake, I sneered.  I scoffed.  I huffed and said “Who likes gingerbread?  I mean you’re forced to at Christmas time, but why would someone choose to eat it?”  Boy, was I wrong. People couldn’t get enough of it.  People who usually pass up sweets and …

TTW: Avalanche Bars

It’s peanut butter, white chocolate, marshmallows, and mini-chocolate chips.  All that AND it’s super easy to fix.  What’s not to like? Here’s the site where Tia got the recipe.  It walks you through every step.  You can do it! Rating: Easy Delish! Tia’s Note:  These were so good and super easy!

Bakery Review: Salt & Straw, Portland, Oregon

The Salt and Straw isn’t a traditional bakery.  In fact, there is nothing traditional about this place; it’s half ice cream shop/half bakery.  We came for the infamous ice cream combinations like blue cheese and pear, chevre with marionberry habanero jam, and coffee and bourbon, but were pleasantly surprised to see it was a bakery too. The location …

TTW: The Pantry Brownie

The official name to this is the Ultimate Pretzel Crusted Peanut Butter Cookie Candy Brownie Bars.  Seriously?  How is anyone supposed to wait around for you to get out the title before you dive into this awesome brownie?  So, I changed the name.  Yeah, I did it just like that. With all the ingredients being …

TTW: Oatmeal Scotchies

Cookies are pretty darn good.  It’s hard to beat a well made cookie.  Tia has a “no hard” rule about her cookies.  They must have a crisp crunch on the exterior and then a softness when your teeth continue the bite.  These oatmeal scotchies do exactly that. If you’re looking for a pretty darn good oatmeal cookie and …

TTW: Lemon Bars

It should be a crime to use lemons for anything but Lemondrop martinis.  Okay, maybe that’s a little drastic.  If you do end up having tons of lemons you aren’t sure what to do with them, here is a great, easy, summer recipe. These lemon bars are a fabulous combination of tart and sweet.  They have …

TTW: Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake

This is a perfect treat for a 4th of July morning.  And it’s super good, too!  I’m not a big fan of the blueberry muffin, but this cake is so much more.  The cake is moist, light and a nice ratio of blueberries to cake.  The crust on top has a crunch and a beautiful brown color.  The …

Strike! A Bowling Cake

A bowling party must be a right of passage for every parent.  There must be something about a lot of screaming while hurling heavy balls down a lane that resonates with every child under the age of seven.  Even I have hosted a bowling party in my day.  I did before I was creative in the baking world.  There …

TTW: Raspberry and White Chocolate Scone

Breakfast is one of those meals where it’s hard not to go with one of the regulars such as bagels, donuts, or cinnamon rolls.  Anything outside of that and you are likely to start a riot.  Tia was bold and went for an english classic.  While it’s true, if you add white chocolate and raspberries …

Angry Birds Cake Pops

My kids and nephews LOVE angry birds.  I’m not quite sure the allure of this game, but it must be something great.  Or at least have great marketing.  Have you seen the line of gear?  They’re even selling pillows in Costco now.  When I asked my sister what my nephews would like made out of …

If Life Gives You Lemons

My standard answer to the riddle of what to do when life gives you lemons is to make a lemon drop.  And I will admit I make a mean one at that.  Tia and I are funny about our agreed love for the lemon drop even with two very different home recipes.  My packs a punch with a …

TTW: Strawberry Bread

For a few minutes, we saw a flash of spring.  There was warm sun beating down on our skin and even the whim of wearing shorts.  In this quick spurt there was enough time for strawberries to grow and the local strawberry stand to open.  To welcome this change of the season, Tia wanted to …

TTW: Snickers Brownie

I know the site has been a little delayed lately.  Don’t worry.  Tia is still cranking out her weekly’s.  It’s the fault of the blogger they have not made their way to the web.  I’m currently in the works to correcting this problem. Here is a decadent one to keep you on a sugar high …

TTW: Snickerdoodle

The snickerdoodle is a classic cookie.  Funny part is the fact I’d never really had a snickerdoodle before meeting Tia.  She introduced me (and my daughter) to the world of a soft sugar cookie rolled in a cinnamon/sugar coating.  The concept sounds so simple, but as we’ve discovered through several tastings of snickerdoodles all over …

TTW: Rainbow Cake

From the moment I saw the creation of Rainbow Cake I’ve been gushing, “We must make this.”  Tia answered the call before I had a chance.  It didn’t mean I was out of the loop.  In fact, we had many conversations about it before it was created.  But Tia did all the heavy lifting to …