Flour Box Bakery - Tidbits

Welcome to the FBB Family

2010-03-08T21:07:48-05:00

Did you know that I have been adding new items to www.flourboxbakery.com? Well, I have! I have been happily baking away and some of these designs are total keepers. So now...they are available as a regular item on my website. Here is a little review of what's new...

A New DAISY cookie (makes me so happy)

I think these happy flower cookies would be great for just about any occasion...Get Well, Thank You, Congratulations, and on and on! Here is the Daisy Gift Box Picture. It includes 6 pink and white daisies and 6 yellow and white daisies.

I have also added a few new wedding options. A pink and white, 3-tier wedding cake complete with edible pearl accents.

And a new pink and white wedding gown with a scalloped hem.

I have added 5 other options and I'll get you an update asap - with photos. Right now, I'm going to watch 'Met Your Mother' with Toph as we enjoy the last few hours of his birthday! Yep, that's right. Today is Topher's birthday! What a fun, busy, yummy day. I love celebrating birthdays, especially Topher's. He's an amazingly nice person with a big heart. How did I get so lucky? We had a great day. I joined up with Toph for a nice little lunch at Otto's Pub and Brewery. Then, tonight we enjoyed a delicious dinner of salmon and soba noodles with roasted asparagus. My little helper assisted me with decorations. We painted birthday signs, put up streamers, and put up colorful balloons. Plus we picked up a growler from Otto's Pub and Brewery. Mt. Nittany Pale Ale - Yum! I'd definitely get that variety again! Such a special treat. Some people (like me) like cupcakes for dessert and some people (like Toph) like beer and cookies!

You might think it strange that I'd be writing a blog post on his birthday. But right now he is busy shopping online. Part of his present is a new pair of sneakers and new black shoes. He has needed them for literally years and he is finally on zappos.com buying them. I also got him three new shelves for his side of the bathroom. My stuff takes up most of the room and he needs a little special Toph space. And of course no holiday would be complete without a gadget. I found a cool docking/charging speaker thingy for his ipod/phone. Now he can rock out while brushing his teeth. And, I have hired and electrician to install Toph's very own outlet on his side of the sink. It might not seem like a big deal...but I have slowly taken over the only outlet in the room. Toph needs a little power for his stuff too. Now we'll all be happy.

So, Happy Birthday Toph! I think you'll be reading this! I love you!

Meet Sal

2010-03-07T14:52:48-05:00

I have someone very special to introduce to you today.

Ladies, meet Sal.

Awwwwwwwww.

He's single and he's ready to mingle. Here are his stats:

Full Name: Sal A. Mander (mother's name Sally)

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Amphibia

Astrology Sign: Pisces (of course)

Likes: Walks in the woods - especially near creeks and wetlands, Pina Coladas with an umbrella, Classical Music, Dancing in the Rain, and writing poetry

Favorite Poet: Robert Frost

Dislikes: Pesticides and Newt Gingrich

Romantic Dinner Menu: Earthworms, slugs and snails (basically things that move slower than Sal)

Talent/Party Trick: Sal will use tail autotomy to escape predators. If you're on a date and get into trouble, he'll drop off his tail. It will wriggle around for a little while, and then you can make your get away unnoticed while the predator is distracted. Salamanders routinely regenerate complex tissues. Within only a few weeks of losing a piece of limb, a salamander perfectly reforms the missing structure. This is great at parties too!

Sal aspires to be a poet

Seems like he's the full package!

And did you see his cute hands?

So grippy and strong.

And ladies, don't worry about the odds. Sal's got friends, lots of them.

So if you find Sal irresistible, contact him today and show him that nice guys don't always finish last!

Have a sweet day,

Anne

U.S.A. U.S.A. U.S.A.

2010-03-06T14:14:09-05:00

This post is a little delayed as a result of my birthday posts. But, just start chanting "U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A!" and you'll get in the mood for this cookie project.

I had a busy cookie week during the Olympics and so I got to listen to a lot of the evening broadcasts. I glanced up every now and then to see a USA competitor, but for the most part my eyes were on the cookies. There's just something so cool about the Olympics. The history, the traditions, the whole world coming together for two weeks. I just love it!

And how about that hockey team? Pulling the major upset! Seems like (according to facebook posts) the USA was robbed a gold medal in the end. I don't know about all that, but I did learn something new. Did you know that our star player, Ryan Miller, comes from the NHL team the Buffalo Sabres? I didn't. I was working on a custom ice hockey cookie order and the customer requested that I add the Buffalo Sabres logo to the design. Logos can stress me out. Sometimes they are too complex for me to translate to a cookie. But, this time I think it worked out well. And then I find out that Ryan is on the Sabres. I had no idea that either existed and now it seems like they are all I hear about. Here is the Sabres logo...

And here is the cookie version...

The trick is doing the logo consistently a bunch of times. I had made quite a few extra cookies to practice and I'm glad I did.

In the end, I had just enough good ones to fill the order.

I have another adorable custom order that I'll try to post tomorrow. I'm also working on some new Easter designs. I'll be posting those pics soon. It might [crossing my fingers] be time to take the winter cookies off the site. It just feels good to think that spring is near!

Have a sweet day,

Anne

My Birthday - Part Two (the presents)

2010-03-04T21:29:34-05:00

Before I get into the remaining details of my 31st birthday, I would like to announce that I finally figured out how to add a link to my blog posts. Shopify.com upgraded to a rich text editor and everything is 'what you see is what you get' (wysiwyg). Thank goodness. This makes my life MUCH easier. I can change text colors and sizes without monkeying around with 'textile'. Yeah! So, I apologize to anyone that I have referred to in previous posts that have not been linked. I'll try to go back and edit things. But, rest assured that from here on out, I'll be a linky McGee.

Now for the presents :)

My first present arrived the morning of my birthday. It was from Topher. I 'LOVE' it! (pun intended)

I had to bake it right away. I was busy with a few orders this week. So I feel like I could do a better job, but the first try (without sketching ahead of time) worked out pretty well.

I also baked a few tulips to go with it and gave them to a good friend who is so deserving of cookies!!

That afternoon, I got a surprise visit from my father-in-law. He dropped this off ...

I LOVE coffee, and think it is going to taste even better from this new 'A' cup. Really, could it be anymore perfect? A pink 'A' and polka dots. This is only going to encourage my coffee addiction!! Of course, I love eating cookies with my coffee. Thanks Bubba!

Then I was off to dinner at my mom's house (see Tuesday's pos t). One of my hobbies, other than spending time in the kitchen, is reading. My mom is so sweet. Really, she is the greatest ever! She found a book that she thinks I'm going to love.

Lunch in Paris, written by Elizabeth Bard (her blog), is a love story with recipes! I had read the JoAnn Fluke murder mysteries a few years ago and loved them. If you're not familiar, you can check those out at www.murdershebaked.com. So far, I have read the first few pages of Lunch in Paris and I haven't formed an opinion. I did breeze through the book to check out the recipes and they looked great. I'll give a you a full book report once I'm finished with it.

But, the gift that came at the end of the day was the most thoughtful and surprising.

It's from my sister-in-law. The one that made this picnic set for my daughter for Christmas. Isn't it the cutest cake platter in the world? The 'doily' of course is handmade. And, it matches my kitchen amazingly well. Plus, there was one more handmade surprise.

I love the leaf. Here's the full deal.

So, with this post, my birthday comes to an end. What a special day. Thanks to all my family and friends for making me feel so special.

Some cookie updates: I added nine new products to the site today. I'll be sending the e-newsletter tomorrow (Friday) with the updates. Want to get a copy of the e-newsletter...click on the link on the right side of the homepage.

Have a sweet day!

Anne

Birthday - Part One (the food)

2010-03-02T22:47:08-05:00

I had a wonderful birthday. It tasted so good.

Topher kicked off the festivities on Saturday night with a birthday movie night and SNACKS! But not just any snacks. My favorites!

Toph picked up a fresh baguette from Gemelli Bakers, my favorite garlic stuffed olives, and a wedge of Parmesan cheese from The Cheese Shoppe. This isn't the fake Parmesan from the grocery store that has been aged in Wisconsin for 10 months. This cheese is the real deal...aged at least 24 months, in Italy, and full of great flavor! The snack tray was topped off with dipping olive oil with a dash of salt.

He also surprised me with a beer that I had been wanting to try. Budweiser Select...only 55 calories. Toph got himself Troegs Nugget Nectar (we love Troegs, especially Hopback). Take a look at the size difference. The flavor difference was also tremendous. Nothing against Bud, but it tasted like 'College' to me. Not bad, but not good. (And in case you were wondering, the movie "I Love You, New York" was not something I would recommend. Lots of big names. Just not the movie for me.)

Monday, my birthday, featured a fantastic dinner and sweet dessert. My mom made my birthday dinner, no, my birthday feast. :)

Yum! (roasted potatoes and carrots)

Yummier!! (bread braid from Wegmans)

Yummiest!!! (my mom's famous pot roast, baby!)

We were all stuffed after dinner. No one really had room for dessert, so it was good I planned bite-sized cookies and ice cream. Ice cream fits in the cracks. Here are our ice cream bowls.

This was my bowl. Toph pulled through with the candle. I made a wish and it already came true!

I made these cookies using a small daisy cutter and then I cut a little notch in each cookie before I baked them. I think these would be great with coffee too. We called them bowl huggers last night, but coffee mug huggers could be delicious too.

And then my little girl detached the hood from her jacket and put it on upside-down and backwards. So cute.

My post tomorrow will feature my new birthday presents! Plus, my e-newsletter is going out tomorrow. If you don't currently receive a copy, sign up by clicking on the link on the right side of the homepage.

Have a sweet day!

Anne

Happy March

2010-03-01T09:21:42-05:00

March goes in like a lion and out like a lamb. Right? Since my birthday is March 1st, I have always agreed with that saying.

And, not only do I get to celebrate my birthday this month, but I also get to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!!

I created this graphic for the frontpage of my website. I was pleased with the final product. I’m still practicing with Photoshop and sometimes I can’t always remember how to change the text. Usually Topher has to help me, but this time I figured it out on my own.

I decided to feature the leprechaun from my new St. Patrick’s Day collection. He’s so cute. Love the beard and his eyebrows. Irishman always have great eyebrows.

Here is a view of the full collection:

Did you notice the pot o’ gold at the end of the rainbow? This is a stacked cookie. I made the rainbow on a rectangular cookie and then once it was dry, I stacked (using royal icing glue) the pot on top. I added a serious amount of gold sugar to pot to add some shimmer!

I hope this cookie collection will bring everyone lots of Irish luck! And, if you’re like me and your green beer drinkin’ days are over, cookies are an excellent way to toast St. Patrick!

Before I go, here is a big shout-out to my fellow Pisces: my husband, my aunt, my brother, and my brother-in-law. And, a very special hello to my newly discovered twin sister. Pisces are great! Go March!

Have a sweet day,
Anne

C is for Cake

2010-02-28T02:05:06-05:00

It’s my birthday tomorrow. I’m going to be 31. In my mind, I always think I’m 27. That was the year I got married to Topher. It was such a wonderful year, I guess it is just burned in my brain forever. I hope 31 is another good year.

I love birthday cake, but I’m not much of a cake maker, yet. I still have a lot of practice in my future. I enjoy doing cookies. Cookies are like a postcard and I love the detail. Cakes are like billboards. I just haven’t translated my skills to the big canvas. Here are a few projects I have done…

For my daughter’s first birthday I did flower cupcakes.

Isn’t that pedestal so cute? Topher and I found it at a going-out-of-business sale. It was a steal!

I also did a cake for my niece’s 5th birthday. She asked for a butterfly field. Using a butterfly idea from the book Hello, Cupcake!, I did this cake. My niece loved the butterflies!

I decided to merge cake and cookies for my daughter’s 2nd birthday cake.

Everything is cookies, including the mini-flowers that make up the #2. I used two different sizes of flowers on the cake and added the leaves after placing the cookies. I made a lemon flavored buttercream icing. It was the bomb!

But, I really like doing cake cookies the best. This is one of my favorite birthday cookies.

It’s a topsy turvy cake shaped cookie. It can get a little tricky because of the small areas of color next to each other. Here is how I accomplish this design.

First I outline the entire cookie and fill with purple icing. I let it dry for several hours. The longer the cookie dries, the less likely colors will bleed into each other.

Then I fill each small area with a small amount of icing.

I just tap the icing gently into place with a toothpick.

Once the small areas are filled. I let the cookie dry overnight before adding the detail.

Once the cookie is completely dry, I add flames to the candles.

and some dots and swirls and little cake decorations…and before you know it the cake is done!

I have been so busy lately that I did not have time to make myself a huge, major big cake for my birthday. But I did plan a small surprise for my family for my birthday dessert tomorrow. It should be fun and I will be sure to share the pics with you Tuesday as well as other birthday details.

Have a sweet day,
Anne

A Snowy Day Pleaser

2010-02-26T15:41:08-05:00

Is it snowing where you live? It is snowing here in Happy Valley! We have not received the tremendous amounts of snow other parts of the country have, but it is messing with my shipping times and it’s not making me happy!

So, since my New Year’s resolution was to maintain a positive attitude about things that normally make me mad, I have decided to post one of my favorite dinners for a snowy day. This always makes me happy no matter how many times I’ve shoveled the driveway. Darn wind!

Doggie Stew is a Family Favorite recipe. I’ll admit it sounds weird…but don’t go judging it before you try it. I think you’ll really like it a lot. Plus, it’s affordable and so easy to make.

Here it goes. I had a few helpers to do the demo. My handsome brother and my adorable little girl!

First, collect your ingredients:

2T Olive Oil
1/2 Onion
Hand-full of Parsley or Celery Leaves
1 Pack of Hot Dogs
Hungarian Paprika
Salt
Pepper
Garlic (3 cloves minced)
5-6 Potatoes
Water
More Hungarian Paprika

This recipe is so easy, because you probably already have most of the ingredients at your house. Our family likes the Hebrew National hot dogs best, but these Nathan brand did the job. They were BOGO at Giant.

Add olive oil and garlic to pot. I use my wonderful dutch oven.

Chop your onions and add to the pot.

Add a hand-full of parsley or celery leaves.

Cut hot dogs into little rounds. Like the size of a piece of Rollo candy. (make sure 2-year-old doesn’t eat uncooked hot dogs. I looked over and she was munching on one. gross)

Once the onions are translucent, add the hot dogs and a little water to the mix, enough to cover the dogs. Also add the celery leaves, salt and pepper. It is now also time to add the Paprika. I think it is important to use Hungarian paprika. The flavor is fantastic.

We add three tablespoons to start, but usually end up adding more once the stew is cooked.

Next peel and cut 5-6 potatoes. Add them to the doggie mixture and then add water, enough to cover the potatoes.

Cover and bring to a boil and then let the entire pot simmer on low for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are softening. Don’t over boil. You will turn your potatoes to complete mush. It’s edible, but not as good.

Add more paprika (to taste).

Doggie Stew is enjoyed best the day after it is prepared. Always eat with a piece of buttered bread. It’s so yummy that way!

I know you won’t find this recipe on the Food Network or the movie Julie and Julia, but try it. It will make your next snowy day warmer!

Have a sweet (and warm) day,
Anne

Secret Keeper Girl Cookies

2010-02-24T21:43:42-05:00

At the end of last year, the coordinator for the Secret Keeper Girl events contacted me about doing a special collection of cookies they could use as gifts, etc. Since I had already purchased all four books for my niece’s birthday, I was familiar with the program and super psyched to give their logo a try.

Have you heard of Secret Keeper Girl? It’s an awesome set of books and a program targeted to 8-12 year-olds, a.k.a. tweens. There is a blog, a set of books, a touring group that is sweeping the nation, and a ton of cool resources on www.secretkeepergirl.com. This is a blurb from their website:

“What is a Secret Keeper Girl? Well, she is lots of things! A Secret Keeper Girl values modesty, she surrounds herself with wise friends and she embraces Godly beauty. But, the most important thing for you to know is that a Secret Keeper Girl is a masterpiece created by God.”

Not only are these books super cool, but the authors make ‘mom’ resources available too. Wondering how to talk to your daughter about modesty, healthy body image, friends, and so on…these books offer lots of opportunities to open up the communication lines.

This may be one of my favorite cookie sets to make. Take a look.

Here is an overview of the cookie set. It was inspired by the artwork on their site. Daisies and Butterflies and all things girlie!

And here is a solo photo of the logo cookie I did. It’s pretty close to the actual logo. I tried to mimic the font and I included the flower that dots the ‘i’ in ‘Girl’. I even stacked a mini daisy cookie to add a little dimension to the rectangular shape. …

The pink daisy cookie is similar to the daisy in the Flour Box logo. I use tip #14 to create that fun detail on the petals. Icing lovers really like this cookie…

The purple butterfly cookie. I should do a tutorial on this cookie. The ‘double flood’ technique used to create the design on the wings is actually easy to do. Maybe I’ll save that for a post for another day.

If you get a minute check out www.secretkeepergirl.com. You don’t have to be a mom to spoil a special little girl…these books are great coming from a friend, aunt, or nana!

Thanks for taking a look at the cookies! Still working on the St. Patrick’s Day collection. I’m getting closer to my final product. I’m also working on a few custom orders. Of course, I’ll share the pictures with you right away!

Have a sweet day,

Anne

To Infinity and Beyond

2010-02-21T15:33:51-05:00

“To Infinity and Beyond” is the mantra of a very popular spaceman…who happens to be very popular to a special 3-year-old boy I know. His mom is the scarf lady. Remember this post from a few weeks back? She custom made this for me…

And now she also makes these. I think this might make a cute gift for my little girl for Easter.

So, she asked me to make her some rocket ship cookies for her little man.

“Anne, can you make rocket ship or star cookies for the party?” asked Kim.

“Sure, but wouldn’t Buzz Lightyear cookies be so much cooler?” I replied.

Cooler and way more challenging. I did lose a little sleep over this project. But in the end I was pleased with my effort. First, I drafted a sketch of the cookie. Next, I created a ‘stencil’ out of plastic to hand-cut each of the cookies. He was huge, almost 8 inches tall. That’s a gigantic cookie. Buzz has a lot of moving parts. I had to simplify things a tad to make the design work.

Here is a close-up of his chest.

Not too bad, but I think this is one design I’m going to retire. Of course, what does retirement mean these days? Jay-Z, Michael Jordan, Brett Farve (heart is now beating faster), and the list continues of people that supposedly retire, but don’t. So maybe there will be another Buzz cookie someday.

Anyway, the kids loved the cookies. That’s all that matters. They also loved Rocketball and Pin the Star in the Galaxy. How cute!

I am currently working on finishing St. Patrick’s Day designs. I hope to have something to show you this week. Plus, my next e-newsletter will be going out on Thursday. This will keep you up-to-date on all my cookie antics. If you’re not on the mailing list…go to this site’s homepage and click on the tab on the right. All I need is your name and email address. Rest assured that your email will not be shared. And, I only send one or two emails a month depending on the number of holidays.

Have a sweet day,
Anne