Megans Cookin

Afternoon Tea at Butchart Gardens, Victoria, BC

2008-07-23T17:05:00.000-07:00

The Victoria Express.

Our ride to Canada! My last day of vacation was spent with my daughter in Victoria, BC. The hubby stayed in the states with the dog. I said kennel him for a day and night but the hubby just couldn't do it. We have a very pampered pouch! If the truth be told, I think it was the hubby's way of getting out of shopping. He did leave the dog for a game of golf,

so don't feel too sorry for him.

The port of Victoria

There was even a cruise ship in port.

One of the buildings in downtown.

See that double decker bus in front of us. We are riding on the top deck of one of those buses when I took this picture. We are on our way to the garden.

Butchart Gardens

The Water Fountain

Acres of Beauty

Doesn't this picture look like a fairy is going to come flying out at any minute.

It totally looks fake. I want to live here. I want to play and have tea with the fairys.

I have a million flower pictures

One of my very favorite flowers. I would grow tubs of these if I didn't live in an area that gets temperatures above 100 degrees quite frequently in the summer. Freezes in the winter. Not what I would call ideal conditions for this kind of plant.

More Hanging Baskets

Kellie and I had afternoon tea sitting on the balcony over looking a part of the gardens. It was a beautiful day and this made it perfect. I think Kellie will have memories of this time together for the rest of her life. I'm glad I spent the extra moola on this . It really did make it extra special.

This was my view from the balcony.

This was Kellie's view!

The dessert plate.

The menu!
Seasonal berry trifle
Layers of sponge cake and seasonal berry compote, finished with chantilly cream

Traditional delicacies include:
A savory house-made sausage roll with imported mustard
Roasted vegetable and cheese quiche

Savory tea sandwiches include:
Locally smoked wild BC salmon with maple and whole grain mustard cream cheese
Egg salad and watercress, mango curry chicken roulade
Smoked honey ham on a rosemary and aged cheddar biscuit
Cucumber with fresh ginger cream cheese

House-made sweets include:
Dark chocolate barquette with fresh fruit
Raspberry marzipan Napoleon
Lemon and poppy seed loaf,

coconut chocolate macaroon
Chocolate Grand Marnier truffle

Thier own signature candied ginger scone
Accompanied by strawberry jam and whipped vanilla Devon-style cream

On our way back to the port after shopping.
Potfuls of flowers every where you look. I could get use to this!

The Famous Empress Hotel

The Government Building.

A Mime

I hope you enjoyed my little vacation trip. Thanks for riding along!

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Totals:

Gas: $758.00

Camping:$282.00

Golf: $140.00

Canada trip x2:$225.00

Totals for a 2 week vacation: $1400,00. (Not bad for a vacation for 3 people for 2 weeks!)

Memories-Priceless!!!

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The Smile Award and 6 random facts!

2008-07-22T15:08:00.000-07:00

A big thank you to Barbara from Barbara Bakes for bestowing on me...
The Smile Award.
How very sweet of you, Barbara, and thank you for all the smiles you have given me.

If you have not checked out her blog, please do yourself a favor, check her out. She just put up a picture of some awesome cookies that I know I will be trying. Thank You Barbara!

Characteristics for the Smile Award:

1. Must display a cheerful attitude. (not necessarily at all times--we are all human)
2. Must love one another
3. Must make mistakes
4. Must learn from others
5. Must be a positive contributor to blog world
6. Must love life
7. Must love kids

These are the rules:

1. The recipient must link back to the award's creator (http://www.thebabblingsofmere.blogspot.com/)
2. You must post these rules if you receive the award.
3. You must chose 5 people to receive the award after receiving it yourself
4. You must fit the characteristics of the recipient of the award, as posted by Mere.
5. You must post the characteristics of a recipient.
6. You must create a post sharing your win with others.
7. You must thank your giver.

And now I get to give the award to 5 of my favorite bloggers...

April from Abby Sweets.
April always makes me smile. We e-mail each other quite regularly and have built a nice bloggy friendship. When I asked her to co-host a local goodies swap, she was right there beside me, smiling all the way. Thank You April, for the smiles and the friendship.

Karen from Do Better
I love to read this blog for several reasons. Whether it is exercising, eating better or just thinking green, Karen inspires me to do better. She writes about her friends and family and makes me feel at home when I come to visit her.

Geggie from So...What else, What else, What else?
I have followed Geggie for awhile and she has a great sense of humor. She has recipes, tips, and a wonderful sense of adventure. She will also tell you how it is! A guaranteed smile!

Michele from A Big Cup of Tea
Michele has a crock pot breakfast that I used when I was on vacation. That meal alone is a good enough reason for an award but michele has some fun crafty ideas as well. She makes everything look so easy and I love to stop by and visit.

Dawn from A Home in the Country
Dawn is a new blogger and also a Daring Baker. It makes me smile to watch her garden grow. I didn't get to do a garden so I'll just watch Dawns with a smile. Welcome to the blogging world, Dawn!

Now for the random facts.

April tagged me for 6 random fact about me.
I know this is stuff your just dying to know. :)

Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on the blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Here goes...

1. I grew up in a music store. Same building, roof and walls. Just walk through some swinging doors and you would walk out of my kitchen and into the music store.

2. I volunteer for the YMCA. I have been there for 11 years this October.

3. We had a fire and the music store burned down in 1993. We rebuild it and are still there today.

4. I don't have a spleen. It burst after I was hit in a head-on crash with a drunk driver. Don't drink and drive.

5. I have a wienie dog named Mario. I use to have a cat named Mario, too.

6. I don't like to talk on the phone.

Now I get to tag some people and I tag all of you! If your reading this, considered yourself tagged. What? Not everyone has a blog? Then you can leave your random facts in the comments. See how accommodating I am. Another little random fact I bet you were dying to know!

Hurricane Ridge and a Raspberry lemonade

2008-07-20T08:29:00.000-07:00

We made it to Salt Creek campground in the far northern coast of Washington. You can see the Strait of Juan De Fuco waterway between the USA and Canada, right behind where we're staying.

That would be Canada you see in the distance. Actually, it's Vancouver Island. This is the waterway to get to Victoria, Canada and the ports of Seattle. We saw cruise ships, huge barges, and even a submarine pass through these waters. Sometimes there would be a ridge of fog in between and you could just see the top of the mountains

On our first day of sightseeing, we went to Hurricane Ridge. We are 52oo feet up in the Olympic National Forest. This is looking down on Port Angeles from the top of the ridge. You can barely see the town in the middle of the picture.

This is the spectacular mountain ridge that we drove 17 miles straight up for. It was more then worth every gas guzzling mile and a must see if you are ever in the area! I felt like I was in the movie Sound of Music and wanted to break out in song.

The hills are alive with the sound of music

With songs they have sung for a thousand years

The hills fill my heart with the sound of music

My heart wants to sing every song it hears.

Can you hear it in your head?

I hope it didn't get stuck there and your humming it all day. (insert evil giggle)

The little family (minus me) at a photo opp! That would be the hubby Rich, the daughter Kellie, and the dog Mario. I'm thinking this picture might make the annual Kellie Calender!

The next day we went to Victoria, Canada and this was a view of the mountain from out on the ferry. When we left Port Angeles, it was sunny weather. Then we went through the fog bank and thought it would be foggy and cold in Victoria. But we came out of the fog... to a beautiful day.

After a hard day sightseeing, It was time for a cool refreshing drink. I've made this drink several times now and it's a winner. Simply mash some fresh of frozen raspberries in a pitcher. Add one can of frozen lemonade mix. You can use either pink or regular lemonade. Then add a 2 litter bottle of ginger ale and mix. Float a few berries on top. If your over 21, you can spike it and turn it into a cocktail. Thank you Janet, for this recipe. It's one I will be enjoying a lot . It's perfect!!!

Stay tuned for my Canadian post.

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Totals So Far!

Gas-$447.00

Camping-$259.00

Miles-1150 (total miles, including side trips)

Golf-$130.00

Recommend Reading:

The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright
Twenty Wishes by Debbie Macomber

Note: I'm not including food or souveniers because everyone has different habits and budgets.
Besides, I dont want hubby to know what I spent. :) (just kidding! About the spending, not the food and souveniers)

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The Classic S'more, With A Twist!

2008-07-16T21:43:00.000-07:00

A picture is worth a thousand words so lets start with pictures!

Remember the 4 mile bridge to Washington? I thought I would share the crossing. Coming over the bridge, it started out kind of like a roller coaster. You kind of lose your tummy going over that little hill. This is one long bridge. Ohh...but what a fun bridge. Washington bound!

This was our first stop in Washington at Kalaloch (claylock) National Park. The beach was beautiful once you got past the logs. Actually, they were fun to climb over!

You can see the back of some of the trailers up on the bluff. We were backed up to the beach with just a short walk down the trail. It took longer to climb over the logs then it did to walk there. Even the dog had a jolly good time.

We had gorgeous sunsets. I couldn't decide which picture to share so here is a Mosaic. It wasn't dark till after 10 o'clock each night. That really screwed with my inner clock!

This is Ruby beach a few miles north of where we stayed. I must say, this was my favorite beach. It reminded me of Hawaii in so many ways. The turquoise water, the black sand beach, the breath taking scenery. The only problem is, it's not Hawaii and that is not black sand beach. But if you lay on the beach and and smell that the sea air, you might as well be in Hawaii.

Doesn't that look like black sand to you? I wished I had brought a book and a picnic! A Mai Tai cocktail with an umbrella would of been a nice touch too!

S'more time! But why go for the same ol' thing? We added a little pizazz with different frosting and different candy bars. Or, how about one with Nutella? A twist on an old classic.

Here is one with a peanut butter cup. I believe this one to be my hubby's favorite. I got a little piggish and had this one with 2 marshmallows. I believe one is enough!

I know, I already showed you this sunset picture. But it is one of my favorites and I wanted you to see a larger picture. It's really an awesome sunset.

Our next stop? Port Angeles, Washington.

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Totals so far:

Gas-$280.00

Camping-$187.00

Golf-$130.00

Total Distance-about 850 miles

Recommended reading:

The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright

Twenty Wishes by Debbie Macomber

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Goodbye Oregon, Hello Washington!

2008-07-10T16:36:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite parts of vacationing in Oregon is the baskets of flowers everywhere. Oh, how I wish I could grow them like this. But living in Redding, where the temperature was 112 degrees this week, I wont be hanging any of these beauty's anytime soon. I'm so glad I'm out of town. I guess the fires are still going strong around Redding and according to a newspaper article I read, the ash is falling like snow. Between the smokey air and the blazing hot temperatures, they have health warnings in effect. Today's forecast is 106 degrees Ouch.

It's 65 degrees and blue sky here in Astoria. Perfect for growing these window baskets.

We took a trip to the Lewis and Clark fort and went through the museum. This is the entrance to the fort. It's interesting to hear about all the trials and hardships those people went through. And they didn't have enough whiskey to make it through the trip. Hard times indeed!

This is the mouth of the Columbia river. It was hard to get a picture to show you because it's so big. We were even standing on a very tall platform to get this picture!

We went up to the Astoria column but the column it self was closed for renovation. Bummer for us but the view was still spectacular on the hill.

That is the bridge that takes you to Washington. The part you see is the tall part so ships can pass under. The total length is 4.1 miles. We'll be heading that way today.

Tonight was our last night here at Fort Stevens State Park. According to a camp ranger, it's the largest park west of the Mississippi river. Not in acreage but in the number of sites. There are 538 including yurts and biking sites. That's a big park but it's very nice. Across the road is a KOA park with a Internet cafe. I'm telling ya, Hi-Fi is the new cable!

Tomorrow, Washington bound. I wonder if I'll be seeing this sign all up the Washington boarder. They are certainly up and down the California and Oregon border.

No recipe for you today but I'll leave you with a picture of my lunch. I use to think fish tacos were weird but I've found that I have taken a fancy to them on this trip. You will see them again on this blog! These were blackened fish taco with Cilantro Lime Creme fraiche. These are definitely going to be duplicated when I get home!

Beachside and a Crockpot Breakfast

2008-07-07T14:26:00.000-07:00

We made it to the Beachside camp ground on the Oregon Coast. The weather is warm and sunny but that damn wind makes it quite cold. The beach is long and clean and surprisingly quite. For a 4th of July weekend, there has been many vacancy's all during our stay.

This is the view from our spot. We're practically on the beach. A little bit scenic with much needed protection from the wind.

Have you ever seen a monkey tree? I've only seen them in Oregon. My first monkey tree was about 10 years ago at Shore Acres botanical gardens, 10 miles outside Charleston, Oregon near Sunset Bay. They are unique!

Here's my monkey in a tree !

This is my tiny kitchen. It makes me appreciate my 64 square foot kitchen at home. Definitely not alot of counter space.

But it hasn't stopped us from some pretty tasty meals. Like BBQ ribs and my favorite, Black and Blue Ribeyes.

This is the before picture of a great crockpot breakfast. I saw this on Michele's blog, A Big Cup Of Tea. I layered frozen potatoes, bacon, cheese, with egg substitute poured over the top. Left to cook 10 hours or over night and wake up to a hot and delicious breakfast. This recipe is a keeper where ever you cook it. One to try for sure!

The finished product and a hot breakfast.

Tomorrow were headed up close to Astoria. It's the biggest state park in Oregon. I'll be taking pictures so stay tuned. Until next time, try the crock pot breakfast!

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Total cost so far:

Gas $122.00 (Gotta fill up tomorrow)

Park-$85.50 (4 nights so far!)

Golf-$80.00 (That would be for one person-I don't golf.)

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Crockpot Breakfast Casserole

1 (28 oz.) Bag Ore-Ida Frozen Potatoes O'Brien,
1/2 Cup Diced Onion
1 Pound Lean Ham, diced ( I used 1 lb bacon, diced, uncooked)
2 Cups Fat Free Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 Cup Skim Milk
3 Cups Egg Substitute (Or substituted the substitute with 1 dozen real eggs)
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Pepper
Spray crockpot with non-stick cooking spray.
Place 1/3 of the potatoes into the bottom of the crockpot,
followed by 1/3 of the onions,
1/3 of the ham and
1/3 of the cheese.
Repeat this step two more times ending with the layer of cheese.
Beat together the egg substitute, milk, salt and pepper; pour it over the layers in the crockpot.
Cook on low 8-10 hours or overnight.

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We're On The Road!

2008-07-05T08:32:00.000-07:00

We made it to Sutherland, OR. We met our friends, Cindy and Andy, who are going to be with us on the first leg of our journey. We met them at the Umpqua Golf Resort.

Today, were heading to the coast and staying at Beachside State Park.

Dinner was simple. Just Grilled pastrami and caramelized onion on rye swirl bread. Celebrating in style with some Red, white, and blue beans. AKA my baked beans. I really need to give you that recipe. (I'll put that on my *to do* list)
It might not of been the great American cookout but it was the 4th of July. Maybe there was beer or two.

I was walking the dog and came across this bird in the tree. It made me smile!

Here are our trailers perched up on the hill. Were the left trailer and our friends are on the right. This is a cute little RV park and a great place to stay. We usually don't do RV parks but they re OK when your traveling through. Or in the boy's opinion, when you want to play golf.

Total cost so far:

Gas $122.00

Park-$22.50

Golf-??? (I really should keep track of that!)

Distance traveled-270 miles (so far)

We're on the road again!

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Simple Low-Fat Strawberry Dessert.

2008-07-02T09:36:00.001-07:00

The dog days of summer are here but there is no lounging poolside, drinking colorful cocktail with little umbrellas and a wedge of lime. The sunscreen SPF40 has been sitting idle on the side table just waiting to soak into some thirsty skin.
This is not the way it was suppose to be. What happen to my poolside cocktails? Instead we have air that is so smokey it looks like fog settling in the trees. The air is heavy and hot and you just don't want to breath it in. Outside activities have been cancelled including the 4th of July celebration and the firework show.
It's time for me to get out of Dodge, Vacation time! And I cant wait to breath some fresh foggy air and see some beautiful blue sky's. It's the Oregon and Washington coast for this family and a quick day trip to Victoria, Canada. Whoo-hoo!!!

This is home for the next two weeks. We're packing it up and pulling out on the 4th. I'm going to try to post while I'm on vacation. Show you some fabulous coastal pictures and yummy food. I know I'll have some Internet connections so I'll do a little blogging on the road.. Stick with me, This should be an adventure!

So on to this dessert. I made it twice. Once as the recipe was written and once low- fat! I thought the reduced calorie one was every bit as tasty as the full fat. The first time I made this dessert I thought I would be clever and put nice big slices of strawberries into the mixture, That doesn't work in less you have teeth of steel and like big frozen rocks in your dessert. I didn't! Second time I chopped them in the food processor. Much better!

First time I mixed a can of sweetened condensed milk and some lemon juice.
Second time I used fat free sweetened condensed milk and forgot the lemon juice. Oops! I didn't even realize I forgot it till I was just sitting here telling you about it.

Then it's time to mix in 2 cups of cool whip. Regular or light, It's your choice.

Then pour it in a lined loaf pan.

Sprinkle your butter coated cookie crumbs on top. I used reduced fat cookies but I used more then the recipe called for.

Freeze for the suggested 5 hours or overnight. I speak from experience when I say that, otherwise you get fluff soup. Enough said?

Now your ready to frost it.

Frost with more cool whip and decorate pretty.

Slice and drizzle with a little chocolate syrup. Enjoy!

Strawberry Whipped Sensation
Recipe from Cool Whip
Recipe Rating:
Prep Time: 20 min
Total Time: 6 hr 20 min
Makes: 12 servings

2 cups fresh strawberries, Chopped
1 can (14 oz.) Sweetened Condensed Milk ( I used fat free)
1/4 cup lemon juice (I forgot it once, but use it if you have it)
1 tub (8 oz.) Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
8 OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, finely chopped (or more)
1 Tbsp. butter, melted

LINE 9x5-inch loaf pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Mash 2 cups of the strawberries in large bowl. Add condensed milk, juice and 2 cups of the whipped topping; mix well. Pour into prepared pan.
MIX chopped cookies and butter. Spoon over whipped topping mixture. Cover with ends of foil and gently press cookie mixture into whipped topping mixture. Freeze 6 hours or until firm.
INVERT dessert onto serving plate when ready to serve; remove pan and foil. Spread remaining whipped topping onto top and sides of dessert. Decorate with more fresh strawberries or cookie crumbs, or even some fresh mint. Store leftovers in freezer.

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Danish Braids

2008-06-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

It's Daring Bakers Time. This months challenge was danish pastry. This is the kind of recipe that I would of normally just passed on by. That's what I love about the Daring Bakers. They push me beyond my own limitations. I would of never made a Lemon Meringue pie, or a Bostini, or even Julie Child's French Bread, but that's whats so neat. It's the limitations I set on my self that are chaining me down. And the Daring Bakers challenge me to do more, to do better. They are a virtual kick in the butt. And each month that butt seems to get just a little bit bigger.

I had a few berries on hand so I decided on raspberry and cream cheese. So I threw some in a pot and thought I would cook them down a bit and sweeten them up a little with some vanilla sugar. I added a few blackberries for good measure.I only used some of the berries and used the rest on a tart that I made and on my breakfast. Yogurt and berries are one of my favorite breakfasts.

So I thought all was good and my jam was wonderful. (note to self: Make Raspberry Jam) I put it in a jelly jar and let it cool in the fridge. I made my dough, wrapped it, and put it in the fridge for it's 30 minute chill time. I turn around to start cleaning my work station and this is what I see.

The Orange Juice. I forgot the orange juice. And it's to late now. Stupid Stupid, Stupid!!! I couldn't believe it. But what ya gonna do? I had to just go with it. I couldn't add the juice at this stage of the game. But I lost a bit of my gumption. And I couldn't quit kicking myself. Stupid indeed.

The dough has to be rolled out and a butter block (butter and flour)is spread on 2/3 of the dough. Then you fold it like a business letter. The right third over the center third and then the left third over the middle third. That is considered a turn and you do that 4 times with 30 minutes of chilling in between. Time consuming? Yes. Hard? Not unless you forget to put your OJ in it. Oh, sorry. I'll try to keep the attitude out of it.
So after 4 sessions with the rolling pin,

...it was time to fill my braid. I was so excited that I went barreling forward without thinking. I cut my dough and I spread a layer of cream cheese on half, because a certain someone kept wrinkling her nose at the cream cheese. Geez, kids.
Then it was time for the raspberry jam. There wasn't enough jam. I should have used alot more berries. But they were all gone at this point. So I sliced up some fresh apricots.

But remember I told you I went barreling through. I again didn't stop to think. My filled braid was still on the pastry cloth and not on the baking sheet. It was a little hard to move. (Imagine more air being let out of my balloon.)

But I baked it and It tasted great. I loved the orange and cardamon flavor in the dough.

By this point I decided to forgo the icing and I just let it be eaten. It was definitely tasty. Maybe not necessarily flaky but it was good. A few days later I rolled out the remaining dough and just filled it with canned apple pie filling. The air was pretty much out of my balloon.

During the next week my balloon was refreshed. I am a Daring Baker! I will try again. Actually, I had a bible study coming up and I thought I could take a Danish Braid to it. I still had everything I needed on hand including the stuff to make the apple filling that was suggested.
So...

I sauteed my apples and made a quite tasty apple filling.

I made my dough and I didn't forget the OJ! Sure makes for a smother, more pliable dough.

Go figure.

I rolled and did 4 turns of the dough.

I shaped it, filled it, and baked it.

Then drizzled an almond glaze over the top and sprinkled sliced almonds on top. After I was finished, it occurred to me that I should of probably toasted them. But I was very happy with my end result.

A sneak peak at all that goodness!

I made a few little Cinnamon sugar pastries with the scraps from the braid. They are encouraging me to make little danishes with the last of the dough in my freezer. Yes, I still have some left. I'm packing it up with my rolling pin and taking it camping with us next week. Just because I'm camping doesn't mean I cant eat good.

Thank you to Kelly of Sass and Veracity and Ben of What's cooking? for hosting this months Daring Bakers challenge and picking such a wonderful recipe. Or should I say, "Thanks for the kick in the butt this month. It was a blast!"

If you would like the recipe, go to one of our host's site. It will be there in all it's glory!

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Previous Daring Baker Challenges:

Opera Cake

Cheesecake Pops

The Perfect Party Cake
Julia Child's French Bread

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The Besy Snickerdoodles I Ever Made!

2008-06-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

Well,...

actually, ...

There the only ones I've ever made.

Darling Daughter gives Them a Thumbs up!

I almost past on this months Cookie Carnival partly because I didn't think we were a snickerdoodle family and because Kellie (above, how cute is she?) is going on a camping trip and she wanted to take homemade Biscotti. We are definitely a Biscotti kind of family. So Biscotti it was.

WAS.

Until I showed her a picture of April's snickerdoodles. All of a sudden, before my eye's, we became a snickerdoodle family.

These cookies were so soft and chewy. I'm eating one right now for ~~breakfast~~ research. When I asked the hubby for his opinion, he said "Mmmm, there so chewy and, and, Mmmmm!"

That's a thumbs up!

Who knew we were snickerdoodlers? They're so soft and chewy.

" To go"

We have them all packed to go camping, but they still have to make it through one more day.

Will they make it to the camping trip?

Did I tell you how soft and chewy they are?

Snickerdoodles

Makes 4 dozen.
* 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
* 1/2 cup pure vegetable shortening
* 1 3/4 cups sugar, plus more if needed
* 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, plus more if needed
* 2 large eggs

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, with one rack in top third and one rack in bottom third of oven. Line baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper; set aside.
2. Sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter, shortening, and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs, and beat to combine. Add dry ingredients, and beat to combine.
3. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar

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More cookie recipes

Blueberry Drop Cookies

Cinnaspin cookie

Vanilla Bean Thins

Chocolate shortbread Ole"

Chocolate and Raspberry dream Bars

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Parmesan Chicken

2008-06-26T07:17:00.001-07:00

It's time for the Barefoot Bloggers and this weeks recipe was chose by Megan of My Baking Adventure.
This is a great recipe using ingredients I know I always have on hand. In fact it's so easy, I only had to read the recipe once. The only changes I made were using egg substitute instead of whole eggs. I didn't serve it with the salad so I didn't make the vinaigrette. I served mine with fresh roasted potatoes from the farmers market.

I recommend you check out the other Barefoot Bloggers and their website. Maybe it will encourage you to become a Barefoot Blogger!!!

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REMINDER

Tomorrow is the last day to sign-up for the *Taste Like Home* local goodie swap. If your interested, e-mail April or myself and let's get you signed up!

Want to know who else is participating?
Check it out here!

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Parmesan Chicken
By Ina Garten

4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 extra-large eggs
1 tablespoon water
1 1/4 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
Unsalted butter
Good olive oil
Salad greens for 6, washed and spun dry
1 recipe Lemon Vinaigrette, recipe follows

Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4-inch thick. .
Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate.

On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water.

On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Coat the chicken on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip into the egg mixture and dredge in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts.

Toss the salad greens with lemon vinaigrette. Place a mound of salad on each hot chicken breast. Serve with extra grated Parmesan.

Lemon Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Yield: 6 servings

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Chocolate Covered Cherry Cupcakes on a Smokey Day

2008-06-23T16:52:00.001-07:00

Northern California is on fire. We had an electrical storm last weekend and it has set more that 800 fires in Northern Calif.. More then 100 of those fires are in Shasta County. That's were I live. Many of those fires aren't even manned because resources are spread so thin. The air is thick with smoke and there is a thin layer of ash covering everything.

With air quality warnings in effect, it was a good day to stay in doors. So when my daughter asked to make a cake, I talked her into cupcakes. And to clean out the pantry, she used a can of Cherries and a boxed cake mix. But you could make your own cake batter, if that is more your style. For a 13 year old in my kitchen, were staying with the box of mix!

She made the cake mix, drained the cherries, and divided them between the cupcakes.

Then covered with chocolate batter.

Baked and frosted with an almond buttercream.

I was going to let her use a pastry bag and a large tip to make beautiful swirls of frosting on the cupcakes, but, my tip got gobbled up by the darn garbage disposal.

Yea... I kind of need to replace that!

They're expecting more thunderstorms this weekend.

God Bless the firefighter!!!

Taste of Home

2008-06-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

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