tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24710111328877898052024-03-14T03:59:20.643-04:00Katie CreatingKatie of Katie Creatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07036440593596763610noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471011132887789805.post-9144235189611919582013-06-17T19:20:00.001-04:002013-06-17T19:20:37.101-04:003x5 Folded Card<div class="sflyProductPreviewWidget" style="width:425px; height:494px;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetTop" style="height:6px; background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/top.gif);"></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetCenter" style="height:482px; padding: 0 6px 0 6px; background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/bg.gif); background-repeat:repeat-y;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewLogo" style="width: 105px; height: 34px; padding: 14px 0 0 14px;"><img src="http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/logo.gif" style="padding: 0; background: #ffffff; border: none; box-shadow: none;"></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewContainer" style="height:350px; text-align:center; padding: 0;"><a href="http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=1AaN2rZw0aMnIA&cid=SFLYOCWIDGET&eid=115"><img src="http://images-community.shutterfly.com/prs/v1/1AaN2rZw0aMl/1AaN2rZw0aMlcW/p/67b0de21b3127d902548/JPEG/1371511151000/0/" style="padding: 0; background: #ffffff; border: none; box-shadow: none;"></a></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewMessageContainer" style="height:55px; background-color:#f4f4e9; text-align:center; padding: 15px 0 15px 0; line-height: 19px;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewTitle" style="font-family: arial, sans-seris; font-size: 15px; color: #333333; font-weight: bold;"><span>Special Thanks Boy Thank You Card</span></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewSEOText" style="font-family: arial, sans-seris; font-size: 13px; color: #333333;"><span>Turn your photos into <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/thank-you-cards" style="color: #6666cc;">thank you cards</a> at Shutterfly.com.</span></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewViewCollection" style="font-family: arial, sans-seris; font-size: 13px; color: #333333;"><span>View the entire <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery" style="color: #6666cc;">collection</a> of cards.</span></div><img width="1" height="1" border="0" style="padding: 0; background: #ffffff; border: none; box-shadow: none;" src="https://os.shutterfly.com/b/ss/sflyshareprod/1/H.15/111?pageName=sharekey&c1=msc&c2=blogger" /></div></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetBottom" style="height:6px; background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/bottom.gif);"></div></div>Katie of Katie Creatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07036440593596763610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471011132887789805.post-23342503639432362362013-06-17T19:19:00.001-04:002013-06-17T19:19:30.178-04:003x5 Folded Card<div class="sflyProductPreviewWidget" style="width:425px; height:494px;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetTop" style="height:6px; background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/top.gif);"></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetCenter" style="height:482px; padding: 0 6px 0 6px; background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/bg.gif); background-repeat:repeat-y;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewLogo" style="width: 105px; height: 34px; padding: 14px 0 0 14px;"><img src="http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/logo.gif" style="padding: 0; background: #ffffff; border: none; box-shadow: none;"></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewContainer" style="height:350px; text-align:center; padding: 0;"><a href="http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=1AaN2rZw0aMnIA&cid=SFLYOCWIDGET&eid=115"><img src="http://images-community.shutterfly.com/prs/v1/1AaN2rZw0aMl/1AaN2rZw0aMlcW/p/67b0de21b3127d902548/JPEG/1371511151000/0/" style="padding: 0; background: #ffffff; border: none; box-shadow: none;"></a></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewMessageContainer" style="height:55px; background-color:#f4f4e9; text-align:center; padding: 15px 0 15px 0; line-height: 19px;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewTitle" style="font-family: arial, sans-seris; font-size: 15px; color: #333333; font-weight: bold;"><span>Special Thanks Boy Thank You Card</span></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewSEOText" style="font-family: arial, sans-seris; font-size: 13px; color: #333333;"><span>Click here to browse our popular <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/thank-you-cards" style="color: #6666cc;">thank you card designs</a>.</span></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewViewCollection" style="font-family: arial, sans-seris; font-size: 13px; color: #333333;"><span>View the entire <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery" style="color: #6666cc;">collection</a> of cards.</span></div><img width="1" height="1" border="0" style="padding: 0; background: #ffffff; border: none; box-shadow: none;" src="https://os.shutterfly.com/b/ss/sflyshareprod/1/H.15/111?pageName=sharekey&c1=msc&c2=blogger" /></div></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetBottom" style="height:6px; background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/bottom.gif);"></div></div>Katie of Katie Creatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07036440593596763610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471011132887789805.post-63881134436067717982012-10-15T22:37:00.002-04:002012-10-15T22:37:38.037-04:00Henry's BaptismWell, since Henry was born in June, I have had very little time for baking and decorating. I've been able to do a few small things, but nothing too impressive.<br />
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For Henry's Baptism, I was determined to make the cake, and I wanted to make cookies too. I saw an adorable Dove design by Bridget at <a href="http://bakeat350.blogspot.com/2010/08/cookies-for-babys-baptism.html" target="_blank">Bake at 350</a>. She is an amazing decorator, and have some wonderful designs (and book that I hope I get for Christmas... wink, wink).<br />
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The cookies are a wonderful <a href="http://www.lilaloa.com/2011/03/end-all-for-chocolate-cookies-recipe.html" target="_blank">chocolate recipe</a>, and it's such a simple design I was able to do them after the baby went to bed one night. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poor lighting... they are white, not the gray/blue they look here.</td></tr>
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For the cake, I wanted to do something fall-ish, since I won't get many chances to do another cake this fall. Really, other than the wording, nothing specifically makes this a Baptism cake. <br />
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The flavor is Pumpkin Spice, with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing. I decorated it with gum paste leaves, and got to use some of the techniques I learned in my decorating class last year. <br />
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Overall, I am very happy with it. I can't wait, as Henry grows, to not only have more opportunities to bake, but time as well!Katie of Katie Creatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07036440593596763610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471011132887789805.post-15858565421329125282012-10-15T22:33:00.001-04:002012-10-15T22:37:51.126-04:00Brownie CupcakesFor the last 2 years, I haven't been able to make a cake for my mom's birthday. Last year, I had horrible morning sickness, and couldn't eat, let alone bake. This year, Henry's Baptism was the following weekend, and since I was making the cake for that, I didn't have time to do a second cake.<br />
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For an impromptu birthday treat, I decided to make brownies, but rather than cut them the ho-hum boring way, I used my favorite cupcake cookie cutter! Then I made some frosting (I always have butter and confectioner's sugar ready) and frosted the top of the "cupcake". <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJDql8TBgq4gSpIByX3PElXG_k-pIUKvX9pl3DBiIb7glMlPAejfQmIAgF4JlPjStYsd55Ug4fNUh1UQe6JbrxIKQNzAxPgN6p1UCYYnzoOGtruS3UbaChyphenhyphenbEDmHhdIT4wtB7NBa-CDg/s1600/176970_4293679912413_2124357571_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJDql8TBgq4gSpIByX3PElXG_k-pIUKvX9pl3DBiIb7glMlPAejfQmIAgF4JlPjStYsd55Ug4fNUh1UQe6JbrxIKQNzAxPgN6p1UCYYnzoOGtruS3UbaChyphenhyphenbEDmHhdIT4wtB7NBa-CDg/s320/176970_4293679912413_2124357571_o.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Nothing fancy, but a little something special for the woman who, 27 years later, still takes care of me like no one else. <br />
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Love you, Mama!Katie of Katie Creatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07036440593596763610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471011132887789805.post-29838506947961202172012-09-04T19:50:00.002-04:002012-09-04T19:50:36.365-04:00Blueberry Zucchini Bread<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I haven't done much baking since Henry came into the world... just can't find the time! While Dan was on vacation, we made our first trip with Henry to Maine! While there, we got some real Maine blueberries... the good ones, the little, sweet ones! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, the blueberries came home with me, and I wanted to do something different with them (we're usually just big fans of blueberry pancakes in our house). I also had a gigantic zucchini from the farm stand. I thought, hmm... I bet Zucchini bread with blueberries would be good. And you know what, it was! Lol. I search for a recipe, and there were a few, but none quite what I wanted. So I took my favorite Zucchini bread recipe, made a few small changes, and added the berries. It was a hit. Kids ate it, not realizing there were veggies in it (though technically, zucchini is a fruit, but whatever!). Even my dad, who "doesn't like zucchini" liked it... granted, he thought it was pumpkin bread because of the spices. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (No picture.... I've been too busy taking pictures of my little man to take pictures of food!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blueberry Zucchini Bread</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_2_0_20_1346361394620112" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">3 eggs</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_2_0_20_1346361394620115" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">1 and 1/4 cups sugar </span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_2_0_20_1346361394620120" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">2 cups finely shredded zucchini (drained) </span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_2_0_20_1346361394620125" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">1/2 cup vegetable oil </span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_2_0_20_1346361394620139" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">1/2 cup applesauce (or you can just use a whole cup oil if you want)</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_2_0_20_1346361394620130" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">2 teaspoons vanilla </span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_2_0_20_1346361394620153" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">3 cups flour </span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_2_0_20_1346361394620158" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">1 teaspoon salt </span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_2_0_20_1346361394620163" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">1 teaspoon baking soda </span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_2_0_20_1346361394620168" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">1 teaspoon baking powder </span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_2_0_20_1346361394620173" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">2 teaspoons cinnamon </span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_2_0_20_1346361394620178" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">1/2 teaspoon nutmeg </span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_2_0_20_1346361394620183" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">1/4 teaspoon clove </span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_2_0_20_1346361394620199" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">1 cup blueberries</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="line-height: 22px; outline: none;" /><span id="yui_3_2_0_20_1346361394620212" style="line-height: 22px;">1. Preheat oven to 325 and grease two 9 x 5 bread pans, or one bundt pan. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">**Just a note about using the B</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">undt</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">pan... make sure you grease it REALLY well. I use C</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">risco</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> to make sure I get a good release. This time, however, I was a little hasty when trying to get the bread out, and ripped it. Make sure you let it cool before trying to release the bread, since the warm bread is more likely to break apart.</span>
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<span id="yui_3_2_0_20_1346361394620215" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">2. Beat eggs until foamy and then stir in sugar, zucchini, oil and vanilla. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span>
<span id="yui_3_2_0_20_1346361394620220" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">3. Combine dry ingredients (reserving 2 tablespoons of flour) and spices and gradually add to wet ingredients.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span>
<span id="yui_3_2_0_20_1346361394620225" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">4. In a bowl, add the reserved flour to the blueberries (this keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the batter), and fold into the batter. </span><br />
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<span id="yui_3_2_0_20_1346361394620230" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">5. Pour into prepared pan(s). </span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_2_0_20_1346361394620235" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">6. Bake for 60 to 80 minutes or until center tests done.</span></div>
Katie of Katie Creatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07036440593596763610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471011132887789805.post-71871028022825185752012-04-22T08:07:00.000-04:002012-04-22T08:07:20.115-04:00Bad-Bad BloggerThese are the first cookies I have made since Christmas. Well, that's a lie, I did make a ton of chocolate hearts to bring to the Pine Street Inn's dinner for the Homeless Women for Valentine's Day, but those weren't decorated, just drizzled in chocolate. <br />
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With this pregnancy, I have developed AWFUL carpal tunnel syndrome. I've had it on and off for years, and usually a few weeks wearing a brace can set me straight, but with the swelling that comes with pregnancy, both hands/wrists can't do much. So, decorating cookies is hard these days.<br />
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But when my little friend was turning 6, and her Mommy asked if I could make her come cookies, I really wanted to. I've baby sat here since she was a baby, and now I can't believe she is 6! I'm sure my baby will be 6 before I know it, too!!!<br />
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My awesome husband even helped me with decorating these. It takes a real man to roll up his sleeves and take a bottle of royal icing in Hot Pink! I took a picture, but he would kill me if I posted it, so that will just be for my enjoyment :-p<br />
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These were not what I had imagined when I first came up with the idea, but in the end, I think they came out pretty cute!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFkMkxAL-9B6KIS0P6XB3OdCQ8tGhw-SMSuSmntasdRBpsoiKKrYQzaF5UucCkx5fizoScYlkKJZe5XjSfgcXI1aJsZ7TVyh8NIIUopXSNmQnTbCkfIbUE6H1EkOBDlE4EV3dndX82EPU/s1600/Swirly+N.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFkMkxAL-9B6KIS0P6XB3OdCQ8tGhw-SMSuSmntasdRBpsoiKKrYQzaF5UucCkx5fizoScYlkKJZe5XjSfgcXI1aJsZ7TVyh8NIIUopXSNmQnTbCkfIbUE6H1EkOBDlE4EV3dndX82EPU/s320/Swirly+N.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love the swirly N</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPum-aHBycBAXfVGsja6ykall14bTPo1if3vfnhTfDnDQMjpP30CZfjRMVdANS3ij8TLdcro1G7dmhLcPsTkUWStB29CxSvnwFwZnITW9RkjioeyOJEXjmyCAAcvdUDQlXOiANB40N0Og/s1600/American+Girl+-+Cupcake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPum-aHBycBAXfVGsja6ykall14bTPo1if3vfnhTfDnDQMjpP30CZfjRMVdANS3ij8TLdcro1G7dmhLcPsTkUWStB29CxSvnwFwZnITW9RkjioeyOJEXjmyCAAcvdUDQlXOiANB40N0Og/s320/American+Girl+-+Cupcake.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nina loves her American Girl, so this is my take on their Logo.<br />
The cupcakes on the right where also wrapped up as favors<br />
for the kids. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>Katie of Katie Creatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07036440593596763610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471011132887789805.post-82789281915041585132011-12-10T11:30:00.000-05:002011-12-10T11:30:31.985-05:00Yikes!!!Well, it looks like the last time I actually posted anything was in September. Sorry, folks!<br />
<br />
I'm 99% sure that everyone reading this knows me in real life, but just in case, the reason for my delayed update is that my husband and I are expecting our first baby, and the first few months were very, very rough on me. I couldn't really eat, let alone bake, so it's been months since I pulled out my cookie pans.<br />
<br />
But feeling a whole lot better these days, and with Christmas right around the corner, I'm here with a couple things I've done.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ybyrqblLsItuBpRcB_Ox7XGdPigdN7Tp5Ms2BvtlF_j9nMi3Oq3pVrYDlG5XYTTIACoPa7YUcafdgvDgBnnwRM97hXhGMaP1wSKvnhvmzR6mlRHjHw97UHi7keGHNfX1eduLvDwyH9A/s1600/Snowflakes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ybyrqblLsItuBpRcB_Ox7XGdPigdN7Tp5Ms2BvtlF_j9nMi3Oq3pVrYDlG5XYTTIACoPa7YUcafdgvDgBnnwRM97hXhGMaP1wSKvnhvmzR6mlRHjHw97UHi7keGHNfX1eduLvDwyH9A/s320/Snowflakes.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's hard to tell, but the little ones have sprinkles on the white parts.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZzsIotoUXL5mGy0dKWHR_2MTIiG-Kbaz8Lr7SzNkNtyMYj4N5sdl7pHnSJlqLpDeX1l-51_6V-iGvHH8UmZDOfwB6MiWe0eRACfq1E-vH3GfJf_yYgF2IBjIg1vwXVuz7tpaLnaz9Mgg/s1600/Trees.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZzsIotoUXL5mGy0dKWHR_2MTIiG-Kbaz8Lr7SzNkNtyMYj4N5sdl7pHnSJlqLpDeX1l-51_6V-iGvHH8UmZDOfwB6MiWe0eRACfq1E-vH3GfJf_yYgF2IBjIg1vwXVuz7tpaLnaz9Mgg/s320/Trees.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love the "garland"!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Well, that's all for now. I should have a few more things to post before Christmas, but I'm still taking it slower these days.<br />
<br />
Enjoy!Katie of Katie Creatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07036440593596763610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471011132887789805.post-13319127140049664912011-09-23T17:09:00.000-04:002011-09-23T17:09:34.775-04:00The Apple of My Pie<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Continuing to use the plethora of apples I have, I made apple pie. This is probably one of the first recipes I ever made "from scratch". Well the filling at least. I am still intimidated by making the crust myself, so I bought one. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The recipe I use was adapted from </span><a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/paulas-apple-pie-filling-recipe/index.html"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Paula Dean</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I like to use a mix of different kinds of apples, since it adds to the texture and taste. I also like Paula's recipe, because it focuses on the Apples. When you buy a pie at the store, there is so much "juice" with the apples, sometimes that gunky stuff overpowers the apples. When you mix up this recipe, it makes a nice juice on its own, and when you add the flour, it helps to bind the apples a little, but its still 90% apple. The lemon helps the apples from browning, and gives it a nice bright flavor. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Normally, I make a lattice top, which gives it an impressive look, that's really not that hard. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWGIQvwaVrzIhS-_8Hl4Prm8X4yit3eWHXdywXpAZ-WpdvOfrJ2EWcNpo88ZvpYU5e39PUGTvwACWyE_wzsmVqSP6y7aG1pWaIECJf16j-WXyIQ8OtKHGbezvOenhBAgnHH8LVBQG-KZo/s1600/Pie.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWGIQvwaVrzIhS-_8Hl4Prm8X4yit3eWHXdywXpAZ-WpdvOfrJ2EWcNpo88ZvpYU5e39PUGTvwACWyE_wzsmVqSP6y7aG1pWaIECJf16j-WXyIQ8OtKHGbezvOenhBAgnHH8LVBQG-KZo/s320/Pie.bmp" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">After seeing a pie on another site that used cut out stars for the crust, I wanted to try it, but since apple pie says fall to me, I used mini leave cookie cutters and layered those on top, overlapping a little.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq0qFmvX3PUBLYRm8WUKEiOGdCHEHR7HjZIeWsFBiIP_a3j1JCYljEBIS9oOG6xrV0ahOO5U6AICTsBbDvZB2W14uo9WpnUrDBeZ-Xe4bd4Xcf3wRneB7WjY2nyyZRY_GrhRvFcVj_Gw8/s1600/DSCN3832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq0qFmvX3PUBLYRm8WUKEiOGdCHEHR7HjZIeWsFBiIP_a3j1JCYljEBIS9oOG6xrV0ahOO5U6AICTsBbDvZB2W14uo9WpnUrDBeZ-Xe4bd4Xcf3wRneB7WjY2nyyZRY_GrhRvFcVj_Gw8/s320/DSCN3832.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKYdPWxVX9oyXgT7dP5vChSbnH8adwLeDz9PeHIuX79cCI__6RjRrcSdBLCdUSCd4MGwg6ggOr3pVG8yqHz1PaZ1Ue53A54MjUe-YqVGKwthSm-cdDSfIofepQh0MTB4zCU89Q4eC1q9E/s1600/DSCN3833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKYdPWxVX9oyXgT7dP5vChSbnH8adwLeDz9PeHIuX79cCI__6RjRrcSdBLCdUSCd4MGwg6ggOr3pVG8yqHz1PaZ1Ue53A54MjUe-YqVGKwthSm-cdDSfIofepQh0MTB4zCU89Q4eC1q9E/s320/DSCN3833.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It took a little more time, since I had to re-roll out the scarps to have enough to cover the pie, but I was very please with it, and it looks so pretty. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I do think it would be prettier with a darker filling, maybe for a blueberry or Cherry pie. The color of the apples and the crust make it a little blending. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Katie of Katie Creatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07036440593596763610noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471011132887789805.post-67578651033769567772011-09-19T07:23:00.000-04:002011-09-19T07:23:57.642-04:00Spiderman, Spiderman...<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">...Does whatever a Spider can.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I'll be honest, I had to ask my husband how to finish that. I'm a girl. I was raised with my one sister, by my mother... we didn't really do Spiderman. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Care Bears, Rainbow Bright, My Little Pony, these were things we watched, played with. So whatever persuaded me to make Spiderman cookies for my friends son, I don't know, but it involved me asking my husband if the round cookie cutter I smashed looked like Spiderman's head. But I am please with hoe they came out, and I am sure any little boy will love them!</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8gy_Lk2umqjUaa7pJghh-4e0p_Xb_dQ6fJ4Nz81EE-nHWMjF_WrIOqPYI74AJeoOr0C-gr_i472m8WEKTpjRHiPgAvO9i7tUshPY0eEyp489YkE_nXymxI4kP31JbSB4ylzHf2kmoysY/s1600/DSCN3815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8gy_Lk2umqjUaa7pJghh-4e0p_Xb_dQ6fJ4Nz81EE-nHWMjF_WrIOqPYI74AJeoOr0C-gr_i472m8WEKTpjRHiPgAvO9i7tUshPY0eEyp489YkE_nXymxI4kP31JbSB4ylzHf2kmoysY/s320/DSCN3815.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The eyes were harder than I thought they would be.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">By the last one, I think I got it right.</span></td></tr>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-BM88MlClBSUu5IRhenXhoPguTyF9fFyTBZrJ73SBPm17EJQS6LCey-_2Dp96w4x17cwuH-3Mt1yZN1aEkSXncWTU73JbR59ozNXI6BaEuZ8BJUDFBr5okQgFXNjfeE4gR0vPnUgl2R4/s1600/DSCN3811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-BM88MlClBSUu5IRhenXhoPguTyF9fFyTBZrJ73SBPm17EJQS6LCey-_2Dp96w4x17cwuH-3Mt1yZN1aEkSXncWTU73JbR59ozNXI6BaEuZ8BJUDFBr5okQgFXNjfeE4gR0vPnUgl2R4/s320/DSCN3811.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-BM88MlClBSUu5IRhenXhoPguTyF9fFyTBZrJ73SBPm17EJQS6LCey-_2Dp96w4x17cwuH-3Mt1yZN1aEkSXncWTU73JbR59ozNXI6BaEuZ8BJUDFBr5okQgFXNjfeE4gR0vPnUgl2R4/s1600/DSCN3811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div>Katie of Katie Creatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07036440593596763610noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471011132887789805.post-27440333741535262762011-09-17T21:22:00.001-04:002011-09-17T21:29:24.337-04:00A Bushel of ApplesI love going apple picking in the fall. We drive out to an orchard in Berlin, MA and they drive us in a hay wagon to the picking orchard. We got the "big" bag of apples. It says it's about 20 pounds. It's actually a 1/2 bushel. <br />
<br />
It's so much fun to pick them, walking up and down the rows, looking for ripe apples. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdhNlJ_xjkHQE4ywxkMF83hddVIsnj0V5370uIAw9z2kqEmHyhNApVpscakwn-XFmmTXvpPu14-U567R-fKeQaanIR2DThlMP_Buow8G3UDeL09lzKun570FZaD1xQczzi-QLl3nVy5Jk/s1600/DSCN3797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdhNlJ_xjkHQE4ywxkMF83hddVIsnj0V5370uIAw9z2kqEmHyhNApVpscakwn-XFmmTXvpPu14-U567R-fKeQaanIR2DThlMP_Buow8G3UDeL09lzKun570FZaD1xQczzi-QLl3nVy5Jk/s320/DSCN3797.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We picked a bunch of different varieties: Macintosh, Gala, Honey Crisp, Golden Supreme, and Cortland. My favorite from last year, Macoun, wasn't ripe yet. I've been making pies for the last few years, and I like to use a mix of apples, rather than just one kind. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4NAhi9UvQrzTDpmS98PSsLK_s0MfTpKcO0ZOXnWJjcsc2WMZiHaCHNOGIFA3p6LyH8z-B2YUQ0uwEACXVQwng8Ds_OLqVBb7o3QbpcgqT7piceRSbQNZXVr6XdXf-1WzpN3Z_uaL1paY/s1600/DSCN3795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4NAhi9UvQrzTDpmS98PSsLK_s0MfTpKcO0ZOXnWJjcsc2WMZiHaCHNOGIFA3p6LyH8z-B2YUQ0uwEACXVQwng8Ds_OLqVBb7o3QbpcgqT7piceRSbQNZXVr6XdXf-1WzpN3Z_uaL1paY/s320/DSCN3795.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think this is Macintosh.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div>Though, with so many apples, I need to do something other than just make pies (even Dan who loves pie so much it's often requested instead of Birthday cake can't take that much!). The first thing I made was Applesauce in the Crock Pot, since I wanted to use it to make Pork Chops for dinner. I used a recipe I found on <a href="http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/09/crockpot-applesauce-recipe.html">A year of Slow Cooking</a>. I only have a 6 quart pot, so my apples took about 4 hours on low, rather than 6. I also used an immersion blender to smooth it out a bit, since I don't like chunks. It was very good. <br />
<br />
Currently in my pot right now is the makings of Apple Butter. This also got really good reviews on <br />
<a href="http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/crockpot-apple-butter-recipe.html">A Year of Slow Cooking</a>. I added the juice of half a lemon, to help keep the color, and give it a brighter flavor. I also followed her recommendation to use less sugar. I used 3/4 cup brown, and half cup white. <br />
<br />
This takes a while, 8 hours, then another 6, so I'll update later with the results, but I am pretty sure they will be great. <br />
<br />
I still have half a bag of apples, so I'll probably try the recipe I used for the <a href="http://katiecreating.blogspot.com/2011/09/savoring-last-bit-of-summer.html">Strawberry Cake.</a> And at least one pie. <br />
<br />
I have a lot of cookies coming up soon, since apparently September and October are popular months for birthdays, and I have some cupcakes coming up too.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHOK8shR7TP5rNmsGELhnxIqGNP3ZWpGHfpMAA_LFG3-1p2NF7tygzFtJk0G1p0i9NpJegCFc_zMA1chL2l3MR7EPsMymmsIHButeL-RUlFHNMJNg9wCFNs1nkmA3I47nR49x0AFn0e3E/s1600/DSCN3801.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHOK8shR7TP5rNmsGELhnxIqGNP3ZWpGHfpMAA_LFG3-1p2NF7tygzFtJk0G1p0i9NpJegCFc_zMA1chL2l3MR7EPsMymmsIHButeL-RUlFHNMJNg9wCFNs1nkmA3I47nR49x0AFn0e3E/s320/DSCN3801.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gala apples</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Katie of Katie Creatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07036440593596763610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471011132887789805.post-30353344601137473382011-09-16T07:07:00.000-04:002011-09-16T07:07:43.720-04:00iPod Cookie<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">One of my co-workers saw my little blog here with some of the cookies, and immediately asked if I would be willing to do something for her daughter's 7th birthday. She had this idea of doing an iPod or iPad, since her daughter said that is what she wanted as a gift (and she was obviously not getting one for a 7 year old, lol).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I thought about it a little, thinking about what I would want to do, and how I would do it, and then I agreed. I was nervous, since it would be the first time I would have to make something look like something specific, and also the first time I would be doing a big cookie. It had to be big, since I needed room to do details. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Also, I like the look of the black iPods more than the white ones (though my sister's white iPhone has me considering it...) but a lot of black icing doesn't always taste very good (and it makes your tongue black). So, I decided to make a chocolate cookies with a little black coloring to darken it, and use the cookie itself as the background color. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Since the cookie was large (5 x 8 -ish) I was able do make larger buttons and hand decorate them using food color pens. Obviously, I did the easier ones, but I was real happy how they came out. I did wish I had a finer tip black one to do some smaller details, but all in all, I think you can tell what they are. (sorry for the blurry pictures)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">My co-worker was thrilled. I was thrilled she was thrilled. Her daughter was really excited... and that's what matters.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Oh and my favorite app button:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVvwOD162_W2gr1C6FKRfRLip0kaX9A0I1CIeO9YiPQr2Q2i6b9zfAIaj3Rfeoq7I3MEvh-dOe_QTSeMgju0kc1HEl_2P3WvqRUpshZ2-uD8badsD1Lx4AAFA6TIVpWdV6UV4xS3nfjvU/s1600/DSCN3788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVvwOD162_W2gr1C6FKRfRLip0kaX9A0I1CIeO9YiPQr2Q2i6b9zfAIaj3Rfeoq7I3MEvh-dOe_QTSeMgju0kc1HEl_2P3WvqRUpshZ2-uD8badsD1Lx4AAFA6TIVpWdV6UV4xS3nfjvU/s320/DSCN3788.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>Katie of Katie Creatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07036440593596763610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471011132887789805.post-707454549509654172011-09-12T09:04:00.000-04:002011-09-12T09:04:29.979-04:00White CatsJust a quick picture of some cookies I did over the weekend for my Aunt's birthday.<br />
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She has 2 little fur-babies, Duke and Daisy, and I did my best to copy their likeness into cookie form.<br />
Duke has blue eyes, while daisy has greenish yellow ones, and bushy tail. <br />
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Happy Birthday, Auntie!Katie of Katie Creatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07036440593596763610noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471011132887789805.post-85916396482866476862011-09-11T09:43:00.001-04:002011-09-11T09:48:04.232-04:00Savoring the Last Bit of SummerI can't believe that it's September and, regardless of what the calender says, summer is over. <br />
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Strawberries are one of my favorite fruits, and the end of summer signifies the end of the best of the fruit.<br />
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I made this cake after seeing it on Pinterest. The <a href="http://gourmandrecipes.com/strawberry-cake/?pid=205#image-1163">original recipe</a> comes from Gourmand Recipes. I didn't have everything called for, so I adapted it a bit. This is incredible simple... one bowl is all you need. This would also be good with apples, I think, maybe with some cinnamon added. <br />
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Strawberry Cake: recipe adapted from Gourmand Recipes<br />
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1.5 cups all purpose flour<br />
1.5 teaspoons baking powder<br />
.5 teaspoon salt<br />
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened<br />
3/4 cup sugar<br />
2 eggs<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla<br />
1/2 cup milk<br />
10-12 strawberries, halved<br />
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Preheat oven to 325<br />
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Prepare a 8 or 9 inch cake pan (I like to use the wrapper from the stick of butter used, to coat the bottom and sides, then flour the pan<br />
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Mix all ingredients, except Strawberries until well combined, 2-3 minutes<br />
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Pour mixture into prepared pan<br />
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Top with strawberries, cut side down<br />
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Bake for 40-45 minutes<br />
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Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove from pan, and cool on rack. <br />
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Serve warm, with butter... yum<br />
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</div>It's not overly sweet, and was good for breakfast or for a snack with tea. Enjoy!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQq3EDwEg2ZEZFcajXobDkYbp-poSDC-Xtso05DZWMLsvFUlY2IJBRZRTlL4-0jAh2Vt-cAJN2VXeNtj5xAev2Jwgr12kqzBMvtyAVYtpZLghqKcKvKnb9z8sIZvlPCgf-IC6XXu9v79E/s1600/Katie+Signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQq3EDwEg2ZEZFcajXobDkYbp-poSDC-Xtso05DZWMLsvFUlY2IJBRZRTlL4-0jAh2Vt-cAJN2VXeNtj5xAev2Jwgr12kqzBMvtyAVYtpZLghqKcKvKnb9z8sIZvlPCgf-IC6XXu9v79E/s1600/Katie+Signature.jpg" /></a></div>Katie of Katie Creatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07036440593596763610noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471011132887789805.post-50165751285720363042011-08-27T12:31:00.000-04:002011-08-27T12:31:52.615-04:00Cannoli CupcakesWhen I made the <a href="http://katiecreating.blogspot.com/2011/07/youe-grand-ol-flag.html">Flag Cake</a> for my dad's July 4th birthday, my sister (hey, May!) was so impressed, she requested I make something for her birthday as well. Now, this may seem like just a regular request, but it's a big deal, considering she always prefers Cannoli for her birthday, or, occasionally as a kid, edible dirt. I was honored.<br />
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So I thought about all the super cool/impressive things I could make... maybe something with fondant, or lots and lots of pink. Lots of layers!<br />
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Then I found <a href="http://www.beantownbaker.com/2011/05/cannoli-cupcakes.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BeantownBaker+%28Beantown+Baker%29">this post</a> on Beantown Baker (another local sweet enthusiast<span style="color: black;">) for Cannoli Cupcakes.</span><br />
PS... check out her blog... she does a TON of cupcakes, and other adorable baked goods.<br />
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I immediately knew that these would be what I made. Combining her favorite dessert, with the cake I wanted to make her. Perfect!<br />
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I followed Jen's (the Beantown Baker) steps and recipes exactly.<br />
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She used <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/342396/yellow-butter-cake">Martha's</a> Yellow cake recipe. I had never made a cake or cupcakes from scratch, so I was a little nervous, but I had faith in Martha (and Jen) and they came out light and fluffy. <br />
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I then cut out a cone from the middle (to allow for ample cannoli filling) and dipped the tops of the cupcake in chocolate ganache. (Please ignore the lack of photo... it was hot and sticky in my kitchen and I was trying to hurry to get them back in the fridge. <br />
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I made Cannoli filling using the recipe posted by Beantown Baker, and it was delish. I did use about half as much orange zest as it called for, since I wanted a real light flavor. My sister would (and did, with leftovers) eat this with a spoon.<br />
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I piped on the cannoli filling like frosting, first filling the cone, then the top. Topped with mini chocolate chips....adorable!<br />
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Just a little tid-bit I looked up:<br />
More than one cannoli is not "cannolis. "Cannoli" is the proper plural, and "cannolo" the singular.<br />
Fun Fact! <br />
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Since I didn't know if there would be people who didn't like cannoli (gasp), I also made a chocolate buttercream, and used that on half. <br />
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Since it was SO humid out, I used half butter, half shortening to help it keep its shape. I piped cute roses on top. <br />
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Both went over really well, and I was so pleased with them. My sister took a bite, found the extra filling in the middle, shrieked a bit, then was speechless, which is saying something if you know Mary. That's about the highest honor I could have expected... and was quickly told it would never happen again :-p<br />
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Happy Birthday, Mary... love you!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJHHKHbPvuJi2nOeY5O5k0QCwcGyoBNmzZrFP_cZA9cLdSbXCMWUyasr1yTd7Gmby9ACBOGKvWbQ-VOCPYUkjlQ1iEtZ6C04xbHfNe2YZmyM_7a1cOGsXSxEwQc0aQzpbH4fszJFEWDg/s1600/DSCN3739.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJHHKHbPvuJi2nOeY5O5k0QCwcGyoBNmzZrFP_cZA9cLdSbXCMWUyasr1yTd7Gmby9ACBOGKvWbQ-VOCPYUkjlQ1iEtZ6C04xbHfNe2YZmyM_7a1cOGsXSxEwQc0aQzpbH4fszJFEWDg/s320/DSCN3739.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't know why I thought to take it sideways....</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Katie of Katie Creatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07036440593596763610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471011132887789805.post-26356137006815070552011-08-20T20:20:00.001-04:002011-09-01T16:00:26.274-04:00Birthday cookiesI made a bunch of cookies for my mom to bring to a little girls birthday. She was turning 5. I wanted to make something cute and girly. This is what I came up with. I'm really happy with them.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCBMqOFFEffeg0Slo1P70wtGmiR14Ztw20kUMgI8g0S5ZGPkvqOGpN7edowooCSedFJK5M0Ze0YwTKzAubMz1BZutAuEXkxgsIKGhNZQ7T-R06xo8uKMfyL8SQmQO0Wdkr6sapNXEfTKI/s1600/DSCN3719.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCBMqOFFEffeg0Slo1P70wtGmiR14Ztw20kUMgI8g0S5ZGPkvqOGpN7edowooCSedFJK5M0Ze0YwTKzAubMz1BZutAuEXkxgsIKGhNZQ7T-R06xo8uKMfyL8SQmQO0Wdkr6sapNXEfTKI/s320/DSCN3719.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Purple and Lime Green theme</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbSUJsykCL1Byeve26m3hLFFxNalf2ENngYZPZBL-Gv35vn88Wn5u8XM0F3zFDb9KWvAOQvqDwHCDwgnxYMoaS_vx8w-MVJ1rdpxOyrk3SnaXXrOOmLXNh92pswfeb6ORsWsLtNJaIgY/s1600/DSCN3716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbSUJsykCL1Byeve26m3hLFFxNalf2ENngYZPZBL-Gv35vn88Wn5u8XM0F3zFDb9KWvAOQvqDwHCDwgnxYMoaS_vx8w-MVJ1rdpxOyrk3SnaXXrOOmLXNh92pswfeb6ORsWsLtNJaIgY/s320/DSCN3716.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cute labels I ordered!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXGj6o0DO49ZYuyQQyNB6vtgdInKySb7FAwrSx69DL8bMN8SW6myWSOEgvGeA-GG2DXdboZnJ2P1sFDZET8SUABjrUpsWribrPcjo8NO_3mJUAMKv7n-FRCAMUGwilw7sjk6kb2Ql6KN8/s1600/DSCN3714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXGj6o0DO49ZYuyQQyNB6vtgdInKySb7FAwrSx69DL8bMN8SW6myWSOEgvGeA-GG2DXdboZnJ2P1sFDZET8SUABjrUpsWribrPcjo8NO_3mJUAMKv7n-FRCAMUGwilw7sjk6kb2Ql6KN8/s320/DSCN3714.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All Boxed up!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_Uov5yjIJtYL_acGebhPeGn6AzYKM2dawboolsSsXcno_ruKKtmOaUBcbgG2gR5O-yOq8mgAhpoxCqRGGpn7s7Rh65SBmdICvGlr0SRTNf_xO3j5OuPiNsSv_4LnPffT5-UWQkZqEuw/s1600/DSCN3718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_Uov5yjIJtYL_acGebhPeGn6AzYKM2dawboolsSsXcno_ruKKtmOaUBcbgG2gR5O-yOq8mgAhpoxCqRGGpn7s7Rh65SBmdICvGlr0SRTNf_xO3j5OuPiNsSv_4LnPffT5-UWQkZqEuw/s320/DSCN3718.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
See this cookie? I wanted to make a "name plate" cookie that I could use to either write a greeting, like Happy Birthday, or someones name. And I wanted it to be a little different that just a round or square cutter.<br />
<br />
So, I had this big (5 inch) scalloped round cutter (that actually I bought not really looking at the size) and gently "smooshed" it into this football-ish shape. I think it serves the purpose, and it's now a "custom" cookie cutter!<br />
<br />
I know I have been bad about posting this summer, but my kitchen is often too hot to bake. Next week though, I am doing cupcakes for my sister's birthday, so I will most definitely have another post then (unless there is a cupcake catastrophe... but I doubt it... did I just jinx myself).<br />
<br />
See you then!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQq3EDwEg2ZEZFcajXobDkYbp-poSDC-Xtso05DZWMLsvFUlY2IJBRZRTlL4-0jAh2Vt-cAJN2VXeNtj5xAev2Jwgr12kqzBMvtyAVYtpZLghqKcKvKnb9z8sIZvlPCgf-IC6XXu9v79E/s1600/Katie+Signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQq3EDwEg2ZEZFcajXobDkYbp-poSDC-Xtso05DZWMLsvFUlY2IJBRZRTlL4-0jAh2Vt-cAJN2VXeNtj5xAev2Jwgr12kqzBMvtyAVYtpZLghqKcKvKnb9z8sIZvlPCgf-IC6XXu9v79E/s1600/Katie+Signature.jpg" /></a>Katie of Katie Creatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07036440593596763610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471011132887789805.post-40911515490028508272011-08-05T22:21:00.001-04:002011-08-05T23:16:44.519-04:00Wilton Cake ClassHi All,<br />
<br />
Long time no post. It's been a busy few weeks at work and at home. Plus, with the heat we've had (and my lack of air-conditioned kitchen) I haven't been doing much creating.<br />
<br />
I did, however, take the second of the Wilton Cake Decorating classes at Michael's. It was a lot of fun. This class was smaller than my others, only 2 other people, so we got to go at a good pace, and she even showed us a few extra things since we were quick to learn.<br />
<br />
This class we did a little with gumpaste and fondant, which, while pretty, I'm not a huge fan of, because it doesn't taste good. Though she did give us a recipe for Marshmallow fondant that she said actually is pretty good. The other classes we used Royal Icing (which I'm already really familiar with) to make Apple Blossoms, Violets, Daffodils, Lilies, and Roses. <br />
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Then for the final class, we learned how to make a basket weave, and got to assemble our cakes with all the flowers we made. <br />
<br />
Here is mine:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGXM_FxY71QuaR-jBb2wvmHyu8kmkSPgCvZro8Tz07XlSfDidDxpezmr2UOpkNoqGPHWzGw_-zqri8_a-WRvJ_qOnuXv_1ORqnqhhuisiKi0JItJaywZwGr96HLDojQ0g14nZMH5VoHWk/s1600/DSCN3700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGXM_FxY71QuaR-jBb2wvmHyu8kmkSPgCvZro8Tz07XlSfDidDxpezmr2UOpkNoqGPHWzGw_-zqri8_a-WRvJ_qOnuXv_1ORqnqhhuisiKi0JItJaywZwGr96HLDojQ0g14nZMH5VoHWk/s320/DSCN3700.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidV9yO_8kQR4Wnk5NYJ2R1ceK2NikaU8YfyfXPrBC_5ZNl2P8Unct0m8LrONUiRE1FRCoz7KlOyD1Q-I1ig9qivRrX76moxUX0zBIkJ7sXlzdrfO_UstUmJRWrIbgNRNxu_BBzUmDtl54/s1600/DSCN3696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidV9yO_8kQR4Wnk5NYJ2R1ceK2NikaU8YfyfXPrBC_5ZNl2P8Unct0m8LrONUiRE1FRCoz7KlOyD1Q-I1ig9qivRrX76moxUX0zBIkJ7sXlzdrfO_UstUmJRWrIbgNRNxu_BBzUmDtl54/s320/DSCN3696.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuFodyTmX101fImoAb_wQ7W1fi-yvsJC87tLVv0q5nrf1VQ9bPUbj77XQ0BaWfUC2dmxXgBMknhUFh2gf2MES8OkdKwkj3RqBib_imGKS2rP_NCLT8EEAZyBvc0wdUB6lJGbgd9svzp6s/s1600/DSCN3695.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuFodyTmX101fImoAb_wQ7W1fi-yvsJC87tLVv0q5nrf1VQ9bPUbj77XQ0BaWfUC2dmxXgBMknhUFh2gf2MES8OkdKwkj3RqBib_imGKS2rP_NCLT8EEAZyBvc0wdUB6lJGbgd9svzp6s/s320/DSCN3695.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I was very pleased with it. While the flowers don't taste that great, they look pretty, and they hold up pretty well. The cake was Chocolate with a Chocolate filling. The icing was a vanilla buttercream. <br />
<br />
I'm hoping to do some cookie baking this weekend since the weather will be cooler, and later this month I'll be making my sister's birthday cake. She requested a cake after seeing my flag cake... I'm honored, since my sister doesn't usually want cake for her birthday. She usually wants cannoli. I have a few ideas up my sleeve to make sure she gets something great! Stay tuned!Katie of Katie Creatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07036440593596763610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471011132887789805.post-27928468028272740612011-07-04T09:38:00.003-04:002011-09-15T11:10:44.538-04:00You're a Grand Ol' Flag....Well, it's 4th of July weekend, and for the last week I have seen so many blogs with amazing cookies, cakes, and other goodies featuring Old Glory. I wish I had time (and an air conditioned kitchen ) to make them all. <br />
<br />
The 4th also happens to be my Step-Father's birthday, and last year, after my first cake decorating class I made him this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPBrpEJ7owjBRxRj8R30QskKCTkw46BzdKEZWTHcddFj3kr9eJimn_N_o-tw5EEM-5X1S2NwsR47HMN5XMQFrgjitv99KVZWUs05dmRbdf8VeZwJA27Fu3t5B1ZElKNbtvTYhZGf0dyA/s1600/DSCN1626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPBrpEJ7owjBRxRj8R30QskKCTkw46BzdKEZWTHcddFj3kr9eJimn_N_o-tw5EEM-5X1S2NwsR47HMN5XMQFrgjitv99KVZWUs05dmRbdf8VeZwJA27Fu3t5B1ZElKNbtvTYhZGf0dyA/s320/DSCN1626.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
I was very proud of it!<br />
<br />
<br />
Well this year, I decided to do something different. Rather than decorate the outside with the flag.....<br />
<br />
I decided to make the INSIDE a flag!<br />
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjiACaYiQ4h2239P0LeVSRA0OpoJdqFBcLzzfsOSBL0NgS92vU7ZtkyyeVCrmpL64qbRuWia9sjg-fVcyxDfHxjT1Wy4d4BQekslc4wOr_ar9wdiilkgKxR4svZYvPt6Q49FPxfvr0vV4/s1600/flag+cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjiACaYiQ4h2239P0LeVSRA0OpoJdqFBcLzzfsOSBL0NgS92vU7ZtkyyeVCrmpL64qbRuWia9sjg-fVcyxDfHxjT1Wy4d4BQekslc4wOr_ar9wdiilkgKxR4svZYvPt6Q49FPxfvr0vV4/s320/flag+cake.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I have seen this in a couple of blogs, but most recently, I found it on <a href="http://glorioustreats.blogspot.com/2011/06/4th-of-july-flag-cake.html">Glorious Treats</a>. Glory is an amazing baker/decorator,and she also give really helpful tutorials, so I was feeling pretty good going into making this.<br />
<br />
Like Glory, I decided on a simple outside, since the goodness is on the inside.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi61gHGXhSflMNcniZr6iVYDE_x07-h3s0CY5wavLQuGdRJVkv6p9f02ytp8KRthCvA7PSMVvuJhhDks-rFDJEjnYA4XsJ96YaPIJXKQNAjtTcAuf0aZq9gWdxY_zb-knRRC1V4GmrZo3I/s1600/DSCN3666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi61gHGXhSflMNcniZr6iVYDE_x07-h3s0CY5wavLQuGdRJVkv6p9f02ytp8KRthCvA7PSMVvuJhhDks-rFDJEjnYA4XsJ96YaPIJXKQNAjtTcAuf0aZq9gWdxY_zb-knRRC1V4GmrZo3I/s320/DSCN3666.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lot of cake...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaJh_FA34gzcAnwFD4nqa6y_gUbbI4YlctqDp_ADy9PjbNofqWwXU5lY9qTC18ReMTvo5XM6nVnUs_JcShS8QDJktZBreLa88G_kJVYrxuAPLpgIP9dx8bgymINezBBfzPg_kAxfANqn0/s1600/DSCN3674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaJh_FA34gzcAnwFD4nqa6y_gUbbI4YlctqDp_ADy9PjbNofqWwXU5lY9qTC18ReMTvo5XM6nVnUs_JcShS8QDJktZBreLa88G_kJVYrxuAPLpgIP9dx8bgymINezBBfzPg_kAxfANqn0/s320/DSCN3674.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So here it is all built. I covered it in a thin coat of canned frosting <br />
to help keep it moist and to hold it all together.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>I frosted it with Whipped Cream icing. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Here it is cut... so cool I think!</div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjivzEopxIp81DC3m7fCGUEm1fZgdGEwmCIbmXBmUsbOkR2lFyO-JUOSYYpEy8_NAR7yIga8iQlkU7yhy8G63KZSYfcApCwluCHyTb5fyAoZh1S-ht3sWKqSzMzDX0nMO_bM46diLNERxc/s1600/DSCN3679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjivzEopxIp81DC3m7fCGUEm1fZgdGEwmCIbmXBmUsbOkR2lFyO-JUOSYYpEy8_NAR7yIga8iQlkU7yhy8G63KZSYfcApCwluCHyTb5fyAoZh1S-ht3sWKqSzMzDX0nMO_bM46diLNERxc/s320/DSCN3679.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
It got rave reviews. The cake was from a box (Mrs. Crocker spent all that time putting her mix in those boxes, why should I ignore her effort), but I did make the icing. I used a stabilized recipe, so that it didn't melt in the humidity. It worked pretty well. <br />
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<br />
******************<br />
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<br />
<br />
In other news, I bought an ice cream maker. Well yesterday, I went to a local Farm and got some fresh picked strawberries... like so fresh they were picked a couple hours before I bought them... I swear they were still warm from the sun!<br />
<br />
Rather than try anything Too fancy for my first time, I just used the recipe that came with it. <br />
<br />
Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream:<br />
Recipe from the Cuisinart Recipe Book<br />
<br />
1 and 1/2 Cups Strawberries<br />
3/4 Cup Whole Milk <br />
2/3 Cup Granulated Sugar<br />
Pinch Salt<br />
1 and 1/2 Cups Heavy Cream<br />
1/2 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract<br />
<br />
First, wash and cut the strawberries in half. Next, use a Food Processor to roughly puree them. I left some chunks, but it was also pretty juicy. Set aside.<br />
<br />
In a bowl, combined the Milk, Sugar, and Salt, either by hand with a whisk or with a hand mixer on low. Mix until the sugar is dissolved. Add the Cream and Vanilla, mix. Finally add the Strawberries, along with all the juice. Stir to combined. It'll be a bit frothy. Cover, and refrigerate 1-2 hours at least, the longer the better. Can be done the night before. I left mine for about 3 hours.<br />
<br />
The I just followed the directions of my mixer.<br />
<br />
Here's the concoction just poured in:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsA2Uqz2L4etrpPjD0ESE79ROVVUHuwk4ifdjC6OA9c8LFJZRf6oVzc6Br-niraZgAFSvADzgRkf2YUCcpoGiZQs8VQkjz-n0gLIk4HcoRs_FuzLynLeMFwjaOiRd-yq2DiMEb1QTHqIA/s1600/DSCN3663.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsA2Uqz2L4etrpPjD0ESE79ROVVUHuwk4ifdjC6OA9c8LFJZRf6oVzc6Br-niraZgAFSvADzgRkf2YUCcpoGiZQs8VQkjz-n0gLIk4HcoRs_FuzLynLeMFwjaOiRd-yq2DiMEb1QTHqIA/s320/DSCN3663.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
And here it is just before it's done:<br />
<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0P6wYd4NRYSD2N3bkAXzE11qltqmXqqY8NBfO4zJhbr815sXCtIiQ_9wJF4pcco2mIa4bVGUdmzWVqQfRz5ZCQP8caw7TVIBGoZhyphenhyphenDfro6tDj03ZLbp2uV6wuPsjHQ5ODGliwGlPHyvI/s1600/DSCN3665.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0P6wYd4NRYSD2N3bkAXzE11qltqmXqqY8NBfO4zJhbr815sXCtIiQ_9wJF4pcco2mIa4bVGUdmzWVqQfRz5ZCQP8caw7TVIBGoZhyphenhyphenDfro6tDj03ZLbp2uV6wuPsjHQ5ODGliwGlPHyvI/s320/DSCN3665.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>I didn't get a picture when it was finished, since I was trying to get it into the freezer to firm up. It's pretty creamy right out of the mixer, so it's recommended to put in the freezer to firm up to scoop. <br />
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I have to say, I may never buy ice cream at the store again. This was so cream, and so fresh tasting, I couldn't believe it came from my kitchen. The Hubby was so impressed! I love when that happens!<br />
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Happy Fourth of July, everyone. I hope you got to get out and enjoy!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div>Katie of Katie Creatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07036440593596763610noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471011132887789805.post-19484159829183887232011-06-29T19:43:00.001-04:002011-09-15T11:11:52.181-04:00Like a Kid in a Candy Store....That is how I felt when I walked into Willams-Sonoma this evening.<br />
<br />
After I found about their Sale on <a href="http://bakeat350.blogspot.com/2011/06/you-might-be-baking-enthusiast-if.html">Bake at 350</a> this afternoon, I know that I would be making a pilgrimage to the Wrentham Outlets this evening. And I was not disappointed.<br />
<br />
I knew that I wanted to look for new baking sheets, cookie cutters, and decorating items.<br />
<br />
Well, this is what I came out with....<br />
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Now, what you may notice is there are no cookie sheets (they didn't have the ones I liked). However... I walked out with this little beauty:<br />
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Yup... an Ice Cream Maker! I have wanted one since last year, but didn't know if I wanted a machine like this, or one that attaches to my Kitchen Aid mixer, but when I say it at the outlet... the price was just right.<br />
And that right price was $40.... eeeeeeeek!<br />
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As soon as I finish this update, I will be reading the manual and getting the bowl in the freezer to be ready for it's maiden voyage this weekend (check back early next week for that adventure).<br />
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I am currently fighting the urge to go back tomorrow and get a couple other things I saw and put back....<br />
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And now just to leave you with something cute I did the other day:<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQq3EDwEg2ZEZFcajXobDkYbp-poSDC-Xtso05DZWMLsvFUlY2IJBRZRTlL4-0jAh2Vt-cAJN2VXeNtj5xAev2Jwgr12kqzBMvtyAVYtpZLghqKcKvKnb9z8sIZvlPCgf-IC6XXu9v79E/s1600/Katie+Signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQq3EDwEg2ZEZFcajXobDkYbp-poSDC-Xtso05DZWMLsvFUlY2IJBRZRTlL4-0jAh2Vt-cAJN2VXeNtj5xAev2Jwgr12kqzBMvtyAVYtpZLghqKcKvKnb9z8sIZvlPCgf-IC6XXu9v79E/s1600/Katie+Signature.jpg" /></a></div><div align="left"></div>Katie of Katie Creatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07036440593596763610noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471011132887789805.post-45131216904097458942011-06-10T22:35:00.000-04:002011-06-10T22:35:31.018-04:00WatermelonsJust a quick post with my afternoon's work. I wanted to make something to bring to a cook out this weekend, and what says summer more than watermelon!<br />
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My kitchen was really hot, so I feel like the green and the white was a little thinner than I would have liked, but they came out cute!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had a cutter that was the watermelon with the bite taken out, but then I also wanted a "whole" melon too. So I took my circle and just cut it in half with my paring knife.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had wanted to do a wet-on-wet with a dot of black icing and then use a tooth pick to pull it out to make the point of the seed, but I was so hot in my kitchen I just wanted to finish, so when they were dry, I used my food color pen to add seeds. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div>Katie of Katie Creatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07036440593596763610noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471011132887789805.post-11512762882906209142011-06-07T21:42:00.004-04:002011-06-07T21:59:53.697-04:00School Bus Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSrIQm1N-V7Z9HkKPDh3lNAULxtL65HF9PXY_smz_cMt_KG0BPdM8pPokGXOvls1YS79AdLSxOngkML3uKnnrGAVrtfrzEcxpa8ZeZmuxDxPrJsNTZQ2KfG1o7ga1VFaJY3_V_EEhbwOg/s1600/DSCN3568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSrIQm1N-V7Z9HkKPDh3lNAULxtL65HF9PXY_smz_cMt_KG0BPdM8pPokGXOvls1YS79AdLSxOngkML3uKnnrGAVrtfrzEcxpa8ZeZmuxDxPrJsNTZQ2KfG1o7ga1VFaJY3_V_EEhbwOg/s320/DSCN3568.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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My mom is a school bus driver, and one of her good friends (also a driver) is retiring in a couple weeks. When my mom told me she was organizing the party for her, I knew I wanted to try to do some cookies.<br />
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I was a little nervous, since I'm still figuring out what works and what doesn't, and I didn't want them to come out bad. Plus, until now, I've only decorated about a dozen or less cookies at one time, and for this I needed 30... that's a lot. <br />
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So 2 weekends ago, I made the cookies, since it was nice and cool, and I didn't mind having my oven on. I stacked them in Ziploc bags, and put them in the freezer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2L3ZplL42D8p7RKbKtEoc9dBSjXGapuETs-zvIWfee__S5K59KAEyRBvEHDiq2VtfBxO8Ec5Ud0IMAf-_LKtsAzQK5thqvmKFRO-ww-MBZ0s47b6A3TvaynmHFJSsCLJHn3tStvu2sE/s1600/DSCN3550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2L3ZplL42D8p7RKbKtEoc9dBSjXGapuETs-zvIWfee__S5K59KAEyRBvEHDiq2VtfBxO8Ec5Ud0IMAf-_LKtsAzQK5thqvmKFRO-ww-MBZ0s47b6A3TvaynmHFJSsCLJHn3tStvu2sE/s320/DSCN3550.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost 4 cups!</td></tr>
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I started by making a whole recipe of just yellow icing. I was so nervous I would not have enough when I made it and I would need to make another batch and match the color... but it turned out great. I had the perfect amount.<br />
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Then I outlined the whole bus (sans wheels) with yellow, and filled that in.<br />
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Then I outlined the wheel. I did learn that I am not good with free handing circles. I can follow the curve of the outside great, but some of the wheels would be considered flat in real-life.... good thing this is cookie world!<br />
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Once the yellow and black were done, they had to sit overnight to dry. <br />
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While I was waiting, I decided to make the stop signs on wax paper, rather than chance messing up on the buses and being SOL. <br />
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I now know that I need to make them a little thicker next time... when I went to peel these off, I broke half of them... good thing I made extra! Then while I was packaging them up, most of the signs started cracking, so I had to go back and pop off the signs, and pipe them straight onto the bus... if only I had done that to begin with!<br />
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The next day, I added the windows, and other details. Looking at the buses, I knew something was missing... I googled school bus, and saw that most have a black line running the length of the body... so I piped that in. I really think it adds some real life details to it. <br />
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Finally, I used my food color pen to add the "M2" (her bus number) and the town name.<br />
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I had a few extra round cookies left over, and some extra yellow icing, so I made these too, just for fun. I did the yellow, and added the black dots using a wet-on-wet method, then piped the "M2" the next day,<br />
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Wrapped up with cut little yellows bows!<br />
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I am very proud of these. They are by no means perfect, but I think they are cute and fun and perfect for a celebration!Katie of Katie Creatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07036440593596763610noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471011132887789805.post-4494475987118216262011-05-15T17:49:00.001-04:002011-05-15T17:49:51.156-04:00Cake Decorating ClassSo, as I may have mentioned in my first entry, I signed up for a cake decorating class. Now, I did take one last spring, but at the same time, we were busy packing, moving, and unpacking that I don't feel like I have it 100%. Since then, they also changed their classes, so while I'm technically taking the basics class again, we're doing new things. So far, it's been mostly skills I know/feel comfortable with, so it's been a good chance to practice.<br />
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While I don't have any step by steps for you (it would be awkward to stop in the middle of class every 10 minutes to take a picture of what I have done), I did take a picture...OK, several... of the final product.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Isn't it cute! </div><br />
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Here's a shot so you can see the borders. <br />
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Next week is cupcakes and flowers.<br />
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Oh... and if a cake wasn't enough, this morning I did a practice run of the School Bus cookies I'll be making for a woman who is retiring as a (you guessed it!) School Bus Driver! <br />
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</div><div align="left">I tried a few different things, so I know what I want to do and don't want to do for the final product (which I still have a month for), but I was glad I got a few extra cookies in the freezer. </div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">So, I've been busy in the kitchen.... Stay tuned!</div>Katie of Katie Creatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07036440593596763610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471011132887789805.post-25499712391368254592011-05-08T10:53:00.000-04:002011-05-08T10:53:30.807-04:00Garden BedsTo make sure that this blog isn't ENTIRELY about food.... I wanted to post the flower bed that the Hubby and I worked on last weekend. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2P8dsNHyxW9p2yYH598HQlOTm-J-qjrE62XP90vsBJg5ajK2a_JE9ozVEW3X7Wp0qXCIBtdAPXZaUDxcLot-NmIBvl9PsaAvW8BtkRfby3TGWEo5JjB9RFCtk7r0PliQ3Jj0BJi8KAx0/s1600/DSCN3447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2P8dsNHyxW9p2yYH598HQlOTm-J-qjrE62XP90vsBJg5ajK2a_JE9ozVEW3X7Wp0qXCIBtdAPXZaUDxcLot-NmIBvl9PsaAvW8BtkRfby3TGWEo5JjB9RFCtk7r0PliQ3Jj0BJi8KAx0/s320/DSCN3447.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love the steping stones, those were dug up from building the Patio.</td></tr>
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Speaking of the Patio, that's a whole other thing that was created... though that was all my husband, I didn't do much. This was last fall's project, so this spring is really our first time using it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyb4LLoyeTLcgk50-9xQZCTQqK9xe8JP0ULboiKtu05LM6-CzFcEAMiOYCsOKnu_8tEeM-1h5eeikCPTbsmaYUXdT2nI9W3qXsax48Cs00dEZqDejcwwVFW3LIychOLxMHEQtichnh_rg/s1600/DSCN2012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyb4LLoyeTLcgk50-9xQZCTQqK9xe8JP0ULboiKtu05LM6-CzFcEAMiOYCsOKnu_8tEeM-1h5eeikCPTbsmaYUXdT2nI9W3qXsax48Cs00dEZqDejcwwVFW3LIychOLxMHEQtichnh_rg/s320/DSCN2012.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We do love our power tools...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIv1wDhxQPljisgAld1AzWQuJm8UhDAodg0iYa6ZzDlk1r_lvbjLAYXL6ph4L1bL59tVTcMj-K2_bWyFcdbu7RzBUt-bsyP_rNtDZvZNHV4I-kinFKZeP2zjmcnNVw_kzh_l5DSOGVoVM/s1600/DSCN2341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIv1wDhxQPljisgAld1AzWQuJm8UhDAodg0iYa6ZzDlk1r_lvbjLAYXL6ph4L1bL59tVTcMj-K2_bWyFcdbu7RzBUt-bsyP_rNtDZvZNHV4I-kinFKZeP2zjmcnNVw_kzh_l5DSOGVoVM/s320/DSCN2341.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gorgeous!!!</td></tr>
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In the past few weeks, we've put out our patio set (aptly named, I think) and also got a new Fire Pit. It's going to be so nice to sit out and enjoy it this summer!<br />
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Well that's it. Happy Mother's Day to all the Mothers, soon-to-be Mothers and the Mothers at heart.Katie of Katie Creatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07036440593596763610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471011132887789805.post-47377976813667458282011-04-27T20:09:00.004-04:002011-09-11T09:48:33.893-04:00Scones for a Royal Tea Party!Despite the fact that a part of my heart is still a little broken that Prince William will never make me his princess, in honor of the royal wedding this Friday, I am making scones. <br />
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Because of the massive amounts of sugar I consumed over Easter weekend, I decided to use a low fat recipe from <a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/">Gina's Skinny Taste Website</a>, home to all sorts of recipes that are Weight Watchers friendly (which I do TRY to follow... really, I do!). Even if you don't follow the program, the recipes are still really good and healthy! Take a peek! Gina has a few scone recipes so I knew I would find something. <br />
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I wanted to do Blueberry Scones, since those are my favorite, but the idea of blueberry and lemon together really sounded good. So, I decided to use this recipe, but replace the dried cranberry with fresh blueberry :<br />
<div><a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/03/lemon-cranberry-scones.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/03/lemon-cranberry-scones.html</a></div><div></div><div><br />
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I had never made scones, so I wasn't sure what to expect.</div><br />
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The ingredients were straight forward, like I said, I subbed blueberries for the dried cranberries.<br />
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While I know that scones are drier, I was a bit concerned that the dough was SO crumbly:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8xUhZeRCrWqSx79ngsMw_g1qKw8nmKI0X3RNZ6AfkzPFZnFR8j0GaViCve0_vw8wFgb1Bfayq2wBkfS1_GcP0Yu-ibvklyjisLJ45GTAkE3qE-ZdEmoCAFjyciYHJowYHJsK0LMQn91U/s1600/DSCN3436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8xUhZeRCrWqSx79ngsMw_g1qKw8nmKI0X3RNZ6AfkzPFZnFR8j0GaViCve0_vw8wFgb1Bfayq2wBkfS1_GcP0Yu-ibvklyjisLJ45GTAkE3qE-ZdEmoCAFjyciYHJowYHJsK0LMQn91U/s320/DSCN3436.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That white flour you see if what I used to flour the surface....</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div></div><div>I didn't really knead the dough like the recipe says, since I didn't want crushed blueberries, so I just tried to combined. It was pretty sticky, so I wet my hands to help keep the dough off my fingers.</div><div><br />
I then formed it into this, and lightly cut the dough (not all the way though): </div><div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBlOgaqAGJRq5yb3CTi7Qb90q6RVbzr1s3_l_p9Ij-_hMSQm8hanON4ZyBqb7ysZseBiOfhQHJCLbIuSb0LLME0kThYECfnvkkc_4DduqcU0oAck3JKUmVbAdqYMRgAHYFr0yxFub6_uU/s1600/DSCN3437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBlOgaqAGJRq5yb3CTi7Qb90q6RVbzr1s3_l_p9Ij-_hMSQm8hanON4ZyBqb7ysZseBiOfhQHJCLbIuSb0LLME0kThYECfnvkkc_4DduqcU0oAck3JKUmVbAdqYMRgAHYFr0yxFub6_uU/s320/DSCN3437.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here they are right out of the oven...</div><br />
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The center was a bit wet still, but the rest was as cooked as I would want them to be so I just cut around it. <br />
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Overall, pretty good, though I would want a second go at it. Since it is still early in the season, the blueberries were a little more tart than I would have liked, so I may have added a bit more sugar, but maybe when they are in season they would work better. <br />
<br />
Since it's a low fat recipe, I am trying not to compare them to my favorite scone, the Orange Scone from Panera... so good with a cup of tea or Chai latte!<br />
<br />
Plus, I'm sure when we're watching the royal festivities at 4 am, we'll never notice the difference....<br />
<br />
<br />
Update: I made these on a Wednesday, and we ate them on Friday, and they were better I think. The lemon glaze had a chance to soak in, and it made it a little sweeter.Katie of Katie Creatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07036440593596763610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471011132887789805.post-17988440162125617312011-04-24T19:16:00.001-04:002011-04-24T19:51:19.417-04:00Easter Lemonade CupcakesSigh.....<br />
<br />
<br />
The best laid plans of mice and men are nothing compared to the visions of a baker.<br />
<br />
A month or so ago I saw a recipe for Lemonade cupcakes, and <strike>the hampster and wheel</strike> my brain started working and I came up with the vision of these cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, tinted green and frosted like grass, with little egg candy like it's an easter egg hunt. Can you see it??? Cute, right?<br />
<br />
Well yestersay, I sit down with the recipe again, and read through some of the reviews. Most of them were very good (which is why I picked the recipe in the first place) and there were a few that said they were too dense for cupcakes. <br />
<br />
*****<br />
Excuse me one moment while I rant... one of my pet peeves is when people comment/review a recipe and say in the recipe how they made this change and that change, then complain how it wasn't a good recipe and give it a low rating... you didn't follow the recipe!!! Grrr....<br />
OK, I'm done .:steps off of soap box:.<br />
<br />
****<br />
<br />
So, as I am mixing all the ingredients, I notice that its is a very thick mixture... way thicker than if I had followed the recipe on the box (it was a recipe which uses a box, and "doctors" it up). Little bells start going off in my head, thinking, "Hmm, this looks like it could be very dense, like those reviewers said", but I get them in the pan, and in the oven.<br />
<br />
25 minutes later, I pull them out, and low and behold, they feel very dense... not light and fluffy like in my vision.<br />
<br />
I let them cool, and do a taste test, and I am not happy. The flavor is great, but very dense, more like a brownie or muffin texture than a cupcake. <br />
<br />
Now I did end up using them...the hubby convinced me they still tasted good, and the icing I had made was very good (cream cheese with a hint of lemon), so they got decorated. <br />
<br />
This was the first time I used the "Grass" tip from Wilton (tip 233 if you're looking up by number). I looked at the how to online, and it looked simple enough. I had to play with the thickness of the icing. It said to use medium, but what I thought was medium seemed to thin. Today, when I went to decorate them, I'm not sure if the consistency was again too thin, or if my kitchen was too warm for the cream cheese, but again, they got a little melted look.<br />
<br />
Overall, I was not very happy with them... I MAY have yelled at my husband, and even growled a little when things were not going as smoothly as in my vision (no worries, I have since apologized). Needless to say, I am looking forward to next week when I start my second decorating class to brush up my skills.<br />
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Here are a few pictures (no step by step this time, since I was too frustrated).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrg-u68RKje2hmFew0IP3_9kHLo1PqD-45oEcQ2tszmYEwo6a1yKIwPNqzdwMMgS5_amvmHbgye7hbCgnMM7PQa2WWDAvkQNZFEpjdmIiKqw2wyY7qxTOcFfvoOs0z3APlwQnCXAGqkzY/s1600/DSCN3417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrg-u68RKje2hmFew0IP3_9kHLo1PqD-45oEcQ2tszmYEwo6a1yKIwPNqzdwMMgS5_amvmHbgye7hbCgnMM7PQa2WWDAvkQNZFEpjdmIiKqw2wyY7qxTOcFfvoOs0z3APlwQnCXAGqkzY/s320/DSCN3417.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One good recipe I made was this one for Baked Ziti:</div><div><a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/baked-ziti-22539">http://www.food.com/recipe/baked-ziti-22539</a></div><div> </div><div>The ONLY thing I would change would be to cut the amount of Ricotta Cheese... I think it was just a little too much, but that's just me. </div>Katie of Katie Creatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07036440593596763610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471011132887789805.post-63723388812052201612011-04-17T16:50:00.001-04:002011-09-19T15:53:39.480-04:00Cookies!Well after stumbling across my new favorite blog <a href="http://www.bakeat350.blogspot.com/">Bake at 350</a> about a week ago, I have been DYING to try my hand at using Royal Icing for cookie decorating. Luckily, I do have some experience with decorating, so I felt semi-confident that I would not fail miserably. I have never made cookies that involved rolling them out, I've always been a drop cookie type girl. <br />
<br />
First things first: None of the recipes I used are my own. I used both recipes from Bake at 350, <a href="http://bakeat350.blogspot.com/2008/04/taste-of-yellow-yellow-rose-sugar.html">This cookie recipe (scroll down)</a>, and <a href="http://bakeat350.blogspot.com/2010/01/royal-icing-102-or-201-or-whatever.html">this Royal Icing recipe (and lots of good tips)</a>. I also watched countless Vlogs (Video blogs... I had never heard that term before, clearly I am new at this) on University of Cookie, like <a href="http://www.universityofcookie.com/search/label/basics">these!</a><br />
<br />
I wouldn't even claim to try to show technique, so please take a peep at the links above for how-tos and what not... this is just my adventures in cookie making!<br />
<br />
(Just one more disclaimer: This is the first time I have even had my own blog, so I am still figuring out how to do it... please excuse any weird formatting, or simple setup until I get it looking as pretty as some of the other ones out there!)<br />
<br />
OK, onto the good stuff...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXtKk-7UviowAUwqhaEppmJ8LehR1pfsP_lQjn2LhoKyNFTGO59-h4pduOOYjvCMJgEuNDv91yUNb5RVwVupocU4URdeTZ2bXrWTKaBv1JIdz6oHqTCNgT2wNsN5tldBLD4-_LHELWSM/s1600/DSCN3368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXtKk-7UviowAUwqhaEppmJ8LehR1pfsP_lQjn2LhoKyNFTGO59-h4pduOOYjvCMJgEuNDv91yUNb5RVwVupocU4URdeTZ2bXrWTKaBv1JIdz6oHqTCNgT2wNsN5tldBLD4-_LHELWSM/s320/DSCN3368.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My beautiful stand mixer, which I got last Christmas</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDuUTkaHNPwXZnB6usoTglII2DcoXu0UC3Kj-NLnwGNtkJUTXEWfeKbOnCLfL93Nl78THasu8qpD2QYDVV6NzMG9BfKFO_6R5YUEzemu85vJepC3QEhtKUSdJa3mUSdIE8SptKS0QFu4k/s1600/DSCN3374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDuUTkaHNPwXZnB6usoTglII2DcoXu0UC3Kj-NLnwGNtkJUTXEWfeKbOnCLfL93Nl78THasu8qpD2QYDVV6NzMG9BfKFO_6R5YUEzemu85vJepC3QEhtKUSdJa3mUSdIE8SptKS0QFu4k/s320/DSCN3374.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cut cut cut</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7mJ0py9mKw2OOkSoT2q3tXmotPqM9DoPJe8anDBbFMiS_mUlGhGqsgDQitHjgNXwQRRNyR8P7lfNBn_-ZL45ul1vAIHACOIs-FDJ2yKh8bpIFq7uObYb3pQBSfXNL0n7JIsuTWA8j9c/s1600/DSCN3377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7mJ0py9mKw2OOkSoT2q3tXmotPqM9DoPJe8anDBbFMiS_mUlGhGqsgDQitHjgNXwQRRNyR8P7lfNBn_-ZL45ul1vAIHACOIs-FDJ2yKh8bpIFq7uObYb3pQBSfXNL0n7JIsuTWA8j9c/s320/DSCN3377.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My hubby took over the camera for some "action" shots. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outlining...need to practice that some more. Also may have over beaten the icing, <br />
it was a little "drier" than I expected.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3f0B59I3_n8TWNsUZfZ9JNQFsl57Km2Sr6T07M4ISw20uE8-xrBDOklmgF-vXBjd1wCmjS6KsK_qVAjtRCol18YFPOUYdr1vKayJNaDEgguN6PVWbCFkOZ3dRAkeJzWcCl5oJoFS-IKI/s1600/DSCN3387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3f0B59I3_n8TWNsUZfZ9JNQFsl57Km2Sr6T07M4ISw20uE8-xrBDOklmgF-vXBjd1wCmjS6KsK_qVAjtRCol18YFPOUYdr1vKayJNaDEgguN6PVWbCFkOZ3dRAkeJzWcCl5oJoFS-IKI/s320/DSCN3387.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After looking at all the awesome Ideas at Bake At 350, I had to try them!<br />
Love the 3rd heart from the left.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2mHeWObLkHGGgXAXG-dtk9Os6uySGUCw4FXo8MIcs3iyxesEAQPOvxX7pcyV9IBTafQfIwspAxulndjB2iIFL6UDHiASsQmr1upyuvABJFiGU-2l4gtILLzQBAz9H7hWZuNLw265Tw2c/s1600/DSCN3393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2mHeWObLkHGGgXAXG-dtk9Os6uySGUCw4FXo8MIcs3iyxesEAQPOvxX7pcyV9IBTafQfIwspAxulndjB2iIFL6UDHiASsQmr1upyuvABJFiGU-2l4gtILLzQBAz9H7hWZuNLw265Tw2c/s320/DSCN3393.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Showed my sister how to do this, and these look awesome...<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Love how they make little hearts!</div></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM89dR_oQ7CWc1u-Wa3B-fPz8LioOrdN-hsVuhlS7aYQ0IaZ1QJeUhe5_RC9AYv2XzUgmsmCXVf-YHiJvSMPi7Raw43zUxyXv4PXDupozPKDUP0MjM0ClIk-X1CmkIc6PGEVAmdC1NxlU/s1600/DSCN3383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM89dR_oQ7CWc1u-Wa3B-fPz8LioOrdN-hsVuhlS7aYQ0IaZ1QJeUhe5_RC9AYv2XzUgmsmCXVf-YHiJvSMPi7Raw43zUxyXv4PXDupozPKDUP0MjM0ClIk-X1CmkIc6PGEVAmdC1NxlU/s320/DSCN3383.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All in a days work!</td></tr>
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So I think today was an awesome first shot. Definitely some things to work on (piping, consistency) but I learned a lot.</div><br />
Three things I got out of this:<br />
One, There are ENDLESS possibilities. Two, It's a bit messy, but I think once I get the hang of what needs to be done, I can make it more orderly. And most importantly I'm going to need more counter space... because this was a lot of fun!<br />
<br />
I got to use some of the extra icing on some wax paper to play with some ideas I have for later on... stay tuned over the next few months!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYRfhKcvkN0SfltFeHBKR4oJlYZVH0Yq1lVoC7RUQj6eaqvJUjGhjAjHfd2igxCHYn8tQxLGWR3tkWzDRWOMLDGZInayTURVuzi47eLQ8UNnPEZevWXZDMSEPCnIvsFZU0nx_ICPyTuPw/s1600/Katie+Signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYRfhKcvkN0SfltFeHBKR4oJlYZVH0Yq1lVoC7RUQj6eaqvJUjGhjAjHfd2igxCHYn8tQxLGWR3tkWzDRWOMLDGZInayTURVuzi47eLQ8UNnPEZevWXZDMSEPCnIvsFZU0nx_ICPyTuPw/s1600/Katie+Signature.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Katie of Katie Creatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07036440593596763610noreply@blogger.com2