Blogging-moving on?

So heres the thing, I did this blog for my intro to computers class for school, and now that school is allmost out (2 more days)  I have a choice, to keep going on with my blog or to end it.  It was suprisingly, a lot more fun than I thought.  At first I was hesitant to start this blog because when I thought of a blogger, I thought of a sad, lonely person who had nothing better to do with their lives. Now that I have really seen and interacted with the blogging world, I realize that blogs are completely different than I percieved them to obe.  The blogs aren’t just people whining about their lives, they have so much inforamtion on just about any topic imaginable: gaming, music, baking, sports.  I never realized that a lot of the news and information that I get off the web are from blogs.  These people are so dedicated and really love what they do.  Some of the blogs are talking about really important and eyeopening stories going on around the world. 

SO, being a blogger was way different than I thought.  I still don’t think of myself as a blogger because I did, like one post a week, but still, it was really fun.  Even when I got just one view that day, I was so happy because it meant that someone actually wanted to read what I was writing.  WHen I found out that that view was from my teacher on the other hand, checking to see if I did the required number of posts, it dampened my spirits a little.  It is such a rewarding experience and you never know if your blog will become the next big thing!

So I am sad to say that I will be discontinuing my blog-or at least not post stories regularly.  But you never know-I may come back!

As for blogs in my field, there are so many great ones to choose from!  I mean there are so many dedicated bakers, sharing their recipes with the public.  It is so cool.  I look at their blogs and think about how much time it must take for them to regularly bake and write about it. I don’t have that time…But they do and you should definetly read about it. 

I think that baking blogs are going to gain popularity becasue it is so much easier to go on the internet to find the specific recipe you want than looking through a magazine or looking on the TV.  Also on blogs, readers make comments that are always very helpful for new readers.  Often the comments praise the dish, which shows the reader it is a hit, or the comments make the dish a miss.  Either way, the comments really help and you cannot find real person reviews that often in magazines and on TV. 

I love baking and will definetly continue to look on blogs for great, easy recipes.  For any of my fans-don’t worry, I may come back!

The PERFECT icecream Sundae!

Making an icream sundae may seem easy enough, but there are a couple of key indgredients that can make it perfect!  I love icecream sundaes and think they are so much fun to make.  I love making them really pretty and fun to look at, as well as making them taste good.

First, the 3 MAIN ingredients that you have to have for the sundae are: 3 different (or same) flavors of icecream.  This is going to be the base of your sundae.

Scoop the icecream into 3 scoops and line up on the bottom of you bowl . 

Next, slice a banana down the middle so you have three slivers and line on either side of the icream.

Put a dollop of whipped cream right in the middle.

Sprinkle nuts, chocolate chips, caramel squares, or any other candy you like on the sundae.

Drizzle with your favorite sauce like caramel or chocolate.

Now is the final step, the best part that magically turns  your bowl of icecream into a real SUNDAE………

THE CHERRY ON TOP! (or two if you’d like )

Now you have a perfect sundae, but here is a list of some icreams were voted the top 10 icecreams that you might want to try in your sundae:

1. Chocolate
2. Vanilla
3. Cookie Dough
4. Cookies N Cream
5. Strawberry
6. Rocky Road
7. Mint
8. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
9. Lemon
10. Pistachio

My favorite is Hagen Daz Dulce de Leche!  IT is rich french vanilla icecream with swirls of caramel!  It is so rich and delicious!  This is a great icecream for anyone who isn’t a huge fan of chocolate.

Greeeeat Frosting

Thick Vanilla Frosting

 

1 cup shortening
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
4 tablespoons milk

 

Beat together shortening and vanilla for 30 seconds medium speed with an electric mixer.

Add 2 cups of powdered sugar a bit at a time while beating.

Then add 2 tablespoons milk.

Slowly add in the rest of the powdered sugar and the rest of the milk until you get the right thickness for your frosting.

Add different colored sprinkles or food coloring if you’d like to add some color! 

This is the perfect frosting to top any desert-my favorite are mini vanilla cupcakes   This recipe is so quick adn easy.  My 7 year old cousin made it by herself, and it was delicious.  So I tried it and I fell in love.

Chocolate Butter Frosting

 

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup milk
2 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans are nice)

 

Heat butter, cocoa, and milk and bring to a boil.

Add powdered sugar and beat until nice and smooth.

Add chopped nuts and stir.

This is great frosting for the holidays-it is perfect for christmas cupcakes or any other occasion!

Quick and Easy Powdered Sugar Icing

2 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk

 

Mix the powdered sugar with the vanilla and milk.

Then add more milk a bit at a time until it is thin enough to drizzle over a cake.

Once you’ve iced your cake, it’s best to let it stand for one or two hours.

 I love this frosting on lemon cookies-it makes them very sweet.

To make chocolate icing, add two tablespoons cocoa powder when you mix the powdered sugar and follow the rest of the recipe above.

Home-Made Popsicles :P

Who doesn’t like popsicles in the summer when its boiling outside???  These homemade popsicles are super easy and fun, and you can add whatever twist you want!

First, pick out your favorite juice/drink, I like Gatorade and Lemonade. 

Next, get out an icecube tray, or if you have one, a popsicle tray.

Pour the liquid into each of the slots of the tray and let sit for 1 minute.

Stick them in the freezer for 15-30 minutes, or until half frozen.

Take them out and insert a toothpick for the little ice cube trays for the popsicle stick.

Stick them back in the freezer until they are completely frozen and there youy have it, easy, homemade popsicles

These are really easy to make and are actually a no brainer.   So relax and enjoy

Lemon Bars

These lemon bars are a great way to sweeten up your summer.  I was making these this weekend and suprisingly, it wasn’t that hard.  The recipe is pretty simple and the end result was fantastic. 

First,

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
•  
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 lemons, juiced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In a medium bowl, blend together softened butter, 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup sugar. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9×13 inch pan.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and golden. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/12 cups sugar and 1/4 cup flour. Whisk in the eggs and lemon juice. Pour over the baked crust.
4. Bake for an additional 20 minutes in the preheated oven. The bars will firm up as they cool. For a festive tray, make another pan using limes instead of lemons and adding a drop of green food coloring to give a very pale green. After both pans have cooled, cut into uniform 2 inch squares and arrange in a checker board fashion.
5. Dust with powdered sugar to make them extra sweet (thats the way i like it

These lemon bars were delicious but I added powder sugar on top, because the original recipe was not sweet enough.  I think that they came out great, but they were a little messy.  I shared them with my stepsister and her friend and they thought they were awesome!  This was a recipe that I did just for fun

Super Sugar Cookies

Who doesn’t like sugar cookies? They are so delicious! Just thinking about them makes my stomach growl! This recipe for sugar cookies is easy and I have added a little berry twist. So here we go!

Makes around four dozen

Ingredients:

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F and stir together flour, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside bowl.

2. I a large bowl cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla.

3. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients.

4. Roll dough into little teaspoon size balls and press thumb in center to make an indent. Put a raspberry or jelly in the middle to make a berry jelly cookie or leave as is.

5. Pop in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until golden

I love these berry cookies-raspberries on top are the best. After they come out of the oven, the raspberries turn to jelly! YUM

Graduation Cupcakes!

Graduation is just around the corner, and for some, it is right on your doorstep!  What better to celebrate then to bake an easy, fun, and festive batch of cupcakes!  And guess what???  Simplicity is back for spring so don’t break your back making extravagant cupcakes-unless you want to! 

 

This is a very simple recipe that requires almost no talent in the baking field.  That means no experience is needed!  So get ready, get set, BAKE!

 

Makes 20-25 cupcakes

 

Ingredients:

 

• 2 cups flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ cup butter, softened (leave out at room temperature)
• ¾ cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (optional)

 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line muffin cups with muffin papers (make the muffin papers their school colors!) 
2. Put butter and sugar in mixer and beat until light and fluffy (if you don’t own a mixer, beat by hand-it is harder).  Beat in eggs one at a time.
3. Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl and add it into the original bowl (flour, sugar + egg bowl) alternating with milk.  Beat well and add Vanilla 
4. Fill up cupcake pans ½-2/3 full and pop into the oven for 20 minutes. 
5. Let the cupcakes cool in the pans then decorate with the frosting of your choice!

Have fun baking these…it might relieve a little stress from finals!

Great Hershey’s Cupcakes! :)

These cupcakes look absolutely amaxing-and that is a lot to say from me because I don’t even like chocolate (I know,  its unbelieveable)!  One of the resons why I love this blog is because it has lots of pictures to guide you throught the recipe.  I tend to get lost when I bake and ask my self “does this look right?”  With these pictures the recipe is much more clear and it is easy for you to tell if you did something wrong in the recipe. 

Also this blog tells the journey through the recipe and the outcome.  In this particular recipe, the cupcakes were being made for her 17 year old cousin.  When she delivers them to him, he is in love with them!  I think it is very cute

I love this blog and the recipes as well!

here is the link-check it out! 

http://sweettreatsbakingblog.blogspot.com/2008/04/hersheys-chocolate-caramel-cupcakes.html

KitchenAid Stand Mixer

Hand mixing is a drag, and is tiring.  With an electric mixer, it is much easier and gets the job done fast.  The KitchenAid stand mixer is a great mixer for baking.  It is capable of mixing large batches of cookie and cake dough-as well as other treats.  It is simple and effective to use.

            The mixer comes with 3 interchangeable beaters, whisks, mixing blades and a dough hook.  With the extra attachments that are available, there is nothing you can’t make.  There is even a pasta shredder attachment to make your own pasta and/or raviolis.  There is also a juicer attachment to make your own fresh juice and an ice cream maker.  Can somebody say YUM?  

            The tilt head design of the mixer allows the head of the mixer to tilt up for easy removal of the mixing bowl.  IT also locks in place for the mixing process.  The 5 quart mixing bowl also locks in place.  You can do this by simply turning the mixing bowl while its on the base of the mixer until it stops.  When the bowl needs to be transferred, just turn it the other way and voila, the bowl is unlocked and ready to go.  The mixing bowl comes in the perfect size for small batches and large ones.  It also fits into a standard dishwasher for easy cleaning.

            The KitchenAid mixer is equipped with 10 speeds.  The first speed is for slow continuous stirring and the 10^th speed is for very fast beating.  Personally, the 10^th speed scares me a little bit.

            Who says that the appliances in your kitchen have to be boring?  This mixer comes in fabulous colors that will go with any kitchen.  Here is a list of the awesome colors:  white, cobalt blue, yellow, empire red, imperial black, persimmon, onyx balck, tangerine, white on white, cornflower, caviar, silver metallic, green apple, almond cream, imperial grey, ice, metallic chrome, majesty yellow, pistachio, gloss cinnamon, blue willow, bayleaf, boysenberry and pear .  I have one in imperial red that i got for Christmas and I absolutely love it!

This is the imperial red

            Customers love this mixer saying “One of the finest mixers in the market.”  This mixer is a little pricey, but definitely worth it.  It is available at Amazon.com, for $254.99.  This mixer is essential for making complex and simple recipes.  I absolutely love it and it gets the job done when you need it.  

            This mixer is also reliable.  One customer says; “I have had my mixer for several years and it continues to work like new.”  My mixer still works like new even through all of the failed recipes I have put it through.

            I would recommend this product to beginner bakers like me, or experienced bakers.  On viewpoints.com, this mixer received a 4.82 out of five for the overall rating.  That is probably because of its quality, versatility and simplicity.  There are endless possibilities for what you can make with this mixer, and with all of the available attachments, the possibilities grow even more!

            Once you get this mixer, you are guaranteed to love it at first sight.  I rate this mixer with a 5 because I love it!

Until next time my baker buddies!  Go out and buy this mixer!

Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart is one of the most successful and famous chefs ever.  She has written dozens of cookbooks, with a wide range of recipes for baking and cooking.  Many of those books were also bestsellers.  Martha Stewart rose to fame in the cooking world and has continued to gain fame and success with each new book she writes.

Martha Stewart was born in Jersey City, New Jersey.  Martha’s mother taught her how to cook and sew, and saw her strong passion for activities at home.  She graduated high school with straight A’s and went to Barnard College in New York, on a partial scholarship.  Initially, she was going to major in chemistry, but then switched to art.  Martha took a break from college for a year and married, but returned a year to graduate with a double major in History and Architectural History.  After college she worked on her business skills as a stockbroker and was very successful.  She left the business world in 1973 in order to focus more with her daughter, and this is when she started focusing on cooking.  In 1976, Martha started a catering business in her basement with an old friend.  She bought half of the business and was hired as the manager of a gourmet grocery store, The Market Basket at the Common Market which she later turned into a booming success. 

Martha began writing cookbooks, her first success was Entertaining.  In 1990 she signed with Time Publishing Ventures to develop the magazine Martha Stewart Living which she was the editor in chief for.  The first issue was released in 1990 and had an opening rate base of 250,000. In 2002 it rose to more than two million copies per issue! Following this, she became a frequent guest on TV shows and prime time holiday specials including CBS’s The Early Show.  In the May 1995 issue of New York Magazine, she was declared as “the definitive American woman of our time.”

Martha was later able to purchas the various print, television and murchandising ventures related to the Martha Stewart brand.  She incorperated them into her new company, Marth Stewart Living Omnimedia.  Martha served as the chairwoman, president and the CEO of her new company.  She also launched her website to the magazine, marthastewart.com.  Martha is currently woking on projects including books.

Martha Stewarts Baking Handbook is one of her popular cookbooks, featuring dozens of delicious deserts.  This may be a little advanced but it has great ideas.  That doesn’t mean you can’t try a couple of the recipes out!

Martha Stewart has risen to the top of the cooking world, with all of her successful books, TV shows and magazines.  She started out just like you and me, but she kept on practicing, and look where she is now!  It took her many years to earn her success and become an amazing chef!