Chocolate Torte

I was put in charge for desserts for Easter. I decided to use this to try something new. SO I made two desserts. One for the adults. And one for the kids.

For the adults I made this . I was concerned when I saw it that it would be labor intensive, but it really was not that bad.

After I put it together like they said I garnished it a bit. With frosting in a spray can. How cool is that.

I would definitely make this again. I may put some raspberries on and maybe some powered sugar.

soft white bread

I love bread. I may be a carb a holic and I am OK with that. I think.

I love the cheap soft and airy white bread I can buy in a store. I have been searching for a super soft recipe and came across this one. It is so good. Light and airy. Great white bread. And I eat a loaf in a few days. Again, I love carbs

Oreo Balls

Friday night I get to go play Bunco with the girls. One perk of Bunco, the food. This week I decided to take Oreo Balls

These are so easy and people love them. I first had them a few years ago and thought they were so good they had to be hard to make. Not so. Very easy and good.

giant cupcakes

Yes, giant cupcakes. For some reason ever since I saw this on TV



I have wanted it. No, I do not know why. But I have.

So yesterday I broke it out and gave it a shot. It turned out pretty cute.

The downsides:
I am not sure I care for silicone to much.
It took a lot of testing to get it right.
It was more work then I thought to put it togeter.

The upside:
It is cute
It is a good size cake in the
It is different.

I can see use it time and time again. And I am sure in time I will get better using it.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

When I first started this blog, I was going to post about all the fancy things I made and the new bread recipes I tried. But, I am a realistic person. Sometimes, a lot of times, I dont bake fancy things. Somedays i just want a boring old peanut butter cookie or a from a box mix (gasp) cupcake. Today, I was cleaning the counters and found some old bananas. You know , the do I throw them our and or use them bananas. So I opted to use them and make banana bread.

I went to my old stand by cookbook and looked up a banana bread recipe. Sometimes I dont want to search online for the perfect recipe. I want easy. This was easy.

I added in some mini chips instead of nuts. I dont care for nuts in any form, except peanut butte. I also put some chips on top.

Not fancy. But good for a rainy day of baking.

olive oil crackers

I was in a snacky mood today. I knew I wanted some spinach and herb dip but didnt want something heavy like bread. So I decided to attempt crackers. My first recipe was a horrible bust.

Then I found this recipe . And they turned out good.

My alterations. I used half bread and half whole wheat flour. I knew I wanted a decent topping. So I had some old t.astefully simple garlic topping. I put that on before I baked .

Make sure you poke them really well with a fork. I had a few I did not poke well and they are very puffy in spots.

My overall review. I would make these again. The recipe made a lot, so I may halve it next time.

a few things I like

Making the dough - i do not use a bread machine. However, I have large stand mixer, with a dough hook, which I do use. I hate to knead so it makes my life easier

Recipes I have a cookbook I use. It is this book It was not cheap, but has been a very helpful. It was recommended to me and I will always recommend it to others.

Flour and yeast - I always use bread flour. Normally P.illsbury. The only time I use all purpose is if a recipe calls for it, and some do. Like the pretzels I make. Yeast, I buy it by the jar and keep it in my fridge.

As for shelf life. Most of these recipe will last 3 to 4 days. They have no preservatives so they taste better, to me, but because of that, they go bad quicker. However, the loaves are smaller, so I can eat one alone in a few days. And bread will freeze well.