Happy Easter

Welcome, Spring!!!!!

So why haven't I been blogging? Well there are two reasons: too busy and a feeling of inadequacy. I know many of my readers out there (all 5 of you :) are wonderful wives/ mother or soon to be of which I am neither. You have wonderful stories and life lessons learned. I am a simply college girl that loves to bake. How can I make a difference through the blogging world :/ I have been enjoying reading everyone else's blogs that I haven't written any of my own. At first, I had decided that I am not a very good writer and felt so inferior after reading all of yours. I have come to realize, though, that everyone has a story. We each need to share ourselves with others, so that others may benefit as well (even if it is just baking tips :)

Anyway...You all have been asking for a new blog, so here it is. If any of you thought I just must not be doing much baking, you are foolish. I always bake. Baking is a way of life for me, like breathing. Not a day goes by that I do not, at least, think about baking :)

What have I been up to during this dormant time in my blogging life? I have been embarking on all sorts of exciting baking adventures. The first of which was Chocolate Souffles. I have had these Ramekins for a while and never used them. I found this recipe in the newspaper and thought I would try it. Never in my life had I even attempted souffles because I have heard they can be very tempermental. They turned out beautifully. When I served them, I wasn't sure whether you are to use a spoon or fork to eat them. I ended up giving each person a spoon AND a fork :)

My next baking venture was a Maryland cake. Ethan's class has been doing a report on Maryland for the past month (maybe even a little longer). Maryland day, March 25, was coming up (I had not idea such a day even existed) and his teacher wanted to have a small celebration since it would go along with their report. She asked me to make a cake that would resemble the Maryland flag. I was more than happy to oblige ( I always love an excuse to bake:) Here's how it turned out....my hand hurt after piping so much. Ethan told me I was lucky, though. At least, the Maryland flag is one of the easier patterns for our state flags.

We had our family birthday party back in January to celebrate the birthdays for the December/January babies. They requested an ice cream cake. I had never done on before, so I googled to find a recipe. This one turned out pretty well, although, I didn't follow the recipe exactly. I felt that putting regular icing on it would make it way too rich. I used cool whip to cover the outside of the cake and then put some fudge in the center of the top layer. Funny story... I don't have any round cake pans that are the same size so I used one 9 inch tube pan and one 9 inch regular cake pan to make the cakes. Then I used a 10 inch and I don't even remember the other pan size for the ice cream part of the cake. I added the fudge to fill in the hole on the top of the cake and had to cut some of the ice cream part off to make the cake side's even. It looked a little lopsided, but tasted great.

I had been anticipating making these spaghetti cupcakes for April Fool's day. My dad gave me Hello Cupcake for Christmas and I had found this design. I thought it was very clever, so I made them for my Pathfinders....Butter cream icing, strawberry jam, malt balls, and white chocolate shavings.....delicious!

Next up is not a baking project of mine but it's cooking. I found this recipe in a Taste of Home magazine and I just had to try it. It was so simple too. I made salad bowls out of shredded Parmesan cheese and crushed walnuts. I just melted them in a frying pan and then quickly placed them over the bottom of a drinking glass to form to the shape of a bowl.

Finally, one last baking project. Bekah has been asking me for a chocolate cake. I am not really a chocolate cake kinda gal but Bekah is. Since Bekah passed her driving test (1st try), I thought it appropriate to celebrate with a chocolate peanutbutter cake (two of her loves in life :) This cake was dark chocolate with peanutbutter icing on the inside and dark chocolate icing on the outside. Even I like this one....

I have been doing lots of other baking, but none other that is truly noteworthy. Some sugar cookies and other things of that nature.

Something exciting that I must share with you is some recent additions to my baking supplies. A friend of mine entered a raffle to win a basket full of baking supplies. She hates to bake, but entered in hopes of winning it for me (isn't that the sweetest thing ?!?!). I'm sure you have already figured it out, but SHE WON!!! I must say, I have some of the greatest friends in the world. I cannot wait to use the stuff and I'm sure it will generate lots of baked goods to put on this blog. I will be baking things for her for a long time in hopes of "repaying" her. Baked goods to reach China and back wouldn't be adequate, but that is what I am going to attempt. Here are all the wonderful things that were in the basket... (look at those wonderful scrapers and all those lovely sprinkles!!!!!!)

Well, that is my baking adventures so far for 2009, but alas it is only the beginning!

"The smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight..." ~M. F. K. Fisher