Hassle-Free Holiday Baking: 6 Easy Days to Perfect Christmas Cookies

Like many people, I love the idea of making a large assortment of Christmas cookies during the holidays, but I find it difficult to find the time to get it done. As a working mother, cookbook author and webmaster of Christmas-Cookies.com ( http://www.christmas-cookies.com ), I am a very busy woman, but baking Christmas cookies every year is a must. Over the past few years, out of frustration and necessity, I have developed a system for organizing my Christmas baking. This system allows me to make a large variety of holiday treats without taking too much time out of my busy schedule. By dividing the tasks up into 6 days, I can spend a couple hours each day getting this done, and on the 7th day, relax and enjoy giving and eating some delicious Christmas cookies. After all, God rested on the 7th day! You don't even have to do this on 6 consecutive days. Most of the steps can be done days and even weeks in advance, giving you a great head start on your holidays.

Day 1

Search your books, recipe cards, and favorite Web sites and decide what recipes to make this year. I usually mix my traditional family recipes with a few new recipes for variety. 6 to 12 different recipes makes a nice assortment, depending on how many people you have to feed and how much time you have to spend baking. Write down the name of each recipe on a piece of paper, as well as the source of the recipe so that you can look it up later, such as the Web site URL or page number in a cookbook. Print out the recipes that you find online, and set aside the books or recipe cards you'll need so that you can access them easily on Day 2. Things you may want to consider when making your selection are:

-difficulty of the recipe if you are a novice cook or will be baking with children,

-cost of special ingredients such as chocolate or nuts, if you are on a budget,

-whether the cookies keep well or can they be frozen, if you'd like to do your baking ahead of time.

Day 2

Consulting your list of recipes, create your shopping list. Calculate roughly how much of each ingredient you'll need in total by adding up cups of butter, number of eggs, and other common ingredients. Include in your list:

-All of the ingredients for the cookies. Check what you have at home for freshness. Nuts and shortening will go rancid after a few months, and baking powder and baking soda lose their effectiveness, so keep this in mind: out with the old, in with the new! Fresh ingredients are the key to good tasting cookies.

-Any baking tools you may need. Consider replacing old worn out tools or adding a new tool to your collection each year.

-Anything you may need for decorating such as food coloring, colored sugars and jimmies, or pastry bags for piping frosting.

-Containers like plastic tubs, cookie tins, or even cardboard boxes to store your cookies in. Make sure you have containers that are large enough to hold a complete batch of each cookie (look at the yield of your recipe if you're not sure). If you plan to parcel them out for gift-giving, make sure you have enough containers for each recipient.

-Organize your shopping list according to store, such as: grocery store, kitchen or home store, cake decorating supply store, etc.

Day 3

Go shopping! Lay out your plan of action so that you go to the grocery store last of all, so that you can take your refrigerated ingredients home as soon as possible. Of course, if you live in a very cold climate, this is not too much of a worry. When you get home, wash your new baking tools and put all the non-perishable ingredients in one place so that you can easily get them out on Day 4. At my house, I have a designated baking cupboard that gives me easy access to everything I need on days I decide to bake. You can do Day 3 weeks before you plan to bake as long as you:

-Freeze your butter or shortening, and

-buy the perishables such as eggs and cream cheese just before you plan to bake.

Day 4

Today you will just make the dough for your cookies, but you will not actually bake them! Most cookie doughs can safely be refrigerated for days or frozen for weeks before you need to make the cookies. The reason for doing it this way is because when making several different kinds of cookies at the same time, it's very efficient to make all your dough at once while you have all your ingredients and baking tools at hand. If you do have a particular recipe that can't be frozen, identify it and plan to make it on Day 5.

Remember to bring refrigerated items like butter, eggs, and cream cheese to room temperature before you start to assemble your recipes. Take them out of the refrigerator at least a couple hours before you plan to bake.

To make this process even easier, I've developed a system for making dough assembly-line style, which you can read more about in my article about the Cookie Assembly Line ( http://www.christmascookiesareforgiving.com/assembly.php ). Wrap each ball of dough in plastic wrap, identify it by writing the name of the recipe on the plastic wrap with a felt-tip marker, and refrigerate it or freeze it. If it is a slice-and-bake refrigerator cookie, form it into a log instead of a ball, according to the directions in your recipe. Make sure to keep your recipes in a handy place so that you don't have to search for them on Day 5.

Day 5

Today is baking day! Check your recipe: if you have to work with dough at room temperature (as recommended for most cookie press cookies) then take your dough out ahead of time and let it warm up to room temperature before you begin forming the cookies. If you have frozen your dough, allow it to thaw in the plastic wrap and only remove the plastic wrap once it has reached the desired temperature. If you remove the plastic while it is still frozen, then condensation will form on the dough and that will add too much moisture.

Start with the recipes that call for the lowest oven temperature and pre-heat your oven to that temperature. Remove dough from the refrigerator, line your baking sheets with parchment paper (no greasing!) and prepare the dough for baking as called for in your recipe. You may have to roll out the dough and cut it with cookie cutters, or fill it with some kind of filling, or place it in a special pan like a mini-muffin pan or a Madeleine mold, or simply slice and bake the rolls you made on Day 4. Once all the cookies that are baked at the lowest temperature are completed, raise your oven temperature to the next highest to bake those cookies, and so on.

Even if you have some of the handy stackable cooling racks, you will surely run out of space to cool several batches of cookies. Placing a double-thickness of aluminum foil on your countertop is a good substitute for a cooling rack when you run out of space. Once your cookies are completely cooled to room temperature, line your containers with waxed paper and place your cookies in the containers one layer at a time, with another sheet of waxed paper in between each layer. Then return the containers to the refrigerator if they will not be eaten for a day or two, or you can leave them out at room temperature until the next day. If they won't be eaten or shipped for several days, you can wrap the entire container in plastic wrap and freeze your cookies for up to 2 weeks. You can freeze them for longer than this if you wrap the cookies in small stacks of 5 or 6 before placing them in their containers. Defrost the cookies at room temperature, leaving them wrapped until they are thoroughly defrosted.

Many of your recipes may be completed at this point if they don't require decorating.

Day 6

Day 6 is decorating day. For many of us, this is the most enjoyable step in the cookie-baking process. Decorating should always be done no more than 2 days before the cookies will be eaten, ideally the day or even the morning before. Now you will make your various frostings and icings, or prepare your melted chocolate for drizzling, or dust with powdered sugar to decorate your cookies as directed. If your cookies are not to be eaten immediately, make sure that the icing or melted chocolate has thoroughly set and hardened--a process that may take several hours--before stacking the cookies back in their containers, again separating the layers with sheets of waxed paper. Cookies that have been frosted with a buttercream-type frosting cannot be stacked. They should be stored in a single layer with a loose covering of plastic wrap.

Day 7

Relax and enjoy your holiday, because your Christmas baking is done!

Copyright 2004 Mimi Cummins. All Rights Reserved.

Mimi Cummins is co-author of the book "Christmas Cookies Are for Giving: Recipes, Stories, and Tips for Making Heartwarming Gifts." This book, "enthusiastically recommended" by Midwest Book Review, is full of baking tips and hints, including nearly 50 recipes each with a full-color photo. For more information visit [http://www.christmascookiesareforgiving.com/] or order from your favorite online bookstore.

http://www.christmas-cookies.com

Baking Soda Beauty Tips

Baking soda is a versatile and natural substance that is made from sodium carbonate, soda ash, or sodium bicarbonate. It is a known fact that baking soda has numerous uses including baking, deodorizing, everyday cleaning, and best of all beauty.

Many beauty products can be created in the convenience of your own home using a box of affordable baking soda and a few other ingredients. Below are ten beauty products that you can easily make using baking soda.

1. Relaxing bath: To create a relaxing bath, add ½ cup of baking soda to your bath water. This will leave your skin feeling refreshed and smooth.

2. Foot care: To give your feet a treat, mix 3 tablespoons of baking soda in a tub or basin of warm water. Soak your feet for desired amount of time. Then, create a paste of baking soda and water and gently scrub your feet with it. Your feet will thank you for this!

3. Clean brushes and combs: To clean brushes and combs by removing natural build up of oil and hair product residue, soak combs and brushes in a solution of 1 teaspoon of baking soda in a small tub or basin of warm water. Rinse combs and brushes thoroughly and allow them to dry before use.

4. Skin exfoliant: To create a gentle skin exfoliant, create a paste of 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water. Rub the mixture in a gentle circular motion to exfoliate your face and/or body. Rinse baking soda off with warm water.

5. Hair care: For beautiful, shiny, and more manageable hair, sprinkle a quarter-size of baking soda into the palm of your hand and mix it with your favorite shampoo. Shampoo your hair as normal and rinse thoroughly. The baking soda and shampoo mixture will help remove product residue allowing your hair to be cleaner.

6. Whiter teeth: For whiter teeth, brush your teeth with baking soda. Rinse out your mouth with water when finished.

7. Baking soda bath oil (for 1 bath): To create a soothing bath oil, you will need 4 tablespoons of baking soda, 8 fluid ounces of honey, 16 fluid ounces of milk, 16 tablespoons of sea or cooking salt, and 4 fluid ounces of baby oil.

In a large bowl, mix the baking soda, honey, milk, and salt; stir well. Pour the mixture in a bath of warm water and add the baby oil. Use your hands to stir the mixture with the water and step into your soothing bath.

8. Rough skin: To smooth rough skin on your elbows, knees, and other areas, make a paste of baking soda and water and rub on skin. Rinse away paste with warm water.

9. Nail care: To soften your cuticles and clean your nails, apply baking soda to your cuticle brush. Now, scrub your nails and cuticles for great looking nails.

10. Dry shampoo: Running late and don't have time to shampoo? Mix 1 part baking soda, 1 part baby powder, and 3 drops essential oil. Apply the mixture to the roots of your hair, including bangs, and comb through. This mixture will absorb excess oils and freshen up your hair.

Grab your box of baking soda and start creating your own spa-like beauty products today!

Lesley Dietschy is a freelance writer and the founder of http://www.HomeDecorExchange.com - The Home Decor Exchange is a valuable website full of information and resources about home and garden decorating.

In addition to editing the Home Decor Exchange website, Lesley is a crochet pattern designer and needle fiber artist. You can view her crochet patterns and needle fiber designs at: http://www.ErinOliviaDesigns.Etsy.com

Even Your Kids Can Use A Silpat Baking Mat

Teaching your children how to cook and bake is one of the most important lessons that you can pass on. When you have a kitchen that is outfitted with silicone bakeware and the Silpat baking mat, the job is even easier. Silpat baking mats allow your children to successfully create baked goods without sticking or even greasing the pans and cookie sheets.

Children learn how to bake by watching their parents. Bring the kids into the kitchen with you the next time you plan to make some wonderful baked goodies. This is a wonderful chance to teach your children how to bake while spending some fun time in the kitchen. Not only will you be giving your children some useful tips on how to bake, but you will also be creating some special memories as well.

The Silpat baking mat allows you to bake on a regular cookie sheet or pan without greasing or flouring. In fact, you can get all the benefits of silicone without using a silicone pan. The heat is distributed evenly when a baking mat is used and the cookies and baked goods slide right out of the pan.

While the Silpat baking mat heats up quickly in the oven, it cools down just as fast outside of the oven. Of course, the baking sheet and pan will still be hot, but you can reduce the heat absorbed into the pan when you use a silicone baking mat. It is a great lesson to teach your children about how different baking materials affect the outcome of your cooked foods.

Removing the baked goods from a pan with a Silpat baking mat is simply a matter of sliding the foods off. It is so simple that your children will be able to do it with ease. Using silicone bakeware is also easy for children to remove the final product from the pan. Show them the twist and slide motion that will expel the food from the pan all in one neat clean motion.

The latest technology in bakeware makes baking so easy that you will spend more time enjoying the foods that you create than you will cleaning up the mess. Cleaning a pan after using a Silpat baking mat is as easy as wiping down the pan with a damp cloth. The mat should not be scoured, but there is no need as the baked goods generally come off in one piece.

Spend some time in the kitchen with your children creating delicious baked goods. Bake dozens of cookies without greasing a single pan. The next time your child needs a few dozen cookies for a party at school, put them to work with you. It is a great lesson that your children will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

Get your free report and information on the Secrets of Silicone Baking at http://www.bakewaresilicone.com

Baking Soda for Cleaning

Baking soda is a common, inexpensive household item that can be used for many kinds of cleaning projects. In an era when we are all exposed to many toxic chemicals, it's nice to know that something so mild can be effective. We actually make a form of baking soda in our own saliva, where it helps keep plaque from forming!

Here are some of the uses of baking soda for cleaning:

I've long used baking soda and white vinegar to keep my kitchen and bathroom drains clear and fresh smelling. I just put a teaspoon or less of baking soda into the drain and then pour in about a tablespoon of vinegar. I must admit that I am the kind of cook who rarely measures anything, and the same is true for these proportions, so feel free to experiment to find what works best in your sinks. Start small, though -- the combination of baking soda and vinegar causes an active fizzling and bubbling!

In fact, that bubbling process is how you can tell if the box of baking soda you've had around forever is still good. Just follow the directions above. Your soda is still good if it bubbles away merrily.

Speaking of drains, if your drain is clogged, you can try using a lot more baking soda. One recipe is to pour a cup of baking soda down the drain, then a cup of vinegar. Wait a few minutes, or longer, and then run the hot water tap and see if you have cleared the drain. It could take overnight.

Another well-known use of baking soda is to keep an open box in the refrigerator to neutralize odors. Because baking soda cuts smells, it can also be put in the bottom tray of an oven-type electric toaster, to reduce burnt smells. Another smell-removing cleaning tip is to put baking soda into bottles or jars that milk has left a smell in.

Baking soda is an abrasive, milder than commercial cleansers. For scrubbing out the sink, bathtub, or shower stall, for getting gunk off the outside of my toaster, and projects of that sort, I find it very useful. Using a rag or sponge, pour some baking soda onto it and then add a little water, just enough to form a paste. Then scrub! You can also mix up the paste in a small cup or bowl and then throw out what you haven't used by the end of that cleaning session. I keep a small container of baking soda handy by the sink, in a closed jar so that the baking soda doesn't cake. You can also use a salt shaker, as you will probably go through that much baking soda before it gets caked up.

Pots and pans that have something burned on the bottom call for sterner measures. I admit that sometimes I just reach for my rarely-used commercial cleanser, but the baking soda cleaning method is to shake baking soda all over the burned stuff and then let the pot sit overnight. You can also add a little water and baking soda to the pot, bring it to a boil, and then let it sit.

For stained marble, a paste of baking soda and white vinegar can be effective. For washing windows, put some baking soda on a wet rag or sponge.

Baking soda also has a variety of uses in keeping your body clean too. But enough! This article is about baking soda for cleaning around the house.

Rosana Hart has been using baking soda in cleaning houses for years. She tells you more about cleaning houses and offices, and how to do it for a living, at her website, http://infoandhelp.com.

Creativity - What Most Baked Recipes Need

Baking is a cooking technique in a microwave or oven. Listed below are some popular baked recipes:

Sweet Baked Pecans

Ingredients

o 1tbsp water

o 1white egg

o 1 pound of pecan halves

o 1 cup of white sugar

o ¾ tsp of salt

o ½ tsp of ground cinnamon

Directions

o Preheat the oven to 250oF

o Grease one piece of baking sheet

o In a large mixing bowl, beat together water and white egg until it becomes frothy

o In other mixing bowl, mix together salt, sugar and cinnamon

o Add the pecans onto white egg and mix to coat the nuts.

o Remove the nuts in the mixing bowl and toss them into the sugar mixture until it becomes coated.

o Spread the nuts on the prepared baking sheet.

o Bake at 250oF for 1 hour and stir every 15 minutes

o Serve in a colorful dish or bowl, for your family or friends

Baked Cinnamon Apples

Ingredients

o 4 to 6 apples

o 2 tablespoon of brown sugar

o Aluminum foil

o 1 package of cinnamon red hot candy

Directions

o Preheat the oven to 350oF, then measure your brown sugar in a large bowl

o Separate 4 to 6 pieces of foil

o Place each apple onto a separate foil and place about 1 tablespoon of candy around each apple sprinkle with several brown sugar on each apple

o Fold all the sides of foil up around each apple and place it in a baking dish.

o Bake it for about 15 to 30 minutes

Eggplants Baked with Mushrooms

Ingredients

o 14 oz champignons ( frozen or fresh)

o 17.05 oz eggplants

o 1 cup of sour cream

o 1 onion

o Salt for taste

o Vegetable oil

Directions

o Cut the eggplants into cubes

o Add salt onto the cubed eggplants and leave it for about 30 minutes

o Wash the cube eggplants in cold water and drain it

o Slice the onion into cubes

o Cut the mushrooms into strips

o Sauté the sliced onion in vegetable oil

o Add the eggplants and sauté it for 5 up to 7 minutes

o Add salt, mushroom and sauté it for another 5 to 7 minutes

o Place the eggplants with mushrooms onto the baking pan for baking

o Add the sour cream and bake it at 350oF for about 25 to 30 minutes

Baked Bananas

Ingredients

o 3 tbsp of melted butter

o 4 tbsp of lemon juice

o 5 tbsp of sugar

o Bananas

o Grated lemon rind

Directions

o Cut the bananas lengthwise and place it in a baking dish

o Pour the lemon juice over the lengthwise bananas

o Sprinkle some grated lemon rind over the bananas

o Drizzle some melted butter over the bananas

o Bake it until the fruit turns red

Baked Fish Fillet

Ingredients

o 1 ½ white fish fillets

o Cooking spray

o 1tbsp fresh lime juice

o 1tbsp light mayonnaise

o 1/8 tsp black pepper

o 1/8 onion powder

o ½ cup of fresh bread crumbs

o 1 ½ tsp butter

o 2 tsp of chopped fresh parsley

Directions

o Put the fish in a baking dish coated with cooking spray

o Combine mayonnaise, pepper, onion powder and lime juice in a small mixing bowl

o Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and butter

o Bake it at 425oF for about 20 minutes or until the fish flakes are ready

For more information on Baked Food Recipes and Italian Food Recipes please visit our website.

Baking Soda Cures For Sweating

There are TONS of baking soda cures out there. Baking soda is used for everything. It puts out fires, it cleans your teeth, it cleans dishes, it cleans clothes, it gets rid of smells and yes... it even discourages sweating!

Here's my quick, disclaimer for those of you out there with severe hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating). Baking soda is not some magical cure-all. However, when used properly, you'll TOTALLY feel a difference. I'm going to give you a couple of baking soda cures for sweating that you'll definitely find useful.

First, let me just really quickly explain why baking soda helps eliminate sweating so effectively...

WHY IT WORKS - Baking soda is an alkaline and your body's sweat is an acid. When the two combine, gas is formed, causing the instant evaporation of the sweat.

So, it's not that baking soda blocks the sweat from escaping your pores. Instead, it conditions your skin to quickly dry up as soon as the sweating begins.

When you apply the baking soda cures for sweating below, it's the residue of the baking soda on the skin that conditions the dryness. The treatments work way better if you apply them consecutively for days on end so be consistent about it.

Baking Soda for Hand Sweating:

1. You'll want to fill up a big bowl or two separate aluminum pie pans with warm/hot water and equal parts baking soda. The solution should be very cloudy. The baking soda will gather at the bottom, so be sure to mix it up very thoroughly.

2. Soak your hands for 25 minutes in the solution. It's important that the water is warm or hot so your pores really open up. You want the baking soda to penetrate your skin. During that time, intermittenly grab the clumps of baking soda at the bottom of the pan or bowl and rub your hands together to really saturate them in the solution.

3. After the 25 minutes are up, your hands will be a little pruney - this is totally normal. Just dry them off with a towel. Don't wash them off with soap and water if possible. You want to retain the residue of baking soda on your skin. Some people say they have a light powerdy look to the skin after drying them off. The more residue of the solution, the better your results will be.

Here's what you should expect from the treatment above...

Your hands will definitely feel dry the first 30 minutes after treatment and results should last at least a couple of hours following. If you use this remedy consecutively for 5 days straight, the results can last up to 5 or 6 hours on end.

It's normal for the skin to feel a tiny bit rubbery directly after treatment. You'll see what I mean when you try it. Anyway, the goal is to keep them dry, so I'm sure that small side effect won't bother you.

This cure for hand sweating works best for people with less severe cases of hyperhidrosis although EVERYONE will find some benefit.

If you're about to go on a date or have an intimate night planned with your significant other, this treatment makes an awesome quick fix.

This next treatment I recommend for ANYONE. It's well worth trying out.

Baking soda is well known for its odor eliminating effects. That's because it neutralizes acids and odor causing bacteria in the body. This makes it a perfect bath additive to really give you a wonderful, fresh and dry feeling right out of the tub.

Let me tell you, I never used to take baths in my adult life. I was always a shower kinda guy. Besides, who has the time for a bath?

Well, speaking from a very positive experience using the following treatment, you NEED to make time for a "Baking Soda Bath Blast" at least once a week.

Since implementing this tactic, my overall body sweating halted drastically.

Have you ever taken a shower and started sweating the moment you got out and began drying off? It's terribly frustrating, right?

Well, you'll never have that happen to you with a "Baking Soda Bath Blast". The treatment will keep you super dry from the moment you step out of the tub. I love it! Plus, baths are just a relaxing experience overall. Here's how it goes...

The Baking Soda Bath Blast:

1. This treatment works best if you schedule it AFTER a shower. This way you get clean with soap and water first, then you'll just soak your already clean body in the baking soda solution without needing to wash it off with soap.

2. While you're in the shower, use a loofah (dry sponge) to exfoliate your skin. Exfoliate your hands, feet, armpits or anywhere else you sweat profusely from. You're going to do this to allow the baking soda to penetrate your pores more efficiently. Next, you'll be taking the bath.

3. Fill a bath with warm water (not exceptionally hot) and add 1/2 - 1 cup of baking soda to the tub.

4. Soak for 15 - 20 minutes and make sure to grab any clumps of baking soda gathered at the bottom of the tub, rubbing it into your armpits, hands, feet, chest or back.

Give these two treatments a fair shot. That means at least 5 consecutive days of trying this out. You'll body will need to acclimate itself to the baking soda before feeling the best results.

Want More Excessive Sweating Tips?

I've got an entire FREE 30 minute video for you at http://www.Prevent-Sweating.com that outlines my 12 Favorite excessive sweating treatments.

They're all strategies you can start implementing at home after watching the video and you'll feel the results in just minutes. What are you waiting for? Don't spend another minute sweating it out. You don't have to spend every moment of every day melting away with this problem. Got to http://www.Prevent-Sweating.com and watch the FREE Step by Step, Sweat Tactics video instantly!

Cooking - Baking Tilapia

Although baking is the most popular cooking way for tilapia, many do not know the proper procedure on how to bake tilapia.

There are three main types of baking method to bake tilapia. The first is baking tilapia in garlic and olive oil. The listed ingredients are four tilapia fillets, four cloves of crushed garlic, three tablespoons of olive oil, a chopped onion, and a quarter teaspoon of cayenne pepper. The fillets should be washed and pat dry before cooking. Then rub the fish with garlic and arrange them in a bowl. Next add the olive oil into the fish and top it with onion. Place it inside the refrigerator for six to eight hours.

After that, preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius or 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then remove the fish from the refrigerator and place them onto a baking dish. Pour the remaining marinade onto the fish and season it with a quarter teaspoon of white pepper and a quarter teaspoon of cayenne black pepper. Next place the baking dish into the oven and cook for 30 minutes. Serving can be done immediately after cooking.

The other baking method is the easy baked tilapia. On how to bake tilapia using this method, you should prepare the ingredients which include four tilapia fillets, three tablespoons of melted butter, three tablespoons of lemon juice, one and a half teaspoons of garlic powder and a pinch of salt. Besides, you also need two tablespoons of drained capers, half teaspoon of dried oregano and a pinch of paprika. Firstly place the fish on a baking dish. Then mix the lemon juice, salt, butter and garlic powder in a container. Pour the mixture over the fish and add paprika, oregano and capers. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the fish for 20 to 30 minutes before serving it with rice.

Another way of baking tilapia is the Hudson's baked tilapia with dill sauce. To perform this baking method, you need four ounces of tilapia fillets, salt, pepper, one tablespoon of any seasoning powder, one lemon sliced thinly, a quarter cup of mayonnaise, half cup of sour cream, half a quarter teaspoon on garlic powder, one teaspoon of fresh lemon juice and two tablespoons of chopped fresh dill.

First of all, you need to preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 175 degrees Celsius. Then grease the baking dish light. Next season the tilapia fillets with salt, pepper and seasoning powder in a considerable amount according to personal taste and preferences. Arrange the seasoned fish in a single layer on the baking dish. Place the sliced lemon over the fillets and it is recommended to use only two slices for a piece of fillet to ensure it covers most of the surface. Bake the fillet uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes in the oven or until fish can be easily flaked with a fork. While the fish is being baked, you can prepare the mixture of sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, garlic powder, and dill in a bowl. When the fish is done, you can serve the mixture with the fish.

Stuart is writing for many websites, He enjoys writing on wide range of topics such as what temperature to bake mahi mahi and how to bake tilapia. You may visit for more details.

9 Ways To Rake In The Dough At Your Next Bake Sale

There are a lot of bake sale haters out there. You may even be one yourself. I know it's easy to dismiss the most clichéd, most over-done, most dreaded of all the fundraisers in the known universe.

But, I'm here to defend the lowly bake sale. I'm here to champion the 8' folding table parked out in front of the grocery store on a Saturday morning. I'm here to beat all the haters back and prove that there is still life in the timeless art of the bake sale.

First, however, let me begin by reminding all the nay-sayers about the profit margin at a bake sale- 100%. Not 40%, not, 60%, not even 75%. You heard right- it's 100%! You don't have to share your loot with anyone. No investment on the part of your school. Parents donate the material and labor, while the grocery store donates the retail space and the customer base. It's the perfect deal.

Second, in my experience as an elementary school principal, there is no volunteer duty more popular with parents than "Baking". I'd get like three people volunteer to work the auction and one person for writing thank you letters, but I'd have to spill over onto a second sheet of lined paper to make room for all the moms and dads who were willing to bake. You have to admit, a willing work force is hard to argue with.

Third, a bake sale is free PR. For those four hours or so on Saturday morning, everyone who walks into the store will see your sign advertising your organization. If you play it right, you've got a great opportunity to represent your school in a very cost-effective way.

Ok, but this bad reputation has got to come from somewhere, right? My guess is that the people who have become bake sale haters have experienced the lowest form of the art. I'm sure they've witnessed sorry looking Rice Crispy treats, poorly presented fruit cakes, and tired moms selling their wares with all the enthusiasm of Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh. The haters have probably looked at the receipts from such a bake sale and thought the effort just wasn't worth it. $100, $200... Surely there has to be a better way to raise some quick cash.

And there is, I tell you! Have a good bake sale! The following nine items will add spice to the entire experience and will result in dramatically increased sales.

Plan Your Sale for a Big College Football Game Day

I suggest that when picking the date for your bake sale, visit the web site of your biggest local college football team and study their TV schedule. Try to peg your bake sale date to the biggest game of the season, preferably the most heated rivalry game. In my area, we've got the Michigan-Michigan State game or the Michigan-Ohio State game. These games have become a communal experience for most of the population. And, what does every self-respecting football fan want during the game? Yep you guessed it- food. Much of this food is purchased last minute on Saturday morning before the game. If you have your table out there at this time, you're likely to see a lot more traffic looking for snack-y items. You're in a great market position.

I would also suggest decorating your bake goods in the football team colors. Or perhaps someone could make football-shaped cookies with icing in the school's colors. I know this may seem silly, but it's marketing, baby!

Only Sell by Donation

I know this may sound risky to some folks, but trust me, it really works. Do not set any prices for any of the bake sale items. Make a large attractive sign that tells everyone that there is no charge for any of the items. However, you would greatly appreciate and welcome all donations.

Will you get someone who just walks up and takes a bag of cookies and doesn't leave any payment? Sure, that's possible, but really unlikely. Instead, you're much more likely to get someone putting in a $10 bill for a small bag of cookies and not asking for any change.

By not setting any prices, you're leaving it open to the generosity of peoples' hearts when they approach your table. My feeling is that most people are generous and fair, and you'll actually make more money by only taking donations than limiting yourselves to a fixed pricing structure.

Only Let People with Good Personalities Work the Table

Have you ever heard about that business book called "Fish!"? It's about the Pike Street Fish Market in Seattle, Washington. The owners turned that market from a dilapidated, stinky old hanger into one of the most popular and profitable tourist attractions in all of Seattle in a very short period. How did they do it? One of the primary factors was the attitude of its fish mongers. The owners realized that the fish mongers were their sales force, and they were able to convince and train them to become engaged with their customers. They laughed while catching and throwing fish, they interacted with each other and with the customers, and they made that place fun. It was an amazing transformation.

I would suggest being very careful in choosing the people to work your bake sale table. Like the fish mongers, they have to be extroverted individuals. They can't be shy little wallflowers, hanging back, letting customers blow by them. They can't be afraid to create a little scene. Once they do, people walking by will stop to see what all the fuss is about. Once they've stopped by, your chances to make a sale greatly increase.

Advertise Your Cause

As I mentioned earlier in this article, you should definitely think about the best way to promote your school at the bake sale. If people walking by believe that you are working for a good cause, they will be more likely to drop that big donation for a small bag of cookies.

Not only should you have an attractive and professionally done banner with your school name on it, but you should also have material about your school ready to pass out. For example, you could have pamphlets and fliers ready that detail your school's mission, your history, enrollment information, great achievements of your school, and current fundraising needs. Be ready to pass something out with each purchase. Give the people something to remember other than a tasty cheesecake.

A word of caution, be very aware of how your table is presented. If your signs are hand-lettered and home-made they could appear tacky, thus giving off a bad impression of your school. As a fundraising leader, you'll have to find a tactful way to make sure you don't allow signs made by people with good hearts but no artistic talents to be displayed.

Sell Pie of the Month Club Memberships

If you have a person in your school community who loves to bake and is actually good at it, consider selling "Pie of the Month" club memberships or something like that. Make a separate advertisement and make sure everybody making a purchase realizes that they can keep the love of the bake sale coming 12 months per year. Of course, all payments are expected up front, so you'll have to feel confident your pie maker will deliver on the contract.

Decorate Your Items Well

I won't mention any names, but I recently attended a function in my hometown that had a bake sale attached to it. I know the people organizing it meant well, and everybody's busy, but, man, was that thing depressing. The people working it didn't care, the people who baked the items didn't care, and so the potential customers didn't' care either.

I looked down at the table and I saw Rice Crispy treats still uncut and in the beat up old pan; I saw store bought Chex-Mix unevenly distributed into low-grade baggies with no zip top; I saw a cake that looked like it had fallen on the floor and somebody has just picked it up and put it back on the table. They even had a cooler with soda cans inside, but no display telling us what kinds they were selling. I had to root around in the cooler to even see what they had.

I'm sorry to have to get down on folks, but if you want to do well in retail, you've got to think about your presentation. Think like Martha Stewart a little bit!

First of all, I would suggest asking parents when they volunteer to bake to make sure they decorate the items as much as possible. But, I would also recruit the craftiest person I know to be available when all the items first arrive for sale. Arm her with ribbon, bows, zip-lock baggies, pre-made sales labels, whatever you can think of to make your table shine.

I would also ask this crafty person to arrange items for sale so they are attractive and stand-out to customers. Think about adding small risers to your table to highlight certain items. A shoebox with a colorful linen napkin over it would be terrific for just such a use.

When in doubt, try to put yourself in the shoes of a potential customer.

Cleanliness is Next to Godliness

This point is closely related to the previous one about presentation. I would highly suggest asking your sellers to look as neat and tidy as possible and I would have some hand-sanitizer plainly visible and in use by your sales force. (Suggest your sellers wear school sweatshirts or t-shirts if they have them.) If potential customers see that you care about sanitation, you are more likely to convert them to paying customers.

Bigger Items Sell Well

In my experience, bigger items, like whole pies and cakes sell extremely well, especially on the day of a big game. It's great to have little bags of cookies or individually wrapped Rice Crispy treats, but make sure to have the big ticket items out there, as well, prominently displayed. You could easily pick up $15-$20 for an apple pie alone. Mom looks like a hero, coming home with a big juicy pie on game day.

Sell Any Left-overs at School on Monday

With so many people baking, it is possible that you may have some left-over items from the bake sale. I would suggest that you bring all the left-over items back to the school and try to sell them on the first day back. Put up a nice display just outside the school office and place a big sign next to it.

Every time I've done this, we have completely sold out by the end of the first day back.

Conclusion

As I mentioned at the beginning, it's easy for people to get down on the bake sale. In many ways, bake sales have been done to death, and it's always fun to try something new.

However, with just a little imagination, creativity, and enthusiasm, I firmly believe that you can turn your tired old bake sale that generates little profit into a razzle-dazzle, must-see event that really rakes in the dough. In my time at the school, I never saw a bake sale that didn't bring in a minimum of $550, and that was from a small school in only four hours in a small town. For the amount of time and effort put in by the fundraising team, this is a no-brainer.

About the Author: James Berigan is a former school principal who enjoys guiding schools with their fundraising efforts. He writes for the Top School Fundraisers blog at http://TopSchoolFundraisers.com/news

Baking Tips

Most people have a real basic idea about what they need when they set out to do baking at home, but most people don't have the background to know what works well and what does not, in the baking tips and tricks that I am going to show you will make your baking experience much more interesting and your work easier.

Baking Tip #1. Using tin baking pans is what they used in the 40's and 50's and they worked well but they didn't distribute the heat through the pan very well, by using a heavy gage aluminum baking pan the heat will be distributed through the pan a lot better giving you a much more evenly baked cake without any burn spot.

Baking Tip#2. Everyone tries to get a really smooth icing on their cake before decorating it but it just doesn't want to smooth out, well here is the way you do it. After you get the icing on the cake as smooth as you can dip the icing spatula in hot water and wipe in a towel to take off the water and lightly smooth out the icing, the heat from the spatula will melt the shortening in the icing causing it to become smooth. You will need to repeat this as many times as necessary.

Baking Tip#3. Cake ruffle around the base of your cake will make it much more appealing and only takes a moment to apply it.

Baking Tip#4 To make a better box cake mix use 4 medium eggs, 1/3 cup of vegetable oil, 1 -1/4 cup cold water, 2 ounces pudding mix, this will give you a moister cake with a fluffier texture.

Baking Tip#5. When making cookies that you are going to roll out with your hands use an ice-cream scoop to dip them out and save yourself a great amount of time and they will also be the same size.

Baking Tip#6. Having cookies all the same size on a baking pan causes them all to bake more evenly and they will all come out of the oven looking great.

Baking Tip#7. When baking sugar cookies bake them on the two upper racks of your oven, this will cause them to bake more evenly because they won't get a lot of bottom heat on some and not on others. You want even browning on all.

Baking Tip#8. When baking cookies rotate the pans at the half point of the baking time.

Baking Tip#9. Always use parchment on your baking pans when baking cookies, it makes a lot easier.

Baking Tip#10. When baking a cake don't grease or flour your pan, just use parchment paper on the bottom of your pan and when the cake has been cooled cut around the sides of the pan with a sharp straight blade knife then dump the cake out onto the table and remove the parchment before assembling.

Ann Marie Krause has been making cookies for over 30 years, at persent I am retired, for over 23 years I owned a Gourmet Bakery called The Cheese Confectioner.You can visit my site at http://www.annsgoodies.com.

NOTE: You are welcome to reprint this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the about the author info at the end).

Solving the 7 Most Common Whole Wheat Bread Baking Mistakes

Let's face it EVERY cook makes mistakes (yes, even us professional bakers make boo boo's).

I'm going to list here, the 7 most common bread baking mistakes that you're probably making, or might make if you're not forewarned, and what you can do about them.

Whole Wheat Bread Baking Mistake 1

By far the most common bread baking mistake is when the salt is forgotten to be added to the bread dough.

This results in very bland bread, and even effects the rising of the dough. Making your bread flat on top.

The best solution for this is to use a post it note as a reminder to yourself, to add the salt to the bread dough.

You can stick the post it note where ever you're most likely to see it (fridge, recipe book, etc..)

Whole Wheat Bread Baking Mistake 2

The second most common mistake is when the bread dough is allowed to over rise, which leads to it falling.

This usually happens when bread dough is forgotten about. And with so much going on our lives, who doesn't forget things like this now and then?

But don't fret, there is a solution: If the bread is already in the bread pans when it over rises simply use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut the excess dough off the sides of the unbaked loaves.

Separate and roll this dough into a few small balls of dough. Allow them to rise 20 minutes to 30 minutes on a small oiled cookie sheet, and then bake them on 350 Fahrenheit, for 15 to 20 minutes as whole wheat rolls.

Also allow the bread to rise for about 15 to 20 more minutes before baking if it is extremely flat on top.

Another solution to help you keep from forgetting about your bread, is to use a timer which will beep loudly after the selected time period is up.

Using a timer can also help stop other bread baking catastrophes from happening.

Whole Wheat Bread Baking Mistake 3

When you heat up your water to put your yeast in, it is easy to accidentally make the water a bit too hot. This mistake will kill the yeast and your bread will not rise

To correct this mistake I strongly recommend you invest in a cooking thermometer, to measure the temperature of the water with.

Whole Wheat Bread Baking Mistake 4

If the recipe you use makes too much dough for your family's needs and you worry that the extra bread will grow stale before you use it, fear not.

It is perfectly safe to refrigerate unused dough for a few days and allow the bread dough to finish it's rising time once you get it out to use it.

You can use a ziploc bag or plastic wrap over bowls that contain your bread dough, to store it in your fridge and still prevent oxidation.

Whole Wheat Bread Baking Mistake 5

Burned bread. Yup, nothing tastes worse than bread which is black as charcoal.

To avoid this, be sure you follow baking times and temperatures strictly. And again use a timer to remind yourself when it's time to remove your bread from the oven.

Also remember that gas ovens and electric ovens vary in their temperatures. If you're using an electric oven you should bake almost all pastries on 350 Fahrenheit.

Sometimes a recipe will call for you to start baking a loaf of bread on a higher temperature, but will also usually tell you to turn the heat down after a certain amount of time.

Whole Wheat Bread Baking Mistake 6

Mistakenly or purposefully using the wrong type of flour. If you are baking whole wheat bread, the only way to get good results is by using whole wheat flour to bake your bread.

There are different recipes for all the different types of bread and they all use one specific flour for each recipe.

So don't try any substitution hoping that by adding rye flour for instance, you will actually turn a whole wheat bread recipe into rye bread. Because you won't.

Whole Wheat Bread Baking Mistake 7

Last but not least there is the problem of air bubbles (also called "pockets") which create large holes inside the bread, after it's done baking.

The best solution for this is to pinch any such bubbles whenever you see them in your dough, before you bake it. This will immediately deflate the bubble.

Now you are armed with the knowledge of the 7 most common whole wheat bread baking mistakes (most of which also apply to all other rising breads) and how you should deal with them.

So don't let the bread mistake blues get you down ever again.

Are you fed up with recipes that tell you what to do, but not HOW to do it? Beth gives step by step instructions on exactly how to bake your own bread visit her Easy Bread Baking website now.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Carrot cake is a crowd-pleasing dessert. Although I admit that chocolate and vanilla will probably always have a slightly bigger fan base than carrot cake does, there is just something about a moist and spicy cake carrot cake that makes it a big hit every time I serve one. Carrot cake will probably win itself even more fans when it shows up in cupcake form.

This Carrot Cake Cupcake recipe is one of my favorite. The batter is very easy to make and the finished cupcakes have a beautiful crumb and a light texture – none of that dense, oily feel that you can get in a bad carrot cake. I used a combination of cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg in these cupcakes and they have a mild spice flavor to them. The small amount of orange juice in the batter compliments the brown sugar and the rest of the spices, but doesn’t add a strong orange flavor to the cake. If you prefer your cupcakes to be spicier, you can double the spices or mix things up by adding some ground ginger or ground cloves into the batter.

I topped my cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and decorated them with little green and orange carrots. I often finish off carrot cakes this way because mini carrots are very easy to make and it takes very little frosting to make them, so I can still be generous when frosting the rest of my cupcakes! These cupcakes will keep well when stored in an airtight container for a couple of days, but I should warn you that once those little carrots are piped on top, they become a lot more difficult to resist and they might not last too long. I know they don’t in my kitchen!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup orange juice (pref. freshly squeezed)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups shredded carrot

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners..
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, spices and salt.
In a large bowl, beat together sugar and eggs until smooth. Whisk in melted butter, orange juice and vanilla extract. Gradually stir in flour mixture until only a few streaks of dry ingredients remain. Stir in shredded carrots, then divide evenly into prepared muffin pan.
Bake for 16-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
4 tbsp butter, softened
4-oz cream cheese, softened
2 1/2 – 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
orange and green food coloring

Beat together butter and cream cheese in a medium bowl. Beat in milk and vanilla extract, then gradually blend in the confectioners’ sugar until frosting is thick and creamy.
Spread frosting evenly on top of cupcakes, setting aside no more than 1/3 cup to make carrots for decoration.
For the carrots, divide the reserved frosting into two bowls. Dye one orange (yellow and red) and one green (green and yellow). Scrape into two piping bags (or ziploc bags with the corners snipped off) and use a plain tip for the body of the carrot and a slanting tip for the carrot top.
Pipe three or four small lines of green for the carrot tops, and pipe a carrot-shaped orange line leading down (make a large ball at one end and gradually release pressure as you pull the bag) from the greens to finish the carrots. Practice on a plate until you get the shape down consistently before topping cupcakes.

Tags: Cakes - Cupcakes carrot cake lower fat vegetables in cake

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Buttermilk Pancakes with Strawberry Guava Syrup

A pat of butter and a generous drizzle of maple syrup is probably my favorite way to finish off a plate full of hot-off-the-griddle pancakes, but it isn’t the only option out there. Fresh fruit is another great way to top off pancakes, but as tasty as fresh fruit is, you don’t get the consistency with a handful of sliced berries and I like to have some sauce for my pancakes to soak up as I eat them.

This Strawberry Guava Syrup is a quick syrup I made in the microwave using fresh strawberries and some guava jelly (jelly or preserves available in most markets). It is one of those things that I realized I should share even though it isn’t particularly “fancy” because it is so good I’ve whipped some up at least a half dozen times since berry season started! The syrup has a lovely fresh and tropical flavor to it and, while it isn’t particularly thick, you end up with big chunks of strawberries in the finished syrup that add a nice look and texture to plates full of pancakes and waffles.

I use fresh strawberries for this recipe, but frozen berries will also work. The frozen berries will break down much more quickly than fresh strawberries will, so with frozen berries you might want to cook the syrup a little bit longer to break them down even further, creating a thicker syrup with fewer large chunks of berries. Frozen strawberries might also require a little extra sweetener that fresh berries at the height of the season will not need, so stir in an extra tablespoonful of sugar or so as necessary.

You can serve this syrup on anything, but since I’ve showcased it on top of a pile of fluffy buttermilk pancakes, I’m including the recipe for those as well as the syrup. The syrup is best the day it is made because that is when you can really taste the strawberry and guava separately. As you store it, the flavors will meld together a bit. Fortunately, the syrup takes less than a minute to make (and less than 5 minutes if you have to chop up the berries) so making it just before serving is even easier than making the pancakes to go with it.

Strawberry Guava Syrup
1 1/2 cups fresh, chopped strawberries
3 tbsp guava jelly or preserves
1 tbsp sugar (optional)

Combine berries and guava jelly in a small, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30-50 seconds, until mixture bubbles and berries become tender. Stir in additional sugar if berries are not sweet enough (at the peak of season, you probably won’t need more sugar). Syrup is best the day it is made but will store in the refrigerator, covered, for one day.

Buttermilk Pancakes
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp milk
1 large egg

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.
In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, milk and egg until well combined, then pour into the dry ingredients, whisking until just combined. It is ok for the batter to be slightly lumpy.
Heat a skillet or griddle over high heat until a drop of water placed on it skitters around the surface. It’s too hot if the water evaporates instantly on contact. Drop by large spoonfuls (to make desired size) into the preheated pan and cook until golden on both sides, turning once. Serve immediately.

Recipe can be doubled.

Serves 2-3.

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Regular vs Quick Cooking Oatmeal for baking

There are three main types of oatmeal to choose from in the cereal aisle of the grocery store: regular oatmeal, quick cooking oatmeal and instant oatmeal. What kind of oatmeal is the best for baking? Sometimes, recipes will specifically call for different types of oatmeal and other times they’ll simple say “oatmeal” with no explanation. While it isn’t difficult to pick out which kind you want to have for breakfast, it can be difficult to know what works in a recipe.

Regular oatmeal, also often described simply as rolled oats, is the most basic type of oatmeal that you can find. This type of oatmeal is made with whole rolled oats that are steamed and then flattened. When it comes to breakfast, they cook in just a few minutes and have a nice, chewy texture. This type of oatmeal also lends a slightly chewy texture to baked goods and the whole oats are clearly visible in the finished product, leading to more rustic looking cookies and baked goods.

Quick cooking oats are rolled oats that have been coarsely chopped. Breaking them down into smaller pieces enables them to cook more quickly. They have the exact same flavor as regular rolled oats, but have a slightly finer texture. Cookies that are made with this type of oatmeal tend to look a little “prettier” because they don’t have big oats floating around in them and they give a baked good a very uniform texture. Quick cooking oats can be made at home by pulsing regular oatmeal in the food processor a few times.

Regular and quick cooking are what most recipes call for and they are almost always (unless specifically stated) interchangeable in a recipe. I personally tend to like the more uniform look of quick cooking oats and use those more often, either buying them from the store or coarsely chopping whole rolled oats in the food processor. In my recipes, I will call for one or the other based on what I think gives the best result, but generally speaking both will work in my recipes and many others’.

Instant oatmeal is much finer than quick cooking oatmeal and, depending on the brand, it can actually be very powdery. This type of oatmeal still has an oatmeal flavor, but it does not lend any of the texture to a baked good that regular oats do. You should not substitute instant oatmeal into recipes that call for oatmeal (unless they specifically mention instant) because it doesn’t lend any structure to baked goods in the way that coarser oats do and your finished product could be very different from what the recipe writer intended.

One last oatmeal option is steel-cut or Irish oatmeal. Steel cut oats are whole oat groats that have been chopped into large pieces and have not been steamed or rolled, as regular oatmeal has been. This type of oatmeal has a completely different and much coarser consistency than rolled oatmeal. It requires a long cooking time and makes a much better breakfast food than an oatmeal cookie, so it should also not be substituted for other oatmeal in recipes unless specifically called for.

Tags: oatmeal oatmeal cookies steel cut oatmeal

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What is a whoopie pie?

Whoopie pies are a dessert that consists of two cake-like cookies sandwiching a creamy, frosting-like filling. It is easy to think of them as a more portable version of a cupcake, where the frosting is inside of the cake and there is no wrapper to contend with. They’re generally thought to have originated in Pennsylvania Dutch country as an Amish dessert, but the exact origin has never reliably been determined and they are very popular all over New England. The most classic whoopie is made with chocolate cake and has a sweet cream filling, although marshmallow filling is very popular in some parts of the country.

Whoopie pies a bit of an oddity because the name has nothing to do with what the dessert actually is and, naturally, there are all kinds of stories that exist to try and explain the origin of that name. The most popular story is one in which excited Amish kids shout “whoopie!” when they discover their mother has just baked these treats for them. I wouldn’t put it past anyone to shout for joy when seeing a freshly baked whoopie pie, but the name still can’t be definitively tied to this story. Some food historians simply believe that the name is so catchy that it must have been developed commercially, by a baker or bakery pushing a new product.

The traditional whoopie might be chocolate cake with a cream filling, but whoopie pies are now available in many different flavors with a whole variety of fillings. They’re easy to make at home and, although there are special pans out there to help you shape your cake rounds, they require no special equipment. Here are a couple of great recipes to get started:

Tags: what-is whoopie pies

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Stroopwaffle heart cupcakes!

I will fully admit I had no idea what a stroopwaffle (or stroopwafel) was before I saw these cupcakes, but now I'm smitten. So cute! They're by blogger cakeje van eigen deeg, who's also posted the recipe. We'll be posting more photos from her blog, because they're beautiful and fascinating, but these deserved their own post, don't you think? Via Flickr, who writes:

my blog had a complete facelift, finally! and what better way to celebrate this and my love for cupcakes by making the typical dutch cupcake! I have to confess though, I changed the recipe a bit (tweaked it here and there) but I still feel it's a work in progress. decoration wise: it's a keeper! especially since the main color of my friend's webshop, which inspired me in making a stroopwaffle cupcake, is pink (sorry, long sentence). I was playing with the idea for hearts for a few weeks now. I actually used stroopwaffles for this recipe that I took home from my trip to the states. if you live in the canada or the united states, you can buy these stroopwaffles here. they're super tasty and have a nice cinnamon flavor! this time I also made a step by step photo guide (sort of).

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Vancouver Canucks hockey cupcakes

I have watched a hockey game once in my life, so I know very little about it but I love team enthusiasm in the form of cupcakes. These Vancouver Canucks hockey cupcakes are by blogger glaziecakes, via Flickr. Go team!

Has anyone else made cupcakes for their favorite sports team? Post a link in the comments or write us at cupcakestakethecake at gmail.com with "Sports" in the subject line.

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Spotlight on CupUPCakes

These cupcakes are by CupUPCakes, via their Facebook page. I'm not totally sure where they're located, but they can be reached at CupUPCakes at gmail.com and you can also find them on Flickr.

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No Rapture? No Problem.

Have a cupcake instead.

"Rapture Cupcakes" by StacieBee.

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

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Baby shower cupcakes, giant cupcake cakes, Father's Day, Twix bar and more from Jellytots & Dollymixtures

These cupcakes and cupcake cake are by Sale, Cheshire (UK) cupcake bakery Jellytots & Dollymixtures, via their Facebook page. They can be reached at info at jellytotsanddollymixtures.co.uk or 0161 637 2199, and you can find out more at their website. And Father's Day isn't that far off, so note their special chocomotion Father's Day cupcake as well.

"Take the Biscuit - a brown sugar, caramel swirled sponge topped with a caramel cream cheese frosting, a single Twix finger and caramel drizzle!"

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Peanut Brittle Cupcakes From Main Course Catering

Here's another photo from the Gardiner Cupcake Festival. These pretty little cupcakes are from Main Course Catering in New Paltz. I'm allergic to peanuts, so I didn't taste these cupcakes. However, I love the crunch of brittle dipped on top of a buttercream frosting. The textures are a good mix. For non-peanut eaters like myself, you can use bit of cashew brittle instead. Here's an easy recipe for cashew brittle.

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Patriotic cupcake wrappers by Bella Cupcake Couture

With Memorial Day right around the corner, make your cupcakes special with these Bella Cupcake Couture wrappers.  Sure to make any Patriotic celebration special!

12 wrappers for only $10 can be purchased on the Bella Cupcake Couture website!

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