Strawberrys+Coasters=Summer...Right??

Thanks everyone for wishing me well on my vacation...I had a blast! We spent the entire day Saturday at Great America. Around 8 p.m. it started raining for the second time that day and people were starting to leave (the park closed at 9 p.m.). Shortly after, the tornado siren went off, everyone then started running for their cars. So, no lack of excitement that day! The ride below was one of my favorites..."Batman". Their best ride "Superman" was closed that day...so sad.

*Lauren, you asked me for the cookie recipe...I added it to the post the cookies are on.*

"Berry Pinwheel Cake". Thru baking, I have learned many things. One, what you make doesn't always look like the pictures. Sad, but true. Take this for instance...the pictures from TOH looked beautiful and I could imagine the gorgeous dessert I would soon be presenting. Well, it didn't quite turn out like that! You're probably thinking "what is wrong with it"? I know the pictures don't look that bad, but I think us cooks always critique our work more than we should! I am going to try to not be so critical!!

"Berry Pinwheel Cake"

Ingredients:
4 egg yolks
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
4-1/2 teaspoons water
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Confectioners' sugar
FILLING:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons lemon curd
2 cups chopped fresh strawberries

DIRECTIONS:In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks, eggs and sugar until thick and lemon-colored. Beat in the water, oil and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to egg mixture. Grease a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan and line with waxed paper; grease and flour the paper. Spread batter into pan. Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool for 5 minutes. Turn cake onto a kitchen towel dusted with confectioners' sugar. Peel off waxed paper. Roll up cake in towel jelly-roll style, starting with a short side. Cool on a wire rack. In a bowl, beat cream until soft peaks form; add sugar, beating until stiff. Fold in lemon curd; gradually fold in strawberries. Unroll cake; spread filling evenly to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up again; dust with confectioners' sugar. Cover and chill for 1 hour before serving. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 8 servings.

Summer Is Here!

Wanna bite, anyone??

Levain Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie Copycats

8 ounces (two sticks) unsalted butter, room temp

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

3 cups BREAD flour (13 1/2 oz)

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 to 1 1/3 cups coarsely chopped, untoasted walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Beat butter and both sugars just until they come together. Don’t overbeat. Add the egg and beat just until incorporated. Mix together the flour, salt and baking soda. When thoroughly mixed, add to batter and stir just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. The dough should be neither sticky nor dry.
Divide dough into about 12 mounds, but keep the mounds kind of raggedy. That is, don’t smash them into compact balls. Bake on ungreased insulated cookie sheet or an upside down rimmed cookie sheet for 20 minutes at 350. Cool on sheet for about 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

My Mom asked me to bake some cupcakes since today is "offically" our last day of school, this is what I came up with. But, I do have some school to finish up.

If anyone has tips on decorating cupcakes with a tip, please let me know. Thanks!
This definately did not turn out the way it should have, the filling under the cool whip, never set right. Argh.
This is a cake I made for my Mom on Mother's Day.

I made this for Memorial Day.

Lewis seriously does not like me taking pictures of him, I have no idea why!

A little love time

When he is in trouble he gives me this look, melts your anger away!

I have a guitar recital on Sunday, I know what I will be doing this weekend- practice, practice, practice!

Double C.~

Macadamia White Chocolate Nut Cookies. Sounds good, and they usually taste yummy. But not this time....I happened to grab a "bad" bag of Macadamia nuts. Ugh, made me quite sick. I will be trying them again only I will first make "sure" the nuts I am getting are not a million years old.

This cake was delicious, but the only thing was I overbaked it...kinda ruins it. It tastes like a brownie, hence the name "Triple Chocolate Brownie Cake". Instead of the frosting called for, I used our standard buttercream frosting. My brothers were eating the called-for-frosting...one of them had a glass of milk and was gobbling it up. My same brother eats chocolate chip cookie dough and milk together too...it isn't that bad!
I think all Labs have that "aren't I pitiful face"...right??

My little guy sleeps this way, back feet out, face on the ground. My Mom calls him a mongloid, my Dad calls him a Platypus.

Happy Memorial Day everyone!!

Candied Pretzels, Cookies, & Reese Cups.

Oh yum, caramel, butterscotch chips, & heath bits.

We have been biting the candy part off and then throwing away the rest of the pretzel, weird.

Dozens of Malt Balls...

"Chocolate Malt Cookies"
Can you tell I like this jar??
Reese Peanut Butter Cups...yummy! My brother was eating the filling all by itself, it is d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s!

When you have a stroller and baby clothes from when you played babies, how could I resist??

"Farmer Lew"

Doesn't this say it all??!!

Another Friday Post...

First off, Lewis wants to say "hi".

Chewy Blondies. The best part of this recipe is that it has Heath bars in them, and who doesn't like Heath bars??

My sister gave these a "thumbs up"!
My first attempt at turnovers. They look delicious, but lacked in sugar. Yummy - good looking - filling. Easy Tiramisu. Since I can't find Ladyfingers locally (can you believe that??). I decided to try this recipe, since it calls for pound cake instead of Ladyfingers.

Have a great Mother's Day weekend!

Double L For Lewis and Lemons!

He knows how to melt your heart!

First I turn this way...

Then I turn that way!

Okay, back to baking...I'm sure you didn't mind the brief interruption while I spotlight Mr. Lew!
These Cinnamon Rolls were different in the making, the fact that you make the dough in the bread machine. But other than that, they were very tasty!

Here they are all frosted...
I've never made a Chiffon Cake before, so this was my first.
"Lemon Chiffon Cake"
Texture of the bread was deelicious plus the Lemon frosting makes this recipe a winner! My Dad thought the frosting by itself was yummy!

Slice anyone??




I received the "You Make My Day Award" from Ruth over at

Ruth's Kitchen Experiments

I was pleasantly surprised to get this - thanks Ruth! I am going to pass it on to:

1. My incredible knitting sister Miss Lisa
2. Barbara over at Barbara Bakes
3. Julia over at Dozen Flours
4. Oiyi over at Oiyi's Crafts
5. Rebekah over at Don't Call Me Becky
6. Maria over at The Goddess's Kitchen

Enjoy guys!