Tag Archives: baking

Strawberries. They’re not just for daiquiris anymore…

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I’m not a big baker but I do make fruit bread now and then. Banana bread, apple bread… I’ve even made blueberry bread. But up until now I’d never made strawberry bread.

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And while I can’t say it’s my favorite…

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It wasn’t half bad either.

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I used the vanilla extract but next time I think I’d try almond for a touch more flavor.

I also had to add a bit of water to the glaze, it was too pasty their way.

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😊

Another simple recipe.

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I love to cook, but I also like quick and easy sometimes.

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And this recipe certainly fit the bill.

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Since it’s autumn, I chose spice cake mix and apple filling.

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The batter worried me as it was thick and chunky…

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But the cake baked well, even if the finished product was a bit ugly.

I made a quick glaze from powdered sugar and milk to make it look slightly more appealing…

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The cake was moist and flavorful, though a bit heavy for my taste. But the husband liked it and if I make this particular combination again I think I’ll chop the apples into smaller pieces for more even distribution.

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Miscellaneous nonsense.

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Has anyone tried this recipe?

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I just bought the two ingredients and will report back if it’s truly magical.

Have you ever laughed at your spouse/significant other for being horticulturally challenged? I did the other day when we visited a friend and my husband asked if I had any of these bushy plants in our garden.

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Uh, no… but it is legal here now.

🤣

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Remember the photos I posted of that fantastic sunset we had before the recent hurricane? Take note of the giant ice cream cone trash can on the left and read the town’s FB page the day after the storm

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We take our ice cream seriously up here.

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A support pickle?

I just can’t…

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This cake has a certain a-peel.

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We’re not cake people as a rule but I stumbled on something so ridiculous at the store the other day… it positively screamed to be baked.

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And in a high falsetto at that.

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Bite me Dolly.

The batter is the best part.

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And because I love me some nanners, I made a banana cream pie filling.

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Topped off with buttercream frosting?

It’s a cake to go ape for.

😉

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Miscellaneous nonsense.

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I love bread and have been known to devour my weight in it on more than one occasion, thankfully I never found Harrison Ford in the middle of a loaf.

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This begs the question why.

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As does this.

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A free vibration session in what looks like some very targeted areas. Hmm…

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This blew my mind. I know the Levi Strauss company has a denim museum with some very old pieces but these were bought by a private collector. Further research found they bore a label stating they were made with American labor, as opposed to the Chinese workers being used in the 1880’s. Either way, that’s a lot of cash for a pair of dirty jeans.

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Best. Recycled. Piano. Ever.

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The best? I don’t know.. but it was pretty damn good.

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As we headed out on the morning of our only full day in Vermont ( 3 days, 2 nights is simply too short a trip) we enjoyed the leaves and the scenery and headed for what I was told was the best bread in the state.

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The Red Hen.

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It’s a bakery and cafe.

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So we sidled up to place an order.

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And watched the pros at work.

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I grabbed two loaves of fresh bread to take home, (a crusty peasant white and an unbelievably tasty lemon rosemary) but had to try a mushroom toasty while we were there as well.

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The husband had some sort of homemade soup I didn’t get around to photographing because my sandwich was simply too divine to ignore. 3 types of sautéed mushrooms with spinach and melted cheese on whole grain bread. Sounds simple but there was an unidentified herb in the cheese and it had me smiling ear to ear.

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Clearly this long armed chicka by the door could have used one.

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Onward….

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Easy peasey.

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I’m going to give away a secret here so listen up.

For years I couldn’t bake a decent cookie to save my life.. and believe me it wasn’t for lack of trying. No matter what recipe I tried, no matter what miracle pan I used they either came out of the oven a gooey sugar filled mess or something resembling a hockey puck.

And then…

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Then I found them. The absolutely easiest, most perfect, even River can’t screw them up cookies.

Four ingredients. Four minutes prep and viola!

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Sublime every time. Trust me, those are soft baked little circles of heaven right there. And because I live to spread joy…. I’ll share.

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So far I have made lemon, chocolate, strawberry, spice, orange and butter pecan. And they were all fabulous, no hockey stick required. I’ve even started branching out by adding flavor extracts to the plain yellow mix … last night, almond.

Take that Mrs. Fields!

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