Helpful Tips for Baking

1. Fill a large hole or sugar shaker with flour and use that when needing to dust surfaces with flour or just pour out a tablespoon as you need it, this is handy way to keep a bit of flour on hand instead of digging in the flour bin.

2. Roll pastry on waxed paper. Before placing paper on work surface, wipe surface with a damp cloth to prevent slipping. Flour paper lightly, and with forefinger draw a circle an inch and a half larger than the pan you intend to use. You’ve seen pastry cloths with guidelines…and they really do help. When pastry has been rolled out, pick up paper pastry and all. Fit into pan, paper side up and then pull paper away from crust. Prevents tearing or stretching twist paper and pan. Another nice tip: You can also roll pastry between two sheets of waxed paper.

3. Keep brown sugar in a closed container with an apple in it, the brown sugar will stay soft and moist.

4. After crimping the edge of the pie crust, lift the edge of the crust gently all around with your fingers. This keeps the dough from sticking to the dish while baking and makes it easier to take out the pieces of pie.

5. Cookie & Cake Decoration: Keep a small amount of sugar in small glass jars, add a few drops of food coloring and shake jar. Keep several colors on hand. You can also use this technique on shredded coconut.

For more great tips check out 45 Cooking & Baking Tips

Potato Day!!

Saturday was Idaho Spud Day in Shelley. At noon they’ll be giving out free baked potatoes, with all the trimmings. There will also be a pancake breakfast, food booths, and a potato picking contest where you can work off the pancakes and baked potatoes.




Other activities include the Miss Russet Pageant, the Mr. Potato Head treasure hunt, the “Tator Trot,” an alumni basketball game, a spud run, parades, craft booths, rides and games, a magic show, a talent show, a horseshoe tournament, a Spud Tug, Frisbee golf, a demolition derby, and more.Saturday is Idaho Spud Day in Shelley. At noon they’ll be giving out free baked potatoes, with all the trimmings. There will also be a pancake breakfast, food booths, and a potato picking contest where you can work off the pancakes and baked potatoes.




Other activities include the Miss Russet Pageant, the Mr. Potato Head treasure hunt, the “Tator Trot,” an alumni basketball game, a spud run, parades, craft booths, rides and games, a magic show, a talent show, a horseshoe tournament, a Spud Tug, Frisbee golf, a demolition derby, and more.



Sounds like a lot of fun, but we didn't want to make the two hour drive!






So Kami and I opted to stay at her house and make foods that were made from potatoes.



I found a recipe in a book of cake recipes that Kami gave me for a present one year. It has apples and potatoes in it and we thought it was delish!!! It was really more like a tart because it was so flat. I think the recipe asked for too big of pan. Next time I would try something a little smaller.





Apple-Potato Cake



1 lb. baking potatoes, such as russets or Idahos

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup raisins

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla



~Boil the potatoes in a large pot with enough water to cover until tender; 15-20 minutes. Drain well and leave covered in the pot for 20 minutes to sweat. Then slip off the skins.



~Mash the potatoes in a large bowl, adding butter, flour, and salt as you work.



~Preheat the oven to 4oo degrees F. Butter and flour a 10" springform pan.



~Divide the dough in half. Roll out two rounds of equal size on a lightly floured surface to about 10 inches in diameter, 1/2 inch thick.

~Place a potato round in the prepared pan and top with the chopped apple.

~Stir together the granulated sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and raisins in a small bowl. Sprinkle the apple with half the sugar mixture and drizzle with the lemon juice.

Top with the remaining potato round and sprinkle witht the remaining sugar mixture.



~Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes. Loosen and remove the pan sides and let cool completely.

~Beat the cream, confectioners' sugar, and add vanilla in a medium bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until stiff. Decorate with the cream.

For our main meal for the day, I made a pot roast in the crock pot using mushroom soup onions and salt and pepper and let it cook all day.

Kami made the creamed potatoes and peas. YUM!!! They sure did hit the spot! Joe didn't get enough and wants me to make more!! Kami's recipe can be found here: http://kamisfoodfun.blogspot.com/2008/04/creamy-peas-and-potatoes.html

While we were eating our meal, we had dough rising for our Spudnuts!!! Can you say sugar and carb overload!!!

Idaho Potato Doughnuts

Makes 4 dozen

Ingredients:

2 packages active dry or cake yeast
1/2 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees Farenheit)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup shortening or margarine
1 1/2 cups prepared Instant Mashed Idaho Potatoes, cold
3 eggs, well beaten
2 cups milk, scalded and cooled to luke warm
1 tablespoon salt
6-8 cups sifted flour

Glaze:

Boiling water
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Dissolve yeast in warm water, set aside.

Cream sugar and shortening. Beat in cold potatoes, eggs, cooled milk, yeast water, salt and lemon extract. Mix in flour adding just enough to make a soft dough. Knead well.

Place dough in greased bowl; cover and let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk. Roll out dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with a well-floured cutter. Let rise uncovered about 30 minutes. Deep fry in oil heated to 375 degrees Farenheit. Drain on paper towl.

To make glaze, gradually add enough boiling water to powdered sugar and vanilla to make thin glaze. Drizzle over doughnuts.

Glazed and sugared.

Of course we had to make the holes!!!

After all of that, Kami and I had to play on the XBox!!!! Rock Band 2 RAWKS!!!!!!

International Chocolate Day

And what best way of celebrating this day then with loads of chocolate..mmm. Below is a recipe for Chocolate-Oatmeal Chewies from CDKitchen.com where you can find even more delicious chocolate delights.

Chocolate-Oatmeal Chewies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup butter or regular margarine, softened
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
2 2/3 cups quick cooking or old fashioned oats
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 F. Beat sugar, butter, milk, and the egg in a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix well using a wooden spoon. Stir in the remaining ingredients.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched in the center.

Cool for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove from cookie sheet and transfer to wire racks.

This recipe from CDKitchen for Chocolate-Oatmeal Chewies serves/makes 42

Honey Bun Cake Pictures

So tonight I had the chance to make the Honey Bun Cake that I posted the recipe for earlier. I think it turned out pretty good. It did have that flavor of honey bun a bit when you eat the part with the frosting on it. Below are a couple of pics. I used a bundt pan to bake the cake in, so because of that, it took about 65 to 70 minutes to bake in the oven.

My Day with Carlee and Tina

Monday...September 8th...Tina and I traveled to Idaho Falls with Carlee for her speech therapy and an eye appointment.

We first meet at the Child Development Center to meet Gunda. Gunda took us outside so that she can work with Carlee on the playground. She let Carlee play for a few minutes and then wanted to get to work. Carlee was more interested in playing on the playground equipment!

After the session with Gunda, we went to Tauphus Park to check out the new playground there and have some lunch.

Carlee loved the playground! I think she really liked having the freedom to just run and climb things and explore.

The matting on the play equipment area was so pliable and soft!

Carlee was fascinated by this board that had the ABC's in Braille! She played with it for a long time.

Carlee loved this! Watch the video at the end of this blog!

Carlee had fun with this little boy. He was scared to go in there until Carlee showed him how.


Then it was off to the eye doctor. We were all worried about her even going, but the people at the Child Development Center insisted that Carlee have her eyes check. We all know it would work. Carlee is deathly afraid of doctors and it wouldn't be any different for the eye doctor. She will scream, cry, kick and try to get away! Kami called the eye doctor that we usually see and asked if the take children. They said they did so Kami made the appointment. As soon as the doctor saw her, her said that he couldn't take care of her! He wasn't equipped to take care of a child that small!!! Holy Cow!!!! Why didn't they say that when the appointment was made! At least he was nice enough to call another eye doctor that does deal with children! She took us right in!!!

This eye doctor office has lots of toys!!!

She gave Carlee a remote that changes pictures that were projected onto the wall.

She gets right down on the floor to play with Carlee and does little games to get Carlee to look at her and the lights that she has. It was a really good visit!! We go to see her again next Monday!

Carlee at the park!!!

I've Received An Award

I received a prestigious award today for this blog. A reader gave me the "Brilliant Weblog" award because she thinks my blog is great! Shawn is the author of the blog, Health To Home.

Now that I've received this award for my super, awesome, out-of-this-world blog, I have to pass the award along to some other blogs that I find worthy and are great reads. And to those that I have chosen, you can pass this along to the ones you think deserves this award.

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World of Mom
Picky Tiffany
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