Happy Thanksgiving!

Count your blessings, not just today, but everyday.  Rise and be thankful!

Clean Cookbooks

Your favorite printed recipes invariably end up with grease spots, dustings of flour, smears of chocolate, splatter and spill stains no matter how hard you try to keep them clean.

If the recipe you are working from is in a cookbook, try slipping the entire book, open to the page you need, inside an extra large clear zipper storage bag.  If the book won't fit in a storage bag, drape it with a piece or two of clear plastic wrap, tucking the edges of the wrap under the book.  A cookbook stand will also help to keep the book up off the counter and less susceptible to spills and splatters.

If you're working with a single page recipe, slip it inside a clear plastic page or report cover.  If you have a space on the wall or cabinet near your work/prep station, consider affixing a clip to hold single page recipes.

Of course, if your recipe is a printable from a digital source (i.e. the Internet, your digital recipe book), you won't need to worry so much about keep the page clean...you can just print another!

Mmm...tasty!

Happy Fall Y'all!

Even though the thermometer around here today looks more like "winter shiver."  Not that I'm complaining, though I would be happier if there were more snow to go along with single digit wind chill.  C'est la vie.  The older generation says this winter will be a doozy - I've got my fingers crossed that they are right.

But, since it's "technically" still fall (it doesn't officially become winter until December 21), how about some fall-ish themed cakes?  Oh, and there's even a wedding cake at the end of the post, it's not a fall theme though.

Hey...no scrolling ahead!  The wedding cake will still be there after you've enjoyed the rest of the post.  I should give you long, wordy explanations of everything, just to slow you down a bit, but I won't because I've got an OSU football game to get to, so you get a reprieve.

Stale Stuffing

Making your own from scratch stuffing for the holidays this year?  If so, keep in mind that stale bread works best, so buy a fresh loaf several days ahead of time, cut it into cubes and then leave it in a paper bag for the next several days.

Mmm...tasty!

Blast from the Past

I've been visited by animated characters again - three times in the last two weeks.  And...bonus...I actually was familiar with some of the characters and recognized them from the good old days!  (You may be aware of my lack of understanding for the "makeovers" some old, now new again characters have received.  If not, here or here are some examples.)

Freezing Whole Cranberries

It's cranberry season!  Did you know whole cranberries can be frozen for up to 1 year?  Just pick through the whole berries, discarding any bruised or soft ones, then place the remaining berries in a resealable freezer bag and freeze.  Don't forget to date the bag so you know when they were frozen!

Mmm...tasty!

Ooo...Shiny

Trying to achieve a "wet," "gloss," or "shiny" appearance to fondant or modeling chocolate?  While there are many methods, I like to use a mixture of white/light corn syrup and grain alcohol (i.e. Everclear) or vodka.  The alcohol will evaporate, leaving behind a high gloss appearance that isn't sticky.  A 1:1 ratio works well in most applications - just make sure the two ingredients are well mixed, then apply to the fondant or modeling chocolate with a clean pastry brush.

Mmm...tasty.