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Saturday, June 30, 2012

Foodie Penpals Reveal Day: June 2012



This is my first time participating in the foodie penpals program. I was excited to join this program because it involves other bloggers as well as people that are food enthusiasts.  I enjoyed looking for the person I was to send a foodie penpals box to and was very happy when I got an appreciative and excited email about the things that she enjoyed in her box and how she would use them.

In the foodie penpal box that I received I was sent a lot of gluten free items and stuff that I would have never thought to eat otherwise. It was great experiencing a new way of eating. In my box was coconut water, chocolate cookies, pita chips, cranberry granola, a granola bar, and a nice note from my foodie penpal.  The thing that I  really enjoyed in the box were the cinnamon and sugar pita chips.  I love things with caramel and cinnamon in them. I will be looking for a bigger bag of these at a Sam's Club near me...lol. The chocolate cookies were also enjoyable.

Overall I enjoyed the foodie penpals experience and will be participating in another swap in the coming months. If you are interested in joining the foodie penpals program or learning more about it go to http://www.theleangreenbean.com/foodie-penpals/ .

Savor the Baking,
Chineka

Friday, June 29, 2012

Feature Fridays-Summers Trademark Treat:Ice Cream


Ice Cream has always been a favorite of mine. No matter what form it comes in it is still the treat that satisfies all generations and cultures. This book Ice Cream:Delicious ice creams for all occasions by Pippa Cuthbert and Lindsay Cameron Wilson is the perfect addition to an ice cream lovers life. This book features many ice cream flavors and recipes that you can make right at home in your kitchen. An ice cream maker is preferred, but not needed to make these recipes.

The authors of this book give the reader a breakdown about the chemistry of ice cream and why certain ingredients are used. I think that it is always important to know the background about what you are making in the kitchen and the authors incorporated this perfectly.

My favorite recipe in the book is the Raspberry semifreddo hearts because of it's uniqueness. This recipe doesn't require any churning. This recipe is so cute for valentines day or a special treat to make a loved one. I would change the raspberries to strawberries.


Sorbets are also a favorite ice cream of mine for the Summer. It is a light and refreshing way to cool down on those hot summer days. This passionfruit sorbet brings the fruit of Summer into a cool treat.

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Comment below and have a great weekend.

Savor the Baking,
Chineka

Thursday, June 28, 2012

DIY-Decorating Tips Organization


Did you ever want to find a way to organize all of your decorating tips in one place? These metal tips are very important in the cake decorating world. They can also easily be misplaced. I have found a cute way to organize all of the decorating tips. All you need is a plain canister in the color of your choice and some transferable stickers. I chose a clear canister because I thought it would be cool to see all of the decorating tips.


The stickers that I used are from American Crafts. These are rub on transfers. They are seamless so they look like they already belong on the surface that you put them on. I chose these stickers because relate to baking in a lot of ways with all of the love and sweet phrases. I also like the color scheme of these stickers.


Here is a top view of the canister. I combined two stickers to put the phrase sweet love on top because baking is the definition of sweet love. Confectionery masterpieces are sweet and made with love from the baker.


Here are a few of my decorating tips that are already in the canister. I hope that this idea has helped you with organizing your decorating tips. What are some ways that you organize your decorating tips? Comment below.

Savor the Baking,
Chineka

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Buttercream and My 27th Birthday Cake


It's my 27th birthday and I couldn't be more blessed in life and to make it on this earth another year. I had a butterfly garden theme for my birthday cake this year that I designed and decorated it. The design for this cake was created in different sections. I started on the fondant decorations (butterflies and heart) last Friday and assembled the cake on Monday. The teal colored border I especially made for this cake, since teal is one of my favorite colors. This is a 2 layer cake. A butter pound cake is on one layer and lemon cake is the other layer.




Fondant Butterflies were one of the centerpieces of this cake. I made marshmallow fondant and cut out the butterflies. I then put veins in the butterfly wings and waited for the fondant to harden. The butterflies were then hand painted.


Flowers were the other centerpiece of this cake. I made buttercream flowers on wax paper using a large star tip. I also made buttercream roses which turned out great. They really made the garden theme really stand out. The grass was put on the cake using decorating tip 233.

I love all of the things that you can do with buttercream and the different decorating tips on cake. From flowers to ruffles the possibilities are endless.


Savor the Baking,
Chineka

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Baking Organization

Organization of the baking items in your kitchen is essential to the success of being a great baker. It's right up there with planning what you will bake in detail. I organize my baking items by using a cubby. The hello kitty boxes make it extra girly to me, which is right up my alley.

In each hello kitty box I have my baking items categorized.

 In one hello kitty box I have  the things that I need to make homemade fondant including marshmallows and a gumpaste tool kit.


I also have powdered sugar, brown sugar, and flour for easy access, since these are some of the baking items that I use the most.

This is how I organize my baking items in my kitchen. It's a way to put everything in one place and make the most of the space that I have. What are some ways that you organize the baking items in your kitchen?

Savor the Baking,
Chineka

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Homemade Cream of Corn


Corn is something that can be transformed from a vegetable to a great meal. Cream of Corn is something that I've always loved and something that I saw my Grandma often make. It makes me think of home. This is an easy recipe to make. You can use the corn of your choice or mix several different type of corn together for this recipe.

Ingredients
Corn (for this recipe I used white and yellow corn)
Sugar
Milk or half and half
Butter
Flour


Recipe
Turn top of stove on top medium to medium high heat

1. Pour corn into the skillet and heat until it comes to a low boil

2.  Pour in enough milk of half and half to cover to corn and stir until it is well blended

3. Separate the corn from the juice.

4.  In a skillet melt 1/2 stick of butter and add flour until you see it thickening, while stirring.

5. Add corn and cream back into the skillet and stir.




What is your favorite recipe to make with corn? Enjoy!!!

Savor the Baking,
Chineka

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Cake Central Review


Above is a picture of a cake that I recently decorated. I have recently gotten into cake decorating. A cool website that I have found is www.cakecentral.com . This website is a cake decorators dream. There are pictures of decorated cakes from all over the world. There is also a forum with decorator tips, tutorials, and detailed how-to's. If you ever want to know about why a recipe isn't working or how to make a recipe better there is a place on the website for that also.


There is even a link for contests that are being held in different parts of the world. Some members of cake central were even finalist's on a recent season of Next Great Baker. Anything that you would ever want to know about cake baking and decorating is on this website. It's a decorator's playground filled with everything good. Check out this awesome website when you get time.

Savor the Baking,
Chineka

Friday, June 8, 2012

Feature Fridays: Handheld Pies


Pies evoke a home comfort and warm feeling when you eat them and always make you feel better. While in Sam's Club last week I stumbles upon this great baking find. It's a book "Handheld Pies: Dozens of Pint Sweets & Savories" by Sarah Billingsley and Rachel Wharton that is all about handmade pies and the authors tell the reader everything that they need to know to be a successful pie maker. It doesn't hurt that these baking creations are so cute and that they taste good too. Pies were always a thing that me and my Grandma had in common. I was always a fan of her peach cobbler and a few months before she passed away in December 2011 she taught me how to make the peach cobbler that I loved so much.

This book has every kind of pie that you would want in it from free-form pies to jar pies. The recipes in this book can also be made into whole pies. There is also a part of the book that goes into detail about all of the ingredients that you will need and the different techniques to use to bake the perfect pie.


My favorite pie in the book is the pecan pie. This pie is packed with flavor and fresh pecans. The crust is flaky and buttery at the same time. There is also ingredients for each pie on the side of each recipe and there is an insert explaining how each pie means something to the authors.



These are my favorite pictures in the book. This is a picture of the lemon merinque jar pie and these sweet potatoe pies are so cute with the heart cut outs.


What are some of your favorite pies to make? Comment below and I can be reached at savorthebaking@hotmail.com

Savor The Baking,
Chineka

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Vanilla Cinnamon Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream Frosting



On Tuesday I created my own recipe:Vanilla Cinnamon Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream Icing.While creating this recipe I thought of the flavors of Summer that are rich and bold. The smell of cinnamon in the kitchen always takes me back to being in my Grandma's kitchen as a child. I love anything with caramel involved in the recipe so I knew that had to be a main contributing factor. Cupcakes have also always been a favorite of mine. They are individually sized, while some cool things with decorations can be created to  spice them up.


I chose to do a simple swirl for the icing and not add any additional designs. I really wanted the icing to stand out in this recipe and shine. Sometime people can be so focused on the decorations that they forget it's the flavors that really matter the most

I also like how this cupcake had a natural sheen to it so it looks great without icing as well. The cinnamon and other ingredients that I used really give it character and make it special.

What are some things that you experimented with in the kitchen this week?

Savor The Baking,
Chineka


Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Giveaway: Digital Kitchen Scale

Who wants to enter a giveaway that will aid you in becoming more fit and healthy?

I have teamed up with the Slim Kicker website to do a giveaway for my blog readers who reside in the United States. You will have an opportunity to win a digital kitchen scale (website can be found below). Slim Kicker, which can be found at http://www.slimkicker.com , is a website designed to promote healthy living by turning your diet and fitness goals into a game with points, rewards and challenges. A calorie tracker app and diet recipes are also fun perks to this website.

Digital Kitchen Scale: http://www.amazon.com/Ozeri-Epicurean-Digital-Kitchen-Tempered/dp/B005WLPVUG/ref=sr_1_31?ie=UTF8&qid=1338606058&sr=8-31

Diet Recipes: http://www.slimkicker.com/recipes/hcg-diet
Calorie Tracker: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/slimkicker-calorie-counter/id512812753?mt=8


To enter the giveaway leave one comment below on one diet challenge or fitness challenge idea.   The giveaway will end on June 12. The winner will be chosen by a Slim Kicker representative. Good luck!!!!

Savor the Baking,
Chineka




Friday, June 1, 2012

Feature Fridays: Golden Delicious Sour Cream Pound Cake


It's light in texture, but bold in flavor. It goes good with most fruits or can be eaten by itself. The inside looks as if it's been dipped in butter and the outside crust has a slight crunch to it. It's a great cake for Summer parties or office meetings. It can easily be dressed up with the simplest decorations or it can stand alone as a classic. I'm talking about a golden delicious sour cream pound cake.


This pound cake be baked in a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan, but I chose to use a 9 inch pie plate to bake the cake in.The recipe that I used is fairly easy, especially if you prep before you start baking. Let's get started with the ingredients that you will need.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
3 eggs (room temperature)
1/2 cup sour cream (room temperature)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon (half of 1/4 teaspoon) baking soda
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

If you want a sweeter and richer tasting cake you can increase the amount of sugar.


Recipe:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees

1) In a bowl  stir together flour, baking powder, and baking soda
2) In a large bowl beat butter and gradually mix in the sugar. Add vanilla
3) Add eggs one at a time mixing each into the batter well
4) Alternate between adding the sour cream and the flour mixture (step 1). Mix well after each addition is added.
5) Pour batter into a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan or a 9 inch pie plate that is sprayed with baking spray.
6)Bake for 60-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Wait until cake cools to remove it from the pan. Adding berries to the top of your cake is optional.



What is your favorite topping for pound cake?

I can be contacted at savorthebaking@hotmail.com. Have a great weekend everyone.

Savor the Baking,
Chineka




 
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