The Food Challenge....Here we go!

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow begins our quest of spending only $100 on food for FOUR WEEKS. That's $100 to split between our little family of 3 - Me, Jon & Seven.

Yes, that includes every meal we eat at home AND any meals we eat at restaurants or fast food. I forsee that being especially difficult for my Husband, who works as a surveyor and is not used to packing his lunch. We typically spend a minimum of $150 a month just on his lunches. Sorry, hon, you'll be packing for a few weeks!

We also tend to spend an average $100 a week on food at the grocery store. We can get by on so much less than that. While my freezer isn't stocked for a nuclear fall out, and my pantry won't feed a third world country, we certainly have more than enough to eat. I think the grocery store becomes a thing of habit - you just assume you need to go. If nothing else, this challenge will be a way to clean up some of those items lingering in the bottom of the freezer and wipe out a few of those things pushed into the back of the cabinets.

I stated in an earlier post that I intended to list what I plan to start with, and that I feel like this amount of food is probably found in any typical American house...not a stockpile, in other words. I reiterate this because I want this month to be a wake-up call for anyone out there who wants to try to complete this challenge themselves. It is surely about the quickest and (hopefully) easiest way to save a good sum of money without suffering. So many of us these days are looking for ways to save a dollar or two, but we tend not to think of cutting our food budget. Restaurants alone can destroy a wallet. We used to be that couple who went out every weekend, plus had at least one fast food meal or pizza a week. That behavior cost us a minimum of $250 a month...and that doesn't include the grocery bill. Wow. I would love to have that money back.

So here goes...this is what I have to start with:

In the Freezer:
1 pack of chicken legs
2 packs of chicken breasts
4 packs of hamburger
2 packs of deer burger
1 bag shrimp
1 bag scallops
1 pound Ham
3 Boston Market boxed dinners
1 Bertolli Bag
Partial Box Eggos
Box Shrimp Scampi
2 Bags of Corn on the Cob
2 Bags frozen corn
Homemade puff pastry
1 bag mixed vegetable stirfry
1/2 container of Edy's Ice Cream
Homemade Peach Ice Cream
2 servings Homemade Ravioli
2 Single Serve lunches - Bundinos
2 Pillsbury Cookie Dough
8 homemade hamburger buns

Fridge:
18 eggs
1/2 Gallon Milk
3 bricks cream cheese
3 packs butter
16oz sour cream
Pack of American Cheese
partial bricks of other cheese
Lots of condiments and jelly
24 pack Diet Soda
6 Gatorades
24 Case Beer (for Jon)
Hot Dog Weiners
Partial pack of Bologna
Little bit of sliced ham
1/2 pound sliced turkey
2 packs flour tortillas
2 cans Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
some grapes
6 yogurts
14 fruit cups/applesauce

Pantry:
3 cans corn
3 cans green beans
3 cans diced tomatoes
Peanut Butter & Nutella
Baking Stuffs - flour, sugar, etc - normal amounts
Chocolates for Baking
Seasonings - normal amounts
3 boxes Shells & Cheese
3 single serve mac n cheese
handful of mini candy bars (leftover from Fathers Day)
3 cans Cream of Chicken
2 cans Sweetened Condensed Milk
Lots of Ronzoni noodles, spaghetti, lasagna, etc. (it was free)
2 Chef Boyardee Ravioli
1 can baked beans
1 can water chestnuts
3 Hamburger Helper
4 RiceaRoni or Zatarains
2 jars Bertolli Sauce
1 jar Alfredo sauce
4 Cake Mixes
3 Brownie Mixes
Lemonade Mix
A few tea bags
2 boxes Jello
3 Gravy Mixes
2 Boxes Scalloped Potatoes
3 Boxes Romanos Macaroni Grill (free)
4 Bags Microwave Popcorn
Homemade loaf of bread
Half bag of Marshmallows
3 partial boxes of cereal, some stale. :)

Update: Fresh Food - I forgot about it!
an apple
half bag of apple slices
2 bananas
2 peaches
2 kiwis
Blueberries from my garden

Also - we have a garden. We'll be getting zucchini and berries for a few more days, and possibly peaches by the end of the month. Maybe a few tomatoes. Almost out of spinach, who knows about the peppers. Not a big garden, but it will help!

Okay- I probably have more things than this, but this is what I intend to use. Is any of this out of the ordinary? Perhaps I am jaded..but I think I could go to my Moms or Aunts right now and find a similar stash...which leads me to believe I am pretty average. Please do tell me if I am off the mark - i want to represent a TYPICAL American Household. This will help me prove that we can, in fact, be smarter consumers...and maybe learn from this.

I intend to post once a day listing what we ate and what we spent (if I go to the store). I also intend to make it as varied as possible - not eating Ramen everyday. Hopefully I will inspire you to try this challenge yourself in the future...the savings could be huge! In fact, we are starting with an envelope of $600 - our typical food budget for a month. What's left at the end of the month is hopefully going to a new Canon Digital Camera, complete with extra lenses! (what a treat, right?!)

Cross your fingers and wish us luck, I hope to see you back here everyday in July!

Tuesdays With Dorie...Perfect Party Cake

It's Tuesday! Time to check out another great recipe from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours! This week, we finally - and let me stress finally - got to make the Perfect Party Cake! It seems that Carol of Mix Mix, Stir Stir was the first of us bakers that was daring enough to choose this beauty. It couldn't have come at a more perfect time for me, either, as it was my Grandmother's birthday last Thursday. So thanks Carol for choosing it!

With a name like Perfect Party Cake, I expected a really troublesome recipe. Lots of dishes, lots of aggravation. But you know what? It was nearly as easy as opening a cake mix. And the results were amazing...no problems at any juncture! It was beautifully baked in the recommended time. It sliced in half perfectly. Perfect. Party. Cake. Seriously.

I used my mother's homemade strawberry preserves to fill the layers, and a cream cheese buttercream flavored with more lemon and orange extracts. It was rich and decadent and every single piece was devoured. Exactly what you want from a party cake, right?!

To decorate mine, I "spackled" on the icing, then piped borders. I picked a few berries from my garden to garnish, and made my first ever fondant rose to go in the center. I painted it a little bit with raspberry juice and luster dust to give it a little more dimension, and all in all, I am pretty pleased with how it turned out!

Now you should go check out what all of the other TWD bakers did with theirs...I'm sure you'll find endless variations to try!

Later today, I will be posting the contents of my freezer, fridge and pantry, as Wednesday starts our $100 Food Challenge. I really need a good name for that. Like "Save Our Summer" or something...something I can make a little logo for. Anyone got a great idea? Please leave a comment here and tell me what it is! There will be about 4 other bloggers taking the challenge with me - all averaging roughly a buck a person a day. Sounds scary, I know, but we will DO IT! Now we need your help to give us an official name and be our supporters throughout July! Scroll back a few entries to see what I am talking about in case you are confused..and maybe you'll want to play along as well!

Thanks!

Cookie Time again...

Tiredof me posting cookies yet? I hope not! It seems like they have consumed a big part of my existance lately, and I really love doing them!

These are cookies for our (pseudo) nephews Baptism this week. Pseudo because the Mom & Dad aren't actually related to us, but they may as well be. They lived with us in the commune back in the day, so, we're more than related. We have history, and choose to remain close anyway! That says a lot...

So, Hudson. These cookies are for favors for his baptism. I wish we could have been there, but alas, 2000 miles is a little too far for us to travel this time. I hope they arrive safe and sound and taste as good as they do today! As you can see, they are decorated in brown, blueish teal and white, the colors of his announcement...or as close as I could get with icing, anyway! Crosses, squares and fancy circles make up the assortment.

More cookies to come later this week...I have a fun order to make some for a family beach vacation - but until then, tomorrow brings our weekly foray into the world of Dorie Greenspan, followed by July 1st and the beginning of our month long $100 Food Challenge...what a doozy that's gonna be!

Stay tuned!

pop over the morning to ya!

I can't believe I lived my entire life up until last year without ever having eaten a Pop Over. I know! Sheltered a bit, I guess! So if it's possible that I never had one, much less made one, I assume that maybe there is someone else out there who's not in the know...and it's my duty to share.

Pop Overs are like French Toast - except so much better! They are tall and puffy coming out of the oven - kind of magical - and once you cover them in syrup and a handful of fresh fruit, well, you're in heaven. I'll bet anything you already have the ingredients on hand and it only takes about 10 minutes to whip up the batter then another 30 minutes of baking time - so why not try them out this weekend? You'll love them!

Breakfast Pop Overs

makes 6 (enough for 3-4 people)

3 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup All Purpose Flour

1/4 cup sugar

2-3 Tablespoons Butter

Preheat Oven to 375.

Divide the butter into the 6 cups of your Pop Over Pan. If you don't own one, you can use a muffin tin, but you will need to use all 12 cups. Just divide the butter up evenly) Place the pan in the oven for 3-5 minutes while you are making the batter.

In medium bowl, beat the eggs with the milk and sugar, then whisk in the flour. Pour the batter into the butter filled cups and return to oven for 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 and continue to bake for another 25 minutes. The Pop Overs will be tall and golden, puffed and gorgeous. Remove from pans and serve with your favorite toppings.

Here's a picture of the Pop Overs we had last weekend...topped with berries from our garden and maple syrup - Yum! Make them this Saturday and your Hub will be wrapped around your little finger - he'll even do laundry and yardwork! (well, mine did anyway. I hope it was the Pop Overs.) Enjoy your weekend!

Another Catered Wedding...take a peek!

Unfortunately, the pictures from this wedding are not very good - the lighting was terrible. But as you can see, the food was set up in a small family dining room. We had the center table witht chafing pans of pasta salad, a fabulous tiered stand full of chicken salad filled puffs & Southwestern Ham Roulades, and a mirrored tray of fruits.

There was an antique buffet along one wall that I placed another mirror filled with cheeses, crackers and lots of vegetables. On the opposite wall we were given a round table to make use of, so I used a tiered plate stand and a mirror there to display more vegetables and cheeses. This way, we could have guests graze through the room and have access to the same items no matter which side of the main table they went down.

Once the guests had all eaten and made their way outside for some dancing and cake cutting, we cleaned up the buffet and replaced the hors d'oeuvres with a sweets assortment. We had everything from sliced watermelon to mini red velvet cupcakes to chocolate chip cookies and mini cheesecakes. We also had those sugar cookies I posted a couple of days ago, and they really were a hit.

Just thought I would share my latest endeavor with you! Oh, and brag a little on my fantstic Hubby...he built me that tiered stand you see on the center of the table! It is 3 tiers, ranging from 18 inch square up to 28 inches square - so HUGE! He painted them white, and then trimmed them out in a decorative wooden molding he stained a gorgeous cherry color. They are beyond what I hoped for, and really set a great stage, don't you think! He's amazing - I love you Kit!

I think it's time

Time to discuss this "$100 Food Challenge" - don't you?

You see, last month I was on Twitter (big surprise there) - and decided that for 4 weeks my family of three would live on a measly $100 plus our pantry/freezer contents. Now, before you jump to conclusions, thinking - yeah, sure, I bet you've been stockpiling - wrong. I intend to pretty much list everything I have to start with. The point of the mission is to see if it's possible & still exciting (meaning, not 28 days of Ramen Noodles, for example) - and not CHEAT. If I had a huge stockpile, where's the fun in that? So, I won't be cheating.

I'd say the contents of my kitchen right now are pretty much what every American kitchen has. I'll list everything exactly on the 30th of June, because who knows what I may use between now and then. I want to be fair.

Now, WHY am I doing this?

First and foremost - to see if it can be done. Second - the economy sucks and money saved is a GOOD THING. Typically, between our meals at home, my husband's lunches at work, and the occasional meal out, our little family runs through $600 or more a month. Some of you say that your coffee bill alone each month is $100 - so for you, this might be a wake up call. We stand to SAVE a whopping $500 this month JUST by being frugal in the food department. Imagine the possibilities! Do this 3 months out of the year and what do you have? A CRUISE, people. 7 nights of pampered bliss. So for me, it's worth it to give this a shot.

Now, the rules are simple. Rule number ONE - Set an amount for yourself. We chose $100 because it's a good (low) round number. It averages us a little over a dollar a person a day. That ain't much. So maybe you are a family of 4 and you want to give this challange a try, too. Try $150. You more than likely spend that in one week, don't you? Between groceries, a trip to DQ and the kids lunches? See what you can get by on. Set your goal and get the family involved and excited about it. If you normally spend $650, you'll have $500 at the end of the month. Once you succeed, do something frivilous and reward yourselves! Maybe decide in advance as a family what the reward will be, then everyone will be on board. It's only 4 weeks. In all honesty, most of us could sustain ourselves on what's currently in the freezer and pantry without spending a dime. It might not be the most pleasant month dining wise, but it could be done.

Rule Number TWO- Don't change your life just to succeed at the challenge.

Huh? Isn't the the idea?

What I mean is, don't start mooching off of friends and family everyday just to make it. If you already do that - well, don't stop, but don't START. For example, my Mom has Sunday Dinner at her house every week. Usually. So we intend to keep going. But I am not going to start asking her to make Saturday Dinner, too. See? Easy rule.

Rule Three - and this one is a BIT of a cheat. July is full of parties and holidays, I know. Just go ahead and stock what you think you are going to need for that barbeque or party. Don't miss out on life...but don't go nuts, either. TWDers, the recipes are already listed for July. Grab now what you need or decide to skip certain week's recipes. You decide what you can live with or without.

That's pretty much all the rules. So JOIN ME! Leave a comment here with a link to your blog saying you want in (and for how much if you've decided). Then, on the 30th, post about it and tell the Blogosphere what you intend to start with and get them excited about it, too.

July 1 through July 28. It's gonna be a trip, and I hope some of you will come with me! I will feature a link on my sidebar to everyone on the Mission with me, so let's GO.

(Now, what am I gonna do with the reward.....put it towrds a fancy new camera for my blog? hmmmmm. What are YOU gonna do with it?)

More Sugar Cookies...Wedding Style

It's Cookie Time again!

Here's just a few of the wedding cookies I made for the Sweets Table of last Saturday's wedding. Obviously, their colors were lilac and green. I heard a lot of ooohs and ahhhs and OhLookHowCutes! - so I hope that means they were a hit!

I have a big order of Baby Baptism cookies coming up, as well as another wedding, some Baby Showers, some Cupcake Cookies for CB over at iheartcuppycakes, and even some Vintage tattoo inspired cookies I want to work on for Natalie of BakeandDestroy...so there will be a lot of sugar cookie madness here at Casa DoughMessTic!

If you are interested in an order of your own, just email me! I can squeeze in anything for my readers! (and I like a challenge, can you tell?)

Happy Father's Day

Wow.

I knew I had been busy, but didn't realize I have left the DoughMessTic site un-updated for so long. 3 days and no post. Eeek.

Well, truth be told I have been beyond overwhelmed. I had another 200+ person wedding to cater on Saturday. Again, heavy hors d'oeuvres & a sweets table, but serving 200 people anything is quite an ordeal. It took a lot of my time on Thursday, all day Friday, and then Saturday, of course. I'll do another post on that function a little later on in the week.

Today is all about Father's Day. I have a great Dad, and I have a husband who is also a great Dad...so I am a lucky lady. Not everyone can say that. I count my blessings for those two men. For those of you who know my Dad, you know that he loves candy bars, especially anything Reese's. A few weeks ago, my Mom decided to try her hand at making an edible fruit arrangement- something my Dad refused to touch. We knew he wouldn't eat it. I think I mentioned beofre that Dad doesn't eat fruit, and even the allure of skewers couldn't reel him in. But he did say that if there were peanut butter cups on skewers, he'd eat THAT. So that gave me an idea....

CandyBar Basket.

I bought up a bunch of different minis and hot glued them onto your basic skewers cut at different lengths. I stuck them down into a round of styrofoam, then wrapped it in a piece of my scrapbooking paper and tied it with a ribbon. Finally, I tucked in pieces of tissue paper, and voila - CandyBar Basket. Yes, I am aware that I am not the creative genius behind this phenomenon, but I just wanted to share with you how easy and cute these can be. Lots of people would love to get one of these for their birthday, or as a PickMeUp, or a Congratulations gift in lieu of flowers. They're fun - and you can eat them!

Now that that's out of the way, I wonder this...(you know me and how I wonder things.)

Reese's.

In particular, Reese's Cups and Reese's Pieces.

When I am talking out loud about them - for example - if I am saying Reese's Peanut Butter Cups - it comes out as Reece-ez Peanut Butter Cups. But, if I am just saying Reese's Cups - it comes out as ReeSee Cups. Same with the Pieces. ReeSee PeeCees. Anyone else say ReeSee PeeCees? Ask around. You'll be surprised.

Or maybe not.

Maybe it's a Southern Thang.

Clue me in?

Happy Father's Day everyone! Go let those men know how great they are.

the saga continues...52 books in 52 weeks

I'm falling behind, ya'll. No two ways about it. It's not a dire situation yet. I guess if it comes right down to it, I should be able to count "5 Little Monkeys" and "I See a Monster" in my repertoire of books, right? Let's just hope I don't have to resort to such treachery. I think I am somewhere about 24 books right now, so almost halfway there. Luckily there is still half a year left, but more importantly, a lot more summer. That should help.

I'm doing my best to keep up. Lately I have read a couple of books I picked up at an auction & a yardsale - actually very lucky finds. One was "Drowning Ruth", by Christina Schwarz. I really enjoyed that one. I think Oprah claimed it for her Book Club...so take that for what you will. Like I said, I really liked it.



Another was "Flying Changes" by Sara Gruen. She's the author of "Water for Elephants", a book I can't say enough good things about. "Flying Changes" wasn't quite as good as Elephants, but it kept me very intrigued. Gruen has a way of tying her endings up with a little bow, keeping everyone happy and contented...and sometimes, you really need a good dose of that. Life can suck, so you ought to read something that takes you away from all that suckage once in a while.

The last book I read was "The Lacemakers of Glenmara" by Heather Barbieri. Thanks to the folks at MotherTalk, I was sent an advanced copy to review. I'll admit, the first 3 chapters had me concerned. I wasn't grabbed. I wasn't determined to read the entire book in one sitting.

But then something happened. Around page 27, I fell in.

From that point on, I was lost in an Irish village, falling on love, wishing I knew how to make lace. Wishing I had prettier underwear. Wishing I felt like putting my fat butt on a bike. (I got over that part.)

The characters were like my aunts...I knew them, each of them. I hoped for them.

"The Lacemakers of Glenmara" chronicles an American girl and her travels in Ireland after being left by her beau for a model. She stumbles into an existence she didn't know she wanted - and a small seatown that time has all but forgotten. A coven of lacemakers take her under their wing until they realize that she may be the one to remind them how to fly. And of course, there's a man with his own troubles that might help her come to terms with her own.

It's a fascinating trip. I suggest you purchase your ticket.

Cookie Dough Cupcakes. Not kidding.

Would it be wrong to thank God for Twitter?

Well, I am going to do it anyway.

Thank you God. If not for Twitter, I would never have come across this uber simple and divine cupcake. It can be soooo simple, or, if you have the time, a little more consuming. Either way, you have perfection in your mouth. A harmony, if you will. Cupcake bliss.

I was trolling Twitter the other day when someone posted a link to these bad boys. Cookie Dough Cupcakes. Hmm. Intriguing. It isn't terribly often am faced with a prospect that I feel I must immediately make myself. This one was. The original recipe was listed on All Recipes.com, and called for a yellow cake mix and homemade cookie dough. I first though that I would complicate it, making a from scratch cake and homemade cookie dough. I'm sure that would be extra delicious. Instead, I decided to make it even easier...Pillsbury style.

Many of you know that I entered the Pillsbury Bake-Off this year. People who really know me (like family or people I went to school with) would never believe it. Most of my family, aside from those I talk to regularly, have no idea I own a baking sheet, much less blog about food. To tell them I entered the Bake-Off might cause them medical hysteria, so I guess I won't attempt to convince them of it.

So anyway, Pillsbury. While preparing for the Bake-Off, I found myself experimenting daily with their products. Everything from brownie Mixes to Crescent Rolls. While I rarely use a cake mix these days, I will admit that their Cake Mixes are pretty good - especially for the price and the quality/ease of the product. I also like their brownie mixes, after I modify them to suit me. The best product they make, in my opinion, is their refrigerated cookie dough. Hello? It's no fail. Easy, peasy...and so quick!

For this wonderful Cupcake, you can certainly choose any cake flavor you like, but I am a Devils Food gal and this flavor did NOT dissappoint. Experiment with your own favorite flavor...make these your own! I imagine that a strawberry cake filled with sugar cookie dough would also be delish. So many possibilities, so little time. If you do try these, please come back here and tell me what flavors you used and how they turned out, won't you?

Cookie Dough Cupcakes

makes 24

Ingredients

1 package Pillsbury Cookie Dough, Take & Bake Style

1 Devils Food Cake Mix

1/3 cup melted butter

1 1/3 cup Water

3 eggs

Place the Cookie Dough in the freezer for at least 2-3 hours, so that it is completely frozen.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare the cake mix using the above ingredients, not what it says on the box.

Line 24 muffin cups with liners, then add the cake mix evenly to each cup. Place on frozen cookie on the top of each cup, no need to push down.

Place tins in the oven and bake for 15-16 minutes. The time is less than ordinary cupcakes as you have much less batter to cook, and the goal of these cupcakes is to have cookie dough, not fully baked cookies. Yank them at 15 or 16 minutes, trust me.

Allow to cool, then top with your favorite icing...I chose a cream cheese buttercream and a chocolate cream cheese buttercream to top mine...both were excellent! Have fun!

Now, if you have made it this far, perhaps you are feeling alot of Pillsbury Love. Stick around, folks...we want to give you something! See my son Seven here? He's got a Pillsbury Dough Boy he wants to share with YOU! And me? Well, I have a great Cooking Magazine that features past Pillsbury Bake-Off contestants and is chock FULL of easy recipes for you to try. Want to win? We have 2 of each...so click through for more details!

Thanks everyone for stopping by, I hope you have a great week!

Oh Sweet Baby...Cookies

Word of mouth is a good thing.

Little did I know that by making two large fruit & veggie trays for my sister last week that I would be getting a phone call a couple of days later...wanting more fruit & veggie trays from someone who saw mine. And, since it was for a Baby Shower, the lady asked if I could do anything else.

Like sugar cookies.

You may recall that I have a bit of experience with sugar cookies - like last football season, Halloween, and of course, Christmas. Three experiences. That in no way whatsoever qualifies me to be a paid cookie artisan. But, being a helpful Southern Gal, I said "Of course I can do sugar cookies...what did you have in mind?"

Yellow, Pink, White. Daisies. The name Riley. Go with it.

So I did. I had been seeing some of the cutest little onesie shaped cookies over at Sweet & Saucy, so I wanted to do those. But alas, I had no onesie cookie cutter and no time to order one. What to do, what to do? (Mom, Dad, pay attention here...this is another thing my 4 years of college paid for beside the Art Degree) - I turned a wedding cake cookie cutter upside down, then used a circle cookie cutter to make a neck and the leg holes. I think it was pretty successful! I also made baby bibs by using my pumpkin cookie cutter and cutting out a neck with (oh, blaspheme) - part of a cross. Again, pretty successful. Luckily, I already had a daisy looking cutter and a little baby foot, so those were my 4 designs.

By the end of the day, my hand and arm were cramped. Six variations of icing is a pain in the butt. But you know, I really enjoy the decorating part. If only I had a lackey here to mix up all the icing I wanted and wash all the bowls, I would do it all the time. (I imagine in a couple of years, once Seven is in school, I' AM going to be making these all. the. time. Baseball games, football games, golf...but NOT basketball. Mama can't handle all the squeak squeak sqeaaaaking sneakers. And not soccer, either, because I don't know the rules of that game for one, and even more importantly, I have no desire whatsoever to pipe out all the crazy black & white soccer ball geometrics. Uh-Uh. I draw the line there.)

So anyway, I bagged each cookie up individually and tied them up with a yellow ribbon. My client was very pleased. Maybe word of mouth will get me another gig or two, you think? Let's hope...I have bills to pay!

Anyone need custom decorated cookies? Get me while I am still cheap - I call it my Learning Phase - it may only last a week. :) - Nah - for my readers, I would do anything. Hit me up, I love a challenge!

Have a great weekend everyone!

s

Wordless Wednesday...Sleeping Beauty

Tuesdays With Dorie...Parisian Apple Tartlets

Jessica of My Baking Heart chose Parisian Apple Tartlets for our Tuesdays With Dorie escapades this week. Thank you, Jessica! Let me tell you why...

Ease. Price. Taste. Hooray!

No dirty dishes, other than a spoon, a knife, and a baking sheet. Heaven? Probably.

But, and this is almost too pathetic to admit...I had never used a Puff Pastry sheet before. Ever. And even though Pepperidge Farm is all I could find, despite Dorie's advice to use an alternative brand, well, this was really, really good.

I used one sheet and made two square tartlets and 2 larger rectangle tartlets. I placed my Granny Smith apples right on top of the dough, sprinkled it all with brown sugar, ginger and cinnamon, and added my pats of butter. Popped in the oven for 25 minutes...and Done. Too easy!

I think I would like to try this with cherries and rhubarb...and blueberries maybe? Peaches and cream cheese? What flavors do you think would be best?

On a very strange sidenote, I am curious...does anyone else ever think of Andy Griffith while peeling apples? I do. Every. Single. Time. Why, you ask? Well, there was this episode once, when the City Slicker Business Man was passing through town and his car broke down? On a weekend? And well, no one works in Mayberry on the weekend, you know. It was even a Sunday, I think. But this mean old city slicker was such a butt. Aunt Bea fixed him some dinner while Goober and Gomer fixed his car up, and Andy & Barney did their whole front porch sittin' spell. At one point, Andy was peeling his apple and got uber excited when he peeled the whole thing without breaking the peel. I do that. I am Andy. Please don't be the City Slicker...sit a spell. Relax. Work will still be there tomorrow.

So have a great day today and enjoy life a little! See you tomorrow with Wordless Wednesday!

Happy Birthday, Dad

Friday is my Dad's birthday. For like, 3 months I have been looking forward to it, because I had in my head that I was going to be a super-hero cake baker and bake him a 3D '55 Chevy, just like the one he has. Nevermind you that I have never made a 3D cake at all, other than that Easter Bunny Cake that I couldn't bear to cut into because of the look on his face. Or that I never make cakes in general. Or that I have any success with rolled fondant, as I have but one fondant experience. But I could see this cake. It was going to be the bomb, I tell you. Coral and gray, just like his baby. In my half awake, half asleep dreams (you know the ones), I was even going to be able to make the wheels spin.

Yeah, right.
I have no idea what I was thinking.

So anyway, screw all that. Seven has been sick for the past 2 nights and days, and to be honest, the fact that I was able to even turn the oven on baffles me. But I did. I baked a vanilla layer cake with an orange and vanilla buttercream tinted coral. I didn't make enough of it though, like a loser, so I only had enough to ice it, not actually decorate it with trim or swirls or whathaveyou.

I cannot give a grown man a plain old coral cake. How lame. Earlier in the day I had called Mom and secured a mini 55 Chevy from their collection that I intended to perch atop said pink cake. But snooze...pink cake with toy car= a devoted post on CakeWrecks. I couldn't have that. So I took a piece of my scrapbooking/photo shoot background paper and cut out a black flamey looking cake wrapper. Then I cut out a ring of black and gray striped paper to go over that. Once it was wrapped around the cake, it didn't look half bad.

So maybe you can use my ineptitude for cake making and bake yourself a simple layer cake. Wrap it with your own cake wrapper. Find a random object and place it on top. Hopefully the object will have some sort of meaning to you or the recipient, not like an old tube of Neosporin or a Duran Duran belt buckle from 1988, although I guess those could be okay in the right circumstance. Make it your own, people. Hungry Like the Wolf.

Really, though, I can see this working in a variety of ways. It's easy, it's fairly cheap, and it looks more involved than it really is. Nothing wrong with that.

So, Happy Birthday, Dad!
Don't eat the car.