Ithaca... and off to Cape Cod!

So I leave today for Cape Cod! So exciting, I've never been, so if you have any suggestions write me quick since I leave at noon :) I'll make sure to document the trip so you can all see the fun of Cape Cod along with the chow!

Oh and don't worry, I have posts ready to go next week so you wont be sad that I'm gone ;)

Speaking of chow I still need to tell you about all the yummy stuff we had in Ithaca! I was bad about taking pictures in the places we ate... sorry :( But I do have links to all the places so you can check them out that way!

The first place we went to for lunch was a little thai joint in College Town. (there are like 20 in a square mile, it's hilarious) It's an order at a buffet premade kind of place, we didn't realize this when we first went in, but were glad we stuck it out! The food was very good, I especially liked my basil spicy chicken, delicious! Here is the link to it.

Since it was my birthday John brought me out to a place of my choosing for dinner. We ended up at Mahogany, which was a very dark wood (go figure) filled bar type place. The tried cramming us at a small table and I suggested we move to the front window seat. Thankfully they let us even though the table for was 4. We had a great view of the street and fun people watching. I had a very nice rare piece of tuna with the most delicious sweet potato fries on the side. It was AMAZING!! My mouth is watering just thinking about it now... mmmmm! Link

Another place we frequented a lot while we were there was Collegetown Bagels. They have a ton of great coffees and all types of sandwiches and bagels. My favorite the long island wheat (its an everything wheat bagel!! YUM!!) LINK Seriously so many good options for any meal totally check it out!!

We were given this next place to go by Gretchen who's house we crashed. We were a bit skeptical when we pulled up (it's in a totally out of the 70s ugly strip mall) But once we were inside we were very happy we went! Totally check this place out while you are there! LINK

Gretchen also suggested the Queen of Tarts, just a short walk from her house. We went for a mid-morning snack and shared a HUGE (like size of my head) blueberry bran muffin. It was delicious!! Sometimes big muffins are so dry... not this one.. super moist, great flavor! A 10 for sure! LINK You HAVE to go to this place... although I'm sure if I lived there I'd be much larger by making too many trips (their cakes look amazing!!) John even came up with a song while we were there... yeah it was about him not being around anymore because I ate too many Queen of Tarts... hahahahahahaha Oh I wish I could record it for you to hear it's hilarious :)

Next was more thai! Taste of Thai came highly recommended for their pad thai so we gave it a shot. LINK. It was good but nothing to totally rave about. We've both had better, but it was still a good meal, I'd try something different next time though.

We also had to go to the Moosewood Restaurant while we were in Ithaca... we actually tried going here first on my birthday but the wait was insane... ON A MONDAY NIGHT???? We ended up going around the same time on Wednesday.. no wait... so weird. LINK. Anyway the food was delicious. I had a vegetarian Moo Shu Burrito type thing over some amazing brown rice. John had a nut encrusted fish (i can't remember what kind of nuts or fish wooops), which he thoroughly enjoyed.

As for the rest of our meals, we ate those while hiking so they consisted of lots of apples, power bars, tuna fish sandwiches for John, and for me peanut butter and banana sandwiches.. YUM. I've been on a total kick with them since we've been back. I just can't get enough. Yeah I'm a nut, I know... but that's ok ;)

Oh wait how could I forget Smart Monkey!! LINK. I mean with a name like that you can't forget it! We hit up this place one day after a long hike as an early dinner. It's all organic and natural and TASTY! John had a buffalo chicken sandwich that as he was eating made the comment "How come you don't make stuff like this?" He then realized he was in deep deep trouble... questioning my cooking honor??? oh no he didn't!!!! The gauntlet was thrown... he was in for it... don't worry no blood was drawn ;) I had a grass feed local cow... I mean hamburger... poor local cow :( mmm poor deliciously prepared local cow... Instead of the normal side optioned I paid a little more and got some sweet potato fries. I never have theses and I had them twice this trip YUM! These were different then the first place, more of a wedge and cooked with olive oil and then dusted with sea salt. In one word... delicious! :)

Chow!

Birthday gifts

So as I mentioned last week, it was my birthday! Woohoo! Mom/Dad had bought me a cute shirt while they were visiting a few weeks ago and then in the mail I got cookie scoops!! I was super excited! And let me tell you, they have been working in overtime. Love it! Thanks mom thanks dad!! If you are interested she got me the King Arthur kind... the tablespoon and the teaspoon ones! They work perfect! yum!

My sister is a jewelry designer and her company Dancing Flamingos is fantastic!! Go check it out!! She made me these earrings and this bracelet! Totally my colors love it!



John got me a beautiful watch! I've been totally needing one and this one is totally my personality I love it love it!! :)


Ok that's all from me now :)

Tastes Like Home

Welcome to tastes like home Tennessee style! So a few weeks ago I took part in a blogging event called tastes like home which was hosted by April and Megan. (click on their names to go to their blogs). Once you signed up you were paired with someone to exchange goodies from "home". I was paired up with one of the hosting ladies April of Abby Sweets(her daughter named the blog for her... any guesses as to her daughters name??)! PS Abby and April's other two kids are totally adorable by the way!

To see what I sent April click here!

Now onto the good stuff... what April sent me! So exciting! I mean just check out all that loot! onto the chow! April has a lovely place called the fruit and berry patch near by and man does it look like it makes some amazing stuff! She sent me some apple butter (YUM) alfalfa honey (DOUBLE YUM!) BBQ sauce (can't wait to try this stuff out! I love BBQ and I sent her a bottle of BBQ from around here... I wonder what she'll think of it!)


annnnnd she MADE me some peach vanilla bean jam from peaches she bought at the fruit and berry patch!! I had to open the jam ASAP and try it... my verdict... DELICIOUS!! Also the fruit and berry patch use to just sell fresh fruit until one year a frost came early and killed off his crop so he started canning/ bottling things so he could still have a constant income. Good thinking!

doesn't that just make your mouth water??

April also sent me some Wickles... wait what?


HAHA they are wickedly delicious pickles! no joke it says it on the bottle!! April did you know I love saying the word wicked... all the time?? You must have known :) Wickles have a secret too... turn the bottle over... and you'll see what it is...

peppers!! these things are gonna be SPICY!

April also sent me a wonderful letter and also a bunch of local area pamphlets! I love looking at what other areas have to offer! Although one totally caught me by surprise...

They have skiing in Tennessee?? OK I will agree with my mom that my geography skills are... lets just put it nicely... absolutely horrible hehe. But in my head TN is too far south to have skiing... well you can mark me down as being wrong about that one! Oh and for all my graphic design friends out there... don't you love the 80's ski shot on the cover!?!?! FABULOUS!!

There were also a bunch of hard candies, cherry, watermelon, and a bunch of other flavors along with some rock candy and some caramels! I remember making rock candy in science class.. mmmm that's some tasty science :)

Thank you so much April I loved my packages and this was wicked fun!

Chow on!

In the paper!!

We made it into the paper!! Check it out!!
CLICK HERE

You can check out the crazy good article that was written in Susan's (the girl who started this whole thing) local paper. CLICK HERE!

Operation Baking gals! Round 2

It's round 2 of Operation Baking Gals! And I'm hosting this month and recruiting people to send tons of goodies to Eric! You can click on the banner above this to find out how to join in, or you can CLICK HERE!

Hope you can join in on the fun, the deadline to send out your goodies is Saturday August 30th for this round so get baking! And good news we are up to 250 bakers for round 2!!!!! Isn't that fantastic!! Good job everyone!

If you missed the deadline, no worries at all though, you can sign up to bake for round 3 at Operation Baking Gals!

My coworker Niki wanted to join in for round 2 and made zucchini bread from this recipe from Smitten Kitchen. She made one loaf with nuts and one without. She also made another batch for all of us at work to eat... it was DELICIOUS!! I totally kept going back into the kitchen to snag another piece! Eric you are going to LOVE LOVE this zucchini bread! She has a vacuum sealing machine at home so she sealed them all up to make the long trip over to Eric.

I decided to bake up some ANZAC cookies again. I don't have a vacuum sealer so I used a more inventive method... Pack your cookies into a ziplock bag with a sliding lock "easy zipper" on it, slide it so it's almost all the way shut but has enough space to stick a straw in, using the straw suck out all the air in the bag, quickly remove the straw (while still sucking in) and close the bag the rest of the way. That is what I did and I must say it was pretty darn effective! Just don't blow INTO the bag... that would be gross. If you want the recipe for the ANZAC cookies, you can find it here.

Thank you again everyone for making this such a wonderful experience! I know the soldiers absolutely appreciate all the love you are putting into your goodies!

Make sure to check back here to see the round up of what everyone sent! I should have it posted sometime next week once everyone sends me their pictures :) I'm also going to see if I can get Eric to send pictures once he gets bombarded by all the packages :)

Chow!

TCHO choclate new flavor "Nutty"

Hey guys the people at TCHO sent me another wonderful package of their newest flavor of chocolate! So tasty!! Check out their description...


So far I've had the privilege of trying "chocolatley" "fruity" and now "nutty". I really enjoyed chocolatey and fruity was good but needed some time to grow on me... Nutty is by far the most complex and in my mind best flavor so far!! You can absolutly taste the coffee undertones which meld perfectly with the chocolate taste. TCHO has done it again and I think Nutty has won my heart out of the three so far! Even though it is 70% cacoa a person who isn't a true dark chocolate fan will love it, no bitterness, just pure smooth, bold flavor. A great way to get some antioxidants into your diet. Good job TCHO!

If you want to buy some to try it yourself click here!

Mac and Cheese

My Nana (grandmother) lived with my family since I was 1, she was like a second mom growing up, we never had a baby sitter, just Nana, or another family member. On nights mom and dad would get out of the house for a bit Nana would cook my favorite as a kid, Mac and Cheese with a cut up hot dog and spinach. I know I was a high class kid :) To this day I still love making this meal for myself, it always brings up happy memories and sitting in the living room eating with Nana (side note: we weren't allowed to eat in the living room but Nana would let us when our parents weren't home :) Nana rocked)

I know I'm supposed to eat healthy.. for the most part I'm totally good, whole wheat pasta, lots of veggies... but sometimes... I just want a big bowl of white pasta, powder based, mac and cheese. Growing up Mom would spend hours making home made mac and cheese, only to have my sister and I say we wanted "the stuff from the box" I love making things home made, it's fun and things taste so much better plus you know exactly what is going into your food... all this goes to the way side when mac and cheese comes into play... I want the icky scary powdery stuff... no real cheese, just that fake powder mixed with a little milk, over some tasty elbow noodles. It doesn't get much better then that... hahaha

I must say I have had real home made mac and cheese since I was a kid and it is delicious, but I don't have an urge to make it. I have the urge to cook just about everything else... just not mac and cheese :) So this brings us to lazy night dinners... Sometimes I cook it up just like Nana did, sometimes I cook a box of mac and cheese and then toss a few cups of cooked chopped up fine cauliflower in it. No joke it gets coated in the cheese and you don't' even know it's there, good way to sneak some veggies in! Either way it's total comfort food and bring me right back to home sitting with Nana, running back into the kitchen if we heard the car pull into the driveway so mom and dad wouldn't catch us eating in the living room :)

UPDATE: mom made a good point in the comments, nana was a great cook and did make home made mac and cheese but she knew to just make the box stuff when it was me/ my sister/ and her having dinner ;) Mom lets make Nana's recipe for mac and cheese next time I'm home! You in??? Love you!

What should I bake??

Ok I have a birthday party for a 4 year old on Saturday and a 1 year old on Sunday... what should I bake to bring???

Operation Baking Gals in the paper Update!

So as you may know we didn't make it in the paper on Tuesday... but I just talked to the reporter and it sounds like we'll be in next week! Woohoo! So check back to see! :)

Ithaca and Spicy Oatmeal Crisps

So as you may know John and I went to Ithaca last week. Lots of hiking, chowing, reading, some more chowing, and some more hiking... Here are some highlights!

I don't know why I like this picture so much but I totally do haha

bzzzzz

We were very lucky to have a friend loan us her house while we were there all week! Gretchen and Mike got married a little while back and now Gretchen lives in Rochester with him... which means her house that she is selling in Ithaca was open for us to crash! She has such an adorable house and it was a pleasure to stay there! She also gave us a ton of places to go try out... I'll totally write about them later in case anyone is planning a trip there!

As a thank you I wanted to bake them something so here is what I baked tonight! It's a spicy version of an old favorite. The batter is so good even before it's cooked... I totally licked the bowl clean and then later while walking past a mirror realized I had left some of the cookie dough on my face... oh yes I'm just so classy! :D


Spicy Oatmeal Crisps

Ingredients
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated whole nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (optional- but so good try it!)
dash teaspoon salt
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter or stick margarine, softened
2.5 onces (one small container) of Gerber prune puree baby food
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup regular oats
Cooking spray

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 8 ingredients (flour through salt) in a medium bowl. Beat sugar, butter, prune puree and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg; beat well. Stir in flour mixture and oats.

Drop by level tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or until crisp. Cool on pan 2 to 3 minutes or until firm. Remove cookies from pan; cool on wire racks.

These cookies spread like mad, so don't let them get too close to each other or they will end up smooching while they bake! Smooching cookies so scandalous! I totally put mine too close... most of them were making out by the end of the baking session. Must have been HOT in that oven! :D

Chow!

Iron Cupcake Earth - chili pepper

So I've joined another cupcake monthly challenge... IRON CUPCAKE!! Yes I know more cupcakes so tasty! Voting will begin on Sunday, August 31st at 12 noon at NO ONE PUTS CUPCAKE IN A CORNER, and will be open through Thursday, September 4 at 12 noon. So everyone you NEED to go vote for my cupcake please please please! :)

If I win I get all these cool prizes... provided by: ETSY artist CAKESPY, as well as to our corporate sponsors JESSIE STEELE APRONS; CUPCAKE COURIER and TASTE OF HOME

And the theme for Iron cupcake... a familiar one... Chili Peppers! We can use any kind of chili pepper, in any form... I chose the powder form... jalapeno powder (also known as chipotle powder) it isn't always easy to find, but wegmans being the best super market in the world carries it! I thought about what flavor combination would go well. I know the Aztecs are known for hot hot chocolate... so I started there. I found an interesting recipe for a chipotle flourless chocolate cake... mmmm. But I wanted to add something to cool off the taste buds after setting them on fire! This made me looking for some kind of liquid based milky cream to drizzle on top... hmm what else goes well with chocolate... coffee of course... ahhhh an espresso cream perhaps!? yes yes that is it! The best part is it uses silken tofu as the base of the cream, that means it's healthy right? Ehhh not so much, this recipe isn't really bad for you but it does have a good amount of chocolate and sugar... not that that is a bad thing! In this case it's a very very tasty good thing! I was able to reduce the amount of butter though :) and I used sugar not my normal splenda since I was baking these for some very special ladies I work with and one is pregnant and I wasn't sure if she's steering away from artificial products or not. OK ok I know you want to know the recipe! Here it is!!


Chipotle Flourless Chocolate Cake
adapted from Simple Recipes
Ingredients

• 5 oz. of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon of chipotle chili powder
• Dash of cayenne pepper
• Pinch of salt

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
   
2. Melt the chocolate and butter together over a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring occasionally until smooth.
3. Whisk together the eggs and the sugar in a large bowl, and then slowly, a bit at a time, whisk in the melted chocolate. Add the salt and spices and taste, adjusting the spices if needed.
4. Pour into 8 cupcake liner filled cupcake sheets (I didn't use the silicon ones this time but the paper cups) and bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool completely on a wire rack.
   

Now for the Espresso Cream!

Espresso (French Vanilla) Cream
slightly adapted from myrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup firm silken tofu (about 1/2 [12.3-ounce] package)
• 6 tablespoons fat-free sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cup brewed espresso(I used strong browed french vanilla coffee), cooled
  

Method
To prepare espresso cream, combine tofu, condensed milk, and 1/4 cup of brewed espresso in a blender; process until smooth. Chill.

Serve cream in a spoon or small dish next to the cupcake.


I love the idea of serving the cupcake unwrapped with a spoon full of the cream on the side... then your guests can pour as much cream as they want on top and chow!

The ladies I made these for had to say this...

"Yum with a Kick! Wow - I've never tasted anything like this before. Spicy and the espresso crème cools it down, just like you said. Thanks for the heavenly treat!"

"Amen to that! Definitely the highlight of my day. Thanks again for your thoughtfulness!"

Hope everyone loves this one as much as I do!!

Chow!!

Operation Baking Gals in the paper!

Hey guys! I wanted to let everyone know that the Democrat and Chronicle (the newspaper here in Rochester) is doing a piece on Operation Baking Gals and how we (meaning whoever signed up with me :) ) are baking for a local Navy guy!! Woohoo! I'll make sure to link to the article as soon as I find it online tomorrow (Tuesday- it's going to be in the Living- food section!!) So exciting!! Hope this gets more people to bake with us!!

Chow!!

UPDATE: looks like it's not in the paper :( I'm totally bumming... she said it would be in the Tuesday Food section this week... maybe it will make it in later this week in the Living section... I'm going to keep checking... this is moose.

Chocolate cookies

So I made these last weekend for Erika's summer party, which was wonderful!! And the food was super tasty! Had I been thinking I would have taken pictures.. sooo many good things. I ate my heart out!! Bread with goat cheese wrapped in eggplant on top... all types of fresh roasted veggie wraps... these eggrolls that were to die for... lasagna... the list goes on!! I brought along some cookies to add a little sweet :)

Chocolate cookies
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
dash salt
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup splenda blend (or 1/2 cup white sugar)
1/2 cup apple sauce (unsweetened)
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
sprinkle of powdered sugar and cinnamon once cooled

Whisk dry ingredients together in a large bowl, in a measuring cup measure apple sauce, add eggs and beat, add vanilla. Add wet to dry mixture and stir. Stir in chocolate chips

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Let cook on a wire rack then sprinkle with powdered sugar and cinnamon.

Chow!

Azalea Dress

So I found this fabiric the other day... I think it's so ugly it's beautiful! hehe so I had to figure out what to make with it... the decision... a dress!


I've been reteaching myself to sew and found this awesome free patterns on Burda Style. I loved the Azalea Dress and decided to make it except just do one layer of fabric instead of two... who wants to add bulk anyway! Not me! I got hips I don't want to make them bigger! I'm loving how it came out! I also made a belt to go with it to cinch in the waist, but forgot to put it on for the picture. woops! Hope you like it!

:)

I know I know this doesn't have to do with chow... but sometimes there are other things to life then chow... wait who are we kidding no there isn't!! Check back tomorrow for a chocolate cookie recipe I made for a party this past weekend :)

Grub Club

So my friend Matt and I are part of a local Rochester NY grub club and we are going to host the next installment of it!!! The club has been on hiatus for about two years and we decided to start things up again! Here are the details... bring an appetizer, entree, dessert or drink using the theme ingredient. (no canned please! go visit the market and get some fresh!) Also bring some wine/soda/beer/tea... to drink/share. Pictures will be taken at the event and then will be posted with the recipes on here after the party is over! How cool is that :) So you will all have to check back here to see all the exciting things people came up with!

Chow!

Cupcake Hero - Jalapeno!!

Cupcake hero is being cohosted this month by Rachel of Tangerine Tart and Teri of the 90/10 rule and they made a very interesting choice this month... one you don't normally see in the sweet/dessert isle.. Jalapenos!

We can use the jalapeno in any form... I chose the powder form... jalapeno powder (also known as chipotle powder) it isn't always easy to find, but wegmans being the best super market in the world carries it! I thought about what flavor combination would go well. I know the Aztecs are known for hot hot chocolate... so I started there. I found an interesting recipe for a chipotle flourless chocolate cake... mmmm. But I wanted to add something to cool off the taste buds after setting them on fire! This made me looking for some kind of liquid based milky cream to drizzle on top... hmm what else goes well with chocolate... coffee of course... ahhhh an espresso cream perhaps!? yes yes that is it! The best part is it uses silken tofu as the base of the cream, that means it's healthy right? Ehhh not so much, this recipe isn't really bad for you but it does have a good amount of chocolate and sugar... not that that is a bad thing! In this case it's a very very tasty good thing! I was able to reduce the amount of butter though :) and I used sugar not my normal splenda since I was baking these for some very special ladies I work with and one is pregnant and I wasn't sure if she's stearing away from artificial products or not. OK ok I know you want to know the recipe! Here it is!!


Chipotle Flourless Chocolate Cake
adapted from Simple Recipes
Ingredients

• 5 oz. of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon of chipotle chili powder
• Dash of cayenne pepper
• Pinch of salt

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
   
2. Melt the chocolate and butter together over a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring occasionally until smooth.
3. Whisk together the eggs and the sugar in a large bowl, and then slowly, a bit at a time, whisk in the melted chocolate. Add the salt and spices and taste, adjusting the spices if needed.
4. Pour into 8 cupcake liner filled cupcake sheets (I didn't use the silicon ones this time but the paper cups) and bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool completely on a wire rack.
   

Now for the Espresso Cream!

Espresso (French Vanilla) Cream
slightly adapted from myrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup firm silken tofu (about 1/2 [12.3-ounce] package)
• 6 tablespoons fat-free sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cup brewed espresso(I used strong browed french vanilla coffee), cooled
  

Method
To prepare espresso cream, combine tofu, condensed milk, and 1/4 cup of brewed espresso in a blender; process until smooth. Chill.

Serve cream in a spoon or small dish next to the cupcake.


I love the idea of serving the cupcake unwrapped with a spoon full of the cream on the side... then your guests can pour as much cream as they want on top and chow!

The ladies I made these for had to say this...

"Yum with a Kick! Wow - I've never tasted anything like this before. Spicy and the espresso crème cools it down, just like you said. Thanks for the heavenly treat!"

"Amen to that! Definitely the highlight of my day. Thanks again for your thoughtfulness!"

Hope everyone loves this one as much as I do!!

Chow!!

Happy Birthday to me!

Yup I'm a year older today! How old am I... oh right 27... not too shabby if you ask me :) John and I are celebrating in Ithaca this week so I wont be as quick on the email but I have posts ready to go all week long so you wont miss me ;) Back to my birthday.. you have to have cake on your birthday!! So here is a little tease as to what will be posting here tomorrow... mmmmmmm and there is a secret...


it's spicy!! ohh so spicy and tasty! And that stuff in the spoon/ dripping down the sides... that will help cool you off and put a pep in your step... stay tuned!

Chow!!

Meet Lt Eric Olson!

Hey everyone! It was so wonderful being part of round one and I can't wait for round two. I've known a lot of men and women who have gone over to fight for our country, and sadly not all of them have come home. This is the number one reason I'm so happy to participate in this. If we can bring a smile to someone's face and let them feel our love and warmth... then I think our job is well done.

This month we will be baking and sending cookies to my friend Amie's wonderful husband Lt Eric Olson!

Eric looking all snazzy on his wedding day

Eric grew up in Syracuse NY and moved to Rochester NY to attend RIT where he received a BS in Mechanical Engineering, and where he met his wife Amie! Eric and Amie now live in Florida where he is stationed. Currently he is working as a Reactor Controls Division Officer on the USS Abraham Lincoln. He is lucky to have family to send letters and packages but has a lot of men and women on his ship are not as lucky and he would love to be able to share all that we send with his shipmates, especially the ones who never receive any packages.

So if you would like to sign up to send Eric (and all his crewmates) some goodies email me at stephaniesnow (at) gmail (dot) com AND bakinggals (at) gmail (dot) com to let them know you've joined Team Steph Chows!! Once you've signed up I'll send you Eric's address!

Lets send some love!
You can check out what I made for round one CLICK HERE

Click here for instruction on how to send the package so it shows up as tasty as you packed it! CLICK HERE

For more ideas of what to bake... here is what people did for round one! CLICK HERE

Chow!

A special thanks to:
Clara otherwise known as CB of I heart food for thought and
April of Abby Sweets
who are the first two to join my team!!

I've got a third! woohoo!

Fran Z from Apples Peaches Pumpkin Pie.

New additions!
Karin Joensen
Marie from http://marieinmaine.com/whoopiepiesandlobster/
Kassie Green
Melissa White from http://dirt2dish.blogspot.com
Jennifer Moore http://www.jamsquared.net/blog/Jennifer_blog.htm
Anna Scheminger
Michele Collins, Harvard MA
Liz C, Bremerton WA, Just Me Eating (http://justmeeating.blogspot.com)
Tracey from http://chocolatechipotle.typepad.com/
Joanna Furtado
Dolores from http://culinarycuriosity.blogspot.com
Jillian http://www.butterandsugar.org/blog/

Teanna http://sporkandfoon.typepad.com

Niki Landreville, Rochester NY
Paige Welch, Rock Hill, NY
Erica DiRenzo, Rochester NY

Rachel Bond, Rochester, NY

Gretchen Roman, Rochester, NY

Operation Baking Gals - PR

Hey guys! Just wanted to let everyone know that even if you don't have a blog you can participate in this! Just send me an email stephaniesnow (at) gmail (dot) com and let me know you want to join in! I'll have our guys bio posted no later then tomorrow and then I can start sending out his address to the people who are participating! Here's a quick snippet in press release version! My co-workers sister wrote this up for me to distribute to the local news stations and papers... Hopefully it gets us some positive press!

Rochester foodie rounds up cookies for troops overseas

Aug. 8

Stephanie Snow, a Rochester graphic designer, shipped off her first box of coconut cookies to an army officer stationed in Iraq as part of a newly formed grassroots baking group that’s exploding thanks to other food bloggers.

She’s now looking for other volunteers to help her expand her culinary efforts: Bake cookies and send them off to appreciative soldiers.

Snow, a 27-year-old self-described foodie, learned about Operation Baking GALS, at the end of July. And she was immediately taken with the sweetness and simplicity of the mission.

In this case, Snow’s chosen Lt. Eric Olson to be the recipient of her coconut cookies. She’s friends with Olsen’s wife, and all three attended Rochester Institute of Technology. Olsen entered the Navy, shortly after graduating with a mechanical engineering degree.

“I’m interested in doing this,’’ Snow said, “because I’ve had friends who haven’t come back from war.’’

Operation Baking GALS, http://operationbakinggals.blogspot.com/, was started July 26, by Susan Whetzel, who writes on her food blog, doughmesstic.com, that she was inspired to send her cousin cookies in Iraq after she realized he was lonesome for home, his wife and his new baby.

Other food bloggers, like Snow, picked up Whetzel’s story. There are now five branches, including Snow’s in Rochester, that will be fielding baking volunteers, which as of Aug. 8, numbered about 150. Cookies are being baked in New York, Tennessee and California.

Snow is looking for any baker, professional or not, to contact her about how to send cookies to her friend. Snow baked ANZAC biscuits, which stands for Australian New Zealand Army Corps. These cookies have nothing perishable in them, Snow said, and are made with oats, brown sugar and coconut.

Volunteer bakers are responsible for ingredients and shipping off the cookies. Snow said it’s about $10 a box to send to a military base.

Operation Baking gals! I'm hosting!

Hey guys! I'm going to be one of the 5 people hosting Operation Baking Gals! this next month!!!


We will be sending cookies to a very special person! I'll be introducing him next week! As for now I'm looking to recruit anyone who would like to bake for the troops! The shipping this month will be a week long, beginning August 23 - 29th. So you basically need to have your package in the mail at some point that week. The post office has flat rate boxes (large and a still large but slightly smaller one). I sent the smaller box and still fit in about 4 dozen cookies! When you pick one up from the post office (the box is free) ask for a customs form. Also when you mail the box make sure they know it's for an APO, it's cheaper that way. Go here to learn how to pack your goodies up so they make it there safe and sound and how to fill out the form!

If you are interested in joining my "team" and sending cookies send me an email to stephaniesnow (at) gmail (dot) com and let me know

Name:
Blog Name:
URL:

Thanks everyone for supporting this!!

Chow!!

TCHO choclate new flavors!

The people at TCHO rock! Awhile back a bunch of bloggers helped with feedback on their beta chocolatey flavor... now they have sent us the final formula along with the beta for "fruity"!!! ANNNND I just got an email saying the beta for "nutty" is on it's way!!! Bring on the chocolate!!

there was a ton more then this in the package obviously... but I had to limit myself!!

The package came with ice packs to ensure the chocolate did not melt in transit, I must say when I got the package and saw it was 3 lbs I got all excited there was 3 lbs of chocolate inside... hehe psych out! It was 2 bars of chocolate plus FOUR ice packs. WOH. Now onto the sampling... The people at TCHO have done it again, their final chocolatey formula was delicious. Not bitter at all, super smooth, a little sweet, and reminiscent of milk chocolate with some slight coffee undertones. DELICIOUS!

Now onto the beta for fruity. Having it right after the chocolatey maybe wasn't the best idea... in comparison it seemed a bit smokey and a little bitter... so I went and drank a ton of water to cleanse my palate and sat back down. A much better idea. This time I could really taste the spectrum of the chocolate opening up and develop into fruity undertones. Letting the chocolate melt on your tongue really lets you taste the depth and range of flavors... but man is it hard to not just munch right in! The more I had of the "fruity" the more I seemed to like it. However in a taste to taste comparison I'd say chocolatey wins.

Either way TCHO is doing great things and I CAN'T WAIT!!!! to try beta "nutty" YUM!!!

Chow!

Make your own microwave popcorn

I love popcorn, I eat some just about every day. I go to BJ's and buy the huge 36 count packs of microwave light butter, or the 94% fat free kind. The smell is so fake and artificial... and I love it! HAHAHA John however can't stand it... so I have an air popper at his house :) The more I made it at his house the more I thought about all the "ingredients"... chemicals... that were in my loved microwave variety. Have you ever looked at the ingredients... SCARY!! So I ventured over into the organic isles of the food store and there are happy little bags using recyled non bleached bags and nothing scary... and you know what... THEY COST A BILLION DOLLARS! Ok maybe not that much but a ton more then the other stuff... So I was complaining... I mean talking to my coworker about my popcorn chemical problems and she simple said, why not just make it using regular kernels in the microwave...

excuse me? you can do that??

yup..

it doesn't burn the house down??

nope.

and you know what... she was right!
So now I just buy a jumbo bag of plain kernels for under $2 and it makes months worth or popcorn. So nice :) Here's how you do it!


Homemade microwave popcorn
2 Tbs regular corn kernels (white or yellow whatever floats your boat)
1 brown paper bag. size 12... it's a little bigger then a normal lunch bag. I use the bags you get when you get rolls at wegmans... perfect size! and as long as you don't burn the popcorn you can keep reusing the same bag.

Place kernels into bag and fold top of bag shut.
Place in microwave.
My work microwave needs 1 minute 40 seconds to not burn you'll need to troubleshoot this part on your own for your microwave. My suggestion, hit the snack size popcorn button and sit there and listen. If you smell it burning stop it (obviously) or when the pops are 2 seconds apart, hit stop.

Place into a bowl and toss to coat it with whatever you like, warm butter, Mrs. Dash seasonings, a little sugar and cinnamon!! You can also toss the kernels with olive oil and a little sea salt before popping (you wont be able to reuse the bag though... ;) )

Chow!!

Graham cracker crusted french toast

I love eating breakfast... breakfast in the morning... afternoon... night! It's seriously my favorite meal :) Growing up mom normally cooked dinner but dad was in charge of breakfast on the weekends (and any grilling needed). But weekend breakfasts were always... wait STILL ARE! amazing. French toast is a favorite and I decided to make a little twist on things this past weekend while making some up. I had been watching an episode of Diners Drive-ins & Dives (that show always makes me so hungry! It normally ends in me making up a quick 2 minute cake with ice cream) and they were making a captain crunch crusted french toast! HAHA It totally made me laugh and got me thinking... hmm what else could we coat french toast in?? In my mind the crushed up captain crunch sounded good but a little too much of a sugar overload. I started looking around and found a box of graham cracker crumbles eureka! The crumb crust caramelized when cooked and made a nice crisp crust to the totally moist inside of the french toast.. mmmmm such a tasty juxtaposition. John kept his french toast normal style but I totally recommend adding the graham cracker crust!


Graham cracker crusted french toast
10 slices wheat bread (or whatever bread you have on hand)
4 eggs
1 cup milk (may need more or less depending on size of bread and how dry it is)
1 tsp vanilla
dash nutmeg
cinnamon
graham cracker crumbs
sugar
butter

In a large flat plate (I use a large tin cookie plate it works perfect and you can fit 5 slices of bread at a time in it!) whisk together eggs milk nutmeg and vanilla. Place bread into liquid mixture on plate and let soak through, flip and let other side soak. Sprinkle a little sugar, a good helping of cinnamon and a nice layer of graham cracker crumbs onto each piece. Heat a griddle and spray with butter. Place graham cracker crusted side down on griddle, at this point sprinkle cinnamon and graham cracker crumbs onto the facing up side of the toast. Grill until first side is nice and crisp, flip and continue cooking until other side is browned. Remove and pile high on a plate, cover in some maple syrup or my favorite a little butter, sugar and cinnamon. yum!!

Chow!