Great For Your Pantry

One of the things I keep on hand at all times is cake mix. I suggest buying it when your local grocery store has a sale such as $1/box. Yellow, White, Chocolate, Cherry Chip and Angel Food are my flavors of choice. Yellow, White and Chocolate are for what I'm about to discuss and Cherry Chip and Angel Food because those are our personal favorites.

There is a great book, which is the main reason I keep so many cake mixes on hand. It's called The Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn. The whole point of this book is to make homemade cakes using mixes as a base. Every cake I've made has turned out great and no one has ever questioned whether it was made with a cake mix. The recipes use flavor boosters and make the cake richer by adding key ingredients.

This book actually rates as one of my favorite baking cookbooks of all time. Some of my favorite recipes from the book are the Ripe Banana Loaves and Blueberry Muffin Cake. I've even given this as a gift to a few friends...enjoy!

Celebrating Father's Day

I look forward to taking some time this weekend to celebrate Father's Day with my dad. Since my dad LOVES chocolate, this year I've decided to bake him fudge. My dad truly loves baked items just as much, and maybe even more than store bought gifts. I think this is because he would eat sweets every day if he could. Him and I are both sweets and milk lovers. One of my favorite photos of us when I was a baby is the two of us eating chocolate pudding. In order to make the presentation of the fudge just a little more exciting than fudge in a plastic storage container, my hunt for an old chocolate themed tin is on. There is a great antique mall by my parent's house that is great for items like these. In fact, any time you want a nice box or tin for a gift, check out your local antique shop. I especially like these for Christmas time gifts and edible treats. The fudge I'll be making is both old fashioned chocolate and butterscotch. I figured Dad deserves two kinds for his putting up with me all these years. I'll be sure to post photos with the end results and give recipes as well. Some people think fudge is difficult, but really, it's quite easy. Have a great weekend celebrating with all the fathers in your lives!

Public Service Announcement

I'm just doing my part by spreading the news that Linens 'n Things is closing 120 stores around the US. Click here to get a complete list of closing stores by state. Over the next few months, I'm sure that there will be bargains. How great? One only knows. I feel like closeout sales are never that fantastic. In this case, they can simply ship the merchandise to another store that's staying open. However, you never know what steals you'll be able to find when rummaging around.

That's my part today, short and sweet. Stay tuned for tomorrow's Recipe Wednesday!

What You Can Get For A Dollar

Cookbooks! I completely forgot that a few weeks ago, when I was at Joann's, I picked up this cookbook for only a dollar. As you get in line, there is a whole section of $1 items, and this time I couldn't resist. I figured it was only a $1 and it was about cupcakes AND muffins, so why not! The moral of this story is that sometimes you can find some nice items for only a dollar. This would be a great hostess or housewarming gift along with a non-traditional set of measuring spoons such as these from Gooseberry Patch.

After a quick browse, I want to make the following recipes from it...

apple & cinnamon muffins
doughnut muffins
frosted peanut butter cupcakes
warm molten-centered chocolate cupcakes

I'll let you know how they turn out once I make a recipe.
*Also please note that photos are up for the sugar cookies I made last weekend. Scroll down to check them out!

For The Hostess With The Mostest!

Do you even feel the desire (or need in some cases) to bring the hostess of a gathering a small token of your appreciation? As my past week and weekend consisted mostly of running errands, I've noticed something that is becoming increasingly popular... (drumroll please)... the apron! Now I've always loved fancy aprons; when I was little, I had a whole drawer of them in my parents kitchen. In fact, my favorite one had a pig on it and was from Iowa, a gift from my dad. For Christmas two years ago, my parents once again came through and presented me with the most adorable apron I'd ever layed eyes on. And now? I see them everywhere. When I was at Kirklands I saw them, and on sale for only $15.00. Later that weekend, when I was Joann, I saw that they have the kits to make them. Everything is included, only beginning level sewing required. And only a few days ago, I was in Anthropologie, and saw them once again.

They come is all price ranges and styles, but they seem to be a hit everywhere. These would also make a great Mother's Day gift, after all, it's only a few days away. Of course, make sure your mom actually cooks, and she wouldn't be offended...that would be a bad way to celebrate mom's day. But on a lighter note, below is a picture of me and my mom wearing out matching aprons. It's old, but its a photo nevertheless. Both are Jessie Steele and were purchased at Sur La Table.