Wednesday, December 16, 2009

December Cakes

I had my first "stranger cake" order this month. Meaning, this was the first cake I made that wasn't for a friend. It was for the birthday of a commander's wife here on Ft. Bragg. I heard through the grapevine that she loved the cake. This was a huge challenge for me, but I learned a lot and loved every minute of it!


This last cake was for a 2nd birthday!
It was a nut and egg free cake and all of the kids enjoyed it!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Holiday Baking Galore

I have been extremely busy baking and cooking. I have a friend that caters lunches and dinners for some soldiers every week, and took over for a few days since she went out of town for the holidays. Those boys were NOT going to go hungry..

Rosemary Chicken Salad sandwiches
Black Bean Kielbasa Soup
Toasted Pine Nut and Chicken Spinach Salad with homemade dressing

Baked Ziti with garlic knots
BBQ chicken with Santa Shaped pasta salad :)
Pineapple Chicken Stir Fry

I also sent them some of my Christmas sweets....I made....

My special Chocolate Chip Cookies
Peanut Butter Cookies
Snickerdoodles
Snowstorm Chocolate Cookies
Cathedral Cookies
Thumbprint Cookies
Fudge
Cherry Filled Peanut Butter Balls
Meringue Cookies
Cream Cheese Mints
Cornflake Christmas Tree Treats
Sweet and Spicy Chex mix

YES...I've been busy...here's a little look at what my treat boxes turned out like...

I used cupcake liners to separate each different kind of cookie...just like they do in the tins you can buy at the store. I used loaf papers for the middle. It kept all the cookies from shifting around and looks like a spent a lot of time on it, but I didn't! I made 4 of these bigger boxes and a few little bags for various people! If you want to taste test anything...feel free to come on over!

I called my hairdresser to make appointments for me and the boys. She remembered my Cherry Filled Peanut Butter balls, and offered to comp our hair dressing fees for a box of cookies and lots of Peanut Butter balls....DONE! I'm all about bartering!

My friend Theresa told me about the Santa Bread and I couldn't resist.

I need to try it again to work on the brim of the hat, the mustache (looks a little like a spider) and a better looking beard! I used a recipe for soft pretzels since that dough doesn't have any egg in it. It tasted SOOOOOOO good..the boys LOVED it!