Trash to Treasure!

One of my biggest pet peeves in throwing away food, so when I bought a batch of apples that were no good for raw consumption I had to think up a way to cook them so that they didn't go to waste. My first thought was apple butter. I had already made it once before and it was very simple. Chop up the apples and let them simmer in a brown sugar-spice-cider bath for several hours. Then I just pureed the mixture in a blender until smooth. Another great thing about apple butter is that if jarred and stored properly it can keep for a long time. I look forward to another opportunity to turn trash into treasure!

Cheesy Feast!

Breakfast can't always be such a production, but when I get the chance to eat something other than peanut butter toast I take it. I am now officially out of school for the summer, and out of high school until next week. I still have graduation practice, but I thought I'd celebrate my short-lived freedom with a divine breakfast. These cheddar biscuits are fairly easy and fun to make if you like to get a little messy with the flour. They are a delight to eat with a honey in the morning. Or you can slice them in half and make mini tomato-basil sandwiches. Either way they're irresistible. Wishing all a delicious morning!

It's A Cake Walk

The hard work is over and its time to party! With my mom graduating, we wanted to celebrate with a surprise party at home and what better way to celebrate than with cake. I even managed to bake it in our house without her finding out. I made Ina Garten's chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream. Considering that it was my first solo cake baking experience it was easy as pie...or cake. I found some decorating tips in a magazine. I made candied lemon slices by blanching them, then a dunk in an ice bath, and into a simmering pot of simple syrup. Then I made the flowers from gumdrops. All you do is roll them out with a rolling pin to a little bigger than a silver dollar. Next, cut them in half. You'll need six halves to make one flower. I took the first half and rolled it into a cylinder and then wrapped the next five halves around each other. I thought they looked very elegant with so little effort. All in all, round one was a success. I hope my next cake is this pretty and tasty.