Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering Gods grace in its various forms.

1 Peter 4:9-10

Friday, February 11, 2011

Baking. Baking. Did I mention baking?

I really love baking and cooking - it's one of my favorite things to do.  And, like everyone, I like to think I'm fairly good at it.  I got to put that to the test this week!  I baked cupcakes for a friends shower which we had yesterday morning and that proved to be a huge success :)  My friend had a great time and received many cute and adorable things for her soon to be fifth child and the food practically disappeared!  I got rave reviews on the cupcakes, too - bonus! :)  

Then I had to start a volunteer baking project for a church event on Saturday morning.  I was asked to make about six Blueberry Lemon Curd Coffee Cakes, approx 60 servings total.  The recipes were incredibly easy, yet very time consuming.  I did the Lemon Curd yesterday and prepared the brioche bread base because it needed to chill before rolling out.  This morning I had to do a massive kitchen clean up from the last 3 days of baking before I felt comfortable about rolling out the dough on my counter!  In the interest of saving a little moola, I went with frozen blueberries and didn't thaw them first. ( Makes for some runny business but not too messy).  Then I started rolling and filling the dough.  An easy process, yet again, time consuming...why?  The dough needed time to rest after it had been rolled up.  So I ended up doing three cookie sheets of two logs each.  After baking the first batch I realized my oven temp was a little off so I reduced the temp and that seemed to work just fine for the middle and end batches.  When baked, the logs rise considerably.  I think if I'd had to do rings, it would have taken me all day because I would have only been able to do one ring at a time!  YIKES!  I'm not the best when it comes to waiting for things!  :)

In any case I think everything turned out great and hopefully it will taste great!  Here's the photo evidence:

Brioche dough

Rolled out

Spreading the lemon curd

Frozen blueberries...

Rolling the whole thing up

Resting...
Egg washed, sugared and ready to go in the oven

Finished logs, first batch is a little too brown
Off to rest my poor little head :)  Don't let me kid you, I've enjoyed every minute!  Oh, and the last project I have?  I'm due back at the church on Sunday morning to bake muffins for the morning volunteers.  WHAT was I thinking!!!  I'll be taking a break from all the baking for a little while, to recoup my energy!  

Stay safe and have a lovely weekend!

XXOO

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Books on Tap for 2011

  • Knit Together - Debbie Macomber
  • Captured by Grace - Dr. David Jeremiah
  • Murder Most Foul - A Collection of Great Crime Stories
  • Fireproof - Eric Wilson
  • There's Something About Christmas - Debbie Macomber
  • Questioning Evangelism - Randy Newman
  • Murder Uncorked - Michele Scott
  • A Sacred Sorrow - Michael Card
  • Prayer: Does it Make any Difference? - Philip Yancey
  • Get Out of That Pit - Beth Moore

Books Read in 2011

  • What a Sista Should Do - Tiffany L. Warren
  • 90 Minutes in Heaven - Don Piper
  • Forgotten God - Francis Chan
  • The Purpose Driven Life - Rick Warren
  • Dead Reckoning - Charlaine Harris
  • Shadowfever - Karen Marie Moning
  • Chill Factor - Sandra Brown
  • Heaven Has a Blue Carpet - Sharon Niedzinski
  • Dreamfever - Karen Marie Moning
  • Wednesday Sisters - Meg Waite Clayton
  • Stealing Home - Sherryl Woods
  • Bound for Murder - Laura Childs
  • Bloodfever - Karen Marie Moning
  • Faefever - Karen Marie Moning
  • Darkfever - Karen Marie Moning
  • Under Her Skin - Susan Mallery
  • The Red Pyramid - Rick Riordan
  • No Wonder They Call Him Saviour - Max Lucado
  • I Still Dream About You - Fannie Flagg
  • I Am Number Four - Pittacus Lore
  • The Last Olympian - Rick Riordan
  • Spider Bones - Kathy Reichs
  • A Thread So Thin - Marie Bostwick
  • The Battle of the Labyrinth - Rick Riordan
  • The Search - Nora Roberts
  • The Titan's Curse - Rick Riordan
  • Wicked Appetite - Janet Evanovich
  • The Sea of Monsters - Rick Riordan
  • Awakened - PC & Kristen Cast
  • The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan
  • Photo Finished - Larua Childs
  • Keepsake Crimes - Laura Childs
  • Sizzling Sixteen - Janet Evanovich
  • The Icing on the Cupcake - Jennifer Ross
  • Fleece Navidad - Maggie Sefton
  • Dyer Consequences - Maggie Sefton
  • The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree - Susan Wittig Albert
  • Heaven Has a Blue Carpet - Sharon Niedzinski
  • Dreamfever - Karen Marie Moning

Books Read in 2010

  • The Yada Yado Prayer Group - Netta Jackson
  • Silver Borne - Patricia Briggs
  • The Hole in Our Gospel - Richard Stearns
  • A Winter Marriage - Kerry Hardie
  • So Long, Insecurity - Beth Moore
  • Knit the Season - Kate Jacobs
  • Dead and Berried - Karen MacInerney
  • Murder on the Rocks - Karen MacInerney
  • where do i go - Netta Jackson
  • be sweet - diane hunt
  • The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown
  • Raven - Allison Van Deipen
  • Push (Precious) - sapphire
  • Faces of the Gone - Brad Parks
  • The Lace Reader - Brunonia Barry
  • Burning Lamp - Amanda Quick
  • Fired Up - Jayne Ann Krentz
  • The School of Essential Ingredients - Erica Bauermeister
  • Matters Arising - Sarah Harrison
  • The Sheen on the Silk - Anne Perry
  • I Saw the Lord - Anne Graham Lotz
  • The Dangerous Protector - Janet Chapman
  • The Seduction of His Wife - Janet Chapman
  • Re-reading all the Tintin graphic novels - Herge
  • The Sugar Queen - Sarah Addison Allen
  • the last time i saw you - Elizabeth Berg
  • Garden Spells - Sarah Addison Allen
  • Wild Ride - Jennifer Crusie & Bob Mayer
  • Dead in the Family - Charlaine Harris
  • The Girl Who Chased the Moon - Sarah Addison Allen
  • Grave Secret - Charlaine Harris
  • Crawl Space - Sarah Graves
  • The Honey Thief - Elizabeth Graver
  • The Otherworldlies - Jennifer Anne Kogler
  • Saving CeeCee Honeycutt - Beth Hoffman
  • A Face at the Window - Sarah Graves
  • Draycott Eternal - Christina Skye
  • Shelter Mountain - Robin Carr
  • Virgin River - Robyn Carr
  • Death by Cashmere - Sally Goldenbaum
  • An Ice Cold Grave - Charlaine Harris
  • Grave Surprise - Charlaine Harris
  • Grave Sight - Charlaine Harris