The Adventures of a Frustrated Baker

I’m sure many of us are craving some comfort foods at this time - I base this of course on the fact that it seems that the baking aisle in every grocery store I have gone into since March 15th has been mostly empty of even the very basic of supplies - flour, yeast, brownie mix…It is getting better but short of going to literally every grocery store from here to Portland which makes me just a tad bit nervous and completely defeats the point of limiting time out in public, there appears to be a very small selection in pre-made mixes; and if I’m being honest, boxed mix is usually my go to for brownies! That being said, luckily I have a selection of brownie recipes I regularly use and like with supplies I normally stock in my pantry. For those of you craving a good fudgy brownie and lacking in mix like me, here is a from scratch brownie recipe that is not only super easy but dirties very few dishes. Enjoy! Fudgy Brownies Recipe adapt...

This week we will all celebrate that most romantic of holidays...Valentine's Day!  Actually, come to think of it my husband and I have been married for over a decade so we usually don't do a whole lot for Valentine's Day...actually we do nothing...we are boring and old I guess.  The only one that really celebrates Valentine's Day on any level in our house is my daughter - who is 8.  Anyone out there who has a school aged child knows that it where the true Valentine's pressure lies...in the hearts and stomachs of 5-10 year olds!  Of course this week the kiddo came home with her traditional Valentine's note containing details about the party and the all important list of students for whom we are now obligated to provide a suitable character card.  Goodness knows the world will end if she can't find a box of puppy cards for the girls and Minecraft for the boys (I feel I should specify my kid has not played Minecraft...doesn't even know anything about i...

Good morning!  Today, we are going to learn to make toffee...real toffee...with a candy thermometer and everything!  Now wait, before you all run and hide - I swear, this will be easy and delicious!  It is even more worth it because we are going to be using the best ingredient EVER - Girl Scout cookies...Samoas to be more precise! It is that time of year...you know the one.  The one where girls begin to knock on your doors asking you in that adorable voice if you'd like to buy some Girl Scout cookies.  I was one of those girls once and I remember just how great it felt to set goals and meet them; to gain confidence that I could get over my shyness and gather my courage to ask someone I didn't know to support Girl Scouts.  It is still one of my favorite times of year but now I am the one behind the girl on the door step watching her grow in confidence and salesmanship.  Plus I'm the cookie mom...I get to play with all the cookies!  Good thing...

I love having granola for breakfast!  I remember always wanting to have some granola whenever we had it in the house as a kid, it seemed like the kind of food grown ups ate, sort of like Grape Nuts only way better! The biggest down fall to granola is the really yummy stuff is sort of expensive, especially if it has lots of fruit and nuts, just the way I like it!  That's fine though, they can keep their expensive granola because this stuff is so simple to make at home! It takes almost no time and the joys of making it yourself is you know exactly what is going into it and you can customize your ingredients depending on your tastes!  Like I said, I love mine with lots of fruit and toasted nuts so I tend to use quite a bit of them in my recipe.  Feel free to adjust this to your tastes and try out different ingredients like coconut and various seeds, nuts and fruits. In a medium bowl combine your oats and sunflower seeds. Roughly chop you...