The Adventures of a Frustrated Baker

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...

Back before Thanksgiving many versions of this recipe were making their rounds on Facebook and Pinterest and I just couldn't wait to try it.  I just keep forgetting to buy or save up enough basil to make the pesto.  As luck would have it, my basil plants were getting a little tall and needing a trim right about the time that I stumbled across yet another re-pin of this idea.  I did some recipe shopping and was having a hard time finding good reviews on some of the recipes I could find so I decided to just use the idea and make my own version.  I dug out one of my sandwich bread recipes and looked up the ratios of a basic pesto recipe and got to work!  I have to say, while my bread here is not perfect as I had some company over and I accidentally let it rise to long which made a fairly large hole in the loaf, it is by far the yummiest idea ever.  Seriously, thanks to whoever got that whole pesto bread trend started! Start by placing 1-2 c...

I don't know about your families but I know mine is a huge fan of english muffins, so much so that I swear I cannot keep them in the house.  Sometimes I just cannot buy enough to meet our demands and the very last thing I am going to do is run to the store first thing in the morning just for english muffins - hence my idea to make my own! As far as breakfast ideas and pre-school and work morning meals go, these are a good choice! The recipe is fairly simple and not one that has to rise for a long time plus it is easy to customize exactly what kind of muffins you'd like.  I chose to try to sneak some whole wheat past my family by using white whole wheat flour but feel free to use all-purpose if you'd like.  Just be aware you might need to add a little bit more flour to get the right consistency. In a small bowl add in the milk and heat carefully in the microwave or over the stove.  Add in the butter and stir to melt then add in the yeast.  Set ...

Happy New Year all! I'm sure for most of you, this week marks a return to normal life as it does with my own family and here on the blog.  With the busy holiday season over and everyone back on normal schedule, it is much easier to start to plan for those work and school day mornings and prep yummy breakfasts ahead of time.  What better way to start them off than with a homemade warm buttered blueberry muffin?!  Plus it is a quick and easy recipe so you could even make these in the morning right before school and work! Add all of your dry ingredients to a medium sized mixing bowl. Whisk or sift together to break up any clumps. Add in your wet ingredients. I like to whisk it for just a moment to break up that egg, then switch to a spoon.  Be sure to mix just until combined - this recipe is quick and easy; great to do by hand! Carefully fold in those blueberries. Keep in mind the more you mix, the more purple your batter w...