A Bookworm Creates

Scones I love scones! Scones scones scones There are just so many types to try. Cheesy. Fruity. Cinnamon and sugar. And the abundance of recipes that can be found online! On Pinterest! So I went fruity scone hunting and found the perfect recipe.  It isn't dry. You can find the original recipe here ->  http://www.averiecooks.com/2014/04/the-best-glazed-mixed-berry-scones.html I did make three adjustments: self-rising flour instead of plain, cinnamon and dried fruit. Why? 1. Self-rising flour already contains salt and baking powder. 2. Cinnamon adds an additional flavor note to the dough. 3. I've used frozen berries and as soon as I started working with it the berries thawed and the juice stained the dough.  I had purple scones. The Recipe Mixed Berry Sc ones Ingredients: 2 cups Self-rising flour 1 stick of butter (not softened) 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon (more or less to taste) 1 large egg 1/2 cup sour cream 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 - 1/2 cu...

Isn't it pretty?  I joined the cult of cake pop makers, only I didn't want to have to take the forty million steps that traditional cake pops have in making them and I wasn't too fond of the texture on the inside. Some day I'll learn about taking short cuts (as evidenced in my Coke Cake post).  BUT my first recipe was not for cake.  I made...MINI CORN DOGS!  Yum right.  The only questionable thing in that whole thing was the hot dogs.  So first I made the cornbread.  Simple, right?  We are in the south. Cornmeal, buttermilk (from the previously made Coke Cake - you'll eventually get to it.  It's next.), some oil, milk...I don't remember.  I usually just ask my mom and she'll tell me.  But, I really can make it.  Have the recipe somewhere, but that's the thing, each family has their own cornbread recipe.  Use that.       I th en filled up the c ups using a pancake p...

First: The History MANY years ago my friend, Jackie, insisted on going to Cracker Barrel for our yearly excursion to Jackson.  Either I was living at Martin at the time and we drove down for school clothes shopping or she came down here, either way...we went shopping and then out to eat.  That year it was Cracker Barrel.  Jackie loves her deserts.  Always orders it. She recommended their Coke Cake.  She probably said something along the lines of, 'It's like crack.'  (Not that she's ever done crack, she just meant addictive.)  OMG it was!  I decidedly ate too much that day.  About a year ago, another friend, one of the many Megans that are in my friends and acquaintances lists, had a wedding shower and guess what was the desert.  Yep, Coke Cake.  I almost wanted to sneak into the kitchen and take the huge pan home with me, but I didn't.  I was having too much fun with former co-workers.  But that cake stood out in my ...

Pretzel Rolls! I seem to have a back log on my entries.  I shall endure until everything is posted.  Anyway...on to the next item.  Homemade Pretzels.  Wait?  What?  I don't have to go to the mall or to a grocery store to buy pretzels?  No, you don't.  You can make them.  They were something from another blogger (Knucklehead Salad) that made me think...I want to make that.  So I went to Food Network (Love Food Network and the fact that Justin whats-his-name won The Next Food Network Star!) and entered 'pretzel' into the search engine and there were a  lot of results.  Naturally I picked Alton Brown's recipe.  1. It was the first entry and 2. It was the highest ranked entry.  I also thought that playing with yeast would be a good experiment for my niece, who was staying the night.  Regardless, she became interested in a movie and I ended up working solo.  This is an easy recipe but patience is neces...

No much to look at but delicious It has occurred to me that I have not posted anything in a while.  My sewing projects just need photos and I have one of two ideas on my phone, also in need of photos.  I also find myself on Pinterest pinning way too many pins to try at some point in my life. Tonight it is Pepperoni Pizza Puffs , or Pizza Bite Biscuits as I want to call them.  It was made for Megan as we prepared to watch the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics (awesome opening show by the way). For starters, I did make a few adjustments to the recipe.  I did a half a cup of ham and a half a cup of pepperoni.  I was also out of Italian Seasoning and did not use salt. Megan comments that she wondered if some pizza sauce could be added into the mix (she used ranch as a dip instead of the pizza sauce and I opted for no sauce.) and that it needed more cheese. Let me also point out that I used a regular muffin/cupcake pan instead of a mini pan, not because I ...

It really was good! When I was delivering the blue raspberry lemonade cupcakes to Bobby one night he told me that his girlfriend really wanted some of my cupcakes.  First I'm thinking 'What?  You didn't save her any!' then I'm thinking, and said, "Just tell me what she wants."  This girl had earned some serious points with me (I haven't met her yet) when she told Bobby to get off the phone and talk to me and I was in a generous mood.  Plus it meant getting to make more cupcakes! Later he comes back and says, "Chocolate."  Apparently she loves chocolate.  Hmm, now that's a female after my own heart.  Megan and her husband have been begging for Reece's Pieces inspired cupcakes.  Chocolate and Peanut butter.  It didn't sit right with me but the only directive I had was 'chocolate'.  Does anybody else realize the many ways that you can make chocolate creative?  Chocolate cherry (done), chocolate raspberry (done), choco...

Once upon a time I had two wonderful ideas.  They became the not posted and won't be posted Orange Lemon cupcake and the Strawberry Lemonade cupcake. In one I substituted orange juice for water and in the other I added a package of strawberry lemonade drink mix to the batter.  Thus led to this recipe and another idea (partly thanks to a former friend and fellow amateur baker).  Blue Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing. Don't get me wrong, this is an awesome recipe, however it did not turn out quite right, but I know exactly why and will not be posting the exact recipe I followed.  To make it easy: Ingredients for Cake: 1 white cake mix.  You are about to see what happens when yellow cake mix is used. 3 eggs oil 1 package blue raspberry drink mix 1 concentrate lemonade mix Sugar blue food coloring Directions: The Blue Raspberry Lemonade - See, a pretty blue-green color! 1. Make the blue raspberry lemonade/concentrate...

After delivering the Oreo cupcakes to Jackie, she was nice and shared with her family.  This lead to my first order.  I should clarify, my first paid order.  This cake: was a favor for one of my wonderful Betas, Megan, for her daughter's birthday.  It was my first sheet cake and I was nervous until I was able to taste it.  I think next time I'll actually do some piping instead of trying to save time by making the little stars and balloons in advance.  However, the Oreo cupcakes actually led to a paying order.  14 cupcakes, half golden Oreo and half chocolate Oreo.  The catch, regular chocolate icing...I was tempted to ask, 'Then why do I need the Oreo?' but didn't.  I think I asked if K was certain that she did not want the Oreo icing.  She was certain.  So I made them: Naked cupcakes Dressed cupcakes However, that still left me with a lot of batter left to do something with.  Hell...

Sometimes my Beta eaters hate to hear that I'm experimenting again.  Why?  Why would you hate to know that your lovely, wonderful, amazing, and talented friend is experimenting in baking again?  After all, it means free cupcakes!  Alas, that is the problem, free cupcakes during swimsuit season.  At least I suspect that is how Jackie and Megan feel.  So I tend to limit myself to an experiment every two weeks and I have enough Beta eaters to spread things around so that everybody, except Bobby, gets one or two of the current experiment.  Experiment #5 (I think, I'm not certain) was Oreo cupcakes. Aren't they beautiful? (Sorry for the fuzzy spot on the upper left corner of the picture, the protective glass covering the camera on my phone is cracked, clumsy me.) Now, the problem is that I cannot give my sources.  As an English teacher and former English major this is a major no-no.  However, a simple Google search (term: Oreo cupcakes; Oreo...