Yes! I have been accepted into the elite ranks of the Daring Bakers. I am so excited. I have completed this month’s challenge, which was cinnamon rolls…You can read about it at apronstrings and simmering things
I will be posting some of the posts here and some there…Stay tuned… I think this is going to get good!

Remember going on scavenger hunts when you were a kid? Sometimes they were the most fun part of a social gathering – wasn’t it fun to be given a list and going off with your teammates to locate feathers, safety pins and purple crayons? b5Media’s Home and Dining Channel also remembers. What better way to reward our loyal readers than with a fun Fall Harvest Scavenger Hunt?

Here’s how it works:

On October 1st, participating Home & Dining blogs will post a list of words and the date that word is to appear in Home and Dining. Each day those words will appear on one of the participating blogs. It could be in a title of a blog post, it could be the post’s particular theme that day, or it could just be a word in a paragraph somewhere.

Contest participants will locate each word and write it down. On October 31st, the last day of your contest, send your words to Deb, from Simply Thrifty, at the email address listed below.

Here’s the rundown:

1. Words and rules will be posted to each participating Home & Dining blog on October 1st.
2. A list of participating blogs will be posted as well.
3. Each day, participants are to check out each participating blog to find which one hosts the day’s word. Sometimes the word will pop out at you, other times it won’t be so obvious.
4. After October 31st, send your lists to Deb at deborah.ng@b5media.com. Each list should list the word, day it appeared, and blog on which it appeared. Those who complete the scavenger hunt, or have the most entrants, will be entered into a drawing to win a gorgeous autumn gift basket. Entry cutoff date is November 7th.

We hope you enjoy participating in the Fall Harvest Scavenger Hunt. We’re having a blast planning it – and blogging it!

Thank you Deb Ng from Simply Thrifty for writing this up for us!

Boobie Bake-off

I had some lavender left form the various cooking and baking competitions and roundups that included it last week and I wanted to use it. Needing a quick dessert today I decided to make alight snack cake with lavender..but which basic recipe to use? Lavender is a citrus-floral flavor that is distinct enough to overpower too delicate a taste but delicate enough to be overpowered its self. I always think of white gloves and roses and red transferware teapots when I think of lavender desserts and I wanted something that would absolutely live up to my expectations.

But…I was also making a pasta dish that was high in garlic and eggplant. I like my desserts to compliment my main course and the tastes to balance. I know..I need a life, right. Give these a try and see how you like them. The walnuts could certainly be replaced with a more delicate nut like a hazelnut with potentially better results. I had walnuts so that it what I used.

Buttermilk Lavender Snack Cake

1 c unsalted butter, softened

3 large eggs

1 1/4 c light brown sugar

1 c sugar

1/2 c regular buttermilk, not low fat or fat free.

1 Tbs vanilla

1 tsp grated lemon peel

1 tbs lemon juice

1 c walnuts, chopped

2 2/3 c flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbs culinary lavender, slightly crushed in hands to release flavors

Mix butter and sugar until well blended. Add eggs one at a time. Add buttermilk, lemon juice, grated lemon rind, and vanilla.

Mix together the flour, soda, salt and baking powder. Add to butter mixture. Stir in walnuts and lavender.

Spread in 13 x 9 pan. Bake at 325 for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.

Cut into bars and dust with confectioners sugar just before serving.

Serves 16

I have just come across the cutest thing. No, really. Look at this:

This is the description from, Cooking.com

Sassafras Kids’ Mini Fairy Princess Magic Kit:
Sassafras mini kits are an offshoot of their deluxe boxed baking kits and include the necessities to create delicious cookies.

Kit includes:

Cookie mix that turns pink Pink Frosting Fairy Dust Sprinkles Cookie Cutter Fairy Wand Rhyming Recipe/Instruction Book Clear Storage Bag

Now, this is Kyrie. She is 4. As you can imagine, being the youngest of 8 means that you get lots of attention. Kyrie Grace believes, without a doubt that she is a princess.

Is that a match made in heaven, or what? I mean look at her, you can see that she lives for fairy dust sprinkles, can’t you? The cookie mix turns PINK for goodness sake! This is from a company called sassafras kids. They have a ton of other really cute kids cookery things, from pizza kits to cookie kits. I could not resist this one, and wanted to share. I was thinking it would be perfect to make those cookies for tea parties !

Well, it is almost October. Most people are just now starting to think about the giant candy holiday coming up and it won’t occur to them that Christmas and Thanksgiving are just around the corner until Nov 5th or 6th. By then they will have to scramble to get done and we will be finishing up!

I suggest that you start picking up flour and sugar as you see it on sale now. You know that you are going to be using more than usual over the next few months so keep it in stock in large quantities. These are delicious little bars with the exotic and buttery taste of pistachio. Beautiful presented on a tray of assorted cookies, or a few wrapped in transparent cellophane and tied with colorful ribbon as gifts.

Pistachio Ribbon Bars
Makes about 36

1/2 pound unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2-2/3 cup raspberry jam
1 cup pistachios, chopped

Preheat oven to 325 F.
Combine butter, sugar and egg; beat until thoroughly blended.
Stir in flour and salt.
Spread one-half of dough into 9 inch square pan.
Bake 10 minutes; remove from oven.
Spread jam to within 1/2 inch of edge.
Add pistachios to remaining dough.
Drop by spoonfuls over jam to cover.
Bake 35 minutes until top is golden brown;
cool.
Drizzle with melted bittersweet chocolate.
Cut into squares.
Makes 2 dozen small squares

You can freeze these two ways. A) after you have baked the first layer add the jam and remaining dough (with pistachios added), cover and freeze. Thaw and bake when needed.
or
B) freeze baked.

Don’t forget!!