DIY Coke Icee

I don't know about you, but when I was a kid, there was only one flavor of Icee for me: the Coke Icee.  No cherry...and don't even get me started on the Blue Raspberry flavor.  It was Coke Icee or nothin'.



So, when I saw this recipe in the little booklet that came with my new ice cream maker, I had to try it.



You'll need: 4 cans of cold Coke and an ice cream maker.



Pour the cold Coke into the frozen bowl and process for about 20 minutes.



Have your glasses and straws ready.

Ta-da!  That's it!

Now, I think they might add a little something else to Icees, because it tastes close, but not exactly like the real thing.  But hey, Icees at home? I'll take it! 



{The little recipe booklet says you can make this with any soda, as long as it's not made with artificial sweeteners.}



So, if you're having people over for Memorial Day (or any day for that matter), give it a try.  I think I'm going to try Ginger Ale Icees next!

Lisa Simpson, Frosting for the Cause & my Obsession with the Color Yellow

I seem to have become obsessed with the color yellow.



Case in point...



...the 100-year-old piano I picked up for $99 at Goodwill.  Had to be painted YELLOW.



{Spike will now pose for you.}





Hubby out-of-town on business, I painted our bathroom grey...and added lots (and lots) of YELLOW.





And these cookies....



{They are supposed to be floral silhouettes, but let's be honest.  They look like a cross between Lisa Simpson and a sea creature.}



The cookies are for a good cause, though...and I'm posting the tutorial over at Frosting for the Cause, sweet Paula's charity bringing bakers together to raise money for women's cancers.  Come on over.

(And if you'd like to sign up to help, you can, too!) 

My Happy Place . . . Panera

Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and go to your "happy place." 

Wanna see mine?

Panera is my happy place.  





I've told Mr. E many times that I could eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at Panera EVERY day and be a happy camper.  {I guess he was listening because for my birthday, he gave me a Panera gift card.  In my Christmas stocking, there was another Panera gift card. :) Yay, Mr. E!}



Our family goes to Panera quite a bit, and it is always my suggestion for a girl's lunch place.  But, what I *really* love?  Going all my my lonesome, ordering a Cinnamon Crunch Bagel, a decaf cappuccino, and  breaking out my laptop to catch up on blog reading. And tweeting.



{I hate to break it to "the coffee shop on every corner", but Panera makes *the best* cappuccino.}



I was contacted to be part of a group of "Panera bloggers," sharing recipes (!), waxing poetic about bread, etc.  (First, I had to check with Mr. E to make sure he was not pulling my leg. I mean, when you get an email from your favorite restaurant, it seems a little suspicious.)  I'm hoping maybe Panera will let me LIVE in the kitchen for a while....we'll see.

In the meantime, what do YOU love about Panera?

*This is a sponsored post, but my opinions and my love of the cinnamon crunch bagel are ALL my own!*

10 for 10 : 10 of my favorite cookies from 2010

My friend Jen over at Tatertots and Jello did a great post on her favorite projects of 2010 (be sure to click over; she is SO fun).  I loved seeing her round-up....it reminded me of her projects I actually tried and those that are still on my to-do list! ;)



So, I decided to go back through all of Bake at 350's posts from 2010 and come up with my favorites.



{And, y'all....after going through EVERY post, I am no longer wondering how I gained 6 pounds this year.}



Top 10 of 2010....in no particular order:

Scrabble Engagement cookies for Meg & Sean

Garden cookies

Uncle Mike's Birthday cookies

Strawberry cookies in berry baskets 

Beer & Hot Dog cookies

Darth Vader cookies (these are probably kiddo's favorites)

Back-to-School Apple cookies

Pink Posie Cake cookies for a Sip 'n' See

Harry Potter cookies

All Saints' Day cookies

If I get my act together, I'll have one more set of cookies for 2010...then, lookout 2011, here we come!!!



{OH! I almost forgot. If you look at the navigation bar at the top of the blog, there is a "cookie index" link.  That page is now up-to-date (I think. I hope.). If you are looking for a certain decorated cookie from Bake at 350, you'll find the link there.}

"So, just how long is it going to take me to make and decorate cookies?"

"So, just how long is it going to take me to make and decorate cookies?"   The short answer is...it depends.  It depends on how many you're making, of course, and how many colors of icing you are using, and how detailed the cookie design is, and how you are packaging them. Whew.



But, let me try to give you a rough idea. Let's go with 2 batches of cookies because if you're going to take the time to make them, you might as well make more than one.

First, the cookies.  Using this cookie dough recipe, plan on about 1 hour per batch.  With a 4.5" cookie cutter, you'll have around 12 cookies.  I bake mine 6 at a time, since I have a single oven.  I could do 2 sheets and rotate the them during baking, but I am usually too distracted by twitter getting in some housework (ha!) and forget to rotate.



Cookies (two batches)....2 hours

Cookies (cool completely)...1 hour

Next, the icing.  I use royal icing.  It's just as quick to make a double batch as it is to make a single.  I usually double my recipe just to ensure I have enough.  To make the icing and tint it, assuming you're making more than 2 colors, takes about 45 minutes.



Icing....45 minutes

Decorating the cookies. This is a little difficult to estimate and you'll have some down time here.  Assuming you have 24-30 cookies, you'll need to prep your icing bag and outline your cookies.  For a simple outline, allow 30 minutes.



Outlining....30 minutes

Next, you'll want to "flood" the cookies with thinned icing.  For me, thinning takes a while because I add water just a bit at a time.  You'll need to thin the icing, let it sit, stir, then flood.



Flood icing (thin)....15 minutes

Flood Icing (rest)....10 minutes

Flood icing (fill)......45 minutes



Usually, you'll have some sort of detail to add to the cookies.  First, the filled cookies need to "rest" for an hour or so before the next step.





Rest....1 hour

Finally, the detail work.  You may be adding sanding sugar, sprinkles, luster dust, extra piping, or all of the above, so this really varies.  Assuming the detail is a bit of simple piping on each cookie, allow at least a minute per cookie.



Detail.....30 minutes



Then, let them dry overnight.



Dry.....overnight



***This does NOT include clean-up time!***

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So, for about 2 dozen, simply decorated cookies, I would allow 5 hours of baking/decorating with 2 hours and 10 minutes plus overnight of inactive/rest time. (Did I add that right?) But, remember, it depends! :) 

{In other words, don't start a cookie decorating project at 8pm the night before you need them.}

My advice....make the cookies a day ahead.  Even two days.  Even more than that and freeze them.  Yes, they freeze...even fully decorated.



Another hint, royal icing can be made ahead of time, too.  The icing will not be as stiff the next day, so if you have fine detail work to do, you may want to make it the same day.  Otherwise, it's fine.



I love this post from my friend Gail of One Tough Cookie...here's a little nugget of wisdom from her blog: "No matter how much time you allow for decorating the cookies, allow more."    See, she's smart and CRAZY TALENTED!

That's what works for me.  Do you have any hints for timing your cookie decorating?

Taking Food Pictures at Night . . . Works for Me Wednesday

My favorite food pictures are ones taken outside or near a window with good light.  But a lot of times, I make cookies at night.  I wanted to take pictures for tutorials, but didn't like posting pictures with terrible nighttime lighting on the blog.



Then I read a post over at Steamy Kitchen about the Lowel Ego Digital Imaging Light.  I bought one...and it works for me.  Let me show you the difference.



This picture was taken at night WITHOUT the light:

This picture was taken at night WITH the light:

Both pictures were edited...brightness and contrast adjusted...but can you see the difference?

I love it!

What didn't work for me?  The price. $88!  I don't know about you, but if I have an extra $88, I'm getting a cheap pedicure, a cute new pair of shoes, a Starbucks and a cupcake. (Not necessarily in that order.)



I got this for FREE!  Yes, FREE!  Have you heard of Swagbucks?  I heard bloggers talking about it for months before I signed up.  All you do is use Swagbucks as your search engine. (The easiest thing to do is to download the toolbar.) Every so often when you search, you get "bucks."  These bucks can be redeemed for prizes like gift cards from Amazon, Starbucks, Sephora, etc.



THAT'S how I got my light...with "bucks" redeemed for an Amazon gift card. Rumor has it, several bloggers paid for all their Christmas gifts using Swagbucks last year!!!



Now, if someone refers you, that person gets some "bucks."  Please don't feel like you have to sign up referred by me.  If you'd like to, you can here.  OR, just go the home page and sign up on your own.



Here's what I'm saving up for now:





I'd love to hear your photography hints or what camera YOU use!

Alien Juice . . . Works For Me Wednesday

You can admit it....you thought our family's diet consisted of sugar and butter alone.

Because we have our fair share of sugar around here, I really try to make sure that we're getting our 5 fruits & veggies a day (or at least that kiddo eats his).

After Christmas, we got hooked on Amanda's Blueberry Kale Smoothies (the only way my boys will eat kale willingly). One reason I love that smoothie is that it calls for just water and the fruit/veggies. No yogurt, no milk, no tofu....just water. So easy!

Here's a smoothie we came up with....ALIEN JUICE!!!

{I had every intention of calling these "Chic Chartreuse Smoothies," but as soon as kiddo saw them, he dubbed the smoothies, "Alien Juice!"}

All you need...

1 c water
1 c (organic if you can find it) frozen mango chunks
1 handful rinsed organic baby spinach
(you *have* seen the report on pre-washed spinach, right? No? Take my word for it....RINSE IT!)
1 banana
juice from 1/2 small lemon

Blend it all together. That's it!

I use my handy-dandy immersion blender. Sur La Table sells these pretty Cuisinart blenders (mine is Buttercup!) for only $29.95. I LOVE it!!! If you have one, just blend the ingredients in one at a time rather than all at once.

So, smoothies work for us. Sometimes, kiddo even asks for these instead of a cookie!!! {What is wrong with that child?}

What's your vote?

Alien Juice...

or, Chic Chartreuse Smoothie?

Homemade Fondant ! ! !

Don't you love those beautifully decorated SMOOTH cakes? I've always loved them. Even before I really started baking and knew what the icing was called.

Fondant has a reputation of being, shall we say, less than delicious? About 14 years ago, when I presented our wedding cake maker with my torn out picture from probably one of the first Martha Stewart Weddings, she said...."you know, that's fondant?" I really had no clue what she was driving at, so I think I probably nodded and asked for another sample.

{That's my husband, but I have no idea who that tan, thin girl is!}

I decided to bite the bullet and try making my own. I found links on how to make it from The Decorated Cookie, i am baker and Gourmet Mom on-the-Go. It's pretty easy and MUCH cheaper than pre-made!

16 oz. bag mini marshmallows
3 TBSP water
2 lbs. powdered sugar
Crisco

Grease a large glass bowl with Crisco.

Pour in the marshmallows and water in the bowl. Microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted.

Reserve about 1/4 c. powdered sugar. Place the rest of the powdered sugar in the large bowl of a standing mixer. Grease the paddle attachment with Crisco. Pour the melted marshmallows onto the powdered sugar.

Beat until a dough forms. There will be lots of loose bits and sugar in the bottom of the bowl.

Grease a clean work surface with Crisco and dump out the fondant and all loose bits. Grease hands liberally with Crisco and knead the mixture together, just like kneading bread, for about 5 minutes until smooth.

Grease hands again as needed. As the fondant becomes smoother, use the reserved powdered sugar to coat the surface to keep it from sticking.

Once smooth, you can divide and color the fondant. While working with one piece, cover the remaining fondant with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.

When you have your colors finished, or just keep it all white, coat the fondant in a light layer of Crisco. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in a large baggie. (One recipe said to let it rest 10 minutes, another overnight. I let mine rest overnight.) Store at room temperature for several months.

To use it, dust the surface and rolling pin with cornstarch and roll to 1/8th of an inch.

I'm really new to fondant. There are a million things you can do with it....top cookies, cupcakes, cakes. Make bows and toppers and shapes....

Later today, I'll show you what I did (super simple) with my fondant for Mother's Day.

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{PS...if you haven't already, be sure to check out Amanda's vlog on University of Cookie. She's a natural on camera and shows a wonderful alternative to the usual royal icing. I'm going to try this!}

I'll be linking this up to TidyMom's I'm Lovin' It linky party. What are you lovin' this week?