Cooking & Couponing for My Hero

Recipes

2009-09-10T10:50:00.000-07:00

Since my kitchen reno is almost complete...I'll start posting recipes again as I get back in the kitchen. Hank has taken up my slack for too long so I need to start cooking dinner again :)

"Deal"ectible Mommies Giveaways

2009-08-10T09:25:00.000-07:00

Contest & Slacker

2009-05-21T07:11:00.000-07:00

I know I've been a real coupon slacker this month but I've been on somewhat of a "hiatus"...

Here's a great contest from "Deal"ectible Mommies:
http://delectiblemommies.blogspot.com/2009/05/momo-baby-review-giveaway.html

You should check it out and maybe you can win some Momo baby bottles! I love the "Deal"ectible Mommies blog!

Coupon Kitty

2009-04-27T13:36:00.000-07:00

So I don't have cats, but I love this picture and thought it was very appropriate for my blog:

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

"Deal"ectible Mommies Giveaways

2009-04-27T08:47:00.000-07:00

http://delectiblemommies.blogspot.com/2009/04/all-moms-have-saving-grace-and-i-want.html

"Deal"ectible Mommies is having a giveaway for Adiri Natural Nurser Bottles. I love all the giveaways on her site! Go check it out!

Here's a second giveaway she's doing for an Evenflo Comfort pump.

http://delectiblemommies.blogspot.com/2009/04/evenflo-comfort-select-performance-dual.html

Ahhhh...to only be as good as my mom

2009-04-14T08:54:00.000-07:00

If I was only as good as my Mom when it comes to couponing...this is her less than $25 shopping trip to CVS and Walgreens yesterday:

Yes, it helps that she shops for about 15 people and gets lots of coupon inserts, but I'm the first to admit that she's just awesome at getting great deals...and she always has been. I'll credit all of my couponing and frugality to her. Love you Mom!

Walgreens Deals 4/12/09

2009-04-13T06:10:00.000-07:00

Here's the best deals that I've seen at Walgreens for ths week. If you're new to couponing, check out some of the links on the right as well as the coupon lingo.

Colgate Max White or Max Fresh Toothbrush: $3.29
Use $.75/1 coupon from 3/29 Smart Source insert
Receive $3.29 Register Rewards
Final Price = FREE plus possible overage

Fiber Choice (10 ct): $2.49
Receive $2.49 Register Rewards
Final Price = FREE

Scunci Elastics (18 pk): $2
Receive $2 Register Rewards
Final Price = FREE

Here are the best monthly free deals as well
Edge Infused Energy Shave Gel: $3.59
Receive $3.59 Register Rewards
Final Price = FREE

Mentos Gum: buy 2 for $2
Use 2 $1/1 coupons from 3/1 Smart Source insert
Final Price = FREE

One A Day Multivitamin Drink: $1.49
Receive $1.49 EasySaver Rebate
Final Price = FREE

Skintimate Shave Cream: $2.99
Receive $2.99 Register Rewards
Final Price = FREE

WAGS and Commissary Deals! 4/8/09

2009-04-08T16:21:00.000-07:00

Skintimate Shave Cream is FREE after RR all month long! The 4oz colgate total advanced clean and advanced whitening is also FREE after RR this week!

Here are my deals from the Commissary this week! I paid $43 and some change for all of this, PLUS a 15.5 lb. bag of Beneful Healthy Weight dog food. Here's the breakdown:

2 Ronzoni Smart Taste spaghetti @ $1 ea - $1/2 from 4/5 SS= $0.50 per box

1 Cottonelle 12 big rolls toilet paper @ 6.99 - $1/1 home mailer = $5.99 (not the best price but we needed it...)

1 4lb. Pace Picante Salsa @ $5.11 - $4/1 IP (no longer available) = $1.11

2 Heinz worchestershire sauce @ $0.89 ea. - $0.25/1 military coupon (there was a tear pad in the back alcove near the bargain area) = $0.64

3 Vitamin water @ $0.99 ea - 3 of the $1/1 from 4/5 SS = $0.01 OVERAGE

1 canned 8oz. mushroom = $0.99

1 Fisher Fusion Tropical Twist @ $1.44 - $1/1 from 3/39 SS = $0.44

1 Fat Free Croutons = $0.99

2 Land O Lakes Spreadable Butter w/canola oil @ $0.99 ea - 2 of the $0.55/1 IP from their website

2 Pillsbury Toaster Strudle @ $1.39 ea - 2 of the $1/1 IP from coupons.com
1 Oscar Mayer Deli Creations Flat Bread @ 2.00 - $1/1 IP (no longer available)

2 1lb. Challenge Unsalted Butter @ $1.89 ea. - 2 of the $0.50/1 IP from here

1 Daisy Sourcream @ $1.39 - $0.45/1 from tearpad at Albertson's

Romaine Lettuce @ $1.59

Cooper Monterey Jack Cheese 10 oz. @ $1.89 - $0.30/1 military store coupon

Kraft Deli Fresh Swiss Cheese 8oz @ $2.50

Kashi 5 cheese tomato pizza @ $4.34 - $3/1 from tearpad at Albertson's

Kashi Black Bean Mango meal @ $3.03 - $2/1 from tearpad at Albertson's

Pepperidge Farm Garlic Bread $1.86

Frozen Pepper strips 14 oz. $1.59 (i buy these when I'm not sure whether I'll get around to fresh peppers that week so they don't go to waste)

1 1lb. carrots $0.55

8 oz. fresh mushrooms $0.84

green onions $0.39

5 lbs. potatoes $1.29

3 lbs. onions $1.39

Oust Surface & Air Sanitizer @ 2.53 - $2/1 from 3/29 SS

2 St. Ives Apricot Scrub, trial size @ $0.59 ea - 2 of the $1/1 from 3/8 SS

3 Gillette Shave Gel @ $1.01 ea - 3 of the $1/1 from 4/9 SS

Beneful Healthy Weight 15.5 lbs. @ $9.52 from the clearence section - $3.50/1 IP from giveabowl.com

Thanks Jasmine for a heads up on the Gillette and the St. Ives and the Pace coupon!!

I LOVE the commissary! Just think, this is how much I spent after coupons, but at a regular grocery store, it would have been even more!

Where does it go??

2009-04-08T16:02:00.000-07:00

I had a friend ask me just where I was putting all of the stuff I stockpiled....for the Post cereal deal, I had to rearrange the pantry a bit...the cereal is literally stacked to the ceiling...the first picture only shows part of the cereal...it's stacked behind those boxes too!

Free Dominos!

2009-03-31T08:23:00.000-07:00

You can possibly snag a FREE Medium pizza from Domino's! Just go on over to their website and click on order and either login or register. Click on online coupons and type in this code: BAILOUT. Then add a medium pizza to your order. It will let you know if the coupon code was accepted! If you choose in-store pickup you'll get the pizza completely FREE!

**Please note that this is NOT available in all areas.

I was able to order mine for pickup at the Roy location and I'm sure many of the other locations have it as well. I'm picking mine up tonight at 6:30!!

WAGS 3/29/09

2009-03-29T14:20:00.001-07:00

Here's the Free chapstick deals this weeks at WAGS (after RR and you end up paying $0.12 for tax)

Chapstick Naturals or True Shimmer Lip Balm or Butter

$1.99 Sale price (reg. $2.99)

Get $2 Register Reward, will print after you

PayFinal Price: FREE + $0.12 tax

You'll need to do each of these in a separate transaction or it will only print of 1 RR per transaction (I had to do 7 different transactions). Also, unlike Albertson's you CANNOT roll the RR. So basically, I paid $2.12 OOP for each of these and got a $2 RR to use later. I'll use them later when there are good deals.

Albertson's 3/29/09

2009-03-29T13:33:00.000-07:00

I love a good sale especially on adult-type cereal!

Today at Albertson's I got 24 boxes of select Post cereal for $0.61 a box after a few coupons and catalinas. I also got 1/3 less fat cream cheese blocks for $1 each.

Earlier in the week, I also got Taco Bell dinner kits for $1 after catalinas.

If you're new to couponing and aren't sure what catalina's are/register rewards...they are a coupon that prints out AFTER you pay for you items which you can use on your next purchase.

Here are the major deals that I did this week. A big THANKS to A Thrifty Mom for the Albertson's matchups!

Starting today at Albertson's, they are having a sale on Post cereals:
Nabisco Shredded Wheat (15 oz.)

Grapenuts (24 oz.)

Grape Nut Cranberry Vanilla (17 oz.)

Raisin Bran (20 oz.)

Banana Nut Crunch (15.5 oz.)

Pecan (16 oz.)

Date Pecan (16 oz.)

B'Berry Morning (13.5 oz.)

Honey Bunches Of Oats Cinnamon Cluster (14.5 oz.)

Honey Bunches Of Oats Honey Roasted (14.5 oz.)

Honey Bunches Of Oats Almond (14.5 oz.)

Honey Bunches Of Oats Chocolate Cluster (14.5 oz.)

Cranberry Almond Crunch (13 oz.)

Shredded Wheat Frosted (19 oz.)

Spoon Size Shredded Wheat (16.4 oz.)

Honey Nut Shredded Wheat (20 oz.)

Select Apple Carmel Pecan (14.25 oz.)

These will all be $2.07 each or $1.57 a box when you buy 2
But here is the GREAT deal
There is a Catalina: buy 5 boxes get $5 catalina back
This makes it .67 cents a box

However, I found that in order to get the good deal, you had to buy them in groups of 6 because otherwise it charges you the $2.07 price for the 5th box.

There are coupons in the 3/1 Smart Source coupon insert for $1 off 2
There will also be coupons in today's sunday paper for Post cereal
this will bring the price down to .17 cents a box
If you are new to using Catalinas, you will want to make sure to buy your cereal in groups of 6 (to get both the sale price and catalina).....if you buy more than 6 in one transaction you still still only get 1 $5 catalina. SO make sure to split your orders up.

For example, I bought 24 boxes of cereal, but I did 4 different transactions so I would get the catalina each time. The nice thing with Albertson's deals are that you can roll the catalina's. This means that you can get the catalina for one order and then use it on the next and still have it print out another catalina so you can do the deal again. At the end of all your transactions, you'll have a $5 catalina to use at a future date (they ususally don't expire for a few weeks so you'll have plenty of time to roll it into another great deal!)

Here's how it works:

buy 6 boxes of cereal $9.42
use 3 of the $1/2 coupons
Pay $6.42 cash
Then after you pay a catalina will print, for $5 off your next purchase. You can use it on more cereal or something else...So basically, you paid $1.42 for 6 boxes of cereal.

If you don't have the coupons, it's still a good deal:

buy 6 boxes of cereal $9.42

Then after you pay a catalina will print, for $5 off your next purchase. So you paid $$0.74 per box.

If you're doing for example, 2 transactions (12 boxes of cereal), here's how it works.. (BTW, if you're doing multiple transactions, the self checkout is best for this deal so you don't hold up the line).

Transaction #1

6 boxes of cereal $9.42

Get: $5 CAT

Transaction #2

6 boxes of cereal $9.42

use $5 CAT

Total OOP: $4.42

Get $5 CAT

Transaction #3 (same as #2, etc.)

This deal (for the dinner kits or for FREE shells) is still going on until Wed. Again, thanks to A Thrifty Mom! After CATs and coupons, and some previous RRs I had, I paid about $1 OOP for everything pictured above!

Taco Bell shells are $1.00 BUT when you buy $10, get $3 off instantly. Making them .70 each
Taco Bell Dinner Kits $2.50 BUT when you buy $10, get $3 off instantly. Making them $1.75 each
BUT starting this last Friday a Catalina Taco Bell Home Originals Dinner Kits or Shells
Purchase between 3/27/09 & 4/19/09
Buy 2 & a $1 catalina will print
Buy 3 & a $2 catalina will print
Buy 4 or more &ca $3 catalina will printOr if you buy 4 Taco Bell Shells ( with a group of $10 participating sale items) The 4 shells will cost you $2.80 but after you pay you will get back a $3 Catalina Making the shells FREE
If you buy 4 Taco Bell Dinner Kits ( with a group of $10 participating sale items) The Kits will cost you $7.00 but after you pay you will get back a $3 Catalina Making the Dinner kits $1 each
An important tip: The $3 Catalina will print for 4 or more products bought. SO only buy 4 shells at a time. You will have to buy other items to bring you total up to the $10 mark, then you will get your instant $3 off. Then after you pay the $3 catalina will print.
The Dinner kits are easy, because 4 of those put you at the $10 mark. It is the Shells that get a little tricky......if you want more than 4 free you will have to split them up into different transactions in groups of $10.

Fresh Baby Giveaway at "Deal"ectible Mommies

2009-03-27T13:53:00.000-07:00

So eventhough I'm not a mommy yet, I still like to plan for the future and look for items that I'd like to use when we do have kids. So here's is a blog giveaway by "Deal"ectible Mommies for an item that I think is essential if you plan to make your own babyfood and how to get started! I think that the best item in the Fresh Baby giveaway is the freezer trays which lets you freeze individual portions of food.

For more information, you can go to Fresh Baby or "Deal"ectible Mommies and click on the link above to go directly to the giveaway.

Wish me luck!

This week of stockpiling

2009-03-08T16:49:00.000-07:00

Our new fridge! Yay!! This was our cheap find at Lowes with 10% off and 10% off military discount, plus free delivery, plus they hauled the other to our garage. Watching them move it in we were glad we didn't have to get it up all those stairs and then manuver around corners!

Here was my Wags trip for this week (so far!)

What we got:

4 12pk Coke products (on sale for 3/$13 and WYB 4, you get $3 RR, so we got each 12 pk. for $2.50 and this will last us a long time)

1 Glade Sense and Spray (I already have a ton of these and plus, my store limited us to one)

18 bottles of Garnier fructis (various types)...got some for me, some for friends

2 Degree ulra clear deodorant (the only type i like to use)

1 Colgate total adv. whitening (i need to go back and get my $2.50 that I forgot to give them in the Walgreens coupon)

Total spent: ~$14.00 (if you count after the RR I got back and after I get my $2.50). I spent this all from the gift card that I got after last months rebates so total OOP was $0!

I also played the neighborly coupon lady when the family behind me was stunned when I got 8 bottles of Garnier and a deodorant for $2.69, so I explained how to do it and gave her 2 coupons since I still have 6 left!

On another note, the Wags down the street from us were limited the Garnier to 1 per visit, and there's no way I was making over 20 visits to Wags this week. So we went to one down from the base where they didn't have the limit 1 sign up and I got 16 more there. I'm more than willing to make a few trips for shampoo and conditioner but not over 20. Thank goodness I have a coupon supporting hubby that didn't mind driving Jasmine and I to more than one Wags (i always knew he was a keeper!)

I also went to Target a few times this week for REALLY REALLY cheap meat after coupons and here's what I got for under $50:

4 heads of fresh broccoli

2 family packs of beef sirloin

4 boxes of Loreal Preference hair dye

11 bottles of Gilette body wash

1 CoverGirl foundation

5 packages of Huggies baby wipes (184 pack) (go to coupons.com for a $5 off Huggies gentle care product!!)

2 bottles of Nature's Source cleaning products (scrubbing bubbles surface and bathroom cleaner)

1 Campbells condensed soup (to use with the beef!)

6 packages of Beef round

1 french vanilla coffee creamer

1 bottle Aveeno lotion

1 Rubbermaid12 qt. box (to store all the free gillette I've been getting!)

1 Johnson & Johnson buddie bar

1 bottle Renuzit

2 bottles Dentyne Ice gum

2 worchestire sauce

1 bottle Olay lotion

1 bottle Old Spice body wash

Plus, I spent under $10 at WalMart for:

2 Pledge fabric pet hair removers

1 bottle J&J body lotion

2 Huggies baby wipes (184+ count)

2 gallons milk

I also had to remind Hank that regardless of how much free body wash I was bringing home to rest assured that I wasn't hinting that he was smelly...lol.

My Trip to WAGS 3/4/09

2009-03-04T16:16:00.000-08:00

After coming home today to find the house a mess from the dog...I went to Wags. Nothing like free stuff to cheer me up! Again, the crappy thing about the Wags in our region is that we get a reduced ad and reduced number of sale/free items. Boo!

Here's what I got

Transaction #1:

I bought:
Wal-Zyr All Day allergy 5 ct. tabs $3.99
Colgate Max Fresh 6oz $3.29
Subtotal: $7.28
I used:
-$1 Colgate Max
-$6 RR from Wags razor deal last week
= $0.28 + $0.47 Tax (Used $0.75 on GC from Wags deals last month!)
Received:
$3.50 RR for colgate max toothpaste
Will Receive:
$3.99 ESR March #14
$0.39 bonus for applying rebates to GC
Spent: $0.75 on wags gc
Received: $3.50 RR
Will Receive: $4.38 ESR
Profit: $7.13 (if you don't count in the RR I used from last week, I made a profit of $1.13)

Transaction #2

I bought:
Walgreens Extra Strength Headache Relief, 20 quick gels $2.99
Colgate Max Fresh 6oz $3.29
Subtotal: $6.28
I used:
-$1 Colgate Max
-$1 RR from Wags deal last week
= $1.28 + $0.41 Tax (Used $4.69 on GC from Wags deals last month!)
Received:
$3.50 RR for colgate max toothpaste
Will Receive:
$2.99 ESR March #3
$0.29 bonus for applying rebates to GC
Spent: $4.69 on wags gc
Received: $3.50 RR
Will Receive: $3.28 ESR
Profit: $2.09 (if you don't count in the RR I used from last week, I made a profit of $1.09)

Transaction #3

I bought:
Pantene Nature Fusion 12.6oz Shampoo & Conditioner $2.99 x 2 = $5.98
Axe Shampoo + Conditioner 12 oz. $5.99
Subtotal: $11.97
I used:
2 of -$1 Pantene Nature Fusion Product (in 3/1/09 P&G)
-$3.50 RR from Transaction #1
= $6.47 + $0.78 Tax (Used $7.25 on GC from Wags deals last month!)
Will Receive:
$5.99 ESR March #1

$3.00 ESR March #6 (for buying 2 Pantene)
$0.89 bonus for applying rebates to GC
Spent: $7.25 on wags gc
Will Receive: $9.88 ESR
Profit: $2.63

Total profit for the day (not including using last week's RR): ~$4!

New to Couponing?

2009-03-04T10:46:00.000-08:00

If you're new to couponing, you should check out Hot Coupon World's Couponing 101: Couponing Basics for Newbies

It has a lot of good basic information on how to get started!

Caught the Coupon Bug!

2009-03-04T08:39:00.000-08:00

So I have decided I'd start getting all of my favorite links that I visit for all the latest couponing info as well as freebies, etc. I'll also post the coupon lingo so all of my abbreviations will make hopefully make sense!

I regularly visit the Military Commissary, SuperTarget, Walgreens, and Wal-Mart. In Utah land, we have no CVS...boo! and we live in the land of no doubles...ie...none of our grocery stores regularly double coupons, but on occasion, Albertson's does!

Sooo....here goes nothing! Look for deals and links soon!

February Daring Bakers' - For the Love of Chocolate!

2009-03-01T13:46:00.000-08:00

It's that time of the month again to post my Daring Bakers' challenge! After missing the Dec. and Jan. challenges, I was excited to do the chocolate challenge for February. I waited until Valentine's Day to make my challenge because I love chocolate and I wanted to do something special since we weren't going out this year.

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

Here was the recipe for the Chocolate Valentino cake!

Chocolate Valentino

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped (I used 1/2 semisweet and 1/2 bittersweet)

½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter

5 large eggs separated

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.

2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.

3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.

4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry). I made the mistake of over beating the egg whites and like they said...it was way too try. I never felt that it made stiff peaks but this may be because I had gotten a little of the yolk in the whites....oh well!

5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.

6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.

7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter.

8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C.

Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

Here is a picture of my completed challenge:

I served mine with some ice cream ala Breyer's (I made homemade icecream all of the time but I didn't have the time that day!). I also served mine with a little mixed berry puree. I used my rose mini bundt pan to make fun little cakes!

If you want to make your own ice cream, here are two recipes that they provided:

Dharm's Ice Cream Recipe

Classic Vanilla Ice Cream

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Recipe comes from the Ice Cream Book by Joanna Farrow and Sara Lewis (tested modifications and notes in parentheses by Dharm)

Ingredients

1 Vanilla Pod (or substitute with vanilla extract)

300ml / ½ pint / 1 ¼ cups Semi Skimmed Milk – in the U.S. this is 2% fat (or use fresh full fat milk that is pasteurised and homogenised {as opposed to canned or powdered}). Dharm used whole milk.

4 large egg yolks

75g / 3oz / 6 tbsp caster sugar {superfine sugar can be achieved in a food processor or use regular granulated sugar}

5ml / 1 tsp corn flour {cornstarch}

300ml / ½ pint / 1 ¼ cups Double Cream (48% butter fat) {in the U.S. heavy cream is 37% fat){you can easily increase your cream's fat content by heating 1/4 cup of heavy cream with 3 Tbs of butter until melted - cool to room temperature and add to the heavy cream as soon as whisk marks appear in the cream, in a slow steady stream, with the mixer on low speed. Raise speed and continue whipping the cream) or use heavy cream the difference will be in the creaminess of the ice cream.

1. Using a small knife slit the vanilla pod lengthways. Pour the milk into a heavy based saucepan, add the vanilla pod and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and leave for 15 minutes to allow the flavours to infuseLift the vanilla pod up. Holding it over the pan, scrape the black seeds out of the pod with a small knife so that they fall back into the milk. SET the vanilla pod aside and bring the milk back to the boil.

2. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and corn-flour in a bowl until the mixture is thick and foamy.

3. Gradually pour in the hot milk, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the pan and cook over a gentle hear, stirring all the time

4. When the custard thickens and is smooth, pour it back into the bowl. Cool it then chill.

5. By Hand: Whip the cream until it has thickened but still falls from a spoon. Fold it into the custard and pour into a plastic tub or similar freeze-proof container. Freeze for 6 hours or until firm enough to scoop, beating it twice (during the freezing process – to get smoother ice cream or else the ice cream will be icy and coarse)By Using and Ice Cream Maker: Stir the cream into the custard and churn the mixture until thick (follow instructions on your ice cream maker)

Wendy's Ice Cream Recipe

Vanilla Philadelphia Style Recipe

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

2 cups (473 ml) of half and half (1 cup of heavy cream and 1 cup of whole, full fat milk)

1 cup (237 ml) heavy cream

2/3 (128 grams) cup sugar

Dash of salt

1 (12 grams) tablespoon of vanilla

Mix all ingredients together (we do this in a plastic pitcher and mix with an emulsifier hand blender-whisking works too).Refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer

Mix in your ice cream maker as directed.

SORRY!

2009-02-09T12:04:00.001-08:00

I'm a bad blogger! Sorry! We've been really busy with work and just finding a little time relax! I promise to get more recipes on here soon! I know that I'm doing the Daring Bakers challenge this month so check back towards the end of the month for that posting. I am also tossing around the idea that I may add some of my coupon stuff on here since I'm starting to get asked about it....
Love Ya'll!

November Daring Bakers Challenge - Caramel Cake & Caramel Butter Icing

2008-12-01T06:36:00.000-08:00

This is my first Daring Bakers Challenge and I was excited to make caramel cake! My husband loves caramel icing so I was excited to make that as well!
This months challenge was brought to you by the following..
http://eggbeater.typepad.com
http://culinarycuriosity.blogspot.com
http://blondieandbrownie.blogspot.com
http://forayintofood.blogspot.com
http://glutenagogo.blogspot.com/

The recipe came from http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/2006/12/24/caramel-cake-the-recipe/ by Shauna fish Lydon.

This was a fabulous challenge! The only major issue that I has was that I had to make the caramel syrup twice. The first time I let it cook too long because I wasn't paying attention and then the smell of burnt sugar filled the house. The second time I made sure to pay attention...and I could have probably cooked it longer but I didn't want to ruin it again.

The cake and frosting were different from any other I have tasted. The cake was a lot denser than I expected. I was hoping for a fluffy cake and therefore I didn't fill the cupcake tins as full as I could have. The frosting...well, I wasn't a big fan because I have an amazing caramel icing recipe that I already use...but I thought I'd give it a go. I didn't really like it, but it was still okay...just not my taste (but hey...that's what your coworkers are for...a place you can bring your homemade leftovers!)

Here's the recipe (I'll post pictures tonight)...also, I opted NOT to make the optional caramels because I wasn't sure of the quality of my caramel syrup.

CARAMEL CAKE WITH CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING
10 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/4 Cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 Cup Caramel Syrup (see recipe below)
2 each eggs, at room temperature
splash vanilla extract
2 Cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder1 cup milk, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350F
Butter one tall (2 – 2.5 inch deep) 9-inch cake pan.In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and salt & cream until light and fluffy.Slowly pour room temperature caramel syrup into bowl. Scrape down bowl and increase speed. Add eggs/vanilla extract a little at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Scrape down bowl again, beat mixture until light and uniform.Sift flour and baking powder.Turn mixer to lowest speed, and add one third of the dry ingredients. When incorporated, add half of the milk, a little at a time. Add another third of the dry ingredients, then the other half of the milk and finish with the dry ingredients. {This is called the dry, wet, dry, wet, dry method in cake making. It is often employed when there is a high proportion of liquid in the batter.}

Take off mixer and by hand, use a spatula to do a few last folds, making sure batter is uniform. Turn batter into prepared cake pan.Place cake pan on cookie sheet or 1/2 sheet pan. Set first timer for 30 minutes, rotate pan and set timer for another 15-20 minutes. Your own oven will set the pace. Bake until sides pull away from the pan and skewer inserted in middle comes out clean.

Cool cake completely before icing it. Cake will keep for three days outside of the refrigerator.

CARAMEL SYRUP
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup water (for "stopping" the caramelization process)

In a small stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water and sugar until mixture feels like wet sand. Brush down any stray sugar crystals with wet pastry brush. Turn on heat to highest flame. Cook until smoking slightly: dark amber.When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump and sputter about (*This is no joke!!!)! It is very dangerous, so have long sleeves on and be prepared to step back.Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly and feels sticky between two fingers. {Obviously wait for it to cool on a spoon before touching it.}Note: For safety reasons, have ready a bowl of ice water to plunge your hands into if any caramel should land on your skin.

CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound confectioner’s sugar, sifted
4-6 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-4 tablespoons caramel syrup
Kosher or sea salt to taste

Cook butter until brown. Pour through a fine meshed sieve into a heatproof bowl, set aside to cool.Pour cooled brown butter into mixer bowl.In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, add confectioner's sugar a little at a time. When mixture looks too chunky to take any more, add a bit of cream and or caramel syrup. Repeat until mixture looks smooth and all confectioner's sugar has been incorporated. Add salt to taste.

Note: Caramelized butter frosting will keep in fridge for up to a month.To smooth out from cold, microwave a bit, then mix with paddle attachment until smooth and light

Tortilla Floor Soup

2008-11-18T06:20:00.000-08:00

Last night for Cooking Club I made Tortilla Soup...unfortunately, I never made it to Cooking Club because I had to slam on breaks when a person in front of me decided that he wanted to turn without a turn signal all of the sudden....so, I had to choose whether to save my car or save my soup and I chose the car....so the soup ended up all over the front floor of my car... but, what soup was still left in the crockpot, I had after cleaning up and it was delicious! Here's the link to the posting on the cooking club blog:
Tortilla Soup

I also made Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins...which didn't make it there either, so I ended up freezing the extras.

Banana Bread

2008-11-09T15:52:00.001-08:00

Banana Bread (from Better Homes & Gardens Cook Book)

2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
2 beaten eggs
1 1/2 c. mashed bananas
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. veg. oil

1. Grease bottom and 1/2 in. up sides of a 9x5x3 loaf pan. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, set aside.

2. In medium bowl, combine eggs, bananas, sugar, and oil. Add egg mixture all at onece to flour mixture. Stir junt until moistened (batter will still be lumpy). Spoon batter into loaf pan.

3. Bake at 350 for 55 to 60 minutes until wooden toothpick comes out clean.

Cooking for My Hero

2008-11-05T08:39:00.000-08:00

I've decided to separate our personal family blog (available only to those we know) and my foodie blog. I created the title of my food blog from our Hill OSC Cookbook title, "Cooking for our Heroes, Recipes from the Hill Officers’ Spouses’ Club", which is coming out in December. The title of the cookbook was submitted by Rachel A. so thanks' Rachel for your awesome idea that I've now modified :) I briefly considered Cooking on the Homefront...but that's a more commonly used type of phrase...and I sometimes like to be a little different :)

So, from now on, all of the recipes that I post will be at this blog! (Including all of the marvelous Daring Bakers' Challenges that I participate in!