Sweet CHIC is my new favorite "treat" cookbook!

Have you ever just gotten a cookbook that you couldn't put down?  Or one that you wanted to make almost every recipe in it?  I just received a cookbook that is just that.  It's called Sweet CHIC Stylish Treats to Dress Up For Any Occasion and I absolutely adore it.  It is a book about stylish treats to dress up for any occasion and was written by Rachel Schifter Thebault.  Don't know if you've heard of her, but trust me on this one.

Rachel Schifter Thebault, author of Sweet Chic: Stylish Treats to Dress Up for Any Occasion, is the founder of Tribeca Treats, and spent seven years as an investment banker before transforming her side hobby of making truffles for friends into a full-time career in confections. A graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education, she opened Tribeca Treats in 2007. The bakery has won honors from American Express OPEN and entrepreneur organizations, and is a pillar of the Tribeca community. A sought-after speaker and panelist, she has also taught cooking and baking to children. She currently lives in Tribeca (and travels the globe) with her husband and their two daughters.

This wonderful book will help you to transform a regular dessert into a masterpiece without all the hard work that you would usually have to do.  Rachel has already done the hard work and has given you the keys to looking like a professional chef from home.  Rachel begins with the basics and takes you all the way to being a polished baker.

There are three sections of this cookbook.  Section one is all about cookies, section two is about cakes and my favorite is section three, confections.  I especially enjoyed the recipe for Ballpark Bark.  It combines sweet and salty, crunchy and soft and will make you wonder why you haven't had some of this all of your life.  Simple yet delicious, this recipe will become one of your holiday staples for sure.
Rachel even tells you how to store and how long to store this wonderful dessert.  It can be kept fresh for 4 weeks. Wouldn't this be great to give as a Christmas gift???  Something to think about with the holidays coming.  So please, run right out and pick up this book or order from her web site
http://rachelthebault.com/index.php.

The illustrations are beautiful and you will love this book.  I encourage you to order one for yourself and your favorite friend. 

For more information please visit http://rachelthebault.com and Amazon.com,  and follow the author on Facebook and Twitter
I was not paid for this review of the cookbook.

Cooking Up Some Family History in the Mountains of Kentucky

I know you all love to cook or you wouldn't be visiting my blog.  I absolutely love to create new things and to experiment in the kitchen. My family has such a rich history of great cooking.  On my father's side of the family they were raised on a large farm in the mountains of Kentucky.  They farmed right up the side of the mountain.  It wasn't easy to do since the land was not flat, but they did it with literally hundreds of acres of fruit trees and 20 acres of their personal garden.  This garden was used to feed a family of seven.  The year's crops had to last through the winter so there was lots of work to be done.  My grandmother canned all the fruits and vegetables.   They also raised all their own meat and cured it to use throughout the year.
I also love to collect different dishes and items to decorate my kitchen.  I am in the process now of redecorating and am so excited to add new things to my collections.  I think I am going country for my new kitchen and would love some suggestions.  I recently found a pepper shaker in the ruins of an old home that was a homestead for my Aunt Nell in Kentucky.  My grandfather had lots of land in the mountains several of the children built houses on the land.  This house was my Aunt Nell's and it was recently torn down.  It was built in 1935 and the chimney will be left standing as a monument to the home. Since the site had not been cleaned up yet, we went through some things...it was such an adventure and we found some great things.




Fortunately Aunt Nell didn't have to cook over the fire but the fireplace was in the middle to keep all warm.  I wish her stove would have still been there, but most everything had already been removed from the house before it was demolished.  I'm sure many great meals were cooked in that house. 

My Son Marshall By the Chimney

I'm going to do my best to find a photo of the home from years ago when it was still standing.  I have to do some research, but will bring it to you when I do. We were given the fireplace grate to keep as a special piece of history and will find a use for it somewhere at home.  Don't know yet exactly what we will do with it.  Any suggestions?

 
We found several OLD canning jars...empty of course. I wonder what was in this one.  Being raised on a farm, my family canned all of their vegetables and raised almost all of their food.  My Aunt Nell would always have a big pot of Chicken and Dumplins on when we came over, along with green beans, corn bread, soup beans (pintos with lots of soup) and usually fried chicken.  She was a fantastic cook and loved to serve everyone with great joy.

 This was an old pepper shaker we found.  We tried to find the matching salt, but to no avail.  I also found this old rug...wonder who made it?

Isn't it so wonderful to actually get to go back and see the place where family history took place?  My Aunt Nell was a wonderful cook.  She is 90 years old now and in a nursing home, but I did get to go and see her and visit her oldest daughter Jenny.  Jenny was canning all kinds of great things when I stopped by her house.  Jenny gave me some green beans, tomatoes and sauerkraut to take home.  I can't wait to try it and I want to share some canning tips with you in another posting.

I want to tell you how we cook Southern Green Beans if you don't know how.  They are cooked until very tender and well done.

2 lbs. fresh green beans
1 ham bone
2 t. salt
1 t. pepper
water to cover beans

Wash and string the beans.  Snap into 2 inch pieces.  Stringing the beans means removing the end pieces and any "strings" that are attached to the sides of the bean, just pull down on the string and it will peel off easily.  (If you do not want to do this, you can cheat and use canned green beans.  Just drain and rinse them thoroughly.)  I just add all these things to a large pot and simmer for at least two hours.  The ham bone will make the beans taste delicious.  I always buy a "bone-in" ham so I can have the bone for later.  I just wrap it good in foil or a zipper sealed bag and freeze it until I am ready to use it.  Sometimes I save some of the meat and add to the beans also for flavor.  As simple as this is, my beans are requested at every family dinner.  Even the kids eat them and that's saying a whole lot.  My nephew Christian calls them my "juicy green beans". 

Apple Dumpling Delight - Food and Wine Community Photo - Inspiration served daily

Apple Dumpling Delight - Food and Wine Community Photo - Inspiration served daily

Shannon's Shanonigins: 4th of July Give-Away by Eco-Glam Events

Shannon's Shanonigins: 4th of July Give-Away by Eco-Glam Events: "I'm so excited to be bringing you a really fun holiday give-away from a really fun ETSY shop. One Shanonigins follower will win these fun c..."

Shannon's Shanonigins: Black & Pink Vintage Glamour Give-Away

Shannon's Shanonigins: Black & Pink Vintage Glamour Give-Away: "If you've missed my give-aways, there baaaack :) I'm getting very, very close to having 100 followers on Google Friend Connect, and to be ..."

Saucy Mama's Fabulous With Five Recipe Contest brings BIG FLAVOR.

 Saucy Mama's Fabulous With Five Recipe Contest!!

Have you tried or seen Saucy Mama Products or are they new  to you?  Whatever the case, you are going to love the very simple recipe for Saucy Mama Pacific Rim Ginger Chutney that I have created. This chutney can be served on bread to make a great bruschetta, on a baked potato, served over pork and in so many different ways.  That's the beauty of this recipe.  It even makes a great gift to give to someone. This recipe has 5 ingredients, other than the olive oil and salt, and is quick and easy to make.  Let's get started.....

Pacific Rim Ginger Bruschetta

Ingredients:

3 T. olive oil
1 green bell pepper
1 onion
1can diced tomatoes (I used Hunts diced roasted garlic tomatoes)
1/8 t. salt
1/2 cup of Saucy Mama
                  Pacific Rim Ginger Dressing

Chop bell pepper and onion into small chunks.  

Heat skillet and add olive oil.  When oil is hot, add peppers and onions.

Saute peppers and onions until soft.

 Drain extra water off of the tomatoes and add tomatoes to peppers and onions.

 

Simmer for 5 minutes and add Saucy Mama Pacific Rim Ginger Dressing.

Simmer for 5 - 10 minutes until chutney is slightly thick.

 Spoon over slices of baguette and bake for 5 - 6  minutes at 350 degrees.

It is also great to serve over a baked potato...

Give as a gift and make several....

I also am going to choose someone from this blog to win some goodies of their own from Saucy Mama.  You will win a kit that will contain one bottle each of Saucy Mama Sweet Heat Marinade, Saucy MamaTarragon Lemon Mustard, and Saucy Mama Pacific Rim Ginger Dressing.

In order to win this prize, please visit the Saucy Mama Cafe and choose the product you think sounds the most delicious to you.

For a second entry, post this to your blog, website, or facebook.  Leave a comment that says you've done this.

For additional entries,
Follow me (realwomanofphil) on Twitter and send a tweet about this contest. Leave a comment.
Follow Saucy Mama on Facebook and leave a comment that you've done this.
Follow saucy Mama on Twitter and comment that you've done so.
Follow Barhyte Specialty Foods on Facebook and comment that you've done this.
Follow Barhyte Specialty Foods on Twitter and comment that you've done this.
Drawing will be held on June 1st by using Random.org.

True Random Number Generator Min: 1 Max: 7 Result: 1 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Congratulations to Marie...winner of our drawing for the wonderful Saucy Mama Products.  Yea!

 

 You can find out more about Saucy Mama products by going to the Saucy Mama Cafe.  Just click on their button on my page and it will direct you to the site. 

Saucy Mama's 6 newest creations:

Apricot Ginger Mustard
Tarragon Lemon Mustard
Dijon Mustard
Sweet Heat Marinade
Pacific Rim Ginger Dressing
 Chipotle Ranch Dressing 

Thanks Saucy Mama!!Your products are awesome!!!

Meet $10,000.00 Cupcake Winner and my FRIEND, Elaine Barbee

As promised, I want to introduce you to a wonderful friend of mine from the St. Louis, MO area who I am so proud of and who I love very much.  It's Elaine Barbee from St. Charles and I met her when I read her bio on RWOP and learned that she lived just a few blocks away from my husband's brother and where we had previously lived.  Instantly we became friends and learned that we had so much in common.  First and foremost, she is a born again Christian, and not afraid to tell you that...secondly, she is a mom and great family woman, and third, she is a FANTASTIC cook!... Now all of those things we had in common to start with and our friendship has grown from there.

So much I want to tell you, like what all she did for us when we were in St. Louis when my hubby's mom was in the hospital but today I also want to share more about her and what God has done in her life lately.  Here is part of her story.

February 22nd sitting in a suicide policy committee meeting in Columbia, Mo., I see that my phone has a new voice mail waiting and the number is a different area code. I am curious and when the meeting hits a lull, I listen to my voice mail and suddenly the last year makes sense.

Hi, I am Elaine Barbee from St. Louis, Mo. I am a wife, a mom, and my job is Assistant Regional Administrator. What is that?? I supervise a high secure violent offender unit, and three alternative community based programs for juvenile delinquents, training, leadership development, community partnerships, and whatever else needs to be done.

I've been at my job for 25 years. It was a vocation, I loved working with kids and sharing my talents with them. My boss retired a year ago and his job had been promised to me by all that made those decisions. At the last moment it was given to someone else. Not only was I crushed the next year would prove to be very challenging with some very negative coworkers.

Three months after the disappointment at my job, another crisis came up, my 11 yr old son had a serious health issue and had to have a very serious surgery. We knew at some point he was going to have to have surgery. At the time we were told this the Doctors thought possibly the surgery would have a life altering impact on him. God was very good. What was supposed to be a 3-4 week hospital stay for him with weeks maybe months of rehabilitation turned into a 9 day hospital stay and only 6 weeks of recuperation. He is back to normal with no problems or ongoing treatment.

So you ask, what does all of this have to do with CUPCAKES???

It was during this time my friend Amy was telling me about the RWOP challenge with Paula Deen. She urged me to enter the contest. She was not the first friend to urge me to enter food contests. I had some time off of work to stay at home with my son and he was sleeping a lot, so with the help of family and friends, started video taping recipes for the contest. I learned a lot about writing recipes, having the kitchen and ingredients prepped, and video taping & editing. This proved to be very challenging and more than what I bargained for!

I started getting messages and friends on the site. It was crazy, thought it was a contest and here people were reaching out to me. Especially Debbie Fabre! We became friends, champions for each other, pushing each other, and especially praying for and with each other through many trials. God knew we would need each other. The friends kept coming and they were all cheerleaders in the contest and in life.

Through them I learned so much about writing recipes, editing, video taping etc.. This would lead me to a whole subculture that I did not know existed. Contest cooks!!! This whole world of food contests and people that entered them all the time! Merry Graham had a facebook page that was just for such people! What a mentor she has become to me in cooking and faith. More people to pray with and for!

God has put people in my life to help me through! There were so many avenues that seemed to lead nowhere. Yet so many wonderful people in my life praying for me and cheering me on.

February 22nd was one of those days where I was just floating and biding my time at work until I could retire, wondering where God was leading me and what the last 25 years had been about. I listen to the voicemail, its from Lisa Schiffman of Tuttifoodie. She told me that I was the grand prize winner of the Scharffen Berger Cupcake Adventure Based Contest for my You Make Me Want to Shout Cupcakes. She went on to say that the Judges loved them above and beyond 2000 entries. At this point I was so excited that I couldn't stand it. I had to ask for a break and go call Lisa back to get the details! It was evident that God had a different plan for my future and all of the events leading up to this moment were for a reason!

Plans are what you make while God is laughing!

Congratulations Elaine!

Press Release Source: Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker On Monday March 7, 2011, 9:00 am EST

HERSHEY, Pa., March 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Scharffen Berger® chocolate and TuttiFoodie.com announce the winners of the Fourth Annual Chocolate Adventure Contest® - Cupcake Edition 2010 – and this year, it's all about chocolate and stout beer. As part of the contest, daring bakers were invited to develop an original cupcake recipe using Scharffen Berger chocolate and one or more of 14 "adventure ingredients."  The $10,000 Grand Prize went to "You Make Me Want To Stout" by Elaine Barbee from Missouri. A deeply rich chocolate cupcake included stout as the only adventure ingredient, used in four different ways, was unanimously chosen as the winner among over 2,000 recipe entries.

The Famous Cupcake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the recipe:

You Make Me Want To "Stout" Cupcakes

Creator: Elaine Barbee / MO
Adventure Ingredient: Stout Beer
Servings: 36

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS

batter:

• 2 cups flour
• 2/3 cup Scharffen Berger Unsweetened Natural Cocoa Powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk stout beer, room temperature and divided
• 2/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs

filling:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup milk stout beer, room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon good quality bourbon vanilla extract

stout reduction:

• 1/2 cup milk stout beer, room temperature
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar

buttercream frosting:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 6 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 2-3 Tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/2 cup stout reduction
• 2 teaspoons good quality bourbon vanilla extract
• edible gold stars, optional

PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. For the cupcakes: Line cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside.
3. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
4. In a medium saucepan bring the stout up to a simmer on medium heat.
5. Leave the saucepan on the stove and turn off the heat.
6. In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar.
7. Add the eggs and mix until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
8. Set the mixer speed on low and slowly begin pouring in 1 cup of hot stout.
9. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, until all of the dry ingredients have been incorporated.
10. With the motor running, pour the remaining cup of hot stout into the batter and mix until just combined. The batter should be thin.
11. Pour the batter into the liners about 2/3 of the way and bake for about 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cupcakes.
12. Poke a hole into the center of each cupcake with end of a wooden spoon and remove the cupcakes from the pans onto a cooling rack. Set aside.
13. For the filling: In a medium saucepan whisk together the cream, stout, eggs, sugar, flour and salt until smooth.
14. Place the pan over medium heat and bring to a slow boil, constantly whisking until the mixture thickens, about 8 to 10 minutes.
15. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla until fully incorporated.
16. Allow the mixture to cool slightly before spooning the mixture into the holes of the cupcakes.
17. For the reduction: Place the stout and sugar in a small saucepan, stir and bring to a boil.
18. Once the mixture has come to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 15 minutes until the mixture reduces by half.
19. Remove the mixture from the heat and set aside. The reduction will thicken as it cools.
20. For the frosting: Place the butter in a standing mixer or in a bowl using a hand mixer and cream until light and fluffy. Begin adding the sugar to the butter, 1/2 cup at a time until all of the sugar has been used. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
21. Add 2 tablespoons of cream and the vanilla to the butter mixture and continue beating on medium speed.
22. Slowly pour the reduction into the frosting until fully incorporated and the frosting is light and fluffy. If the frosting is stiff add the remaining tablespoon of cream into the frosting.
23. Scoop the frosting into a piping bag and pipe the frosting onto each cupcake.
24. If using edible stars, place them on the top of the frosting at them time and serve.

*Note: If you can't find milk stout this can easily be replaced with creamy stout for the same results.

Well, the rest is history.  Keep watching Elaine for all the great things she has in store for us.  I know this is just the beginning!

Pastor's Wives Bridal Shower Luncheon, A HUGE SUCCESS

This past weekend, I had the honor to host, along with 6 other WONDERFUL women, a luncheon for Pastor's Wives and Ladies Ministries Leaders in LaBelle, Florida.  The weather was so beautiful and the setting was gorgeous as well.  I wanted to share some of the photos with you so you could see how beautiful everything was.  The purpose for the luncheon was to inform the ladies about an exciting upcoming event on July 16th at the LaBelle Civic Center in LaBelle, Florida.  The theme of the conference in July is "Where Is My Bride" so it was easy to know that the ladies luncheon would be a Bridal Shower before the big event.

Our gift table....Love the Lace Umbrella!

We set up at my friend Louise's beautiful home on the river and the sun was shining so brightly.  Her veranda opens up to a beautiful view of the river and there was a warm, balmy breeze blowing just for us.

The tables were simply decorated with fresh plants wrapped in lace and beautiful stemware to enjoy our refreshing drinks.  Pastel tablecloths were used covered with beautiful white lace.  Lunch was served on delightful china...Only the best for our ladies.

 We served some wonderful Southern Ice Tea and delicious Lemonade.  It was cool and refreshing!


We also served some delicious Raspberry Creme Filled Cupcakes which were beautifully displayed on two cupcake towers.

Here are some more of our beautiful tables before they were filled with beautiful ladies!
Our Menu:

Homemade Chicken Salad

Fresh coleslaw
Fresh Fruit Salad
All served on a bed of fresh greens 
Croissant
Cupcakes

Cupcake Close Ups

I love these towers to display cupcakes

Last, but not least, I wanted to share the view.  All during the luncheon boats would go by and check out what we were doing...








What a beautiful day we had.

Let me share my cupcake recipe with you.  I know you'll want to make them yourself.

Raspberry Creme Filled Cupcakes

1 white cake mix
3 egg whites
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 1/4 c. water

Prepare cupcakes according to package directions on the cake mix.
Cool the cupcakes and fill with the following filling.

4 ounces softened cream cheese
1 t. raspberry extract
1 c. confectioners sugar
1/4 c. raspberry jam

Mix together until smooth and creamy.  Place in piping bag with filling tip.  Place tip in the center of the cupcake about 1/2 inch deep and squeeze filling in until it starts to bulge the cupcake slightly.

Icing:
Ice cupcakes with the following.
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1 stick butter
2 lbs. confectioners sugar
1 t. raspberry extract
1 t. almond extract

Mix together until smooth and creamy.  Place in piping bag with desired tip and frost cupcakes.
I used eatable pearl decorations and sprinkled with purple pearl dust.  I served them in Wilton Pedal cupcake liners.  I first baked them in regular cupcake liners.

Enjoy!

What's Coming UP????? Lots..check it out and see.

Hey followers.....
You might ask "what's coming up?"  Or at least I hope you are asking that...

Well!!  I am going to be featuring a VERY Special lady who just won $10,000 for a delicious cup cake recipe.  I'll ask her what her secrets are and how we can do the same thing.....You are going to love this interview.

Then I have been really into baking some good things for you lately...I'm going to give you a preview today, but you'll have to wait for recipes and more to come.  Are you entering baking contests???  I am and I am so excited to see what the future has to hold. 

 

 

Rasberry Burst Cupcakes..so good and so pretty.

Creamy and fancy.

I LOVE cupcake towers!  Don't You??

 

 

How about a little taste of Peanut Butter and Chocolate?

I Love making desserts...this one is NO BAKE!!

Watch for the interview...and more great recipes and photos!!!  What would you like to see a recipe for???
Leave me a comment as to what you want me to bake next....I'll do my best.

Is Your Home Healthy? Find out how to protect your family from hidden household dangers.

Hi Followers!

I hope you had a wonderful St. Patrick's Day.  It won't be long until Easter and I am busy preparing some wonderful dishes to share with you.  Hopefully I can give you some inspiration and share with you what Easter was like at my house as a child and as I was growing up.  It is a very important holiday in our house.

But today, I want to share something very important with you about making sure your home is safe and healthy.  I have been reading the book, The Healthy Home, by Dr. Myron Wentz and Dave Wentz and learning so much. The Wentz's are a father and son team who have come together to write a book that walks it readers room by room through a typical house, point out surprising health risks that we see everyday.  It has great colorful illustrations and quizzes.  It's really interesting and informative.  I've already made some changes in my own household.  Take two minutes to watch this video that is so interesting and will be a little teaser to the book.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-GGiziJvFI&feature=player_profilepage

You can also find out more at the website www.myhealthyhome.com.  You can purchase the book on Amazon and they even have it for the Kindle.

Now for us foodies...there is alot of information about safety in the kitchen and helping to get the very best nutritional value out of our foods.  Here is a sample of what you'll find.

Cut Less, Retain More
If you've ever cut up an apple only to have it turn brown in a manner of minutes, you've witnessed the depleting effects oxygen has on fresh produce. By exposing fruits and vegetables to oxygen, you're reducing the nutrient value of the food exponentially. Your taste buds have probably also noticed this -- bags of shredded carrots hardly have any flavor at all, whereas biting into a fresh, whole carrot is a completely different, and more satisfying, experience.

To prevent losing the nutrients in your foods, simply put down the knife. Give your children whole apples in their lunches instead of cutting them up. Skip the cartons of pre-sliced carrots and celery -- cut up your own vegetables for a party tray instead. You'll begin to see that many fruits and vegetables come prepackaged in their own skin, and don't need to be prepared in any way to be enjoyed. And if you must cut up your fruits or vegetables before you eat them, do the cutting right before you plan on eating, and cut larger pieces to prevent exposing too much of the produce to the air. 

And great news.. "One simple rule to remember; The less work you need to do while you're in the kitchen, the more nutrient value your food typically will have...reduce the amount of slicing, dicing, cooking, blending, boiling and peeling.

 



Cook with Care
How you decide to cook your vegetables will have a big influence on how much of the food's vitamins are retained to feed and fuel your body. Most research supports microwaving, baking, and steaming as the methods that are the least destructive and most efficient at protecting the nutritional content of your food. That's right, microwaving is on the ‘good' list.
 





In fact, studies show that vitamin C losses from broccoli due to boiling exceeded 30 percent, as opposed to about 20 percent for steaming and less than 10 percent for microwaving. 
                                                      Table of Contents:

Bedroom
Chapter 1: There's the Rub
Chapter 2: The Body Electric!
Chapter 3: Sleepytime

Bathroom
Chapter 4: Let's Get Personal
Chapter 5: Bright, White, and Pearly
Chapter 6: Don't Be a Dope

Kitchen Chapter 7: For the Love of Food
Chapter 8: Let's Get Cooking
Chapter 9: Drink Up!
 
Living Areas
Chapter 10: Clean Living
Chapter 11: High Tech, High Risk

 Garage and Yard
Chapter 12: Gremlins in the Garage
Chapter 13: Going Green in Your Yard 

So you can see that there is much more than just the cooking part...
Let me know what you think about the book and the web site please.  I would love your feedback.

I was provided a copy of this book, but was not paid to give a review.  The opinions are my own.