For those of you out there who wanted to know about all the cooking I do, is this the post for you.
Let’s go to a time when I was quite pregnant at the state fair. I decided I wanted to win ribbons, validation.
My mom had won ribbons for her photography, my dad had won ribbons for his woodworking.
I could make a pretty wicked cookie so I ran with it.
My Granny bought me a Kitchenaid for my birthday and I never looked back.
I totally won, 11 big shiny ribbons, most of them blue.
I branched out, never even knew I had it in me.
I expanded my baked horizons and realized I had a gift. I was a crummy cook when Cody and I got married. (CRUMMY.) I could burn chicken and somehow the middle would still be bloody and raw. I could burn chili to the point it tasted like the pot it was cooked in.
But one day it clicked, and I haven’t trashed much of anything since. In fact almost everything I touch turns to culinary gold.
(TOOT TOOT, that’s my own horn, hope you don’t mind.)
Take my Swiss Meringue Buttercream.
Chocolate Fudge Cake
Pizza
German Chocolate Cake
Baguettes
Blueberry crumb muffins.
Pecan pie, apple almond crumb pie, chocolate toffee cookies and chocolate chip cookies
Cinnamon rolls and brownies
And in case you’re thinking “Huh, I’m sure she uses a mix somewhere in there.”
You’d be dead wrong my friend.
Everything is from scratch. Everything. Don’t believe me?
Apples for my apple pie.
And I cracked, shredded and pureed my OWN COCONUT for a coconut cake.
A four layer coconut cake.
That’s right, bow on down.
So here’s a tricky little problem that comes along with baking.
Your kid reads cookbooks and tells you what you can make her.
(And if you want recipes you’re pretty much out of luck, I’m too lazy to write them out, let alone type them out. Okay, maybe someday I’ll do it. Okay, so I know my brownie recipe off the top of my head, so here goes, don’t tell me I never did you any favors.)
The Best Damn Brownies You’ll Ever Have
Melt one stick of unsalted butter and eight ounces of chocolate (milk, dark, semi sweet, take your pick)
Pour into a large mixing bowl and whisk in a cup and a half of sugar. Then whisk in four eggs, each one at a time.
Mix in a teaspoon of vanilla and fold in 3/4 cups of flour and a quarter teaspoon salt with a large spatula.
Bake in a 375 degree oven for 45-50 minutes. (Oh yeah, spray an 8×8 pan with cooking spray and line with parchment leaving a one inch overhang on two sides. Use the overhang as a “sling” to take the brownies out when they’re done)
See how horrible I am at writing down recipes? Good luck if you actually try them, promise I didn’t botch it up on purpose. They really are the best damn brownies ever.
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Remember to catch up on the last couple posts, don’t want to leave you in the NaBloPoMo dust when the most twisted love story ever continues tomorrow.
making unbreakable - formerly moosh in indy. 
mmm I’ll be trying the recipe this weekend- It’s my solemn promise that I will not botch them up on purpose! I still haven’t been able to use my kitchenaid mixer- we can’t find a power transformer here in the Uk-sold out!!
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Ooh and btw Squidge has a bunch of babylegs too- aren’t they great?!??!
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Got any weight watchers friendly recipes?? I think I just gained 10 pounds LOOKING at thos pictures! Oh, dang….let me get a tissue to wipe up my drool…..
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I think my muffin top grew just looking at those pictures.
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kitchenaid mamas unite.
i use mine for everything.
everything.
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So, Mona from Hello Insomnia agreed to photograph my wedding and be paid in adoration and time with me (I think she was just being nice, but I’m totally holding her to that. Hope she doesn’t mind flying across the country.) But YOU, dear…you’re not that far. So you’ll totally bake my wedding cake, right? For free? I mean, for adoration??? Right. See you here then. THANKS!!!!
😉
I’m SOOOO jealous of your mad bakin skillz AND your lovely kitchen aide – I WILL have one…It’s going on my registry with big giant stars next to it…maybe I’ll put on the invitation that whoever brings the kitchen aide will be guest of honor. Anyway, sorry to ramble…your brownies don’t seem much harder than old Betty’s. Maybe I’ll try them. Though, the banana nut muffins I made from scratch got mixed reviews. (The Man tried to be nice and the kids didn’t complain.)
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OH MY GOD!
That’s all I’ve got. You’ve left me speechless with a watering mouth. Yum.
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Impressive – I on the other hand burn the boxed batter mixes.
What talent. Nice pictures too – I am suddenly very hungry.
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I LOVE my Kitchen-aid but haven’t put it to use in months. With Christmas coming, though, it will get a workout.
Wanna come to Ontario to a cookie swap? 🙂
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I would like a slice of chocolate fudge cake, please. Mmmm!
And, I’m planning on trying those brownies. It seems I can trust you for baking recipes!
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I would weigh a ton if I lived with you!!!!
My mouth is watering.
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Is that a baby moosh bum I see?
And oh, I DO bow down to you!!!
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OOOOOOOH! Let’s do a cookie swap!!
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can you adopt me? i’d even live in indy.
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Send me some baking.
Pretty please.
Cuz dude, I NEEEEEEEED it…
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Thanks for the recipe. I have to admit I was tuning in today for more of the love story. I have been quite entertained so far 🙂
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OMG. How is it that you are so tiny in the face of all this yummy.
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Why oh why did you do this to me today? I’m standing IN the Apple store waiting for my computer and hungry – VERY hungry.
This is torture.
PURE torture.
The guy reading over my shoulder is not Mr. OMSH, but he too is drooling. It has nothing to do with me.
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Oooh! You should enter into the daring bakers blog roll thing. They have a new theme every month, but you’d have to write the recipes down. I’d sure tune in for that. http://daringbakersblogroll.blogspot.com/
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I can barely go 25 minutes without retching and yet all that food looks so good to me! You’ve got a gift, lady.
Will you marry me too? I’m going to need some fattening up.
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Dood, if Casey ever does leave you, come to Massachusetts and I’ll marry you. Those baquettes are what pushed me over the edge. I mean, the cookies and cakes are drool-icious, but anyone who can bake baguettes is, well, something flattering that’s escaping my memory right now.
Mmmm. Bread.
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so jealous your a stick and you can eat that food…. so fair
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I’m speechless. And hungry.
Can I come over?
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I’m so impressed with your cooking ability. If that was the only thing holding our husbands to us, mine would have left a long time ago. I’m a lousy cook – I can even make food from a mix taste bad.
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impressive. it even looks pretty.
dang.
now get going with that love story already…
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pecan pie.
must have.
can i come over for some please? 😉
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I didn’t think it was possible to love you more. But I do.
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Thanks! Now I’m starving!! Everything looks so good I can almost smell it.
I tagged you for the 8 Things Meme. Do it if you need some filler!
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I am an awesome cook. I struggle with baking (That damn precision that you have to pay attention to) but I am getting better.
LOVE my kitchen aid, but yours is cuter!!!
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I kind of want to bathe in that buttercream meringue concoction. Mmm.
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Oh, I remember that coconut cake like it was in my mouth yesterday. Sooooo delicious, and I brag about you and it all the time!
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Just caught up on the love story. Omigod! Need more installments! More! Did I tell you my husband was junior soldier of the year in the Sally Ann? And that his paretns were missionaries?
You were SUCH a badass, you major cook you!
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Mmmmm… Will you move in with me? I love food but can’t cook worth a damn. You can bake all you want and I’ll do your laundry.
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seriously…we are kindred spirits. i too rock in the kitchen and i am so not ashamed to say it!!
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OMG, now I really NEED some chocolate!
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That’s a terrible thing to blog about for a women who is 37 weeks pregnant & fighting gestational Diabetes.. I would love to have any / all of those items. You GO girl!
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I will be trying that recipe…with white chocolate…YUM 😀
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Very impressive!!! Too bad you live far, far away….
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absolutely FABULOUS.
do you live in hawaii alluvasudden?? i didn’t know they even SOLD cocunuts.
i enjoy what little time i spend in the kitchen (nothing to your abilities, tho i do make a mean chicken paprikas!)
keep havin’ fun. & congrats on all your kudos!
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Not to detract from your sweet baking skills, but is the Moosh wearing the coolest leg warmers I’ve ever sen?
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Make that “seen”.
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Mmmmmm…coconut cake…did I mention tomorrow is my birthday?
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I am so trying that recipe this week.
My KitchenAid and I are quite close (pauses to lick her KitchenAid)
And I, too, create culinary gold 😉
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How are you so tiny!? I’m impressed! Although this is not the post I needed to read two weeks into Weight Watchers. I am drooling. DROOLING.
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By the way, you were awesome as the star of that movie “Waitress” … “Gonna make a pie from heaven above, gonna make a pie with strawberry love ….”
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Oh you are EVIL!
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I love to bake too. People try to tell me that a boxed cake mix is from scratch and I try not to get all arrogant with them to tell them that “hell no it isn’t”. I’m afraid of yeast though. But, your baguettes are gorgeous!
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Isn’t taking pictures of food fun?
I’m impressed that with baking skills like that you are still as hot as you are… hmm…
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Ok, you’re making the rest of us look bad;)
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Okay, I’m going to make your brownies tonight, and then we are going to go head to head, sister, because we are baking bretheren. And I have the best brownie recipe EVER. See here:
I’ll report back to see if I can hold my own after I make yours. 🙂
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