Category Archives for "Happenings"

Jul 03

Caramel Buttercream Cake Inspired by Donna Hay

By Sharon | Happenings

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I have two Foreign Exchange Students coming for the 2015 High School Year.

Victoria is from Norway and Carolin is from Germany. Hopefully we will get them to do some guest posts while they are here because they are interested in baking also.

We communicate a lot on text messages to get things all planned and ready for their arrival and school year. Last week while we chatted I was making this cake and I promised them a picture.

So, Victoria and Carolin this is for you!

I love Caramel! I love Donna Hay’s recipes. And she makes everything look so beautiful. This Caramel Butter Cream Cake came across in my Facebook feed and I was inspired to make it right away.

Mine is not as pretty as hers but was probably just as tasty. It’s a very sweet frosting and I suggest putting a thinner layer on and serving it with vanilla ice cream to help cut the sweetness.

Donna’s recipe makes a large cake. We were giving pieces of it away to the neighbors. So, if you’re just making it for a small family cut the recipe in half. You will still have a large cake. I refer to this as the 2 pound butter cake! You will see when you look at the ingredients.

But in the last week as I thought about this cake my mind went to things I could do to make the recipe more to my taste of not being so sweet. So keep an eye for my version in the near future.

 

Jan 22

An Update on My CBS Baking Show Audition

By Sharon | Happenings

I arrived for my audition for the CBS Baking Show in Los Angeles full of excitement.  I took a treat that came from the only thing I remember my mother actually baking when I grew up.

My dish was adjusted from the original and plated beautifully. When I was young every year at the holidays my mother made Walnut Kolachi.  Then I tried a version at a bakery in New Hampshire that was filled with chocolate instead of walnuts.  I couldn’t tell you what it was called or how he made it but I loved it.  I would buy it every time I had the chance.
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Nov 25

Exciting News!

By Sharon | Happenings

I have been given the fantastic opportunity to audition for a new baking show being produced by CBS. They’re doing auditions in Los Angeles on December 1 and I’m going to go and give it my best shot. It looks like they’re modeling it after The Great British Bake Off. I love that show, I’ve seen every episode.

Only now, I look at my blog and see things that are lacking because we’ve been working on recipes and website formatting.

Let’s face it, I’ve done a terrible job of keeping up with my blog.  But I’ve been baking.  This year has been very busy with the move from Texas to Southern California.  We purchased a home that was being built so we had to make lots of choices and now we have landscaping, painting, window coverings and so many little things to get set up.Continue reading

Oct 02

Sous Vide – How Curiosity Led to Healthly Concerns

By Sharon | Happenings

Let me start by saying this is not a product endorsement.

We’ve been watching a lot of cooking shows and would like to try the whole Sous Vide Cooking Method.

Before I add another expensive piece of equipment to my kitchen I’m planning on using a pot of water on the stove with my thermometer inserted and temperature carefully controlled.

I already own a FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer that I wondered if I could seal the Sous Vide bags with.  As I was adding them to my Amazon shopping cart I thought I check to see if the Sous Vide bags would seal with my sealer.Continue reading

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