Bakers Love

Burger Time

I was somewhat hesitant when my friend Kim mentioned that we hit this burger joint on our way home from the Boeing Air Show.  I am not really a burger and fries person.  Don't get me wrong, I like them, I just choose to be kinder to my heart.  The kids seemed excited at the prospect of a good old cheeseburger with ketchup only.   Knowing that Kim would never steer us wrong, we headed to this little place called Five Guys.  Holycow this was a good burger.  What I found enjoyable was that my burger was wrapped in foil, then placed in a brown paper bag, and then the french fries were plopped on top.  Didn't matter if you were eating in the restaurant or taking it home, every order went out the same way.  Five Guys was fun, clean, and had a fantastic burger.  I give it a high five!  To my southern California friends, I see that there are now locations in Cerritos and Carson.  It is worth the trip.

Another delight from Facebook

Facebook has been a complete joy to me. I get to catch up with friends I am far away from, hear about family events, and see what is happening locally with friends I often only get to run into at Trader Joe's.  But my absolute favorite bonus of Facebook is that  I have reconnected with old friends.  Friends that I may have never had the opportunity to see again, and for that I am grateful.  Here is a picture of my friends Kelly and Suzanne.  Suzanne and I have kept in touch through the years, but it had been at least 20 years since we chatted with Kelly.  What a gift it was to share a few hours with these amazing ladies.  We shared all the usual information about where we had been, our families, kids, etc.  We laughed when we remembered old stories of the silly things we used to do as teenagers.  I adored every minute, and look forward to many more visits with some of my favorite ladies.  Thanks for a great night Kelly and Suzanne!

I also had a fun afternoon visiting with another blast form the past.  Denise and I went to High School and played softball together many, many moons ago.  She was always a hoot, and of course nothing has changed.  Catching up was absolutely delightful, but what I think I enjoyed the most was knowing that Denise was happy.  I look forward to more visits with Denise, I just need to weasel my way into cooking tamales with her!

Baseball, hot dogs, and FUN!

My friend Geoff asked me to make the most amazing, beautifully gourmet hot dog and take a picture with the Orioles diamond in the back.  Well, Geoff, as Mr. Harry Callahan once said, the only thing that belongs on a hot dog is mustard.   We wouldn't want to upset Dirty Harry now would ya punk. 

Two boys loving the big baseball game.  We really hit the perfect game.  Orioles were tied with the New York Mets.  Last inning, last at bat for the 'O's (That's what we call them now) bases were loaded. Two outs.  Base hit, and the runner scored the winning run.  Game over and we watched the O's beat New York, which is always a good thing.

A tired family after the O's won the game!

Welcome to Baltimore

When you arrive in a new city 3 hours behind schedule at around ten o'clock at night, somehow you are bound to get lost.  That is just the way it is.  Embrace it because you might be pleasantly surprised.  We were lost, hungry, tired, and just wanted to get to our hotel to decompress.  Felex had to go to the bathroom, and this is something my kids just do not understand.  In big cities places like Rite Aid do not have a public bathroom, but he begged me and I took him in knowing that I could plead our way into a restroom.  Wes and Dexter waited outside and were going to call a cab  but instead started to talk to a police officer.  Officer T talked to us about his beloved city, and what we should do and eat while we were here.  We were saying our goodbyes when he just said, "get in".   He gave us a quick  tour on our drive, and quickly  reminded the kids that this was the ONLY time they should be in a police car. 

Off we go!

Our big trip is finally here.  We are taking the guys for an adventure in Baltimore and Washington DC.  Check in with me as we travel and experience some of the culinary delights of our friends to the east. 

Determined

My guys are determined to get their Dad's MG running.  Westley has owned this car for over 20 years. He found it in an overgrown pasture and towed it home.  He toiled for hours to make this little gem hum, and drove this tiny little car across the country while he was in the Navy.  Wes is a big giant of a guy, so to get an idea of what he looks like driving his MG just picture the Shriner's during a parade.  We have  moved this car at least 50 times since it no longer runs.  Until this summer.  The guys have made it their project to get this baby running again.  I overheard a conversation of a trip to Vegas in this car....just the guys.

Classic Coffee Cake

Today I share my favorite recipe for Classic Coffee Cake over at A News Cafe.  Coffee Cake is always a brunch favorite, and I think that you will find this simple recipe fits perfectly in the MUST MAKE category.

Enjoy!

The first tart of summer

Fresh fruit tarts just scream summer to me.  Lucky for me  I found some fantastic strawberries, blueberries, and peaches that were just calling out to be made into a glorious tart.  

A Delight from Facebook

I was inspired to make these cupcakes from a Facebook exchange between a few friends.  Felex made his favorite chocolate cupcake recipe, which is a simple one bowl ditty easy enough for kids to do solo.  We made a quick chocolate ganache and topped our little delights with cherry jam.  Thanks for the great idea Penny! 

Kid friendly quick chocolate cupcakes
Makes 24

2 1/2 cup All purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs plus one yolk
1 1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup warm water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Prepare 2 cupcake pans.

In a large bowl whisk together all the dry ingredients.  Make a well in the center and add the remaining wet ingredients.  Whisk together until smooth.  Divide the batter into the muffin cups, filling about half full.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Frost with a simple ganache

Enjoy!

No Baking...just love

Dexter and his best buddy Ike. 

We had one of those family days on Sunday morning where not one person wanted to move from their favorite post.  As the day began to tick away, I thought what a shame it was that nothing was accomplished.  No clean house, no amazing pastry delight, no completed final draft,  no feeling of satisfaction with a job well done.  The only reasonable solution was to check out and go for a hike.  Dexter was the only one that was game.  So we took off, water, dogs, snacks, and we headed to one of our favorite quick escapes. Whiskeytown Falls.  A glorious day was had.  We trekked up to the falls and then dipped our feet, and the dogs, into the cool falls.  A perfect way to spend the day, avoiding housework and final papers.