Mommiedaze

Cookie of the Week: I Give Up On This One

So they sounded good in theory.

Carmel Apple cookies.

Perfect for fall right?

I tried two different recipes. One two weeks ago, one today. Neither recipe worked. The caramel burned before the cookies were done. The caramel stuck to the pan even with no-stick cooking spray and parchment paper.

I say caramel baked into a cookie just isn’t a good idea.

I guess I should have taken photos of my disasters, but I was so frustrated I just scrapped the mess off the baking sheets and right into the garbage.

I made a brownie mix tonight to snack on instead. Easy, no fail.

Off to look for next week’s recipe.

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Girls Just Wanna Win Swag: Tees For Change

The winner of last week’s Boojiboo giveaway is Kristy.

I’d like to introduce you to Andreea and her company Tees for Change this week.

Tees for Change offers eco-friendly t-shirts for the whole family adorned with positive messages such as CHOOSE HAPPINESS, TODAY MATTERS, LAUGH OFTEN and PRACTICE KINDNESS.

Andreea’s idea for Tees For Change was sparked when she was expecting. “I started Tees For Change when I was pregnant with my son, and decided to have a home birth with a midwife. I received a lot of negative comments and responses full of fear, so I decided to make a shirt for myself that said Be Courageous. This is how Tees For Change was born.”

“I knew that I had a great idea, and I had a lot of experience in marketing and eco-friendly products. I was also really interested in making my business as “green” as possible, so all the materials used in the t-shirts are eco-friendly and sustainable. I wanted to make a difference with my business, so we’ve partnered with Trees For The Future to plant a tree for every shirt we sell.”

That eco-friendly philosophy and their high quality tees are what make Tees For Change so unique. “Our tees are made from organic cotton or bamboo and they have a great fit! They are super soft and comfortable. They not only help you look good, but they make you feel good, through the positive messages on each shirt, and do good, by planting a tree for every shirt purchased,” says Andreea.

Win It

Tees for Change is generously offering one of you the chance to win any one short sleeve bamboo T-shirt in your choice of color and size. To enter, visit Tees for Change, then come back here and leave a comment ON THIS POST with your favorite item from the store. Comments not following the rules will be disqualified.

Earn an extra entry by posting about this contest on your blog, and linking to this post and to Tees for Change. If you do the extra credit, let me know by leaving a separate comment with the link to your post.

Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. The contest is open to residents of the US and Canada.

The contest will run until 11:59 p.m. EST Oct. 15th.

I’ll randomly draw a winner, and announce it on the next edition of Girls Just Wanna Win Swag.

The winner will also be contacted by email, and will have three days to reply. If the winner does not reply in three days, another will be chosen. You may also check Prizey Fetch to see if you’ve won.

Keep up with the weekly Swag giveaways. Subscribe to my RSS feed in a reader or by email. Click here.

Have a women-owned business you’d like featured in a Swag giveaway? Send me an email (see the side bar) and let me know.

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Cookie of the Week: Some Science behind the Chocolate Chip Cookie

Well there was no Cookie of the Week post last week, because I tried a new recipe and it was a complete disaster.

This week, at my husband’s request, I made old tried and true Chocolate Chip cookies. Now I know everyone probably already has a favorite Chocolate Chip cookie recipe. The one I use is the one my mom always used, and I think from the back of the chocolate chip bag.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

1/2 cup margarine

1/2 cup shortening

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp soda

1/2 tsp water

1 tsp vanilla

1 bag chocolate chips

Cream together sugar, margarine, shortening and eggs. Add the rest of the ingredients. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 375 degrees on an ungreased cookie sheet for 10 to 12 minutes.

I’ve learned two tricks to making these cookies over the years that improved them.

First, I started replacing all the butter and shortening with Butter Flavor Crisco.

Ever make cookies with butter or margarine, and find that they can really spread and come out flat? That happens because the butter or margarine melts too fast during the baking process.

Butter, margarine and Crisco or shortening are all fats. When the fat in a cookie melts in the oven, it releases moisture that the heat turns into steam. The steam helps the cookie rise. But it also pushes the cookie outward if there’s too much steam released before the dough has set. When you use Crisco the steam starts to release at about the same time the cookie starts to set. That gives you a nicely raised cookie that holds together.

For flavor it does have to be Butter Flavor Crisco. Plain shortening would affect the taste of the cookies. You can substitute Butter Flavor Crisco for butter or margarine in almost any cookie recipe. I use it to make biscuits too.

The other thing I’ve learned about Chocolate Chips cookies is that the type of cookie sheet you bake them on is important. I’ve used coated non-stick, Air-Bake and baking stones, but the sheet that gets the job done best is a thick aluminum baking sheet like professional bakers use. Nordic Ware make a great half-size professional grade aluminum baking sheet you can pick up for around nine dollars at discount department stores. It’s worth investing in a couple.

Aluminum heats up quickly and distributes heats evenly so that all the cookies bake at the same rate. A thicker sheet allows the cookies to cook through, and brown on tops and bottom at the same time. Dark, coated sheets brown the bottoms too fast. Usually you either end up with burned bottoms or raw middles. Air-Bake sheets are supposed to not burn the bottoms of cookie by using an insulating pocket of air. But I find they they can take to long to brown the cookies on bottom, or never even brown then at all. If you leave the cookies in the oven waiting for the tell-tale brown edges you can end up over-baking them. I don’t like the stones because they take too long to warm up. They can double the baking time in some cases.

Baking is really just a bunch of chemical reactions triggered by heat. If you learn a little bit about the science behind it, you can use it to make some of your favorite recipes even better. Or even make up your own.

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Knoxville, BBQ and Moonshine

Finally, a post about our trip. I’m sure your are just on pins and needles waiting to hear about it.

No?

Well, humor me and read it anyway.

It’s actually going to be four posts. It would have made for one very long, long post, and I’m sure I would have lost you around day two. So I split it up for your reading pleasure.

We hit the road about 7 am Tuesday for Knoxville, Tennessee. It was a pretty uneventful drive. It’s an easy trip, following interstates most of the way. We arrived in Knoxville around 5:30 that evening. We might have gotten there even sooner, except it seems that life moves a little S-L-O-W-E-R in Kentucky. I swear, between Cincinnati and Jellico everyone on I-75 was driving five to ten miles an hour under the speed limit.

I was concerned about how David would do spending some nine hours in a car, but I was surprised. He was so good. He never complained about being in the car, and didn’t get really wound up. He was a lot more patient than I thought he would be.

We kept him entertained with snacks and toys. We tried letting him watch a movie on the laptop. That made for a couple nervous hours while he sat in the back seat by himself holding my computer. He’s already done in one laptop around our house. To be honest, I was grateful when the battery went dead, and I got it back from his sticky little hands. He napped part of the way too which was wonderful. One we started to get into the hills he occupied himself by looking out the window.

After we checked into our luxury suite at Motel 6 –

You know it wasn’t bad. It was clean, it was quiet, it was comfortable and it was cheap.

Anyhow, after that we went to dinner.

Before we left, I did a little on line research of BBQ joints in Knoxville. Dave and I have spent a lot of our 10 years of marriage in search of the perfect BBQ. We headed over to Buddy’s, voted best BBQ in Knoxville several years in a row.

It wasn’t quite what I expected. Buddy’s was inside a gas station, and it was more of a fast food restaurant. Think KFC but with pulled pork. But it was good. We went back for breakfast the next morning too. If you’re in the Knoxville area, there are several Buddy’s. Definitely check them out.

Besides the BBQ, I also appreciate the fact that they actually drink Sweet Tea in the South. My mother always made sweet iced tea. Growing up I thought everyone in the Midwest made sweet tea. Apparently my mother is the only Midwesterner to do so. I do not know why you all suffer that nasty, bitter stuff.

Put some sugar in it. It’s yummy.

Tuesday night was also our introduction to the extreme devotion Knoxvillians have to the University of Tennessee and the Volunteers. First, let me just say that I know very little about college football. Until last week when I heard “UT” I thought they were talking about Utah. I also did not know that Peyton Manning once played for UT.

Everything in Knoxville is orange and white, UT’s colors. And many, many businesses use the word Volunteer in their name like Volunteer Gas, Volunteer Bank, Little Volunteer’s Daycare. You get the picture. We even saw a barn painted orange emblazoned with the UT logo. Dave eventually bought a UT hat and wore it around. I felt it was necessary for our personal safety.

I was also shocked when I saw the gas prices.

We haven’t seen gas as low as $3.39 a gallon in Michigan for over a year probably.  And that was with the shortage Tennessee is still experiencing because of Ike. It was about 50 cents cheaper than it was here when we left. If only we’d brought at 50 gallon drum with us.

Now with the exception of all the orange, the big rolling hills and the accent Knoxville didn’t seem that much different from home. Oh, and strangers were more friendly. Very polite and conversational. Southern Hospitality is a real thing.

Speaking of beverages, there was this one headline in the local paper…

You just don’t hear about that kind of thing in Michigan.

So that’s day one. Day two coming soon.

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Girls Just Wanna Win Swag: Cake and a Prayer

Sara was last week’s winner of the $25 gift certificate from Seedling Textiles.

This week I have a truly unique company with a special product and wonderful mission to introduce you to, Cake and a Prayer.

Cake and a Prayer is an online purveyor of delectable cakes and spiritually uplifting gifts. With a gift from Cake and a Prayer®, you can send a message of love, congratulations, encouragement or sympathy. Each gift is personalized and arrives beautifully packaged with a personal gift message with your prayer for the recipient.

Cake and a Prayer owner Kimberly Corley says her business was born out of a desire to find a tangible and meaningful way to let someone know you are praying for them. “In 2006 a very close friend lost three family members in less than a year. I did everything I could to keep her encouraged and to help her through the difficult times. When I wanted to send a message of hope and love to her, I couldn’t find anything unique and special to express the appropriate sentiment.”

“Around the same time I was helping a friend, Julie, with her business plan for a bakery. As a former youth minister, she shared her plans to pray for each person ordering from the bakery. At that moment, something in my heart clicked. What if you could send a Cake and a Prayer to let someone know you are thinking of them and praying for them? From that point forward, I could not sleep. I began the plans for Cake and a Prayer and in January, 2008 I left my corporate technology job and worked full time to bring what I call a “vision from God” to life. In April, 2008, the website was launched in time for Mother’s Day. The response was overwhelming and the momentum has not stopped. In a recent customer survey, 96% of our customers said it was the “most unique gift they have ever received.”

Cake and a Prayer offers three gift options:

Cake Only with Personalized Prayer Message (Choose from two cake sizes - 6-inch or 10-inch )

Cake and a Prayer® Gift Package - includes personalized card with your prayer for the recipient, 6-inch succulent lemon pound cake, elegant 5×7 framed Biblical scriptures or customized words of inspiration.

Cake and a Prayer® “Elite” Gift Package - for our most discerning customers who want to commemorate an occasion in a “big” AND “unforgettable” way. Each “Elite” cake gift comes beautifully packaged in a iridescent white box with chocolate, kiwi and cream silk ribbon accents, with a 10-inch delectable lemon pound cake, 8×10 elegantly framed Biblical scriptures or customized words or inspiration.

Kimberly says Cake and a Prayer also periodically introduces “Limited Edition” Gift Packages for holidays and other special occasions. ” Stay tuned for our “Pink” gift package in October for Breast Cancer Awareness month. A portion of the proceeds from each “Pink” package will be donated to the fight against breast cancer. In November we will introduce our “Home for the Holidays” Package with a special surprise cake flavor. Think pumpkin, spice and everything nice.”

Kimberly is married with two teenage daughters. One is a freshman in college, the other a senior in high school.

Prior to starting Cake and a Prayer, she spent 20 years at various Fortune 500 companies working in their corporate technology departments. “At the age of 45, I decided to “go for it” and I am in it to win it,” she says.

For Kimberly the most rewarding part of Cake and a Prayer are the testimonials and feedback she receives from customers who have been touched by the gift they received. “On the days when there are not enough hours to get everything done or I struggle to balance family, work and personal relaxation, it is the knowledge that our products make a difference for people that truly inspires me to keep going, keep improving and keep innovating.”

“I am inspired,” says Kimberly, “when I can use my experiences to help others bring their dreams to life. Most recently I worked with a few women at my church to start the Entrepreneurial Development Network. Our mission is to share resources and lessons learned and to inspire each other to move beyond the ‘voice in our head’ that tries to tell us we don’t have what it takes and to use our God-given talents to generate wealth to make a difference for others. Our first meeting was in August and over 80 business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs were in attendance.”

Win It

Kimberly is generously offering a gift certificate to one lucky reader that can be used to send a Cake and a Prayer Gift Package to anyone in the United States with the exception of Alaska and Hawaii. Cake and a Prayer does not ship to AK and HI.

To enter, visit Cake and a Prayer, look around the site, then click on the Order Now button. Continue to Step 2 to view card message options. Come back here and leave a comment ON THIS POST with what message option you would choose, and who you would send the cake to. Comments not following the rules will be disqualified. Earn an extra entry by posting about this contest on your blog, and linking to this post and to Cake and a Prayer. If you do the extra credit, let me know by leaving a separate comment with the link to your post.

Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. The contest is open internationally.

The contest will run until 11:59 p.m. EST Oct. 1st I’ll randomly draw a winner, and announce it on the next edition of Girls Just Wanna Win Swag. The winner will also be contacted by email, and will have three days to reply. If the winner does not reply in three days, another will be chosen. You may also check Prizey Fetch to see if you’ve won.

Keep up with the weekly Swag giveaways. Subscribe to my RSS feed in a reader or by email. Click here.

Have a women-owned business you’d like featured in a Swag giveaway? Send me an email (see the side bar) and let me know.

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Tutorial: Time to Make the Doughnuts

One of my favorite fall traditions is visiting a local apple orchard that serves up fresh, hot doughnuts and cider. But you don’t have to leave home to enjoy this autumn snack. It’s easy and fun to make doughnuts at home. If you have older kids, it’s something the whole family can do together.

The ingredients you need for your doughnuts are:

2 eggs

2 tbs shortening

3/4 cup milk

3 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 - 3 cups vegetable oil

Additional white sugar or powdered sugar to coat the doughnuts

To start, you need a deep, heavy-bottomed pot and a candy thermometer that clips on the side of your pot.

Fill the pot with two to three cups of vegetable oil. You want to bring the temperature of the oil up to 375 degrees over medium heat, and maintain it there. Too hot and your doughnuts will burn. Too cool and your doughnuts will soak up the oil while they cook and be soggy.

While the oil heats stir up the batter. It should be mixed by hand, not with an electric mixer. Start by beating the eggs slightly with a fork in a large bowl. Add sugar, shortening and milk. Stir. Mix in flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Stir the nutmeg and cinnamon together in a separate bowl then add to the rest of the mixture. Dough will be slightly sticky and moist. I think it resembles biscuit dough.

Now you can turn the dough out on to a floured surface, roll and cut into rounds with a doughnut cutter. But it’s faster to just make doughnut holes by dropping rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into the oil. I like to use a small scoop.

So when the oil hits 375 degrees go ahead and drop your batter in. You can do three or four doughnut holes at a time depending on the size of your pot. Watch the temperature and adjust your burner as needed to maintain 375 degrees.

While your first doughnuts are cooking you can get two plates and fill one with white sugar and one with powdered sugar for rolling the finished doughnuts in.

The doughnut will float to the top when it’s ready to be turned. Flip and cook an additional 2-3 minutes on the other side. The doughnut should be a deep golden brown. Watch that they don’t start to burn.

Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked doughnuts to paper towel to drain.

When the doughnuts are cool enough to handle, roll them in the white sugar or powdered sugar. Personally, I prefer the white sugar or no sugar at all.

Then enjoy while still fresh and warm!

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Cookie of the Week: Snickerdoodles

Well, I’m in a car on my way to Knoxville, TN right now. This is coming to you via the magic that is Autopost. I made some Snickerdoodles to take with us to snack on in the car. I figure they taste better, and are a little more wholesome than the junk available at gas stations and rest stops.

Snickerdoodle Recipe

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls. Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.

From All Recipes

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