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AndiatBettyCrocker 4/29/2009 2:15:00 AM
Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of Mexican culture, food and music. It commerorates the victory of the humble Mexican army over the world-powerful French forces in “La Batalla de Puebla” on May 5, 1862. Mexican Brownies are the perfect dessert to serve at the end of a Mexican meal or any time you are having a craving for yummy brownies. 
They are chocolaty-rich with chocolate chips added to the brownie batter that already has chocolate syrup in it. A tablespoon of cinnamon is added for that "chocolate-c...
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Cinco de Mayo, Mexican Brownies, Mexican party, Potlucks & Barbecues
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AndiatBettyCrocker 4/28/2009 9:00:00 AM
Blake and I were in the kitchen together again over the weekend. Very early on Sunday morning, we whirled up a batch of Raspberry-Banana Yogurt Smoothies. Papa Jack was our photographer.
We started by putting some fresh raspberries into the blender container.
Then Blake added some ...
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8th Continent soymilk, kids in the kitchen, raspberry-banana yogurt smoothies, smoothies, Yoplait yogurt
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AndiatBettyCrocker 4/24/2009 7:30:00 AM
I’m always looking for new ideas for breakfast that I can make for friends who spend weekends with us at our cabin. Here are a couple of ideas I got while staying at a hotel a couple of weeks ago, when I ordered breakfast in my room.
Scrambled Eggs and Sausage Quesadilla: with Jack cheese, guacamole, salsa, and sour cream
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breakfast sliders, eggs and sausage quesadillas, Weekend breakfasts
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AndiatBettyCrocker 4/23/2009 7:38:00 AM
Just as soon as the snow melts, we hardy Midwesterners can hardly wait to spend time outdoors: sitting on our decks and cooking on our grills. Last month, the grill on our deck in northern Wisconsin looked like this. I took this photo from our heated screen porch because it was too cold to go outside to take it.
By last weekend, the snow had melted and it was warm enough, if not to eat outdoors, to cook outdoors. I sent Jack out with a seasoned whole chicken on a beer can and he put it on the grill for me...
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bacon-ranch potato salad, grilled beer-can chicken
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AndiatBettyCrocker 4/20/2009 11:27:00 AM
Beans are one of the oldest cultivated crops, dating back to 8,000 BC, when they were the mainstay of the diets of Meso Americans. Compared to most crops, they have relatively few enemies and require minimal care. The harvested plants and pods go right back into the soil as “green manure.” I learned all this while attending a class on heirloom beans, taught by Steve Sando from Rancho Gordo. A good source of protein and fiber, they are not only good for you, they add a ni...
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bean soup, ham bones, heirloom beans, Rancho Gordo
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AndiatBettyCrocker 4/16/2009 1:41:00 PM
Puff, was the name of a magic dragon, "who lived by the sea" (for those of us old enough to remember the song by Peter, Paul and Mary) but it is also the title of a new cookbook by Martha Holmberg, food editor for The Oregonian newspaper. All 50 recipes in this book, from appetizers and entrées to desserts are made with puff pastry (a buttery-rich, multilayered pastry).
I was asked to bring an appetizer to a friend’s home last night and decided to find one in my new cookbook using ham, so that I could&n...
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leftover ham, Martha Holmberg, Puff Cookbook, puff pastry
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AndiatBettyCrocker 4/16/2009 12:14:00 PM
With spring comes the fresh asparagus season. They looked so good in the supermarket where I shop that I decided to use them in appetizer for a meal we enjoyed with friends last week. I found this recipe for Asparagus and Mushroom Tarts at epicurious.com.
To make this recipe, roll out two puff pastry sheets (purchased at a supermarket) and cut them into 4 squares each. Then score a ½-inch border around the inside edges of each squa...
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asparagus and mushroom tarts, fresh asparagus, spring appetizer
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AndiatBettyCrocker 4/14/2009 7:30:00 AM
I own a digital camera and I take photos of food for this blog. But, that is where the similarity ends between my photos (that you have seen here) and the photos taken in our photo studios for the recipes that we develop in the test kitchens for our newsstand recipe magazines and cookbooks.
Our professional food photographers and food stylists were shooting photos last week, for a magazine that will be at newsstands this summer. I went over to the studios to see how they were doing and decided to bring you along with me via my camera.
Here is Nancy (the food stylist) preparing a new recipe. Sometimes a friend will ask me if we put marbles in th...
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blog photos, digital photos, food photography, food photography for bloggers, food styling
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AndiatBettyCrocker 4/7/2009 4:15:00 PM
With Easter just around the corner, why not organize an Easter brunch menu using recipes from the bettycrocker.com website.
Start with Mimosas
Serve this ...
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Easter Brunch, Easter Bunny Cake, Easter Bunny Cupcakes, Egg bake, mimosas, mini muffins, Spring Cookie Cutter Set
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AndiatBettyCrocker 4/7/2009 1:00:00 AM
I am so excited about about our new online Cooking Club called The Mixer. These classes will air for six weeks, starting tonight (Tuesday, April 7th). You can learn cooking and baking secrets, build your recipe collection, chat live with Betty Crocker Kitchens experts and become part of our community.
Check it out on Tuesdays 7 p.m EST, Wednesdays 9 p.m. EST and Saturdays 4 p.m. EST.
To learn more, visit bettycrocker.com/themixer
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Betty Crocker, cooking classes, cooking club, live chats, online cooking club, The Mixer