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jillbcooks 5/5/2009 8:53:00 AM
A concerned mom posed a great question on the Betty Crocker message board last week. Her daughter is an avid baker who aspires to be a professional chef when she grows up. The trouble is that the would-be chef enjoys making treats like cookies and brownies as hands-on learning, and perhaps enjoys too many sweets, according to mom.
As a cookbook author and recipe developer, I can definitely relate. Often it takes me a few tries to pe...
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Bake sale, baking, baking club, charity, children
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jillbcooks 4/23/2009 8:58:00 AM
My friends and family often think that because I am a cookbook author, everything I try to cook turns out beautifully. Not true..not at all. In fact, I tried to make cookies yesterday and I missed the mark. Since the cookies were for my husband’s book club, I wanted them to be good tasting and nice looking. The cookie dough was simple to make: stir together a package of Betty Crocker brownie mix, ¼ cup of oil, a tablespoon of water and two eggs. I even used a very small scoop so my cookies would be uniform and bite sized, but they spread in the oven, running into one another. A bit dismayed, I knew I couldn’t send these off to book cl...
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baking, brownie mix, ice cream sandwiches
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jillbcooks 12/30/2008 9:10:00 AM
With most schools still on break until next week, at this point parents could probably use some inspired ideas to keep kids happy and occupied. There are a multitude of activities for kids and families like roller skating or going to an indoor water park. But these activities can cost a lot. Stuffing teddy bears at the mall or playing games at an arcade is fun for maybe one day of winter break, but done repeatedly these activities can break the bank.
A fun alternative is getting kids active in the kitchen. Cooking and baking appeals to toddlers and teens, and it can create memories as meaningful as any that cost many times more money. Who knows?...
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baking, Contest, cookies, recipe, activities, children, cookie mixes
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jillbcooks 12/4/2008 8:32:00 AM
I positively adore watching those cake decorating contests on television and just marvel at the ingenuity of the decorators crafting these tall and elaborate masterpieces. A few years ago I took a cake decorating course where I learned the basics. Each week we were to bring a cake to frost and design. My husband, who signed me up for the class as a gift, especially loved when I came home from class, toting along a cake decked out with chrysanthemums, barnyard animals or intricate vines or whatever we learned that week. Though it might be crazy to admit, we found ourselves with too much cake week to week with all this decorating practice, so I decided to make cupcakes and...
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baking, Cupcakes, coconut, decorating, family fun, hanukkah, holidays, latkes
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Heidi at Betty Crocker 4/7/2008 4:13:00 PM
Rose Levy Beranbaum was at General Mills today to talk about Heavenly Cakes, her new book coming out next fall. If you're a baker, you're familiar with her name. For those who don't know, she’s also written ...
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bread, baking, cake, Rose Levy Beranbaum
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Heidi at Betty Crocker 2/27/2008 4:09:00 PM
We had a Bake Sale today at work with all the proceeds benefiting Second Harvest Heartland, a hunger-relief organization. This is the fifth year we've hosted the sale. The first year we made about $90. This year is looks like we're going to top $800. As is the case every year, General Mills matche...
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Bake sale, baking
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AndiatBettyCrocker 2/14/2008 1:42:00 PM
On my way to work today I was listening to a public radio story about Saint Valentine, a holy priest of Rome. He performed wedding ceremonies for young couples in secret because Emperor Claudius II had cancelled all engagements and weddings. Claudius was having a hard time getting young men to enlist in the military and he believed it was because the men didn't want to leave their loved ones, when it fact it was due to bloody and unpopular battles. Saint Valentine was jailed for his actions and fell in love with the jailer's daughter before he was beheaded on February 14, 270 A.D. Story has it that he signed his farewell message to her: "From Your Valentine."How sw...
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baking, cakes, chocolate, Valentine's Day
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AndiatBettyCrocker 2/7/2008 10:00:00 AM
Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday. I love anything heart-shaped including dishes, table runners, napkins, flower vases, candles and, of course, food. This may have something to do with the fact that Jack and I were married on Valentine's Day, many years ago.
It's not too early to start baking up something sweet for your sweeties. Here are some fun and delicious recipes that you can make over the upcoming weekend and if you are lucky you will have some left on February 14th....
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baking, cookies, hearts, holiday, Valentine's Day
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Heidi at Betty Crocker 1/18/2008 4:01:00 PM
I've been sick this whole week (hence my lack of a post on Monday--sorry about that) so I haven't been cooking or eating much which doesn't make for interesting blogging (sorry again). Weather forecasters are predicting extremely cold temperatures this weekend, so it would be a good time to bake, provided I can work it into my nap schedule. If I plan it right, I should only have to leave the house once, to go to the grocery store, and then I can settle into my cozy little kitchen and bake to my heart's content. Here's a recipe I plan to try. Warm bread and caramel--what's not to like?Pull-Apart Caramel Loaf Prep Time: 10 Minutes Start t...
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caramel rolls, baking, recipe