Archive for November, 2010

E-I-E-I-O

It’s funny having blog friends. You read their blogs and see little clippets of their lives, share with them in their latest endeavors, watch them as they bare their souls. You begin to get the feeling that you know them, like you could show up at their house, pour a cup of coffee and laugh about the good times.

I have followed Natalie on her blog Our Southern House for quite a while. I always look forward to her posts and laugh at how similar we both are. She has such a beautiful family and lives such an awesome life. This past Saturday I had a chance to meet this blog friend, on her farm, in the flesh. It was so much fun.

Her family has the most charming farm north of Atlanta. They have friendly goats, gorgeous Scottish Highland cows and the most adorable chickens I have ever seen! Her family even has their own Christmas tree farm, how neat!

Needless to say, I was in “hog heaven” on the farm. It was so great to finally meet the people that I felt like I already knew. Watching them talk and laugh was like seeing pictures come to life.

The little ones had such a fun day feeding the chickens, goats and cows. I wish I could look that cute in a bonnet.

A big thanks to Natalie and her family. They’re some of the sweetest and most hospitable people – well, they’re Southerners, I wouldn’t expect any less.

Posted 11/16/10, Topic: Blog

Winner: Pecan Pumpkin Butter

Congratulations to Frances! She’s the winner of the Williams-Sonoma Pecan Pumpkin Butter. She entered the Halloween giveaway by sending in an adorable picture of her granddaughter. What a cutie!

Now, I know Halloween is over…but I figured if stores can put out Christmas displays in October and pipe holiday tunes through the air, I can post a few great “post” Halloween pics sent in from crafty BEY readers. They’re just too good not to share.

Kathy had some amazing decorations and an awesome make-up job:

I just love all the festive decor.

Eww, finger of ex-husband…creepy.

What a fun way to decorate a garage door.

Ooh laa laa, bringing the glam!

Gina had a ghastly display of Victorian-style Halloween decor:

I’m digging that creepy ‘stache.

Polka-dots are always a favorite. What a festive table display.

Shea’s really lost her head this time:

A gory Mary Antoinette, fabulous Audrey Hepburn and Longhorn’s Big Haired Lady. Please tell me there are costume contest trophies for this.

Wondering what the creepy Mary costume is up to? Looks like it’s busy scaring away all the trick-or-treaters!

A big thanks to all that participated. I loved seeing what Halloween looked like in your neck of the woods.

Posted 11/8/10, Topic: Blog

Makin’ Whoopie

… pie that is!

I don’t care if you have a hot Friday night date – cancel it!
I don’t care if you’ve been needing to arrange your sock drawer – it can wait!
Go home and make these. Make ’em and make them now! You trust me, right?

A fun take on traditional whoopie pies, these babies are Pumpkin Whoopie Pies. How fun is that? This was my first time making whoopie pies and I was a wee bit curious to see how they would turn out.

They were quite simple to make and they smelled absolutely delicious. If I knew I wouldn’t have burned all of my taste buds off, I would have crammed one of these hot puppies in my mouth.

Don’t worry, I restrained myself. (On second thought, maybe I should have burned my mouth… then I wouldn’t have been able to taste… then I wouldn’t have known how good they were… and then I wouldn’t want to go downstairs to devour the rest of them.)

We piled the creamy vanilla filling sky high (that’s the only way to do it) and smacked another pie on top. Voila!

This poor little pie was shaking as I took this picture. It knew what was coming. Yep, chomp…chomp…gone.

So soft and still a teensy bit warm – heaven. If you are a fan of pumpkin pies, pumpkin bread, spice cookies, or anything that immediately transports your mind to a cozy couch, comfy pants and a crackling fire – make these. I promise they won’t disappoint.

Photos by: KHJ

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Joy of Baking

Pies:

3 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 c. unsalted butter, room temperature

2 c. light brown sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 – 15oz. can pumpkin puree

Vanilla Filling:

1/4 c. vegetable shortening

1/4 c. unsalted butter, room temperature

1 c. confectioners’ (powdered) sugar

1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 c. light corn syrup

For Pumpkin Whoopie Pies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place rack in center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, and salt.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment (you can also use a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and pumpkin puree. Beat in flour mixture just until incorporated. Drop heaping tablespoons (can also use a small ice cream scoop) of the batter onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart. With moistened fingers or with the back of a spoon, smooth the tops of the cakes.

Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until the tops of the cookies, when lightly pressed, spring back. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Filling: Beat the shortening and butter until soft and creamy. With the mixer on its lowest speed, gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar. Increase the speed to high, and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Then, with the mixer on low speed, beat in the vanilla extract and slowly drizzle in the corn syrup. Continue to beat until the filling looks like soft mayonnaise.

To Assemble: Take one cake and spread a heaping tablespoon of the filling on the flat side of the cake. Top with another cake. The assembled cookies can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for several days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Makes about 14 Pumpkin Whoopie Pies.

Posted 11/5/10, Topic: Eats

Lucy’s on Ana-White

Jump on over to Ana White’s amazing site today. She’s featuring lots of adorable handmade kitchens…including Lucy!

Photo by: Katie Hollingsworth

Ana’s kitchen plans have been the inspiration for many handmade kitchens. It is so wonderful to see all of the creative ideas people come up with. Ana has a natural knack for furniture building and posts the DIY plans for her projects on her site. Ana gives even the non-builder the confidence to tackle any project. She has so much talent and a heart the size of Texas. Browse through her blog, I know you will love it.

Posted 11/5/10, Topic: Blog

The Baker and the Blogger meet Bakerella

A couple of weekends ago, Savannah Jane and I (i.e. the Baker and the Blogger) skipped on over to Williams-Sonoma at Lenox Mall to meet the one and only Bakerella! She’s taken the country by storm with her cookbook, “Cake Pops,” and has been touring the country signing books and meeting her fans.

Here we are, cheesing it up with Bakerella.

Looks like we are having a serious discussion. I think this is where she asked us to drop out of college/quit our job and join her on this whirlwind tour.

Guess I found that proposition pretty hilarious. (On a serious note, I have no idea what I find so hysterical. Sure would like to know though.) Do I always laugh that intensely? I think that was rhetorical.

So now onto the stars of the cookbook, her Cake Pops…

These Halloween Cake Pops were made by the staff of Williams-Sonoma using her Cake Pops cookbook. To be quite honest, I have never made a cake pop. I love drooling over her adorable designs, but have never found the gusto to tackle them myself.

Hmm, ladies and gentlemen… sounds like we have ourselves a mission!

SJ and I flipped through the cookbook and picked out a couple that we’d like to try. So perhaps you will see a cake pop or two on Blue Eyed Yonder this holiday season. I can’t promise they will be as pretty and perfect as hers, but hey, a little goof up just adds character right?

I’m so proud of my new cookbook and will always treasure this signed page and the memories of that day. So fun!

Check out her blog for fun photos and a slideshow of the Atlanta book signing. Extra points if you can spot Blue Eyed Yonder in the crowd. Just for fun, tell me… have you ever made cake pops? What kind? If you haven’t, what kind would you want to make?

Posted 11/4/10, Topic: Blog