Baking projects

So I am taking my love of baking and doing a couple of things with it. I am excited about them, and think they are going to be really fun. :)

First, I am going to hold a Share our Strength bakesale to end childhood hunger.




I just need to find some people who will be on my team, to help me bake things and actually run the bakesale, then find a venue to hold the bakesale, and then pick a date. I'm thinking maybe Target will let me set up outside, but I don't know. I also thought if I time it right, I could do a friday night at the "Live on the Plaza" and then a saturday somewhere else so I get 2 days worth of sales. I will have to start contacting people and see who will let me set up and which place would be the best area for traffic for higher sales. Of course I will get the kids involved too, because I want to teach them to give back to the community.




And I love taking my talents and hobbies and using them to help others. I always have had a heart for helping children, in any way, so this means a lot to be able to do something to help childhood hunger. So if you are reading this, and want to get involved, let me know!! (you can click on the Share our Strength link above to find out more!)

The next thing project I am doing is entering into the Pillsbury Bake-off contest.




I have until April to figure out a recipe and enter it. Actually there isn't a limit on the number of recipes you can enter, so I figure I will enter as many as I can come up with. You have to use 2 items from their list of ingredients, and create a new recipe. I have never created a recipe. I have thrown things together, have altered recipes, and things like that. But I've never sat down with certain ingredients and came up with my own recipe. So it's kinda scary, but in a fun way. I already have like half a dozen ideas, and am going to begin trying them out and seeing what I can come up with. I own 2 "Best of the Bake-off" cookbooks and have always loved looking at the pictures of the hundred contestants who all come together and bake their recipe in the big pillsbury contest kitchen, where they each have their own little station, all wearing the same apron. It looks like so much fun.










And I want my picture taken with the pillsbury dough boy.... :)





But some of the winning recipes over the years are amazing. I use the bake-off cookbook alot (the blueberry coffe cake that my nephew Landon loves so much, comes from that book.), and to think that just soneone came up with it and entered it into this contest, is amazing to me. I'm not sure I can come up with something that wonderful and new. But I am sure going to try. The 100 finalists get to go to Orlando Florida on March 2012 to bake their recipe for the judges. And the winner gets one million dollars. But they also have lots of other smaller prizes. And some of the sponsors; eagle brand condensed milk, Jiffy Peanut Butter, ect (there are like 10 of them) also will give $5,000 to the recipe that uses their ingredient that they like the best. So even if you aren't a finalist, you can win other prizes too. I think it is going to be fun. :)

and of course anything that just might get me closer to Disneyworld or The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is awesome. :)

on that note, my wonderful friend Liz and her family just got back from Orlando, where they went to DisneyWorld & The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and she brought me back a pumpkin juice (one of the official drinks of the wizarding world. :)



Right now it is just on top of my TV, hanging out. Sometime soon I will open it, and of course I have to share it with the kids (Roman is about to burst he's so ready for me to open it so he can try it). I think we need to be watching Harry Potter while we drink it.......to make it more fun. :)