Baby Boomers find themselves sandwiched between children and parents. With children married or away at college, there are opportunities to send a special treat of homemade goods. Parents, too, may enjoy goods baked and sent with love. Here are some suggestions for sending a baked goods gift basket that arrives safely at its intended destination.

You want both the baked goods and the basket to arrive without getting crushed. To protect the basket, find a box that encloses the basket without much wiggle-room. Once the basket (more…)

Quick tags: Uncategorized

For years, when someone made a dessert, they thought of sweet sugary concoctions. The sweeter the better. When it was time to have a dessert, it was time to throw all caution to the wind. Chocolate, whipped cream, caramel and any other recipe full of sugar made the perfect ending to a large meal. Even if someone was stuffed, they continued to eat and not skip the yummy dessert.

Now people realize it is possible to make wonderful desserts and leave some of (more…)

Quick tags: Uncategorized

Royal Icing is a recipe that I didn’t even know existed until a few years ago. I was looking up how to make my own icing for Christmas cookies and found the recipe. Since then I’ve used it for cakes, cupcakes, cookies, brownies and more. It is so simple to make, and I appreciate the possible variation. The flavor can be easily changed by using different extracts such as lemon and almond, and food coloring takes very (more…)

Quick tags: Uncategorized

When going to a holiday dinner party, it can be a bit of a struggle to decide what kind of dessert to bring. Chances are, not everyone at the party has the exact same taste in desserts. In addition to that, buying and preparing a bunch of intricate desserts can be expensive and very time consuming. There is, however, one great dessert that is perfect for any occasion. It’s yummy, affordable, easy to transport, and easy to make – cupcakes!

Savory cupcakes are the perfect addition to any holiday dinner party. Cupcakes (more…)

Quick tags: Uncategorized

Years ago, when you wanted a piece of cheesecake, you were offered a white, creamy confection layered on top of a graham cracker/butter crust. It was simple and delicious, but predictable. Today, however, cheesecake is available in a wide variety of flavors, from chocolate to mango and pomegranate. If its a fruit or a sweet filling, chances are that an imaginative cook can make it into a scrumptious cheesecake dessert.

Although a graham cracker crust is still the traditional choice, it’s no longer the only one. Today’s pastry chefs and home (more…)

Quick tags: Uncategorized