Review: Baking Basics and Beyond

Today I have a book review for you, called Baking Basics and Beyond by Pat Sinclair. According to the press release, this book is said to be "the ultimate baking guide for beginners and everyone looking to improve their baking skills." Of course I'm always looking for ways to improve my skills. And Pat Sinclair is "a food consultant and cooking teacher with a master's degree in Foods and decades of professional experience." Sounds like she has a good bit of experience.

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New Layout, New Quirks

Welcome to Chocolate Moosey's redesign! Have a look around at the new features, such as the pages up top, and let me know what you think!

Also importing blog posts was giving me one hell of a time with post URLs, but I did find a solution. However, that means sacrificing my blog stats because I technically went to another Blogger account (you can't tell because after everything was set up, I switched URLs). Well new design, new stats? This does affect my Popular Post widget, but hopefully you will start browsing the archive and help me fill the sidebar with cool posts.

The only thing I noticed that you as a visitor may have to change is in the sidebar, you have the option of following me with Google Friend Connect. You will have to rejoin in order to get my updates.

Mini Break

In case you're wondering where I've been for the past week or so, I'm working on redesigning CM. Not only am I going for a new look, I'm making a recipe archive that will be a little more organized than I have it now plus a detailed about page. I'm not sure how long it'll take, but between my full-time job and your typical to-do list, I'm using whatever free time I have to work on it.

I am still active on Twitter if you need your moosey fix - @chocolatemoosey

Happy 2012!

What do you hope to accomplish in 2012? Of course you should be setting goals when the moment occurs, not save them all for one day. However, sometimes we get so absorbed with our routines that we tend to forget to take a step back. New Year's Day gives us a chance to reflect and find room for improvement. Here are my goals for 2012.


1. Blog on a regular basis. This was actually my goal for 2011. As I was looking through past posts, I realized I didn't post too many recipes. Blogging can be a job in itself, especially when you have a full-time job on top of that. Then you add on all that extra food in a house of one (just me!), it becomes a bit of a challenge. If you do enjoy what you read and I haven't updated in awhile, be sure to follow me on Twitter because I update there every day.

2. Understand my DSLR camera. I've always been attracted to taking pictures whenever I travel. This past October, my friend was selling his Canon Rebel at a good price, so I bought it on a whim. I've found some really good resources, which I've pinned on my Pinterest board. You do not need an account to access the links. I'm planning a major trip to the Grand Canyon in May, so I need to learn as much as I can and possibly buy a new lens (any suggestions?).



3.Focus more on cooking. Sure, I'm a great baker and I do cook meals from scratch, but when I was watching Top Chef the other day, they did mother sauces for the Quick Fire. I only knew one, and even then I'd have to look it up. I also don't know how to cook most meats. I have a great selection of non-baking cookbooks that will hopefully expand my knowledge.



Those are my main ones. I have little goals here and there, such as some craft projects, but those goals will be set as the year goes on.

So what are your thoughts for 2012? What did you accomplish in 2011? What are your goals for 2012? Do you have any advice or tips for my goals?


Quote graphics are from Pinterest.

Quotes To Live By

For those of you who don't know me personally on Facebook, I use quotes a lot to get my feelings across, especially when I'm at rock-bottom. I have over 400 quotes saved in a Word document, which doesn't include ones I've saved recently on Twitter nor my Pinterest quotes board! Perhaps I find them calming because I'm not very good with words myself.

One of my goals for 2012 is to take my top inspirational quotes, use Photoshop to make them pretty, print them out, then post on my closet door next to my mirror. I need to constantly remind myself to live positively and someday my puzzle will be complete.

I wanted to share with you ten quotes I find inspiring. All graphics came from Pinterest.

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Cupcake Christmas Tree

I wanted to share with you my Cupcake Christmas Tree. That's right - a tree solely dedicated to cupcake ornaments only. All except for the star up top. Next step will be to fix the tree skirt. Either I need to find a cupcake one already made or find some fabric. I have about 35-40 ornaments. I didn't take pictures of every single one because some are the same but different colors. Ornaments were found at pretty much every store imaginable, from Wal Mart and Target to Hobby Lobby and Kohls to JC Penneys and Sears to Hallmark and Dollar General.

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all who are celebrating! If you are traveling, have a safe trip. If you are hosting, remember to breathe :) What's on your menu today? I'm going to share with you what I have planned in you case you need last-minute recipes.


Baker's Dozen Yeast Rolls - This is my first time doing this particular recipe from Taste of Home. They are dinner rolls with a honey-garlic butter mixture brushed on top. Since I don't think we will have enough oven room, I may have to do these in the toaster oven. Wish me luck!!

Mashed Sweet Potatoes - There really is no recipe to follow. Just peel and cube several sweet potatoes, boil about 15 minutes, drain, mash along with some butter, milk, salt, and pepper, and reheat if necessary.

Green Bean Casserole - I forgot to bring home the cookbook with my casserole recipe in it, so I had to look for one online. I'm staying away from canned soup and beans (can't give up the onions though!) and found a good recipe from Brown Eyed Baker. I'm going to do my little spin on it. The topping will be just the onions. For the filling, I'll be using frozen green beans sour cream instead of heavy cream.

Stove-Top Scalloped Potatoes - This will be the first year doing scalloped potatoes from scratch! Since I will have no oven space, I'm making these potatoes on the stove.

Stuffing - My mom will be making her homemade stuffing. She cooks onions, garlic, and celery in some water in a saute pan. After cooked and drained, she puts them in a bowl with bread cubes. I think she adds butter? Then puts them in a bowl and bakes in the oven.

Turkey Legs - Usually we do cornish hens, but last year we did just turkey legs (and one chicken leg for my mom). My mom and brother aren't big meat eaters, so instead of having tons of meat leftover, each person gets a leg. Considering all the sides we have to go with it, this is usually enough meat. I will probably just season the legs with salt and pepper and baste in butter throughout cooking.

Pumpkin Pie - Surprisingly, I'm not the one doing dessert. Every year, my dad insists on making the recipe on the back of the pumpkin can. Since he doesn't listen to me when I say cut the recipe in half, he makes two pies with filling leftover. This year, we put the extra filling in a ramekin since he never knows what to do with the extra. Pies are baked the night before.

Ocean Whitefish and Tuna - Can't forget the little guy!

Recipe Inspirations - World Flavor Winner

I texted my friend and asked her to pick a number from 1 to 29. She said 15. So that means Jennifer has the winning comment with:

sensimel said...
liked on fb shared and now here lol Jennifer (sensimel@yahoo.com)

Congrats, Jennifer! Hope you enjoy your trip around the world (in your kitchen)!

Recipe Inspirations - World Flavor Giveaway

Ah summer. The most popular time for traveling - to the beach, to a neighboring state, maybe even to another country altogether. I don't know about you, but I love to eat locally when I travel. Why go to a Denny's or Applebees when I have several back home (Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks are exceptions when traveling on the highway)?

My favorite people at McCormick are back with some international flair. Last year, they released a new spice collection called Recipe Inspirations where they provide you pre-measured spices for a delicious meal. Looks like it was a big success because McCormick recently released its new World Flavor Collection - Recipe Inspirations from around the world.



If you are like me, you have a million countries to visit but traveling isn't cheap. Sometimes you'll just have to settle for a delicious meal instead. One meal I made from McCormick's collection was Chicken Tikka Masala (not to be confused with Marsala wine). I'm a huge Indian fan; however, my family nor friends like it or can't eat it because of the spice.



Tikka masala is a traditional Indian dish with chunks of chicken ("tikka") in a tomato gravy. It's actually a British Indian dish, not a true authentic Indian dish (read more here). Regardless of its origin, it is a simple dish to put together. You cook the chicken, add your spices, make the sauce, and let thicken a bit, all in one skillet (recipe provided on the spice packet).

McCormick and I are teaming up for another reader giveaway! Here is your chance to win your own World Flavors collection. The packets are Chicken Tikka Masala, Asian Sesame Salmon, Caribbean Grilled Steak, Chicken Marsala, Tuscan Chicken Stew, and Chicken Cacciatore.

The giveaway will remain open until Sunday June 26 at midnight EST. You can earn up to five chances (meaning you don't have to do all five):

1. Leave one comment telling me about your favorite world flavor, whether it's a specific dish or an entire cuisine.
2. Bonus entry if you comment with a fun traveling story.
3. Tweet this giveaway mentioning @chocolatemoosey. Then leave a comment here with your twitter name.
4. Post about this giveaway on your blog. Make sure you leave a comment with your link.
5. "Like" my Facebook fan page, share the link I posted on FB about this giveaway, then leave a comment on my blog with your name. If you already liked my fan page from before, you still need to share the link then let me know with your name.

Remember, for each step you complete, you must leave a separate comment. You do not need to complete all the steps. If you have to post four times in a row, that is fine. Each comment will be one entry, so you would lose entries if you posted it all in one.

One last detail - you must be a resident of the United States.

McCormick's Flavor Forecast Winner

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway! There was a total of 38 comments, and after using a random number generator, it spit out 11. That means Deb. K is the winner with the comment:

Deb K said...

My favorite recipe is the Chicken Salad with Creamy Pepper Parmesan Dressing!

Now she can use her Flavor Forecast kit to make that chicken salad.

McCormick's Flavor Forecast 2011 Giveaway

Huge thank you goes out to McCormick for once again being an awesome company! They are so awesome, they want to give YOU, one lucky reader, your own Flavor Forecast kit!! That includes what you see in the picture above - a Flavor Forecast book, recipe cards, various gourmet spices, linguine, almond butter, chili sauce, coconut milk, and a $25 American Express gift card.

The giveaway will remain open until Saturday April 16 at midnight EST. You can earn up to five chances.

1. Leave one comment telling me which pairings are your favorite or absolutely disgust you.
2. Bonus entry if you comment with a McCormick recipe you want to make from the Flavor Forecast website.
3. Tweet this giveaway using @chocolatemoosey. Then leave a comment here with your twitter name.
4. Post about this giveaway on your blog. Make sure you leave a comment with your link.
5. "Like" my Facebook fan page, share the link I posted about this giveaway, then leave a comment with your name. If you already like my fan page from before, you still need to share the link then let me know with your name.

Remember, for each step you complete, you must leave a separate comment. You do not need to complete all the steps. If you have to post four times in a row, that is fine. Each comment will be one entry, so you would lose entries if you posted it all in one.

One last detail - you must be a resident of the United States.

McCormick's Flavor Forecast 2011 List

McCormick is launching its Flavor Forecast for 2011. What does this mean to a foodie? Just like how the latest fashion trends change every year, so do flavor combinations. According to McCormick:

As people have become more adventurous and seek global cuisines, the McCormick Flavor Forecast has been on the leading edge of identifying emerging tastes and trends.

The flavor experts at McCormick were joined by a trendsetting group of chefs and food personalities to identify this collection of influential undercurrents that will shape the way we eat in the year ahead of beyond."

Being a huge Top Chef fan (too bad I didn't watch it until season 7 and am now attempting to catch up), I was pretty excited to see some of chefs and food personalities included Richard Blais (season 4 which I still have to watch and All Stars, which he better win Wednesday), Michael Voltaggio (season 6 which I still have to watch), and Johnny Iuzzini (judge from Just Desserts). Being a home baker, I think it's great to recognize some of the contributing chefs.

I'll admit most of these flavorings I would never have considered, but part of being a foodie is discovering new things. Here is McCormick's Top 10 Flavor Pairings for 2011:

1. Fennel and Peri-Peri Sauce
2. Pickling Spice and Rice Vinegar
3. Roasted Curry Powder and Wild Mushrooms
4. Caramelized Honey and Adzuki Red Beans
5. Ancho Chile Pepper and Hibiscus
6. Thyme and Stone Fruits
7. Mustard Seed and Vermouth
8. Cilantro and Nut Butters
9. Herbes de Provence and Popcorn
10. Green Peppercorn and Goat's Milk

Are there any pairings on the list you want to try? For more information and recipes for each pairing, visit McCormick's Flavor Forecast page. I made a tasty dish using cilantro and peanut butter, and hopefully later this week, I'll be pairing mustard seed and vermouth. Stay tuned this week for Chicken and Cilantro Pesto Pasta and a giveaway.

Campbell's AdDress Your Heart Campaign

I was reading a magazine article the other day about heart disease. It roughly kills 1 out of every 3 American women, making it the number 1 cause of death for both sexes nationwide. Yikes! What I found interesting was the symptoms for a heart attack may vary by gender. One man's experience said he had intensified chest pain, the obvious signs of a heart attack. However, one woman's experience said it felt like she had the flu. After at least three hours waiting in the emergency room then more time for some blood tests, the doctors realized she had a heart attack. I think this quote sums it up: "I don't know which is more incredible - that it took so long for me to get a diagnosis, or that I survived the wait."

Campbell's is teaming up to raise awareness of heart disease in women with their campaign, "AdDress Your Heart." This is a quote from the campaign that explains how Campbell's is helping:

“This is our fifth year supporting the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women movement and we are proud that our ‘AdDress Your Heart’ campaign helps people to learn more about ways to lead a heart-healthy lifestyle,” said Morrison. “At Campbell, we are dedicated to making delicious, heart-healthy products, and we will continue our mission to help people eat and live better.”



Campbell's has over 100 convenient, great-tasting products that fit into a heart-healthy lifestyle, including soup, V-8, spaghetti sauce, and canned chicken. I was asked to help raise awareness about living a healthy lifestyle. For me, I go to Zumba at least twice a week and eat lots of vegetables.

And what better way to raise awareness than with a giveaway of healthy heart products from Campbell's? I shared mine with my family, even the cat:




The giveaway will remain open until Tuesday March 8 at midnight EST. You can earn up to five chances.

1. Leave one comment telling me how you live a heart healthy lifestyle.
2. Tweet this giveaway using @chocolatemoosey. Then leave a comment here with your twitter name.
3. Tell your friends on Facebook, then leave a comment, telling me you did so.
4. Post about this giveaway on your blog. Make sure you leave a comment with your link.
5. "Like" my Facebook fan page, then leave a comment with your name.

Remember, for each step you complete, you must leave a separate comment. If you have to post five times in a row, that is fine. Each comment will be one entry, so you would lose entries if you posted it all in one.

One last detail - you must be a resident of the United States.

McCormick's I Heart You Winner

I tried picking a winner on Tuesday, but I swear I have the worst internet. Ever. And I can't complain because I live in the middle of nowhere, and this was the only company who'd give us internet. Between that and not being home MWF nights, it makes it hard for me to keep up.

ANYWAY

I used a random number generator online, and it shot out the number 3. That means "Susitravl" won with her comment, "We love to share Chocolate Souffle at our favorite romantic restaurant. Wish I could make it at home." Congrats Susitravl! I will be emailing you for your information.

Stay tuned. If my internet cooperates, I will be having more recipes and giveaways to post.

I Heart You Giveaway

McCormick has done it again! Last year, they asked me to be a part of their Red Letter Day. This year, they asked if I wanted to be a part of their "So Many Delicious Ways To Say I Heart You" Day. Of course I said yes because I had fun doing it last year. Too bad Murray isn't around to sit in the box.


Although he was around for the Super Bowl

After a long day of work, I came home to find this lovely red box on the back porch. I'm just glad FedEx found the house with my directions. If I don't tell them where, usually it ends up at the neighbor's. Last year they focused on crafts and baking. This year, their theme is I Heart You and made a Relationship Matrix where you pick a person and a relationship status, and that gives you a recipe to make.




Last year, I made red velvet cupcakes. This year I still wanted to make red velvet but in a different form. My two final picks were red velvet brownies or red velvet bonbons. Since the bonbons would take extra time to make, roll, chill, dip, etc. I opted for the brownies. Plus my relationship matrix chart says to give these to coworkers, and that's what I was planning on doing since that's a lot of brownies for one girl.



However, I was torn. Of course I wanted to use McCormick's brownie recipe, but I did see some red velvet cheesecake brownies pop up in the blog world. My idea was to put both recipes together - use McCormick's brownies for the base with Baking Bites cheesecake layer. I even used sprinkles on top.



They turned out to be cakey, which is understandable since it is based on red velvet cake. With that said, I thought they were a tad bit dry on their own BUT were perfect with a cup of coffee or tea.



Huge thank you goes out to McCormick for being an awesome company! They are so awesome, they want to give YOU, one lucky reader, your own I Heart You box!! The giveaway will remain open until Monday February 21 at midnight EST. You can earn up to five chances.

1. Leave one comment telling me your favorite romantic dessert.
2. Tweet this giveaway using @chocolatemoosey. Then leave a comment here with your twitter name.
3. Tell your friends on Facebook, then leave a comment, telling me you did so.
4. Post about this giveaway on your blog. Make sure you leave a comment with your link.
5. "Like" my Facebook fan page, then leave a comment with your name.

Remember, for each step you complete, you must leave a separate comment. If you have to post four times in a row, that is fine. Each comment will be one entry, so you would lose entries if you posted it all in one.

One last detail - you must be a resident of the United States.

Cupcake Christmas Tree

Since this year was the first time I owned my own Christmas tree, I decided to make it cupcake-themed. 34 ornaments later, with the help of two friends, this is what I accomplished:



Pretty much every store had a cupcake ornament. Some were in sets, so it wasn't like I bought 34 individual ornaments. Next year's goal is to find a cupcake topper.

Welcome, 2011!

The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul. -G. K. Chesterton

Happy New Year to all my fellow foodies and visitors! 2010 has been a huge turning point in my life - new job, new town, new challenges. I also lost a dear friend from childhood. Leigh Heather Weightman had just reached her 5 years of surviving leukemia, yet a tragic car crash took her life. She has touched so many lives with her strength, there is even a star named after her. 2011 will be hard without her, but we all know she is shining down on us (literally, part of the Big Dipper I believe).

New Year's resolutions...what's the point? We should be making goals for ourselves all year-round. However, sometimes we get so caught up in life, we forget to take a few steps back and look at the big picture. One thing I'm ashamed of is neglecting my blog. Food means everything to me, and at one point I had a good thing going. Visitors, comments, contests, promotions. Then life got in the way, and it all fell down.

My resolution is simple - build Chocolate Moosey back up. Get back into blogging. Even if I have a stupid stupid stupid Internet bandwidth limit (250 mb per day - bleh!!) And no, I can't switch companies because my apartment is not near other houses and it would "be too much" for them to extend the cable. One company does offer satelite internet, which apparently has a limit.

With food comes exercise. I'm hoping to get back into Zumba, even if it means driving 40 minutes over the mountain in the snow. Sigh. The drawbacks of living with cows.

McCormick Roasted Spices Giveaway

So I'm slowly coming out of my blogging coma. McCormick probably hates me now because it's probably been at least two months since they let me sample their roasted spices collection. Although I haven't blogged about them yet, I have been using them. A lot.


Like in my fajita mix.


Or in my pulled chicken.

And other stuff I haven't photographed. I believe I used the cinnamon in some baking.

McCormick has been generous enough to provide me with two sets of their roasted spice collection - one to keep and one to give away. Just in time for the holidays, no? In order to enter, leave a comment about which one of these four spices (cinnamon, cumin, ginger, or coriander) you would use the most.

Earn one additional entry for tweeting about this giveaway with @chocolatemoosey mentioned. Once you do that, leave a comment and let me know your twitter name.

Earn another additional entry for posting a link on your Facebook account. Leave a comment letting me know you did that.

Deadline is Saturday, December 4, 2010. Open to US addresses only.

The Next Food Network Star

So it's been almost a week since The Next Food Network Star's season six's winner was announced, so I'm hoping I'm not spoiling it for anybody. I was really pulling for Brad to win. Sure, his camera skills needed work, but that is a skill that can be developed. What are your thoughts on Aarti joining the FN family? Will you tune into her show Aarti Party? I don't think I'll actually watch her show, but I will definitely be looking at her for Indian recipes.

Have any of you auditioned for NFNS? I haven't, but I already know I don't have the on-camera skills or cooking chops. Producing and editing skills are a different story...

Brief Summary Of New Place

A lazy Sunday afternoon, complete with rain. I love rain (minus driving in it). If I'm not caught off-guard, I love walking in it. Figured I would take this time to update and attempt to get back into the foodie world. I moved alone - no family, no friends, no cat. Murray stayed behind because he is so used to having someone home constantly, I don't know if he could live alone for 40+ hrs each week. Poor guy would lose his voice. Will I get a cat? I want to within the next few months, but we'll see what happens.



This is a picture of the outside of my apartment. Yes, it's an apartment. The bottom half of the house is mine. The top half is my landlord. Her and her family technically live in Maryland, but this is her farm, so they come up about every week or so for a few days. My neighbors are cows. I have human neighbors down the road, but it's not like I walk out and there they are. Definitely quiet and private.

As you can imagine, there are nights I get quite lonely. This is where I'm relying on food to bring me through. I'm in farm country, so plenty of fresh veggies and fruits, especially Chambersburg peaches. Even coworkers are bringing in a plethera of zucchini from their gardens. My vegetable drawer is bursting with goodies.

I'm only an hour from wine country too. Apparently, Gettysburg area is perfect for wineries. I found one that offers wine making and wine appreciation classes, so maybe I'll pick up a new hobby. One of them has a store in Chambersburg, so I bought some cider and dry white wine yesterday. I'm planning on making risotto because I bought Arborio rice right before I found out I was hired.

I do have an amazing kitchen. Brand new appliances. Even my pantry is great. You open it up, and there are shelves on the doors. Then there's this "rounder" in the middle, and you pull one side towards you, and there are more shelves behind it. Definitely a lot of room for ingredients! Once my place looks more homey, I'll post better pictures.

Anybody here have experience making one person meals? Maybe even two person meals because I can freeze leftovers or just eat it for work. I think it'll be a great challenge for me to blog about.