bakinginthebeehive's Profile

I am shocked that I am the first to mention being seriously frustrated with people to think it's ok to bring in their DOGS grocery shopping with them. Don't get me wrong, I totally support legit service animals but I'm sorry, your toy poodle that you've set inside the cart, hardly qualifies as a service animal. It's a health code violation (at least in my state) but employees are not trained and are too afraid to ask if it's a service animal so people get away with it. Drives me crazy how inconsiderate people are.

My husband's work is far away from any lunch options so he takes his lunch every.single.day but doesn't like sandwiches. I usually just make extra large portions at dinner and he takes them throughout the week. The winners so far..
fajitas
chicken tacos
spagetti and meatballs (noodles kept separate, they don't heat evenly together)
tikka masala
massaman curry (we love the mae ploy base)
lettuce cups (also works well as salad, less messy)

Even if I make it on Sunday, we have yet to find something that doesn't last throughout the entire week in the fridge.

Sounds stupid but i've had amazing success with Oprah's super easy recipe.
http://www.oprah.com/food/Monkey-Bread

I use 18 rhodes rolls cut into quarters. Bundt pan perfection.

Made these with almonds, dates, dried blueberries and a splash of almond extract instead of vanilla. I also added less than 1 tbsp of brown sugar to the top before baking. I have to admit, they're not as tasty as they smell but after a bite or two, I was sold. I enjoyed the chewy texture and I rarely embrace guilt free snacks so it's a good start.

I'm in the process of reupholstering a mid century glider and well, it's not as easy or cheap as I thought. Fabric alone can cost a lot, even at joanns with their half off sales you're still paying $20 a yard and you'll probably need 4-5 yards. Heaven help you if you need to replace the foam/batting. i found a wholesale shop and still payed around $120 for all the foam and batting. Finally, it depends a lot on the chair but I pulled over 300 staples from one chair. Now that I've collected all the parts and stripped the chair I'm finally ready to start covering it. It's not for the faint of heart but I wanted to learn and it's a little cheaper than taking it somewhere.
It is a sure way to get a bold color, just make sure you're comfortable with what you're doing before you buy something at the salvation army.

After reading this article I was curious and searched for a local bank in salt lake. Turns out that they collect in salt lake but ship to denver. The distribution in denver is through a prescription program, $3.50/ounce. I understand that the process of shipping the milk and making sure it's safe to consume isn't free but the fact that it's a prescription, and an expensive one at that is a little discouraging considering that ultimately the source is free.

Cinnamon sugar pecans. I love doing half almond half pecans.
http://www.lovintheoven.com/2009/01/easy-peasy-sugar-coated-roasted-pecans.html

I live in Utah and we can get beans at costco - 10 beans for around $12.
I freeze my scraped pods and when I make pastry cream or whipped cream I soak the pods in the heavy cream overnight.

If you want a super perfect take try a metal bench scraper. If you have a lazy susan or a rotating cake table, it's an easy way to get a smooth edge. If you frost your cake, put it in the fridge so the frosting sets, you can warm your bench scraper with hot water (dried before putting it on your cake) when you apply it to the side of your cake and rotate your cake around you'll get perfect sides.

Also, though it's mentioned in the post, it should be overstated that frosting a chilled cake will make your life so much easier. It's easier to torte, easier to move the layers around and there will be less crumbs. In my world, when I'm frosting a cake my fridge is my best friend.

One of my favorite variations is a hearty dusting of sugar and a light sprinkle of dried lavender. Salty, sweet, buttery .. droooool.

Good luck to those who give making their own puff a try. I dreaded making it in the bakery, even with a sheeter. It just takes so much time! I'm store bought all the way now and hardly anyone is the wiser.