The Baking Queen is Back!

Hello, all!
I have been gone for some time...still in Raleigh, just working a LOT! Now that things are calming down, my plan is to get back to baking. Boy, do I miss it!

I have been researching local Farmer's Market again...hoping to get back into selling my baked goods there. I really enjoyed it when I sold at the North Raleigh Farmers Market.

My banana breads have always been a huge seller, along with the NJ coffee cake! I plan to bake some banana breads this weekend!

The flavors I make are:
Banana
Banana chocolate chip
Banana nut
Banana strawberry
Tropical (banana, pineapple and coconut)

I also make:
Apple cinnamon
Pumpkin
Pumpkin chocolate chip

These sell for $5 each loaf.

If you would ever like to place an order, please contact me! I have just a $15 minimum.

I will keep you updated on the progress of the Farmers Market :)

My email address is: tastenc.com@gmail.com

I also have a Tastenc Facebook page you can check out to see some of the things I make!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tastenccom/231457073535687

Illumination thoughts...

Sometimes during my quiet times, illuminating thoughts come bursting into my mind. As I sat this morning, it occurred to me that we are all going through something in our lives. Some of us are going through situations that are tougher than others. Or at least we think we are.

No matter, we all think our problems are harder than everyone else’s. My mom would say, “Deanna, there is always someone out there with problems worse than yours” and there is so much truth to that. That statement ties in with mine, “You never know what someone else is going through”.

Someone may be rude to you. Someone may yell at you. Someone may ignore you. Always keep in mind that chances are the cause of their rudeness is not because of you.

The person who was snappy with you at the grocery store today may have been in court yesterday, dealing with a life changing issue.

You know, there are so many court cases each and every day. Right now someone may be being convicted of a crime they may or may not have committed. At this very moment, somewhere in the world, someone is dealing with the stress of being in court…awaiting a much-anticipated answer.

These thoughts were running through my mind this morning as I reflected on being in the courthouse yesterday. Imagine how many people sat where I sat, having their heart pound through their chest just as I did.

Thankfully, for me my case was a case to protect me. But, imagine all of the individuals who sat waiting to find out their fate.

My heart goes out to those who are in trouble. My heart goes out to those who are in need of help and may or may not get it. My heart goes out to those who made mistakes in their past, have changed and are still judged because of those past mistakes.

If we all walked in love and not hate…If we would see the good in people instead of the bad…If we could find it in our hearts not to judge one another because of past mistakes…If we could only involve ourselves in the lives of those who ask us to…If, If, If.

Love not Hate

Good not Bad

Accept not Judge

Help not Hinder or Hurt

Move on with our lives and leave others alone.

Great stocking stuffer ideas and gingerbread house candies!

If you have yet to make your gingerbread house this Christmas, be sure you get these candies/treats to make it the prettiest house ever!

If you have made your house already, these candies and treats will make the perfect stocking stuffer ideas for children and adults!

You can find them at most grocery stores. The fruit snacks make great lunchbox treats!

The sour candies have been wrapped up to be placed in my 11 year old sons Christmas stocking!

Merry Christmas :)

Have a GRAIN Holiday: Crunchy Cappuccino Bars!

Add some whole wheat to your diet with these Crunchy Cappuccino Bars that use Hodgson Mill whole wheat flour! These bars will be a perfect addition to your Thanksgiving cookie platter!


Crunchy Cappuccino Bars



•1 cup Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Flour, sifted

3/4 cups white flour, sifted

•1 tsp baking soda

•1 tsp salt

•1/2 tsp cinnamon

•1 cup butter, soft

•1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed

•1/2 cup sugar

•2 eggs

•3 tsp instant coffee, dissolved in 1 3/4 tbsp hot water

•1 tsp vanilla

•1 cup white chocolate chips

•3/4 cups toffee bits

•3/4 cup cookie dough candy pieces, optional


Preheat oven to 350*.
Line 13x9 baking dish with non-stick foil.

Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.
Beat butter and sugars with mixer, until fluffy.
Add eggs and beat well.

Add coffee mixture and vanilla.
Add chips, bits and candies.

Pour into prepared pan.
Bake for 25-35 minutes. Check first at 25 minutes and bake in 3 minute increments until baked through.

For a Holiday COUPON  click here

To check out the Bakers Holiday Gift Pack Sweepstakes, Click here

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Thanksgiving guide 2012

Looking for some new Thanksgiving recipes this year? If so, let me help:

Click on the links below for new Thanksgiving Day recipes!

Food Network Thanksgiving menu

Thanksgiving sweet potato recipes

Thanksgiving side dish recipes

Thanksgiving pie recipes

Thanksgiving cooking and baking help and tips

Thanksgiving cranberry recipes

Thanksgiving meal planning recipes

Save money on groceries for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving recipe guide

Thanksgiving tips from TLC

Thanksgiving pie recipes from All You Magazine

Thanksgiving oatmeal cookie recipe

Gobble, Gobble! 

Coffee Time!

Fall is here now, which means cool daytime weather and often cold mornings! This makes me happy, but sometimes a good cup of coffee is needed to warm me up.

Here are several of my favorite flavored coffee recipes from my kitchen to yours :)

Quick mocha latte

Dulce de leche

Pumpkin latte

Chocolate vanilla coffee

Creamy spiced coffee

Coconut coffee

Cinnamon caramel coffee

Hazelnut latte

Frappuccino recipe

Making coffee tips and ideas

When all else fails....

How to order coffee

lol :)

Cleanlogic body care products: Freshen up for Fall!

A great way to take care of your skin this Fall would be to try some of CleanLogic's body care products! The sun can be damaging to our skin if we do not protect ourselves properly. Try any of the following products...each priced less than $5!

Cleanlogic will also make great Christmas gifts! To order, please visit: http://www.cleanlogicbodycare.com/

You can also try them out for yourself. Try a night time mask to help you sleep better, an exfoliating mitt to help get rid of dead skin or a bath sponge to wash away all the yuckies from your skin :)

I like to use the exfoliating mitt to scrub in my Proactive body wash...the two work perfectly together!

First day of fall 2012

Saturday, September 22, 2012 is the first day of fall and I am so excited! I have had enough of hot summer since the first week!
I absolutely love having the sliding glass door and windows open and a cool breeze whipping through the house.
We now have a new addition to the family, Ty...a 6 month old kitty. And let me tell you, Ty loves having the glass door open just as much as I do!
Happy fall everyone! Enjoy the cool weather and baking. Try going pumpkin or apple picking this year and create new memories with your family :)

Planters NUT-rition Energy Mix Peanut Butter

I was contacted by Planters to try their new NUT-rition peanut butter and I have to say...it is fantastic! It tastes amazing and has great nutritional values as well.

I ate this stuff with a spoon it was so good!!! Really, I did :)

I wrote a review on it, please check it out:
http://www.examiner.com/review/planters-nut-rition-energy-mix-peanut-butter

Please feel free to comment and let me know what you think if you have tried this product :)

New Polmolive Dish and Sponge dish soap

I decided to try this new Palmolive Dish and Sponge soap and I have to say I have really been enjoying it! It possesses a fresh clean scent, almost a floral/fruit scent and truly does make the dish sponge stay smelling fresh a lot longer. I use Dobie pads for cleaning my dishes and will often toss one in the dishwasher to sanitize it and make it smell clean again. However, since using this new dish soap, it has lasted longer and to tell you the truth, I have yet to have to run it through the washer!

The Palmolive Dish and Sponge Fresh Dish Liquid sells for about $3.29 a bottle and will save the life of your sponges, in turn, saving you a few dollars!

I say, give it a try! A little goes a long way when cleaning greasy dishes and pots and pans.

Fall is on the way!

Welcome autumn! Can you tell that I am excited about the cool weather that is heading our way? Well, I am! Fall is my favorite season with winter coming up a close second.

With fall comes baking! Oh, the smell of fresh baked goods wafting through the house. It brings a smile as I think about it.

This blog post is to help get you in the mood for fall and for baking. Here are a couple of my favorite recipes and you better bet that along with the cool days come baked goods in my house.

New Jersey coffee cake recipe

Chocolate chocolate chip almond latte cookie recipe

Banana chocolate chip bread recipe

All three of these recipes will fill your home with goodness! Happy Baking :)

Lesson learned from watching the Olympics today

I sat and watched the "Women's Cycling: Road Race" this morning from the comfort of my couch. As I ate my breakfast and drank my coffee I witnessed something that truly touched my heart. I watched Marianne Vos from the Netherlands tuck down her head and pedal from her heart to win the gold medal for her country.
A tear formed in my eye as her determination touched my heart. Then, I realized...that is what we all need to do as we are going through challenges in our life. We need to, "tuck down our head, push through the pain and win!"
Lesson learned: I can do anything I put my mind to...just as she just did. If I put my heart in it, my whole heart, it can be done.

...the things we can learn from the Olympics

Healthy Apple Recipes

Do you have a juicer? I have a Champion juicer and often use it to make fruit juice as well as veggie juices.
I just posted a recipe for homemade lemonade and it requires a juicer to make it. By adding apples to the lemon juice, you add a sweetness without actually adding sugar!
Fresh lemonade recipe

I also just posted a recipe for apple salad dressing that also uses fresh apples, but requires a blender instead of a juicer.
Easy apple salad dressing recipe

Lastly, if you are new to juicing, or are thinking about starting to juice, I wrote an article a while back that you will find helpful: Juicing: learn all about it

New show on Food Network: 3 Days to Open with Bobby Flay

There is a new show coming to the Food Network, this month! It stars Chef Bobby Flay and is called: 3 Days to Open with Bobby Flay.

To read about the show click this link: 3 Days to Open with Bobby Flay

With all the changes in my life over the past year, many of the things I enjoy were put on the back burner. Over the last couple of weeks, I feel more and more like myself again. Watching the Food Network is one of the things that I stopped doing. I have been watching again and am very much enjoying it.

When I saw this new show I got excited and wanted to write an article about it. I am very much enjoying the channel again and enjoying writing my food articles again as well!

New recipes! From healthy to not so healthy...

I have three new articles to share with you today! We have one un-healthy recipe, one semi-healthy recipe and one healthy product review.
I still have a sweet tooth I just can't seem to kick :)

Lets start with the healthy product review: Wholesome Goodness tortilla chip review
These chips are healthier than the average chip and really do taste good! I can not eat fried chips, so when I discovered these, I was thrilled!

I have also cut out fast food from my diet. Every once in a while, I'll splurge, but always pay for it afterwards...so, I find myself splurging less and less. When I went to college for Cosmetology, I would drive through McDonalds most mornings for an Egg McMuffin. I have always enjoyed those stupid things! I made my own today and it was fantastic! Not only did it taste better, it was healthier and it saved me money making it myself. Mock Egg McMuffin recipe

Lastly, the Chocolate chocolate chip almond latte cookie recipe These were amazingly chocolaty and by using the package cookie dough (that only cost $1), it was very inexpensive to make. I had the other added ingredients already waiting for me in the pantry.

Please take a look at the picture slide shows on each article for more great pictures as well as nutritional information on the chips.