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Category Archives: Foodie Fridays
Foodie Fridays: Apples
In honor of my birthday, a funny picture:
My favorite apples are Granny Smith apples, what are your favorites?
Foodie Fridays: Dippin’ Dots and Where to Find Them
Who doesn’t like Dippin’ Dots!? But where can you find them? They are a specialty product and I had a hankering for them last week. Paul and I found a nice gas station equipped with some lovely pouches of the treat. Here’s a Dippin’ Dots locator.
Foodie Fridays: Grilled Mac n Cheese!
Get Your Chopsticks Challenge Pack at the AFK in Renton, WA on Saturday December 12th
Show your Indie support! Buy any two books at the event and come by Rachel Barnard’s table to claim your chopsticks challenge pack for FREE (while supplies last). What is a chopsticks challenge pack? It’s only the most awesome little fun game to try while you wait for your food at the AFK. The pack comes with a pair of disposable chopsticks, one set of world records to try, and several packs of Smarties. You can also purchase a pack for $1.00.
Foodie Fridays: Nano Win Reward – Daddy’s Donuts Kenmore “one of everything”
Nano Stats coming Monday – but I decided to reward myself with an immediate donut foray for accomplishing all my goals in November for NaNoWriMo and a challenge/reward to come in 2016 (stay tuned for what it is on Monday).
My first reward for finishing both first drafts of my For the Love of Donuts Book 2’s was to buy “one of everything” from my new favorite donut vendor and local business Daddy’s Donuts in Kenmore.
I chose today as the big day and headed over when they open (8AM) but had to wait for their new machine to be setup, and Daddy himself (Eduardo) gave me a complementary mocha (how nice!) to enjoy while I waited.
See how excited I am as I wait to ask for “one of everything.”
Check out the ‘tip’ jar.
And the donuts start coming out!
Thanks Daddy’s!
The guys at the office loved ’em!
About my series, For the Love of Donuts, and the two books I wrote first drafts of this November:
The Optimist Sees the Donut (For the Love of Donuts Book 2) & The Pessimist Sees the Hole (For the Love of Donuts Book 2)
Genre: Young Adult
Synopsis
Their friendship has been the one unbreakable thing, the one certainty in their lives, but Nichole Adams and Vanessa Smith are developing into their own persons and their individual life dramas distract them from each other.
Vanessa has never had many friends in her life and even though she wanted to stay friends with Nichole, she met new people in college and is moving on. She has school, she has social activities, and a new group of friends even though she can’t seem to find the right guy.
Nichole is jealous of Vanessa’s ease of everything in the real world. Nessa has no trouble with jobs, money, school, or getting and going places. Nichole, on the other hand was preemptively kicked out of her mom’s house after graduating high school and has been floundering ever since. The only thing she has easy in her life is flirting and getting dates, or at least a guy that will let her crash at his house. Nichole doesn’t always have the best of luck with men.
Forever hopeful that things will change, Nichole still clings to the hope that Vanessa will come back to their friendship and be the best friend from high school that Nichole misses. When guy after guy doesn’t work out for her, Vanessa changes more and more of her personality to attract the right guy, drifting farther and farther from who she really is. Something’s gotta give and this story of how friendships get off track, lies become reality, and bad luck tails bad choices will bring you in and around the little town of Sarasota, Florida that you grew to love in book one of the series – Donuts in an Empty Field.
Foodie Fridays: Wear your Costume to Krispy Kreme, get a FREE doughnut 10/31
Foodie Fridays: Guava and Cream Cheese Cupcakes
I used this recipe but amended it like so:
Guava and Cream Cheese Cupcakes
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
Makes 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
For Yellow Cupcakes
1 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg , room temperature
2 large egg yolks , room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup guava
For Guava and Cream Cheese Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 oz butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup guava
Directions
Make Cupcakes
Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin/cupcake tin with paper or foil liners.
Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add butter, milk, egg and egg yolks, vanilla, and guava; beat at medium speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula and mix by hand until smooth and no flour pockets remain.
Divide batter evenly among cups of prepared tin using 2-ounce ice cream scoop or heaping tablespoon. Bake until cupcake tops are pale gold and toothpick or skewer inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 24 minutes. Cool cupcakes to room temperature, about 45 minutes.
Make Frosting and Assemble Cupcakes
With an electric mixer, mix the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, a little bit at a time, until combined. Add the guava. Spread frosting on top of cupcakes.
Foodie Fridays: Belle Pastry in Redmond
Two of my favorite things, reading and eating! I absolutely love Belle Pastry in Redmond, they are a great little bakery. The pastries are amazing! If you’re in the area you should check them out.
Apple/Pear/Grape Cider?
At our 3rd annual Barnard Cider making extravaganza we made cider from all local apples/pears/grapes.
Anyone in the area know a great fruit tree we can pick from for next year? We’re always looking to source good trees.
Here is the finished product. It took us two juicers, one vitamix, and one apple press to get the job done. How do you make apple cider?
Rachel Author Barnard 