Since September I have for the most part, been in Australia, my country of birth, visiting my Father who has been undergoing radiation treatment for an inoperable cancer. I’m back home now and we are waiting to see if the treatment for my Dad has successfully eradicated the tumours or not.

On a happier note, Thanksgiving was busy and most of my children made it home. Now for another of my favourite times of the year Christmas and all the fun baking to be done for the festivities to come!

Thank you for all the emails asking where I was and just the friendship in general! You are all amazing!

More soon, Colleen

Some people collect stamps, others like me, collect recipe books.  But what’s the good of owning all these glorious tomes if I don’t actually pull them off the shelf and try out some of the recipes.  I’ve made lemon bars before but this time I’m going to be using Ina Garten’s recipe.  Nothing says summer more than lemon flavoured desserts.

Ina Garten’s Lemon Bars
Ingredients Crust: 1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2 cups flour 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt Filling: 6 extra-large eggs at room temperature 3 cups granulated sugar 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons) 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 cup flour Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting	Ina Garten's Lemon Bars
Method Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. To make the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt.  With the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed.   Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill. Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on. For the filling.  Whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature. Cut into desired sized bars or triangles and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

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Ok, so I like this recipe. My daughter thought they got a bit “rubbery” after being refrigerated overnight but when you are trying them at a 2am fridge raid, who knows what they taste like? I found that if I microwaved a lemon bar for around 20 seconds, they were returned to their “warm out of the oven” state and were still very tasty and enjoyable.

My husband eats most everything I make for him. However, he does have an absolute all time favourite – Chocolate Chip Cookies.

This recipe is the one from the book “Baking” by Dorie Greenspan.  It’s a fabulous recipe and one that I make often.  Nonetheless, we’ve all tried recipes out of books or from the internet that just haven’t worked out right?  Right!

Part of my adventures in baking lead me to try other cooks recipes.  Why not?  They have already put a lot of hard work into perfecting their recipes and part of my challenge is to see if I can reproduce the item in my own kitchen under my own circumstances.  Is it more humid where I live?  Have I measured my ingredients correctly?  How does my oven compare?  So many differences have to be factored in even when using a tried and true recipe.

This recipe turned out great even in a humid kitchen in Oklahoma, with an original 1960s oven.  They are disappearing quickly as I write this so they musn’t be too bad or the locals are just plain starving!

45 cookies Change to: cookies US Metric 1 2 3 4 5 clear stars Write a Review! (optional) Submit Cancel Ingredients 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup sugar 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 2 large eggs 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips or 2 cups store-bought chocolate chips or semisweet chocolate chunks 1 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional) or pecans (optional)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Directions Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed for about 1 minute, until smooth. Add the sugars and beat for another 2 minutes or so, until well-blended. Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes inches Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients in 3 portions, mixing only until each addition is incorporated. On low speed, or by hand with a rubber spatula, mix in the chocolate and nuts. Spoon the dough by slightly rounded tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between spoonfuls. Bake the cookies- one sheet at a time and rotating the sheet at the midway point- for 10-12 minutes, or until they are brown at the edges and golden in the center; they may still be a little soft in the middle, and that’s just fine. Pull the sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to rest for 1 minute, then carefully, using a wide metal spatula, transfer them to racks to cool to room temperature. Repeat with the remainder of the dough, cooling the baking sheets between batches.

On Saturday Feb 21st, we went to the Metropolitan Library Systems Book Sale! It was my first time which became more evident as we approached the Oklahoma State Fair Ground. There were far more cars trying to park than I ever anticipated. Seasoned book fair veterans toted bags, suitcases and plastic garbage cans with wheels and I saw one lady with her little red wagon!! These people were serious. Upon entering the pavilion where the books were, there were taped off rows where the early birds had been made wait until the doors opened, so you just know all the good books were already gone. Even so, I managed to snaggle 22, yes TWENTY TWO great books filled with culinary baking delights from days gone by to more recently published Pastry, Pillsbury and Betty Crocker baking books. How much did this booty cost me… $26.00 for the entire load! I guess the reason to share this news with you apart from my obvious over-excitement is that I hope to prepare many treats from these treasures in the coming months and continue to add to my trove of tried and true recipes.  If you don’t have a book fair anywhere near you soon, I suggest getting along to the local library to borrow and browse before you buy!  Have a great week!

“Only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things.”
~Denis Diderot

Passion can be defined as a strong feeling or emotion. Passion makes your heart sing, your spirit soar and your life rich. My friend Debra was recently discussing passion and it made me want to give more thought to the word.

I have quite a few areas I think I’m passionate about. My artwork, my daughters of course, but then there is my baking passion. This was evident way back in high school home economics classes in Australia. That class each week was something I truly looked forward to. In my final year we were to decorate a Christmas cake we had baked. I won that year and still have the decorating book which was given as first prize.

As an adult I have pursued my love of baking and owned my own cake shop and small restaurant.  I’ve taken many decorating classes and been to culinary school.   Family and friends have always enjoyed my sweet treats and now I am in the process of putting together another baking business. No matter what else I’ve become involved in, I’ve always had a passion to bake. Like many, I worry about putting enough money away for retirement and investing, and so have sought other occupations which I hoped might be more lucrative.

While I’ve always enjoyed a modicum of success at most things I’ve turned my hand to, there was quite often something missing. I believe it was passion. Sure, we can all adjust our attitude enough to enjoy what we are doing at the time, but truly enjoying what we do and having a reason to bound out of bed each day ready for whatever that day brings is such a great feeling!

So with a healthy amount of trepidation, I will build this cake business during 2009. Those other jobs I’ve had in the past 20 or so years since my last cake business have only prepared me to succeed. I’ve worked in state government, business, web development and real estate, all of which have given me a better understanding of the business side of making cakes and marketing them.  No longer do I dread heading to the office, meeting with people I’d rather not and repeating that pattern day in, day out.  No, I’m going to be meeting with BRIDES and their mothers!  But that my friends is a story for another day…

Whatever your passion, find a way to incorporate it into your life on a daily or weekly basis.  You will feel so much happier.  Enjoy!