Are You Christmas Ready????

Christmas is a week away. Are you all set for another holiday meal? Do you have enough for your baking extravaganza? Are you Christmas ready?

The most important question is do you have your main meal planned out?  By now you should have your ham if you're planning on serving it. With it should come a good supply of cloves and pineapple. You can always buy the ginger ale for it the day before or use the brown sugar left over from baking for a sweet rub. As for the turkey, you have a few days leeway time. It can be bought as late as the 22nd or 23rd.  Yams can also be bought on the weekend too along with potatoes and onions. Once you have the dinner sorted out , it's time to reevaluate the linens. Are they OK after Thanksgiving? Are there any stains that need to be washed out again. Then use baking soda on them and a good wash and rinse through the washing machine. This also applies to those linen napkins too, Be careful , though, when you're dealing with hand embroidered or heirloom dinner linens. These will have to be presoaked in the tub and then gently wash in either the tub or sink. Try to use something gentle such as  The Laundress' The Baby Detergent,It's meant for baby clothes but it also can be used on delicate vintage fabrics too. Another must is checking the silver and glassware. Make sure everything is polished along with being tarnish and crack free. If you're wine glasses or tumblers aren't up to par, then head to your local store like Target or Macy 's for a new replacement set.

The second big kitchen to-do is the whole holiday baking. Since we're now so close to the holiday, you can buy the ingredients right now when the stores have them on sale. Take advantage of this, especially if you have a lot of baking to do. Buy up the cookie mixes if you don't have the time or experience to create scratch ones. Betty Crocker has some good flavors, like peanut butter and oatmeal.Also  stores like Stop & Shop has sales on cake and brownie mixes, perfect if you want to make more substantial treats like cupcakes and brownies. If you are making scratch cookies and cakes, make sure you're stocked with a variety of flours such as plain flour and gluten free for those with allergies. Flavorings are used a lot during this time. Keep an eye on your vanilla, almond and peppermint extracts. If they're looking a little low , then it's time to bring in new bottles. The same goes for the sprinkles and nuts too. You should also be well stocked when it comes to all the sugars. Not only does granulated sugar go fast during this time, but also confectioner's , light and dark brown sugars. Buy your eggs and butter close to the day you start baking. The fresher they are, the better they'll perform. This is also a good time to assess your cookie sheets, cookie cutters, and cake pans. Make sure you also have parchment paper for some butter cookies and meringues. Do you have enough tins to hold them? If not , buy a few festive holiday ones and even platters to serve them on.

Christmas is a week away, Be ready. Be prepared.  That way it'll make holiday cooking and baking easier - and better.

The Surprise of Surprise Cakes

Cake is a treat in itself, however when it's a surprise cake, it turns into a celebration. There's nothing more exciting than slicing into a layered beauty and discovering a picture . They are a sweet, yummy way of celebrating everything, from the impending birth of a child to a birthday to a special event. Surprisingly even home bakers can create this  fun dessert.

One of the first surprise cakes  was the king cake form New Orleans where a porcelain baby or ring was hidden inside. It originally  came from France  but is also still made in other Catholic countries like Spain and Belgium and is served during Epiphany. Our modern day surprise cakes are made a little differently  with  a picture being baked into the dough instead of a trinket. The outside is very sparsely decorated as to not take away from the cake itself .Surprise cakes are big at baby showers with the moms to be finding out about their babies upon slicing into their shower cakes. However the cakes  can also be made for fun holiday parties like Easter, Halloween , Christmas and even the Fourth of July. Easter surprise cakes open up to reveal brightly colored eggs, chicks or bunnies. Halloween has everything from spiders to ghosts to pumpkins while Christmas has snowmen and Christmas trees bursting fourth from loaves.and traditional layers. Now is the time to think of a flag Day or Fourth of July surprise cake with a flag or red white and blue cake under demure white icing. Birthday cakes also can have surprises , such as having the birthday boy or girl's age baked into the cake Pinterest has some interesting ideas as well as recipes you can follow.

Of course bakeries, especially the boutique ones, can create amazing variations of this. Home bakers can also try as well. Keep in mind that there are several different ways  to make surprise cakes. There is the deconstruction method  - that is taking the cake apart and putting it back together either with cake mixture, filling or icing. Another way is baked cake in batter. This is simply taking a cake that is already baked and  then baking again. Often the cake you're baking a second time is usually in designs and shapes. Batter manipulation is the third method. This is taking batter and creating a design in the baking pan.There is also  deconstruction where the inside is taken out and candy and treats are inserted.If you're a neophyte home baker you may want to start with something simple such as a cake with ombre layers. This can be fun, especially done in shades of pink or blue for a little girl  or boy's birthday party. Many recipes require baking two cakes and then double baking. I'd recommend having help for this , however it can be done alone. Many surprise cake bakers swear by  Betty Crocker brand cake mix because the batter produces the least amount of bubbles. You want an all over even crumb. Icing can be homemade buttercream or store bought. and keep the outer decorations to a minimum as to not detract from the cake's interior.

Surprise cakes are a great way of celebrating any event or holiday. Try your hand at them to create a sweet and exciting treat for family and friends.They'll be enjoyed on so many levels from visual to taste.