Home Baked by Laurie

 

When I was pregnant with Bugaboo, my mother decided to take a cake decorating class in order to make the best cakes for her grandbabies. My mother has always been an amazing baker, but after she took this class she has been able to make some incredible goodies. Bugaboo and Chickadee have always been lucky enough to have the best birthday cakes and goodies. My mother has been approached several times about whether she would sell some goodies. She worked full time for years but now she has finally retired and is starting to sell her baked goods. 

This was the Sofia the first cake that was made for Chickadee's third birthday. 

This was the Belle cake for Chickadee's Beauty and the Beast themed party. 

This was the Unicorn cake for her magical kingdom themed party. 

The kids recently had the chance to help Grandma make some yummy snickerdoodles. 

Chocolate caramel cookies that are Hubby's favorite cookie. 

Chocolate Brownies with frosting that contain coffee, these are my favorite. They are more like a cake than brownies but I adore them. 

Banana bread freshly pulled from the oven. 

Chocolate chip cookies which are always a delicious treat. 

Walnut cookies which are delicious and always a crowd pleaser. 

Bear cake pops with bullseye cookies that were made for a Brave themed party. 

Barnyard cake pops with rice crispy treat haystacks that were made for Bugaboo's first birthday. You can see more about Bugaboo's first birthday party here Bugaboo's first birthday

Cupcakes, cake pops and macaroons for a tea party baby shower for Chickadee. 

Melt in the mouth meringue cookies. These are light, airy and delicious. 

Cookie tin which makes an amazing gift. We usually give these to the kids' teachers and front office. They are always a crowd pleaser and we get so many compliments. This particular tin has jam thumb print oatmaeal cookies, toffee cookies, pumpkin cranberry cookies, walnut cookies, chocolate chip ranger cookies, hugs thumb prints(with sugar cookies), and chocolate caramel cookies. 

Mermaid cake with fish, seaweed and mermaid tails. 

Ninja turtle cupcakes. 

She has made so many amazing things and all of them are delicious. She is going to be selling cupcakes, cake pops, cookies and breads. As you can see they are all amazing looking and delicious. 

Reach out to her at homebakedbylaurie@gmail.com. She has a facebook page which you can check out here Home Baked by Laurie.

What are your favorite deserts? Have you tried any goods from Home Baked by Laurie? What did you think? 

Bugaboo's birthday is coming up and I will happily share all the goodies and ideas for that. 

Until next time, I am just going to enjoy the delicious treats of this journey. 

4th of July

 

I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July. It was awesome being able to get together with family and enjoy some time together. This year we went to my parents house and got to enjoy some good food, family and swimming. It was relaxing, fun and exactly what we needed. 

Both of my kiddos have grown so much over the last year that they have gone through 2 full sizes of clothes. I didn't have an opportunity to go shopping and buy a 4th of July outfit for them. Chickadee was unhappy with the fact that she didn't have anything red, white and blue. So in order to fix that I searched until I found some ribbon. Unfortunately I didn't have any red, but blue and white to make a fun hair accessory worked for her. I just cut several pieces of blue ribbon and curled it. Then tied it around the messy bun in her hair. Then I took the white ribbon and tied a bow in front of the blue curled ribbon which resulted in the below. 

Our menu for 4th of July was pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw, potato salad, pigs in a blanket, salsa with cream cheese and 7 layer dip. My mother made the pulled pork in a slow cooker and she toasted the buns in the oven. My grandmother made the coleslaw and some cousins brought the potato salad. My mother made some pigs in a blanket. I brought salsa and cream cheese and 7 layer dip with chips. If you have never tried salsa and cream cheese, it is truly simple and delicious snack or appetizer. It is literally just an 8 oz block of cream cheese that has been set out to room temperature covered with salsa that you eat with tortilla chips or any chips you may like. 

Below is a picture of 7 layer dip. I have seen several different ways to make this but I will give you the recipe for the way that I make it. 

1st layer is premade bean dip. I spread 3-4 cans of the store bough premade bean dip. I combine regular and spicy bean dip for more flavor. I spread this on the bottom of the pan or dish I plan to use for serving. A lot of times I buy the disposable pans so that it is easily cleaned up and thrown away at the end of the get together or party. 

2nd layer is mashed avocado. I use 4-6 large avocados depending on the size of the pan. I mash the avocados with salt, pepper and a little lemon juice to help it from turning brown. I season with salt and pepper to taste. I spread this on top of the bean dip. 

3rd layer is sour cream mixed with taco seasoning. I use a 16 oz container of sour cream and combine a packet of taco seasoning with it. After thoroughly mixed, I spread this on top of the mashed avocado. Hubby likes the mixed sour cream with taco seasoning so much that we now use this with nachos, quesadillas or tacos when we make them. 

4th layer is shredded cheese. We typically use either 4 cheese mexican blend or monterey jack cheese. You can use whatever shredded cheese you prefer. I typically use 2 cups of cheese to cover a 9 x 13 pan of the dip. 

5th layer is sliced green onions. I buy one bunch and then cut until I feel that there is enough coverage of them over the top. 

6th layer is sliced olives. I buy the presliced black olives, drain the juice from the can and then spread them over the top until there is adequate coverage of them over the top. 

7th layer is diced tomato. I buy 1 large tomato and dice it and sprinkle those pieces on the top. 

This has become a favorite at parties. I can put it together the night before and it is ready to go for the party the next day. I usually prefer it with nacho cheese doritos, but it can be eaten with any type of chip that you prefer. We usually provide a variety for people to enjoy. 

My mother made brownies and rolo cookies for desert. Her brownies are more like a chocolate cake with frosting. They are delicious, one of my favorites that she makes. They have coffee in them to bring out the chocolate flavor. 

These are my mother's chocolate caramel cookies. They have a caramel center and are delicious. These are hubby's favorite. 

After hours of swimming, delicious food and some catching up. We watched some fireworks that were being lit in other areas of Riverside. It was a relaxing and fun day. 

What did you guys do for the 4th of July? What was the menu for you? Any favorites? 

Until next time, wishing you all fun, relaxation and happiness on this journey...