Here are my baked goods up for bid today.....You know you want them!!

There are so many fabulous treats in Meghann's Bake Sale, but, I honestly think you need to bid on these!!!!

My Bake Sale Package will include ~ 3 things!!!!

1. 24 Samoa Bars (based on popular vote!)



2. 24 Moc Tag-A-Longs



3. BONUS: Whoever the highest bidder is will be able to select any baked good off my site that I made in the sale or not to have included in their package.

You can see all the baked sale items I made here:

http://danicasdaily.blogspot.com/search/label/Bake%20Sale

Or another option could be these:

http://danicasdaily.blogspot.com/2009/03/dark-chocolate-clusters.html

I could also do a customizable item if they had something in mind. I am also giving the winner the option of their choice of chocolate (Dark, Milk, Vegan, White) and would be glad to meet any requests they have.

These fabulous goodies can be yours just stop by the Bake Sale today to bid ~ you have until 9 PM (PST)

WIN ANNIES & GET YOUR BAKE SALE GOODS NOW!!

Today is a totally Fantastic Monday with Meghann's Bake Sale happening AND the next Annie's Product Giveaway.

I am all too excited to give these cool products away to you all! I guarantee you are absolutely going to LOVE either pack you win. Each package will also include details on how to enter to win an ENTIRE YEARS WORTH OF ANNIE'S for FREE!! You don't have to win today's contest to enter.

Annie's is celebrating their 20 year Birthday this year and they are giving away free stuff to 20 lucky people. You can find out all the details about their 20 years together (including the Party! plus sweepstakes details where you can enter online) by going here.

Common people ~ who wouldn't LOVE a whole YEAR of Annie's for FREE!! (pick me, pick me!!)

Ok ~ let's get on with today's Annie's Giveaway details.....

Prize Package #1:



Included:
Annie's Cocoa & Vanilla Bunnies
one of Annie's newest products: Annie's Organic Bunny Classics Buttery Rich Crackers (better than Ritz! and healthier too!)
Annie's Organic Berry Patch Fruit Snacks

Prize Package #2:




Annie's Fruity Bunnies
Annie's Cheddar Bunnies
Annie's Organic Tropical Treat Fruit Snacks

Here is what you have to do to be eligible to win one of these 2 fabulous prizes:

1. Visit Meghann's Bake Sale by clicking here. Come back here and comment on THIS post about which item you would most like to try. Feel free to place a bid on that item while you are there, but, for this contest, bidding is optional :) Your comment MUST be about the bake sale to qualify for the giveaway.

2. If you are a blogger, you can get TWO bonus entries by doing the following:

a. Post a link about the contest on your blog and send me an email or post here with the link for a bonus entry.

b. Add me to your blog roll for a THIRD Entry.

This contest will close at 9:00 PM (PST) and two winners will be randomly selected. The first number called wins the first prize and the second gets the other. The winners will be announced by Tuesday morning, April 7th.

So ~ "hop" on over to Meghann's Bake Sale, bid if you like then "hop" back here and comment away ~ Have fun, but, be prepared to have a huge craving for desserts because everything looks so awesome!

Bake Sale Selection

Thanks everyone for partipcating in the Bake Sale Poll and for being my taste testers. It was so hard to choose what I am going to submit, but, I think last night I figured it out. Since the feedback I received was to include so many things, I decided to do a variety pack.

My Bake Sale Package will include ~ 3 things!!!!

1. 24 Samoa Bars (based on popular vote!)



2. 24 Moc Tag-A-Longs



3. BONUS: Whoever the highest bidder is will be able to select any baked good off my site that I made in the sale or not to have included in their package.

You can see all the baked sale items here:

http://danicasdaily.blogspot.com/search/label/Bake%20Sale

Or another option could be these:

http://danicasdaily.blogspot.com/2009/03/dark-chocolate-clusters.html

I could also do a customizable item if they had something in mind. I am also giving the winner the option of their choice of chocolate (Dark, Milk, Vegan, White) and would be glad to meet any requests they have.

What do you all think? Did I make up a good package for everyone to bid on?

A new spin on Ham 'n' Eggs

The Husband came up with the title for this post. Who says you can have Ham and Eggs when you can have Ham 'n' Eggs?! He says the difference is ham and eggs are two separate dishes and Ham 'n' Eggs are one big ghoulash of a dish that we had. Ok, I am not sure what he meant by it, but, it makes me laugh hearing him say and explain it. He's so funny ~ that's why I LOVE him so!

Can you guess what we had for dinner tonight? Hmmmm.....well, it starts with breakfast lol.

For starters, I had a slice of the fabulous new Honey Wheat bread that we bought at Gillwood's today topped with a little whipped butter.



And paired it nicely with some scrambled eggs (eggs, dash of milk, dash of Tapatio hot sauce, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, sprinkle of parmesan). I had one egg and The Husband had three. He put his on top of his "ham hash below" while I kept mine on the side.



The star of tonight's dinner was Rachael Ray's Ham and Spinach Hash ~ I've made this recipe several times and love it because it has so much flavor and you can get in some veggies in a new way. I modify her recipe by cutting the butter and the oil in 1/2 and tonight I used Rosemary since I didn't have any time. It was awesome as usual ~ totally hammy! :)



I forgot how filling this dish was and how gigantic my one slice of bread was. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to finish it all, but, I DID! Ok well, I scooped the extra ham and stuff to The Husband's plate - so that counts, right?



I am off to put together my list of baked goodies for the bake sale. Meghann received her testing package today.....you can see what she thought here. Based on her review, it looks like I just might have to put together a variety pack :)

Ok I'll stop hamming it up with corniness.....I think my brain has officially decided to make me loopy.

Have a great night all! I am off to enjoy my new magazine, relax and get caught up on some much needed sleep.

Bake Sale Highlight #2

In an effort to get all the goodies out of our house and also to get other opinions, I sent a package to my blogging buddy, Kirwin! I made sure I sent enough for her entire family to sample. She cracks me up because she said her "thighs" thanked me for it and the whole family refers to it as a box of sugar.

She is one smart cookie though. She had everyone do all the sampling BEFORE dinner! Now, that is my kind of thinking - you should always start with dessert first! However, she had her kiddos have the sugar during the day so they would actually go to sleep that night. Good rationalization!!!

Here is a cute picture of her daughter opening the "Box of Sugar":



They all had such great things to say about everything they tried......Here are their thoughts:

My husband and I agree (hands down) that the Moon Pies and Pecan Brittle are our favorite.
My son likes (in this order) pb eggs, moon pie, samoa. (how cute that he put an order to it!)
My daughter...well, she's not quite 3, and she likes it ALL. I can't really get an answer from her on her favorite...

Everything is good. SO YUMMY!

You have to LOVE that type of feedback! I can't wait to hear what Meghann has to say about her goodies. I sent a box her way too, hopefully she gets it today and I can post one more review.

Ok - hopefully that gives you all some more feedback for voting. The Bake Sale polls close today at 12 PM (PST) sharp.

Bake Sale Tester Highlight #1

As you all know I have shared and shipped my goodies with family, friends and of course The Husband. The Husband cannot be subjective because he says he LOVES everything I make. I have one package set to arrive with Kirwin today and another set sent to Meghann to arrive on Thursday.

I had to share with you all something that totally made my day and gave me a serious laugh. My really great friend, a.k.a. co-worker and running/walking buddy Rachel had her family help me out with the testing. I sent her home with a big bag off goodies. She had all 3 of her boys, her husband and her "test" out the goodies. We figured if the kids LOVED them then that was a sure sign they were a hit.

Now here is what I was not expecting. She seriously took the whole Bake Sale Testing to a whole new level. She handed out little index cards to her family and had them make notes/comment on what they liked/didn't like and then, had them vote on the back! She brought them in for me today and it really made me smile from the inside out. I didn't know she would take her "duties' so seriously, but, it's great!!! How cute are these note cards?



This is my favorite vote from her youngest son ~ I LOVE how he says it was the hardest decision he had to make in his life.....still makes me smile now!



It is interesting because their overall consensus was the Snicker Surprise Cookie! They all were asking if there was any more. I know that is The Husbands #1 choice too (that was the first thing gone!)

Alright ~ I must get cracking on some work now, but, I had to share that with you all ~ it definitely made my day!

Vote for your favorite Bake Sale Item

Ok everyone, I need your help. All week long you have watched me bake away testing out different items for the Blogger Bake Sale hosted by Meghann. I want to know if you were to bid on any items, which ones would be worth it for you? Which items make you drool and think I have to have that?

I set up a poll on the right hand side below the Ultimate Blog Party icon. You can vote for as many options as you like. I am trying to get a feel for what people would want to buy at the Blogger Bake Sale so I know what I will be putting up.

To find out more details about any of the items, check out the Bake Sale Category. You will find pictures, recipes, reviews and more.

Voting will close on March 26, 2009 at 12:00 PM.

Thanks for your help! I can't wait to see which items you all LOVE the most.

The Bake Sale Trials Grand Finale

Last night I kicked it into high baking gear and went to town to finish off the ideas I have been kicking around in my head. I made a ton of amazing stuff, finished off some others and had some new successes and flops that I am excited to share. Stay tuned next as I hope (if I can figure it out) to post a poll for you you all to vote on your favorite treat.

For starters, I had complete success with my Moon Pies. I found a way to make them hold their shape and not have all the Marshmallowy/Peanut Butter Goodness oooze out. Yes!



Then, it was time to dress the Peanut Butter Eggs in Chocolate. This is my mom's recipe that she used to make for us growing up and then we got to decorate the eggs. I seriously think it takes a mom's touch because I had to call my mommy to have her coach me through how to chocolate dunk the eggs. You would think it was easy but it's not ~ it's actually alot of work to get the perfect egg, but, by the end, I was a pro. Now decorating them is another story.....I'll leave that up to the winner including the recipe for frosting because well they wouldn't shipped well frosted :) Either that or I will have to have my friend Rachel (the baking expert) decorate for me. LOL



Then, it was time to make a recipe that my entire family loves and we have for Christmas every year. This stuff is soooo amazingly easy, but, highly addictive. It never sits around and is always gone before the party is over.

Pecan Bark



Just look at all that caramel nutty goodness:



1 c unsalted butter – no substitutes
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
1 c chopped pecans
24 graham cracker squares – use Keebler brand cinnamon crisps

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line at 10 x 15 cookie sheet with foil. Lightly grease foil (nonstick cooking spray). Place graham crackers on cookie sheet in one layer. It should fit exactly 24. Sprinkle pecans evenly over top and set aside. Melt butter in a small sauce pan. Add brown sugar and stir until the mixture boils. Boil for 1 minute. Pour mixture evenly over pecan/graham cracker mixture. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately place hot cookie sheet in freezer. Remove the pan after 1 hour, and break the bark into pieces. This candy does not need to be refrigerated.

The Husband suggested one of his favorite cookies - Snicker Surprise Cookies. I came up with this recipe when I heard about people putting their favorite candy bars in cookies on a radio station. I am sure there are alot of variations on them, but, this is the one I use. The first year I made them for my dad at Christmas and everyone wanted more ~ I pretty much make them every year now.

Snicker Surprise Cookies



There are two ways you can make this recipe. You can take the easy route and use pre-made peanut butter cookie dough or you can make your favorite peanut butter cookie recipe. I use the recipe from my Mrs. Fields Best Ever Cookie Book!. The next step is to take the Mini Snickers Bars and roll the cookie down around them into a ball. Bake as usual and then cool. Top with vanilla buttercream frosting (pictured) or enjoy by themself.

Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 pound powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup water, soy milk or milk
Dash of salt (optional)
food coloring, optional

Blend together butter, sugar, vanilla, salt. Slowly add the liquid of choice and blend until creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Separate into bowls and add food coloring to create whatever colors you desire.

Phew! That was alot of baking and a long post. Here is a quick picture of everything together (minus the strawberry butter):



It doesn't look like much, but, our kitchen is over flowing. I am going to work on creating a poll today for you all to vote ~ check back later for that.

"Veggie Out" & Baking All Night

I decided tonight was the night for my big finish ~ The Grand Finale of ALL the Bake Sale Trials. I had so much fun making everything, but, honestly, I am so glad to not have to bake again til bake sale time. lol. S

tay tuned either tonight (most likely tomorrow~ I am exhausted) for my Grand Finale Recap with all the things I baked tonight plus in the past. I am going to put up a poll for everyone to vote for their favorite items as well. It will be fun to see who votes for what based on who actually tasted it or who likes the pictures the most.

After baking all afternoon/evening, I finally decided to break to feed me. I wanted something fast and simple plus I didn't want to go anywhere. I have everything on hand to make up another batch of the Vegetarian Times Vegetable Gyoza with Edamame Succatash that I made awhile back. This tasted just as good if not better than I remembered and it definitely hit the spot. I needed some salt to offset all the sweet stuff I was making for sure. I served it up over some steamed spinach and ate about 75% of what you see here.



I also broke out another serving of the big salad I made up a few days ago for The Husband to have with his dinners. Would you be surprised if I told you I am like the only one eating it? He did eat an entire pork loin the first night (yup, 1 lb) but no veggies *sigh* such a boy. I used Trader Joe's Spicy Peanut Dressing with a few dry roasted peanuts on my salad.



My entire dinner was both vegan & vegetarian, yet, it kept me full for hours. This is definitely one of my favorite go to meals and it is honestly so good for you with all the veggies and protein you get.



Did you know you can easily steam your spinach in the microwave by simply putting 2-3 cups on a plate and sprinkling it with water. Then, microwave for 1 minute and tadah! Easy, right?

Ok ~ I am off to maybe do my recap or read, but, most likely I will probably fall asleep before either happens. Chat with you all in the morning.

Strawberry Muffins w/Strawberry Butter ~ Bake Sale Trial #4

This is a recipe that I know we LOVE but I don't always make because they are completely addictive. I was thinking that something fruity was needed for the bake sale package since everything else is centered around chocolate. It is so simple to make and can be made up as mini muffins or bigger muffins. For todays trial, I made both.

Strawberry Muffins with Strawberry Butter



STRAWBERRY MUFFINS

1 (10 oz) Package Frozen Sliced Strawberries, thawed and undrained**
2 c Flour
2/3 c Sugar
1 ½ TBSP Baking Powder
¾ tsp Salt
2/3 c Milk
2 Large Eggs
1/3 c Vegetable Oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add strawberries, milk, eggs and oil until blended. Spoon batter into greased muffin pans (can use muffin liners), filling 2/3’s full.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from pan immediately.

Yields: approximately 12-14 regular size muffins or 24 mini muffins.

** You can make your own version of frozen strawberries by taking 10 oz fresh strawberries (about 1 1/2 cups) and halve them. Place the strawberries in a ziploc bag and add 6 tablespoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons of water. Seal the bag and slightly crush the berries by smashing them a little. Shake to mix and allow to stand until sugar dissolves.

STRAWBERRY BUTTER

½ c Butter, Softened
2-3 TBSP Strawberry Jam

Stir together until blended. (I like using a beater to get it creamier). Serve with Strawberry Muffins.

That is really all there is to making these muffins. They go together quickly and get eaten up just as fast.

My afternoon snack was one of the BIG muffins and one of the MINI muffins with some of that fabulous strawberry butter all melted on while they were hot. Amazing! The Husband asked to have some put in his snack box for work so I am sure these wont' be around for long.

I am off to dip the peanut butter eggs in chocolate now ~ wish me luck.

Bake Sale Trial #3

I made up 4 things to try tonight. Two were repeats but I was testing out a couple of things. I tried freezing my moon pies first to see if they would maintain their shape better. They did, however, I either need to use less marshmallow (no!) or double dip them in chocolate.....hmmm, which is better?

I also made up a couple of my Mock Tag-A-Longs to use up my extra chocolate.

I started out first preparing the Home Made Samoa Girl Scout Cookie Bars. I first saw these here and knew I had to make them - they are my absolute favorite! The fact that I can make them into bars is even better because it means you do not have to be perfect in how the shape is. To be able to make a chemical free version is all the better.

Here is a sneak peak of how they turned out:



And a closer look:



I have not put them on a pretty plate yet since they have to "chill" for a bit. The Husband snacked two and said they taste 90% like the real deal. I had a bite, but, honestly after working with all this chocolate and such I haven't wanted anything to do with the end result lol. I will give my full review tomorrow on these along with the co-worker feedback. I made 35 bars - more than either The Husband or I should eat.

I also started prepping the Peanut Butter Egg part for the home made Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs. They need to "chill" over night so they will get dunked tomorrow in some good chocolate, chilled some more, then be decorated in a nice butter cream frosting - yum! I LOVE this recipe already because these are the eggs my mom used to make for us when we were little. It really brought me back to the memories of helping her make them and all. We used to get so excited making them and then be super surprised that the Easter Bunny knew they were our favorites and left us some too :D

Here is a sneak preview of my naked peanut butter eggs.....they will get clothes (chocolate) and bows (decorations) tomorrow.



I made them in all shapes and sizes but I do think I need to work on my egg shapes. Maybe once they get dressed they will look more like eggs? Hmmmm. I do have to confess that I took a mini egg for The Husband and for me and dipped it in the leftover Samoa chocolate. It was seroiusly the best thing ever....I can't wait to get these finished and share. I am pretty much convinced they will be part of the bake sale. I am really digging the variety mix though.

Okie dokie.....I am pooped and The Husband keeps trying to get my attention so I best give him some snuggle time. See you all in the morning - Friday is always a good day!

Bake Sale Trial #2: Girl Scout Cookies - Part 1

I am pondering making Home Made Girl Scout Cookies for the bake sale, but, I wanted to test them out first. I have two awesome recipes in mind to make, however, today, my co-worker suggested making "Mock" Girl Scout Cookies. They are super simple to make and you don't know the difference. She suggested using Ritz Crackers, Chocolate and Mint Extract to make thin mints ~ Yum!

So, the first batch I made, was my "Mock" Thin Mints. These were so simple. I simply melted a Ghiradelli Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar (8 squares) in my double boiler pan. Once melted, I added a 1/4 tsp peppermint extract. I then, dipped each Ritz Cracker in until coated and put it on a sheet of wax paper to cool. I put them in the fridge for 1 hour to chill. The result was this:



I do like that when you bite into it that it looks like a mint cookie due to the ligher color of the Ritz.



And how it looks next to the Real Thin Mint (hmmm, I never noticed the little holes before):



Overall, these do not taste bad, but The Husband and I are not big Chocolate Mint people. He does think the real deal does taste better though. I am going to check what the co-workers think tomorrow as well.

Next, I thought, wow that was so easy, let's take this a step further and make Mock Tag-Alongs. I topped my Ritz Crackers with some Honey Roasted Peanut Butter and dipped them in melted semi-sweet chocolate chips (no extract). Here was the result.



Look at ALL that peanut buttery goodness when you bite into the cookie:



Overall, I have to say, I think these taste better than Tag Alongs. (The Husband was too chocolated out to try any more cookies (he ate the cupcakes & cookies I brought home already lol) so he will review later.) I think this recipe is a keeper, however, I think I might chill the peanut butter on the Ritz first and use the chocolate bar versus chips. The bars yield a thinner chocolate and it makes it easier to coat the cookies.

The last cookie I made was a version of a Moon Pie. I topped 1 Ritz Cracker with the Honey Roasted Peanut Butter and another Ritz with some Marshmallow Cream. I smashed them together and dipped them in the chocolate. The result was not as desirable appearance wise, however, the flavor seriously knocked my socks off! I think if I had chilled them in the fridge before dipping them in the chocolate, there shape might have been maintained. I definitely think this one is a keeper - so good! Here is the result of my "Moon Pies":



Believe it or not, I made all 3 of these cookies in about 35 minutes - it took longer to chill them. Crazy huh? For that reason alone, this should be a resaon to keep the recipes lol. You do save alot on the calories and fat using a Ritz Cracker too since you do not have the fatty buttery shortbread cookie that is the base for most Girl Scout Cookies. I bet these would taste fabulous with graham crackers too.

It was a fun experiment tonight. I can't wait to make the Samoas next and I've decided to try my mom's Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Eggs too. I am so glad I can give this all away to The Husband and co-workers. Ironically though, I have pretty much only wanted and had just bites to taste. Maybe that is how chef's stay thin - it's just little bites and rarely the full thing.

I am off to enjoy the rest of The Biggest Loserr and relax. Night all ~ see you in the morning after!

Bake Sale Trial #1

Today I signed up to participate in the Blogger Bake Sale hosted by Meghann. She is raising money for a great cause and I watched her last sale be a super huge success. I know I want to participate, the question now is, what do I make?

My head was spinning with ideas today from things I make myself (think Christmas baking) to the different cookbooks I have to different recipes I've seen on blogs. I think the key is to have something that will travel well and that looks amazing being photographed. I have thought of homemade girl scout cookies, my mom's homemade chocolate peanut butter eggs (perfect for Easter!), muffins, breads, etc.

In the upcoming week, you will see some of my trials as I figure out what I want to make for the bake sale. It should be fun and I know The Husband will be happy to try it all out lol.

On tonight's baking agenda, was Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars. I first saw these here and have wanted to give them a go ever since.



I really think the key to this recipe is having good granola and possibly mixing it up a bit by adding coconut or something. They were pretty tasty, but, super rich. They didn't say to me this is it, so my journey for the perfect recipe will continue. I will let you all know what everyone else thinks.

Do you have any ideas or recommendations for something I should bake? I would love to hear any ideas you have, comment away.