I was recently cruising around the internet, looking for baking/food photography contests, when I came across this site. I became curious and went over to their recipe section, to see what their selection of recipe's was like to choose from. These samoa cookies instantly caught my attention, because they reminded me of the chocolate fudge pinwheel cookies I used to eat as a kid. Those were delicious. I never eat them now, because they have weird chemicals in them, and I'd rather make them myself :P

Sooo, I decided to make them!
Rolling the dough:
Toasted coconut:
Cutting the cookies:
Baked:
Finished cookies:
These were pretty fun to make. I got a little bored with the tedious work of topping each cookie with the coconut/caramel mixture, but it was still fun.
OH! I did change something about the recipe, though (don't I always?). It calls for those individually wrapped caramels you buy in the candy bins at the store. I didn't use them because I didn't have them on hand, plus they don't taste as good as homemade caramel, plus its more fun to make it myself, PLUS homemade>store-bought. I had some caramel sauce on hand that I had made a few months ago for some pecan-caramel cheesecake, so I just used that instead. I suppose it was about a cup and a half total...don't quote me on that, though.
As far as the contest goes, I'll be entering one of the shots I got of the completed cookie, but the entries are unlimited, so I might try to make something else to submit before the deadline in July. The only catch is that I can't enter more than one entry for one recipe, so I'll have to choose another recipe. Which, of course, I won't mind.

~Lacey

"Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down on our blankets for a nap." - Robert Fulghun

Um...I wrote this post like a week ago, but apparently it never got published, only saved as a draft :| How about I publish it now and you all just pretend this is a week before?

______________

You know those moments in your life when the only way to describe your mood is "GRRAGYEAYDYAWHDWHGFREWHTKEHAHWFEHWKFEFPHTHHHHHH!!!!!" ? I'm having one of those moments :|

We have a show coming up next weekend, and we are selling cookies geared towards Mother's day. We have to prepare them in a certified kitchen (stupid California laws X| ), so I called our source the other day for a kitchen. She said the day we need the kitchen, it will be full of mad caterers preparing for an event the same weekend. Meaning-we are left without a kitchen and I'm scrambling to secure one as fast as I can. So far I've called about 15 churches/schools in the surrounding area, and am waiting for phone calls back from all of them. I heard back from two churches and one school and none of their kitchens are certified.

This show is really important for our business because its one of the biggest in the area, and we have already paid for the booth space. We have a really good edge for the market we would be selling to that weekend and we have been planning the whole thing for quite awhile, so it would be a HUGE bummer if we had to skip out. Pray someone will come through at a decent enough price.....

I'm about ready to pull my hair out in frusteration :| On top of trying to pull things together for the show, I really need to get work done on a speech I'm doing


____________

Well, the draft cuts off there. I don't know why. But there. I hope you enjoyed this strange, week-old, half-post written by yours truly. I'll update again soon with a more normal post :|

~Lacey
"Chemicals, n: Noxious substances from which modern foods are made." -Author Unknown

Last Wednesday on Earth Day, my mom picked me up from work and we headed downtown to the weekly farmer's market to buy some goodies.

We bought some leeks, olives, and jam. The girl we bought leeks from was really familiar, and I was pretty sure I knew who she was. Being homeschooled, we always went to a weekly play-day at a park in town, and I met her in a sandbox there when I was about 6 years old. She mentioned knowing us and then I knew it was the same girl. It was a weird coincidence cause last time I saw her must have been at least a good 6 or 7 years ago!

Last Fall I made an AMAZING!!!!!!!!! soup entitled "White Cheddar Leek Soup"...or something like that. Anyways, I've been thinking about it lately and have been wanting to make it again (don't ask me why, hot soup isn't something you normally make in the obnoxiously-hot California spring time...) Here's me picking out some leeks:

Yes, I look very serious, I know. Choosing the right leeks is a very important process, you know.
Here's some more pretty looking fresh veggies:


















We tasted some homemade jams, my mom decided to buy some Red Pepper jam. Sounds weird, I know, but it was actually pretty good. The lady who made it said it goes well with cheese and crackers. I haven't tried them together yet, but it sounds good.

So tonight I'll be making the soup for dinner. I'm also making my famous garlic bread, cuz I couldn't find my recipe for Parmesan pepper bread...(I have a horrible habit of not saving first-time recipes, then kick myself in the butt later when I want them again :| )

In fact, I should probably go get started on the soup, so it can simmer properly in time for dinner.

Until next time,

~Lacey

“Good manners: The noise you don't make when you're eating soup.” -Bennett Cerf