Great Cake From A Box? Oh, Yes

For me, cooking and baking are like writing or photography: Another way to create. Unfortunately I don’t have a lot of time to bake, and usually when I do have time, I don’t want go to too much trouble. I want the rush of creation without the effort. I’m OK with this. What I am not OK with is mediocre cake. If I’m going to ingest those calories, they’d better taste awesome. Enter The Cake Mix Doctor.

I discovered this book years ago and it remains one of my favorites because every cake I’ve made is a winner. And all I need are a box of cake mix and few extra ingredients. Author Anne Byrn adds a little of this and a little of that to help take away that “mix” taste and make your cakes (and cookies and bars) taste like homemade with much less effort. Who knew that a container of sour cream, some vanilla or a bit of instant coffee powder could transform ordinary cake mix into a homemade favorite? Apparently Anne did.

Not only will get recipes, you’ll also get tips and tricks so you go out on your own and improvise. But if you’re like me and aren’t good at improvisational baking, there are more than enough recipes in this book to keep you happy for a long time to come.

Three Of My Favorite Cake Mix Doctor Recipes

1. Lemon Buttermilk Poppy Seed Cake – Lemon juice, buttermilk, yogurt, poppy seeds and lemon zest turn plain white mix into a the perfect springtime cake. You can also get rid of the lemon and the zest and use pure almond extract for a yummy almond poppy seed cake.

2. White Chocolate Pound Cake – Plain white cake meets white chocolate, butter and vanilla to become two loaves of pound cake that will make you forget you ever knew Sara Lee.

3. Incredible Melted Ice Cream Cake – Add the melted ice cream of your choice to white cake mix and top with chocolate marshmallow frosting (recipe included) and you will become an instant rock star to whoever tries a slice.

Ann also includes recipes for wonderful homemade frostings that will put you off the canned stuff for good. Quite a bargain for about $9.00.

Wanna try before you buy? There’s a Cake Mix Doctor Web site that has a few recipes you can dig into.

I love the stuff in this book, but lately I don’t get to make as much of it as I’d like because my husband has a gluten sensitivity. I discovered that Anne has worked her magic on gluten-free cake mix, too. Oh happy day!

7 Must-Haves For The Holiday Season

Can you smell it?  Mm mm.  I CAN!  The holidays are upon us!  Who needs some gift giving ideas? (Paging my husband…)

7 Holiday Must-Haves

Dance Central for XBOX 360 Kinect.  Because WHO does not love to dance, while losing some extra weight in your own living room, while Also being able to upload your super hot dance moves to All of the internet.

‘Wish for The Perfect Pout’ set of 6 Smashbox lip glosses (from Sephora).  If you didn’t know already, I am in LOVE with lip glosses.  The addiction started with a multitude of chap sticks as a kid, and then I moved onto the gloss.  I just can’t. help. myself.

‘Skinny Italian,’ Teresa Guidice’s cookbook.  Love love love her!  My inner table flipping Jersey girl (who happened to actually be born & bred in Rhode Island) needs. these. recipes.  Who couldn’t use some Healthier Italian recipes to boot?

‘Cold Beverage Jar with Stand’ from Crate and Barrel.  OK, that one doesn’t sound so fantastic, but go on – LOOK at it.  Can you not just see your homemade sangria in that?  Can you hear the ooohs and aaahs from your guests?  (Red wine, I like Red Wine!)

And then there’s what I like to call the big guns.  Shoes and pocketbooks…  oh my.

Uggs! ‘Women’s Ultimate Short’ in sand or chocolate (did I mention my size would be an 8?  Yes, their sizes run a bit different – just in case you were wondering – or wanted to send me some).  Oprah may have just given away the glittery ones as a favorite thing, but I am still partial to these.

‘Madison Dotted Op Art Swingpack’ by Coach in silver/khaki/mahogany…  OR in brass/mahogany…  you know, depending on what color my Uggs are.  I like my colors coordinating, what can I say.  Then again, the all black one would pair nicely with:

Jessica Simpson’s ‘Tessie’ Boot in black new bomber.  And did I mention while they may retail at $210, boots are currently $50 off through 11/30 with coupon code ’50BOOT’ -AND- they happen to have Free standard shipping!  Woo hoo!  Merry Christmas!

Those are My 7 must haves for this holiday season.  (And if still in doubt, you can never go wrong with a gift certificate to your favorite girls hair salon or wherever she gets manicures and pedicures!)  Happy shopping!

Photo by: Nicole
Feature photo by: Kevin Dooley

Cookbooks: The best of the best with Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

On principle, I rarely suggest cookbooks as gifts for women.  I also don’t want a vaccuum cleaner for Valentine’s Day or a new ironing board for my birthday, thanks.  Apparently, I have a little feminist rebellion in me after all.

And yet, one of the best wedding presents I received was a cookbook I got from my Nanna.  A cookbook as a wedding present?  Sure, it’s a little cliche.  But I think every kitchen has to have this cookbook in it.

Read more

My favorite low carb cookbook – Stella Style

I’ve been on a primarily low carb diet for about 4 years now.  I mean, if you don’t count the months here and there where I decide to completely sabotage myself and eat anything and everything I can get my hands on.

The thing about eating low carb for that long is that it gets boring.

You can only have so many hamburger patties with cheese or chicken salads before you want to stab someone.

Add that to the fact that I refuse to cook more than one meal at dinner time – meaning my family gets one low carb meal a day – and I absolutely have to find ways to be creative with a low carb menu.

George Stella and his “Stella Style” cooking has saved my diet on more than one occassion.

What I like about this cookbook is that it’s not exactly Atkins.  I don’t follow quite as strict a regimine as the Atkins Diet, so it was nice to find a low carb philosophy that was closer to mine.

“Stella Style” is basically about eating low carb – not counting carbs.  You make foods that are naturally low in carbs – especially “bad” carbs found in things like flour and sugar – and don’t worry about how much of it you eat.  It has been an easier way to maintain a low carb lifestyle long term for me.

Read more