Snickerdoodles and the Great Cookie Swap

I absolutely loved participating in the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap.  While this was the 5th annual cookie swap, it was my first year participating.  I baked, packed, and sent off snickerdoodles to bloggers all over the country.   The cookie swap was a fun opportunity to share cookies with (and better yet to receive cookies from) participants all over the country, while benefitting a great cause.

Banana Blueberry Oat Muffins

With it turning cool, I've been turning to oatmeal and other warm breakfasts.  These Banana Blueberry Oat Muffins are easy to throw together.  They're filling without being too sweet.

Peanut Butter Frosting

Not to brag, but I make a mean chocolate peanut butter cake.  It's chocolate cake with a chocolate buttercream frosting and a fluffy peanut butter frosting in the middle.  The peanut butter frosting is what makes the cake.  It's light and fluffy but substantial enough to hold up the top layer of the cake.

A Jewish Baker's Pastry Secrets

Recipes from a New York Baking Legend for Strudel, Stollen, Danishes, Puff Pastry, and More.
by George Greenstein

This book made me feel like such a legit baker.  Greenstein spends full chapters on streudel and babka and provides a wonderful recipe for puff pastry.  He discusses at length the importance of quality ingredients and shows his care for what he makes in his writing.

He starts off with the ingredients and equipment, going into details about what bakers should look for in different flours and fats.  He is all about quality when it comes to food, and while we can't all afford cocoa powder imported from Holland or Hungarian fruit butter, he provides realistic tips as well.  He also covers the baker's equipment, including anything and everything you could need, from parchment paper to the ideal setting for your refrigerator.

Everyday Detox by Megan Gilmore

It's hard to think of detoxes without thinking of days of juice cleanses and salads. Megan Gilmore's approach, in Everyday Detox is more of a lifestyle change.  It's a long term approach to ridding your body of, as Megan calls the vague additives and chemical preservatives of processed foods.  There are so many of testimonials to the effects of a whole food diet in general as well as associated with this book. 

Collaboreads: Eleanor & Park

I'm extremely excited about the opportunity to join in with Mr. Thomas and Me and Rachel A. Dawson for Collaboreads (you can learn more about Collaboreads here).  The criteria for this month's book selection was "a book with someone's name in the title."  I chose Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell.  This book has been on my reading list for a while.  I think I read a good review of it somewhere, and liked the cover (always a good reason to read a book), but I don't completely remember.  For whatever reason, I stored it away on my mental reading list and forgot about it until coming across it at the local library.  Eleanor and Park follows the relationship between two misfit high school students in the 1980's.  It was surprisingly delightful and an easy read, a perfect book for the beach. 

Icebox Coffee Toffee No Churn Ice Cream

I was pretty excited to hear that Birmingham based, Icebox Coffee and Birmingham Bloggers are holding a recipe contest because  1. I love iced coffee and  2. I've been all about finding recipes to stay cool this summer.  I've tried both flavors of  Icebox coffee concentrate and love them both.  This was really a great excuse to buy more iced coffee.  Thankfully, I managed to save enough to make this delicious treat.

Have you seen?

Have you seen my post this week on Southern Exhilaration?  Caitlin's blog is full of travel and all things southern, so I was super excited to share about one of my favorite places in Montgomery:

The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts 

and it's beautiful surroundings at the Blount Cultural Park. 

Be sure to check it out!