First, don’t forget about Presto Pasta tomorrow.  I am hosting and you won’t believe some of the amazing dishes submitted so far…but I know I am missing one…YOURS! Be sure to submit it soon.

Second, the cool folks at Eggology are doing a promotion for Earth Day.  They emailed me and asked me to ask YOU to participate.  It’s because you guys are so cool, you know, everyone wants to be your friend.

Anyway.  They are inviting you to let them know what you are doing to respect the environment; at home, at the office, where ever.  Just go to the Eggology Blog for details  or submit your eco-deed directly via Eggology’s website You could win a case of organic egg whites.  They will also be donating a percentage of their online sales to Earth Day Network.

Don’t miss out!

image:Presto Pasta Nights, used with permission.

Post from: Baking Delights

The image has nothing to do with anything..I don’t care for pages without illustration..however if you want the recipe, that is my version of the oh-so-addictive Berger cookies...

This week is the quarterly bloggy give-aways and much of b5’s Lifestyle channel is involved.  You need to check these out, and register for them because there are some really cool prizes!

There will be more giveaways going on throughout the week, so you may want to sign up for our channel feed.

If you didn’t know, you can also subscribe to Baking Delights through this feed… makes it much easier to keep up!

Now, on to the drawings!

Tree Hugging Family - Mothering Magazine Subscriptions, Big Green Purse

Mother Earth’s Garden – Let it Rot! The Gardener’s Guide to Composting, Leapin Lemur and Penguin Puffs

Simply Thrifty – Coupon Organizer

Offbeat Homes – Building With Awareness Guidebook on DVD

Hankering for Yarn – Butterfly Earrings

Junk Creations – EcoHangers

Stamping Mad – Stamping Hobbyists Gift Set

Jewelry and Beading – Artful Blogging Magazine

Layers Upon Layers – Art Doll Quarterly

Quilting and Patchwork – The Magic of Patchwork Book

Babylune – Hanes Gift Certificates

Tool Belt Tips – 2 Cases Thompson’s Water Seal

Tangled Thread – Tags and Tie Dyes Contest

Busy Family Meals – Asian Cooking Starter Kit

Blog Fabulous – Boogie Dance Giveaway

Thrifty Mommy – Honey Thyme Herb Farm, Recycled Bags, Cooking Light Cookbook, Towel Spa

Weary Parent – You’re a Good Mom Gift Set, Blume Girl Boutique Giveaway, Blog Design

Supernanny Rules – Skincare by Amino Genesis

Kettle and Cup – The Tea Table Book

Baking Delights – Hello Cupcake Book

Behind the Vine – Wine lovers will love Vacu Vin

Solo Mother – Sexy Dancing

Keeping the Castle – Hypoallergenic Pillow from Lands’ End

Career and Kids and GenBetween – 5 SanDisk Gator Cruzer 4GB Flash Drives – contest 1 – contest 2

Play Library – Melissa and Doug Birthday Party Cake Toy

A Child Chosen – Crystal and Pearl Earrings

One Book Two Book – Tessy and Tab Reading Starter Kit

Post from: Baking Delights

Well, it is that time again. And THIS time I have been able to be organized enough to participate both here and at Kettle and Cup, although it may be a few days before the post goes up at Kettle and Cup so be patient. You will like the prize there.

But here…What can I do here? I mean, I have given away aprons and Dorrie Greenspan cookbooks..and chocolate cookbooks…Oh my what is left?

Hello Cupcake is an amazing book of, what else? CUPCAKES! The cakes in this book are adorable and can be made by anyone.

I read the reviews on Amazon and they were incredible..Go ahead..go read them..I will wait!

Back all ready? See! You can be creating these amazing little cupcakes in only a few hours once you have this book in your hands…and best of all? I am giving it away to one lucky reader! YAY!!!!!

So, how do you need to register? Easy as cupcakes…Just:

• Leave a comment
• Leave a comment, or
• Leave a comment.

If you blog about it and link to this post, and leave me a comment that you have, then you will get two entries!

Winner will be announced April 27, so all comments on THIS post between now and then will be entered in the drawing. Other than getting two entries for blogging it no duplicate entries will be accepted. I cannot ship out of the U.S…sorry. However if you wish to enter the drawing and are outside of the US I CAN send you an Amazon Gift certificate in lieu of the book. Just let me know in the initial comment.

Also…If the book is sold out or unavailable at the time of the drawing, I reserve the right to send a gift certificate for the value of the book. If you win you must contact me within three days.

For more great giveaways check out Bloggy Giveaways.

(c)Marye Audet Baking Delights

Bloggy Giveaway image used with permission

Post from: Baking Delights

Check out Jennifer’s post at Tree Hugging Family for links to all the contests!

Post from: Baking Delights

O.k…well…

The Foodie Blogroll has changed. I have it up on Apron Strings and Simmering Things, because I don’t have creative license to what goes in the sidebars here…but I consider Baking Delights part of the blogroll. I can’t remember how many foodie blogs are on it now but there are a ton….and new ones every day.

One of the new ones is A Pot of Tea and a Biscuit. Welcome to the foodie blog roll, Sylvie! She has an awesome recipe for curried chicken parcels, which I am also pretty sure you could make ahead and use as part of your Once A Month Cooking line up.

If you think you have seen cupcakes, let me tell you..you have NOT seen cupcakes until you visit All Things Cupcake. Absolutely a cupcake feast for the eyes.

Look what I found on Home Gourmets! Hidden Chocolate Tarts. I would like to hide some of these away, myself!

Check out my cruller recipe on Apron Strings. It really came out awesome and I am ready to make some more! I liked the way that I shaped them, and so did the kids.

Stop by More Than Burnt Toast and congratulate Valli for winning the Royal Foodie Joust for February! She made Citrus Spice-Rubbed Baby Back Ribs…and…ummm…wow.

At Mrs Sac’s Purple Kitchen, Melissa cooks up an awesome version of one of my favorites, chicken tortilla soup.

Piggy’s Cooking Journal is not just a great food blog. The design of it and images are aesthetically perfect. She is part of the Tuesdays with Dorie crew and made some fantastic looking snickery bars this week.

Pixie is another one of my must read bloggers. She is magically amazing, as she has already eaten breakfast for tomorrow…oh wait..she is on the other side of the world!! Anyway..she creates Bagels on her blog, You Say Tomato..I Say Tomato

At Cafe Lynnylou Lynne makes a spiced blueberry grunt…did I mention my adoration of all things blueberry?

Dharm cracks me up…Call it sexist but a guy who cooks intrigues me…because…well…other than the grill, Marc would starve to death without me. We have a system..he keeps gas and oil in the car and I keep food in his belly. It has worked for 28 years…ANYWAY..

Dharm at Dad~Baker & Chef creates his grandmother’s recipe for Caramel Custard and it looks fabulous. Apparently his grandma made it for them when they were sick..I would have been sick constantly I think!

Check out the cake balls on Megan’s blog, which is aptly named, Megans Cookin. They look fantastic.

Laurie at the Quirky Cupcake announced the ingredient for March, which is Marshmallow. If you are going ot take part get your entry in by the 28th.

The Way the Cookie Crumbles is not a blog that I have ever visited before…so I head over there to see what’s up…and what’s up is..Oh my gosh…raspberry bars. Did I mention that raspberries are also adored by yours truly? So when I stopped licking the screen……

and went on to Jen at Canadian Baker only to find….Cranberry Pear bars.

So I am done..I have gained 20 lbs looking at this stuff. Everything looks good, and now I am craving food…

Hey, if you have a food blog, and you haven’t ever commented leave a comment! I like blog visiting on Saturdays and I would love to see what you are doing.

Have a great weekend and don’t forget to spring forward to night with the clocks. I dislike this time change..I prefer the autumn one, by the way, but no one asked me.

All content on this page (c)Marye Audet for Baking Delights, http://bakingdelights.com, and B5 Media.

Post from: Baking Delights

If you look to the left you will see the tagline for Baking Delights. It says, Baking, you cant beat it!

Which may be true, but it is starting to bore me. Lacks charisma, luster, and ooo-lala, you know?

So here is the deal. I need a new tag line. And you want to win a contest. Come on, you know you do.

Look at t his cookbook. How cool is it? Dorie Greenspan bakes her way though the Parisian Pastry Shops. Imagine touring Paris with Dorie at your side.

See, I told you you wanted this.

So, here’s what you do.
1. Blog about this contest with a link back to Baking Delights.
2. Leave me a comment with a link to the blog post.

That gets you entered for the cookbook.
3. Come up with a tag line for Baking Delights. Something catchy, and very, very Marye. For the tagline you will get another entry in the contest.

I will choose the five taglines I like best.
On March 14th I will put up a new poll with the five best taglines. The poll will run through the 25th. On the 25th I will draw the name of the winner of the cookbook and….
The person who gets the most votes will win a $10 gift certificate to Amazon.
How cool is that?

Pretty stinkin’ cool of you ask me!

All content on this page (c)maryeaudet2008 for baking delights, http://bakingdelights.com , except where noted.

Image:Morguefile.com

Post from: Baking Delights

A Cowboy’s Wife is having a contest on her food blog! You can win a Hamilton Beach® Stand Mixer and she’ll ship anywhere so everyone is eligible!

The Prize:

The winner will receive a brand new
Hamilton Beach 4.5-qt. Eclectrics Stand Mixer, Pineapple Yellow!!

About the mixer:

From Hamilton Beach’s “Eclectrics” line, this all-metal stand mixer comes with a host of accessories – a Flat Beater for cakes and cookies, a Dough Hook for bread and a Wire Whisk for whipped cream or pudding. The 4.5-qt. stainless steel bowl comes with a Pouring Shield that helps prevent splattering while in operation. The pouring shield has a built-in chute for adding ingredients. Powered by 400 watts, the stand mixer has a two-way mixing action to ensure all ingredients are incorporated into the mix. The quick-release, tilt-up head assists when removing the bowl. 9 x 14 x 14-in. When you’re ready for a kitchen re-do, don’t call in the carpenters! Instead, “counterscape” your kitchen with Hamilton Beach’s retro-designed, affordably priced electrics in happy, sun-saturated colors. Their “Eclectrics” line includes updates to those classic appliances from the 1950s. All of their “Eclectrics” are available in six colors: Apple Green, Moroccan Red, Pineapple Yellow, Intrigue Blue, Sugar White and Licorice Black.

Post from: Baking Delights

I’m Dreaming of A Chocolate Christmas will be sent to you, via Amazon, in time to read it during the down time between Christmas and New Years! Be sure and leave a comment/blog post for a chance to win!

I think this cookbook is totally awesome! Let’s face it..great pictures…chocolate….life just doesn’t get better than that, does it?

Also, if you have not registered to win free coffee every week over at Kettle & Cup you need to head over there right now and do so!

Hmm..so if I blog about my own giveaway does that mean I have a chance to win?

Post from: Baking Delights

So…I won’t ramble on and on with this one. First the prize.  I’m Dreaming of  a Chocolate Christmas by  Marcel Desaulniers and Ron Manville

This is an incredible cookbook filled with chocolate and everything yummy for Christmas and throughout the year. It is brand new with a publishing date of  October 2007. If you love chocolate, if you love Christmas, if you love good pictures you gotta have this book.  And I, for one, would love to have it sent to you. Not in time for Christmas baking but JUST in time for that lovely space of nothingness between Christmas and New Years, just right for lounging and looking.

So, what do you have to do?

1. Post this contest on your blog with a link to this page (just click on the title to get to the right page)..and leave me comment on this post telling me that you have and where to find it.

That’s it. Really.

Contest will end on December 18th at midnight! Winner will be chosen at random by a completely unbiased party.

If the book is not available at the end of the contest I do reserve the right to substitute an Amazon  gift certificate in a similar value, or another book with similar value, at my discretion.

And this won’t be the last give-away  this month…so do keep a close watch.

Post from: Baking Delights

I bet you never expected to see a picture of green beans on Baking Delights, huh?

The thing is, as I share my love of cooking with the people around me, who are mostly my kids, I instinctively pass on bits of information that make huge differences in the end product. I realized last night as I was photographing supper ( can you imagine how twisted my kids are?  Their mom photographs everything before they bite into it.. ) that I don’t tend to do that here…I might write, “salt this”, or “cut this in pieces”, but because you only see the end product most of the time you don’t see how I do it or why you shouldn’t do it another way. Alot of you are much better cooks than I, and could teach me a thing or two but I thought today I would begin to share some tips  about ingredients on a regular basis.

Crystallized Sea salt is one of my favorites. It has a distinct taste, which you don’t really expect. I mean, salt is salt, right? Nope.  Someone sent me sea salt from France a few months ago..It was pink! And it tasted much different than anything I had had before. So, yeah, different salts are different. Use whatever you want when you boil water for pasta but when you are salting food try a few different kinds to see what you like. And I am not talking Morton’s and the store brand.

Anyway. I like sea salt crystals for using as a table salt. Rather than giving the vegetables an all over salty taste you get distinct tastes. In this case; the green beans, the butter and then the occasional burst of salty crunch. It is one of the things that sets really good food apart from mediocre food.

In baking there are some cool things you can do. If you are making a savory pie, like tourtiere you can brush an egg yolk wash on the top crust and sprinkle with the salt crystals. The finished crust has a golden hue with a bit of glitter to it and the salty crunch adds interest. Be sparing with the amounts you use. If you are making chocolate chip cookies sometime try sprinkling the tops of a couple with crystallized sea salt, especially if you, like me, love that contrast between sweet and salty as with chocolate covered pretzels. Yum. Again, be sparing. You don’t want it to overpower the other flavors just give them an added pizazz.

Being creative and adventurous with your cooking keeps it from being boring and it is the thing that ultimately sets you apart from others.

Hey! Don’t forget…Leave a comment to be entered in the Donna Reed Divas Apron Contest. You can leave a comment on every post from that post on until it’s over and you will be entered EVERY time you leave a comment. I can be a pretty prolific writer, so if you can be a pretty prolific commenter you might have a good shot at it.
Also…Are you checking daily for the Scavenger Hunt? Find all the words and you can win this way cool Autumn gift basket from B5. But you have to read the posts in the participating blogs daily to do it. It is a good way to expand your horizons.
Last, but certainly not least..Please, please, please..Don’t forget to make a pink dessert for the Boobie Bake-off every bit of the proceeds of that will go to breast cancer research in the name of the winner. And it will be fun to see all of the creative stuff you come up with.
So… a cornucopiaof things happening  this month and it isn’t even Christmas yet.

Post from: Baking Delights