My name is Marye Audet and I have blogged for b5media for almost three years now. You may know me from Baking Delights or Kettle and Cup because that is usually where I am. However, I have been given the opportunity to write for the parenting channel, I think someone thinks I have a little experience in this area… I am not quite 50,  newly single after a 30 year marriage, and the very proud mom to eight of the most incredible kids on the planet…perhaps in the entire universe. But wait! That’s not all! I  also have a fantabulous son in law who I like to keep around for comic relief and three of the most adorable grandkids ever.  I think that my life is a reality show in the making but so far we have not been discovered.

I homeschool, and have homeschooled since 1989.  We live in a large and rambling historic home in need of restoration, have been raising dairy goats but I think that part of my life is about to be history, and we have chickens. I like to grow my own food when I can, and pretend to be independent.

So, what am I going to blog about? Do you really have to ask? I have experienced everything from new baby diaper spontaneous explosion  to adult children moving back home. Parenting-R-Us.  So the first thing on the agenda is to introduce you to the cast of characters:

Cast:

• Erin- 27, married, creative  (husband Jon, kids Amanda, Gabe, and Bella), her life reminds me that there is hope for the rest of them…
• Chris – 24, Air Force, Middle East, very missed
• Matthew – 17, 3rd semester of college, serious and focused
• Ethan – 16, about to start college, plays 6 instruments or so and has a band
• Shiloh – 13, wants to be a medical examiner, she is tres drole
• Sean – 11, every family needs a quiet genius, Sean is ours. Pocket protectors anyone?
• Nick – 9, artistic, free spirit… hair to the middle of his back. Samson is his Bible hero.
• Kyrie – 6, Princess, diva,call it what you will this little girl has a unique blend of  moxie-chutzpah  (non-conformist but gutsy audacity).
• Me – I am trying to navigate mid-life with as much humor and optimism as my medications will allow…(o.k.. not really. I am only on one medication but it was too good of a line to not use.)

Add a mentally challenged dog (he had major brain damage when we found him, no lie), two cats (Chipotle and Snowball; Snowball is black and brown tortise-shell calico. Kyrie named her) and a fairly odd bunch of friends and you really do have the makings for some pretty unique blog posts.

You aren’t going to want to miss a minute..I promise.

image: Marye Audet

Post from: Blisstree

And What’s your Hobby??

How did you get started writing?
I had started a small food blog to share recipes with my oldest two children, who lived in other states. It allowed them to access family recipes easily. It was “discovered” and the rest is more or less history.

Who was the biggest influence on your baking style?
My Dad. My mom was not a cook, did not like baking very much at all. I found a recipe for homemade bread in a Seventeen Magazine when I was about 14 and made it for my Dad. He was very encouraging.

What is your favorite food related memory?
I spent summers in Michigan at my Aunts’ and Uncles’ farms. Picking heirloom apples from gnarled and ancient trees, eating produce that had been picked only moments before, and swatting mosquitoes while picking raspberries are all fond memories for me.

What is your absolute favorite food?
Yikes! Ummm…Chocolate…Dessert…Cheese…Pennsylvania style wet chicken pot pie…apple fritters…too many to name, I suppose!

What is your most memorable food catastrophe moment?
I did not know how to cook when Marc and I got married…I had really never been allowed in the kitchen much because my mom did not like messes. I took an entire afternoon to make Marc and my first meal…He was playing volleyball and he came home tired. He sat down and ate about half of the dinner and then ran to the bathroom and threw up. I was devastated.

Where did the idea for Everything Cookies and Brownies come from?
It isn’t really my idea. Adams Media has an “Everything” series and they asked me if I would be interested in writing the Everything Cookies and Brownies Cookbook. They laid out the guidelines for what they wanted.

What inspired you to write a book?
Serious need for cash. No, seriously, I really hope to encourage families to cook together, to spend time together in the kitchen. It is such a bonding experience.

What is your favorite recipe in the book, and why is it your favorite?
Blueberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies (I think). It is my favorite because it encompasses the flavors that I love best. And it is totally unique. Marc’s favorite is the Maple Snickerdoodles.

What other authors or foodies inspire you?
Dorie Greenspan, definitely… I loved watching Julia Child and the Galloping Gourmet. I just like food shows, cookbooks and blogs…I think that I am inspired by all of them.

How did it feel when you got to hold that first copy of your book in your hand?
Kind of odd. I still don’t see it as a cookbook. It isn’t really real to me yet.

Thank you for sharing with us Marye!

If you’d like to get your own copy of  Marye’s new book Everything Cookies and Brownies, it will be released on September 17th. You can purchase it at the Everything Cookies and Brownies website. It’s also available for pre-order at Amazon, and coming soon to major bookstores.

Images courtesy of Marye Audet Everything Cookies and Brownies

Post from: Blisstree

Everything Cookies and Brownies Interview

As part of some fun we’re having here on b5media Lifestyle Channel, I’m going to introduce you to some of my neighbours.

This week I’d like you to meet Marye Audet who writes the delicious blog Baking Delights. If you’re into baking or just love looking at tasty recipes & ways to make your baking life easier, you can’t miss this gorgeous blog.

Be warned, though, every entry shows close up shots of biscuits, or cookies as those in the US call them, cakes, and nearly anything you can imagine to bake yourself. There are great tips, too; like the recent What to do with Leftover Eggs & How to Make Homemade, Gluten Free Baking Powder.

It looks to me Marye has everything baking covered, except I couldn’t find anything about keeping a recipe journal, or the like. It could be just that I didn’t find the entry. There are so many there. Maybe Marye will be happy to let me know if there are any such entries or create one just for this profile. Please stop by and take a look at the blog just three doors down.

Heather
Photo used with permission from Newscom

Post from: Blisstree

What’s Baking Three Doors Down?