Author: Kasha

Ladies, This One’s for You….

Posted on by Kasha
Have you scheduled your annual mammogram yet? Well get on that!  There's no time like the present.... You don't want to waste a gorgeous day off in the spring or summer do ya?  Do.  It.  Today. Around the farm, this winter in particular, there's not much going on. This is when we take care of things that we've had to put off because of that darned growing season.  So I've been seeing doctors, dentists, optometrists, and hair colorists (shhh.... don't tell).  I've been cleaning and purging and sorting and organizing .  I've been choosing paint colors, patching nail holes and moving furniture.  I'm...Read More
All I Wanted for My Birthday was Virus Protection

All I Wanted for My Birthday was Virus Protection

Posted on by Kasha
Happy 2012 everyone! I'm sorry I've been out of commission lately.  It appears as though some little cyberbeast decided to take up residence in my computer and now that it's fixed, I can get back to business.  Luckily, I only have to trade foodstuffs for top-notch tech work and with lots of time on my hands right now, I can cook up a storm (thank you Fletch)! Oh yeah, and I also celebrated my 29th birthday! Yes, again.  Shut up.  We had a wonderful night and Thomas got to experience 'hibachi' for the first time.   If you could have seen his eyes...Read More

‘Royal’ly Cool Ideas for Cookie Decorating (Part 2)

Posted on by Kasha
So you made all your cookies and you got all your pastry bags full of various colors of royal icing, right?  I know, I know... You've been waiting patiently for me to tell you HOW to decorate the cookies.  WHY?  How could you resist?  If you have never, ever decorated a cookie before, I urge you to just dive in and get piping (that's what you call it when you squeeze the frosting out of a pastry bag).  You'll get the hang of it, I promise.  And I bet you'll find that you get more creative, faster, and more confident...Read More

‘Royal’ly Cool Ideas for Cookie Decorating (Part 1)

Posted on by Kasha
Yes.  I think that's funny.  I'm lame like that. I was doing some Christmas shopping at Michael's craft store the other day and couldn't resist the adorable assortment of cookie cutters.   WHAT?  Michael's has great percent-off coupons!  I NEVER make rolled cookies and I NEVER have the time to decorate rolled cookies without a small child at my side.  This week, I had the time.  And obviously I now had the cutters.  I know, you're shocked.  My resistance is really low at Michael's, Target, and Bed, Bath and Beyond. It was cookie week on the Martha Stewart Show, and in...Read More

Anybody Baking Cookies This Week? Read This.

Posted on by Kasha
Anyone who has joined us at our farm Open Houses knows that I know a little bit about making cookies. We set up a table of assorted snacks and drinks for our guests to nibble on while they shop around the barn. There are times when guests/ vendors bring something to share, but most of the time I make about 100 dozen assorted cookies. Despite the number of times I've been asked, I do not sell them. It's basically all-u-can-eat while you're here. There are some tricks that I've learned over the 6 years we've held Open Houses, tricks that...Read More
Ice Princess

Ice Princess

Posted on by Kasha
That was my nickname growing up. I even had a tiara which I wore to all family functions. It was cute, and although I was a moody skootch (Love that word - thanks, Denise!) I still loved my family to death and did everything I could to be helpful. But there was a cloud of annoyance, irritation.   "You want me to do WHAT with the kids? Ride the Sesame Street roller coaster? OH JOY!" Ask my aunts what they remember of me (the oldest of 6 very close cousins) and the rest of the kids at the Orange County Fair...Read More
Heaven in a Springform Pan: Pumpkin-Mascarpone Cheesecake

Heaven in a Springform Pan: Pumpkin-Mascarpone Cheesecake

Posted on by Kasha
What a busy weekend! And the holidays aren't even really upon us yet.  Heck, I haven't even vacuumed up one single pine needle.  *sigh*  It's gonna be a lonnnnggg and crazy December. [caption id="attachment_2536" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Thomas had to journal about his weekend with JoJo the Dinosaur. I doubt any other kid in class has a pic like THIS![/caption] This past weekend The FarmGirl took the party on the road.  I gave my very first Mobile Cooking Lesson!   I took my kid and some equipment and lots of homegrown veggies and journeyed to a friend's house to teach her and her...Read More
Gobble, Gobble…. Thanksgiving Prep

Gobble, Gobble…. Thanksgiving Prep

Posted on by Kasha
I'm not the only one who goes food-crazy on Thanksgiving.  I KNOW I'm not.  I've seen my share of folks pushing their chairs away from holiday tables and gently rubbing their tummies as they mosey to the living room to wait for dessert. (???) I always have such good intentions and grand plans to put an elaborate spread on our Thanksgiving table, but I've learned that it's just more leftovers that my fridge cannot handle.  We were only 5 people this year for Turkey Day, and do we REALLY NEED 5 side dishes in addition to standard mashed taters 'n'...Read More
Jam Crumble Bars, Or, What to Bring When You’re Invited to Someone’s Home for Holiday Meals

Jam Crumble Bars, Or, What to Bring When You’re Invited to Someone’s Home for Holiday Meals

Posted on by Kasha
Chances are, sometime in the next month you will be having a holiday meal -- either in your home or someone else's.  And if you're like me, you'll probably over-do it and make a ton of sweets and savories that will practically BEG to be shared because you just couldn't (read: shouldn't) eat another bite!  This is one of those sweets. This simple jam bar is adapted from a recipe torn from Real Simple magazine ages ago.  Seriously, ages.   I checked RealSimple.com and it was originally printed in 2006.  Goes to show just what a recipe junkie I am, huh? ...Read More

Peanut Butter Cookies Just Like Mom Used to Make

Posted on by Kasha
Rarely does anything taste as good as your memories of them. But sometimes, if you do it right, you can replicate that favorite cookie that your mom used to make once in a blue moon, complete with fork-made crosshatch pattern.  I swear I can still hear the fork 'tinking' against the ice in the small Pyrex measuring cup of water Mom used to keep the fork from sticking to the cookie dough balls. You remember that cookie... the one you used to snag off the cooling rack before it was truly cool enough to handle. The one that was so hot it would...Read More