The Cookie Market

I picked up my latest edition of Specialty Food Magazine and found this article on the specialty cookie market. The cookie and cookie bar industry is a 5.2 billion dollar market. Of course, the most popular types of cookies are sandwich such as Oreos and soft chocolate chip. Most surprising is the love for vanilla wafers. They make up 47% of cookies eaten in any given household. More and more exotic, organic and ethnic cookies are becoming more popular as people are finding less expensive indulgences. We love cookies! We feature many brands and flavors in our gift baskets. Our top selling cookies include Golden Walnut, Brent & Sams & Euro Kitchens. My favorite has to be the Euro Kitchens Gourmet Selections. Let us know if you have a favorite cookie not mentioned here. We may feature them in our baskets. I found this recipe under the Easiest Cookie recipe:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 1/8 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350* Cream the butter and both sugars. Add the beaten egg and vanilla. Sift flour, baking soda and salt and add tothe creamed mixture. Mix thoroughly and add chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 7-10 minutes or until lightly golden brown on the edges.

A Vacation Of Culinary Proportions

Of course, most of us took some time off this Memorial Day Holiday. Many people stayed close to home and rediscovered the beauty and unfamiliar in their own home towns. We took a short vacation to La Jolla, CA. It is a beautiful beach city known as the "Beverly Hills" on the beach. The houses were gorgeous, the restaraunts divine and way out of our price range.

We found a way around our economically challenged situation by using Restaraunt.com. I typed in the zip code of our vacation destination and the site presented me with restaurants in that area that would accept their coupon certificates. We chose a few that gave us 80% off of the regular bill!! We drove around and found these quaint little restaraunts. Some were fancy, some inside hotels and some were mom and pop establishments. We really had a good time eating foods we wouldn't normally eat and trying restaurants we would normally pass by.

These great dishes were from Elijah's In San Diego. Our bill before our coupon was aprox. $55.20. Our cost after using a coupon from restaurant.com was $30.20 including tip! Minus the $2.00 I spent on the coupon, this leaves a total savings of aprox. $22.00! Why not take the family on a restaurant vacation for half the cost? It's a great way to rediscover a town near you!

Comment On Barbie Post

Cindy Shea left this comment on Barbie's Bash. I thought it was hilarious so I will share it with you.

"Your post on Barbie's turning 50 was not really indicative of the aging process that we all experience in life. Now granted, I know she has had some work done but I just so happen to have gotten my hands on some current photos of her before she goes into hair and makeup for her public appearances. Please keep this under wraps as I bought these illegally from her agent and I plan to sell them to TMZ when the time is right."

Best Summer Baby Gifts

Are you looking for a perfect baby gift for summer babies? Brown Eyed Baby Boutique offers these adorable personalized baby dresses for new little beach babies. What a great gift for a new mom to receive for her baby shower or to order for your new little beach baby. They come in different styles such as lady bugs, floral garden and ice cream cones.

Barbie's 50th Birthday Bash

I'm a little late reading about this event but I had to share it with you anyways. I also know it is a bit off topic but you just have to know Barbie celebrated her 50th birthday this year and threw a huge Malibu bash at her REAL Barbie 3,500 square foot dream house. Yes, the doll has her very own Malibu mansion. Did anyone tell the Mattel people that we are in an economic crisis. People are losing their jobs, homes, retirement savings, etc. and Barbie is living very posh! She even has a real Volkswagen New Beetle parked in her garage. Now I will get off my soap box and show you some photos of this amazing mansion. The creative team behind this house is amazing. Remember, this living room and mansion are life size. It boasts a chandellier made of Barbie hair along with a closet full of thousands of pink shoes. Barbie's 50th Malibu bash was even more extravagent. It hosted celebrities and fashion icons who sipped "Doll-icious" and Strawberry Blonde cocktails on tables decorated with stilletto shaped flower arrangements. Check out more on this Barbie Bash. Barbie, you sure know how to beat the recession. Give us some of your secrets!

Cool Summer Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

We had our first pool party/family gathering last weekend and I served this strawberry shortcake dessert. It is a good choice for summer outings because it is not drenched in frosting which can be too rich. This recipe is light, airy and extremely refreshing. Best of all it takes no time at all. You will need:

• Duncan Hints Moist Deluxe French Vanilla Cake Mix (You can substitute with a ready made pound cake in your fruit section of your local grocery store.)
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 2 cups whipped cream chilled
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 quart fresh strawberries (more if you wish to drench the top)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease two 9 inch roundcake pans with butter. Sprinke bottom and sides with granulated sugar.

For Cake, combine mix eggs, water and butter in large bowl. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer for 2 minutes. Pour into pans and bake at 350 F for 30-35 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Invert on cooling racks.

After completely cooled, place one cake layer on pan and spread with whipped cream and strawberries. Repeat with second layer.

Be sure to add whipping cream and strawberries just before serving.

Tip: For this recipe, if I am in a rush, I buy the store bought cake that is already baked. Then place it in the bottom of a margarita glass, switch out the whipped cream for vanilla ice cream. Add some chocolate or caramel syrup and you have instant Strawberry shortcake sundaes!!

A Chocolate Fling

Yesterday my lovely husband brought me a treat home from the grocery store. Ladies, I know you probably hate this as much as I do, when you ask your husband to bring you home a treat from the store and he brings you something "low calorie," "fat free," or "diet." I want to ask him, "What are you trying to say?" I'm thinking, "What if I brought you home light beer?" Anyhow, I asked for a treat last night and he brought me home yet another health conscious candy bar. To my surprise, it was fantastic!! The "Fling" candy bar from the Mars Company was great. Their slogan is "Naughty, but not that naughty." It contains 170 calories and 9 grams of fat. I thought these were better than Twix bars. So if your husband tries to bring you home a healthy snack, tell him you want a Fling Bar. Click here for a coupon for one free bar.

A Recipe For Summer Fun

I can't believe summer is almost here. In Southern California it seems it has already arrived. That can only mean one thing. Time for my daughter to begin planning her annual lemonade stand. Every year we make flyers, plan out the date but never get any farther than that. The idea of corraling the neighbors, buying supplies and actually remembering the date seems so hectic. This year is going to be different! We are actually going to follow through and have the best lemonade stand this block has ever seen. I plan on using this simple recipe to create my lemonade. It's so easy, all of us moms have no excuse for pushing aside the annual lemonade stand.

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup Lemon Juice From Concentrate
• 3 1/4 cup cold water
• Ice

In pitcher, dissolve sugar in lemon juice. Add water. Cover and chill. Serve over ice. I will post pictures of the big day. I hope I have inspired all you moms to get out there and serve up some fun and lemonade. For a great "over 21" lemonade recipe click here.

Fun & Easy Project For Kids

I found this fun and easy activity in one of my daughter's school papers and she begged me to do it with her. I didn't think it was going to be that much fun but she was thrilled and content for about an hour (that is a very long time for a kids). So be sure to try it with your kids. This little activity is also great for parties. Making the bubbles are as much fun as blowing them!

Homemade Bubbles:

• Large Bowl


• Spoon
  
• 4 Cups Of Water


• 5 Tablespoons of dishwashing soap (a great homemade diswashing soap recipe).


• A Pair Of Scissors


• A Paper Cup
  

1. Fill the bowl with water and add the dishwashing soap slowly so as to not creat bubbles inside the bowl.


2. Cut a small whole in a paper cup (we just used a leftover cup from last night's take-out).


3. Dip the rim into the soapy water and lift out making sure there is a film of bubble soap around the rim.


4. Slowly blow a bubble. It's that simple!

Where Have All The Good "Bobs" Gone?

I don't know about you, but I truly miss Bob's Big Boy restaurants? Growing up in Southern California, there was always a Bob's Big Boy we could visit for our traditional Friday dinner out. Being greeted by the pudgy boy in checkered red pants was half the fun. Most of these adorable diners are gone in Southern California. I happened to spot one while doing errands last week and was so excited. We stopped in to see if the restaurant still had the same charm. The food was delicious but it seemed to lack that special "something" it used to have. Maybe it was just that I was 20 years older and I realized that Bob's Boy was so big because of the food! Thinking like a true parent, I vowed to visit less frequently. Actually, after doing my homework, I found out Bob Wian, of Glendale California, named his famous restaurant after a chubby kid that happened to walk into his already thriving restaurant. He called him "Big Boy" and the name stuck. If you still wonder where all the Bob's Big Boy restaurants have gone, here are a few locations left in sunny Southern California: Burbank, Baker, Colton, Temecula, Torrance and West Covina. Visit their website at http://www.bigboy.com/ to find more locations in other states.