Leaving 2013...And Entering 2014!

2013 was a great year. 

On January 19, the first post of Bakers' Central was published. On Jan. 19 of this year, we'll have an anniversary celebration. Bakers' Central is turning 1 year old!

Also, look at what YOU have done for us. Without viewers, it can be hard to even be motivated to keep posting. We just want to thank you for all your support. 

Come 2014, take the time to reflect on your achievements. Let's see, Bakers' Central:

• Started a blog
• Got some viewers
• Launched a business
• Had some customers

And overall, had a great year. Take all your old achievements from this year and tell yourself to do greater things with them. 

Ask Yourself: What did you do in 2013 that you will take to another level in 2014?

Flavorful Fun

When you're baking, it is important that what you are baking has a taste, and more importantly, a good taste. If you're baking cookies, cakes, cupcakes, or pies, you're probably going to want a sweeter taste. For a taste like that, some good ingredients would be sugar, vanilla extract, fruit, etc. For a saltier taste, you might use salt and maybe pepper. Remember that flavor is always the key to baking.

New Year's Eve Party

Wow. It is almost time to leave the year of 2013 and enter 2014! Here in the United States, there are about 5 days left until January 1st, New Year's Day. 

Are you hosting a party this new year? Staying up till midnight can be boring if you don't know what to do. There are many questions to ask yourself before you throw a compatible party for all your guests.

Question #1: How many people to invite? 

It all depends on your space. Visualize all the people you are considering inviting in the space. Does it look uncomfortable to you? Also, will everyone get along well enough?

Question #2: What can I do for entertainment? 

Try choosing a movie for all ages, that is appropriate for younger kids and still a classic favorite for everyone else. Also check out New Year's Eve specials on TV. You can also organize a scavenger hunt  for guests to find goodies.

Question #3: What food can I serve?

Be aware of 2 things -  messiness and preferences. For preventing messiness, suggestions for appetizers are crackers and cheese or our Fresh Party Salad Platter (see The Bakers' Central Recipe Experience). The main meal could be a buffet with things like sandwiches and pasta. For collecting preferences, try using Evite to send invitations and ask about meal choices or allergies. 

Enjoy your party!

The Dangers of Fast Food

Fast food can be really bad for you. According to the Massachusetts Medical Society Committee on Nutrition, fast food has high fat content and can increase body mass index (BMI). BMI is a number that is calculated from how tall a person is and how much they weigh. 

But that is not all - there are things like trans fats lurking in fast food, too. Trans fats can ruin your tastebuds then go down, where they can clog your arteries.

Also, the packaging on fast food items can be dangerous to the environment. There are tons of wrappers that get littered and left behind at beaches, parks, etc. 

Be more aware about your diet, and don't try to eat too much fast food. It is dangerous!

Holiday Party Planner

Throwing a party this holiday weekend? Here are some references to tips about food, games, decorations, and entertaining your guests. 

Food

Chocolate - covered pretzels from Bakers' Central

Candy cane kiss cookies from Sally's Baking Addiction

Cake pop cake from Bakers' Central

Games

Snow globe craft project from Spoonful

Decorations

Place cards from Bakers' Central

Centerpiece for your dining table from HGTV

Entertainment 

Elf movie (review) from Common Sense Media

Egg Substitutes

Many people do not use eggs when they bake because they are either allergic to it or they simply do not want to use them. I myself am a vegetarian and prefer not using eggs in my baking. Here are some ways I found to substitute eggs.

Egg Substitutes:

flax meal - for 1 egg you can use 3 Tablespoons water and 1 Tablespoon flax meal. If you need it for 2 eggs then you can double the amount and so on.

Ener-G egg substitute-  1 egg is equivalent to 1/2 tablespoon of Ener-G egg replacer and 2 tablespoons of water. 

applesauce - 1 egg is the same as 1/3 cup applesauce or ¼ cup applesauce and 1 teaspoon baking powder.

silken tofu - For 1 egg you can use 1/4 cup blended silken tofu. Make sure that it is completely smooth and does not have any chunks. 

yogurt - Use 1/4 cup of yogurt for 1 egg.

bananas -  to use bananas to substitute eggs, you can use a ripe and mashed banana  for every egg the recipe calls for. 

Wonderful Moments

Has there ever been a time when life is just PERFECT for you? I feel amazing when I receive a present from someone close to me - it makes me feel loved! What is your favorite moment? It can be anything from sledding to diving to even having a massive pillow fight. Ah, you'll find that reflecting on something you love will really make you smile. 

The Holiday Season

December is the season to be jolly, in baking. 

Why?
Because think of the upcoming holiday season, and all the things we eat over break.

Like what?
Well, there's peppermint hot chocolate, and cranberry muffins, and sugar cookies with sprinkles, and juicy pears (healthy, too!).

There is also a sense of cozy-ness from the cold wind and frost. Whatever holidays you celebrate, make sure you make the most of it. I love the holiday I celebrate in December: Christmas! I like to spend time with family and friends and, mostly, eat until I can't eat any more!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

A New Business

Do you live in the Belmont, Cambridge, Arlington, and Watertown area? Are you looking for an allergy-aware baking business that (more importantly) makes DELICIOUS desserts? Email Bakers' Central (the business) at bakerscentral2013 at gmail . com. We can only sell our baked goods to people in Belmont, Cambridge, Arlington, and Watertown (MA) because of travel issues, sadly. Please tell us where and when to drop off your item.

Info:

• Email: bakerscentral2013 at gmail . com
• We make: cookies, cakes, cupcakes, and more
• Order: by email
• Please order at least a week before you need your baked good(s)

Thanks!

Holding on to the Good Weather

We have such good fortune, with all this good weather. It is so much fun to be outside with nature. But only about a month until winter! Make the most of this beautiful fall season before seasons change, and instead of fall walks you'll be sledding down a hill!

I like to go to a park and throw a frisbee or kick a soccer ball. 

I like to sip warm apple cider and eat apples and cinnamon for those in a rush. 

I like to look at clouds flying overhead. 

I like to hear the leaves scuffle beneath my feet.

I like to be cozy and warm, and know that I am safe from chilly winds.

Be thankful for everything fall has to offer.

Holiday Bread

These are some ideas for a holiday loaf of bread you might serve. These ideas work on most breads - such as cornbread, pumpkin bread, and banana bread. 

First, mix the batter for your desired type of bread. 

Some things you can add to the mix:

Chocolate chips

Mini marshmallows

Dried fruits

Glaze

How to make glaze:

Mix powdered sugar and water until you get your desired consistency. Spread over warm loaf. 

Happy (early) Holidays!

Halloween!

Today is the last day of October... I feel like when November starts it becomes more like winter. I have to wear a parka, and gloves and a hat. I start thinking about Thanksgiving and even Christmas! But the last day of October means something else: HALLOWEEN!!!! 

You already know about my Bat Witch costume. Sorry I didn't post pics of that like I said I might. I get so many yummy treats for Halloween, and also stuff I don't really like. What's your favorite candy? Do you even like candy, or do like it when people give out things like pencils and toys? Comment! 

CUTEST. CUPCAKES. EVER.

I found these while surfing the web... I included pic credit so you could find more about these cuties!

 It looks so yummy but I don't have the heart to eat it!

Pic Credit: cutestfood.com

Minions!!!!!!!!!

Pic Credit: lovethispic.com

Baby cupcakes! Shaped like babies! Are those real buttons?

Pic Credit: devotedtocupcakes.com










Cute, or what?

Trader Joe's Fearless Flyer - Awesome Item

A memory from long ago - baking pumpkin muffins on a fall evening. Well, today we ate pumpkin bread, from the same exact mix! It was a spiced crunchy crust with the softest, moistest inside I had ever tasted. Paradise in a single loaf of bread. It's from Trader Joe's, and it's a seasonal item. I say get it now!

Problems with Posting Comments

So, after a couple of hours of trying to figure out why sometimes comment posting works and sometimes it doesn't, my dad and I figured out that it has to do with something called "third party cookies". Apparently Blogger has three kinds of comments: "embedded", which is what we had before and looks the nicest, "full page", which takes you to a full page of comments on the post alone, and "pop up", which opens a new window. Embedded needs something called "accept third party cookies" enabled. These are not the cookies you can eat! Anyway, my dad says that some people don't have "third party cookies" enabled. So those people would not have been able to write comments. I have changed it to "full page" comments for now. I hope it works but the format isn't as nice.

Charles River Regatta!!

Next week is the Charles River Regatta!  For those who don't know, it is an annual boating race held in the fall and I think the biggest attractions (except for the race itself) are the little stands outside giving out (yes, for free!) apple cider, cookies, and other yummies like that. I just love to  stand out there with the wind in my face, sipping warm apple cider. It's a fall Must-Do. And it's totally worth it, honest.

   Hopefully, this will be what the weather is like those days, 10/19 and 10/20! Mark your calendars!!!

Wow, Best Costume Ever!

Ok, so now I have Halloween on  the brain. I have THE BEST costume ever...

A BAT WITCH! Creative, huh? 

So basically what I did was I made a bat headband by cutting out black construction paper into little bats, about 2 inches wide by 2 inches tall. Then I glued them on plastic straws cut into quarters and stuck them onto a plastic headband from Play Time (69 cents). It looked really good! I'm not done with it yet but perhaps I'll post a pic of it when I finish. Keep waiting! I want to have little bats dangling from my sleeves and a mask with wings on either side. Hopefully it won't look like Batman, we'll just have to wait and see.

3 Ways To Help The Environment

1. Organize a trash cleanup.
Scoop trash you find around your neighborhood into a plastic or paper bag. Be sure to wear disposable gloves or gloves you can get dirty. This is a lot of fun with a group of 3 or 4 friends. 

2. Cut down on paper use.
Try to go a whole day without using any more paper than you need to. Try using paper with one side written on already.

3. Organize your used paper. 
Ask yourself, "Can I make something out of this paper?" "Does it only have one side with writing on it?" "Can it serve another purpose?"

This is good to do since we only have so much time until we can't go outside anymore, it will be too cold.

  

October Almost On The Way

Some favorite fall hobbies and things I thought you might like!

These are pumpkin cupcakes from the blog micahandpatty.blogspot.com. I think they really welcome October, what with the "pumpkin" theme. These would go really well with cream cheese frosting! 







This is a fall wreath for a front door. I found it on yorkblog.com. 
As shown below, it looks really good on a reddish-brown
 or brown door.















Enjoy these photos and links!

Fall Crafts - Great Ideas!

Make a tissue paper collage scrapbook of your best fall moments!

Materials:

• Tissue paper
• Elmer's glue in a paint cup or disposable bowl
• Blank solid color journal (white or a light color)
• Other decorations like glitter or magazine cutouts (optional)
• small paintbrush

First, open the journal and lay it face down. Take the paintbrush and spread glue in a small area. Stick different overlapping colors of tissue paper on top of it. Then spread a thin, fine layer of glue over the tissue paper to give it a nice shine. Repeat. After everything is covered and dry, decorate with your favorite pictures, drawings, or colors!

Note: When you are decorating the spine, at different intervals open and close the book to make sure it doesn't stick anywhere.  

Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival

Today is the last day of the Chinese Moon Festival. It is held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunar calendar. During this festival, the Chinese people eat moon cakes. Below is a link for the recipe to Moon Cakes!

chinesefood.about.com 




Here is a Lunar Calendar!     

Thanks to Other Baking Blogs and Websites

Wow, I'm really getting the knack of this photoblogging stuff! It's actually really fun to post pictures of tasty desserts and then let you have a try at baking (and eating) them. Because there are other great cooking blogs and websites out there as well! If you have any suggestions, please comment so that we here at Bakers' Central can have the best blog possible.

Make Breakfast Taste AMAZING

These are some chocolate coconut scones that I found a picture of online. They look delicious, so why not try baking them yourself?

Here is the link:
mybakingaddiction.com/chocolate-coconut-scones/

Fall Recipe Share

Want to share a delicious recipe? Comment on this post with the ingredients, recipe, and maybe  a few cooking tips. You can comment as Anonymous, Name/URL, Google Account, or anything else you want. It can also be a variation of a recipe we posted here. At Bakers' Central, we look forward to receiving cool recipes, and trying them out as well! Hopefully, if we get enough comments, one of them will make it into it's own post! Please tell us if you don't want your comment to be featured, or if it can only be featured anonymously. Thanks!  

Crazy French Fry commercial

My friend Mimi and I composed a song using the tune and some of the words from the 50 states song!! :)

50 nifty fries:50 nifty united fries from 13 original potatoes.
50 nifty fries in the pan that sizzles so beautifully in the heat.
Each individual fry contributes a quality that is great.
Each individual fry deserves a try, we eat them now.
50 nifty United fries from 13 original potatoes
Fry them, try them, you really should buy them, one by one till you've given a try to every fry in the French Fry Company!

Halloween Costume Countdown!!!

10.) Cowgirl/cowboy

       shopping.com

9.) Cupcake

     coolest-homemade-costumes.com

8.) Soccer player

     spoonful.com

7.) Queen

     costumecraze.com

6.) Waitress

     partycity.com

5.) Doll

     allfancydress.com  

4.) Harry Potter character

     officialharrypottercostumes.com

3.) Ninja

     halloweenexpress.com

2.) Ballerina

     chasing-firefies.com

1.) Sun maid raisins    

     costumepop.com

Enjoy!!!!!!

Chocolate Pizza

Yesterday my friend came over and we made chocolate pizzas. It does sound strange but it is actually really good. 

The recipe is:

Dough for the pizza crust:

About...

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon powdered sugar

1teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water

Directions:

Divide the dough into some balls and roll it into a circle or whatever shape you want and put it in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Chocolate sauce:

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

(or semisweet chocolate that is cut into small pieces)

1/4 cup milk (start with a little less than that)

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Directions:

Put all of the ingredients in a sauce pan and melt them. Do not put directly on the stove. But put it on top of boiling water and the chocolate will melt. Keep stirring.

Note:

If it gets too thin then you can add some flour and stir it 

OR if it gets too thick then you can add some more milk.

Toppings:

Anything you want i.e.

berries, other types of fruit, candy, ice cream, whipped cream.

Putting it all together...

1. Take the pizza crust and cool it a bit. 

2. Then spread the chocolate sauce.

3. Top it with whipped cream/ice cream, sprinkles, fruits and all kinds of goodies.

Ummmm. It is sooooooo yummy. 

Try it and Enjoy... 

Another variation: instead of baking the pizza crust, you could do the same thing with a tortilla.

Spread the sauce, top it, roll it and call it the chocolate burrito.

Another link

To add on to the links, There is one more called joyofbaking.com. It has video presentations!

Allergies

Some people have allergies to thing like nuts and dairy, which sometimes might make you think it's going to be harder to bake. That's absolutely not true!! Here are some substitutes, though!

Peanut butter- soynut butter (you can buy this at Whole Foods)

Chocolate- dairy free chocolate (you can buy this at Whole Foods)

Sugar- Splenda (you can buy this at Shaw's)

Milk- soymilk (you can buy this at Trader Joe's)

These are just a few pointers, but you can go broader than this, and even make some healthy choices!

Delicious (and healthy) homemade salad

Make your own tomato and cucumber salad!

Ingredients:

-1 roma tomato

-1 cucumber

-salt and pepper to taste

Directions (makes 1 serving)

1. Cut the tomato into cubes.

2. Peel and cut the cucumber into cubes.

3. Put both into a bowl.

4. Add desired amount of salt and pepper.

This salad has a rather tangy, rather spicy taste.

Happy Memorial Day! Party Ideas

Throw a Memorial Day party! This will be lots of fun to plan, prepare, and of course, PARTY!

Goody Bags
What you need:
-treat bags (you can find these at grocery stores and craft stores)
-hole puncher
-thick white or manilla paper
-markers, crayons, and/or colored pencils
-curling ribbon or string

Directions (Makes 1 goody bag):
Fill the treat bag with your goodies. Cut 1 sheet of manilla paper into a 2" x 4" rectangle. Fold it in half. Then, leaving the paper folded, punch a hole with the hole puncher in the top left hand corner. Decorate it with the writing tools and write a nice message inside. Using curling ribbon, tie the tag around the treat bag.

Have fun at your party!

Links!

Here are some links to baking sites we found!

1. bakerella.blogspot.com

2. dishesfrommykitchen.blogspot.com

3. bakeorbreak.com

4. allrecipes.com

Enjoy these awesome websites!

Chocolate Mousse Cake

We had friends over Saturday night and the dessert was delicious! It was a chocolate mousse cake with vanilla frosting as one layer. A white chocolate stick complimented the top. It was yummy! 

Here is a comment from someone who enjoyed the cake: "I think it was delicious! Just delicious."

I thought it was quite yummy as well!:)  

Cake Pop Cake

Looking for a way to have a decorative cake at a birthday party, or any event for that matter?  Well you can try this.

1. Make a cake and don't frost it.

2.  Then break it up and roll  it into small balls.

3. Add cake pop sticks.

4. For frosting the cake pops- Melt chocolate candy and dip the cake pops in it.

5. Decorate with your favorite sprinkles!

6. Make the second cake.

7. Frost it.

8. Insert cake pops on top. This makes for a very fancy cake.

9. Enjoy!

Creamy Hot Chocolate recipe

Most schools have the day off because of the snowstorm(my school included), so why not spend the whole day baking? I would, but you don't have to. Or you could go outside and have a snowball fight(or something). But who said you couldn't do both? I have a great way to make hot chocolate that will really come in handy after a cold day outside. A lot of stuff is optional in this recipe. It takes only three easy steps! 

Creamy Hot Chocolate recipe
What you need:
Milk, about half of your mug
Chocolate chips, melted into a hot sauce
Marshmallows(optional)
Whipped cream(optional)

1. Warm up the milk for about a minute.
2. Stir in the chocolate sauce made from your chocolate chips.
3. Add in the marshmallows and whipped cream (optional), and enjoy!

Cookie Decorating!

Again, some Valentine's Day writing. This time, though, it's gonna be about baking, actually baking ideas. I think it's sweet to give someone cookies on Valentines Day (or any holiday), so here are some ideas to give your cookies a unique pop!

First, you can make your cookies in a special shape, such as a heart, or even an "I Love You". Remember: The more creative you get, the more pleased the person will be to receive the cookies.

There are also cool ways to decorate the cookies. I like to frost the cookies a certain color. Then sprinkle some sprinkles on them (maybe a different shade of the frosting color).

But don't be afraid to experiment with your own ideas! The receiver of your cookies will be sure to love the gift!

Betty Crocker Brownies

 Today we baked brownies, but out of a mix this time. the mix was Betty Crocker, and the type of brownie was chocolate chunk, with real Hershey's chocolate pieces mixed in. Deee-licious!! When I first saw them, fresh out of the oven, my mouth immediately started watering. All the credit goes to my wonderful mom. I bet my sister and I can finish the whole container of brownies in another day!!!! 

Valentine's Day Party Ideas

Since it's almost Valentine's Day, I thought I'd post some party ideas. For starters, there's always decorating, which I love.

Place Cards:
What you need-

• index cards or pieces of paper, cut to whatever size you want
• markers and other coloring items
• bottle caps
• wooden craft sticks
• hot glue gun

1. First, decorate the index cards or paper with whatever design you want. It can be fun to personalize each one.
2. Then, hot glue the cards or paper to the craft sticks. 
3. Finally, hot glue the sticks those to the bottle caps to weigh them down. Now, everyone will know where to sit!

Here is a table decorating technique that can come in handy. What you can do is put a tablecloth on the table. Then, sprinkle confetti on the tablecloth to give it some pizzaz. It'll look even awesomer when all the sweet treats are laid out, of course!  

Happy Valentine's Day!

Recipe for cupcakes

Last weekend I baked eggless, butterless cupcakes for my little sister who really loves  sugary things.
Click here for the recipe -  Yummy Eggless Chocolate Cupcake recipe 
They were delicious!
I think that it's a great recipe for parties and for someone who has a sweet tooth!


Recipe for EgglessVanillaCake - Tried and tested!

How It All Started

Last summer,I was in India. My grandma in Madurai loves sweet things so I made an eggless cake with a pressure cooker for her. I had a lot of fun, so I started watching videos of how to make cakes.Then,in October I went to someones birthday party and the person who made the cake was someone who is 12 years old. She told us that she ran a business. That gave me an idea of starting my own baking company.
When I went to Renuka and Anjana's house that evening, I told them about the idea. We were all very excited to start a business. Renuka came up with the idea of making a blog and here it is.

Ohlin's Bakery

Ohlin's Bakery is located in Cushing Square, Belmont, MA.They have lots of gourmet treats, as well as breakfast items, such as Green Mountain coffee, muffins, and donuts. Whenever I walk through Cushing Square, I can't help but stick my head into Ohlin's and take a big sniff. It smells delicious. Some of their sweet treats are cookies and cupcakes. They also have custom cakes. Ever since I was little, I have ordered my birthday cake from Ohlin's. The cake is always delicious. And, you can have them write something on the cake with icing, like "Happy Birthday!". 

If you live in Belmont MA, and walking distance from Ohlin's, then you should take advantage of it, and walk over and buy something every day. Yum! 

Snowman Cupcake

An Adorable Dessert!

I think this cupcake is so cute! There's a picture of it on the website, and the cupcake kind of looks like a snowman. Sooo adorable!

Welcome to Bakers' Central!

Here's what we're going to be writing about:

• ideas for desserts and treats
• pictures of sweet treats
• tips on baking techniques
• ... and more!

Please be sure to comment and tell us what you think. We would love your suggestions! 

And, please take our poll (on the right)!