~ it's december 1st...

...time for the elves to get busy ;-)



  Well...one elf started yesterday.  Sofia's homemade apple bread
  rates a BIG 2 Buddy-the-elf thumbs up!!

  She also cut out the snowflakes ~ by hand ~
  I think that even Buddy would be impressed :-)

~ post thanksgiving treat...

...freshly baked cupcake topped with homemade buttercream icing and a cup of cinnamon coffee :-)



I cannot share the cupcake/icing recipe with you -- Sofia asked me to keep her Christmas recipes secret while she is testing them.

I can tell you that the cupcake and icing are delicious!  Oh, and that cinnamon coffee is perfect!

~ sugar cookie saturday...

...inspired by dollar store cookie cutters ;-)



 Baked with love by Sofia .

 Original recipe can be found here: best sugar cookie recipe

~ homemade olive garden breadsticks...

...made by Sofia -- eaten by everyone ;-)



original recipe found here:  http://www.pinterest.com/pin/195273333818993465/

~ baked vanilla glazed donut cupcakes...

 ...recipe slightly modified and made by Sofia!



 She even cleaned up afterwards! ;-)

 original recipe found here:  http://www.pinterest.com/pin/140526450848313276/

~ zucchini muffins...

...made by Sofia :-)



These are delicious!  You can find the recipe here:  Sweet Zucchini Cupcakes

~ sunday lesson...

Today, Sofia is busy making banana muffins.  We didn't have any over-ripened bananas on hand, so we learned something new today!  To quickly ripen bananas, place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Heat the oven to 300 degrees farenheit and bake for 20-30 minutes.  To test for doneness, poke with your finger -- the banana should have a soft/squishy feel.  Note:  I protected my fingertip with a paper towel to avoid a burn while testing for doneness.



To remove the skin:  let the bananas cool and then use a very sharp knife to make a single cut down the side of the banana.  The inside should easily pop out!