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baking

DIY/Crafts/ FUN/DIY/ HOME/ Organizing

Organizing Tips With My Pastry Chef

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This is going to be a fun post, where I get to show off my little pastry chef and give organizing tips on how to literally organize tips–pastry bag tips that is!

My 13-year-old Avery is my little pastry chef, and has been for the last few years. I’m amazed at her baking skills and have to say, it is quite fun having someone who bakes in the house! Every holiday, birthday, or event gives her an excuse to make something beautiful and delicious. Her creations show so much love & make a simple gathering something special.  The following photo is a cake she made for her Grandpa’s birthday–Chocolate Cake with Cookie Dough Filling, Chocolate Ganache & Piped Peanut Butter Buttercream. Amazing!

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We are having out-of-town company this weekend and she already has decided on what she sweet she is going to greet them with. Vanilla cupcakes with thickened Chocolate Ganache filling and piped Nutella frosting. Oh my!

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As her baking hobby has grown, so has her collection of baking supplies. I have made it clear that I don’t have the space to store all of her supplies in my small kitchen. We have kept all of her baking supplies in her room, but it has been difficult to keep everything organized and carry it all downstairs when it comes time to bake. That is…until now.

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I found the perfect solution to her needs while shopping at Michaels craft store. They carry the Creatives Options organization line and it was exactly what I needed. I desired a system that was portable and that would fit a variety of baking items, large and small. It needed to fit measuring cups & spoons, cupcake liners, cake pop sticks, piping bags, piping tips & more. We also needed storage for some of  her larger cake pans. I picked up both the Creative Options Large Rack & the Creative Options Project Box at Michaels, which I knew would fit all of her supplies, big and small.

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{To Pin}

The Creative Options Rack comes with individual organizers that have adjustable dividers that worked great to give each little pastry tip a home of their own. I kept the dividers out of middle organizer to store cupcake liners. The individual organizers slide easily into the rack, and there is more great storage at the top of the rack under the lid.

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When I showed her the Creatives Options Large Rack organization system with all of her supplies organized, her eyes lit up, and she loved it! Having a little compartment for each size piping tip was her favorite part.

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{Creative Options Project Box}

She loved that the Creatives Options organization system is portable, so she can easily carry it up and down the stairs from her room to the kitchen. She can even take it to Grandma’s house to bake with her cousin during sleepovers!

It fits perfectly in her room and even matches the decor. It is the perfect system!

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Here are a few other organizing tip ideas for you, using the Creative Options Organization Rack:

Crafts–the obvious

Home Office Supplies

Makeup Storage

Hair bows, brushes, elastics, & headbands

Organizing receipts & coupons

Pantry Storage

Playroom Storage –for all those small toys like cars, doll clothes, dress up supplies

Jewelry

Under the Bathroom Sink

Garage Organization — nuts, bolts, zip ties

Garden Organization — seed packs, plant markers, garden hose attachments


What about you?

Do you have any favorite organizing tips for me?

What would you use the system for?

Keep an eye out for the upcoming post featuring the recipe for Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache filling and Nutella Buttercream!


 

 

 

RECIPES/ Sides/ Sweets

Raspberry Lemon Yogurt Loaf

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Summer Kitchen Adventures

We have had our share of cloudy summer days here in the Midwest, and although I miss the sunshine on those days, they are great days to stay indoors and get creative!  My youngest daughter, Avery, is always up for an adventure in the kitchen, so on a recent cloudy day we decided to bake up some sunshine of our own and make Raspberry Lemon Yogurt Loaf.

I also have two teenage daughters, Teagan and Colsie, but they are much less enthusiastic to get in the kitchen, so it was all up to Avery and I to make this amazing bread that was full of fruit and oh so moist!

Avery is my very capable baker.  If you follow my instagram feed you’ve seen some of the incredible things she has baked up.  I asked her if she wanted to make this recipe alone and she said “Let’s do it together.” I loved hearing that.  She usually has her own plan and loves independence in the kitchen, so to hear her excitement about doing some summer baking together made this Momma happy.

This loaf was really fun and easy to make.  I love any recipe that involves mixing the dry ingredients, then making a “well” for the wet ingredients.  I also love any recipe that allows me to keep my mixer stored away and clean.

The citrus comes from grated lemon rind, which adds such a great fresh flavor.  Raspberry and lemon go so well together, which makes this bread special, but the ingredient that makes it extra special and moist is Yulu yogurt.

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HELLO YULU. GOODBYE GREEK.

My new favorite brand of yogurt is called Yulu.

I have never been a big fan of the sour taste of yogurt.  I’m a bit picky with my yogurt, as I prefer it to be creamy, but not as thick as Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt tends to be an “acquired taste,” as it is quite tangy, so I have stayed away from it.

Yulu is an Aussie-style yogurt that is made here in the USA.  It is double-smoothed and double-creamed, so it was a whole new yogurt experience for me.  It is not too thick or not too thin. It does not have the too-sour quality that is found in Greek yogurt. I think it tastes divine.

It comes in a container that is see-thru, which I thought was pretty cool and is a clear sign of the honest company that it is.    The ingredient list made me smile as they use real fruit, fruit juice and even vegetable juices for color and flavor– so no artificial colors– and it there is 9 grams of protein in each cup.

If you want to know more about Yulu, you can check them out here  and sign up for the Yulu newsletter for coupons, giveaways & more!  Keep in mind that Yulu is a new product on the market, so check their site for locations & availability in your area.

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Raspberry Yogurt Lemon Loaf

Back to our summer kitchen adventure, I gathered all the ingredients and Avery started in on the measuring.  She was a rockstar with grating the lemon rind, which is not my favorite job so I was happy to let her go to town on that.  It came together in minutes, smelled amazing while baking, & made a great sunshine snack on a cloudy summer day.

Recipe

2 cups plain flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 cup vegetable oil (I used coconut oil)

2 eggs

1 cup Yulu Raspberry Yogurt (about 2 small containers)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups rasberries (fresh or frozen)

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind

 

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Coat a 1lb loaf pan with oil.

Combine flour, sugar, & baking powder in a bowl.  Made a well in the center of the bowl.

In a separate bowl combine oil, eggs, yogurt, and vanilla.

Add wet mixture into the dry well and mix well.

Gently fold in raspberries and lemon rind.

Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake until top is golden and springs back when you gently touch it, and a knife comes out clean.

45-60 minutes.

Raspberry-Lemon-Yogurt-Loaf{for your Pinning Pleasure!}

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Yulu. The opinions and text are all mine.

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