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BAKE HAPPY, 100 Playful Deserts with Rainbow Layers, Hidden Fillings, Billowy Frosting's, and more , that's the title of a brand new cookbook from Judith Fertig. Read that again, bake happy . Baking should be a happy time, I'm not sure about the clean up part, glad I have a dish washing machine. Baking is like a meal, it brings the family together, friends for coffee, parties, and special occasions. It's the highlight of holiday time and can bring comfort to souls that are weary. Last time we checked into a hotel there was a basket of chocolate chip cookies on the counter. Yum and Thanks. My mother was a Home Economics teacher and she cooked and baked all the time. She made chocolate chip cookies on occasion. Not for a special occasion, maybe just to warm up the house with that amazing cookie aroma. There's nothing like coming home from school to that happiness.  She would fill up the apple shaped cookie jar on the counter so full that the lid barely fit on snug. My...

Two books to help make your holidays a bit more meaningful with the classic story of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. This book also includes the stories : "A Christmas Tree"  and "The Story Of The Goblins Who Stole a Sexton" and the second book:  A Treasury of Christmas Classics. STEAMPUNK: Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol Hardcover; $18.95 US illustrated by Zdenko Basic Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol .  Gold edged pages and a timeless traditional story makes this book perfect for the coffee table, reading nook, or spot on the couch. Take a break from shopping, baking, and wrapping and read!  Steampunk Illustrations of industrial London from  Zdenko Basic give a haunting feel to the setting of old London bringing the characters of the story to life.  Gift idea:  Teens, college age, adults Readers that like the classic stories Fans of Charles Dickens Teachers Relatives   The traditional Christmas tale of Scrooge and his ghosts. This boo...

Wrap of your holiday gift giving list for the little ones in your life. These two wonderful picture story books from Running Press are the perfect fit under the Christmas Tree.   OH MY, OH NO!   Hardcover $15.95 US by Lisa Charrier This first book,  Oh My, Oh No , is adorable and fun for parents to read to their child. The illustrations are soft colors of whimsy and love. Watch your child try to get dressed like you or put on make up, or even serve you a piece of cake and you might say Oh My, Oh No-because there is a big mess. That's learning and love of mother and child. Gift idea:   young children   new parents or parents to be for their child's book collection teachers for their classroom the perfect book to celebrate the bond between a mother and child. This cheery call-and-response book with Agnès Domergue’s beautiful watercolor illustrations shows the delightful message that love matters most of all. **********************************************...

Two fun book favorites for holiday gift giving that are timeless: ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: It’s Show Time!   BE JOYFUL: Peanuts Wisdom to Carry You Through   Books make great gifts, and every Christmas my children receive a pile of books from relatives, especially their grandmother! Before long, they were reading to themselves. Buy your children books, go to your local library, just get books in their hands and watch them grow and learn.  Read to your children, read with them, and listen to them read to you. You can never have too many books. Jump on over to Running Press for easy purchasing of these and more great titles. ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: It’s Show Time!  (Hardcover; $17.95), by Ross Bagdasarian and Janice Karman, an interactive book that shows Alvin, Simon, and Theodore putting on a benefit concert to help animals at the local shelter get adopted. It includes eight interactive sound prompts and full-color illustrations throughout. Gift giving ideas for ...

Two fun book favorites for holiday gift giving that are timeless: ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: It’s Show Time!   BE JOYFUL: Peanuts Wisdom to Carry You Through   Books make great gifts, and every Christmas my children receive a pile of books from their grandmother! Before long, they were reading to themselves. Buy your children books, go to your local library, just get books in their hands and watch them grow and learn.  Read to your children, read with them, and listen to them read to you. You can never have too many books. Jump on over to Running Press for easy purchasing of these and more great titles. ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: It’s Show Time!  Hardcover; $17.95 by Ross Bagdasarian and Janice Karman, an interactive book that shows Alvin, Simon, and Theodore putting on a benefit concert to help animals at the local shelter get adopted. It includes eight interactive sound prompts and full-color illustrations throughout. Gift giving ideas for   Alvin and The Chipmun...

How cute is this book! If you like soft, cuddly, and cute, then take a look at Bunnies and Kitties by Cate Holly. The book  is hard cover and measures   8.3 x 5.9  and has 128 pages of the most lovable little friends you'll ever see in print.  take a look at a sampling of the pages in the book:  This book is perfect for gift giving, for your little one or that someone you know is a cat lover. The darling bunnies are so cute for this time of the year of green grass and little bunnies in the yard. From toddlers to teens, to older adults this book is sure to bring a warm happy smile and feeling to anyone you share it with. It's a wonderful picture book with captions to make you laugh or take your mind off your troubles for a few minutes. Animal lovers will find delight in the furry friends of friendship in each page.  About the book: By Cate Holly Running Press $12.95 US · $15.00 CAN 8.3 x 5.9 · 128 pages ·  Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-7624-5196-8 E-book ISBN...

The title of the book RAMSHACKLE GLAM are opposite words, but they can work together as Jordan Reid shows us in her book trailer right here, watch and you'll probably relate to what she is talking about:  As a mom and wife where do you find the time and energy to be you, you know, that you that was before the baby?  I found this book to be a good read for myself, as a not so new mom, and  I would recommend this book for any new mom, having been there myself.  What do you do when you become a MOM? It's all so new, exciting, scary, fun, eventful, downsides, upsides, and how do you deal with all of that and still be you. We spend so much time taking care of our babies, that where do we find the time for ourselves? But you can have the your glam, and the toys all over the living room.  In the book RAMSHACKLE GLAM, the author shares her story and advice on:  motherhood  priorities tips on relationships, fashion-like how to look and feel dazzling during and...

Leah  Eskin  wrote the column "Home on The Range" in the Chicago Tribune, and now has a book available this April, "Slices of Life" The book is a collection of her columns with over 200 recipes like her romantic lemon tart to chocolate chip parenting and post-cancer paella.   SLICES OF LIFE: A Food Writer Cooks Through Many a Conundrum The book is a cookbook with stories, not just mix, blend or bake, but why and how the meals came to be.  The first recipe in the book is "Night Tart". The author shares how to make the tart and then how to share it with your sweetheart under the star filled night sky, and then t urn the page to read on through the book of recipes with stories of her life and family life.  There is a recipe from their vacation called "Beach House Spaghetti" with a story of their beach house rental and the rain filled days stuck inside. The name of the recipe just sounds like more than a plateful of spaghetti don't you think? Wh...

Do you need to avoid gluten or just want to avoid gluten in your diet?  If your answer is yes, take a look at GLUTEN-FREE PASTA, More than 100 Fast and Flavorful Recipes with low- and No Carb Options  by author Robin Asbell  (running Press March 2014). Robin is a private chef, freelance writer and recipe developer. If you want your pasta and eat it too, but need to cut out gluten, what do you do? In GLUTEN FREE-PASTA there are more than 100 satisfying recipes for fresh home made pasta, Asian rice based noodles, and gluten free boxed brands worth trying.  Did you know that the noodle is traced back to China where the noodles were made from millet-which is gluten free!   In her book, Robin Asbell approaches pasta in three ways:  with recipes for homemade fresh pastas  recommendations for store-bought brands  veggie "pasta" that serve as guilt free stand-ins. In this recipe book, you'll find traditional Italian pasta favorites and Asian noodle s...

What's in your bread? Gluten? that's OK unless your body can't tolerate it...and some people opt to take gluten out of their diet. Do you know what Gluten is? It's what's formed when some of the proteins found in wheat, rye, and barley get wet. (from the introduction of the book) People that have a natural reaction to gluten can not tolerate gluten and it causes health issues. I see more and more products in the grocery store claiming to be gluten free, and I am sure they are gluten free, but what additives are in those processed foods that your body doesn't need? My youngest daughter bakes her own bread with almond flour and other non-gluten ingredients. Home baked goods smells so good! Know what ingredients are in your bread and get baking with GLUTEN-FREE BREAD: More than 100 Artisan Loaves for a Healthier Life  by Ellen Brown, founding food editor of USA Today. Do you know or have health issues with buying store bought breads that contain gluten? This co...

Are you a baker? I like to bake, but I don't really bake that much. The reason is the preparation and clean up. My pantry had a few easy baking mixes for brownies, corn bread, a cake or two, and muffin mixes, but one day this Summer I gave my youngest daughter free reign to clean out the pantry. She took our all the cookies, crackers, and baking mixes. I'd been keeping baking mixes on hand for school events, holidays, and birthdays. It's so easy to add a few eggs, oil, and water to a mix and call it homemade. But what are all those other ingredients in the nutrition panel? October is baking season in my mind. Pumpkin breads, pies, muffins, and cookies are my all time favorite baked good. The problem now is I don't have any baking mixes to make these yummy Fall treats. And yes, I could go buy mixes, but why would I want to do that and clutter up the cleaned out pantry! My television viewing of  cooking shows might convince me that baking is not as hard as it...