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Friday, March 26, 2010

Spring Baking

Spring cleaning? Bleh. Spring baking? Yay! I love baking. My quiet, Christie place is in the kitchen baking up some sweet treat. (Now I need to figure out how to bake without eating the product. That's a tough one.) In the past couple of weeks I've made Lemon Cream cupcakes (my favorite!), tried out this awesome carrot cake recipe (very rich - yummy!), and intend to bake up some Key Lime Pie cupcakes for Easter (if you like Key Lime Pie even a teensy little bit, you must try this recipe).

I love finding new recipes. I have a variety of websites and blogs that I look at for inspiration and direction. Baking from scratch is something I enjoy, but I am also so glad there are quicker options out there. There is a new website called Bake Sweet Memories that has some great spring recipe ideas for fun desserts using Betty Crocker cake, cookie and brownie mixes. There is a cute Easter Bunny cake that I think the kids would love.

For sewing night last night I decided to try out the Spring Fruit Pizza. Very good and very easy!



The best part is that Safeway (and family of stores) is having a fantastic sale on Betty Crocker products. Now through April 6th, Betty Crocker cake mixes and traditional brownie mixes are on sale for $0.69 each when you buy 4. You can also download coupons directly to your Safeway card from the Bake Sweet Memories website. I love that option because I can never remember my coupons.

Safeway and Betty Crocker, through MyBlogSpark generously sent me this cute little Spring Sweet Treats pack, which included a silicon baking pan, stainless steel mixing bowl, mixing spoon, oven mitt, free Betty Crocker brownie mix coupon and a $25 gift certificate to Safeway. (The silicon baking pan is a dream to bake with. I made the fruit pizza with it and I couldn't believe how easy it was to get the big cookie out. I'm thinking I need to invest in more of these babies.) They have provided me one to give away to one of you!



If you would like to win your own Spring Sweet Treats prize pack (including a silicon baking pan, stainless steel mixing bowl, mixing spoon, oven mitt, and a $25 gift certificate to Safeway), check out the Bake Sweet Memories website and come back and tell me which recipe you'd like to try out. Want a second chance? Leave another comment telling me your favorite spring treat ever - and maybe you could leave the recipe or a link to it?? I'm always on the hunt for new recipes. Want a third chance? Blog, tweet, Facebook or (whatever you do) about this giveaway and come back leaving a comment that you did.

Just to recap, you have three chances to win:
1. Leave a comment telling me what you'd like to try out from Bake Sweet Memories.
2. Leave another comment telling me your favorite spring treat.
3. Blog, tweet, Facebook about the giveaway and come back and leave a comment telling me you did.

Giveaway ends soon on Wednesday, March 31st at 11:59pm. I will randomly choose a winner at that time. Good luck!

42 comments:

Barbie

I cannot decide. I think I may go through each of the spring recipes one by one. The bunny cupcakes are adorable though.

Barbie

Here is the link to our standby side dish whenever we have ham. Usually we have ham on Easter and New Years.


http://nextgenerationcooks.blogspot.com/2010/02/sunshine-potatoes.html

Beka

gosh darnit! i KNEW i would regret not making it out to sewing night:)!! i LOVE fruit pizza!!

JECKBECK (Erin)

OK- looked at the website and I'd like to make them all...if only I enjoyed baking. Anyways, I will for sure make the Mini Key Lime Cupcakes because Jason loves anything Key Lime from pies, to cheescakes and now cupcakes I'm sure!

JECKBECK (Erin)

Heather gave me this recipe last year. It was tasty, perfect for Spring and easy to make.

Pink Lemonade Pie

1 Graham Crust
1 Quart Vanilla Ice Cream (Softened)
6 oz. Frozen Pink Lemonade Concentrate (Thawed)
4 oz. Cool Whip (Thawed)
4 Drops Red Food Coloring

Combine the ice cream, pink lemonade concentrate, cool whip and food coloring. Pour the mixture into the graham crust. Freeze for 4 hours or until firm.

Maren

I love the bunny cupcakes - so cute. Paige might have something for me to do.

Maren

I love fruit salad in the spring. Any combo of fruit or even green salads with fruit in them. Yum!

Lindsay

I'd like to try the Easy Bunny Cake.

Lindsay

In the spring I enjoy making no bake cookies.

Jamie W.

Yum!! All those recipes are worth trying they all look yummy. First one I try though the Lemon rolled cake .

Jamie W.

Totally just facebooked about it! :)

Jamie W.

I love key lime Pie!! Yum I hope your bringing those Key lime cupcakes to a family get together. Sounds yummy : ) My key lime pie recipe is too long to write here but, I'll bring you a copy of it.

Casey

Cheesy potatoes please.

Casey

My favorite spring treat are Peeps. Does that count?

Julia M.

I think the scrambled egg biscuit tops look awesome. Aunt Carol made something similar to that at one of my baby showers, and I couldn't get enough! I've never seen a recipe for it, though.

And, I adore you Christie. I would love to come devour your homemade creations!

Amy

I am usually all about the sweets, but those scrambled egg biscuit cups look pretty good.

amyt681 at hotmail dot com

momof2nurses

My favorite spring treat, especially to make for Easter is my Mom's traditional nut rolls. These were always on our Easter table.

Rachel

Trent is the king of fruit pizza at our house so I won't go there but I am loving all the lemon recipes on their site. Lemon treats will be served with every meal in heaven, I just know it.

Rachel

My favorite spring treat is lemon bars. Shocker. Followed by a delish coconut cake that my mom has made since I was a little girl.

Payne Family

I have always wanted to try Monkey Bread! It looks good and the recipe doesn't seem to hard.

Payne Family

My favorite spring treat is Frog Eye Salad. It know it sounds gross but its really just noodles and fruit. Yummy!

Jill Manning

First off, that fruit cookie was amazing. I haven't stopped thinking about it since Thursday. You have so many talents Christie, it would be nauseating if you weren't such a sweet person.
My favorite spring/summer time treat is fresh watermelon. Oh my gosh, I could eat a whole melon all by myself. Yummers!

Jill Manning

Um, you can't go wrong with monkey bread but that lemon cake with raspberry mousse looks divine.

Unknown

I'm sure my husband would love if I made those egg and bacon biscuit cups!

Unknown

I love eating fresh fruit. SO for Spring, strawberries are definitely in order!

Grandma

I would like to try the easy bunny cake. How do you like those new type pans?

Abigail

The Rainbow cookies look so cute and not to hard and that is what it is really about with me.

Abigail

I love lemon cake with just a dizzle of frosting and maybe a few strawberries. Makes me want it right NOW!

Mandy

Lemon Cream Roll Cake...it just looks awesome!

anwhite29 at cox dot net

Mandy

My favorite thing to make would have to be really cute cupcakes. They are fast, fairly easy, and when you pipe the frosting they are elegant looking.

anwhite29 at cox dot net

ps - I love the Secret Stitches blog - thanks for posting a note about this giveaway on there!

Clark Family

The recipe i would like to try is the lemon roll cake!! YUM-O! The key lime cupcakes are lookin' good too! One of my favorite spring treats is good ol' fashioned monkey bites!! Love 'em!

Anonymous

Key Lime pie all the way! Mmm- you make the best Key Lime Chris, I'm going to have to try it out some day!

Jill Smith

I like the Bunny and Chick cookies
Pudyqat2 @ aol.com

Jill Smith

My favorite spring treat is Ambrosia Salad with fresh fruit
Pudyqat2 @ aol.com

Mari

I'd like to try the mini key lime cupcakes.

runningmatey at hotmail dot com

Mari

My favorite springtime treat is fresh strawberries with freshly whipped homemade cream.

runningmatey at hotmail dot com

Mami2jcn

The mini key lime cupcakes look good.

mami2jcn at gmail dot com

Mami2jcn

Fruit salad is my favorite springtime treat.

mami2jcn at gmail dot com

Anonymous

The Danish Apple Almond Cake sounds really yummy
digicat{AT}sbcglobal{DOT}net

Anonymous

Anything with asparagus is always a spring treat. I like it grilled with a little olive oil and garlic.
digicat{AT}sbcglobal{DOT}net

Anonymous

I posted your contest on my Blog
http://carolsbloggys.blogspot.com/2010/01/safeway-sweet-treats.html
digicat{at}sbcglobal{dot}net

Heather Bower

You are so cute... I can't wait to try those other cupcake recipes... You know me I LOVE to cook I think that is why I have my weight problem... darn it... Too bad I like the sweet so much... :)