The One Where I Wax on About Baking!!!

Hey Y'all!

Well, I am four days away from FREEDOM! We have four days of school left this week! I have one more work day next Monday and then I am FREE for the SUMMER!!!! Pitty Pat and I are over the moon! AND, could I have used any more exclamation points in those last few sentences?

This weekend was a long weekend for us, which I have thoroughly enjoyed. I spent everyday on the beach with several great books. I took a break from beaching' it today.. I am starting to resemble a coffee bean. And since my best friend is coming next Monday, I will have plenty of time to hit the beach again soon. Today I spent the day hanging with Mr. P, catching up on The Young and the Restless, straightening the house, and organizing my craft room with my projects that I want to work on this summer. Busy day, right? Oh, and I still have to cut the grass tonight when it cools down. Hello!

The other thing that I have been doing a lot of is baking. If you have been hanging around this blog for awhile, y'all know that I love to cook and bake. And trust me, I just might have to rename the blog, justjuliaknits and cooks because, once school is out, I have a ton of recipes that I can't wait to try! I don't know why it is easier for me to cook when school is out, I think I just enjoy it more and I have alot more time.

Anyhoo, onto my recent baking. A few blog posts back, I posted about a book I read, Friendship Bread. So over spring break, I made my own Amish Friendship Bread Starter, and the rest they say is history. I have baked loaves of bread for friends. But, what everyone seems to be clamoring for these days are my cookies! Y'all. They. Are. So. Yummy!!!

This is where all of the goodness starts. With your Amish Friendship Bread Starter! I have had mine going for about a month and a half now. I have given lots away and frozen some of it too. It comes in handy when it is frozen, you can bake on demand! Now my starter has a new home, a nice glass jar. It is very happy!

This is the acutal Amish Friendship Bread baking. The recipe makes two loaves.

Here is my Snickerdoodle batter. It is kind of sticky, but if you put it in the fridge over night, and then bake on parchment paper or a Silpat, you will have out of this world Snickerdoodles!

Here are the Snickerdoodles ready to go in the oven. Oh my!!!

GOT MILK? 

Here are my other cookies, and in my humble opinion, I prefer these over the Snickerdoodles. These are slap a pig, kick a horse GOOD! They are of course, Chocolate Chip. And they are perfection. Crispy on the outside, chewy and gummy in the middle.

 Paddington says, "Woman, you better bake me some Amish Friendship Bread Bones! I know where you sleep at night!"

I have tried many other recipes with my starter, all thanks to The Friendship Bread Kitchen. Another big hit that I have baked is the Triple Chocolate Amish Friendship Bread. That lasted all of 5 minutes! Luckily I have neighbors and friends at school who are happy recipients of my baking! :)

So that is what I have been up to! Check back tomorrow when I update my Read's From the Beachchair... I have read 4 great books this weekend!

See ya later!

:) JKP