I made mini chicken pot pies. They were so darn cute and fun to eat. I cheated and used some puff pastry sheets for the crust on top and didn't do a bottom crust. The puff pastry was wonderful combined with the creamy filling. I loved this pot pie. It was so creamy and comforting. I will sure do the puff pastry again, even my youngest son ate it, now that is a miracle! The only thing I can think of that could have made this better would have been to use fresh herbs. I want an herb garden. Basil, sage, thyme, chives, rosemary.....ahhhh that would be wonderful. Hummm my birthday is coming up. :) LOL!

I got invited to a birthday party for a very darling gal named Emily. She and her family are some of the sweetest people you'll ever meet and I had a lot of fun. I made her a cake pop bouquet because it is an unspoken rule of mine that you never ever go to a birthday party, or any party for that matter empty handed. Plus, there's just something extra special with a homemade treat that is both pretty and tasty! I've made quite a few of these and they never disappoint, so this is one of my favorite things to bake. I love the look on the face of someone when they see them for the first time. I didn't have a lot of time to spend on this one, and that disappointed me a little because she is such a cute girl and this was not one of my better bouquets.

Over the weekend I made an apple pie with a new crust resipe that I've never tried before. I didn't roll it out thin enough, but it was very flaky and buttery. Pie crust is one thing that I have really struggled with over the years and so I seldom ever want to make pie. I make Pecan Pie at the request of my father and at Christmas and Thanksgiving. My mother is the apple pie maker, so I bet I have only made 2 apple pies over my whole life. LOL> but that's OK, it turned out good, and I was pleased. I also made some Cinnamon twists. I like these more than the traditional cinnamon roll because they are not as sweet and heavy, more like bread with a touch of sweet cinnamon sugar. I put some orange oil and almond extract in the frosting and that gave a freshness that I really liked. Not over powering, by any means, just enough that it cut that powdered sugar taste that frosting and glazes tend to have. Over all, I was pleased with my baking....what will be next? Perhaps chocolate...shock, I know- :)

I made a mushroom and cheese souffle last night for dinner. I've never made a savory souffle before. In fact, I've never even tasted one before! I have made the chocolate souffle, which is very tasty! I really liked the mushroom and cheese souffle. I love how light and fluffy it is, not heavy or greasy. I overcooked it a bit, but it was delish!!!

I haven't decided what to make for this weekend yet....
Perhaps, croissants. Maybe stuffed croissants.....yummm.

Over the weekend, I went to Harmons in Draper. Wow, can you spend some time in that store, LOL or at least I can, and did. The different types of cheese amaze me. I'm blown away by organic produce choices and some things I have never tried before. But I must tell you that I love the artisan breads and variety of baked goodies. I took a few picture too. I was inspired by the mini cheesecakes. So, as I'm sure you can feel this coming, I baked....Yep! mini cheesecakes! What a ball.
The goodies I tried.

Mini Cheesecake: It had a little to much crust for my taste. I felt like it looked much better than it ended up tasting. A little disappointing.

Chocolate Carmel mini cake: This was moist and rich. You would want to share this with a friend. It was very nice with the pecan praline crunch on top, and the pretty alternative to a muffin paper was very appealing to the eye.