So long, farewell, Auf wiedersehen, good night (for now!)

Dear DinnerCakes readers,

We have thoroughly enjoyed our culinary adventures with you over the last 2.75 years, but at this point we think it’s time to turn in our potholders, at least for now.

We set out with a few goals in mind – to share our passion for cooking and baking, to provide tips and tricks we’ve learned along the way, to improve our cooking, baking and photography skills and, most importantly, to encourage busy professionals that you can (really!) find time to cook a healthy dinner or bring in the occasional cake to work. To continue to grow, we think we need the flexibility to hit the (cook)books and try some things that probably aren’t blog-ready just yet.

We hope we’ll be back (and better than ever?) in some form down the road. If you’d like to stay tuned for changes, simply stay subscribed to our feed.

Thanks for all the good times & great comments. Keep cookin’!
Edwin & Heather

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Photo Contest!

Remember this photo of Mr. Biscuit? I entered it in a photo contest over at A Nerd Like Me‘s blog.

Would you like to vote for us??

Then you can check out previous appearances of Biscuit on DinnerCakes here!

Food Photography: Wedding Cake Part 2!

I found some great photos that the professional photographer, Dominique Attaway, took at the wedding I mentioned yesterday. I think these food shots are terrific.

Sadness is comparing photos you took with those of a professional photographer – I’ll spare you mine and just share hers!

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Albemarle Salad with baby greens, Granny Smith apples, grapes, candied walnuts, cheese and Honey Lavender Vinaigrette.

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Grilled Bistro Tenderloin, “Deconstructed” Fish Tacos, Roasted New Potatoes and Broccolini.

Catering by 20 South.

Food Photography: Wedding Cake!

I was at a wedding this past Saturday at Sweely Estate Winery in Madison, Virginia. Just try to tell me that this isn’t a GORGEOUS cake!

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Vanilla buttercream filled with chocolate and deliciousness.

World Cup Food

Just in time – keep the World Cup spirit going longer with world flags made out of food.

Yeah, it’s kinda like that..

Food Photography: Birthday Fun

Edwin and I have been pretty busy and fell off the face of the earth for a while. It happens!

Today I’m celebrating my birthday, and my mom brought up a hummingbird cake, complete with hummingbirds. Hope you enjoy and are having a great summer so far!

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And a birthday dog in a blue ribbon. Hello, Biscuit.

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Ghost Baker’s Kitchen is Temporarily Closed!

Well, it’s finals week here in my grad program… which means I’ll be disappearing for a few days.

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That’s right, the kitchen is closed! We’ll be living off of leftovers and take-out, the perfect thing to get ready for shorts/bathing suit-wearing weather.

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I leave you with some pictures taken earlier today of the devil dog himself, Biscuit. That’s right, in addition to taking off for a few days I’m also the kind of person who doesn’t mind putting their dog in clothes…

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Chai Tea, Tai Chi?

I’m not a tea drinker. For years I was a diet pepsi in the morning person, then I slowly warmed up to coffee. Now that we have a Keurig, coffee and I have turned into best friends.

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I tried a Chai Tea Latte for the first time about two weeks ago. I was with someone who ordered one and raved about it, so I thought it might be time to broaden my horizons. I would have licked the cup dry if I could have reached that far… Chai tea is usually a black tea with an amazing blend of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and cloves with milk. In latte form, it’s chilled and iced.

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Unfortunately when I got home to look up a chai tea recipe I learned about the nutrition facts. Apparently, like most things I enjoy most in this world, chai tea lattes are delicious because they are also packed with whole milk and sugar.

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(Someone needs to tell Biscuit that a watched pot never boils…)

In making a homemade chai tea, I knew that skim milk wouldn’t cut it this time. The chai tea latte I had was full flavor and rich. I thought that Silk Light Vanilla Soy Milk might give me the boost I needed without adding lots of calories and fat.

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My first trial was adapted from Bobby Flay. It consisted of 8 chai tea bags, 4 cups of water, 1 cup of Silk Light Vanilla Soy Milk, ice and a pitcher. I hoped the vanilla flavoring in the soy milk would let me scoot by without having to add sweetener, but I was wrong! Bobby Flay recommends adding honey to the mixture as it cools in a pitcher, but I found that honey doesn’t disperse very well in a cold beverage. I used agave syrup with much better results.

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This turned out pretty well, but it’s not fooling anyone without whole milk. I need to find a way to bring in the richness and thickness of whole milk, without the fat and calories. Is this a fruitless mission? Have you guys ever made your own Chai Tea Latte? I’m thinking I might try fat free condensed milk? I would love to hear from you all.

To Those in Charlottesville Going to the Foxfield Races…

First off, I hope you have a good pair of boots to go with your sundress, because there is some yucky rain and mud going on!


But secondly, maybe you should consider staying cool with some Mint Julep Ice Cream from Simply Recipes while you’re there. Wikipedia says, “Traditionally, students and other attendees dress in a southern, aristocratic style often seen at other steeplechase and horse racing events. Seersucker, bowties, and pastel colors predominate the atmosphere, particularly at the spring race.”

This would definitely complete the look. 😛