The Spice is Right

As you get ready to make your pumpkin bread, pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin pie, it's probably best to check all the expiration dates on your spices. Three years is about all the potency will last (check out the chart from McCormick).

Most of the newer bottles have the dates on the packaging, but many of the older ones do not. A good tip is to go to McCormick's Web site, where they have a neat tool to help you check your spices based on a number printed on the bottom of the bottle. (That way you can toss the nutmeg from 1998...)

Happy baking!

Carryall

A BAKER'S NEW BEST FRIEND: How many times have you made brownies for someone's birthday at work and they're a squished mess by the time you get to your cubicle? Or made cupcakes for a bakesale and the frosting looks anything but appetizing? Well, Bakers Sto 'n Go has attempted to solve that, and I think they're on to something! With more than 10 groves to adjust the shelves to any height, you can take virtually any combination of treats on the road. And the all-plastic design makes it easy to wash, easy to store (the handle comes off for flat storage) and hard to break.

The tasty Splenda alternative

I've been hearing about this "Agave Nectar" thing now for a while, and while I was slightly intrigued because I'm obsessed with anything that's a sugar substitute, I was baffled by it. I recently came across a recipe for vegan cupcakes that I was just going to quickly delete (vegan = disgusting in my mind, sorry!), but I read further as I saw that is was made with low-glycemic agave nectar. Anyway, while this recipe didn't really get me too excited, I decided to seek out other such nectar options and see how to actually use the liquid. Here are some great tips I found along the way:

• In recipes, use about 1/3 cup of agave nectar for every 1 cup of sugar. For baking, it's not recommended that all sugar is replaced — for most cakes, half the sugar can be replaced; brownies, half; fruit bars, two-thirds; gingersnaps, one-third.
  
• When substituting this sweetener in recipes, reduce your liquid slightly, sometimes as much as 1/3 less.
• First mix the agave with the fat or liquid in the recipe. If this is not done, a soggy later will form on the top of the baked product.
  
• Reduce your oven temperature by 25 degrees when using the nectar in exchange for sugar in recipes.

Good sites to check out for recipes: Blue Agave Nectar and Sweet Savvy

UPDATE: Hostess with the Mostess posted this delicious cocktail recipe featuring agave nectar. I am so going to try it!

Bakers sale

For the bakers out there, these decorating pastes are half off at Williams-Sonoma (down to just $6.99), as are several types of spatulas. There are some other fun items to check out, like aprons and baking pans, and all the Easter stuff is on sale, too.

Perfectly novel baker

I just couldn't contain the giggle once I realized what exactly this was: a giant cupcake cake mold. This Wilton cast pan is actually right on mark as the cupcake couldn't be more popular than it is right now, and this is simply a fun take on the idea. For $27.99, it's a tad pricey for such a novelty, but if you have a bridal shower or kid's birthday party coming up, this could be the perfect cake starter.


UPDATE: Surfing around the Sur la Table Web site, I found the cupcake pan there, too. I actually happen to like Target's image better, but here is another pic to demonstrate the creativity of this gadget.

Healthy recipe of the week

POPPY SEED BREAD/MUFFINS
Makes 36 servings

Ingredients:
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 cup egg substitute
1/2 cup sherry
1/3 cup poppy seeds
1/2 cup canola oil
1 pkg instant fat free, sugar free vanilla pudding
1 pkg yellow cake mix

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients together and pour batter into sprayed bread pans or muffin tins (2/3 full).
2. Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes (less if muffins) or until inserted toothpick to the center comes out clean.