Ideal Bite

I clicked all the links in your organic cake tip and couldn't find any local shopping information on any of the sites. I live in a fairly urban neighborhood with several health food stores and a Whole Foods not too far. In the interest of decreasing transportation energy use I would prefer to find it close by.

How about a tip on alternate birthday celebrations? At my work, we are INUNDATED with sweets and treats. There is a cake for every birthday, at least one a week. And this is a health care facility! Celebrations scream out for food, and no one will really feel honored with a plate of carrots. Fruit plates are better, but still not as celebratory. Ideas, please! We need to satisfy those who expect a cake, but how can we make it a treat and still healthy?

Happy Birthday! I'm fairly new to Ideal Bite(about a month) but not to being green(recycling about 20+yrs).Love the tips & the blog, getting a lot of good ideas from the blog comments. I will third the request for green tips on a budget. The spirit is willing but the wallet is low on $$$. We want to do our part but sometime just can't afford to.More recycling tips would also be good.Keep up the great work!

My Mom, a working mom way back then, always used box mixes and homemade frostings. One day she was in a hurry and frosted a hot cake (13" by 9") and we scooped up all the frosting that came bubbling up over the edge. I still remember that day from over 40 years ago! Anyway, box cakes always flop for me, so I make the whole thing from scratch. If you really want to impress, make a cheesecake. It is the easy way to make someone happy! Once you have the spring-form pan, or make the pie plate size, you are ready to roll! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, and I love Cricket! my P. Welsh Corgi is named Chesse (rhymes with Jesse), and he's about to turn 4.

Happy Birthday! Keep up the great info flow...I love your bites. Also, I'd love to see a regional/local guide that pertains to the links and ideas you send out. For example, links or addresses to stores in the area of a few big cities in each state which promote or offer goods & services that are all things Green... Put a call out to your readers for input and additions to the list for the various cities. Thanks & Happy Day!

Happy Birthday, Ideal Bite! I love hearing from you. You helped me find my wedding dress! Regarding boxed v. from scratch cakes, I "go both ways". There's definitely an occassion/reason for both. A basic German Chocolate or yellow is worth the short cut (I'll "doctor" the mix, though, by adding extra ingredients to make it more moist or enhance flavors). But a decadent bete noir or Sachertorte (or any torte, for that matter; I like to grind my own nuts for the flour) I find it impossible to make any short cut. And cheesecakes? From scratch, whether from dairy or soy products. A certain large company would *like* you to think this is possible to do from a mix, but they also would like you to think mac'n'cheese comes out of a blue box, and is neon orange... I disagree on both counts! What I yearn to learn from Year Three is an environmentally friendly way to refinish furniture. I know that's asking a lot. Not just dealing with lead-based paint (thankfully, not much of that), but stripping stains. Also, other ways of helping my older home convert to a greener home, after many decades of not-so-green care. Our flower beds and grass are either naturalized or being handled organically, but how do we deal with knotty pine panelling, painted woodwork, hardwood floors, linoleum, plaster walls, and the like? Thank you, and stay in good health in your third year!

Happy Birthday! If you want a fast, easy alternative to box cake, try the "Melt-in-Your-Mouth Chocolate Cake" at chocolateandzucchini.com (archives). Only 5 ingredients: butter, chocolate, sugar, eggs, and flour-- you have those in your kitchen, right?-- and 25 min to bake! (And the tablespoon of flour isn't even necessary-- it can be ommitted or replaced with a gluten-free alternative like rice flour.) It can also be prepared ahead of time, and actually gets better as it sits. Blog readers report that it makes good cupcakes, too. And you can brag about the French origins, if you're into that sort of thing ;). So there's another option for biter bakers. I may have to go make one now...

Amen Sister Friend! I would rather have no cheese at all than waxy fake fat-free cheese. There is no point to eating a fat-free version of something that does not even resemble the flavor of the original.

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