Merry Christmas 2009 ~ Cookies for Santa

Hope you had a Merry Christmas!

Did you leave Santa a glass of milk and a plate of cookies?
No time to bake...hope you picked up a few cookies from
LEVAIN BAKERY in New York City.

Levain's trademark: Each cookie is approximately 6 ounces each! Enormous!

Levain Bakery sells four varieties:

Chocolate Chip Walnut
Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip
Oatmeal Raisin
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip

Pam Weekes & Connie McDonald are owners of Levain Bakery.

I stopped by and tried the Chocolate Chip Cookie.
It is like a meal, so huge!

Connie McDonald took a minute out of her busy day to take a pic with me.
Connie and her employees were very friendly. They were very busy too.

Lots of orders going out.
Enjoy the photos of Levain Bakery.

Visit Levain Bakery soon!

Levain Bakery
Upper West Side - Manhattan
167 West 74th St
New York, NY 10023
T: 212-874-6080 • F: 212-874-6413
Hours: Mon-Sat 8am-7pm, Sun 9am-7pm

For the holiday season, I recorded a Christmas favorite, Silent Night and posted it on YouTube. This version is composed by Kirby Shaw. I was so busy I didn't have time to post it to my blog in time for Christmas. But, here it is...Enjoy...

Silent Night

(Kirby Shaw - composer)

Carmen ~ Vocals & guitar

Jonathan Kelly ~ Piano

Photos ~ Carmen and flickr friends

Video Production ~ Bonni Salles

Peace, Carmen

Let it Snow...Cookies & Cakes

It's was busy in my kitchen the night before.

I've baked ~

• Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Almond Coffee Cake
• Coconut Cake

for a
Children's Holiday Party at Society Hill at Somerset III

today, December 12, 2009.

The holiday time is a time to bake for family and friends.

It's also a great opportunity to share with others through charity.

Find an organization or party function where you can

donate your baking creations

to those in need, less fortunate or because you simply want to.



The "gift of baking"

is always sure to brighten someone's day.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Peace in baking, Carmen

Coquito ~ Puerto Rican Eggnog

Coquito (Eggless Eggnog & Bacardi Rum)
pronounced [koh-kee-toh]

What is Coquito? It is eggnog.

It’s a Puerto Rican Holiday Drink named after the island’s mascot,

Coqui, a frog.
There are several variations of eggnog. My preference is an Eggless Eggnog.

So what is a Coqui? It's a small frog.

It’s Puerto Rico's mascot.

“The specie ''Puerto Rican coquí'' sings co-quí, co-quí, co-quí at dusk

and changes to co-quí-quí-quí, co-quí-quí-quí, co-quí-quí-quí, at dawn.

It is arboreal - climbing to the top of trees in search of insects.

There it remains until dawn when it changes its song

and jumps down nesting until the evening.”
http://www.elboricua.com/coqui.html

Want to hear a Coqui? Click on the youtube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54-FzuE-w0U&feature=related


Take a glimpse of Puerto Rico ~ La Isla del Encanto

~ Paradise, Beauty
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvOLT7fjQ3Q&feature=related

As I mentioned, there are several versions. This recipe is my version of Coquito.

Coquito

(Carmen's Eggless Eggnog & Bacardi Rum)

Ingredients:
1 - 15 oz can cream of coconut (Coco Lopez brand) *recommended brand

2 - 12 oz cans evaporated milk

1 ½ cups Bacardi Rum (white) [you can use a little less if preferred]

Directions:
1 Open the cream of coconut can and scoop out contents into a bowl.

2 Microwave for about 20-30 seconds until all the cream has melted.

3 Stir until cream is dissolved.

4 Shake the two cans of evaporated milk.

5 Open the cans of evaporated milk and pour into the bowl of cream of coconut.

6 Pour 1 ½ cups (or less) of White Bacardi Rum into the milk mixture.

7 Sift twice through a strainer. * optional

8 Pour in a fancy glass and Enjoy!

I do not refrigerate the Coquito. But, you can.

Enjoy your Coquito! Viva Puerto Rico!

~ Carmen

Recipe shared with Browneyedbaker.com

Baking is my Zen...sweet nibbles for the soul

It finally happened...Baking is my Zen LLC is now in business.

It's my dream come true! I am passionate about my business and I look forward to bringing many smiles to those who enjoy an edible favor from Baking is my Zen.

Cupcake Wedding favors is the specialty of the business.

Cupcake favors are also available for other occasions.

In time, I hope to expand and offer other types of sweets as favors.

Website: http://www.bakingismyzen.com

T-Shirts with the 'Baking is my Zen' logo can be purchased from the website.

I truly believe in giving back to the community.

A portion of all sales will go toward helping those in need.

Baking is my Zen LLC

supports

Share Our Strength

Their mission is to make sure

no child go hungry

in the United States.

Blessed are those that can give without remembering

and take without forgetting.

Elizabeth Bibesco ~ British Poet

Peace in baking, Carmen