Baking

Kids passionately love everything about candy - the sweet satisfying taste, of course, but also the smells, the colors, the shapes, and the textures. So why settle for just eating it? In Candy Construction author Sharon Bowers reveals how inexpensive and readily available store-bought candy offers an irresistable treasure trove of crafting material.
Armed with a bedazzling variety of sugary shapes, from rolls and sticks to ropes and strips to rings and cubes, there is no limit to what kids can build -- with Candy Construction as inspiration. Imagine a chess set with Hershey's Kisses playing pieces! Candy snakes made from Necco Wafers and bubble-gum tape, with M&M's for eyes! There are spaceships, race cars, planes, woodland creatures, jewelry, and more -- all crafted from candy.

Perfect for birthday parties and rainy day activities, the more complex Candy Construction projects offer plans for complete tabletop scenes, including a construction site with dump truck and construction workers; a steam train with an engine, tanker cars, caboose, and boxcars; and a magical castle with stacked cookie towers. There are also fun projects for holiday decorations for Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and more. Every project is accompanied by full-color photos and easy-to-follow, step-by-step building instructions.
With small children of her own, Sharon Bowers knows the challenges of preventing excessive candy consumption. To her pleasant surprise, she found that offering kids an alternative use for candy actually cut back on the eating — without eliminating any of the fun!
Parents will welcome this creative new way of looking at candy and using it up, while watching their young construction workers put their imaginations and hands to work!

Thirty million Americans are gluten-intolerant or have a gluten sensitivity, eliminating it from their diets because gluten—a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley—has been implicated in health issues ranging from respiratory problems and abdominal discomfort to anemia, anxiety, and infertility. The food industry has bullishly taken notice. Gluten-free baking products, including cake mixes from Betty Crocker, King Arthur, Whole Foods, and others, have increased sevenfold on grocery shelves in recent years, and the number of other gluten-free products has grown as well—832 were introduced in 2008 alone.  And gluten-free options are on the menu of national restaurants like Boston Market, Chili’s, Ruby Tuesday, Outback Steakhouse, and others.

Now comes even sweeter news for people looking to cut gluten from their diets: Anne Byrn shows how to transform gluten-free cake mixes into 76 rich, decadent, easy-to-make, impossible-to-resist desserts. Performing the magic that’s made her a bestselling baking author with over 33 million copies of her books in print, she doctors mixes with additions like almond extract, fresh berries, cocoa powder, grated coconut, cinnamon, lime zest, and more—naturally, all gluten-free ingredients—and voilà: Tres Leches Cake with Whipped Cream and Summer Berries, Almond Cream Cheese Pound Cake, Chocolate Cupcakes with Milk Chocolate Ganache, Caramel Melted Ice Cream Cake, Warm Tarte Tatin Apple Cake, plus brownies, bars, muffins, and cookies. Dessert is back on the menu.  

Who says gingerbread is just for the holidays? This unique cookbook shows how gingerbread can be enjoyed for breakfast or dessert year-round. Reflecting the wisdom and creativity of a professional pastry chef and dedicated home cook, Gingerbread collects 60 traditional and modern recipes. Start with simple, yummy treats like Gingerbread Rum Cake and Sticky Toffee Gingerbread, then graduate to building your own gingerbread house for the holidays. Any way you slice it, these gingery goodies are sure to be a hit on any day of the year!