C&H Sweet Talk Newsletter

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Kids in the Kitchen

Looking for a great family activity that’s inexpensive, educational, and fun, and creates memories that last a lifetime? Look no further than your kitchen.

Baking with your children—or grandchildren, nieces and nephews, or godchildren—provides an opportunity to share your skills and enthusiasm with young people. Yes, it requires patience and good humor, but the rewards are sweet in more ways than one!

We invited some baking and education experts to share their tips for successful family baking. They generously accepted—and offered some of their kid-friendly recipes, to boot!

Megan and Kyle McGuire

Like many families, the McGuires of Johnston, Iowa, enjoy baking together. Unlike most families, the McGuires have taken their hobby on the road—all the way to the Iowa State Fair, where the three McGuire children have won prizes for their creations. Last summer, the two youngest McGuires—Megan, then 6, and Kyle, 12—each took home first-place ribbons and cash awards for their submissions to C&H Sugar’s Chocolate Chip Cookie contest.

We wanted to know what it takes to be a state fair baking-contest winner before you’ve entered your teen years, so we talked to Megan, Kyle, and mom Phoelisa (a baker and state-fair contestant herself!).

Home Baking Association’s Recipe for Success

Here’s one positive effect of the recession: Americans have been returning to the kitchen, saving money while rediscovering the pleasures of home-cooked meals. It’s safe to say no one finds the trend more gratifying than the educators, nutrition experts, and corporate members of the Home Baking Association (HBA).

Happy Light Year!

Raise your hand if you started this year – every year? – with a resolution to cut calories. Keep your hand up if you’re already finding that resolution just a little bit hard to keep. Yes, we see a lot of hands. But don’t worry—you’re not alone. We’re all hard-wired to enjoy sweetness; and sweet treats, in moderation, aren’t a bad thing. The challenge is that “moderation” part, right?

Well, we have good news! Our newest product, C&H® Light Sugar & Stevia Blend, makes it easy to cut calories without sacrificing sweet taste. The secret: a special blend of pure cane granulated sugar plus stevia and natural flavorings. We love it for all kinds of cooking and baking, and we know you will, too.

Food Bloggers ♥ C&H® Light!

We’re not the only ones excited about our new C&H® Light Sugar & Stevia blend (see main story). The food-blogging community is also enthusiastic about this natural, reduced-calorie alternative to pure sugar!

As part of the product launch, we invited 50 bloggers to use C&H® Light in a new or old recipe. They responded with creativity and gusto—and generously permitted us to share their results. Here are two of their stories.

Lisa Basini

Baking’s as much a science as an art, which is why creating recipes for baked goods can be so challenging. A quarter-teaspoon of baking soda or a half-teaspoon? Fifty minutes at 350° or 40 minutes at 375°?

Fortunately for us at C&H® Sugar (and our sister company Domino® Sugar), we don’t have to guess—and neither do you. That’s because Lisa Basini, our talented recipe developer and tester, makes sure the recipes in our online recipe database will work as well in your kitchen as they do in ours.

Apple Pie and Beyond

Autumn's our favorite season for many reasons: perfect weather, football games, holidays, and—at the top of the list—an abundance of newly harvested apples. In many rural areas, orchard owners invite visitors to pick their own fruit; at city markets, local and "heirloom" apples such as Cortland, Gravenstein, and Baldwin join popular varieties like Delicious and Granny Smith.

We love biting into a fresh, crunchy apple as much as the next person, but the apple bounty is also an irresistible call to the stovetop and oven. Join us as we explore the many ways to enjoy apples, from breakfast to late-night snacks, from Halloween through New Year's Eve.