You wanna know the first place I go when I don’t feel like doing….anything I need to be doing?  Yes, you guessed it.  Pinterest.  It is one of those sites where you can get lost for hours if you aren’t careful,  lol!

Well, this morning is one of those mornings.  I have loads of laundry that needs done, a sinkful of dishes that need washed, beds to be made and a list of other things, but I found myself playing on Pinterest instead

Since I am on the subject, who is on Pinterest so I can follow you?!

Leave your Pinterest name or link in a comment so we can all follow each other ok?

Mine is:  http://pinterest.com/jennyflake/

Happy Wednesday!!

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May 2012 bring us all happiness and joy all year round.  I am looking forward to a great year……I can finally say my cookbook comes out this year, yay!!

January

I will never forget my Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies that my mom and I made in AZ last Christmas break.  I looked through her pantry and saw those Double Stuf Oreos and knew exactly what I was going to do….stuff em inside cookie dough!  Needless to say this has become probably my most popular recipe   Heaven knows I’ve made these probably a hundred times, lol!

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

February

These sweet and salty cookies are one of my personal favorites.  Something about crunchy sea salt on top of a buttery crisp peanut butter cookie makes me VERY happy

Double White Chocolate and Pretzel Peanut Butter Cookies with Sea Salt

March

If you ask my kids what their favorite food is, chances are it will be these meatballs.  Stuffed with little mozzarella balls makes them practically irresistible

Mozzarella Stuffed Homemade Meatballs

April

These chocolate cookies have crushed Oreos throughout which gives them a perfect chewy chocolaty texture.  Love these!

Bakery Style Cookies and Cream Cookies

May

I remember making these tacos last year and we ate them so fast it was kinda embarrassing.  These do not disappoint and I love how easy they are to prepare too

Restaurant Style Carne Asada Soft Tacos with Guacamole and Corn

June

Once I made those Oreo Stuffed Cookies, I was stuffing cookies all year long!  I did the Candy Bar Stuffed Cookies, Smore’s Stuffed Cookies and these bad boys.  They are all fabulous, but these are on the top of my list

Chocolate Fudge Peanut Butter Cookie Stuffed Cookies

July

I remember playing around one Sunday afternoon in the kitchen with my boys when we came up with these fun pies.  They are too cute and delicious!  I even had Lauren Conrad post them on her site!  Fun!

Oreo and Peanut Butter Layered Baby Lattice Pies

August

One of the highlights of 2011 was without a doubt watching Matt Armendariz and Adam Pearson Photograph and Style the Picky Palate cookbook!  I was beside myself watching all the photos come to life.  Can hardly believe my book will be out later this year, yay!!

Behind The Scenes Look Behind the Picky Palate Cookbook Photo Shoot

September

Told you I went crazy stuffing cookies last year!  Biscoff Spread quickly became a household product that I had to have on hand all the time.  It made the BEST stuffed cookies as you see here.  If you haven’t tried Biscoff, check it out….like now!

Biscoff Stuffed White Chocolate Chip Cookies

October

This sheet cake is hands down one of the best cakes we’ve eaten.  It is so soft and gooey and tastes just like a giant cinnamon roll with a hint of pumpkin.  LOVE!  I will be making this cake every year without a doubt.

Cinnamon Roll Pumpkin Vanilla Sheet Cake

November

I LOVED baking donuts last year.  I made dozens of them but one of my favorites was this sinful peanut butter cup one.  And hey, it’s baked so it’s not so bad right?  Lol!

Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Baked Buttermilk Donuts

December

December was somewhat of a blur for me because we moved in the middle of the Holidays, but I will forever make this giant buttery crisp chocolate chip cookie.  It makes just one perfect cookie and wait until you try it, yum!

Buttery Crisp XXL Chocolate Chip Cookie

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I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas.  I am so grateful for each and every one of you who share my love of cooking and baking.  It is a true pleasure to create recipes for you.  May your day be full of joy!

We are spending the Holidays with our family in AZ.  No place I’d rather be right now

See you tomorrow morning for a killer breakfast dish!  xoxo

Love, The Flake Family

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These monogram mugs from Anthropologie make the perfect gift that is affordable for an entire family.  They are only $6.00 each. Add some hot chocolate to the box and you are good to go!

I am a huge fan of hot chocolate during the winter, and LOVE the idea of this Back to Basics Cocomotion hot chocolate maker.  It runs about $30.00 at Bed, Bath and Beyond or Amazon.  You add milk or water, dump your mix in and the machine stirs and warms your hot chocolate in just a few minutes.  It has a cute little dispenser that makes hot chocolate night a breeze.  Love it!

Ok, back to Anthropologie for a second.  Last week, I bought “my kitchen” these adorable Sweetest Thing Dishtowels and I can’t tell you how much I LOVE them.  They would make the perfect gift for any woman who loves sweets and baking in her kitchen   They are $24.oo.

I certainly didn’t plan on this being my Anthropolgie wish list, but is certainly turning out to be, lol!  I LOVE these adorable Owl Cookie Jars.  This one is “A Real Hoot Canister” for $68.00.  I know they are expensive, but how cute would this look in the kitchen?!

I have been all about the baked donut pan by Wilton these days.  It is only about $10.00 and makes a great gift for anyone who enjoys baking!  PS:  Attatch my recipes for baked donuts to the box!  How fun?!

Everytime I pass by this adorable cupcake maker, I am tempted to buy it.  If my kitchen was bigger, it would probably already be in my possesion   For $29.00, I think this is a great gift idea for your foodie friends and family.

Fred and Friends has so many fun gift ideas.  How cute is this Mug with a ring as the holder?!  LOVE!  It’s under $15.00.

Fred and Friends again!  Love this fun “Pizza Boss” Pizza Wheel.  What a fun gift this would be.  It runs about $15.00 as well.

Another fun Fred and Friends find, these “Pick Your Nose” party cups.  LOVE!!  Found them on Amazon for a pack of 24 for under $11.00.

Hope you’ve enjoyed some of my fun Gift Ideas for your favorite foodie!  We’ve got a few more days to get shopping!  Have fun!

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A couple months ago, I had the privilege of working with the DECA TV team to promote some Holiday QVC products. Check out my video debut

Hope everyone has a fabulous rest of your week! xoxo

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I would like to wish you all a beautiful Thanksgiving with your families!  Can you tell who in the family was less than thrilled with getting a picture?  Love that little stinker and his half smile.

This really is the best time of year, isn’t it?  The food, family, festivities!

I am so grateful for all of you who make it possible for me to do my dream job.  I truly feel so lucky to be able to create recipes and share them on Picky Palate.   It’s my little happy place, that’s for sure

Enjoy all that turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls, desserts and Black Friday shopping!  ….did I forget anything?  Lol.  Hope you are prepared with your stretchy pants…I know I am!

See y’all soon!

xoxo

Jenny

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There are moments in my life where I have to step back for a moment and realize how incredibly blessed I am.  Last week was one of those moments.  I had the privilege of watching Matt Armendariz and Adam Pearson photograph and style some of the recipes in my upcoming cookbook.  It was too fun to spend the week at their Long Beach studio and watch them work magic with my recipes.  I LOVE this first photo of Matt prepping my Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies (that Gaby Dalkin baked perfectly).

I snapped these photos with my iPhone so I wouldn’t forget the amazing time I had watching my recipes come to life through Adam’s impecable styling and Matt’s amazing camera.  Hope you enjoy an inside peek at the Picky Palate Cookbook Shoot last week

Here you have a glimpse of the prop table (left) that was set for the recipes and the photo board (right) where each shot was pinned up.  One of the highlights of my week was getting to chat with Matt, Adam and their great staff.  There is a story behind each and every prop.  Some where bought in flea markets from France, some from ebay, and others from different parts of the country. LOVED the stories behind each piece

Here are my fun Oreo Stuffed Cookies getting beautified and photographed.  I love this shot and that old wooden board!

Matt, hard at work shooting some fabulous brownies

There sits my homemade apple pie with the most perfect crust prepared by Adam.  The finished shot was stunning.

Matt checking out the image on the computer.  Love.

 Matt and Adam discussing options for my chicken taco bake….that I love

My favorite homemade chocolate cupcakes getting  photographed

My honeyed apple peanut butter tart was so photogenic, just wait until you see this final shot!

Adam dusting powdered sugar while we were rocking out to 80′s hits on our last day of shooting.  These guys are so unbelievably talented.  I will never forget the fun times we had last week.

Hope you enjoyed this sneak peek!

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Hope everyone has a Flyin’ Good 4th of July with your families

Love the Flake Family

See y’all tomorrow with a new recipe!

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Here’s a round up of my favorite recipes I used in the McCormick Gourmet program!

Chocolate Gingersnap Cookies, Chicken and Black Bean Enchilada Bake and Itty Bitty Cinnamon Roll Bites

Double White Chocolate and Pretzel Peanut Butter Cookies and Smoky Turkey and Saffron Red Rice

Mexi-Chicken Campanelle Dinner, Smoky and Cheesy Mashed Potatoes, and Snickerdoodle Popcorn

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Have a great day!!  Come back soon!

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I was so excited to bring one of these little Oreo Stuffed Cookie Jars to Amanda last week during out trip to Atlanta for the BlogHer Food Conference.  I wrapped it nicely in my suitcase and when I opened my suitcase my little jar was broken!!  I was devastated, but luckily we had plenty of treats over the weekend that made up for it

It’s basically the same recipe as my Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies just layered nicely in little jars.

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Here are some photos from my trip to Atlanta

photo via Amanda

Atlanta was great.  Here is the view from our room.  It was quite stunning.  There is nothing better than a conference full of food bloggers.  We did not waste any time, shortly after we arrived it was time to get ready for our first party.  The ever so talented Susan from She’s Becoming Doughmesstic hosted a lovely party at the Hard Rock Cafe.  She is superwoman if you ask me, really was a perfect night to chit chat with friends, eat some good food and talk with brands.  I regret not taking many photos this trip, so I’ve borrowed my friends

photo via Sandy

Here we are just leaving the party with some great women

Left:  Marla, Amanda, Jennifer, Kelsey, Carrie and Sandy

Photo via Leslie

Friday morning was the first session of the conference.  Here is where I found the beautiful Leslie of Hungry Housewife, love her!  We both had on the exact same colors, and outfits from Target

Photo via Amy

Here is my sweet friend Amy from Mom Advice.  She is one of the sweetest most genuine women I have met.  I wish we were in the same town!

Photo via Amanda

Friday afternoon, Amanda and I skipped out of the 2nd half of the conference and went to some fun eats in Atlanta.  First was Taqueria del Sol, which had some of the best tacos I have ever had.  Next was Star Provisions, the treats you see in the above photo.  Their bakery was gorgeous and that Homemade S’mores Bar was incredible.  I must re-create it!

Photo via Lori

Here we are Friday night getting ready for the “Pork Crawl” an event put on by the National Pork Board and Jaden of Steamy Kitchen.  Talk about a night of over eating!  We were treated to 3 beautiful restaurants where the chefs created 3 course meals all with pork.  It was unforgettable and I still need to work off all of that food!

Photo via Amanda

Here we are in one of the biggest limos I have ever seen.  Left:  Lori, Angie, me, Jaden, Sandy, Georgia and Marla

photo via Amanda

Lunch Saturday afternoon was a real treat.  All of these women are so incredible.  I feel so lucky to have spent the afternoon with all of them!

Angie and I  What a treat to see her over the weekend.

Left:  Shaina, Amanda, Lori and me  2nd Photo:  Me and Betsy from Tasty Kitchen 3rd Photo Christy from Southern Plate and me

Photo via Aimee from Simple Bites

Saturday night was literally a dream dinner at Empire State South.  If I ever make it back to Atlanta, this will be one of the first places I visit again!!  Left:  Alice, Sandy, Amanda, Carrie, Me, Tara, Aimee, Lori and Shaina

Photos via Aimee from Simple Bites

Some of the delicious food we ordered family style at Empire State South

Photos via Aimee from Simple Bites

Food Fun and Friends, doesn’t get much better than that!

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Have a great new week!  See you soon with a new recipe!!

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Many of you have picky eaters on your hands or know friends who do.  What on earth do we do about it?  To be honest with you, there is no magic answer here.  Every child is so different.  For heavens sake, I was one of the pickiest eaters myself as a kid.  I am talking, the only vegetable I would eat is corn, and thought macaroni and cheese with hot dogs was the perfect dinner.  The thought of eating lettuce greens or tomatoes made my stomach turn.  I am happy to say, I like about everything in my adult years.  Can hardly believe I am a foodie now, lol!  I tell you this, because I know there is hope for those little picky palates when you think there is absolutely no hope!

What I do know, is what has worked for my boys over the years.  Here are some tips I have compiled that I hope can help!

Slowly introduce new foods to your little ones.  Don’t expect them to jump up and down with excitement the first or even second time you give them a new food.  Persistence and patience is the key.

Make your vegetables and or fruit that your little ones may not be very excited about into fun shapes.  Use small cookie cutters to cut their fruits and veggies into something new and exciting.  Play “What can we make out of our food?” chances are they’ll love it.

Get your kids in the kitchen with you while preparing meals.  When they have a hand in dinner, they’ll be proud of what they’ve done and want to eat it.  As hectic as it can be at times, take the kids to the grocery store with you so they can help pick out ingredients for dinner.  Build excitement about what they pick out.

Don’t make more than one dinner per night for your family.  Some moms I know make dinner for each child because they don’t like what was fixed.  No way!  Try a “No Thank You” policy.  If your child doesn’t like what was made for dinner, simply have them try at least one bite each time then say “No Thank You” if they don’t like it.  Even if they don’t like it the first time, chances are they’ll eventually learn to enjoy it. If they know there is only one choice for dinner, they won’t want to be hungry later.

Make dinner a fun experience, where the kids are excited to sit down.  Your vibe will rub off on them.  When they see their parents ooing and ahhing over what they are eating, they’ll be more likely to eventually join you.  You can even play games with you food while you are eating, like “Let’s see who can take more bites or how many different colors of the rainbow can we eat off our plate?”  Something with a little competition can be fun.

Try “naming” your child’s food something fun and playful… Sammy’s Saucy Superhero Spaghetti, Luke’s Green Giant Broccoli, Anna’s Princess Smile Oranges….you get the idea, make it fun. Purchase inexpensive “fun” kids plates that might be exciting to your child.  If they are eating off of their favorite superhero or princess, they will want to gobble up their food.

Avoid too many snacks before dinner time, keep them hungry for dinner.

Most importantly be patient and make meal time fun.  Persistence will be your best friend.

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What has worked for your family of picky eaters?  Any magic tips I should know about?  Would love to hear it!

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