Behind The Blog: Bloggity Blog Redesign

I don't know why I call this my "Bloggity Blog."

I just do.

Whenever I save a file or photo for this here blog - "bloggity" is usually somewhere in the title.

I guess that's kind of what I do.

Morph proper names like "Nat's Adventures In Baking" into nonsensical non-names.

It's how my cat became:

Booger
Boosh
Boosher
Boo Bear
or Little Bast@#%...oh, that's not a nice one.

I wonder if he knows his name is Archie?


While I have a real food review post coming up soon, I'm pretty busy working for the next couple weeks so I won't have time for a more detailed post until this weekend.

What better time to give you a tour around the new design, huh?

I've been using the "Dynamic" view in Blogger ever since they first introduced it.

For a complete and utter beginner, it's great because it instantly gives your blog a facelift - no brains involved.

However, I always had issues with it looking different on every computer and not being user friendly.  

Finally, after two successful "test" blogs, I got up the guts to switch back to "Simple" view...and viola!  Here we are.

If you ever want to start a blog, I suggest you never, ever go with the Dynamic View - as tempting as it may be.  Your blog layout may suffer for awhile, but you can build in Simple View one step at a time and it's infinitely more customizable.  

So now I introduce to you the new header and even newer - page bar!

Home Tab: Get the goods.  Here's where all the posts happen in a chain of the four most recently added.

Comments Section: At the end of each post.  What made you laugh?  What made you cry?  

About Me: For now it's just background on why I started this blog, but I'll add more to it bit by bit if I feel inspired. 

Recipe Index:  This is my favorite part!  I've wanted to do this forever.  Now you can find the recipe you need, when you need it.  First, I plucked out my favorites - the ones I'd make again - and put them at the top.  The rest are organized by type.  Maybe you'll find something that intrigues you.

Baking Basics: I also set aside a tab for all the baking 101's, the "how to's" if you will.  Once again finding what you need, when you need it.

Fav Blogs: Giving a shout out to the blogs I follow.  The ones that inspire me.  Hopefully you'll find one or two that spark your interest.

And now, for the Sidebar.

On the top half we have:

The Search Bar.  Looking for a recipe that uses graham crackers? Marshmallows?  Type it.  Find it.

The Follow By Email.  Can't remember to check back here every week?  Me either.  Just type in your email address. You'll get a verification email.  Click the link and you're all set.  You won't have to miss out on a post again.

The Popular Posts.  Here's a running log of the top 5 most popular posts.  So you can relive them over and over ...and over.

And the bottom half:

Blog Archive.  All posts listed by date.  Year, then month, then individual post.

Subscribe.  You can add N.A.I.B. to your RSS feed.  If you don't know what that means then you don't have it.  Basically, if you like all of your news, blogs, etc (anything that is regularly updated) all in one place then here you go.

Become a Follower.  Join the club and publicly declare your affiliation with my blog (-gity blog ;).  Every blog offers this, but in all honesty I've never seen any benefit in it, except that it makes me look good. (I'm popular!)

Translate.  In case you have all these international friends who would just love my blog.  Or you want to brush up on your Bulgarian.  It's amazing and scary how many languages you can translate this post into.  Dang, Google.  Taking over the world, one blog at a time. 

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And that my friends concludes this session of "Nat's Bloggity Blog Tour."

Hope you like it!

And find it a whole lot easier to navigate

...plus a little prettier too.

Behind The Blog: Christmas Day

Well, it has only been two days since the day that I anticipate all year long has passed.

Christmas has always held a mushy soft spot in my heart.

The Christmas trees in every front window.
The twinkle lights.
The carols.
The manger scenes.
The presents.

It's like I'm a big kid on...well...Christmas.

So instead of baking this week (I've been eating WAY too much sugar, and I'm certain you have too), I thought we could both use a break, and I could introduce my family to you.

I talk about them enough ("sister said this...," "mom did that...").
I think it's time to show them off.

So without further ado - I present "Behind The Blog: Christmas Day"

So you've seen this cat more than once.  

But the fact that the tree is still standing is an amazing feat of endurance...on the part of the tree.  Whoever manufactures this brand, I am not above endorsements -will work for rocky road fudge (we're running dangerously low). 

This is Archie.

I adopted him in March, after losing my sweet-angel of a cat last Christmas.

I intended to get another Persian.  And not only was it was going to be a girl, but she was going to live for cuddling. 

But this is what I ended up with.

A boy.  Who thinks he's a dog.  And regards cuddle-time as cruel and unusual punishment.

He's my little terror.

But he has a pure heart, and works the camera better than Ridiculously Photogenic Guy.

Here I am sans make up, reading my portion of the Christmas Story on Tuesday morning.

Next up, is me!

I'm the oldest child in my family, followed by my sister, then brother.
Yes, that is my naturally curly hair.  No that is not my natural color.

An office worker by day, and baker by night.
I also live for musicals (somebody make Wicked into a movie already!), singing (duets, please), and road trips (best. way. to. travel).

I told them I wanted a "Christmas Bakers" shot.  I did no baking at all!  It was a wonderful break.

This is Sister and Mom.

Both were responsible for that delicacy at the beginning of this post (which I will talk about later).

Sister is the president of The Grace Notes a-cappella group, when she's not paralegal-ing at the law office or watching intense crime dramas with her hubby.  We get mistaken for twins all the time, but that's alright with me.

Mom is amazing.  She's the mommiest, mom you'll ever know.  Always happy to see you and offer a comforting word, she also baked all of the traditional treats I'll introduce below.

Homemade Gingerbread Man (Brother did this).  I wasn't lying. I didn't bake a thing this past week.

This is Dad.

We're a lot alike.  Super analytical and matter of fact.  No need get worked up over something, just think it through...and through and through again. :)

For Christmas all he ever asks for is fancy baked goods.
Gingerbread, Torrone, Panforte, Panettone, Stollen, Marzipan.
He's the easiest person to buy for bar none.

This is Brother.

I adore this boy.

We can totally get into it one minute and the next second it's all sunshine and rainbows.

He's the drummer of Watchers and Hunters.  Sure it's not music to bake to, but he's still the best drummer around.

Brother-in-law and Sister "Skyping" with his family in Sweden

This is Brother-in-law.

He has been so for the past 2 1/2 years.

His parents are missionaries so he speaks many different languages, but I usually forget that because we're too busy dishing about The Walking Dead, or how great the new Spiderman movie was.

He's definitely the most energetic of our bunch, bringing much needed new dimension and "spice" to our house.  

1) My yearly calendar.  Every Christmas my mom gets me a new one to "theme" my year.  2013?  Well, it's Marilyn 

     dawlin'

2) My brother is the king of customized gifts.  Last year it was a song announcing a free car wash and wax and this year 

     was intense looking coupons for free dinner.  Who can resist that face?

3) Oh my gosh!  This year my parents surprised us all with bikes!  I haven't had a bike that fit me since the 7th grade.

4) Brother-in-law made us all picture frames with individualized photos from his and Sister's wedding.  

All in all, it was a great Christmas.  But honestly, what would Christmas be without the baked goods?  

So even though I haven't lifted a finger in over a week, here are just some of the things we experience each holiday season over at my house...

And it begins with "Christmas Tree"

It's actually a Danish pastry, but we have no idea what it is actually called (Grandma? A little help maybe?), because of this we affectionately deemed it "Christmas Tree" long ago - named after the shape it is fashioned in. 

Words can not adequately describe this glorious masterpiece.

So flaky.   So buttery.   The perfect amount of sweet, crunch, and soft gooey inside.
Like the best cinnamon roll, donut, bear claw combo you could ever imagine.

The filling consists of finely chopped walnuts, butter, and sugar.

To help convey this a little better, let me paint you a picture.

I would rather have this than any present.  Even more than the twinkle light infested artificial redwood that I put up every Black Friday...on. the. nose.

My mom makes an entire cookie sheet's worth of this stuff every Christmas morning and every Post-Christmas day, guess what we have for breakfast?
Eggs.  Bacon.  Cereal.  Cheese.  It doesn't really matter anymore, because the Christmas Tree is gone.

If anything says something about our family, it's these - Cucidati.

150% Italian.  Labor of love.  Glorified fig newtons (family, don't shoot me!)

These were probably one of my first introductions to baking.  My grandma, mom, and all her sisters would get together shortly after Christmas and spend all day making these babies.

It wasn't until a few years ago, when it was just three of us hashing these out that I realized what a monumentous task we had at hand.

A days worth of hours and 300+ cookies later, I thought to myself, "Gosh, we're impressive, I should start a baking blog!"

Just kidding.

Filled with chopped figs, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, brandy, and sherry, each bite is packed to the brim with Christmas deja vu.

And finally, the Cannoli.

Probably the easiest of the three to replicate.

Crunchy fried shell, filled with whipped cream, ricotta cheese, chopped chocolate, and almonds.  Dipped in walnuts and dusted with powdered sugar.

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I hope you had a loving and refreshing Christmas, and I wish you a blessed New Year!

See you all on the other side.

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Changes for 2013. 

Coming soon:
Do not fret, for the amount of posting will remain the same.
Right here, every Thursday.

But next year, I'm going to shift my content focus a bit.

The more time I spend baking, the more I find myself needing good substitutes for things, needing to master different techniques, and frankly, needing to have more questions answered.

I learn by seeing and doing, and I haven't yet found one place where I can go to get all my questions answered in a visual format (be it video or photographs, etc).

So that's what I'm going to attempt.
There will still be baking.
And I know there will still be gaps...I'm only one person.  

But I have questions, and you deserve answers.

And if you have questions, send them over because I'm open for business.

Let's do this!

Baking: The Obsession, The Desire.

Cousin #9 and me!

I love desserts. No it goes deeper than that. It's an all-out, all-consuming passion. Ask anyone who knows me...they'll tell you (or just roll their eyes in agreement).


In either case, this obsession began long before I was given the authority to resist.

I got my Easy Bake Oven at 7. Much to my disappointment I wasn't able to make a batch big enough to feed...well anyone, I mean, if we're being honest.

My grandmother always had more baked goods around for us kids than should be legal. Ah, the good old days of the "cookie jar." I remember shaking the clear glass container in hopes of finding a hidden treasure. My grandmother had us so strung-out that my brother began referring to our visits with her as "cookie days."

As I got older, I discovered that not only did I enjoy eating desserts (which really is a great and wonderful discovery in and of itself) but I also enjoyed making these delectable treats. I was 8 or 9 when I started making muffins from scratch on Saturday mornings. I remember knocking on my parents door, waking up my mom to ask her baking questions. Still to this day I don't understand why one must make a "well" in the flour mixture in order to mix in the eggs, etc.

...Skipping to the present. I love to bake. And I love to try new things. I'm not afraid. That's one of the reasons I love baking because you can take a risk. Nothing earth-shatter or life-altering will happen as the result of a failed baking attempt. AND as an added bonus--most baking disasters still taste GOOD, even if it is "runny" "lumpy" "grey" or has contracted any other host of baked good diseases.


While it's true I enjoy trying new things, I also enjoy making things easier on myself. I've been through the whole "must make everything from scratch to be legit" phase and frankly -- I'm over it. It makes baking such a chore when you spend all day on a cake that should've taken an hour. I'm all about buying the boxed cake mix and pre-made frosting and then dressing up the desserts to give that special "touch."


That's what I'll be doing with this blog. I'm going to be chronicling my adventures in baking: one cupcake, cream puff, and creme brulee at a time. Hopefully, you will get inspired yourself to take some risks and to get creative. And don't be afraid to take little shortcuts...if it will make the experience more pleasant then I say--DO IT.

If all else fails, at the end of the day, we'll at least have a bowl of delicious tasting--albeit strange looking--goopy goodness with which to drown our baking sorrows.