Team Kara's Kitchen...

Hi Baking GALS! First and foremost, a huge huge thank you to anyone who's participating in this effort and even to those who've just stopped by to read about and/or promote Operation Baking GALS. I think it goes without saying that we are all very excited about this amazing project!

So, without further ado... it turns out I wasn't kidding when I said I was super excited about having joined Operation Baking GALS... as I'm now so honored to be one of our "hosts" for Round Two!

Colin getting ready to take-off

A brief introduction to our soldier... ah-hem, aviator... Colin is a long-time friend of my family's and is currently stationed overseas in Afghanistan. He's a graduate of the Naval Academy who went on to fly the F/A-18E but before that, from Atlanta, Georgia, which is where our parents met almost 10 years ago and as such, our families have been friends ever since. While he is overseas right now as part of a joint service program, this is not the first time that he's been deployed - he joined his squadron aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln on Thanksgiving Day 2004, was in Hong Kong when the Tsunami hit,and subsequently spent a month off Banda Achea performing relief efforts; Colin also deployed again in 2006 to South Pacific/Asia. Aside from my brother and my dad (Naval Reservist and former Navy, respectively), I am absolutely most proud of Colin, for his commitment to serving his country and willingly going above and beyond to step up to the call of duty every single time.

Us at Army-Navy 2007; Colin flew the "slot position" as part of the fly-over during the pre-game festivities

In my opinion, sending a 'bit of home' is without a doubt one of the easiest ways to make a HUGE impact on our troops and to remind them that we're thinking about and praying for them, and most of all, wishing their safe return home! So let me know (email kara [dot] w [dot] stevenson [at] gmail [dot] com) if you're interested in making this aviator's day with some delicious treats and baked goods!

Colin, his sister Kelli, and their cousins

Need ideas for what to bake? Just make some of your favorites... or try these:
Celebration Cookies
Big, Soft Ginger Cookies
Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies
Kitchen Sink Cookies
Double Chocolate Chip Brownies
Brown & White Walnut Bars

Official Team Members
Allie, San Francisco, CA
Andrea, Falls Church, VA
Cappie, Forney, TX
Chris, Sandy Springs, GA (my oft-referred to mom!)
Christie, Orlando, FL
Christy, Copenhagen, Denmark
Dolores, East Bay Area, CA
Elizabeth, Providence, RI
Falon, Prosper, TX
Heather, New York
Hollie, Forney, TX
Jen, Pittsburgh, PA
Karen and Kayla, Broadview Heights, OH
Kristy, Herndon, VA
Laura
Lesley, Alpharetta, GA
Lila, San Angelo, TX
Linda, Sherman Oaks, CA
Liz, Bremerton, WA
Marisa, Brooklyn, NY
Megan, Alexandria, VA
Missy, Radford, VA
Monica, Atlanta, GA
Sandra, Atlanta, GA
Tamera, Atlanta, GA
Tara, Connecticut
Tia, Atlanta, GA
Viki