Miss Ginger's Kitchen

Where has the time gone?

2011-09-23T22:32:00.000-05:00

It is so embarassing to realize how much time has gone by without posting on this blog, but it's been a very busy few months and this will be an attempt to catch up.

Early August found me headed to Michigan to spend a weekend with my 5 sisters; sister Beth's partner, Dorrie, who is like a sister to me; mom, daughter. aka Honey Girl, and Kennedy, my granddaughter. It was a blast and the photo below is my favorite from the entire weekend. My two youngest sisters, Suzy (laughing), and Maggie with her. It was heartwarming to be with all of these people who inspire and put up with me.

Suzy and Maggie

Me and granddaughter, Kennedy

From there I traveled with Honey Girl to her home in Indiana where I met up with Mr. Man and we watched over Kennedy and Jake while my daughter and son-in-law traveled to Seattle on a business trip. There is a reason young people have babies....oh my goodness! We were exhausted for weeks after those 5 days, but boy did we have fun with the grandchildren!

Jake and I baked a cake and cookies and like all kids he wanted to lick the spatula when I was finished mixing.

Between the traveling I've been baking cakes and still attending culinary school. Below is a Sweet 16 cake I baked for the daughter of a girlfriend.

And I'm getting more practice baking wedding cakes......

and Groom's cakes.

They are very rewarding, exhausting, frustrating and exciting, all at the same time. Tomorrow will be a tasting for yet another future bride and that wedding is in a few weeks.

Professionally, it's been a very up and down time for me between school, existing business and my desire to grow and succeed in the world of baking / pastry. I have built one business but that started 18 years ago and for some reason I felt no worries, no anxiety, no fear at all doing it. This time is different. This time I am walking away from a career and from hundreds of people who know me as one type of business person to start fresh. Start anew. Start over. All by my choice.

And it's scary.

And thrilling.

And exciting.

And fascinating.

All at once.

Gulp!

My new baking business will have a new name.

Zenzero.

Pronounced, Sen-Sero. It's Italian for 'ginger' ... a nod to my Italian heritage and to my grandpa Clervi who taught me how to bake bread..

I hope to make him proud.

In a short while I'll have a new website and I already have a new logo, thanks to my dear friend, Andrea Levendusky, with The Organic Bird. She created the logo below for me.

Be on the lookout for more news from Zenzero. I think I've been avoiding my blog because I'm a little scared. So bear with me as I move forward in a new direction.

The best things in life...

2011-07-13T13:06:00.000-05:00

I think that one of the greatest gifts we've all been given is our ability to love and to be loved. As the years go by I find that instead of traveling to far away places for adventure, I would much rather be with family and friends.

This past weekend I was fortunate to be able to spend the weekend in Ft. Wayne for the Baptism of my granddaughter, Kennedy. The weekend was made all the more special because Steve and Jackie (son and daughter-in-law), were also in town for the event, as they are the God-parents.

We had a lot of fun and of course, baked a cake with the help of Jake who measured and poured the ingredients into the mixer.

He really enjoyed decorating the cake and was quite proud of the finished product.

I can't believe that Kennedy is already 3 months old and growing quickly. Can that girl rock a bow or what?

Before you know it, she'll be the one in the kitchen with me. I'm looking forward to those times.

Groom's Cake

2011-06-13T17:26:00.001-05:00

When a friend recommends you, it's wonderful and stressful. Wonderful because it shows that they believe in you, and stressful because you don't want to let them down.

This Groom's Cake was delivered on Saturday and thank goodness the reception hall was super cold because it was a scorcher of a day.

It was a busy weekend for weddings and cake balls with a Hawaiian theme were ordered as well. Half where raspberry flavored with chocolate and the other half were almond flavored with white chocolate.

The flowers on top of the cake balls are made of Royal Icing.

And last, but not least, our Nephew, Michael, graduated from High School and his mom asked that I send cookies for the occasion.

Congratulations, Michael James!

IM Texas Race Report

2011-06-09T00:25:00.001-05:00

Nearly three weeks have passed since the race so I’m already in that stage of “it wasn’t so bad”, but haven’t crossed over to the “I’m ready to sign up for another,” stage either. True to the vow my sister, Maggie, and I made around mile 20 of the marathon, never again. That’s it.

First off, the ‘why.”

I signed up for a number of reasons:

• My best friend, Carla Hoffman, finished her 2nd IM last summer and being competitive I couldn’t have her doing more than me
• I’m turning 50 this year and I needed to know I still had ‘it’
• I needed to get rid of 10 lbs. and this was the easiest way for me to accomplish that goal
• My youngest sister, Maggie, and good friend, Mary Lessor, signed up so I wouldn’t be training alone
• I could no longer stomach the thought of being a 1 hit wonder.

None of them very valid reasons, but reasons nonetheless.

We knew it was going to be hot; Texas in May, how could it not be? The continuous wind since early March ensured that it would be a windy day. What I didn’t count on was the cold during those months of training that kept me on the Computrainer for all of my rides and out of the local lakes until 3 weeks before the event. Like the majority of runners turned triathletes, the swim is the part I fear the most.

Race morning – up at 4 am after a great night of sleep, and my husband, Rick, went down to the lobby and brought back a bagel and peanut butter for me. I’m not someone who can eat much solid food first thing in the morning so that bagel only grew in my already dry mouth and I set it aside and opted for a banana followed by a carton of Boost. Maggie and my brother-in-law, Craig, were in the room next door and we had the adjoining door open between our rooms. Maggie fixed my hair in cute braids (a girl has got to look good, right?), and then by 5 am we were out the door and on our way to transition. Loaded our bikes with gels, water and energy drinks then it was time for the 30 minute walk from transition to the swim start. Thousands of athletes and their support crews walked pretty silently; you can pretty much count on the fact that the mass swim start has just about everyone concerned about getting kicked, elbowed or smacked at some point.

Before the race. We're doing our best to remain calm.

There wasn’t much time to think about what I was going to do. A quick goodbye to Rick, Mary was into the water before I could say goodbye to her and Maggie and I kissed one another good luck and then headed to the ramp where athletes were getting into the water before the start. The song “Ironman” began to blare through the speakers, the gun went off and Maggie turned to me and said, “Start your watch.” We were both still on the ramp.

Mass start of 2300 competitors

Into the water and my heart is pounding. Free-style for about 25 yards, flip over on my back and back-stroke till I can consider putting my face back into the water. This happens about 4 times before getting comfortable and then I’m heading to the right outside part of the crowd and getting into my grove. One-two-three, breathe, one-two-three, breathe, one-two sight, one-two breathe, one-two-three breathe, and this is the pattern I follow till seeing the first red turn buoy. Round the buoy, and then aim for the next red buoy and then make another left. My friend Alma had mentioned that she was possibly going to be in one of the canoes during the swim so I’m kindof keeping an eye out for her. The swim feels somewhat long, but I’m feeling good and wondering when the canal is going to appear. Really? Not yet? During the swim I’m sending up prayers to God to watch over me and wondering if He’s able to hear me because you know every athlete is doing the same thing. I finally know He’s hearing me when I look up to sight and there’s always a clear space in front of me. Into the canal and now I know what a salmon heading upstream to spawn feels like. If I don’t keep myself together laughter is going to overtake my ability to breathe and swim. I see people on the side of the canal but don’t hear anything; one guy in a wet suit tries to climb over me and I yell at him to “Go, just go, because you keep running into me.” That’s a first for me.

Swimming up the canal

Final buoy and next thing I know I’m at the steps running up the incline saying something to another athlete who is heading up the ramp with me. Then I hear “Ginger!! Stop talking and go!” Yup, there’s my girl Alma.

Grabbing my 'bike bag.'

Grab the bike bag, helmet is on my head before I hit the changing tent and off to grab my bike. My name is announced as I leave T1 and unbeknownst to me, Maggie is just ahead. We later find out that we are within 1 minute of one another. On the bike and I’m thinking, slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

Heading out for the 112 mi. bike segment

Within 1 or 2 miles, on my left is a flash of white and a huge smile; it’s my sister, Maggie, and I quickly follow. This is when the fun of the day begins and what started in a panic for me turns into one of the very best days of my life. The 112 miles ahead disappear and I’m riding with my sister in what feels more like a rally than an Ironman. I stay as far behind as I can without letting her get too far ahead, we coordinate our bathroom stops (only 2), and really provide that emotional energy and inspiration to one another. It’s a long time on the bike, made bearable by being with one of my dearest friends; someone I trust and respect and admire. I’d love to report that the ride when quickly, but 112 miles is 112 miles no matter how you slice it. I was more than ready to get off that bike and onto the run.

The turn into “The Woodlands” was deceiving and that last 5 miles seemed the longest yet. My right hamstring was hurting and I can’t even talk about the pain in my left shoulder without thinking about how it felt like a knife stabbing into the muscles between my shoulder blades. Finally it’s over.

6:40 later, I'm so ready to get off the bike; Maggie is all smiles

Into the changing tent, we are pulling on socks, shoes, Maggie runs to the port-o-let while I slather the bus-driver fat under my right arm with body glide and shove Enduralites and Sport Beans into my pockets. Out of the tent and I do a quick assessment of my ‘parts’; everything feels good, including the hamstring.

Mary Lessor waiting for us to begin the marathon

We see Mary on the side, cheering us on. Find out later that she had an enormous blister on the bottom of her foot, caused by her bike shoe. It’s tougher to pull out of a race when you are doing well than it is to keep going and Maggie and I just keep moving. We’ll see her several times during the 3 loop run.

We see Mary on the side and both ask "what's up?"

Focusing on the aid stations is the only thing that keeps me moving forward; that and knowing that Maggie pulled me through the bike and now I need to be there to help her with the run. She had been sick with a bad sinus infection and although she got through the swim and bike, the run is a different matter, indeed. We keep a good pace through the first loop, grabbing ice, water and Perform and walking through every aid station. There is a good mix of sun/shade on the run and before you know if we are nearly through the first loop.

Again….”GINGER!!!” OMG, the girl is going to scream up a lung. Alma is cheering and as we start running by I see Carla, Paul, and Diane Proud. Oh my gosh; they drove from Dallas to Houston to see the run. I give Carla a big sweaty hug and we waste no time chatting but get on with the run. Maggie turns to me “Who was that girl?” Not referring to Carla but to Alma. That gave me the biggest laugh of the day. You gotta know Alma to appreciate her cheering and screaming. Knowing they were all there kept me moving forward.

Alma

My reaction on seeing Carla, Paul and Diane

Cruelty at a long event comes in the form of a second and third loop passing by the finish line. Torture, but it was also inspiring. We kept moving, thinking about the “spectacular” finish promised in the pre-event literature. Maggie had been questioning the “spectacular” part of the event because she had only Red Man (in Oklahoma, notorious for its desolate course), as comparison. I had assured her that the finish would indeed be ‘spectacular’ as only a Ford Ironman finish can be.

After the first loop Maggie told me that she couldn’t continue at our current pace. I was feeling good, she wasn’t and it was a tough decision for me. I really wanted to break 14 hours, but I wanted to finish with her, but I wanted to do my very best, but she had helped me through the bike, but I wanted to beat Carla’s time, but I was never going to do another IM with my sister, but…. You get the picture. It was difficult. She cried. I hesitated. But my Type-A need to do my very best won.

On the run

We said our goodbyes and I began running. Well, I didn’t get too far till I needed to stop at the aid station, use the port-a-potty and then do it again at the next. Wasn’t feeling too good so I forced Propel, Coke whatever they had. Had also been stuffing my hat with ice, putting it down my back and into my jog bra. As disgusting as it sounds, the ice in the bra was the very best thing because from aid station to aid station I could reach in there, pull out some ice and my mouth never got dry. Yeah…gross, especially since my once white bra was brown from the lake/canal. Try not to think about it.

Saw Rick around mile 12 and let him know that Maggie wasn’t doing too good and then saw Craig and told him that Maggie was having a tough time. He gave me a look that said “what are you talking about?” and then said “She’s ahead of you.”
I’ll be. There she was. I jogged to her and from that point on we were together. Thank God. Away went any thoughts of a PR, or of beating Carla’s time or of any other expectation. We were going to finish together and we did. One foot in front of the other. Walking the aid stations and having fun. We flirted with other racers along the way, enjoyed the cheering crowd and knocked out those miles aid station by aid station.

On that last loop we could hear the announcer and the crowds. Our pace picked up and before we knew it we were in the chute smiling as big as you please. Maggie started getting teary eyed, I turned to her…”Pretty spectacular, huh?” It was. As only an Ironman can be.

We crossed the finish line holding hands. It was everything I had anticipated it to be and so much more.

After crossing the finish line we found a place to wait for our husbands to find us.

Pushing the limits

2011-05-18T15:23:00.001-05:00

"Oh my gosh, really?", she asked, with a stunned look on her face. About twenty potential replies run through my head, then I reply, "Well, I'm turning 50 this year and thought it would be a good way to fight the aging process, or at least prove to myself that I'm not 'old'." And, I continue, "my best friend did onet last year and I can't have her doing 2 and my having only completed 1."    There are handful of other quips I've used over the course of the last several months to try to explain to the non-triathletes of the world why I would sign up for and train to complete one of the most grueling one day organized events.

The Ironman. It consists of a 2.4 mile swim, followed by cycling for 112 miles and then you finish by running a marathon. 26.2 miles.  A distance of 140.6 miles in one day. Crazy, huh?

That's what most people think, my mother included.

What makes some people do things that others would never even contemplate doing? Skydiving. Climbing Everest. Earning a Ph.D. Sailing around the world. Hiking the Appalachian Trail. Completing a marathon in every state. Getting a pilots license. Those all sound incredibly daunting to me and yet people do them all the time.

For me, it's the challenge and the desire I have to become the very best version of me that I possibly can. It's also about living life to the fullest, not being afraid to push myself and the sense of accomplishment that comes with having set a goal and then following a plan to complete that goal.   As I try to explain to Mr. Man, when I die, I want people to say "She lived!"

When faced with a difficult situation, something in life that really tests me, I can stop, close my eyes and say to myself  "You can do it. You completed an Ironman for crying out loud, you can handle four days alone with a 3 year old!"

To me, that's the 'self-esteem' the self-help guru's talk about. The ability to look deep inside and to know that when the rubber meets the road you have the stuff it takes to get through any difficult situation.

That's why I do it. Well, for that and also knowing that if I have an extra cookie I'll still be able to fit into my skinny jeans.

IRONMAN TEXAS

MAY 21, 2011

http://www.ironmanlive.com/

Introducing Miss Kenedy Claire!

2011-05-05T18:37:00.000-05:00

Ta Da!

Here she is...quite possibly the cutest little girl on the planet, at least in my eyes. My very first Granddaughter. Miss Kennedy Claire arrived on March 29th and we are so blessed that she is healthy and happy and growing so fast. Already 4 weeks old. Where does the time go?

Big brother, Jacob, was so excited to meet and hold her for the first time. By now I think some of the novelty is wearing off, but he's certain to be an excellent older brother as they grow up.

It all begins when two people open themselves up to love and to be loved.

. They make a commitment to stick together, to grow in their love, build a life and become a family.

It's a beautiful thing that I never tire of.

When people ask "What are you most proud of?", I think of my children. The people they have decided to be, the spouses each of them were fortunate enough to meet, and the choices they make.

It's nothing that I did, but I did have a small part.

The choices were theirs, and the fact that I'm their mom and they include me in their life, well, that makes me proud.

Of course, I had to bake a cookie to commemorate the birth of Kennedy...it's just what I do.

Welcome Baby Girl! Proud, Proud, Proud to by your Gigi!

New Cookie Cutters

2011-04-22T03:31:00.000-05:00

My obsession with iced sugar cookies has reached an all-time high and I came to this conclusion while frantically searching cabinets to locate one particular cookie cutter and was having a difficult time.

On to the counter went all of the cutters and the pile was significant. Time to categorize:

Baby stuff

Christmas (this took 3 gallon sized Ziplocs and one plastic tub)

Halloween / Fall

Hearts (yep, a full bag just for hearts!)

Animals

Stars / Spades / Diamonds

Easter / St. Patrick's Day

and my favorite....."Fun Stuff"

That one includes things like Crowns, a cupcake with a candle in it, a house, lollipop, dogbone, wedding cake, football helmet, a martini glass and one of my favorites, a John Dere tractor.

9 gallon sized Ziplocs total.

Crazy, huh?

So, you know what happened next, right?

Had to get out the sprinkles and dye,

And just went all kinds of crazy...

Is he cute or what? More on him later.

Happy Birthday to You...

Poor Mr. Man....the kitchen was a complete disaster.

Next time?

Martini's and tractors.

Happy Baking!

Chicks and Ducks

2011-03-31T09:52:00.000-05:00

If I had all time time in the world at my fingertips, with no responsibilities or deadlines, every single day you would find me in the kitchen baking to my hearts content.

There are millions of recipes out there just waiting to be tested and so many ideas running around in my head that there aren't enough hours in the day to bring them all to life.

So I must be content doing what I can in the time I am given.

After completing my orders last week, I had extra cookie dough and decided to surprise a few of the children in my life with Easter sugar cookies.

I ordered the little candy eyes online and they came in a box of 1,000. It's been fun to use them; they make such a difference compared to how the bunnies looked last year.

Hi Mr. Easter Bunny.

The best part was that I got to deliver this package myself.

Red Velvet Cake

2011-02-23T14:55:00.000-06:00

When you come across a great recipe, it's a good practice to give credit where credit is due.

This Red Velvet cake recipe is out of the book, Stories and Recipes from Mia Famiglia: Cake Boss written by Buddy Valastro from the TLC TV series. It's wonderful and very moist.

Makes two 9-inch cakes or 24 cupcakes

1 1/4 cups vegetable shortening
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
4 1/2 teaspoons (2 tubes) red food-coloring gel
3 cups cake flour, plus more for dusting pans
1 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
3 extra-large eggs
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
Unsalted butter, for greasing 2 cake pans (about 2 tablespoons); non-stick cooking spray or vegetable oil may be substituted

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Put the shortening, sugar, cocoa powder, food coloring, cake flour, salt, vanilla, baking soda, and vinegar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Paddle, starting at low speed, then raise the speed to low-medium and mix about 1 minute. Add the eggs, 1 at time, mixing for 1 minute after each is absorbed into the mixture. Add the buttermilk in two stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl between additions.
3. Grease two-9-inch pans with the butter, and flour them.
4. Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans, using rubber spatula to scrape down the bowl and get as much obattar as possible out.
5. Bake until the cake begins to pull from the side of the pan and is springy to the touch, 35 - 40 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour. The cake should be at room temp. before you remove it from the pan. Put a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet, top with sugar, dump onto parchment; the sugar will keep it from sticking. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to decorate.

Life

2011-02-21T12:37:00.000-06:00

In my mind I've written about 10 blog posts over the course of the last 4 weeks, but haven't found the time to actually sit down and do anything about it. Does that ever happen to you? That running list in your mind goes on and on and when you have a few minutes to do what you feel you really need to do, you stop and whoosh...it's gone. Just gone from your mind.

I feel as if it's happening to me more and more.

So, here's the highlights from the last few weeks:

Honey Girl scheduled her C-Section. Granddaughter will arrive March 29th. (this one trumps everything else)
Had classes on bread, pastry dough and custards. No major failures
Have participated in 2 Brunches at school; 1 more to go (for this semester)
Baked and shipped decorated heart shaped sugar cookies all over the country to squeals of delight and surprise, which is really cool and fun
Lost my mind in class and called the Chef Instructor "Dude"
Learned not to the call the Chef Instructor "Dude," no matter what he is doing to my pastry
Tested and found a Red Velvet cake recipe that rocks
Successfully made Italian Meringue at home
Rode over 200 miles in 3 days on my trainer and am ever so grateful to Mr. Man for Netflix
Have come to the realization that my dreaming about baking means I need to really do something with this passion
Have to figure out how to not freak out about following my passion

Some days it's overwhelming, some days is manageable. No one pushes me harder than I push myself and no one ever will.

There's a lot going on but isn't that what life is about? Learning, growing, risking, evolving and becoming the very best version of you that you can be?

My first wedding cake

2011-01-24T09:44:00.001-06:00

The son of one of my best friends, someone I've known for nearly 20 years, was married on January 15th and I had the honor of making their wedding cake and the grooms cake. The bride and I talked about the overall design of the cake and the theme of the wedding along with colors which would be purple and silver, nice colors for early January. Along with those colors, the bride wanted to incorporate peacock feathers into the design and feathers would also be part of the flowers worn by the men. She gave me all the flexibility I wanted/needed in the overall design on the cake and we all settled on white cake for the flavor. Naturally I right away went to my white cake recipe that is used for most of the birthday cakes I make.

There is a nice almond flavor in this cake and the texture is just perfect. I knew it would be a hit.

Two weeks before the wedding, on a Sunday afternoon, I baked the cakes that would be put together for this wedding cake that would need to feed 200 guests.

two 13 x 2 inch layers
two 11 x 2 inch layers
three 8 x 2 inch layers
two 6 x 2 inch layers

I made the white cake recipe 10 times to make all of the layers and then carefully, once they had cooled, wrapped them tight as can be in 6 layers of Saran Wrap and then popped them into the freezer where they would wait patiently until being called upon to be decorated.

The day before the wedding I mixed up 6 lbs. of powered sugar and 3 lbs. of butter, along with vanilla and a pinch of salt to create the yummy buttercream frosting that would be used to frost the cake. If you think no one can tell the difference between Crisco frosting and the real deal, think again. They can.

The first two layers of cake were frosted quickly and then I did the same for the next two layers. After they were iced I carefully placed them on top of a cake board that had been covered in white fondant and the rim was covered with purple ribbon that has been purchased from a craft store.

For the 'grooms cake" his mom and I decided on individual lime tarts because Corey really likes key lime pie. The week of the wedding I made 115 tart shells and four batches of fresh lime curd. In honor of the Groom's Irish heritage, I found 1 inch shamrock decorations online and they were just perfect.

The wedding went off without a hitch, the cake was a hit and didn't fall over. I consider that a success.

CONGRATULATIONS TERELL AND COREY!
January 15, 2011

This week

2011-01-12T16:01:00.000-06:00

This is a crazy week, just like every week has been for the past several months. On Saturday, Corey McConnell, the son of one of my very best girlfriends, is getting married and I was asked to make the wedding cake and the grooms cake.

Corey loves key lime pie, so his mom, Vivi, and I decided to make little key lime tarts for the occasion. The wedding cake was selected by his fiance, Terrell, and will have to feed 200 guests. Oh my.

To say that I am thinking about this event non-stop is an understatement to say the least.

Last week I prepared my white cake recipe 8 times to create 2-13x2 inch layers, two 11x2 in, three 8x2 and two 5x2 inch layers, which are all wrapped up like Ft. Knox and stored in the freezer till Friday when I will take it all out, layer it with buttercream frosting and insert dowels so it won't shift or fall over. The color purple is going to be incorporated on the cake in the form of a long strip of fondant that will start at the top of the cake and then trail down the side of the cake. The bride is also a fan of peacock feathers so those will also be incorporated into the design.

Yes, I am breathing into a paper bag every chance I get and will keep you all posted on the cake and post a photo of the final product.

This morning I baked 57 tart shells, and yesterday I made enough lime curd to feed the Russian Army. I'll need to make 100 more tart shells then they will be filled, stored in the walkin and topped off with whipped cream and a darling little sugar shamrock in honor of groom's Irish heritage. That's a surprise for him.

Pushing myself to do things I've never done before is so much fun and making people happy through baking tops that.

Life's Wonderful Moments

2011-01-04T02:39:00.001-06:00

Mr. Man and I were very fortunate this past Christmas to have both of my children visit and stay with us at the same time over the holiday. Our home was going to be full of life and we were both looking forward with anticipation to the noise and excitement that comes with being surrounded by people we love.

Plus, our grandson, Jacob was going to be here and of course everything is much more fun with a grandchild in the house.

Everyone arrive the afternoon of December 28th and after the hugging, unpacking and settling in, it was time to start thinking about dinner and preparing a great meal to share with the family. I thought it would be fun to make ravioli and spaghetti so Chef Jackie and I commenced to do just that.

For me, it was one of my favorite times of the week. You see, 20 something years ago, in the midst of the craziness that was then my life, I would have never imagined things would have turned out so well for me. But, here I was.

In my beautiful home, married to a truly wonderful, patient, caring and loving man, both of my adult children married to kind, loving and thoughtful people, with a healthy, bright and delightful grandson. All of us together enjoying the company of one another.

In that very moment I just soaked it all in and paused to reflect on how much God has blessed my life. Even during the times that I thought were so dark and unbearable, He had a plan for me and it was my job just to get out of the way and let it happen.I'm so fortunate that I did just that.

Okay, well, maybe I wasn't as patient as I make myself out to be, but it did all work out.

Our meal was delicious and Chef Jackie learned how to make pasta mother-in-law style.

We made a great team and a lot of ravioli!

This is my favorite photo of the night. Me with both of my girls, in the kitchen.

This was a great moment in my life and one I'll treasure always.

Where does the time go?

2010-12-26T09:01:00.000-06:00

The holidays are fun, exciting and exhausting! It's been over two weeks since I've posted but it's not because things haven't been happening. Far too much to write it all down and we are about to head out the door for a day in Austin to visit my aunt and uncle who live there, their daughter, my cousin Lilly who is in from London, and my Uncle Terry who is there for the Christmas holiday.

Writing and posting photos will have to wait.

I hope everyone is enjoying this special time with family friends and remembering fondly our loved ones who are no longer here.

Enjoy the season.

End of the first semester

2010-12-14T00:48:00.000-06:00

I made it! In a rush to get out the door and off to class, I left my cell phone on the kitchen counter and was alone with my thoughts for the 40+ mile drive to school. Typically I distract myself with phone calls, but today my strategy for the knife skills portion of our exam kept running through my head.

Running late had me talking to myself to keep from freaking out because I was certain that everyone would already be taking the written exam; thank goodness I arrived at school in plenty of time. Chef had us all spread out and we completed the written test (I scored 93), and then we were off to the kitchen for our knife skills test and the cooking test. We had to julianne a potato, brunoise a carrot and small chop an onion, in 5 minutes and I did okay with the exception of cutting that darn potato into french fries instead of a julianne cut. OMG! I practiced this at home!

Next up was the fabrication of a chicken which I was not worried about because I fabed out 2 chickens this morning in record time. I'll admit it...I'm bossy and refuse to let someone on my 'table' negatively impact my score by doing something incorrectly. Yes, there was the incident were the fellow used the wrong potato for the potato leek soup and I just let it go, but basically I'll be all over someone if they don't do it right. But in a good way.

I took the chicken, made the cuts to the back, took out the spine and then split the breast so we had 2 halves. Everyone on our table had to have their hands on the bird so it was expected of me to back off and let someone else cut parts of the chicken. Really? Ugh. Thank God for the guy across from me because he took half of the bird, I passed the other half to the student on my right and with an eagle eye was watching her. For crying out loud. I was cringing and had to stop her before she mauled the poor bird. Okay, look at the the fat lines and follow them...no, don't saw or use too much force. Let the bird do the work....
We got everything taken care of, quickly I might add, and then Chef told us that if we could fab out another chicken in less than 4 minutes we would get extra credit.

Done. 3:55. And I must say it looked darn good.

Next was the lab portion. Glazed carrots, sauteed mushrooms (present at the same time), white rice and rice pilaf (present together), macaroni and cheese ( with a bechemel sauce), and then the chicken: 1 roasted bone in with skin breast; braise 2 thighs; pan sear 1 boneless/skinless breast; fry 2 wings; grill 2 marinated chicken legs. All finished and presented to Chef at the same time.

We finished. That's all I'm going to say; some people do more, some do less. Unfortunately for some, their grade is impacted by the lack of participation by others. Fortunately for some, their grade is impacted by the hard work of others.

Pastry classes begin on January11th and that means Tuesday evenings from 5:30 till 10:30pm. I'm going to learn so much!

Memories

2010-12-08T23:33:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year when people all across the world are getting ready to celebrate Christmas, the birth of Christ, and with this wonderful celebration comes time with family and the remembrance of those who have touched our lives.

One of the most influential people in my life, and in the life of my sisters, was my grandmother,

Grandma Rosie.

Rose Josephine Faulstich Clervi was my mom's mother and the most wonderful grandmother in the world. She watched over us when my parents took a much needed break from raising 6 daughters; she lived close enough that we could ride our bikes to her house, and she was loved by everyone who knew her. Grandma also played a pretty mean hand of "Kings on the Corner", a card game all of the grandchildren eventually learned from her.

Every year at Christmas Grandma Rosie gave us each a Christmas ornament which mom would proudly display in the house for that season and the next year it would show up on the tree as we waited in anticipation of what the new ornament would look like.

I can only imagine how my parents felt the first year they received 1 ornament from Grandma, and each subsequent year, for 4 years in a row, another ornament was purchased, till at last, in 1970, there were 6 ornaments to purchase for the granddaughters. I think about and wonder how she selected the ornaments and if she thought about how we would all cherish these treasures and think about how much she meant to each of us. My mom was the only child who remained in St. Louis and although I know all of my first cousins and stay in touch with them, I don't know if Grandma gave all of them ornaments or if that was something she did only for us. I would like to think that we are all connected through our ornaments and that all of our Christmas trees share a past and are somehow intertwined.

I love you, Grandma Rosie, and hope and pray that Jake and my little unborn granddaughter, along with Maddox and Eli think of me in the way I think of you.

I remember unwrapping these treasures and being so excited to share them with my sisters; each year recalling which one was "mine" and loving mine the best.

Some of these ornaments, like the little guy below, were only given to a few of us because the younger sisters had not yet arrived. These precious few are the most special to me.

Grandma Rosie, I love you, miss you and think of you so very much.

New York New York!

2010-12-05T20:53:00.000-06:00

This year Mr. Man and I decided that we would take advantage of Steve and Jackie living in NYC and visit them for the Thanksgiving holiday.

The city did not disappoint.

We arrived on Saturday, the 20th, and from the moment we arrived it was a non-stop week of sightseeing and visiting bakeries and coffee shops to locate the best pastries and espressos the Big Apple has to offer.

Steve and Jackie outside their Upper East Side apartment building.

On Saturday night we headed out to Little Italy for dinner and I was star struck by the pastries in this little bakery.

Aren't they gorgeous? Not sure if I'll learn how to do this in school, but I'm keeping these photos to use as a guide when I have time to play around in the kitchen.

Each one is a work of art.

The macarons are next on my list of things to learn to bake. Not only are they beautiful, they are absolutely delicious. Time consuming, yes, which translates to pricey. But, believe me, worth every penny.

Pumpkin Walnut Cheesecake

2010-11-19T22:49:00.000-06:00

I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin pie, so several years ago I tried this recipe for Pumpkin Walnut Cheesecake and it was a huge hit. Now I have friends who ask for this months in advance of Thanksgiving.

Before moving to Texas in 1982 I got this recipe from my sister, Linda. It will be a sure-fire hit at your next holiday gathering. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Walnut Cheesecake

Crust

1 and 1/2 cups crushed vanilla wafers

1/4 cup sugar

6 T melted butter

Combine ingredients and press firmly into the bottom and 1/2 way up the sides of a lightly greased 9 inch springform pan.

Cover the bottom and up the sides (the outside) of the pan with aluminum foil.

Filling

Three 8-oz pkgs Philadelphia cream cheese, room temp

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

5 eggs - room temp

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 pound pumpkin

Cram the cheese, add sugars and beat till light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in cream, spices, and pumpkin. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

NOTE: line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and put on the rack under the cheesecake or you will have a huge mess to clean up. I always forget to do this and will be smelling burnt cheesecake drippings until I decide to clean up the mess.

Topping:

6 T butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

While cheesecake bakes, throw the butter, walnuts and brown sugar into a food processor. Pulse till it mixes. After the cheesecake has baked for 1 full hour, carefully remove from oven and put this on top. I usually take handfuls of the mixture and flatten it out in my hand and carefully place it on top of the cheesecake. Bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Remove from oven, cool completely, refrigerate overnight.

Before serving, prepare fresh whipped cream to serve with the cheesecake.

Cilantro Vinaigrette

2010-11-18T00:24:00.000-06:00

The piece of paper says that it serves 75...but I don't think so. Here's the recipe:

1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup canola oil (or a mixture of canola oil and olive oil)
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 fresh jalapeno - very finely copped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Okay, so a couple of weeks ago, at the last brunch, Chef pulled me by the sleeve of my jacket (my nicely pressed jacked, mind you), and shoved this recipe into my hand. "Here. You've made salad dressing before, right?" Oh gosh,...not again....

Yes, along with the omelets giving me nightmares, it's the salad dressing and the taunting that comes with it that keeps me awake the night before an event.

Here's my first tip...even when the recipe calls for Olive Oil, DON'T use it. Use the canola / olive oil blend, or all you will taste is oil. Don't try using the olive oil at home. Save yourself some time and heartache...believe me.

Hold back a little of that lime juice or you'll be jacking around with that concoction till the cows come home. It will only frustrate you. Put the ingredients into the blender and go to town. You'll never get the kick the jalapeno provides if you don't pulverize it. Again....it's that trust thing.

You can always add...much more difficult to remove spices once they are in there. The cumin....go easy.

Oh, and another tip. Toss the salad with the dressing. Everything gets a little dressing on it and a little bit goes a long way.

Enjoy!

Mother Sauces

2010-11-17T02:03:00.001-06:00

Horror stories are usually passed down; if something is going to be truly horrible do you think people whould really sign up and pay for it? As the saying goes, misery loves company and that's probably what keeps the stories alive. Plus, it's fun to make people squirm in anticipation of what's to come.

Mother Sauces. Even the name sounds a little intimidating. It's the class we were all told to fear, and for good reason. But to tell you the truth, the fellow who needed to fear the class more than students was the lone dishwasher who would have to clean up the mess. We helped a little, but let's face it...the guy in the dish pit had to bear the brunt.

Mother Sauces are so named because, in the French way of cooking, all sauces are derived from one of these 5: Bechamel, Veloute, Espagnole (brown), Tomato and Hollandaise. Except for hollandaise, leading sauces are rarely served as is; more often they are used to create the many small sauces. We also made mayonnaise in a bowl, no mixer or Cuisinart allowed.

When it comes down to it, there are a few simple things that will either make or break you in the sauce department: 1.) the roux and 2.) the stock. You better start with good stock. Then, it's a matter of timing and knowing what will happen if you add too much of anything else: heat, fat, roux, stock, or not enough of the final seasonings, like salt. Salt is a big deal in the kitchen and more often than not, students use too little. It's amazing what salt can do to food.

For our table I was responsible for the brown roux, espagnole sauce and the mayonnaise, and also lent a hand in seasoning several of the other sauces along with the creation of some of the smaller sauces. I love working as a team and everyone counting on one another and consulting with one another prior to the presentation of the sauces.What I liked was just grabbing that sauce pan, our table walking over to Chef for evaluation, and not having to worry about plating.

We did well, although in the entire evening not one of the 3 tables was successful with the hollandaise so I'll need practice that at home or with Chef Jackie next week in NYC. I also did not make the tomato sauce and should do that at home as well.

Our table was successful in creating and presenting all 14 sauces for the evening, but I think that was because we had 4 students and the other two tables had only 3 students each. That extra set of hands is a huge help.

And, if you are into horror stories and things that can really gross you out, check out the history of sauces. Let's just say that sauces were created to disguise the taste of the food, not to enhance it. Refrigeration is still a relatively 'new' thing so let your mind rest on that for a while and be grateful for electricity and the ability to keep your food cold and fresh. To sauce or not to sauce...that is your decision.

This week in the kitchen

2010-11-16T15:41:00.000-06:00

These three beautiful girls reaped the benefits of having a baker nearby and

they help me by moving sweets out of my kitchen.

A extra large cake - 11 in x 2 in for a baby shower.

4 layers of white cake with raspberry in between each layer and then all covered with buttercream frosting.

Nearly 3 pounds of buttercream to be exact.

This wedding cake was delivered on Friday to my dear friend, Alicia. She was hosting a wedding reception for a couple who recently were married. It was a small-ish recpetion. The cake was for 25 and she also ordered 2 dozen chocolate cake balls.

White cake, loads of buttercream. And I was so happy it didn't fall over during transport.

All in all a great week!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

2010-11-12T17:51:00.000-06:00

With Fall upon us and a great selection of squash at the supermarket, we've been feasting on Roasted Butternut Squash soup and homemade ravioli stuffed with roasted butternut squash, chipotles and cream Oh my....Mr. Man has been in Heaven. So many friends have asked for the soup recipe, so here, compliments of Williams-Sonoma, it is. Enjoy!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Roasting the squash first makes the fall soup smoky and sweet, while the apple adds touch of tartness.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and pour 1 1/2 cups (12 fl oz/375 ml) water into a baking pan. Cut a
2 1/2 lb butternut squash in half lengthwise, discard the seeds, and rub the cut sides with 2 teaspoons olive oil. Place the squash, cut side down, in the pan and bake until the tip of a knife pierces the skin easily, 45-50 minutes. When cool enough to handle, scoop out the pulp; you should have about 3 cups ( 1 1/2 lbs).

Next, in a 3 qt saucepan over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons unsalted butter. Add 1 small chopped yellow onion and 1 peeled, cored, and chopped Granny Smith apple and saute until softened, 10-12 minutes. Add 2 chopped garlic cloves and saute for 1 minute. Add 2 cups chicken stock, the squash pulp, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon white pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

Puree the soup, then stir in 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander and 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg. Adjust the seasonings and serve right away, garnishing each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon.

Sunday Brunch

2010-11-08T09:41:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I had the pleasure of helping with the Sunday Brunch at the Culinary School of Ft. Worth http://www.csftw.com/ and again was not disappointed. After a fitful night's sleep, complete with nightmares about another student not sharing a cutting board with me (?), I woke up at 5:30 AM and left the house by 6:10 AM, armed with my uniforn, name tag and knives.

First mistake of the day...not leaving enough time for a cup of Joe which would really hit me around 1:30 pm.

A few days earlier it dawned on me that one of my 'scheduled' brunch dates was on the same day as the White Rock Half Marathon so would have to 'volunteer' for another date. At the end of last weeks class Chef had mentioned that showing up to work even if you had not signed up was okay and I knew it would be fun as 6 other classmates were also scheduled to be there. Not one to pass up an opportunity to bond, I showed up, checked in with Chef and was handed a recipe for Cilantro Lime Viniagrette and told to multiply it by 4. What a labor of love. I knew better than to use "olive oil"...I needed the blended oil. After nearly 90 minutes of finely mincing cilantro, finely chopping 4 jalapenos, juicing a dozen limes and blending the dressing, it was certified as okay by Chef.

Where does the time go? Then it was off to making a cilantro pesto and 1/2 way through that a classmate asked if I could provide asssistance - she was in a slight crisis and needed to peel more potatoes for a fried potato garnish. Checked with Chef C. and left him to finish the pesto while I helped Melinda and we got the job done in record time.

In between I swept floors, emptied trash and cleaned up. These tasks are a holdover from my time as a restaurant manager. The kitchen needs empty trash cans prior to service and I'm not one to stand around waiting for Chef to tell me what to do. Just look around..there is always something that needs to be taken care of.

Time for assignments and I was really looking forward to the possibility of waiting tables, running food out, something that would provide another perspective. Uh....no. Ginger, you are on omelets. What? Um, really? I thought you'd want someone else to have a chance to do that? The two Chefs looked at one another, conferred for a moment and decided no, they wanted it this way.

Okey dokey.

So...I made omelets and a couple orders of scrambled eggs. Stood and stood and stood for hours which absolutely kills the legs. What I would have givent to be walking all around since I wasn't going to get in a work out.

The day did provide several learning opportunities and one was that I am going to be very strategic in my pairing up with others as the classes progress. There are a few folks who are not assertive, don't really have the stamina or the desire to do whatever it takes to get the job done, without complaining. It's actually a real study in human nature and what I would give to be able to ask "what in the world are you doing here?"

On the other hand, there are several individuals who are outstanding and instinctively know what to do and have a real passion. They are the ones I will align myself with because there are so many things to learn and each table must work as a team and the kitchen needs to work as a team.

And I thought there would be no posturing or politics in school.

Halloween

2010-11-04T14:15:00.000-05:00

Some photos of things I've been doing lately

.Sugar cookies and chocolate chip cookies.

Cake Pops

Sugar cookies using Star Wars cutters

Pumpkins, brooms, bats and cats...

and ghosts

Eggs!

2010-11-02T00:54:00.000-05:00

Fact: 6.5 BILLION eggs are produced in the US every single month. 6.5 Billion. Wow. Those chickens have got to be tired.

Eggs are one of God's perfect foods and you would be amazed at the numerous ways those babies can be cooked. Tonight we learned few things that have me thinking about having friends over and trying out some new recipes.

But first....I've kindof been having the pips about school (for those of you who aren't Muellers...the 'pips' is my mom's way of describing what is commonly referred to as the 'blues.' You know, when you are kindof down in the dumps but just don't know why....the pips). So, I'd been having the pips about culinary school because I want to be the 'best' and know how to do everything before class, blah, blah, blah, and finally, after having a few talks with myself and some of my girlfriends who really know me and aren't afraid to tell me like it is, I decided to have an attitude adjustment. You don't go to school to learn something because you already know it...you go to learn because you don't know it. Duh!

Anyway, armed with my new attitude and a hope that the Rangers would win the game tonight to keep the World Series alive, I headed off to class ready to learn all about eggs.

For the few people who've been reading this blog, you already know that I perfected my omelet making skills during the first Brunch of the semester, so I wasn't worried at all about making another omelet. After the omelet, which, thank God I nailed, it was off to over-easy and then over medium eggs. Now, mind you, we get the non-stick pan to work with. No flipper, no egg turner, no spatula. Nothing but the pan. Waffle House, here I come. I can cook an egg on the stove top because I am a mom. Some things you just don't forget. That, and you have to commit to the 'flip.' It's really not that tough if you have enough clarified butter in the pan to keep the egg loose. It's actually pretty cool.

Our table then moved on to prepare the recipes we recieved at the beginning of class. We gathered all of our ingredients (in the world of French cuisine this is referred to as "mise en place" which simply put, means to have everything in front of you prior to cooking in order to keep the process moving along). It really is important. So we "mised" out everything and then strated on our recipes: Grits and Cheddar souffle, Chocolate Souffle, Scotch Eggs (more on this in a moment), Shirred Eggs with Ham.

The Grits and Cheddar souffle rocked...I'm already thinking of when I'm going to make this again knowing that Mr. Man will LOVE it if I add a few peppers or onions or anything else to spice it up. Amazing and so easy it's laughable. The chocolate souffle needed a few more moments in the oven, but again, so easy.

If you know what a 'Scotch Egg' is, you have spent far too much time in Great Britain. It is described as: "A Popular snack or picnic food in Great Britain; a hard-cooked egg, wrapped in breakfast sausage (think Jimmy Dean), then dipped in egg and then bread crumbs, deep fried and then cooked. They make an excellent buffet or brunch item because of their good keeping properties."

Who is kidding who here? Although it looked intriguing, it was actually quite disgusting. I had to give it up for our table because we had a perfectly cooked hard-boiled egg, a nice, thin layer of sausage wrapped around the egg, and it was cooked perfectly. However, I really hope it is the only item I have to spit out during my time in school because it was just to horrible to finish.

Sorry. Truth in blogging here.

All in all...great night. Too bad about the Texas Rangers loosing it in Game 5. My hope in myself attending Culinary School is revived, all because of the egg.

Halfway there

2010-10-30T00:40:00.000-05:00

CAUTION: unusually long blog - this is what you get when I haven't posted in 2 weeks.

We are halfway through semester 1 of Culinary School and I'd like to say that the freak-out moments are fewer, but that wouldn't really be accurate. My life is insanely crazy. Yes, that is like saying crazy crazy, but that is the only way I can describe it.

Two Monday's ago we focused on meat - fabricating (cutting into identifiable portions), beef and pork, and then preparing 5 'plates'. This past Monday was vegetables which included 'mystery basket' and in that basket were vegetables that most Americans shy away from. From this we were challenged to prepare 5 meals.

Back to the meat. What a night. First it's an hour of lecture, followed by 15 very fast minutes of deciding what we, as a 'table', would prepare, and then executing to present to Chef during a specified time. It all sounds so simple, right? Just go into the kitchen and execute. Not so simple. We all question ourselves and it's virtually impossible to taste every single thing that each of us is doing. I'm understanding that fast and accurate knife skills are critical because taking a long time to chop things eats away at precious minutes....minutes that you need toward the end of the class when you are panicking about getting your plating done and to Chef on time. Points off for being late...gggrrrrr. There's no one to blame but yourself when it doesn't go as planned.

Fabricating the pork loin took longer than any of us would have imagined. What the heck is with all of that stringy, silver stuff all over the pork?  Also...use more salt than you think you need to use. I'm actually pretty good on the seasoning....my younger classmates have a fear of salt. We are learning.

And don't be deceived by the friendly collard greens, fennel and cauliflower in the 'basket' which was really an ugly gray tub. This Yankee had never even had a collard green much less done anything to them. With them. Whatever. We are taking risks and learning, so that's a check in the plus column.

Trust your gut and remember that you can use every single piece of equipment in the kitchen with reckless abandon because there is a dishwasher on staff and he is responsible for doing all of the dishes. I have got to get over that phobia and just focus on the food. These are the things that go through my mind as I am driving home, while I'm sleeping, when I get up and when I'm working out.  I give myself a lot of pep talks these days.

Back to the craziness of my life. After these 7, 8 weeks I'm getting into somewhat of a routine. This is how my week goes:

Monday - wake up. Coffee. On the phone recruiting. Workout at noon, shower,I'm pumped about doing better at school today, iron my uniform, eat, work some more. Leave at 3:30pm and drive through Sonic for a large iced tea which will jack me up enough to get through the next 8 hours, school, back home by 11:45pm, shower, big glass of wine, read, bed by 2 am.
Tuesday - between 8 and 9 am stagger to the coffee pot, 2 hour workout, chiropractor, home by 12:30pm to work all afternoon. I'm tired, but muscle through the day because I'm working off of Sunday nights sleep.
Wednesday - this is the worst day because I wake up feeling like a Mac truck has hit me. Lack of sleep hits. I am super crabby with a short fuse. No outside appointments are scheduled because I will frighten anyone who comes in contact with me. The 1.5 - 2 hour workout is tough, but I do it. Work conversations are as short as possible. Mr. Man is smart to keep his distance and wisely limits conversation. Bed time can't come quick enough but I have a baking order that needs to be started. Begin to question my sanity.
Thursday - feeling human again; up around 7:30, good, long training day and then I'm on it all day. Baking order to finish but at least I have the energy to take care of it before and after preparing dinner. Am getting used to the ugly dark circles under my eyes. Sunglasses help.
Friday - Wake to the sound of husband in the shower and wonder how it can already be morning. Before my feet hit the ground already thinking of my training schedule and what calls I have to make and what baking orders need to be delivered.  Weekly client conference call at 8 am while having that first cup of coffee, back to the kitchen to finish packaging decorated sugar cookies, another phone call, and then off to deliver the cookies and then hit the post office to ship cookies. To the Y for a 1.5 hour workout, to Walmart for Halloween candy, then back to the office to work and think about what to do for dinner. Thank God Mr. Man calls and suggests dinner out.
Saturday and Sunday are spent on long training sessions and either baking or practicing what we've learned in school or trying out new things. Last weekend was Roasted Butternut Squash soup and this weekend I'll make a cheesecake for a friend and also prepare something to take to a neighborhood get-together prior to the Trick or Treaters coming out. Mr. Man really liked the soup so I'll make that again and take some to school to count as one of my show and tell items that prove I've been practicing at home.

In between I'm trying to stay in touch with friends and family, do the laundry, clean, cook and be the June Cleaver I secretly want to be. Mr. Man's daughter, Ashley, had a darling baby boy two weeks ago and he's adorable. My daughter, Honey Girl, is expecting baby #2 again in late March / early April and I can't even think about the logistics of that blessed event. Our wonderful daughter-in-law, Jackie, graduated from the French Culinary School this past week. She's now insisting that we all refer to her as Chef Jackie and you know that I will because at some point I'll graduate.

Do you think I can get the grandchildren to call me Chef Gigi?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Reality Check

2010-10-15T16:43:00.000-05:00

I was feeling pretty positive following Monday's night of chicken; several of the items our table presented for evaluation were good and in the debrief following the night Chef told us (I should have taken this as a WARNING:) that he grades tough. But...in my chicken enduced high, I didn't listen.

Just like a scary movie you don't want to watch but find you can't pull yourself away from, I just had to log in to the school online grading system to check my class grade.

Thinking that I would certainly get a better grade than the 80 I received for the prior week I quickly went to week 6 and ..... what!? 78. That's right. 78.

Okay. Here's the real deal. I was terrible in high school, and when I say terrible, I mean really bad. Didn't care. Didn't study. Did NOT want to be there. There were maybe 400 in my graduating class and I graduated roughly # 382. I kid you not. My grades were so bad that I destroyed the only copy I had of my transcripts. The fact that I graduated was the only thing that mattered to me because I wasn't going to college anyway. It didn't matter.

But now it does.

That grade has driven me absolutely crazy all week and I was miserable on Tuesday. So miserable that I cried during GLEE. What? I am not a crier. At all. Imagine what I could have done with my life if I had cared this much during high school? Oh where was the passion then?

Then I started reading Kitchen Confidendial and now everything is making sense to me. I am the problem. Not my cooking. Me. My mouth and probably everything about the way I am.

There is a heiarchy in the kitchen, a heiarchy I was unaware of. We are to do what we are told, I don't believe questions are really encouraged, and we are to be quick, efficient and CLEAN and tidy. I must possess a new strategy. No more laughing or talking. It's work fast and be efficient. If another student asks me a question I will suggest they go ask Chef for the answer.

My only fear is that my head will explode. But....if I get a higher grade next week by zipping my mouth, keeping my area very clean and not asking a lot of question, I will have solved the mystery.

The food I prepare is good - I think they just don't like me.

Winding Down

2010-10-12T01:04:00.000-05:00

The very best aspect of Culinary School is that once Chef starts the lecture, there is nothing else. In an instant, there goes any thought of work, laundry, to-do lists and have-to's...nothing is important with the exception of what Chef is saying and what must be accomplished during the next 5+ hours. It's incredibly liberating and terrifying, all at the same time.

Tonight was all about poultry fabrication, which means taking 1 whole chicken and cutting it into 8 beautiful pieces and all of the ways to cook and prepare said chicken. Well, not all of the ways because believe you me, there are hundreds of ways to cook and prepare chicken. Just ask my mom.

Tonight we practiced four of them; pan frying, roasting, braising and poaching, which always make me kind of gag because I have yet to eat anything poached that was savory. It just is not high on my list of ways to prepare ANYTHING. We also prepared a salad a couple of sauces, rice and Duchess potatoes.

There 's just something about being in the kitchen with all of the madness, the hum of people working, conferring and figuring out what do to that really warms and invigorates me. It's strange how it happens and all of the emotions that go coursing through me as I work with two other students to prepare our meals. We are a team/table and we must work together as a table and all of the tables have to work together as a kitchen.

I am finding that I want all of the answers and to know how to do everything, now and I get a little frustrated with myself when I don't/can't do/have them.

Example - I am a pretty safe cook, and what I mean by that is that I have a palate of flavors that I have worked with over the years that I'm comfortable with and I've been just fine when having guests to our home. It's worked for me. Well...my class mates have their own palates and guess what? They are different than mine. It's forcing me to do things outside of my comfort zone and to expand my senses to enjoy flavors that others really enjoy, like curry, for example. I'm not saying this is bad, it's just an observation. I'm learning to get comfortable with it, although, not fast enough for my liking but tonight I trusted, embraced my fear of some flavors and went with it. That learning paid off.

We did well...there were a few tense moments, but we pulled it together and presented all of our plates. The entire kitchen was late (collective gasp!), and our table was the last. It's a balancing act and we are working it out and learning. Our salad was "very" good; our pan fried chicken over-done (I won't get into why, although it did have to do with stopping to clean our table and being forced to walk away from the chicken frying in the pan...'nuff said and lesson learned), roasted chicken a tad overdone, poached chicken overdone, as was everyone's, although our tarragon sauce was the best and our braise along with the curry sauce was the best of the night and Chef had every student try it. Our rice was seasoned perfectly. So....we did okay.

My personality is coming out more and more and that just can't be helped and maybe I don't want to hide it. I'm trying so hard to not be "Miss Bossy Boss," and at the same time I'm being true to myself. Why is it that at 49 I still need to know that I'm okay? Where does that come from and why, I ask myself, does it even matter?

It hit me that Chef had caught a glimpse of the true me when, during our de-brief after we had cleaned up and met again in the lecture area, he was explaining to us that next week's class would be about beef. Chef, jokingly said, "we'll turn Marcus (the only guy in our class), loose with a knife to cut up a half of a cow, and then quipped, "no....we'll let Ginger go after it," and then he did the classic stabbing motion that most folks equate with the Alfred Hitchcock thriller Psycho! WTH...really? Seriously? This does not bode well for my grade...

They won't throw me out...I have too many more classes to take, and, just like a bad penny, I'll keep turning up.

Playing Catch-Up

2010-10-05T01:06:00.000-05:00

Even though the past several weeks have gone by in a blur, they have at least been fun and productive.

I tried out the tart pans CC gave me. They had belonged to her mom, Jane, so they are very special to me.

A friend order 2 dozen cookies for a baby shower....Teddy Bears and

ducks.

And, I made a Strawberry cake, 4 layers high, for a dear friend's birthday...

which provided a great learning experience...soft cake, like strawberry, begins to lean after a short time.

Diane enjoying her girlfriends singing Happy Birthday to her.

Throw in school, work, training and life and you get the picture. However, everyone is busy these days and my schedule does not get any sympathy from friends or family. And their right...everyone is over-scheduled and over committed, so quit whining.

Last weeks class was the most terrifying to date. We were told, before leaving class Number 3, that we would be preparing all of the same 'proteins' (aka meat...chicken, pork, fish, shrimp, etc.), as we had been taught the week before, but this time we were going to have to "plate" the food. That means not only would we be responsible for thoroughly cooking the chicken, etc., but we would have to take care with the presentation of the food and also prepare additional dishes to accompany the protein. WHAT?!

I was so not prepared for that curve ball. The class was split into three groups (tables), and expected to work together to prepare the 'menu', prepare the dishes and we would have 2 windows of time in which we would, as a team, take the food to chef Loy to be evaluated, and tasted. Are you kidding me?

It felt as if I woke up smack dab in the middle of a movie and had to figure out the beginning from just a few snapshots. Gone was the hand holding and the kid gloves. We were out there on our own.

Our table did well. We presented all of our dishes, although they weren't all wonderful. We did get complimented on our braised chicken leg and the seasoning of our pork, but our plating and use of additional color and seasoning needs work. I'm figuring out that risk taking is a good thing and that once we get really comfortable in the kitchen things may go much smoother.

This past Sunday I earned 8 lab hours by prepping for and working the Brunch that is held every other weekend while class is in session. Yesterday was the first Brunch of the semester and it went off without a hitch. I awoke to the alarm clock screaming at 5 am and by 6:05 AM was driving down the street, on my way to school. Could not be late.

When I arrived, a few minutes before 7 am, the entire kitchen and dining room were a buzz with activity and I quickly threw on my hat and apron, washed my hands and checked in with Chef. Soon three of my classmates showed up and I was immediately at ease, cutting board in front of me and knife in hand, Dayna and Laura sharing the prep table with me.

All of the tasks were written out on two enormous white boards that are hung on the wall and I saw Chef crossing tasks off as they were accomplished. I was assigned to make the 'signature' Lemon Thyme Vinaigrette and Ranch Dressing. Then I cracked and emulsified 9 dozen eggs. As I as cracking the eggs, two at a time, mind you, I was beginning to pity the poor soul who would be assigned to the omelet station. You know how, at every brunch, there is a long line of guests waiting for their 'made to order' omelet, with anything and everything they want in it? That was my worst nightmare. From the day I signed up to participate at the brunch I silently recited a little prayer..."Dear God, please, I am asking you, please do not put me on the omelet station. Thank you."

As the morning wore on I tried to make myself relevant...I emptied trash cans, swept the floor, asked Chef what else I could do and tried to be as efficient as possible. Soon Chef Ann was coming around with the assignments. "What's your name?" she asked. "Ginger," I answered. "You are on omelets." "Really? Are you sure?"

Oh my gosh. Are you kidding me? I honestly had to laugh at the irony. There I was, cracking eggs for the sorry son of a gun who was going to make the omelets and all along, it was me. Life is funny that way.

Later on Chef W. had me follow him out to the front and showed me how to make omelets using only the pan and lots of wrist action. "You know why people love our omelets?" he asked. Wisely I just looked at him. "Butter. They love us because of the clarified butter." Okay then.

I can report that it all went well, No burnt omelets, nothing brought back to me, no screaming or crying and the line was never out of control. My life line was Jeff, a CP2 which means he has one more semester of experience than I do, although I don't think he had ever been on the omelet station. During the post-brunch meeting we did find out that three very large parties (20, 13 and 10), were all no-shows, so it could have been much busier. And, one of the comment cards said "very fluffy omelets," and then entire group of students clapped and cheered.

I survived, learned a ton, and was reminded of why I love the food industry.

Week 3 and other stuff

2010-09-21T00:11:00.002-05:00

Tonight's class was exactly what I imagined Culinary School to be about. We pan seared, steamed, poached, boiled, braised, deep fried, pan fried, grilled, sauteed, and chopped our way through potatoes, fish, onions, chicken, pork chops, zucchini and I know I'm leaving something out but it's 12:14 AM and I'm tired. What a wonderful night!

I arrived at school about an hour before class and since I had already completed my homework and the required reading assignment, thought I would lend a hand to Chef Katie who was getting everything ready for our class. I washed up and then asked if I could help and fortunately she said yes. Easy stuff, yes, but since she's suffering with allergies deep down I believe she appreciated the help. I was also able to set up the sinks and get a feel for what we were going to be doing tonight.

Our 'teacher' tonight was a new chef (to me, new), and after having us all go into the kitchen to chop and slice up our carrots, potatoes, onions and celery, we all swore that we would practice our chopping skills at home this week. YES, I will do that. Oh my gosh...going out of town was lovely but now it's Game On and I need to be practicing something every day.

Next up was a lecture that took 1:10 and yes, I learned so much. We were then divided into 2 groups and for the next 2 hours we practiced cooking techniques. Amazing how well I cook at home, and then I am thrown into a situation where I'm having a difficult time determining which burner goes with which knob....ugh. My pan seared chicken was over cooked (should have trusted my gut); my sauteed shrimp...overcooked. My sauteed onions could have gone a little longer; the poached fish, uhhhh...overdone. Steamed carrots, good. Steamed shrimp...over done. Good grief. Things were going downhill and fast. I've never in my life poached an egg and yes....a tad overdone. Oh my....what in the world? I'm beginning to question my cooking skills, big time!

Round 2 and I'm in the main kitchen with the braising, grilling and frying.

Our group had to braise 3 chicken legs. Okay, I am all over this because THIS type of cooking I do, and do well. I assigned myself to the braising and did a really good job, with the exception of not adding enough salt. I can live with that.

Pan fried fish...nicely done. Breading consistent all over. A little over done around the edges, but overall good. Deep fried chicken tender...perfectly cook. Needed more salt before breading but otherwise, perfect. French fries...nice. Grilled zucchini...just a tad undercooked. Grilled pork chop...'nicely seasoned.' Need to not move it once it's on the pan and press down a little on side 2 to make good sear marks. Deep fried, breaded onions...the 'best of the night.' One of the chefs wanted them to eat! Whoo Hoo! I was so happy to have done something right.

Before leaving for the night we were advised to practice all of the techniques and to look at photos of plated food. Next week will be much faster and we will have to do everything again and meet specific timelines. Wow....I'm excited!

This week also has several baking orders for me to fill and I'm looking forward to being home for a while and cooking.

I love taking trips to see Honey Girl and Mr. Squishy and my wonderful, patient and delightful son-in-law, but it makes me wish they lived closer.

Culinary School, Day 2 recap

2010-09-13T23:40:00.002-05:00

Today was my second class and the topic was "Stock," which meant we were going to make stock and we clarified butter, but that was a huge second to the stock. I was grouped with two other delightful women in the class (out of 13 there are only 2 men), and when you are on a team that means that you divide and conquer, and that also means that you are the boss of you. Not the group. You. Ummm, yea. I don't think I like that.

My 45 minute drive home allowed me time to digest what transpired in class, to review what I did right/wrong, and what I would change next time. The drive allowed me a few revelations which, based on Mr. Man's reaction, are probably revelations only to me:

1.) I prefer working alone to working on a team.
2.) I am competitive.
3.) I have absolutely no idea how I am going to run my recruiting business, run my baking business, train for an Ironman distance triathlon and be successful in culinary school, much less do everything else I do at home and keep my family and friends in my life. What in the heck was I thinking?

Efficiency is going to have to become second nature to me. No more piles of Ginger stuff laying around the house. Touch something once and be done with it. Volunteering to do anything and everything is over and for one of the first times in my life I am going to have to really focus on myself.

Because my class meets only 1 time a week, a great deal of my success will be up to me. That means that everything I learn in class needs to be practiced at home. Practiced. Time set aside to chop, slice, cube, simmer, and stir. Chapters read, techniques practiced. Stock made.

This is new for me and to be honest, a little bit of a shock. But, better to realize this week 2 than week 12, right?

Three times a semester I have to participate in the Sunday brunch from 7 am to 3 pm. At the school, fed, uniformed, with my knives ready to do whatever Chef tells me to do. If I don't practice my inability will be front and center for everyone to see and hear about. Greatest fear? Getting yelled at for not making the right sized cuts of potatoes and carrots!

Now I'll try to calm down, finish my glass of wine and take comfort in the fact that Julia Child had so much to learn and learn she did. I will be fearless! Just like Julia.

Culinary School update

2010-09-13T10:35:00.001-05:00

Day one was interesting, nerve wracking and what I remember the most is being so hot that I just wanted to go into the walk in and throw myself against the cold metal floor. Ugh. I'm already dreading next summer.

Class 2 is tonight - stock. Ought to be interesting and I'll regret not having had practiced my chopping skills more.

Fulfilling Dreams

2010-09-07T22:05:00.005-05:00

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Remember being asked that as a kid and not knowing how in the world to respond? When I was little I had the cutest nurses outfit, complete with a Clara Barton cape and small nurse kit, so naturally, the idea of being a nurse was very cool, especially if I got to wear the cape.

Fast forward to high school and during my senior year, for 1 semester, I actually considered life as an Accountant. Really. Even though I had gone to Summer School for failing Freshman Algebra, the whole balance sheet thing made perfect sense to me till I failed the final and received a big F on my report card.

Okay, the restaurant business was looking better and better, especially after I earned the coveted Broiler Chef certification and then moved on to Crew Chief and ultimately Assistant Manager.

But something was still missing. My Uncle Paul, while visiting our family, opened my mind to the possibility of attending culinary school and becoming a professional chef. Encouraged, I talked my way into an apprentice chef position at a big hotel and applied for and was accepted into culinary school. I quit my job at the restaurant and felt that for the first time in my young life I knew where I was going and what I was doing.

(que the sound of screeching tires)

Not so fast. Life had other plans for me and I set aside the dream and went back to my reliable job at the steakhouse and life kept moving on.

Twenty-nine years and 3 careers later, I am now ready to fulfill my dream of becoming a chef....actually, a Pastry Chef. Last night was the first class in a 16 month program at the Culinary School of Ft. Worth and it was thrilling. I was terrified and thrilled at the same time, worried that I would get yelled at by the chef just like Gordon Ramsey does to the contestants on Hell's Kitchen.

Along with my usual posts about what I've baked, I'll be writing about my experiences at school all the while thanking my dear daughter-in-law, Jackie, for inspiring me to do what I love and to just go for it. Your courage, Jackie, in leaving your career and diving into the Frech Culinary Institute is remarkable and inspiring, and I can't wait to see you in November to trade stories with you.

I'm so thankful to all of the people along the way who've encouraged me to keep baking and to my wonderful husband for his support and encouraging words as I was pulling out of the driveway last night on my way to that first class...."Remember, Ginger...God gave you two ears and one mouth. Listen twice as much as you talk" Yes dear. My father's words are always with me.

Me and my first teacher, my Mom

Run Proud

2010-09-03T16:23:00.004-05:00

About 12 years ago, through mutual friends, I met Diane Proud, one of the leading triathletes and duathletes in the DFW area. We had a number of things in common, top of which was we had been mom's early in our life and had spent a significant number of years raising our children as single moms.

She impressed me with her strength, drive and attitude.

One the top is Diane Proud.

Sandy Richard, Janice Singer, Carla Hoffman

Alma Darrensberg, Stacy Dannels, Mary Lessor, Ginger Blazek

Early in 2009 Diane was Diagnosed with ALS but is fighting, fighting and just won't give in.

Every month several of us get together to remind ourselves what life is really about. Friends, laughter and love.

Below is an article about Diane. Please help support her and all those battling ALS.

5K to raise funds for standout triathlete Proud, an ALS sufferer Running News Sports News News for Dallas, Texas Dallas Morning News

The Pillowcast Project

2010-08-24T11:56:00.008-05:00

Often I wonder if what I'm doing with my life really matters or if it really makes a difference? When I'm out on my bike or running, I have lots of time to think and assess how I spend my time and resources and really start to thinking about what my legacy will be once I'm gone. Will my being here for x number of years make a difference?
Last August a group of people from Cross Timber's Church in Keller went to Kampala, Uganda for 9 days and while there spent time with the founders of God Cares School and the many children and orphans who attend or live at the school. My life was blessed and changed because I was fortunate enough to accompany them on that trip. Those children are in my prayers every day.

One of the women on the trip was Andrea Schmid and the children really touched her. Earlier this year she started something that has taken off like wildfire - the Pillowcase Project. Andrea saw first hand how little the children of Uganda have and she thought, what can I do to make each of these little children feel loved and special? She researched and discovered that a dress could be made with a simple pillowcase and she launched The Pillowcase Project. Several weeks ago she organized a fundraiser and hundreds of dresses from around the country were shipped to her and displayed at the event.
Imagine the love that has gone into making these dresses. The mothers, grandmothers, daughters, aunts and friends who have gathered to give of themselves so these children would have something to call their own.

There were stacks and stacks of dresses in every color imaginable. One could 'sponsor' a dress for a small donation, write a note to the child who would receive the dress and know that with that simple act a child would feel loved.

The Cross Timbers Team left this past Thursday for Uganda and to spend another week with the children at a Bible Camp they have every year. At some point during the week Andrea will distribute dresses to the girls and t-shirts to the boys and I can only imagine the tears that will be shed. My heart will be with all of them.

Imagine, if you will, the little girl who will bring home this darling dress.

My friend, Dave Schmille, shows me one of the dresses he 'sponsored.' Dave has such a loving and generous heart.

Andrea, with the dresses. Please think of my friends this week as they travel throughout Uganda and as they bring love to the children. Hearts will be happy, lives will be forever changed.

Birthday Cake for Linda

2010-08-19T12:50:00.012-05:00

When I found out that my sister, Linda, was going to throw a party to celebrate her birthday as well as the birthday of her husband, Eric, it never crossed my mind that I wouldn't be there. She was turning 50 and E was going to be 40. So they threw a 90th Birthday Party!

And, because I wanted to help, it made sense for me to bake a cake and drive it to St. Louis. Right? Makes perfect sense to me. Throw the layers in the back of the Tahoe, blast the A/C and get on up there.

So, after a 10 hour drive, I arrived at Mom and Dad's, had dinner with the parents and my sister, Maggie, her husband and 2 kids, then over to Linda's with the cake to hang out. You see, when you live 600+ miles away from your 5 sisters, you want to see as much of them as possible when you are in the same town.
It did not matter to me that Linda was in her sewing room working on a pair of pants Maggie brought along. It's where she is the happiest. It was just so good to see her.

The next day I made the frosting and iced the enormous carrot cake but did not know that Linda's daughter, Jenelle (an aspiring pastry chef), was preparing a surprise for Linda. A beautifully decorated cake.

It was kindof like Beauty and the Beast. Beauty.

For having had no formal training, Jenelle did a magnificent job. Delicious cake with a chocolate hazelnut buttercream.

Suzy was wowed by both cakes!

Yummm...

Dad enjoyed it, too.

Happy Birthday, Linda and Eric!

2010-08-16T16:54:00.018-05:00

My sister, Linda, has an August 15th birthday and her husband, Eric, was born on August 19th, 10 years later. To celebrate his 40th and her 50th, they planned a 90th Birthday party that was held at their home this past weekend. Linda is a fabulous cook who is not at all intimidated by any recipe. She prepared pulled pork, German potato salad, Texas potatoes, salad and with the assistance of her daughter, Jenelle, prepared appetizers that were out of this world.

My sister is amazing and accomplished, having completed 10 marathons, with many more left in her and so many other things to come in the future. I am very blessed to have her as my sister.

However, when I think of Linda, I always think of our earlier years.

This photo was taken one Easter morning on the front porch of our home at 985 Manresa Lane. From the left it's Linda, me and Beth.

Linda and Beth were great pals and then I came along...note the pout. From the left it's Beth, Linda and me.

This is one of my favorites of Beth (l) and Linda.

As the years went by 3 more sisters arrived. After me it was Cathy (l), then Suzy (front), Linda behind Suzy then me on the right. Maggie is the youngest.

I believe this is one of my favorites. On the banks of the Meramac River, our Uncle Ed had an old cabin complete with a well that was up the hill, before you got to the outhouse. Being the city girls we were, we referred to the cabin as "The Country." Going to The Country was a great adventure for us and, from the photo above, you can see that the city slickers were not prepared. I mean who wears knee-high socks to the Country? Well, we did.

So many memories, so many happy times.

I love you Linda and wish you and Eric many more years together.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

2010-07-30T17:17:00.012-05:00

Several weeks ago Mr. Man and I drove to South Orange Beach in sunny Florida for a reunion with his parents, siblings, the nieces and nephews, along with our daughter Ashley and grandson, Maddox.

While there we celebrated my father-in-law's 72nd birthday with Aunt Kate, Uncle John and lots of cake and cookies.

We call my father-in-law the "Inspector General" for his precision and desire to have every home improvement project be perfect. And I mean PERFECT.

Isn't he cute? And he always smells really good.

Amelia is too little for cake and ice cream,

but not big sister, Catalina.

or big brother Jackson...

Or oldest brother, Jared.

Our grandson, Maddox, loved the cake and ice cream,

so did his Aunt Missy and Mommy.

YUM!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Birthday Party

2010-07-21T09:36:00.015-05:00

Creating memories through baking and Birthday parties is one of my favorite things. On June 12th, our grandson, Jacob, aka Mr. Squishy, celebrated his 2nd Birthday and there was nothing that would have kept me from being there for the celebration. Honey Girl knew exactly what she wanted to do for the party...cake pops in primary colors with coordinating ribbon to match. The day I arrived in Ft. Wayne the cakes were baked and the next day, following a trip to the zoo, Mr. Squishy napped and we started dipping and decorating.

You can't run out..now can you?

We also made a little cake for the birthday boy.

My son-in-law's mother made the most delicious ice cream and we all dove in. Thank you Danita! It was such a treat and went perfectly with the cake pops.

Mr. Squishy's cousins all enjoyed the pops and we had a wonderful day visiting and enjoying the sunshine.

Jackson

Cora

Braelynn

Clark

Mr. Squishy and Honey Girl blowing out the candles

The table was decorated with a photo of Jake that was tken right after he was born and one from our trip to the zoo the day before the party. He's grown so fast.

Where did the past 2 years go?

Happy Birthday, Jacob.

July 4th

2010-07-04T00:29:00.011-05:00

I love holidays and clients who trust and believe in me.

Two of my favorite customers placed orders this week and I set aside an entire day to bake and decorate. There was a lot to accomplish so I asked my dear friend, Ms. Vivi, if she would please lend a hand. As always, she said yes.

Ms. Vivi drove up in her new little red sports car and immediately got to work.
3 dozen cake pops is a lot of cake pops, no matter how you dip them.

She caught on very quick and is now an expert dipper and decorator.

Doesn't this frosting look yummy?

Wendy Jo and her darling daughter stopped by to pick up the pops, chocolate cupcakes and some sugar cookies.

We are so fortunate to live in a country where we can be who we want to be, do what we want to do, and live freely.

Thank you to all of our forefathers and mothers who fought for our freedom. I am eternally grateful for your sacrifice.

For a moment today, stop and remember.

Happy 4th of July

Thinking of you

2010-06-07T17:17:00.003-05:00

Today I'm sad and thinking of a friend who fought cancer for over 3 years and on Saturday, surrounded by family and friends, passed on very peacefully.

We met during a retreat at our church in March, 2001, and our group of 30+ women bonded as, over the course of the next 6 months, we put together a retreat weekend for the next team. We shared our lives, we shared our hearts, we trusted one another with our real selves and we were forever changed.

Nine years have passed; several have relocated with husbands to cities far away. Some have moved just far enough that their lives have taken on another rhythm. We are, however, still bonded by our weekend.

When diagnosed, Sharon reached out via email and I immediately picked up the phone and we talked for over an hour, discussing her options and providing support to one another. For the past 3+ years we've spent time together going to the doctor, radiation treatments, gatherings with the other women, breakfast, coffee and more time on the phone. When she had surgery I visited and we talked; Sharon always remaining positive and looking beautiful through it all. Her faith in God's plan never wavering. Not once. I kept waiting for her to breakdown or to question or to be angry. Nope. It wasn't going to be.

Last Monday I took over cupcakes and cakeballs, knowing that her husband enjoyed carrot cake and hopeful that maybe she could eat some high calorie sweets. My way of saying what words couldn't. That I care. That I love her and that I knew things were changing.

As I was leaving Sharon joked that if I was going to bring chocolate chip cookies, her husband and sons wouldn't be allowed to have any... they would all belong to her and she wasn't going to share.

My flight to Ft. Wayne was Thursday morning, so I set aside time on Wednesday to bake chocolate chip cookies for Sharon, watching with extra care to make sure they were just right. I took the cookies over and, as I looked at my friend who had somehow gotten smaller than she was on Monday, I was very sad. "I'll come see you when I get back. I love you."

The news came via cell phone on Saturday morning as my daughter and I readied her home for my grandson's 2nd birthday. Life is complicated, yet simple. Joy mixed with great sadness. Pleasure is seeing a life grow and evolve and such sadness for what will never be.

Bringing a smile to someone through simple baked goods is what I try to do. With love and caring these delights are created and someone knows that they are loved.

Rest easy in the arms of Jesus, my dear friend. You are loved. You will be missed.

Sharon K. Duncan

High School Graduation

2010-06-03T03:19:00.008-05:00

This sweet girl, Maggie McClew, has been a part of my life since I met her parents in 1997 and this past weekend she graduated from high school. In August she heads West to Lubbock and will be attending Texas Tech University. Maggie and her sister, Kaitlyn, mean so much to me that when Mr. Man and I married nearly 5 years ago they were part of our wedding.

Awww... aren't they sweet?
So, when her mom was planning Maggie's graduation party I jumped at the chance to provide dessert for the big celebration. And, of course, cake pops just had to have a place on the table.

The colors at Texas Tech are red, black and white so this was going to be fun!

Baking the cake wasn't nearly as intimidating as decorating the cake; I'm still learning but thought I'd make a go at it anyway.

Months ago I found and ordered a 3 dimensional Texas Tech logo cake pan.

Knowing that I would need a pretty big cake to feed all of the attendees, I went to Cake Carousel and purchased a 1/2 sheet cake pan. The bottom of the cake is made from 3 recipes of Mom's Chocolate Cake and the top layer is 3 recipes of vanilla cake.

I practiced baking a cake in the logo pan, but was disappointed with the results. Then, inspired by another baker, I decided to use Rice Krispy Treats to fill the pan.

This would also allow me to decorate the majority of the logo with tinted buttercream frosting and the easily transfer the logo from parchment paper to the top of the cake.

The most difficult aspect of the entire endeavor was tinting the frosting which took quite

a bit of Wilton gel.

I learned a lot along the way, like when tinting frosting black, begin with chocolate frosting. Next time I'm going straight for the dark chocolate frosting in the can and then will add black tint. Making the frosting a day or two ahead of time and then allowing it to sit in the fridge is also one of the tricks of the trade. The colors will deepen as time goes by.

It took a couple of days to make the cake, but it was worth every single minute when I walked into the McClew home, holding the cake. Mom, Michele, took one look at it and her eyes welled up with tears; that meant so much to me.

CONGRATULATIONS, MAGGIE!

You have grown into a beautiful young woman and we are so excited for you!

Cake Pops

2010-05-26T17:52:00.007-05:00

Recently I've had many requests for cake balls and have taken the opportunity to be creative in the presentation.

A girlfriend ordered cake pops to celebrate a mutual friend's new baby boy;

congratulations, Misty!

This arrangement was for a charity event to raise money for orphans in Uganda.

Below is a closer look at the arrangement for Misty.

This is one of the first arrangements I did.

Another girlfriend needed parting gifts for the attendees at a baby shower. We thought individually wrapped cake pops would be nice and they were a big hit.

My grandson, Jake, with is very first cake pop. He loved it!

I have more to make for graduation parties and Memorial Day celebrations! Have you tried cake pops yet?

Goofy Boys and Dinosaurs

2010-05-10T13:55:00.009-05:00

This adorable goofball is my nephew and he is turning 7 on May 17th.

At my sister's request I'm sending sugar cookies for him to take to school. I'll use the sugar cookie recipe that has been posted on this site.

Select the colors you want to use - I went with more traditional 'boy' colors like brown, copper, red and green, and using Royal Icing outlined the shapes. Allow the outline to 'set' and then thin it by adding water, 1/2 tsp. at a time, until the consistency is smooth and not too runny.

Spoon the thinned down icing into a disposable pastry bag, snip the end and 'fill in' the outline.

While the icing is still moist, sprinkle colored sanding sugar all over. For the copper colored icing I used white sanding sugar and with the brown icing I opted for "Sugar In The Raw" which has more of a brown tint to it.

Allow the cookies to dry overnight and then for party favors put them in individual bags and tie with a small piece of twine.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRIAN!

2010-05-05T18:28:00.004-05:00

So I've been baking sugar cookies lately and playing around with

both Royal Icing and sprinkles, one my favorite past-times.

One of my friends suggested making a cookie bouquet and the thought had

crossed my mind but quickly left.
So last week I had extra cookie dough after completing a customer order so I made this for
as a birthday surprise for a friend.

Queen of Hearts...

Didn't think it was too shabby for my first attempt at a cookie bouquet.

Pink!

2010-04-28T17:35:00.011-05:00

The daughter of my friend, Wendy, was turning 4 and she asked me to bake a cake and cookies to celebrate the Princess Party she was having.

Well, naturally that called for pink and lots of it.

I started out by gathering all of the pink items I had.

First were the pink quins..

Next were the jumbo pink hearts
and the sanding sugar in different shades of pink, along with the pearls and pink candy on paper.

I then mixed up an double batch of Royal Icing in white,

light pink and hot pink.

The day before I had baked the 4 layer cake and also baked several dozen sugar

cookies in the shape of butterflies and crowns.

I'm not naturally gifted in the area of cookie decorating so I had to try to think like a child and what they would like on the cookies. LOTS of sanding sugar and to cut down on the possibility of someone feeling as if 'their' cookie wasn't as good as all the others, had to be sure to put enough stuff on each cookie. You gotta be fair.

The crowns were fun and I'll be doing more of those later.

The cake was fairly large - 2 6-inch layers of white cake on top of 2 layers of chocolate cake. This is the chocolate cake recipe posted several weeks ago.

The white cake is from one of my favorite cookbooks, The Best Recipe.

Below is a photo of Skylar blowing out her candles.

It is possibly the sweetest photo I've ever seen.

A cake fit for a princess.

Secrets

2010-04-20T19:09:00.003-05:00

Secrets…don’t you love them?

I have many secrets that will go to the grave with me; things that I’ll never share with anyone, like how I make my incredible chocolate chip cookies although everyone in the free world has access to the same recipe. That secret is mine to keep and I spent years mastering the art of the perfect chocolate chip cookie and it’s totally okay that I don’t share. I can live with that.

But, there are some secrets that just must be shared.

Like when your daughter tells you that she is expecting her first baby and you are going to be a grandma for the first time, but promise not to mention it to anyone at all until she can tell her dad, but you just about explode with excitement and have to share it with your friends….that kind of secret is meant to be shared.

I have one of those secrets.

For Valentine’s Day, Mr. Man gave me a new KitchenAid mixer and two cooking classes at Sur La Table. For those of you unfamiliar with Sur La Table, it is possibly the best cooking/baking retail store in the Dallas area. They have everything and I mean everything there.

The classes were okay but it’s what I was exposed to during my Cooking with Eggs class that really sent me into a tizzy.

This…

Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste

This is by far the most incredible food item in the world, or at least it is for now. One little dab of it on my finger tip almost sent me running through the store to grab a bottle. Everyone else in the class….ho hum. They were nonplussed about it. Are you kidding me? This stuff is spectacular.

I’ll admit that it is pricey; $10.95 for a 4 fluid ounce bottle, but worth it for special occasions or certain desserts like crème brûlée, cheesecake or poundcake.

Deelish!

Okay, so maybe some of you have known about it and you are quite possibly laughing at me. Laugh away. I'll still believe that I have opened your eyes to something wonderful and will rest well tonight believing that I have enlightened so many.

Bake on...

Carla's Carrot Cake

2010-04-19T07:42:00.014-05:00

Before leaving St. Louis for Texas 26 years ago, I vividly recall digging through my mom's recipe box and copying everything I could remember her making over the years. When I came across this carrot cake recipe I jotted it down and tucked it away for a long time before trying it out.

My mom swears this recipe isn't hers and I don't ever recall eating carrot cake as a kid, but my girlfriends love it and this has become the favorite of my BFF, thus the name of the cake.

Following the recipe, I prepare the batter and then this time poured it into two 9-inch pans that have been greased and floured.

While the cake is cooling, prepare the cream cheese frosting.

I've learned from experience...you have to make lots of frosting.

For two layers, using a serrated knife, cut the layers in two horizontally.

Before you begin frosting the cake, be sure it's completely cooled otherwise you are going to have one gigantic mess on your hands.

Use generous amounts of frosting between the layers.

It's okay if the frosting starts to spread out between the layers.

You'll want to get down and eyeball the cake to make sure it's level and not lilting one way or the other. Frosting can be used to shore up one side if it's not even.

Once you have all of the layers on the cake, spread a thin layer of frosting all over the cake...this is typically referred to as the 'crumb layer' and it will keep the crumbs from getting into the top layer of cake.

Once the crumb layer is on, pop the cake into the fridge for about 10 minutes to let the frosting set. The final layer of frosting will go on that much easier.

If you are a pecan lover, chop extra pecans and while the frosting is still soft, press the pecans into the frosting, half way up the sides.

Beautiful and oh so yummy!

Carrot Cake source: Mary Mueller aka Nana

3 cups shredded carrots
1 cup chopped pecans
2 cups granulated sugar
1 ½ cups vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 large eggs, room temperature
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using shortening, grease the bottoms of two 9 inch cake rounds or three 8-inch cake rounds and line with parchment or waxed paper. Grease the parchment rounds and dust with flour, tapping out excess.
2. Combine the flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda.
3. In a stand up mixer, using the padel attachment, combine the granulated sugar and vegetable oil until well blended. Add vanilla and then the eggs, one-at-a-time, mixing well until all is incorporated
4. Add the flour mixture and mix until smooth but avoid over beating. Add the carrots and pecans.
5. Pour, evenly, into prepared pans.
6. Bake for 28 - 30 minutes. Cake is baked when the top springs back.
7. Cool in pans for 10 minutes then turn out onto cooling racks. Cool completely before icing with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 ounces butter, room temp.
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 lb. powdered sugar

Mix well.

2010-04-14T12:27:00.003-05:00

Like most people I know, my diet consists of a variety of foods, some good for me and others that aren't too good for me. Hey, I bake with real butter and eggs; not what my cardiologist would really like me to be eating, but I follow my mom's advice..everything in moderation, so I do okay.

For the past week I've been in Ft. Wayne, Indiana taking care of Mr. Squishy, aka my grandson, and a few things really struck me, primarily, the food we feed our children.

Honey Girl does a good job of feeding Mr. Squishy the right stuff - lots of veggies, fruit, meat, nothing fried and easy on the sweet stuff. I did, however, take a look at the labels on the can of peaches he was inhaling and was really surprised to see that the store brand had peaches packed in 'heavy syrup' aka high fructose corn syrup. I had to stop myself from grabbing his plate and tossing them down the drain.

To me, high fructose corn syrup is the enemy, especially when given to children.

So, after dropping the little guy off at day care the next morning, I drove over to the big box retailer where Honey Girl does her shopping to do a little label investigating, which ended up being very discouraging.

Who do these big companies think they are, packaging food in bright colors that kids will like and covered with words like "Made with real fruit juice" and "100% vitamin C" so the uneducated parent will feel as if they are doing the right thing? I was stunned.

It's no wonder we are a nation of overweight, obese, diabetic people when the food that the vast majority of people can afford is terrible for us. I understand why people purchase this inexpensive food, I just wish it weren't so.

I'll admit...when my kids were young and I was raising them alone with very limited funds, I bought packaged food, thinking I was doing something good for them. Hey, it was made with real juice, right? We all know so much more now and I really find it appalling and disappointing that this stuff sells.

Instead of the administration trying to get everyone to grow a vegetable garden while they are also regulating Wall Street and running automobile companies, why don't they incent the CPG companies to create healthy food choices that people can actually afford? Why not create programs in our schools that teach children and young adults what can happen if you put bad food into your body and also subsidize schools with fresh food for the students. Get rid of the junk - just make the schools stop buying it and cooking with it. Believe me, you let a kid get hungry enough and they'll start to eat the good stuff.

It's as if our entire nation needs a high-fructose corn syrup intervention.

I don't want the government telling me what to do in any area of my life; however, we owe it to our children to provide proper nutrition to them just like our parents had when growing up. We all need to give our kids a better start and to avoid anything that isn't good for them.

You wouldn't give a child a highly addictive drug, would you? High fructose corn syrup is the same thing - it is highly addictive.

Mr. Squishy had peach slices packed in pear juice last night and he ate them with as much gusto as the ones that were packed in high fructose corn syrup. I'm going to start with this child and maybe if we all make changes at home, together we can make a change in the world.

Opening Day!

2010-04-12T14:25:00.011-05:00

You know Spring has finally arrived when you go outside and see dad's playing catch with kids and hear the unmistakable crack of a bat.

I just love baseball; not because it's the only organized sport I truly understand, but because it reminds me of all the years Honey Girl and I would watch her younger brother, Buddy Boy, play baseball. He was a natural, but after several years of playing two sports, baseball and soccer, soccer won. Buddy Boy hung up his glove and it was off to the soccer fields in the spring and summer.

His love of soccer never diminished my love of baseball and in celebration of America's Favorite past time I created these red velvet cake balls to celebrate opening day for the Texas Rangers.

Melting the royal blue candy melts came first...into the double boiler they went.
I also melted white ones.

I made a few jumbo sized cake balls and used big sticks for them. Dipped the cake balls into the blue candy melts.

The Texas Rangers "T" was cut out of fondant using a new exacto knife.

Some of the small cake balls were dipped in white and decorated to look like baseballs.

Unfortunately I don't have a very steady hand. The stitching is more reminiscent of Frankenstein than baseballs. Oh well, it's the thought that counts, right?

But something is still missing...

Okay, that's better.

Go Rangers! I hope they have a great year.

The kitchen is closed...for a few days

2010-04-06T22:31:00.002-05:00

All of the cake balls have been dipped, the tarts have been filled and the flour stored away. All of the dishes are washed, dried and put away in neat little piles. The island is bare. I think about it and can't recall a time when I wasn't in the middle of a project or thinking of what to bake next.

I'm packing to go away for 9 days.

Mr. Man isn't too excited. He'll be coming home to a quiet home every night...well, at least for the next 9 nights.

I'm heading North, to Ft. Wayne, Indiana, to visit my Honey Girl, son-in-law and my darling grandson, lovingly referred to as Mr. Squishy.

I call him that because he is large, very large for a 20 month old. At birth he weighed 9 lbs, 6 ounces and at 18 months was a whopping 29 lbs. Thus...Mr. Squishy. He can't help it - he's corn fed.

So I will be playing with and squeezing and hugging on that little boy for the next 9 days and not baking. My KitchenAid mixer will miss me and I it, but we will survive. And I will be better for the time away.

This time will be embraced, enjoyed and soaked in, because at some point Gigi will be boring for this little man who currently loves me and smiles when he sees me. And I will savor every moment I have with him.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T11:32:00.013-05:00

Have you always wanted to make the really pretty decorated sugar cookies but were too intimidate to do it? Me too, until last week. After my success with the cupcake shaped sugar cookie, I thought I'd go ahead and tackle something a little more difficult.

Everything starts with a great cookie dough. Something that keeps the shape of the cookie cutter. I've tried other recipes over the years but this one is the best. Not only does it deep the shape of the cutter, it tastes really good.

I prepared the dough, put it in the fridge to chill, and then proceeded to roll it out on the fabulous piece of marble that is part of our island.

I started with bunny shapes.

Then popped them into the oven on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. I'm a big believer in parchment paper for baking. Not only does it guarantee a great product, the clean up is so much easier.

With the dough all rolled, cut, baked and the cookies cooled, it was time to get started decorating.

The Royal Icing recipe posted a week or so ago was doubled then the icing was separated into several bowls, covered with damp (very damp, okay, wet), paper towels, then dyed with Wilton food coloring, the kind that is a gel. Preparing all of the colors needed, the icing was transferred into disposable pastry / icing bags found at the local craft store.

These little candies were also purchased at the craft store. Didn't know what they would be used for when they went into the basket, but certainly glad they came home with me.

Starting off simply, I outlined the bunny shape with the white icing, then placed two little button candies for the eyes, and with the icing still damp, sprinkled the pink sanding sugar for the ears. Then used white sanding sugar all over the bunny face. Set all of them aside to dry.

Next up were the chicks. These would take a couple of colors, yellow and orange. Starting with the yellow I outlined the body, filled in the body with squiggles of icing and then spread the icing with a small, off-set spatula being careful not to disturb the outline. The little candy was used for the eye and yellow sanding sugar was sprinkled all over the body.

These were also set aside to dry while the flowers and butterflies were decorated with icing.

Then it was time for the finishing touches on the cookies...noses and whiskers for Mr. Rabbit.

Embellishments for the butterflies.

It was really so much fun and one started, the creativity just kept coming.

Beaks and feet for the chicks covered with orange sprinkles.

The they were all packaged and shipped off to nieces and nephews and arrived in plenty of time for Easter.

Sugar Cookies

1 cups all purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup salted butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Yield: 3 dozen cookies (or less if using large cutters)

preheat oven to 325 degrees

In a medium bowl combine the flour and salt with a wire whisk.

In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat until well mixed. Scrape down sides of bowl, then add the flour mixture. Blend on low speed just until combined. Do not overmix.

Gather dough into a ball. Flatten the ball into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap or a plastic bag. Refrigerate 1 hour until firm

On a floured surface. roll out dough to a 1/4 inch thickness. With cookie cutters, cut dough into desired shapes and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Decorate with colored sugars or sprinkles if desired.

Bake for 13-15 minutes, being careful no to brown. Immediately transfer cookies with a spatula to cooling racks.

Decorate using Royal Icing

Easter Time!

2010-03-29T21:48:00.009-05:00

When I was a young girl, Easter was all about the shoes and the purse. Oh, and the white gloves. We lived at 985 Manresa Lane and our next door neighbor, the tall girl in the middle, was Lisa Krah, and she rocked. When the neighbor kids all gathered to play cowboys and Indians, Lisa got to be Miss Kitty. She was our idol and I wanted to be like her in every way.

From the left is Cathy, me, Lisa, Linda and Beth.

We loved holidays and getting dressed up, usually in matching outfits made from material my mom must have gotten on a big discount. Sorry mom. At least it never looked like the drapes...

Nowadays, it's all about the sprinkles...goodbye patent leather shoes...hello Williams-Sonoma!

And candy melts, in a variety of colors...

And cake balls in the shape of Easter eggs, baby. Yum, yum. Although, I have to tell you, that there are SO many more creative people out there. http://www.bakerella.com/ is the Queen. I totally bow to her. Every Monday morning I go to her site to see what magic she has created. She's on a completely different level.

But I have been busy and doing good stuff. This week it's 11 dozen cake balls in a variety of flavors and lots of colors. Primarily white, yellow, pink and purple. For Easter.

A little different from when I was a kid, but good nonetheless.

Maybe I will break out those white shoes.

Happy Easter!

Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

2010-03-23T18:23:00.008-05:00

Oh, wouldn't it be lovely to have all the time in the world to putter away the hours in the kitchen? You know, no clock, no deadlines, no worries...

It always takes longer to do any project than I think it will.

Case in point....

Sugar cookies. Decorated sugar cookies. 5 dozen of them to be exact.

Oh, that's a breeze, right? This will take no time at all...

It takes a little while to get the creative juices flowing, but it was worth it...

In hindsight the 'frosting' part of the cupcake should have been pink...

and the cupcake paper should have been white. But it's okay. They turned out really cute anyway.

And the client loved them, and that's all that mattered.

Sugar Cookies

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup salted butter, softened

1/4 cup white sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Yield: 3 dozen cookies

preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a medium bowl combine the flour and salt with a wire whisk.

Gather dough into a ball. Flatten the ball into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap or a plastic bag. Refrigerate 1 hour until firm.

On a floured surface, roll out dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. With cookie cutters, cut dough into desired shapes and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Decorate with colored sugars or sprinkles.

Bake for 13-15 minutes, being careful not to brown. Immediately transfer cookies with a spatula to a cool, flat surface.

Royal Icing

3 level tablespoons Meringue Powder

1 lb. sifted pure cane confectioners' sugar

5-6 tablespoons lukewarm water

Make sure all utensils are grease free

Place confectioners' sugar and Meringue Powder in a bowl. Stir or mix at low speed until blended. Add water and mix 7-10 minutes at low-medium speed until icing loses its sheen. To prevent drying, be sure to cover the bowl with a damp cloth while working with icing.

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. To reuse, beat on low to restore original texture.

Easter Treats and Friends

2010-03-20T22:22:00.007-05:00

After a long day in the kitchen I usually feel both drained and energized. Tired after standing for hours on end, and yet energized by creating something new and fun, and realizing that yes, there is a creative piece of me that comes out when left alone with 4 pounds of butter, lots of powdered sugar, and food coloring.

Lately it's Royal Icing that has my attention and I'm feeling more and more confident. The downside being that hours can click by and before you know it, it's 8 pm and you haven't started on dinner.

A client asked me to put together some thank you packages and one of the requirements was iced sugar cookies in bright purple and bright pink. No specific shapes so I turned to the season and created a variety of butterflies and tulips.
I think she'll be pleased with what was delivered to her client, along with cupcakes, cake balls and chocolate chip cookies. Someone better have a good dentist....

This week was also one spent with friends, a few are below. Several of us got together to have dessert and wine and it was a really good night.

I'm really blessed to have the best girlfriends who are all intelligent, fun, supportive and who genuinely care about one another. What would we do without our girlfriends? Thank you to all of my girlfriends who have been there for me through thick and thin. I was sad that CC couldn't be here, but she was with her mom celebrating her 89th birthday.

Earlier in the week I had experimented with the famous cake balls and came up with these in the shape of Easter Eggs.

Another experiment was with a pound cake recipe and I used the small bundt cake pan to practice for another client who will be sending out Easter gifts to her clients. These will definitely be a hit. A mug of steaming coffee alongside a moist, buttery pound cake..what could be better.

I am enjoying my quiet time in the kitchen, although it does make me tired. Mr. Man is stepping up and he did all of the laundry today, even folding and sorting!

Jordan asked for the buttercream recipe I follow - it is from one of my favorite cookbooks, The Best Recipe.

Enjoy!

Buttercream Frosting:

1 stick sweet butter (no salt) - room temp

1 lb. confectioners sugar

1 T. milk

1 T. vanilla

Blend together in a standing mixer using the wire whip attachment. Beat thoroughly. Scoop out evenly and use on cupcakes, cakes, in cake balls, etc. Can be tinted

Will keep in a plastic container, refrigerated, for several weeks.

The Wearing of The Green

2010-03-16T23:07:00.007-05:00

Grandma Mueller with grand-daughters

from Left: Beth, Ginger, Cathy and Linda

Once again, it's March 17th and everyone wants to believe they have at least a wee bit of Irish in them. My grandmother, Gertrude Hennessy Mueller, came from a line of Hennessy's and McGowen's who hailed the mother-land of Ireland, and eventually ended up in St. Louis, MO. I know this because my dad told me, although I don't recall much about my grandmother, other than what I see in old photos of her. She passed away when I was just a small girl and I'm sad that I did not get to know her.

I thank Grandma Mueller for our Irish heritage.

So, here we are and no, I will not be making corned beef and cabbage nor do I enjoy Guinness as do my father and my brother-in-law, Joe, although some of us question Joe's ability to drink that horrid gruel...we think he does it to bond with dad, but nevertheless, they drink it.

No, my celebration of St. Paddy's Day is limited to creations with eggs, butter and powdered sugar, and the recepients of these delights will be the folks Mr. Man works with on a daily basis.

I'm loading him up tomorrow with several goodies....

White cake balls covered with mint and drizzled with bittersweet chocolate:

Mini bundt cakes,

and giant-sized sugar cookies in the shape of Shamrocks. Yes, these are the cookie cutters I drove all over Dallas to find...

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY to all the Irish and all of you who wish you were!

Kitchen Happenings

2010-03-15T17:02:00.002-05:00

Although I haven't posted in more than a week, there has been plenty going on in my kitchen, but most of it is just life, and that's okay.

We are gearing up for the Spring and that means things happen in fits and starts. "Can you bake 150 cake balls and 150 sugar cookies for St. Patrick's Day?" and then the next day I receive an email saying..."Sorry. We are going to buy them at the grocery store." In the meantime I've driven all over kingdom come looking for a large shamrock cookie cutter. No worries, but it does take up time.

Baked a yummy 4-layer white cake with raspberry filling over the weekend for Sara S's birthday which turned out beautifully and during a run on Saturday received an order for 25 small Easter packages so I'm deciding what ideas to put in front of that client. It needs to be something pretty that conjurs up Spring while having a decent shelf life. I'm thinking of making cake balls in the shape of Easter eggs, decorating them with pastels and packaging them in small boxes with pretty ribbon. Or they could be the mini bundts with edible Easter grass and mini jelly beans. That will be decided this week.

Regardless of what is baking, there is always something happening in our kitchen, which is the heart and the center of our home. Mr. Man reads the paper there every morning, he makes his espresso and I have my coffee; we have wine with friends and every person who comes over heads right for the kitchen.

For most of us, the kitchen is the heart. And isn't that how it should be?

We feed our bodies and we feed our souls...in the kitchen.

Mom's Chocolate Cake

2010-03-06T02:55:00.009-06:00

You've asked for it, well, Chef-in-training Jackie has asked for it, and here it is:

Mom's Chocolate Cake.

This recipe was in Food and Wine Magazine in the late '80's, and it has never let me down (with the slight exception of the time it blew up in the oven, but that's a story for another day...)

The original

"Mom's Chocolate Cake"

What is great about this cake is the diversity it provides and the fact that is consistent, has a deep chocolate flavor, is incredibly moist and can be used in a number of ways. Maybe I'm getting more creative, maybe I'm finally coming out of my shell, who knows; but I do know this...it's really good, Mr. Man loves it, and I don't know of another chocolate cake recipe that is better.

I've used it for cake balls..

A bundt...

The 6-inch layer with seedless raspberry jam...

and much more...

Enjoy!

Note from the original publication:

This is a real old-fashioned American chocolate layer cake. It's very moist, very chocolatey, a snap to make and best baked the day before serving. Test Kitchen Associate Marcia Kiesel acquired the recipe from her friend, Joyce Cole, who got it from her mother.

Mom's Chocolate Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Chocolate Frosting (recipe follows)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms with wax paper. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside

2. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat and stir until the sugar dissolves; then pour into a large bowl (or the bowl of your standing mixer). Add the chocolate and butter and let sit, stirring occasionally, until melted and slightly cooled (Without going into too many details, cool for at least 10-15 minutes or disaster will ensue). Stir in vanilla.

3. Beat the eggs into the chocolate mixture at medium speed until combined. Add the dry ingredients all at once and beat at medium speed until smooth (about 2 minutes). Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the top springs back when pressed lightly and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans for about 25 minutes, then invert onto a rack to cool completely.

4. Set on cake right-side up, on a serving planner. Using a metal spatula, spread on-third of the Chocolate Frosting evenly over the cake. Top with the second cake and frost the top and sided with the remaining frosting.

Chocolate Frosting

1 and 1/3 cups heavy cream

1 and 1/2 cups sugar

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1 stick (4 ounces) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the cream and sugar to a boil over moderately high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid reduces slightly, about 6 minutes. Pour the mixture into a medium bowl and add the chocolate, butter, vanilla and salt. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are melted.

2. Set the bowl in a larger bowl of ice water. Using a hand-held electric mixer, beat the frosting on medium speed, scraping the sides occasionally with a rubber spatula, until thick and glossy, about 5 minutes. Use at once.

Make certain you beat this long enough - the color will change from really dark chocolate and shiny to a lighter chocolate. It will be thick and be careful not to allow any water into the bowl. It is worth the trouble.

Multi-tasking

2010-03-04T12:37:00.004-06:00

Lately I've realized that in my attempt to multi-task, trying to be oh so efficient, I'm actually making more mistakes.

Like dialing the phone, forgetting who I'm calling, and then leaving a voice mail message and using the wrong name for the recipient! Who does that? Only the people who are attempting to email, make phone calls and think about what they are going to do next, that's who.

So I'm in the kitchen last night, watching my favorite show, American Idol, and getting ready to bake some cupcakes for a customer, using a tried and true white cake recipe that I've done so many times the cookbook is not even necessary.

First mistake.

I'm mixing the butter in with the flour mixture and it's looking a little strange, but I thought, well, maybe the butter got too soft, but no big deal, right? Next comes the milk, egg whites, flavorings and things are looking a little better, but you know, something just isn't quite right.

The mixture goes into the cupcake liners fine, but it's looking like the butter didn't quite meld into everything exactly right - it's looking a little lumpy like it hasn't in the past.

So, what does a good baker do? You taste it, right?

Well, if I was making biscuits it would have been great, but when one is baking cupcakes sugar is what would be categorized as 'necessary'.

YIKES!

Oh my gosh...I wonder if I can scrape this mixture out of the papers, throw it all back into the mixer and then use this?

No.

I went ahead and baked them anyway, they were disgusting.

So here's my tip of the day: Don't watch your favorite show while baking for customers and

read the recipe before starting, every time.

Lend a Helping Hand

2010-03-02T22:15:00.008-06:00

Weeks ago I had been asked to provide dessert for a Wheelchair Foundation event that took place on Saturday night. Originally, I had thought there would be 60 people and the number grew to 100+ people who would be attending. If I had really thought about what I was agreeing to, it would have intimidated me like crazy because in North Dallas, and in all of Dallas for that matter, desserts, cupcakes, cake balls, etc., are discussed and written about in our local newspaper almost as much as wine.

What in the world did I get myself into, and for 100+ people...I have got to be out of my mind.

So on Friday, when I really should have been doing that "other" job that makes me the real money, I was in the kitchen racking my brain about what to do.

Thank goodness I had taken that side trip to Sur La Table the day before and purchased a mini bundt cake pan and the additional tart pans. I donned my chef coat, pulled out the flour and got to work.

First thing I did was prepare a mouth-watering lemon curd from my Williams-Sonoma Pie and Tart cookbook. That went into the fridge and then I started on the tart shells.
I had some of the lemon curd left over and have enjoyed one myself and also shared with CC. She gave it a thumbs up perfect 10 (she's missing the Olympics). Perfection. Then, feeling as if the tart needed some beneficial fruit, I added blueberries.

Nice.. and can't we all use more anti-oxidants in our diet?

Next up were the mini chocolate bundt cakes.

So pretty. They needed a little umph and I really did not have the time nor the desire to make a chocolate mousse, but if Chef K were here she would have been able to whip it up in nothing flat. I made due with dollops of melted white and bittersweet chocolate. I think they turned out okay. I like that it's just enough for one and the cupcake papers give them an elegant touch.

Next up...cake balls. These are white cake with almond flavored butter cream frosting, dipped in white chocolate with a bit of bittersweet chocolate on top.

The cake balls below are yellow cake with orange butter cream frosting, dipped in milk chocolate and decorated with red candy coating.

Next up, red velvet cake and cream cheese frosting dipped in milk chocolate and decorated with bittersweet chocolate.

Things started humming in the kitchen and on Saturday morning Mr. Man helped me load up the Tahoe with the following:

2 dozen coconut macaroons dipped in chocolate

1 dozen chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

1 dozen vanilla cupcakes with butter cream frosting

1 dozen mini chocolate bundt cakes

6 dozen cake balls in a variety of flavors

8 lemon tarts

On Sunday I received a call letting me know that the event was a smashing success and they raised over $10k for the Wheelchair Foundation! It feels so good to be a part of something that helps people live better lives. The money raised will be used to purchase and deliver wheelchairs all over the world to those who do not have the means to obtain a wheelchair for themselves.

If you are interested in donating to this very worthy cause, please visit http://wheelchairfoundation.org.

Oops...I did it again

2010-02-25T17:59:00.008-06:00

For the past couple of days I've been thinking about what to make for the Wheelchair charity event on Saturday night. I'm bringing decorated cake balls, but really, I'm so done with cake balls. So I thought, okay, how about cake balls and some tarts - I could make little tarts filled with lemon curd (naturally, home-made), so I have 4 little tart pans and 4 medium-small tart pans, which just isn't enough. I needed more so I could bake more shells at one time. After a few appointments this morning it was off to one of my favorite stores, Sur La Table, the Plano location.

I walked in and just stood there for a moment, taking in the sights. It's just beautiful. Everything you could imagine all on shelves, just waiting for you to pick them up and put them in your basket. I actually got all goosebumpy just standing there.

This darling little cake pan just jumped into my arms....I mean, really, how can you resist?

This is going to be perfect! I can bake my scrumptious chocolate cake recipe and then decorate the cakes with a little dollop of chocolate mouse or lemon curd, something yummy and totally unexpected. Plus, the ladies in North Dallas don't want alot of dessert, do they? These darling little cakes will be just tempting enough and yet look beautiful.

Next I picked up 8 of these tart pans. Once home I quickly realized that they are just a smidge smaller than the ones my friend Chef Kay gave me, but no worries, I'll use them anyway. Enough with making 4 tart shells at a time - now I can do an even dozen and get things done much quicker.

Then...I fell into a tailspin. Look at what I picked up:

I couldn't help myself! They practically chased me through the store yelling my name. Aren't they just lovely? What do you think? Cookies in the shape of Easter eggs? Or bunnies? Maybe chicks. This may require another trip to Sur La Table but for now... Heaven...I'm in Heaven....

Don't you just love cooking stores?

Back In The Kitchen

2010-02-24T10:14:00.003-06:00

After driving 2,500 miles in the past 9 days, I was so happy to come home to Mr. Man and my gorgeous kitchen. Right now I am working to the yummy smells of white cake cooling on the rack and will be baking a strawberry cake later this morning in preparation of a fund-raiser on Saturday night.

Miss Ginger's Kitchen is providing dessert for a Wine for Wheels event that supports the Wheelchair Foundation http://www.wheelchairfoundation.org/ and we are baking cake balls, brownie bites and I don't know what else for this event on Saturday night. At least I can do these in the evening while watching my favorite show, American Idol.

As I settle back in to both of my jobs after being gone, I must say that it was wonderful to visit clients, see my parents, two of my sisters and my daughter, son-in-law and grandson, but it is really, really good to be home with my wonderful husband.

Chocolate Frosting

2010-02-10T22:34:00.016-06:00

Yesterday I baked chocolate cupcakes and had them cooling their heels in a Martha Stewart cupcake holder; now it was time to make frosting and here's a great recipe from the Williams-Sonoma Cake cookbook which can be whipped up in minutes.

Here we go:
Start with 6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted (I did it using a double boiler, that way I knew it wouldn't burn).

After it melts, allow the chocolate to come to room temp. Keep an eye on it - you want it to still be melted, just not hot.

Meanwhile, it's time to get the 1 cup of butter to room temp. Julia Child always beat the butter with a rolling pin to soften it and I've followed her advice for years. It's the best way to keep the butter from getting all runny and you can take out your laundry frustrations on the butter instead of on your husband.

Be careful not to beat it so badly that you tear the wrapping around the butter - just long enough to let it know who's boss.

Put the two sticks of butter into the standing mixer and commence with the beating. The recipe says to use the paddle attachment but I'm a rebel.

Measure out the confectioners' sugar (aka powered sugar). 7 oz to be exact.

Add the powered sugar to the well beaten butter and let 'er rip. You want to make sure they are fully incorporated.

Once that is taken care of, slowly add the melted chocolate and continue beating till light, fluffy and fully mixed.

And I actually wonder why I can't get rid of this muffin-top. Come on...I had to try it...

Beautiful.

I've been accused of being skimpy with the frosting

Not this time. I got out my ice cream scooper and put a generous dollop on top of each cupcake. Then it was time to decorate them for the holiday.

This recipe was plenty for the 24 cupcakes I baked.

There....perfect for Valentine's Day.

I'll use this same frosting recipe for a chocolate cake I'm baking Saturday.

Enjoy!

Bless you Martha Stewart

2010-02-09T21:22:00.008-06:00

Tonight I started baking for the big Valentine's Day sugar-shock event that will take place all week. I mean really, what other holiday gives us permission to shower our loved ones with chocolate, buttercream, sprinkles and oooey, gooey sweetness like Valentine's Day...you are hard pressed to think of one, aren't you?

I pulled out my very best chocolate cake recipe from an old Food and Wine magazine I was smart enough to save and this is, by far, the best chocolate cake recipe ever. I baked 24 delicious chocolate cupcakes and had those babies cooling on the rack well before Mr. Man came home from the office.

Tomorrow I will decorate them with frosting made from bittersweet chocolate, butter and confectioner's sugar, but in the meantime I needed to store them. Enter Ms. Stewart.

Right after Christmas, Mr. Man and I were at Macy's where I gravitated toward the home goods department and found this incredible cupcake carrying case crafted by the one and only Domestic Goddess, Ms. Stewart. It is amazing.

Look how nicely 24 cupcakes fit into the two layered plastic device, complete with built in handle. I get all goosebumpy thinking of it.

No more sides of cupcakes smashing into one another, no more cupcakes falling over as we round a turn....no, my cupcakes will remain upright during transportation and they will arrive at their destination whole and complete. I am a happy woman!

Isn't that just lovely?

Last week my friend Chef K and I catered a dinner and we took with us 10 chocolate raspberry tarts. I was all nervous at the thought of those little delights shifting back and forth in a box, their delicate pastry shells smashing into one another as we dodged the Dallas traffic in route to our final destination. I was saved by Ms. Stewart's cupcake carrier! My tarts were not going to suffer during the journey...I just opened the case, flipped over the insert and voilia! A smooth side to the case that held the tarts perfectly.

What a relief.

Yes; we may all feel more than a little inept when measuring ourselves against the Goddess Stewart, but deep down we all have a litle Martha in us. She's there, possibly hidden at times, but there, nonetheless.

To you, Martha...thank you for encouraging me to be the best I can be and to take risks and bake fearlessly!

I raise a cupcake in your name!!

Diamonds Are a Girls Best Friend...

2010-02-06T06:01:00.004-06:00

But of course they are...well, CC is my BFF, but I do love jewelry and especially love jewelry that sparkles and shines and is displayed in pretty glass cases and shown by especially nice people, don't you?

In our little community we are fortunate to have a specialty jewelry store, The Diamond Jewelry Company, that happens to be owned by the nicest people, Royce and Suzanne. http://www.thediamondjewelryco.com

Years ago I treated myself to a gift of gorgeous diamond stud earrings and I purchased them here - that is when I began to fall in love with shiny things and every once in a while I would stop by to get them cleaned and just to look at everything.My friend, Kathy, used to work there so naturally, I would pop on over and try on this, look at that and just enjoy myself. Later on, before Mr. Man popped the big question, I would take my earrings over for a cleaning and just happen to ease on over to the "other" side of the display case where, oooohhhh, look at that...what are those engagement rings doing over here? Now, I just wonder how would that look on my short-stubby-spent-too-much-time-in-dishwater-hands? Ummm...diamonds just make everything better, don't they?

The Consultants, Kathy, Royce and Suzanne, were always so agreeable and let me try on whatever I wanted, never pushing me and just being so nice. I spent a lot of time and a good chunk of my children's inheritance there.

Kathy is now with Homeland Security, protecting our country, but here's a picture of Royce and Suzanne.

And yes, they are as nice as they look in that picture.

So, a couple of weeks ago I ran on over to get my wedding ring cleaned and while that baby was being steamed had a nice chat with Royce and Suzanne and asked if they would consider donating a piece of jewelry for a Silent Auction/Fundraising Dinner that will be held in May, for the God Cares School in Uganda. Naturally, being the super-nice people they are, and probably knowing they would never get rid of me if they didn't comply, they agreed. During the course of the conversation they shared with me that they had purchased the store from the previous owners and their Grand Opening was going to be held on February 4th.

What a great opportunity for me to do something nice for the people who are always so nice to me. So on Wednesday I baked up a bunch of yummy cookies and took a big tray over so they could serve them with wine and champagne at their Grand Opening.

If you find yourself in need of a little pick-me-up, because yes, it does help, stop by The Diamond Jewelry Company and ask to try on a few things. You will fall in love and sometimes a piece of jewelry is just what the doctor ordered.

Congratulations Royce and Suzanne! I wish you many years of success as you serve our community and make many women very happy.

The Diamond Jewelry Company, 820 S. MacArthur Blvd, Suite 155, Coppell, Texas 972.956.9111 You can also find them on the web at: http://www.thediamondjewelryco.com

Do not be afraid...

2010-02-01T19:20:00.005-06:00

It's only fiber...

My BFF has been pushing me to add more fiber to my carb-heavy diet, and I know she is right.
However, when a newly minted Vegan starts making suggestions about my menu, naturally, I'm more than a little skeptical.

So, in an effort to get her off my back and to eat the beans that I know are so good for me, I pushed aside all of my baking cookbooks and dusted off this delicious recipe that I first made years ago when my kids were still living at home. They loved it and we ate tortilla chips with it. Yes, chips = carbs. But we were eating beans with the chips so it balances itself out. Doesn't it?

Here it is, Fiesta Bean Salad, isn't it pretty and colorful?

I made this for Mr. Man a few weeks ago and his face just lit up. He likes it because there are jalapenos in it, one of his favorite veggies.

Everything can be found at the grocery store, any time of year, so if you are like me and love to bake but know you have to counteract all of the sweets with something that at least makes you feel as if you are being nice to your body, this is the side dish for you.

Get out the your cutting board and your sharpest knife.

Fiesta Bean Salad

Servings: makes 12

Preparation time: about 10 minutes

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

(about 2 limes)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt

ground pepper

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained (yes, make sure you do this or it's ishy)

2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded and diced

1 and1/2 cups cooked corn kernels (I just use 1 can)

1 cup chopped red onion

1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

1.) In large bowl, whisk together oil and lime juice; add cilantro, cumin and salt and pepper to taste, mixing well. Stir in beans, bell pepper, corn, onion and jalapeno pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning.

2.) To serve, garnish with cilantro sprigs.

Serve at room temperature.

Note: Be sure to wash hands after handling jalapeno peppers. the pepper's volatile oils can burn skin or eyes

per serving: About 145 calories, 6 g. pro, 21 g car, 5 g fat, 29% cal from fat, 0 mg chol, 37 mg sod.

More than likely this will be the one and only time I post any type of calorie information. This should be all about baking, but, I do need that BFF to know that I am trying to be better.

This one's for you, CC.

Italian Cream Cake

2010-01-24T18:21:00.013-06:00

Last week a girlfriend called to order an Italian Cream Cake for her daughter's birthday; only thing different with this order was that this young girl loves to bake and she wanted to participate. I figured 'why not...she can also do the dishes, right?"

Saturday morning arrived and at 11 AM Erin showed up ready to work. We put on aprons and got busy. The recipe we used was one my mom recommended, so we started by getting everything together.

After mixing together all of the fresh ingredients we whipped the egg whites into a frenzy and gently folded them into the batter.

After turning the batter out into two 9-inch pans, we popped them into the oven for 30 minutes till done.

We finally got Erin's mom to leave and while the cakes cooked, it was time for some girl talk. I was so surprised to find out that this darling, smart, intelligent and fun young girl loved so many of the same things that I loved as a young girl: musicals, classical music, reading and baking. Maybe deep down, all bakers are the same. Erin can divide an egg quick as can be without breaking the yolk and she's very comfortable in the kitchen. Maryanne and Dan, you have raised a lovely young girl and I'm sure you are so proud.

Back to the cake...

While the cakes were baking, we mixed up the cream cheese frosting and with 4 layers we didn't want to run out, so we doubled the recipe. By this time the scent of coconut was throughout the house and we really wanted to taste this cake.

One of these days I'll be able to cut the cakes evenly. No worries....icing can repair any errors.

We heaped the icing between all layers and then applied a crumb layer, letting the cake cool in the fridge so the icing could set. After 15 minutes we removed the cake from the fridge and then finished it with a nice, thick layer of icing topped with coconut and chopped pecans.

Happy 15th Birthday, Erin! I was my pleasure to bake this special birthday cake with you.

The Birthday Girl

ITALIAN CREAM CAKE

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Set aside.

Ingredients:

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup Crisco

1 stick sweet cream butter, room temperature

5 eggs, divided - room temperature

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup chopped pecans - extra for decorating

2 cups sweetened flaked coconut - extra for decorating

Cream together the sugar, Crisco and butter. Then add the egg yolks.

Blend well, scraping down the sides as needed.

Add the vanilla, stir well.

Blend in the buttermilk, stiring well into incorporated.

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour and baking soda. Add to the mixture about 1/2 cup at a time. Mix well and scrape down the sides as needed. Add the coconut and the pecans.

Beat the egg whites until they form medium peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the cake batter and then divide the batter evenly into the two cake pans.

Bake cake for 30 - 35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted comes out clean.

Once done, remove cakes from oven and let the cake rest in the pans for 15 minutes and then turn out onto cooling racks. Cool thoroughly.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese (not the fat free kind); room temp.

1 stick butter

1 pound powdered sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix together until smooth.

Frost the cake and then top with more coconut and chopped pecans. Enjoy!

Special Men

2010-01-21T16:37:00.001-06:00

I don't know about you, but I have several special men in my life who have always been there for me and taken care of me in ways I can't take care of myself. Naturally, I think of the man I've known and loved the longest, my Dad, Mr. Superman. The guy can do anything and I mean anything.

Then there is the guy I've also known and loved for many years, 24 to be exact. My wonderful son, Steve. Of course I'll do just about anything for him.

And last, but certainly not at all the least, is my dear husband, aka Mr. Man, who, like my Dad can do just about anything that needs to be done around the house. Where my dad is the best at carpentry and showcasing his Master Carpenter skills via gorgeous furniture, Mr. Man will actually tackle plumbing and electricity jobs, although, thank God, not at the same time.

Above and beyone these special guys in my life are my two sons-in-law whom I love dearly and the grandsons, who, well...if you have to ask what they mean to me you just don't know where my heart is.

But then there are those "other" guys; the ones who have seen me through many ups and downs and who have kept me and my business 'in line' for over 15 years. At the top of the heap is my wonderful CPA, who keeps me on track and out of trouble with Uncle Sam.

Last week he requested my December paperwork, and along with those financial details he also requested a Coconut Cake. The man has good taste. Coconut is my absolute favorite and of course I complied with his request. Since I've been wanting to bake a coconut cake, but had yet to do so, I first turned to the Internet and Googled "coconut cake." Ina Garten's recipe popped up straight away and it was decided right then that hers would be the recipe I would follow.

Out of the oven the 9 in. cakes came, filling the house with the mouth-watering aroma of coconut and oh so much butter. What could be better?

After the cakes cooled it was time to top them with cream cheese frosting and 10 ounces of sweet coconut. That Ina..she doesn't scrimp on the butter, even in the frosting! Two sticks of butter to a pound of cream cheese! Yikes. Don't think I'll be taking this baby to the cardiologist.

I got a little excited and poured about 4 ounces of the coconut into the frosting before I realized that I wasn't supposed to do that...oops! That just means I would have to use more coconut on top to finish off the cake.

Thank goodness I could still spread the icing even with the coconut mixed in. Doesn't that look yummy?

Here we go. Maybe I'll make one of these for that Dad of mine. If anyone deserves a big slice of whatever kind of cake he likes best, it's my Pop.

The feedback from my wonderful CPA was all good - Enjoy!!

Coconut Cake

Ingredients

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pans
2 cups sugar
5 extra-large eggs, at room temp.
1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pans
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup milk
4 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

For the Frosting:

1 pound cream cheese, at room temp
1/2 pound (2 sticks ) unsalted butter, at room temp
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
6 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Great 2 (9-inch) round cake pans, thenline them with parchment paper. Grease them again and dust lightly with four.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 - 5 minutes, until light yellow and fluffy. Crack the eggs into a small bowl. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl once during mixing. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well. The mixture might look curdled; don't be concerned.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda dn salt. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter in 3 parts, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Fold in the 4 ounces of coconut with a rubber spatula.

Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans and smooth the top with a knife. Bake in the center of the oven for 45 - 55 minutes, until the tops are browned and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a baking rack for 30 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a baking rack to finish cooling.

For the frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted wtih a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and almond extract on low speed. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until just smooth (don't whip!)

To assemble, place 1 layer on a flat serving plate, top side down, and spread with frosting. Place the second layer on top, top side up, and frost the top and sides. To decorate the cake, sprinkle the top wiht coconut and lightly press more coconut onto the sides. Serve at room temperature.

Guilty Pleasures

2010-01-17T18:12:00.000-06:00

What are the things that you just can't pass up, no matter how much you try? We all have them, those little guilty pleasures.

You leave the house, telling yourself that no matter what, you are not spending a dime. I mean nothing, no matter what. You get in the car, pull out of the driveway with the very best of intentions about not bringing anything home.

Is it purses? Shoes? Maybe it's jewelry?

For me, it's sprinkles. I love sprinkles. All shapes, all sizes. I see them lined up on the shelves, all bright and shiny and they come in so many shapes and sizes; I just can't resist. Somehow, they find themselves in my hands and next thing you know I'm heading home, giddy with delight.

Especially these shiny, round beautiful little dragees, just like little pearls.

Aren't they beautiful. I do worry that they could take out a tooth or two, but that doesn't stop me from bringing these gorgeous little darlings home.

This past Fall I saw these precious little leaves and just had to have them,

And then I ordered the exact same type, only larger, and perfect for the top of cake balls and petit fours.

These little Gingerbread guys....aren't they cute? I mean how in the world do you resist?

They are just waiting in the container and so very hopeful they will soon top chocolate cupcakes or be sprinkled all over fluffy icing on top of a cake.

And now my favorite baking holiday, Valentine's Day. I just love these little hearts and have them in all sizes.

Whenever I go to Cake Carasoul, Michael's, Hobby Lobby or JoAnne Fabrics, I quickly head to the baking section, take a look to see what new Sprinkles have arrived, all the while telling myself that no, you are not going to buy anything, you have more than enough at home. Just stop, back away from the shelf, and walk away.

But it just doesn't work. The Sprinkles win, every time.

Now I have an entire drawer just for sprinkles of all shapes, sizes and colors.

Aren't they beautiful?

You ought to see my collection of cupcake liners.

Secret Lives

2010-01-12T23:38:00.000-06:00

I wonder if most people have a secret life outside of work that is completely different from what they show to people between 9 and 5 everyday? You know...what does the woman behind the USPS counter do at the end of the day? Is she on a bowling league? Maybe taking tap dancing classes? Or, is she learning Russian in order to be a Secret Agent for the CIA?

For so long my passion has been baking and many of my friends are fully aware of that. A handful of my clients-turned- friends are the happy recipients of the occasional box of Christmas cookies, but the majority of the people I come in contact with have no idea that I am a cookbook and baking junkie. Yes. If there were a 12-step program for bakers I would be a life-long member. Hi, my name is Ginger, I own 45 cookbooks and I am a baker.

The challenge for me is how to balance the baking 'thing' with my regular job and whether or not to even let my clients know that sometimes, during 'business' hours, I do something other than recruiting. Would they take me seriously if they knew I was up to my elbows in a 25 lb. sack of flour, scooping cupfuls to fill the plastic bin? I don't know if they would be so understanding. So here I am, every day, trying to balance baking and recruiting. All I can say is thank you God for giving people the technology to create cordless phones and headsets. The loud beeping of the oven timer sometimes throws the folks I'm on the phone with, but I think it's kindof endearing when they find out I have a cake in the oven. At least that is what I am telling myself.

Today, while working in my office, doing what I do, I found my mind wandering into the kitchen and the next thing I knew I was dipping frozen cake balls into melted chocolate and topping them with a mixture of pink, red and white dots and some with giant sized heart-shaped quins in anticipation of a meeting tonight. For me, there is no greater joy than creating something completely yummy out of butter, eggs, flour and mounds of chocolate. It is such a beautiful thing. Then, to bring them to the meeting and watch the faces when they take that first bite. The slow turn of the head, the meeting of the eyes and then, the lips mouthing the words..."did you make this?" YES! Joy courses through my being and I know, right then, that I have done a good thing.

I do have an ulterior motive. It's easier to make everyone else fat than it is for me to lose these last 10 lbs. I'm hopeful the strategy will work.

Welcome to Miss Gingers Kitchen

2010-01-11T11:29:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Miss Ginger's Kitchen!

My little baking company is slowing gathering steam and this is a wonderful place for me to share my love of baking with the rest of the world and other bakers.

This past weekend was all about Valentine's Day and to me that can only mean one thing....CHOCOLATE and lots of it. I gathered all of my favorite chocolate, and one non-chocolate, recipes and created a baking feast for the senses. My good friend Mel, and his lovely wife came by to shoot pictures of everything that was created over the past two days. More photos to come but for now this is what we have.

So welcome to my site, enjoy and I hope to see you again soon!

Miss Ginger