And Den? NO AND DEN!!!

So, it took me three tries to get logged into my blog account. I guess it's been awhile...If you're reading this, congratulations on holding out for THE AWESOME.

As usual, a lot has happened since my last post. Rather than continuing to avoid posting because I'm so overwhelmed by how much has gone on, I'm going to focus on the most recent events.

I graduated from pastry school! My last day of school was in August, but I still miss it every day. For my final showpiece project, I created an edible version of Starry Starry Night by Van Gogh - I think it turned out well.

After that, I had to take a performance test. I had two days, a total of 8 hours to make a 4-layer poured ganache genoise cake with chocolate filagree, 12 croissant, 6 plated mousse desserts with a sauce, garnish and tuille decoration, and 6 creme brulee. It was a lot of work, but amazing in the end. I decided to do a picnic theme, complete with sunflowers, red and white tablecloth, butterfly decorations and black plastic ant accents!

After a short but fun stint, the bakery closed down. There were several reasons things didn't work out, which I won't bore you with here. You just need to know that it was very sad for all of us who helped create such a wonderful space. The owners are going to keep the space for wholesale business, but have closed the retail side down due to limited retail business.

In the mean time...I found another job! I am now working at The Essential Baking Company, in the dessert production department. It is a great job, and I love everyone that I work with...jury is still out on whether this is the right place for me, long term. It's definitely a production focused job - great job security, and plenty of hours, but I'm still figuring out if the large scale stuff is really my cup of tea. Perhaps after the holidays when things are back to normal I can make a balanced judgment.

Nick and I celebrated our 5 year dating anniversary in August! Dare I say we are still as happy as the day we met??? Perhaps even MORE SO????? As usual, our Halloween costumes will be talked about for years to come. I'm still not sure how we come up with such great ideas at the last minute!

Nick is in the midst of his last year of law school at UW, and the most supportive of boyfriends when I come home ready to DIE after a 12 hour day on my feet. I've learned that he is amazing at hand massages, and really handy with a bottle of wine and an empty glass.

This week, during the busiest week of the busiest time of the baking year, Seattle got hit with a giant snow storm! I think most areas got 4 inches at most, YET it was pure insanity. Make fun all you want, but we have crazy crazy hills in Seattle, so driving is disastrous, no matter how well prepared drivers and the city may be. Sunday morning it started snowing, but didn't amount to much. Monday morning I awoke to an inch or so on the ground, but figured the work commute wouldn't be too much of an issue. I was an hour late to work due to bus schedules, but that was NOTHING compared to the commute home! Traffic was a total nightmare once the snow really started coming down...took me 4.5 hours to get home! First, the buses weren't running by my work, so I wound up WALKING about 3 miles to get into downtown Seattle, where I could catch a bus home....Finally got downtown, walking against the wind with ice pellets hitting me the entire time..brutal! So glad Nick talked me into wearing thermals under my clothing that morning, especially after I found out that the windchill brought the temp down to 9 degrees!

I managed to get a bus home, but I5 was totally gridlocked - My bus alternated between total standstill, and going about 2 mph. At one point we passed two vehicles sitting in the middle of the freeway, one giving the other a jump, because their battery had died in traffic! Then, one of the guys on the bus asked if he could step off to go to the bathroom, since we weren't moving anyway. Unfortunately the driver couldn't let him off because we were on the freeway, but the poor guy was so desperate. Someone on the bus offered him a water bottle to pee into! The driver made an announcement, and his very understanding and amused travel companions moved away from the back of the bus so that he could have some privacy.

The driver finally decided to detour and took an early exit....where we got stuck behind a stalled car. The bus driver got out and helped push the car out of the way. As she was walking back to the bus, two cars cut in front of us, and they proceeded to also stall! Oy!!! We FINALLY got out of that mess, and were making pretty good speed down the road, when the bus got stuck on a bit of an incline....we all packed on the back of the bus to try to weigh down the back wheels to help with traction, which seemed to be helping, but then the chains broke! I was a few miles from home at this point, and Nick came and saved me (he's currently driving an all wheel drive vehicle, thank goodness!)

Once home and warm, Nick made me a chili dog, and poured me a glass of wine! Such a pleasant way to end that commute!

And now? Now we prepare for Thanksgiving! Nick's parents are doing most of the cooking, but I am in charge of a dessert item, and Nick is in charge of a side. I wanted to make a less traditional dessert, so I'll be going with a chocolate peanut butter cream pie, and Nick wanted to do a slightly less heavy side, so orzo salad it is!

What are you thankful for this year? I'm thankful for the off-route bus driver who took pity on my cold, nearly lifeless body after work, and also for Nick's skills at making BLTs. Mmmmmm.

An Update on What I've Been Doing

The bakery is open! Our soft open was today, and it was quite the success! I had school during the early afternoon, so I wasn't at the bakery to help out until 2pm, but from the sounds of things, we had several rushes and put out a lot of product!

There are **3** articles that have already been published - we're a hit!

The West Seattle Herald

Cakespy!!!

The West Seattle Blog

If you're in the Seattle area and in the mood for a treat, please stop by and check out the amazing space!

Hours of Operation:
Wed-Sat 7a-7p
Sun 7a-3p

Address:
2604 California Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98116

An Amusing Story, and then Part II of my Age Trilogy

Nick and I took a trip to San Diego to visit his grandmother for Christmas this year. Nick's mom was kind enough to purchase our tickets, knowing we were poor students with some time to kill.

While we were there I had the opportunity to meet some of Nick's mom's highschool friends. One friend in particular she was really excited to see, as it had been many many years since their last reunion. I asked her to describe her friend. She reflected for a moment and said, "She is like the finest leather handbag."

I realized quickly after meeting this person, that she couldn't have been described better on more than one level. She the type of person that you appreciate and never want to part with. She also happens to have the skin of a fine leather handbag. Years of salt water and sun from surfing on the most beautiful beaches have left her looking about 20 years older than Nick's mom.

Segue to ME.

I'm turning 30 in just under 2 months! July 24, to be exact. I have needs! Age related needs, if you will. I have recently come to the realization that everything I desire for my birthday is directly related to skin care. I blame it on my girlfriend who is an Aesthetician. (I need a new camera lens too, but let's FOCUS**, People!)

1. Skin Ceuticals Gentle Cleanser
2. Phytomer Rosee Visage Toner
3. Phytomer Purifying Serum
4. Phytomer Instant Moisture Cream
5. Skin Ceuticals Daily Sun Defense
6. MD Forte Hydra Mask
7. Skin Ceuticals Eye Renewal Gel

So, there it is. You know what to do. I left links out because I don't know the cheapest place to find these products - I trust your Google skills.

**Pun TOTALLY unintentional...didn't even realize it was there until I went back to re-read my post!

Advanced Deco: Fancy Cakes Edition

Apparently I am on a flower kick, because I just can't get enough of these:

This cake has imprinted fondant sides and is covered with white poured ganache. Decorated with marzipan roses.

Triple chocolate ganache cake decorated with modeling chocolate roses.

This is a flower arrangement I made for my theory class. Gumpaste flowers, a rye dough basket and modeling chocolate "tissue paper" and bow.

A close-up of my flowers.

What I've Been Doing

So, it's been a little crazy. Crazy *exciting*, that is! I have a job! At a real live bakery! Well, almost. First the bakery has to open. That's right, I'm helping open a bakery!

I count my lucky stars that I stayed in touch with someone who graduated from my program last summer. She and I have become good friends since, and I was the first person she thought of when she and her boss decided to expand from selling pretzels at farmers' markets to opening a retail space.

Queue: Heavenly Pastry and Cake

It has been a fun process, and more work than I ever could have imagined. We took over an old newspaper office, so much needed to be done to fit into the owner's vision. Walls were taken down, new walls put in, plumbing installed, painting, drywall...you name it! We're done with all the painting, and currently the space is being taken over by contractors of every kind imaginable. Once all the "dusty" work is done we can get to work finishing the tables and chairs!

Open date is slated for May 15th - confirmation and more info to come!

Staying Home To Make Pancakes > Going To School

Yet another recipe, courtesy of Orangette:

Oatmeal Pancakes

Adapted from the Inn at Fordhook Farm

2 cups rolled oats
2 cups buttermilk
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. table salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted but not hot
Vegetable oil or spray, for greasing the pan
Maple syrup, for serving

The night before: Combine the oats and buttermilk in a medium bowl. Stir to mix. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

The morning of: Take the bowl of buttermilk and oats out of the fridge. Set aside. In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Add the eggs and melted butter to the oat mixture, and stir well. Add the flour mixture, and stir to blend. The batter will be very thick.

Warm a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-high heat, and brush (or spray) with vegetable oil. Scoop the batter, about a scant ¼ cup at a time, onto the pan, taking care not to crowd them. When the underside is nicely browned and the top looks set around the edges, flip the pancakes. Cook until the second side has browned. Re-grease the skillet, and repeat with more batter. If you find that the pancakes are browning too quickly, dial the heat back to medium.

Serve hot, with maple syrup.

Yield: about 12 pancakes, or 3 to 4 servings

In Loving Memory

Daniel Janzer - 10/4/1950 - 3/25/2010. A great friend and step-father who had a true sense of adventure.

Valentine's Day

Chance meeting: over moving boxes and a crock pot.

1st Date: "sometime in August", 2005 - a party at Golden Gardens park with a late night/early morning breakfast at Minnie's Cafe. Conversation included, "I'll get this, and you can pay next time.".

Dating: 4.5 years.

A Delicious Day Off

Thanks to my mom's post about stuffed french toast, Nick and I simply couldn't go on without making some of our own. Since I didn't have any cream cheese on hand, I went with the un-stuffed variety, but next time around I'll make sure I have the cream cheese!

A few points:

My mom followed the recipe over at The Flour Alchemist, which calls for blending vanilla extract in with the cream cheese. If you're using cherry topping like my mom did, I would definitely recommend using almond extract instead of vanilla - cherry and almond go beautifully together! Also, I would probably blend some of the strained cherries into the filling, then just use the juice as a syrup on top - I love a chunky filling!

Now, for my un-stuffed version, I decided to use a topping that I learned at school, homemade moreno cherries. The most amazing thing you've ever tasted - it will change your life, I promise.

Moreno Cherries

3 cups frozen cherries
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon almond extract

Put all ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer on low, stirring occasionally, until sugar has dissolved and sauce is thickened.

I served this on top of my french toast, but it would also be excellent on ice cream or cheese cake. It also saves really well in the refrigerator.

New Favorite Site!

Via Jewshi:

"I could almost cry brothy tears just thinking about that fact that the majority of Americans think ramen is nothing more than a 10 cent packet of culinary desperation, eaten primarily and shamefully by college students who'd rather spend their parent-supplied grocery money on cases of Keystone Ice."

My List

In no particular order:

1. Try out at least one new recipe each week - I have a collection of bookmarked recipes in new cookbooks, as well as an entire file of printouts and emails saved with recipes that I have yet to try!

2. Lose 40 pounds by my birthday.

3. Keep the weight off for the rest of the year.

4. Maintain a company-ready level of clean at home.

5. Expand my daily clothing choices to more than jeans and tshirts.

6. More yoga, less sitting. More rice, less pasta. More healthy beverages, less booze.

7. Send out more timely thank-you notes.

Share your list in the comments!

Today's Lovely Thing

If you do nothing else today, watch this video!

In the words of Dooce, This is not the official video, but something someone made in his spare time out of the love of what he does. I don't know much about this guy, his name is Gabe Askew, but I hope whoever employs him pays him a lot of money.

Two Weeks - Grizzly Bear from Gabe Askew

How unbelievable and beautiful is that?

Awwww Yeah!

I'm on summer break! Even though my program goes for the full year, there's a 5 week break between summer and fall quarters. I'm on day 2 and have already had to remind myself what day it is. Probably a good sign of my stress level.

My sister Michelle came up for the weekend for a cake tasting! She is getting married next weekend and is brave enough to let me tackle the cake. She came up with her fiance and they loved everything, but somehow managed to limit themselves to 3 flavors. We're going with almond cake with lemon curd filling, vanilla cake with strawberry buttercream filling, and german chocolate with coconut pecan filling. Sounds delightful, no?

After they left to go back home to Portland this afternoon, I checked the mail and was happy to see an item I have been waiting for...a letter from the financial aid department at school! Opened it and I am just OVER THE MOON! They are giving me enough in grant money to fully cover tuition for the next 3 quarters!

Things are good!

Wishing the buttercream roses trend would come back to the cake world

The best of school this week.....Roses and multi-colored pearls were all hand-painted!

Cake Party!!

Had to share pictures of the totally adorable cakes that I made this week. They totaled about 2 inches tall - SO CUTE. Of course, the small size made the decorating especially tedious - but the results made it totally worthwhile.

If It's Too Hot in The Kitchen....

I recently celebrated my 29th birthday! My friend Zak offered to host a party at his house so that I could invite more people to celebrate. I had a summer dress-up cocktail and Hors D'Oeuvers party. About 25 people showed up, all with amazing offerings of appetizers, wine and cocktail fixings! Unfortunately no one took pictures at the party, but trust me, it was an amazing time!

One of the best gifts I received was from Nick, of course. I have been talking about betta fish for some time --- he surprised me on my birthday with a whole setup for two! I have a red and a blue. They're in the same tank, but there's a plastic grate between, so they can't get at each other -- not that attempts haven't been made! They have natural rocks and they each have their own houseplant! I'd like to introduce you to Bebop and Rocksteady:

The coolest fish ever! I've mentioned the attempted aggression - they are both pretty fiesty! They both come up to the glass when I touch it, and they even come up to the surface for a pet when I dangle my finger in the water!

As most of you know, we're having a bit of a heat wave in the NW these days. Last Wednesday hit 103 in my neighborhood, 112 not too far away. Friday only hit 99 and it was a bit of a relief, actually. It's currently 80 degrees at 9pm. Crazy by normal standards, but damn refreshing in Seattle these days.

Of course, when it rains it pours, so to speak. Last week when we were in the midst of our high temps, the AC went out at school. Let me remind you that my schooling involves baking. with ovens. hot ovens. lots of them.

In spite of the heat, amazing things are happening. Take Exibit A:

Unfortunately this is not my handiwork, but a fellow student. One day... ;>

To beat the heat, Nick and I took an overnight trip to Anacortes, WA this weekend. We have a friend who has parents who own a house. What an amazing trip. Beautiful house on amazing property, right on a serene lake. We were there for less than 24 hours, but felt we had been gone for several days by the end. It was so rejuvinating, it seemed we had been on a mini vacation! While we were there, our friend Zak took this great shot:

So, that's this week's update! I hope it has been as enjoyable to read as it has been to retell!

Holy Update, Batman!

Good grief, has it really been that long??? I've received a number of comments lately that my site updates are particularly enjoyable, which has only made me feel guilty, regardless of the intent!

SO! Nick and I took a really amazing trip at the beginning of the summer! We went camping for a week and saw some really cool things. We started our trip at Glacier National Park, and ended at Jasper National Park, with a midway stop at Banff National Park. It was quite the week! I took some great pictures, as evidenced below. Also, as an added bonus, we stopped at campgrounds the entire way, so we're a good reference for what is good and what isn't worth your time along the way!

For more great pictures from the trip, please visit my Flickr album.

Also, I have been baking! No big surprise, I'm sure! I hosted a cake tasting for some very good friends who are getting married in September. I made and decorated 6 different cakes - we celebrated with champagne! The happy couple were made even happier with my creations, and they walked away with 3 flavor choices for their special day! I also made graduation cake for a friend. Rather than making a typical graduation sheet cake, I decided to make something to fit the barbeque theme:

Yes, those are made out of cake, and yes, I did fool a few people! I had several moms stop me on the way to our picnic site to take a look at my creations, and I had more than one person tell me that if I hadn't been in attendance they would have been totally fooled!

So, that's what I've been up to...Oh! And my garden, of course:

I have four MONSTER tomato plants - I can see tons of tomatoes, and they aren't even ripe yet - can't wait to see what my harvest will be once they start turning color and I can actually see them in that mess! I also have a red pepper plant, basil, parsley, rosemary, thyme and strawberries!

What a Girl Wants

It's birthday time again! My special day is right around the corner! This year's list:

• Shampoo and Conditioner. My favorite right now!
• Gift Card for Victoria's Secret. I am poor and need new underwear.
• Gift Card for Old Navy. I am poor and need new jeans - Old Navy is one of the only places I'm guaranteed to find jeans that fit for a good price.
• Any jewelry made by my good friend. She makes amazing stuff!
• Cash Money!!! As most of you know, I am a poor student these days. Would be great to have some money to go towards tuition and/or books and/or groceries!
• Please note that I do not have any room for kitchen items!!! I know it's super tempting when you find something interesting, but I seriously don't have anywhere to put it! (I'm currently storing some items in my bedroom closet!!!)

Product Placement

Nick and I are driving home from breakfast, and as we're pulling up to a red light we see a bumper sticker that says, "Nice truck. Sorry about your small penis". Three cars later, at the same red light, a 4X4 "off road" truck with a window sticker that says, "It's not how deep you fish, it's how you wiggle your worm."

Huh.

Connection

I'm walking to the bus stop downtown to catch my next bus and I notice a sweet smoke smell - reminiscent of camp fire. I spend several minutes trying to figure out what on earth would be burning in downtown Seattle at 6am that would cause that smell. Finally look over to see a man with a fire extinguisher who has just put out a fire in a newspaper box. A newspaper box that I walked by on my way to the bus stop. I start to recall incidents where I have slept through and/or not noticed things like earthquakes and ants nests.