Trying new things

Hi folks!

I'm sorry I haven't posted anything in a while. You know how it goes, summer hits and so do vacations, extra long work hours, etc. I also started a new blog that everyone should check out, and I've been working on that too. It's called Eat Healthy, Stay Fit, Die Anyway.  (Stayfitdieanyway.blogspot.com.) Check it out and let me know what you think!

Anywho, I'm here now, and I have exciting news! I have gotten a new job at a local bakery!!! It's called Some Crust and I LOVE IT! I'm working in the front store for now, but I'm working my way back into the actual bakery and hopefully cake decorator! That being said I wanted to show you something I did recently.
When I submitted my resume at the bakery I also included some pictures of previous work I had done. However, I didn't have anything to show that I could do piping work. (That's the intricate little scrolls and writing you see on cakes) So what did I do? I made something to show them of course!

I copied the design from a photo I found on Google but the rest is all me baby! I don't have a proper piping bag but,  (I'm kind of a perfectionist, so this is not as good as I would like) I made due. It is a devil's food chocolate cake with raspberry ganache layers in between. Then milk chocolate frosting and buttercream details. MMmmm!

I took the cake with me to church for our father's day picnic and everyone was wowed! They couldn't believe I did it and they couldn't stop ooing and aaing about how good it was. Thanks guys!

I'll keep you all updated on how things are going at the bakery, but in the mean time if you're in the area you should stop by! It's Some Crust Bakery in Claremont, CA. It's SO cute and SUPER delicious. Hey, maybe I'll have to post something about the bakery and their goods. Stay tuned!

Fresh, healthy, delicious!

Summer salmon burgers

 

Hey guys, I have a great recipe for you that just so happens to also be very healthy and oh so yummy!

I'll start by saying I am not a health nut, but I do try to take care of myself. I also like to eat though, so whenever I post a recipe you can bet that it's not going to be one of those recipes that is good for you but tastes like crap. 

So enjoy my delicious salmon burgers!

 

I used a large salmon filet this time but sometimes I like to use canned wild Alaskan salmon (16oz.). (DO NOT use farmed fish people! Do you know how many fish lice and potential diseases those fish can have?!?! EW!)

 

Anyway, make sure you remove any skin (obviously) and then you'll want to break apart the filet with your hands so you can pull out any bones. 

If you use canned salmon you wont have skin or bones, but break apart any large chunks all the same until you have a chunky paste. You don't want to puree it, some chunks are good! However, the smaller the pieces the better the burger will stick together.

Mix in parsley, basil, cayenne pepper, onion, eggs, breadcrumbs and lemon juice 

(See recipe page for exact measurements).

Stir together well. 

Form into 6 tight patties.

Warm a pan with some olive oil and fry burgers until each side is browned and burger is warm through. You can do these on the grill, but I would recommend using a burger cage so they don't fall apart and into your grill. 

(For burger cage see  http://www.pamperedchef.com/ordering/prod_details.tpc?prodId=38327&catId=180&parentCatId=180&outletSubCat=)

And to place an order please feel free to email me

Serve with lettuce, dill yogurt sauce, on a whole wheat bun, and enjoy!

World, please welcome Ransom Eliot Gaither.

I'm Aunt Laceye now...

 

Ransom Eliot Gaither

Born May 3, 2012 at 12:00pm.

6 lbs. 14 oz. and 21" long

A little bit OCD

It's just a silly post, but I was all proud of myself when I made this discovery...

I'm just the tiniest bit O.C.D. when it comes to my food. I don't like the different foods to touch one another. That goes for my syrup too. So I figured if I made this star shape on the inside of my pancake the syrup would seep into the cracks and soak the cake without spreading to everything else, and it worked! Ridiculous I know, but for those of you who are in the same boat, you now have a way to keep your syrup from running everywhere. LOL!

If you're wondering why the bacon or the pancake look strange. It's because the bacon is turkey bacon and the pancake is made with buckwheat. If you would like the recipe for my fabulous banana buckwheat pancakes (High in fiber, potassium and very good for you) please visit my "Recipes" page.

Be an "Expert Icer"

I have an awesome baking tool to share with everyone!

I love to decorate cookies! I love taking that freshly baked gingerbread cookie and loading it full of frosting, sprinkles, and candies. However, anyone who knows me would tell you I'm kind of a perfectionist. So it's always in the back of my head when I'm decorating, "Ahh, these look so silly". It's fun to go crazy, but sometimes you just want those perfect Martha Stewartesk cookies. Well SURPRISE, I saw these watching MS one day...

SweetdaniB.com sells these great little frosting bottles! They come with small tips or large and they're so easy to use! I decorated over 200 mini heart cookies for valentines day in just a couple hours. Just mix up your frosting, color it, put into the bottles, and decorate like a pro!

They're so much fun and kids love to use them! 

(Sorry these pictures aren't higher quality)

Check out this video from SweetdaniB.com.
 It's Dani herself using the bottles.  

http://youtu.be/6d_DVmcCCNQ


For the icing recipe and to purchase the bottle kit please visit:

www.sweetdanib.com

Mothers day is coming, and so is my Pampered Chef Open House!

Come one, come all!

I'm having a Pampered Chef Open House this Saturday! If you are interested in hosting a show or would just like to place an order, please feel free to contact me!

I LOVE PC SO much!!! Seriously, not just because I sell the stuff, but because I really use it! I know you can get kitchen stuff cheaper at places like Target, don't worry, I do have my own little love affair with Target too, but if you want truly good quality stuff that is going to last forever, where do you go? Some place like William Sonoma right? Well we (Pampered Chef) totally compare to WS. Pampered Chef only sells the highest quality products that are actually useful too! Trust me, I use some of my stuff almost everyday. Promise!

Anyway, no more sales pitch. Sorry. If you want/need some new stuff for the BBQ season, a unique gift for mom on Mother's Day (Hurry it's coming fast), or just need to replace that nasty old spatula, let me know. There are over 50 NEW products in the spring catalog!!!

I'll be posting some photos from the party and maybe even some video! :O Actually, you can expect a couple demonstration videos at some point in the near future. I'll make lots of noise when those are up.

So until then feel free to take a look at the PC website and let me know if I can help you with an order.

Happy shopping!

http://www.pamperedchef.com/ordering/category_details.tpc?code=MG&id=75&parentCatId=75&parentId=

Using what you have

"I want to bake. Hmmm, what do I have in the cupboards? Not much there. I'll try the fridge...OH, I have pizza dough. What can I do with that beside pizza? How about monkey bread! Yea, that sounds sufficiently unhealthy and delicious!"

That's pretty much how it went a few days ago. I really like to use things I have in the house. Partly because it otherwise means running out to get supplies. And partly because it means spending more money or both. So, I improvise.

If you've never heard of monkey bread, basically it is a loaf of cinnamon buns dripping with a caramel goo and frosting. YUM! They are dough rolled in butter and a cinnamon sugar mixture. Then drizzled with a cream cheese frosting, if you want. (But who wouldn't?) I don't know why it's called monkey bread, but from the research I've done it probably has something to do with the Monkey Puzzle Tree. (Whatever that is) My husband Jordan says maybe it has something to do with the way monkeys pull bugs off each other. I say, eww, but who knows, maybe.

So Jordan just reminded me...DUH, I need to put the recipe for monkey bread on here. So done and done! Check out my Recipes page for the recipe.

"A" is for apple pie

OK, so I'm new at this whole blog thing. Therefore any readers we may have, please cut me some slack. I totally intended to document my making pies with pictures throughout the process. I also planned to make cup-pies. I didn't do either. *sheepish look* I totally forgot to take pictures while I was working and I just plain didn't want to do cup-pies. I couldn't help imagining cutting into the whole pie and taking out that big juicy slice and putting it in my tummy! 

So here are a couple pictures of the finished product. I promise I'll do a better job of documenting next time. Enjoy, I know I will! :D

P.S. Still thinking of making that rhubarb custard. I just have to find some rhubarb first. I'll keep you posted... 

Look at that flaky crust! MMmm!

I used Granny Smith apples to make a wonderfully tart pie, but added at least one Cameo apple for a little sweet.

RHUBARB!!!

It's rhubarb season! So sayeth Martha (Stewart), and who am I to squabble with MS? I happen to LOVE rhubarb, so I am going to make rhubarb custard this weekend! (Yes, along with my apple pies.) 

(Photo courtesy bojongourmet.com)

Hmmm, maybe I'll even make some homemade vanilla ice cream to put it over!

If you want to try something more interesting, I found this recipe on MarthaStewart.com...

http://www.marthastewart.com/900666/rhubarb-ice-cream-honey-scented-strawberries-and-whipped-cream

"Blogging is the new poetry" ~Unknown

I don't know that our blog is going to be poetry, but I like to think baking and cooking are poetry expressed with food.

So stay tuned, who knows what kind of baking limericks we might compose. :)

I'll be posting the first official post this weekend, *Psst! I'm making apple cup-pies from my moms award-winning apple pie recipe* but for now, here are a few fun pictures from some past triumphs.

I made 200 mini heart cookies and decorated them for Valentines day! *Whew*

A successful Hello Kitty cake. I hadn't tried shaping one like this before. I feel pretty good about it!

 

Cherry-filled, confetti cake-pops! YUM!

 

Bender from Futurama cake!

Spice cake in the shape of a pumpkin!

My first attempt with fondant. It's not perfect, but the two year old who devoured it didn't seem to mind.

If you can't find a four leaf clover in your backyard, check your cupcakes!

A Companion Cube from the game Portal for my nerdy husbands birthday. This one was tough. To make it a perfect square it ended up being something like 8 layers thick! But every devils food layer, separated with chocolate raspberry ganache was delicious!!!