Auld Lang Syne

Since it is time to reflect I thought I’d share some reflection with you, my blog-reading pretties. Here’s my version of the Proust Questionnaire.

1. What did you do in 2005 that you’d never done before? Started a business
2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year? No, I’m still not the size I am in my mind’s eye. Yes, I will likely attempt yet again to become the size I am in my mind’s eye.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes, my book club waged an all-out effort to expand families. Karen had a baby girl named Jessica, Cynthia adopted a baby girl named Eleanor. And soon Sue will pick up her new son Gabriel from Guatamala.
4. Did anyone close to you die? Thankfully, no.
5. What countries did you visit? Regretfully, none other than the good old USA.
6. What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005? A job that I enjoy.
7. What dates from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? August 29th. The day Katrina hit. I watched the whole thing unfold in utter amazement that such a human tragedy could befall the richest, most progressive country in the world.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Taking steps to make a dream into a reality.
9. What was your biggest failure?Trying to diet.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Thankfully, no – unless you count the strained wrist I got on the golf course.
11. What was the best thing you bought? Really cool patio furniture that allows us to relax outdoors.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Sarah – making the National Honor Society was awesome!
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Tom Cruise? Brangelina? George Bush? It’s hard to choose.
14. Where did most of your money go? Bills, bills, bills
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Our trip to St. Augustine, Florida in May. We played a lot of golf and had a great time together.
16. What song will always remind you of 2005? 100 Years by Five for Fighting. It’s a tear-jerker.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? About the same
b) thinner or fatter? Hmm….about the same!
c) richer or poorer? Ugh, poorer….thanks to gas prices (natural gas and gasoline)
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Traveling
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Working
20. How will you be spending Christmas? In 2006? Hard to tell. But family – hear this: I call dibs on having Christmas at my house!!
21. Did you fall in love in 2005? I fall in love all over again pretty often with my wonderful husband.
22. What was your favorite TV program? Six Feet Under, Survivor, Under Fire (a reality show for chefs that ran on PBS)
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? No
24. What was the best book you read? My Sister’s Keeper an awesome novel about medical ethics.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery? The iPod and iTunes!!
26. What did you want and get? A second refrigerator for the basement.
27. What did you want and not get? Furniture for my living room, dining room and bedroom
28. What was your favorite film of this year? So far, I think it’s Capote.
29. What did you do on your birthday? Hmmmm…what did we do on my birthday? I don’t really remember.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?Being debt-free
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005?
Thanks to Stacy and Clinton I am trying to wear clothes that lengthen the torso and make you look thinner by defining the waist. I am also putting more emphasis on sexy shoes and good jewelry.
32. What kept you sane? My husband.
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Gosh, I really try not to be dazzled by celebrities, but if I had to pick I would say Candice Olson from Divine Design on HGTV. She has the most amazing taste. Everything she does is sumptuous and elegant. I would think I’d died and gone to heaven if she ever came to do a room in my house. Too bad they only do houses in Canada on that show.
34. What political issue stirred you the most? Anything George Bush has his hands in. In general, the oppressive positions taken by right-wing religious extremists.
35. Who did you miss? Mom and Dad, my family, everyone in Book Club.
36. Who was the best new person you met? Probably Angela, whom I met in my weekly figure drawing class. She is an awesome oil painter and a great lady.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005: I didn't learn this personally but read enough about it to know better: When blogging keep your negative thoughts about work to yourself.
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right.
Here I am stuck in the middle with you.

Well, there you have it. My reminiscences. Take some time to answer these questions for yourself. It truly is cathartic to look back on the year and sum it up.

I wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous 2006. Drive safe and buckle up!

The pleasures of cooking

I received two cookbooks for Christmas, both of which I had requested.  I don’t usually ask for cookbooks because I find the internet suits my recipe-seeking needs very well.  Being the technology project manager that I am, the web-based search engine has bested the low-tech index at the back of the book – so I just don’t cook from books too much anymore.  However, I still love to flip through cookbooks that have great pictures, so every now and then I add one to my collection.  

The two I received this year were Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis and Barefoot Contessa Parties by Ina Garten. Both women have shows on the Food Network, and those shows are what made me want to have their books.  The chefs themselves are different.  Giada focuses on Italian food, with a lot of influence from her family favorites.  Ina covers a pretty broad spectrum in terms of what she cooks, which stems from her catering business.  Both seem to do a lot of entertaining, if you believe the scenarios on which their episodes are based.  But I really think what attracted me to their food, and ultimately their cookbooks, is the style in which their shows are produced.

Here’s where I let you in on a dirty little secret of mine.  I think the preparation of food can be a sensual experience.  Yes, that’s right.  It’s a feast for the senses that can evoke certain emotions….or at least it does in me.  And what makes me gravitate toward these shows is that the sensuality of preparing food is played up in the way it is filmed, edited, staged…everything.  In Giada’s case – how can you not play up the sensual experience of cooking with this woman.  She’s a 30ish dead ringer for Sophia Lauren.  She is hot – and they really play that up (nary a show goes by when we don’t get a generous helping of Giada’s cleavage).  But that aside, it’s in the way her hands move with the food product, the sound of an egg cracking while there’s a tight shot on it.  Then there’s the beautiful bowl it gets deposited into.  (They always have such beautiful dishware on these shows.)  

I marvel at the simple elegance of a perfectly manicured hand chopping beautiful red peppers with a gleaming silver knife.  And it’s not done in the frenzied way most chefs chop, but in a gentle, measured cadence – almost lovingly! There’s the sizzle of pancetta as it’s tossed into a hot pan, the stirring of creamy mascarpone cheese. Every time this show is on I am sucked in to watching it.  Even Dave was mesmerized by it recently – although I think that’s because he was fantasizing that Giada and the female friend who was helping her in the kitchen that day were having some sort of an off-camera tryst.  Men!

Now contrast that show with Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa and it proves my point that it is the food preparation that brings the sensuality to the show.  She is the polar opposite of Giada in terms of sexual appeal, however the way in which her cooking process is portrayed is very similar.  The ingredients she uses, the techniques she employs and the ease and elegance with which she works makes you want to see more.  Makes you want to cook what she is cooking.  She also has beautiful dishes, pots, pans, trays, knives, etc.  I am so jealous of their materials…and their kitchens!

I first started to feel this way a couple of years ago when Nigella Lawson had her short-lived cooking show.  Now there was a sensual cooking experience.  They actually included shots of Nigella licking her finger in a provocative way.   At times you almost felt like you were watching the beginning of a soft-core porno movie.  Ahh….I did enjoy that show.  Too bad it was on so briefly.

I guess I could also somewhat safely confess here that I loved the refrigerator scene in 9 ½  Weeks for similar reasons.  Can’t beat good old-fashioned fun with food.  But I seriously digress. Sorry.

I know that these cookbooks will be no substitute for the sensual experience of watching their TV shows, but I have learned some terrific recipes from both Giada and Ina – and am anxious to recreate them for Dave and the girls.  

So now that you know TMI about me, and my culinary proclivities maybe it will help you understand where I’m coming from with this food-focused blog.  Thanks again for riding along with me on my trip to Crazy!  

Twas the day after Christmas and all through the kitchen...

I thought I’d share the menu from our Christmas night dinner. Our leisurely day afforded me the chance to do some more specialized cooking – especially where dessert is concerned. I enjoy making extra special meals for the holidays. It’s important to me that the people I love feel catered-to on Christmas. I try to make them feel so through the gifts I give, the way I present them, the food I serve….even the way I decorate the house is intended to make my family feel at home and comfortable. I want everything they encounter to be lovely and special. I’m sure my family considers these expectations that I place on myself to be way too high – but that’s just who I am. I have learned to be more flexible over the years. I guess age tempers some of the obsession, but that Norman Rockwell image still lurks in the back of my mind.

Anyway, I digress. Dave and I had the following for dinner:

Salad
greens, bacon, avocado, caramelized pecans and gorgonzola cheese tossed in a honey lemon vinaigrette
(I dressed the salad and stacked it on top of the plate using a small can with both ends cut off. It’s a neat way to present a salad because when you carefully remove the can the salad remains stacked in a cylinder….if you’re lucky!)

Filet Mignon
wrapped in bacon and broiled in the oven
(The BBQ grill picked tonight to ran out of gas – so we had to use my freshly-cleaned oven.)

Scalloped Gorgonzola Potatoes
Individual casseroles of sliced Yukon Gold potatoes in a creamy gorgonzola cheese sauce
(Well, it was supposed to be a gorgonzola cheese sauce but the gorgonzola I purchased was SO salty and strong that I decided not to use very much of it. Instead, I topped the casseroles with grated parmesan cheese. Still good, but not what I was going for.)

Haricots Verts
steamed and tossed in a Dijon vinaigrette
(Yay Whole Foods for having real French green beans! These thin beauties cannot be bested by their American counterparts. The vinaigrette gave them a little added kick.)

Chocolate Mousse in Tuiles
on a bed of crème anglaise with fresh berries
(Here’s a picture. After some false starts making the chocolate mousse and a problem trying to pipe it into the cookie cup with a pastry bag I ended up just using a small ice cream scoop. I also had a heckuva time with the tuiles. Been a while since I've made them. I had forgotten how hard they are to get off the pan - even with a Silpat. I love these rectangular plates. They have so many possibilities and make for such a different presentation from the usual round plates.)

So, consider going all out for that special holiday dinner. New Years Eve is coming up. If you’re planning to stay in, put on the dog! Pull out all the stops! Insert whatever other cliché you can think of here! Show that special someone(s) that they are special to you!

p.s. While I believe he enjoys my cook-fests...or at least the product thereof, Dave dreads them because it means he has a kitchen-full of dishes to wash. He is always a trooper though. He understands, is tolerant of, and even supports my culinary and holiday perfection afflictions. Bless him for that! By the way - thank you honey for the Chocolate Tempering Thermometer!! I love it!

Merry Christmas! Happy first night of Chanukah!

It is a quiet morning for Dave and me. Due to various family challenges we find ourselves solo this Christmas. The girls won’t join us until after dinner – so we’re both a little listless without presents to open and play with. We had a lovely, romantic Christmas Eve. Dinner consisted of an appetizer buffet. We had Rumaki (water chestnuts wrapped in bacon, glazed with a soy sauce and brown sugar mixture), Spinach and Artichoke Dip, a cheese plate, chilled shrimp cocktail and mini quiches. The name of the game was ease and convenience – so several of the items were store-bought. Yes I said it - store-bought. Egad! We lit the candles and the fireplace and noshed while watching “A Christmas Story”. It was wonderfully peaceful and romantic.

This morning we opened the gifts in our stockings while sipping the traditional Christmas Morning Mimosa. I received two Oxo Y-peelers….which I have been wanting! One has julienne teeth on it…so I will be a garnishing whiz soon, no doubt! Dave just shakes his head when I get giddy over kitchen gadgets.

After stockings, we had Pecan Sticky Buns. This was the first batch I had tasted made with Plugra – and I thought they were very yummy. They were light and flaky, rich and sweet. I wish they would have risen a bit higher, but I think that may have been due to the pan, or lack thereof.

You see, when I was planning Sticky Bun Fest 2005, I figured out a way to give everyone their own batch of rolls in a reheatable ‘pan’. Although, it is not a true pan. These neat containers are pan-shaped and made of some type of paper/cardboard that you can bake, store and serve in. So, I made batches of 8 pecan rolls each and baked them in this cardboard pan. Then, when they cooled I wrapped them festively and attached instructions for reheating and serving. I sent a package for each family ‘household’ up to Cleveland with my niece, Amanda. Hopefully theirs reheated and unmolded as easily as mine did.

A few notes on the sticky buns themselves. They are probably the most time-intensive thing I have made….but the results are more than worth it. The recipe is from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s “The Bread Bible”. I love Rose because she always clues you in to the science behind what you bake. This recipe starts out as a recipe for brioche. Brioche is a bread that contains eggs and butter. There are many risings – 3 rising periods of 2 hours each, plus more than 8 hours of chill time in the refrigerator. One of the key steps is to let the dough sit in the ‘fridge overnight, so I actually had to map out an hour-by-hour schedule so that the overnight chill time would coincide with bedtime. I think I’ve figured out that if I start the recipe by 4:00-5:00PM it will work fine with my 11PM bedtime.


Then, there’s the making of the caramel and the filling, the toasting of the pecans, etc. As I said, it is time-consuming but worth it. The result is definitely a labor of love.

I hope all of you who received them enjoy!

To all a Merry Christmas. May Santa bring you all what your hearts desire.

I'm Legal! Well, almost.

This morning I was visited by Inspector Hank Kimball (not his real name) from the Ohio Department of Agriculture. He was here to make me a licensed home baker. It seemed all too easy. Most of the time spent was related to a new software program he had on his laptop. Once he made a couple of phone calls to figure out how to enter data for a home bakery (that boosted my confidence!) he was almost done. Just a quick check of the lower cabinets with a flashlight (for rodent droppings?), a peek into the oven and a temperature check of the refrigerator and I was legal! Here are a few pearls of wisdom that I gleaned during the “inspection”:

• Your refrigerator should be kept at approximately 41degrees, but no higher than 45 degrees. It was recommended that I get a refrigerator thermometer to measure the temperature.


• Hank’s mother makes the best raspberry pie ever. You take 3 tablespoons of cornstarch, 1 cup of sugar…… ok I won’t bore you with the rest of the recipe. Seriously, he recited the entire recipe from memory for me.


• If I ever sell to a business I need to prepare an ingredients label for the product which needs to include all sub-ingredients. For example, if I use peanut butter I have to list all of the ingredients in the peanut butter. Can’t just list “peanut butter”. Also have to list the net weight of the product both as a whole, and the individual portions.


• Hank is a handy guy. Not only did he subcontract his own home but he bought a HUD home and rehabbed it himself. No small fete, considering the previous owner had 11 dogs.


• Flour should be kept for no longer than 3 months, and the container should be washed between fillings.


• Hank is a single father whose ex-wife is from Chicago. He’s spent a lot of time there and particularly enjoyed Comisky Park, Navy Pier and Ed Debevics.
• Hank recently had an embarrassing laundry incident. His socks are bleached out because of his hot tub. Apparently bromide, which is used in hot tubs, is a form of bleach. Let that be a lesson to all of us - do not intermingle beach towels and wet bathing suits with the rest of your laundry.

As you might imagine, it was a tedious inspection process.

At the end of it all, I handed him a check for $10 and should receive the official license (which will be appropriately framed and displayed) in two weeks. I feel better knowing I can hold myself out as a licensed baker. The requirements aren’t as rigorous as I would like, but I think it still says something that I took the time to get this done. After all, I'm sure few people can tolerate the ramblings of a Hank Kimball.

Side Dish

Another exciting happening today: The sharpening lady is here! She’s got a dozen or so knives, scissors, etc. out in her handy mobile sharpening workshop right now and is going to town on those blades. What a neat idea! All serious cooks love a good sharp knife. I will definitely be a slicin’ fool! No Ginsu necessary in this household.

Tools and Ingredients

I promised you all a peek at the pan I used to make those small cheesecakes, so here it is. As you’ll see, it is non-stick and has little removable bottoms for each of the 12 holes. I’ll offer a word of caution here – based on recent experience. DO NOT forget to remove those metal disks before you serve. I had the embarrassing task of asking for one of those back after I noticed it sitting on the plate of a co-worker who had just finished one of the cheesecakes. I apologized and explained that I had thought I had removed all of those prior to serving – to which he responded “Yeah, I thought it was weird that I kept hitting something hard at the bottom when I dug my fork into the cheesecake.” Ugh!!

So back to this beautiful pan. It’s really easy to remove the cheesecakes once they’ve chilled overnight. Just take your thumbs and gently push up from the bottom, coaxing around all edges. I started off by running a small knife around the edges before pushing them out but found it unnecessary….plus it ruined the smooth edges of the little cakes. Just be gentle and they will come out perfectly for you.

The pan is from a company called Norpro and can be found here for $21.95 each. A bit pricey, but the resulting dessert is worth it in my opinion.

Side Dish

This week begins Sticky Bun Fest 2005. (Get those minds out of the gutter. This has nothing to do with lusty coeds and honey.) I’m planning on making many batches of my famous Brioche Pecan Rolls, and have a new ingredient to try. I’ve heard a lot about Plugra and I want to see if it makes a difference. Plugra is “European Style” butter. Why Plugra? Well, it’s about butterfat content. And appropriately, I’ve read that Plugra means "more fat" in French. (Mlle. Amanda will be so proud!) I’ve also read that butterfat is tremendously important for taste, texture, and workability. Whatever isn't butterfat in butter is mostly water, and water is not what will make a crust or pastry taste luscious. By law, American butters must contain no less than 80% butterfat. In France, the law stipulates a minimum butterfat content of 82%. Each percentage point of fat makes a difference, so you can imagine the difference you'll taste with French butters - they have a minimum of 84% butterfat, but often weigh in at 86%. We’ll see if the taste difference is notable.

Check back for photos and descriptions of the Sticky Bun Fest.

But I digress

Today’s off-topic topic relates to my eldest stepdaughter Sarah, and her recent achievement. Wednesday night we attended her high school’s National Honors Society induction ceremony. Her application was one of 94 accepted this year in her high school. Dave and I figured that puts her in the top 10% in her junior class.

This is especially impressive to us, since neither of us were similarly honored/chosen when we were in school. My sister got most of the brains in our family, so it really never occurred to me to even apply. I’m sure my application would have been laughed out of the room anyway given my less-than-stellar grades. You see, I was a late bloomer. Ahem

Sarah, on the other hand, is an intelligent, hard-working young lady. She is very involved – Mock Trial team for the second year in a row, Junior Class Treasurer (although I believe she still has not yet seen the “books”), active in Girl Scouts. She is self-directed in her studies – something I never was. Lord knows she has to be, taking two Advanced Placement classes (Government and Language/English Lit.). Oh, she is still very much the teenager in terms of getting in as much couch time (TV time) as possible, but for the most part she is working aggressively toward her goals and plans for the future.

The real fun starts in a couple of weeks, when she finally gets her driver’s license. Following closely on the heels of that big event will be the college visits and – hopefully – her first summer job, although she claims there is no way she will be able to find time to work with the ‘busy summer’ she has planned. We’ll see.

It’s been a pleasure to witness her growth, both personal and academic. I can tell she will do great things with her life.

Dashing in and out

This will be a quick post, since we have a choir concert to get to this evening. Without further ado - here's the result of my mini cheesecake experience. Not too shabby, huh?!



Everyone ooohed and aaahed over them...and the one I had (Chocolate Espresso Cheesecake) was very good. So I ordered 2 more of these pans. That's the only way I can do them in enough volume to make them worth the time spent. I'll share a picture of the pan tomorrow. Promise!

Charting a new course - for me at least!

Today I feel like a pioneer of sorts.....an innovator of cheesecake. Not in the sense that I have created a new flavor or style of cheesecake, but in that I have taken a recipe for a whole 10" cheesecake and adapted it for this nifty new pan I have. That may not sound like a groundbreaking revelation - but it is when you consider that I have not been able to find instructions anywhere - even on the Internet - for using this new pan. Here's why it's so innovative: While most individual cheesecakes are made by using cupcake papers in muffin pans, this pan is like a mini-springform x 12.

What you have are 12 mini wells with straight-up sides (unlike muffin pans) and cut-out bottoms. You then place the little half-dollar sized disks of non-stick metal into the bottom, pack in your cheesecake crust, fill them with cheesecake batter and bake. (The bake time is the hard part - it's a guessing game at this point. Also, some recipes call for the dreaded water bath. Well I can tell you right now, the odds of keeping all 12 of those cheesecakes dry are minimal. So I'll just forego the water bath. Will have to see if that affects the texture of the little cakes.) Then you follow the rest of the cheesecake procedure, cool completely, chill overnight and unmold. Voila! You have 12 beautiful individual cheesecakes ready for devouring.

My debut as an individual cheesecake baker is scheduled for tomorrow, when I bring 2 dozen to work for our annual holiday potluck lunch. I intend to bring 2 kinds. Monday night I worked on the 'plain' cheesecake variety (graham cracker crust, layer of creamy sour cream on top). Last night I made mocha chocolate cheesecakes (chocolate wafer crust). I will decorate them tonight (with fresh fruit, etc.) and will share a picture of the final product.

I think they're gonna look cool....but have already resolved to buy more pans. Making 1 dozen at a time is a slow process.

I guess this makes me a food snob

Every year Dave's whole family gathers for a Christmas celebration weekend early in December. Part of the tradition is to have an appetizer party on Friday night and a cookie exchange on Sunday morning before we all leave. Every year I strive to find something new and different to bring for each of these 'events' - especially where cookies are concerned. I know there will be plenty of jam thumbprints, the requisite holiday cutout cookies, something containing peanut butter, etc. (Those of you outside of Central Ohio may not know this but they are obsessed with peanut butter here, especially Reese's Peanut Butter Cups - known locally as 'Reesie Cups'.)

Well, I always try to find something different. Last year, in addition to making pecan caramel cookies, I brought shortbread cookies made with cardamom. Cardamom is in the ginger family and it made for a nice twist on an old favorite. This year, I've found another interesting little gem - Rosemary Shortbread cookies!! They are quite different - and tasty! How can you go wrong with powdered sugar, butter, flour and fresh minced rosemary? That's about all there is to it. Plus, one really cool thing - you don't have to chill the dough before you roll it out and cut it.
Here's the recipe, and a picture. I intend to package them in stacks of 3 in clear cellophane bags tied with gold ribbon. The rosemary is very fragrant, so I don't want them 'infecting' the other cookies that they are packaged with. They really are lovely and so different. See what you think.

Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
1/2 C butter, softened
1/3 C sifted powdered sugar
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy, gradually adding sugar, beating well.

Gradually add flour to butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Gently stir in rosemary.

Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness on a floured surface. Cut with a 2-inch cookie cutter, place cutouts on lightly greased baking sheets. (I used parchment paper - no need to grease pan!)

Bake at 325 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until edges are lightly brown. Remove to wire rack to cool completely. Yield 1 dozen.

My notes:

• ALWAYS use real butter in cookies - preferably unsalted.
• I quadrupled the recipe (except for the flour - of which I only added 5 cups instead of 6) - and got approximately 4 dozen - although that yield is not completely accurate since my cookies were all different sizes.

Try them. Let me know what you think. I know my pretties are out there reading because the nifty hit counter keeps rolling....however nobody ever comments!! C'mon! I hear you breathing!

One more note - I tried uploading the picture but the blogger site is wicked slow tonight. I will publish it soon, I promise. Don't let that stop you from trying these cookies!!!

A busy weekend for this baker

Well, there goes another satisfied customer of Buttercream....at least I hope so.

I spent approximately 11 hours this weekend making 3 cakes for a woman who was having a dessert and coffee party today. She ordered a German Chocolate cake, a Carrot Cake and a cheesecake - Double-chocolate Pumpkin. Here's the low-down on the experience and a few pictures.

First, I started out making the Inside-out German Chocolate Cake on Friday night. I wrapped them and stored them in our brand spakin' new refrigerator in the basement (have I mentioned how much I love having this extra cool space?) until Sunday morning. This morning I got up and made the dulce de leche (bake sweetened condensed milk in a water bath for 90 minutes!) then mixed it with the toasted coconut and chopped pecans. This is then spread while still warm between the 3 layers of the chocolate cake. Then, it is coated with chocolate ganache. I'm still working on being able to smooth ganache to a flawless coating. I have a long way to go. The leaves on top of this picture are made by painting melted chocolate on leaves. I have used real leaves from trees in the past, but since they are now a tad crispy or nonexistent, I opted for silk leaves, which I found in the craft store. Actually these leaves are meant to be holly. (And yes, I wash all of the leaves I use first! ) Once you paint them you put them in the 'fridge to harden up. Then you gently peel them off the hardened chocolate, and if you're lucky and your hands aren't too warm you get these beautiful chocolate leaf facsimilies! It amazes people when I do this!

On to Saturday. After a bout of holiday shopping at the mall I settled down to make the Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake. This beauty has 3 types of chocolate - milk, semisweet and a bittersweet ganache on top. Then obviously there's a layer of pumpkin in there too. The method is simple but it's a very messy recipe because you need to melt 3 different kinds of chocolate, mix 4 different layers, etc. Then - the thing that always makes me cringe - it bakes in a water bath. Now I have an amazing springform pan - professional grade and all. Cost me $38. But it is by no means leakproof. (Not sure there is such a thing as a leakproof springform pan.) So I cover the bottom in heavy-duty aluminum foil and pray that I do not fill the bain marie past the lowest part of the aluminum foil shell. It got a bit tense this time but I think it came out ok. I'll have to query my customer.

Lastly, Saturday night I made the layers for the Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Icing. Truth be told, I hadn't made one of these in a looooong time. I took a recipe I found online and augmented it a bit. To the carrot cake base I added some crushed pineapple, a bit of ginger and about 1/4 cup of golden raisins....wait for it.....soaked in brandy! Yeeeewww!!! When they came out of the pan they looked beautiful! I frosted it this morning. The maple cream cheese frosting I used was a tad runny - so that concerns me. I let it sit in the freezer for about 15 minutes before transporting it across town to my customer's home. It looked ok when I dropped it off!

So there you have it, my pretties. I felt kinda professional. I even printed up an invoice. Boxed everything up nicely with ribbons tied around each box. Taped my business card to the top. Like I have a real professional operation here! And then, there it was! A check!! Weeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

It was hard work, and I still have a lot to learn......but I'm getting somewhere!

Grandiose Plans

Now is the time of year when us Martha Stewart Wannabes bite off more than we can chew - no pun intended.

Aside from the fact that I have a significant cake order this weekend (a 9" German Chocolate Cake, a 9" Carrot Cake and a 7" Double-chocolate pumpkin cheesecake!!), I am finding that time for my own holiday baking is dwindling. I have fantasies that surround baking. Yes, call me crazy (my husband does) but if I didn't have to make a paycheck or two this month I would be a baking fool. Here are some of the projects I fantasize about, but will probably have to give up:

- I would bring beautifully decorated individual cheesecakes to the holiday potluck at my work. It would require that I make about 2-2.5 dozen of said cheesecakes.
- I would make beautiful cut-out cookies that I would stack together, tie with ribbons and package in crisp cellophane bags. These I would hand out to relatives at my husband's annual Family Christmas weekend.
- I would bake several different types of cookies and freeze. That way, when we go places I can bring plates of cookies for the hosts.
- I would make many batches of my new favorite brioche pecan sticky buns to give away. These make wonderful Christmas morning nibbles.

All of this is in addition to the regular cooking that goes on around here...although there hasn't been too much cooking (at least from-scratch cooking) going on here lately. I've been busy in the evenings after work - which is probably what's going to sabotage my baking plans.

Of course, I also have grandiose ideas about decorating my home for the holidays. Last February I even put a sticky note in my planner for October that said

"Start making holiday decorations. Remember you bought all
kinds of ornaments and holiday ribbon that is in the basement.
Get out that glue gun."

But have I begun that yet either? Nooooo....

Oh well, I'm a Cub Fan.....so I'm used to hanging my head and uttering the phrase "There's always next year."