Pax and Ash

The sprinklers came on for the first time since before winter. This was earlier today, when all the pups were enjoying themselves. Pax, on the far right, seems bored when Ash and Denali fight. Ash is in the middle and Denali (Ash's sister, we are dogsitting for a friend while she is out of town) is egging him on. I really enjoy just sitting out there with the dogs. Pax knows when I go sit out on the cinder block out in the grass that she should grab her roll-y ball with a rope through the middle. She fetches it and drops it at my feet. I grab the rope and whip it over my head from behind and throw it as far away as I can. She is so tootin' quick. She darts and bites the purple ball and brings it back to me in excitement. I love my dog.

Ash, on the other hand, is a lover and not a fighter. He usually sticks close to me while I go outside. I sit down on the ground and he comes up into my lap. He just starts licking my face and lays down right next to me, next to me with paws on my legs, or just sits in my lap. He just chills and I scratch his stomach and rub his ears. He's a sweetheart. When Denali is around, they fight. They usually do well until they start running around the yard. In that case, Ash starts biting and fighting hard with Denali and they get loud and angry with their barks. I separate them. When I come near, Ash knows who's in charge---he stops fighting, slicks his ears back, and comes to me licking me. Silly dog.

Sam and I couldn't have chosen a better pair of dogs. Other than their obsession with digging...we're good. They play very well together, they don't fight, they roll around the yard together, they share their food. We're so happy with our choices. I always thought I'd want a dalmatian for a dog, but having an aussie has been so rewarding. Ash is proving to be a loyal, loving, and wonderful dog as well. He turned 5 months old today! He's got plenty of growing to do!

Have a great day!

Is your cherry pie red enough?

Today was a good day at work. I planned on heading into town early, finishing my cakes, and then heading back to base for a BBQ. I arrived at work and was asked twice within a ten minute period if I had a carrot cake prepared. Yesterday I had made the cake and I was waiting for today to frost it. I told Dave I was just getting ready to frost the cake and he replied "Good, because it's already sold." HA! Someone called in to order a whole carrot cake! Boy howdy, it felt good to know someone ordered something of mine!

I whipped up some delicious cinnamon cream cheese frosting and frosted that thing like there was no tomorrow.

I realized I had to make some more carrot cake to keep in stock. I started peeling carrots and shredding them in the processor. Dave then told me that he had received a complaint on my cherry pie. Surprised, I looked up from my carrot shavings, wide eyed as a deer in headlights, and asked what the complaint was. He said that the woman complained about the color of my pie, that it wasn't red enough. She also complained that my crust was not dark brown and crispy. Good Lord, I didn't know there was a specified shade of red for cherry pie!

Either way, I can see the crust complaint being a bit valid---my crusts don't seem to brown even after an hour of baking. Perhaps I'll buy food color so that my cherry pie can be the 'correct' shade of red. I'll try out a new pie crust recipe.

Why must people be so picky? People are used to the canned red thick cherry pie filling and not used to a homemade pie. Sheesh. Frustrating.

Anyway. I've gotten the hang of making carrot cakes. I figured out that if I whip the eggs to a beaten pulp, add sugar and repeat, and then add oil and beat even more, the cake turns out every time. I don't add coconut shredding anymore because I figure it weighs the cake down. I'm so happy my last 8 carrot cakes have turned out!!

Yum... Carrot Cakes.

On a side note, I often get tired of drinking just water. I bought some crystal light flavor packets--- green tea peach and wild strawberry. YUM! The green tea peach is so great. I would recommend them to anyone who wants a bit of a change.

Hope your day is great!

Cheesecake Pops Guarantee Business

I made about 80 cheesecake pops out of a whole vanilla bean cheesecake. Just to refresh your memory---a cheesecake pop is a bite size piece of cheesecake stuck on a lollipop stick and dipped in chocolate. I also made a very large pan of key lime pie filling (with no crust) and scooped out (with a melon baller) bite size balls to puncture with a stick as well. I then froze these pops so that my coworkers could hand them out to people without them melting or falling off the stick. Shawna and Jessica stood on the street corners and would hand a flyer and cheesecake pop to the stalled cars waiting on the red light. SMART! Turns out, yesterday we had 5 people come into eat at the restaurant based solely on trying a cheesecake pop! Jess and Shawna handed out my pops to nearby car dealerships and they love them as well!

Cheesecake and key lime pops are no joke--- they take a lot of time to prepare and a lot of patience. The key lime pops were the hardest to make. The key lime ball would melt quickly and rotate around the lollipop stick as I was trying to dip it in chocolate. Messy!

I think there is a market for such pops at events and festivals. For instance---the balloon classic (hot air balloon festival) is coming to COS later this year. To sell a cheesecake pop for $0.50 each would mean that I would be making about $40.00 per cheesecake, which would be almost three times as much as it costs to make a cheesecake. Then again---one must take into account the time to dip and prepare each cheesecake pop. Even selling a cheesecake pop at $0.25 a shot would make a profit, but that's almost too cheap to account for the time and energy of making those little guys.

Today I made two vanilla bean cheesecakes. I'm a little gun shy making my cheesecakes now. This oven at work seems finicky and I just haven't gotten the hang of it. When I bake my cakes I bake them two at a time, on top of a large large sheet pan, and with a pan full of water between the cakes. I bake them at 320 for a good hour and then leave them in the oven to continue baking and cooling. At least they didn't crack today! YAY!

By the way--- I bought some vanilla bean paste and it's fantastic! There are about 15 vanilla beans inside the jar mixed with a syrup--- it's so much easier than scraping vanilla beans. The taste is still great.

How to Hang Pictures: Cheap Edition

I just don't have the money to buy 1200 picture frames. Sure, each individual photo in all it's glory displayed collectively on the wall can be a great addition to any home decor. I am cheap and I have a lot of pictures to hang in my bathroom.

Last summer while I was in Kansas I shot 2-4 rolls of film for the blooming sunflower field. I was going through my pictures upstairs and I found all these beautiful and colorful shots! I wanted to spruce up my bare naked bathroom with a bit of life. With no frames in sight, but my sewing kit handy, I grabbed a few things to make vertical pictures hangers!

Here's what you'll need:

tape

thread (you could use ribbon if you wanted a bit of oomph!)

nails

hammer

pictures

patience

Lay your pictures face down on a big working surface in a line with even spacing between and even edges.

Make sure your pictures are all facing the same way (otherwise, you'll end up with a few pictures face up and a few upside down when you finish!).

Cut two strands of thread long enough to cover the length of the pictures and a few extra inches up top so you can tie a knot. Start from the bottom and tape the thread to the back of the pictures.

Pull the thread taut so you won't have uneven pictures and so it won't hang crooked.

After you finish taping thread to the pictures, tie a knot at the top and lift the entire thing up by the knot. You'll have pictures hanging down (hopefully in the right direction!) and ready to hang on your wall.

Hammer a nail into the wall at the height you want your photos and hang the thread on the nail! TADA! I must say, my bathroom is like a sunflower field now with all those pictures!

Have a great day!

Ham and Tomato Gravy

Easter! It's typical and traditional to enjoy ham and tomato gravy at our house for Thanksgiving and for Easter. It kinda bummed me out though---being 6 hours away from family on a holiday. It didn't bother me in the years prior, but now I wish I could be home to enjoy time with all my family. Family is becoming more and more important to me.

This brings me to an excellent point: Easter is not about family. It is about celebrating the fact that Jesus rose from the grave, that we believe who he says he is, and that we will continue to honor him with our lives. Sure---we celebrate with family and friends usually around a dinner table---but that is not the focus itself.

I find that as I get older I realize just how frustrated I get when special holidays become all about marketing peeps or turkey and ham. It's sad when Easter becomes nothing but "the season for cadbury eggs" or when Christmas becomes nothing but "the season for sending cards and receiving gifts."

My husband and I are celebrating Easter today together and will share a meal later. This will be my first ham I've ever cooked! Given---it's a precooked one that I just heat up...but hey- a girl's gotta start somewhere!

On a side note--- I can't stand gravy unless it is the family's secret tomato gravy recipe! I won't eat brown gravy. I won't eat white gravy. It's gotta be red gravy. There is always a hustle and bustle around the table when we bring out the tomato gravy---"Where's the tomato gravy? Who's hoarding it?!"

Almost 8 pounds of hammy goodness.

Yum.

My vodka that I made a few days ago is sprouting nicely. The Jolly Rancher and Bubblegum Vodkas are finished---they smell exactly like the added sweets. The lemon vodkas, on the other hand, are not quite finished. They smell so lemony fresh!

Lemoncello, in progress

Lemon-Orange Vodka, in progess

Jolly Rancher Vodka

Bubblegum Vodka

I hope your day is fantastic. Enjoy the company of your loved ones, but don't forget the true reason we celebrate with said company: Jesus Christ!

Moonshine: Vodka, Lemons, and Bubble Gum.

Not actually MOONSHINE, so to speak. Who needs to buy from the store when you can make it in your own back yard?!

I was needing some encouragement and inspiration for some new ideas in the kitchen, whether technique or recipe. I came across a great blog about unique, new, and exciting recipes. I stumbled across two recipes: Bubblegum Vodka and Homemade Lemoncello. I wanted to try to make them! I'm not a huge alcohol drinker, but I was intrigued by the two combinations.

I went to the store and bought lemons, bubblegum, and jolly ranchers (just to throw in there to try a new flavor).

-------------------------------Lemoncello----------------------------

10 lemons

3 cups vodka

3 1/2 cups water

2 1/4 cups sugar

Tightly Closing Container / Jar

Peel lemons to get just the yellow skin, try not to get the white stuff!!!!

Pour vodka and lemon shavings into a jar. Shut lid tightly.

Let sit for four days.

Melt sugar in water. Let cool.

Add sugar-water to lemon-vodka. Let sit for at least one day.

Let it sit longer to make a deeper flavor, or enjoy after one day.

TADA. Lemoncello.

Note: I made two jars of lemoncello. One strictly with lemons, another with mandarin orange peelings from 1 orange just to add a different tone.

---------------------------------Bubblegum Vodka------------------------------

Vodka

Bubblegum (I used double bubble)

Tightly Closing Container / Jar

Though clear measurements are not given, I suppose one could just play around with flavor--- more bubblegum = more bubblegum flavor.

I used 3/4 of a mason jar full of vodka, and about 10-14 pieces of bubblegum, chopped into fourths or less.

Mix the two together and cover in a jar, tightly shut. It should be done within a day but for a more deep flavor, leave longer.

TADA. Bubblegum Vodka.

-------------------------------Jolly Rancher Vodka-------------------------------

Vodka

Jolly Ranchers

Tightly Closing Container / Jar

I filled a mason jar 3/4 full of vodka. I also added 4 watermelon Jolly Ranchers and 3 Apple Jolly Ranchers. Shut lid tightly and let sit. I would imagine this one would be done soon, as in, one day. Let sit for longer for a stronger flavor.

We'll see how they turn out. Hopefully they develop a good flavor! I'll have to have a friend try it who enjoys vodka!

On another note, a gentleman came into the restaurant today who was friends with Lynn, from Federal Foods (our food distributor). This gentleman distributed meat. Anyway-- He tried a piece of my cheesecake and thought it was excellent but had one complaint. I, being the criticism loving person I am (ha!) asked "Pray tell, gentle-sir, what dost thou have in complaint against my delicacy?" Or something like that....His complaint was that the crust tasted too much like a pastry crust and that it needed to be a graham cracker crust. I plainly told him that I didn't prefer graham cracker crusts because they taste too processed, and he persisted that my crust lacked a texture or consistency difference needed to complete the cheesecake. *sigh* I work with oreo crusts for some chocolate cheesecakes, shortbread crusts for everything else, and want to work with crushed up pretzels or nuts for more tropical cheesecakes (key lime cheesecake with a salty pretzel crust? YUM!)

Today was spent thinking over cheesecake crusts, thanks to the gentle-sir who doubted the greatness of my shortbread crust. I also made cheesecake pops (cut up my cheesecake into bite size chunks, stuck a lollipop stick inside, and dipped them in chocolate) for the ladies to hand out for samples to get some business. Hopefully they attract customers like bugs to a light.

Also, a friend mentioned to me that he knows of a friend of his who is opening a bakery and asked if he could pass my name on to them. I hurriedly agreed!

Have a fantastic and wonderful day!

Pie Pops

I apologize-- no pictures today. My hands were too far into crisco and flour to snap photos. I like my camera flour free, thank you.

Pie Pops. These are pies on a stick...or at least bite size pieces of pie. I make filling, wrap it with a pie crust round (about the size of your palm) and then seal the edges together and around a lollipop stick. Speaking of the devil....

I had a bit of trouble debating whether or not to stick the lollipop sticks in to the oven when I baked my pie pops. I figured...worse that could happen would be the oven would explode and we all would die. I didn't think that would happen, so I went for it and stuck the lollipop sticks into the pie filling, wrapped crust around it, and threw in the oven. HA!

They turned out okay. I found out that the typical shape of two rounds with filling inside, seal the edges, and stick a lollipop stick in the middle (stick was horizontally placed in the pie pop)--- didn't work out. The stick came right out. But if I put filling in a large piece of dough, then wrapped the dough up and around the filling and up onto the stick in a vertical manner, the lollipop stick didn't come out of the pie pop when it was done. It stuck and I could wave the pie pop around in the air without it being flung into my coworker's face. No pie in the face here!

I think I'll retry making pie pops--- I just want a different option than dipping my pie filling in chocolate. Sure it's easy and looks nice, but I want something that stands apart from the rest. We'll see.

I gave Sam some of my tri-layer chocolate mousse cake today to take to share at work. He took it there and offered some to one of his friends. The cake was placed in the fridge for a while, untouched. Another friend came in and asked if he could have a piece. Sam said "SURE!" and that friend grabbed the to-go box full of four pieces of mousse cake, and proceeded to eat ALL FOUR PIECES. Mind you, those four pieces accounted for a fourth of a cake from work. Later, when Sam and his friend went back to get some cake, and saw it was all gone, all they could say was "DUDE. DUDE." HA! I guess they like my cake?

Dave also told me about how a fireman, originally from New York, was raving about my cheesecake, saying it was better than what they had up in New York and it was so creamy and dense that "you could lift weights with that cake!" Whatever that means... :) I was pretty proud. That makes the second New Yorkian (New Yorkan? New Yorker?) to rave about my cheesecake. *toots own horn!*

Alright. More pictures to come soon.