Cool down

Now that things in life have started to cool down a little bit I can update. I don't have a lot of recipes to give anymore other than a few bread ones which I will post sometime. For those who know I was coughing like crazy and feeling like poo, I'm almost 100% better! It was just allergies kicking my butt!

April was a crazy month! May should start panning out a little better with "me" time! I am slowly starting my business and baking from home, I've got birthday cakes, wedding cakes and grooms cakes being asked for. I LOVE IT! It's like realizing your dreams are slowly coming true and waking up to the reality is still unreal! I've been making some really neat things in class and I love it. I've also been learning how to calm down and take it as a learning experience and realize that I can't always be as perfect as I'd like to be the first time. I take my curves as learning now and helping me grow to not make those mistakes. I'm studying as much as I can too.

Let's talk a little politics now! 5/1/2011 forever remember the soldiers who have fought for us, those who have passed for us, and the families who have raised these great men and women! I have a lot of friends and family that are soldiers and I want to thank them for everything, they have called me their Sunshine on a cloudy day but they are the ones who deserve the glory! Welcome back to those who are returning home, you have been incredible missed and loved beyond words. My last statement is "Thank a soldier, not obama, he wasn't the one fighting, he was the one cutting budgets to soldiers who saved the country"

So today was great and productive! Tomorrow Midterms start!!! I'm nervous but I've been studying so I think I've got this, I need this for my grade, Big Time! Just two more quarters then it's time to wear my second cap and gown! WH11P!!! I've got 6 weeks left in this quarter, 12 hours next quarter then my last quarter of 15 hours! To even say I graduate this soon makes my heart skip a beat and my stomach fill with butterflies!

I hope all is well with my readers! I love you all for the support you send me, your my sunshines and the reason I keep writing. I promise to get better.

-xoxo

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..."

— Dr. Seuss (Oh, the Places You'll Go!)

CRAZY right now!

Holy Moly has life gotten extremely CRAZY since I've been back from Virginia! I've gone from barely having one job to having an awesome full on job working at the Tanning & Spa place! It's been really great, I'm getting the hours I need and making a pretty good amount, plus perks are great and the people are better! And big time bonus the rising gas prices don't phase me right now because I'm less than half a mile from work I can see it from my apartment window! Pretty ballin'! As for the job that barely gave me hours I'm quitting this week I love the people I work with but it's not as fun and as rewarding as it once was. And of course my biggest job right now is School! I'm taking two lab class, Chocolate Confections & Centerpieces and Artisan Breads! Both are really awesome classes! I have 4 recipes for you today from the Chocolate class, TRUFFLES! They are really good too! I plan on attempting to make some this week for the girls at work. I will give you bread recipes tomorrow. I say that but I'm going to try really hard between school and work my only free days are Sundays, Wednesdays (some) and every other Saturday. Sunday is the only day I have nothing to do which is nice I just do chores that have piled up like homework and homework that has piled up too. I'm also in a club called The Great Chef's Club and we just had a really awesome dinner Saturday night! The chefs did an amazing job! And the people I got to serve were really excellent people!

Eventually I'll get around to being completely organized it's only Week 2 so I've got at least another week to get organized and figure out a gym schedule since I don't need to be anywhere until 9AM on some days and later than that on others.

As for Baltimore and Virginia! HOLY words don't explain how great this trip was! I was nervous at first meeting all these new people and seeing my friend again that I haven't seen in probably 5+ years! But there was nothing to be nervous about I fit right in like we had known each other for years! In fact we are organizing two more trips this year, one is me going back there for a middle school/ MIZZOU/ Baltimore reunion and all of them packing their bags to come down here in the fall to stay with me. I think we are going to the coast and renting a house there and just having a blast. It'd be really awesome if every year we tried getting together again at least once! One of the girls has already said she is just going to move in because I was studying at the pool yesterday and she was inside studying. And we have a master awesome plan for her visit too! We are redoing a 90s music video! Ohh man that's gonna be fun. So I believe my next investment with either be an Xbox 360 w/ kinect or a video camera, dang I wish it could be my birthday again! shucks.

Well now it's time for your recipes and photos of the final product I hope you enjoy!

Chai Tea Truffles

6 oz heavy cream

2 bags of tea (i used orange spice)

2 tsp vanilla extract

milk - as needed

2 oz glucose syrup

12 oz milk chocolate, chopped

1 oz butter, very soft

milk chocolate - as needed for precoating and coating

dark chocolate - as needed for filagree

Coffee Truffles

6 oz heavy cream

1/2 oz coffee ground

2 oz glucose syrup

14 oz dark chocolate, chopped

1 1/2 oz butter, very soft

1 1/2 oz coffee liqueur (Kahlua)

dark chocolate - as needed for precoacting and coating

chocolate - as need for chocolate curls garnish

Amaretti Truffles

5 oz heavy cream

11 oz milk chocolate, chopped

1/2 oz butter

1 1/4 oz amaretto liqueur

dark chocolate - as needed for precating and coating

roasted pine nuts for garnish

Rochers

500 grams (g) slivered almonds

20 g liqueur

50 g powdered sugar

70 g melted cocoa butter

100 g tempered milk chocolate

H

Control

We can not control our lives sometimes, the events that happen, that change us, that shape us, we can only look at them as positive thing even though they may hurt. Last month I lost a really great guy due to my stupid past and things I can't change. Last night I lost the friend that helped me through that hard time. I'm not sure where all this is going next but all I can do is keep my head up and moving forward. It's like black & white movies, we see dull colors but when we really look between and we imagine, it is then that we see the beauty within. I'll find my colors again and even though this really hurts I am still having a wonderful life and enjoying every minute. I feel a little better now too talking about it, thanks for reading. And thank you for continuing to follow.

Today and tomorrow are full of work and preparations for my flight Thursday! Cleaning everything I can today, getting a new ID, then working till 9PM. Tomorrow finishing the cleaning, finally checking in at the airport, work, BumbleBee Choir and ending it with an AMAZINGGG game of baseball between the Astros & RED SOXS!!! Still need to find 2 more people to take, my friend was able to get 4 tickets! Super amazing! Thursday I leave at 330PM! Can't wait to head up North, I hear they got a little snow so that may be cool to see, as long as it goes away after the first night haha. Plan on bringing this gorgeous Texas sun with me.

For todays recipe I went back to my old recipe book from before school, it's really good!!!

Banana Fudge Marble Cake

All purpose flour 2 1/2 cups

Sugar 1 3/4 cups

Baking powder 2 1/2 tsp

Milk 1 1/3 cups

Butter, soft 1/2 cup

Vanilla extract 2 tsp

Eggs 2 or 3

Bananas, mashed 1 cup

Water 1/2 cup

Frosting:

Banana Instant pudding mix 1 package

Whipped topping 1/2 cup

Milk 1 1/4 cups

Banana 1

Lemon Juice

Good Morning

Morning Readers. Goodness isn't it a wonderful morning! It's my "Spring" Break and I got to wake up 8AM, made my self two fried-hard eggs, two slices of toast & a glass of orange juice. I'm not in any rush because I don't work till 11AM either, only day "killer" is I'll be working 11-5 at my first job then 5-8 at my second... did I mention I have to drive in 5 o'clock DOWNTOWN traffic to get to the second, yuck! That's an update you might not know, I now have Two jobs, still at McAlister's but now at Planet Beach Contempo Spa [& tanning]. The new one has been pretty nice, the owner is MIZZOU graduate so that's cool and he isn't as intimidating anymore because of this, since that was my first pick for schools.

So I passed my pastry final, got an 85%, I'm a little upset because I know I should have done better and so does my Chef but I still got an A- in the class. Thursday we had our final for American Regional and I passed but the scariest thing happened... my Chef Spit out my food! I nearly wanted to cry until he started laughing and saying he forgot to mention the crawfish was freezer burnt and the bad taste was just from that. The dish itself was good between the rice and the seasoning, I made Crawfish Etouffee. But at least now I know how it feels to have your food spit out and that's a reaction I NEVER want to happen again!

Since I have been a bad blogger I'm going to aim for every day this week until Friday when I won't be back until Monday. I'll be taking my first flight [alone] to Virginia to spend 5 days with one of my best friends since 7th grade. I may have the chance to cook with a Chef at the bar and I created 4 menu items plus a dessert for them with help from the guys in class. We are also going to go buy Charm City Cakes in Baltimore because that's where I'll be flying in. But until the trip I have work today till Wednesday! Included with a new military ID today, Spa Day & checking-in at the airport tomorrow, then my BumbleBee Choir on Wednesday followed by free tickets to the exhibition game between the astros and BOSTON RED SOXS! Yes I do pick the soxs over the 'stros, sorry Houston fans.

All in all it's going to be an awesome "spring" break! I already spent this weekend in ATX to see my bestie before he moves to Kentucky, and who knows when I will see him again. I never made it to 6th St. with them though because my 'nap' turned into sleeping until 130AM, so needless to say I just watched a movie and got to see all the drunks come home it was still fun.

Time to finish breakfast & start getting work ready. Make yourself a good breakfast and have a good day!

Recipe for Angel Food Cake, a wonderful springtime treat

Cocoa Powder 1 oz

Warm water 2 fl oz

Vanilla extract 2 tsp

Sugar 12 oz

Cake flour, sifted 3.5 oz

Salt 1/4 tsp

Egg whites 12

Cream of tartar 2 tsp

Add some strawberry sauce and strawberries, or another fresh fruit and enjoy!

Favorite Things

My favorite thing about life: having the wonderful people I know in it. Thanks for all the pick-me-ups you have all blessed me with. Today proved that through Darkness there comes Light. It was raining horribly almost all day! But three o'clock came around and the sun started peering through, by four PM it was Gorgeous! The sun was out, the breeze was cool and the birds sang. I got to see one of my VERY good friends who I haven't in a long time. We went and buffed up our nails and ate some Johnny C's! [my birthday present from her, wonderful!] It's amazing to think about what God can do with darkness, and I hope that in the time to come my dark cloud because a ray of sunlight again!

My other favorite thing is paying bills and doing it with peace! When you can open that check book and pay the bills and still see dollar signs! I am blessed. Every little thing helps right now and I'm hoping to get my small dessert business up and running by the summer, so like June! If you need em let me know! I'm also still trying to come up with a Name. I've thought about Cakery but still unsure about it; AHhh! Any help would be WONDERFUL!

Another favorite thing - MOVING! I graduate in December of this year and I've decided I will be looking into different apprenticeships... in EUROPE!!! I want to study some more in chocolates and/or sugar art. I will be in a chocolate/centerpiece class and a sugar art club next quarter [about a month from now] so I will be able which I would like to do, if not both. Not sure how long I will be there, my plan is fly out in Jan or Feb of 2012 then work/live/eat there till I want to come back. Then I'm either going to the Northeast or Colorado, apparently my nonpolar bear self wants to live in a colder climate haha!

As for everything else, TOMORROW is my FINAL in Pastries! I am absolutely, positively NERVOUS! I got to see how it would be today and I will succeed tomorrow! I have no fear just butterflies! [keep your fingers crossed] So school is great, work is work it may be changing or becoming two jobs but that is still undetermined. And as for the life in general I'm finding new happiness but I'm still lost in the past trying to figure the things I could have changed. A very good friend of mine doesn't speak to me anymore, I've asked if I have done something and still no reply. It hurts so bad, I want to apologize even if it solves nothing I just want that person to know I'm very sorry for whatever it may be and hope that we can still go grab that drink. No more sadness talk! Virginia in almost TWO weeks! Before I leave I will try having all the recipes out for my lovely [&handsome] readers! I appreciate your loyal following!

Going to see KISS in concert with my DADDY-O & Lil' Bro tomorrow!!!

Have a great week Loves!

About time...

for me to finally post! So things have been great and things have been rough but I'm slowly getting through it all. Let's just start with the good. I'm finally 21! YAAA! March 1st was my birthday and I went to the Zoo with my wonderful roomie. A friend & her fiancée were supposed to be with us but they got there before me and it took me 40 minutes to park! So by the time I did she was having to leave for work, lame. But there are plenty more first Tuesdays we can go! It was a lot of fun and I got a toucan! He is adorable, and sadly not real. After we went to dinner with a group of my friends I got some bath stuff [bubble bath, whoop!] and a bottle of Disaronno, can't wait to try that and see what I can cook up with it too. My mom also got me a bottle of wine and a wonderful wine glass to go with it! Roomie got me a French press, coffee glass and four AWESOME I Love Lucy shot glasses because let's face it, I do. I got wonderful birthday cards [thanks family] but that's all I can currently think of, sorry if anything has been left out. I got myself an awesome present [other than coloring my hair] I bought my first plane ticket! It was NERVE racking and exciting and I'm still excited every time I think about it.

anywhos After dinner which was the worst service ever! I wrote our names on the hostess list and my friend got our menus BUT there was a gay fight that got the cops called so that was pretty spectacular to see. So after, we went to a bar where the night starts to blur but I had to friends helping me walk out at the end of the night so I hear that means it was good, and it was I have pictures and videos and stories! Ohh man! Thanks everyone who came! I did cry some over that someone but go figure I still miss him and wish he could have been there. The next morning, brutal! Then I had choir that night and felt a lot better!

So that all sounded great and wonderful. Thursday night I enjoyed my first legal beer at my favorite restaurant Buffalo Wild Wings and it tasted better not looking over my shoulder and worrying about getting caught. Friday went to a pretty cool Irish bar with a friend and had a fun time there new experience and the stares were great people did not think I was legal, the door guy said I only looked 13, yeah not so much. I just replied nope I'm 14!

And now Saturday, where things got a wee bit sour. It was Beerfest! And round two for my celebration. I went back home to party with friends there but lets get back to that. Changed my brakes with my dad pretty fun experience then we went to Beerfest. That was so cool my dad was teaching me about the difference between beers and everything in between awesome experience. The band playing was a Journey Tribute band so that was really cool but the night got Cold so my roomie & her bf & I went to the bar avenue to get pizza before everyone started coming out. My favorite pizza place! Quesadilla pizza YUM! I also got to sing Bennie & the Jets standing on the chairs at this pizza place! Such a great time.

The sour events, received text from people who were bailing out! In fact all but one, not including my roommate Bailed. For the second time my birthday plans back home FELL through the floor. WOW! Makes me reevaluate the people I want to be hanging out with. But my roomie had friends come and eat with us then we went to Spoons Yogurt & decided I was going to bail on my own plans and make the best of what I had, two people I had just met. We all went and played pool and had a wonderful time!

I'm still pretty hurt by everyone who said they would come or who lied about why they couldn't or whatever be the reason. I'm the type of friend/person who would jump threw hoops! Or not matter how exhausted I would be there. So yesterday really sucked I couldn't stop thinking about it then he came back into my head and I hate that I lost him. But one day, soon I hope, I can be okay again. With the support of the good people I still have in my life.

And now for today! It's "pre" finals week!!! Which means today in BP we did a production lab, made the Chiffon Cake, Eclairs & Swiss Buttercream for our final next week. I take my Tuesday and I steward for two girls on Monday. Chef said I was one of the strongest that's why I get to do double the work, I'll take that as a compliment! Tomorrow we have a practice day, we get to choose some things to make that we need to work on or didn't do so well on previously. Haven't decided what I'm going to make yet other than pastry cream since I messed that up at home and it's part of the final next week. Other than school, a nap and work. Just the usual routine but I'm home and my homework can wait for Wednesday when I will get hopefully it ALL done! If not half is better than none. But I'm going to sleep early tonight I only got 4 hours last night.

I hope tonights post wasn't terrible Debbie Downed. But this is also where I am free to say anything I just hope you can accept that and maybe even give me some advice to get through the rough spot I'm currently in. Now off to my crossword puzzles/wordy gurdy/jumble/sudoku/&bed.

Night Loves.

Almost there!

So every time that I go more than a day without blogging I truly feel horrible! I'm sorry readers and I know I'm behind on the American Regional recipes but I will sit down and write them all out for you! Heck school will be ending soon then what will I have to share besides the recipes I create at home. It has just been so busy around here, from school to work and straight to sleep. I picked up a shift Saturday then had a movie night and started my homework, it's almost done. I got a little side tracked tonight I watched "You Again" such a great movie! I recommend this one, pretty darn good chick flick, I think you guys could handle it too.

Well the birthday is quickly approaching, Tuesday the 1st! Holy moly I can't believe I'm finally turning 21! Almost there. I don't know if I'm more nervous or excited. I think I'm excited for it but I'm nervous it's just going to wind up another disaster, hopefully not. And I'm not trying to think it will, trying to think positive and just stay happy and enjoy myself. Also Tuesday is payday and that will be real nice to have on the birthday day uuuuntil I pay bills, all well. Just remember "Work to live, don't live to work." And just me I don't want to!

Well now that it's a little later and Criminal Minds has me even MORE sidetracked from my journal homework I'm going to say Goodnight to all. Enjoy your night.

I don't have a good quote for the day nothing I found really fit. If you can find one let me know it.