Moist Chocolate Cake

So, I was at a party last night and someone asked me how she could make her chocolate cake more moist. My answer was, "I don't know". The only baking experience I have at the moment is what I have learned from my mother. I have done a little experimentation on my own, but nothing that would qualify my answering this question... And so, I told her the plain truth - I don't know. What I really should have answered is "I don't know - YET!" Hopefully after I'm finished with the French Culinary Institute, I will be able to answer her question. Actually, I have been doing a little research lately, yes, the nerd in me is coming out again... There's a book that I am thoroughly enjoying - The Cake Bible. I highly recommend it for those of you who want to know the science behind the baking. And from the reviews I have seen on Amazon, the recipes work. I haven't tried any yet since I've been so busy lately, but I am hoping to try some out in the near future. Will keep you posted when I do... =)

Fondarific

I went to the Bakery Expo in Atlantic City this past Monday on the hunt for a good tasting fondant (among other hunts...). Currently, there are not many on the market, and it can get to be quite expensive buying each one, just to taste it! Well, as I went around asking if I could try a bit from different vendors, I came upon a booth with a nice lady holding a basket full of little samples of - FONDANT! Apparently, they are a new company and according to their website (www.fondarific.com) they are the only ones with a buttercreme flavor! In addition, they offer many different flavors of fondant. I was lucky enough to try the buttercreme, chocolate (which tasted a lot like Tootsie Rolls - yum!) and the cherry flavor. All of them were delish! =) Actually, I went ahead and ordered some of the chocolate already along with the free sample pack (you do have to pay $1.50 though for handling). I can't wait to receive my order and try out all the flavors! I'm excited to try the tutti frutti - if it tastes anything like Jelly Belly tutti frutti jelly beans, I think I will be in heaven! They seem to have many advantages. It seems the only downfall is that it is pricey, but then, as the cliche goes, you get what you pay for here. Anyhoo, I will keep you posted and let you know if it is worth the money - I certainly hope so!

Cut Out cookies

My son's 3rd birthday was on September 4th. Last year we brought cupcakes to his daycare and that turned out to be way too messy! I felt SO bad for the teachers because they had to clean up each and every kid. And so, this year, I decided to make some cut-out cookies (thanks Maricel for the idea!). Our theme was fire trucks, so I found a fire truck cookie cutter and a #3, which was absolutely perfect, and then all I needed was the recipe. There are so many recipes online, it was quite difficult to try to pick one. I don't remember which one I ultimately ended up with, but the best tip I read during my research was to use powdered sugar instead of flour when rolling out the dough. This way the dough does not get too tough to work with and you don't end up with any waste! This worked perfectly! I topped it off with some fondant and voila we had some pretty cool looking cookies! Definitely better than the cupcakes!

Excited

I was driving a friend home today and as I was driving alongside some railroad tracks, one of those newer double decker trains came by.  Of course, that got me thinking about how the train looks inside because I had never been in one of those, which got me thinking about my train ride into the city once I start classes at the FCI!  Then I started daydreaming about what I will be learning, what new creations I can come up with...  My daydreaming came to an abrupt stop as I realized that I completely missed my turn off!  Anyway, I'm still so very excited about the classes that I can hardly contain myself!  =)

Organic Sake

So I went to the liquor store today on the hunt for Sake - Japanese rice wine. I am planning to make some Salmon Teriyaki and Sake is one of the ingredients. I had never bought or even tried Sake before so I didn't really know what to look for. And so, after I picked up my son from school, we went looking around town for a liquor store. I was able to find one not too far from our house. From the outside, it looked like a tiny store so I was a little concerned as to whether or not they would have it, but once I walked through the double doors, the place was actually quite big and very clean and organized! When I got to the Japanese wine section, I was confronted by a huge selection of Sake. I didn't know which one to pick!!!! Again, I know absolutely NOTHING about Sake, so I had no idea which one to get! The nice sales lady made a few suggestions, but I happened to see the word "organic" on one of the bottles, so I took a look at that one. I was so surprised to see Sake made from organic rice! And to top it off, it was only $5.99!!! That was great! And so, I went ahead and bought it - Sho Chiku Bai brand. That's SO cool! =)

Is expensive really better than cheap?

Not always, but I'm sure that you already knew that! I am kind of picky when it comes to lotions... I had purchased one of those big packs of Eucerin at Costco because I have extremely dry skin. Well, it seems to help, kind of, but it is just too greasy and after I take a shower, I feel like my skin is back to square 1. A while back, I had purchased a bottle of Jergen's Ultra Healing (a whole lot cheaper than Eucerine, mind you) and I had completely forgotten about it. Well, I stumbled upon it and gave it a try and I love it! I really feel a difference and to top it off, it has a nice mild scent. It smells like nice clean laundry to me, which I adore! And so at probably about half the price of Eucerin, Jergen's Ultra Healing does a better job for me, and smells better too!

The beginning...

Well, I have made the decision to go to the French Culinary Institute and take the Classic Pastry Arts course! I am uber excited so I started this blog to document my journey, even though I won't be starting until probaby March of 2009. In the mean time, you will probably just see random things, like maybe how I am a big closet (or is it out of the closet?) fan of The Backyardigans! Or how my little one amazes me almost everyday by saying something wise beyond his almost 3 years... Or how I made Banana Nut muffins for my mom today using a recipe from Annabel Karmel's cook book for children called First Meals (substituting the sugar with Splenda of course)... Or, maybe you'll just see me venting about a bad day or gushing over a wonderful day that I had! Or I may post an "A-ha" green idea I saw on the Green Planet channel since Mother Earth needs all the help she can get... And so dear reader, I hope you enjoy! =)