Little Monsters.

Hello hello. It has been too long!

Short preface: Melissa left last weekend to go and help with my niece's birthday party in Calgary. I was at school when she headed out so I couldn't exactly go with her. Two days? Alone? In Edmonton?? Not OVERLY enticing... but I'll roll with it. So after class I took my 40 minute bus ride home and then followed that with a little power walk from the transit center to my apartment building. Up the elevator, unlocked the door.... and was greeted by no one :( Totally alone. Closed, deadbolted and chained the door shut.

What happened then?....

Absolutely nothing.




I had the bachelorette pad to myself. What should I do.... Study? Nah. Clean? Nah. Unpack? Nah.


... bake? OKAY!



Seriously. That was my thought process.... The thought of opening my Med Terminology Book on a Saturday just made me... sad. (Interestingly enough, it's Saturday again and guess what I have open right next to me? Ding ding, med terminology. Oh how it makes my heart hurt.)

I whipped out the Google Maps and found me a Bulk Barn... trotted off and made an adventure out of it. Stopped at Bulk Barn, Marks Work Wearhouse (I've been here a million times... I'm ready to torch that place. JUST LET ME HAVE MY SCRUBS IN ALL THE SAME COLOR AND SIZE!!), Safeway. I hauled all the crap up to the apartment and set to work on my scheme.

 And to all those people out there who say you won't actually DO any of the things you find on Pinterest... Suck on this:

Those be scratch made Blue Velvet Cupcakes with blue cream cheese frosting rolled in blue sweetened shredded coconut. Oh yeah, and scratch made chocolate chip cinnamon cookies.

I had the pleasure of eating like... SIX of the rejects. I think my oven is a bit hot.. a couple of the ones on the edges got a wee too crispy to serve. LUCKILY I had a bowl, a spoon, and ice cream to remedy that problemo. *Whew* Crisis: averted.

I took them to my ward Sunday Potluck... and they were pretty much devoured in seconds. Makes you feel good that other people appreciate the time you spent making something nice. And NO ONE commented I must have a lot of time on my hands... which was refreshing. Yeah, I actually DON'T... I just make time for nice things. F.Y.I.

Still trying to decide what next month will be... It'll have to be something downright awesome to stand up to these little guys. It is October... so something festive? Absolutely.

So the oven has been christened. I have officially baked. *dusts off hands*

C is for Cookie... and Cupcake. Hi ohhhh!

Reality is setting in...

I'm moving. In less than a month. To a faraway cold place. To be a big girl and grow up and get a real job. And there's no convection oven...

... hold me.

But seriously. HOLY CRAP!!! I'm leaving Lethbridge for realistically... probably 10 years. Sure the program is 28 months... but then what? Take my old room back in my parent's house? Not likely. So it's peace out Southern AB until I'm building my dream house out on an acreage.... *sigh*...

That's scary. It makes me feel like I need to cope... by eating desserts. Lots of dessert. Speaking of which... I did something bad. So bad infact.. it has to be good.

I remade that ultimate coconut cake.... with a few alterations. I soaked the layers not in simple syrup, but in coconut milk infused with simple syrup. I turned the cream cheese frosting into a coconut milk cream cheese glaze and I covered the outside with large flake unsweetened coconut instead of the fine shredded and sweetened variety. The result? Nothing short of a masterpiece.

I think we've found a competitor, nay, a MATCH for the Butterscotch Pecan Cake (which I call the Gold Cake... for good reason.)

I made it for my mom's friend's daughter's bridal shower.... yeah that was a lot of possessives in one sentence. We did the whole shebang. Mediterranean pie, special salad, stuffed mushrooms, home made parsley butter, and of course... Dessert. Carmen's Carrot Cake, Callebaut Dipped Strawberries and the Ultimate Coconut Cake. Here are some pictures of the event!

It was lovely... sorry the pictures are all from the kitchen perspective!! But that's kinda how you roll when your part of the food entourage. I wish I had some pictures of the prep the night before... me and Meliss were up until probably 2:30 getting everything ready!

The Kitchen was run by Melissa and Myself... with my Mom playing Hostess with the Mostest. The shower was beautiful, and everyone had a great time!! Especially us... we were left with all the leftovers to take care of afterwards. Oh dear. You know how that PLAGUES me.

All the Coconut Cake is nearly gone, and so is the Summer. Soon it will be off to school again. I can't believe that there are already back to school commercials on. Hopefully I can bake a few more things before I go... something tells me that in the thick of classes, I won't have much time to bake to the same level of extravagance I have been.

Happy Baking my Lovely Readers :)

Confessions of the Service Industry.

So. I got this summer job.... totally thought it would be my dream job! Scoop ice cream all day, bake brownies, roll cookie dough... No bat shiz crazy co-worker harassing me on a daily basis.... Low stress, chill, fun job.

Boy was I ever naiive. Seriously.

The amount of sheer grunt labor involved in that job is UNREAL. Do you know how much gummy bears weigh??? When they are all packed together like that?! They are dense little frickers. And believe you me... that lovely scent of baking waffle cones does NOT come without a price. I was on cones for some 4 hours one day (which actually isn't very long in the cone making world)... I swear I had heatstroke. My hands were swelling so much the gloves were getting tight.

How-some-ever, there are a lot of awesome things about this job. I learned how to work an ice cream machine and got paid to bake in the mornings. I learned how to make a LOT of things (like fresh baked waffle cones and ice cream cup cakes) and I learned that my dream house has to include a blast chiller, an ice cream maker, waffle irons, a walk in fridge, and one of those awesome mega deep sinks that have a scalding water laser for a faucet. Free ice cream is always a good thing too. My co-workers were wonderful. I miss you guys already :( And I had two awesome bosses.

Anyway. During my time there I made some observations... and I am here to share them with you in an easy to follow numbered list. Please note that these opinions are solely my own and I do not intend to impose them on anyone employed in said profession.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW WHEN GOING INTO AN ICE CREAM STORE.
(In no particular order..)

1. We don't like it when you ask us how much we love our job. Or when you tell us how easy our jobs must be. Yeah, tell that to my black and blue legs and my aching triceps.

2. Yes, this job makes my wrists hurt and yes, I do have muscles from scooping all the rock hard ice cream for 8 hours a day. In fact, I'm probably 2 years closer to crippling arthritis after hand packing this quart of peanut butter ice cream. Thanks.

3. When you want something "light" and ask for a milkshake, I secretly giggle to myself because I know what goes in those things and in what amount... Trust me. It ain't light. The same goes for the Green Tea Ice Cream. It's all made with the same base. You aren't saving calories... I promise.

4. Don't try too hard to coordinate your ice cream and make it "like an apple pie!" or something. You can't make it gross. Except peanut butter ice cream and pineapple. That's a new kind of sick.

5. When you don't let your kids get more than one mixin, you look like a psycho. Don't take your kid to get a marble slab if you're going to whine about prices. Take them to Dairy Queen where you will pay the same amount but will feel better in principle about buying cheap crap.

6. Use words. Instead of... "I waaaaant.... THAT kind in THAT cup." and pointing in your selection's general direction... say, "I would like a medium strawberry ice cream, please."Seriously. If you are old enough to go get an ice cream and tell the lady what you want, you are old enough to use words.

7. The world would be a better place if people would stop, look around, and read. Everything you need to know is listed on the HUGE board behind me or the hanging signs all around us.

8. Stop asking me for a single ice cream cupcake. For the last time.... They only come in boxes of six. Get over it and buy the box if you want your small turtle cup so freaking badly.

9. Please keep your bad attitude at home. You're in an ice cream parlor.... if you can't be happy there, your life is seriously going to suck.

10. If you are waiting in line for a really long time due to a rush hour.... have the decency to know what you want when we get to you. There's nothing worse than a line out the door and a posse of 5 or 6 girls holding up the line because they can't decide between white chocolate or cheesecake.

11. I dislike when you ask me for my opinion and then you pick the exact opposite... Really?

I have newfound respect for people who stay cheery for 8+ hours at a time. There's so much to be done ALL THE TIME... honestly and truly there's never time for a break in the ice cream business. So we seriously... SERIOUSLY love when happy people come in. There have been a few customers that just made my day either by their cheery attitude alone or something funny they said. Be kind to the people serving you... and say thank you. It's more appreciated than you know!

My vice. Black Walnut/ Cheesecake ice cream with Fudge Brownie, Oreo, and Butterfinger in a Butterfinger cone. Boo. Ya.

Ahoy!

Oh my long lost baking blog. How long it has been.

Things have been absolutely CRAZY lately... Peter Pan is in 8 days!! It's been quite a taxing few months; growing pains and learning curves and all those lovely things that are excessively uncomfortable but yield that important stuff.... what's that called? Oh right, "life experience". Bah.

Highs and lows have become a commonality in my life as of late. It's very exhausting.

Amidst all of this.. I made time to create a little masterpiece for one of my very best friends: my Mom. She's been with me every step of the way.

We recently took a little excursion to Edmonton so I could attend my DMS interview. It was a quick 6 hour drive followed by an epic tale of woe... being lost in Central Alberta is NOT our idea of adventure. We finally made it to our hotel and, after getting lost on Kingsway Ave about 8 different times, managed to find NAIT and a Moxies!

We got to go to the Kingsway Mall before my interview and go meet my MAC counter girls and had a lovely breakfast. Then... it was time. My mom sat outside and read a paperback the whole time. Meanwhile I was sprinting station to station, racking my brain for the best way to approach each mini interview. (For those who don't know, NAIT has switched from panel interviews to MMI, or multiple mini interviews. They present you with 8 different scenarios and you have 5 minutes to respond to each one. Most of these questions have absolutely nothing to do with the profession at all.)

On our drive home, time flew by. Of course we always made sure our Double Gulps were full of Diet Pepsi... and then I had a hankering for an Oreo Cheesecake Blizzard. Oh yum.

We spent the time reminiscing about places we used to live, people we used to know, outdated perspectives.... It always amazes me how many stories one person can have. My mom was so wonderfully supportive the entire time. As I reflected on how grateful I was... I recalled other times in my life where she has been there for me. I realized what a blessing it was to have parents who will take time to be there for you. What a treat it was to spend that time with my mom!

This past mother's day was an especially happy occasion. If anyone knows Carmen, you know she has a borderline unhealthy love of caramel.... and so I set off to find the most caramelly dessert I could. I ended up with caramel cakes with a solid caramel filling, caramel cream cheese frosting and fresh praline.

It was my first time making praline, as well as using a candy thermometer. It was quite an adventure.



The cake turned out beautifully... and judging by my mom's reaction she loved it too.

This reminds me.... my ACTUAL present for Mother's Day (and her card) are still up in my room. Sheesh.

Anyways. I just wanted to say thank you to my mom, Carmen. You are a wonderful blessing to me. My burdens are lighter because of you, and I wouldn't be who I am today without you. Cheers to you mom, you're the best.

*cracks a Diet Pepsi*

Lately.

I have been struggling with keeping up to date on this blog. It's the holidays which means busy busy busy.... and baking baking baking.

I am happy to report that I ate more than my share of cake (and other delicious sweets) in the past few weeks.... alright FINE: In the past few months. Due to this and the fact our kitchen is undergoing an extreme makeover starting tomorrow.... I won't be baking anything new until it is completed.

And by completed... I mean dazzling new double ovens with true convection baking, granite countertops, gas stoves, crown moldings, new white cabinets, travertine flooring, all new appliances.... the full enchilada.

This means that we have moved our kitchen into our living room. I'll have to put up a picture... you can tell we have been to TOO many continental breakfasts in our lifetime.

I think it will be sort of fun... like camping out. I'm also hoping the novelty lasts more than a week.... seeing as we will be stuck with it for 8-12.

This also means that when the kitchen is once again fit for my decadent exploits I'll be back in full force. I plan on breaking in my (yes, my) double ovens with something quite epic. I did just recently regain access to the internet on my laptop, so pictures of some of my holiday baking shall be added soon.

Features include crepes, cheesecake, a yule log, cookies, and chocolate cake. Watch for those, and I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. PS: What did everyone else bake for Christmas??

Happy Baking :)

Magic.

Time for something I can do with my eyes closed... and requires no recipe. Sounds GOOD!

So you all know that feeling when you have a day off and it SHOULD make you more rested.... but it just doesn't?? Then the next day someone asks... "Hey! How are you feeling? Better??"

Nope. As a matter of fact I feel exactly the same as yesterday. And the day before.

This is when you know.... you're ready for holidays.

I am somewhat comforted by the fact that no matter what happens, when December 17th rolls around... it's all over. And there isn't one dang thing anyone can do to stop it. So I've just gotta tough out a little over two more weeks. I can totally do it.... I can abso-LUTELY do it. I can.... I ca-..... I.... I CAN'T DO IT!!!

Yes, I need a little encouragement here people. The fall semester, for whatever the reason, KILLS me every flippin year. I'm on my deathbed by the first snowfall. Don't ask, just comfort me :(

Here's a little something I like to whip up in about 30 minutes (this includes baking time, by the way.)

Step one: Melt some butter. Mix in Graham Cracker Crumbs. It should be moist enough to follow through with step two.
Step Two: Press in the bottom of a pan to make a cookie crust.

Step Three: Layer with whatever you like. I go shredded coconut, followed by milk chocolate chips, and chopped pecans. Don't be shy with your portions.

Step Four: Crack a can of Eagle Brand (sweetened condensed milk) and pour over the top. Throw it in the oven at tree-fiddy (350). Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the top layer is bubbly and golden.

At this point you have two options. You can wait for it to cool so you can cut it into beautiful squares, OR you can use a soup ladle and spoon it into a bowl for a hot delicious treat.

Be forewarned about the latter... unless you have an extreme sweet and chocolate tooth, I would suggest waiting for them to set. The chocolate is very melty and will spread through most of the other flavors. It can be a bit overwhelming. (Still delicious though... but hey, I've been known to DRINK Callebaut.)

We call these Magic Bars. You'll see why.

It's mostly because I hate all squares and bars with the fire of a thousand suns. I hate everything from the taste to the baking process and right down to their core philosophy.

But these.... these are wonderful. They're rich, chewy and dense, but have that coconut layer to cut the rich flavors nicely. And then there's the finish of the crunchy pecans. Oh and the chocolate. Did I mention the chocolate? MMMMM!

Give these a go if you are feeling a touch weary. The end is in sight, I promise! We will all make it till Christmas! Trust the Magic Bars. They will give you Power.

Ballet and Cake?! Perfect.

This one time, my best friend Tayler turned 19! And I baked her a cake. And brought it to ballet... and we had a surprise birthday for her!

But Annie, how DID you keep the cake nice and refrigerated whilst you were dancing? How you ask?? I live in Canada, eh! The great OUTDOORS is my refrigerator!

So for Tay's birthday I decided I would go for the tried and true ultimate girl indulgence. Chocolate... and ALOT of it. I started with three 8" by 2" rounds (which judging by this picture I could turn into a Micky Mouse cake.... inspiration??) of a very moist chocolate cake made with lots of sour cream and high quality cocoa powder.

First mix the cocoa with boiling water....

Make sure there are no lumps.

Don't freak out... the sour cream doesn't make the cake sour. It just makes it more dense and moist.

Then I did the most evil thing I could have possibly done.... Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing. That's right people..... CCCI. WHAMMY. You make this with Unsweetened Chocolate... which is a force to be reckoned with. I myself am a HUGE dark chocolate fan. I took a bite of this stuff once.. expecting something along the lines of bittersweet.... Well I got the bitter... but no sweet. This chocolate is SPECIFICALLY for baking. It is NOT for straight eating... even for a chocolate connoisseur such as myself.

Deadly.

You melt it and throw it into your cream cheese butter vanilla mixture... then add a TON of icing sugar. Whip it up, being sure to scrape the sides and the bottom as to make sure the chocolate is evenly distributed. You should end up with a thick, yet fluffy icing with a velvety smoov (say it out loud if you are confused) texture.

Cute little tip for presentation... lay a few strips of foil down on the serving plate as to not smear icing all over it and turn it into a huge mess. Woo.

You can prep the cake right on the portable caddy if you utilize the tin foil trickery. Magical. Slap the first layer down, ice it, then the next layer.

Rinse and repeat until all your layers are stacked... in my case, tres. Ice the sides with the frosting oozing out the sides in a thin layer called the crumb coat, then refrigerate for about an hour to let it set. Then use the rest of your icing to make a smoov (say it out loud again.. in case you forgot.) and creamy coating.

Beautiful.

So.... we threw it in the car and drove out to ballet. Cake? Check. Candles? Check. Matches? Check. Bowls and spoons? Check. Around Welling we realize..... eff. We forgot a knife. So of all people... we text the Birthday Girl herself. Bring a Knife. Don't ask, just bring it. And she did. And was none the wiser. What a dear.

So cute.

Love this girl!!

Oh gosh. Tay has a knife. 

She was so excited! It was precious. And definitely was a ton of fun. The girls loved the cake. Big thanks to Miss Melissa who let me organize this little partay for everyone... hopefully the extra icing I brought you compensated for the half hour we spent having cake.

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Miss Tayler!! We love you lots and here's to many more!!