Cake Class #2

So, this is my second week in the cake class. I had to make a cake and frosting from scratch, then frost the cake before taking it to class.


So I whipped up a batch of frosting, it calls for an entire box of confectioners sugar. Sounds super sweet and believe me it is!!

So, here's the finished product.

I took my cake, which actually my husband had to make for me due to a family emergency. Thanks Honey!! Anyway, after I finished my frosting, I got the cakes out of the cake pans and leveled the cakes so they would lay flat. Then, I tried to ice my cake.....disaster!!!! The icing was so thick, I knew I wouldn't have enough to cover my whole cake and I didn't have anymore confectioners sugar. I also needed to leave for class within 10 minutes. So, I just decided to go to class with a cake that is not iced and ask the teacher for advice.

I get to class and the teacher takes one look at my icing and says, "that's way to thick," I wanted to say, "you think" but, I refrained from my sarcastic comments. Turns out, we were supposed to make a thinner version of the icing recipe by adding more water to the icing. OOPS!! So, I iced my cake and went on with decorating it.

This is the finished decorated cake. I wanted to do more but ran out of time in class because I was a slacker and did not have my cake iced before class.

I went home and went to bed and was going to decorate it a little more before I took it to my mother-in-law's house that evening for my nephews. I went to pick the cake up and it felt a little lopsided. I asked my husband if he had a piece of it and he said, "no." So, I took the lid off and he was right he didn't have a piece, he had a half of the whole cake!!!!

I could not believe my eyes!!! Half of an entire cake!!! He doesn't even like cake!!! What is up with that???

Well, I guess at least it was good. I took the other half to my nephews that night and they ate the rest. All in all, I think it turned out well and those who ate it said it was great. My husband said it was so amazing because he made it....dork.

Ms. Greenthumb??

I have decided that I was going to try a little gardening, very little in fact. I wanted to try to grow a small herb garden. I bought this little kit from the store and it had the mini greenhouse, pots, soil and seeds.

After getting home I discovered the seeds that came with the kit did not look so fabulous. So, I went back to the store and purchased some more seeds. I bought basil, chives and dill. This is my first attempt at growing anything so, hopefully it works out.

Here is the mini greenhouse with the soil in it. You can't see but the seeds are already in that soil.

Here is a closer look at the soil. It looks pretty dry to me but my husband who thinks he is a master horticulturalist says its fine.

I hope my little garden grows. I will love it, and pet it, and call it George. I would love to make some homemade pesto with my basil!!!

The creepy clown mystery.

The other day I walked out my front door to find this on my doorstep. There are not many things in this world that creep me out but, clowns are definetly one of the things that do!! I don't know if it was a particularly scary one at the circus when I was little, the movie IT or just the idea of some whack job behind all that makeup that creeps me out, but it just does.

So, the obvious thing to me is, whoever left me this priceless piece knew about my phobia of clowns. I just wonder who that is...hmm.

Just look at him trying to act all harmless but, I know better!!

I think this picture explains it all!! He looks like he is urinating on the earth. What's up with that??

I really hope whoever deceided to leave me this piece of art did not spend this much for it, although, it is obviously worth it since it is a collectors edition series 2000. I might just have to ring up Antique's Roadshow for my fortune now. Or maybe........



I will just go to my local chotsky dealer and pick up his twin.

This mystery has yet to be solved. I will have to do more investgative work to find out who did such a thing. You know what they say about paybacks.

Joann's Wilton Cake Decorating Class

Recently, I signed up for a Wilton cake decorating class that is held at Joann Fabrics. I signed up because I have always wanted to know how to frost a cake and decorate it you know, just for fun. I have no aspirations of being a person who sells cakes for a profession, at all!! However, I do want to know how to make a cake that is level and will not break into pieces when it isn't. As you can tell, this has happened to me in the past and my niece will not let me forget it since it was her birthday cake, oops!! Anyway I signed up to take the class with my friend Toni. She really only wants to get to the fondant and gum paste class that is next. Apparently it is mandatory that we take the first class. What's up with that??





In our first session, we made icing and iced cookies. I guess they did not want us to ruin a whole cake the first night. We practiced using some of the different icing tips with the icing bags. Here are a few examples of the cookies that I decorated.












These were made using the star tip and the buttercream icing we used in class. The recipe is super simple and I will give it to you at the end. I think for my first try at using a icing bag and a tip, I didn't do too bad. What do you think?

So, I took the cookies home and the next morning before I could take more pictures my husband happened to spot these. This is what was left of the entire batch. I guess he liked em'.

Atleast he left a few of the nice looking ones to take pictures of. I think these were actually my favorites anyway.

This cookie, I have to confess I did not do. Toni did this one. She said she made it for me. She said it was a witches hat because I am a witch......what???? Does she know me at all?? I thought we were friends Toni.

I think this is my favorite one of all. I love the heart and the scalloped edges. It's too cute!! I think I got the hang of the scalloping by this point.



Look at that, don't you just want to take a big bite out of it???



This one does show a little icing below the scalloping. Hey, it was my first time at this, I'm allowed a little imperfection right?



The class is fun and I will go back next week with whole cake, no more cookies for me. I'll fill you in on that next week. By the way, the cookies were amazing!!! I did manage to take one out of my husband's hand before he ate the rest of them.

Buttercream Icing
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine softened
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.)
2 tablespoons milk

instructions

(Medium Consistency)

In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.

For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.

For thin (spreading) consistency icing, add 2 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk.

For Pure White Icing (stiff consistency), omit butter; substitute an additional 1/2 cup shortening for butter and add 1/2 teaspoon No-Color Butter Flavor. Add up to 4 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk to thin for icing cakes.

Makes about 3 cups of icing

Happy Icing!!!

Shazam and the last 10 songs I downloaded from ITunes.

I love my iPhone, love it, love it, love it!!! It is like an extension of my hand. The main reason I love it is the iPod. I feel one with it. Ok, enough of that.

Shazam is one of my very favorite applications. For those of you who do not know what Shazam is, let me fill you in. If there is a song that is playing in a movie, TV show, etc. you can "tag it" through the Shazam application. It listens or "tags" the song for about 30 seconds then processes what it has heard. In a few seconds it will bring up all the info on the song. It gives you the artist, title and album the song is from. It also has a direct link to iTunes so you can purchase the song right away or it will store all of your tags until you delete them. So you don't have to purchase it right then. You can wait and listen to it to deceide if you want it or not. There are also links to YouTube and other various ways of posting the song somewhere else. I use this application all the time. It is amazing!! I do not know how it can just listen for a few seconds and tell me all the info I need to know about the song. Honestly, I really don't care how it does it, as long as it does.

Here is a list of the last 10 songs that I downloaded to my iPod, they is a good mix here:

From the Morning- Nick Drake. The album is Pink Moon. All songs that I have heard from it are great. I used the Shazam application for this song. I'm sure you have heard it on an AT&T commercial.

Sweet Disposition- The Temper Trap. The album is Conditions. This song it great. Heard it from a preview of Eat, Love, Pray. Instantly loved it. Shazam? Yep!!

Love the Way You Lie- Eminem (feat. Rhianna). The album is called Recovery. Eminem is back and he has somethin to say!! Lol, anyway, it's just a great song. Sadly, no Shazam here.

Jump Around- House of Pain. The album was The Best of House of Pain. Come on...it's a classic. Didn't need Shazam for that!!

Giving Up the Gun- Vampire Weekend. The album is Contra. I heard them around and about but, really liked this song when they performed it on SNL. BTW, Shazam will not recognize live versions of songs. I know this and yet I still try.

I Like It- Enrique Iglesias (feat. Pitbull). The album is.....I don't know. It was a single. However, I do know the video features the cast of Jersey Shore. Now, who can't love that???

Your Arms Around Me- Jens Lekman. The album is Night Falls Over Kortedala. This is a Shazamer for sure. I was watching Whip It (if you haven't seen this movie, you should) and I was enjoying the movie not really paying attention to the lyrics of this song but, knew I liked how it sounded. I used my handy dandy Shazam app and bought it right then. After actually listening to the lyrics, this is definetly one of my favorite songs of all time.

New World- Devotchka. The album is A Mad and Faithful Telling. This was a song that I heard while watching Weeds, which is a great show. Shazam, you bet!!

If I Ever Leave This World Alive- Flogging Molly. The album is Drunken Lullabies. This is the intro song in Watchmen. It's kinda depressing but, I like kinda depressing music sometimes.

Needle In the Hay- Elliot Smith. The album is Elliot Smith. This song is in the movie The Royal Tennanbaums, which I love. There is more than just this song that is amazing in the movie. However, I, yep you guessed it, Shazamed it the last time I watched it. My husband says this kind of music makes you want to commit suicide but, I totally disagree. This song is great if you like depressing, melancholy, dark music.

So, as you can see, I use Shazam atleast 60% of the time, it's amazing and you should give it a try. The guys who invented this should be on a mgazine or something :)

Amanda