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I've got sunshine on a cloudy day.
When it's cold outside, I've got the month of May…
My girl, (my girl), talkin' 'bout my girl…" -The Temptations
Such a simple thing. Hubby comes into the kitchen, brushes past me, and without eye contact or emotion says, "You are one hard-working girl." Not a hard-working lady. Or hard-working woman. Or even hard-working chick.
Before our marriage, during his career as a professional musician, my husband played that song hundreds of times- often several times in a night. The crowds loved "My Girl" then and the world loves it still. But, why did it pop into my head today as if for the first time? I realized that in thirty-nine years, (That's how long we've been married.) he's never referred to me gender-wise with any other term. Of course, I'm also those genderless names of Honey, Sweetheart, and Love. But mostly, I am "his girl."
He would even tell the kids, "Don't you cross my girl. She's your mother and my wife."
As I thought about his consistent use of the tag, I wondered if it's made a difference over the years. What if he'd used just the other terms of endearment? Or called me by my name or "The Mrs." These questions brought up a distant memory from VBS teaching days (my mid-forties) when a misbehaving six year-old referred to me as "you old lady." I immediately burst out laughing, it sounded so crazy. Seems I have been affected by my husband's pet word, for a long time. But how?
Since reality says I'm way past girlhood, being called Girl has affected my self-esteem. I don't mean self-worth. I find my worth in God's view of me. But when women pass the girl stage of life, they may tend to feel "past their prime." The term "Girl" evokes a sense of freshness, radiance, and warmth. When he calls me that, I feel all those things, even if only for a moment.
"My Girl" speaks of security and belonging. His "Come here, Girl," sounds more alluring than "Come here, Woman," or Lady or Chick. Now I admit there are times when the latter references might "stir things up" a bit quicker. But normally, when he draws me into his arms with this playful name, I want to move toward him. I think it's because I sense he wants me for me. Not for what I have to give him.
Sense of Aging
As hard as it is to admit, I feel more like a girl because that's exactly how he sees me. Always has. Here I am in my sixties, but besides having (a bit) less agility, the mirror is the sole conspirator against my sense of "girlness." Denial? Self-trickery? Maybe.
However, doesn't love see everything in its best light?
If your husband hasn't used this reference to you lately, and you haven't thought of yourself this way, here's my advice to you:
Keep the attitude of being your husband's girlfriend. You are your husband's lover, wife, and business associate, all in one package. Concentrate more on the girlfriend part, and tell him you love being his girl. Call yourself a girl when referring to yourself. "I am one tired girl!" "This girl really likes you, Mr. Hunk!" You get the idea. Don't call yourself Old Girl, though. That's an automatic penalty.
Finally, think of your grown daughters as your forever girls. My oldest daughter just turned thirty-seven, and she is still my girl. I will always be her mother, and she's the mother of her own brood. We belong to a sisterhood of girls- for life!


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Current Theatre Production Season
2014-2015 Theatre Season
This is archival information only.
A season of "Secrets"
To purchase tickets, call our Box Office at 316.322.3262. For more information on Box Office hours and location, visit the Box Office Homepage.
"State of the Union"
by Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse
Directed by Samuel Sparks
October 2, 3, 4 – 7:30 p.m.
October 4 – 2:00 p.m. Matinee
Box Office opens September 23
This Pulitzer Prize-winning play is a delightfully fresh satire on America's favorite pastime – politics. The story is as current as today's headlines as it deals with a political outsider and presidential hopeful who is passionate about trying to unify the nation. But, he finds that secrets in the smoke-filled – or in today's politically correct world – smoke-less, deal-making backroom give him more challenges than the problems he might face in the office he seeks.
"Angels Charge"
Written & Directed by Bob Peterson
November 13, 14, 15 – 7:30 p.m.
November 15 – 2:00 p.m. Matinee
Box Office opens November 4
During the summer of 1924, John and Calvin Coolidge, Jr., sons of President and Mrs. Coolidge, went to Washington for a brief visit to the White House before going to Camp Devans for the remainder of the summer. However, this fateful summer would change their lives forever.
Written in cooperation with President Coolidge's son, John Coolidge, "Angels Charge" is the story of two boys striving to keep a secret while living in the most watched house in the nation.
Children's Theatre Show – "An Alvin the Alligator Adventure"
February 21 – 2:00 p.m. Matinee
Box Office opens February 5
'Alvin the Alligator' is back! For the third year, the loveable reptile returns to the stage for our annual Children's Theatres show. In his previous outings ("Totally Frank" & "Hollywood Daze") "Alvin" imparted the lessons of non-judgment & acceptance. In this new adventure ""Alvin" learns of the importance of keeping a secret – and he will be depending on the children (of all ages) in the theatre to keep one, too!
April 16, 17, 18 – 7:30 p.m.
April 18 – 2:00 p.m. Matinee
Box Office opens April 7
Urinetown – the town with a big secret!
Inspired by the works of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, "Urinetown" is a humorous satire in which no one is safe from scrutiny. It is a comedic romp full of modern wit as we see the state of this town and learn of its secret.

subset: commoncrawl


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Florida Marijuana Dispensaries
Florida Marijuana Doctors
Florida Marijuana Services
Florida Marijuana Treatment Centers
Florida Marijuana Card Regulations Florida medical marijuana legalization is in full swing! The Florida Department of Health has just issued proposed regulations outlining the requirement and procedures for obtaining a Florida medical marijuana card. Note that these draft Florida marijuana card rules at 64-4.011 will likely be updated and revised as the laws surrounding the new… Read more »
Florida Marijuana Petition Passes! With more than 70 percent of the vote, Amendment 2 passed yesterday effectively guaranteeing Florida citizens the right to legally buy and use medical marijuana in Florida. The Florida marijuana petition that passed yesterday is clear that the law must be implemented soon by Florida lawmakers and regulators and that, if… Read more »
Great news! The Sun-Sentinel newspaper has published an editorial approving of the full legalization of medical marijuana in Florida. See the full article here. We here at the Florida Medical Marijuana Directory are here to help. If you or a loved one is looking for approved Florida marijuana doctors or licensed Florida dispensaries, you can… Read more »
Check out this article from CBSMiami.com— Haleigh's Hope Low-THC Medical Marijuana Oil Available Today In South Florida MIAMI (CBSMiami) – South Florida-based medical cannabis provider, Modern Health Concepts, begins selling a strain of low-THC cannabis oil called "Haleigh's Hope" on Monday. "Haleigh's Hope," similar to Charlotte's Web, is an anti-seizure strain named after Haleigh Cox, a… Read more »


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Choosing fabric for clothes is the most important step in sewing a garment. The wrong choice can mean a very unsuccessful project! Fortunately, there are usually a few "right" fabric options for any pattern, so it's not too difficult to pair up a fabric and pattern.
In apparel fabrics there are a wide variety of trendy fabrics for special occasions as well as business casual and everyday wear. Shop our wide variety of cotton, chiffons, lace, polyester, cottonblend, organza as well as many other beautiful fabric dresses.
For More Information have a look on the video explaining how to choose fabrics for high quality clothes.


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Packaging Innovation
About Esko
These articles are part of the
"Other cool things"
How to convert outlined AI text to live text? Simple!
Remember how hard it used to be to make last minute copy changes to outlined text in artwork files – unless you had the proper font installed? Well, not anymore! The new OCR plug-in 'Text Recognition' for Adobe Illustrator just makes life easier.
Why packaging designers are leaders at heart
While society doesn't tend to think of packaging designers as leaders, a great deal of designers actually do possess a fair share of leadership qualities.
"Marketing now requires existential thinking." Ron Voigt talks making brands more human
Brands who want to thrive in today's marketing landscape must form human-like relationships with their target audiences. They need to create authentic yet extraordinary brand stories, add strategically chosen splashes of color … and actually make consumers care. President of X-Rite Pantone Ron Voigt recently attended the FUSE design conference in Miami and learned some […]
WALL-E who? Meet Clarke, the cardboard recycling robot!
It's been almost ten years since WALL-E first melted our hearts, but it seems the recycling robot is now facing some competition. In terms of recycling capabilities, that is. Clarke, a cardboard recycling robot developed by AMP Robotics and nicknamed after inventor Arthur C. Clarke, is not nearly as cute as WALL-E. But boy, can […]
Did you know? These are the rarest colours in the world
Don't you just love comparing paint swatches, 'having a spin' at the Pantone colour wheel, flipping through hundreds of books and magazines, … and then suddenly finding that perfect hue? If so, then you owe a big thank you to Edward Forbes. As the director of Harvard University's Fogg Art Museum from 1909 to 1944, […]
Now turtles are getting in on 3D packaging design too!
Have you met Freddy? Freddy's a tortoise. This is his story …
Harmonizing technology: How successful digital systems combine best in- class software with best-in-class integration
In today's cloud-centric world, if you find yourself with disparate systems that aren't talking to each other as well as they should, you're not alone. Getting a cloud platform to work with a local one, or a CRM system to feed into its finance counterpart, isn't impossible – it just needs the right mix of […]
Can a grocery receipt fight obesity? This designer says 'yes!'
Studies have shown that obesity will soon be the world's number one health problem, overtaking famine. Experts estimate that more than one billion people will be obese by 2030. The cause? A monotonous diet that consists mainly of carbs and processed foods. Many people simply can't tell a bad food choice from a healthy one, […]
5 tips to get the most out of your cutting table
Are you always racing against the clock to finish your orders in time while striving for that perfect contour cut? Read on and find out how a Kongsberg plotter cutter helps you deliver perfectly finished results at an unsurpassed speed.
How to become a packaging engineer
Are you interested in product development, do you have great communication skills and are you up for travel? If you answered 'yes' to all three questions, becoming packaging engineer might just be your career of a lifetime! Find out what it takes to become a packaging engineer and learn more about the major job duties.
Cardboard guitar strikes a chord
When it comes to being creative with cardboard, at Ernest Packaging Solutions they really pull out all the stops.
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NEW DELHI (Web Desk) – The Indian prime minister's passion for bearing hugs is making headlines around the globe, as he's found locking his arms around world leaders.
If the past two years is anything to go by, Narendra Modi can easily be called a serial hugger.
From US President Barack Obama to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Modi's photos of hugging world leaders and influencers have been a source of much social media chatter, The Indian Express reported.
After the Awkward Hug, Holande turned back to escape Modi but… pic.twitter.com/VyIcjbnTqa
— Joy (@Joydas) January 24, 2016
This year, it was the turn of French president Francois Hollande, to attend the Republic Day celebrations to experience the Indian prime minister's warmth during their visit to the Rock Garden in Chandigarh.
Hollande was left a bit shaken by the show of affection.
Modi ji is the only person on earth who knows how 2 recreate Titanic , without a ship Chandigarh pic.twitter.com/NsX6E0mGE3
— CANeha (@Nk3010Neha) January 24, 2016
So, it should not come as a surprise that a photograph of the Prime Minister hugging French President François Hollande at the Rock Garden in Chandigarh has elicited many reactions as well.
While several have dubbed this as his best hug ever, there are others who have drawn parallels of Titanic proportions.


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Looking for a Chicago foodservice company? You've come to the right place. Food For Thought is a full-service foodservice company presently based in Chicago, IL. Our team of dedicated culinary professionals provides managed dining solutions as well as catering, vending, and pantry services for offices.
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Our team has the know-how and the capacity to completely transform your organization's dining solutions. Whether you're a corporation, a university, a museum, or other venue, we can overhaul your existing dining solutions to create a customized experience perfect for your needs. Not only does our staff create a wide variety of elegant meals, we deliver them with service that is second-to-none.
Our catering services are comprehensive and unlike anything you will experience with another company. Transform your event with gourmet options from the premier Chicagoland foodservice company. Whether you need hors d'oeuvres served by a trained professional wait staff, or a buffet that spans from appetizer to dessert, Food For Thought has the capacity and the talent to get the job done.
We also provide vending services that match your environment perfectly. Completely customize your vending machine with the types of options you want and need. We take care of everything from ordering to delivery, installation, and continuous unparalleled service to make sure your machine is always stocked and functioning. Want to make changes or additions? No problem. Need tune-ups or repairs? We'll come to your location and get the job done in a timely, professional manner!
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Keep your office stocked with Food For Thought. Nothing helps stimulate your mind like a snack, so make sure to keep your company's pantries stocked with options for employees to eat throughout the day. Choose from a wide variety of healthy options and contact us whenever you're running low. Our orders are filled as soon as possible! We dare you to find a Chicago foodservice company with more attentive delivery while maintaining our high quality of product!
Just Some Food For Thought…
If you're thinking of hiring a foodservice company for your Chicago business or event, find a reputable local vendor who has customizable options that mold to your needs. Food For Thought in Chicago has a wide variety of services that will be sure to satisfy whatever need you may have. Visit our contact page to submit a contact form or feel free to call us to learn more.


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With the Adelaide leg of the festival kicking off tonight, we reveal the schedule for cinephiles attending and announce the program of shorts that will be playing before feature films throughout the country. Also included is an update on the Sydney festival with the new opening night venue of Dendy Opera Quays.
Keep watching over the next week for more updates on cinematic treasures and our film events!


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Hiruma Yojimbo excelled at perceiving threats that other Crab might miss, and their quick reactions supported any successful yojimbo's repertoire of talents. [1]
Known Technique Edit
- The Crab's Shell
- ↑ Strongholds of the Empire, p. 44
|This Crab Clan related article is a stub. That means that it has been started, but is incomplete. You can help by adding to the information here.


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Girl, you need a vacation. And there was never a better reason to get out of town than with our epicly
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The fifth edition is scheduled to start on February 27 - March 3, 2017 at Landmark Centre, Oniru Lagos.
ALSO READ: All the amazing facts from 4th edition of Nigeria's biggest social media event
The fifth edition of the week long conference will commence on February 27 - March 3, 2017 at Landmark Centre, Oniru Lagos.
The event features a central stage for keynotes and panels, multiple rooms for workshops, masterclasses and presentations, and an area dedicated to co-working, networking and interactive installations with over 12,000 people from across Africa and around the world in attendance.
ALSO READ: SMWLagos Platform celebrates 5-year anniversary, announces new 4-point masterplan
Other speakers include style blogger & PR maestro, Noble Igwe, Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative Nigeria Gbenga Sèsan, Managing Director Pulse.ng, Osagie Alonge and over 200 more to be added.
New additions for 2017 SMW Lagos experiential programming include Afro Beats & Eats Fest -a tasty mash up with some of the best African foodies, music makers and techies on the web; SHOPAFRICA Pop-up Market Place- shop and mingle with the online African fashion brands you follow, "like" and love, OpenCampus- welcoming students from local secondary schools and universities to experience the future of tech; African Women In Tech Day, Meet The Disruptors and more.
For event breakdown and schedule, Visit https://socialmediaweek.org/lagos/schedule/


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Ben 10 'Alien Swarm Movie Set 1, 27751Ben 10: Alien Swarm follows teenage hero Ben Tennyson as he breaks ranks from the Plumbers (a
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Check the back or underneath. If you've got both, USB is usually simpler to work with.
If your keyboard only has a headphone jack (or nothing at all), that means it can't send the MIDI data Synthesia requires. Unfortunately, the only real solution in that case is to try a different keyboard. The good news is that all but the lowest-end keyboards usually have at least one of the following ports.
You can even use Synthesia with real, traditional pianos: add QRS's PNOscan record strip to turn your real piano into a MIDI input device. Then, add some output feedback with the PianoMaestro.
Those will let you use the authentic feel and sound of your real piano while you learn with Synthesia.


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Sasha Pieterse Reveals Gorgeous 'Seventeen Latin America' Cover
Sasha Pieterse looks like she bloomed straight out of a secret garden on the new August 2016 cover of Seventeen Latin America.
The 20-year-old Pretty Little Liars actress revealed the gorgeous cover on her Instagram account.
PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Sasha Pieterse
"SO excited to share my Seventeen Latin America cover with you!!! Go pick up your own issue now to learn some fun things about #prettylittleliars and a few things you don't know about me," she captioned before giving a ton of shout-outs.
WHAT DO YOU THINK of Sasha's Seventeen Latin America cover?
Posted to: Magazine, Sasha Pieterse


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As promised, I picked a winner shortly after 3:00 today (work delayed it a bit). Using random.org, a winner was selected.
Friday, April 30, 2010
The Skillet Winner!!!
As promised, I picked a winner shortly after 3:00 today (work delayed it a bit). Using random.org, a winner was selected.
Posted by Tara at 6:29 PM 1 comments Links to this post
Labels: cookware.com, csn.com, giveaway, skillet, winner
Monday, April 26, 2010
Skillet Giveaway and Tarte Tatin!
I mentioned a couple weeks ago that CSN had contacted me, wanting me to do a product review from their site cookware.com and host a giveaway on my blog. Anxious to remake the tarte tatin I loved in the puff pastry unit, I selected a nonstick skillet. If you're impatient and want to get straight to the details of the giveaway, scroll down to the bottom of this post.
The skillet is a nonstick Farberware skillet. It's very lightweight, but felt sturdy when I was using it. And it is certainly nonstick. This tarte has a lot of gooey caramel that usually sticks to the bottom of the pan when it's flipped over (tarte tatin is an apple tart that is baked in a skillet, upside down, and then flipped over), but when I flipped it over this time, there was no caramel left on the bottom. I think it's pretty great so far, and can't wait to use it more. The only drawback to the pan though is that the handle is metal, and it can get really hot when you use it. This is true of almost all skillets, and all the pots and pans we use at FCI, but I felt that I should point it out.
Pastry dough, enough to cover the pan (I used puff pastry, but you could use a pate sucree or pate brisee)
5 tbsp unsalted butter, cut in pieces
1 1/4 c sugar
5 Golden Delicious apples
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1. Roll out puff pastry or thaw if you are using store-bought.
2. Peel, halve, and core the apples.
3. Put the apple halves round side down in the pan (crowd them in there together, I only used 4 apples in the 12" pan, but wished I had 1 more).
4. Put the pan on the stovetop over medium heat. When the apples start to brown, add the sugar.
5. Lower the heat and cook until the sugar caramelizes.6. Add the tbsp of vanilla extract over the top of the apples.
7. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool.
8. Cover the apples with the puff pastry, tucking the extra into the pan (do not allow pastry to hang over the edge of the pan).
9. Bake the tart at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until the pastry is nicely browned and baked through.
10. Remove the tart from the oven and immediately unmold it onto a plate or serving dish. Be very careful - the caramel will be extremely hot. I put the plate over top the pan and then in one rapid motion (wearing oven mitts), flip it over.
Ok, so now the good part, the giveaway! It's very simple to enter - just leave your name and email address in the comments section, and I'll use a random number generator to pick the winner. Tarte tatin has been my favorite dessert featured on my blog, so feel free to let me know what yours has been in the comments. You have until this Friday at 3:00 pm EST. One entry per person! Good luck!
Posted by Tara at 8:45 AM 30 comments Links to this post
Labels: apples, cookware.com, csn.com, giveaway, skillet, tarte tatin
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Week 15: Breads
I am so behind in my blogging! For all of you who have been anxiously awaiting the giveaway, look for that post tomorrow morning - my apple tarte tatin is in the oven as I write this! Everything has been so busy, and last weekend I went up to Boston for Marathon Monday.
Two weeks ago was the last week of breads. I'm happy to have moved on from breads; I didn't find them terrible exciting (or pretty to look at on this blog). Tuesday we baked the Danish we had made the week before, and they were really great for breakfast the next day. On Wednesday, I came into work with a HUGE tray of Danish, croissants, and other assorted breads. My brother's girlfriend Meghann traveled into the city with me that morning, and at one point in Port Authority, she was like "People are staring at you..." It happens a lot when I'm coming into the city on mornings after class.
On Tuesday, we also made an oat bread. I haven't actually tried this yet. I just took it out of my freezer today to have for breakfast toast this week.
This tarte flambe was really great. It was like a better pizza. It had a custard made with creme fraiche and fromage blanc, bacon, and gruyere cheese. Basically, how could it not taste amazing. This was similar to the taste of the quiche Lorraine I liked so much during the tarts unit.
We made the five grain rolls on Tuesday and baked them Thursday. These were a little bit too healthy for my liking. As Chef Cynthia said, it felt like work eating this roll. I felt significantly healthier after one of them though.
I'm not a huge fan of banana anything, but I'm slowly warming up to them, and these banana crumb muffins definitely helped. The crumbs are this amazing mixture of almond flour, sugar, butter, and cake flour. The recipe is just equal parts of all four and can be used on a variety of different muffins, pies, crisps, etc.
Thursday, we also made soft rolls, ciabatta, pissaladiere, and a few variations of sweet potato brioche! As you can tell it was a really busy class. These soft rolls are one of my favorite types of bread. It's an enriched bread, made with butter, eggs, and sugar. The inside was really soft (like the name suggest), and tasted great with a bit of butter. Then again, what doesn't taste great with a bit of butter?
Thankfully with everything else we had on the agenda Tuesday night, the ciabatta was really easy to make. You just mix the ingredients together, leave it on your station, and turn the dough every now and then. The result was a chewy, awesome bread.
I was about as uninterested in the pissaladiere as I could be. Made with sauteed onions, anchovies, and nicoise olives, there was nothing on this that I eat. These were way overbaked though, so the majority of the class's ended in the compost bin. This was obviously not going to be the week I started eating anchovies.
We had made a brioche dough made with sweet potato puree. I was expecting it to taste a lot more like sweet potatoes, but it tasted like the first brioche we made. We made a few different things with the dough. My favorite was a craquelin, which is made by kneading sugar cubes that had been macerated in orange liquor and orange zest into the dough. When the bread bakes, the sugar cubes melt into this delicious gooey spot.
With the sweet potato brioche dough, we also made a sweet and savory roll. The sweet had sweet potato pastry cream piped on top, and the savory was filled with sauteed shallots and blue cheese.
Saturday's class we made lemon poppy seed muffins, corn bread muffins, English muffins, and focaccia bread. Due to the hectic pace of class and trying to get out on time to make my bus to Boston, I forgot to take pictures of both the English muffins and corn bread. The English muffins were a happy surprise. I've never really enjoyed the Thomas' version. They're just so dry and boring. The ones in our curriculum though are fried in corn oil (a major surprise to me) and then baked. As with almost anything fried, I really loved these, but they were not like the "traditional" English muffins most people know.
We made a sweet focaccia with apples, cinnamon sugar, and walnuts (not on my half) and a savory one with tomato and rosemary. I only have a picture of the apple one because my partner and I "lost" our tomato one under our station - totally forgetting to put it in the oven. Oh well, the apple one was pretty good.
I went to college in Boston (go BU!) and took the bus ride between Boston and New York plenty of times. I HATE buses, and it always happens that as soon as I get on the bus, I get struck with hunger. And then, invariably, the trip takes way longer than the four and a half hours it's supposed to. I also tend to have the strangest person on the bus choose the seat next to mine. The trip last Saturday up was significantly better being as I had a bag full of muffins and my friend Vica traveling with me. I can't say the same for the ride back on Tuesday, when we were sitting next to the bathroom in the middle of what felt like a nursery school. Without a bag of breads.
Posted by Tara at 8:38 PM 1 comments Links to this post
Labels: bread, brioche, ciabatta, danish, focaccia, French Culinary Institute, muffins
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Stay Tuned...
I know the CSN giveaway was supposed to be this week, but my skillet is still en route, and I can't make the tarte tatin without it! There was a slight hold up because we had to switch products (the cast iron was on back order). The new skillet is a bit of an upgrade and is this Farberware Premium Nonstick Skillet:
Check back next week for the chance to win!
Posted by Tara at 10:24 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Monday, April 12, 2010
Week 14: Cakes Exam & the Return to Breads
Last Tuesday was our exam for Cakes I. We knew going into the practical exam that we would need to recreate the first cake we made in the unit - a genoise with pate a bombe buttercream and raspberry jam filling.
The exam went pretty smoothly. My genoise rose really nicely, and my buttercream was smooth (with only slightly visible pieces of butter in it). We also needed to create two roses out of marzipan and write "Happy Birthday" on it. We hadn't made the roses before, only saw a brief demo the class before, so we weren't being graded on them. Despite that, most of us still spent a large amount of time attempting to perfect these roses. I think my handwriting on the cake was nicer than my real handwriting.
Irish soda bread isn't a lean bread; it's a quick bread. It's made with baking soda, which is where the name comes from. This version had dried currants and caraway seeds in it, giving it an interesting taste. At first, I wasn't sure if I liked it, but by the third bite, it had grown on me. If I made it again, I think I'd go with the more traditional raisins and nix the caraway seeds.
Petit pains were the first real lean breads we made. They're like mini baguettes, or just a traditional dinner roll.
The next day I used one of the petit pains to make my usual turkey sandwich. It made for a nice upgrade from my usual boring wrap. There's definitely a satisfaction in making your own bread.
This bread is pain de Provence, made with olives and herbs de Provence (a mix of lavender, thyme, savory, fennel, basil and other herbs). When we were making this bread, my partner and I went to turn it onto the table to finish kneading, the dough was almost a soup-like consistency. We're still not sure what happened to it, but once we kneaded in some additional flour, it was fine. I'm not a fan of olives, so I mailed the extra loaf to my mom, who loves olive bread.
Saturday we made some baguettes, the traditional French bread. French Culinary Institute has a really amazing bread baking program and when I toured the school, my admissions rep gave me a baguette from the bread kitchen. That loaf of bread was so good, I ate almost all of it on my subway ride home. Very embarrassing when I realized people were staring. Our baguettes were good, but not quite the same. The bread kitchens have special ovens that release steam, and the ovens the pastry students use don't have this. Interestingly, when I read Julia Child's autobiography, it detailed her quest to develop a recipe that replicated French baguettes in American kitchens. The preliminary recipe called for dropping a heated asbestos tile into a pan of water to produce the steam. Once asbestos was discovered to be harmful to you, the recipe replaced it with a quarry tile.
Bagels always seemed like one of those things that must be way too difficult to make. These were relatively easy, and I can't wait to make them again. We made variations of plain - with seeds or cinnamon sugar on top. I was going to make cinnamon raisin bagels (my favorite) Sunday, but woke up completely exhausted and did very little but nap all day. The dough was VERY hard though, kind of like kneading a rock, and I woke up Sunday morning with really sore forearms and heels of my hands. I didn't even know those muscles existed!
While in class Saturday, Chef Cynthia set up a spread of cream cheese, salmon, tomatoes, and various other bagel toppings. I had an awesome plain bagel with cream cheese and tomato. Half way through the bagel, I turned to my partner and was like, "Know when you're eating something and it's so good that you feel sad that at some point it's going to be gone? That's how I feel about this bagel."
We made our danishes, but there was no time to bake them, so they're in the freezer awaiting baking tomorrow. We tried out various shapes including bear claw, pin wheel, and turnover. We used a variety of fillings such as cheese, fruit, pastry cream, and almond cream. I'm excited to bake these, but have a feeling the fruit ones are going to explode all over the other ones in the oven. When we bake these tomorrow, I'm going to be sure to keep those as far away as the others as possible.
Posted by Tara at 9:37 PM 1 comments Links to this post
Labels: bagels, baguette, bread, buttercream, cakes, danishes, French Culinary Institute, genoise, irish soda bread, marzipan, olive bread, raspberry jam
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Mets Birthday Cake
It's been pretty hard for me to do any sort of baking outside class. When it comes to my free time, baking is low on the priority list after about 15-20 hours of class time a week. Last week, I had a friend's birthday party and knew I wanted to make a cake. I allotted myself 5 hours over 3 days to get it done. I must be getting better with sticking to a schedule because that's about all it took.
My friend Jeremy is a huge Mets fan (the type that goes down to watch them during Spring training), so I knew it had to be a Mets cake. I baked a vanilla bean cake on Wednesday and stored it in the freezer for the weekend. On Friday, I frosted the cake and started on the logo, which I made out of fondant. I ran out of powdered sugar, so I saved all the royal icing detail for Saturday.
After class Saturday, I made the royal icing and outlined the logo in white and did the lettering on the side of the cake in orange. The hardest part about making this cake was carrying it. After a week of class that had already left my arms dead, I had to carry this cake, which weighed about 20 pounds, from Hoboken to Brooklyn (albeit via subway). Jeremy was really surprised and seemed impressed though, so it was totally worth the shaky arms. I wish I had taken a better pic...the only one I remembered to snap was with my iPhone.
Posted by Tara at 9:59 PM 2 comments Links to this post
Labels: birthday, cakes, fondant, Mets, royal icing, vanilla bean
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Week 13: Cakes, Cakes, Cakes
First of all, this is my 100th blog post!!! I can't believe I've had that much to say on the topic of cupcakes, and other desserts (although my parents probably can).
Moving on... Week 13 (which didn't feel as unlucky as the number would suggest) was a continuation of the first half of our cakes unit. The cakes we've made have been really beautiful, and pretty delicious.
At the beginning of last week, I had a lot of cakes stored in the freezer from the weekend. The fruit mousse miroir (French word for mirror) was one I was really looking forward to making. It's on the cover of the French Culinary Institute's Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Arts, it's definitely an eye-catching dessert. Mine wasn't quite as perfect looking as the book cover, but everyone at my Easter was pretty impressed. I also had the pate a cornet chocolate mousse cake I showed a picture of last week. In order to properly finish it, I woke up early Tuesday before work to hand whip cream to add to the top. That's dedication to my coworkers.
I almost always prefer vanilla over chocolate, but these chocolate cupcakes surprised me. I mostly find chocolate cake to be just "eh." These were really moist and fudgey. Instead of a heavy frosting, we topped these with a chocolate glaze. They made a pretty good dinner that night.
I don't think I've ever eaten carrot cake. It's usually filled with nuts, which makes it off limits to me. This one had walnuts, so I had to rely on my coworkers to test the finished product and vouch for it. I wasn't a huge fan of this cream cheese frosting. I like my cream cheese frosting simple - butter, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. This one had some lemon zest, which I don't like in frosting. I've made my peace with it in cakes, but not frosting.
We also made tiny marzipan carrots. My classmates and I find modeling things out of marzipan hilarious for some reason, and it always make us giddy when we get the chance.
The pecan crumb cake was another one I couldn't try, but it got pretty good reviews from my coworkers. With all the pastries they're eating these past few months, they're becoming pretty critical, in a good way. I feel I can rely on them to tell me what should be on the "bake again" list and which I should start looking for a new recipe.
This was a sachertorte, which is apparently well known as being able to keep for a very long time. Like for months. You can send this sachertorte around the world and back. It's a pretty dense chocolate cake (which I found to be a little too dry...especially after those awesome chocolate cupcakes), filled with apricot jam, covered in the jam, and then covered with a chocolate glaze. Traditionally, the word Sacher is written on it, as it was created by the Sacher hotel in Vienna. The hotel actually still sells sachertortes, and you can order them online.
This Dobos torte is a Hungarian cake that is comprised of 5 layers of sponge cake (they reminded me of pancakes), chocolate buttercream, and a 6th layer of sponge cake covered in caramel and cut in wedges.
The flourless chocolate cake came out of the oven and it looked like it rose so high while baking. Just as Chef Cynthia warned us though, it immediately began to deflate, sinking in the middle. It's supposed to do this, but to "cover it up," we covered the cake with creme d'or (chocolate whipped cream), and then chocolate meringue rods we had baked. It sort of looked like a forest to me. This was one of the 3 cakes I served for Easter.
The third and final cake that was served on Easter was this chocolate hazelnut mousse cake. In order to do the outside of the cake, we had splattered some white and milk chocolate down on a sheet pan, then when that set, spread dark chocolate on top. When that was hard, we cracked it into pieces to attach to the sides of the cake.
Posted by Tara at 9:34 PM 3 comments Links to this post
Labels: cakes, carrot cake, chocolate cupcakes, chocolate mousse, crumb cake, French Culinary Institute, marzipan, meringues, miroir, tortes
Monday, April 5, 2010
Upcoming Tarte Tatin Recipe & Product Giveaway!!
Remember this from my puff pastry unit? It was a delicious blend of apples, puff pastry, caramel, and apple brandy, and I was lucky enough to have it in my apartment when I was snowed in during the last snow storm. It was so amazing that I ate the whole thing by myself. In one day. I'm not too embarrassed to admit that. I've been wanting to recreate that tarte tatin (upside down apple tart) since that day, but haven't had a cast iron skillet that the recipe needed. I've had my eye on one like this, but acquiring one keeps slipping my mind.
Last week I was contacted by CSN, one of the internet's largest home and office goods distributors. In addition to an awesome selection of cookware and bakeware, they have a site dedictated to home bars. I'm thinking one of the smaller ones would look great in my apartment. The best part is they want me to do a product review and giveaway on Cupcake Obsessed! I was so excited to be able to share something with my readers, and began perusing one of their sites, Cookware.com. I was delighted and overwhelmed with all the amazing baking products they offer; it's really incredible. They have 222 results for spatulas alone!! After spending last week browsing some kitchenware stores in New York City, CSN's prices were also a major relief to me. They have a wide selection of sale items, and everything feels reasonably priced.
After browsing the incredible selection and falling in love with this, these, and this, I decided that this cast iron skillet should be the featured giveaway. It's an item that everyone needs, if only to make the tarte tatin. Fortunately, you can make a ton more in a skillet like this.
Next week I will be featuring the recipe for the tarte tatin and giving away one Universal Housewares 10.5" skillet to 1 lucky blog reader, complimentary of CSN. Stay tuned next week for your chance to enter!
Posted by Tara at 10:10 PM 3 comments Links to this post
Labels: cookware, cookware.com, csn.com, giveaway, tarte tatin


text:
Caramelize the 80 gr of sugar in a pan and pour over the flan mould/ ramekins.
Prepare an oven tray with water (bain-marie) and place the mould/ramekin in it
Preheat oven to: 180°C.
Place the milk with lemon peel and cinnamon in a saucepan and warm on low heat. Infuse for about 10 minutes.
In a bowl, beat the eggs and the sugar until a pale yellow.
Strain the milk over the mix of eggs.
Mix all together really well.
Pour the mixture into the mould /ramekins.
Bake for 50 min if you are using a large mould, 30 min if you are using ramekins, or until knife inserted in the flan comes out clean.