Business Cards!

I have many people ask me if I am in business and sell my bake goods, and my answer was always "no, I do it just for fun." Recently I decided to take the plunge and sell my baked goods. If you know anyone looking for some sweet treats please refer me.

Finally Posting

I admit I have been very negligent in posting. This is not because I haven't been baking, crafting, and doing other blog worthy things because I have. In an effort to get caught up on my blogging I will post pictures of things I have done and baked since my last post. Enjoy!

BCA Cupcakes, 2 Flavors: Strawberry and Chocolate Chip

Chocolate Chip Whole Wheat Scones

Cake Pops: 2 flavors Strawberry Shortcake and Red Velvet

Chocolate covered Mini Bundt Cake

Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies

I DO Salt and Pepper Shaker

Madeleines

Mini pound cake

Red Velvet Cookies

Snickerdoodles

Jam Today, Jam Tomorrow, Jam Everyday!!!

If you have read my previous post, you'll know making jam is on my list of 25 before 25.
This is my Strawberry and Nectarine Jam!
It was delicious and I am so proud of myself.
It also eliminates 1 off the 100 new recipes I want to try. <3

First I cut up about 5 cups of fruit. Strawberries and Nectarines! This made about 3 eight ounce mason jars of Strawberry and Nectarine Jam!

I blended the fruit in my magic bullet. I added about 1/4 cups of lemon juice (the juice from 1 large lemon). I added my fruit, lemon juice and about 1 cup of sugar. I stirred the mixture on low heat till the sugar was dissolved and then increased the heat to high and let the mixture com to a roiling boil.

As the fruit mixture was heating, I washed my jars and lids with soap and water and then boiled my jars and lid in the boiling water. This is really important because it sanitizes the jars, make sure not to touch the jars or lids with your hands as the jam will grow mold if you do. Make sure to keep the jars hot so the glass doesn't crack as you pour hot jam mixture into it.

After the fruit had been boiling for about 10 minutes it looked done cooking, so I added it into the jars. I used tongs to take the jars out of the hot water.

 I immediately put the lids on and then put the jars of fruit mixture into boiling water for 7 minutes. This process will seal the jars and ensure freshness.

  After boiling I let the jam rest for 12 hours in a cool place and then I put it in the refrigerator.

Delicious Jam! w/Crackers!

 I ate it at Summerthing in Golden Gate Park. It was sweet and tart and overall very yummy for my first jam experience.

25!!!

As I begin to realize I am hitting the milestone of 25 I begin to think of all the things I have always wanted to do, but still haven't. So when I decided to create this list I had about 6 months till my 25th birthday. I am down to a little less than 5 months. Here's my list and what I have done so far. Wish me luck!

25 before 25:

1. Learn to bake bread (done! July 10, Sour Flour)


2. Visit 15 Bay area/Norcal/CA attractions/cities that I haven't been to

3. Make 100 new recipes

4. Lose 10-15lbs

5. SF Flash mob-participate in at least 1

6. 25 new restaurants/eating places

7. Go camping/Hiking (Done! Thanks to my Sister Nancy and her BF Keith! at Lake Casitas)

8. Learn to cook 3 korean dishes, including kimchi

9. Perfect 5 baking recipes

10. Attempt a Croquembouche

11. Learn to crochet

12. Knit something

13. Learn speak some french

14. Read 50 new books

15. Pay Off my credit cards

16. Make a college scrapbook

17. Make emergency kits for those I love

18. Go to a Nude Beach

19. Perfect macaroons

20. Read the top 10 classic novels
   1. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger*
   2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen*
   3. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald*
   4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
   5. 1984 by George Orwell
   6. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
   7. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
   8. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
   9. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
   10. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

21. Bike to work

22. Make my family tree

23. Crochet animal amigurumi

24. Help Build a house for Habitat for humanity

25. Make Jam-slow cooked (Done, Strawberry Nectarine and Blueberry Peach!)

End of the School Year means the Beginning of Baking

 I know I haven't uploaded in while so now that I have some down time I shall combine all my projects for the past month. Schools out, and although I am sad I am also extremely relieved. I made it through my first year at Dianne Feinstein Elementary School. Now that my full time day job is on hiatus, its time for my other passion to be explored further. I have decided after numerous requests and suggestions to launch a small side business and sell the things I make. The last weeks up to the end of the school year, we had teacher appreciation week, volunteer appreciation day, birthday parties, field trips, and the culminating event of graduation. Because I was so attached and they were my first class I went all out. I made them cupcakes, both with eggs and without eggs for the one kid who had an egg allergy, cake pops in their likeness (made me question my own sanity in deciding to create,) and graduation sashes which included their names, grade, and room number (also another sanity questioning moment.) Although it was a lot of added work and stress it made me so happy to see the kids and parents's faces. Everyone was so complimentary and made me feel really appreciated. I teaching. :) Here are some of the things I made in the last month.

Mini vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting.

 Mini funfetti cupcakes with chocolate butterflies and flowers.

Chocolate covered strawberries as appreciation gifts to parents.

Ms Annie pop cake.

Room 103 pop cakes!

Room 103 pop cakes!

Graduation Sash!

Mrs. Schroff and Scout!

Happy end of the school year!

Sucess! in life and baking :) Butter is the Answer

I went to the doctor to hear that I have my blood sugar and blood pressure under control. She also said I had lost 20lbs and this was all great news for me. Then comes the bad news. I feel that doctors always have something bad to add. I had high cholesterol. This made me very upset as she also wrote me another prescription and said once I started I wouldn't be able to stop and something about abdominal pain as the the most common side affect. That sounded awful to me. After letting myself get depressed for 1 day I decided I should bake to make myself feel better and also avoid egg and red meat in my diet. With my new lease on life, and adding only Vitamin D supplements to my regime of pills, I set out to make Madeleines. I found a simple recipe online and went off to buy some pans. I got them for $7.50 each which to me was very reasonable. My mom who wants me to stop buying stuff was surprising reasonable and didn't nag me about my purchase and addition to my assortment of baking supplies. I followed the recipe and realized my oven is much hotter than normal, so I had Madeleines that were much too brown. I decided that I would eat the rejects and my dad helped ,so over a week we ate the 40 rejects. I attempted again today and I had success! Although my mom says they don't taste exactly like a traditional Madeleine as it tasted less sweet and not as dense as it was suppose to be. I'm ok with eating a Madeleine shaped sponge cake/cookie.

Dry Ingredients: Flour, Baking powder, Salt

Eggs and Sugar

Everything mixed together with butter

Refrigerating

Ready to bake, add generous tablespoons 

In the oven baking, found out my oven is extra hot so only 7 mins at 350 degrees

            

Golden color!!! Sucess!!!

It has the hump!

 Here are some pictures from my previous baking adventure where I ventured into shaped cakepops. I made cupcakes, butterflies and flowers. They were a big hit with my friends and family.

My spring cake pops! Red velvet and yellow chocolate chip cake!

Spring Inspirations from room 103: Paper Mache butterflies

Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes for my Uncle's Bday

Frosted and decorated, although he said they didn't look as professional as they could be, I needed to add a bow or ribbon or something.

 I  often get asked why I don't start a business and sell what I bake. For me baking is a stress relief and just a way for me to show my love. People who know me know that I don't want to shower my love to strangers just because they are paying me. My joy would become a burden. Thus I bake and continue to give away what I bake. I also did the math and I wouldn't really be able to earn very much from the business. I would literally have to sell hundreds of cupcakes and cake pops a day to make a decent amount of money and to that is just crazy.

I also recommend people go to the joyofbaking.com for easy fun recipes to try out.

...so when life gets you down bake things that contain lots of butter aka french sweets!

Purpose to Life...Baking?

After reading my friend Regina's blog, I have come to the conclusion that I need to live life with more purpose and will attempt to do kind things in my everyday life in an effort to be purposeful and to be consciously living day to day as oppose to the whole living for the weekend mindset. For the next month in addition to my healthy eating (I'm doing South Beach) and baking, I will purposely do one kind thing a day. I will be thoughtful about what I do and do it with the knowledge that I am doing something that is meaningful. I shall also set aside time to reflect on my day and life everyday. I generally do this reflection before bed or when I am driving, but I shall stop doing it as I drive as to be more safe and purposeful.
For me, purpose is leaving a positive imprint on the people I engage with on a daily basis. I tend to think I do this through my baking and so I will continue to bake and develop myself through my baking.
I made more cake pops, since the last set was such a success. They are are going to be in fun spring time shapes so look out for the pictures to come.

Happy Birthday P Sis Stephanie.

I brought dessert to her bday wine trolly and potluck. Red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting: chocolate sprinkle, yellow nonpareils, and grapefruit gumdrop hearts, chocolate chip cake with strawberries. It is awful to say I had more fun making the desserts than sitting on the wine trolley? The good note is I got some awesome almond champagne to go with macarons, whenever i attempt them again. I also had a lovely time with my close friends chatting, gossiping, bitching, and eating desserts. My recommendation is do the wine trolley if you are a couple looking for a nice date, but not as a group activity because it can be very expensive, plus cold since the people in the back wouldn't close the back door.

Cake pops were her bday present. Chocolate cake pops with baby blue coating, because baby blue is her favorite color,

 The cupcakes up close.

 The heart gumdrop decorations I made.

 The mini cupcakes with just frosting.

Up close with a mini cupcake.