Happy Birthday Maci!

My friend's baby girl, Maci, turned 1 on may 6th. She's an adorable little girl. I just love her to pieces!! I was privileged enough to make her very first birthday cake. For first birthdays I always make a small cake just for the birthday kid. That way they can smash, smear, drool and eat all they want withouth sharing. I try to be kind to the parents though...white or light colored frosting :). I think she enjoyed her cake...

 I wasn't sure how the cow print and the "Cow Jumped Over the Moon" theme would work together. Sometimes you just have to jump in, do it and hope for the best. I actually really love how the cake turned out. One of my favorites.

My fondant animals need some work. He's quirky cute.

Tyler is 2!

My youngest nephew turned 2 on April 22nd. I love his cheesy little smile and that he's figured out how to say my nickname "tee tee".

He's such a sweet little guy and always ready with hug. Unless he's in the mood to tease you. Then he gets a big smile and shakes his head no when you ask " can I have a hug?".

The day of his party was seriously the hottest day in April. The older kids had a great time shooting each other with squirt guns. They had even more fun shooting the adults and surprising them.

 And of course i had the honor of making his birthday cake...

Heather's Baby Shower

I had the distinct pleasure of making a baby shower cake and attending a baby shower for my wonder friend, Heather. I had decided to retire from wedding cakes after I made Heather and Cory's cake. When I found out Heather and Cory were expecting a little one this year, I was so excited. I think Cory told me when Heather was about 8 weeks along or so. His words " You can't tell anyone yet. And don't tell Heather I told you. She'll kill me" . Funny stuff! I was a good girl and kept my mouth shut until they made the official annoucement a few weeks later.

When Heather asked me to make the cake for Baby Nixon's shower, I was so honored and excited. I met with Heather and her mom to discuss the details. It all came together so nicely.

Heather's mom, Kim, was hosting the shower and it turned out beautiful! She used tissue pom poms and I am always a fan of tissue pom poms as decorations! They had the cutest diaper cake at the center piece on the gift table.

Heather was showered with gifts of every shape and size.

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They are well prepared for little Nixon to arrive in just 5 weeks! I loved being part of Heather's shower.She is a sweet sweet woman that I have really enjoyed getting to know over the last couple of years.



Here's the cake and cupcakes. I think they turned out kinda cute. Can you guess the theme of the shower and the nursery?

The Last Wedding Cake

Saturday marked a bittersweet moment as far as cakes are concerned. I baked, decorated and built my very last wedding cake. Forever? Maybe, maybe not. For a while? Absolutely.

I know what you are going to say... "but you do such a great job!", " you can't stop making them, you're so good at it".

What a lot of people don't understand is how much work they are. It takes about 5 dozen eggs, 10 lbs of flour, 8-10lbs of sugar, 6 cups of oil, 10 table spoons of vanilla, 4 cups cocoa powder,1-2 cartons of pastry pride, 6 cups of crisco, 8 pounds of powdered sugar, various spices and flavor extracts, 8 hours of baking, 6 hours of mixing, 4 hours of decorating (depending on the details involved), an hour of leveling and an hour of filling and crumb coating and the entire space of my refrigerator. I can't go grocery shopping for 2 weeks leading up to making the cake because there won't be room for groceries and cake in my refrigerator. Plus hours of cleaning and dish washing.

This last cake for Cory & Heather pushed my stress level over the edge. The cakes weren't setting up like they normally do and the crumbs seemed excessive. On the day of the wedding the fondant stuck to the boxes so large chunks of findant were coming off while I was trying to set it up at the wedding venue. Thankfully I had some pure while buttercream frosting with me and I was able to patch everything make it look nearly flawless.

All that said, it has been an absolute honor and pleasure to have made so many wedding cakes. It is a special thing to be asked and be part of such an important day. I am proud of my work. There has , literally, been blood, sweat and tears involved with each and every cake.

So here it is:

Day 115 Thru Day 120

Day 115:

Captain Dan is retiring from Cal Fire. I made a cake for his party.

Day 116:

Apparently there's this "Man Rule" that states you must have a beer while BBQing. So Jared enjoyed a cold one while he made is some steaks.

Day 117:
April 27, 2011 was a bittersweet dsay for those of us that work in the ECC. Captain Dan has been my Captain for the last 4 and a half years. Today was his last day with Cal Fire. Though all of us are excited for him and his new adventures, we are so very sad to see him go. We had a huge party to send him off.

Day 118:

Uncle Jared and I took Tyler to Sea World while Mommy and Peyton went shopping for his "Little Slugger" Birthday party. He was squealing and laughing at the Walrus. Adorable!

Day 119:

I always have a great time putting together cake for my precious nieces and nephews.

Day 120:
Easter Baskets w/ removable liners on clearance for $2/ each? Yes please. 2 pretty white baskets are now resting comfortably in my hope chest waiting for that very special day.

Day 106 Thru Day 110

Day 106:
Someone really loves the swings at the park.

Day 107:
This is my friend's dog, Mouse, she's a sweetheart.

Day 108:
I love putting stuff together for my nieces and nephews. It was especially exciting to put together Tyler's very first easter Basket

Day 109:
My neoghbor, heather, came down to my apartment to help me decorate Easter Cookies. We spent a few hours decorating (and breaking) cookies and chatting. When the Bunny ears keep breaking off, you just go with it.

Day 110:
I made these Minnie Mouse Cupcakes for my co-worker's 30th birthday. She was so excited. They were Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes.

Blogging Madness

Over the last year or so I have started following more and more blogs. Most of them have something to do with baking or cooking. These women are all amazing and I wonder, how in the world, they have time to raise a family, bake some incredible desserts and blog just about every day. How??

My blogging is sporadic, at best. There's nothing consistent about it. In fact, I do a lot of blogging while I am at work. It is currently 1:21am and I am sitting in the dark at my work station typing away. My days off are so full of stuff... although it is hard to ramble off a list of things I did when someone asks. My brain is mush these days. Maybe it has something to do with the fact I work an average of 200+ hours a month? Noooo. It couldn't be. **whoops... tangent, back to the topic at hand**

Every.Single.Blog. I follow is inspiring to me in some way. I have flound some pretty amazing recipes and ideas on these blogs. I thought I would share some of them with you. I don't know any of these women personally but they feel like friends. They share their joys, frustrations and lots of laughs. I hope some of them can inspire you like they did me.

Tidy Mom
Bake at 350
Sweet Sugar Belle
I am Baker
I am Mommy
Food For my Family
Bluebonnets and Brownies
Little Bitty Bakes
Eat Live Run
Bakerella

Day 84 Thru Day 90

Day 84:
Katie, the kids, and Jessica came over one morning for coffee. Tyler decided his toy of choice would be these plastic breast cancer walk bracelets. Silly boy.

Day 85:
Over the weekend we celebrated the birthdays of Jimmy and Alissa. I made special cupcakes for both of them. Cupcakes for Jimmy:

Day 86: Cupcakes for Alissa. She was pretty specific with what she wanted for the flavor. Chocolate with chocolate chips in it. So I made them with her favorite color, purple, and put a chocolate cookie music note on the top.

Day 87:

Jared never ceases to amaze me. He came over to my place for a typical evening of dinner and TV but when I opened the door he had these in his hand. He got them "just because". 100 % sweet, 100% a surprise 100% Jared. I don't think I will ever get sick of fresh flowers.

Day 88:
One of my cats decided they liked the flowers too, as a snack...

They only got 2 of the 12 though ;)

Day 89:

I love that she always looks like she is smiling.

Day 90:
I went shopping for a baby shower gift on April Fools day. Jokes on me. I spent almost double what I had budgeted. When shopping for a new baby girl and being faced with hundreds of choices at Babies R Us, how can you possibly say "no" to something this cute?

Day 76

This is what I did Friday afternoon. After a trip the the supply store I started baking baking baking! Friday night I braved both the Zumba class and the Biggest Winner Bootcamp at the gym. When I got home I got down to business. Here's the final product:

Tips and Tricks

With as many cake/baking questions I get, you would think I am a professional. I guess I might know more than the average bear when it comes to baking but I am certainly no expert. Basically it is all trial and error along with many many google searches. I've also talked with a lot of people that bake and I follow a ridiculous amount of baking blogs.

Here are a couple of things I've learned along the way...

Brownies/Bars:

Ever had a tough time getting brownies and bar type desserts out of the pan? Here's a tip: Parchment paper.

1) Take a piece of parchment paper and cut it to about 4 inches wider than the 13x9in pan.
2) Trim the edges on the 9in sides so it fits right into the pan, leaving the extra hanging over on the 13in side.
3) Lightly spray with cooking spray and pour in the batter. bake as directed.
4) Allow the dish to cool completely. Run a spatula or butter knife along the 9in sides and corners.
5) Grip the parchment paper on the 13in sides and gently lift the whole thing out of the pan, placing it onto a cutting board.
6) Cut into bars.

(I'm not very good at explaining this so here's a picture to help)

Cakes:

To keep it from sticking:

1) Take a piece of parchment paper and lay it out on the counter
2) Place your cake pan (any shape!) face up on the parchment paper.
3) Trace the bottom of the pan using a pen or pencil
4) Cut out the shape
5) Lightly spray the inside of the cake pan
6) Place parchment paper shape into the bottom of the pan (it should lay flat) and lightly spray with cooking spray
7) Pour batter into pan. Bake and cool as directed.

Make it more dense:
Ever have a problem with the cake crumbling when you don't want it to?
1) Add the following to the mix:
    1 Cup Flour
    1 Cup Sugar
    1 Cup Sour Cream

This will also add to the volume of batter so you will have a little more than normal. Bake it as directed.

Crumbs Crumbs Crumbs! Too many Crumbs!
Before slapping on the frosting and hoping for a perfectly iced cake, slap a "crumb coat" on.
1) Take a small amount of frosting and frost the cake with a very thin layer.
2) Refrigerate for about 20 minutes (should be slightly crusty/hard)
3) Frost as you normally would
This is especially helpful when you have a chocolate or dark colored cake and using light colored frosting.

Perfect Frosting recipe:
I know the stuff in the can is quick and easy but lets face it, it melts (quickly!) when it is hot outside, it doesn't harden up and it is super duper sweet! This here is a perfect frosting recipe. I don't use any others.
2 lbs confectioners sugar

1 1/2 cups Crisco
1/2  Cup Water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons extract of choice (lemon, orange, almond, rum, etc.)
1 teaspoon butter flavoring (optional)

Beat Crisco at high speed for 3 minutes. On low speed, add water (or other liquid), and salt. Slowly add sugar and flavorings. Beat on high for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Adjust flavorings and liquid if necessary. The end result should be a smooth and light frosting that is easy to spread.

This recipe may be cut in half or doubled.

Smooth Finish:
1) Use the above frosting recipe.
2) Frost the cake as you normally would, smoothing out the best you can
3) Let the cake sit on the counter for approx 30min. It should feel crusty/slightly hardened to the touch.
4) Cut a piece of parchment paper (about 6in) and lightly place the paper against the cake. Using small circular motions, rub your hand lightly against the paper.
5) Flip the paper over or cut a new piece if it starts to stick

Cookies:

Butter vs Margarine
1) There is no substitute for real butter.
2) You're making a cookie or a cake or some type of dessert, just use real butter. You won't regret it!
3) yes, it does taste different

Flat Cookies:
1) Your butter/crisco is too soft.
2) DO NOT microwave the butter! Set it out for an hour or two before you need to use it.
3) You should be able (easily) to leave a finger print in the butter without the whole stick squishing

Hard Cookies:
1) You used too much flour
2) Add about 2 TBSP of milk, that should help

Melting Chocolate:
The microwave method has never worked for me. My go-to method is the double boiler
1) Fill a medium sauce pan with water and place it over med-low heat
2) Find a glass or stainless steel bowl that can sit on top of the pan but does not fall inside
3) Place the chocolate chips in the glass/steel bowl
4) Stir constantly with a spoon or spatula.
5) Hold the bowl with a pot holder (lots of steam will start coming out)
6) Don't let any water get in the bowl with the chocolate

Hope this helps someone out there.

Race For the Cure 2010

This was my third year walking with Team Cal Fire in the Inland Empire Race for the Cure. Once again, the day didn't disappoint. Not only did I get to see some friends/co-workers outside of the navy blue uniforms, I also had part of my family with me this year! Brian, Katie, Peyton, Tyler and our friend Mindi joined the team with me.Of course my wonderful partner from work, Ali, was there along with our night shift buddy Clay.

I offered to make the cake/cupcakes for the team this year. At the time of the offer I expected about 75 people to join the team. Boy was I ever surprised when my team captain told me 176 people were on the team (not including last minute registration and kids). Holy cow! So my simple 75 cupcake plan turned into a 200 cupcake plan. It was a lot of time and work but everyone loved them. I was pretty happy with how they turned out. I used some of the cupcakes to make "cakes".

One wouldn't think that a couple boxes of cupcakes would be very heavy to carry. Mindi and I got their early to unload the cupcakes. We thought we could make it from the parking structure to the tailgate area no problem. I'm pretty sure a little elf made its way into those boxes, removed the cupcakes and replaced them with rocks because farther we walked, the heavier the boxes got.

Of course there is always an underlying competition or "Battle of the Badges" if you will between Law Enforcement and Fire Departments. For the last few years Riverside County Sheriff Department has beat us out in fundraising. This year we finally swept the floor with them raised more money than they did! It is a friendly competition that pushes our teams to raise even more money for the cause.

The weather was blissfully cool this year. Hallelujah! I wasn't looking forward to walking 3.1 miles in 85-90 degree weather.

It really was an incredible day. Every year it is a blessing to be part of the team and helping raise money to find a cure for breast cancer. I am hoping next year my WHOLE family *hint hint, wink wink* will join us.

Total Fundraising Achievements:
Personal: $375
Team: $8,048

Amazing.

Wow..

I just finished making, delivering and cutting the cake for the Grand Opening of the new Ramona Station 82. The cake was a huge success. On a whim I came back home, grabbed some business cards and set them on the desk in the stations' office. One of the slick firefighters decided to put them on the table by the cake. I probably took about 10-15 cards with me and there were none left when I came home. Crazy! One of the Battalion Chiefs asked me to make a couple cakes for their Union Hospitalty Night that is coming up December 5th.

I feel honored that people from work are hiring me to do these cakes. It is one thing to bake cookies and brownies for them but it is a whole other ball game when it comes to designing and making these cakes. I put my heart into each one and it is nice to get positive feedback.

I am definitely blessed.

Getting Organized and Other stuff

I finally gave in and ordered some business cards for my so-called "cake business". I also made up some order forms and a price sheet. I researched a lot of bakeries and came up with some reasonable prices (in my opinion). I will charge less than the bakeries but I feel that they cover my costs and time pretty well. So.. here goes nothing. I have 3 birthday cakes and 2 wedding cakes coming up. Crazy huh?

Life overall is good. People have been saying mean/stupid things to me lately. I guess they don't realize how much I take thing to heart. I do things for people because it makes me happy and I hope in some way it will touch their life. If someone sees it as "trying too hard" then so be it :) I'm not changing who I am and who God created me to be just because of someone's opinion.

I enjoyed my drive home this morning. I was listening to some beautiful classical music and letting it all go. Then the perfect line popped into my head "Good Morning Beautiful Day..".

When bad things happen to good cake..

Well my worst nightmare (as far as cakes are concerned) has come true. I made a wedding cake for my friend, Erin. I made it at home and drove it to Yucaipa on saturday. It was warm outside and I had the A/C on full blast during the entire 2 hr drive.

I built the cake when I got there and it seemed ok. I checked on it occasionally and I could see it was starting to sag just a bit. I figure it was because of the heat. A little while later Erin's step-mom came to tell me the cake was leaning a little. I took off toward the kitchen and then I saw it through the window... the top two tiers had toppled over and they were sprawled out over the table.

A couple other ladies came in at the same time. I just stood there motionless. Then the tears came. I couldn't help it. I had baked for 5 days and frosted for 2 days. 2 dozen eggs, 15 cups or so of frosting, 4 different kinds of filling...I couldn't believe it. Erin's step mom and a couple of the ladies grabbed me some tissues and were mopping up my tears. When Erin and Travis came in I cried harder. Erin hugged me and said it couldn't have happened to two better people. Everyone shrugged it off and said it would be ok. I did my best to repair the damages.

I don't know what happened. It could have been a whole combination of things. Top two tiers too heavy and not enough support rods in the third tier? heat? someone bumping the table?... who knows.. Either way it happened.

Atleast everyone was raving about how good it was. Even the lady the doesn't like cake had seconds.

The camera guy was waaaayy excited about the whole ordeal because he was getting some good shots. Thanks dude.

The original:

After the fall:

The top couldn't be salvaged:

The final product:

Vacation recap.. Part 2

I can't believe that my vacation will be over in just a few hours. I've loved every second of this time off! It has been sooo nice. A very good break before fire season. I've been a busy little bee pretty much every day.

Day 5 cont: I took it easy on sunday. hung out at home, cleaned. Then I did something that I have never done before.. I went to the movies alone. Well worth it to see see this guy:

Hugh Jackman.. Holy crap that guy is hot ! I thought it was a great movie and of course the movie theater popcorn was super yummy

Day 6: I think a lot of people had a case of the "mondays". I didn't think I did until I got to walmart to get the oil changed in my car. My plan was to get the oil changed then head to sea world and balboa park. For whatever reason I became a crabby-patty about half way through the day. Thankfully I got a call from my BFF and we decided to grab some lunch and head to the park. It always amazes me how being around Jess and the kids can improve my mood. I loved watching Noah and Jack play on the slides as little buddies.

In an effort to become more handy, I headed to Brian and Katie's so brian could teach me how to change the air filter in my car. Easiest thing ever!

Day 7: Girls day.. This was the day I had been looking forward to the most! The whole day with Jess, the kids and her sister in laws emily, amy and kristina. A day of chick flicks, american idol, talking and food. It doesn't get much better than that.

Day 8: I was heading to Carlsbad State Beach to meet up with Becki and TJ. I've been to that beach a ton but never to the camp sites. How hard could it be.. right? I drove up and down The road looking for the right parking lot. The guy at the guard shack wasn't very helpful and sent me farther south(probably a mile and a half or so) than what I needed to be. I finally parked then called Becki to meet up with her. After a short conversation I realized I was *quite* lost. I got back in my car and did a couple more laps around Carlsbad Blvd to find a good parking spot. I finally get INTO the actual camp grounds and I began my trek to find my friends... who were in space #6. I was at space 162. So I figured I just need to walk past 156 camping spots and I would find them.. until I noticed the numbers going up instead of down..?!? Thankfully about 3 minutes later I saw becki walking towards me! I was saved from be lost for eternity in the Carlsbad camp grounds! It was such a relaxing day on the beach. I had a great time hanging out with my friends and couple of their family members. On my way home I stopped by the strawberry fields and picked up the BEST strawberries I have ever had!

Day 9: Wedding cake madness began in a big way. I baked a couple of the cakes through out the week but this was the day I had to do the major shopping and running around.

Last week a friend of mine, who also works with the Burn Institute, asked me to be his assistant for the Fire Fighter Combat Challange at the Expo this year. Gee.. a day surrounded by good looking, buff, sweaty fire fighters.. twist my arm.. please. Is it just me or is that a no-brainer? I headed to the Del mar fair grounds for a meeting with the Fire Expo committee. Its going to be even better this year. New location and during the San Diego County Fair bring new challenges but everyone is stepping up with some great ideas.

I finished the day with a quick visit with my parents then headed home to continue a wedding cake.

Day 10: working on the wedding cake.

It's been a great vacation. I've done a lot of stuff but I am so relaxed and I have soaked up every.single.minute of it.