Simply Baking Disasters

The past few posts I've shared have been, as my husband has described, tooting my own horn.  Yes I am proud of my accomplishments and excited about my new hobbies, however, I don't want to come off as someone who always has my $#*! together.  Guess what readers, I am not perfect.  Gasp!  Shocking, right?!  It's a wonderful thing about the online world.  You can filter yourself so that people have a certain perception of you.  Well, you'll rarely hear me use this phrase in person (I'm just not that cool), but my online ego wants to say today "I'm keeping it real".

Why did I decide to come out of my "Martha Stewart" shell today?  Well, because Ladies and Gentlemen, I have had not one, not two, but THREE baking disasters....in.a.row.  That is NOT a good thing.   Oh, and these were not labor intensive, crazy difficult, having to search the corners of the earth for the best ingredients desserts.  No, these were 2 child proof (with adult supervision) recipes and 1 box cake mix.  Yes, only two  months after I shared my new found passion of cake decorating in Simply Beautiful Cakes and shared a fabulous recipe in Raspberry with Champagne Cupcakes I have been humbled enough to realize that yes, I am still going to make mistakes.  Instead of hiding behind them, I am going to share them with you.  Hopefully in turn, it will encourage you to continue pushing on with what ever hobby you are trying to embark on because as the old adage goes, practice makes perfect. 

Baking Disaster #1

 

Looks can be certainly be deceiving.  I made these "beauties" for my niece's 5th birthday party, which also happened to fall on one of the most stressful days of my life.  Apparently, I am not cut out to be an emotional baker and should stay away from the oven while in the process of hearing back about a business agreement (aka Dream House).  The baking powder may have been a bit dated but regardless, my Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes tasted a bit more like muffins.  Thankfully, 5 year olds only care about the  frosting..which was delish.

Baking Disaster #2

My friend and I wanted to throw our neighbor a baby shower.  My friend arranged it, hosted it, and prepared the dinner.  I was in charge of the cake.  I made strawberry cake (from a box) and made a strawberry butter cream frosting.  I didn't account for an unseasonably warm weekend unfortunately which resulted in the icing all over the counter. They tasted great, the guests were understanding, and if I learned anything from this "experiment" it was that wine glasses turned over make fantastic cupcake stands.

Baking Disaster #3

 My little family and I went apple picking last weekend.  As usual with apple picking, you get all caught up in the fun of it but are then left will all of these apples that you have to do something with.  Today I had my friend's two year old daughter Sarah over for the day and she loves baking.  I thought it was only appropriate to turn those apples into something extra delicious.  Apple Muffins were in our game plan for the day.  Yesterday I made apple sauce that was extra sweet so I thought it would make a great substitute for oil and sugar to make our treats a little healthier.  I should have known something was off when it looked more like dough than batter.  My two two year old helpers and I were left with what I can only describe as Apple Biscuits. The cupcake liner clung to these dry little suckers.  My helpers seemed to enjoy them as they gobbled down 1 1/2 for dessert.  I did have to smile as Sarah (the articulate child she is) began recalling all of the ingredients that are supposed to go into muffins to make sure we didn't forget anything.  I guess she was as confused as I was at our creation.  Jude, didn't really seem to notice....

So there you have it.  I am not perfect.  You know who else isn't perfect, my husband.  Although he does come close at times and this amazing Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Cherry Filling topped with Dark Chocolate Shavings he made me for my birthday was indeed perfection.  Apparently we can only have one decent baker in the house at a time and this month, he took the cake. 

Polite Society

I’m excited to announce that I can add freelance writing my list of new found hobbies.  In all irony, this month’s issue of Polite Society is on "Time", and considering this crazy energy of creativity I've been wanting to engage, the timing couldn’t have been better to have been asked to contribute to this fabulous lifestyle magazine.  

I was introduced to Polite Society about a year ago by the famed Jessica Ceason of Jessica Ceason Photography (check her out, especially if you are in the Washington State area).  She was named Lead Photographer for the magazine and was using some of her photos of clients to be added into a few issues.  I was beyond flattered when she wanted to take a few more of me for specific articles (what girl doesn’t like to play model for a day).  

 A couple of months ago, the theme being "Treasure", readers were asked what was our most treasured item was when we were young.   I was immediately drawn to walking down memory lane to write about Mr. Doggy, my favorite childhood companion.  Here’s an excerpt on what I wrote:

"Mr. Doggy" was my friend and a part of my nightly ritual for years. He's surpassed countless other toys and stuffed animals and has been with me through overnight camp, my new home in Iowa in 8th grade, and through my first year away at college. He's comforted me during family trials, fights with friends, break ups with boyfriends, loss of family pets, grandparents, and the loss of my brother in my early 20s.

Being the perfectionist I am, I submitted my comment, and then resubmitted it an hour later after I noticed some errors in my writing.  While I thought this would have made me seem flaky, I was pleased when one of the editors, Christy, wrote me back a few weeks later saying she appreciated the fact that I took the time to compose my answer.  She then asked if I would be interested in writing a few articles from time to time.  I am beyond ecstatic to add to my creative energy that’s taken place these past few months.

The issue was to be about Time, I scrolled down to the few topics still needed to be filled and my eyes landed on Culinary Fare.  Writing about food (specifically fall food) and revolving it around the central theme was more than doable.   Most of my fondest memories involve sitting around a table chatting with dear friends.  Even the last piece I wrote was on that very subject.  I was able to incorporate my love of cooking and photography into one piece that I’m not only proud of but also something that I’ll forever hold dear to my heart due to the very nature of the article.  

I hope you take the time to brew some tea (or grab a glass of wine), register on the site (for free) and skim through this wonderful magazine.  My article can be found under Culinary Fare but there is so much you are sure to enjoy.   

Without further ado Polite Society