Farewell Party

I'm currently:

Watching PTI (I missed ESPN during the Olympics!)

Eating a yummy sandwich left over from today's party

Some thoughts:

I'm feeling quite sentimental right now. At lunch today my coworkers surprised me with a farewell party complete with scrumptious sandwiches, bright decorations, and my favorite part: cupcake decorating! Everything was so thoughtfully done, and I felt so special knowing how much effort they must have put into it. The cupcake decorating was really a fun touch. They called around the city to find a bakery that would sell them cupcakes without the icing, and then they went out and bought tons of fun icings, toppings, sprinkles, etc.

As if all that weren't enough, they made me a card, which may sound generic, but when I read it on the train home today I nearly got choked up. Everyone wrote such nice messages, and it really struck me how sincere they all are with their well wishes and excitement over my new career. And to top it all off, as a parting gift they gave me a free month of COBRA (a.k.a. health insurance). This may seem impersonal, but it actually couldn't have been more spot on. (They truly got me exactly what I needed!) And they told me about it in a funny poem that my boss wrote herself.

All in all, a really exciting day, and a wonderful party. I can't believe I only have two more (official) days of work in the office. And Tuesday I start work in the bakery!! Wow, I can't believe it's (finally) almost here...

Until next time, Bake Big! -Christine

Coconut & Pecan Brownies for the Boys

I'm currently:

Watching Enchanted (I admit, I still love Disney movies!)

Some thoughts:

I'm getting a scale! No, not a bathroom scale to get weighed on (which wouldn't be a bad idea with the new profession)... But a cooking/baking scale! For weighing ingredients and making 'professional' recipies. I used one last week at the Tea Shop, and it was the best! (I think I've already mentioned that in last week's blog) My boss at the Tea Shop needs a second one, and she knows I'm interested in getting one, too. So, she sent me the info, and it turns out there is a great sale on buying more than one! Long story short (too late?!), we're both getting new scales. That's right, 15k by .02 grams of excitiement should be coming in the mail soon! woowho!

Anyways, I've got to go check on the coconut pecan brownies that I'm making for Adam to bring into work. (Got to keep the boys happy!)

So much to bake, so little time!

1st Day of Baking-- What a Rush!!

I'm currently:

Watching the Olympics games!

Stealing some of Adam's fries from White Castle. (Yeah, I said White Castle. I couldn't deny him since I was gone all night having fun up to my elbows in cookie dough.)

Some thoughts:

What a rush!! Tonight was my first night of baking at the Tea Shop. It was sooo worth the wait! We made scones with apricots, white chocolate, and toasted walnuts, the batter for sesame coins, and chocolate mud pie cookies.

I got to the bakery at 3pm, and we baked until 8:30pm. (Although it felt like I was barely there for an hour.) S was great at showing me new things and trusting me to work on my own. I thought it would be so much more difficult to bake in a bakery than at home-- but I think it's actually a lot easier.

Why do I say that? Well, for one, I like weighing ingredients as opposed to using measuring cups like I do at home. We used an electronic scale which was awesome! It's so much more accurate, and I think it may actually be faster, too!

The other great thing about the bakery is the TOOLS. Working in a bakery you have everything you could possibly need! Aside from the super cool, super-huge industrial mixer, we used simple things like ice cream scoops and scrapers which I'd never used before. S even gave me a scraper to take home! woowho!

I am dog tired right now, and I need to crash, but I'll write more soon! What a day... I hope this is a sign of things to come!!

Biscuits!

I'm currently:
Eating a biscuit & finishing a decaf iced coffee from D&D

Watching pre-Olympics stuff on tv

Some thoughts:
Tomorrow I'm scheduled to bake at the Tea Shop for the first time. (Take Two!) Last time this didn't work out so well, so I'm trying not to get excited until I'm pouring ingredients into a large Hobart mixer. However, it's difficult not to get excited when I keep having to talk to people about becoming a baker, yet I still have to go to my desk job every day and wait until I get to start. I'm tired of talking about this change-- I want it to happen! Sept 2nd seems so far away. Well, at least tomorrow night should be a start!

In the meantime, tonight I baked a batch of biscuits to keep myself occupied. Since I felt the need to justify baking (again), I made one into a homemade egg mcmuffin for dinner. mmm That's sort-of healthy, right?

Ok, maybe not. Good thing I have a date with the gym tonight... I need to go run some of these off!

Brooklyn Pizza... MMMmmm

I'm currently:

Watching the Olympics on DVR

Baking chocolate chip cookies

Some thoughts:

Yesterday I met up with some friends and took a little trip to Brooklyn... all for something Brooklyn does very well: pizza. The trip was pretty long (PATH train to NYC and then subway over to Brooklyn). The wait was also pretty long (I left my apartment at 1:30pm and ate around 4:00pm). But all in all, it was pretty worth it.

The weather was perfect. Sunny and warm, but low in humidity (and there was actually a breeze!) The reason we had to wait so long for the pizza is that the man who owns the place (and who has been working there since 1964) makes every single pizza by himself. He stretches his own dough, grates his own cheese, snips his own basil... you get the point. This does take time, but can you say FRESH? We ordered a sausage calzone and a 'square' pie (aka Sicilian)-1/2 plain and 1/2 artichoke. My favorite was the square slice with artichoke. Every bite was full of new flavors and tastes. The whole experience was a lot of fun. (You really can't go wrong with good food and good company!) And the best part is, I have two leftover slices in the fridge to enjoy later today!

Now, I need to go fold the laundry I have been ignoring for days, and do the dishes from the chocolate chip cookies I just finished baking. The cookies came out perfectly. Nice and crisp around the edges, but soft and chewy on the inside. YUM. Now if only the dishes did themselves... that would be perfection!

Japanese Market Goodness

I'm currently:

Procrastinating on folding laundry.

Drooling while thinking about going to a pizzeria in Brooklyn for lunch...

Some Thoughts:

Yesterday, Adam & I went to an Japanese Market in NJ for dinner (and goodies). [I'm happy to report that I did NOT have to drive, which was a stress reliever!] When we got there, we dove right into dinner (dumplings, fried rice, and mixed seafood/veggies). Then we searched around for dessert (my favorite part!) They had an assortment of cakes and confections, but we finally decided to go with a fresh raisin roll. It tasted similar to Challah bread that I've made before. Very soft, sweet, and light. It was the perfect cap to the meal.

After dinner we shopped in the market. We bought makings for homemade sushi, a box of frozen steamed buns, and a container of Lychee ice cream. (Yum!) When we got home, I tested the ice cream. (Double Yum!) It's very sweet, but super refreshing. I can't wait to come home hot and hungry one evening this week... that ice cream will be the perfect remedy!

All in all, a very fun experience. I would definitely go back for more supplies and to try another one of their many restaurants. Our dinner was good, but the lady at the table next to me had something that looked AMAZING. Next time, I'm having what she was having! Oh, and another raisin roll, too!

Too Hot to Bake; Just Right to Blend!

I'm currently:
Checking my email

Drinking a decaf iced coffee from D&D (I'm such a Jersey girl!)

Some thoughts:
Yesterday was too hot to bake. So I decided to make a smoothie when I came home from work. I blended a whole banana, a handful of fresh cantaloupe, some Splenda, and ice. It was unbelievably refreshing. I don't think I even needed to add the Splenda because the melon was so sweet on it's own.

Tonight Adam & I were supposed to go to the Mets game, but our tickets fell through (There's a long, sad story behind this which I'll skip.) Instead we're going to pick up a rental car-- which I'M going to drive. Side note: I haven't driven a car in, well, I can't remember the last time I drove, but I'm guessing it was over a year ago. Then we're (safely) going to drop Adam's car off at the dealership, at which time I can turn the driving back over to Adam (thank goodness).

Then the plan is to take said rental car over to a highly recommended Japanese grocery store in Edgewater, NJ. I can't wait to see this place! Apparently they have a Japanese bakery there, too! I can't wait to check it out! I will post details and pictures tonight! Until then... TGIF!