The Fruits of My Labor

Ok, so making frosting is horribly hard work. But, when you step back and admire what you can do with it, you realize it's all worth it!

The Fruits of My Labor

Cake: Golden Butter

Filling:Vanilla Honey Butter 

Frosting: Almond Vanilla Buttercream 

Royal Icing Rose

My Girly Skull and Crossbones - Color Flow Technique 

(The upper left bone fell off on the journey home)

Buttercream Basket Weave

I NEED A NEW KITCHEN!!

Tonight I learned 2 things: 

       1.) Mixing frosting is hard work 

       2.) I need a new kitchen (preferably one that is self cleaning) 

I have a whole new sense of respect for pastry chefs, cake decorators . . . Actually, I have I have a whole new sense of respect for anyone who has ever attempted to make the “Wilton” icings. 

Here I was ready to take on the world with my little hand-held mixer and . . . it kicked my butt, I mean it literally kicked my butt. Lets just say there was no Wii Fitting for me tonight.  

With frosting ingredient strewn throughout my tiny apartment kitchen I finally finished the frosting from hell.

The Pioneer Woman

I'm sure all of you reading this are already big fans of The Pioneer Woman, but I have just recently started exploring her blog and I must say, She's Amazing! She always seems to find the good in life, and I think that is what we all wish we could do. Maybe this is why people are so captivated by her, or it could be that she takes cooking with butter to a whole new level. Admit it, Butter is every woman's secret pleasure. 

Mmmmmm . . . Butter

Everything My Mother Taught Me . . . continued

** CAUTION ** 

Please note that before you read the following post I Love My Mommy Dearly. She is my best friend and no matter what harebrained idea she comes up with, I will always love her. 

Ok, so I was taking a look at my post "Everything My Mother Taught Me" and Mommy I love you, but what were you thinking! I think a better title for that post would be Everything My Mother Taught Me . . . And How Normal People Do Things.

So, in continuance with my previous post I have added a little extra to each thing my mother taught me. (i.e. How Normal People Do Things)

Let's Recap Here: 

1.)  If a recipe calls for orange juice and you don't have any, Blue Curacao is an excellent alternative  - - Blue Curacao is not an excellent alternative. While it might get people tipsy enough that they don’t really care what they are eating, the truth is, this alternative turns your cake bright blue. I’ll give my mom credit in the fact that she did ice the outside of her cake so that you couldn’t tell what color the cake was, but when someone cut in to it, well lets just say they were they were the only person that cut in to it. Now, what a normal person would have done is put on some mascara, batted their eyes, and made their significant other go out and pick them up some orange juice.

2.) Never run over dead animals in the street because you never know when someone may force you to lick your tires - - Don’t even get me started here! The scary thing is every time I’m driving and I see an animal asleep in the road I always think of this. Normal people simply go around the animal and think “Oh that poor animal.”

And 3.) When in doubt pour on the Southern Charm - - Thank You Mommy!! Now this little piece of advice is something that has saved my hiney a many a times. Alright, you've got to admit it, she’s right on this one.

Cooking 101

I have done it, I have officially signed up for my very first cooking class. Well, actually it’s a cake decorating class but that’s close enough for me. 

This could be good, or it could be really bad!

My first class starts next Sunday so I’ll make sure and take good notes. Get Excited!!

Everything My Mother Taught Me . . .

How I Got Here:

I come from a long line of exceptional cooks the only problem is these genes were not blessed upon my mother and me. Well at least I’ve always assumed these genes were not blessed upon us.  Let’s just say that while most girls learn to cook by watching their mother in the kitchen, I learned how to use a fire extinguisher.

A Little Bit of Background:

Growing up both of my parents owned their own businesses so the majority of our home cooked meals were either made in a microwave or they came in a take out container. However, there were times when my mother would set her sites on making us a real homemade meal. While her heart was in the right place, the ingredients never seemed to be. She is The Queen of Experimental Cooking. (We'll come back to this later . . .)

My Goal:

I have set off on a culinary adventure in search of what it takes to become a great cook. Although I was not initially blessed with this talent I will do whatever it takes to achieve this goal. (Well, almost anything) With high spirits and this cute new Jessie Steele apron I purchased online, I will forge uncharted waters in an attempt to change my “Frequent Diners Club” future.

And To This I Say . . . Welcome To The World of Cooking Shelbygirl!

So, to wrap things up on my first blogging session, here's a couple of things my mother taught me:

1.)  If a recipe calls for orange juice and you don't have any, Blue Curacao is an excellent alternative

2.) Never run over dead animals in the street because you never know when someone may force you to lick your tires

And 3.) When in doubt pour on the Southern Charm