Fiesta Bison Bake

This last week was the entree week with cooking creme for the Real Women of Philadelphia contest. I made a video for a Santa Fe burrito over a week ago and submitted it but still wanted to come up with another idea.

So here it is: Fiesta Bison Bake!

Check out the video and recipe here: http://www.realwomenofphiladelphia.com/user_recipe/view/12273/11381/1

It is a bit of a play on the classic frozen macaroni and beef I loved when I was younger. It had macaroni and tomatoes and beef and cheese. I changed it up to use the cooking creme to smooth out the texture of the shredded cheddar and make everything super creamy. I changed the tomatoes to diced tomatoes with green chiles to add some heat. And I changed the ground beef to ground bison to change up the flavor a little bit. Plus, everyone says that bison is leaner than ground beef. It all gets tossed together and then baked in the oven for a bit. Nothing too difficult, but lots of great flavor and texture!!!

My husband said that he really enjoyed this one. He was telling me how he always looks forward to macaroni and cheese-type dishes and is always disappointed. The texture is never quite right and there never seems to be enough cheese to hold everything together. Not with this recipe! He was munching on it from the second I stopped filming, which is the greatest complement ever!

So go try out the recipe. It is great for anyone that likes a little bit of a kick!! If you want to take the idea in a different direction, then you can use plain diced tomatoes with the Italian Cheese and Herb cooking creme or even diced tomatoes with basil and oregano and the savory garlic cooking creme. All great ideas based on the same concept. Just change it around to make it work for you and your family.

STRAWBERRIES!!!!!!

Yay!! It is strawberry time! I made sure to make some time this year to visit Washington Farms to pick my own strawberries. Last year I didn't make it out there and was so disappointed! That wasn't going to happen this year.

I made time on Saturday morning, when the weather people said it would be a perfect day. Well, it was rainy and misty all morning (of course). Since I know how easy it is to get side tracked and the season isn't very long, I made the 40 minute drive out there anyway. This was my first time to the Loganville farm, I have always gone to the one in Watkinsville in the past. It wasn't too difficult to find at all, it was just a bit of a drive from my house.

I quickly gathered my two gallons of strawberries and seriously contemplated picking more. They all just looked too good! I decided that I would stick with the two I had and then if I use a lot of them in the next few weeks, then I would still have some time to get back before all the strawberries were gone.

So here are a few things I have made with the strawberries so far:
- Mixed greens salad with strawberries, mushrooms, salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar
- Strawberry sherbet: I used a recipe from the Williams-Sonoma Desserts cookbook I found at the used book store last week. This turned out great!!! It is nice and smooth and doesn't leave a film in your mouth like some of the homemade ice cream recipes out there. I saw a waffle cone maker in the clearance section of Macy's and couldn't walk by it. So I made waffle cone bowls which were perfect with the sherbet.

I washed and hulled a bunch for freezing because even though strawberries are a good fruit for you, I don't think I can eat 2 gallons all by myself before they go bad. My husband will eat a few here and there, but it is mostly up to me. I think I am up for the task!!!

I have a few other ideas rolling around in my head for the strawberries. It is dessert week in the Kraft Philadelphia Real Women contest so I have a feeling strawberries will be making an appearance.

2011 Vegetable Garden

YAY!!! My garden is now officially ready for this season. I got the area tilled and added 33 large bags of soil (yes, thats lots of soil!!!) two weekends ago. And this past weekend, I filled it up with lots of pretty young plants!

Here is a rundown of what I am anxiously awaiting:
early girl tomatoes
grape tomatoes
solar fire tomatoes
jalapenos
okra
black beauty zucchini
crook neck squash
red bell peppers
green bell peppers
cucumbers
sweet potatoes
chives

I planted early girl and grape tomatoes last year and they thrived throughout the summer. I did not have any luck with the heirloom tomatoes (which never grew), the big boy tomatoes (I only got a couple of decent specimens out of this plant), or the roma tomatoes (which always went rotten before ripening and when I tried to pick them while green and ripen inside, they never changed color. So I chose to have two each of the early girl and grape tomatoes. Then I couldn't resist trying one other type. I went with the solar fire tomatoes, which are supposed to be very heat tolerant. We'll see how they fare this year.

I haven't had much okra in the past, mostly the fried kind. But last summer at the Lilburn Farmers Market, I picked up some fresh okra...and LOVED it!!! I roasted it in the oven with some garlic, butter, salt and pepper. Could not have been more perfect. So when I saw okra plants, I just had to buy some. I am really looking forward to the okra and hope mine is just as good!

I am not sure how the sweet potatoes will turn out, but I figured it was worth a shot.

I have one place left for something else, but I can't seem to make a final decision on what to put there. Should I try onions again (they did not seem to do well for me last year)? Or butternut squash (I only got one good plant from it last year)? I saw spaghetti squash plants that seemed interesting, as well. Hmm....I better decide soon!

Sauteed Poleta

I was trying to come up with some savory ideas for the next Atlanta Underground Market and decided to try out some sauteed polenta triangles. You start with prepared polenta and let it set in the fridge. Then fry it up on both sides to make it crispy...in theory, anyway.

When attempting to figure out the ratio of cornmeal to water/milk I found that the numbers varied to all sorts of extremes. There was the Paula Deen recipe that called for 1/3 cup plus 4 cups liquid. My Better Homes and Garden cookbook said 1 cup cornmeal plus one cup liquid. Other resources online and in my cookbooks fit every spot in between. This was extremely frustrating. I didn't want to waste my time by choosing a ratio that just would not work for me.

I didn't go with the one to one ratio just for cost reasons. If that worked the best, then that would entail lots and lots of cornmeal. Even though I have a 5 pound bag from a grainery in North GA, I wasn't sure if I wanted to go so far as the one to one ratio.

So in the end, I went with a 1:4 ratio...1/2 cup cornmeal plus 1 cup milk and 1 cup water. I heated the liquids to a boil, then slowly added the cornmeal and cooked until thickened. I poured the polenta into a 11x7 inch glass baking dish that had been coated with cooking spray. It came about 1/2 inch or so up the sides. I put a foil cover on and stuck it in the fridge for a day.

I heated a few tablespoons oil in a skillet and went to sauteing the cooked polenta, which I had cut into triangles. The pieces did not crisp up as I had intended. Perhaps I need to make another coating on the outside to make them nice and crispy.

In the end, the sauteed polenta tasted alright, but was nothing spectacular. Adding cheese on top might help, but I don't think I want to go in that direction any longer. I changed focus and will be using my cornmeal to make cornmeal crepes instead. I like that idea much more and a test run turned out just right. Then I can fill the crepes with some pulled pork or black eyed pea gumbo or even some pimento cheese. I love that idea much more for the upcoming market. I want to think a bit more about what side I want to serve with my crepes. Not using electricity makes things a bit more difficult. If I did have access to electricity, then I would easily make my own fries or tater tots. But that is a bit more difficult to do with a butane burner. So I will need to spend some time thinking it over. I have two weeks to get it just right in my head.

Two Potato Casserole

Two Potato Casserole
(http://www.realwomenofphiladelphia.com/user_recipe/view/12273/11149/1)

Can't decide between baking potatoes and sweet potatoes as a side dish? No need to worry since this casserole uses both for the nutritional benefits of each. Kraft Philadelphia cream cheese with milk makes a great sauce without adding a lot of fat. A layer of bread crumbs and parmesan cheese top off this wonderful side dish that is easy enough for a family night in but looks great enough for company!

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 50 minutes
• Total time: 60 minutes
• Servings: 6
  

• Ingredients:
• 1 baking potato, sliced thin
• 1 sweet potato, sliced thin
• 4 ounce(s) of Kraft Philadelphia 1/3 reduced fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup(s) of milk
• 3 tbsp. of butter
• 2/3 cup(s) of grated parmesan cheese
• 2/3 cup(s) of dried bread crumbs
• 1 salt and pepper, to taste

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a large casserole dish with cooking spray.
2. Prepare the sauce by combining the cream cheese and the milk. Warm in the microwave if necessary to get a smooth consistency.
3. Add a layer of white potato slices, and then a layer of sweet potato slices. Season with salt and pepper. Add half the butter. Pour over half the sauce. Sprinkle with some of the parmesan cheese.
4. Repeat the layers of potato, sweet potato, butter and sauce. Top with the remaining parmesan cheese and the bread crumbs.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Cover with foil if the topping starts to brown too much. Cool slightly before serving.

Fried Green Tomatoes with Spicy Bacon Ranch

Fried Green Tomatoes with Spicy Bacon Ranch Sauce
(http://www.realwomenofphiladelphia.com/user_recipe/view/12273/11160/1)

A traditional southern favorite gets a little hotter thanks to spicy ranch dressing mix and Kraft Philadelphia cream cheese. A perfect way to use those green tomatoes and a great addition to a Southern-inspired meal. Remember if you don't have buttermilk, simply make sour milk using 1 tablespoon vinegar and fill to 1 cup with milk. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes before using.

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 10 minutes
• Total time: 20 minutes
• Servings: 6

• Ingredients:
  
• 3 slices bacon
• 1 cup(s) of buttermilk
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 cup(s) of fine ground cornmeal
• 1 tsp. of salt
• 1/4 tsp. of pepper
• 3 large green tomatoes, sliced
• 3 tbsp. of oil, if necessary
• 8 ounce(s) of Kraft Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
• 8 ounce(s) of sour cream
• 1 ounce(s) of packet spicy ranch dressing mix
• 1/2 cup(s) of milk

Steps

1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy. Set aside on paper towels to drain, then chop into small pieces. Leave the bacon grease in the skillet.
2. While the bacon is cooking, prepare the coating for the tomatoes. In one shallow dish, combine buttermilk and beaten egg. In a second shallow dish, combine the cornmeal, salt and pepper. Dip the tomato slices in the buttermilk mixture then the cornmeal mixture, making sure to coat the tomatoes completely. Place in the hot bacon grease, adding more oil if there is not enough to fry the tomato slices. Cook until golden brown on both sides. Place on a paper towel to drain and continue until all slices have been fried.
3. In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, spicy ranch dressing mix and milk. More milk can be added if you prefer a thinner sauce. Stir in the bacon pieces.
4. Serve the warm tomato slices with the spicy bacon ranch sauce.

2011 Spring RevFest

This past Saturday I was invited to the 2011 Spring RevFest hosted by RevCoffee in Smyrna. It was a 12 hours festival of music, crafts, food and lots of fun! There was free face painting (as seen above), pottery painting, all sorts of bands, and vendors selling things from cigar box guitars to pottery to jewelry to soaps, etc.

I had planned on stopping by RevFest sometime on Saturday afternoon and sticking around to hear some of the bands. But it didn't quite work out that way (in a good way!!!). A friend of mine had given some of my cake truffles to her sister who then passed some along to Nick, the owner of Rev Coffee. He really liked the truffles, especially the Drunken Raspberry ones. I got a text message from my friend around 10 in the morning asking if I could bring by a bunch of truffles to sell.

So I went into hyper drive...getting a whole bunch of truffles ready as fast as I possibly could. I got the truffles made and the car loaded up and my husband and I headed over to RevFest. We got there a little after 1:30 in the afternoon since it was on the other side of town. They set up a small table inside by the door for me so that the chocolate wouldn't melt. I had a great time meeting people and trying to be more vocal in my sales pitches. I learned that I need to grab people's attention because (like myself) a lot of people are focused on 'their mission' (whatever it may be...getting coffee, looking at the pottery, heading to the bathroom, simply escaping the sun and heat...etc) and they didn't notice the cake truffles. But once I got their attention I got a lot of good feedback.

Everyone that tasted the truffles loved them, including Nick who grabbed some off my display platter here and there. Several people took my cards and even told me I should make sure that they start selling the truffles at the shop. I would absolutely LOVE to start doing that. Every step I take is a huge one in the right direction to achieving my dream. I am slowly gaining a customer base and hope to grow even more. I've just got to keep on truckin' and working hard and it will all fall into place!!!

Real Women of Philadelphia Season Two

Well it has finally arrived: Season Two of the Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese Cooking Contest. This first phase involves the choosing of 16 finalists based on video recipe submissions within specific categories. The themes include appetizer, side dish, entree and dessert with either cream cheese or the brand new Kraft cooking creme. Those 16 are invited to Savannah for a live event at the end of June where one finalist from each theme will be chosen to be the host for the second phase of the contest. Oh and did I mention that the four hosts also win $25,000 dollars?!?!?! The hosting job seems like a lot of hard work, but also appears very rewarding. The hosts from season one did a great job and really kept the motivation and light hearted nature going throughout the second phase of the contest and even still today.

I submitted one video this weekend and had planned to make another, but other things got in the way. So my submission for the appetizer was 'Caramelized Onion and Apple Pizza Bites.' I take pizza dough and spread it out into a 12x16 inch baking pan. Then add 1/3 reduced fat cream cheese, caramelized onions and apples and top with feta cheese, basil, oregano and parsley flakes.

Check out the recipe and video here: http://www.realwomenofphiladelphia.com/user_recipe/view/12273/10952/1

Samples Abound!

So rather than let the excess truffles I made for the Atlanta Underground market go to waste, I decided to get creative. Here's what I did:

Some of the truffles were sent to my brother and to my parents to see how well they survive the trip. I haven't talked to my brother, but my mom said they arrived in one piece. That is a lot better than I thought they would. I was assuming they would be shattered from all the bouncing around. But apparently the mini cupcake boxes I have them in keep them fairly secure. My mom's only suggestion would be to put some packing material between the two boxes inside the shipping box. I also need to see how much it would be to send via FedEx rather than the Post Office. I used a medium flat rate shipping box and could only fit two dozen truffles in the box with a bunch of packaging. The cost per box was almost $11. That seems a bit cost prohibitive at the moment, but if I can find a cheaper method of shipping I think I will be in good shape.

My husband spread the word at his work that there were truffles available and I got several orders there.

I brought in a bunch of truffles to work and started handing out samples. Rather than just leaving the truffles in the hallway where anyone can grab as many as they want anytime, I walked around with the box making sure to give out the flavor list and my information. I was pleasantly surprised by the positive reaction that I got. I sold a bunch of truffles on the spot. But I also made some good contacts. Two people are planning engagement/wedding parties in the summer and said they will be getting in touch with me as the time gets closer. I already delivered an order yesterday as a birthday present and it evidentally went over extremely well. And my fliers are all over the place.

While talking about my truffles someone that works down the hall from me asked me to make her some mini muffins for her daughter's birthday party, in addition to some of the truffles. So I whipped up some apple strudel muffins for her one night last week.

In walking around my building at work with the truffle samples, I learned that Relay for Life was happening last Friday night here at Emory. They asked me to stop by, and my husband and I brought a bunch of truffles. I donated about 100 truffles for the team to sell to add to their donations. It seemed like a win-win situation for everyone. They get more money towards their total and I get more people to try my samples.

So as upset as I had been that the weather kept a lot of people away from the market, I was able to turn it around. I got a lot of good attention for my truffles and it forced me to be very vocal, which is very different from my normal personality. I also made enough money to make up for what I lost in the market. I am no longer in the hole, which is a good feeling. I can get a good start again now and really start pushing my truffles.

Sometimes things just happen for a reason and something that does not turn out the way you like could actually be a blessing in disguise.

Lilburn Farmers Market

Finally the time I have been waiting for has come...opening of the Lilburn Farmers Market vendor registration. This was originally my main starting point for farmers markets (until I learned about the Atlanta Underground Market) and is still my primary goal. It is close to my home, allows baked goods without the requirement of a professional kitchen and seems like a great way to get my foot in the door and start branching out and earning more customers. I submitted my application the middle of last week and have been on pins and needles waiting to hear back. I have no clue when they will be letting people know if they are accepted or not, so I could know in a few days or a few weeks. The suspense is killing me!!! It would mean so much to me to be a part of the farmers market and I would have a wonderful time baking and sharing my creations with people.

My planned offerings include my cake truffles, which are always a big hit. My only worry is how well they will survive in the Atlanta summer heat. I also have my pie maker which makes 4" mini pies. As of the moment I plan to skew more towards sweet pies, though I am tempted to work out a chicken pot pie recipe. It all just depends on how much time I have to devote to getting that just right.

Of course I can make all sorts of cookies or brownies, but I think I will focus my attention on my s'mores. They were a huge hit a few weeks ago and I see a lot of potential there. I just need a second creme brulee torch because when you refill it with butane it needs to rest for 5-10 minutes before using. So if I have two in rotation, I will be good to go. Rather than graham crackers, I make my s'mores with sugar cookies. And I make homemade marshmallows. I plan on making plain marshmallows, along with toasted coconut and possibly cappuccino flavored versions. Then also have other add-ons like peanut butter, bananas, a variety of jams, perhaps a premium chocolate. If I get a good response then I can add cinnamon and chocolate cookies as well. I really love the idea and think it would go over well at the Lilburn farmers market. It is a great treat for kids and adults and the option to customize the treats should be a good draw.

But for now, I just have to wait to see if I am accepted.

Real Women of Philadelphia Cookbook

YAYAY! The time has finally come for the unveiling of the Kraft Real Women of Philadelphia Cookbook to be available (http://www.realwomenofphiladelphia.com/post/the-season-one-rwop-cookbook-is-here). This huge cookbook contains recipes from cooks all around the country who competed to be included in this book. They chose appetizers, side dishes, entrees and desserts, all containing Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese. Some are time crunch recipes that can be done quickly. Some are 'make to impress,' perfect for that dinner party you've been planning. All are great additions to your recipe repertoire.

Be sure to check out my award winning 'Make to Impress' appetizer: Crab Turnovers using a cream cheese dough and Old Bay seasoned crab meat. I don't have my hands on a copy yet, so I can't tell you what page it is on, but once I get my cookbook I will be sure to let everyone know.

If you are interested in purchasing this book, visit the link at the beginning of the post, or go to http://www.lulu.com/real-women-of-philadelphia to get your book for $29.50.

Atlanta Underground Market Report

This Saturday was my first Atlanta Underground Market experience as a vendor. My husband was a great help in getting the car loaded and unloaded and the space all set up. I will add some pictures of my booth soon.

Overall, I had very good reactions to my pancake puffs and cake truffles, which made me feel good. Unfortunately, the number of people visiting the market was much lower than had been anticipated by all involved. The weather had to have been a major factor. I saw that I20 near Candler road even had to be shut down at one point (though I am not sure what time of day or night that way). People just prefer to stay home when it is cold and rainy.

As a result, I have a number of cake truffles remaining. I am working all my connections so far and hope to get some of them sold. If you are interested, please give me a call at 706-614-4751 or 770-279-2048 or email me at sugarbearsweetery@gmail.com. I usually sell my truffles for $15 a dozen, but discounts can be discussed for larger orders. And the dozen can be a mixture of the varieties, it doesn't have to be 12 of the same variety. We can arrange for a time and place to meet.

Here are the varieties available: Apples N Spice, Spiced Carrot Cake, Mocha Choco-latte, Chocolate Covered Oranges, Red Velvet, Drunken Raspberry, Amaretto Supreme, Cookies & Cream, and Peanut Butter Delights.

To view details on all the flavors, click on the 'Current Cake Truffle Selection' tab at the top of the page.

So give me a call or send me an email and I would love to share my cake truffles with you! Be sure to pass the information along to anyone you think may be interested.

Getting ready for the Market

I have been working very hard to get things ready for the market this weekend. It has been more difficult than I would like because of the extra (and odd) hours at work this week. Luckily I have been thinking and making lists so that things go as efficiently as possible. I am trying to anticipate as many different obstacles that may get in the way this weekend and how I can get around them. There are always unforeseen circumstances, but I am trying to be ready for as much as I can.

I am under way on the cake truffles. I am bringing some of all my nine flavors, which can be found on the tab at the top of the page, along with pictures. Hopefully I can get completely done and packaged up by tomorrow midday.

Then it is off to the races with the pancake puffs. I bought two more pans, so I can make up to 21 puffs at one time. That will decrease the production time dramatically. So long as I can keep up with all the puffs and not accidentally burn some while attending to the others. I think once I get the pan temperature just where I want it it will go smoothly. These are just as finicky as making pancakes on a flat griddle top..time and temperature are very important, but once those are at ideal conditions it all goes without issue.

I have settled on my pancake puff flavors, barring any big troubles with the execution. So here is your sneak preview of what I will be offering in a few short days:

• Parmesan puffs: savory pancake puffs seasoned with basil, oregano, parsley, garlic and onion powder. These will be served with a red sauce for dipping.
  
• Sweet and Spicy bacon poppers: Bacon that is sweetened with brown sugar, but spicy from cayenne pepper is chopped up and added to the puffs.
  
• Buffalo chicken and waffles: a twist on the traditional Southern favorite, Chicken and Waffles. Inside a waffle batter will be chopped roasted chicken dripping in buffalo wing sauce. Served with an option of ranch dressing.
• Red velvet pancake puffs: Yummy red velvet pancake bites served with a dollop of white chocolate cream cheese icing.
  

If any of those puffs do not live up to my expectations, then I can always make the chicken sausage filled puffs as in the past. I haven't tried out the waffle batter in my pans yet, but all the other types of batter seem to work well so I do not have any concerns as to whether it will fail. I will make as many as I possibly can, starting tomorrow evening. Hopefully I can make as many as I am planning on!!! All I can do is my best and hope that it goes over well with the patrons of the Atlanta Underground Market.

Atlanta Underground Market Update

I found out a few days ago, but haven't had a chance to update on here yet how the market trials went.

I brought three types of pancake puffs (Italian parmesan with red sauce, mozzarella and garlic chicken sausage and caramel filled brownie with caramel and homemade chocolate sauce) to the trial. I reheated them before leaving the house and brought the toaster just in case I would be able to crisp them up a bit when I got there. I didn't end up warming them up again and they were a bit softer than I would have liked because they steamed a little in the containers after being warmed at home. I gave the panel one of each of the flavors since I knew they would be eating lots throughout the afternoon. They loved the idea, no one had heard of ebelskivers before and liked that I could make both sweet and savory offerings based on the same concept.

I also brought in 2 dozen of various cake truffles. I only had one raspberry left and no apples n spice or cookies and cream left, but I brought some of all the rest of the varieties. They quickly tried them and loved them. I was asked if I would be willing to bring in both concepts and I said yes. It would be a whole lot more work to bring both, but I am more than willing to put in the extra effort.

In the end, I was chosen to be one of the vendors and I am ecstatic!!!!! And a bit overwhelmed. They want me to focus more on the pancake puffs and less on the cake truffles because of the novelty of the puffs, but I can bring cake truffles with me to sell. I am working on getting a bunch of cakes made now since there is a freezer step before dipping the truffles in chocolate. So that is helping me out a lot because I can focus on the truffles now and work on the puffs in the few days before the market.

Life is going to get interesting over the next week. There is so much to get done! I wasn't panicking at all until yesterday afternoon when my boss told me she wants me to run a large experiment next week. One that involves me working from 6:45am to 4:15pm, then I can go home for a little bit but then have to leave again around 6:40pm only to get home for good at 7:45pm. Do that Monday through Thursday next week. And get in 7am Friday morning and finish up for about 3-4 hours. So that will dramatically reduce the time that I have to work on everything. Oh and to top it off, my husband will be at a conference next week from Monday night through Thursday afternoon.

So I won't be sleeping very much next week. But I am determined to get lots done and have a lot of cake truffles and puffs to sell. This is too big of an opportunity for me to get my business up and running for me to let a little thing like sleep get in the way.

Look out...Here I come!!!!!

Getting Ready for Market Trials

I have talked about the Atlanta Underground market in the past. The first market was held at the end of February and was a great success. This time around, Michaela is holding an audition to determine the best vendors for the market at the end of March. And that trial is tomorrow. I have been thinking about it since the announcement was made just after the last market. And getting excited about it!

Of course I will be bringing a variety of cake truffles. Those would be my first preference to sell, but to be honest, I would love to sell just about anything at the market. It would be an exhilarating experience and the opportunity to serve a large crowd my treats would be out of this world. I have a few that I kept from selling truffles yesterday and I just need to make a few more to give them a good variety at the trial tomorrow.

My second concept revolves around the pancake puffs, which are working wonderfully now. They would be a lot more work at the time of the market since I would need to reheat everything and serve it all, rather than prepackaging my cake truffles, but not anything that I couldn't handle. I have two varieties that I made yesterday. Each batch made a lot more than I would need for the trial, so the left overs came with me to work today for a reception we are having this afternoon to celebrate my friend's PhD defense. It will be a great way to see how well I can heat up a lot at a time and the best way to serve them. Hopefully I can get some good feedback today since there is still time to change anything that needs to be changed before tomorrow.

I could also bring my s'mores concept (more on that in the next post), but I haven't decided. I brought them for the reception this afternoon as well. It will all depend on the feedback I get today. The original concept was aimed for applying to the Lilburn farmers market, where there would be more families. The Atlanta underground market seems to attract more of a college-aged demographic. But who knows, maybe the people here will rave over the idea and my thought that it wouldn't attract as many people my age would be wrong. We shall wait and see this afternoon.

I did have a fourth concept in mind, but I haven't had a chance to test it out yet. That will depend on what time I get up in the morning tomorrow. Either I will get up super early from excitement or I will crash out and sleep later than usual because of how hectic this week has been.

I'll be sure to update on how the reception and the vendor trials go as soon as I can.

Cake Truffle Day!!!!

I was asked to bring by a variety of truffles to a local business so I spent a whole lot of time makes as many truffles as I could find the time for. I made about 120 truffles and my husband said that he didn't think it would be enough to sell at that business as well as bring some to his office, so I spent Wednesday night making lots more... and I got carried away, which is easy to do when I have 9 varieties of truffles. To the tune of about 300 cake truffles. I didn't know where to put them all! I used up all the hard containers I had and had to find two cardboard ones. And each was stuffed to the brim!!!

It was a lot of work, but I got them all done and packed up. I decided to take a day off from work to go to the two businesses and because I had other baking I needed to do yesterday (more on that soon...). I got to the first place without any trouble with traffic and got my nice new shiny folding shopping cart (which, I love, by the way) all loaded up and got into the lobby. I tried calling my contact, but there was no answer at her desk. It turns out that the regional VP came in that morning and took the entire office away from the building. Much to the dismay of those looking forward to the truffles (from what I have been told).

So I headed over to my husband's office with my entire stock. There was a great response there and I ended up staying for a few hours and selling almost half of everything I brought. I boxed up a bunch of the remaining truffles to save for the first business, at their request and they should get the truffles today. I started to leave when I got stopped in the hallway a few more times. I felt bad sitting on the floor in the hallway handing out cake truffles, but I wanted to make sure that everyone that wanted truffles had a chance to get some.

I had several people ask for my card (yippeeee!!!) and ask about selling them a bunch for parties. Of course I would love to do parties and even small orders. I hope this will get some word of mouth going and more people will be interested in my cake truffles. The comments I got were all very positive and everyone seemed to love all the flavors. I can't tell you how excited I was to see the smiles on everyone's faces and how excited they got. I love making people smile!

There was a large preference for some flavors over the rest. Red velvet seems to be a monster seller and I will keep that in mind for any sort of market situation or when I return to sell at businesses. Carrot cake was another big seller. I didn't grow up eating much carrot cake, so it wasn't on the forefront of my mind as being a big draw. In fact, I didn't have any carrot cake in my original 130 truffles I made and my husband was quick to note that. Another thing I need to keep in mind while expanding my flavors is to include more selections without nuts. I have a few flavor combinations floating through my mind at the moment that I haven't had a chance to test out yet, but those without nuts just got bumped to the top of the list.

So even though my day did not go quite as planned, it turned out to be quite a success! Hopefully I will get asked to come back to these places and maybe they will talk to other people that might be interested in me stopping by and things will grow from there.

I am one step (and an important one) closer to making my dream of baking for a full-time living a reality. Here's to the next one!!!!

First Ever Ethiopian Food Experience

And I loved, loved, loved, loved, loved it!!!! I can't begin to say how many times over how yummy it all was. There wasn't one thing I tried that I didn't adore.

A friend of mine and I went to Queen of Sheba Ethiopian Food in Decatur for lunch today. We both like trying different types of food and this was a great place to experience Ethiopian food for the first time. She had been there once before, but it has been a few years. I have had food from Kenya, but the main influence was Indian inspired, so this was completely different.

We ordered sambussas to start, which remind me of samosas. The menu states they are pastry shells filled with lentils, onions and green peppers. They came out hot and steamy and were a great start.

We needed some help with the menu since neither of us had any idea what to order. She wanted something beef, so the server suggested two different beef entrees. The first was called derek tibs 'spiced cubes of selected lean beef cooked well done and sauteed with garlic, fresh tomato, green pepper and onion.' The other was awaze tibs 'spiced cubes of selected lean beef sauteed with garlic, green pepper, onion and awaze.' This one had a red sauce that was a little spicier than the derek tibs.

The meal came out on a large platter lined with injera, a spongy bread. The server added the two types of beef to the platter, which also had a small salad with lettuce, tomatoes and a vinaigrette-type dressing. There was also a side of red sauce, just like the one for the awaze tibs. There were also small rolls of injera on the side to use to pick up the meat.

Both of us were super excited for lunch and it was completely wonderful! There were lots of 'yum's to go around. I think this place quickly became one of my favorites and I can't wait to go back and try some of the other options. Eating with the injera was a bit different, but I barely even noticed because I was too busy stuffing my face! I will definitely need to return in the near future and I can't wait!!!

Pancake Puffs Redo

With a new pancake puff pan, I wanted to retry making my puffs. And I would like to say they were much better this time around. I bought a nonstick pan to replace my cheap cast iron one and it made all the difference in the world.

I started off with a simple buttermilk pancake base. One set was done without any additions. After cooking, I injected some strawberry filling into half of them. The next set, I put some batter in the well, then some of the leftover apple mixture I used for my apple pies, then a little more batter to top off the wells.

For the third trial, I put a little batter in the bottom, then some marshmallows and mini chocolate chips to make s'mores puffs.

For the last of the batch, I added some basil, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder and parmesan cheese.

All in all, the trials could not have gone better! The puffs cooked through easily and it didn't take anywhere near as long as the last time. And both sides of the puffs were a nice golden brown, not golden on one side and pale on the other.

I let the puffs cool then placed them in the fridge to test out reheating. If I were to make these at some sort of a market, I would need to have a lot ready to go. I reheated the puffs in the toaster and it worked out perfectly. I had thought I would use my electric skillet to warm them through, but the toaster actually was just right.

My husband liked the Italian spiced puffs (he hasn't tried the others yet), but thought they needed a little something. He said it was like eating pizza dough and was thinking it would be good to serve with red sauce. He loves his red sauce and even offered to make some for me if I wanted him to. It would have a great look to the dish to have some red sauce on the bottom with the puffs on top.

I am very happy with all the trials I ran today and I have a few other concepts in mind. I think I will be proud to bring them to the market trials this weekend, I just need to think about how to finish the puffs (if need be...like serving with sauce or a chocolate sauce or powdered sugar...whatever is appropriate). I just need to decide exactly which ones I want to bring.

Pie Maker Trials

Let me start off by saying I am a complete science nerd. I finally got my Breville Pie Maker last week (it was supposed to be here for Christmas but had been back ordered). My first thought is to set up an experiment. Yes, my first thought was to think of as many different variations for one type of pie possible and see what works best for this machine.

According to the users manual and reviews online, premade pie crust or puff pastry is best for the bottom crust and only puff pastry is recommended for the top crusts. Since I actually had some puff pastry and some pie crusts left over in the freezer from the Kraft contests, I figured that was the best place to start. I can move on to testing out my own pie dough in the future; I just needed a place to start.

The manual suggests precooking the fillings and cooling them to room temperature. I had come Granny Smith apples on hand, so I made some sauteed apples and cooled them down. Apple pie is a great place to start, it would make the taste testing quite enjoyable.

In the end, I tried out 12 different scenarios with my new pie maker, varying the top crust, bottom crust, no top crust, no filling and different manipulations of the top crust. Yes, this all went into a spreadsheet with cook times and comments.

Here are some of the things I found out:
1. Using pie crust for the top results in a very pale crust. It is cooked through, but really doesn't look all that pretty. So I tried a few tricks to darken the crust. First I added some melted butter, but that did not help significantly. I racked my brain for something else that would help with browning. Sugar, of course!!! So on another pie, I brushed the top with melted butter than sprinkled white sugar on top. Perfectly golden brown success!!!!

2. Puff pastry shrinks very quickly the second it touches the hot pie maker. That is why some of the puff pastry pies have gaps in them, I didn't move quickly enough. But the taste and texture are really good.

3. Pie dough as a bottom crust without any filling puffs up a lot, which is to be expected. I just had one space left in the pie maker while testing out other options.

4. Pie dough without filling and weighted with pie weights seems to work alright. It is another thing that would take some practice to get it done quickly enough so that the dough doesn't shrink before the lid can be closed.

5. Puff pastry on the bottom without filling and with pie weights did not work so well. Perhaps I need more weights. The pastry shrinks so quickly that I am not sure I could get that one down quick enough. But that won't stop me from trying.

6. The best combinations, flavor-wise and texture-wise were a) puff pastry on top and bottom; b) puff pastry on the bottom alone; c) pie dough on the bottom, puff pastry on the top (as recommended in the instructions); d) pie dough on the bottom and on the top with melted butter and white sugar.

So the next two things are to try homemade pie dough and other types of pie. I am not quite to the point where I want to make my own puff pastry. I am sure I could, but there are so many other things that I want to try and I know that is a difficult technique to master. It will happen some day, just not quite yet.

Until then, I shall continue to nibble at my pies until they are all gone...yummy, yummy, yummy!!

Share Our Strength's Great American Baking Contest

I am so very proud to be a finalist in this contest! I made two batches of apple n spice cake truffles, some of tasting and some for donating for the silent auction. It ended up being 10 dozen truffles! It took a lot of time, but I got them all done, boxed up and submitted today. It is officially out of my hands now. All I can do is wait until 8PM-ish tonight when they announce the winners. It doesn't mean I am not going to stress over it every second until then!! I am excited for pastry chefs and other food lovers in Atlanta to taste my truffles. Hopefully they will like them! Even if I don't win anything sharing my truffles with people will be a great experience. And according to the rules, they will be mailing out the comment cards after tonight. I am anxious to see what sort of comments I get from the judges and from the others at the benefit reception tonight.

Wish me luck!!!!