Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope that this day finds you all in good health. I had a bit of an off day yesterday, as did grandpa. He has a cold. You would think he was preparing to meet his maker the way he is acting. I swear, if it wasn't a holiday, I would let him have it with both barrels. Its a freakin' cold, snap out of it! Sure you feel crappy, but hey, this is a bit overmuch yes? Grrrrr.

I finished by Wilton course 2 the other day, and I did a fairly ok job on my cake...here are some pictures.

For all of you critics out there , the little creature is supposed to be a bear holding a pumpkin...the technique is called color flow using some of this chemical stuff tasting goop to creat a picture out of icing...not something I think I will do in the future. Stupid.

The cake is the recipe I mentioned the other day, my fav choc cake in the world. I tried to do fall colors rather than what the Wilton course book showed...a white cake with spring flowers...it it was spring, well then I would have copied it. I also think the chocolate buttercream looks good in the basket weave, which is on the sides of the cake. I hated making the royal icing flowers, would have preferred buttercream, but hey, that's the course. I also make up a cupcake collar for the cuppies from the other day, and packaged one to see if it would work in the treat bags I have. I was planning on doing the craft show, but I have declined. I think I will wait until the spring when I can do spring flowers and cookies. I just don't have the confidence to make that much stuff in so short of a time. The cuppies are already stale and they were baked Tuesday morning...they don't last long without refrigeration and I don't have any fridge space.

Here are some pictures of my "designs".

The cupcake bouquet...5 cuppies in a little tin flower pot...

Here is a cuppie with a doily collar...cute no?

Here is a wrapped cuppie...artistic background is the kitchen table with a candle draped in a Thanksgiving napkin...

Here are the two together...

Well, it's 11 am and we have to be at the hall to eat at noon....waaaayyyy to early for me...why not like 2 or three? That's dinner time...what are we gonna do at 6? McDonalds is closed...soup and grilled cheese I guess. That is the bad thing about potlucks...all you get for leftovers, if there ARE any is what you brought...I am bringing risotto with butternut squash and the above cakes and cuppies, (stale or not, LOL!).

Later

dennise

Cuppies!

I had some extra batter from the cake I was making for my last Wilton class. So I made some cuppies...
aka cupcakes. I don't like the way Wilton makes their flowers...they look ok, but I can't tell an apple blossom from a violet, and I don't think anyone who hasn't taken the course does either, LOL! So I did some freehand flowers...I love the style of the cuppies sold at Cupcake Cafe in NY...the owner was on Martha a few years ago and I was amazed at how simple these looked...now that I have been learning cake decorating, I have found out what Martha knew all along...this looks easy but it's really stinkin' hard! My decorated sugar cookies looked like a 5 year old made them, and that is insulting to the kid! Practice is necessary...piping along the outline of the cookie is a PIA and is not easy. Oh well, I guess Zack will be getting more samples in the future while I hone my skills.


This recipe is my fav chocolate cake recipe...Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten from Food Network makes this recipe...it is wonderful! Some photos that make even my mouth water, and I am sick of cake and buttercreme!

How artistic is this?














this little cake is my class cake...I made FRESH, yes fresh blackberry filling, but forgot to put it in the cake! Brainless at times.










Well, gotta go get stuff ready for class tonight. I will post my final cake pictures tomorrow I guess.

hugs
dennise

Just a quick note to let everyone see our new family member...Grandpa picked out a new puppy from the Oasis Shelter...he named her "Pat"...don't ask me why...he defies logic at times...

The shelter thinks she is about three or four...it appears that she has been preggers, but no evidence of any puppies delivered (I wonder how they know this?). She is about 15 lbs, and is all black with a white triangle on her chest. She looks to be a real Heintz 57...I see maybe miniature pinscher and doxie...she is very sweet. Paul and I just started to call her Sweetie before grandpa named her and it really fit well. She likes to play with both Snickers and Mack, well, let's just say he is in 7th heaven. She is scheduled to be spayed next week so we won't have to worry about Mack becoming a child daddy!

Finishing up my second Wilton class...learning to do all kinds of flowers...having a great time.

hugs

dennise

We are going to visit Petsmart this afternoon. They have a dog and cat adoption every Saturday. Grandpa seems to be depressed over Pepe even though we kinda laugh about the poor little bugger every now and then. I think even though he adores Mack, he is not HIS dog. He wants an older dog that is housetrained. We need one who gets along not only with people, but other dogs and cats...

Snickers hated Mack...now they are BFFs!

Will post later if we have a new addition to the family.

I have been invited to participate in a craft show at Llama Grande RV Resort. Much larger place than where we are. I will do some cupcakes, cupcake and cookie bouquets, bagged sugar cookies, some choc chips and I would do spritz if I could find a cookie press like the old ones! The new ones get horrible reviews...where is my supershooter when I need it! Prolly in sombebody's house in Rochester, IL waiting to make Christmas cookies! Why did I let him sell all my stuff? I KNEW I'd need that stuff! I worked on practice cookies yesterday and have some cupcakes ready to give out as samples...the Prince doesn't seem to understand that I need to PRACTICE recipes and decorating in order to get better so the stuff doesn't look HOMEMADE. What is so difficult about understanding this? Grrrr.

Will post more later.

dennnise

Wow, November 13th! I can't remember the last time I blogged. Not much to talk about...well, we did have one thing happen last week that is quite sad. Well, it's sad depending on your point of view. You see, last week, grandpa's fat little taco dog, his obese Chihuahua , Pepe went to the great doggie heaven and is waiting for his master at the rainbow bridge. Unfortunately, he did not go peacefully in his sleep, or mercifully put out of his doggie Alzheimer's fog via the tip of a euthanasia needle. He got run over by a golf cart. I am not making this up! Poor Pepe. Head crushed like a walnut under the turning wheels of that demon golf cart, driven by another demon, Prince Paul who was chauffeuring grandpa to the spa. Pepe loved to sleep in the sun. Or if it was hot, under grandpa's car on the concrete where it is nice and cool. He never went near the golf cart, unless of course, Chica, his longed for paramour happened to try to evade him and run under the cart. Well, long story short, Pepe for whatever reason, decided to sleep with his head UNDER the rear wheel of his master's golf cart...laying out in the afternoon sun, lazing away another day of eat, sleep, bark at nothing and poop. Ah, the life of a dog. I know there was something wrong with the dog. He would stand for hours standing still, looking out into space, no expression on his little apple face. I think it was old pooch dementia or doggie Alzheimers. Poor thing. Well, for whatever reason, and we shall never know, Pepe lay down with his head, as I explained above, just under the left wheel. The Prince and grandpa always go to the pool and hot tub around 2. They got in the golf cart, put it into reverse and the Prince swears he didn't even give it the gas...they felt something drag, and thought it was the breaks hanging up. They kept going and felt something again. It was then they saw the poor fat little body on the drive. It was quite tragic from my perspective of that day. Grandpa came running into the house yelling that they ran over Pepe and I should "say goodbye". I step outside and the Prince yells at me to go back in the house...I see blood and get all hysterical. I really didn't HATE Pepe, he was a PIA but he was just an old cranky dog. That didn't come when called, sit when asked to, barked at nothing, but was my late mother-in-laws comfort lap dog when she suffered from Alzheimer's herself. It was very sad. After the shock had worn off, it actually was kinda funny. Poor Pepe. Gone, but not forgotten. Grandpa is doing okay, now that a week has past. He talks about getting another dog, but I don't know if he will or won't. He wants an older dog, under ten pounds. Hard to find around here.

Finally the elections are over. I am glad of the outcome. America needed a change, and let's all pray that President Obama can get things back on track. I am a bit tired of Sarah Palin, aka Yukon Barbie, but that is just me. Her voice grates on my nerves. Yanno? Hehehe.

I won the contest at the park Halloween Party...can you see why? I scared the crap outta a couple of folks. It was fun. Too bad I didn't get better pictures, but the Prince is no Ansel Adams if you know what I mean! Can you believe that even with a white face of makeup and hair covering my face somewhat, my face still looks FAT? I hate it.

Here are a few pix of some cupcakes I had done...they were just leftovers from a cake I had made and fozen. I think I overbaked them a bit, as although the cake was really tasty it was a bit on the dry side...its called White Sour Cream Almond...oh, so good! My favorite cake is the Barefoot Contessa's Chocolate cake. OH MY...sour cream, buttermilk, tons of cocoa and butter. Delish.

Sorry the images are so blurry...but I was in a hurry...the roses were crappy looking anyways. I am getting better with practice tho!

Well, I guess I should get up off my tush and accomplish something today. The weather stinks, a new front coming in and it is cool and rainy right now. Has been not to warm and sunny the last few weeks. Winter Texans continue to make their way south the the valley and the place is once again filling up with ENGLISH speaking people. LOL! More activities, dancing and music jams on the horizon. Thank goodness...it was so boring here!

later

dennise