Gallery page

I have had this marvelous idea for some time that I should try to get into the cake decorating (for profit) scene. As with many great ideas, it has taken much motivation, and decision making, and procrastinating, and worrying, and wondering. But I finally feel like it is time to at least dabble in the possibility a little more seriously. (said with an air of subtle lack of commitment). Right now my main hesitation is that with a 7 month old who has decided that he wants to pull himself up to standing on everything and then fall only to knock his head on the only hard thing within 2 feet, and the fact that I am currently not living in my own home and want to avoid taking over and messing up anything. I have decided to start a gallery on this site. If only to show what I can do and if someone happens to see my work and like it, awesome!

Hello Again Also!

I too have been gone having a baby. This makes #2 for me but it doesn't get any easier.
Today I wanted to share with you a recipe that I found through Pinterest. One day on their main page I saw this picture:

From this site: http://jessicainsd.blogspot.com/2011/09/pull-apart-cinnamon-sugar-pumpkin-bread.html                                  

I thought "How Yummy!" and it has pumpkin in it so I thought I would give it a try. 

So here it goes:

Pull-Apart Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread with Butter Rum Glaze

Pull-Apart Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread with Buttered Rum Glaze
(Adapted from Willow Bird Baking)

Ingredients
Bread
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups bread flour

1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Buttered Rum Glaze
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp milk
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp rum *

*The recipe I used called for just a 1/4 tsp of rum but I really wanted to be able to taste the rum, so I upped it to a full tablespoon. It was just right for my taste, adding a nice warmth to the glaze. If you're not into rum you can sub a teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Directions

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, brown 2 tablespoons of butter, letting it bubble up and turn a dark golden brown but being careful not to allow it burn (turn black). Once browned, remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the milk, return to stove and heat through.**** Pour the milk and butter into the bowl of standing mixer (fitted with a dough hook) and allow to cool so it is no longer hot but also not cool (about 100-110 degrees F). Once it has reached a warm but not hot temperature add the yeast and 1/4 cup of sugar and allow to proof (this can take up to 8 minutes, the top will look foamy and the liquid cloudy). Then add the the pumpkin, salt, and 1 cup of flour. Stir until combined then add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time and knead for 6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and just slightly sticky. If the dough is too moist, add extra flour 1 tablespoon at a time.

Move dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel. Allow to rise in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size.

While dough is rising, brown another 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix well.** Making sure sugar evenly absorbs the butter. Set aside. Next, grease and flour a 9x5 loaf pan and set aside.

When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and flip out onto a clean floured surface and knead with hands for 1-2 minutes. Roll dough into a 20x12 inch rectangle.*** Evenly sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon sugar mixture and press into dough with palms of the hand. Cut the rectangle into 6 strips. Lay strips on top of each other and cut each strip into 6 even squares (cut in half then each half into thirds). Stack strips vertically into the loaf pan. Cover the pan with a clean towel and let rise for 30-45 minutes.

In the meantime preheat an oven to 350 degrees. After rising in the pan bake for 30-40 minutes (mine took 37 exactly) or until top is a very deep golden brown.

To prepare the glaze, heat the butter, milk, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to boil then immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rum and powdered sugar.

**Of course I didn't properly read this section of the directions... I was supposed to melt the butter and brush the dough with the butter then adding the sugar on top of the butter (instead of mixing it all together and sprinkling) but it worked my way so that's how I am listing it. It's really your call!

*** If dough is difficult to roll out, cover with a towel and allow to relax for a few minutes then try again.

**** My milk was room temperature. Adding it cold to the butter can result in clumping. Willow Bird Baking called for removing the butter from the pan, then heating the milk, then adding the butter back to the milk. I was lazy which is why I skipped that step. You can also heat the milk separately in the microwave if you'd like.

The part I forgot to take pictures of was browning the butter at the beginning. Then you add your milk and pour it into your mixer. After letting it cool you add your yeast and some sugar and let it sit a bit longer. Then this is where I come in:

Add the pumpkin. Then it says mix but I wasn't sure if it meant by hand or with the dough hook

 it mentions so I did it by hand.

This is the consistency you will end up with. Elasticy and a bit sticky but not too sticky.

Turn it over into a greased bowl. This is about how big it is to start with.

I let mine rise for 90 minutes and this is how big it ended up. A little more than double the size.

This is the butter, cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg mixture. I thought it was going to be runny with the butter in it more like a glaze but it turns out to be more like a firm sand as you can see.

Make sure when you go to flour your surface that you don't grab the sugar.

This is what it will look like punched down before you kneed and roll.

Rolled to 12x24inches and the cinnamon sugar mixture sprinkled on top.

The recipe tells you to cut 6 strips and then lay them on top of each other but I felt that would be too long of a piece to try to lift so I cut them and then again and stacked them afterwords. The recipe also instructs you to cut them a second time into another 6 sections but I cut them smaller because I knew I was going to use smaller loaf pans instead of one large loaf pan

Here they are stacked.

The original picture shows all the layers curly and different directions so I put my pieces in that way also.

You will need to let them rise again in the pan for about 30 more minutes and this is what it looked like afterwords.

Here they are baked. The recipe says 30-40 minutes so I set my timer for 35 minutes and I think

they are a tad bit too done. Make sure you watch yours.

Sorry this picture is sideways I rotated it like 50 times but it keeps uploading like this. This is a picture of the glaze so that you can see the consistency is drippy and runny. The recipe calls for rum in the glaze but suggests that you use vanilla if you don't want to use rum. 

Ta Da! I made these in the mini loaf pan so that I could take them to our friends but we ended up eating them all our selves. They are very similar to monkey bread. I wish I could have gotten a stronger pumpkin taste though. Let me know how yours turn out. Thanks-Emilee

                                                                                                      

Hello again!

Hi, I am back from a long break from blogging we'll just call it "Having a Baby and Trying to Recreate a Normal Life" vacation.
I have pictures and ideas stewing so hopefully I can get back to posting again.
This next picture is of the final cake I made in my Flowers and Cake Design Wilton class. The picture looks a little distorted, sorry about that. But these daffodils were my favorite flower to make. We learned the basket weave and swirled border that night too. It was a fun opportunity to learn so many new flowers. I Loved It!

Cake Class 1 (basics)

Cake School Final Week

During the final week of the most intense cake decorating instruction I have ever experienced, I made 3 cakes to take to class and decorate. This is the first of the 3. It is a small cake because I did not have the time or energy to make a large one, despite its size (or maybe because of its size) it turned out super cute! (if I do say so myself). I learned the ribbon roses, leaves, dots, and border in the Basic class. So fun!
The rest of the cakes are coming shortly!

:~: K

I'm Back! . . . for now

Kim here again! It has been a long time since I have posted on this blog, but here I am and I am happy to share with you the results of the recent Wilton cake decorating classes that I have completed!

I took all 3 courses at the same time! It was quite intense and not recommended, but I learned a lot and really enjoyed myself!

Cupcakes that look like Hydrangeas and the swirl top were the first things that I learned in my basic class.
I also learned many flowers and methods that I did not photograph or could not photograph due to my camera's limited abilities. But there will be more to come!
Also, as  you can see from the title, I plan on taking another leave of absence in a few weeks as my family will be moving, and shortly afterward we are expecting our first child. So it may be a while before more baking is accomplished. But who knows . . . I love to bake!

Christmas is a time for . . . Cookies!

I have been scheming about the Christmas treats I would make this year since June. Not surprisingly, however, I ended up making something that worked more with my time and budget restrictions than the grand imaginations of my Christmas-loving heart. They turned out wonderful however, and so delicious!
I used the sugar cookie recipe from one of my favorite cookie blogs Bake at 350 you can find the recipe here.
 I have to admit that I did not use almond flavoring because I did not have it. These cookies turn out light and flavorful. (not dull and hard and floury like some thick sugar cookies can become). Once I baked my cookies I allowed them to cool.
Then I decorated them using the recipe and method suggested by another blogger I am Baker and her icing recipe is found here.
Both these bloggers are incredibly creative so check out their blogs especially if you need some inspiration!

Happy Holidays!

From Your Favorite Co-Host!

Hello my name is Emilee, I am the co-host of this blog – Stop and Smell the Flours-  and also the “not so with it” sister of Kim. Today I wanted to share with you a cute and quick recipe that I found on the Pampered Chef website while looking for Christmas gifts.

http://www.pamperedchef.com/recipe_search/recipe.jsp?id=91599

S'more Cups

Ingredients:

7	whole graham crackers (1 cup/250 mL finely crushed)
1/4	cup (50 mL) powdered sugar
6	tbsp (90 mL) butter, melted
4	bars (1.55 oz or 43 g each) milk chocolate candy, divided
	Large marshmallows     For the crust mix the graham crackers, butter, and powder sugar  Tap it down in the mini muffin tin and bake for 15 minutes. Place a piece of chocolate bar on each crust and then a marshmallow and place back in the oven for 3 more minutes.  Once cooled dip them in some heated chocolate.  Ta Da! and Yum!           Enjoy! Please go to the website for indepth instructions.