I miss baking.
Somehow, SAT prep training, substitute teacher training, and writing 5 curricula are not conducive to kitchen inventiveness.
I'll be back soon. I hope.
Kay
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Boca and Birthdays
It's official--my final grades are in (straight As) and my degree status is certified (Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude). I've moved in with my father, and I'm already working my tail off to get ready for teaching drama next year.
Despite the chaos of moving and working, I've managed to get a little baking in--specifically, a custom birthday cake for my cousin. I spent all morning in the kitchen yesterday, making a four-layer cinnamon buttercream cake with marshmallow fondant, and it was completely worth dyeing my fingers purple. With help from my amazing cake decorating book and advice culled from the brilliant minds of the Daring Bakers who have left me feedback, my cake turned out beautifully. I know I'm no Ace of Cakes, but I'm pretty happy with how the cake turned out--as was my cousin! I'm so happy I could help her celebrate her sweet 16 with a fun and tasty cake. I really hope that I'll be able to bake in this upcoming year, what with running the theatre and teaching classes all day....
Kiky's 16th Birthday Cake
le sigh,
Kay
Despite the chaos of moving and working, I've managed to get a little baking in--specifically, a custom birthday cake for my cousin. I spent all morning in the kitchen yesterday, making a four-layer cinnamon buttercream cake with marshmallow fondant, and it was completely worth dyeing my fingers purple. With help from my amazing cake decorating book and advice culled from the brilliant minds of the Daring Bakers who have left me feedback, my cake turned out beautifully. I know I'm no Ace of Cakes, but I'm pretty happy with how the cake turned out--as was my cousin! I'm so happy I could help her celebrate her sweet 16 with a fun and tasty cake. I really hope that I'll be able to bake in this upcoming year, what with running the theatre and teaching classes all day....
Kiky's 16th Birthday Cake
le sigh,
Kay
Friday, May 2, 2008
Pretending to Be a Grown-Up is Hard...
Once again, I apologize for the lack of updates. I feel like this blog has just been one giant excuse: "Sorry I don't have any pictures for you, but..." I swear I've been baking. I just haven't had a chance to a) bake anything new or b) take pictures of the things I've baked.
After the show ended, I spent the next week settling in (mentally) to my new job. Yes, friends, I have been asked to take over the Olympic Heights High School drama department next year. I am so honored to have been given such incredible responsibility--and to know that I've earned the trust and respect of a wonderful faculty and administration. Needless to say, however, with great responsibility comes great panic attacks.
So I'm getting next year ready now. I've been trying to write curricula for the 4 different classes I will be teaching, picking the fall play and the spring musical, and putting together materials for the Thespian competition. Speaking of which, my amazing sister is starring in her high school's production of Little Shop of Horrors on the main stage at this year's State Thespian competition. I'm pretty proud of that kid--she's off to college this summer, and I'm praying that she'll consider the B.F.A. program, because she is damn talented. (I hope you're reading this, Ari!)
Anyway. So I've been working my tail off to get my stuff together and ready for next year--and even next week, because I'm moving back home tomorrow after graduation, and I'll be skulking around the school, trying to get my feet wet before the semester ends.*
Speaking of which: graduation.
I am not ready for that one. I have only been in college for three years--and only here at the University of Florida for one. I went to pick up my honor cords today, and it's official: I'm summa cum laude. 4.0. I still don't think I've actually learned anything, but hey. I'm out of here. I don't know if I can deal with that.
In any case, I'm going to spend my last night here with my friends, eating Better Than Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Coffeecake Muffins and pretending that I don't have to say goodbye.
I'll be back in the kitchen--my dad's kitchen--on Monday.
Kay
*By the way, I'm not Kay anymore...My students have to call me Ms. P. That's gonna be weird. Gee Whiz. I'm not sure how I feel about this "being a grown up" thing.
After the show ended, I spent the next week settling in (mentally) to my new job. Yes, friends, I have been asked to take over the Olympic Heights High School drama department next year. I am so honored to have been given such incredible responsibility--and to know that I've earned the trust and respect of a wonderful faculty and administration. Needless to say, however, with great responsibility comes great panic attacks.
So I'm getting next year ready now. I've been trying to write curricula for the 4 different classes I will be teaching, picking the fall play and the spring musical, and putting together materials for the Thespian competition. Speaking of which, my amazing sister is starring in her high school's production of Little Shop of Horrors on the main stage at this year's State Thespian competition. I'm pretty proud of that kid--she's off to college this summer, and I'm praying that she'll consider the B.F.A. program, because she is damn talented. (I hope you're reading this, Ari!)
Anyway. So I've been working my tail off to get my stuff together and ready for next year--and even next week, because I'm moving back home tomorrow after graduation, and I'll be skulking around the school, trying to get my feet wet before the semester ends.*
Speaking of which: graduation.
I am not ready for that one. I have only been in college for three years--and only here at the University of Florida for one. I went to pick up my honor cords today, and it's official: I'm summa cum laude. 4.0. I still don't think I've actually learned anything, but hey. I'm out of here. I don't know if I can deal with that.
In any case, I'm going to spend my last night here with my friends, eating Better Than Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Coffeecake Muffins and pretending that I don't have to say goodbye.
I'll be back in the kitchen--my dad's kitchen--on Monday.
Kay
*By the way, I'm not Kay anymore...My students have to call me Ms. P. That's gonna be weird. Gee Whiz. I'm not sure how I feel about this "being a grown up" thing.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Cheesecake and Standing O's--A Week of Insanity
It's finally over...and I'm not sure it's hit me yet. Where the Bee Sucks, or Christopher Marlowe is Dead was one of the best experiences of my life. It's so strange to see the words that I wrote on paper--words that I labored over, fretted about, changed, rhymed, and manipulated--were really brought to life in front of an audience. And not only were they brought to life, but they were brought to life convincingly--my actors did such an absolutely incredible job, and I couldn't have asked for a better director or stage manager. I can't stop gushing. I'll post a link to photographs as soon as I have them uploaded to my computer.
Now on to the reason for this post being here so early in the morning: The April Daring Bakers challenge. I have no idea how I managed to muster up the time or the energy to complete it, but here goes:
Cheesecake Pops.
I was a little apprehensive about making these, mainly because the recipe called for five 8 oz packages of cream cheese--and in today's economic climate, well...and then there was also the water bath and the incredibly long cook time (especially since I usually had about 1 hour or less between each of my comings and goings in the past month). But somehow, I managed.
These cheesecake pops are made by preparing an actual cheesecake and then scooping out 2 oz balls, putting them on lollipop sticks, and then dipping them in tempered chocolate and various toppings (which were left to our respective discretions). I went with a plain cheesecake (no fancy flavorings) and graham cracker and sprinkle toppings.
The cheesecake was a little bit difficult to make, and, like many of the other DBers, I had a very long bake time. For some reason, the middle of the cake took forever to bake, while the sides browned nicely. I had a little extra batter left over because I only have a 9" cake pan, so I poured the remaining batter into my mini muffin pan and baked it in an impromptu water bath made from one of my cookie sheets. Those minis cooked perfectly. Duly noted for next time.
While I'm sure the cheesecake pops are great for gifts or party favors, I didn't even get a chance to stand them up and make them look all pretty--they were eaten straight out of the refrigerator by my roommates and friends. Apparently, they taste incredible.
The only real problem I had with them was getting them not to melt and fall off of the lollipop sticks. Here in Florida, it's too darn humid to keep them out of the fridge for more than a couple of minutes. Fortunately, they didn't last long enough to melt.
Daring Bakers: Cheesecake Pops
Oh...and I baked my cast and crew a cake, using the amazing cake decorating book from Tartlette as inspiration:
Where Have All the Honeybees Gone Cake
(Yellow Cake with Strawberry Whipped Cream filling, Butter Cream Frosting, and Marshmallow Fondant)
I miss the theatre already.
Oh! and one last thing: I was published in the Mangrove Literary Review here at UF. It's just a poem, but I'm still excited that someone thought it was good enough to publish.
What a week!
Kay
Now on to the reason for this post being here so early in the morning: The April Daring Bakers challenge. I have no idea how I managed to muster up the time or the energy to complete it, but here goes:
Cheesecake Pops.
I was a little apprehensive about making these, mainly because the recipe called for five 8 oz packages of cream cheese--and in today's economic climate, well...and then there was also the water bath and the incredibly long cook time (especially since I usually had about 1 hour or less between each of my comings and goings in the past month). But somehow, I managed.
These cheesecake pops are made by preparing an actual cheesecake and then scooping out 2 oz balls, putting them on lollipop sticks, and then dipping them in tempered chocolate and various toppings (which were left to our respective discretions). I went with a plain cheesecake (no fancy flavorings) and graham cracker and sprinkle toppings.
The cheesecake was a little bit difficult to make, and, like many of the other DBers, I had a very long bake time. For some reason, the middle of the cake took forever to bake, while the sides browned nicely. I had a little extra batter left over because I only have a 9" cake pan, so I poured the remaining batter into my mini muffin pan and baked it in an impromptu water bath made from one of my cookie sheets. Those minis cooked perfectly. Duly noted for next time.
While I'm sure the cheesecake pops are great for gifts or party favors, I didn't even get a chance to stand them up and make them look all pretty--they were eaten straight out of the refrigerator by my roommates and friends. Apparently, they taste incredible.
The only real problem I had with them was getting them not to melt and fall off of the lollipop sticks. Here in Florida, it's too darn humid to keep them out of the fridge for more than a couple of minutes. Fortunately, they didn't last long enough to melt.
Daring Bakers: Cheesecake Pops
Oh...and I baked my cast and crew a cake, using the amazing cake decorating book from Tartlette as inspiration:
Where Have All the Honeybees Gone Cake
(Yellow Cake with Strawberry Whipped Cream filling, Butter Cream Frosting, and Marshmallow Fondant)
I miss the theatre already.
Oh! and one last thing: I was published in the Mangrove Literary Review here at UF. It's just a poem, but I'm still excited that someone thought it was good enough to publish.
What a week!
Kay
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Where the Bee Sucks
Once again, I am *SO* sorry for the lack of updates in the past few days. While I have been baking, it's usually done in the two or three seconds I have available to me between trips to the theatre building.
Tonight is the opening of my first full-length play, "Where the Bee Sucks, or Christopher Marlowe is Dead." I have been privileged enough to work with an amazing director, cast, and crew, and now, the baby that we've raised from it's first workshop reading is about to stand on its own two feet. Needless to say, I've been having a panic attack since last week.
I just wanted to share, since I cannot share any cookies today, a trailer that I made to advertise for my play. Enjoy!
All right, I'm off to get the day started...and to try not to think about the fact that my play starts in less than 12 hours...
Kay
Tonight is the opening of my first full-length play, "Where the Bee Sucks, or Christopher Marlowe is Dead." I have been privileged enough to work with an amazing director, cast, and crew, and now, the baby that we've raised from it's first workshop reading is about to stand on its own two feet. Needless to say, I've been having a panic attack since last week.
I just wanted to share, since I cannot share any cookies today, a trailer that I made to advertise for my play. Enjoy!
All right, I'm off to get the day started...and to try not to think about the fact that my play starts in less than 12 hours...
Kay
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Tasty, Healthy AND Kosher for Passover!?
Somehow, April is almost over, and Passover is just about here. I figured that, since I have some friends who like to keep kosher for Passover, I should try to find a way to make Kay's Cookies kosher so they can continue to enjoy them this weekend. In that same vein, my mother has been nudging me to make a healthy cookie, especially if it's one that my brother, who has an oat allergy, can eat.
So.
The other day, I saw that Heidi of 101 Cookbooks had posted a recipe for Black Bean Brownies. I did a double take. Black beans in a brownie? Believe it or not, yes. I used her recipe (but, as usual, with a few artful tweaks by yours truly) and they were amazing. The most fabulous part about these brownies is that they're made without flour OR sugar. Sure, there's a sugar substitute, but it's actually quite quirky: Agave nectar. I found some at Mother Earth, and I'm kind of excited to see what else I can do with it in the future.
As for the un-oatmeal oatmeal cookie, I think I hit the jackpot on my first try. While searching for the agave nectar at Mother Earth, I stumbled upon a box of Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) flakes. Quinoa is not only gluten-free, but it's also kosher for passover. I made a basic oatmeal cookie, but substituted quinoa meal for all-purpose flour and quinoa flakes for the oatmeal. ...And then I added melted semi-sweet chocolate...AND cocoa powder.
I'm so happy the way they turned out:
Black Bean Brownies and Double Chocolate Quinoa Cookies
I'm still hoping that there will be time to try making some coconut macaroons before Passover, but starting tomorrow at 3 pm, I will be setting up camp in the Black Box theatre. Speaking of which, if you're in Gainesville (or its surrounding environs) and want to come and see my play, "Where the Bee Sucks, or Christopher Marlowe is Dead," then you should probably head on over to the Florida Players website and reserve your *FREE* tickets. My show is on Wednesday, April 23rd at 8 pm and Saturday, April 26th at 12 pm.
I'm so excited!
Kay
So.
The other day, I saw that Heidi of 101 Cookbooks had posted a recipe for Black Bean Brownies. I did a double take. Black beans in a brownie? Believe it or not, yes. I used her recipe (but, as usual, with a few artful tweaks by yours truly) and they were amazing. The most fabulous part about these brownies is that they're made without flour OR sugar. Sure, there's a sugar substitute, but it's actually quite quirky: Agave nectar. I found some at Mother Earth, and I'm kind of excited to see what else I can do with it in the future.
As for the un-oatmeal oatmeal cookie, I think I hit the jackpot on my first try. While searching for the agave nectar at Mother Earth, I stumbled upon a box of Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) flakes. Quinoa is not only gluten-free, but it's also kosher for passover. I made a basic oatmeal cookie, but substituted quinoa meal for all-purpose flour and quinoa flakes for the oatmeal. ...And then I added melted semi-sweet chocolate...AND cocoa powder.
I'm so happy the way they turned out:
Black Bean Brownies and Double Chocolate Quinoa Cookies
I'm still hoping that there will be time to try making some coconut macaroons before Passover, but starting tomorrow at 3 pm, I will be setting up camp in the Black Box theatre. Speaking of which, if you're in Gainesville (or its surrounding environs) and want to come and see my play, "Where the Bee Sucks, or Christopher Marlowe is Dead," then you should probably head on over to the Florida Players website and reserve your *FREE* tickets. My show is on Wednesday, April 23rd at 8 pm and Saturday, April 26th at 12 pm.
I'm so excited!
Kay
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Cookies in the Sun!
Hello hello! I do apologize for the lack of updates. I've been baking like a fiend, but I have barely had a second to post about said baking due to the crazy that is life before tech week. My play opens one week from today, and tech begins on Friday, so I'm basically selling my soul to the theatre until then.
HOWEVER.
I did want to share a piece of wonderful news: Kay's Cookies is in today's edition of the Gainesville Sun! You can click HERE to read the article.
This has been a very good week.
Kay
PS I have some crazy cookies in the works, so hopefully I'll be able to try them out in the very very near future!
HOWEVER.
I did want to share a piece of wonderful news: Kay's Cookies is in today's edition of the Gainesville Sun! You can click HERE to read the article.
This has been a very good week.
Kay
PS I have some crazy cookies in the works, so hopefully I'll be able to try them out in the very very near future!
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