Some recent baking fun..

So I had a bit of fun this past Friday and Saturday. I had friday off work and I volunteered to make some desserts for a Worship team meeting Saturday. I also had told a friend that I would make a little something special for her since she had missed out on the last time I made some sweets!

I decided that for the meeting I would make a Key Lime Tart so friday morning I made my short dough for the tart as well as the custard. Unfortunately I didn't get the play-by-play pictures for that simply because I didn't even think about it. But Friday I made the tarts, and made Red Velvet cupcakes and a small cake as well. My friend would receive the cupcakes and my family would keep the cake. So friday I made three separate key lime tarts, a dozen red velvet cupcakes, a red velvet cake, as well as a American buttercream to go with the red velvet.

About 1pm I get a call from work saying that they needed me for the night. I didn't want to go in because I was having fun, and I had dinner plans with my family for Norfolk's Restaurant Week. I was excited to go to that, but I decided to go, not only does it get me brownie points with my bosses there, but also extra money to have for PORTLAND AND ALASKA!

So friday night was busy, and come saturday morning I wake up semi-early and finish what I had started, so this is where I decide to do the play-by-play pictures for fun and a cool blog post. I want to do more of these, I like it.

So here we go!

So here I took the cupcakes I made the day before and split them up. I was going to keep six of them a regular Red Velvet cupcake, and the other I filled them with a Tiramisu Mascarpone Whipped Cream.

for the whipped cream filling, I whipped up some heavy cream, and folded in this mascarpone cheese I found at

Harris Teeter. Yummy.

I didn't stop with the filling, I brewed some espresso and added it to some the buttercream I had made and topped the cupcakes with it.

A coffee buttercream? YES PLEASE!

And the this is the final product! The six on

the plate are the filled cupcakes with the coffee buttercream, and the six wrapped around it are topped with the regular american buttercream. The coffee buttercream had just enough of a coffee taste not to overpowering, and the filling

was so smooth and creamy. It went really well with the Red Velvet cake.

I was happy with the outcome.

Here is a finish Key Lime Tart. I had three different sized tart pans, this the large, the medium went to my family's church Chili/Soup cookoff (In which my little sister won Best soup!) and the small was for US of course!!

Overall I had a fun weekend, I really do love to bake, and I try to practice any time I get! Next I'm thinking some breads, and working with Choux Pastry! Don't worry, if you don't know what Choux pastry is I'll have a post about it soon!

Till next time!

I wish that I could..

Have you ever had those thoughts? 'I wish I could --', you fill in the blank.

I have. Everyday. Most times its the same one and its simple. Really. Its so simple.

All that I have wished for is to win the lottery. Thats simple, right?

I have plans for it already too. Simple plans. Pay off my school loans, buy a house, start a business, open a business with my friends.

Of course, I'd give a good sum of the money back to the One who gave it to me.

Lately, I have had nothing but the desire to open my own business and try to make it in this crazy world doing the thing that I love. But I am torn what I want to start. Do I open a little pastry shop/bakery doing what I REALLY love, or go for a small bistro style of a restaurant? Which I love too and one day will have.

I have so many things going on in my life though, and most times it is my fault because I don't know how to say no. Or not that I can't say no, but I don't plan everything real well.

I have too many desires and ideas going on in my head right now. About a month or so ago Chef had mentioned something of a Cupcakery that would be rolling out soon at Founders. They want it to attract Regent students, and whatever/whoever else. I took that idea and began writing down more ideas too it. I've had it written up for about two or three weeks now, I have yet to ask Chef or show it too him.

The things that I want to do, I think, could really bring in the Regent students like they want too. And not only Regent students, but people off the street, guests that are staying in the hotel. I think I could really turn it into something great. I just gotta get the guts to talk to Chef about it. Hm.

A friend of mine is going to look at a piece of property that is for sale. Not just any property, a restaurant. This certain place was a pizza joint once, and a bagel joint once. So its got some pretty good equipment, I am working things out that I can go with him and check it out. Ultimately, whenever this friend of mine buys a place and begins opening a restaurant I am going to be there 100% to help him out, in and out of kitchen.

Too many things going on all at once. And one simple thing that could help make life easier.

Win the lottery. I have never played the lottery.

Recovery..

Wow, what a weekend for me! Sadly it wasn't very eventful, or fun most times. I was sick! It started on Thursday I think...my chest felt so congested and my throat was on fire. I am not sure exactly what I had but it was bad Friday. Friday was horrible for me, I called out of working at Terebinth that morning with possibilities of calling out from the Swan.

I spent the morning in bed and just relaxed, I felt well enough to get up and go get stuff for my chili for a cook-off we would have at church. I decide to work the night, boy was it crazy. I got there at 2pm and did as much as I could as fast as I could. I became very tired right away, and had to push myself to make it through the night.

What a crazy night we had, we had around 24 people on the books for the night, but we at the Swan know that people love to walk-in! 530pm-900pm felt like it went so slow, but so fast at the same time. Ticket after ticket kept coming in, and my head and chest kept pounding. Oh and by the way, I had no voice the entire day. I couldn't talk at all and if I did I sounded horrible.

Needless to say, come the end of service I got out of there as soon as I could. I came home and crashed..I don't think that I have ever slept in such a DEEP sleep as I did that night. I got home around 10pm and didn't wake up till around 9 or so. Feeling a little better, but still had no voice. I made my chili for the cook-off that night. It was good.

Had band practice and then went to the cook-off. Brought dad along for the fun, and it was a good time. Some good chili and some 'eh chili..but it was still fun.

Sunday was good, church was awesome. Worship really rocked this week, I love being a part of that team. And being a part of that church is awesome too, I love NBCC. I was also able to go to our college group too, I do miss going every sunday. I am excited because I have next sunday off too! :D

And today was simple. Went to class and came home and fell asleep for almost 3 hours!! Why? I don't know, I guess my body is still recouping from its crazy sicky weekend.

I think thats all for now - oh by the way. Next monday starts my FINAL term at CIV! One step closer to going to the WEST COAST and ALASKA!!!!!!! :DD

-Corey Joe

Too little or Too much control?

But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

1 Corinthians 9:27 ESV

Today in church this verse was part of the sermon. We started a new series called Ekklesia. Ekklesia is the word used in the New Testament for 'church'. And we talked about what we thought about church and what church means. When the preacher used this verse in his sermon it had caught my attention. Something about the words really struck a chord with me. He had used a different version but using my loverly Android phone, I quickly looked at other versions..

I liked how the Message bible had written it:

I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.

Also how the American Standard Version says it:

but I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage: lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected.

Out of the three versions I have listed I think that I liked the Message the most. In my eyes it hits the nail right on the head. After reading that verse from the message I immedalitely began thinking about how sometimes in my life I've done that, and not even sometimes. Daily. People, my co-workers know that I go to church, I've had talks with people about God and salvation and what it means to me but that is all I do about it. I don't live it out completely. I "nap" constantly, my relationship with Jesus is never the only thing on my mind, I think about WAY too much other stuff and not enough about Jesus. Personal time with talking to Him, or spending time in his Word was just an act, or not even there at all.

Talking the talk isn't as spectacular without walking the walk. I need to change. Call it one of my 'resolutions', but I really don't want to call it that, but I have realized that I have come to a point in my life where I realized that I am doing the exact opposite of the verse. I don't control myself, or maybe I over control myself with the things of this world and my longings rather then those of God.

I'm sorry if when you're reading this it seems like I'm jumping from place to place and not making any sense. I'm just writing down what been going on in my head all day..and hey its my blog I can do and write however i want. :)

Vegan? We got you!

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Tonight at the Swan Terrace, we had a guest call and ask if we had vegan choices on our menu. We don't, but we put together something special just for them. I say we, but it was really all of my coworker ideas. I gave him simple suggestions and helped plate.

So what we prepared for them is a asian themed entree. In the ying-yang shape are polenta cakes. Polenta is a awesome product, made from just corn meal and stock. You can make as thick or thin as you want, the thicker the more application you can do. We have a terriyaki (the darker one) polenta cake, and a regular polenta cake both have fresh herbs to add flavor.

The sauce along the side is a terriyaki sauce infused with mandarin orange. Sitting atop the sauce are four portion of eggplant sushi. Rolled with risotto sun-dried tomatoes, and grilled asparagus.

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And in the corners of the plate is a fresh citrus salad, composed of madarin oranges, lime, lemon, red onion and cilantro.

Simple vegan, but done nice and elegant. And to finish their meal, we had a mango sorbet.

All in all, its nothing incredible and super vegan. But having only 30 minutes to prepare something for our guest I think we did pretty well.

And that is that..

A new dawn, a new day..

Wow, can you believe it. I can't, its January 4th 2011!

I can remember being a little kid and thinking about the future and think that we would be completely high tech, and hover cars everywhere and maybe we would even have teleportation like in the Power Rangers. But we don't.

I am not one to do New Year resolutions or anything but I did put together a little list of things, goals for this year. And sadly, I am already four days behind..sad? I think so. Just to name a few of my goals, I want to blog more, I want to just write, maybe turn this into a food-ish 1/4/11

1/5/11

haha, so I started writing that yesterday. In the midst of me doing so I fell asleep and woke up just in time for work.

So as I was saying, I do want to blog more and maybe turn this into a food-ish blog. Food won't completely take over, but I'll throw in my little tids bits and show off the things I make or experiment with.

In march I am going to do something I have never done before and I am so excited. I'm flying across the United States and spending sometime in Portland, Oregon and North Pole, Alaska! Two of my bestest friends live in those places, two ladies who have helped me in more ways then they probably know.

One friend and her husband were stationed in Alaska by the Air force, and her sister moved back closer to home. I miss them terribly. But I am super excited to do this, its almost like a graduation present from myself. I wish I could take some more time and spend some time in California too, but that will be for another time.

Other exciting news is the NBCC Valentines Banquet coming fast! I am ready, its going to be great this year.

OH and I will be completely done with my degree in Culinary Arts in the end of February!!!

Till the next time --
Corey Joe