What do I want in life?

1. I want to be healthy and have energy
2. I want my entire family to be healthy
3. I want no more worries about money and just enough cake orders to make it
4. I want to live old enough to see my great-grand-children


I'm getting calls from people I never had calls from. So the it really paid off to make all those donuts last week. But I have to work extra hard on Tuesday. People want cakes for the weekend of the 29th, but since I'm having surgery on the 26th I won't be able to work. So they ask to come on the Tuesday to pick it up. Boy they really want my cakes !!! Since I never freeze my cakes they can freeze them easily. One customer once told me she froze her cake for a week and it tasted like a fresh cake. If a customer says that it must be true!

I haven't weighed myself this morning, I completely forgot! So I'll try to remember tomorrow!

Well got to go, another cake to make!

Good morning everyone.

I forgot to weigh in because I didnt get up to work out. I have come down with what I hope is the last cold of the season.

Great job everyone on your losses!!!

Pootchie how exciting on all of your orders!!

Ok gotta run and work since I wasnt here yesterday.

Morning, everyone. Computers were down until after 10 and then I had to do some work for Monday.

I gained three pounds since last weighhing myself (two weeks ago). I have started drinking the Coke again and I will make a concentrated effort to stop. Zero Coke is my goal for this week.

I might have a hard time with the challenge today, since I taste just about everything, but I refuse to even try seafood (shrimp, oysters, clams, things like that), although I have tried them. I eat most things. I even rectently tried eggplant twice just to make sure it was the eggplant and not the way my mother cooked it that I didn't like.

As for positive things I want:

I will lose AT LEAST 10 pounds (make that 13)
I will end up back in Florida in the not too distant future because I refuse to be cold again
I will get out of this job that stresses me out
I will be happy with my life again

I had to toot my horn. I just looked on the home page and my Easter cake from last year made it on the home page in the Popular Easter Cake Photos. I am so excited, I dont think any of my cakes have been on the front page at all with the speed of the cakes being uploaded. I cant believe it!!!

Yay for you, Michelle! Congrats on your Easter Cake!

Congrats on your orders, Pootchi! You must be the talk of the town now! Your surgery is getting close.

I have a christening cake to do this weekend. I haven't done one of those before! I'll have to take a look through the gallery to get some ideas!

Happy Easter everyone!

Hi Everyone,
Happy Friday! My family left this morning (sniff, sniff) and I'm back at work. We went to Venice yesterday (45 minute train ride) and the weather could not have been more gorgeous, we were very lucky. We walked over the famous Rialto Bridge and then strolled over to the even more famous St Mark's Square, where we bought corn and fed the pigeons. It was fun, the birds are so used to humans and each of my nephews had about 6-8 birds land on them and eat out of their outstretched hands, great photo opportunities. So now it's back to the real world...

Michelle, many congratulations on your cake! What an honor to have it on the popular list.

Sonia, I'm envious of your new KA, that's great. I'm still using a hand mixer. I'm waiting til I move back to the States to get a KA because of the difference in electricity between here and there.

Great job Carol and Katie on your weight loss! I didn't weigh at all this week and I've decided to wait til Sunday to do it to give myself a chance to get back on my eating plan again. I'm sitting at my desk now eating steel cut oatmeal as I write this.

Pootchi, I hope you get lots of business and recover quickly after your surgery! Sounds like things are looking up...

Otter, sounds like you have a good plan for the future. Any bites on your house? I hope so!

Merissa, I love your new philosophy about exercise, I'm going to use it. I need to get back on the bandwagon and a brief few moments of pain upon awakening are definitely worth feeling good the rest of the day.

Before the computer crash, I was following a thread about curds, did anyone see it? Fortunately, I had copied down the link to the recipe most people were using before everything was lost. I made a white cake for work last week and made lemon curd filling and lemon buttercream frosting. It was a hit! I'm going to a friend's house for Easter brunch and she asked if I would make it again, so that's what I'll be doing tomorrow. I'm going to make a triple layer and use lemon curd for one filling and lime curd for the other. The curd is easier to make than I thought and sooooo good.

Have a great day!

I postd here yesterday and poof! Another lost in space posting....
Well I was up .8 this week so that's 135.8but I think it's that I kept my same weight but gaine muscle from upping my walking and all again. So struggle along I am.
Congrats on having your easter cake picked!<michelle
way to go pootchie, give em goodies and ,make em wait till you get over surgery...they'll be dying for a dough nut or slice of your cakes by then!

I too followed the curd threads, gooood stuff! It is always a little down after your family leaves but you have more good memories to look back on!<<,watch that lemon and lime curd....it calls my name all day if I have it in fridge!
YAY!! Sonia has a new baby KA....awwee.
carol&Katie way to go on kicking them fat cells booties!

So let's get the rest of us humping it out and dumpin them fat cells....it's spring ladies....summer is calling we gotta get this done!!!!!

I wont be on much today, my best friend is home from chi-town after 1 1/2 years and I made her a fav color and candy cake....it's a big yellow M&M, A spring scene type. But it's a dark chocolate with caramel butter cream and white chocolate fondant....she is taking it with hr to her Dad's tonight so I wont have to watch anyone eat him...nor be tempted!

Well I will hop on later hopefully and set my goals and check on challenges. HAVE A GREAT ONE!

Yes, congrats on the easter cake! toot toot!

I hadnt been following the curd thread, but I LOVE lemon curd. (you'd think they would have a better word than CURD for it) I just made some last night for my MIL's 60th birthday cake. I am worried about the cake though. I am not sure whether it is going to turn out!! I keep telling myself i need to take new risks and learn new things. Nothing better than cake for family to try new things right?!? That is something to add to my goal list: TRY NEW THINGS, TAKE SOME (reasonable ) RISKS! I finally tried making gumpaste roses! I had been putting that off for a YEAR!! I think I need more practice, but definitely cake worthy.

Susan: sounds like you had a wonderful time with your family! I would love to make it overseas someday.

tuesday, your cake sounds really cute! Cant wait to see it.

Got up and went to the gym today. That makes 5 days in a row for my gym buddy and me. So we decided if we can go all 5 days then on Fridays we can do a quick workout then go in the hot tub for 15 minutes! Yay! it was a nice treat!

I hope to take it easy on the eating this weekend. Acutally sugar doesnt really seem applealing to me right now. I made so much buttercream for a sheet cake. I had no idea how much buttercream it took to ice it. (this is my 2nd sheet cake and I hated every minute of it! Probably because I had to stop and make buttercream an additional 3 times to have enough!!)

BTW, Pootchi: congrats on all your orders! and yes, frozen cake is just as good! I freeze them (undecorated) all the time. They will last months if you wrap them properly. Sara Lee isnt sucessful for nothing!

Morning all!

I tried something new for the challenge yesterday. Blue corn chips. Unfortunately, they had something spicy on them so they weren't that good.

Michelle, congratulations on the cake! It must be really excting to see your cake on the front page!

I did get a special thank you for making my cake and bringing it in. He mentioned that I was "The Office Baker" and that everyone was looking forward to my cake and that I didn't just bake but always brought in "somethig special." Really makes a person feel good about themselves.

BTW, I missed the curd article. Can anybody possibly post a link?

Well, I have the day off so hubby and I won't be staying put for 5 seconds. I'll talk to you all later! Have a great day!

Ok, you Americans have got me intrigued....I saw a post yesterday welcoming the spring, and now it has been mentioned again! When does spring start for you??? Our seasons start at the beginning of a month, so spring starts on September 1st, and Autumn (Fall) starts 1st March.

So your cake was worth making, Otter!! I think the curd thread was lost when the database crashed!!

Merissa, well done on 5 days at the gym! Where are your boys while you are at the gym??

Tuesday, I've been having lots of trouble with posts, too. I've started typing all mine into a document, then copy & paste into the thread, so that if it doesn't send, I can copy it again.

Well it's after midnight here and I'm half way through my christening cake. Looks like it will be another late night...........

In the Northern Hemisphere Spring start (this year) on March 20.

Yeah Spring! My sweet peas are blooming, the azaleas are in their full glory. The peach, pear and orange trees are covered in flowers. Isnât mother nature wonderful?!

Spring starts on March 20 I think. I think it is December 21 (winter) March 20 (spring), June 20 (summer), September 22 (fall) I used to always think of it as starting on the 21 of a month, but I guess it isnt actually true.

Must be nice to have things blooming. We have to wait until mid april or may to really see things happening. We still have a little snow on the ground. In fact there is a storm headed this way, but I think it will miss us for hte most part. I am not doing any more snow. No way.

Sonia: my boys are at home with DH while I go to the gym usually. We get there at 5:30 when it opens and are home by 7 am or so. Otherwise I can take them to the child care, but it is more work to haul them all there. They dont open until 8:30. I just sort of like to get it out of the way anyway.

Good morning everyone

First off thank you everyone, I was so shocked to see my cake!

I have had the hardest time getting up to work out, I just havent. I need a good ole kick in the pants from everyone. I am so listless right now and probably because that time of the month and I caught a cold so they both have been draggin me down!! No excuse I know, because if I would just get up and do it I will feel better all day long!!!

Sonya, how is the christening cake going? congrats on your new KA, I just love mine. It is about 9 years old and the first 6 years of its life it was in the cupboard because I didnt start making cakes until 3 years ago. Now it sits on the counter top and gets used quite often.

Susan, it is hard to see them go, but you will have those memories and lots of photos. do you scrapbook? I do and I love when I get the time to do some because I look back on those pics and remember the fun we had!
Can you give me your recipe for the curd? I have been buying mine and would like to try to make some.

2sdae great job on your work outs! I need to get some inspiration from you and Merissa!!! Have fun today with your friend!

Merissa YEA you made 5 days, and isnt they hot tub wonderful? I love them. I have only made a 1/2 sheet cake, cant imagine a full one.

Karen, it does feel good when they acknowledge the hard work that we put in our cakes. I need to make one for the office, but everyone is on a diet and I'm afraid they would kill me if I brought something in!!! But I need to keep practicing. Have a nice day with your hubby!!!

Sonya, Spring started this year on March 20 and fall will start on Sept 22. If Im not mistaken it changes from year to year by a few days. I really dont pay that much attention to what the calendar says I go by the weather. Besides here in AZ when fall is to begin we could still be in the 90's and in the spring (like this year) we are in the mid to high 80s already.

Well I am off to work, and to get myself psyched up and ready to work out next week.

Good morning everyone
sorry double post

Okay ladies, todayâs challenge is to eat some soy!

Soys helps your bones, blood pressure, cholesterol, fights against colon cancer, soy is a healthy carb with a low glycemic index so it is good for type 1 diabetes, it prevents hair loss, builds muscle, and reduces your waistline. Plus it taste good.

Here is the article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A63967-2004May3¬Found=true

Okay, gotta run. Iâm off to decorate my Momâs birthday cake. We are having a crawfish boil for Good Friday / Momâs birthday so I only have a few hours to throw it together.

Carol

Hi All,
This is the recipe I used for curd that was recommended on the thread. I don't recall which website provided it, I didn't save the link, just copied it. This recipe refers to lemon, but I understand that you can use just about any fruit that juices...people talked about grapefruit, strawberries, all kinds of fruit. I'm making lemon and lime tomorrow, so I'll post how it turns out. After using it for filling, I had enough left over to add it to the buttercream frosting I made and it tasted great; it thins the frosting a little, so I just kept adding powdered sugar until I was satisfied with the result.

Curd

5 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
4 lemons, zested and juiced
1 stick butter, cut into pats and chilled

Add enough water to a medium saucepan to come to 1 inch on the sides. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Combine egg yolks and sugar in a medium metal bowl and whisk until smooth, about 1 minute.

Measure juice and if necessary, add enough cold water to reach 1/3 cup. Add juice and zest to egg mixture and whisk smooth. Once water reaches a simmer, reduce heat to low and place bowl on top of saucepan. Bowl should be large enough to fit on top of the saucepan without touching the water.

Whisk until thickened, approximately 8 minutes or
until mixture is light yellow and coats the back of
the spoon. Remove promptly from heat and stir in
butter a piece at a time, allowing each to melt before adding the next. Remove to a clean container and cover by laying a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface. Chill.

Zest: grate on zest, not the pith (white part) of the lemon.

Oh and I forgot to say, completely unrelated to the actual recipe...I coincidentally got a great new kitchen toy about the same time I happened upon this recipe and used it. It's an open rectangle metal frame with wires running across it. You place it over a stick of butter and it cuts it into pats like restaurants serve. It's great!

sounds like a cool new toy there you got..got a pic?
Someone messaged me and asked if my cake was posted and the M&M cake is posted in my photos...

That is the same curd recipe I use and it works well with all kinds of juicy type fruits...those are the only kind I have used.

Let's see....soy...hmmm I'll have to look around for some...oh yeah I have veggie garden burgers I bet they are soy!

Thanks Susan, I will have to try that.
I sounds easy enough and probably cheaper than the store bought.

Hey guys,

Sorry I've been mia....I had a friend from out of town so we've been busy and now I'm packing up to go home for spring break. I tried catching up but don't have time.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter.

Tuesday, I think your cake is fabulous!!!!! Your pansies look so real!

Susan, the name "curd" sounds really gross, but it looks like it would be tasty. I might try it. Does it need refrigerating??

Well, I finished my christening cake at 5am this morning. Went to bed for 4 hours sleep, then got up to deliver it. My body clock has been way out this week, as I've had 2 other nights where I've not got to bed till about 3am, and I've had a couple of sleeps during the day! I must admit, while I was up just about all night, I got the munchies, and didn't feel like apples or carrots at the time

scgriffiths: your christening cake is stunning!
So elegant and beautiful!

O.K. Ladies...I sucked at control late last night. Well meaning friend brought this apple, cinnamon raisin bread that you crumble up and bake with cream and eggs and it turns into this wonderful french toast type cream bake that sprinkle powdered sugar and vanilla over and viola!<<instant yummy calories and carbs!
But I did restrain enough to have a small slice 2 xs. Then set rest to a slumber party with my oldest for her mom to make the girls an easy breakfast this morn. <<<I know, I know. Pawning off my calories on teenage girls.......

But I did get my two little ones, 2 and 3 to go on a 1mile walk in the sun yesterday..so that helped them get to bed happy and tired and me to get at least some exercise chasing them all around!

So let's make this weekend a smashing good time at exercise, good food choices and water, water water Ladies.....
remember:
YOU CANT FAIL UNLESS YOU QUIT TRYING!!!!!!!

Yes the word "curd" does sound gross. I always think of cottage cheese...like curds. But it isnt that way at all. It is very good. I make lemon and I dont refrigerate the cake. Any leftovers I stick in the fridge though.

Scgriffiths, your christening cake looks great. I also love Rubyâs Anniversary cake. The flowers are beautiful and the piping so precise.

Tuesday, your pansies really do look real. Did you paint in those thin black lines in the center?


Sigh⦠Got on the scale this morning and I was up 2.2 pounds. Was it the chocolate cupcakes that did me in or the two slices of coconut layer cake? It also could have been the potatoes, crayfish, or shrimp that I gorged myself on yesterday. Oh well, Iâm off to the treadmill. I canât get off till I lose those 2 pounds.


FYI: I found this interesting article on estrogen levels predicting the return of breast cancerâ¦

http://health.yahoo.com/news/healthday/estrogenlevelsinbloodpredictbreastcancersreturn.html

Have a great day ladies,

Carol

Thanks for all the compliments guys, I used a thick toothpick or cocktail stick to draw the lines with straight food coloring gels to get a dark line.

Hi ladies!

I finally got myself weighed-in this morning! I'm at 192. Closer to 190... This weekend I got two cakes that never got picked-up I'm putting those two customers on a black list of "No cakes for you"!!! At least, there's cake for my family to eat while I'm recovering from surgery but still.....

Tuesday I really love your cake, it's really wonderful. You must have worked really hard on that one!

Well, I got to go, it's movie night with dh

HAPPY EASTER!!!!!

Boungiorno Everyone~

How was your Easter? I had a beautiful brunch with friends, boy, my friend Mary Jo knows how to set the perfect table, complete with gorgeous china and Italian serving ware and tablecloths. It was fun.

I spent all day Saturday baking...I made a 3 layer simple white cake with lemon curd as one filling and lime curd as the other with lemon and lime buttercream frosting, then I made a cupcake bouquet as a gift for the hostess. I was exhausted by the end of the day! The curds were delicious, the lemon seemed to gel thicker than the lime, but both tasted good and were good as fillings.

Today's an Italian holiday and the clinic where I work is closed but I have to work . So I'm just trying to catch up on paperwork, etc. It's cold and rainy here and snowing in the nearby mountains, I'd love to be home reading!

Tuesday and Sonia, your cakes are truly beautiful. What talent! I hope I can do that someday, I'm primarily a hobby baker.

And Pootchie, congratulations for being close to 190! That, too, is my dream to get there and beyond. Someday...

OK, I fell off the bandwagon with my family visiting and baking on Saturday. Today's a new day and the beginning of a new week. I love cottage cheese and brought a whole container of it for lunch and when I got it out to eat a very early lunch at my desk, it was frozen, yuck, can you imagine a worse meal? I don't think thawed cottage cheese would be very good, so I was able to find an emergency can of chicken broth I keep at my desk. Hopefully I can find other healthy foods to eat while I'm here, I'll have to see what I can beg from others! I plan to go to bed early tonight and start an exercise routine again tomorrow.

How is everyone?