Kidney for Baby Faith

This is way off topic but it's something close to my heart....

My friend Ramona Calquhoun's niece Faith was born in 2011 with kidney disease and has been without kidneys for a year and a half. On Wednesday August 22nd 2012 she received a kidney from her mother Andrea (Ramona's sister). They expect the cost of both surgeries to be around $30,000! I am holding an ONLINE fundraiser to raise funds to help offset the cost of the surgeries. I will be donating my ENTIRE commission to this cause, 20% of all sales will go to Baby Faith and her mom. Any FREE products that are earned from this event will then be raffled off with proceeds to go to Baby Faith's surgery cost. ... The Goal: $1500 in sales Every sale counts big or small, I hope you will consider purchasing an item to help Baby Faith and her mom. Fundraiser ends FRIDAY AUGUST 31st 2012 @ 9:30 pm TO ORDER: Go to www.PamperedChef.Biz/BNiebuhr and click "Shop Online" enter hostess name "Baby Faith"... "Baby" in first field and "Faith" in second. You can check out my Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/411940625534963/ Andrea Dorning, Faith's mother has a blog about their journey to help Faith: http://dorningsfaith.blogspot.com/ Pre-surgery with mom Andrea   After surgery still heavily sedated but doing well. Her color is great and she has peed for the first time in her young life!

Faith after her kidney transplant (donated by her mom Andrea). She is pictured here with an Olympic Silver Medalist. She is still doing great and is peeing like a champ! 

Love & Cake

Check this out: History of the Wedding Cake

Wedding cakes are the most stressful for me to do. From trying to create their vision in flour, sugar and butter to delivery and feeling every bump, dip and crack in the road, to setting it up and hoping it won't fall apart. With all that being said it is also the most satisfying. I love being a small part in making the Bride's & Groom's day complete. These are various wedding cakes I have done over the past three years....and I hope to do many more.

This wedding cake was for a daughter of a dear friend of mine. It was a white cake with a fresh strawberry filling. The flowers I made by hand using royal icing. Frosted  and covered in dots with vanilla butter cream.


How to make Roses tutorial 

Dots were very popular with my clients. I did three wedding cakes in a row with dots.

This cake was for a young couple who are now missionaries in Europe. They asked for a carrot cake and cream cheese frosting. I really like that they wanted the tiers off centered. The bride and groom topper was made by a friend of the couple...very sweet.

 For this cake the bride's mother wanted to add decor to the cake herself. I have done cakes for her in the past and that is always her request. She does a real nice job....again more dots LOL :) These particular dots were sugar pearls.  

At the base of each tier I wrapped a fondant band in her colors. How to make and apply fondant border tutorial 

This wedding cake is probably one of my favorites. I used fondant that I stamped with food coloring. She had a lot of decorations made form sheets of music. They gave me creative license so I had a lot of fun with this cake. The mother of the bride had received a lot of compliments about this cake as well as the cupcakes I created. Several months later she was still getting compliments on her daughters wedding cake. Makes a cake decorator feel good.  Following photographs taken by Tonhya Kae Photography

The cake was chocolate peanut butter cake with chocolate ganache and peanut butter flavored butter cream filling. All frosted in cream cheese frosting. The cupcakes with the red hearts were raspberry cheesecakes

The cupcakes were decorated with red fondant hearts and white doves stamped with a sheet music stamp. I also made royal blue hydrangea cupcakes.
Hydrangea cupcake tutorial 

For stamping fondant:
I rolled out my fondant and then carefully brushed the stamp with airbrush food coloring. Then I gently pressed the stamp onto the fondant. This took me several times to achieve the look I wanted. I then used a pizza cutter to cut the sheets of music. For the treble clef I used a paring knife. I used a dove cutter and the left over sheet music I stamped earlier to create the doves.

This is my latest creation a chocolate cake filled with chocolate ganache, fresh raspberries and raspberry preserves. Frosted in French vanilla butter cream. The stems are ganache and the flowers I made from gum paste. There is a grey dot of butter cream in the center of each blossom and each arraignment is finished with some butter cream leaves. I finished the cake by adding grey border to each tier. The table is also filled with Hydrangea cupcakes. The cake turned out nice but I think it was the addition of the cake topper that sets this cake apart. The Groom proposed to his Bride under an umbrella....how romantic <3 

      

  

Hollywood Birthday

I'm always nervous before I have delivered a cake. I always think of reason why they will hate it. But so far I have not disappointed a client yet...<<sigh of relief>>

I was delighted when I was asked to do this cake for a young girls birthday. You see I had just did a cake for her younger sister two weeks prior. See: Skip the Song and Get to the CAKE!

The mother was delighted with how the last one turned out she couldn't wait to see what I would come up with for her soon to be eight years old daughters birthday.

 I started by making the accents out of fondant, gold stars and the Oscar. The Hollywood sign and the film reel are made from gum paste. Using gold color mist I sprayed the stars and Oscar. For the Hollywood sign I painted a mixture of pearl dust and clear extract to give it some shimmer.
The difference between fondant and gum paste is the added ingredient of gum tragacanth. Fondant is soft and can be used to cover cakes and is meant to be eaten. Gum paste because of the added ingredient becomes very hard when dry. It is great for making beautiful flowers but must be   handled with care because when dropped it will shatter like glass. 

For the film reel I tinted some gum paste with a little black gel food coloring to give it a slight color which I then painted with the same pearl extract mixture. I used the ribbon spool as a template to cut out the film reel ( two disk) and then used a metal piping tip to cut out the small circles. I used a strip of gum paste, that I formed into a circle pinching the ends together, to make the center for the ribbon to be wrapped around. I made a glue using a small bit of gum paste and a teaspoon of water. Mix until gum paste has dissolved. I brushed on a little of the gum paste glue to one side of the gum paste circle and placed it centered on one of the film reel disk. I wrapped a small portion of ribbon around the inner circle and used more glue to attach the other reel...let dry.    

Now that the accent work is done lets start assembling the cake!

I stacked the cakes layers and some small bits of cake to get the lay of the land. I decided that this cake needed the Hollywood Hill. After I decided how I wanted it to look I filled and crumb coated the cake.

After the final layer of frosting was added and smoothed out I covered the Hollywood Hills with green tinted buttercream. Using the same gold color mist and a template I made from parchment paper, I added some Hollywood search lights. The same you see scanning the

night skies during a movie premier.

What's a Hollywood gala without the red carpet? I rolled out some tinted fondant, cut out the carpet and draped it down the center of the cake. Being sure I had enough to drape over the edge. Now for the fun part, adding the accents...  

I added some edible pearls to the hills and around the bottom of the cake.

Skip the Song & Get to the Cake!

I know, I know the best part of a birthday party is the presents - but for me it's the cake! That is creating the perfect cake for the chosen theme. My neighbor has a friend who's daughter was celebrating her 5th birthday. She loves Jake and the Neverland Pirates. I didn't want to do the classic pirates chest but I did want to include a lagoon and palm

trees.  

This is how I made the palm trees...

I made a batch of royal icing and tinted it green. I turned a cupcake tin upside down and placed rounded pieces of foil over the cupcake molds. Using a leaf tip I squeezed the frosting out while moving my tip in and out making ripples in the frosting, then stopping and making a point at the end.

Continue filling in adding three small leaves to crown the top of your tree. I always make a few more then I will actual need, just in case of breakage.

Let dry for two days. When completely dry carefully remove the foil and turn completed palm leaves upside down; squeeze a dollop of green royal icing to the center and place a pretzel rod and hold for a few seconds then let dry. You will only need to let this set up for a few hours before placing completed palm trees into cake.

                                                                                                                                                      

 

For the lagoon I tinted vanilla buttercream a light blue and spread it on the cake. I then topped this area with some pipping gel that I tinted blue. The contrast of the light blue buttercream and transparent dark blue gives the water a finished look. The sand is ground graham crackers that I topped with fine sugar glitter...I call it "pixie dust".

 The rope is simply tinted fondant and I used chocolate coins for some bling. For the stones around the water, I added a little black gel food coloring to white fondant and kneaded it just until I got a marble look. I then rolled the fondant into stones.

 The mother was so excited about her daughters cake she commissioned me to do another one for her other daugter. See next post: Hollywood Birthday

Heartbreak, Triumph and CAKES!

This past year has been full of challenges. I started a business, The Pampered Chef and I have thoroughly enjoyed it! My youngest started and finished his first year of preschool. Our two older boys have been busy with go-kart racing and jujitsu.

I have been dealing with some health issues (which are looking up), as well has something that has rocked my family to the core...

One of our son's and a fellow neighbor boy were sexually abused by an older boy in our neighborhood, we are heart broken.

It's been a long and emotional process especially for our son. First dealing with the police, the detective in charge has been a blessing to me and my family. He has been very helpful and patient with all my questions and weekly calls. Then came the trips to see a child Psychologist who has been comforting and insightful. He said our son is doing well and that he is confident he will continue doing well. He has given us tools to help our son deal with the many emotions that come with sexual abuse. Recently me and my husband met with the Prosecutor and Victim's Advocate. They explained what to expect and the possible outcomes. The older boy was arraigned on July 28th, 2012 and a court date of August 20th, 2012 has been set. It is most difficult for our family because you see, the boy who hurt my son lives across the street from us. We have a sexual protection order in place. We have been comforted by many encouraging words and prayers, thank you <3 

On a lighter note I have also been busy with catering, creating celebration cakes and getting ready for school to start this fall for my children and for myself. I have decided to go to college for Office Administration. My youngest has a couple of years before he goes to school full time and I want to be ready to re-enter the work force. 

Here are some pics of my recent cake creations:

   

Wedding Shower cake~

White cake with strawberries and cream filling; french vanilla buttercream.

Graduation Cake~

I received an urgent call from a very dear friend who's son wanted to make a cake for his girlfriends high school graduation party. It wasn't coming together as he had hoped and the clock was ticking. He needed to deliver the cake a just a few short hours.

She wanted purple and zebra stripes, this is what I came up with.... 

Women's Retreat~

I was asked to create a dessert for an upcoming church retreat for 300 ladies. I made two kinds of jumbo cupcakes.....

Chocolate Espresso with a Hershey kiss baked in the center and a Vanilla Hydrangea filled with a fresh strawberry and orange filling.

               I had a couple of dear friends help me with the decorating, Donna and her daughter Shanda. Couldn't have done it without them!! Thank you ladies :)    

Vegas, Aioli Sauce and Chocolate!

Where have I been? Busy, busy, busy.

I have been doing a lot of projects, some around the house, getting ready for spring. Busy with birthday's, marriage retreat, spring break with kids, and planning future events...wedding, women's brunch and dinners. I also spent 6 days in Vegas with my husband for a work related conference.

Vegas

The flight was fine and the weather was perfect for a Washingtonian. We stayed at the Bellagio and enjoyed their buffet our first night there. I recommend the buffet, the choices are endless and the food is wonderful. If you are looking for something light and healthy they have a selection of fruits and fresh berries as well as some tasty salads. For dinner I had a large salad and some chilled shrimp....yum yum.

They had a selection of tasty meats from roasted turkey breast to Kobe beef. I also spied some beef Wellington. There was more to choose from but the meat counter was pretty busy.

The seafood was delightful which included shrimp, as I mentioned before but also included swordfish, tuna, calamari, King crab and Snow crab legs among other delightful and tasty choices.

Now let's talk desserts!
They had a very large selection of mini desserts. A great way to sample a variety without going overboard. I just did some window shopping and only indulged in a small bite of my husband's strawberry cheesecake and key lime pie, both were very good.

The view from our room...........

PLANET HOLLYWOOD
and Aioli Sauce Recipe

Mine and my husbands first visit to this Hollywood movie inspired restaurant. The atmosphere was inviting and we enjoyed looking at the paraphernalia and hand prints with their owners John Hancock.

On our way through Caesar's Palace someone handed us a free appetizer for Planet Hollywood, just the place we were looking for. We enjoyed their famous chicken fingers for our appetizer that had a coating I couldn't put my finger on. I first thought it had cornmeal in the batter. So I asked our waitress and she said they use Captain Crunch and Fruit Loops cereal. A strange combination but it rocked those chicken fingers...we ate them all!
Our first meal we dined on chicken sandwiches. I believe mine was called Tuscan Chicken Sandwich that had a wonderful pesto, very tasty. My husband had the Chicken,Avocado and Swiss Sandwich. He couldn't stop talking about it or make some kind of " mmmmm" sound, the whole time he was eating. We enjoyed it so much we decided to return the
next day.

Dinner the next night was no let down. My husband ordered the fish taco's filled with tuna and a mango salsa. I ordered the Penni, Chicken and Broccoli with a roasted garlic basil cream sauce. My husband said that all though the taco's were good, the chicken avocado sandwich was much better, he still talks about!  I forgot to mention his sandwich came with an Aioli (ay-OH-lee or i-OH-lee) sauce, which he probably would have drank if she had brought him a larger serving LOL!

Here is a recipe for a classic Garlic Aioli Sauce....


4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped fine
2 egg yolks
1/8 teaspoon salt (sea salt, if you have it)
1 cup virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon cold water
1 teaspoon lemon juice


Using a mortar and pestle grind the garlic and salt into a paste. If you do not have a mortar and pestle you can use a food processor. Transfer to a medium bowl and whisk in the egg yolks, Dijon mustard, cold water and lemon juice. Continue whisking until well combined. When adding the olive oil, you must whisk it in very slowly. A little at a time to emulsify the mixture properly. Store in the refrigerator for up to three days.

This is great for a number of things, my husband loved it on his chicken sandwich but he also dipped his fries in it.


BOBBY FLAY'S MESA GRILL

Later in the week we had reservations for the Messa Grill. I was so excited to eat a Bobby Flay's and have my wonderful husband to share it with. For our appetizer we enjoyed the chicken quasidilla..very tasty. For the entree we both ordered the seven spice chicken which came with pesto mashed potatoes, soooo good! Now, I had to have the whole Mesa Grill experience by including dessert at the end of my meal. Of course me and my husband were full from our dinner, so I ordered it to go. A coconut lover like myself, could not pass up on coconut cake. Our waitress was so excited that I ordered the coconut cake, she said it was the best and one of her favorites. Well.......it wasn't worth the $12.00 or $13.00 dollars we paid for it. What a let down following a delightful dinner. The cake was dry and I'm sad to say not a whole lot of flavor. The pastry chef creation sure didn't live up to the rest of the tasty menu of a Bobby Flay restaurant.

I would go again, but I would pass on the coconut cake.


JEAN PHILIPPE PATISSERIE at the BELLAGIO

I had heard so much about this pastry shop at the Bellagio. I had to stop and try one of the wonderful desserts. The chocolate fountain was a marvel and I wish I had my camera with me on this day so I could show you. You can see his fountain on his website at, http://www.jpchocolates.com/

My choice after much thought and waffling was made. I decided I would try the chocolate mousse. It was drenched in a shiny dark chocolate ganache and topped with a pink french macaroon. The macaroon was crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. As my spoon dived into the mousse breaking the ganache barrier it revealed a rich, smooth and decadent dark chocolate mousse. It sat upon a delicate thin shortbread wafer. It's small size may look disappointing but a little of this dessert goes a long way. Two thumbs up!

Over all we had a great time.       

Easy Beef and Noodles

What was I watching?......oh some show and they were making beef and noodles. It looked so good I had to whip some up. But I did not have everything the recipe called for, and I was to lazy to hop in the car and go shopping.

So like any good cook I used what I had:
Rump Roast almost 2 pounds; 1 small onion; 4 oz. can of mushroom pieces with stems; 4 packs of mushroom gravy and egg noddles.

Season the roast with salt, pepper and garlic powder. I browned the roast in a couple of tablespoons of oil and placed it in my favorite baker. Tossed the mushrooms into the same pan with a little butter and cooked the mushrooms until brown.

Put those on top of roast and then topped that with fresh chopped onions. Mix the mushroom gravy according to the packet instructions, and pour it over the roast. Toss in a couple of teaspoons of dried rosemary. Put the cover on and roast until cooked through.....the meat fell apart it was so good.

When ready to serve, I boiled off the egg noodles; drained and placed them on the serving dish. I shredded the beef with a couple of forks and stirred to combine with gravy. Pour over your egg noodles and enjoy with some good crusty bead and butter.