Hi again!

So, things have been crazy, crazy CRAZY hectic here for me right now. Between, finding an internship, packing up my dorm, coming home, and starting my internship, I just haven't had the time I thought I might for posting. I am getting into the rhythm even though my shift hours keep changing on me...Anyway, fingers crossed in being able to post more frequently again!

I have been in the works on something though, I am working on an item that I want to start actually selling. I am wanting to make some extra money on the side and this is the perfect way to do this! What is it though?

Cupcakes in a jar! 

I am still working out some things so they aren't for order long distance, only local. If you ARE local, I can do 1 for $3 or 2 for $5. I am still planning out some flavors and such (so basically a menu) but as soon as I do, I will post it, and as soon as I can get it to where I can ship them, I will start doing that too but that will take some time to figure out (luckily I have some people to help receive and give feedback on how well it did. 

Fingers crossed!

-MegaCakes

(email- mega_cakez@yahoo.com)

Class was insane this week...

So this week I had 3 days of it ending my hot and colds class and one day in my new Cookies and Petite Fours class. Well, day one this week we made strudel, yum! Don't have a picture of the whole thing, which was huge! Then day two and three this week we did our practical. That was hectic. Practicals always are...The chef's expect so much from us in a short, short amount of time. It's doable but maybe for someone who has been in the industry longer than three classes worth (27 days) but hey, I completed with seconds to spare...

What all do we have to do for our practical? Well day one out of two of it, we are doing a lot of prep and stuff that takes the longest. Day 2 we start class with a test on the power points we did throughout the class and then we finish the rest of our baking and plate and give to chef. If it wasn't for the test, everyone would have finished sooner, that and if the freezer hadn't broke and gone up to like 50 degrees.

For this practical we had to make a strudel, an ice cream that would go into a baked Alaska, a sherbet or sorbet, cobbler, and crepes. Which no, doesn't sound like a lot but when you add that you have to make a dough for the strudel, peel, core, and slice apples, make the ice cream and sherbet (which takes a while if you do it the right way), make a sponge cake, spread it out, cut it to the shape of the ice cream, make a whip cream to go on top and then flambeed it. Then make biscuit dough, make filling for cobbler. Then crepes. You have to make the batter, let it sit for at least an hour, then you have to make them and the filling and any sauce or topping you want to use. That is a lot to do in just two days, but with the test about a day and a half. Anyways, wanna see my final product?

This is everything and how we had to plate and show to chef. He would not check anything unless it was all on the tray.

 

 

 

This is my baked Alaska, it turned out a little bigger than expected, aka, exactly the same size as the plate. It wouldn't have been if it wasn't for the broken freezer and my ice cream kinda melting down...

 

Cobbler, we made three each but then he asked for just one...

 

Strudel! This one is an apple, walnut, and raisin strudel. It is so delicious!

 

This is my sherbet! It was DELICIOUS! It's a red raspberry and white peach sherbet with almond garnish. Yum!

 

Last but not least, my crepes! Chef wanted creativity. So, this is an apple and pear crepe with a cranberry mint sauce. I was a bit nervous and accidentally added a little too much mint, but besides that, they were amazing! Going to make crepes at home when I go for spring break! Yummm!

 

 

 

Now, for my new class, we started with a long lecture and then each table made a different cookie, one altitude adjusted and one not. My group made oatmeal raisin, not adjusted wasn't too bad, just spread a little more than the adjusted ones. They tasted just fine though :P Then we began the process for checkerboard cookies and a short dough cookie. That doesn't sound like a lot, and it's not. We spent about half the class in lecture when it should have only been a half an hour. But we still would have only done that stuff for some reason. We would have had a short day if it wasn't for the lecture...

 

Well, I hope you all enjoyed my makings this week! Please, please send me pictures of the things you make! Or send me requests of what you want me to make. I am always happy to help! I wont be able to make anything not in class until break but it will happen! Just send me a message on my facebook page!

 

Happy baking! - Meg





 



 

This week at college...

Hey guys!! I am so blessed to have the support I do, I am almost to 1500 page views! Thank you guys so much! This means so much to me and I wouldn't want to be doing anything else.

Also, just as a side note, Happy Birthday to my amazing mother! Without you, I wouldn't be chasing my dream right now. Thank you, I love you, and I miss you so much!

This week in class we made a bunch of stuff, ice cream, sorbet, sherbet, gellato, bananas foster, baked Alaska (formally known as Alaska/Florida for the hot cold comparison), etc. Now I don't have pictures of everything, some things had to go in the freezer right away and then I forgot to go back and get pictures. However, I still have some great pictures for you!

Ice cream before it is put in the machine and churned and made into soft serve. After that, we put it into the freezer and it gets a little harder.

 

 

Cherries Jubilee while still in the pan. This was so good and was such a pretty color.

 

Cherries Jubilee with ice cream! So good with a scoop of ice cream!

 

 

Banana's foster, I was bored and most of the pan was empty so I took a really close up image of the bananas :P

 

Banana's foster with a scoop of Cinnamon ice cream! This was my favorite, so delicious!

 

 

This was my groups baked Alaska, after we put it in the over to golden up we torched it to get even more color.

 

That is my Chef, the way we light the Baked Alaska is by putting clean half egg shells on the top, then pouring some alcohol into them and then lightening them. It was so cool to see!

 

 

We made Crepes and this was mine. I don't know why but I decided to make a butterfly. It seemed like a good idea and I went with it. I heard making crepes was difficult but I actually don't think so, it was pretty easy and actually a little fun to do!

 

My class yesterday (Friday the 24th of January) went out on a field trip after cutting class a little early and heading to a restaurant that specializes in Crepes. This is mine, a strawberry, banana, and chocolate crepe. It was so delicious, I have to go back at some point.

 

Tea time! In class my group was able to make some tea because we were a bit ahead. So, we made some tea! This one is Jasmine and it was delicious!

 

That is all of the pictures that I have right now, I will take more during my practical next week! This class has been my favorite so far, even though it's only my third one. I still love it the most and chef is amazing and has so many great stories.

 

I will update you all next week on class, I plan on updating every Saturday and tell you all about my amazing classes! Thank you guys! Please, if you have any questions, just find me on facebook and message me! Also, if you ever want to send me images of your work I would love to see them, if I get enough I will make a post dedicated to just your work! See you all next week!

 

 

 



 

College so far...

I know, I slacked. I said I would post one of these a LOT sooner than this. I'm sorry, it's just been SOOO hectic here. Between work and school, I haven't exactly wanted to sit and work on this. But alas, I am very much in the mood to share my endeavors with you all! And keep more up to date on here! (:

First trimester was just academic classes, that was boring, I didn't see the need for a couple of the classes, but I took them anyway and passed! Now I am in the good classes, labs! Which are all culinary (well, baking for me) and I am in the kitchen for 6 hours every day, four days a week. Each lab is 9 days long and you only have one at a time. I have been through two and am in my third right now.

My first one was fundamental skills and techniques. I loved that class, the chef was really awesome, and was very skilled (all the chefs are!). He included some culinary things just so we could have a little of that since culinary has a whole lab dedicated to baking while we don't have one for culinary. We made some carrot soup, vinaigrette and practiced cutting up vegetables like carrots and potatoes.

Carrot Soup (so yummy!)

Vinaigrette

 

 

After we made these we moved on to actual baking and from there we made some butter cookies, cream puffs, eclairs, quiche, butter cream, whip cream, tempered chocolate, roasted pear, pineapple and apple, and more! It was amazing and I loved every single minute of that class, even all through the practical, which is our final exam where we make things and present them to the chef for grading.

 

 

Cream Puffs

Butter cream Rosette

Tempered Chocolate (I could pick it up after making!)

Raspberry Butter Cookies (SO yummy!)

Butter cream Rosette

 

 

From that class I moved onto Pies and Tarts class. This one was amazing, despite a tougher chef. He focused more on as if we were all going to go into some large scale kitchens (which I'm not) and that was a little different and odd but now I have that experience. We made so many different pies and tarts it was amazing, and they all tasted so good! We get to sample our work, cause I mean, how will we know if a recipe is good or if we did it right if we don't sample? :P Plus, on different occasions, we get to take some home with us!

 

Apple Pie with Struesel topping

Apple Pie with a lattice top

Pumpkin Pie

Quiche (we made these in both of my classes)

Strawberry Rhubarb

Turtle

Lemon Meringue (before the cream)

Lemon Meringue (Before and after the torch)

Key Lime Pie

Cobbler

Close up  of Cobbler

Fruit Tartlettes with Pastry Cream filling

Meringue Tartlette

Lemon and Chocolate Tarts

Fruit Tart (this one was AMAZING)

Frangipanne Tartlettes

Frangipanne Tartlette close up

Lemon and Chocolate Tartlettes

Finished Chocolate Tartlette

And Boston Cream Pie

 

 

Now, I am currently in Hot and Cold Desserts class right now. I love the chef we have, he has so many great stories and is tough but not badly. So far we have made Ice Cream, Sherbet and Sorbet. I currently do not have any images of these but I will post some soon, I promise! The flavors that I personally have made are, Ice Cream: Caramel and Honey Roasted Peanut and eventually we will finish our homemade Oreo ice cream. Sherbet: Mango, Sorbet: Passion Fruit. We have on the agenda to make White Chocolate Roasted Hazelnut Gelato, and Red Raspberry Frozen Yogurt. We have those measured out we just have to make them.

 

I hope you all enjoyed a peak into my experience so far at culinary school. I am loving every single minute of it and can't wait to keep going. Next year (my last year) I start off doing an internship. I am emailed Charm City Cakes, fingers crossed they email back in the positive. If not, then I still can go anywhere really, but I will probably do it way closer to home.

Thank you so much everyone for all of your love and support, I can only go up from here. Thank you for sticking with me and I can't wait to see where my future goes! And please, please please please, send me any pictures or messages about your baking/cooking endeavors! I would LOVE to hear or see about them!!

 

Love always, Meg