| Well, I have been so busy latley, I haven't had time to update my xanga. So I am updating now, and I have a whole month to catch you up on.
As you know, I am trying to get a new business started. I have obtained the license to be a personal chef, and I am working on building my experience. I have been testing recipes like crazy, I have been trying to market, and I have cooked for a few people. This week by far has been the most interesting, and probably the most humerous that I have experaenced in a while. On Sunday, my freind Pam told me she had bought a set of little plates, and an oil despenser, so she can serve Focaccia with "Italian Butter" ( olive oil and pepper, you dip your bread in it. It is great). She said, all I need is a good recipe. So, since I am always looking for recipes, I told her I would try to find her a good one. So I looked a many, and chose the one that the ingredients looked most interesting to me. I printed the recipe, and headed to the grocery store to buy the ingredients, because, I will not give a recipe that I have not tested first. I thought, this would be a great treat for the handbell group. I have been fixing something and taking it every week, and this looked like a winner. I got home, pulled out my mixer started chopping the scalions and shallots, and the olives. The next ingredient to go in was the flour. So I looked to see how much. When I scanned the recipe, I saw 5 cups of flour, when I am reading it closer, I notice it says 5 pounds of flour. Now I have a big Kitchen Aid mixer that has a big bowl, so I looked at the bowl, and looked at the 5 pound bag of flour ( several times ) and wondered if it would hold it all? So I thought, this is what the recipe says, It must fit. So what the heck, the whole bag of flour went in the bowl. There was about 2 inches left in the bowl. I thought I will turn it on slowley, and see how it goes. So I turned it on, so far so good, I started adding the liquid. Aghhhhh, flour started coming up and out the side in all directions. So I stopped the mixer, I got another bowl, Divided the mixture, and proceded to try to add liquid to the remaining half in the mixer, still continues to come up and out the sides. I finally gave up on the mixer, and did it the old fashion way, using my hands. I finally got the bread mixed up. and the instructions said," place in a greased bowl and let rise until double. The bowl was full to the brim already, and so I knew that if it rose any at all it would be another disasterious mess. So, I got 4 bowls out, and divided the bread into four bowls. I covered them all with warm towels, and let them rise. The recipe said it would make 3 loafs of flat bread. They must have been talking about huge loafs, because I made 9 good size loafs of this bread. I had bread for the handbells, bread for dinner, and Jim took bread to work the next day. I ended up throwing away 2 loafs. So, I have now cut that recipe in half, and have made it one other time this week, the results was much more managable. But that is not the end of my tale of the mega food.
On Wednesday, I cooked to take food the the fitness center at Baptist, because, they are interested in my service, and may be able to get some good clients for me. I fixed Sausage and Peppers over Penne pasta, Minestrone, and focaccia. I wanted a dessert that would follow-through with the italian theme. I found a recipe for chocolate lasagna. I notice that this was also a larger than normal recipe, but this time I was ready for it, and I divided the ingredeints in two bowls, it was still a mess, but more managable. The recipe called for the cakes to be baked in 3 springform pans. I had to buy another one, because I only had 2. So I was prepared for this, and I bought the third one when I bought groceries. I made the cakes. the came out perfect from the oven. I waited 10 minutes, and took them out of the pans just as the instructions said. I let them cool while I was working on getting another recipe started. So I was ready to put the cake together. I made the butter cream frosting as instructed, I was great. I put the first layer on, and it went without a hitch, I put the second layer on, same thing. The third layer, as well. but you should have seen that cake. It was huge. Probably taller than 12 inches. I got is finished, and then started trying to figure out how to transport it. I put it on a plate before I started icing it, so that was a good move. I wrapped it up good in Glad cling wrap. I had chocolat chips on top, so I didn't have to worry about it sticking to that. I got everything loaded in the car, and put that cake on the floor board of the front seat. Off we went to Baptist. At one point, a lady stopped suddenly in front of me, so I had to stop suddenly as well. I looked at the cake, and it was shaking back and forth, but It didn't topple over like I was afraid it wou.ld. I was expecting it to be leaning lasagna, but it was ok. I got to the hospital, and called the fitness center, I ask one of the trainers to come help me. He did, and he brought another trainer to help. When Natalie saw the cake, she bent over laughing, she said, " that is mine." then she said, that is the biggest cake I have ever seen. AD took the cake and said, I feel like I am transporting the crown jewels or something. We got all the food to the fitness center, and they ate so much that no one wanted any dessert at that time, so I just left it, and all the rest of the food, so that other departments could eat some too. I told them I would pick it up on Thrusday after I got off work.
That cake haunted me all the rest of that day, and the next day. I wanted some of that cake. I was just about ready to make another one, but a smaller version. It was really driving me crazy. I didn't make one, and I am glad , because when Jim brought all the struff home, he said. " I just want to let you know, not much of the cake was eaten. He said that the trainer all had some, but the staff in rehab were all having a weight loss contest. The entree and the soup were well within their diet plan, but the cake defenently was not. So I started to get excited. I ask Jim if he brought it home. My mouth was watering, my affect was much brighter, I couldn't wait to have some of that cake. The next thing he said " there is one problem" " when I was leaving the fitness center, I had the cake riding on top of the ice chest, and as I was going up the ramp, the cake fell." AGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! All I could imagine was that cake was spread all over the baptist side walk. He then said" I broke the plate, but the cake seems to be ok." He said something about taking the top layer off, and saving it...... He was stammering, trying to appoligize for breaking the plate. I wasn't even listening, I wanted to see that cake. So he brought it in. The plate was broken, who cares. Before I put the cake on the plate, I had put it on a cardboard circle, so the cake was not touching the plate, and when it broke, it just split down the middle. the cake was intact. I took off the top layer, because that had been cut, and then made about 20 slices of the cake and put then in the freezer. I had a piece. It was soooooooooo rich, that I couldn't even eat 1/2 a peice. It is the cake that just keeps on giving. so if you want some of this mega cake, that will last forever. come and get it.
I would say I have had enough Lucy moments this week to last a lifetime.
I appolige for this post being so lengthly, but if you endured reading the whole thing, you are probably rolling in the floor about now laughing your head off.
I will try not to take so long between post next time.
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