Wilton Class Cake Album

My Wilton class students' cakes can be seen here. There are no names yet, but each photo is dated so you can find yours by the last date of your class.

The Altered Page...

Another look into Seth Apter's blog, The Altered Page and his Pulse of Mixed Media--and I'm in it!
Check out the posting: "Playing Favorites"

Blue Moon Aug. 31, 2012

Golden Tortoise Beetle

The photo in the previous post is apparently one of a Golden Tortoise Beetle.
The website of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Department of Entymology and Nematology says this about the little shiny critter:

"...Insects commonly known as "goldbugs" sometimes attract the attention of gardeners when they feed on plants in the family Convolvulaceae. Although these insects are occasionally abundant enough to cause serious levels of defoliation, they are mostly a curiosity..."
and:
"...The golden tortoise beetle is distributed widely in eastern North America, west to about Iowa and Texas. It is one of three species of tortoise beetle found in Florida.."
and:
"...The golden tortoise beetle is associated with sweet potato and related species such as morning glory, Ipomoea spp.; and bindweed, Convolvulus spp. Only plants in the family Convolvulaceae are hosts..."

However, interestingly enough, the photo was taken near Lake Victoria in Uganda, Africa!

Coincidentally, I just heard a fragment of a talk on the radio about the introduction of American orange sweet potatoes into African foods as a way to increase the Vitamin A in the diet there.  I wonder if they hitched a ride?

what is this bug from Uganda?

a request to the universe on Pinster...answered

Seth Apter's--The Pulse

I'm in The Pulse portion of The Altered Page this coming Sunday, July 8--Seth Apters apt, profound and fun blog collection of artist's opinions and philosophies.  Check it out!

Anyone have a clue what this flower is?  I'm pretty sure I planted it last year or the year before, so it's a perennial, the small long thin leaves are grey-green, like the color of sage, but they are only 3/4" long; the flowers just came out the end of June, and are all little white petals

new/old camera treasure!

Months ago I picked up an old camera at the local Salvation Army store, and just now got around to Googling it, and what a treasure!  It's a Zeiss Ikon, Super Ikonta 530/2
Thanks to Mike Elek at Classic Cameras, I have access to a manual and lots of lovely images of my camera!

There was a roll of film in it when I got it, and now I know that only six pics had been taken.  I got the film developed at Cooper's Imaging in Norwichtown, CT--very nice people! I brought the negative home and scanned it into Photoshop to see what was there.

I like the rose the best, and the last one of the trees and barn next, but have no clue where they could have been taken.  The Cooper's guy said the roll (Kodak Vericolor III, 120) was probably from the 90s,  and one of the images has an above ground pool in the back--behind bushes and a railing (#4).

I bought a new roll of 120 film and armed with the manual from Mike Elek's site, I'm going to learn how to use this really cool piece of German engineering!

My Challenge Blog...

So, I've officially created my Virtual Bakery, a dream  that just needs visualization, and a bunch of money, to come true.  This first baby step is the creation of it's own blog, http://rowantreebakery.blogspot.com/ where I'll post pics of the results of the challenges I'll try in The Daring Bakers monthly challenges.  The first one is for September, and is Croissants, using the recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume Two. Julia Child and Simone Beck.

I'll also post more baking pics there as I practice new recipes and techniques. The challenges will tell me if I'm ready to go for it and make RowanTree a reality!

More cake! ...and Daring Bakers!

My latest adventure is with l'Opera Cake. It's French, and so delicious it can make me cry!

The recipe was online, and it's basically the one Dori Greenspan uses in her fabulous book Paris Sweets (which I immediately ordered from Amazon), and she adapted it from one made at Dalloyau, a shop on the rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore in Paris.

It consists of layers of joconde (an almond sponge cake)drenched in espresso syrup, then spread with a generous layer of espresso flavored French Buttercream--something that, once you've tasted it, you may never go back to the stuff you make with shortening and powdered sugar, for sure!--then more cake and syrup, then ganache, more cake and syrup, then a glaze made of melted chocolate and clarified butter blended into something unbelievable!

So, now I'm on a joconde journey. I'm going to try at least ten different combinations of this scrumptious cake and fillings and glazes--how can I not?

My search for Joconde led me to The Daring Kitchen and I joined right up to face the challenges put to Daring Bakers there! I can't wait for the first one!

Cakes, Cakes, Cakes!

I've been so busy baking, that I haven;'t had time to blog--I even have a new smartphone, but I'm not quite 'smart" enough to blog from it yet--soon!

Meanwhile, I've uploaded all sorts of pics of cakes I've been making to my fotki site, click here to see them!

This one is an almond cake with Raspberry Buttercream, and lemon lettering, and toasted almonds on the side.. The hummingbird was done freehand.

What tarot card am I?

You are The High Priestess

Science, Wisdom, Knowledge, Education.

The High Priestess is the card of knowledge, instinctual, supernatural, secret knowledge. She holds scrolls of arcane information that she might, or might not reveal to you. The moon crown on her head as well as the crescent by her foot indicates her willingness to illuminate what you otherwise might not see, reveal the secrets you need to know. The High Priestess is also associated with the moon however and can also indicate change or fluxuation, particularily when it comes to your moods.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

OWOH WINNER!!

IMGIRL is the winner of my OWOH giveaway! I've e-mailed her and just waiting for a reply!

Congratulations to all winners and bloggers in this fun event!

One World, One Heart Final Giveaway Event

This is the final year this event will be held, so I had to join up again.


I'll be giving away two 12" quilt blocks SIMILAR to these two--the colors and fabrics will be different as they are scrappy quilt blocks I haven't made yet! The patterns will be the same, and the fabrics will all be quality quilt cottons, prewashed and carefully sewn.



I'll make it with preferred colors if possible if the winner has made a preference in his/her comment.

LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS TO
THIS POST
TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!

One World, One Heart--Final Event!

It's starting Monday, 1/30 so check back here to post your comments again this year--my giveaway will be posted on Jan. 30 so you can leave your comments and hope to win!

This has been and is a great bit of blogger social networking--visit all the creative and artistic and crafty bloggers who link in, and see how wonderful the world is!!

One World, One Heart--Final Event!

It's Coming!

Nuccio's

I'm hired! I have three good jobs now, all adding up to one full time, which is great. It works perfectly into my ADD, since every day is something different, and I have so many new things to research and develop and learn--from Microsoft Word and Excel and Quickbooks, and a big list of other interesting programs in the secretary job, then general cooking and menus and recipes for the cooking dinner job at the monastery, and then there's all the baking!! I love baking!

Nuccio's Italian Market is a NY style Pizzeria, with a deli and market on one side and a bakery case I get to fill daily--well at least the three days I work there. There's another woman working there, too, who has been there a year+ and basically has the experience in how this particular bakery case needs to be filled, and I'm learning it gradually, since I'm only there three mornings Thurs, Fri and Sat.

January with all the new snow we're getting has slowed things down a bit, but I can work in the kitchen doing other prep if there is no baking to be done, so it's ok. I'm also going to try to enter some cakes in the CT Cake Competition in February. It's a busy time for me! YAY!

New cakes

I've worked a little in a new place--still waiting to hear if they actually want to hire me. These cakes were part of my "audition"



Birthday cake #1











Birthday #2




















Wedding Cake #1

nanowrimo is already almost half gone...

...well, a week into November anyway, and again, life is just a little too busy for writing. At least novel writing. I used to write a lot before I had a real life--this one is pretty full and I barely have time to paint, or draw, or do most art. I spend a lot of time on the computer, admittedly a lot of it watching tv and checking my e-mail LOL--but I'm working on three websites, and organizing my photos, and back to work at both jobs after three weeks out for shoulder surgery--I'm doing ok all things considered.

I have a list now, of prioritized things I actually must get done in a reasonable time, and I'm checking things off every day--this is a great feeling! Next in line is Lara's wedding dress and the gumpaste tropical flowers for her cake! I'll be carrying them down on the plane (that decision finally made, too!) and assembling the cake there. I may ship cake layers down there if I can find a shipper that's trustworthy enough to get them there in one piece...each.

Pictures will be coming soon, as I work on things.

Oh, and did I mention it snowed last night? A heavy dusting that rapidly turned to slush and rain--it all came from what they are calling a Rogue Storm, the likes of which have never been seen before. In the satellite pictures it looks like nothing but a hurricane! There were 62mph winds in Maine, trees down and power outages--not so bad here, but there was definitely wind!
It's a little early for snow, our lilac bushes still have some leaves on them!