And to think that I once claimed to not like chocolate.

That is a true story for the record.  I.  Kirsten.  Said throughout my college years that I did not like chocolate.  I, in fact, avoided chocolate for other desserts.  What I realized is that it was not in fact the chocolate that I didn't like, but weak excuses for chocolate in muted forms.  This chocolate is not that.  Lets try a triple chocolate cheesecake with more calories in one bite than I ever wanted to know could occur in a bite of food. Beginning with an Oreo crust, then melted chocolate, chocolate cheesecake, a hard chocolate shell, hot fudge and finished with a chocolate whipped cream and Oreo crumbles. Delish.  See here:

Or this fudge crumble in a wonton cup.  Buttermilk chocolate cake with fudge icing drizzling down the sides? Double delish.  See here:

Some people besides me do or have claimed to not like chocolate.  My friend, Heather Merry, says she doesn't like chocolate but she had some and then had some more.  Take that haters! Man it was good.  It was even better that Heather got to taste my cheesecake because she lives a bajillion miles away and I rarely get to be in the same state as her.  Soul sisters that live states away are always the best to see.  That's what I am grateful for this week.  Soul sisters.  Having them is a beautiful thing because they can live next door or thousands of miles away and every time God lets us connect again, its like we never skipped a beat.  There is warmth and comfort, security that everyone merits in these people who allow them to be themselves, the good, the bad and the ugly.  Soul sisters are like that triple chocolate cheesecake that you let overwhelm your senses when you normally just munch on the rest of your stash of Halloween candy.  It doesn't compare and the richness in each moment is remarkable.  I am fortunate to have many of these types of friendships and I sit today just feeling blessed by each and every one of you.  Know that you are a friendship to be savored, enjoyed bite by bite and if you want I will make a triple chocolate cheesecake for you in your honor next time you stop by!

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. – Proverbs 17:17

LIfe is better in a wonton cup.

Routine? Sometimes I tire of it.  I am on week 5 of baking the same recipes.  Like today is Tuesday? Chocolate cake, pizza, Texas toast and my only play time in the kitchen of the week: treaty Tuesday.  Delicious or not, it is repetitive.  Its like having a Monday outfit, Tuesday outfit, Wednesday outfit ... and never wearing anything else.  Its time to play.  So?  Cake pops have been peaced out and I am moving on to wonton cups.  You can put anything in a wonton cup.  It is fun and if a dessert can be flirty (which I think it can) it is flirty. 

So I began with a mocha mousse.    Love.  This was definitely the most popular.  Even I, the rabbit ate one or three of them (which totally negates the appropriate portion size of a wonton cup, but who cares).

Next?  I moved on to a limeade tart with a lime strawberry sauce.  Yum.  Except I was able to resist these ones.

Then? Well... I threw out Wednesday cake pops from the menu, treaty Tuesday was over but my wonton cup craze was not.  So? I made them for the campers.  How about a cherry cheesecake.  Yup.  It happened.

Its official.  Wonton day is now Wednesday.  Changing the wardrobe up.  Does this wonton make my butt look fat? Well, not yet, but it will... Oh wontons, you are cute and delicious.  I wonder, if all the icky things life gives you were put in a wonton, would they automatically improve? I might enjoy that.  If I could put my half finished action research project or my journey through the visa process in a wonton cup with some whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon, I totally would.  Unfortunately, wontons are not duct tape or Jesus so I will trudge on, remembering  "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." Romans 5:4 

Yeah, that sounds pretty alright to me. Can't wait for my next wonton adventures!  Now what to put in them next...

Peace, love, and wontons!

Surgeon General's Warning: This Product Contains Perfectionism

So, many of you might be wondering what I might have been up to as of late and what goodies and baking adventures have come my way.  Well, I attempted some colombian recipes for a homesick boy who needed some good home cooking which resulted in a Treaty Tuesday of arequipe, milhojas, arequipe brownies, arequipe bars, fried plantains and arepas.  I am no expert to these dishes, but I have found an awesome blog www.mycolombianrecipes.com which helped the process.  I feel some day I might make a meal just like momma makes it, but the learning process is fun.  Random fact?  Yucca is not found in Colorado.  Many recipes must wait.  Send me some or hook me up with a place to locate it?  I will give you a high five.  High fives are cool.  You know you want one.

Other baking adventures?  Welllllll, lots of cookies, breads, buns, the usual. Then I made biscotti. You need to understand that I bake thousands of calories worth of food a week and never eat any of it but then I made biscotti on Wednesday and it all came crashing down.  In fact I am pretty sure my night total was 6 biscotti.  It was insane.  Insanely delicious.  I. love. biscotti.  This is a new discovery for me.  I am adjusting to my new identity as a biscotti addict and trying to avoid it at all costs.  I will bake them blindfolded and with a pin to clip my nose shut as a preventative measure.  Totally safe, right? Riiiight.

This week also included a few treasures for special treats.  I love birthdays because they involve fancy goodies and I get to imagine my life as a pastry chef in all its glory.

On Friday, this resulted in a strawberry swirl cheesecake with an oreo crust and strawberry sauce on top.  See here:

Birthday number two? A carrot cake.  It was carrot cake the way a carrot cake should be made.  Half cake batter, half carrots, raisins, pineapple, coconut and walnuts.  The works.  This same carrot cake almost resulted in a heart attack at my young age of 24.  Story as follows: Andrei rolling a cart.  Cart rolling into cart with cake on it.  Pan alllllmost toppling over onto freshly sculpted carrot cake bunny.  Heart stopping.  Heavy breathing.  I am a perfectionist, so ruined cakes don't exactly keep me cool as a cucumber.  This baking job has really heightened that perfectionism in me to an exceptional degree.  But? Such is life.  I ended with a carrot cake, bunny sculpture on top, bunny tracks, carrots, half eaten carrots by the bunny and bike tracks (since the birthday boy is a biker).  It was fun!  

Speaking of baking... this baker has to clock in for the morning so it is time to sign off.  More adventures to come!  

Love,

Me

One plus one can equal five if you sneak some on the side and other basic things you need to know about life.

So. Baking life. Fun? Yes.  For example today I made 250 cookies, 5 test recipes of bread pudding to have a bake off with myself and pick an official recipe, and made corn bread.  Lately I have been getting into the fancy. The same-old same-old basic recipes don't cut it.
Example A:

Treaty Tuesday this week was a margarita cheesecake with honey-lime soaked strawberries on top accessorized by sugar cookies shaped like limes.

Example B:

Chip and dip cookies went with our nacho bar lunch today.

So, here is why this is important to know.  Yesterday? I made Rice Krispie Treats for dessert.  Rice. Krispie. Treats.   It was a long day and after so many different baking endeavors, I wanted simple, basic.  Yesterday in many areas, my desire to impress whacked me in the face like a pie full of whipped cream, except maybe it was actually more like a shaving cream pie, because it did not leave any deliciousness afterwards to lick off.  Reality?  Sometimes we live to impress, whether it is gourmet desserts instead of the old faithfuls, or with our actions.  A strong character, drive and passion can be subdued in the attempt to impress people with your mad skills and abilities to make one plus one equal a number other than two.  There is no need to over think the basic, try to make complex out of the basic because sometimes the basic is fitting and beautiful just as it is.


"And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." Philippians 1:6 

Sprinkles and Jesus

Baking is a joy.  Recycled baking is a double joy.  You should know that one of my least favorite things about working in the kitchen is throwing away food at the end of a meal that we can't keep.  This is especially true for my baked goods.  I cry a little bit for each slice of cake or each cookie crumble that falls into that trash can. Sooooo... I have begun to recycle the cake into cake pops!  This makes me love life a lot.  So, today in my cake making adventures, I was dipping my little cake pops in the melted candy and you would get those little imperfections, because mine just don't seem to look as asthetically pleasing as a machine can do them at Starbucks *sigh*.  My response however is sprinkles.  Today I sprinkled cute little stars all over each little imperfection.  Result? Restoration.  They were beautiful and delish. (Not that I actually know... I am on a ten pound challenge with a friend and an invitation to Qdoba awaits me if I beat him sooooo you know I am not gonna back down!...)  Regardless, today I am indebted to sprinkles.  Sprinkles were the grace of today's imperfection.

I think Jesus is better than sprinkles and his grace can do a heck of a lot more than some multicolored star sprinkles, even if they are full of color and joy.  Praising the Lord for grace today!  I think he restores a bit better too! Mannnnnn, GOD IS GOOD!  And so is this song:

Sprinkles and Grace today baby! Get some!

Sliced fingers are not finger food.

Once upon a time,deep in the mountainous forest lived a baker.  This baker liked to bake at her plains home but an evil villain had kidnapped her desiring homemade breads and baked goods of his very own (Sorry Stu, its for the story's sake).  He would make her bake and bake and bake all day and then lock her up each night in the dungeon below with the guise of an unfinished portion of the retreat center.  So she rose each morning as the last and baked all day, exploring the art of high altitude baking and trying to bake her best.  One flat cake or thin cookie meant 20 minutes in the lair of Stumpy, the camp's old ghost.   O.K., so that adventure is completely made up.... but I really do bake a lot and high altitude baking is an adventure that should have its own story, so I wrote one. I have loved being a baker!  Its like my own personal playground.  Tomorrow, I am making German Chocolate cake for the first time.  The anticipation is overwhelming! (although I am sure that anticipation really stems from something else that is happening tomorrow...).  Making this cake will be an excellent distraction at least!  I will document.  Also, for the record, you should know that I am slowly succeeding in chocolate-cake .  Not quite redeemed, but getting there.

In other news, and the reason for the title, I sliced my finger yesterday.  When you slice your finger in the kitchen world, it means these wicked little finger gloves you have to wear.  Also, I was bleeding for like 2 hours.  Lame. Near death? Probably not.  Was I dramatic? Probably. But you will be happy to know that I made it down to a band-aid and my dear little finger is healing quite nicely. Oh the adventures of kitchen life...

One thing is for sure, as a result of being team kitchen, I have had hospitality on the brain.  I love the ability to serve others.  Hebrews 13:2 says "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."  In a fast pace, independent-minded nation, it is so easy to overlook hospitality, our service to others.  No, we might not all be gourmet chefs but we are all called to love and serve, even if its a bag of chips and jar of salsa shared with a co-worker.  As I have been in the kitchen this summer, I have been a lot more mindful of how I am serving others and worshiping God through that service, with my attitude, with my actions and my words.  I am writing this I guess to encourage y'all to do the same.  Share something this week.  Lets go kindergarten style and practice sharing, entertaining strangers, maybe angels unaware?


Sharing is caring!


Peace, love and SERVE, y'all!

Took a wrong turn at the metric system and ended up at the super-sized pans

This baker has been playing up in the kitchen in the mountains.  It has been an experience because everything I know about cooking, I have learned from Google and the Food Network resulting in a lot of self-taught methods that work for my kitchenito at my casita but are not quite as functional nor efficient for feeding the masses. Also, my measurements of cups and teaspoons have been replaced by ounces, pounds, and gallons.  Daunting would be the perfect word to describe the task.  Successes? Pizza dough.  Reasons: It was delish.  It is also most excellent  way to have awesomely toned arms.  I think this summer is gonna get me some guns.  Failures? I threw away a cake batch, TWICE! The perfectionist in me died a little bit inside. (I am grateful p.s. for math skills or I would be drowning.  The Justin Bieber simple math "me plus you" is just not adequate unless he starts singing in fractions like "you have half my hearrrrrrt" then we might be in business again). We had ice cream that night for dinner instead. Making super sized recipes is an adventure to say the least.  Today is take two of me vs. cake.  Banana cake.  I will make it look adorable and my inner-baker will be once again at peace with the world. *sigh*  So let the adventures begin!

Baking is about to begin so more blogging and photo documentation to follow but until then:
Peace, Love and Bake!