50 Years And Counting

A couple of weeks ago a customer came into the bakery with the most beautiful vintage wedding photo I had ever seen (other than that of my own parents of course). She was asking that we put the image in edible form on the cake for her parents 50th wedding anniversary. These kinds of cakes are actually very rare since the divorce rate is quite high these days, and not to sound morbid but due to our current lifestyles so are the death rates. As a manager I get stuck being the 'face of the bakery' and often times doing a lot of paper work, but this cake I had to do myself. I couldn't pass this one up. When the day came to make it I was actually really nervous about it. The daughter of the couple was very sweet and gave me complete reign on whatever I thought would look good. She was maybe hoping we could recreate some of the flowers in her bouquet. The cake size they were getting was rather small, and I wanted to keep the photo the main focus. So I used some gold accents since it is the official color of the 50th wedding anniversary and only had enough room to fit just a few flowers around the picture.

That afternoon a small older lady came to pick it up and when I handed it to her she fell back into her buggy and started crying. I've never seen such a reaction to a cake before. I looked at her closely and asked 'Is this you?!' she replied 'Yes it is. I haven't seen this photo in 20 years. And those buttercream flowers, they match my bouquet!' And she started crying again.

I was hoping this meant she liked it.

It took me 20 minutes to get her calmed down. Then I started crying myself. Her name was Barbara and she explained how her and her husband had been married 50 years ago on St. Patrick's Day, the luckiest day of her life. She got the man of her dreams. Now Barbara's husband has Alzheimer’s, but their love from their wedding day is still there.

She hugged and kissed me and thanked me a thousand times for making it so special. What an honor to create the centerpiece for such a magical day. But let's be honest, the centerpiece was this outstanding couple.

Barbara let me take a picture of her with the cake so I could keep that memory with me forever. I've made a ton of cakes in my years as a decorator, but that by far was my absolute favorite. Though very simple in design, it's meaning meant so much.

She came back in today to see me, still raving over the cake and she showed me all of the pictures from the party. Her husband looked so happy, and she looked radiant. I've never seen such a handsome couple. And have never been so proud to be apart of something so special. So here's to you Mr. and Mrs. Benny, and many more years of wedded bliss!

4 Years, 13 Days, and 8 Hours

Yesterday I was sitting in front of a Starbucks enjoying this beautiful Georgia weather and enthralled in a quite hilarious book when an older gentleman and his daughter asked if he could sit at the table I was occupying. The sun wouldn’t directly hit him there. Of course I was more than anxious to oblige, so the man sat down and his daughter headed to her car for a couple of hours of shopping with her mother. Instead of me getting up to find another place to sit I stayed right where I was and continued reading. The man interrupted to thank me again for letting him sit there and proceeded to tell me a rather funny story of a time he fainted in the sun. We exchanged names, his was Sal. Sal then asked me to guess his age. I started at a rather low number and he kept making me guess higher, and higher. I couldn’t seem to get it right and he finally told me he almost 90 years old. I couldn’t believe it! He didn’t look a day over 70. I asked what his secret was and he said ‘I always liked the age of 25, so I thought in my mind I’d stay there forever.’ Perfect advice I think for someone who just hit that age and I have to admit I quite like it myself. I may take Sal’s advice and stay here for a while.

Sal started telling me stories of being an Italian and growing up in New York. He said how in Junior High he worked for a $1.25 a week at a shop for a horrid man before getting fired after asking for a raise. Now Sal’s mother was a widow with another baby at home and they depended on that $1.25 to barely get buy. So he went home, and told his mother not to fret and went to a man in the streets who sold produce on a push cart. This man new Sal very well and asked why he wasn’t at work. Sal said ‘Don’t worry about it, but the next time you go to the market can you bring me back a box of lemons?’ The produce man asked how Sal planned on paying for this box of lemons, and he answered ‘I’ll give you the money when I sell the box.’ And sell he did. He sold all the lemons in one afternoon and started doing this and was now making $4 a week and could provide for his mother and little brother better than ever. Sal told me lots of stories about selling lemons on the streets of the city, standing in the bread lines, and finding out his father had been murdered when he was much older. He also told me about being drafted at 18 to fight in World War II. These were such fascinating stories of poverty, love, and war and he told them so well. Sal tried to write a book about his life, but after 60 pages in lost everything and decided not to start the project again. He just wanted something that his children and grandchildren could read and see how different life was then, and get a better understanding of what made him who he is now. Our visit to the past was short, because an hour and a half later his daughter and wife came back to get him. I helped him in the car, met his lovely spouse (Sal’s a cradle robber by the way) and said goodbye to a great hero.

In honor of that visit, and the stories he may never put on paper, I’m dedicating this Tea Time Tuesday to lemons, and all the great experiences he had selling them. First up, because it’s so warm outside I’m making an Iced Green Tea Lemonade to cool off with. Next, some sweet Lemon Bars, made with fresh squeezed lemon juice. I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I enjoyed listening to this amazing man. Citron!

Iced Green Tea Lemonade:

5 cups cold water

2 large Green Tea- tea bags

¼ cup Granulated Sugar

2 Cups Lemonade

Boil 4 cups of water in small sauce pot. Once boiling remove from heat and add tea bags. Let seep for 5 minutes. Add sugar and stir. Allow tea to cool for 30 minutes to an hour. Pour into what you will be serving the tea from and top with remaining cup of water and lemonade. You may add lemon slices for garnish. Pour over ice and serve.

Lemon Bars:

1 ½ Cups plus 3 Tablesppons All Purpose Flour

½ cup plus 1 Tablespoon Confectioners Sugar

1 ½ sticks Cold Butter cut into small pieces

2 Large Lemons

3 Large Eggs

1 cup Granulated Sugar

½ tsp Baking Powder

½ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13x9 baking pan with foil. Make sure to extend foil on short ends of pan. Lightly grease foil. In a medium bowl combine the 1 ½ cups flour and ½ cup confectioners sugar. With your hands cut the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle dough onto prepared pan and bake until lightly browned (about 15 minutes).

From lemons grate 1 teaspoon of rind and squeeze 1/3 cup of juice. In a large bowl mix the eggs on high sped for 3 minutes until thick and lemon-colored. Reduce speed and add all remaining ingredients (except the 1 tablespoon confectioners sugar). Beat until blended and scraping bowl occasionally. Pour lemon filling evenly over warm crust.

Bake until filling is set (about 15 minutes). Allow to cool completely. Lift foil off pan and pull away from sides of bars. Cut lengthwise into 3 strips and cut each strip crosswise into 12 pieces.

Tea Time Tuesdays!

Tea Time makes any time special. Whether it’s a lazy weekday afternoon enjoying the sun pour in through your window, or talking with a friend or two about a long day at work, or hanging out with your family just reminiscing about good times, it makes those simple moments in time a little extra memorable. It is scientifically proven that holding something warm between your hands instantly makes you happier. So does being around the people you love, & enjoying sweet treats. So what’s not to love about Tea Time in the afternoon when it includes all of these things?

 Every Tuesday I’ll try to post yummy little recipes that I think will make any moment with your favorite warm beverage a little extra special, without having to make a big fuss over it. Today I’m sharing with you a recipe that’s been in my family for quite sometime. It’s a Chocolate Chess Pie that my mother use to make, and her mother, and so on. We use to only have it on Christmas day, because my mom always said it gave us something to look forward to if we could only have it one day a year. I don’t think this is very fair myself considering that out of all the kinds of pie the world has given us, this Chocolate Chess Pie is my absolute favorite. How dare I be limited.

I think this rich dessert is a great treat to enjoy with a hot cup of Vanilla Caramel Tea (found on the tea aisle of your grocery store) and homemade Almond Whipped Cream. I’ll be using a refrigerated pie shell as oppose to the frozen ones the seasoned women in my family enjoyed using, because it’s lighter & much flakier which I much more prefer in a pie crust. This pie is best served warm with the cool cream on top, but can certainly be made a day in advanced and eaten cold or at room temperature. So put the kettle on the stove and enjoy a nice warm cup of tea and a slice of pie this afternoon!

Chocolate Chess Pie:
1 small can Evaporated Milk
1 ½ cups Sugar 3 ½ Tbsp Cocoa ½ stick Butter, Melted
2 Large Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
1 Refrigerated Pie Crust

Place pie dough in 9 inch pie plate. Trim any excess dough that might be hanging over plate. With a fork poke holes all around pie crust to prevent puffing while baking. Mix all ingredients until blended and pour into prepared shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour until pie is set and not jiggling when moved. Allow pie to set for an extra 30 minutes or so before diving in.

 

Almond Whipped Cream:
8 ounces Heavy Whipping Cream 1 Tbsp Sugar 1Tbsp Almond Extract Whip until soft peaks form. (Over whipping creates butter.) Spoon over Chocolate Chess Pie Slice, and enjoy!

J'écoute De La Musique en Lisant

There is certainly nothing better than after working six incredibly long days straight, having a night all to yourself. The feeling of having absolutely nothing to do because you choose to do noting is without a doubt one of my most favorite feelings. Tonight I got home a little late (again) and granted I have to go back in tomorrow on my off day for a couple of hours due to some training purposes, but I’m still considering it a day off nonetheless and plan on still having the me party I have been so looking forward to for the past week. Tonight’s dinner isn’t much of a dinner at all, but it’s exactly what I want and it will be perfect eating for listening to a Janis Joplin record spin quietly while I get lost in the current book I’m reading ‘The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy’. With the exception of my meat and potatoes in every meal eating father, my mom, siblings, and I could make entire meals out of just eating bread, fruits, cheeses, & veggies. It’s easy food just for snacking while we would carry on conversations about music, movies, books, politics, & life. Sometimes you just need a little delicious substance and not necessarily an enormous meal to make an evening extra special, even if in this case it is just for me, myself, and I. We certainly will enjoy it. I’m having yummy fresh bakery French bread that I just warmed in the oven for a few minutes dipped in a blend of olive oil & spices. With it, small slices of a spicy chipotle gouda. And of course some carrots, green beans and celery with ranch, just because I think it fits well with this set of snacking. To wash it all down ‘I’mma sip Moscatoooo!’ because it’s a nice sweet wine to compliment the salty and spicy foods I’ll be nibbling on. So if you need me you can find me stuffing myself with a dinner that can sit out and be enjoyed during all the hours I plan on laughing at Mr. Adam’s writing and crying over Ms. Joplin’s heartache all at the same time.