Time to Start this Up again...

Good Morning! I love fall soooo much. I love the cool, crisp air. I love the colors and smells. I love the foods. I love it all. And this morning seems like the perfect morning (aside from the fact that I have to go to work later). It's so chilly in my apartment and I don't even mind. I'm all snugly in sweatpants and a sweater and I have a hot mug of coffee. I'm just loving life at this very moment.

Okay, so the last time I posted, I believe I was still unemployed. What a joy that was. Not! Anyway, it's been a long journey from then until now. I got a job at the Giant Eagle bakery, not fun. Then I moved onto the Butler Country Club and that was better but definitely not what I wanted. And last week, I got a new job at Westinghouse HQ in their corporate cafeteria. So far, I love it!

So yeah, that's a sucky update, but it'll have to do for now. :)

Cupycake #5!!

So, I can't believe I'm on Cupcake #5 already! That's just nuts! But, this challenge/New Year's Resolution has proven to be a great idea! I have been enjoying making cupcakes every week. It's fun to practicing decorating them and really challenging to find new/creative flavors. The challenge is also helping me with my baking skills. It sort of seems repetitive using the same basic procedures every week. Butttt, practice makes perfect and they're skills I can use across the baking table. So, it's definitely been a good idea. Plus, I don't think I've ever stuck with a New Year's Resolution for this long!

Now, without further ado, I give you the Week 5 cupcake:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcake with Cookie Dough Buttercream

Okay, so here's the deal with this cupcake. The cookie dough sort of sank to the bottom and it's partially baked. The key to keeping it gooey is to freeze it before putting on top of the cupcake batter. I don't think I froze the dough long enough. Plus, I used store bought instead of making it from scratch. So that may have had an affect on the gooeyness. Regardless, this is one of the best cupcakes I've ever tasted. The cake tastes like a cookie and no joke, the frosting really does taste like cookie dough. Its amazing! Haha.

Week #3 Cupcake

Sheesh...I just realized I forgot to post last week's cupcake!!

Week 3's Cupcake was:

Yogurt Poppyseed with Cream Cheese Frosting. I really liked this cupcake. I only put a hint of lemon in both the cake and the frosting, so the poppy seeds were definitely the star of the cupcake. They were so good!

Also, note the really fun new cupcake papers I found! I really wish I had found these before I made the banana cupcakes. They would have been perfect!

And the game just gets more interesting...

It really does though. So I received a response about Phipps. They would like to set up a working interview with me for after February 3. That's totally awesome! I'm really looking forward to that.
Here comes the big BUTTTTT....
The other instructor from my school just emailed me back. He told me that Hyde Park Steak House is looking for a Sous Chef. http://www.hydeparkrestaurants.com/ (You can check them out there) So I'm about to send my resume to them.
Andddd, last night Mama went to a soup making class with her friend at Enricho Biscotti Company in the Strip District. http://www.enricobiscotti.com/ (They make the best chocolate raviolis ever. If you're ever in the Strip, definitely stop in and get one!) Anyway, Mama got to talking with the chef who made dinner and long story short, Mama ended up bringing a business card home for me. So now I am also sending her my resume.
All this is to say, I have more options than I realized. This is very exciting, but also nerve-racking. It also means that in a couple of months, (hopefully, I'll have enough money by then) I'll be moving to Pittsburgh with one of my best friends, Molly! That almost excites me more than the job! Haha.
Well, I'll keep you posted on what happens!

the Waiting game

The game of waiting is not a lot of fun. Last week I had an interview at Phipps Conservatory to join their catering department. Now, I'm waiting to hear back from them. I'm really excited and terrified about that job. I'm really hoping to hear back from them soon.
In the meantime, I've applied for a job at Caribou Coffee in Fox Chapel at the Waterworks Mall. Since the Phipps gig will only be part time to start, I decided to start finding a supplemental job now. That way, I can at least be making some money now too.
Also, if I get the job at Caribou, I can start learning about how to run a coffee place. That will come in handy later on when I want to open my own coffee shop.
So here's hoping!!

It's Peanut Butter Cupcake Time!

Wait, Cupcake?!? What happened to the jelly. Haha. Just kidding. Today, I made my week 3 cupcake. So far, this has been my favorite cupcake.

Week 3 Cupcake: Banana Cupcake with Peanut Butter Frosting
I'm so happy with this cupcake. The cake itself was so moist and banana-y. It was fantastic! And the peanut butter frosting was light, fluffy and had a great peanut butter flavor that complimented the banana cake so well. This cupcake business is turning out to be so much fun! Its also given me some extra actual business on the side! So awesome!!

So YUMMY!!

Cupcake #2!

Today is a progressive blog post. Meaning, in between cupcake actions, I will write about them. So, Regina Spektor is playing on Pandora, a tradition that I think I'll continue during my cupcake baking. She just sparks my creative side.

This week's cupcake is a Mocha Cupcake with Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting.

12:45pm--As I type, the cupycakes are baking and they smell delicious. The recipe I used is a recipe for a chocolate poundcake that I have adapted into cupcakes. The mocha flavoring is coming from a flavor gel that I saw at the store last week. I was curious to try it, so here we go! I am also in the process of starting the frosting.
1:15pm--Cupcakes just came out the the oven. They look great and smell even better. Since this was a test recipe, I tasted one on it's own. They are so good. The mocha flavor is subtle but definitely there. Very pleasant. The frosting is also done. Light vanilla flavor and looks beautiful! I added Vanilla Bean to it so there are pretty little specs of Vanilla Bean all through it. Now the cupcakes just have to cool and then I'll frost them.
1:45pm--Time to get my Frost on!!
2:00pm--Cupcakes are done! I'm not totally thrilled with the icing job I did, but they still taste great!

Also, I only have my phone to take pictures. So, sorry for the poor picture quality.