To be continued.

So..... about that *brief* hiatus.

Not going to be so brief after all.  I am a little heartbroken to report that I am taking an indefinite break from baking.  Although I expected it to happen, this transition into the latest chapter of my life is still hitting me hard.  Becoming an adult is inherently difficult, but one loop others forgot to mention is the one they have to jump through themselves in order to recognize me as an adult.  And with my usual support systems being far away and moving on with their lives without me, the clouds overhead grow significantly heavier.

Sweet dreams

A particular someone has been invading my dreams lately and I'm still not sure how to react.

Emma in Child's Pose on my brother's "work out mat."

Surprise! You just ate vegetables. -- banana muffins... sort of

May 17th, 2012

(Warning. This is a lengthy post. I promise I tried to be as entertaining as possible, but I cannot guarantee anything. But if it helps, this is a rare glimpse into the inner workings of my mind.)

On my 17th birthday, my oldest brother took me out to go shopping before the family dinner at home. He said that I could pick out whatever I wanted and he would pay for it. Sweet deal, right? Anyway, after I finally decided on what I wanted and my brother paid for it, we passed by a pet store on the way back to his car. I pleaded with my brother asking if we go inside and pet the puppies. Without even checking his watch to make sure we wouldn't be late, he said, "Yeah, that sounds fun."

What was I thinking. I should have been suspicious. He is very impatient and never lets me near the puppies because I am indecisive and a browser which means I could easily spend an hour in a store and only buy two things. And yet he had no problem of going into the pet store even though he was getting hungry. But I didn't care. The puppies and guinea pigs called for my attention and I threw myself into the store.

Unbeknownst to me, my brother was actually stalling our homecoming because our family was throwing me a surprise birthday party and was waiting for all of my friends to get to our house. To summarize, we finally went home, I was completely shocked, started bawling (from... joy?) and running away from my friends, and was chased down and tackled to the ground. Needless to say, surprises are not exactly my most favorite thing in the world. However, that does not necessarily mean that I won't spring them on other people. In fact, I LOVE giving surprises!

I tend to leave notes or little gifts because I have this small hope that God will reveal my surprises when that person really needs to find my silly gesture. Chances are, if you've ever received a gift from me that has a compartment or is layered in some way, you'll find a message. I personally prefer these covert expressions of love. Much like lighting a candle in church or silently saying a prayer in your heart rather than on your lips, the quiet ways can sometimes mean so much more. It's not the theatrics or the way I display my affections that matter to me, but the fact that I love you.

I introduced these muffins as just banana muffins, but surprise! they're so much more than that. The muffins sound like they were randomly thrown together from an assortment of ingredients I had in my fridge. That's because they were. As I learned from my eighth grade ancient world history teacher, "Necessity is the mother of all invention." That statement pretty much sums up how the banana and zucchini yogurt muffins with a hint of cocoa came to be.

A brief hiatus.

Hey all!

I thought that I should stop by and reassure my (teeny, tiny, but still oh so loved) audience that I have not forgotten about the blog. I'm going through some transitions right now that are pulling away a lot of my attention so I haven't been able to sit down and dedicate a good couple of hours to writing here.

Homemade fresh spearmint ice cream drizzled with a semisweet ganache.

Desserts is stressed spelled backwards! ...right? -- almond biscotti

I have to confess, I am not particularly fond of sweets or sugary things. It seems a little disjointed that I wouldn't bother touching some of the things that I bake, but I think that it makes sense. I do what I do because I enjoy it, not what I get out of it. However... as a coffee lover (sometimes addict), I can appreciate certain sweets that I can dunk into my mug -- croissants, scones, donuts, and yes, biscotti.

Introducing Robin

I hate surprises. I don't know what it is about them that I hate the most. So instead, I've compiled a whole list of reasons!

• I have no control over something complicated and requiring a lot of coordination -- the environment in which I so arrogantly believe that I thrive and excel in. 
• They reinforce the idea that I don't know everything in the world.
• I am reminded me of the unwelcome fact that I can be very easily fooled.
• I usually end up crying. Somehow.

But there is one surprise that I did not absolutely hate! For my 21st birthday about a month ago, a group of very thoughtful people chipped in money to buy me something that I have been wanting since I first started baking at the awkward age of 14.

My very own KitchenAid.

A lazy Sunday -- fresh blueberry scones

Pre baked scones slathered in melted butter with raw sugar sprinkled on top!

Cake expectations -- rustic french apple cake

 May 9th-ish, 2012.

Yum.

Since I didn't (and I still don't) know how to measure tart pans and ended up buying, peeling, and slicing way too many apples for my french apple tart, I thought that I might as well put them to good use. A fellow Peer Minister used to tease me (she still does, now that I think about it) that one of my famous catchphrases is, "I can bake a cake with that."

And so I did.

Don't be a flake -- french apple tart

May 9th, 2012

Since I was under a deadline and was juggling about five other responsibilities at the same time, I didn't have the brain capacity to think too deeply as I was assembling this tart. No babbling about my life in this post, just some notes about the baking process (hooray!). 

As complicated as the apples look, it was actually the easiest part of the tart. All I have to say is that pastry dough is.... tricky.

Summer teaser -- strawberry lemonade cupcakes

April 10th, 2012

Right after spring, summer is my favorite season. All the fresh fruit, adventures out in the sunshine, and bright floral dresses bring out the child in me. Some of my close friends may argue that I'm still a(n overgrown) child but the rumors of my immaturity have been greatly exaggerated.

So back in April, when the nights were still a little chilly and the cherry blossom trees were bursting with pink, my mind was already set on summer. I drew an oasis in my planner. The specials board was inspired by warm, salty beaches.

And I made strawberry lemonade cupcakes.

The funny thing is, I didn't make these cupcakes in anticipation of sunshine. I was strolling through a grocery store one night in search of something to eat when I stumbled upon a display of a new flavor of cake mixes and frosting by a very well known corporation (their mascot happens to be a squishy character that giggles very often). Since I was starving, I bought both the strawberry lemonade cake mix and pre-made frosting. Naturally. 

When I got home and finally got some food and sugar into my system, I realized how silly I was earlier. Why did I buy this cake mix when I could bake my own strawberry lemonade cupcakes from scratch?? This is how the cupcakes came to be. Although these treats had a bright and citrusy finish, they had a stubborn beginning only to spite the ridiculously jolly boy made of dough. So hah. Eat that, you overly giggly mascot. Oh wait. You can't. 

Here are the details...

#Catholic

Happy Easter everyone! The Lord has conquered death and is risen from the dead!

As wonderful as this celebration is, I can't help but think back to a couple of weeks ago when my Lead asked me to draw something on our monthly special board (for those of you who don't know, I work at an espresso bar at a hospital). Anyway, he had ordered eggnog because according to the Smith Brothers, now is the time to be drinking "Easter Egg"nog Lattes.

....right.

So as I set to work putting down ideas of bunnies, marshmallow peeps, and caffeine down on paper, I asked my Lead if eggnog was the special for the month of April. It didn't make any sense to me since 1. it wasn't even April yet and 2. it was still Lent! He told me that he didn't know yet and that we were probably going to have eggnog for as long as he felt like it. Feeling a little sassier than usual, I promptly informed him that Easter isn't for another week and a half and that it's actually a season that lasts for fifty days. And I hate steaming eggnog!

#Catholic #realtalk #OWNED

Charismatic cookies?

Charisms are probably one of the most fascinating aspects of the Catholic faith that I have learned this year. Similar to talents, charisms are gifts that one may naturally possess except rather than just being good at something, charisms can bring others closer to God and invoke a sense of joy and peace in one's own life.

As told by others, I may possibly possess the charism of craftsmanship. This particular gift means that the creation of something with my hands can be used to bring others closer to God. As you can probably guess, my preferred medium of sharing my gift is through food -- baked goods in particular.

Now, I'm not saying that I'm a genius in the kitchen or anything. Oh dear, I am far from it. But I have found that the moment I start creaming butter and sugar together or throw a mirepoix into a stockpot, something inside me clicks. All surrounding noises fall into a lull and I find myself in a quiet space safe enough for me to think and feel freely. These moments spent in the kitchen are very special to me. Many times I catch myself staring into space, in awe of the intimate conversation of the silence. And apparently, this doesn't happen to everyone.

Eight months later, I figured that it was about time that I actually try and do something with this little gift of mine. My hope is that with this blog, I will have a place for me to plant ideas or insights gained while in the kitchen and nurture them into something real with the help of others.

So here it is. My field of flours.

Please enjoy,
Hien D.