caramelchef81

By Petunias on Jul 15, 2009 at 3:38 PM

Fankies! Bery nice day indeed! Fanks for thinking of me!

By caramelchef81 on Jul 15, 2009 at 2:21 PM

Happee berfdai, Petunias! Hoap yoor habbin a fantastiklol dai! {{{{petunias}}}}

By caramelchef81 on Jul 8, 2009 at 9:13 PM

Part of the reason I go to Trader Joes is the peeps. Everyone there is so friendly & willing to help, knowledgeable too! Aside from the great products, they do special events like beer or wine tastings, or demonstrations for breakfast foods or vegan lifestyles.

By Petunias on Jul 8, 2009 at 8:59 PM

I keep forgetting to shop at Trader Joe's, which is a shame, because there are two very close to me. Several of the cookie recipes I tried called for a LOT of nuts (like macadamia) and I remember buying them there and getting a great price. And I have friends who shop there every week ... guess I should learn to incorporate it into my shopping. {{{CC81}}}

By caramelchef81 on Jul 8, 2009 at 5:24 PM

Ooh...apricots sound nommalishus! We don't have a farmers market heer... wish we did. I got my peaches at Trader Joes (its my favorite store & I look for any excuse I can to go!) Funny thing... some girls go shoe shopping; I go grocery shopping ;) I can't wait to hear how they turn out for you!

By Petunias on Jul 8, 2009 at 1:46 PM

CC81 - don't be so modest! ("It's nothing fancy, just an interesting variation on oatmeal cookies.") I'm impressed, and I'm already thinking about making these with dried apricots from the farmers market instead of dried peaches - at the farmers market, I can get dried Blenheim apricots - I can only buy them dried, as they are too fragile fresh to make it to market ... and the taste is amazing!

By caramelchef81 on Jul 8, 2009 at 1:14 PM

Ohai! iz in yoor emayo- gibbin yu respicees! **SCHMOOO!**

By caramelchef81 on Jul 6, 2009 at 9:07 PM

Ai wud be moar den happytayle yu shayr mah respicees wif yu! Pleez tu tri dem adn iffn yu haz enni sugjes..suggesh...enni gud ideers fur changes ai wud lurv tu kno! Luk fur mah emayo soon!

By Petunias on Jul 6, 2009 at 9:17 AM

Ohai, CC81 - if you share recipes (and I'd understand if you don't), may I have your peach cookie one? My email address is onionsandpetunias at gmail dot com. No rush ... I wouldn't get around to making them for a while. Many thanks.

By Petunias on Jul 2, 2009 at 8:24 PM

... continued from before -- guess I ran over my 1000 character limit ... when I found the 4, I stuck to them like glue! A batch of 3 dozen cookies was just about right for sending to 4 persons. Let me know how the ones you're working on turn out. I may hit you up for the recipe. Happy 4th! Schmoooos.

By Petunias on Jul 2, 2009 at 8:22 PM

Ohai - vet assistant to pastry chef. That's about the width of my gap, too (where one starts versus where one ends). For cookie making, I like to discover recipes for what I call "adult cookies" -- they're more complex - not just peanut butter cookies or chocolate chip (not anything wrong with those, but I got tired of that after a while) ... I'm not enough of a baker to make up a new recipe, but now I can read recipe directions and pretty much figure out how they'll taste, what the texture and mouthfeel will be. I discovered that people like the old standbys (chocolate chip, sugar cookies, etc.), but are willing and happy to try ones they've never seen before. I used to collect recipes all year, then after Christmas, from January until the weather got hot, make the cookies, mail them, and wait for the reviews. Let me tell you, LOTS of people would like to get cookies in the mail, but I had a dickens of a time finding 4 who would write the reviews ... when I found the 4, I stuck

By caramelchef81 on Jul 2, 2009 at 6:22 PM

ohai petunias! that's such a cute & thoughtful idea, the aprons! Your talking about cookies got me thinking- I haven't made cookies in awhile! Tonight I'm making peanut butter cookies & peaches & cream cookies. There's something about a well made cookie that is just divine. I started out as a veterinary assistant then decided to go to culinary school. That's where I learned that I wanted to work in pastry. I worked as a line cook though first (steak and eggs- let me show you them!) I still love cooking at home, but dessert is where its at for me. That's enough of my rambling... have a great night! **shmooo!**

By Petunias on Jul 1, 2009 at 12:12 PM

CC81 - at the end of the cookie test period, I had aprons made with "Cookie Review Team" embroidered on them and gave them to all my reviewers. It was such fun. I keep thinking I'll learn to cook, but someone explained to me that bakers are left brained and cooks are right brained ... so maybe I'm just more comfortable as a baker. I find the "food" and "drink" on ICHC so interesting ... what people come up with ... I learn a lot and get new ideas. Happy BBQ & dessert this weekend!

By caramelchef81 on Jul 1, 2009 at 9:30 AM

I'm always fascinated to hear about other peoples job... I love learning the behind the scenes of it all! And what a great idea for your cookies! I use all my friends as pinny-gigs. They don't mind though :) One of my friends has a bbq almost every week during the summer & its just expected that I'll bring dessert- they know it'll be interesting. Next week I'm making a coconut rice pudding with a banana mousse underneath.

By Petunias on Jun 30, 2009 at 9:09 AM

{{{cc81}}} I work in finance at a private university. Unfortunately, it isn't the kind of finance where I'd learn to get rich in the stock market - it is more about tracking all the various kinds of income, and using funds according to donor wishes. In the last 10-15 years, we've seen such an explosion of interest in the sugar arts ... I love watching this stuff on TV. For me, baking cookies is about my limit ... but I like to learn new ones ... and even have a cookie-review committee who write reviews for me ... I mail them the cookies, they sample and write the reviews. So now I have a binder of "keeper" recipes. Schmooooos!

By caramelchef81 on Jun 29, 2009 at 10:02 PM

Wow... it's a good thing you learned to make puff pastry after fire was discovered- I couldn't imagine how hard it would be to bake with out it! ;) But really though- I love what I do! There is so much more for me to learn (as there is with everything) Working with chocolate, learning sugar flowers & creating new desserts are my current favorites. I'm sorry to hear about the cuts at your job... what do you do? {{{petunias}}}

By Petunias on Jun 29, 2009 at 7:26 PM

Thanks for accepting my friend request. I read today about the layoffs at your work - we had a similar thing happen ... deep cuts. Quite painful for all concerned. I'm so interested in your pastry-chef-ness! When I was about 15 (a year or two after the discovery of fire), I made puff pastry from scratch. I remember it took the entire day. I wanted at that point in life to be the world's greatest pastry chef ... of course, my life went in a different directions, but sometimes, I wish it hadn't!

By caramelchef81 on Jun 29, 2009 at 6:02 PM

Ohai! Iz berri nyce tu mayk yoor cheez-kwayntins!