Hey Hey Ho Ho Sorry I haven't been around!

[blueribboncakes]

H Hey guys
It has been a whirlwind for me personally. Last July my family and I moved from California to Florida. My husband's father had a stroke and passed away. And then, my Mom died of cancer a couple of weeks later.
Anyway, all this to say, I'm still cooking up a storm and hope to exchange thoughts and ideas with you again, now that things are better. P.S. I'm still making cakes! In fact, I have a few published in a cake decorating magazine called Mailbox news. Ciao!

[W.DeBord]

Although I don't have a subscription to 'mailbox news' (I keep forgetting, but now that you've mentioned it's going on my wish list) my Mother has had her subscription going back to the '60's, maybe even the '50's (I know her collection starts with the first issue). I enjoy looking thru it (now that I'm a pastry chef too). Please share your recipes with us in the baking area...I'd love to see what your doing?!

[Isa]

So nice to see you again Valerie!


I know how hard it is to move, having just done it myself. I still have a box to put away and it’s been about four months since I moved... How do you like Florida?


So what have you been baking and reading??


Please accept my condolences for the lost of your mother and father in law.

[blueribboncakes]

Well, I 've been cooking a lot of Thai food. This past weekend we had a progressive dinner at our Mission, and I made sticky rice, baked chicken, using a unique cilantro/garlic/fresh ground white pepper pesto. It's truly Thai, 'cause you add fish sauce and a bit of soy sauce. I did some vegetable carvings with my thai garnishing knives, and some simple ones like the scallions, rose tomato, and some cool designs with cucumbers and carrots. It was a lot of fun. Oh, I made a tomato based minced pork sauce, which has a base of red curry. All very tasty and fun to make. Although I fear the effort was lost on my guests. They were a quiet and intellectual bunch. We had thai music playing in the background, and had them sit on the thai mat we have, with low tables to eat from. Oh, I made thai tea to go with it. I had a great time, and my husband enjoyed it too.
I've been busy with cakes! I belong to a couple of cake clubs in Florida, ICES (International Cake Exploration Societe) and the Confectionery Artists Guild of Orlando. They are superb groups who believe in sharing ideas. OH, and I just won a scholarship from the California Cake Club. I'll use it to take what they call Mini Classes in Daytona this coming January. I am taking some gumpaste classes from Nick Lodge and Rosemary Watson.
Well, thanks for the welcome. I'm afraid that with my enthusiasm for cakes, I neglected other sites that I had grown to enjoy and respect! Thanks for being there guys. If you ever need ANY help with cakes, let me know!

[chrose]

From somebody who has shared the absences, I'm sorry to hear about your losses. I have learned that I don't bother trying to find the right words because truly there are none. All one can do is offer a shoulder and understanding, so please accept both from me.
On a brighter note, not to diminish the above thoughts. I discovered Mailbox News when I was doing cakes in Florida and a customer brought a copy to me for an idea of hers. I enjoy it. It never ceases to amaze me of the talent of so many "non-professionals". Some truly outshine some of the "professionals".
If Nikko allows me to I may try to upload a couple of mine to show you in a post.
Otherwise if you ever get the money, go to Gaithersburg, Md. and take some classes from Ewald Notter. I became friendly with him when I was working with some of his associates (the Swiss mafia I liked to call them) Karl Meuller, Albert Uster and Henry HAller.
His work is second to none!!!