Basics Pt.I

Dear Sugar Diary,

Hi to all you Sugar Skull Cakery Allstars! Good Morning to you all from my garage...lol...yes my garage! Idk why I am in here but I set up my laptop in here for now....it's quiet and I can hear the birds outside.

This post is in response to numerous emails and messages I have received from newbies in the cake world. Questions have poured in asking what equipment would be the best to acquire first etc....so I have put together a list of what I think is a good starting point. =) I will also say I am by no means an authority on the matter...this is all just my own opinion !!! It's the things that I got when I decided to stop thinking about it and just did it! =)

Ok so first things first...You have played with the idea of baking and decorating cakes and cupcakes....but when you get online it becomes overwhelming....you click your way across pages on Facebook looking at other people's creations....and you wonder "How on earth did they make that?!" lol...It happens to me too...everyday and about a million times! Here are 10 things you should have as basics to even begin to start to try out baking and decorating:

1) Cake Pans! Duh! lol....but we see soooo many online....my top choices for a beginner would be : a) One 15x11 sheet pan
                 b) One 10 inch round pan ( I prefer the 3 inch deep ones)
                 c) One 6 inch round pan(again the 3 inch deep ones)
                 d) 2 standard size cupcake pans
                 e) 2 mini cupcake pans
             
2) Utensils! You will need a mixer...hand held...or like a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer (what I have) It is an investment you will NEVER regret! Especially at 2am when you need a new batch of buttercream or fondant! TRUST ME! You will also want to have a good silicone spatula(for scraping down your bowls) ..two good angled spatulas (one big and one small for icing) a very sharp fillet knife for carving but  ONLY FOR CAKING...... and a knife that has teeth like a saw. 1 measuring cup and a set of measuring spoons!

3) BOWLS! Big bowls..small bowls...plastic bowls..glass bowls...stainless steel bowls...and bowls with lids!

4) Apron....kitchen towels and a lifetime supply of paper towels and pot holders! But make sure all of these things are ONLY USED FOR BAKING.....don't use them for everything else you do in the kitchen! They lose their magical powers! ;)

5) Go to your favorite craft store or just a WalMart and get a basic set of icing tips and couplers...and disposable piping bags. The bigger the bag the better for starting out.=) They come in many sizes;)

6) Cupcake wrappers...here is a secret...the prettier they are ...the better your cupcakes will be....OK OK ....it isn't a scientific fact but it helps! Trust me!

7) If your planning on baking cakes get some cakeboards....there is nothing worse than baking a cake...pulling it out of the oven and running around realizing your OUT of boards ! =/

8) Buy STOCK (lol) in parchment paper...aluminum foil...wax paper....sandwich bags....and plastic wrap! These things will become your best friends! =)

9) Buy a basic set of polymer clay tools...you can get those in a craft store and even at WalMart! (this is if you plan on working with fondant)

10) a Good non stick rolling pin!


I hope this starts you off in the right direction! Part II is coming very soon! Stay tuned! I have to go unpack some more stuff....last week was a busy one and I didn't get to much stuff....so these couple of days off are gonna be for that! Good Luck on your adventure! =)
                 
           

The Great Flood

Dear Sugar Diary...!

Hey Hey Hey !!!!!! How are YOU??!! Wow...it has bee FOREVERRRR! But here I am again and there you are and that's all that's all that matters! :wink wink:

I have so much to tell you! A lot of you already know why I was M.I.A. for a while ...but for those of you who do not here is the low down...ready? Ok!

Well...I was in my kitchen minding my own business..washing some dishes when I noticed the sink start to fill up with water....hummm....I thought...."Well let me run the disposal and that usually makes it go down...." WRONG! So then a little bit of panic set in.....why? Well because I heard a drip....then a loud gush of water and when I looked into the bottom cabinet with the same slow caution someone opening a trunk of a car does on those CSI shows....my worst fears were confirmed...I sprung a leak! Well no not ME but my sink did=(!!! OM;Gosh... What do I do? How does this get fixed/ Is it bad? is there something in there? Can I do this alone? Should I wake Josh or wait? Do I call our plumber? Am I over reacting? ..... I shut off the water valve and sat in a puddle...convinced I was the cause....with my potato peels in the disposal! But as I started taking off each pipe I saw that nothing was in them....so I "fixed" it like BOSS. lol....I ran and got a latex glove...fitted it in the pipe like those rubber rings and screwed it back in place....the drip was less but the sink was still full =\.... OOOOO a PLUNGER! That should work...PLUNGE PLUNGE PLUNGE ...and yeah...No ...It wasn't doing anything....-_-.........and then my youngest son came into the kitchen...."Ummm..mom...the toilet in my bathroom...the water is going UP and not DOWN." "WHAT?!" Up? Really? " So I ran in there and low and behold...the water WAS going up! AND...The bathtub also filled up !! OH NO! We need help! Josh finally woke and I showed him the problem...he assessed that we had a leak...LOL.....! He called the realty people and they said a plumber would be out to us in 2 days! WHAT!? 2 days????? But I have orders! I have work! I have things to do!

I accepted the fact that I would have to deal with it.....pulledyh./r up my big girl underpants and DEAL.....so i placed a bucket underneath the sink and dealt. Tuesday finally came and the plumber was late.....-_- then he looked at it and said (I kid you not)
"I can't fix this....the problem is in the wall..I will be back tomorrow."
By this point one thing was on Josh's mind...MOVING. So we looked around and found a place and moved. LOL...it took us 3 1/2 days but we did it! So even though it was all crazy and chaotic...we made it! I even managed to keep all my deadlines! Now we are in a much more comfortable home....and crossing our fingers that the water pipes are a-ok here! LOL....but I think I need a vacation! I want to thank all of you that "helped" me through that crisis...via emails and txts...comments and messages and just thoughts.....I want to thank Chris Mougette for reading her facebook feed regularly and bailing me out of an otherwise horrible catastrophe...(ran out of fondant and I wanted to use her recipe) lol.....I want to thank all of you who stuck it out and sent hello's and "it will ok's" The move left us internet free for two days and I realized how much I use it! You all live in it.!! Well one last thank you to Josh...for taking charge and making sure Sugar Skull Cakery could continue to bake and create on time and in better surroundings!  Thanks Babe! ;) I still have to unpack but that can be little by little....no rush! ;) Wel I have a cake to get to...a promotion cake for tomorrow! So I will be back soon! Love you all!