"Children make your life important. "

Dear Sugar Diary,

  Earlier  this evening I had a moment ... I was laying in bed and my youngest son came into my room and laid beside me. He put his arm around my neck and said " Mom...when are you going to teach me to make fondant?" I looked at him and smiled...."Well how about I teach you when you are sure you won't try to eat it all?" He giggled and said he wouldn't eat it and could I please show him. I asked him why he wanted to learn and he said "Well mom..one day your going to be old and you won't be able to make cakes anymore and I want to make them for you." INSTANT LUMP IN MY THROAT! My eyes teared up and I told him I wasn't going to be that old any time soon and we still had time to learn and experiment together. He seemed satisfied with that answer and headed off twords the living room to watch TV. As I heard him settle into the recliner I started to think about the birthday cake he made me last November....It was one of the most beautiful cakes I have ever seen in my life ! He made it 100% all by himself and he is only 8yrs old. I stood in the kitchen while he baked it  but other than that he did it all by himself. I only coached him while he MADE buttercream from scratch.....and while he decided if he was going to make a white cake or yellow cake...lol...he decided yellow cake because he said separating the yolks from the whites was too much work...hee hee.....=) Of course I took pics the whole time ....I was in awe that he was so committed to this mission....he really wanted to make me a cake for my birthday! And he said he had watched me enough to know what to do..... of course as any mother would.. I had my trusty cell phone camera ready.....

He made the cake batter with instruction.....

His cake came out beautifully!

He used the left over batter for cupcakes=)

Then mommy let him use the "big guns" for making some buttercream.....

Now it was time to color his batch of buttercream....

Such concentration!

Yays! The fun part ...DECORATING!!!!

Wow! He even wanted to write a message!

The most beautiful cake in the whole wide world!

 I felt so special! Look at it! Isn't it amazing?! I mean I know it was made by an 8 year old and all....but when I look at it I see the heart in it...the concentration and the way he sticks his tongue out when he focuses on something....it is one of the cutest things ever! He did an amazing job and this is his FIRST cake ever! He stuck some animal print candles in it and ran and got the rest of the family and they sung me Happy Birthday....his little face looked so proud and he was standing 8 ft tall! The cake was then cut and we all had a slice and he was so worried....asking over and over "How does it taste? How is the buttercream?" That's when I couldn't help think he had the makings of a baker....he was so worried about how we were liking it. ;) We all assured him it was delicious and that he did a great job. He turned to me and said " Mom one day when I am bigger I am going to go to school and learn things and teach you since you didn't get to go." I cried. I cried the happiest tears ever. I told him that sounded like a great plan! So later that day we went out to dinner......he left the table and I followed him with my eyes.....he went over to a server and said something......I saw the server smile and walk away....my son returned to the table smiling.....2 seconds later the server returned with a cupcake and in it was a lit candle....They sang Happy Birthday to me once again and again my son's eyes twinkled. he made my 33rd birthday the best birthday ever! I still have that cupcake.....i couldn't eat it and I couldn't throw it away. It is 4 months old now and the candle snapped in half and is being held in place by the wick. But I won't ever throw it away...it's one of my most prized possessions.

   I know that sometimes our kids can be a pain in the neck...they can try our patience and make us want to run away or scream...but moments like these make all the not so great moments seem...well not so bad! I hope that he DOES continue to want to bake....I hope that he really does go to school and teaches me a thing or two....but in the end I just want him and my other two kids to be HAPPY. Whatever they choose to do I hope they choose wisely...I always tell them that my job doesn't feel like a job at all...it is what I love to do even if I found it a little late in life.....the important thing is I found it . And I leave you with this .... a quote from one of my favorite women....


                              "Children make your life important. " 
                                                                             ~Erma Bombeck



    

Three instead of Four and more Bananas!

Dear Sugar Diary,

   Phew! What a weekend! Sorry I skipped out on you but now I am back and rested and that makes for some coherent writing.=)
   Well..this weekend turned out to be a 3 cake weekend instead of 4 .... we had a date change situation which worked out great for me! So I made 3 cakes.......

1

                                                Perry the Platypus cake

                                                  High Roller themed cake

                                                Safari baby shower cake

I had a ton of fun making these ....I am a solo baker and decorator....so it took me 2 days to get them all done...no sleep....but every second is worth it.  I feel such a sense of accomplishment when I finish one and start the next. Perry was all banana cake.....I LOVE banana cake so I would like to share another recipe with you....=)
                                                 

                                                    Banana Cake Recipe:

• 1 1/2 cups bananas
• 2 tsp lemon juice  
• 3 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking SODA
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup softened butter
• 2 1/8 cups of sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk  

                             

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 275°. (YES! lol 275°..NOT 350°!!!!! Don't worry...IT WORKS! =) )
2. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan. (You can always double and triple this recipe for bigger cakes....=) So just make enough for your sized cake. )
3. In a small bowl, mix squished bananas with the lemon juice set it to the side for now...
4. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt..set that aside...for now too...
5. In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter & 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy.
6. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then stir in 2 tsp vanilla.
7. Beat in the flour mixture a little at a time  with the buttermilk.
8. Stir in banana and lemon juice mixture.
9. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until the trusty toothpick comes out clean.
10. Take it out of the oven and put directly into the freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist. Don't skip this part! Its very important! ;) 
    
    
    Now after the 45 minutes in the freezer take it out and pair it with your fav icing and even sprinkle it with walnuts if you like walnuts...or whatever you like...shredded coconut is good too=) But my favorite is peanut butter buttercream! Yay calories! Ha!
    
    
    I hope you all try this one and if you do let me know how you liked it. I really love how the kitchen smells when I am baking his one and my kids all trickle into the kitchen and ask "Whatcha maaakin?" ;) Well I am writing and watching a lasagna I have in the oven....so I better say bu-bye for now....before dinner is burned! =) See you all here next time...TFL!<3

FLaVors!

Dear Sugar Diary,
        I am actually writing at NIGHT! lol..I usually do this early in the A.M. but today I have been super busy....prepping for the weekend. It's been one of those moments where I ask myself over and over .... WHY?! lol..Why did I book myself through the weekend!!?? ....Well because even though I may complain and become stressed and be "Lil' Miss Frowny Brow"...deep down inside it's what I want to be doing the most! ;) So...yesterday I was in my "I miss the island" mode....pretty much unable to really focus on my task...so I stopped and gathered my thoughts.......I was raised everywhere..but home will always be a mix of Puerto Rico and Texas...so as I was daydreaming about the beach ...here is an actual photo of the beach not even 5 minutes from my mom's house:

   It is called "Los Amadores"  in Camuy, Puerto Rico. I went there with my family many many Sundays to just pass the time and watch my brother dive off of a cliff straight into the ocean. Drinking coconut water straight from the coconuts...literally! My mom was prego with my lil sis and would get cravings for them! My brother would climb up the palm tress and knock down the coconuts for us.=) Great times! I look at my surroundings now and they are such a contrast to that....I now live in Arizona and it is all mostly desert....dry..windy...and HOT...but even these things can be tied into baking.....How? Well flavor wise! I can pull from my culture to come up with bright bold flavored bakes....and also the flavors that Arizona has to offer.....especially the Mexican Treats! A friend introduced me to "Cajeta" for example. It is very similar to Puerto rican "Dulce de Leche" .....but creamier.
   A while back I was having a tough time deciding on specific flavor profiles....because let's face it....we can have developed and mature palates but no one person has ever tasted EVERYTHING out there...so for me it was a time to experiment. I bought fresh fruits I would not normally eat...and tasted them..alone , together and with other foods. But that still wasn't enough...so I then researched and found this awesome list some genius put together for people like me!! I posted it on a a page on Facebook...and now I will post it here for you:

                        Fruits, Herbs and Spices that Pair Well Together:

Almond pairs well with: apple, apricot, banana, caramel, cherry, coffee, fig, honey, orange, peach, pear, plum 
Apple pairs well with: caramel, cardamom, chestnut, cinnamon, cranberry, currant, ginger, hazelnut, mango, maple, rosemary, walnut     
Apricot pairs well with: almond, black pepper, caramel, cardamom, ginger, hazelnut, honey, orange, peach, vanilla, plum, Sauternes, wine  
Asian Pear pairs well with: almond, apple, black pepper, cinnamon, ginger, honey, macadamia, nutmeg, raisin, vanilla
 Banana pairs well with: brandy, caramel, cherry, chocolate, cinnamon, coffee, dark rum, ginger, hazelnut, honey, Madeira wine, mango, molasses, papaya
Blackberry pairs well with: apricot, black pepper, champagne, cinnamon, citrus, hazelnut, lemon, other berries, peach, plum, Port wine
Blood Orange pairs well with: almond, cardamom, chocolate, cinnamon, clove, fig, ginger, honey, other citrus 
Blueberry pairs well with:lemon verbena, other berries, cardamom, mango, lemon, hazelnut, ginger, fig, lavender, other citrus, 
Carrot pairs well with: anise, brandy, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, walnut 
Cherry pairs well with: apricot, black pepper, chocolate, citrus, nectarine, peach, plum, Port wine, vanilla 
Chestnut pairs well with: apple, caramel, chocolate, coffee, pear, vanilla 
Cilantro (coriander) pairs well with: apricot, berries, cherries, citrus, nectarine, peach, plum, tropical fruit 
Coconut pairs well with: banana, Brazil nut, caramel, chocolate, citrus, Kaffir leaf, lemongrass, pineapple, other tropical fruit
Cranberry pairs well with:  apple, chocolate, cinnamon, citrus, mango, mint, pear Currants, Black and Red, pairs well with:cassis, chocolate, citrus, dark rum, Port wine, sloe gin
Elderberry pairs well with:apricot, fig, honey, lemon, mandarin, other berries, peach, plum 
Feijoa pairs well with:banana, berries, cinnamon, citrus, mango, vanilla 
Fig pairs well with:almond, black pepper, cinnamon, citrus, hazelnut, pear, Port wine, vanilla
Ginger pairs well with:almond, apple, apricot, banana, berries, Brazil nut, caramel, chocolate, citrus, coconut, grape, hazelnut, passion fruit, peach, pear, pineaple, plum, tropical fruit
Gooseberry pairs well with:citrus, hazelnut, honey, other berries, white chocolate
Grape pairs well with:brandy, chocolate, citrus, ginger, raisin
Grapefruit pairs well with:basil, black pepper, caramel, citrus, mint, rosemary, thyme, tropical fruit, vanilla 
Guava pairs well with: citrus, coconut, huckleberry, kaffir leaf, pineapple, strawberry, tropical fruit  
Hazelnut pairs well with: apple, apricot, banana, berries, caramel, cherry, chocolate, citrus, fig, mandarin, peach, pear, plum
Kaffir Leaf pairs well with: banana, citrus, coconut, lemongrass, tropical fruit, watermelon
Kiwi pairs well with: apple, banana, berries, cherry, citrus, coconut, mango, tropical fruit
Kumquat pairs well with:berries, cherry, chocolate, cinnamon, coffee, persimmon, plum
Lemon pairs well with:apricot, berries, black pepper, cardamom, cherry, citrus, ginger, nectarine, peach, plum, prickly pear, tropical fruit
Lemongrass pairs well with:cherry, berries, citrus, coconut, ginger ,guava, kaffir leaf, coconut, tropical fruit, vanilla
 Lime pairs well with: apple, berries, cherry, ginger, papaya, plum, strawberry, tropical fruit
 Lychee pairs well with:citrus, ginger, gooseberry, tropical fruit, vanilla
Mandarin pairs well with: cardamom, cherry, chocolate, cinnamon, coffee, fig, ginger, nutmeg, tropical fruits, vanilla, star anise
Mango pairs well with: apple, banana, berries, caramel, citrus, coconut, melon, Sauternes, tropical fruits, vanilla
Melon pairs well with: berries, champagne, citrus, lemongrass, lemon verbena
Orange pairs well with:almonds, basil, berries, brandy, cherry, chocolate, cilantro, cinnamon, coffee, cranberry, fig, ginger, grape, hazelnut, mint, nutmeg, persimmon, pineapple, vanilla
Papaya pairs well with:citrus, black pepper, lime, mango, tropical fruit
 Pear pairs well with:almond, apple, caramel, chestnut, chocolate, cinnamon, citrus, ginger, hazelnut, Port wine, vanilla, walnut
Persimmon pairs well with:apple, black pepper, cinnamon, citrus, kumquat, pear
Pineapple pairs well with:basil, caramel, cilantro, coconut, macadamia, rosemary, rum, tropical fruit
 Plum pairs well with:almond, cinnamon, citrus, chestnut, black pepper, hazelnut, honey, Port wine, vanilla
Pomegranate pairs well with:apple, citrus, cucumber, mint, tropical fruit
Prickly Pear pairs well with:citrus, lime, tomatillo, tropical fruit
Raspberry pairs well with:apricot, cinnamon, citrus, ginger, lemon, nectarine, other berries, peach, plum, rhubarb, thyme, vanilla
Rhubarb pairs well with:apple, apricot, berries, black pepper, citrus, ginger, nectarine, peach, plum, strawberry
Strawberry pairs well with: apple, black pepper, chocolate, citrus, coriander, mint, rhubarb, vanilla
Tomatillo pairs well with:berries, citrus, mango, prickly pear, tropical fruit 
Walnut pairs well with:apple, apricot, banana, caramel, chocolate, cinnamon, nectarine, peach, pear, plum, rum


Phew! I hope you enjoyed that extensive list! It sure does come in handy for those days when you just feel like trying something you have never done before...or even to spruce up an old fav. =) Whatever your need I am sure this list can help fill in some gaps. Well thank you for reading..I will be off on the beach in Camuy , PR[in my head] and daydreaming about fresh coconut water! Stay hungry my friends! =)

SMBC

Dear Sugar Diary,
  Hi! =) Today I woke up super early ...showered..did dishes and had some coffee...I am now ready to begin my day. =)

 I received an email asking about SMBC [Swiss Meringue Buttercream] I promised I would answer...so I will use this blog to do so;) While all the craze now is SMBC I have found through trial and error that sometimes you will want to experiment with it for different uses....it is great on a cupcake...and as filling...it has a creamier more buttery texture than traditional buttercream though both can be modified accordingly. =) SMBC is simply in my humble opinion ... YUMMIER. And the clean up is half of what you do for regular buttercream=) . Here is the recipe:


Ingredients:

• 5 BIG egg whites
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 lb (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract(or whatever flavor you want!)

I place the sugar ,egg whites and salt in the bowl of my stand mixer and place that over a boiling saucepan of water ... I beat the mixture till its warm and the sugar is all dissolved. You can feel it with your fingers to see if it is still grainy. Then I put the mixer bowl back on the mixer and start to beat it at medium to high speed with the whisk attachment till I see it start to form peaks but not DRY DRY ones...you want it to look shiny and smooth still. Whisk it for...let's say....8 to 10 minutes to be safe....or  until it is "peaky" and cool. =) Now your gonna wanna add your butter...try to do it a little at a time and add the vanilla too. Keep mixing till it is silky and smooth...no lumps at all. And viola! You have yourself some SMBC! It will freeze well for up to a month or so and keep in the fridge for no more than 3 days in a bowl with a lid! Keep the air out!. You can change this recipe to chocolate smbc just by adding about 4 1/2 oz of chocolate(semisweet melted and cooled) into buttercream at the same time you add the vanilla extract.

 I have a feeling that once you try it you will be wondering why you hadn't sooner! I did. Besides you don't get a film of dusty powdered sugar everywhere! =) If you have never tried it before TRY IT TODAY! You should be able to get the ingredients together without a trip to the store....but even a trip to the store is worth it! =) Have a SWEET day!

 

The Mix Up

Dear Sugar Diary,
   This past weekend was great....had two orders and the rest time of the time to relax with my family.  But this weekend also was a first. It was a moment that you wish you could change but you can't even if you try as hard as you could. I misplaced an order. YUP.....misplaced an order!!!!! I had the Mops cake to do for the fundraiser and a Curious George Cake to do for a birthday party.....and there was also another cake...a request for an XBOX.

 I had just uploaded the pictures of the Curious George cake when I received a message online ..it was short & said " Hi Shey, is my cake ready?" I thought it was a joke ...that was my first feeling "This must be a joke".....I looked & looked at the name and it didn't ring a bell at all.....I wrote back...."I only had 2 cakes for this weekend...=(" The person then wrote " The Xbox cake." My heart sunk....I felt sick...I frowned...why? Because I remembered!!!!! I remembered I had talked on the PHONE with someone a month earlier and scribbled everything down on a piece of random paper .... that paper had been put on my freezer with sketches of other cakes and not on my email stack ...=\. My whole business is run through email contact...it is rare that I get a phone call..or even meet a client...emails are good because it is the first thing I check when I wake up and I can go back as many times as I want to check the details ..etc.
  I felt mortified....I wrote her back and apologized....I tried to tell her I could still make it that Saturday but just for a different time ...or I could discount her other order she placed for May.....she simply wrote back "Nevermind and cancel the cake for May." OH MY GOD! My first super angry customer!!!! What will I do???? How will this be fixed? I couldn't blame her for being angry! I wrote back " Ok no prob...and I am so sorry for the error on my part" I couldn't think of anything else for the rest of the night.....I wanted to find a way to make it up to her...but I knew if she was angry nothing would really be enough......so I tried to accept the fact that one missed order in 2 years (since I started) wasn't as bad and that maybe I could make something as a treaty and show her that I am not irresponsible...I just made a mistake! But she doesn't know me & now I worried that her impression of me was forever ruined. Things like this weigh heavy on me. BUT....later on that night she wrote me again....

"Ms. Shea
Sorry about all the confusion, I didn't realize I had to email you the order. I was upset earlier because I had no cake. I would still like to order a graduation cake if, it's not to late."

HALLELUJAH!!!! I was so happy! Then she asked for my cell again but before I had a chance to answer she called! I talked to her and I am not gonna lie I was scared! lol...for real! She explained she had no idea that she could have sent an email...(a friend told her about me) and she wasnt mad anymore and we chit chatted and everything is ok once again!!! I have very bad anxiety over things like this....she also ordered a new cake and the graduation cake! I am so grateful. And I guess the moral of this story is "Honesty IS the best policy!" I didn't try to cover up my mistake....I told her the truth....and she appreciated the fact that I faced up to that. So friends....if your ever in the predicament of a botched order...just apologize..face it head on and hopefully things will turn out just right. In this case they did. Thank Goodness! =)

Sweet Sweet Sugar!

Dear Sugar Diary,
    Sugar. The one ingredient I use the most.  I buy more than 7 to 8 bags a week. In all of it's forms. Granulated...Raw...Powdered...White...Brown...Flavor Infused...liquid...etc. I stir..mix...break down...sprinkle..pour...knead...and cut sugar. A week ago as I stirred it into my coffee I wondered .."Where did it come from?" Who found this marvelous ingredient/preservative? So I researched a little & found that in 327 BC, Alexander the Great discovered the sugar cane!! Sugar was (for a very long time) considered only for the noble classes in Europe...can you imagine not having sugar in your life only because you weren't a noble? But I guess that even in ancient times you couldn't miss what you never had. ;)
  Then upon more reading & countless wonderfully informative websites I found out that "sweet" is the only taste humans are born desiring....hummm..interesting.....& very logical...I mean if your a mommy & have breast fed ... you have probably also been curious about what our own breastmilk tastes like & the first word I always used to describe it was SWEET..then warm. lol...then I read that breast milk offers the "smarter sugars"!!!
 [Lactose is the main sugar in breastmilk. The body breaks it down into two simpler sugars - glucose & galactose. Galactose is a valuable nutrient for brain tissue development. Anthropologists have demonstrated that the more intelligent species of mammals have greater amounts of lactose in their milk, & human milk contains one of the highest concentrations of lactose of any mammal milk. Cow milk & some cow milk formulas contain lactose, but not as much as HUMAN milk.]
 I am no historian or anthropologist...BUT...I guess that means that even before Alexander the Great "discovered" sugarcane, us mommies were already giving healthy doses of sweet smart sugars to our babies! =)  Score! ;)
I think back & remember the stories that my family would tell about life in our hometown of Camuy, Puerto Rico....working the Sugar Cane fields.....I also remember being given pieces of sugar cane as a treat to gnaw on...lol.....that was a very long time ago.....but I remember . =) How different this world would be without this wonderful white sweet discovery! It would be a rather sour..bitter...salty one!  Oh! In 2001, scientists found sugar in outer space! Yup! So maybe even the cosmos have had a need for it....;) I mean once you get a taste for sugar there is no turning back right? (hee hee) So to conclude this rather "school essay" on sugar ....I will leave you with this..."Only when you have eaten a lemon do you appreciate what sugar is." ~ Ukrainian Proverb.
Have a sweet Sunday! Ciao!;)~SugarShey<3

Stay Hungry My Friends!

Dear Sugar Diary,
  

"Above all, you must fight conceit, envy, and every kind of ill-feeling in your heart."                                                                                 

                                                                                                    ~Abraham Cahan


    Today I start with that quote...it is vital information for the person that wishes to succeed in life. In anything. I moved to this town 4 years ago. I quickly learned that small town living has it's perks but many downfalls too. The fact that 43,888 people live in one small area (153.46 sq mi) makes way for pettiness on a level I can't even begin to describe. I think that maybe the thin mountain air makes everyone prone to mood swings. But that is just my theory. (lol) I have lived in many places and almost always in a big city....and in 33 years I have never experienced the level of ill will I have felt and seen in this town.
   In caking you always try to come up with new innovative ways to present CAKE....you strive to be on the cutting edge....you keep up with trends....Ombre...Petal....Ruffle cakes....You spend hundreds of dollars buying tools...materials....etc. You spend countless hours organizing your treasures...and then re organizing them... hours upon hours looking at cake. Scrutinizing it. Kinda like a jeweler looks through his loupe at an exquisite diamond.  You watch tutorials others have graciously put out there with that same awe a person watches a ballet or an art exhibit.....and you practice....you practice till your hands cramp and your eyes cross. You bore your family with cake talk...You come up (with what you think) is an original idea...you toy with this idea and run to the internet to see if it has been done....99.9% of the time ...IT HAS. So lets face it...you either keep everything to yourself or like me...do what your heart dictates. Listen to your inner voice and not the hateful emails...listen to your own creativity and not the mean comments that you hide in your spam folder. If people are taking precious time to be rude or mean it only means one thing....YOUR DOING IT RIGHT. ;)
 I am an optomist....I happily cake from the confines of my little kitchen...I don't have time to "keep up with the neighbors" and I definitely do not have time for non sense....not from adults anyways ..seeing as to the fact that I have 3 children and get enough non sense from them...lol. So if you know me you know that most of the time I am easy going and real. I won't indulge in small town gossip ....come on people .... it's CAKE...one of the happiest foods on earth...ice cream goes with it and sprinkles and whipped cream and all of the yummy things you can think of. Once you learn to get over yourself and accept the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of people everywhere doing what you do you will begin to feel the camaraderie instead of competition.   I am Shey....I can't be anything else....I don't try to be anything other than Shey. ;) And I am the best Shey there can be. How do I know that? Because in the estimated 6.998 billion  people that populate our great planet I am the ONLY one. ;) I hope this lifts your spirits if you are down....look in a mirror and see the perfection that is YOU! Stay Hungry My Friends! FOR CAKE! =)