Here are a few pictures and videos from our trip to El Salvador… Taken in March/April 2010.
Horseback Riding at the Beach in El Zonte
There is just too many pictures and video to post, so I narrowed it down a bit.
Welcome back,
As I mentioned earlier, I have signed myself up to take the first course of Wilton’s Cake Decorating classes. I have gone through this course about 5 years ago and had a great time participating. I thought that it may be a good idea to take it again, since my skills having been used that much in those 5 years. So a refresher class, going over the basics was a great idea. Now that this class is coming to an end, I signed myself up for Course 2 that starts in July. What’s great is that I have two friends/co-workers that are exciting about taking this class with me!
As promised here are a few pictures of the cakes and cupcakes that I have made in the last month.
For more information about cake decorating, Wilton classes in your area, and decorating ideas for your next cake, Check out these websites!
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/static?page=wilton_cake_decorating
Welcome back,
In this blog entry, I would like to share a few tips and tricks on how to bake Fat Free desserts. I know many people are trying to lose weight and many of those people have a sweet tooth. Well now you don’t have to feel guilty and you can still treat yourself to your favorite home made baked goods.
Baked goods such as cakes, cookies, and brownies are a contributing factor to the excess dietary fat that are in most people’s diets. Traditionally, fat has been used to add moistness and tenderness to these treats. In this blog entry, I will share with you a handful of ways to dramatically reduce and in some cases eliminate the Fat content of your favorite desserts.
* Reduced Fat Margarine/ Light Butter… You can’t always believe what you hear, as you can use Reduced Fat Margarine/ Light Butter for baking. By doing so, you will have cut the Fat in cookies, scones, cakes, muffins, brownies, quick breads, pie crusts and crumb topping by HALF.
* Dairy Fat Substitutes… Buttermilk and Nonfat Yogurt can eliminate the fat in muffins, cakes, scones, biscuits, quick breads and brownies. The fat in cookies will be reduced to half.
* Sweet Fat Substitutes… Honey, Molasses, Corn Syrup, Jam, and Chocolate Syrup are known as Liquid Sweeteners. These Liquid Sweeteners can replace all of the fat in cakes, scones, muffins,brownies, biscuits, quick breads, cookies and crumb topping.
* Fruity Fat Substitutes… Fruit Juices, Fruit Purees and Applesauce can eliminate the fat from cakes, muffins, scones, quick breads and brownies, and at least half of the fat in cookies.
* Sweet Potato and Squash… Sweet Potatoes, Mashed Pumpkin, and other mashed squashes can replace all of the fat in cakes, scones, quick breads, muffins, brownies and biscuits, and at least half of the fat in cookies.
* Prunes… Prune Puree and easy to make Prune Butter can be used to replace the fat from cakes, cookies, scones, biscuits, quick breads, muffins, pie crusts, brownies and sweet crumb crusts.
To make Prune Butter, simply measure out 8 ounces ( 1 and 1/3 cups) of pitted prunes and 6 Tablespoons of water or fruit juice, then place ingredients into a Food Processor and process at High speed until the mixture is a smooth paste. Please note that this mixture is too thick to be made in a blender. Once the prune butter has been made, use immediately or place in an air tight container and store for up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator. This batch will yield 1 cup of prune butter.
For those of you that think “Fat Free” means it must be good for you, that is not always the case. Many Fat Free baked goods that are made with Refined White Flour actually provide very few nutrients. Whole Grains on the other hand contain many nutrients and vitamins including: B12, B6, E, Chromium, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, and Zinc. By far using whole wheat flour is a much healthier substitute for those recipes that use refined white flour.
Fat Free Fudge Brownies:
Ingredients; 3/4 cup unbleached flour, 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder, 1 cup sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt(optional), 3 egg whites, 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional).
Step 1: Combine the flour, cocoa, sugar and salt if desired and stir mixture well. Stir in the applesauce, egg whites and vanilla extract. Then fold in the chopped walnuts if desired.
Step 2: Coat an 8 inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray ( I prefer Wilton Cake Release ), then spread the batter evenly in the pan. Bake at 325F for 23-25 minutes, or just until the edges are firm and the center is almost set.
Step 3: Cool to room temperature, cut into squares and serve. This batch will yield about 16 servings depending on how large the serving sizes are cut.
Nutritional Facts per serving about this recipe:
Calories: 80
Fat: 0.4 grams
Protein: 1.6 grams
Cholesterol: 0 milligrams
Sodium: 25 milligrams
Fiber: 0.8 grams
Calcium: 4 milligrams
Potassium: 32 milligrams
Iron: 0.5 milligrams
I will be posting more Fat Free baking recipes, just so that all of you CAN have your cake and eat it too 
Welcome Back blog readers,
I thought I would take the time to share a few recipes with you. The first is an Easy Cajun Recipe.
This recipe will make enough for 2 people, so double it to make enough for 3-4 people and so on.
Ingredients: 2 celery ribs, 1 onion, 1 green pepper, 1 can (14 oz/398 ml) diced tomato, 3 Tablespoons of flour, 3 Tablespoons of cooking oil, and Cajun spice.
First Step… After washing the vegetables, cut/dice the celery, green pepper and 1/2 of the onion.
Next… Saute the diced celery, onion, and green pepper in the cooking oil until they are 1/2 cooked ( about 5 minutes).
Next… stir in the flour and diced tomato and cook for 10 minutes.
Next… Add the Cajun Spice to the mix, suit to your taste and serve over….. Your choice, chicken, fish, rice, steak tips… Don’t be afraid to be creative.
I have made this dinner twice, first with chicken, then with basa fish fillets and both served with rice. I will have to remember to take a picture of the final result and post it here. I also added a little garlic powder and a dash of pepper to my dish. Feel free to add other spices to suit your taste.
Welcome Back Blog Readers,
I realize that it has been one month since my last entry… There has been a few changes since then and I will use this time to blog about those events.
Since the last entry, I have come back from El Salvador and have also been relieved of my “Supervisor” duties at work. A part of me feels relieved and the other part feels like I wasn’t given a fair shot. But in either case, it’s no longer my problem.
There is still a bit of drama in the cash office… We have one associate that is stirring the pot and bringing down the morale. She has set her sights on the younger associate, making false accusations, making comments that are uncalled for, and just acting childish. As far as I know, a replacement is in the works and hopefully the associates will work well together, without the drama. Well enough about that…
Next topic for discussion, Our New Condo!
Yes that’s right, James and I finally have our own place! We came across an amazing deal that we just couldn’t pass up. We are renting a condo in a great location, we are on the top floor so we don’t have to worry about drunken neighbors upstairs. It’s a one bedroom with a den that we made into an office for James. The building has a fitness room that we have full access too including a sauna. We also have two parking spaces in the underground parking garage, so I no longer have to clean off my car from the snow. Last but not least, our suite includes a washer and dryer! No more spending time at the laundry mat, BONUS!
My nephew, Ayden has finally come to terms with using the potty. I can imagine the excitement that my brother and his wife are feeling. They will be facing the same challenge in 3 years when Noah is ready to make the transition.
James and I are planning a trip back to the US. There are a lot of things that I, well we miss being in Calgary. Places like Sakura Buffet, Cajun Cafe at the Mall, Dunkin Donuts, The Summer House, Six Flags and the Big E. Naturally I miss my brother and his family, and the friends I have back home.
So, as for now… Our plan consists of saving at least $3000.00 minimum between now and September. That should be enough to cover the round trip cost of the flight from Calgary to Ottawa and a rental car to drive from Ottawa to Massachusetts and back, and to pay for lodging for a week and to pay for any leisurely activities.
On another note, I have signed myself up to take the first class of 4 of the Wilton Cake Decorating Classes. I had taken this class a while back, and figured I it would be worth while to take it again before I take the next class. I am very eager to get back into baking and sharpen my creative decorating skills.
Other than that, that is all of the news for now. Hopefully the next entry won’t take a whole month to be posted. In fact, I am sure that it will not. With the new classes starting in June, I can post a few pictures of the cakes I will have decorated
To Be Continued….
