Ahhh...

As much as I love baking, I've realized that there's something else I love just as much - being a part of an amazing community. Whether you own a business or not, the fact is that when you're surrounded by people who believe in you and want to help you succeed, it just makes you that much more motivated. Why? Because it's no longer something that "I'm doing"... it becomes something that "we're all a part of". Business is never supposed to be something you do alone. Even if your business is a one-person operation, you are not in a vacuum! Remember that fact - and savor it, like a delicious piece of cheesecake. <3

Speaking of that: http://thesurrealist.co.uk/shakespeare.php?word=cheesecake

Enjoy!

Start of a new semester...

... and let me tell you - this isn't just ANY semester. This is my FINAL semester!! *squeal of delight*
Once this semester is over, I will be done with school for... well, I hesitate to say "forever", but I will definitely be done for a good long while. While I am an avid self-educator (my curiosity is pretty much insatiable), I don't much care for the institution of Big Education. But that's neither here nor there - some super exciting opportunities await me post-graduation, and that means a lot for me AND for you!
I will hold off on giving too many details until plans are solidified, but suffice it to say that once Sage gives me my soul back, you should soon be able to find "Troy's local Cheesecake" available via many more avenues than just ordering directly from me! My business will have some spiffy new digs and will be part of a great partnership with some great people! We believe in the potential of the beautiful city of Troy to grow and flourish (which it has already begun to do) with the help of creative, committed entrepreneurs.
I just got super excited, so I'm going to go bake a cake. But seriously, everybody - stay tuned!! I will begin posting pics again soon... ah, heck. I had some fun projects over the holidays, so why not show off a little?

Cinnamon Bundt Coffee Cake (with a cinnamon-vanilla glaze)

 Some yummy Tangy Lemon Bars for a Christmas get-together

 A smooth Mint Chocolate Chip cheesecake for la famiglia

... and some super-yummy Punk'n Marbles cheesecake bars for a New Year's Eve party! Mmmmm...

Alrighty kids, that's all for now... enjoy life and work hard!

<3

The little (buttery) things

Alright, so if any of you know anything about me by now, you know that I love butter. Looooove butter. Especially brown butter. That stuff is legit. In a sauce with sage and caramelized shallots, served over butternut squash (coincidence? I think not) ravioli... in homemade butter pecan ice cream... and, most relevantly to this post, in the ultimate aphrodisiac of a dessert:

Brown butter pound cake. Oh, be still my heart! I swear, if a guy ever served me a slice of this stuff on a date (ideally, accompanied by a pint of Brown's brown ale), I would take it as a proposal and marry him on the spot.


Okay... that is a bit of an exaggeration. But for reals. This cake is good.

I wanted to share this recipe with my food science class for our final lab... and wow. The way the smell of it filled the air as the butter was cooking, the ridiculously seductive smokiness but not quite to the point of burning... it was like the air was somehow saturated with breathable toffee-butter-cookies. That, my friends, is the Maillard reaction at its best.

Anyways, I've known for a while that it's weird that I'm a nutrition major (or half one), because I loooove food. It's not that I don't care about nutrients, but really, I eat food cause it is food. And food is good. It makes me happy. And, it just so happens that the food I like is usually jam-packed with good nutrients and stuff like that - yay.

However, I'll tell you exactly what this cake is jam-packed with... delicious butter. (I made it with organic sugar and a blend of flours including a good portion of whole grain, but that's beside the point!) And I practically had to hold my classmates hostage to get them to take some home with them! :'( Nutritionism is ruining us.

I'm on a tangent kick tonight, so speaking of jam...

Blackberry, to be exact, warmed up with a little red wine to make a simple sauce. It's dark and rich enough to stand up to the kick in the face that the brown butter imparts (I know, you don't usually think of butter as kicking... but that just means you need to try this cake), but the acidity and the tannic qualities of the berries and wine together cut through the sweet, smooth, complex butteryness - AND YET - it does not impart any bitterness because the tannins are balanced perfectly by the butter. It's synergy... beautiful, sweet, bold yet subtle synergy.

Yes, I'm gushing... forgive me.

Anyhoo, the moral of this story is that I took most of the pound cake home and ate it at least once a day for almost a week.

All by me onesie.

Awwww, yeah. ^_^

Hey, a girl's gotta enjoy what she does, right? Anyways, if your mouth is now watering, pick up the phone and call/text me to place an order. Or email. I do that too.
If your mouth isn't watering... you have problems and you need help. But know that I still love you.

<3

Going mobile, as it were...

Testing! This is me, posting an entry from my Droid (first time I'm trying this... just downloaded the app).

How's everybody doing?? :-)

Some of my recent activities

Top to bottom: Berry Spiced (a blackberry cheesecake with hints of ginger and cinnamon); Snappy Strawberry-Lemon (lemon cheesecake topped with ginger-marinated strawberries); and the classic Blackberry Bouquet (lavender-infused blackberry cheesecake with a blackberry-red wine sauce)

As for what's next, I have a few awesome gigs lined up for the fall (yeah, of course people don't like to order cheesecake during the summer, but as soon as school starts back up, BAM!); including a wedding shower, a WEDDING (0_0), and some family reunions and other get-togethers. Exciting!

Yes, it may be somewhat unusual...

Okay, so I had this idea for a cucumber-green tea cheesecake. And I thought it sounded pretty nifty. But everyone I asked was all like, "BLEH THAT SOUNDS SO GROSS", so I was thinking I may have been a little too enthusiastic about my idea without thinking about its appeal to the market en masse...

So here are some variations of the aforementioned cheesecake. Vote for your favorite by way of comments, I guess?

~ Cucumber Green Tea (sweetened, most likely, with agave)
~ Cucumber Mint
~ Lemony Green Tea (maybe with honey?)
~ Cucumber... Melon? (would that taste too much like body wash for people? lol)

Anyhooz, these are just some options I've been thinking over. Let me know your feelings!

SUCCESS!!

Hi everybody! I know, long time no see... I'm sure I missed you more than you missed me. ;-)

I've taken a bit of time off lately to regroup and do a little bit of relaxing (I know, shocking)... but now I'm back, and I just say, I have officially taken beer-infused baking to a whole new level. This lovely brown butter Bundt cake I made last night (picture to follow when I get home) has a deep, buttery, almost smoky flavor thanks to a generous dose of a BEEEEAUTIFUL Whiskey Porter (from Brown's Brewery right here in Troy), as well as some dark organic brown sugar. Mmmmm... sinfully delicious - and whole grain! Wow! It's like, the best of every possible world... except it DOES still have calories. Sorry, we haven't discovered absolute perfection on earth yet. But this is darn close!

Anyways, everyone have a fabulous day! <3