Restless (Or, A Year In Pictures)

3 more days til the year is over.
i was BORN ready for the year to be over. This year i have moved 4 times, had 7 different jobs (i was a tempt, what can i say?)have been accepted to culinary school (who knew?) and have found my sea legs to survive in this mad mad mad mad mad world. One is asked to find a silver lining in every less than desirable situation, and I supose if i dig deep enough and scour the gray and looming cloud that was this year i can see one. sometimes i have to squint to see this lining, and sometimrs it is even brighter than the cloud itself. Right now i am squinting, but it is this:
I have found a direction I want to take my life in and I know that i can do it. I want to travel and I want to be the best pastry chef this mad mad mad mad mad world has ever seen. and, well, if i can't achieve that, knowing i have tried my best and have stopped at nothing will suffice.
I am a more independent version of my former self and this is both scary and refreshing. like diving into a pool of water off of a cliff. something i have never done (HA!) but i think you can all grasp the analogy.
and now, i present to you, The Sunny Robot, a year in pictures:
January-March

Taken in January, Lindenhurst NY. Listening to : Joy Division and Bob Dylan.

working at Intralogic Solutions, spending days in the basement, and evenings on this couch, doing this.

March-May

Taken in March. Living in Astoria with Brother bear and Missy. Being a temp, feeling like this:

Listening to :Bright Eyes and Belle and Sebastian
Discovering my love for something sweeter....



May-November
I moved again! a few blocks away from Jeremy and Missy's.

I begin to understand the challenge of baking in "kitchens" in New York apartments.
Kristen and I end up here, and many other adventures ensue.

and i baked and baked and baked.....
Listening to : Islands, Ashlee Simpson, and still Bright Eyes.....

November - Present:

I got into Culinary School!!

a brief stint in Brooklyn....Listening to Iggy Pop, David Bowie and New Order.

And many many others...but this trip down Nostalgia blvd. must come to an end, because A) i have too many damn pictures and B) i must cleanse my palate for the upcoming year and the adventures it no doubt holds.

Snowflake Cake

A few weeks back my two favorite sous chefs, a friend near and dear to me, my brother and his beautiful wife, shmoops, Molly and the rest of the gang all came together to celebrate the holidays and winter, and of course, food. Trying to do the exact of opposite of what we did for the end of the summer party, the execs (me and shmoops) tried to keep it simple. and for the most part, we succeeded beautifully. The main course was a tuscan white bean soup, and florentine rolls which rocked all the socks at the party off. The dessert menu was decided by yours truly, and what better way to celebrate winter and the grisly weather it brings than with a Snowflake Cake!

A white layer cake with sugar sugary white frosting sprinkled with delicate white chocolate snowflakes.

this part was so cool! ok. Go grab a bowl of hot (not boiling) water. got it? cool. put white chocolate in a ziploc baggie. set baggie in hot water, and wait about....6 minutes. (in this time you can: feed your dog 2 hot dogs, go to the bathroom and wash your hands for 15 seconds and maybe straighten your hair right quick, or sit on the couch, take a few sip of your Miller Lite and be socialble, but only for about 6 minutes, because then you better get your ass back in the kitchen!!) so.

once the white chocolate has melted, snip a tiny hole in the corner of the baggie and sqeeze out the snowflakes on a baking sheet covereed with aluminium foil. then politely ask your sous chef to put sprinkles on the points of each snowflake. then pour her a drink and thank her profusely because that part is a pain in the ass.

Place the baking sheets of snowflakes in the freezer until the absolute last minute you need them because they melt maaad fast.
So, once the cake has baked, you have mixed the 2 pounds of sugar together to make the frosting, and frosted the two layers together and then covered the 2 cakes to make one, i call in my second sous chef to do the tricky task of pulling the frozen white chocolate snoflakes off the baking sheet and giving them to me to place in the cake.
(did i mention they melt maaad fast? it was worth mentioning again)

isn't she lovely!!
(oh what am i going to do in pastry school when i don't have kristen and micaela around and I am the one who has to do all this silly work?)

finished product. kiss kiss.

My little cousin claimed the cake was "too good". which goes to show you, you can't please them all.

Holiday Baking

Christmas time *was* here!! snow fell, presents were bought and wrapped, and i ate and ate and ate.....
I went home last week to be with my family and my creatures, all were well. Christmas eve is a favorite day in my household, with the anticipation of the morning often taking precedence over the actual morning. the house is warm no matter the weather outside, christmas movies play on the telly all day (this year it was Die Hard!)and wrapping paper covers the living room floor. Shmoops invited the family over for dinner before heading off to church. I made a boxing day specialty; Sweet Onion and Apple Tart, found in a new cookbook : Holiday Baking.
the recipe called for a half cup of bleu cheese, and that took over the entire dish. i used a different crust than it called for it, and it stuck to the pie dish so badly that i served it with a ladel. but! enough of the trash talking.
the sunny robot cooks! the bottom of the tart crust is layered with sauteed Granny Smith apples. that's two type of cheese you see before you! 1 cup and 2 tablespoons of cheddar, 1/2 cup of bleu.
sauteeing red onions, and sobbing over the oven.
fin.

So, in conclusion, I wish the apples had come out a bit more, and that the crust had been, well, edible.
can't win 'em all!
Merry (belated) Christmas and a fantastic New Year.

xo

the day i barely got any work done

nahh, i kid. i'll get plenty done, but we all need a break from spreadsheets and phone calls and coffee runs. So, please turn your attention....the issue of New York that came out the day before I was born!! Completely self indulgent, yes. Utter procrastination, absolutely.

The streets were mean in 1985, but the day before yours truly was born, New York was sick and tired and taking the great city back!
and! the ads were funnier and the ladies looked like guys. and you could take a helictoper to the hamptons! (i'm sure you can now, but....it's cute.)
anyway, enjoy! and look up the day you were born and tell me your headlines!! Google Book Search now has all the issues available to view, so....goodluck getting anything done.
;)

the day my world fell apart

Yesterday I spent the chilly December day in the West Village. keeping my eyes peeled for an Olsen twin, i atempted to christmas shop. walking past mexican restaurants, Mediterranean specialty shops, cheesemongers and beautifully presented bakeries. One in particular caught my eye, Rocco's Pastry Shop. the shop was narrow, with tables along one side and an endless display case on the other. the atmosphere was manic, but i was in no hurry as i browsed over the rows and rows of pastries, drooling just a bit....I picked up a Lobster tail, Jamie got the ever classic eclair, and i decided to try something i had never had. i didn't know what was in it, but it looked like a high end Dunkin Donut Munchkin, with a cream in the middle and red dot (?) topping it off. i asked what it was and she said it was a rum ball, filled with cream. how could you go wrong?? watch the disintegration of my dreams:
Hopeful!
"too much rum! too much rum!""can't.even.deal."
"my whole world just fell apart."

So. head off to Rocco's Pasty & Espresso Cafe', and stick to what you know.

xo

December's frenzy

Good morning, I have filled the apartment with the aroma of Chocolate Caramel Ghiadelli Coffee, and i think everyone thanks me for it. You're welcome!
last night was the Edgewood Management holiday party, and it was pretty damn snazzy. It was held at Terrace Club, on a (you guessed it) terrace that was enclosed and warmed by giant heat lamps. think for huge lizards. we had a view of the Rockefeller Center tree and St. Patrick's loomed close by.The food was fair, the bar was open and the audience was floored when the newbies performed a skit that consisted of talking shit about everyone at the company. Now we are "in". It's good to be in.
so by 8, people were in pretty deep, talking family, talking shop, talking politics. My heart wasn't in it. What was my heart in? Bowie, David Bowie. Up to the DJ i shimmied, in an itty bitty black dress, and requested "Let's Dance". Everyone took the song literally, and I can say i single handedly got that party rocking. (Pats back). We danced, I think I learned the mambo, and then I went to meet my friends at my personal favorite bar, Company. It was packed, I switched to PBR, and requested "Let's Dance". had a nice long cab ride home, stopped at Popeye's for some chicken and potatoes, and fell asleep to the telly.
But no time to nurse this hangover(see below)

I'm off Christmas shopping!

Vegan Thanksgiving with Brandon and friends

Thus beginning the busiest time of year for aspiring bakers and obsessive "foodies" ( i want that to come off as un-snarky as possible.....k?). This past Sunday I made the (long!) journey back to Astoria, to visit a long lost best friend, Brandon. (that's Biko to you). i was entering vegan territories, and i wanted to honor their dietary lifestyle as much as possible. I was excited to be a part of an entirely Vegan Thanksgiving! I made (oh shocker)
Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Cookies and Cream Frosting!
with not a drop of dairy or meat, I made a batch of pretty successful little cakes. The great thing about vegan living (in this day and age) is that there are so many recipes reflecting vegan wishes, and many options to fulfill any craving at all. (Yes there is vegan bacon.....but that is one substitute i can't get behind....sorry mom) Much literature and websites are dedicated to the art of vegan living, promoting a safe and healthy change in diet.
anywho, the cupcakes were a smash and - as always- super fun to make. it was the first time i had made buttercream frosting....a staple in the cake/cupcake community. it.........takes.......patience. the requested time to beat the frosting is 7 minutes.
"yea yea, 7 minutes, that's nothing." Uhm. you're wrong. by minute 4 I thought "yup, looks good to me!" as my arm got all crampy and my attention span officialy gave way to anything that wasn't beating that damn frosting. needless to say, had i persevered the extra 3 minutes (!) Cookies and cream frosting would have been even more fluffly. And with buttercream, the fluffier the waaaaay better.
We served them after dinner, which was.....Tofurkey, stuffing, roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, apple-plum sauce, cornbread.....ooooo....and Apple mashed potatoes Dumplings!! *(they came with the Tofurkey; which tasted like veggie bologna and was stuffed with...you guess it, stuffing.) it was all so good! everyone contributed to the table, and we laughed and drank wine and grew sluggish as the contents on our plates grew smaller.
And then came dessert, pumpkin pie (so good! a classic) and my cupcakes. here they are:
the batter only made 10, rats!
mmmm a sea of cupcakes. with little Newman O's poking up like shark fins.

and that was that! A lovely thanksgiving, the first of a few, I am fortunate to say.

p.s. Some favorites on vegan bookshelves.

Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

How it All Vegan

Garden of Vegan

Happy reading and a wonderful Thanksgiving to all!

always room for cake

Saturday evening, after we stuffed ourselves to the gills with ravioli, we collapsed in the living room, dozed off, and prepared ourselves for dessert! but of course! god forbid we stop when our stomach tels us to; the heart knows better.
I had visions of this:
but ha! we should know better. this is not exactly what came out of the oven. Alas, come with me as I dare to describe my first ever:
White Cake with Coconut Frosting!
First things first. the recipe called for one huge cake pan; this is not what i had pictured, nor did i have the equipment to make it as such. So i made a 2 layer cake, which is always super fun :)
alright, so cakes are in the oven, time to start the "frosting". Why the quotes?you may ask. well let me tell you.
This frosting consists of a stick of butter, sugar, and coconut flakes. RIGHT. it was to sit for 40 minutes before applied on the cake, so i t had a glimmer of hope that the frosting would miraculously turn into the light and immaculately white cream that graced the surface of the above shown cake.
not quite.
After i taste tested it and made the "OH helllLLLL no" face, i asked my dad to run to the store and pick up some heavy whipping cream so i could make some classic whipped cream frosting.
So i put the butter coconut goo thing in between the two cakes. it didn't taste bad, if you absolutely love butter. which i do...so it was fine.
then i whipped the whipped cream, put some yellow food coloring in it (obvs) and called it done!
oh hellllLLL YEA.
xo cake.

a fruit fly on the wall

come to me you hungry masses! who long for good, homemade food, and in large quantities! come here, rest your weary head upon my apron and i will hold your hand with flour crusted fingers.
or something.
anyway! this weekend I went home to break in Shmooples' pasta maker.
We could not chose between Sweet Potato Ravioli with Brown Butter sauce or the Artichoke Ravioli with Tomato.
So we made both!
the pasta making process was alot of fun once i/we got it down. she had the machine for a little over a year, but was a tad intimidated by the process. understandably. it had cranks and levers and instructions in 6 different languages. you knead the dough, fold it in half and inch by inch, it stretches out to paper thin sheets of dough in which to place delicious concoctions into! The army worked as followed:
Shmooples: filling station
Michelle : rolling and pulling the dough.
Micaela: placing filling in the sheets of dough, forming ravioli.
once we established our stations it went quite smoothly, and before the hunger set in we were all quite jolly.
after 4 hours of flour flinging, dough kneading, and stealing tastes from sauces and filling, dinner was served.
On the table before us were the two types of ravioli and very very garlicky bread (MMM!)
and my family. it was a delightful Saturday evening.
here's the process...i'm tired just looking at them.
3 separate batches of dough. they must be covered at all times.
Micaela applying the egg wash.
And filling.
And folding.
Ravioli lined on parchment paper. These are only the artichoke ones.
they expanded so quickly! plump.
The finished product! Bon Appetit.

who IS this guy?

Last week on The Office, Pam and Jim's long distance engagement continued, and to help eleviate the pain of not making witty banter round the dysfunctional office all day, they bought the world's smallest bluetooth. They whispered on it all day, and it was sort of weird because even I would need a break from Jim, and that's saying A LOT. anyway. at the end of the episode, Guy (that's his name in my book) from Pam's art class surprised her at work, and said he was "kidnapping" her. Cute? Creepy? I say the latter, but i'm pretty scared of people. So, she says she can't blah blah, he just needs to talk to her for a moment...etc etc....they go into an empty office.
As i watched with baited breath and Jim listened on the aforementioned bluetooth, I thought Guy was going to declare his burning love for the receptionist turned artist that we all adore. Although I am quite sure that the fire is indeed present, what Guy wanted her to know is that, basically, art is dead everywhere except for New York. He said she should stay here, immerse herself in the culture, inhale the creative fumes that exude from the sewer pipes in the streets and the smoke from the pipes in the park. He informs her that you cannot "do New York" in a few months, and her staying put is imperative to her career and her life. When she finally gets a word in, she squeaks "Jim's in Scranton". Guy gives some weak response that I don't remember because I saw the episode 5 days ago. Whatevs.
By the end of the episode we were left feeling a little squirmy, and scratching our heads and asking "Who the hell does this guy think he is?!" (Well, at least I was, but i feel very invested in Pam and Jim's relationship....so sue me.)
Jamie and I discussed after the episode was over. He thinks what the guy did was completely inappropriate, unfair and snobby. I thought maybe Guy had a point-up to a point. I do not assume an artist can "experience New York" in 3 months as they would like to. There are too many things to see, boroughs to explore, people to meet, bars to drink in and stories to write. However, assuming art is only alive in New York is pretentious and not true. (Oh yea, it's alive here too......GUY) As for his inappropirateness, I felt that Guy was just giving some advice (ugh, words of wisdom?) to his new found friend; giving it to her straight, encouraging her to stay. As for the "Jim is in Scranton" remark, (that arrow that lodged itself into our hearts as we listened as nervously as Jim) well that was just cold. I can't recall what he said, but it sure as hell wasn't apologetic or understanding of her desire to be near her fiance. (it is John Krasinski for christ's sake!)
What we were left with was a dilemma: Was Guy just a jerk who will leave a sour taste in Pam's mouth, or has Guy given her something to think about....dare i say chew on? (HA!)
And,most importantly, is New York all it's cracked up to be?
I say yes; but i don't have a Jim waiting for me in Scranton.

note to self:

don't ever - I repeat - EVER bake while watching Gossip Girl. There is a 72% chance i have ruined what would have been perfectly good Portuguese Corn Bread.

Must be Chilly

If it's time for Chili! (bah dum chiiing)
Yesterday I met with with Kristen and Anthony for celebratory cupcakes. The occasion: Culinary school at last! The place: Crumbs Bakery.
We toasted with frosting instead of champagne bubbles. I went home quickly though, taking for granted the unseasonable weather and not wearing nearly enough. As i walked home i couldn't help but notice how clear the sky was, how crisp the air was and how strongly it smelled of chili weather. I have never made chili before; I try to stick to the baked goods because I like the specificity, the method and the steps. But there was no denying what needed to happen in kitchens across the great land of Brooklyn. So I called Shmoops and asked for her recipe for :
Shmoop's Spicy Vegan Chili!
In a large pot, sautee some garlic, green pepper and red onion. ("Some!" she says!! I say "how much? one cup? one clove? one whole pepper....work with me!!!")
once it smells awesome, add a 16oz can of tomatoes, juice and all (if you get diced tomatoes then your set right here. If not, make sure to slice the tomatoes while they are in the pot, so as to not lose any juice. Let that simmer for about 45 minutes.
Watch one and a half episodes of The Simpsons....
Open up a can of Black beans and Red kidney beans (or whatever sort of beans you want.....you get the sense of "whatever" ooozing from this recipe?! it boggles the mind....i Love it.) rinse them off so all that icky bean juice is off, and then add it to the pot!
Simmer for another 15 to 20 mintes. Paint your nails while you wait.
Now, throughout this you should be adding Chili Powder, Oregano, Salt and Pepper. Again, i asked how much and the answer was "to taste". I got confused again, and just kept shaking the bottle of Chili Powder. More is always ALWAYS more. After about an hour on the stove, take off the lid, and smell. that's all you can do. Let your nose be your guide. Think Toucan Sam.
It tasted a bit....how should i say...tangy. And my problem with cooking "to taste" is that i don't know how to remedy that. more something? less of everything? i didn't know. So, i put more chili powder, and it actually worked! So this was my dinner.
it was pretty good, actually. not quite the same, no cheese, no corn bread, no Molly begging at my feet. I curled up and watched It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and it was very chill. (bah dum chiiing! i'm done now.)

I DID IT

Since about April I have been working on starting at the Institute of Culinary Education, for the baking and pastry arts program. And as of today, I was approved for a loan, put down a chunk of change and received the addresses of the places i must go to to pick up my supplies, uniforms, etc. FINALLY!

YESSssssssssssss!

I start January 10th, 2009. I will be taking weekend classes from 9-5, so if anybody wants to take me out....now is the time to do it. My sleep-in days are almost all but over, however a chunkier, happier, sleepier and more directed Michelle is coming your way.

Things that inspire me....

It is fairly common knowledge that it is often easier to complain about what surrounds you, rather than to revel in the mess that has become. Example: "That burrito I just ate was so massive I can't move without unbuttoning my pants" Now it is the not the wisest thing to walk around New York with your pants unbuttoned, so you could let the situation snowball as such: "man i'm full, god i'm fat, ugh i hate my life." or- you could say to yourself "well burritos are my favorite thing in the world and now i have an excuse to buy yet another pair of sweatpants!"
A simplified example, but you see the point.
So I am blue. It happens. As much as I would love to listen to some Bright Eyes, pour myself a bowl of wine and apply eyeliner an inch thick, i am going to try something I rarely do...take the high road and lift myself from blue to yello. Here are my current inspirations:

Books: their smells, the color of the pages, the weight of them in my bag as i walk through the city and in my hands as i read them. I have recently recieved my first (very own) copy of East of Eden by John Steinbeck. It means alot to me to have this book in my room, its words so close to me. It is a very powerful book and it dominates my bookshelf right now.
I recently touched upon another favorite author, who I have not spoken of/read in a few years, Jean Rhys. But her words speak volumes to me, and i always thought of her as a kindred spirit. She makes me want to be a writer, and makes me believe i can. I am currently reading Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse. The perfect introduction to winter, it is about an isolated soul, wandering around lonely and full of pain. But i so adore good writers and strong words, and I can already tell I have embarked upon a story with both.

Baking: obvi. Mixing, sifting, rolling dough, flour, sugar, frosting. Cupcakes, chocolates, petit fors, pies, tarts, cookies, muffins, breads, and Pink Lady cakes.

galadarling....nuff said.

Isla Fisher : i don't know, she just seems cool as hell to me. AND! she's married to Sacha Baron Cohen.
and then i get inspired by little things like big dogs and new Converse and Rilo Kiley.

xo.

Pumpkin Frenzy

You can tell this post is a wee overdue by the location. These
cupcakes were the last thing I made in my Astoria apartment. They were born out of the pumpkin frenzy i was experiencing.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes*!

mmmmm!! with Cream Cheese frosting
I put a few more chips in them then recommended, because A)I needed to use all the chips in my pantry and B) i love chocolate obvi.
Here's the recipe.
The cakes themselves were very dense. I used about a 1/3 cup of honey, which I didn't like the sound of. I don't like the taste of honey to begin with, but understand it's sometimes necessary in recipes. However, the 1/2 cup of honey recommended was a tad much and it wasn't just a sweetener, it took a bit of the pumpkin flavor away from it. and that's the best part! But the cream cheese frosting was lighter than than i thought it would be so the combination was quite delightful. And so much chocolate!

*Cupcakes and Muffins are differentiated by a few simple things: Cupcakes have frosting, and are sweeter. Muffins are considered to be a breakfast food, cupcakes can be substituted for wedding cakes! So....the recipe says "Muffins" but, they were definitely a dessert for me, and oh yea i drenched them with frosting.

New kitchen, new recipes, shorter days, hibernation. Stay tuned.