...Unicorn leggings.
As you do. You know things are serious when I'm wearing unicorn leggings. Under a tenner at Target.
Hard to photograph because...unicorns. *Shrugs*
Danny's been posting these status updates in the kitchen. I suspect he has one for, "Everybody PANIC!" Hopefully we won't get there.
This is the bad week, but it is all over by Sunday night.
I don't see the note for, "Send mum for a spa-day." Oh well, perhaps it is in September.
Banana Split Cake cooling. It will eventually be iced. Basically, a banana pound cake with a layer of strawberry, and a ring of chocolate (not visible from outside). I wouldn't let him bake the, "Tunnel of Fudge" because well,
Fudge Tunnel. I know, the cake came first, but
still. Today was also rye breads, oatmeal breads, the cake layers for the gold cake and devil's food cake, and a banana bread.
I learned a good trick that is proving useful. To soften biscuits like lebkuchen, or to keep chocolate chips from going hard in the tin, add a slice of cheap, commercial white bread. The biscuits absorb the moisture from it without imparting a flavour like a slice of apple or orange would. It works! You need to change it out after a day as the bread slice turns dry as toast, but it is a good way to extend the life of your biscuits for the fair, at the holidays, or whenever. The springerle really benefited from the bread treatment as they need to age before eating. As the clock ticks down here, the bread trick has been a lifesaver. Sure, I feel stupid buying cheap white bread when there's so much baking going on here, but why waste the good stuff to keep biscuits fresh? Anyway, just thought I'd share a good tip.
8 comments:
Danny needs to set up his own bakery one day. It'd be a surefire hit. That banana split cake is seriously impressive.
(I'm honestly surprised he hasn't rebelled and made the tunnel of fudge cake just for giggles.)
Fudge Tunnel? That sounds positively X-rated!!
Like Danny, I was an obsessive time planner as a chef. I used to get more pleasure from sticking to the plan than the culinary creations.
Those unicorn leggings are fab. If you're going to exercise you have to wear stuff that makes you happy. My favourite outfit is a Bambi vest and a pair of psychedelic spandex leggings with frogs, parrots and tortoises in a jungle. xxx
I really don't approve of spandex leggings being made in my size, ditto thongs for public appearances, i.e. beachwear. Muumuus! When I retire and go full Tiki, I'm wearing muumuus!
Methinks Danny could market a line of refrigerator magnets bearing his status lines. I'd buy "Do not dally" and "Everybody panic!" (That one would hold the card from the vet advising it's time for the 17-pound semi-feral tom to get his shots.)
I need a pair of unicorn leggings! They are far superior to my black cat leggings, aka Phoebe leggings.
I'm impressed with Danny's organisational talent. And his baking talent, obviously. That cake looks mouthwateringly delicious! xxx
Love your leggings, and also "make sure not to tally" - wise chap, your Danny.
Bloody love the leggings! That is some serious baking I'm guessing they have many many judges at the fair? Actually as an uninformed Brit how does it all work??
I'd say you definitely deserve the spa day.
@Mim
We're seriously hoping he goes in the baking/catering direction, but he'll probably end up an investment banker or something to horrify us.
@Vix
Fudge Tunnel was an 80's band-definitely not my kind of music!
My dad was a food distributor and I'd go with him to make deliveries sometimes. The caterers, particularly the hotel chefs really had the whole organising/assembly line system perfected. I'm sure you put those skills to work every day sourcing and selling vintage. I could never work in a kitchen-my personality+knives would result in someone getting hurt!
@Beth
I'd wear a thong on a beach...if we had a beach ;)
Apparently he learned "Dally" from me as he recently unearthed a notebook of, "Will Nots" I had him write when he was six. Five hundred of them read, "I will not dally." God only knows what THAT was about but as I'm not a punitive sort of parent my guess is he was screwing around when I told him to do something. Discipline AND vocabulary-not bad.
@Radostin
Thank you. Wait until you see the crazy Halloween ones I picked up. He's asleep now, I'm waiting up for his last breads to finish cooling so they can be wrapped-then I'm off to bed as well.
@Ann
Oooh, cat leggings. You'll have to show them.
@Miss Magpie
Most of the judges in the foods section are home ec. teachers, or people that work at the county extension service. They have set criteria to judge the entries on, and then they vote to award 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place ribbons. The best of division ribbon would be for say, the best bread of all the varieties. There's money involved, so those ribbons add up quickly. Some contests are sponsored by flour or yeast companies, etc. And those often come with good prizes and money. Last year Danny won a giant jar of honey from the Beekeepers association. There's all sorts of competitions for photography, sewing, gardening, essay contents for children, elocution contests, and of course livestock. The canning and baking entries tend to be a die hard group of people that do it year after year (like Danny).
The fair itself runs 10 days and there's exhibits, music, dancing, science exhibits, a carnival, and more I'm forgetting. It has really gone from being a largely agricultural fair to something that appeals to a wider group of people across the state. We have County fairs as well, but the county I live in is largely urban and there isn't much interest.
For us, it is something to do as a family that's challenging, fun, and gets us out of town the week before school starts again. As end-of-summer activities go, it is a nice way to move into the school year. I don't know how much longer Danny will want to do this, but we'll keep going each year as long as he does. It is almost like a reunion-I get to visit with people I only see once a year.
Anyway, that's the State Fair basics.
Spa-Day for moms should be legislated!
Funny how "Tunnel of Fudge" held no such connotation in the 70's.
Unicorn leggings are fab!
Dally ho!
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