K8memphis

It's like smoking or your first drink or something. You hate it, you know it's bad, your eyes are watering, tastes like poo, if you don't throw up you want to and then...there you go again...

Eileen said saigon cinnamon , be still my heart!! My idea is to make fruit bread in any of those wonderful new molds. Like I have a rose mold that makes six extra large muffin size roses. But then it can still be sliced like fruit bread. I loved the mold so much I got one for each of the kids...and borrowed them back. In the tea-room I called these 'rose & cream' where I had a tangy cream cheese spread ready to go with it. And on the menu recommended them to be taken 'to go' to give to a friend. Since you are making so many dishes, I think I'd recommend you use the puff pastry. Just that little bit less prep time so you can concentrate on the other items. But I can so picture you enjoying the ministry of patiently peeling the leaves of filo and buttering and layering them one by one...I'm no help. Either way will make a wonderful streudel with your lovely fruit. So sorry about your loss, HBK. Many blessings on you and the family and all. (((((hug)))))

I need to buy four 30" to 36" round wood cafe tables and 12-18 chairs. Tables can be regular table height or counter height but not the real tall pub height. Anybody? Thanks in advance.

But there's nothing stopping you from documenting 'daily events' quietly and discreetly--maybe keep your paperwork at home--jot a note every night.

Koughin is right. I always say, "You can't create your leadership." If the higher ups do not have a working discipline process in place it would be pretty difficult to instate one from your level down. You really can't do what I said to do unless something like it already exists. That's how I got people fired or straightened out. It was easier to train and motivate my folks to make bonu$ so I avoided having to fire too many people. But I should have said that's how my company set up our discipline and action plan stuff. I mean it made it across the board open and shut same for everyone. She is very right though. Go through the chain of command for sure.

I don't see a problem with you gently getting at the facts and possibly your ten bucks. If I had sent that to 'the cooks' I'd be pissed if it wasn't divided properly. You need to check your understanding of what happened in a non-threatening way. Like ask the waittress first. Then ask him when she's within earshot. Maybe something like that. There's no statute of limitations on playing fair. But understand the chances of him coughing up are slim. I think it is important for you to at least make your point.

I think it's ador able--has a Cinderelly look to it with those colors. I totally thought the angle was intentional even before I read it. It's too well done to be a crooked cake. However you said, "(like: I'm never doing that sh#t again )." You'll be back! It's an addiction.

I would think adding an employee would be a wiser decision. You can then give them a great latitude, they can use the kitchen somewhat for their own purposes as well. You can be very creative with the pay. But you so neatly eliminate so many headaches and retain the lion's share of control for the most part. }--Valium set in even better --{ Now that was positive! I knew I could do it.

I have always been on the other side of that coin wanting to find an established place I can work from. But I never actually do it because it just seems wrong somehow. I would always want to know that they are solvent. And that is none of my business kinda sorta. One time I had myself all talked into it and talked myself out of it again. And shortly thereafter the uber awesome artisinal bread shop in the chi-chi location location location went out of business. I mean you gotta share everything and all the what if's start taking you out in a rip-tide. I'm no help at all am I. You got cleanliness issues. Dude, I had this one prospective partner once and I saw them take a spoon out of the drawer, measure something dry and put the spoon back in the drawer . AGHHH!!! She could not write out a break even plan. Even though I explained how to do it. How much of your stuff do you have to make to make x amount of overhead money?? It's simple math. Eff that idea. You got taxes, you got insurance liability, you got time & space issues to resolve. What about your inventory? You will be all exposed there. You can't lock up the lychee nuts. In my city you have vastly different codes for different types of food facilities. Agh, I would have people telling me, "Oh so & so brought me a Coke the other day, I guess I owe you for it." Well I dad gum guess you owe me for it. And who the hell is so & so to provide you with my inventory??!!! And where's the rest of yah's??? You're never 'closed'. You're never secure. What if What if What if. Are they gonna employ workers? Who are they? You gonna give 'em a key? Where they can open the door when you're not there? Obviously I do not have the temperment for it. I raised a hyperactive child and I have no patience left. I guess to try to end on a positive note --{ the valium is kicking in }-- Be sure to address any control issues you might have or learn to develop.

Thank you So much I've been telling my husband about it. Getting him prepared to start copping ingredients over time little by little. Reminds me I gotta make him a list for his wallet. He does a lot of the shopping. We shop kinda just a few days worth at a time. How tall is your luscious cake, HBK??? And the bottom of your jar has no more liquid in it? But at one time the fruit would submerge under the alcohol when it wasn't floating? Obviously I have to go back and re-read the instructions. Lindacakes, I'd give it away before I'd charge $30! Thanks for the info.

Big Hug to you!! So been there. That's like me spending beaucoups of crunch time scoring (cutting in advance) a brownie bottom cheesecake and sliding it all back together to decorate it. We could set up a t-shirt kiosk. The been there done that t-shirt thing.

Maybe just press it into the pan next time? Beautiful pie.

This is so awesome. I put an inordinate amount of cinnamon in my apple pie. It's sooooo goooood. I spit on the mere quantity "one teaspoon" puhtah I mean I put some apple in with my cinnamon. But umm, when I eat dessert it's gotta have big bang for my calorie buck. So this is so exciting. Can't wait for Thanksgiving breakfast!!! <insert jumping up & down trying not to drool smilie face>

I don't know. It appears that the lines are drawn or should I say swords. I'd start documenting documenting documenting. It's good that the higher ups are listening and responding. Take them some evidence. If they cannot grow up you need to get rid of them. 'Practically threw a pencil at you' is worthy of a written warning or suspension as is. wtf. What you might do is, document the date, the occurance and that you asked her about it to check your understanding and she said blabla. Like later in the day you say calmly and clearly just in an inquisitive voice, "Did you not hear me when I said good morning earlier?" Give her a chance to respond and go write it down. That's one on discourteous behavior. With what you've written in your post, you will have a little notebook full before long. When enough of these little nasties accumulate in one job description category, like too many smoke breaks or whatever, then you have a real sit down and explain that this recurring behavior has all been documented. Go over everything and advise them that this is a verbal warning, the next step is a written warning and so on. That this verbal will stay on the books for x amount of time and so long as no more infractions occur it will not effect her employment record. However if something else happens it compounds like compounding interest. You have to have this all planned out in advance so you can advise of the different steps. The ones that accumulated to make up the verbal then a written then a suspension then the final then buh bye. But all documented. And after the infraction always check your understanding of what occured by asking them to relate to you what happened. And document it all and fire their butts. Being courteous and pleasant is part of most job descriptions. If they value thier positions they need to shape up. You have to do this for every employee so it has to be carried out across the board. Not just diddly stuff. Throwing a pencil is really bad.

Oh glory those look good. Nothing is ugly about those pies. So you used how much? Was it vodka? Was it flavored? Could you taste it?

I left the salt out of a batch of hundreds of loaves once and except for tasting like poo it rose and baked just fine. The yeast & all was just the same assuming I didn't eff that up too. What if he cut his consumption of bread a bit. Have an open face sandwich. But you can use some great substitutes too. Garlic alone would mask the lack of salt taste-wise. And Mrs. Dash has a boatload of really tasty salt-free substitutes. I mean like the other herb combos & stuff. Not really a substitute that tastes like salt but a filler in-er that tastes good so you don't notice the salt is gone. maybe

Sometimes the white store bought flowers are dipped in color & alcohol or painted. Some of my friends have experienced them dissolving. So a potential question to ask is, can they be dipped. If in fact you intend to use this method. I guess they got a bad batch of gum paste or forgot the gum or starch in there or something. Reasonable charge for making them yourselves would be the same as a florist in your area charges for the same stem. Have you seen the pre-cut pastillage pieces from Albert Uster I think it is? You can make a myriad of pieces from their stuff. Very time saving and upscale.

It wasn't all of a sudden, they've always kept close tabs on it. Food color has always been a constantly evolving borderline-ish ingredient. Kinda scarry if we delve into it. Kinda like why am I using this, why am I eating this. It's on the don't ask don't tell short list. Generally recognised as safe, for the most part type of thing. Especially in light of the loaded leaded colors flying around the globe these days in lots of stuff not to mention toys. Toys of which are often placed on cakes for decor and trim. It's not the rat's ass it's what's being expelled from said ass that's significant. This sh*t, coloring, can be dangerous. The fact that it is so closely monitored verifies the potential. But we use it in small enough quantities that...so far so good...kinda sorta... "Would you like a bite of dessert?" (As in like the dessert might 'bite' you back play on words.) Hey I use it in my profession what a paradoxilicious conundricake. 'How many candles would you like on that? Red ones? Let me check for you...'

I knew it would seem commercial and jaded to ask about pricing just from the passion of your posts. Shoulda disclaimered that when I asked. But being a specialty cake baker I just feel it in my bones, that if I successfully concoct this brew and before I can nibble it away to the bottom of the barrel, someone will ask me about a black cake. It's like cosmic or something y'know? I mean like they'd be talking about a friend who is lamenting that they are far from home and they can't get the cake they want and blablabla. Then I'll disclaimer to them that this is my first time and they won't care and then I'll have to price it and it will be astronomical and ... we'll see. If you bake/brew/soak it they will come type of thing. Maybe the cosmic forces will be kind and let me get the call after the first batch When you (have a chance to) blow it at least once you learn so much.

Glory my mouth is watering. Umm, I too want to start now for next year. Y'know just in my cake designing Vulcan mind-meld type radar, if I do this I feel I see at least a black cake groom's cake in my future if not a small wedding cake. How would you price something like this? And if you do give an idea please give a reference number. Like for example--wedding cake in my area starts at $4.00 a serving for fondant and a black cake would be X amount. Or tell where you are from or something. Or how much they are in the Caribean (isn't there a double letter in that word?) Ccaribean. No sugar on the fruit and kind of any kind? Is there another restriction on the fruit? Just plain no preservative fruit? Doesn't some of it come unsulphured? I bet I eat it all before I ever bake the first cake. I'm sucha sugar junkie.

Ummm... that sounds the wrong way round! This is *not* my specialist subject, but... There are a number of food additives (including colours) that are approved for use throughout the EU, and therefore on ingredient listings they are listed by their approval number (spoken of as their "E number"). There is a current fuss about the UK disapproving of some of these - specifically azo dye colours - but requiring action at a European level to change the approval. http://news.independent.co.uk/health/article2934325.ece I wonder whether this might have brought about a greater awareness/fussiness about differences between European and US approvals? ← You totally got my attention. Wow how cool. Fwiw I had my kid, Chef-boy, aka hyper-boy, on a food additive free diet back in the day and he totally benefited from it. Made us all nutser. 'Cause it ain't easy. I mean they put preservative on packaging, man. I mean I guess you get less weevils in your food but makes Jonny jumpy too. I made pizza sauce from beets. It was pretty good. His birthday cake was a huge 14 or 16 inch pate choux race track like a giant donut. The chain effect in each little life and family and classroom and school goes from ripple effect to multiple tsunamis crashing back & forth. But so interesting that A.) they foist this stuff on infants (what the h are they think ing??!! and B.) That it is now being scientifically noted that it affects non-hyper people is the king's ransom. After WWII there seemed to be such a lot of kids being afflicted with this most odious of behaviour problems in it's lesser state to this most heart rending of behavior problems in it's greater degree. Since the introduction of rampant food color and food additives etc into our mass produced food culture. I hope that with all of our 'causes' we get the ball rolling to address this clear cause and effect remedy. It worked for us. I'd be a part of collecting door to door or doing a midnight walk-a-thon, or a "Bakes For Humanity" to get this one out in the open. I mean previously if I medicated my kid with antibiotics he ingested beaucoups of triggering agents. I mean he had to have the meds so... Nowadays I'd be hopeful they have additive free meds at least. But the food thing is HUGE. Who was that actress that got everybody scared of apples a few years ago? Where's she when yah need her? It's not apples it's Apple Jacks! Disclaimer: No offense to any parent with a kid on meds--you have to make your own decision and I understand. <<< That said to state the following: TEACHERS OF THE WORLD UNITE!!!! No no no no no! Not actresses!! TEACHERS!!! Glory to God the pressure put an a parent of a hyperactive child to give that kid the magic zombie pills is Huge Huger and Hugest. Teachers could so get this rolling in a heartbeat. They get A's in 'applying pressure.' So I hope this does not seem too far off topic of Annie getting her stuff from France. I guess if I got my way it'd make it even harder for her to get them and calmer in the classroom. It's about the additives that all our Big Brothers are conflicted over. But I did get a bit afield-ish. But...shoot me. But honestly this stuff so permeates the entire food industry the whole damn thing would have to be retro-fitted out the whazoo from every sea to shining sea and to the moon and out in space even. How about warnings to pregnant women though at a minimum. We could start there.

I've got the same idea as has been mentioned, umm go with his interests. Wow 100 years old. WOW what an honor. I just always think chocolate on chocolate scroll work is so masculine and cake-y. Yeah like show the 100 year progress of transportation or movies or food even or what does he like? That's often key in cake designing. Or make it something that is the same today as it was 100 years ago, faith, hmmm, can't think of anything else that is still the same...agh...riding a horse or something? When you defrost the frozen cake do it by gentle degrees y'know, from the freezer to the frige overnight to open air, watch for condensation. Oftentimes it will dissipate by itself and trying to blot it off will marr the cake's finish. But defrosting by gentle degrees will lessen the chances of condensation too. Y'know ask him what was one of his favorite memories growing up. What does he want everyone to know about him that he thinks few people know. What's his proudest moment in his life. Maybe stuff like that. He wants to be a legacy so help him spit it out y'know without you necessarily saying it exactly. This might be a dire question to some but how many wars has he been in? Some men are identified by their military service. What was his profession? What did he like most about it? Where has he traveled? Maybe ask him to give a memory for each decade of his life? What message does he want his great great great grandchildren to know from him? I like to do 'this is your life' kinda cakes, where you just incorporate little momentos of the person's life all over the cake. Ask him what is his favorite silver lining? Maybe something like that. Wow way too cool!

What I heard on the tv at the Pie Competition where my Cake-Buddy Valarie won in '06 with the classic cherry pie (you name dropper you) umm, she said she uses it for tenderness. Nothing exactly scientific, but dang, she won the overall. The hooch is just exponentially more exciting than vinegar. But it sure worked for Valarie. I only bake one pie a year if that. I gain weight breathing too deep near an open sugar bowl. I'll be doing pie crust in November. I'll make extra & try the vinegar and the hooch and just regular. Probably need to make tarts huh, as in mini-pies. I'm sure someone will fill us in before that though. On an aside, the bookstore thing (I'm launching a bookstore) is heating up and there is a coffee shop element and an approved kitchen.

Some people put vinegar in their pie crust. I don't think I've ever done it, but this liquour thing is a definite maybe.

Wonderful and very informative post however I would add that any poorly made biscuit will leave a greasy coating, be sodden and heavy regardless of the fat used to make it. A great biscuit made from shortening is in the hand of the baker.