ChocoMom

Quick question to Kerry, or any other lucky EZTemper owners: I easily could have missed it in this thread, so I'll apologize in advance if its already been asked and answered. But, I have the electricians coming out to the house this coming Monday, and they need to know what kind of outlets I need. So, I am assuming the EZ Temper is going to require a 110 outlet, correct? He asked for the Amps also. I went through the online user manual, and did not see that particular info. If you can help me fill in the blanks, that would be most appreciated!!!! This has to be done for every.single.appliance and light fixture in the entire house. So frustrating.

One month ago, we were just starting out. Now, here is what we have:

That's so lovely that you have all the sets! I went to Replacements Ltd online to find out what the replacement value would have been for all of my great grandparent's china, and then my mother's Raymond Loewe set. I could not believe all the patterns they had on there!!!! It was a starting place, at least. For the actual value, I found a few sites online that will give you an actual value, if you pay them. Otherwise, Etsy and Ebay gave me a few ideas, too. HTH!

I failed to say what they were....the giant rainbow trout was my son's catch. Figures....its the tallest one- just like he is! All the rest are Brookies and Rainbows. Quite delish with ground garlic, pepper and a little squirt of lemon.

This was more like a "Linner" Meal. Lunch + Dinner = Linner (according to my brother). Hubby and my 18 yo son went fishing on the Pilgrim river. They caught em. I cleaned em. And, then nom nom nom.

It was a while ago, but I used the laquer spray. I believe it was from Chef Rubber or Bake Deco. I had to practice with it a bit, but it worked fine. It does take a bit of time to dry, but I ended up with a super-high gloss. I tasted one to see if there was any sort of residual taste, and there wasn't any that I could detect. You know, research and development and all. My purpose in using it was to preserve the display pieces for craft shows, etc.

Next small update...we started construction on Monday of this week. Measurements were off, but my chocolate room ended up bigger. 12.5 by 13'. Not huge, but I'm okay with that. The whole basement has to be insulated and drywalled to meet current codes, so I will have plenty of storage space down there. They poured the footings for the enclosed porch 3 feet too long, so, the window is gone from the shop,(and I am thrilled!) I am looking at a slim-air unit to run in the shop, and the condenser can set right out side, tucked behind the front porch. Machines...I am still pondering. Having to do this kitchen plus the house kitchen, plus 3 bathrooms and a laundry room...just a little much to deal with. I was ready to order a sink system from Webstraunt but, the shipping would have killed me. So, I am making a trip to Green Bay sometime in the next month or so. If I take the big trailor, I can get all the pieces except the island, in one trip. With the prefab'd floor and roof trusses, and the wall systems (studs and headers only), the shell for the house will likely be up by June 1. Siding, Windows, roofing....all on order now. We went with the larger construction company, not because they cost a little less, but, because they could start within 3 days of signing. They have a massive team of guys who work at incredible speeds. And, the last little update.....grand child #3 arrived yesterday---23 days past the due date. He's happy. healthy, and entirely adorable.

Here's the credits/link from the egg cartoon...forgot to post it. http://www.kappit.com/img/132268/hows-the-diet-going-not-good-i-had-eggs-for-breakfast-scrambled-cadburys/

I've been pricing all of that SS around the Green Bay area, since its about the closest "large" city near us (despite being a 3-4 hour drive). I did find a restaurant supply warehouse there that actually stocks all of the necessary pieces, and has a showroom. While I tend to gravitate toward the whimsical side when it comes to my own spaces, (hence, the pink lemonade stove), I will go with all SS, and maybe some built-in shelves or floating shelves up above the counter areas. I know when the grandkids come over, there are certain things that I cannot have beneath the counters, within their reach. (BTW....grandkid #3 is due this week!!!!) Probably should have the booze in closed area, too. Flooring, I need to go explore again. Love the way Travertine looks--not sure how well that would work for me. I'd probably fill all those natural little holes with chocolate instead of grout. You know...personalize it a bit. (kidding.) The area behind the stove and sink are likely the only parts I'd tile. The plumbing I plan to tie in with the current system unless the health dept. says no. I looked at Kerry's 3 compartment sink, and am using that as the sink plan for my kitchen. Far more cost effective than the traditional homestyle sink/cupboard. Love your dishwasher idea, too. I have enough room for an island, but I'd like the ability to move it. Been looking at those online at Overstock and Wayfair. So many details to work out. ugh. And I have to do this for the entire house. The quotes on trusses, wall systems, and floor systems are due tomorrow....how high or low that comes in will dictate much of how we proceed. Thank you all, once again, for the flow of ideas, advice and information! I appreciate it all so very much.

Found the stove. https://bigchill.com/shop/stoves/36-inch-big-chill-stove/

That is a fantastic idea!!!! I am still learning how to work the Iphone, and have not mastered that process yet. Plus, I have no recipes to photographs yet....BUT when I do...I am certain my 10 year old will teach me how to do that. (Getting schooled by a 10 year old is so humbling!)

Well, there is something perfectly genius about emailing them to oneself. I had everything written down in notebooks all over the workshop, kitchen, bedroom, and dining room. When the house burned down, all the recipes went with it. So....I am trying - in my head- to recreate the caramel recipes that had so many customers mesmerized. Once I get that bad boy down again....on to yahoo mail it shall go. I will send it to my hubby as well. Once he has it, it will stored on his server at work, and his genius IT guy can retrieve it if I should ever lose it again.

Due to the absence of mixers. beaters, and other proper tools for baking and cake decorating, I had to do everything by hand. So, things came out a little more, uh, shall we say, rustic. Hence, the purposeful exclusion of photos. So, I will describe instead: Kids dessert....Peepcakes. Chocolate cupcakes, iced, topped with green coconut and speckled jelly beans. And, a Peep Chicken stuck on top of the "eggs" . My niece and nephews live for sugar, so this was perfect for them. Grownups desserts... 4 layer cake. White chocolate cake with lemon zest, lemon curd, another layer, raspberry filling, another layer, lemon curd, top layer..thinly iced, plus thin icing on sides. Made a white chocolate ganache, poured over the whole thing. Decor... beat the heck out of an egg white. Coated 1/2 pint of fresh raspberries with it, the rolled in granulated sugar and set to dry. Did all this Saturday evening. Sunday afternoon, before dinner, I plucked nearly every mint leaf off my little plant, and placed them evenly around the cake in groups. Plus a larger set in the center. Using the sugar-coated berries, and some fresh berries, did little bunches all around the cake. The leftover berries made a lovely boarder around the base of the cake. While the finished product was not up to my usual visual standards, my brother in law claims it was one of the best desserts I ever made. Adding lemon zest into the cake batter was key. On my list of things to replace from the house fire: The KitchenAid. Wilton cake pans, off set spatulas, cake decorating set, spinner table, and cooling racks. Working with only a wooden spoon, a fork, and no cooling racks was a bit of a challenge. Post fire, I am beginning to find more things I took forgranted. It is, however, profitable for learning to improvise.

Well, I have a small update. . The interior of the foundation is completely mucked out, and the walls are braced to handle the hydrostatic pressure when we begin the spring melt. The current weather will not allow us to excavate any more debris into the tralior right now, so hubby and I spent a bit of time working on new house plans. Employed a bit of creativity, and ended up with a 14.5 ft by 10 ft space for the new shop. (I think it is slightly larger than the old one.) There is a central entrance to the house- an enclosed porch of sorts- with in floor heat. Once inside the porch/entrance area, there is a door adjacent to the front, which leads into the chocolate room. (The second door directly ahead leads into the front of the dining room and kitchen-which are both enormous areas). So...that will be a perfect spot for people picking up orders. We've decided to use rock and sand, bringing the ground level in front even with the house level, and then paving it. No one will have to use steps to get in and out. (We were planning ahead for those days when the knees/ankles/hips might not work so well.) And, that will be nice for some of my elderly customers. I finished the house inventory yesterday, and the chocolate room had 6 pages of items...and those are only the things I remembered! I know there were plenty of little things I forgot about. But, we maxed out our insurance policy, so it wouldn't do any good to go back and amend it. As for timing, the building plans are approved. And, we've submitted the plans for bids on the truss/joist packages. One of the truss companies will prefab the interior and exterior wall systems. (only the studs and headers....not the siding and drywall.) So, things would move along quickly, if we signed on with them and had our wall systems built now. For now, we wait on quotes and the insurance company. Given my fondness of pink, I happened upon a pale pink stove/oven online. Can't remember if it was Aga or AJMadison, or who. I was just kind of tickled to find something like that. Contemplating the Selmi, (though I really adored my Rev's from Chocovision. I had one of them for nearly 19 years..and it worked beautifully.) Did someone say the Selmi requires a 220 outlet? I plan to have 2 - 220 outlets installed. regardless. I haven't had time to really look at the refrigeration units again. I plan to get the monster, glass door beast; and also a wine fridge or refrigerated case for the finished pieces. So much depends on the insurance at this point. And that's all I've got for now. Keep the ideas coming, whenever you have any!! Its all so very much appreciated!

I second that emotion. Or desire. Or whatever it is..... Wiping drool off the computer now.... Lovely piece of art, Patrick. Just lovely!

It brings me so much happiness to enjoy chocolate-making vicariously through all of your work! Its all so lovely! Until the ashes are cleaned up, and the new home and chocolate shop are rebuilt....the egullet threads will be about my only tie to crafting artisan chocolates. So, keep up the beautiful work everyone, and post as many pics as you can. Your inspiration is much needed and incredibly appreciated, as I long to get back into my own kitchen.

I hear ya, Ruth. It is so difficult finding that perfect fit with packaging, pricing and shipping. These are some of the options I used, (before the house/shop burned down): Sweet Packaging has some 2 part boxes with the acetate lids. They will hold two fairly large pieces. You can get cavity inserts for them as well. Might be a little more pricey, but honestly, I cannot recall what I paid for those. I know they give volume discounts, though. The cardboard, one-piece folding boxes at Nashville Wraps are only about .29cents each. If you build it into a large order, you can get free shipping. This one...http://www.nashvillewraps.com/candy-boxes/clear-truffle-boxes/sku-fc23abr.html is less than a dollar per box, and has a clear lid. If you can build a large order ($300 +), shipping is free. A couple times a year, when there is a big sale, I order all the Christmas packaging I can, along with the gift bags, ribbons, fibre tissue, etc. I don't have to do it often, and to get that free shipping is such a bonus! I like alot of the ASB boxes, but, the shipping costs end up being 1/3 -1/2 of the purchase price. The only way to break even with that company is to buy the clearance items when they hit 40 or 50% off. I cannot figure out why they don't do it the way Nashville Wraps does it. They'd probably get tons more business.

Oh, this is fun thread!!!! My Mom was a health-food nut, bless her heart! We had a rotation of Special K, Corn Flakes,Cheerios, All-Bran, Grape Nuts, and Rice Krispies. Whatever was in the pantry depended solely upon the coupons she'd cut from the previous Sunday paper. We were not allowed sugar on cereals, only honey. (This drove Daddy crazy. He loved sugar!!!) Once or twice a year, Mom would let us pick out a box as a treat- one for me, one for my bro. I'd ALWAYS pick Count Chocula. My brother would get Apple Jacks or Froot Loops. I'd share my Count Chocula with Daddy, because we both loved chocolate so much. On Saturdays, we'd get eggs and some toast made with that thick nutty bread. Can't remember the name of it. Sundays, back to cereal. Now, if we were at Grandma Schultz's house....that was another story. Grandma made potato bread from scratch, sliced -toasted and buttered a WHOLE LOAF. We'd chow that with a cup of coffee, then help Grandma with gardening and housework. Sometimes, if we were over there on the weekend, and Grandma had been to the A&P, we'd get bacon and eggs too. (This is the same Grandma that taught me how to make fudge, and play the piano.) She was awesome. The whole cereal thing started to go down the drain when we moved north and started farming. Having fresh eggs daily is amazing, and my younger kids would eat eggs and toast (from the homemade potato bread) almost everyday. When the older kids would come around, they all turned into "Cereal Killers." I have never seen a kid eat more cereal than my oldest step son. Good golly! He could down a whole box (the really BIG box) of Honey Smacks or Apple Jacks in one sitting. My little Andy started watching and learning. Ugh. Fast forward 5 years, and Andy was doing the same thing. Part of me wished for a dairy cow when it came time to buy groceries. If I didn't buy the cereal, they'd talk their grandparents into getting it for them. We're past that now, thankfully. Back to oatmeal, eggs and omelettes. Far more healthy and filling, I think.

I will keep you all up-to-date, indeed. I went through your building thread, Kerry. Love the G-Floor!!! Not just for the shop, but for the garage and basement as well. I had tiled the original room myself with the Congoleum vinyl-tile hybrid pieces. Loved working with it, but the textured finish made cleaning up rather bothersome. The G-floor would likely be more cost effective. Haven't decided on the room dimensions yet, but will give myself more space this time around. What I failed to do well before was to designate a whole table area for labeling, packaging and bagging up orders; and to allow enough space for packaging inventory. So...I have to really think this out carefully. I really like your window as well. I had shied away from that, just because I didn't was afraid of the potential heat/light damage to chocolate. We had a through-the-wall HE A/C unit to keep the place cool; plus a dehumidifier. And, I purposefully designated a space for the stove/oven with the Broan fan over it, so the vent would have a straight, short shot out the back wall. I had built at table-top plexi-glass spray booth that I could use next to the stove, and the Broan would just suck up all the excess. That whole thing was a great setup. But, with your help, I think it can get better! Relatively speaking, this is silly and inconsequential, yet one of the biggest downers: I really miss my LOTR door. It totally sucks losing that. The craftsman worked for MONTHS on it, only to have it become a $2K chunk of fire wood. Dang.

Thank you so much, Jim!!! I cannot wait for a block of time so I can go through and look at all of this!!!! Oh, for a few quiet minutes!

Thank you all for your kind wishes and replies!!!! I was hoping things would let up a bit, but that was not to be. My MIL ended up in the ER Monday- with a 219 BP, and my two older kids kept quiet about smoke inhalation. DD17 ended up in the ER Monday afternoon with pain in her chest - acute bronchitis; DS18 - yesterday- with Pneumonia. Then all the cows broke loose at the farm. Thankfully, our 2000# bull complied, and led the herd back into the broken gate. We had to repair that last evening. It could have been worse, so we're thankful that everyone is on the mend now, (I hope). Honestly, I wasn't even sure that I wanted to rebuild the shop, but a good portion of the outpouring from this community has been due to the demand for the chocolates. So, here we are. Antiques and heirlooms from my parents and grandparents were put to use in the shop. Among the big items, lost was my Grandfather's desk and chair, which had been handed down to my Dad, then to me. The Motown CDs I can replace, but the wedding pictures, and my Mom's wedding ring...not so sure about. I had antique scales, wooden Springerle rolling pins from "the old country", etc. So much of it was inspirational, and reminded me of the joy I had working with my Grandma, and eating chocolate with Daddy. It will take some 'internal digging' to find the joy I once had in making chocolates. I hope that joy will re-surface in due time. I had run into the fire chief again, sometime after posting on another thread, and he had corrected his previous stats with regards to the fire. They had two tanker trucks from different fire departments that ran continuously through Sunday night getting water, dumping it into the pump-ponds, over and over and over. And then, I thought the fire had only restarted twice on Monday, but it was four times. I cannot possibly fathom what would have been left to burn, causing it to restart so many times! He did tell me that nothing could be salvaged from the shop. With the floors burning out first, everything else (like the appliances) caved and fell inwards to the burning pit that used to be our basement. As for appliances, the refrigerator I had was an enormous, beautiful, commercial beast with a glass door. The stove, Broan fan, dishwasher, A/C, dehumidifier, air compressor, paint sprayer, etc... all gone too. I had 17 or 18 recessed eyeball lights with the silicone coated bulbs, as required by the inspector. All the wiring was done specifically to support the appliances and machines, so we wouldn't have any electrical issues. The electrical inspector was made aware of all the necessities, and gave us the A-okay. My oldest son is a building inspector, so he is working with us now, too. I have so much to do in advance, so that we don't end up with electrical issues. So, I am most grateful for the reminders about that, Steve. Based on your recommendations thus far, I am forming in my head an idea with mostly SS countertops, and an island with a stone surface. Marble, Quartz, Soapstone...IDK, but one of those. I still like the recessed eyeball lights, unless any of you have other suggestions that are better. Wish I could find LEDs that would work there but they either have to have covers over them, or be made with the shatterproof coating. I thought about using shower lights, that have the shield over them, too. (My history of migraines precludes me from using fluorescent lights.) I would love to see pics of Kerry Beal's workshop!!! I am sure it is far more functional than I could come up with. (We are going with a more simple house design, and will bump an additional space out in the back of the house to accommodate an increased shop size. So...that will be a bonus.) Thank you all so much for your help, advice, and suggestions! It is most appreciated, and I continue to welcome as much as you may offer.

Oooh...I had forgotten about soapstone. Nice idea!! The Cambria quartz resin I had was a dream come true- and it had the price tag to go along with it. I'll have to check pricing comparisons.( Im not a fan of granite either). Oh, the insurance co has been amazing! Maybe because we're also farmers ourselves...and we have Farmer's insurance? IDK....all I know is we're moving ahead full-speed. And, this is the best time of year to deal with this kind of disaster. Everything is in ice. We are making some changes to the design of the house, yes. It had a gambrel roof before, because the older part of the house was designed that way. Its just not a great idea when you live in a place that measures snow in feet, not inches. It had to be shoveled multiple times each winter. So, I am lobbying for a 6-12 pitch, two story, old farmhouse style. The foundation - both old and new is 80 feet in length, and 26 in width. We're going to bump an 18' section out another 8 feet in the back that will set on top of the root cellar, with the ventilation pipe going to the side, rather than vertical. And, dh wants to add on a sun-room at the west end for my hundreds of plants (most of which I need to re-start). The house was built originally into a hill. So, the new garage actually created a section that because a 3 level house.

Definitely yes on the outlets. I had at least 18 prior to the fire. I had built a 'portable' spray booth out of plexi-glass for my old shop. I didn't have an extraction fan in there, but I placed it near the Broan fan-monster- so the overspray was dealt with effectively. This time, I may sacrifice a corner and add in another fan. Great idea! Excellent idea with the tray racks under the benches. Only problem is...my kids. My two daughters used to be the worst of the worst for swiping chocolates. When our oldest son came to visit with his family, we discovered that my granddaughter won that prize.

Yes, the Selmi has been a dream in recent months. I do admire those beasts!!!! But, ah, then I see my Revolation machines,melted and destroyed, sitting at the bottom of the pit. I loved those things! I had looked at the Robot Coupe, and the FireMixers before...but later wondered if a ThermoMix might be a good compromise? IDK. And then, at the top of my wishlist (Pre-fire) was the EZTemper. ... I have contemplated SS counters, and maybe a marble top or Quartz-resin island. I am seriously considering built-ins in lieu of traditional cupboards and bookshelves. I cannot think of any downsides to that, but, these are all things that I need you folks to weigh in on. So...Selmi is on the table now. SS counters.. Keep the ideas coming!!!

Hi to all you wonderful chocolate geniuses!!!! As some of you already know, my entire home and chocolate workshop burned to the ground on February 14th and 15th. It took 5 fire departments, 45 firefighters working for 11 hours straight to get it under control. They had to return 4 different times on the 15th, thus it took nearly 24 hours to end it. (We got out with the clothes on our back, plus the kitty and the dog.) This was a massive fire that we believe started in the basement area of the original house- though we have no idea exactly where it started or what caused it. The addition to the house was primarily for my chocolate workshop. My parents, before they died, had set aside the money for me to build the shop onto my house. According to the fire chief, NOTHING can be salvaged- not even the Cambria countertops. =( We were given the "green light" to start excavation this weekend, and put in supports for the foundation walls. They hydrostatic pressure our area experiences in the spring is impressive, so the walls all need to be braced. Once that's done, we can start rebuilding. My question to all of you is: What type of countertops and appliances would be on your list to start with- if (which I pray you never are...but IF) you had to rebuild and start over? I value your insights and advice tremendously, and believe that asking the question on this forum would yield the very best advice. Thank you all, in advance, for whatever advice you may be able to lend me. Andrea