The Most Wonderful Fundraiser of the Year

It's here!!!  That day you've all been waiting for!!  The day our secret announcement finally becomes public knowledge!!  OUR CHRISTMAS FUNDRAISER!!!!

So here's the deal....we are trying to raise money to open a baker, as you all know.  More money = less debt = less stress = more creative baking ideas!  Easy math equation, right?  We figured it would be rude to just ask for money outright, and instead decided to ask for a trade.  We will give you six delicious, homemade cupcakes, each unique and decorated for the holiday season.  In return, you will give us 12 George Washington bills.  Or two Lincolns and two Washingtons.  Or 12,000 Lincoln coins (ugh, please don't do that!!)  Or $12 for those who don't like riddles.

When you swap money for cupcakes, we want to let you know that 100% of the proceeds will go to the "Buy Lis a Bakery" fund.  We won't go Christmas shopping with it, or pay our rent, or make it rain!!  All of it will be put into the bakery fund, and spent to make this business a reality.

If you're not into the holidays, or sugar, or small businesses, we've got it.  We don't blame you, and certainly won't hate you for not buying any.  What we would love, though, is if you could share this with your friends.  All of them.  You must have, what, like 600 Facebook friends??  That's 600 potential cupcake buyers!!  So please, copy the link above, post it everywhere, and help spread the word.

Done drooling over the picture above??  Ready to finally place your order?  Click here, it takes you to our order form.  It's that simple!!  Click, type, press enter, pay, and soon you too can taste the magical Christmas cupcakes we're about to bake up.

As always, thanks for all of your support!!!

Lis

Bagel Blog

Bagels.

Aren't they delish?  I mean, think about it, how yummy is that circled piece of dough?  I grew up in a family where every Saturday my dad went and bought fresh bagels from the local bagel shop.  Yummy!  I'm the type of person who will eat the same thing for months on end, and then randomly get tired of it and switch to something else.  I remember in middle and high school going through an egg bagel phase, an onion bagel phase, a cinnamon and sugar bagel phase, and a plain bagel phase.  I'm not a huge cream cheese fan (though I do love me some cheesecake), so I usually ate my bagels warmed with butter.  I guess to me, bagels are comfort food.

Until today, I had never attempted to make a bagel before.  I mean, there's Panera, Brueggers, Einstein Bros., Lenders frozen bagels. SO many bagel selections, it seems kind of dumb to waste your time and energy making them from scratch.  But what I love about baking is the adventure of trying to learn something new, the good, the bad, the absolutely awful (like my macaroons).  There's a challenge to learning new things, and these are the kind of challenges I like.

First I needed to learn how to bake a bagel.  Ha, that sounds funny, but it's true.  I mean, I can make bread dough as well as the next budding baker, but there had to be some secret to the successful bagel, something different that takes the dough from being just another loaf to the magical roundness of the bagel.  I found the secret, but I'll get to that in a minute.

So, let me be honest about a very important part of my personality: sometimes I don't think things through all the way.  I think "Hey, __________ would be an amazing thing to do/say/buy/build/bake" and forget about that one big problem that accompanies that statement.  Today, that one big problem happened to be time.  Why do we buy prepackaged bread at Giant Eagle?  Because it takes flipping forever to make bread!!  Bread baking is not an after work kind of activity.  Especially when it requires the additional steps that bagel making does.

Still, I plowed on.  I mixed, I kneaded, I let it rise (that's what's so time consuming about bread!!).  I kneaded some more, and some more, and some more.  Punched a lot of frustrations out into this poor loaf.  The past few weeks all sort of built up into one glorious pounding, and it felt wonderful.  If you happen to eat one of these bagels, know that I baked some pent up frustrations into each and every delicious bite. :-)

Once the dough was ready, it was time to form bagels.  Easier said than done, and I definitely need some work.  But then it came to the best part, the secret moment where this dough goes from being just another loaf of bread to the yummy goodness of bagel perfection: boiling.

If you can imagine, I had to boil a large pot of water, and then drop the raw dough into the water for about 5 minutes.  If you're confused, don't worry, so was I, but every website I read (including Wikipedia, and we all know we can absolutely trust Wikipedia!) said that boiling the dough before baking it gives bagels that crunchy outside shell and the soft middle we all love about bagels.  Well...this is a learning experience, so I'm all in!  Into the boiling pot they went.

Afterwards, they took a quick bath in an egg wash, half were sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, and into the oven they went.  You should smell my Mexican crack den right now, it smells delicious, all cinnamon-y and yeast-y and bagel-y.  Mmmmmmmmmm :-)  Shame you're not here.

For my first bagel making experience, I was surprised at how well they turned out.  The recipe is easy if you have the patience to devote to the process...from start to finish it probably took me 2 1/2 hours to make 8 bagels...we're not setting any land records there, but, again, it was a learning process.  Maybe someday I too can earn the title of speed bagel baker.

Well, it's off to finish up some fundraising paperwork for the fundraiser we're kicking off here on Thursday, and then it's off to bed for this girl.  I have the most amazing breakfast in the world waiting for me tomorrow, though: fresh, homemade bagels!!!

Lis

Happy Halloween!

Some Halloween cupcakes we brewed up today... Boo!!

Cutting Corners

Well tonight was one of those glamorous nights of near-bakery ownership that everyone hopes to someday experience: Finance Night.

Oh, so sexy!  I know, don't freak out, there's plenty of my finances to go around for everyone.  But it had to be done, much like your bi-yearly trip to the dentist, and sometimes you just have to grin and bear it. :-(

So tonight's financial journey was about my own personal finances: more importantly, me looking at all the spending in my life and finding ways to cut back.  It's unfair for me to ask others to help me build my bakery through financial contributions if I am not willing to make similar sacrifices.  So I sat down with my best friend in the world, mint.com.

If you've been around me at all since I graduated college, you've probably heard me go on and on about the wonders of mint.com.  I swear by the site, and always advise people to give it a try.  It's a free site that helps you manage your finances, set and keep a budget, set financial goals, pay down debt, and save for retirement.  I discovered the site in 2009, right out of college, and it has honestly helped me through my post-college days of two jobs, no money, and lots of bills to pay.  I wouldn't've survived my first few post-college years without it.

Tonight, mint.com helped to show me areas of my life that I can cut my spending on to help save money for my bakery.  Anything frivolous  over the top, or not needed, time to let it go.  Out went my subscription to Weight Watchers (I was still paying for that), and some dumb online journal I had signed up for (when left alone with my debit card...).  Out went my Netflix subscription, which hurt a little, because I actually do use that, and budgets were rolled back for food, shopping, entertainment, and gas.  I'm not trying to become Amish here, but if I can save money, I will.

I kept my cable for now, mainly because it's not something you can simply cancel online.  It's a tough decision, though, to cancel my cable.  I like to have the tv on in the background a lot, because I live alone and it saves me from talking to myself.  At the same time, I don't watch a ton of television live--most primetime shows I catch on Hulu over the weekends, and other than Discovery I.D. (my guilty pleasure) there's not a lot on TV I HAVE to watch.  At the same time, though, it's nice to be able to watch the Steelers game, or hockey when they're actually playing, or to settle down for a nap and a TBS movie on a Sunday afternoon.  It's expensive though, so I'll have to think about it.

Being a good steward of my money means not spending it on things I do not need.  I probably only cut about $75 a month back in my budget tonight, no record setting pushbacks by any means.  More will come later, perhaps, with cable and maybe car insurance.  But for now, that $75 can be put to better use, helping me to set up my bakery that much sooner.  So maybe I'll eat a little more Ramen again, like I did back in college...sometimes, sacrifices need to be made to achieve one's goals.

So, here I go, venturing out into the world tomorrow on a very strict budget.  Sounds like so much fun, haha!  I just have to keep remembering, I'm doing this for a reason!!

G'night all!
Lis

Macaroon 2.0

A bit of honesty here: while all of my Pittsburgh born-and-bred friends are gearing up for the Steelers game, I am working on business ideas and plans in my bedroom.  My cable-less bedroom.  And at 9pm I'm watching Revenge on television.  Let me know when hockey's back, and then you'll see the true sports fan within me come out.

We're not here to talk about hockey, though (sad :-( ...)  We are here to talk about my second attempt to make the perfect macaroon!

As you know, my bakery skills are self taught, from my Easy Bake Oven days forward.  I have never sat for a single class (that will change soon), and everything I've learned has come from friends, family, the internet, and maybe 20 bazillion Food Network shows.  Oh, and a little common sense too ;-)

That being said, sometimes my first tries are far from perfect.  My first tiered cake was, well, a disaster.  It took me 3 times longer than it should have to actually get enough cake to use, and then it heavily leaned to the one side.  My first chocolate cupcake was either the best or worst cupcake in the world, depending on who you ask.  My original attempt at spritz Christmas cookies almost burnt the Mexican crack den I live in to the ground.  Sometimes my baking classes are nearly catastrophic.

For those of you who are brand spanking new to this blog, last week I tried and failed to make an edible and beautiful macaroon.  It was edible, but it looked awful.  You know those macaroni projects your kids bring home that look like a train wreck, but you post them on the fridge anyway because you want your kids to feel like something they invested time and energy in is worthwhile??  Yeah, that's how I felt about these macaroons.  I was happy I had tried, but man I couldn't wait to throw them away.

So take two was today. And I have to admit, I was bound and determined to make this recipe correctly this time.  Sometimes, when I'm impatient, or think I know everything, I'll tend to edit recipes to my liking.  For example, the recipe I was trying said "sift the powdered sugar, cocoa, and almonds together once to properly mix ingredients before stirring", but, thinking this was a dump step, I skipped it last time.  I'm not saying it was the deal breaker for my Round 1 Macaroons, but you better believe I was going to follow every darn step perfectly this time.  To a T.

About an hour later (after my food processor had had enough), I pulled my first batch from the oven:

Perfection!  Finally, it seemed I had mastered the tricky art of macaroon baking.

Here's what I love about recipes like this: once you understand how the base recipe works (i.e. how a macaroon becomes a macaroon) the creativity you have is absolutely endless!  I made chocolate because, well, I have a weakness for the flavor, but I was already dreaming up flavor combinations and designs I would love to try out.  Definitely a mint chocolate recipe.  What about a lemon cookie with a raspberry glaze icing between?  An apple cinnamon combination, or even something more daring like rose and almond?  This is why I love baking!!  It's almost like a complex science experiment, and once you understand what needs to be done you can have as much fun as you'd like with it.

Any other suggestions for some delicious macaroon flavors and fillings?  What about a PB&J macaroon?  Would you eat that?  Let me know if you have any other fabulous ideas for macaroon flavorings!  This could become my new favorite thing to make!!

Lis

State of PA Business License

Fun fact: Allegheny County does not offer business licenses, they are only offered through Harrisburg. When you call Harrisburg, they funnel your calls into different call centers, depending on what sort of business you would like to start. After going through the Department of Horticulture (????) and the Department of Agriculture, I was rooted BACK to an office in Allegheny County, that works for Harrisburg, which deals with business licensing in the region. From there, I was told to leave a voice mail and someone would call me back.

30 minutes later and I am no further than where I began. Dear Pennsylvania state government, who created this system?

Love,
Lis

Macaroon Mishaps

Look at that photo. Just feast your eyes on the beauty of it...

A chocolate macaroon.  A perfect cookie, paired with another perfect cookie, sandwiching together some beautiful cream icing for the ultimate sweet treat.  Does life get better than a macaroon sandwich?

On Sunday I decided to spend a football-free day off trying to perfect my macaroon recipe.  If you've never made these before, they're easy enough, when it comes to ingredients.  Almonds, powdered sugar, cocoa, egg whites, and a hint of sugar.  But these are ridiculously time consuming to make, and will dirty every dish in your kitchen.  For most of you non-bakers, you also probably don't have some of the supplies required for the perfect macaroon.

I had all the supplies, though, and all of the ingredients, minus the almonds (and holy cow, the evil galactic empire that is Giant Eagle ACTUALLY HAD ALMONDS ON SALE!!!!!!  But I digress).  A quick trip to the store fixed that.  I thought, hey, this is a good recipe to learn in the process of opening a bakery, I'm going to spend the day and learn how to make macaroons.

These were my macaroons.  Hmmm....a little different from those little drops of heaven above.  Well, to be fair, these taste delicious.  They melt in your mouth like meringues  have this sweet nutty taste from the almonds, and the chocolate creme icing in the middle is to die for.  As for the appearance, well...that could use some work.

I think a lot of people would be utterly frustrated if this was their end result.  Maybe I should be a little too.  Maybe I was a little when I saw the volcano of chocolate-covered dishes that were sitting in my sink waiting for me.  But let's be honest, this is a learning experience for me.  You have no idea how many cookies, cakes, cupcakes, icings, and fillings I've messed up in the past year.  Lots.  They talk about us "Going Green"  constantly on television commercials: obviously they do not see my dumpster full of baking catastrophe garbage bags.  It's a learning process, especially for someone who is a self-taught baker.

I'll learn, though, and next time make an even better macaroon.  Soon I'll be making perfect macaroons, worthy of photographs from professionals, and their own blog post.  I was going to make some more tonight, but I'll let you in on a little secret: I still have a few dishes from yesterday to finish.  You'll learn very quickly that I hate dishes with an absolute passion.

So remember this post when I'm richer than Betty Crocker ;-)  There was a moment in time when I could not create macaroons any better than the next Holly Housewife!

Hope the rest of your week is great!!  If you need a sweet pick-me-up, let me know how I can help.

Lis

Rookie Mistake

Man...

Sometimes I'm not sure I'm going to make it in this world when I have such scatter-brained moments.

I just realized the email address on all of my communications was incorrect.  Aye.  If anyone wanted to contact me, they were S.O.L. simply because I cannot type.  Rookie mistake, get it together Lis!!

I just went through and updated EVERYTHING!  Blog, Facebook account, website.  Looks like I might be ordering some more business cards too.  Yay.  Haha.  Oh well, it's my own dumb fault!

If you want to contact me, the correct email is pghsweetrelief@yahoo.com.  Regardless of what you might have listed, that's the actual email that works.  Or, if you'd rather not take your chances, just call me.  Way easier ;-)

Lis

The First Steps

**Gulp**  Well, I did it...

I officially signed up for the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association's ServSafe class.  A class like this is mandatory in the state of PA for any restaurant that wants to open.  It teaches me all sorts of health codes, how to keep my kitchen clean, and how to serve customers in a sanitary environment.  If I want to open a bakery this is a must complete.  I have an 8 hour course and then 3 hour written exam.  I must pass with a 75% to receive my certification.  Go ahead and start praying now.

The whole event cost me $175.  That's a lot of money for a girl who is still trying to recover from her $100,000 dollar investment at Geneva College.  I'm trying not to think about all the things I "could've bought" with that money, and instead focusing on the blessing's I have received this far in my short journey to be able to afford that class.  Hopefully I will pass the test on my first time so I don't have to pay the extra fee to sit for the exam again.

I'm so going to be a fish out of water, though.  I studied history in college.  HISTORY!  Just today I was lecturing a co-worker on 10th Amendment rights, and what that means to us as U.S. citizens. (To be fair, he kind of deserved the lecture.)  You want to talk about the communist fall of the U.S.S.R. in the early 90s, I'm your gal!  Want to debate whether Andrew Jackson did in fact promote genocide on U.S. soil with his treatment of Native Americans, I'll be up all night hashing it out with you.  I'm a nerdy history lover!

...and I just paid $175 to the PARLA to sit for my ServSafe exam.  Yikes!  I'm going to be like that new kid in school who they put in advanced math by accident when she really didn't make it out of Algebra I yet, watching all these people around me sound very dignified and important while I struggle to remember how to FOIL (first, outer, inner, last).  Oh geez, is this going to be difficult.

Crapazola!  I just realized this test is on a Monday!  As in, I have to take a day off work to do this!  **Checks calendar**  Do I even have vacation days left?  I think I do.  And if not, well, guess I'll be using one of my holiday days to sit for the exam.  Yay!!

Now to start studying.  It's like college all over again, except without the random dance parties and ice cream runs. :-(

Lis

Build Lis a Bakery!

I'm really gonna be drilling that idea into your head over these coming months!!

So here it is!!  On top of everything else I'm doing in my crazy life, it looks like another blog is in the works.  ::shameless plug: my original blog www.myalphabetyear.wordpress.com is still up and running and loves to have visitors::

I was blogging about opening a bakery on my actual blog, but I realized the purpose of that site is not to chronicle every bakery moment that happens in my life.  That blog is about living life to the fullest, setting off on adventures, and trying not to hit deer in my car!  It already had its own function.

The thing I love about my friends, though, is that they want to know what's happening in my life.  They want to know how my bakery plans are going, and what I'm doing to make my dreams come true.  So I started this blog in hopes of helping answer the ever-present question "How's that bakery thing going?"  

I'll update when I have news, so it may come in spurts.  Have patience with me, this is a marathon, not a sprint.  If you were hoping to sit down to a delicious baked good in my newly-opened place in 6 weeks, well, dream again.  (Unless you are a rich benefactor, of course.  If that's the case, PLEASE CALL ME ASAP!!!!)  

I'll be back, with new details!!

Lis