This is my last blog and I just wanted to say that I think that we (the whole Class) were lucky to have a teacher like Chef Mark. Some of our past chefs were either lazy or thought they were too good to be here or would just make you feel uncomfortable. I felt comfortable with Chef Mark and his motivation really gave me the encouragement to keep going even though I was the slowest one to finish. It's always nice to see someone who enjoys their job because it helps everyone out in the end run. I really had fun this quarter but I'm ready to go. I'm glad we had a great teacher at the end because I don't think my feelings towards Robert Morris was going to get any better. Thanks Chef for your patience and hopefully one day I will find a job that makes me just as happy as you are when your working!

The assignments that we were given during our lectures were pretty cool. Some were challenging like with the three ingredients and the one where we had to make a drink into a dessert. I really liked them and it was fun to do. The drawing part sucked but otherwise I think all the assignments helped us bring out our creative side. I also think that they were very helpful with the class. Some assignments we have in other classes are just a bunch of nonsense, and since I tend to be lazy I hate doing them, but I did enjoy the ones we had for baking and pastries. Good job chef!

One thing I disliked about this class was that EVERYTHING we made had a lemon flavor to it. When we first started coming to baking and pastries I liked lemon flavor stuff. Now I am done with lemon desserts. We made lemon bars, lemon tea bread, lemon custard, lemon cakes, lemon chiffon, lemon glaze, and probably much more lemon. I really loved this class but now I hate lemons!!

Week 10- Here we are with our last week and I'm so ready to be done (for now at least). I have to honestly say that I learned the most with my baking and pastry class, menu management, and culinary 1. Everything that we did in baking and pastries is something that I will doing in the future. Knowing how to make desserts such as pies, cakes, eclairs, muffins, etc. are all foods that people love. Especially when you have a young kid because no more buying the birthday cakes and it can be a fun time for us. I'm glad I had fun during this class because I really thought I wasn't going to like it. Taking time to try to learn how to bake is worth it and will benefit you in the future.

week 9- we made butter cream. The butter cream was very easy to make and it is something that I will continue to make. I do prefer chantilly cream, but the butter cream is easier to work with when decorating cakes. Everyone only added vanilla for flavoring, but I added vanilla and cinnamon and it gave it a little twist to it but not too much. Chef Mark showed us that when you place your spatula in hot water and then wipe it, it helps smooth out the icing A LOT!! Since I had a bright color. all the cracks were noticeable. After I used a hot spatula it looked almost perfect.

Week 9- Was the week to decorate our butter cakes. I was looking forward to this day since I started school here. I always wanted to know how to decorate cakes. My grandpa was an awesome baker who made the most prettiest cakes. I remember watching him make wedding cakes and I would just sit there so amazed. I don't know why I really like it so much. Maybe because the cake at the party is always an eye catcher. And I want to be known for making awesome cakes. I did learn that food coloring shouldn't be cheap. I really wanted to make a red buttercream but no matter how much food coloring I used the color got more and more of a disgusting pink. Eventually I added yellow to make orange, and the color was awesome. I wish we had more time decorating cakes, but for the time we had it was a lot of fun.

Week 8- We made our delicious butter cakes! They were so yummy! We also made a lemon (go figure) chiffon cake, and it was very good until I put the nasty lemon glaze on it. (I hate lemons by the way) The chiffon cake is just like an angel food cake and it is something that everyone likes. Knowing how to make both will help me to save money. The butter cake recipe is a definite keeper. I was one of the people who used the whole egg which you were only suppose to use either the yolk or whites (don't remember) but I thought my cake tasted very good.

Week 7- Was a total bummer for me! It was the week of the cookies and I was no where to be found. I was very disappointed but I was busy trying to score brownie points with my uncle who came in from Idaho. I say this because I want to move there so bad, and I need a place to stay til I get everything situated, so I had to let him know what plans I had. So missing the cookie week was worth it, but I do love cookies. I planned on being there until two hours before class started and I'm always excited to bring home goodies for my kid, but it looks like he missed out too!

Week 5- Was not so much fun in lecture. We had our midterm test and it sucked! I did good until I hit the part about custard. I don't what it is about those custards but I can't get them right. This is now week ten and I now know them but I really had a struggle with telling them apart. It helped a lot when we made them but at the time I was completely lost. Knowing how to make all the different custards are something that can really benefit for the future. You can make so much different stuff anything from a pie filling to a fancy dessert to plain old pudding. Hopefully it will keep in my memory.

Week 5- We made the floating island, chantilly cream, eclairs, and the swans. I had a lot of fun during this lab because making eclairs is something that will come in handy. It's a great finger food for any occasion and everyone seems to like them. Not to mention they are expensive to buy, but cheap to make. The swans are pretty cool looking. They were definitely a hit with my kid and for some crazy reason I can see myself making them again in the future (for what? I don't know!). The easiest, quickest, and the most yummiest thing we made this week was the chantilly cream. I love whip cream!! I wish I knew just how easy it was to make it, and adding the vanilla really made it taste perfect. The down side to this week was the floating islands. Seriously what was that all about? This was a fun lab and I do see myself making most of it in the future.

I have been SLACKING on these blogs!!! You have to excuse my short term memory. Last week I enjoyed lab, even though the floating island project wasn't a favorite and my creme brulee was too watery, my flan made up for it. I love that stuff and it's easy to make. We made it last quarter and I didn't really like it but I guess that's why you should give everything a second chance. I also learned that I was saying the word flan like a hillbilly (thanks chef mark)!!

At class today I suppose to make rye bread. The only problem with mine is that it never raised, it actually shrunk. I'm not quite sure why it did, maybe I didn't give it enough time or maybe it was the recipe, who knows? I did realize how much patience you need when it comes to baking. I think if I was to work in a bakery that waiting for bread to rise wouldn't take as long as it did in class. In class it felt like it was taking forever, but in a bakery there's probably a lot more to do than just watching one loaf a bread.

Last week was my first week of baking & pastry. I have to admit I didn't think it was going to be as fun as it was. So far, I think this class will be satisfying (unlike the school itself). I also think I could of had a way cooler chef, but what could you do?? (I'm joking!)
When we made the blueberry muffins we added lemon zest, and it tasted GREAT!!