The race was the next weekend, and it was a blast. It was the first 5k I had run in a long long time, and I ran most of the race with Jorge too! So that also is the first 5k we have run together, aww how romantic ;)
I ran with a “Team Rin Din” sign posted on my back. Sending so much love to my amazing friend (who doesn’t, and won’t ever realize how amazing she is, which of course, just makes her even more amazing). My trainer Mrs. L ran the 5K too, she is also a survivor, and just finished her treatments this year…. and can basically run circles around me. Mad respect for that woman.
There was seriously at least a thousand people at the race, probably more. Tons of people dressed up in crazy costumes: super hero capes, feather boa’s, and even pink tutus. That is something I love about New Orleans, they will dress up and have a parade for just about anything. And of course there was an Abita beer truck giving out free beer at the end of the race…. only in New Orleans! And of course our end of the race meeting point had to be the Abita beer truck ☺ we enjoyed a beer at 10am, chatted with our friends, and I just thought about how lucky I am to be running a race, on a beautiful day, in this beautiful park, and have such wonderful people in my life.
So this raps up my first ever baking & blogging experience. It’s been fun, frustrating, and rewarding all at the same time. 2010 has been a crazy year for me, and until I can find a way to punch the cancer monster in the face, I will continue to do all I can to fight the cancer fight in other ways, even it’s just by baking (or burning) a batch of cookies.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Grand Finale!
Quite belated on my last post, but never late than never right? For my grand finale I decided to depart from my comfort zone cookie recipe --- basic cookie dough with various chip substitutions --- and go for something a little different, double chocolate chip. I think I had developed some good baking habits simply because I made a recipe, for the first time, and everything came out ok! Well I did give myself a ‘flour shower’ when I accidentally put my kitchen aid mixer on high…. but a little four in the hair never hurt anyone (I think!)
The cookies tasted delicious, especially for a chocolate lover like me. Unfortunately they didn’t look too appetizing. The tops came out looking a little lumpy and didn’t really smooth out when baked…so they kind looked like little piles of poop. And who wants to eat a poop cookie?? Well it reflected at the bake sale since my cookies were the last to sell…but all of our cookies did sell!! So even if they were poop cookies, they tasted good, and people still bought them ☺
In all, we ended up making just under $400 from all our baking efforts. Our company matches us dollar for dollar, so that ends up being $800!! Not too bad for our little bake sale! I think next year we are going to recruit more bakers, and alternate weeks so we can maximize our results. Heather and I already have serious business plans drawn up, and we even made a chart. Ok ok maybe I'm confusing it with the signs we colored at the beginning of the sale. Coloring flowers...flow charts.. blah it's all the same, right? Either way we are going to rock the bake sale next year, and bring in even more $$$ for the Race for the Cure! Perhaps this bog isn't over yet...
The cookies tasted delicious, especially for a chocolate lover like me. Unfortunately they didn’t look too appetizing. The tops came out looking a little lumpy and didn’t really smooth out when baked…so they kind looked like little piles of poop. And who wants to eat a poop cookie?? Well it reflected at the bake sale since my cookies were the last to sell…but all of our cookies did sell!! So even if they were poop cookies, they tasted good, and people still bought them ☺
In all, we ended up making just under $400 from all our baking efforts. Our company matches us dollar for dollar, so that ends up being $800!! Not too bad for our little bake sale! I think next year we are going to recruit more bakers, and alternate weeks so we can maximize our results. Heather and I already have serious business plans drawn up, and we even made a chart. Ok ok maybe I'm confusing it with the signs we colored at the beginning of the sale. Coloring flowers...flow charts.. blah it's all the same, right? Either way we are going to rock the bake sale next year, and bring in even more $$$ for the Race for the Cure! Perhaps this bog isn't over yet...
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Mission 8: I love Cookies!! And I may need to go on a diet…
I think I’ve finally got the hang of this baking thing ….well ok this certain cookie recipe I have seemed to master :) Last few baking experiences have gone off without a hitch – yummy cookies produced & funds raised for race for the cure!
The whole baking experience has been quite interesting, from the revelation that baking was not so simple, to the joy of success when something came out tasting decent, and the reactions and support of people around my office. The last few weeks we have been getting numerous cookie donations. We had such a huge influx of cookie donations; we couldn’t move the goods quickly enough on a single floor! We had to expand our operations to another floor, and that seems to help, although our floor seems to have the highest concentration of cookie eaters ;) Next week is our final sale, and we worry that people may go into Thursday cookie withdrawals….
One down side is that we had to cancel muffin Mondays. Not just because I kept burning my muffins and Heather was pulling a lot of weight on that one! But we had a hard time getting rid of even 2 dozen muffins…people seemed to love the sweets, but weren’t into muffins. :( Oh well you win some you lose some! My verdict is that people need more muffins in their lives!!! Muffins make the world a better place! Really, really!!! It’s true!! (well true in my world…and I think my scale is agreeing with me…damn!)
This past week I rode the wave of cookie donations and took a break from cooking. Not just because I am lazy ;) but I was getting ready for my trip to California. The trip was originally planned to go to a friend’s wedding, but when I found out a good friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer, the trip to Cali also involved a side trip to see her.
And it was so good to see my dear sweet friend!!! I think I just need to hug her, laugh with her, and just get some quality girl time in :) I miss my friends & family so much, and it’s so hard to live so far away from everyone, especially when someone you love gets sick. My nurturing females instincts take over and I just want to hug, feed, and take care of them!!! (I am especially good at the hugging and feeding part!).
We ate tons of pizza, watched chic flicks, and the next morning we walk a 5k fundraiser for her cancer center. At the end of the race her husband came to pick us up with their adorable dog – and he had tied a “for the cure” bandana around the doggies neck! I think it might have been the cutest thing I’d ever seen :) Afterwards her boss treated her and her friends to spa treatments at one of the nicest spas I had ever been to in my life! We sat in the steam room, chatted some more, and finished the day off with a lovely lunch….. and then I nearly missed my flight home. Hehe I really really didn’t feel like leaving, can you blame me??
All and all, it was such a wonderful trip. I am so glad I got to see my friend and that smile on her face :) She is doing well and in good spirits, and I'm glad I was there to support her cancer center (and her trip to the spa ;) anytime sweetie!)
This weekend: Race for the Cure!!! And our finally week of baking :) wish me luck!!!
The whole baking experience has been quite interesting, from the revelation that baking was not so simple, to the joy of success when something came out tasting decent, and the reactions and support of people around my office. The last few weeks we have been getting numerous cookie donations. We had such a huge influx of cookie donations; we couldn’t move the goods quickly enough on a single floor! We had to expand our operations to another floor, and that seems to help, although our floor seems to have the highest concentration of cookie eaters ;) Next week is our final sale, and we worry that people may go into Thursday cookie withdrawals….
One down side is that we had to cancel muffin Mondays. Not just because I kept burning my muffins and Heather was pulling a lot of weight on that one! But we had a hard time getting rid of even 2 dozen muffins…people seemed to love the sweets, but weren’t into muffins. :( Oh well you win some you lose some! My verdict is that people need more muffins in their lives!!! Muffins make the world a better place! Really, really!!! It’s true!! (well true in my world…and I think my scale is agreeing with me…damn!)
This past week I rode the wave of cookie donations and took a break from cooking. Not just because I am lazy ;) but I was getting ready for my trip to California. The trip was originally planned to go to a friend’s wedding, but when I found out a good friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer, the trip to Cali also involved a side trip to see her.
And it was so good to see my dear sweet friend!!! I think I just need to hug her, laugh with her, and just get some quality girl time in :) I miss my friends & family so much, and it’s so hard to live so far away from everyone, especially when someone you love gets sick. My nurturing females instincts take over and I just want to hug, feed, and take care of them!!! (I am especially good at the hugging and feeding part!).
We ate tons of pizza, watched chic flicks, and the next morning we walk a 5k fundraiser for her cancer center. At the end of the race her husband came to pick us up with their adorable dog – and he had tied a “for the cure” bandana around the doggies neck! I think it might have been the cutest thing I’d ever seen :) Afterwards her boss treated her and her friends to spa treatments at one of the nicest spas I had ever been to in my life! We sat in the steam room, chatted some more, and finished the day off with a lovely lunch….. and then I nearly missed my flight home. Hehe I really really didn’t feel like leaving, can you blame me??
All and all, it was such a wonderful trip. I am so glad I got to see my friend and that smile on her face :) She is doing well and in good spirits, and I'm glad I was there to support her cancer center (and her trip to the spa ;) anytime sweetie!)
This weekend: Race for the Cure!!! And our finally week of baking :) wish me luck!!!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Mission 7: Drum roll please…..
Success is mine!!! I made un-burnt muffins!! No burn the muffins!! I measured, I mixed, I cooked, and I baked.... and I made muffins. Actual edible muffins. I was beautiful (sniff sniff)
I used the recipe from last week (thank you to Mrs. B for that!). Apple pecan muffins, they even sound fancy right? I think I put a little too much apple in them, so they were a little gooey. But I had one of those ginormous genetically altered ones from the grocery store… so it was a lotta apple. Still they were edible, un-burnt, and mostly good, so I will take that as an independent cooking success!!!
To what I was doing wrong:
I have a gas oven, so it heats from the bottom. I was putting 2 muffin trays side by side, since there was just enough room for two trays on one rack. Well the pans fit so snug, this apparently blocked the heat circulation. Effectively creating a super crazy heated zone at the base, and a not so heated zone at the top. Thanks to 3 ladies and 3 glasses of wine to helping me figure that one out!
Two tray result = burnt muffin bottoms, and uncooked muffin tops. One tray result == delicious muffin perfection.
To date we have raised $250, which will be $500 after Chevron’s match ☺ And we have everyone talking about Cooking for the Cure. Now that is something to write home about!
3 more weeks to race day!
I used the recipe from last week (thank you to Mrs. B for that!). Apple pecan muffins, they even sound fancy right? I think I put a little too much apple in them, so they were a little gooey. But I had one of those ginormous genetically altered ones from the grocery store… so it was a lotta apple. Still they were edible, un-burnt, and mostly good, so I will take that as an independent cooking success!!!
To what I was doing wrong:
I have a gas oven, so it heats from the bottom. I was putting 2 muffin trays side by side, since there was just enough room for two trays on one rack. Well the pans fit so snug, this apparently blocked the heat circulation. Effectively creating a super crazy heated zone at the base, and a not so heated zone at the top. Thanks to 3 ladies and 3 glasses of wine to helping me figure that one out!
Two tray result = burnt muffin bottoms, and uncooked muffin tops. One tray result == delicious muffin perfection.
To date we have raised $250, which will be $500 after Chevron’s match ☺ And we have everyone talking about Cooking for the Cure. Now that is something to write home about!
3 more weeks to race day!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Mission 5 & 6: Natanya goes to cooking school!
Ok so this is really a combo-post: cookies & my first non-burning muffin experience ☺ So please bear through my drudgery…
#5: Batch 3 of ‘some kind of chip’ cookies complete!! I feel so successful… I am the chip cookie master! Well master of 1 recipe in which I have placed several different types of chocolate chips ;) My most recent invention: Black ‘n Gold’s (butterscotch and chocolate chip)
You see in New Orleans people LOVE anything to do with the Saints. This also means anything with “Who Dat” written on it, and anything with Saints coloring. So… I figured I’d capitalize on that a little bit… after all it’s for a good cause! It worked like a charm; only one lone cookie left after the bake sale… one lone perfect cookie for moi! hehe
Another interesting thing has developed: cookie donations. This week a co-worker’s wife baked 2-dozen for our bake sale, and someone else brought by cupcakes! It amazes me how many people want to help out. Then again I understand the need, or perhaps the drive, to contribute and just do something to lend a hand. Bravo ladies!!
#6: I baked muffins…and here is the big bonus of the hour: I did not burn them! Yes you have heard me right!!!
Ok ok ok ok … I kinda had a cooking lesson, and perhaps it wasn’t a completely independent cooking experience. But I did mix, spoon batter into a pan, place said pan in the oven, and the muffins did not exploded into burnt corrupt horribleness! I will take my successes where I can get them ☺
You see, over the weekend I went out to Austin, TX and the surrounding wine country with my lovely friends. Now, Heather’s parents live near wine country so we stop over the first night of our trip. Heather’s Mom, master baker Mrs. M, had been following my burning experiences and took pity on my poor muffin burning habits. She declared “That I would not leave her house without making a proper batch of muffins!” ok, perhaps it was a little less dramatic than that… but you get my point ☺
Mrs. M decided I knew how to measure, but something was wrong in the mixing/pan placement/baking section. In the morning she prepped a bowl of dry and wet ingredients, and declared we would be making apple muffins. Now that sounded super hard to me… with fruit involved and all…but I figured it was cooking school so I would be safe?
But safe I was! I mixed, I scooped batter into lil’ tins, I placed in oven, and I made beautiful, delicious, pecan apple muffins. Pecan Apple Muffins! Seriously, I think these were the best muffins I have ever tasted. Fluffy, light, non-burnt. Freakin’ delicious.
Heather and I had debated doing away with Muffin Mondays… especially because we’ve had ‘free donut’ competition the past 2 weeks. However, since I have a new recipe in hand, a personal lesson from the master baker, I will attempt to bake the muffins! Well, at least one more time!
On a side note…. with the help of the Master Baker, Heather&Allicia, and a glass of wine …I believe I may have figured out why all my muffins were burning. Too detailed to explain… but I will keep you posted on whether my new cooking method works!!!
Your muffin master in training,
~Natanya
#5: Batch 3 of ‘some kind of chip’ cookies complete!! I feel so successful… I am the chip cookie master! Well master of 1 recipe in which I have placed several different types of chocolate chips ;) My most recent invention: Black ‘n Gold’s (butterscotch and chocolate chip)
You see in New Orleans people LOVE anything to do with the Saints. This also means anything with “Who Dat” written on it, and anything with Saints coloring. So… I figured I’d capitalize on that a little bit… after all it’s for a good cause! It worked like a charm; only one lone cookie left after the bake sale… one lone perfect cookie for moi! hehe
Another interesting thing has developed: cookie donations. This week a co-worker’s wife baked 2-dozen for our bake sale, and someone else brought by cupcakes! It amazes me how many people want to help out. Then again I understand the need, or perhaps the drive, to contribute and just do something to lend a hand. Bravo ladies!!
#6: I baked muffins…and here is the big bonus of the hour: I did not burn them! Yes you have heard me right!!!
Ok ok ok ok … I kinda had a cooking lesson, and perhaps it wasn’t a completely independent cooking experience. But I did mix, spoon batter into a pan, place said pan in the oven, and the muffins did not exploded into burnt corrupt horribleness! I will take my successes where I can get them ☺
You see, over the weekend I went out to Austin, TX and the surrounding wine country with my lovely friends. Now, Heather’s parents live near wine country so we stop over the first night of our trip. Heather’s Mom, master baker Mrs. M, had been following my burning experiences and took pity on my poor muffin burning habits. She declared “That I would not leave her house without making a proper batch of muffins!” ok, perhaps it was a little less dramatic than that… but you get my point ☺
Mrs. M decided I knew how to measure, but something was wrong in the mixing/pan placement/baking section. In the morning she prepped a bowl of dry and wet ingredients, and declared we would be making apple muffins. Now that sounded super hard to me… with fruit involved and all…but I figured it was cooking school so I would be safe?
But safe I was! I mixed, I scooped batter into lil’ tins, I placed in oven, and I made beautiful, delicious, pecan apple muffins. Pecan Apple Muffins! Seriously, I think these were the best muffins I have ever tasted. Fluffy, light, non-burnt. Freakin’ delicious.
Heather and I had debated doing away with Muffin Mondays… especially because we’ve had ‘free donut’ competition the past 2 weeks. However, since I have a new recipe in hand, a personal lesson from the master baker, I will attempt to bake the muffins! Well, at least one more time!
On a side note…. with the help of the Master Baker, Heather&Allicia, and a glass of wine …I believe I may have figured out why all my muffins were burning. Too detailed to explain… but I will keep you posted on whether my new cooking method works!!!
Your muffin master in training,
~Natanya
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Mission 4: Muffin Madness Part 2
Ok, so after burning the last set of muffins, I was sure I had this one. I found the recipe for 'basic' blueberry muffins in Joy of Cooking. I had studied the recipe, read the section on making muffins, and even read the section on muffin mixing techniques. I was pretty confident I couldn't mess this one up...
Well you can already guess what happened.
I sat near the oven waiting intently as they baked, and a few minutes before the cook time...I noticed they looked a little brown....but they were still liquidy in the middle. When the timer when off I look them out, and what did I see??
Burn muffins. Again.
The muffins were totally burnt around the outside, and totally under cooked in the middle. WTF?? How could this be happening again! I practically studied for this!
However, at this point I can’t help but completely laugh at myself. I mean who can’t bake a simple muffin recipe? Apparently me. I CANNOT make muffins, muffins hate me, my oven hates muffins, or there is a sabotaging muffin elf who lives in my kitchen!! I try to pout and complain to Jorge, but underneath it all I cannot stop laughing at myself and my ridiculous inability to cook a simple batch of muffins….
Jorge and I drive to the store at 9pm at night to see what I can buy to redeem myself. There’s no pre-baked goods that will work, so we find Jiffy muffin mix for $1 a bag. Jorge says “Why don’t you see if you can make boxed muffins first, then try making them from scratch”…huh, that’s kind-of a good idea I guess. Although deep down inside I feel like I’m cheating.
The boxed muffins turn out ok, a little brown, but definitely not burnt! I few people at work even tell me they taste really good (they are boxed after all). Ever time someone tells me that I feel like a big fat cheater, but I just smile and say ‘thanks! I had a little help from Betty Crocker…’
Ok new idea, I master the ‘boxed’ muffins first. Yes, boxed muffins sound about right.
Well you can already guess what happened.
I sat near the oven waiting intently as they baked, and a few minutes before the cook time...I noticed they looked a little brown....but they were still liquidy in the middle. When the timer when off I look them out, and what did I see??
Burn muffins. Again.
The muffins were totally burnt around the outside, and totally under cooked in the middle. WTF?? How could this be happening again! I practically studied for this!
However, at this point I can’t help but completely laugh at myself. I mean who can’t bake a simple muffin recipe? Apparently me. I CANNOT make muffins, muffins hate me, my oven hates muffins, or there is a sabotaging muffin elf who lives in my kitchen!! I try to pout and complain to Jorge, but underneath it all I cannot stop laughing at myself and my ridiculous inability to cook a simple batch of muffins….
Jorge and I drive to the store at 9pm at night to see what I can buy to redeem myself. There’s no pre-baked goods that will work, so we find Jiffy muffin mix for $1 a bag. Jorge says “Why don’t you see if you can make boxed muffins first, then try making them from scratch”…huh, that’s kind-of a good idea I guess. Although deep down inside I feel like I’m cheating.
The boxed muffins turn out ok, a little brown, but definitely not burnt! I few people at work even tell me they taste really good (they are boxed after all). Ever time someone tells me that I feel like a big fat cheater, but I just smile and say ‘thanks! I had a little help from Betty Crocker…’
Ok new idea, I master the ‘boxed’ muffins first. Yes, boxed muffins sound about right.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Mission 3: White Chocolate Chip Cookies
(my belated update… :) )
SUCCESS!!! I didn’t burn anything, and the cookies turned out great! Pretty little round circles of white chocolate deliciousness! I added a little more flour (thanks Mom) so they didn’t thin out too much, and they came out perfect. It was everything I dreamed making cookies should be…
Ok so I did drop a stick of butter face down on the floor, but only a minor mishap. After all, butter is like soap, wash the top layer off and it’s like new, right???
After last week, all I heard from Jorge was: “ how could you not make any extra cookies for me? I would have eaten the burnt ones….I can’t believe I didn’t get one cookie…” You see, he was on duty the night I was baking…so he really had no idea what those burnt cookies looked like! So after all this whimpering I made LOTS of cookies. First off, I wanted to make extra to make up for the fact I didn’t sell any muffins this week (see Mission 2). Secondly, I was worried there would be a revolt in my house if there weren’t any extra cookies for the husband. I ended up making almost 5 dozen! It was like a crazy cookie wonderland….
The house smelled like cookie heaven… yet no husband, hovering, waiting around for cookies?!? Hmmm, I go upstairs with a couple of cookies warm from the oven, and of course, Jorge is asleep in bed, one hand still on his laptop. He sleepily wakes up, gobbles down two cookies... and promptly falls back asleep.
Perhaps, a bit anti-climatic after the week of whining about cookies, but I am way too ecstatic from my first no-burn baking experience to even care! 5 dozens perfect, yummy, un-burnt cookies!!!! I’m finely getting the hang of this!!
The next day we sell about 5 dozen of the 6 dzn we bring in. All week long people have been coming up to us and remarking on what a great idea our bake sale is. We even get a “thank you” note from the Race for the Cure committee at work, saying thank you for fundraising and raising awareness! I’m also getting teased a lot, one man proclaimed I was his new girlfriend, another co-worker asked if I would start pushing a cart around at work… Lol I guess smart women baking creates a bit of confusion! (no matter how poor many of my attempts are!)
SUCCESS!!! I didn’t burn anything, and the cookies turned out great! Pretty little round circles of white chocolate deliciousness! I added a little more flour (thanks Mom) so they didn’t thin out too much, and they came out perfect. It was everything I dreamed making cookies should be…
Ok so I did drop a stick of butter face down on the floor, but only a minor mishap. After all, butter is like soap, wash the top layer off and it’s like new, right???
After last week, all I heard from Jorge was: “ how could you not make any extra cookies for me? I would have eaten the burnt ones….I can’t believe I didn’t get one cookie…” You see, he was on duty the night I was baking…so he really had no idea what those burnt cookies looked like! So after all this whimpering I made LOTS of cookies. First off, I wanted to make extra to make up for the fact I didn’t sell any muffins this week (see Mission 2). Secondly, I was worried there would be a revolt in my house if there weren’t any extra cookies for the husband. I ended up making almost 5 dozen! It was like a crazy cookie wonderland….
The house smelled like cookie heaven… yet no husband, hovering, waiting around for cookies?!? Hmmm, I go upstairs with a couple of cookies warm from the oven, and of course, Jorge is asleep in bed, one hand still on his laptop. He sleepily wakes up, gobbles down two cookies... and promptly falls back asleep.
Perhaps, a bit anti-climatic after the week of whining about cookies, but I am way too ecstatic from my first no-burn baking experience to even care! 5 dozens perfect, yummy, un-burnt cookies!!!! I’m finely getting the hang of this!!
The next day we sell about 5 dozen of the 6 dzn we bring in. All week long people have been coming up to us and remarking on what a great idea our bake sale is. We even get a “thank you” note from the Race for the Cure committee at work, saying thank you for fundraising and raising awareness! I’m also getting teased a lot, one man proclaimed I was his new girlfriend, another co-worker asked if I would start pushing a cart around at work… Lol I guess smart women baking creates a bit of confusion! (no matter how poor many of my attempts are!)
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