A Wondrous, Worrisome Week

Before I even begin this post ---- lemme say that I don't have any photos of the cakes (yet!). In my chaotic crazy ass state of complete cake focus, I forgot to get batteries for the camera, so I wasn't able to take photos of *anything* I did for the wedding. The photographer promised to send me some shots soon --- but until then, you've gotta use your imaginations.

I know, I know --- L.A.M.E.

That said -- let's get to it.......

The Wondrous
Those of you who know me well, know that it is rare for me to compliment myself... I can fault with even my best laid plans.... but, um --- I ACED those cakes!!! HOORAY!!! They were delicious, and they didn't topple over and everyone *loved* them.... and I'm pleased as peaches about the whole thing!

*great big grin*

Wednesday -- I got a super late start on the day (Tim and I spent the afternoon reading in the park [insert joyous bouncing here]) but managed to do all the shopping, which meant hitting three separate grocery stores; borrowed a 5 QT mixer; bake off the heart-shaped layers for the Red Velvet cake; make the syrup for the wedding cake layers (amaretto with chopped toasted almonds) make a batch of spiced almonds and walnuts and a tray of this cashew cinnamon brittle that's just the best thing ever. Went to bed at 2am-ish

Thursday -- Up at 8am... downed a ton of coffee and got to baking the wedding cake layers. I was doing this butter cake with almonds and had to do three layers (12", 9" and 6") -- which meant baking for six cakes.

Round One was a catastrophe. I made the batter for the 9"-ers and 6"-ers -- but insanely spaced on the fact that my 9" pans were NOT 2" high, which they needed to be.... so about 10 minutes after putting the pans in the oven -- the cakes basically exploded and oozed all over the inside of the oven. SOooOoOoOOooooOooOOo not cute! After a serious amount of very foul language and 30 minutes of clean up --- I got to make the entire batch over again.... oh yay! This time -- I made three 9" layers and it worked perfectly. I managed to bake off the 12"-ers with no trouble at all.... and in the end, the cakes were perfect.

Had to stop for a bit after baking the layers to run a couple of forgotten errands... back in the kitchen at about 5pm. At some point in here -- the constant use of the garbage disposal and dish washer caused my basement to flood and fill up with this disgusting buttery sludge -- but I forced myself to pretend it wasn't happening and kept baking.

Finished the Red Velvet cake with cream cheese frosting and decorated it the way Simon's kids had requested (pink frosting, saying "I Love You" in purple with lots of flowers). Started in on the pears. I peeled, sliced and caramelized an insane number of bartlett, bosc and red pears to use at the filling for the cake -- I sauteed them in butter and brown sugar, with fresh ginger, cardamom, vanilla beans and lemon zest -- and a healthy splash of pear brandy --- and lemme tell you folks -- they were AMAZING!

While those cooled, I started in on the butter cream frosting, which I had been fearing for days. You basically add boiling sugar water to these egg yolks and then add butter -- but if you add it too quickly, you get scrambled sugar-ie eggs... let the syrup touch the side of the mixing bowl, and it cools into hard candy. Add the butter too soon -- and it dissolves into a lumpy mess. It's temperamental as all hell -- but when you get it right, it's heaven .... and um, I got it right -- not once, but twice! I added a healthier splash of the pear brandy to the finished butter cream -- and it was brilliant -- honestly, brilliant!

I assembled the cakes and got to frosting them -- Wanda came by to drink wine and keep me company... at this point, it was well after midnight and I was exhausted, so I decided to stop and finish decorating the cakes in the morning in hopes that some sleep would make me calmer. I have to admit that I had been maintaining a state of tense nervousness for two days at that point -- so um.... yeah, I needed to stop. Went to bed at 1am...

Friday (Wedding Day) -- Up at 5:45am (oh, yes indeed!) I had a second batch of butter cream done by 6:30 and got to decorating the cakes --- I just did a simple swiss dot thing, because I was gonna use fresh flowers as the main accent on the layers. Got everything frosted and boxed up, packed all the supplies I needed, decorated the masonite rounds I would be using to plate the cakes on and drank several cups of coffee --- and was ready to head to the hall at 9:30am when Tim showed up to help me.

9:45am -- drive about 20 blocks to the Paxton, where the reception was being held... the cakes shifted A LOT during the drive, but Tim made me laugh the entire time -- no panicking! We get everything loaded into the hall and realize that -- for some INSANE reason -- they have the heat on. Tim finds someone to fix that, while I try to fix the frosting and try not to freak out about how everything was starting to melt. I get the wedding cake put together -- it was a little wobbly looking -- but the shit stood up all night long!

Tim and I left the hall with time to get breakfast, head home, get dressed and make it out to the ceremony at 3pm. The wedding was beautiful -- the reception was a blast and a half (I danced forever!) -- and when they cut the cakes, Sara and Simon made a toast to me that made me blush six shades of red.... and once those cakes were cut -- it was like a frenzy! I had a moment of absolute joy watching everyone eat the cakes, candy and nuts --- it was just the best feeling in the world!

It was a perfect day. Completely perfect....

Funny aside -- while eating his slice of cake -- the groom thanked Tim for helping make the cakes taste so good. Tim explained that he just help me set up -- and Simon says something about how those cakes were straight out of Like Water for Chocolate... and um, I think he might be right.

I was so silly proud of myself, so happy that I was able to be a part of Simon & Sara's wedding. It was just the best day in a run of best days -- know what I mean mean?

The Worrisome
The week since the wedding's been a good one -- I'm back at the shop and still talking with folks about the bakery... finding support in the most wonderful places...

But yesterday sucked a bit, okay -- alot, because someone tried to break into my little old house. When I got home last night -- the front door was unlocked and the dead bolt had been popped with some sort of tool. Nothing was missing from the house, and it didn't look as though anyone had come inside -- but I didn't spend the night there. Totally spooked!

This morning --- when I got home, I realized that the back screen door had been torn off the hinges... so both doors had been fucked with. Then I discovered that my neighbors had actually been robbed. So -- for whatever reason, they started out at my house -- got the door open, but bailed and went into my neighbors house through a basement window and stole a ton of stuff.

This morning was spent dealing with the police, the locksmith ($150 on new locks -- sweet!), the plumber (another $120 for having the drain snaked), had the house alarm activated (which I should have done 2 years ago) and had to deal with Patrick who was a fuckin' mess because my neighbors think he might be involved somehow. He and my neighbor basically got into an arguement this morning about the whole thing.... he spent the entire morning at the house with me. And it became quickly obvious that the more upset he was about what happened -- the farther from reality he moved.

It was NOT a good morning. But everything's okay, the house is fine, I'm fine -- what's broken can be fixed and I've been counting my blessings all day. Still feeling a little freaked out about being back at the house -- but I know it's safe and these things happen... it just sucks when they happen THIS >< CLOSE to home -- ya know?