Plans You Can’t Count On and Italian Buttercream
Feb 18, 2011 General
Valentine’s Day is NOT a day that anyone likes to feel disappointed.
About five minutes into making Valentine’s Day cards, Amaya got up to leave.
“Where are you going? We’re making Valentines! That’s the plan!” I said, alarmed.
She looked at me with her little four year old squint and said, with a side pinched mouth, “That was your plan. That wasn’t my plan! I just want to have fun!”
She walked away without one bit of guilt or even one backwards glance at her abandoned list of friends who would have one less Valentine.
Predictably, for our Valentine’s Day, my hub and I were having a bit of a squabble about “adult stuff” and acting like kids about it.
To top it off, my culinary class was supposed to make cupcakes, and I forgot the flour.
I mean, who said cupcakes have to have flour anyway? Why are we forced to give Valentines on February 14th? Why does an argument have so much more weight on an arbitrarily assigned day of the year?
Bah. Humbug.
Basically, every week I have to drag my entire kitchen to my car, from my car to my classroom, then my classroom to the kitchen classroom, and then back again. So when I came back from my all day field trip in time for 7th period, there was no time to problem solve having no flour. My google searches for "substitutions for flour” weren’t going to save me.
I apologized to my students, and the grumbling from those teenagers was even louder than my own grumbling. What if you were promised an hour to cook and then had to write notes on leaveners instead?
I tried to salvage my own romantic Valentine’s Day by ordering takeout. Both places I thought would be appreciated happened to close early on Monday. I went to the store to get some inspiration, and by the time I got home, it was already time for dinner. I basically completely failed to do anything for my significant other. And I had to ruin the rest of our evening because now I had to make 90 red velvet cupcakes.
Today I brought in the cupcakes. My friend, co-owner of the local cake shop Paradise Pastries, came in to talk with my class about her expertise, and made us some Italian Buttercream.
She whipped up that buttercream like someone who could do that in sleep. I was impressed. I’m very impressed by anything that requires thermometers, whipped egg whites, sugar that could burn your skin off, and pounds of butter. There’s a lot that can go wrong with this recipe. The variables are hard to account for. She could make that alchemy work up into a perfect sweet frosting while I struggled to work out using a phone to order take out.
Stress momentarily melted into that pillowy buttercream. If this is what Italians eat, get me on a plane right this moment. I may have eaten more cupcakes than I originally intended. I’m not normally a frosting person, but I was basically using the cupcake like a plate for frosting.
We played around with decorating, and let’s just say that my technique could use some work. One of my students seems to have a knack for food styling, and she made a rose on her first try. My cupcakes look like Zac Efron’s hair. The “all bangs” look. 
I came home to a surprise. These nun orchids have been my Valentine’s Day staple since we first started dating in 2000.
That’s something I can count on.
Valentine’s Day magic lives on. Even a day late.
Resources:
My friend normally makes a lot more buttercream than you would need, and buys egg whites by the bucket, but this recipe is closest I could find online to what she used.
I made Annie’s Red Velvet Cupcakes. Easy peasy. Even 90 of them.
Wilton’s website is a great source for decorating techniques using buttercream frosting. Something I will be studying.
Tags: Backwards Glance, Culinary Class, Day Of The Year, Field Trip, Five Minutes, Flour, Google, Google Searches, Guilt, Italian Buttercream, Leaveners, Red Velvet, Romantic Valentine, Salvage, Squabble, Squint, Valentine Day, Valentine S Day, Valentine S Day Cards, Valentines
Valentines Macarons
Feb 9, 2011 General
Macarons and champagne for Valentine’s Day. Includes a diy printable pillow box to package your goodies too
Tags: Champagne, goodies, Macarons, Valentine S Day, Valentines
Some Tips On How To Make A Valentine’s Day Wedding Theme A Success
Sep 1, 2010 Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe
A Valentine’s Day wedding theme is one of the most popular wedding themes nowadays as its timing is simply perfect for the occasion. As with any successful wedding, planning and organization are two important factors that make this happen. And even though some dilemmas may happen, it’s essential that you remained composed and on top of the situation.
The planning phase is probably the most crucial part of the wedding preparations since this is the time that you lay down everything with your coordinator. When you are aiming for a themed wedding such as a Valentine’s Day theme, your wedding coordinator will suggest several ideas and strategies.
Some tips and ideas to help perfect your Valentine’s day wedding:
- Color scheme
Since it is Valentine’s day, most would-be brides prefer reds and pinks all over. But for those who do not prefer these V-day colors, a splash of other shades such as green, yellow, orange and blue can add contrast and drama to the overall color and theme.
One idea is to incorporate 2 to 3 shades of Valentine colors such as pinks, reds fuchsias. You can have your bridesmaids wear a shade each or as complementing combinations. Your bouquet, as well as your bridesmaids, may have these shades but a sprinkling of greens for that fresh look.
You and your coordinator can discuss a good strategy regarding the color combinations and where to put them so as not to depart from the Valentine’s day ambience.
- The perfect wedding cake
Chocolate is the signature sweet for Valentine’s day, so why not incorporate this idea in choosing your wedding cake. Another option is the red velvet cake which is quite popular because of its moist texture, rich flavor and of course red color.
As for the shape and design of your cake, it may be too cheesy to have heart-shaped wedding cake layers, but you can put a twist to it without making it too corny or cheesy. You may have a layered red velvet or chocolate cake with white or light pink fondant icing decorated with real fresh flowers and strawberries to match the occasion. You may use heart-shaped cake topper instead of the usual bride and groom. And for the twist, you may order from the bakeshop some heart-shaped cupcakes or mini cakes in either or both red velvet and chocolate.
Cupcakes have become popular with many occasions as take away cakes, so why not include this idea so your guests can have their cake too.
- Setting your reception venue
While some couples want their wedding during the daytime, you can set yours in the afternoon for the ceremony and come evening, the reception dinner. Make this reception memorable for everyone in your guest list particularly for the couples since they are there instead of going out on dates with their loved ones. Take the opportunity to let your couple-guests enjoy everything, from the food to the ambience to the wine and dancing.
And of course, make sure that your reception venue is dressed to the occasion. Always remember that color can emphasize the occasion, so put reds and pinks as your primary color, then add other colors to freshen and break the monotony of those V-day shades.
You can also use white and beige for dressing the dinner tables and accentuating them with reds or pinks, or both. Centerpieces should also be according to theme. You can use candles and flowers to add drama to the ambience and have the lights dimmed once the sweet dancing starts.
- Don’t forget wine and chocolates for your guests
Wines for toasting as well as for dining should be present during this occasion. If your budget permits, you may also give away bottles of wine and complementary chocolates to your guests as favors. If your budget is limited, you can omit the wine and just give away chocolates in heart-shaped boxes.
- Music to set the mood
Dancing and music are great during Valentine’s day, so incorporate this idea to make the celebration lively and enjoyable for everyone. If you can hire a wedding singer and his/her band, the better.
There is no perfect recipe for any wedding celebration. The fact that even those that were planned for a long time have flaws shouldn’t discourage you in setting-up a Valentine’s day themed wedding. And even if you are on a strict budget, you can still pull it off by being creative with your resources that revolve around the theme of love and romance.
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