Practice

The move to Muskoka actually went well. I saw two moose and, amazingly, I didn't even get lost.

Work for the bakery has begun, so we've been scratch baking every day—so exciting. No personal baking though—sorry, food blog!

Since spring decided to turn back into winter up here (it snowed on Sunday!), I've been practicing painting a bit in my down time. I still have no idea what I'm doing, but practice I must.

These flower designs are not of my own invention. I cannot find the source of the blue flowers in the first picture, though I'm pretty sure they were from Rifle Paper Company. Sorry! I thought I had pinned it. However, I do know that the roses are a lame attempt at ones from here. Everything on her website is so beautiful, it makes my heart ache.

The second practice was inspired by an old pillow case at my parents' cottage.

In the realm of baking and pastry, I know that baking theory is my passion. But when it comes to a favourite practical component, I just don't know.

I'm moving to Muskoka this week, where I assume I won't be practicing much baking theory. So, I thought I'd try something new.

For a while, I've been fascinated with the concept of painting with food colouring. While I won't be able to bake and decorate cookies, I thought watercolour painting would be a good starting point, so I'm going to try and teach myself.

Instead of a recipe, I thought I could share some of my painting practice, and a few inspiration links. I'm really into flowers right now...but hopefully I'll branch out. Also, I'm a complete beginner, so if anyone has any tips, I'd love to hear them.

-This image is what really inspired me to try my hand at painting—a friend from my baking program works here.

-These painted pie tops.

-I love these painted fondant cookies and this cake

-Everything from Baked Ideas—especially these. Also, her piping skills make me feel hopeless.

-The first image in this post was inspired by this painting from the painted arrow.

Cake Decorating: Blackberry Cake

Last week, while leisurely decorating some miniature cakes, it occurred to me that they were ugly. I keep decorating cakes in the style I was taught in school—buttercream roses, piped borders, swags, etc...—only to repeatedly find myself displeased with the results.

Oatmeal Cookies II

If you will believe it, I haven't just been lazy about posting oatmeal cookies. It actually took me a month of obsessive oatmeal cookie making to arrive at this recipe. Creating an oatmeal cookie for my dream bakery was way more difficult than I anticipated...in part because I struggled to define my "perfect" oatmeal cookie, but also because of the increased number of variables to consider, adjust and change, especially compared to a basic shortbread or sugar cookie.

I'm spending my rainy day off working on a dream bakery oatmeal cookie. I am using my first oatmeal cookie recipe as a base, because, upon re-making it this week (and editing the post and pictures...haha, shh, it was embarrassing), I found the cookies were actually quite good. Still, I know they can be better...but I'm having a hard time determining the criteria for my ideal oatmeal cookie. All I know for sure is that it doesn't have raisins.

Barbados

My father has been living and working in Barbados for the last 6 months, and for a week this month, my family and I finally went to visit. I've tried to limit the number of photos I share, as this is a food blog, but it's difficult to go on vacation and not want to tell everyone about it. I'll try to be brief and food related...

Chocolate Cake with Honey Buttercream

It seems as though when you are an aspiring baker, you become forever responsible for making your own birthday cakes. Last year I made myself a raw cheesecake, but this year I wanted something more traditional.