A Sign From Above

I finally found my camera, it was in the passenger seat in my VW Passat, lol. These past few days have been great and I have learned quite a bit! I tried some new cheese, drank some wine, tried new fruit, and learned so much about cake decorating! I know you are excited, lol, so let's get to business...

Thursday & Friday:
In preparation for the upcoming French party with CIA, I bought a new kind of cheese! It is called "Havarti." It is a soft white cheese and is FABULOUS! It was the hit of the party :p There was a lot of good food there! Everyone was to bring a cheese, meat, and fruit. I brought salami, apples, and my havarti. There was also gouda, limburger cheese, smoked gruyere, crackers, bruschetta, blueberries, chardonnay-marinated olives, and white wine! This was my first time with white wine and I was pleasantly surprised. I definitely prefer white over red! :D

Our party spread!

President White, haha, came up with a great combination at our party. You take a bistro cracker, lay a piece of havarti down, add a squirt of honey, then place blueberries on top. Sounds weird and not very appetizing, but it is really good! This was also my first time eating straight blueberries... My roommate has told me they taste like dirty water, but I disagree. They are really good! Here is the Presidential Cracker, lol:

Yum!

To finish our French meal, I had a Dove chocolate and I received a sign from God! Look at the message inside, you can't tell me this is a coincidence!

That is exactly what this blog is about!

Saturday:

What an exciting day it has been so far! I woke up this morning and headed to Nashville to Sweet Wise, which is a baking supplies store that also teaches classes. I signed up for a fondant class! I honestly wasn't expecting to learn so much, but I did! Kathy Gentry, owner of the business and teacher, taught us so many great tips and tricks! Want to moisten you layered scratch cake? Spritz with a simple sugar! Want to make your own gum paste? Add tylose powder to fondant!  Perhaps, though, the best part of the class was when Chef Gentry taught us her method for rolling out fondant! She used two sheets of this thick and flexible plastic, coats one side of each sheet with shortening, places fondant between greased sheets, and rolls out! The top sheet comes off, and the fondant sticks to the bottom sheet. With the bottom sheet, you can pick it up and the fondant stays to it! It is perfect for laying on the cake and is so much easier than rolling on a dusted counter and transferring by rolling pin! I will never go back to the old method! I will have to demonstrate this method for you all very soon! Here is my finished cake, which is my first fondant cake to not look like a shar-pei puppy in the back!

We also learned to make a bow from gum paste!

At the end of the class, we received a certificate! I am so happy that I was able to take this class. For all my readers in the Nashville area, and even Knoxville, visit their website and contact them to schedule a Fondant I class! I definitely go my money's worth and so much more! Their website is here. I will be heading back for more classes soon!

Honestly, if things keep going the way they are, I am attending culinary school after graduation and becoming a cake decorator. I absolutely love it!

I need a cold shower and cigarette now, lol! We have reached the end of this edition, so until next time, have a good night and tomorrow!