So that makes these onions extra delicious. And I would like everyone to join in the respect for every single pearl onion that I peeled and even broke a nail peeling!
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Monday, December 6, 2010
Hand-peeled Pearl Onions in a Brandy Cream Sauce.
So that makes these onions extra delicious. And I would like everyone to join in the respect for every single pearl onion that I peeled and even broke a nail peeling!
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Pachorkowsky-style holiday Filling.
He started by making a big pot of real mashed potatoes. Then sauté tons and tons of celery and onions in a digustingly large amount of butter. Add bread pieces ( I have changed the recipe from Sunbeam bread to foccaccia because I prefer the saltiness and texture of foccaccia) (I also added fresh dill and Italian parsley) Mix in a dozen eggs or so and bake in oven until crusty on top! Make 1 extra full pan to satisfy leftovers and doggie bags. Hands down- the leftovers are the best part of any holiday. Proceed to drown in gravy. Devour!
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Holiday Tradition
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Sweet 16
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1st Birthday Cake.
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Saturday, December 4, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Turkey Day Special.
Well it's turkey time again. Most pastry chefs are busy finishing up pumpkin and apple pies. Not the pastry chefs where I work. We are busy strategizing how we can bake 45 turkeys in 1 day with an oven that holds only 10 at a time. Now let's do the math; that's 45 turkeys divided by 10 which equals 4 1/2 rounds of baking at 3 3/4 hrs. each. That is almost 17 hrs of turkey roasting!!!
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Now That's More Like it! Think we will stick to the cake!
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Sunday, November 21, 2010
Future Kraut?
We have local contracts with Lancaster farms so we can buy, use, and sell the freshest produce.
These Brussels sprouts are so vibrant. They are in the same "family" as broccoli and cabbage so they grow on stalks. These look like a giant stalk of a zillion baby cabbage. A dream come true for this Polish Princess! Wonder if they'd make good kraut?!
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These Brussels sprouts are so vibrant. They are in the same "family" as broccoli and cabbage so they grow on stalks. These look like a giant stalk of a zillion baby cabbage. A dream come true for this Polish Princess! Wonder if they'd make good kraut?!
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Friday, September 10, 2010
Caution: Inside this walk-in is the most beautiful wedding cake in the whole wide-world!!!!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Wedding Week!!!
Well, it's officially here...Wedding week and already a day behind. The cake parade should have begun but my bakery was out of cardamom. The flavor profile of the cake is; Vanilla bean white cake w aromatics of cinnamon, cardamom, & clove w a white truffle glaze and cream cheese frosting!
Man, that's a mouthful, literally!!!!
Stay tuned...
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Man, that's a mouthful, literally!!!!
Stay tuned...
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Monday, September 6, 2010
And THAT, my friends is how one makes a wedding cake stand...Mexicano stylo!
Friday, August 27, 2010
Officially the largest cakes I have ever baked IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!!!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
Blueberry Patch
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Friday, August 6, 2010
The Last Baaaa...
Stay tuned.. For a really funny bakery adventure!
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Friday, June 11, 2010
FYI #1
For You Information:
I will admit to being a very bad speller; however, I am good with punctuation. -And, I would like to say that I do realize that I capitalize words that "should" not be capitalized. -but, this is my blog and I will bloggin do what I see fit here! If you haven't all ready noticed, I capitalize ALL words referring to the Culinary World! Just wanted to put that out there.
I will admit to being a very bad speller; however, I am good with punctuation. -And, I would like to say that I do realize that I capitalize words that "should" not be capitalized. -but, this is my blog and I will bloggin do what I see fit here! If you haven't all ready noticed, I capitalize ALL words referring to the Culinary World! Just wanted to put that out there.
Cake Season
Well, haven't shared much lately...but that doesn't mean alot has not been going on. It's wedding and gradutation time, and that means it is Cake Season, as we say. Ugh, It has been so fudgin' busy the past month. There is usually only time to cook dinner and pretty much go straight to bed, Yuk. BUT in a few short weeks my summer will begin. Ahhh free afternoons and plenty of time to do as I please. The store will dramatically slow down, which I know is a bad thing, but on a positive note tho we will have more time to "play" We use summer and mid winter to try new recipes and strategize for the upcoming busy season.
This summer we will be working on our Fondant Technique, redoing menus, and expanding our Sugar-Free Line and our 100 Or Less Line (100 calories or less)
....can't wait...just need to finish up about 100 more orders first, LOL!
See you soon.
P.S. and I have decided to soon go VERY public with this blog. I have a little sumthin sumthin up my Chef Jacket sleeve!
This summer we will be working on our Fondant Technique, redoing menus, and expanding our Sugar-Free Line and our 100 Or Less Line (100 calories or less)
....can't wait...just need to finish up about 100 more orders first, LOL!
See you soon.
P.S. and I have decided to soon go VERY public with this blog. I have a little sumthin sumthin up my Chef Jacket sleeve!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
A Tradition in the making...
He show's his silly colors mostly at Christmas. We make a zillion Cookies together every year, 9 years Tradition now. His favorite part is when I roll out the Gingerbread Dough. While I am busy cutting out the Ladies and Gents and cutting out shingles for our Gingerbread Village he is busy cutting out "unmentionables" out of my dough! Ugh I get so angry because then I must rummage through all of them while filling our cookie tins so NO ONE recieves a special suprise! It really is quite funny as we munch on our favorite cut outs and share them with friends! I guess the Falic Gingerbread People are a tradition as well :) Geez, I just wonder what is next?
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Friday, May 28, 2010
Photo Shoot #1
We are about to start our first of several Photo Shoots with the very talented Julian Kornicki! Yay! And even better; it's all about ME, Chef Meg and our cakes!
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Thursday, May 27, 2010
It's All In The Name...
With lots of experience under my belt, I have made my way "up the ranks" Starting with Cook, Lead, Pastry Cook 1, Pastry Cook 2, Pastry Cook 3, Pastry Chef, and now Executive Pastry Chef. There are even sub-titles that I have carried through out my career, Burger Flipper, Salad Maker, Bun Toaster, Prep, Fry 1, Broil 1, Saute 1, Expo, Kitchen Manager,...and probably a few more.
I also span a long line of nicknames. And these I will elaborate on: The very first nickname was Daddy's Little Helper(cute & no biggie), Bakery Girl(blah), Then came Cake Lady(hmmm...a little better maybe, or not?) Pastry Chic(I still like the sound of that one), back to Bakery Girlz(but now not Girl but Girlz) Bakery Bitches (yeah, I really like this one!) Pastry Bitches (movin on up) Cupcake Queen (cute) Cake Lady (again!) Pastry Queen/Pastry Queens (a little more respect now) And...
Now we have reached a higher level of NickNamedom! The next one given to us by our goodfellow Chef friend, Poney-Tail L. was Pastry Heroes! Oh how we love this one. Much more creative. I can not help but imagine us running around urgently with pastry bags full of icing in our chocolate stained hands. Our Apron strings flying behind us like we are burnin' rubber in our hot pink patent Dansko's!!! BUT- We have now climed yet one more rung to that Big Cupcake in the Sky.
One of our Great customers sent us a thank you letter telling us how wonderfully delish our cake was and thanking us for "making her party." The letter was addressed to None Other Than THE........DELECTABLE DIVAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
'Nuff said! I think we will be satisfied with this one for awhile.....
I also span a long line of nicknames. And these I will elaborate on: The very first nickname was Daddy's Little Helper(cute & no biggie), Bakery Girl(blah), Then came Cake Lady(hmmm...a little better maybe, or not?) Pastry Chic(I still like the sound of that one), back to Bakery Girlz(but now not Girl but Girlz) Bakery Bitches (yeah, I really like this one!) Pastry Bitches (movin on up) Cupcake Queen (cute) Cake Lady (again!) Pastry Queen/Pastry Queens (a little more respect now) And...
Now we have reached a higher level of NickNamedom! The next one given to us by our goodfellow Chef friend, Poney-Tail L. was Pastry Heroes! Oh how we love this one. Much more creative. I can not help but imagine us running around urgently with pastry bags full of icing in our chocolate stained hands. Our Apron strings flying behind us like we are burnin' rubber in our hot pink patent Dansko's!!! BUT- We have now climed yet one more rung to that Big Cupcake in the Sky.
One of our Great customers sent us a thank you letter telling us how wonderfully delish our cake was and thanking us for "making her party." The letter was addressed to None Other Than THE........DELECTABLE DIVAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
'Nuff said! I think we will be satisfied with this one for awhile.....
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Times have Changed
Well, It has been an extremely long time since I have updated my blog. The reason is probably my Pastry Chef OCD...hahah...We Pastry Chefs (generally) have extreme OCD! We like things in order ALL THE TIME! We like our tools, ingredients, pastries, completely organized. (Chef Meg and I like to say "Lined up like little soldiers" Otherwise, I know I personally, can not function and wind up walking around in circles all day. I frequently say, "Ugh, I can not work with my things unorganized"
Anyway- this leads into why I haven't "blogged" in forever...
I wanted to get a few "big stories" about things that are important to me "blogged" before this became my ongoing daily....food for thought.
Hasn't worked this far due to my business, so I have decided to go ahead and add those "stories" later!
I have overrun my facebook page with pics of my work, cool things I make, and quite frankly too much kitchen stuff...I frequently do not post things that I would like to because it may be considered (unrelevent info) that has nothing to do with reconnecting and chatting with old friends and having fun with current ones. -And I have longed to keep my Culinary thoughts and funny happenings (ORGANIZED hahah) in one place. I have simply been waiting to finnish my Big Important Stories on my blog before going forward with that; however, ........Times Have Changed!
Anyway- this leads into why I haven't "blogged" in forever...
I wanted to get a few "big stories" about things that are important to me "blogged" before this became my ongoing daily....food for thought.
Hasn't worked this far due to my business, so I have decided to go ahead and add those "stories" later!
I have overrun my facebook page with pics of my work, cool things I make, and quite frankly too much kitchen stuff...I frequently do not post things that I would like to because it may be considered (unrelevent info) that has nothing to do with reconnecting and chatting with old friends and having fun with current ones. -And I have longed to keep my Culinary thoughts and funny happenings (ORGANIZED hahah) in one place. I have simply been waiting to finnish my Big Important Stories on my blog before going forward with that; however, ........Times Have Changed!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
PIEROGIPALOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOZA
Ok, so....here is where it all started....In the basement of St. Vladimir's Ukrainian Catholic Church, Byzantine Rite under the Greek Orthodox Church (spoken language Ukrainian) when I was a wee 
one. We would actually first go to church upstairs. During mass, a coughing spell would usually attack me(how convenient). I'd end up being carried out by my daddy and dropped off in the basement kitchen with Gramma Dorothy. The coughing spell; however, was legit. Father Leo would swing his incense around like a crazy man purifying and sanctifying us all. For whatever reason that still puzzles me. It would make me get this God awful itch in my throat and I'd start coughing uncontrollably. The only remedy was a plastic cup of birch beer from the Church Kitchen (capitalized because alot of magic happened here back in the day).
Anyway, I am a pierogi aficionado- and a Polish princess to boot! I always liked the way my daddy would prepare them with sauteed onion and sourcream. He used to always, always, always, yell at me though becauseI liked to use ketchup on them.
I grew up eating the Church Pierogi. As a teen I started to wonder if I could make them too. Not better, nothing will ever compare to the flavor of the heart and soul those old ladies put into them, but my way. I started making them then. I made them from time to time, here and there. It wasn't until my daddy passed away in 1997 that I really started thinking about our family traditions. And it was then that Pierogipalooza came about. Through the years since I have served them for all holidays that I have shared with my brother. I needed to keep the tradition alive and will continue to do so with my own children when I have them.
one. We would actually first go to church upstairs. During mass, a coughing spell would usually attack me(how convenient). I'd end up being carried out by my daddy and dropped off in the basement kitchen with Gramma Dorothy. The coughing spell; however, was legit. Father Leo would swing his incense around like a crazy man purifying and sanctifying us all. For whatever reason that still puzzles me. It would make me get this God awful itch in my throat and I'd start coughing uncontrollably. The only remedy was a plastic cup of birch beer from the Church Kitchen (capitalized because alot of magic happened here back in the day).Anyway, I am a pierogi aficionado- and a Polish princess to boot! I always liked the way my daddy would prepare them with sauteed onion and sourcream. He used to always, always, always, yell at me though becauseI liked to use ketchup on them.
I grew up eating the Church Pierogi. As a teen I started to wonder if I could make them too. Not better, nothing will ever compare to the flavor of the heart and soul those old ladies put into them, but my way. I started making them then. I made them from time to time, here and there. It wasn't until my daddy passed away in 1997 that I really started thinking about our family traditions. And it was then that Pierogipalooza came about. Through the years since I have served them for all holidays that I have shared with my brother. I needed to keep the tradition alive and will continue to do so with my own children when I have them.
About 2 T. of filling must be evenly spaced. Not too much though or they will not seal properly. Remember this: Less is More!
Brush water around each pierogi...or use your fingers like I do.
Carefully cut around each mound of lovely potato. You do not want to have too much excess dough around the edges, but just enough for a nice edge.
Here is your lovely pierogi. Pinch it, ever so firmly, yet sweetly, around the edges. Some use a fork, but I like a rustic crimp.
Pierogi are made to be shared with others. Consider yourself privilaged if you recieve such a splendid gift.
First, They must be dropped into BOILING water. Then, drained. Now Melt some butter and brown those babies!
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