Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Old Dogs and New Tricks...

 Good morning!  Hope this post finds you all well, safe and content.  

It's been chilly and rainy here in central Texas for the last several days.  Nothing severe but just enough to be irritating.  I'm praying it doesn't freeze...what a nasty mess that would be.  Texans and icy roads are not a good combination.

To try, and not only learn something new, but to also alleviate retirement boredom in the midst of Winter, I've purchased an online course on creating rose blossoms using buttercream...to decorate cake.  I've really been enjoying the course so far...and today, I think I feel confident enough to mix up a batch of buttercream and experiment.  Wish me luck.

I made several attempts at making Gingerbread...the first pan was not very good, in my opinion.  Recipe called for not enough spices and too much molasses.  In other words, it was awful...but Larry liked it...lol...oh well.  So, the hunt for a better recipe commenced.  I found the Starbuck Copycat gingerbread loaf recipe.  It worked!  First bite flooded my senses with memories...I also found an extract I really like!  It's called Creme Bouquet.  Lemon and vanilla notes...wonderful!  It's advertised as a replacement for vanilla...I use both!  Don't be shocked at the price either...Vanilla alone has risen in price, terribly!  I ordered the 32oz bottle and got it for $32 dollars from Amazon about a month ago.  I see you can still get it for that price...you just need to look around in the Amazon app.  Don't let the immediate $55 price tag scare you away.  They may even sell it at Walmart, I need to check that lead out.  But seriously?  32ozs will last me for ages...It only takes about a half a cap full...concentrated! I now use it in all my baked goods...It makes everything I bake smell and taste like a bakery.

Here's hoping you are safe and happy in your part of the world. Stay warm or cool wherever you are! 


 

                                       The course.... a template.

                              Starbucks Copycat Gingerbread Loaf

                                           Creme Bouquet Extract

                                                 A rainy day




5 comments:

Sandra Cox said...

Can't wait to see those rose blossoms.
$32 for 32 oz of Vanilla is not bad at all.
Take special care and stay healthy.
Hugs,

Ann said...

Oh my, that gingerbread looks soooo good. I hope you share pictures of your rose blossoms after you've made them.
That does sound pretty expensive for extract but any more everything is getting expensive.

Jenny the Pirate said...

I would never attempt buttercream roses but I'm sure you will excel at them! That monkey in a dress and hat made me laugh out loud, hahahaha xoxo

Nita Jo said...

Oh, I do love gingerbread in cake form or cookies too! I signed up with Bloglovin' to get updates on your posts, but so far it's a fail. You've done two posts since I joined and they only thing I got from them was an add for other blogs to look at. Do you have good luck with it? I am determined to do a better job keeping up with my blogging buddies this year!
HUGS!!!
Nita Jo

Linda said...

I'm going to order some of that Creme Bouquet!!