The Great Sternfeld-Dunn Bake Off

A few months ago I became a fan of the Great British Baking Show and binged on season 2 through Netflix.

And then one day a few weeks ago I was feeling run down, needed a break from my demanding children, and so I suggested we watch an episode of the show all together.  A special treat because TV! and it's an hour long! The girls loved it.

As a family we've watched a total of three episodes and just last week Maia had an idea that the two parents should have a bake off. I mean, it's a total no-brainer. Who wouldn't love to be a judge of baked goods? They came up with challenges and presented them for our approval.

Signature challenge: French pastry (we talked them out of making puff, I'm not ready for that)

Technical challenge: chocolate macarons

Showstopper: chocolate cake and as Maia said "it needs to show off your chocolate work."

For the first challenge I decided to make chocolate eclairs. Instead of filling them with pasty cream, I used chocolate whipped cream because I know my judges and I know they wouldn't like pastry cream and I wanted to win.

Filling them was a bit harder than I anticipated. Having the correct tools is essential and I think I needed to use a thinner and longer tip in my piping bag (the middles aren't filled with cream).

Aleks made a crepe filled with nutella.

The girls had a friend over to play that day, so she got to be one of the judges as well.

Unsurprisingly to me, the girls voted that my eclairs were the winner. I mean, I am basically the baker in the family. Although, anything with Nutella is pretty divine.

Two days later we had the technical challenge. Now in the real show, the judges are supposed to provide the recipe, while leaving out a few critical instructions. However, the girls couldn't find a recipe in the cookbooks we already had, so I found one online for us to use.

So. Chocolate macarons. I had made macarons one time before. On this day, Aleks had made his macarons while I was out, and so I came home to see them cooling on the stove top.

There was definitely a bit of pressure as the day was almost over and I needed to get them done. Because I listen to the advice given by Paul Hollywood, I know that resting time for macarons are important.

Instead of baking the sheet trays one at a time, I decided to put them both in and just rotate the pans halfway through. When they came out, I thought they looked pretty good, even if they hadn't risen too well. I'm thinking I over mixed them.

Well, womp womp. They were totally under baked and wouldn't come off the parchment paper easily. I think first of all, that I piped my macarons too big. I should have taken the time to draw equal sized circles on my parchment so that I would have a guide while piping. I think my second mistake was putting both trays in the oven at once. I suppose recipes have instructions for a reason.

The macarons were filled with chocolate ganache. Aleks and I decided to half the recipe, since we only had so much chocolate to melt. The directions said to stick the ganache in the fridge for a half hour and then it would be solidified enough to spread on the cookies. Well, mine was in the fridge for close to an hour and it was still liquid. It was at that point I realized I had only halved the chocolate for the ganache, not the cream or butter.

I was ready to throw in the towel and admit defeat, but Aleks made me put something on the plate.

So, as you might guess, Aleks won the technical challenge. Ruby felt really bad that I didn't win and told me several times that she had to go along with Maia's choice. Bless her little heart.

I'm currently in WI for a performance at the IDRS conference this week, so our show stopper challenge will have to wait until I get back. Ruby is really hoping for a chocolate bear on one of our cakes. I've got a few days to plan something that will knock their socks off.

It's a cliff hanger... who will be crowned the winner?!

Stay tuned.

Father's Day 2017

There was this one summer that I was home from college and my parents had borrowed a car from some friends. My dad was getting ready to return it, but wanted to be sure to give it back in better condition that we had received it.

The year before, I had endured my first summer job as an adult, cleaning cars for Enterprise rentals at the Denver airport, so my dad enlisted my help as an "expert" car cleaner.

We got out the vacuum and the hose attachment and went under the seat and between the cushions. We cleaned the dashboard and the door handles. We got out the windex and cleaned the windows inside and out.

In a half hour, the car looked pretty good to me. It was hot and sunny in the driveway and I was ready to be done. But my dad wasn't finished. He took paper towels to the vents and slid them between the thin slats to get rid of the dust that had gathered. He popped the trunk and vacuumed that as well. He found the spot where loose change gets thrown, took the money out and cleaned the container before putting the change back.

My dad just has a gift for doing more, for always going above and beyond what he's asked to do.

Ask him to take out the garbage and he'll break down the piled up cardboard boxes in the recycling. Put him in charge of dinner and he'll make pasta from scratch. Ask him to take the kids swimming and he'll clean the filter while he's out there.

My dad's servant heart is one of the things I appreciate most about him. And it has shaped my interactions with the world.

Happy Father's Day Dad. Thanks for investing in me and always giving me more than I deserve. I love you.

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10 things I love about the father of my children:

1. His quickness for laughter.

2. His patience.

3. The genetics that gave him great legs and a tight butt. (My girls are so lucky to have inherited those.)

4. The ability to go along for the ride and have an adventure.

5. His unabashed ability to show affection to his girls.

6. The importance he places on family above everything else.

7. His understanding of the limits and limitlessness of our children.

8. Cooking skills.

9. I have an equal parenting partner.

10. That he really truly enjoys our children. He really likes them. 

Happy Father's Day, dearest husband. How lucky I am and our girls are, to have you in our lives. I love you.

Make it work

The thing I miss most about living in California and Washington is the weather.

Here in Kansas it is often too hot or too cold to be outside, and then when it is nice, it's too windy.

But the past week or so has been heavenly. I feel like I was given a gift and as quick as I am to complain about Kansas, I then must also be quick to sing it's praises and acknowledge the cool temperatures and outside dinners we've been enjoying.

My parents just happened to visit during this week of temperate weather. It was a nice break from the 100+ temps in Arizona.

We sat outside one night after dinner, enjoying our pergola, bellies full of pork tenderloin cooked on the grill.

"A. My name is Alice. I come from Alaska with a basket full of apples."

The girls had joined us from their game on the swings. Something called "elements" that looked a lot like swinging and talking.

When we get to May, I'm usually frazzled and burnt out. Every year, I question my life choices, until I remember I always feel like this, during this month. Then after a week of wandering around my house, wondering what I'm forgetting to do, the fog begins to lift and I start having creative impulses and can stay awake past 9 o'clock.

"M. My name is Maia. I come from Minnesota with a basket full of mangoes."

These last few weeks I've been trying to be mindful of experiencing each moment. Not living in the future, filled with anxiety and list making.

Noticing the gentle rocking of my patio chair. Feeling my hair lift off my neck as a soft breeze comes across the yard. Appreciating the weight of my youngest as she sit in my lap, inhaling the smell of sun and dirt and childhood.

Summer is not without its challenges. Changing schedules and bored kids top the list.

However, I'm determined to enter this season fully in the present enjoying the life I'm creating for myself. Even if it is in Kansas.

"W. I come from Wichita with a basket full of wishes."