Sweet Kitchen Tips 21

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This past week I took another decorating class and the instructor gave us a great tip for cleaning our decorating bags and tip, because have you ever tried to clean off that greasy buttercream with soap and water? Impossible!  She mentioned that soaking your decorating tools in hot water with soap and salt will do the trick.  And you know what it does, I got home, put everything in a bowl with super hot water, soap and salt and let it soak overnight. The next day I washed it up and yep, the salt broke down the “greasy” feel on the bag and tips – squeaky clean.

And since are talking greasy stuff.  Have you even spilled oil? The mess! I think is one of the most difficult things to pick up and clean up.  Sprinkle a thick layer of flour over the spilled oil and wait a few minutes for the flour to absorb the oil.  Then with paper towels or a brush move the flour around until it absorbs all the oil, then sweep it up with a dustpan and broom.  Final step is to spray the area with your favorite multi-purpose house cleaner (or window cleaner) to wipe away the traces of oil and flour.

FFwD: Gnocchi a la Parisienne

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I been so absent from my French Fridays with Dorie group, I confess that I totally have skipped a whole month – thank god for their rules which are so forgiven, unlike my other cooking clubs. I love when you can cook without the pressure of being kicked out.  Plus, the December recipes choices were all over the place, and you had to choose what to cook and on what week, which I did not like AT ALL, it felt somewhat disconnected. I hate to be given a choice to do a specific task, the reason I like cooking clubs is because I’m being told what to cook and on what date – a bit of structure is good in my chaotic life – and the fact that I can compare my experiences with all the others participating cooks that are cooking the same thing is the highlight of making it in the first place.

So I was so glad to see that in January, the group was back to the old format.  And the recipe this week was Gnocchi a la Parisienne.

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HCB: White Velvet Cake with Milk Chocolate Ganache

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This past Saturday was my best friends birthday. 

“M” and I known each other for over 20-plus years - more if I really count, but then that means that I’m old, as in really old and who wants to be reminded of that?

“M” and I meet in junior high school.  It was at the bus stop and the new kid in town and she approached me and asked me what my name was, simple as that, straight to the point and fearless.  Turned out we had a lot in common.  After that we pretty much became inseparable, we lived in the same street, only 10 houses away from each other.  Summer were spent by the pool, at first splashing, and then as we got older trying to pick the cool boys up.  She has been there thru my first kiss, my first boyfriend, my first heartbreaks, my freaked outs, my many moves around the city and then out of the country.  We have lived together, we have traveled together, we have each other’s backs.  She has witness all of my failures, my success and everything in between. And she has always been there, a steady beacon to my chaotic life. I cannot image my life without her in it. It just would not make sense.

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