New Stove

Well it looks like we are going to have to get a new range. I've been babying the one we have for quite some time now, but now it seems that my oven, yes the oven, is giving me problems and we can't have that. Two of the burners will not light by them self and so I've been using a stick lighter, but the other night it took over two hours to cook a chicken. I have to make a cake tonight and I hope it turns out okay. It may just be that the calibration is off because when I checked my oven thermometer it read about 25 deg less then where I had it set. That could possibly explain the troubles I was having with a few sheets of cookies this year, or that could have been the sheets them self. I'll be sure to check it as soon as it's preheated to see where the temp falls.

Not that I wouldn't love a new stove/oven. I would REALLY love a nice big double oven and/or a convection oven but I refuse to spend $1500+ on one. I was trying to go as cheap as possible, but there are a few things I require which the cheepos don't have and if I spend a little more I will hopefully get a better insulated product which will cost less in the long run. And maybe I can actually go digital with the oven now, instead of the turn dial. Our current oven doesn't match anything in the kitchen as it's bisque and all the others are white.

So far there are two that I have in mind but I have to go to Best Buy to look at the one I saw on their site. There is another at Sears. Both are in the $550 range, ouch. If tonight's baking shows that I do in fact need one, I hope to have a decision made by next weekend before I have to bake another cake.

Cakes, oh my!

I decided to finally do it! I signed up for my first cake decorating class.

I think I may have to take a Xanax on the first day because I'm already having performance anxiety. I just hope there are other people in the class that are just as artistically untalented as I am.

I start next Tuesday, for 4 weeks, since R is out of school until the 21st. That way I only have to get a babysitter for one or two nights.

Cookies

Since I have deemed myself the 'crazy cookie lady', here is the list of treats I made this year...

Molasses sugar cookies
Coco Cookies with Marshmallow Kisses
Stained Glass Cookies
Spritz
Angle Food Candy (aka sponge or honeycomb candy)
M&M Shortbread Cookies
Jam Topped Sugar Cookies
Fudge-Peanut Butter and Chocolate Pistachio
And non edible bath cookies (special for my mom because she's doing O.A.)

And I still didn't make a dent in that flour or oil, but did use at least half of the sugar.

I do have to admit that I was not very happy with how several of the cookies turned out, but that's just more reason to try harder and make more for New Year's!

Baking

So I guess my new title is "Office Baker". Heck I'd trade in Office Manager for that any day. :)

A few times my boss has brought in over ripe bananas and I have taken them home and made banana bread. Next thing I know he buys me a 3 pack of pumpkin bread mix, which I've made two of. Well Friday he went to Costco and asked what I usually go through with the baking and I mentioned sugar, flour, and oil.

I come in today and there is 5 quarts of oil, a 10lb bag of sugar, and a 25lb bag of flour! I better get to baking. My coworker says he just wants me to open a bakery. Heck we have a full kitchen here, I could make anything fresh for them.