"Prep"

So I was hoping tonight wouldn't be nearly as crazy, but I was wrong!  Perhaps it is because it is still the first week and I am still getting used to things, but it was going, going, going all night long!  I started off by going into school early to bake off my coconut macaroons and my PB cookies, and those came out just before class started.  We had a short lecture and then got demos on muffins with streusel, pound cake, and scones.  

We then went to our tables and our group had make an apple strudel for service tonight.  We started on that, but the dough has to rest some and the apples have to sit and let the sugar draw out the moisture in the fruit, so while that was going on we all started on our individual items for check off.  I started gathering the ingredients for my lemon pound cake and it seems like I barely did that when it was time to stretch out the strudel dough - it takes at least 3 people, so our whole group had to try to be ready to do it at the same time.  Hannah was in the middle of a recipe so I just kept scaling out ingredients for my next item, scones, and when I as done with that it was just time to make the strudel.  For some reason, our dough was a lot stickier than it should've been by this point :( so we had to pull it onto the floured tablecloth and then let it rest a second time before starting to roll it out.  We finally got it rolled out and then we had to start stretching it almost paper thin.  You have to have at least 3 people stretch the edges out at the same time with one hand on top of the other, pulling ever so slowly trying not to break the dough!  The stretching takes the longest since it is a slow process trying not have any rips, but we go that done and then filled it with apples and other fruits and nuts and spices.  Then we rolled it up using the tablecloth to roll it (since it is at least 1.5-2 feet long and super fragile to touch) and placed it on a sheet tray with a butter and sugar coating to bake.  It came out perfect and just in time for service!  

I went back to my lemon pound cake and fiiiiinally got it all mixed up and into the oven to bake!  I then started on my scones, which I garnished with cranberries and macadamia nuts - super yummy!  Well, both of those came out and I only got a little tunneling in my pound cake (which is bubbles in the dough - bad - from over-mixing just a tad) and my scones were perfect, so I got both of those checked off along with both my PB cookies and coconut macaroons.  While the lemon pound cake is pretty darn yummy, it still is one of those foods that I never feel has enough lemon flavor to it!  I still liked MY lemon pound cake this summer for Kristen better for the flavor, though this one was so much easier to make, so perhaps I will have to find a way to meld the two recipes!  :) 

Since I still didn't get the oatmeal raisin cookies done and I didn't get to the muffins today, so tomorrow I am going in early again to try to get them done before class.  I did find out that I can go in on the weekends, so perhaps I will do that this weekend if I need to catch up still.  I also have my chocolate filigree to finish along with my whipped cream rosettes, but I am back in service tomorrow, so I can practice on them then.  But I did manage to take home 2 lemon pound cakes (and that was a half batch!), a dozen coconut macaroons (and there were a lot left to make in the batch), a dozen PB cookies, 4 scones, and almost brought home more bread, but luckily another girl took it home so I don't have an overload of breads in my kitchen - yet!  And tomorrow I'll get more as I think we have 4 diff things to make in class, sheesh!  :)

Well, I still have to do my homework (only 3 questions, yay!) so I should get to it.  I did manage to get pictures of all I made this week (minus the toll house cookies - already gone!) and I am going to try to put them up this weekend before my battery officially dies since I haven't managed to go searching for a power cord yet.  I'll get on it, I promise!