"Etsy's up!" or "Whoa, did I just follow through?"

It was with a slightly trembling finger that I clicked that 'Post' button - and it was live. The Etsy store is live - and with that, I saw another goal to fruition. Could this be the start of a new and improved me? One who does what she sets out to do in a timely manner? Well, maybe we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves. Baby steps, ya'll...

There are four items up on the store, and I took care to make sure that these recipes are well developed and out-of-this-world delicious. They're priced by the dozen, and I can ship anywhere in the U.S...no, I'm not presumptuous enough to assume that folks in L.A. are starving for my baked goodies, but I'm not stupid enough to leave them out either. I'm confident in my abilities - I wouldn't have put these treats up if I didn't think they were amazing. One day, an angelic stoner out on the West Coast will get a taste of my Salted Caramel Brownies... and it'll be a wrap (smile - I love the image that just appeared in my head).

I'm looking forward to taking more steps in getting this project off the ground. There will be more additions to the Etsy store, the first group of new products being hand-colored sprinkles. They're going to debut soon, and will be featured in a number of funky colors that my fellow punk bakers will love, whether it's for sprinkling on cupcakes or royal icing covered cookies! I've got a renewed energy about all of this now.. we'll see where it goes!

This doesn't make me any less available to my NYC friends - if you've got a baking project you want me to handle (vegan included!), shoot me an email at snackgirlz@gmail.com - I've recently changed my number, so if you don't have it yet - email's the best way to get me!

Keep Snackin',
Sami

"Good God, it's almost April!" or "It's gettin' all E-Commerce up in this piece!"

I looked up at my calendar in shock today... it's almost April! Spring has already begun, we're well into the New Year - and I'm way behind. I made quite a few resolutions this year and, while I've been keeping them, it's just been a slow going. No worries, I haven't given up!

April 1st is not just for fools anymore.. and for that matter, it isn't just Fred & George's birthday either (if you recognized the reference, know that I love you)! April 1st lands on a Sunday this year, but it will be the first official day that our treats will be available on ETSY! What's Etsy, you ask? If you don't already know, it's like an online general store. Everything within its URL (www.etsy.com) is homemade, all-natural, and unique. I can't imagine a better place to set up shop.

We're starting off simple, with some cookies and bars available by the dozen. We can ship throughout the continental United States via USPS (the shipping rates are pretty reasonable!) and there will also be information available to you if you're in NYC and want to order some goodies locally! Eventually we'll branch off into other favorites: hand-colored sprinkles, royal icing decorations for your at home cupcake adventures, and other shippable snacks designed to make your life a little more tastier. If you could help us spread the word by sharing this blog, that'd be tasty too. (smile)

There will definitely be more information soon - mark your calendars and loosen your belts! ;)

Keep Snackin',
Sami

Procrastination… or fear? Maybe just cheesecake.

I’m a horrible procrastinator. But as I move forward and examine my life, I wonder: is my procrastination rooted in fear? If it is, fear of what? Is it failure? Change? I can’t possibly be the only person in this universe that hasn’t dragged their feet out of fear of the outcome. Then again, thinking about that doesn’t make me feel any better. And it doesn’t make me move any faster. So as I rearrange my kitchen and stare disdainfully at the state of the walls (that I still haven’t painted the color I want), I continue to ask myself: WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU AFRAID OF??

My mind’s been going in a thousand different directions lately – the price one pays for having more than one dream or, as I like to put it, a package full of them. Time management has become a skill that I’ve been forced to learn – something else I’m pretty bad at, but no matter – so that I can make the most of my day. I still don’t know how I do it, but I manage to get a little done at a time. And with every day that passes, my plans mold and shape into something different. It can be frustrating but, when all is said and done, I hope that things make sense…at least to me.

Now that all of that is out of the way, I turn my attention to my recent obsession: Christmas. I love decorating for Christmas, I love that the holiday implies family, love, and of course… BAKING! Cookies, tarts, pies, and anything else that I can top with either royal icing or a candy cane; Christmas is not just a time for giving, but a time to roll your eyes back in satisfaction and whisper ‘Yum!’

So far, my Christmas Cheesecake has been my favorite. It’s creamy, fresh-tasting, and always incites a Golden Girl moment or two around my kitchen table. While I won’t give away the deepest of details (smile), it very basically is a cool, creamy cheesecake with a hint of peppermint extract in the batter! I pour that on top of a nice, rustic vanilla wafer crust and bake it ever so gently in my trusty oven; after it’s cooled I give the top a shell border made of whipped cream and a handful of crushed candy canes.

It’s pretty magical, and a favorite among my friends/clients! Here’s another suggestion: if you do end up making this wonderful confection on your own, pick up a few candy cane sugar pop-ons and place them on top for a little extra flair. You can find them easily at places like nycake.com (An NYC cake lady’s toy store) or cakedeco.com (the wondrous site of Pfeil & Holing, my savior when it comes to cupcake decorations!). Hope you like the photos; maybe all the pepperminty goodness will leave you screaming “WHEN I BITE INTO A SNACK GIRLZ PEPPERMINT CHEESECAKE…” ;)

Have fun with your Christmas Cooking Adventures - I'd love to see any of your pictures and even hear your horror stories..ok, actually I'd really really love to hear the horror stories: I may be inclined to share some of my own! (smile again)


Keep Snackin’,
Sami

"Shame on Me!" and other musings

I'm such a horrible blogger. I was horrible at keeping a journal when I was a kid, so
I don't know why I thought this would be any different. Someone once told me, 'Don't blog because you have to, blog because you've got something to say.' - well, it certainly is safe for you to assume that I haven't had much to say! I've been meddling with recipes, working, schooling, and planning. And here I am. Closer to opening? A bit.

Lack of money has kept me from opening. I work out of my kitchen at home (I know, I know...bad girl), and I've been making cakes for friends at no profit. I just want to stay in love with baking while I search for funding. It's pretty discouraging, having to write plans and proposals over and over again to suit the program for which you're applying. And being lazy like me makes it a challenge, to say the least. But, a change in direction has made life easier for me. And now, I need less to get started. The goal seems closer, and feels more real. I'm terrified of change, but let's f**king do it!

It's been a year and a half since I started working in this industry. I've surrounded myself with people and situations that would prep me for the world I want to start a business in. I feel a little more prepared, a little more numb, a little more ready. I want to be able to do things my way. I'm obsessed, and it's almost funny how neurotic I've become. My only option now is to operate my own establishment. It really has to happen. Failure isn't an option. Oh, it's likely - but I've got to try.

A change in direction was what I needed. I figured out that I needed to simplify, to start somewhere. After that? Money. It's hard to come by. I know of no mysterious benefactors, and I have no rich friends (smile). But I'll make it happen. And since I've blogged it, that means I can't turn back (smile again).

So, onward to my destination: my package of dreams wrapped in a bow...quickly please!

Keep Snackin',
Sami

Menu Planning & Management

Boring blog title, yeah? Yes. But I'm in a mood tonight; maybe I'm just "talking to hear myself speak".

It hasn't been that much of a challenge, but planning a profitable menu is pretty tedious. It took a lot of thought the first time around. This was when my initial project consisted of opening a cafe. While my venture has been simplified, I still needed to rework my menu to reflect the new business plan: to open a cake studio.

I thought long and hard about exactly what I wanted to sell, what would ship well, and what items shared the most common ingredients to keep my food costs as low as possible. I ended up splitting the menu into four categories: a) Custards, Pies & Tarts, b) Simple Cakes, c) Cupcakes, and d) Cookies, Bars, & Other Such Treats. Then of course there are the local orders (specialty snack platters, event cakes, etc.) that will sit in a different category completely.

Now I've got to set up a standardized recipe for each menu item, and eventually do a profit analysis for each. This is where the migraines begin. Lots of math, lots of consideration, lots of work. There is a tiny little pastry chef standing at the base of my brain stomping her feet and yelling "Why can't I just BAKE?" Easy there, little one. It's not that simple.

So back I go, to developing recipes (which means more pictures!) and perfecting my brand new menu. Good times, good times. ;)

Keep Snackin',
Sami

One more time, let's hear it for...Cookies!!

Experimenting with cookies are tremendous fun and fyi: if you brag about baking them, you will end up sending a boxful to your little cousins and/or nieces and nephews. Do cookies bring out the snack-giving grandma in people? Maybe...

In the middle of writing a book, planning the cake studio, and playing another show with my band I finally managed to squeeze in some actual baking. Cookies are just the perfect little snack. You make the dough, you chill the dough, you bake the dough. One, two, three.

While I do love to experiment with cookies, I enjoy talking to friends who love cookies just a little bit more. I ask them what they like in a cookie: crunch? chewability? GOOability? (whoa, new word! ha!)and, though a lot of their answers differ, one does not: everyone's a little bored with the chocolate chip cookie!

That said, this is not a slanderous blog about chocolate chip cookies, nor am I trying to deface its delicious legend. (smile) In fact, I'm probably going to make a batch of classic chocolate chip as soon as I'm finished. But I started playing around with the chip-less chocolate chip cookie that I had put on my menu. I've come to the conclusion that a) I'm not really sure if I should call them Chipless Wonders or simply Brown Sugar Cookies, and b) they're so yummy!

As much as I enjoyed them chipless, I ended up wanting to add things. Ha ha, I know I defeated the purpose. But seriously, imagine them topped with marshmallows and chocolate drizzle...super yum. Okay, no need to imagine. Here they are.



Just a quick little snapshot. I wish you could have smelled them as they were baking, tasted them when they were done. I'd consider putting them on the menu, or at least including them as part of the whole "Snack Girlz Fantasy". They're way too delicious to be filed away in my big pink recipe card box, that's for sure!

Now, as I drool a little and wish I could snack on some more, I have to call this blog completed. I'm working on the new marketing plan - I had to start over, since my last marketing plan was made for the purpose of opening a storefront. I think I'm just gonna start with the cake studio, and open a small storefront later. It's got legs, yeah? More soon!

Keep Snackin',
Sami

The Path To My Heart is Paved With Frosting.

Due to an unfortunate cookie accident, we're gonna have to postpone that blog until a later date. For now, fun with frosting!

Icing. Glaze. Buttercream. Ganache. Frosting. If it can be slathered all over a cake, I love it. Yeah, I said it. I share an emotional connection with all things cake, and the above are certainly no exception! Anything I bake becomes "my baby" and I send it out into the world to be enjoyed with a certain sense of pride. I know my snacks are delicious. I know it sounds arrogant, but if I'm good at nothing else (and I may very well not be), I can rest assured that I rock the isht out of the baked goods.

So, this weekend - after fudging a batch of Chipless Wonders (I said I was good, not perfect! ha ha) - I set to work on helping out a fellow start-up chef, Kim, with a decent sized cake order. My task was to make a batch of Divinity Icing and...sweet jeebus...a batch of White Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream. I had never made either, but I was sure this would be an absolute blast... I love a good adventure, eventually when it involves a stand mixer and 10x sugar.

Typically, when I'm making something I've never really messed with before, I look up recipes for like an hour before I decide on what I think would work and taste best. Obviously, this was no exception. So after scouring through many websites, including cook.com, chef2chef.com and many others, I figured out that all recipes agreed with the same thing: there was one 11 oz bag of chocolate & one 8 oz. stick of butter to every 16oz. of cream cheese. I made this frosting in two batches, that way if I screw it up, I'm only out half of my ingredients.

In the end, both batches turned out well. The first batch needed to be whipped a little extra after all the butter was in because there were little tiny bits of solid chocolate throughout. The extra time in the stand mixer took care of it. Here's a little pictorial of the step by step:


Melt your white chocolate...and try not to eat it!


Into an already beating stand mixer full of your cream cheese, pour the cooled chocolate in a THIN STREAM! (cannot stress this enough!)


Once chocolate and cream cheese are nice and smooth, add your butter one pat at a time! Did I do a good job of illustrating that here? (smile)


The finished product...SO DELICIOUS!! It keeps in the freezer for 2 months, and up to two weeks in the fridge.

This wasn't on my menu as an option for event cakes before, but it absolutely is now!


Now for that Divinity Icing...

I was the most intimidated by this one. I had never made it before, and I knew it was a lot more complicated than throwing a few items in a stand mixer. Looking up recipes only confirmed my fears: every recipe demanded that I use precise temperatures for the sugar syrup, and that I have a candy thermometer to keep track of my temperatures. Sorry internet...I don't have one.

So my first attempt, as you can imagine, went well. I tried to monitor the sugar syrup myself (I did a lot of work with sugar syrup in school, I was a pretty good judge of spotting the stages). I stood over it, my cup of ice water next to me and a spoon in my hand. Somehow, I ended up at hard ball stage and way too close to caramel to do anything else. So I made some caramel candy, handed it to my roommate and started over.

My second attempt wasn't much better than the first. I got the syrup to soft ball stage without incident; unfortunately as I was rejoicing and slowly streaming the syrup into the whipping egg whites, it fell FLAT. Piss, was the last thought in my head before I abandoned the icing for the night and went to sleep.

The next morning I woke up refreshed, and ready to tackle the icing again. It was then that I remembered, I'd watched Paula Deen make this icing before! I'm convinced she's a long lost grandmother of mine; how can you not love her? So onto the Food Network site I went and, sure enough, she had a much easier method: ONE BOWL over a double boiler! Joy!

The third time was the charm: after starting with sugar and cream of tartar over a double boiler, I stirred in my egg whites and a bit of water. Then I dropped my hand mixer into that bowl and did it MJ style... I beat it! (smile) Needless to say, it worked beautifully. Thanks to Paula Deen for the great assist in getting me through my first experience with Divinity Icing! In my recipe box it goes...

So, despite the challenges, my opinion remains the same: the path to my heart is paved with frosting. And I was able to reaffirm the lesson that there is more than one way to skin a cat - in this case, more than one way to frost a cake. Also, I realized that, in my search for cream of tartar, I have a ridiculous amount of 10x sugar in my cabinet.

Keep Snackin',
Sami