Journal The Garage

[In Awe of Him]

 

[In Awe of Him]

Good morning my BEAUTIFUL forum family...

Well.... I have been up for hours ( which is usual for me ). Tomorrow is my meal for the Fire Department.... I am so excited.......... because......... This is my favourite platoon.... and...........AND..... I get to join them for the meal. ( This guy STILL needs medical assistance... haven't pointed that out in a while..... just saying ).

It will be my last day of service to this BLESSED department. Next month... everyone is going to be in new positions and with new stations... according to where their rotation has brought them. I am so honoured that I will get to have one last meal with this team. They have been so good and kind to me.

Did I mention... that I am NOT baking this year??? Well.... This morning I woke up with the baking bug... and well.... I made browned butter chocolate chip cookies. They are chilling in the fridge and will make them tomorrow morning.
I will also be serving sticky toffee pudding cake for dessert. I have a sneaky suspicion that this particular baking bug will be biting me AGAIN... as I do not want any regrets for having neglected to do something. I certainly will not be baking large scale.... but...... BUT..... I want to make a special dessert for JESUS for HIS BIRTHDAY..... and so..... I am opening this up to you guys..... WHAT kind of special dessert could I make for Christmas Day?? I am open to anything... provided I can pull it off.

I also need to decide what I am making for my Christmas meal. I am almost certain that will be a nice slow cooking stew as I still have ONE roast beef left that I used for the Fire Department stew. Since I don't drink alcohol... It will help me to get rid of the rest of my red wine. So... pretty sure I have that figured out.

My puzzle is sorted and today will be a nice... leisurely puzzle day. Once the border is up.... it's GAME TIME..... GO GO GO..... HAHA.

Can you FEEL the JOY????? For Christmas.... I would like for that emoji to get medical attention.... HAHA.

I'm sure you all can tell that I do NOT enjoy emojis.... I forget to press the like button probably 50% of the time. It's just not become a habit.... and I have been REBELLIOUS over it all. HAHA. So... .maybe I need to work on that.... maybe not..... we're not sure about that yet. I am certainly better than I used to be when I first arrived. At least I use the green guy. Ok... so that takes care of that.

Off I go to begin my puzzle. Much much MUCH love to everyone. It"s beginning to FEEL a lot like CHRISTMAS.

 

[Pastor Gary]

How about some Classic Christmas Chocolate Pudding? Yummy...

https://www.southernliving.com/chocolate-pudding-8628116


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[In Awe of Him]

How about some Classic Christmas Chocolate Pudding? Yummy...

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.... I think we have a winner.... winner.... turkey dinner..... This sounds simple yet DECADENT. I would add some real whipping cream on top of that and MAYBE some haagen daaz chocolate ice cream.... OH my goodness..... YEP... this is it..... this is what I am going to have for CHRISTMAS.

THANK you Pastor Gary. This is BRILLIANT.

 

[Pastor Gary]

It has been a tradition here for generations and is a very nice way to finish a Christmas meal.

(Please don't confuse this with a Chocolate Mousse... hahaha... otherwise you could see hoof prints in your desert.)


`

 

[In Awe of Him]

(Please don't confuse this with a Chocolate Mousse... hahaha... otherwise you could see hoof prints in your desert.)

No danger..... I don't eat anything resembling family members.

I much prefer the full strength pudding flavour... mousse is simply a lighter version of pudding... and fluffier. I never think of pudding.... and it's so simple and delicious so YEP.... that is what I am going to make.

 

[bobinfaith]

Good morning, In Awe of Him;

When you have your last meal with the Fire Department are all these green guys included?!?

I agree they need medical attention. Why do they keep multiplying? lol!

For Jesus birthday, why not go all out and prepare a feast of turkey, slow cooking stew, sticky toffee pudding cake and browned butter chocolate chip cookies?

lol!

 

[Big Moose]

If you are up for a challenge, this one is elegant looking. I learned it from Jacque Pepin on tv back in the 90's. It is puff pastry swans on a raspberry puree sauce with a caramelized sugar candy cage over the top. I can't find a picture of it but here are elements I could find.


This gives you the idea of what the cage looks like. This is a small one. I use a wok lid to make mine so it makes a 12- 14 inch diameter cage that is 6 - 8 inches tall. Then you make a red raspberry puree sauce to make a pond for the swans to swim on. Set the whipped cream filled swans on the raspberry pond and then put the cage over top. Here is a pic of swans:

That doesn't look like whipped cream, but you get the idea. You can fill the swans with whatever you desire. And, it is not as hard as it looks.

 

[Big Moose]

This one might be better.

 

[In Awe of Him]

OH MY GOODNESS.... as in WOW...... WHO KNEW that Mr. Moose was a CHEF????

These swans look beautiful and tasty... however.... I have a feeling that the boiled sugar topping ( dome ).... would be considered a CANDY and would need to boil to a certain temperature. I don't have the confidence to make such a delicate dessert.

I am assuming that is a cream puff dough and that is a lovely dough to work with.... very glossy with all those egg yolks. I may try to make cream puffs and fill them with the chocolate pudding. That I could pull off. Oops... I just read where you wrote... it's puff pastry and I only ever bought that once.... It was a rectangle of very thick dough and I tried to top a chicken pot pie with it and OH my goodness..... NOT good.

I am very impressed with this!!!! This was lovely Mr. Moose... I think I might make cream puffs and experiment with some kind of special filling. THANK YOU.

 

[Big Moose]

OH MY GOODNESS.... as in WOW...... WHO KNEW that Mr. Moose was a CHEF????

These swans look beautiful and tasty... however.... I have a feeling that the boiled sugar topping ( dome ).... would be considered a CANDY and would need to boil to a certain temperature. I don't have the confidence to make such a delicate dessert.

Well, I'm not a chef........but I play one on tv........or maybe just in the kitchen. I have always been good at copying what someone else does, so when a chef on tv makes something in clear steps, I usually can do it. Problems arise from time to time when I decide to cut corners though....ugh! To make the swans, take some of your puff pastry dough and put it in a ziplock baggie and nip the corner or an icing bag so you can squeeze out the dough on a cookie sheet. Make appropriate size "S" - es to make the swan heads, making sure to drag the dough at the end a little which makes the swan's beak. The rest of the dough goes into a cupcake pan to get the bodies. When they are baked and cooled, you cut the bodies at a 45 degree angle from the top of the peak to halfway down the side of the puff. Cut that piece in half to make the wings. Then fill with your filling, stick the head into the filling which holds the head in place, and then stick the wings on the filling as well. The hardest part is squeezing out the heads on the cookie sheet and making them the right size and shape. I recommend making extra in case some don't look right. You also may butcher a puff or two when first cutting the wings out. So the key is make extras of those too. Chef gets to eat the mangled ones, you know, just to make sure they taste right and everything. A little powdered sugar sprinkle on them is nice too, just like they got snowed on.

 

[Big Moose]

I have heard from a cooking student that making the candied sugar can be difficult or dangerous if you overheat it. I haven't had problems with it myself. Just remember to only pay attention to the sugar-water mixture while on the stove and not to try to do other things at the same time. Cook it on medium low and keep stirring it and once it changes to light amber color, you take it off the heat. Before it cools, use a fork to pick up the candy goo and drizzle from 12 inches or so above the inside of a dome-like (metal) pan lid in a criss-cross pattern to make the cage. Just let it cool totally and it pops right out. Trim the bottom edges to make it look right. and it's done.

 

[In Awe of Him]

When you have your last meal with the Fire Department are all these green guys included?!?

I agree they need medical attention. Why do they keep multiplying? lol!

Good morning Bob.... The green guys are NOT included.... I keep thinking if I bring them out in the fresh air... they might just get a bit of colour to them but NOPE.

When I first joined the forums... I did not understand about the liking of others' posts.... I did not press any of the emojis off the "like" menu. I was later told that this is how forums show appreciation and lets the others know that we have read their words ( even if we don't reply ). It took me a few months to get into that... and I have separated those emojis from the ones that people use in their communications. I guess I could look on line at what is available and get me one that is like a signature but I just can't seem to get myself to do that. HAHA. Not sure what my problem is but emoji's and me don't seem to understand each other. With that said.... hold on... and let me surf the net for a minute to see if I can find something I like. Help yourself to one of Mr. Moose's fizzy drinks... but please don't take any peanut butter cups.... we are running low on those. Ok..................................... let's see what I can find to my liking.

They are listing this as a sheep..... COME ON NOW...... That is NOT a sheep... unless perhaps it swallowed a bee.... and even then.... it's sketchy at best.

There's you Bob... The new glasses look good.

I think my first problem is that I don't like the shade of YELLOW that most of these emoji happy faces come in... and I like realistic images.... so.... let me look at those.

I could write an entire post in alligator.... HAHAHAHAHAHA and still HAHAHAHA.

Would you LOOKIE at that.... The things you see when you are looking for something else.... GOOD GRIEF.... Mr. Moose is going to need another supply of paper bags.

 

[In Awe of Him]

I have heard from a cooking student that making the candied sugar can be difficult or dangerous if you overheat it. I haven't had problems with it myself. Just remember to only pay attention to the sugar-water mixture while on the stove and not to try to do other things at the same time.

It all boils down to ( hahaha that was a pun ) simplicity for me. I think I would consider myself more of a cook than a baker.... It's all SCIENCE as far as baking goes.

 

[In Awe of Him]

Good morning my PRECIOUS FORUM FAMILY.

It's a busy DAY for me..... Dessert is all done and ready to go.... I made browned butter chocolate chip cookies... and a sticky toffee pudding cake.... EASY PEASY. I chilled the cookie dough overnight and baked those up first and then put my cake in the oven... made the toffee sauce to pour on top and DONE.

The menu is lasagna.... buns ( not home made but close... the bakery )... Greek salad with home made vinaigrette.

Anyways... Just checking in to wish everyone a most precious THURSDAY.

It's grocery shopping day so Margaret will be here to take me shopping. SO EXCITED to join my favourite platoon for the last time.

 

[In Awe of Him]

Well... I'll keep this short and sweet.... The little lamb is feeling a bit under the weather.... so not much to report for now. Just resting and keeping warm.

Mr. Moose... I filled up on the treats... and I ordered you an extra case of fizzy drinks so that you can share with your friends.

Have a wonderful week-end everyone.

 

[bobinfaith]

I have heard from a cooking student that making the candied sugar can be difficult or dangerous if you overheat it. I haven't had problems with it myself. Just remember to only pay attention to the sugar-water mixture while on the stove and not to try to do other things at the same time. Cook it on medium low and keep stirring it and once it changes to light amber color, you take it off the heat. Before it cools, use a fork to pick up the candy goo and drizzle from 12 inches or so above the inside of a dome-like (metal) pan lid in a criss-cross pattern to make the cage. Just let it cool totally and it pops right out. Trim the bottom edges to make it look right. and it's done.

Mr. Moose... I filled up on the treats... and I ordered you an extra case of fizzy drinks so that you can share with your friends.
Have a wonderful week-end everyone.

Good morning, Big Moose and In Awe of Him;

The closest I come to cooking a dessert is Jello. lol! But the jello ingredients require water coming to a boil first, then add the jello into the boiling water, not before. Next, turn off the stove and stir as the ingredients dissolves, adding cold water.

Put the bowl of jello in the fridge until it cools and sets. The jello quivers like it's trembling but it tastes quite good.

Big Moose, when In Awe of Him mentioned fizzy drinks, are we talking about the fizzie flavored tablets that dissolve in water giving a soda taste?

 

[In Awe of Him]

Good afternoon Dear Bob....

fizzy drinks = gingerale ... we just called it something more sophisticated. HAHA.

I am absolutely IMPRESSED with your directions on how to make jello. I am wondering if you might have the instructions for how to make ice-cubes???? HAHAHAHAHAHA and still HAHAHAHAHA.

 

[Cosia]

Good afternoon Dear Bob....

fizzy drinks = gingerale ... we just called it something more sophisticated. HAHA.

I am absolutely IMPRESSED with your directions on how to make jello. I am wondering if you might have the instructions for how to make ice-cubes???? HAHAHAHAHAHA and still HAHAHAHAHA.

Can't wait to see Bob's recipe

 

[bobinfaith]

Good afternoon Dear Bob....fizzy drinks = gingerale ... we just called it something more sophisticated. HAHA.
I am absolutely IMPRESSED with your directions on how to make jello. I am wondering if you might have the instructions for how to make ice-cubes???? HAHAHAHAHAHA and still HAHAHAHAHA.

Can't wait to see Bob's recipe

Well, that's a little more complicated but let me see what I can come up with without going too fast.

The trick is making water into cubes before freezing them. lol!!!