Guess who got (another) job!? That’s right, the haphazard kt machine is gonna try a new combination of crazy starting this weekend as I start baking PT for Sticky Fingers in DC. It’s an opportunity I couldn’t pass up! Learning from pros who totally took em down on Cupcake Wars?! No brainer.
What does that mean for Gimme Dem Cupcakes? GDC will be making it’s last for profit appearance this weekend at the Mt. Pleasant Farmers market in collaboration with V Picnic Club. To prevent a conflict of interest with my Sticky Fingers friends, I will only continue baking cupcakes for current friends and loved ones who already have my contact information. In the future, I still plan to take part in local events like the Capital Area Cake Show as well as collaborate with friends on other ideas, so you’ll still be able to catch some sweets or an empanada here and there. I’ll keep you apprised as the blog is re-purposed into a solely personal outlet.
Holy, moly. What an event. And I was only there for Saturday! The National Capital Area Cake Show was AMAZING! I’m so glad my friend Yuli encouraged me to go! After an evening baking with my family Friday, I started my day with an 8 AM class with Norm Davis on how he runs his shop and manages clients for his award winning cake business The Sweet Life. Afterwards, I met up with my friend Morgan and we let the sweet smell of baked goods guide us. There was a lot going on: more classes; vendor expo; entries for the wedding cake, themed, and divisional cake decorating contests; cookies; cupcakes; a live cake challenge with celebrity pastry chefs; free demonstrations and so much philantrhopy! Right up my alley! I was really impressed with the sense of community as well as the professionalism of the bakers, especially amateurs! Next year, I’m definitely taking more classes and loading up on the swag as much as possible. (full photo album of what we saw here.)
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But my very favorite part was the Cupcake Cocktail Hour and Cupcake Challenge which Gimme Dem proudly participated in with what my sister like to call the “Plump and Juicy Fuzzy Navel Cupcake.” It was long week with the addition of bar training and spending time tweaking my recipe… but Friday night, with the help of my family, we nailed it. It took a lot of Schnapps and peach puree to get the recipe right, but we finally got a standout peach flavor to pop against the intensity of the orange zest.
I had a great time meeting spectators and sharing with the other bakers. On top of all that, I was shocked and surprised to get an email telling me we won second place in the amateur division! I am not ashamed to quote the email here:
We are writing to congratulate you on receiving a 2nd Place Award in the 2011 NCACS Cupcake Challenge! The results are posted on the website at www.cupcakechallenge.org . Please send your mailing address and I will mail you the ribbon!
Thank you so much for competing and I hope that you will be returning next year to defend your title. The judges noted that not only was your cupcake delicious, but you did it with all vegan ingredients, which shows an added level of skill. They were very impressed! (For your personal bragging rights I will also note that your numerical score tied the winner in the professional category.)
Congrats,
Melissa Westervelt & Megan Ferrey
Cupcake Event Coordinators
along with the 2011 NCACS Committee
There were probably over a hundred entries and 40 or so bakers professional and amateurs. I got a lot of really great feedback and really feel like I got the opinions of my peers. I can’t tell you how good it feels to have won and I definitely wasn’t even expecting it. Gimme Dem wouldn’t be here without all you and it really shows. That said, I think a Gimme Dem Cupcakes and Empanada party is in order!!! Shooting for April 16th, I’ll confirm and send invitations this week!
Tonight, or rather this morning, I can’t promise a coherent stream of thoughts. I’m trying, as my brain keeps clicking away in the pre-dawn darkness. This post is about taking stock of where I am now, my goals, and my resources.
It starts with the promises I’ve made myself. This year, for New Years, I told myself I’d be working on saying “No.” So far, so, so… It’s like the federal budget; things need to change or even be cut out of my life, but it’s impossible to make a good decision without considering the affects of change, the hidden costs. I wasn’t really sure I’d participate in lent this year having fallen to lapsed Catholic habits, but it seemed like the perfect opportunity to refocus. To aide my search, I decided my sacrifice and prayers would be honed through the guidance of a book I found while I was at the Ten Thousand Villages in Richmond a few weeks ago, Living More with Less by Doris Janzen Longacre. The book is a collection of anecdotes,opinions and facts that challenge what it means to truly live up to one’s beliefs and intentions with a deeper awareness of those who suffer. As I leaf through the pages, it isn’t easy to put ones actions in context of the world community and not feel room for improvement. I’m sure I’ll have a favorite quote every page for every day, but yesterday I was struck by this, “To make ‘do justice’ a standard is to live by both reason and compassion.” These words do so much to close the gap between belief and action.
So thinking about what Living More and my life, where am I? Some days I feel like a super hero because I cover so much ground and do so much work, and others I wonder if I’m just completely delusional and all me efforts might be more circular than forward moving. It’s hard to say which is true because I don’t give myself much time to think about it. I’m spread too thin. Two jobs, a cupcake dream and a family with more responsibilities than I know what to do with… They’ve all settled into the norm rather than the exceptional circumstance. I’m complacent and almost happy in my routine until it’s challenged by more than a day or two off work and I’m overjoyed to the point of tears. I’m happiest when I can provide something to someone, even better when it’s from the kitchen. And I’m stubborn as a mule. How does a blind person see themselves?
So, where would I like to go, or what would I change? When I find myself truly questioning my progress as a human being, I open myself up to possibility and if I think something is truly right, I make a wish. Here is today’s: I wish that I could balance my time, my feelings, my responsibilities, and my aspirations so that I could reach another level of ability. I know ability sounds vague, but I think I do many things half as well as I could if I could only have a little more time to focus. How could this happen? I’d like my family to have a close bond, but for each person to celebrate a healthy sense of individuality and autonomy. I’d like my professional confidence to be matched by financial security with enough time to enjoy what I work for. I need more time with my family and friends.
Sunday night, I got out of Artie’s earlier than usual and I talked to my mom for over 2 hours. I know a lot of women who talk to their parents every day. If you know me, you know how unusual that is. Dad lives with me and I don’t see him every day. Mom and I had a really really nice conversation. We hadn’t talked in a while, and it’ s not because we’re incompatible people, but because of our strange family dynamic has strained our connection. I didn’t realize how much I missed her and it was so wonderful. I hadn’t reach out to her in such a long time and it was just a really open conversation about the things we care about. Different things but the same in spirit. Mostly talking about the kinds of life we’d like to build with the support and love of the ones we care about. I told her about my vacation to Nashville and the difficulty of getting back into my normal manic life.
This is what I need more of. A couple hours of unplanned time to think about life and how I’ll get where I need to be. I’ve gotten really good at crisis management, now I’d like to be good at living well.
Not that everyday should be vacation, but everyday should give you some opportunity to enjoy yourself. While I was in Nashville I celebrated a wonderful combination of old friends, new places, and lots of one of one with my man. You know how much I love my man.
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Check out that Tiramisu (remember how hard I was working to perfect it!)! That’s what I’m talking about people! Not excess, but celebrating the moments of togetherness and satisfaction of things coming together. I hope you’ll send out happy thoughts and good intentions When I get caught up in routine, call me on my BS. Please! Especially challenge my baking repetoire.
I hope you all know how much I appreciate you. Customers and friends, be on the lookout for a Spring Vegan Empanada Party (End of March or sometime in April?!)!
Belated Valentine’s post! I know it isn’t everyone’s favorite holiday, but I’m glad for any moment taken to appreciate one’s relation to the world around them. Love is in the air. People are taking great pride in their nation, their community, their families, their significant others and themselves.
I’ve been very excited about two projects near and dear to my heart:
#1. Vegan Tiramisu wedding cake for one of the nicest couples on the planet
#2. I finally did it! I got the tattoo of my dreams.
About the cake:
I know it’s not the center-piece or anything, but I want it to be perfect, and most importantly, I want it to be them: charming, playful, warm and intelligent. I don’t know how a cake can be intelligent, but I think I can do the other stuff! Karen sent out a call t her friends to bring together a collection of about 8 homemade cakes instead of a giant one. So smart. The wedding is in the far far away land of Nashville and my kitchen skills travel better than a cake…. Thanks to the wonderful networking abilities afforded by the intertubes, I will be baking with one of the other cakers the day of the wedding! I’m so excited to meet her friends and work on cake together! I don’t want to make too much of a horrendous mess in their kitchen/nail the design so I have been practicing different steps about once a week. I have chronicled the learning process on flickr. Lars and I are stoked for a week long of Nashville adventures and friend celebrating starting next Monday! There is a lot to do yet, but I think I’ll be ready when the time comes!!!
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About the tattoo:
Many of you may be wondering why your favoritre kt b got a tattoo. If I have to explain it all to a grandparent or child, I guess we’ll just have to meet on the values of self-expression and do the best we can. Beyond that, some of you may have known I was stewing on it for years, but for those who do not, here is a little meandering description of the whole deal. As I tell it, there is no fantastic narrative to tie everything together. And to be honest, I’m not obssessed with the inked body,and I don’t envision panels of images stretching the span of my back. And it’s definitely not an act of rebellion. It’s on a pretty personal space, not like I’m trying to be cool (though I am very proud of Rob’s work). So why did I get a tattoo?
I know people get tattoos for all sorts of reasons. But here was my basic criteria:
1. Whatever idea I get has to stick after at least a year of ruminating in my head.
2. The phrase or image should be in a place I can see it so it’s for me and not just other people to look at.
3. Most importantly, the phrase or image should represent me.
4. And lastly, it’d be nice to have original artwork.
I had the idea about 3 years ago and found an artist last year for the drawing. This year, I found an artist for the actual sitting Rob L. Smith, II at Caspian Tattoos in Lynchburg, VA.
I think tattoos can be beautiful, even if certain motifs may have less meaning to the general viewer because of their repeated use. But that’s the thing, regardless of the image, tattoos are personal symbols the individual chooses that aren’t just about what others see on skin, but what the image represents to the body’s owner. I needed that. I needed to do something for just me. I generally channel a good deal of my effort into things intended for others. Testing students, training volunteers, waiting tables, baking at midnight, paying bills… Don’t get me wrong, I still love all those things, especially making you cupcakes and helping people learn English; I just needed to remind myself of me.
Hippos are such a funny dichotomy between the doughy, friendly things humans like to idealize, and the actually massive, territorial, dangerous animals that they are. It doesn’t hurt that they are vegetarians! I came upon the hippo as a gift at the end of high school, just as I was just starting to figure myself out. After all this time it stuck with me, first as a joke then because I really identified with them. Maybe it seems like a dramatic move, maybe part of a big exhale after a lot has changed. I do know that when I look down and see it etched onto my waist, it feels absolutely right. It feels like me.
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Thank you all for all the constant support in things I love to do!
I hope you’ll celebrate the compassion and understanding you share with others every day! Happy Valentine’s!!!
My friends, I’m sorry my blog has been neglected. Please know Gimme Dem Cupcakes has been working and playing hard!
This MLK, Jr. weekend rounds out my holiday season, and I have truly been a very lucky girl. I think about all the people in my life, and I am so thankful. We exchange so many gifts of love. Sometimes in the form of new cooking tools for GDC, gardening gear for Harmony Gardening, goofy socks for my favorite derby girl, or mostly in the occasions to be together sharing food, laughing and learning.
I worked ahead and actually had a whole week off over the holidays to be with my family. Lars and I had a wonderful pre-Christmas with the Gotrich’s in GA, I came back for Christmas weekend lucky to find my mom was able to join us, and then we celebrated with my Grands the following Monday. Quality time was spent baking on my own, making phone calls to friends, late night gaming with my sister, and eating lots of delicious food. All these moments are so precious to me.
While I wish dearly to have a more normal work schedule, for now, I have been enjoying my work even when the hours and days run together; and I am so happy that after working so hard, there really is time to spend with the ones I love. Thank you all for being so patient with me. We all work hard, and I hope you find yourself refreshed by the new year and that you find all the time you need to be with the ones you love doing things that help you grow. Let me know if Gimme Dem can help!
We don’t all have fairy god mothers, magic shoes, or leagues of talking animals to help us along our way. What we do have is our own free will and the wonderful people we meet to help us make the days full of love and laughter. After a very long and hard September, I had a weekend with good friends to refresh me.
Lars, Becky, and Jenny with me, I had a chance to enjoy the fresh air, campfires, and lots of delicious food. These kinds of weekends are more magical than any movie.
Now that I’m back to normal, after my weekend getaway, how do I continue to celebrate the everyday? Well, I realized, a day without good food doesn’t make for a very good day. I’ve been trying to keep Mondays reserved for family dinners. So yesterday, I bought some herbs de provence for a roast for the fam and fennel for some savory lentils. To round out our first autumn meal together I concocted a new cupcake recipe: the Red Rose. It’s a combination of my favorite everyday tea and rosewater. Sweet, warm and simple, the Red Rose is fit for the everyday princess in all of us.
[This batch was gobbled... New batch and picture coming soon]
I have to say, this like many recent posts, is going the long way ’round before we ever get to the cake… Today was Katie Beckman day, aka my 26th birthday. Where am I? Who did I enjoy my birthday with? While I usually spend most Independnce days and birthdays with my immediate family or closest friends; today I was in Georgia with my boyfriend and his family. I got to meet his mom, dad, brother, sister in law, and her two little sisters (flickr album). This is my first time in GA, first time meeting his family, first time meeting a family that lives so far from me.
I’ve spent a little over a year getting to know Lars, and as much as I love him, I knew he was part of a family of good people. Our first night and day of vacation was in Athens, and while I was immeditely drawn to the open and inclusive culture of one of the country’s best college/music towns, I found myself at the edge of my seat with excitement as we drove to his family’s home in suburban Atlanta. As I entered the door, they immediately hugged me hard and made me feel so welcome and so loved. I can’ fully describe how good and how complete each moment has been, but I feel incredibly blessed. I hope for more, but I’m so satisfied for what is now.
We’ve had a wonderful few days, and today, they celebrated my birthday with me. Lars’s mom has been very accommodating to my dietary decisions, and today was no exception. She prepared a gorgeous cake, the oh so decadent Death by Vegan Chocolate cake from The Grit cookbook. Accented with blackberries and served with one of the delicious teas, I was surprised to open a great collection of records to accompany the new record player from Lars.
The evening was punctuated with family stories, music, and delicious food. I can’t believe we leave Wednesday, but I feel like this has been the most relaxing vacation I can remember. Every year feels like I’m more and more me, and I’m lucky to have the company of such wonderful, wonderful people. I hope I remember how much I love them, however long they’re in my life.
I hope as you read this post, maybe you can have some idea of how special it is to love, and then fall in love a little deeper. Please remember, I love you all and know I send you lots of happy thoughts! As soon as Lars posts bday pictures, you’ll have a better idea of the cake and Jude’s wonderful culinary skills.
So, this morning, getting Cocoa and myself ready to go berry picking, I was alarmed to find I couldn’t reach my mom. Texting wasn’t going through and as I tried to call mom, I was directed to Verizon’s payment services. My mom, excellent at mothering, creating, loving; not so good at adult-ing. She can weave you a dream catcher or lecture you on permaculture, but gee, what happened to finalizing the divorce or child support?
I’m not meaning to make her sound irresponsible, because she’s not. I know she’s thinking about all these things and a zillion others, losing sleep and greying hair over how to keep her wheat grass growing and the cats fed. That’s kind of the thing.
I was so frustrated after I paid that bill; not because it’s hard, but because I’m just not sure how to fix things. I’m not sure how to get mom in a better place. I can get more money, but I can’t fix my mom or keep taking on her responsibilities. It’d be easy to be angry, or to hate her. But really, hate is the absence of something. It’d be the absence of my love for her, and that’s not it. What’s missing right now is whatever mom needs to get through everything.
At any restaurant or fast paced work place, you may hear them say, “don’t get in the weeds.” That’s just what it is. She’s got a jungle in her mind and unclear navigation. We all have our own jungles of responsibilities and miscellaneous thoughts, but we need to know ourselves and know our process or we won’t have a path through the jungle. We have to trust ourselves and our coping skills or we can never really grow or take on new challenges.
So, my apologies, no blackberry pies this summer. Luckily, I do have a freezer full of blueberries. In thye meantime, please share your happy thoughts and trust with those you love. I send you my own happy thoughts for peaceful minds, so you can enjoy your jungle and not just wish for escape.
Thursday, June 17th, 2010 was a very special day. Any good anthropologist or sociologist will tell you, human societies and the individuals in them, need their rites of passage. We need the physical, mental and somewhat spiritual key change to progress from one stage of life to another. We could write them off as meaningless hiccups in a string of ordinary events, but I myself, love the opportunity to celebrate the ones I love. Yesterday was one of the best. My whole family was with me and we all woke early to go about preparations for my “little sissy’s” graduation from high school. A very special batch of mini Tiramisu in arm, we drove downtown for a gorgeous afternoon of celebration.
An excerpt from the email I wrote to our closest friends and family:
“Yesterday, Mom, Dad, and I had the great joy of seeing our Jenny graduate with her classmates at DAR Constitution Hall. The weather was hot but bright and breezy, Jenny looked stunning, and everyone cooperated so we could be on time and ready for each stage of the day. Everything about the day just made Jenny shine. Sitting in the hall, we anxiously searched the sea of red caps for her head of brown with blonde undertones. The speakers were humble and poised, especially the valedictorian (who gave Jenny a specific nod in her speech). When Jenny finally walked across the stage, I was mid-holler when the tears came. It was so much coming to fruition and such an honor to be part of her moment. After everything that’s been happening, the past few years especially, it was just so wonderful to celebrate Jenny and think about the child she was and the beautiful woman she’s becoming.
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I hope you’ll join my family in congratulating Jenny and the other students for their work to grow and mature throughout their schooling. It was a very special day for our family and personally one of the most precious memories of my life. I’d also like to personally thank each of you for all the family, friendship, support, and love you’ve shared with us. People like each of you make our family feel so loved and so fortunate.“
Congratulations to the class of 2010- you deserve every opportunity the world has to offer you, and the world deserves to see you pursue every one of your goals and talents.
Hello loved ones! I missed you. Please pardon my absence. I’d been feeling a little as if Gimme Dem Cupcake’s possibilities had collapsed when I realized it’s ineligibility for farmers market and other temporary venues. I still want to take Gimme to the big time, I just have to re-navigate the path. Meanwhile, I decided to recommit to a modified vegan diet. Everything I make in my kitchen for my consumption is vegan. I also try to include as many ingredients as possible from my garden. That means I’m challenging myself to take my favorite dairy laden meals like pesto, bahn mi, pizza, and saltenas into vegan delights. So far, so excellent.
And while I’ve never been all about the summer slim down trend, this year I have recommitted to taking care of my body. I do naturally tend to be more active and a lighter eater during the season, but I also signed up for a Bikram Yoga class close to my house. I retired my car, Can Can and I really wanted to find something new to boost my self esteem, especially since I can’t meet my Artie’s homies for Tuesday morning runs. So, it’s been two weeks and I feel like I have a new body. I didn’t know about the calorie count til after I started, but overall, I feel fantastic. I’ve been really good about pushing my body for work, but now I’m pushing it for health, both mental and physical. I feel capable and strong as I do the posture and afterwards I’m beautifully sore. I’ve only been to three classes but I wake up with a flat stomach and everything is starting to tone up. While maybe Bikram isn’t everyone’s favorite way to line the body up with the mind, I love the self-propelled intensity. It fits in with my way of being and sort of balances me out. I feel charged for a great day afterward, every time. Let me know if you’d like to come to a class with me!
