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| Whole Grain & Cranberry Muffins |
I'll start with the Bad News:
I didn't get into a required Food Sanitation & Safety class for the summer, meaning I will miss the strict class schedule for the Baking Certificate Program this Fall. Reason for not getting the class: not having priority registration because I already have B.S. in Chemistry. The situation is BS.
The Good News: I have a lot more time on my hands to practice baking at home. This is probably for the best. I need to plan a way so that I can keep a job to pay the bills, whilst taking these classes. Right now, I'm trying get by paying the bills AND save for a house. So one might ask: why the hell am I trying to become a pastry chef, a field notorious for starting low wages? You're thinking I'm essentially back-burning my goal to own real estate.
Why can't I have both? I wonder, and above all HOPE, that I can somehow achieve both. I need both. Saving for a house will always be a priority. Slowly but surely, I am going to become a pastry chef. That inevitable truth is really what gets me through my day job ( day job being a lowly chemist in a contract pharmaceutical lab - and NO it's not as glamorous or complicated as it sounds ). And while I'm being a chemist, I will bake, bake, bake.
Today I completed my first recipe from Doris Greenspan's Baking book: Whole grain muffins. The assemblage was rather time-consuming. A trip to Kohls, Sur La Table, Bed Bath & Beyond, Sprouts, Ralphs, and 3 Targets later I finally compiled everything I would need. The product? Extremely delicious. I was enjoying breakfast muffins at 8pm on a Friday night. I truly love baking.
Good god, you majored in chem. You don't need a baking certificate.
ReplyDeleteThanks SinoSoul! With no professional kitchen experience I figure culinary school is a good start.
DeleteBut baking at home is very similar to lab experiments; at least with baking I get to eat my finished product =)
Rhea, do tell what you got from each of those stores to make those muffins! You've got me curious.
ReplyDeleteI think I already replied to this on Twitter but here's my answer once again:
DeleteKohls - search for silicon muffin pan (failed to find)
Sur La Table - measuring spoons (it's always good to have extras), measuring cups, and a zester (can't believe I've gone so long without this tool)
Bed Bath & Beyond - search for silicon muffin pan (fail)
Sprouts - organic oats, dried cranberries
Ralphs - all other ingredients
3 Targets - a continuing search for silicon muffin pans. I finally caved, and bought a metal muffin pan. We talked about how silicon bake ware is difficult to find, and with good reason. Apparently after so many uses, they're no good anymore. Happy to report I've used my muffin pan 5x now, and it's still going strong.