[Wilton Wednesday] Course 1: Decorating Basics

Welcome back to The Cabby Crafter!

We have good news for my dear readers who love to bake.  We have designated today as 

"Wilton Wednesday" 

and will do so every Wednesday until we run out of things to share with you.  LOL.

Disclaimer:  This is a personal blog of The Cabby Crafter and is not sponsored by or in anyway connected to Wilton Industries, Inc.  Thank you very much!

I have always loved baking since I was young.  My mother would bring me with her to her baking class (she's a nursing professor and took baking classes in the University where she taught) and would let me mix, use the hand mixer, crack and separate eggs and finally lick the mixer prongs.  I have baked a lot of cakes before and took a few courses on my spare time.  Did I mention that I've always wanted to have a glass refrigerated case and a bakeshop?   

My love for baking was rekindled over a year ago when I started to bake cakes for gatherings and church pot share.     Surprisingly, people besides my husband loved my cakes.  Whenever I would bake a new recipe for the first time it would always be above par - except for the icing, that is.  

I need to practice more.

And more.

One day ago, I enrolled in "The Wilton Method of Cake Decorating Course 1:  Building Buttercream Skills" at my home away from home, Hobby Lobby.  I have always been a fan of Wilton though I regret not being able to visit their office during their tent sale in Woodridge, Illinois in the 2 years that we were just an hour away from them... sigh.

The course was not cheap but thankfully, it was 55% off when I signed up - that includes the nice and colorful Course 1 book.

I had some stuff at home but of course, I had to buy the Decorating Basics Student Kit which cost $34.99 (you could never have enough tips or spatulas, my Dahlings!).

The kit included everything you need to get started (that's what the label read).

12 Decorating Tips:  Round 1,3,12; Star 16,18,21; Open Star 1 M; Petal 104; Leaf 352, Bismark 230; Drop Flower 20; Multi-opening 233

4 standard couplers

2 10-inch reusable featherweight bags

2 disposable decorating bags

6 parchment triangles

15 in Flower nail

Cupcake nail

Decorator brush

12 Flower template stickers

9 in. spatula

Practice board with stand and patterns

Our teacher, Ms. Debra was very informative.  She taught us the basics and secrets of baking, how to make buttercream icing, how to make and determine the icing consistency.  We were asked to bring cookies to practice on but we didn't have time to do it but I'm gonna practice at home.  

I will be sharing with you more about it next week.

Our take home message:  Practice, practice, practice.

This is a 2 hour x once a week x 4 week class.  Fun huh?

Come and visit us next Wilton Wednesday, okay?!

See ya!

Happy baking!

♥  michelle  ♥

[Focus on Life Week 27] Texture

Hello there!  It's Week 27 over at Ms. Sally Russick's Focus on Life and it's all about Texture.

" From the course to the soft and fluffy, textures are always at our fingertips but we tend to be too busy to notice. Textures surround us at any given time, we sometimes just need to slow down a little and give them a little attention. Run your fingers down the hem of a quilt or pick up that dried leaf and focus on what your finger tips feel."

I like adding texture in my crafts such as this card - done with textured paper and accented with paper flowers.
A few days ago, I also shared a tutorial using dimensional adhesive.

I also use texture in my jewelry such as in this necklace where I added an embossed a Vintaj blank.  

This necklace was featured HERE.

Texture may also be applied to food and this homemade mango crab salad is full of it!  I combined lettuce, imitation crab and fresh, sweet mangoes.  The dressing was a combination of creamy garlic and Bragg's Hawaiian dressing - it tasted perfect!

Thanks for stopping by the blog.  It's time to head over to Ms. Sally's site to check on different textures.  Have fun!

Have a wonderful weekend!

♥  Michelle  ♥

[Food] Slicing Watermelons

It's almost summer and I've been seeing a lot of watermelons in the grocery stores... yum!  Do you love eating watermelon?  If so, do you get bloated, constipated and feel gaseous?  Watermelons have a high water content hence they ferment faster than the other foods that we eat.  In order to avoid unwanted effects, try eating watermelon or other fruits with high water content alone next time and see the difference.  Let me know if this information helped you.

Another way to enjoy watermelons is to prepare them as clean as possible.  Be sure to wash your hands and kitchen utensils appropriately.  I like serving them in small pieces as it is easier to handle, avoiding drips on your white shirt... ekk!
My mom taught me how she does it - clean and simple - and I'd like to share it with you.

Serving Watermelon

Prepare a clean bowl.  Cut one whole watermelon into quarters then into 1 - 11/2 inch strips.  

I like holding the watermelon as seen in the photos but you can place them on a clean cutting board. Remember, SAFETY FIRST!  

Carefully run the knife vertically and cut into 1 1/2 inch strips from one end to the other.  Then, run the knife horizontally, allowing the pieces to fall on the prepared bowl.  When you get close to the bottom, whitish part, carefully slide the knife along the curve of the base, away from your hands and fingers.

In doing so, you avoid touching the fruit hence decreasing the risk of contamination.

This is best served chilled.

Enjoy!!!

How do you serve watermelons?  

Have a blessed day,

♥  michelle  ♥