My Latest Fascinations: Part 1

Hullo! Yes, it's me, the girl who fell off the blogging map. After a few months of nothingness for you and a few months of stress because there was nothingness for me, I finally came to my senses. Even if I'm terrible at recipe developing, and wary of posting other people's work, I can still rant and obsess (mildly) over my loves: Baking, writing and reading. And Cheekers. That's why blogging is super enjoyable, right?

And a new spring of fascinations has exploded. I can't wait to share them with you!!! So I begin the list of the ages.....

1. Sherlock Holmes

Yes, I surprised myself with this one. For my freshman year, I flipped through 'The Book Tree' to find suitable books to read for my literature course. My eye caught the title 'The Hound of the Baskervilles,' and my interest was immediately and completely piqued. A devil hound? A brilliant detective? Usually not my type, but I was intrigued. I remembered a few years back when my family listened to the audio book 'His Last Bow'. I loved the humor and lovableness of Watson, and the dry but witty sarcasm and charm of Holmes. I was about 11 or 12 at that time, and didn't really appreciate Conan Doyle's genius.

I decided to take the risk and borrow the book from the library, not quite sure what to expect.

Picking up 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' was a totally new experience for me. I had never cared for mystery books. But a few pages in and I couldn't put it down. I read late into the night. The end was so brilliant, genius, and unexpected I was shocked, surprised, and pleased. (Rule of three, anyone?)

And so I launched into Sherlock Holmes fandom.

As of yet I have read The Sign of The Four, The Valley of Fear, The Hound of the Baskervilles, and A Study in Scarlet. Currently I'm reading The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Return of Sherlock Holmes. I go back and forth, eagerly drinking in Holmes' deduction habits and attempting to apply them. (Notice how I said 'attempting'...)

{I recommend the books, but be wary of The Valley of Fear, which was sprinkled with language. I was very disappointed with this discovery.}

NOW..... go immerse yourself in the world of Sherlock Holmes.

You know my methods, Watson.

2. One Year Adventure Novel

Sometime in the summer, while I prepared for high school, we received a box of curriculum cards in the mail. Each card had a picture and description of a curriculum for homeschoolers. My mother flipped through them and picked out the ones she was interested in. One of those cards had written across it: One Year Adventure Novel.

I read the card and I knew I wouldn't want any other English course. I would be taught how to write an adventure novel in one school year!

Three times a week, I would watch a video lesson, read my section in the Textbook, and take out the workbook to write my Adventure novel. I would learn character development, chapter structures, writing compelling material, creating a plot line, and so on.

I begged my mother to buy the course for me, and to my surprise, she did. I received the package in the mail late January (we forgot to buy it until then) and I began in February. Within a few days, I had finished 10 lessons. I was hooked.

Ever since I could remember, I had been writing my own 'books'. When I was 8, my mother taught me how to clean a bathroom. I thought (and still think) that it was tedious work. To pass the time, I made up my own little world in which the hero (me), learned how to be a maidservant in the castle of Castleblanca. (I had learned this name from a Cyberspace game I had played online). The hero and her friend Abigail received training on how to clean bathrooms. After an elaborate story line which included a contest to marry the prince, factions in the castle, and the evil witch who tried to kill the hero, I decided to put my story on paper. It never turned out.

For years now I have created story upon story upon story, but never getting past the second chapter. I wrote them in my mind and talked to myself while I cleaned bathrooms, folded towels, and washed dishes, but they never sounded right on paper. After starting the OYAN curriculum, I have never been the same. I can write with confidence and say....."Wow! I wrote this?!"

PLUS, there is an amazing community of teenage writers just like me on the online Forum. They are one of the funnest bunch I have ever some in contact with. Most of them are obsessed with Doctor Who, BBC Sherlock, Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, superheros, writing, and reading. And while I have never seen Dr. Who or Sherlock in my life, the others are my fandoms. Everyone is so nice and they give amazing advice. We are all a big family; we even adopt each other. I have both a 'sister' and a 'brother'. As a newbie, you are assigned a 'Mentor' who will guide you through your beginning stages of the Forum. I love OYAN. It is very addicting.

www.oneyearnovel.com

(To Be Continued)

Lemon Tarts. And An Apology.

Well, here is the lemon yumminess. I am sorry about the wait: I am assured Blogger is angry at me for something. For every post, I can only have control of one picture, and can't post any others. I have tried for so long, and it dosen't work. :( So, until Blogger forgives me and moves on, I can only do one pic at a time.

Anyhoo, here it is. :D

Looking at this picture gives me the chills.

I'll tell you how to make them!

I took the 'Extra Buttery Sweet Pastry Dough' recipe from the book "Baking" by James Patterson (a very wonderful book for both beginners and masters.)I used my new "Tart Baking Set" from Williams Sonoma, and used Dickonson's Lemon Curd to fill them. And that's it.

Soon, I will try to get my Vanilla Bundt Cake with Chocolate Ganache on here. :)

Loves to you!

~Alyssa <3

 

Waiting for Lemon Tart PICS!!!

So I told you all a few days ago on Facebook that I was hungry for a lemon tart.... SO I WENT AND MADE ONE! :D Actually, I made tartlets with my tartlet baking pan I recieved for Christmas (HAPPY DAY!) with a really good recipe I will share with you (and this time I will hurry up on it; I just want to make sure everything is perfect before telling you so you dont make any critical mistakes like blowing your kitchen up!). I filled them with a store-bought lemon curd.

Okay, okay, I know I should have made that, but I didn't have any lemons!

They turned out fantastic! They were like little sweet shortbread cups with tart, lemony sweetness inside. Oh boy, I must have ate fifteen of them when they were in my house. My family ate the rest.

I am working on uploading the photos from my mother's new camera (she is sweet enough to let me use it). I will hurry up with that. I promise.

Have a happy, tartalicious Sunday, and beyond. :D

~Alyssa <3

The Gingerbread House

So, my mother broke down and bought a gingerbread house kit. It was so beautiful on the package!

Once when I was little, she bought a gingerbread house and built it with my little brother. Again, so beautiful on the package! But it totally failed... the candy was awful and very cheap, the house itself was just as bad, and I couldn't pipe the icing, so it was very sloppy. (of course, I was only six). Since then, I have hated even the mention of gingerbread. When we went to a friend's house, she made these huge gingerbread men and bought all kinds of candy and icing. I was skeptical, but I tried. How amazing it was!!!

Then when my mother bought this kit and it turned out to be a WILTON  gingerbread house kit, I was really excited. After all, I was fourteen now, could pipe fairly decently, and I would follow ALL the directions.

And then I tried.

I got out the directions, stared at the box for a little bit, and pictured the finished house in my head. It would be the perfect post for my blog! Everyone would just laud my skills! I picked up the piping bag that came with the kit (I was thrilled over that) and turned to the house, my head overflowing with confidence, and began to decorate.

Or, would you call that.... throw together?

And this is what came out.

 So, my piping skills weren't as extensive as I had foolishly imagined.

 These are painful.

 Don't let them fool you; they look fruity, sugary, and amazingly delicious. They aren't.

Don't say 'Yum', say 'Um'! 

Now these were pretty amazing.

I had a few helpers. :D

Little brother #3.

 Little sister #1.

Little brother #2.



Me and Babycakes, the inspiration for the blog name!

Isn't it he just too adorable???!!! You just want to kiss those little rosy cheeks!

That gingerbread house is so..... sloppy. I guess, my skills are the same as when I as six. :D So there it is.

We never ate it. After a few days of looking at it, it got thrown away.

Well, Babycakes, I hope you all had a merry Christmas filled with exciting presents, treats, and fun times with family. I know I did! :D (More about that later!)

~Alyssa <3





Berry Pie Pops!

So... I just want to say thank you to everybody who is supporting me.... It means sooooooo much! :D I am so glad I can share the baked goods I make with you all!

A few days ago, I had the itch to make something. Whatever I had baked the past few days was very mediocre. Very mediocre. So, I decided I would try again. I had just received a beautiful pie pop maker from a wonderful friend and decided to try it out for the second time. The first time I tried it, the little injector that came with it had no directions, and I was beside myself with frustration trying to squirt out filling when nothing was coming out. Finally, after resortng to a spoon, the raspberry filling exploded all over the inside of the machine and all over the counter. The crusts burnt because my cousin and I were fast enough to only do one pie pop at a time. Oh, yes, we forgot to use a timer. So, I was a little hesitant to try again.

But this time, they turned out so beautiful! I found out how to use the injector, cut all the crusts ahead of time, and kept a close watch on the pie pops. This was the finished product:

And of course, I had to eat one.

What have we here?

Hmmm.....

Oooh, yummy!

Alyssa-tested, Alyssa-approved. :D

Have a cakealicious day! (yes, I just made that one up)

~Alyssa <3

P.S I am developing some recipes for you all! Hopefully, I can get those done soon.

The Bazaar Pictures!

Here are the pictures from the bazaar! I am happy to share them with you. :D

The Pumpkin Chocolate Muffcakes... :D

 The Banana Walnut Muffcakes

 The Applesauce Raisin Muffcakes.

 Another view of the Banana Walnut Muffcakes.

 Yum.

 The Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough brownies. These were my best-sellers.

My Business Cards. (By the way, if you have called me a few days after the bazaar, I am so sorry I havn't called you back. My phone isn't working well!)

 This picture makes me hungry. :D

This one too!

Me at my table. :D

Mama and I, our sign, and my business cards. Ooh, and the Oreo Truffles. :D

Have a scrumptious day! <3

~Alyssa <3

BAKING! HA HA!

I love baking, have we talked about that before? :D

I just recieved a cake pop maker, and then, I was given a pie pop maker, and then, I got a 2013 Cupcake calendar! Ah. Happy present day. It must be known I love baking.... hmmm..... how did they know?

For some reason, I feel really bouncy and happy. I know the happiness comes from God, because I have been reading my Bible and reading regularly and feeling tons of joy, but my bounciness is inexplainable. I suppose my lack of baking is the trick. I need dishes to calm me down! Ha. Not.

I need pictures in this post, so I suppose I will grab one.

I am also feeling random, did I mention that?

Well, have a great day! :D

~Alyssa <3