70th Birthday Cake, Days 1-3

I intended to post this series day by day as I completed each step, but due to being extremely busy and my computer not wanting to log in, I am going to post the first three days all in one go.

I am in the middle of making a 70th birthday cake for a surprise birthday party after church this Sunday.  I make special birthday cakes using the Planet Cake method, which is generally a three day process.  However, because of a 'unique' feature of this cake, as you will see later on, I have stretched it to a five day process.

Uncle Paul (for whom the cake is for) is a sports fan, and particularly likes the West Tigers from the NRL, so I thought that I would make a Tigers football jersey cake.

Day 1 - Planning and Shopping

Although I have put this down as the first day, I actually do the planning for cakes some weeks ahead, just because I like to be well organised and totally know what I am doing.  So, the first thing I do is find my inspiration picture.  I am not very good at designing and visualising a cake in my head, so I always like to search the web and find a picture I can base my design off.  Sometimes I use the basic ideas and change the colour scheme or design a little, but this time, because there is really only one design of jersey, I just chose a picture and will (hopefully) replicate it fairly directly.

This is the inspiration picture.  The things I will do differently is I won't have the NRL shield-trophy-thing or the Tigers logo on the stripes nor will I put the grass around the edge.  That's the plan anyway, I might change my mind, but I don't think I will.

'The chosen ones'

The first thing I did was choose my baking pans and trace them onto paper, making a life size map of the the cake, and then I coloured it in to make a paper replicate for reference later on.  I don't normally do this but because it is a shaped cake, and I have only done one other shaped cake, I wanted to see how the cake pans would 'shape up' (so to speak.  :P)

 The paper cut outs..

 After I had sketched on the design...

 And the coloured in version.  I got tired of colouring black part way through, and had to enlist the help of some willing younger siblings.   :P

After I did that, I worked out how many cakes I would need to make, how much ganache, how much icing and then wrote my shopping list.  And went shopping!  BTW, you can expect some funny comments from the checkout people when you buy 7 blocks of chocolate!  This time, the lady asked if I was doing some cooking, or was just buying some chocolate to nibble on.  Umm.... I am cooking.  Mum laughed and said she hoped it wasn't just to nibble on, and the checkout lady's comment was 'You'd be surprised.'  Which makes you wonder what other people buy...perhaps 7 blocks of chocolate isn't so bizarre after all!

Day 2 - Baking the cake and making the Ganache

I didn't take any photos of the making the cakes.  But here's one of once they are cooked and cooled:  They are dark chocolate mud cakes, and I doubled the recipe for the big one...

 Ganache is a icing like mixture which is made by grating chocolate and pouring nearly boiling cream over the top and whisking until smooth.  You let it set overnight (or at least several hours) and then spread it onto the cakes to make a smooth, yummy surface to place your fondant on.  I one and a halved the recipe for the ganache - so it was 1.8kg of grated chocolate and 900ml of pure cream.  

 This is what 1.8kg of chocolate looks like as a block and then grated.  Thank heavens for electric graters!

When it is all mixed together....

 This is what happens when you pour boiling cream into grated chocolate - steam from the cream fogged up the lens of the camera for the first few moments, so it is hard to see, but it does clear shortly...

Day 3 - Ganaching the Cake

To get the angle of the sleeves of the shirt right, I cut the sleeves off from the paper cake I made, and then used the paper cut out to slice the cake.  Then I assembled it...

I cut all the pieces of cake in half longwise and filled it with a layer of ganache, and then covered the cake with the ganache.  The purpose of ganache is to make it taste nice, and also to create a level, smooth surface to lay the fondant on.  Whatever imperfections or rough edges are left in the ganache, show up in the fondant, so the aim is to make it as smooth as possible.  I didn't take any photos of the process because I was doing it last night from 8:30 to about 10:30 pm, and I was tired and over it... so that's that.  :P

But here is a photo of the cake in the morning, after the ganache has set hard.  I went over the cake again this morning with a hot knife and some more ganache, trying to fill out any crevices or marks which I might have missed.  The sleeves are not quite even, and the top of the shirt curves slightly, but other than that, I am pretty happy with the shape.  The ganache also is fairly smooth and there aren't any glaring rough sections that I have noticed as yet.  I could have covered it with fondant today, but I chose not to because it is not needed until Sunday and once the fondant is on, you can't keep it in the fridge because the fondant will sweat and go soggy.  And I didn't want the colour to fade.  Hence, I will cover it with fondant tomorrow, and do the final decorations on Saturday.  And I will be using an interesting technique to make my fondant black.  I am partly excited and partly apprehensive about using said method.... so stay tuned as to what happens tomorrow...!

Making Gravy

I was making dinner last night, and whilst making the gravy, I thought that I could share a few tips and ideas as to making nice gravy that have helped me.  I used to make really bad gravy most of the time and lumpy and thin at the best of times.  But, since being at Tahlee, I have picked up a few good gravy ideas, so here goes... :)

The first tip is NOT to guess that you know how much gravy powder and water you need, but actually measure them out according to the directions on the packet.

1) Measure water in the saucepan  I generally use 3 cups of water because there are a lot of us who really like gravy... but it generally makes a little too much.  Based on the packet, you need 1 and 1/2 tablespoons for every cup.  (except this time I was using a different brand which claimed you needed 3 tablespoons.  Whatever.  :P)





2) Measure out the gravy mix into a separate bowl.  Heat the water on the stove until just simmering.  You don't want it to be simmering or boiling, otherwise the gravy will go lumpy.  It is ready when bubbles begin to appear on the bottom of the pot.  And if you are unsure when to go, earlier is better than later.

3) Whisk in the gravy mix, shaking it into the water.  Keep whisking furiously.  If it doesn't go lumpy in the first few moments of having added the powder, then you are pretty well safe.  If it is going to be ruined, then this will be the time.  It will go lumpy also if your water is too hot.

,
4) Continue to slowly whisk until the gravy is thick.  It is best not to let it boil.

And there you have it.  It took me quite a few times to get the temperature of the water right... and for the record, when you are making gravy for 50 people, there are a lot of lumps to pull out before you serve it!  That happened at Tahlee, so I went home and practised.  Now I am quite proud of my gravy making skills.  :P

* Disclaimer - the gravy I made last night didn't work as well as other times, I think that it due to the brand.  We normally just use the home-brand gravy mix, but for some reason we had this other one in the cupboard.  It was also gluten free, which I think didn't help the consistency.  That being said, it was a lot nicer today when I heated it up to put on our chicken sandwiches, maybe it just needed a bit of time!

Of Ships and Shoes....

Annie finally asleep.
 She is the one on the left...

At the moment, I am sitting next to Annie's cot, where she has finally dropped off to sleep.  She has been in bed for probably close to two hours, but only now have the 'shores of sleep' arrived.  So now I can type in peace... :P

~

I have been on a Swahili learning spree the past few days.  I have been trying to learn the language for quite some years now, and have recently been using the Before You Know It program, known, creatively, as Byki.  Byki has a large number of languages, and two programs: express and deluxe.  Express is free and contains quite a few word lists while the Deluxe version costs about $60 or so, and contains hundreds of lists, activites, test etc.  Although I have been doing a list every now and again, I have been really hitting it hard the past few days, hoping to surge ahead with it.  I now know over 160 words and phases in Swahili, ranging from '-a rangi ya urujuani' (purple) to 'Nimetuma maagizo ya kushika chumba' (I have a room reserved.)  The best part of the deluxe version is an activity where you can record yourself saying the word, and they will rate it from beginner to advanced.  I try to aim for halfway there.  Some words, such as 'Kwa heri' (goodbye) and 'Jina langu ni...' (my name is...) I can do quite well, almost advanced, but others such as 'restorenti' (restaurant) and 'Kuro' (deer) I am no where even close.  I cannot roll my 'r's, nor make a really hard 'k' sound.  The other one I have trouble with is 'Unasema Kiingereza' which is a worry, because that means 'Do you speak English?'

~

This Sunday is our Mission Sunday, and the missionaries we support are coming to speak.  They are only in Australia every two years, so it is a special service when they come and talk.  The GenKids (the kid's church for primary ages) are baking biscuits, cupcakes and slice to sell afterwards to raise money for the missionaries work.  Lately, James (10) has recently discovered that cooking is fun, and makes Anzac biscuits nearly every Tuesday afternoon, while some of us are at violin lessons.  Now he gets to put his skills to good use, as we will bring in a batch or two of Anzacs to sell.  We are also going to make some raisin slice, which is one of our Church's favourites.  Apparently, a lot of other people are bringing in chocolate based goods, so we tried to think up something different to do to create a variety.  It is surprising how hard it is to choose a recipe for slice or biscuits without chocolate!  

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Dad and I went for a drive on the long weekend Monday, to the little town of Wollombi.  Wollombi is a historical town, and although people live there, is mainly a tourist attraction.  The main street, which comprises most of the town, is lined with small wooden shops, from little cafes to the 'general store' to restaurants and the museum on the corner.  The road from Wollombi to Sydney was built by the convicts and so much of the town's history stems from them.  Parts of the road which was built are still in use today.  On the Monday of every long weekend, Wollombi hosts a country fair.  However, by the time Dad and I got there, everyone was packing up, and so there wasn't much to see at all.  We went there to get some driving hours up.  It took an hour to get there, and a hour and a half to get home because we went a different way. 

~

This is a crankshaft pulley for those who
don't know and aren't interested

We have a car! Our Transit (which has 12 seats) has been broken down for the past week, and we have been restricted to the Corolla, (a measly five seater).  We have been having trouble getting the Transit to start for some while now, but the past few times it had been near impossible.  We had to roll start it down the hill of our driveway.  Anyway, last week when Mum went to start it, it wouldn't for ages.  And then finally it started up, but made a clunking noise.  Then the steering and the brakes seized up and then, horror of horrors, a piece from the engine just dropped out onto the ground!  Well, we weren't going anywhere until Dad got home from work with the little car.  Dad said that the piece which fell out was the crankshaft pulley (for those who are interested or who know what it is).  Being unable to buy the correct part in town, he bought the piece on Ebay and we had to wait for it to show up.  Thankfully, Dad was able to car pool with some work buddies all week, so we at least at a car which half of us could go somewhere in.  The part showed up yesterday, and Dad spent the evening on his back under the car fixing and replacing it.  So now we have a functioning car again!  

~

That has been some our week, and it is hard to believe that it is Ijumaa (Friday) again already!  I don't know where the week has gone.  It reminds me of the passage out of the Grandma's Attic books where Mabel asks her mother how to make time go more quickly.  Her mother replies, "Plan to do more things than what you have time for.  I know, I have been doing it for years."  It is true though, for the more you try and fit into your day, the quicker the time goes, and sometimes, the less you get done.  Are the days really meant to go that quickly, I wonder?  Something to think about anyway... 

~

By the way, if you are wondering where the title of the post comes from...it comes from the 'Walrus and the Carpenter' by Lewis Caroll, part of which is:

Ships and shoes and sealing wax.

Cabbages and Kings

There is a lot more to it than that, but that is the part I know.  Basically, it means this post is about anything and everything that I could think of, and there is no real rhyme or reason to it at all.  :)

Book Review: Rescue the Captors

I found this book, 'Rescue the Captors' by Russell Stendal on Kindle... for free!  As I am into missionary biographies, I was eager to give it a go.  It was excellent.

Basically, the story line is Russell is a missionary in Columbia, gets captured by Marxists guerrillas who want a ransom for him to help pay their rebellion.  Russell decides to love his captors rather than grow bitter and angry at the mistreatment and torture he receives from them, and not only is he allowed to leave the camp after 142 days in captivity, he goes back and visits his captors, leading many of them to Christ in the years to come.  Most of the book is written while he is in captivity, and throughout the book you also learn about his early life as a child and then his growing up years and his married years.  Russell's parents were well to do standard American people, when Russell decided to pray that his parents would become missionaries so that he wouldn't have to wait until he was grown up to tell others about Jesus.  His parents had no intention of going anywhere when Russell prayed as a four year old.  Four years later, the family found themselves in Columbia working with the Indians, their language and translating the Bible.  Russell grew up among the Indians, did college via distant education so he could remain with his parents, and thoroughly enjoyed his life.  His parents moved back to the States when Russell was grown up, but he remained, married a half native girl, and continued his work.  As a young missionary, Russell made many mistakes, trying to fit God into his big, illustrious plans for the work instead of allowing God to make the plans.  Russell got into massive debts, for God's Kingdom, and came very near to entering the drug trade just to make ends meet. However, God taught him important lessons about keeping to His morals, and money management.

But that really isn't the main point of the book, although it is interesting and a good read in itself.  The main point of the book revolves around marriage, family and the church, and Matthew 5-7.  Russell realized that the church in Columbia wasn't growing and thriving because there was no solid families in the Church.  People would become Christians, and then their families would break apart, their marriages would split, and all because the new found Christians would become Bible bashers in the hope to be witnesses to the rest of their families, and then the families would point out all the areas where they still failed, call them hypocrites, and the fighting and separation would begin.  Russell's friend, Ricardo, was also very concerned about this problem and prayed that God would give him a sermon, like the one which Jesus preached in Matthew 5-7 (the Sermon on the Mount). which would solve all of Columbia's marriage and family problems.  God told him, 'Matthew 5-7'.  Basically, all that was needed, he already had.  Ricardo started to study the Sermon on the Mount, and Russell joined him.  They unlocked many of the truths and the healing powers within the sermon, and consequently have run marriage workshops, where thousands of marriages have been restored over the years.  Not only have they been restored, but the couple comes to God, and their entire lives are turned around.  Even non-Christian couples signed up for the course, because they could see the difference which it was making.  The book outlines many of the different truths found in Matthew 5-7, which relate to marriage and family life, but also to forgiveness, prayer, love and relationships in general.

Rescue the Captors is an amazing, though provoking book and I highly recommend it.  It is not the easiest read, simply because of the thoughts which it raises, however it is well worth the effort.  At the end, there a several appendixes, where he further outlines and covers different sections of the Sermon, from the Beatitudes to the Lord's Prayer.  Russell also includes five beautiful poems written by a lady named Doris McLaughlin, whose troubled marraige and family life were restored after she decided to start putting Jesus' teachings into full effect.  And He gave her these poems.  They are so beauitful and well written, but I will only put one down here, you will have to read the book to find the others.

  Line Upon Line

Line upon line,

Precept upon precept,

Higher than high

Live unto me.

Fellowship sweet,

Higher than high,

Live unto me.

Lift up your hands,

and lift up your voice.

Higher than high,

Live unto me.

Life up your voice 

and life up your hands.

Line upon line

Precept upon precept,

Higher than high,

Live unto me.

Higher than high,

Live unto me.

I am your Lord.

I am your Savior

Higher than high,

Live unto me.

Lift up your hands,

and lift up your voice.

Higher than high,

Live unto me.

I am your Lord.

I am your Savior.

Line upon line

Precept upon precept,

Higher than high,

Live unto me.

Higher than high,

Live unto me.

~ Doris McLaughlin

A Week at Tahlee

Well, I am back from a week at Tahlee!   It was a busy, but thoroughly enjoyable time.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take my camera so I have no pictures to share with you all.  So you will have to imagine what the kitchen looks like:

The Tahlee kitchen is a commercial kitchen, with one main island bench running nearly the full length. At both the short ends of the rectangle room, there are sinks, and a commercial dishwasher (one minute cycles are the best!) Along one of the long sides there are two double gas stove tops, and two commercial ovens.  The other long side is used up by a storage bench and the double opening doors onto the dining room.

Then there is a small pantry, where cooking staples and dishes are kept.  Opposite to this, there is a corridor of fridges - two four door fridges, and on the opposite side are freezers.  And then there is upstairs, where a table is set up for extra preparation or eating area, and a laundry around the corner.  The cool room is also located upstairs - a massive, walk in fridge, which opens into a walk in freezer (which is pure torture in winter  :P)  Then if you continue, and head outside, there is a two roomed pantry and separate equipment pantry.

The dining room is a heritage building, and can seat up to about 120 people.  It is wood paneled, from floor to the high ceiling, and has two marble fireplaces, one of which is in use.  Above the mantle, there are mirrors which reach up to the ceiling.  There are four double french doors along one side, which open up to the veranda.

Hopefully that made sense....  I tried to draw up a map on Paint, to depict the kitchen, but it is much harder to draw a to scale floor plan than one would think.  So here it is.... roughly drawn to scale

So we had a school group of 50 people in from Wednesday lunch to Friday afternoon tea.  Breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, and supper.  And then while the school group was still in, another two camps also entered, one group of 27, and the other of 15.  Thankfully, they only overlapped for one meal...lunch.  But they all had lunch at different times.  One group was at 12:15 pm, the school was at 12:35, and the third group at 1:00 pm.  To help with all the different times and amounts which we needed to cook, I wrote up the schedule on the wall with whiteboard marker, as it just wipes off at the end of the day.  It worked really well, and I ended up writing the menu, numbers, dietary requirements, times, etc for every day.

The menus differ between the kids and adult groups quite significantly.  The school had meals like pizza, chips and salad for lunch, and spaghetti bolognese for dinner, while the other groups had soup and salad wraps for lunch and roast chicken and vegetables for dinner.  It made me wonder at what age kids stop liking 'kids food' and start eating the more 'grown up' food, like curry and corned beef.....

Cooking for that many people mean long hours in the kitchen.  We started at 6:30 in the morning, and sometimes didn't get a break until 2:30 in the afternoon, breaking only until 4 where the dinner shift would continue until about 8 or 8:30 at night.  Despite the fatigue, and aching feet, there is a lot of reward and satisfaction in feeding 60 plus people.  And I think that my favorite times are before breakfast, because it is quiet and is your chance to set up the whole day in being prepared, and then after dinner, when four or five of the staff members come in and help clean up the kitchen. The laughter and the fun we have while doing hundreds of dishes is quite amazing.  :)

And doing the afternoon teas, the morning teas and the suppers are the worst meals to do because you have to bake something, plate different snacks, and most of the time immediately after you just fed everyone a substantial meal.  And making enough piklets for 50 plus people is a really slow, boring job.  Just saying. ;P

But I really have no complaints.  Being there is like being at home, and I can't wait to go back for the next camp.

A Quick Post

This part of the camping ground at Tahlee.  The dining room and kitchen
are further up the hill....

This is just a really quick post to say that I won't be blogging for this week, as I am going to Tahlee to cook for three concurrent camps.  I will get back next week, but I will take plently of photos, and you'll get to hear about it later.  :)