Aug 31, 2010
Ten-Word Tuesday. The Ambitious Edition
In only a handful of days Bossy’s son will turn 21, and when that happens, he’ll be two states away. In compensation, Bossy’s daughter threw him a dinner party this past weekend which featured an ambitious birthday cake conceived by her alone.
Three layers, two cake recipes, homemade fondant, drizzled chocolate, and piped icing required she begin the masterpiece days in advance. First came the preparation of the chocolate and vanilla cakes, the batter poured into both rectangular and circular cake pans to accommodate the final design.
Then the cakes were cut apart and reassembled to form a checkerboard pattern:
Next came the mastering of homemade fondant:
And finally, two days and six pounds of powdered sugar later, the results were something to see:
Bossy can sum up her daughter’s cake experience in this way: She may never bake again but it was worth it.
Which is what today’s Ten-Word Challenge is all about. In exactly ten words, can you share a story with Bossy’s daughter about an ambitious recipe you attempted in your life?
And be sure to check back later today for the most ambitious comments on the web.
Dedicated meat eater prepares vegan meal. Oven turns off spontaneously.
12 cookbooks to create 1 lasagna recipie. Still using it.
Cheesecake – $30 worth ingredients,1 pound butter, dozen eggs, collapsed.
Fancy chocolate raspberry cake; resembled bloody hacked by chainsaws cake.
Martha Stewart 7 layer coconut cake – has nothing on you!!
(what a masterpiece you made! absolutely stunning!)
Assigned “Pavlova” for recipe club in high-arid-altitude city.
The End.
–>I only cook easy recipes. Family just said, Thank God!
Beef Wellington prepared by 6 in narrow kitchen in Mexico.
Yule log. Yeah, you try and roll a cake up.
julia child’s beef bourguignon versus quickie simpler beef bourguignon same day.
BTW: Your cake totally rocks.
40+ Cornish pasties, piecrusts galore, thank goodness for double ovens!
Also made fondant, but for cherry cordials. Messy. Beautiful. Yum.
Pork roast meant to serve first ever in-laws meal. Undercooked.
Still haven’t learned to make flaming dessert. Like having eyebrows.
I have no culinary ambitions, but just gotta say that Bossy’s daughter rocks!
Sister reminds me of the pink disaster with cinnamon imperials for decoration.
Thought three tiers would be easy, duh. However, Bossy’s daughter’s cake is marvelous!
Entire Christmas dinner for 9..7 newish in-laws…such nerves!
Tiered cake with chocolate roses, leaves, butterflies and a bow.
Wedding cake, supposed to feed 50…100 people in line.
birthday cake with homemade marzipan mice, swiss cheese, and mousetraps. Cat peeking from beneath was planned, but squashed.
every meal is ambitious.
Coquilles St Jacques a la Parisienne – then he proposed.
$55 tiramisu with home made ladyfingers. Will buy pre-made now.
Pesto’s easy. Not when you burn pine nuts three times.
(I love how close the Bossy siblings are. Think I’ll go call my brother.)
Eight months pregnant made dark chocolate cheesecake for husband’s birthday .
Killed chicken, plucked, boiled. Hungry, but ouldn’t eat the soup.
Cake MUST cool before frosting. Trust me on this one.
Didn’t let dead bugs in confectioners sugar deter cake making.
Julia Child’s Beef Bourguingion Bliss. Lot’s o’work, but tasty indeed:
http://www.madtexter.com/2009/09/beef-bourguingnon-bliss_26.html
If that isn’t love….I don’t know what is. Though while looking at those pictures my teeth started to hurt. How many young ladies can make fondant? Wow!!
Croquembouche: blistered fingers from hot caramel; humid day, squishy collapse. (AWESOME CAKE, Bossy’s daughter).
He put toy army men in salad. I married him.
Raspberry Tiramisu: $35 groceries; hours of prep; work of art.
Macaroni and cheese the “real” way: not peasant food $.
Tie- either hard boiled eggs, or mac and cheese. Seriously.
48 chocolate filled vanilla bean cupcakes. for a 2yr old birthday.
Bri would also like to say that next year’s cupcakes will come from Target. And I dont give a rats ass what Mrs. Mother-in-law has to say about it. I’ve learned my lesson to try to impress your babies, not your in-laws.
Martha Stewart Eggnog. Cheers when we arrive at Christmas party.
I love that cake! And the look on Bossy’s Son’s face in the second picture is tres tres melty. So adorable.
Oh! Beef stroganoff from scratch…it was meh.
Canning = boiling water, Iowa summer 95 degrees 95% humdity no airconditioning
degrees shouldn’t count as a word – couldn’t figure out how to make the symbol
Dee degrees = small “o”
So many recipes so many errors. Xmas Cookies 2002 all new recipes all crap.
Rooth
First casserole took four hours baking in my old oven!
First dinner party. Kung-pao. Poisoned guests with chili peppers.
Non 10-word bonus comment: The checkerboard was stunning!
Brand new Dutch oven – julia child’s beef bourguignon – take shortcuts!
Chocolate eclairs for future husband. He ate one. Trashed leftovers.
Very cool cake.
As for my most ambitious recipe? Uh… maybe mixing 3 types of breakfast cereal….
Thanksgiving turkey. 2pm what do you mean thaw it first?
Beautiful cake, Happy Birtday!!! (Oh, Bossy, to lose a son to age . . . )
Holy Cannoli shells, steam roller needed to roll dough, bamboo tubes & hot oil!
Degree ° = Hold down alt key, type 0 1 7 6 (zero, one, seven, six) Then release the alt key and you will have the degree symbol.
Cheesecake brownies – burned the crust, ashamed to take to potluck.
Swedish meatballs made by Irish American girl – not so good.
i love how your children love one another
Wrap crackers with bacon and you’ll get nastiness all around. (and I LOVE bacon – was so upset.)
Beef Wellington in San Miguel Mexico, Turkey in Medford!
Who is the man that put toy soldiers in salad? Love.
authentic French tarte tatin. Boeuf Bourgignon ala Julia Child. Not at the same time. Both were delish.
baked alaska yummy, not so yummy when you get burnt alaska
44 different breads. One year. Met a boy. All Good.
Hungarian Nut Roll-delicious when done right and expensive recipe
Boyfriend cooked Greek meal to save money. Cost tons more.
I married him, and he still cooks marvelously. Lucky me.
Prepared a whole Thanksgiving dinner by myself . . . note to Bossy’s daughter – it’s a whole lot easier when everyone brings a dish and you just do the turkey, gravy and mashed potatoes.
Tarte au citron, caramelised lemon, had to throw pan out.
Homemade bread, sounds great, smells great, feels like reinforced concrete.
First dinner party. Lasagna for 30 for husband’s 23rd birthday.
Many ambitious recipe tried – blocked so as to try again
Baking contest. Killer recipe. Switched sugar with salt. Judges spitting!
Girl was coming over, so I made a lasagne using basic recipe from Joy of Cooking. And took it up a notch: made the noodles from scratch, made the sauce from scratch (canned tomatoes — it was winter), made mozzarella cheese from scratch (milk, rennet, citric acid), AND made ricotta. Everything made on the same day, which took literally the entire day, but what’s the point in making things “fresh” if they’re not. Turned out awesome. Would I do it again? Yeah, probably.
Damn… I forgot it was Ten Word Tuesday.
Made cheese.
Cannolis, including shells, from scratch. Tasted great, too much work.
Spent days planning paella. Scorched and ruined. Depressed for days.
First time 50 Asian dumplings took FOREVER, now I’ma wizbang.
Pureed pumpkin manicotti sounded easy and delish—almost killed me.
#67Randy…impressed and if she didn’t marry you, marry me!
Left the paper in the pie shell on Thanksgving.
Flipped the Ziggy cake over while frosting & landed on floor.
Cream of potato soup tasted like cream of raw onion
Rice crispie treats could have been used as building materials
Rare prime rib from GFS heated up, more my style.
Wedding cake for friend … carrot cake … many layers … bazillion pounds …
Please, Bossy’s daughter, what was the theme of that cake?
Dear Bossy’s Daughter: GREAT cake!!! And Bossy’s Son: Happy Birthday.
(I realize the above is not the 10WT assignment, but it is 10 words.)
Help! The website thinks I’ve already said this and I swear I haven’t! (Literally wouldn’t let me comment without adding this paragraph…you may be losing comments, Bossy.)
Dear Bossy’s Daughter: GREAT cake!!! And Bossy’s Son: Happy Birthday.
(I realize the above is not the 10WT assignment, but it is 10 words.)
Oh the shame. I have said it! Well, Mercury is definitely retrograde, as I think we can all see. (But I did have comment posting problems, honest. As, er, we can also see.)
Also, jealous your son turns 21 – mine not until April
Happy birthday, Bossy’s Son!
Moussakka eggplant potatoes two sauces all day good never again ! awesome cake baby bossy!
Appetizers for dinner – book club. Small kitchen, one oven, DISASTER.
After reading comments I’m gonna try Julia Child’s Beef Bourgignon.
º
(on my Mac just ALT 0 makes the degree symbol º) Thanks Kathy from NJ – I love learning new things!
MIL’s 80th. 17 people here. Got snowed in. Me cooking.
(and I am cheating to add they all stayed for the entire weekend)!
Rolled meatloaf stuffed with cheese, spinach–tasted awesome, looked disgusting!
Somebody should buy Bossy’s daughter a checkerboard cake pan for Christmas!
Made 75 chocolate eclairs from scratch for teacher appreciation luncheon. Ambitious and delicious.
Oops, more than 10 words. Sorry.
Turkish grape leaves with a nice side of never-again.
vanilla frozen yogurt with thick Greek yogurt—way too tart!awful.
Carrot cake, garbage disposal springs leak, peelings and water galore!
At 16, Julia’s scallops with butter and cheese. Father’s Day.
I attempt to cook anything, I burn the house down.
Wow! Kudos to Bossy’s daughter for accomplishing such a feat!!!
Homemade marshmellows should never be attempted at home!
First: holy crap, that was an ambitious recipe to undertake.
OK, now for the exercise:
Minestrone soup from scratch including the stock. Two day prep.
PB+squash enchiladas: made once for party. Overwhelmed with requests.
(I posted this once, and it got eaten! Just like the enchiladas!)
Peacan squares – cooked filling too long, rock hard, skipped GNO:(