Sugared Productions Blog

A Few of My Favorite Things

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I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

Ours was wild, crazy, hectic, exhausting and super fun. Way too much eating go on for the last few weeks! (Going to have to diet a bit before we shoot the topsy turvy DVD, LOL) We had a big family party to attend on Christmas Eve and I hosted dinner at my house for 17 people on Xmas day. Now that I have slept for the better part of 3 days I am ready to roll! OK, maybe not quite yet.

What did you guys get? Santa was very good to me. I got a new macro lens and tripod for my camera, so I can try to kick my foody photos up a notch. I am so excited and cannot wait to try out my new stuff. But not quite yet. Still. Too. Tired.

J got Rock Band 2 for his X Box, and when he opened it he literally screamed and and ran around the house in circles. (I think that was a good gift choice.)

D got a nice winter coat and about 800 video games. (He likes video games.)
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I’m still way too pooped to bake anything, or get my photo stuff out, so I thought I would blog about some of my favorite (cake) things. I get asked all the time for my favorite recipes, brands, tools, etc. So here are a few of my favorite things:
ICING RECIPES:
Sharon’s Crusting Buttercream:
** I make the following recipe to fill my 5 quart mixer. Adjust the recipe volume to fill your mixer properly as discussed in the video Perfecting the Art of Buttercream.
5 generous cups Sweetex shortening, or other brand of hi ratio shortening
5 pounds powdered sugar
4 TBS Wedding Bouquet flavoring (or substitute your flavoring of choice in the appropriate amount)
11-12 TBS hot coffee creamer liquid (as discussed in video)
Cream the shortening , flavorings, and hot liquid with paddle attachment until well combined and creamy. Then stream in first 3 pounds of powdered sugar with mixer running at speed one. When incorporated somewhat, stop and scrape down sides of bowl well. Stream in last 2 pounds of powdered sugar at speed one. When incorporated, turn the mixer up to speed 6 and let it beat for 5-7 minutes until very smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl very frequently while the mixer is going at speed 6. The goal is to get all of the icing down into the belly of the bowl and fill the bowl from side to side with no air gaps around the walls, as well as covering the paddle up to the springs. If the icing is making a sucking or “kissing” noise after all the sugar is in, add just a few drops more of liquid, while scraping down the sides,with the mixer running, until that stops. You should create a bowl full of icing side to side, where the paddle is completely submerged and beating in a vacuum under the icing. 5-7 minutes at speed 6 and you should have a smooth as silk and nearly airless icing. Cool before using. Keeps at room temp for weeks or fridge/freeze indefinitely.
Youtube clip of Sharon making icing: Video
Sharon’s Chocolate Crusting Buttercream:
2.5 cups butter
2.5 cups shortening
Splash of vanilla
Dump in cocoa and mix all of the above till very dark brown (I do not measure it)
5 pounds powdered sugar streamed in
Coffee creamer liquid (as shown in DVD) in amount needed
Good at room temp for several days to weeks. Fridge or freeze also.
Kathy Finholt’s Crusting Cream Cheese Icing:

1 cup butter
1/2 cup Crisco
16 oz. cream cheese
3 lbs powdered sugar
1 T vanilla
1/2 tsp salt

Kathy says:

Mix on low speed for a couple of minutes.
This makes a fairly stiff icing if you use 3-1/2 lb. Powdered sugar. For a softer one you can use 3 lbs. of powdered sugar. Can stay out of fridge for several days. Freezes well.

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CAKE RECIPES:
WASC (white almond sour cream) by Rebecca Sutterby:

1 box mix (does not work well with DH since they changed their formula)
one cup sugar
one cup flour
1 1/3 cup water
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond if desired
3 whole eggs or 4 whites
one cup sour cream
2 tbs oil

*you can make this into any flavor by starting with flavored mix, and adjust extracts as desired . Bake at 325.

 

Durable cake recipe from Cake Central:

**My favorite for chocolate cake and best for sculpting

This cake is moist yet very durable and will hold up to many shapes and designs. It is light in taste and stays moist if making a day or two ahead.

1 cake mix
4 egg whites
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil (add 2 more TBS for choc recipe)
1 small pkg of instant pudding mix
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 325.
Incorporate all ingredients together one by one on low speed.
Make sure to mix thoroughly between each ingredient.
Once all ingredients are mixed turn mixer to medium and mix for approximately 2 minutes.

 

**Mixture is very very thick.

Contributed by: Heartsfire on Cake Central

 

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FAVORITE FONDANT BRANDS (IN ORDER):
Massa Grischuna ** by far the best
Fondx
ChocoPan
Fondarific
Satin Ice / Pettinice
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TOOLS I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT:
Bench Scraper
Fondant Smoothers
Palette Knife
Clay Gun
Ribbon Cutter
Cardstock (to make templates; I luv to make templates)
Agbay Leveler
Exacto Knife
Pasta Roller
Cornstarch
Shortening
Viva paper towels
Turntable (#35-100 )
TOOLS I USE A HECK OF A LOT:
Piping gel
Melted chocolate (for glue)
Edible dusts (FDA approved)
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MY FAVORITE PLACES TO SHOP:
(No particular order)
Dallas Foam (cake dummies)
Art Supply (fomecore)
CK Products (wholesale only)
SugarEd Productions (fabulous DVDs and supplies!)
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That’s all my weary brain can think of right now. I think it is nap time. Maybe a little snack first. Tell me what your favorite cake things are!
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!
Sharon

DVD Give-Away and SNOW!

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In celebration of this holiday season, we are going to have another DVD Give-away!
 

 
Every purchase of The Design Gallery DVD between now and December 31, 2008 qualifies the customer for one entry into the give-away. A random drawing will be held right after the new year. TWO names will be picked, and each will receive a free copy of both the Design Gallery and the Boxes and Bows DVD when it is released in the spring.
 
 
Pre-orders of the Design Gallery placed prior to this date will also be entered into the drawing.
 
This offer is not yet listed on our website, but all Design Gallery DVD purchases through December 31, 2008 will be entered.
 
 
Please check out the video clip preview of A Design Gallery on our website: Gallery Video Clip
 
SHIPPING NOW!

 

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Snow in Louisiana!
 

We woke up this morning to the falling of snow! J was sooo excited. He went out to play for a few minutes before school and got soaked and had to redress.

 

 

 

We barely ever even wear coats down here. We use the A/C all year round. I have seen a light snowfall like this maybe 4 times in my 45 years of life. And I have to tell you, it was exciting. And so pretty! We got more ground coverage than shown in these 2 pics. Even though it had started to melt, there was enough left on the ground for J and the neighborhood boys to play in it after school.

 

 

 

This is a picture of Heather’s car
 
 
 
 
.
D is at college at LSU, about an hour away. He called me at 4:30 AM just as excited as he could be, to tell me they had snow there. He and his friends were up studying for exams when it started.
 
 
 
 
 
 
So of course they went out to play in it!
 
 
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How are all of you coming with your holiday baking and candy making? I am done making all the goody basket items. Now I turn all my attention to my sister’s office party extravaganza cake. (Hope I can pull it off.) Wendy is going to help me, and I will post pictures next week, either success or failure! I will post pictures of the assembled baskets the week after that.
 
 
Happy Holidays Ya’ll!
Stay Warm!
 
Sharon
 
 
 

The Happy and The Sad

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Sometimes the happy and the sad come on the heels of each other. This week two of my very best friends on the planet experienced very emotional milestone events in their lives.
 

My beloved Heather, that you all know by now, lost 2 people very dear to her in one week. Both her biological and adoptive dads passed away this week. One was somewhat expected, the other sudden and tragic. I ask you to keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers, as she is going through a very difficult time right now. Those of you that personally know Heather know what a truly pure and loving heart she has. She is one of the most giving, compassionate and selfless people I know. My heart breaks for her during this time. If you are so inclined to say a little prayer, or send positive thoughts her way, I would be most appreciative.

 

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I would also like to you meet one my very best friends in the world, Carla. She has 2 gorgeous kids, and is also a very talented caker and crafter. We have been friends for close to 5 years now. We talk every single day, usually several times a day. We celebrate together all of our families’ birthdays and holidays. Together we have been through births, deaths, hurricanes, moves, family drama, and all the little day day to day things of life that girlfriends share. I can hardly remember a time when she was not in my life, and I cannot imagine it without her in it now. The funny thing is, we have never met in person. Carla lives in Texas, and I in Louisiana. Our states are right next to each other and yet life has not allowed us to get together yet! But we will. Not having met in person has not prevented us from developing a true and solid friendship.
 
 
 
Her handsome son, Daniel. Hey, my son is named Daniel too! ( No she did not name him after my son, LOL). He is a wonderfully sweet, bright, energetic and funny child. I love to hear and see his daily adventures.
 
 
 
 
 
This is the beautiful Arianna, who just turned one this week. What a blessing to celebrate this wonderful child coming into our lives a year ago. Isn’t she gorgeous? She is very curious, feisty, and has a wonderful happy disposition. Happy Birthday sweet girl!
 
 
 
 
 

Carla and Arianna.

 

Can you tell that they are Disney nuts? Carla loves Disney about as much as I love Diet Coke. That’s a LOT!

 

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So I just wanted to share with you a little bit about these wonderful ladies in my life. I share in Carla’s joy and Heather’s pain. What they both bring to my life cannot be described. I love them both dearly.

 

Who is your best friend?

Sharon

 

 

Brotherly Love

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Family. Ya gotta love ’em. What would we do without them?
I was blessed (or sentenced, depending upon how look at it, LOL) to be born into a large family, the last of 5 siblings. The age gap between my older siblings and I was large enough that they really were too old to be my playmates. In fact, I think I was more an object for their entertainment by harassing and torturing me for their own evil pleasure. All of them but my brother Michael. He was never mean to me. He never stung me with rubber bands, beat up my teddy bear, or forced me to look at skeleton pictures. He never scared me with a vampire face, or tricked me by wrapping rocks to look like candy just to see me cry from disappointment. He never talked on the phone late at night when I was trying to sleep, pulled me off the desk chair to do “college work”, or eat all the fresh cherries at the beach so I got none. Nope, not Mike. (You others know who you are and what you have done. I wonder how you sleep at night.) Michael does not have a mean bone in his body. I don’t think I have ever heard him utter a cross word. He taught me to play chess, did word Jumble puzzles with me, and took me on vacation to the Grand Canyon. He is the most gentle, kind and selfless person I know.
Left to right: John, Mike, Janice, Barbara, and me.

And he’s good to me still to this day. Whenever my PC gets all bogged down with junk and viruses, and starts to run badly, I can always take it in to him for a full clean out and tune up. He gets it running fast and clean for me again. Just like he did this week. So how do I thank him for his help? By doing the only thing I know how to do: bake!

Mike can’t have sugar, so I make him sugar free cakes. Gives me a chance to try out some new recipes. He seems to like anything though; he is not picky.

 

 

This recipe I had saved on my PC, and I do not know the source to give credit. The cake was a tad dry to me, but I may have baked it a little bit too long. I would advise to take it out the oven before the toothpick comes out fully clean to prevent over baking. The icing was delicious. Squirt-the-piping-bag-right-into-your-mouth delicious. And yes, I did do that. 3 times. But not until I was finished with the cake.

Sugar-free Chocolate Cake

2 cups flour
1½ cups Splenda (granular no calorie sweetener)
3/4-cup non-dairy creamer powder
¼ tsp salt
1 ¼ tsp baking soda
½ cup + 2 Tbsp cocoa
¾ cup applesauce or vegetable oil
1 cup + 2 Tbsp milk
2 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1 ½ tsp vanilla

Measure the dry ingredients into a bowl reserving ¼ cup Splenda. In another bowl mix the applesauce (or substitute ¾ cup vegetable oil),Milk, vanilla, and 3 egg yolks. Beat the egg whites until fluffy, slowly adding the remaining ¼ cup of Splenda. Whisk together the dry ingredients with the liquid making a smooth batter. Beat for 2 minutes until color lightens. Then fold in the egg whites. Bake in two greased and floured 8 –inch cake pans, at 350 degrees about 20 – 30 minutes. When Baking with Splenda, products bake quicker so test to see when cake springs back or when a toothpick comes out clean. They also do not rise very much. Each layer was about 1-1.5 inches tall, so I torted them and filled.

Sugar-free Chocolate Frosting

1 Large box Vanilla or chocolate instant sugar free Jell-O pudding mix
1-cup low fat milk
2 cups heavy cream

In a mixing bowl pour the milk. Measure out the heavy cream and open the pudding box. Quickly pour the pudding into the milk beating just until absorbed, add the heavy cream and continue to beat until light and fluffy.(I doubled this recipe to fill and ice my cake as shown.)
It made a nice cake and I would make it again. Janice is the real sugar free baker in the family. She doesn’t know it yet, but I am going to recruit her to contribute to my blog when she tries out all her new recipes. It’s the least she can do after all that childhood misery she caused me. I know how much I love sweets and cannot imagine not being able to have them because of dietary restrictions. So from time to time I will post some sugar free recipes.
What mean things did your sibs do to you?
Happy Baking!
Sharon,

Trick or Treat!

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Happy Halloween everyone!

Hope you have a wonderful day with your kids and families. Don’t get sick eating too much of their candy like I always do!

My sister Barbara, who has never decorated a cake in her life, came over for me to help her make a cake for her office Halloween goody contest. She has been a huge help to me with SugarEd over the last year, and has come with me to several of my demos and vendor shows, so she has been exposed to a lot this last year. (Some of you have met her! I also have another fabulous sister that you will meet later on.) She baked the cake herself and brought it over. I showed her how to do each technique (basically off the cake) and then she did the rest herself. She was quite a quick learner. She colored and rolled out the fondant, applied it (I helped her smooth one side while she did the other in the interest of drying out time.) She airbrushed it, made her own leaves and stem, piped the grass, and made the words. I helped her just a little bit with the face and spider.

We used 2 bundt cakes and spackled the seam with stiffened buttercream. Cream cheese filling was piped down into the center hole and a circle of cardboard sits on the top to support the stem.

 

 

 

Here is Barbara airbrushing her masterpiece. Do you dig the fancy taped up towels?

Piping the grass.

Finished!

Hers came out better than mine! And she won first place too! I am so proud, congrats Barb!

I also want to share with you the cookies I did yesterday for my bestest client.

All flooded with royal icing and candy eyes.

These were huge! The web was about 6 inches across.

 

The big bats are royal icing stenciled onto royal.

Pumpkins are royal stenciled on royal, ghosts are royal with fondant face.

Fondant face on airbrushed royal icing.
These were my favorite! They make me giggle.
Have a nice night everyone; have fun and stay safe!
Sharon

I have fallen and I can’t get out.

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It sure did not take long for me to be sucked into the powerful vortex of blogging. I am rapidly learning that there is an exciting new world, a whole blogging culture out there, that I had no idea existed. My dear friend Jacque is a cake buddy of mine from way back. She has a gorgeous baking blog that has opened the floodgates for me. I am now addicted to reading baking and food blogs. One blog links to another, and before you know it, you have spent hours looking at beautiful food pics, saving recipes and reading the wonderful stories that accompany them.
 
I am also learning that the food photography is just as important as the recipes themselves. The photos on many of these sites rival those seen in magazines. I have wanted to improve my cake photography skills for years now. I have a nice camera my hubby bought me that I have no idea how to use. Well, I have been inspired. I have committed myself to learning how to use my camera properly, and I strive to take quality photos like I see out there on these beautiful blogs. So I have ordered a few books, a couple of DVDs, and am taking an online course now. My main interest is macro (close up) food and cake photography. But I hope to improve my picture taking skills overall.
 
So the other night I dug up a few cookies in my pantry and clicked a few photos, using the new skills I have learned so far. ( Which is not even the tip of the iceberg.) This a huge learning curve.
 
 
One of my favorite cookies, Fig Newtons. Best eaten cold. YUM!
 
 
 
 
Here is the exact same photo but lightened.
Which do you like better?

 

And a chocolate biscotti close up. I love the crumbs!

So what do you guys think of my cookie pictures?

 

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I got an award !!

It is also a common practice in the blogosphere for people to pass different awards along to blogs that they like. Jacque was so sweet as to bestow the I Love You This Much award upon me. Thank you Jacque, you are the best! I would like to pass it along to the following blogs that I love:

Cakes, Kids, and a Lens: This is the blog of my BFF Heather. She blogs about the 3 big loves of her life: her kids, her cakes, and her photography.

Mata Mania: One of my very best friends on the planet, Carla, writes about her beautiful family. I only wish they didn’t live so far away.

Amber’s Delectable Delights: Amber shares easy and yummy food recipes that every busy family can enjoy, as well as showcasing her gorgeous photos.

GiGi Cakes: Stunning photos and recipes of delicious baked treats. Also the home of The Cake Slice Baking Club.

 

So that is it! Another obsession. Or two. Like I needed another one right? Thanks a lot, Jacque. (wink)

 

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Tomorrow I am off to see my video production guys to work on our next release. It is not one of the 2 instructional DVDs we are working on. It is a lagniappe project. Hope to have it ready within the next 2 months. Hmmm…. wonder what it could be? Anybody wanna guess?

Happy caking everyone!

Sharon
http://www.sugaredproductions.com/

 

 

Dodged a bullet named Gustav

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Well that was fun. Not.

 

But it has been 3 years since we have had to evacuate, and this time there was no comparison to what we came home to. So I am not complaining. If Gusatv had not downgraded right before land fall, my beloved city of New Orleans and its surrounding areas would have take a major hit. Again.

But we had to go. You have to go if you are in the potential hit zone. Hurricanes are so unpredictable; they can change course on a dime, strengthen or weaken. You just never know what is going to happen until it happens. So you have to go.

My hubby is a hospital administrator, so he always has to stay at the hospital. In the past the boys and I have always gone there with him. But the Katrina experience was so awful, I vowed never to do that again. So for the first time, we separated for evacuation. I had reservations in Point Clear, AL. But by the time we left early Sunday morning, the interstates going east (and west) were shut down due to overloaded traffic. So we went north to the first place that had hotel rooms available. Little Rock. An 8 hour trip that took over 11 hours due to the outpouring of evacuees and contraflow. Bumper to bumper, 5 miles an hour, for nearly the first half of the trip. Not fun.

My oldest son D was truly my hurricane hero. I was so exhausted from having little sleep the 2 nights before I was unable to drive. D took over the wheel and got us there safely. He was truly the man of the family while we were gone. He kept little brother J occupied and happy, got him to eat (a real challenge), and just generally took care of us while we were gone. He again handled the drive home. (I was once again exhausted from lack of sleep the night before. The hotel lost power and we had no A/C, making for a fitful night’s sleep.) The drive home was met with nearly non stop heavy rains and wind, but he handled it like a pro. We got a bit punch drunk on the way back. We were stir crazy in the hotel for 3 days (constant rain in LR made it hard to get out and do stuff.) We were repeating the same long drive we had made just 3 days before. So towards the last 3 hours we were rather goofy and delirious. We did coin a new term though:

 

Hurricanoids: (her-ack-in-oids) A medical condition to the posterior area of the body caused by sitting in 12 hours of bumper to bumper hurricane evacuation traffic.
 
 My hurricane hero with his little brother at his high school graduation this past May.

We got home late last night. Thankfully our house did fine. I lost all my fridge and freezer food, but since I don’t cook much, it wasn’t much of a loss.(grin). Our wooden fence gate is trashed, and 2 ornamental trees in the back yard were uprooted. But my saddest loss is my iron arched trellis with pink rose vines. I am hoping when hubby gets home we will be able to salvage the plant.

My sister and I did a switch off last night, and I took in my 94 year old Aunt last night until her nursing home reopens. Those of you that knew me 3 years ago may remember my Katrina evacuation adventure with Aunt Ursula, my MIL, et al. But that’s a really long story for another blog, LOL.
 The lovely Ursula enjoying her canned soup.
(The grocery stores are wiped out). 94 years old and sharp as a tack.

 

So I have cleaned my fridge, am washing clothes and mopped the floor. Now we wait for the rain to stop so we can work in the yard, and the grocery stores to restock so we can go get food. But the gas station down the street is open, and the soda fountain is flowing with Diet Coke. So all is right with the world. I thank God for the minimal impact this storm had. It could have been so much worse. We are very grateful to Him for that.

 

 
I also want to thank you all for the outpouring of messages of concern, well wishes and prayers while we were gone. It is very much appreciated and means more to us than you can know.
So now I am going to nurse my hurricanoids with Diet Coke, and check out what Ike and Josephine are doing.

Yikes.

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