Vicky Learns to Cook

 What is today? Oh yeah, Saturday. No, I really had to check.  I'm happy to have been busy making tarts for Angie's fundraiser. The count is now up to 7 delivered, and 2 more ordered. I dropped off another $134 this weekend.  For the most part it's going well. I have gotten into a rhythm making thin apple slices and keeping them in two big bowls of water as I go (so they don't get brown), getting just the right temperature for my dough so it comes out nice, and I've even started conversation with an Apple butter maker to get some homemade apple butter (I had no idea what I was doing and ended up with NOT apple butter both times I tried it. My suspicion is, like everything else these days,  use your air fryer?) The only issue I had was my delivery plans. I forgot to check the weather and scheduled drop offs during a blizzard. Yep. Me the one who has every detail figured out didnt think to consult with Mother Nature. She smacked me down Sunday with a patch of ice. My ...

 I had a mind shift this week. It came down to this: I wanted to help a friend who has cancer.  I have no large sums of money laying around, nor am I a doctor, but I do have this training in pastry. So I switched gears for this month,  and grabbed the apples in season and developed a tart that combines the idea of an apple stack cake and a french tart; and combines sweet and tart apples. Its not vegan nor gluten free, I have yet to find a crust I'm happy with, you see, that meets those requirements.( I have a few yet to try. ) Then I put it up on all of my social media. I'm getting some bites already. And I feel so good about helping out. I'll be baking up a storm this month! So where did this new idea about building a japanese garden come from? It's from this book "Buy yourself the f*cking lilies" that I am reading.  There's this chapter on giving yourself permission to light up your soul with inspiriation. She asks what is something you've always wan...