Blueberry and Maple.

Welcome to my first venture into food blogging.   Bear with me; I’m just a bug in the blogging world anyways so this is entirely new territory for me!

Since I have completed college and no longer have to cook for a grade (just a paycheck) I have felt a little constrained.  At school, we had creative freedom with the plates we presented, we got to play with color, texture, even sound of our food.  It was an amazing outlet.  There was always a great variety of fresh produce, herbs, different kinds and cuts of meat, exotic spices, and expensive alcohols to play with (not to drink).  I could go in every day for eleven weeks and never make the same dish twice.  I loved that part of school.  

At work, though since starting my new job, I feel so much more connected to the food that goes on everyone’s plates, I am not able to be creative.  I follow someone else’s recipes and plate according to someone else’s eye. *

*No, I am not planning on ever opening a restaurant. That ship has sailed.

What I find myself doing now, to release my creative frustrations, is night baking.   

I haven’t done any serious baking in a year, and I began to crave it.  Not the taste of the cookies or the cake, but the smell in the house, the sound of the mixer, the way the batter looks swirled around in the bowl.  It is different than cooking. It isn’t quick, hot, stressful, or loud.   It is slow, mellow, sweet, and comforting.

Last night’s baking adventure had me running to the closet for my old stand by pound cake recipe.  Which I promptly realized was totally, technically wrong.  So I tweaked it! (Thanks Chef Turner)

ATTENTION:  I did it wrong… I left out one ingredient and almost put it in the pans before adding the baking powder.  It worked, it tasted yummy and this recipe has been tweaked even more for your viewing pleasure!  

I am not a baker. I am not even a chef. I am just a girl who likes to have her fun by destroying her mother’s kitchen midnight.  

Blueberry Maple Pound Cake!

• 4 sticks butter, softened*
• 1 cup white sugar
• ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
• 6 eggs
• ¼ cup almond milk (or regular milk. My brothers are lactose intolerant so we never have that in the house)
• ½ cup maple syrup (The real stuff.  Do yourself a favor.  It is not only better tasting, but better for you)
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (I make my own... I should blog on that)
• 3 1/3 cup flour, all purpose
• 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 (heaping) cup of blueberries**

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour loaf pan(s) or bunbt pan. Heck, do them in muffin tins, that would be awesome… why didn’t I think of that last night!

Cream together butter and sugars until they have reached the consistency of, wait for it, airy sand.  It sounds super weird, I know, I had a chef tell me that in school.  I didn’t believe him… then I realized, that is just how it feels.  Really.

Stop mixer, scrape down the sides.

In a separate bowl, crack your eggs and beat up.  If you feel like shouting some insults it can only help.

Slowly. SLOWLY! Add the egg mixture.  If you add it all at once like I did, (my chefs are just itching to fail me for this mistake) your mixture will curdle.  Which looks gross.  Don’t do it.

Combine milk, maple syrup, and extracts together and slowly stream into the mixture.

Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides.

While the mixer is off, add your flour, baking powder, and salt. It is preferred if you mix them together first, but if you are like me, you will almost forget the baking powder and omit the salt on accident.

Combine until just mixed.  Make sure there are no lumps, but don’t just keep mixing to be sure.  If it looks lump free STOP the mixer.  You can work out any hidden lumps with a spatula.

Pour in your blueberries and gently mix by hand.  I kept mine frozen so they wouldn’t break open during the mixing and turn my batter blue. Smurf cake anyone? If yours are thawed or fresh, just be very gentle.

Okay, you are done! Time to put them in the oven, set the time for about an hour, and lick the bowl.  I mean, clean up!

If you try this recipe, lets me know. Tag me on Instagram if you take a picture! @thatgeekyginger

*I always leave mine on the counter for a few hours, or stick them in the microwave on the lowest defrost setting turning them occasionally.   Please don’t melt… it’s not the same

** I used frozen blueberries.  Firstly, cause they are out of season in Michigan.  Secondly, because frozen blueberries don’t “bleed” in the batter the way thawed blueberries do.

Miss Erika.

Meet Erika.  

A fellow blogger, coffee lover, and photographer.  Most of you will recognize her from my various social media updates about her, and some of you have the pleasure of knowing her personally.  She is one of my very best friends.

Around this time about two years ago, I went to a party hosted by my friend, Sarah.  I didn't know anyone who was coming.  I was actually warned about a few of them, so I was understandably apprehensive.                                                                                                                                                 When people started to arrive, I slowly backed myself into the corner of the kitchen, everyone seemed to know one another, they were all very comfortable, and I was looking for any reason to escape.  Then in walked Rachel and Erika, both of them asking about my last name and where I went to school.  As it turns out I had met Rachel my freshman year of high school and I was friends with Erika when I was in beginning band... about 2005.  Needless to say I was completely rude and didn't remember... Whoops!  

Over the next few months, Erika and I bumped into each other a lot.  We bonded over surviving the end of the world, sitting quietly together in a hectic New Years Eve party, and Pinterest partying whenever the movie nights got boring.  Needless to say it was pretty much instant friendship.  

In two years there has been so much that has changed in both our lives.  We helped each other through everything from the celebration of new relationships to the loss of a grandparent.  We spend holidays with each others families, braved blizzards and Michigan roads to attend Christmas parties, survived a post apocalyptic photo shoot together, spent countless hours chatting, skyping, texting, or snapchatting, she has surprised me in Kentucky, and I bring her tea when she is sick.

In March, Erika and I suffered a mutual loss.  Her brother, my boyfriend, left for Marine basic training.  I came home on spring break about a week after he left, and we just sat in her room thinking that the next knock on the door would be him asking to chat with us, or it was him coming up the stairs to sing along with Erika playing the piano.  Needless to say, it wasn't. Over the time he was gone, there were lots of shared "I miss him too's", info passed from his letters, celebrations of his milestones, and prayers for both us and him. Twelve weeks later we were reunited in California to watch him graduate. Which led us to bond over exhaustion, frustration, sun poisoning, and aloe. Hours I would not trade for the world.

She has been such a huge support in my life.  Not just though AJ's enlistment, but also through my struggles at college, with other friends, with family, and most importantly, with God.  She has held my hand through sermons that made me sob, prayers I could not put into words, and through times where I needed the physical support.





I owe a lot to her. I have her to thank for my sanity at times, for my favorite coffee houses, for introducing me to my Marine, for my inspiration in so many things, and for helping me become who I am today.  There will never be a way to repay her for any of these things, but I will try.

Erika is a rare beauty.  Not just in looks, though she is obviously a stunner, but in her heart as well.  From my stories above, you can tell that she is a comforter, and it is not just me she is looking out for.  She is one of the truest and most reliable friends anyone could ask for, and many know what it is like to call her friend.  Her helping hand never falters, wisdom seems to pour out of her, creativity is second nature, and her love seems unfailing.  Wit and genius sparkle in her hazel eyes and grace shows in her every movement.

In about two weeks, I am moving back home, where I will be a mere twenty minutes away from her again.  There is no way of knowing what will happen between us in the time to come, but I can tell you that it will involve more all night life chats, photo shoots, mugs of tea, study dates, and adventures I know God has planned. And I am looking forward to that!

If you want to check out her blog (her photography is amazing) click HERE!

Culinary School

I have been at culinary school for over a year now and I have never actually shown you guys any of it!

So today, I changed that!  I woke up really early on my day off and headed in to school, armed with my uniform and camera.

For those of you who don't know me well, I am a fifth quarter culinary student at Sullivan University. Which means I am little over four months away from graduation.  Technically the school calls me a sophomore, since I have been at school for about thirteen months, but because I am so close to graduation, I call myself a senior.




I'll definitely write another post after graduation about my time here, but for now here are some fun photos!

Mis En Place

Clean up

(Thanks to my oh-so photogenic classmates who let me take pictures and get their way this morning!)

Laughter and Memories

The Perfection in the Hustle and Bustle.

Here I am again, in the midst of hectic quarter.  My alarm clock seems to cackle at me every morning at five, getting too much enjoyment from my exhausted attempts to press snooze.   My chef this quarter is retired military, so this means, if you are early, you are on time, and being on time means you are late.  So class for me, starts at six forty-five.  There is a large amount of pressure and an even larger amount of laughter that happens during this class.  Professionalism is replaced by sarcasm, and if you can't take a joke, it is time to take a walk.  This makes five am worth it to some extent.  The snooze fest of my other classes, not so much.

Homework piles up and I fight to find the motivation to type notes every night, study for irritatingly frequent tests, and crank out five hundred words on a topic I find completely pointless.  What keeps me going?  The promise of only nine more weeks of this madness, and after that, I never have to do it again.

Now and again though, it isn't always enough. I just can't care about the history of dining room service anymore, and I run to the every understanding arms of Netflix or escape to a tiny coffee house and nurse a Chai tea, listen to almost painfully hipster music, and edit pictures.

Just like so many quarters before this, I am struggling.  It isn't the class load, it isn't even the distance from my loved ones.  It is the pressure to be perfect, and falling short so often.   I am supposed to have a plan, a "where do you want to be" list made up, with steps on how to get there.  I thought that I would have one by now.  But in reality, right now, my list is blank and screaming at me to figure this life of mine out.

It screams; "why don't you have a job; why aren't you getting better grades; why don't you know what you want in life?" Right now, I can't quench my thirst for those answers, and I have hit the bottom of many a coffee mug looking for them.

As easy as it is to find things to complain about in the hustle and bustle of my life, I sometimes have to take a step back and appreciate the little things.  Like being able to escape to the comforts of a good cup of coffee, a solitary drive every morning, and kittens napping in the sun as you snap picture of them.  (If you have seen my instagram lately, I seem to be more than a little bit cat crazy).  Remembering to take a deep breath and reminding myself that I don't have to be perfect right now, is something that doesn't happen enough and should happen a lot more often.

I have to find the perfection in the chaos that is my life.  How ever small and infrequent as those occurrences may be.

Happy Days.

Happy isn't something I always have in my day-to-day life.  In the last year, there have been a lot of days where happy feels like the last emotion I could experience.  Stress over school, relationships, and my lifestyle take control of my life and their grip doesn't loosen easily.  It takes a drastic change, usually found at the end of a seven hour car trip.  

Life is more happy when I am home in Michigan, surrounded with familiar faces, places, and coffee houses.  Even here, the stress of school still haunts me.  I have nightmares about being late to class or missing a test I didn't know I had.  Relationships follow me everywhere, and there always things that need improving.  Sometimes the only way to do that is to have a good cry, go to bed early, and try again tomorrow.  But my lifestyle in Michigan does change, drastically.  I sleep. A lot. It is glorious.  I also get to spend time with some of the people I love most in this world.  

Now I am facing the reality of having returned to Kentucky and another three months of seven am labs, homework, and doing my own laundry. I didn't want this break to end, but alas, I don't get everything I want. Bummer.  So here are some pictures of things that make me happy in Michigan.  Enjoy!

Apple Orchard Adventures.

Grand Rapids.

In the month since I have written last, I have completed my all my finals, which concluded my first year of college, and I returned home for my fall break!  I have returned to Michigan, and I am beyond thrilled.

Not only do I get to be surrounded by my friends and family again, but I also have a great deal more freedom here than I do in Louisville.  I can actually go out and grab coffee with friends, visit my old instructors, or even just run errands.  Never though running errands would be that enjoyable.  But it is amazing what cabin fever will do to you.

A few days after I got back, my parents and I went to the Grand Rapids farmer's market.  Enjoy the pictures!

Eyes and Ears.

We have two new arrivals in our apartment! Over this weekend, we sent Arthur (our previous cat) home to his girlfriend who missed him terribly, and got little Finley instead!  She was discovered by my roommates parents who couldn't keep her because she didn't get along with their current cat!  So rather than her go to a shelter, we made the switch!  Tuesday (the dog) had a little kitten friend at home as well, who has come to live with us.  So, we have two kittens now!  It has been a crazy weekend!

 Meet Jade and Finley! 

Jade.

Finley.  Who is less than pleased!

Two very pretty kittens, and I'm hoping Finley will calm down and actually sit still for more that .3 seconds!

Check out my Flickr for more of the kittens! Link here!

Bonus:  Tuesday!

Best Friends.

This weekend I was graced with a visit from two of my very best friends!  Girls Weekend!  It was a much needed break from the stress that I've had this quarter.  Having two girls who are so willing to just go and explore the city with me, makes for some adventures!

Friday; we were able to just explore.  We walked down through town, past restaurants, coffee houses, and cute boutiques.  Taking pictures and making friends!

We stopped at a coffee house called "Quills" chatted with the barista and got permission to play in the shop and take all the pictures we wanted!  And there was free coffee involved so, naturally, I was thrilled!

Behind the lens. 

Free Coffee! 

We then wandered around, and found a small catholic church build out of grey stone with wonderfully red doors. Naturally we took some pictures around it and met Leo.  Honestly, we assumed he was just a really friendly guy walking by the church and saw us with our cameras and wanted a picture!  Turns out he is the custodian of the church we were photographing!  After talking to him, we found out he had been working in churches for almost twenty years and has a little sister in culinary school as well!  We chatted and he asked if we wanted to come inside and see the church.  We accepted and I'm so glad we did!  The church was small but beautiful, with gorgeous stain-glass windows and artistic details.  

*Leo

*

Our Saturday adventures included me heading off to work!  Then thrift shopping, where I got some "new" props for my food photography, more on that to come!  After a long day out, we headed to the apartment for the night.  It was great to just be able to spend quality time with these girls again.  Spending mere days at home every three month and even less time with them, doesn't fill my need for girl time!  So Saturday was spent doing what all girls should do during a girls night...

We laughed.  We cried.  We had noodles.  

Life is good and my friends are pretty, enjoy more pictures!

I am truly blessed with two amazing friends who spent their weekend, and twelve hours in a car, to come visit me!  I can feel really alone here in Kentucky.  I have a lot of people around me, but not many I would call true friends.  These girls sat with me and we talked about our lives, boyfriends, my struggles with school and being away from home, and as I began to feel overwhelmed, I just broke down.  Before the first tear left my cheek, I was surrounded by my friends.  Arms around my shoulders and prayers being whispered to me. They are amazing and I don't know what I would do without them!

Love you girls!

-Lauren


* These pictures were taken by Erika Wells.  Check out her website here!

Strawberries.

My boredom on Fridays means you all get to look at some strawberries! Enjoy!

Coffee and Eggs.

Due to my alarmingly early schedule this quarter, I have a hard time sleeping in.  Meaning, that when I am awake at seven and no one else is, the list of things to do are severely limited.

So this morning I decided to play around with a bit of food photography, something I have been interested in for a while, but had yet to completely delve into.  At seven in the morning, there isn't a ton to photograph, plus I have a bit of a one track mind in the mornings.

Coffee and Eggs it is!  

Commitment to Creativity.

I'm back in Kentucky after eleven short days on break in Michigan, starting into eleven long weeks of school.  This quarter is full of new things, not just new classes and classmates. I have moved into an apartment with two of my friends here at school, which is quite the switch from my tiny dorm room.  Three, nineteen year old girls in a small apartment... I'm sure I will have plenty of stories to tell, but that's another blog post.

Since I have been back I have had to start a new routine.  My day now starts at 5:20 and ends after dinner is cleaned up and homework is done.  On top of my school and roommate commitments, I have made a few commitments to myself...

I have gotten very far away from my creative side as a reader, writer, photographer, and cook.  I have become a Pinterest addict, thinking that counts for something... (it doesn't).  So this quarter will be different.  I will be more creative.  I will read more, write more, take more pictures, and make more yummy food.  And never fear, I'll post all my adventures here so you can see what I am up too! 

This was my quick, creative journal entry from today.  

50 things to be happy about... 

Basically just fifty things that make me happy.  A good thing to have on those long days when happiness feels really far away. 

So wish me luck on the next eleven weeks! We'll see how I do!

Bonus;

This Goober came in and wanted to know what I was doing!

Tuesday; my roommates little Terrier mix.

Weekends With Family.

In this quarter, I have had two weekends with my family; over my birthday weekend and Easter, and this past weekend.  My parents came down for Easter and my brothers and Michelle came this weekend.  To say I am blessed is an understatement.  It would have been very easy to just let me be this quarter, to get sucked into the holidays, graduation, and work, but they made sure I didn't get left out.

My parents came to see me on the 18th of April, for my birthday!  We spent our weekend, going out and eating at different and interesting restaurants, estate sale shopping, and visiting a botanical garden.  That is where these gems were taken... I love them!

My Goofballs!

My Role Models!

This past weekend had a slightly different vibe; my two brothers (Aaron and CJ) came to see me, along with Aaron's girlfriend of three years, Michelle (who is practically family now).  To be honest, I didn't know what to expect with them, not sure what we would do, where we would go, and if they would have a good time.

Boy was I in for a surprise.

The first day they were there we went on a four mile nature hike, went swimming, got some food, walked around some cool neighborhoods admiring the houses, then got some pizza and watched movies, talked, and laughed.  The second day, CJ's eighteenth birthday, Aaron and Michelle left to visit with her brother in Nashville and CJ and I got to goof off... Well goofing off with him usually get us in trouble.  This weekend was no exception.  We went to go walk around the lake at my new apartment, and got lost and walked for six miles or more... causing both of us to have bleeding feet and bad sunburn!  But he's a trouper, and we made it back.  We stayed in and watched movies and funny videos for the rest of the night with the exception of going and taking some senior pictures...

Handsome!

Graduate 2014! Uber proud!

I was blessed by my family this weekend, and I am ready to be home with them in twelve days!

April Showers.

Spring has come to Louisville.

Most everyone from around here will say, "Finally!" but I am in awe at how quickly this season has irrupted here.  Being from Michigan means that I'm used to snow till May, now that I am here in Kentucky, we haven't had a snowflake in over a month!  It is truly gorgeous outside, which means it's time to pull the camera out again and drag my roommate outside with me to take some pictures.   One of these days I'll get a picture of her up here, but until now, enjoy some snapshots from my walk.