Cheesecakes!

And can you believe it? The cheesecakes are finished, delivered and mostly cleaned up from. The last time I did a big batch of cheesecakes (50), I had myself, Air, Marlo, Cliff, Hubby, Hoperdoo, and many others helping in the kitchen, we started early and barely finished in time.
Needless to say, I was a bit worried about the time factor this time as well. However, I also know this is my project so I need to deal with it. I asked Marlo to help me ahead of time (thank goodness I was that smart), and then Air offered to step in and aid in the process as well. When Tink and Hoperdoo came home a bit later in the morning, they also pitched in and helped as well.
It was great not having to transport and they all turned out well. They definitely need to be kept cold, but they were pretty. We really got started about 7:30 and finished up sort of around 12:30. We learned to juggle the cakes coming out of the freezer a bit better, but they did look cool placed clear across the hearth side by side and two deep; Marlo is a "pro" at cutting and has a very smooth rhythm; I can was dishes and did two or three times; Air is wonderful at spinning the cakes while they are being topped, she is real smooth, she is fantastic at making cool name tags as well; Hoperdoo is the queen of the microwave, she rocks at stirring and melting; Tink can definitely stir a pan for at least 20 minutes and not let anything burn (thank goodness) and she did so more than once; and blessed be the Hubby who allowed Briceman to be his little shadow all morning, including the DQ visit.
It also was wonderful to spend the time with the "girls" and we did really finish things quickly, 40 cakes. Done. Finished. Gone.
Thanks for all of the help and support and please let your tummy grumble when you check out all of these pix!

Two extra hours...

Yesterday was an amazing day...
Can you guess why?
That is right...
The cheesecakes are all baked!
Yipee!!! Whoot, whoot!, Hurray!!!
I'm so excited...
A morning without cheesecakes is like a morning with at least 2 extra hours in it.
Kinda like the extra hours you have with daylight savings time, for a while, you can be very productive. Then we adjust and things become the same.
So for now, I have a few extra hours every morning.
This is an example:
It is barely 6 a.m. and already I have started a load of laundry, gone over my Etsy happenings, and made this post.
So please....
put your hands together and clap!!!

Beautiful Day

Gorgeous, simply gorgeous outside.
Temp. is a teeny bit cool, but going to be a beautiful day.
Hubby has gone off on "baby" to play for a few hours this morning.
Hoperdoo is over the river working on her soccer skills,
Tink is still up North at the Track Finals (allegedly observing/supporting),
Marlo and Hiker are at Big Rock on their way home this afternoon.
Currently, News Flash, I am home alone.
Strange, being home alone.
Usually, this phenomenon lasts for about three minutes,
rarely longer.
My plans for the day are simple, cheesecakes.
I thought I was ahead of schedule so I slacked off a bit. Consequently, I just realized this wedding is next Saturday, so now I am behind schedule...
as Hubby says, "that's what you get for thinking".
Thanks dear.
Most definitely I will be taking pictures of the dressed cheesecakes this coming Saturday...
I will share a few with you
(pictures that is)
you may all appreciate my hard work.

Thinking about the day...

As I finished the "girl day" projects
I am kind of stumbling around this morning trying to decide
what I really wish to work on...
I have told my girls, now is the time,
keep cutting and I will keep sewing for them.
I do want to try a dress out for Hoperdoo, but don't know if I want to today.
And of course, I will be making another set of cheesecakes today, German Chocolate. Not my favorite, but way pretty when it is topped...
I am ahead of schedule with cheesecake baking,
however, I think I will need to literally clean out my freezer to find space for all of them. Currently, it is becoming a bit snug.
Rainy night and looks like a rainy day,
should be making noodles with chicken for tonight
and possibly a few rolls...my favorite rainy day food...
Now, off to make cheesecakes!

Cheesecakes come in pairs.

At my house Cheesecakes can be made singly or in pairs.
When working for an "event" I prefer pairs.
Pairs is faster for me, a bit more work doubling the recipe, but essentially the same time in the prep, oven, baking time, cooling time, freezing time, wrapping time, etc.
And I only have clean up duty once instead of twice.
When I am visiting with and taking an order from a client
I always tell them, pairs.
You need to choose (however many 1/2 of their total is) flavors.
This seems to me to be a fairly simple process.
If you want 30 cheesecakes total, I am going to ask you to choose 15 flavors of cake.
Easy right?
I would think so as well. However, not this time.
Three seemed to be their number.
"How about Turtle Pecan?" I would ask.
"Oh, that sounds wonderful, how about 3 of those?"
"I know I already ordered milk chocolate, but can I have another one?"
Yes, you got it...threes...
We had already discussed three didn't work, in oven, mixing, the whole thing...
needed to be pairs.
Saturday I decided to try to make 3's...
I managed to break the whip on my mixer,
had to pay very close attention as the mixer was also trying to overflow,
and guess what?
My oven can not hold three.
Two. Only Two. No matter how I shift the pans, Two.
Then I end up with a minimum of an hour and a half in the oven baking,
two more hours in the oven cooling,
another hour or so completing the cooling process before
I can even begin to start to reheat the oven.
And you know your right, the whole process all over again. This time however, I only net 1. Not two.
So, I can make fours and save a few.
Which will be very yummy later, but not necessarily cost effective right now.
Or do the waste time thing and only cook one.
How come people don't understand pairs/twos?