In the Kitchen with Jessica

It's no secret that my number one dream is to author a memoir and make a living off it. I can't really talk about it though because I'm not even working on it and I really hate when people say they want to do things and don't even try.

But the other dream that really wanders in pretty often is my dream to make an income, even small, off of baked goods. I believe in signs. The last time this dream really itched and I actually started planning and researching, I made excuses. Of course. They were so dumb though. For example, I didn't know where to get boxes to ship the stuff in. Not just shipping boxes but all those weird sized boxes of baked goods. That very same day, a shipping catalog happen to fall on my desk from my inbox and I opened it to the page for small and customizable boxes. There it was. A fudge box.

I'll be doing lots of baking for the Holiday season. I bought these amazing cookie cutters and started researching sugar cookie recipes and techniques and icing making. Why won't I make sugar cookies this year? Because I don't have a very large marble board or very large cutting board to flower or roll out the dough on. My kitchen sceeves me out at times and I wouldn't dream of using the countertop. So I looked into silpat non stick liners and I won't be able to afford one by baking season. But I'll be an expert by next year when I have my very own kitchen my very own way.

Last Friday I made my first ever homemade brownies. They had a caramel cashew topping and were divine. I made them as a house warming gift. I've decided that I will make more and fill the beautiful tins I've bought as gifts with them instead. A little pretty ribbon and a silver fake holley leaf and ta daa, a beautiful gift for bosses.

So I get to my point. I've decided that for that extra little special gift I will make decorated chocolate dipped pretzel rods. Fun, easy, inexpensive, and everyone likes them. They also keep for up to three weeks so they are perfect for shipping. At first I thought they weren't exactly something people would buy. But then I remembered I spent $22 on miscellaneously decorated chocolate dipped pretzels from Scoop de Ville for my boss this year. People like them and people do spend $20 on them instead of just making them themselves. Use good chocalate and a good brand pretzel and you're golden. (No, you just don't melt chocolate.)

So that wandered into other chocolate dipped items and I thought those little holiday cellophane bags would do the trick. Then the Uline catalog came in the mail today and I opened it up to see what it was before I tossed it and what did I find? Various sized clear polypropylene bags and a nifty crimping hand sealer. How cool is that. Maybe soon.

Little by little I think. I'll keep baking what I can in my not so great kitchen and enjoying what I love to do which is cooking and baking. By next year, I'll hopefully have purchased my dream Kitchenaid mixer. (Yes, I do stop at Williams Sonoma from time to time to admire their beauty and yes their website is on my favorites list. So what.) I have big plans for my new kitchen.

By the way, Williams Sonoma and I have a love/hate relationship. I pop in. I sample something. I wander. I dream. I wish I could afford something. I spend about $5.00 which is not easy. I get the latest catalog. I go home and go through it cover to cover.

If you haven't browsed, I highly recommend it.

To add to the absurdity fo it all, I can't wait to have ribbon made that says something along the lines of Baked by Jessica.