back 2 school

Finally:)

after tossing and turning for a year about whether i will go to the culinary school, i have finally come to a decision. Following that i applied for a credit. Then, i got denied:) Panicked, and got a couplo nightmares... Apparently they only update credit data like once a year, so i proved my status and reapplied.....finally i've got a whole lot of money on my account right now- should i go for a quick shopping spree instead?!:)

Anyways...

The school starts by the end of this january, so i will have a lot to write about...though i did have a lot since my last post anyway, but i'm hoping to give more time writing in this period...

But the reason is, as some of you may have noticed, when i'm in the mood my posts are pretty good, but when i'm not i feel like an idiot who cannot bring two words together... same thing with drawing, even matchstick man is a tough job when off:)

So....

i won't take any more of your time for today:)

Here's a patchwork of the things been going on this month...

Witch Cake Prep

I literally wanted to smash it like 5 times and it took each and every nerve i have to finish it... the witch drove me crazy!!!

My nutella cookies

Chocolate Problem

I've been working on a lot of stuff simultaneously. Finding a brand name, finding a secondary brand name, designing a logo, choosing a product line, saying 'wth?! chill!', making bunches of brownies and tryin to come up with new bunches of brownies:) Then, i realized - on a chill moment- i've been parrying the blog, just posting pictures of what i've done. So here comes a new post:

Why oh why my brownies have to be so expensive?

For the last couple of weeks i've been making a whole lot of brownies, and the cost has become an insane burden that i was starting to wonder if it wouldn't be possible to make reasonably-priced brownies without comprimising from the quality.

Some who've seen previous photos may think i'm being quite posh both using Lindt chocolate and complaining about the price, YET, the domestic products we have are insults to the chocolatiers worldwide. If, for example, we think in terms of tea, our market chocolate is like black tea with actually a few drops of tea and a whole lot of hot water, with 6 sugarcubes inside- usually prepared by a five year-old:)

So...

YES, i complain. But, thanks to Cenk of CafeFernando, the nightmare is over:) After spending hours and hours on reading his blog and all comments to his blogs, i found a name and number...I was finally able to get into contact with a distributor of Valrhona chocolates, from whom i don't have to get a hundred kilos of each product:) So yey for that and thank you Cenk:)

It's insane that you can get 100 times the quailty for lower the price. I do have to get at least 3 to 5 kilos of each type of chocolate i want, but the price per kilo comes down to such a good level that some of the cocoa-sugar mixtures they sell as chocolate become expensive, when compared:)

So, i'll go make some brownies now...

...

I've realized that my blog's anniversary is coming up and i still haven't achieved anything, is this a sign of depression coming up soon? I know that this takes time and patience is of essence, still i find my self panicking from time to time. Although money IS an issue, and i surely am not one of those who are comfortable on that aspect; the main problem i find myself wrapped around is the vague answer i have to give to the question 'what do yo do?'... Sometimes, it could have been much more easier to have a casual job, just for having a job and a name.

I am still able to cheer myself up by what courage this takes to make such a bold decision without a safety net made of money, but i do find myself looking up to my friends and just feel withdrawn quite frequently. Psychology is a b*tch:)

Chocolate Mousse

Orange-creme Brownies

I've been developing an idea on brownies for the last couple of days, so i thought, why not accompany it with a new brownie trial:)

-original recipe alert-

It was about time to start developing my own original recipes:) I was actually thinking of a chocolate mint brownie... Then i thought of a no brownie today, because i had a kickbox class that kicked my BLEEP! on wednesday and was in more of a pain than i was yesterday - isn't this supposed to work the other way?-

So, after a couple hours of self-conflictions, i gathered whatever energy i got left, painted my aura with some lively colors and got out for a quick grocery tour. My dreams of a yummy chocolate mint brownie were blown away when i decided not to spend 30 liras on liquor, as i usually have a non-existent budget during the second half of each month:) So, i thought, what else goes really good with a heavy chocolate brownie that i have the liquor for: ORANGE:)

It all worked out smoothly, except the painful couple of minutes that i crouched to put it in the oven and ended up sitting on the floor from the allover pain of kickbox:)

Here's the result. We'll be indulging on them at Kanyon tonite, so any passer-bys are welcome to try'em out...

Raspberry cup-cheesecakes with a side dish of hazelnut truffles

Bittersweet Vanillapod Truffles

For the ones who like their chocolate strong and bitter, vanillapod truffles with essences of nutmeg and cinnamon...

Will be available for orders very soon!

Lemon-ginger cookies with a lot of fun on

I've recently realized that people here go for - and only for- the cute flowers, lively colors and happy cutouts in shapes of happiness and joy, which actually means sugarpaste.

Yes, you can eat it, most definetely edible, yet the worst choice of deserts in terms of taste. What i usually prefer is a cupcake, for example, topped with a thick chocolate ganache or a big pile of juicy strawberries, raspberries, etc. Yummmmm.... Because you can actually eat it!:)

Anyways,

since the customer is always right, i thought i'd indulge you with a few cute cookies:)

I

Creampuff meets profiteroles

Creampuff sized profiteroles filled with almond-vanilla cream (creme anglais) and chopped strawberries with a drizzle of soft chocolate ganache:)

Dark dark chocolate-almond cupcake and strawberry creamcheese cupcakes

I've decided, since i'm home almost all the time, to spend these prescious moments making more and more sweets, majoring my signature cake...

Hopefully i will have found a job by next month with the season back on, but until then i'm on production. Feel free to come say hi, i for sure have some goodies ready at home:)

Happy Birthday Ceren

These are my last minute very berry cupcakes with a little snow. Hopefully the berries will stick around until the party.. Or else they're rotten berry cupcakes gift for Ceren's birthday:)

All Hell Breaks Loose in Istinye Park

Butun ictenlikleriyle ‘ya bu olaylar bizde olunca neden bu kadar cok insan oluyor?’ diyenlere:

Bugun Istinye Park’ta ogle yemegi- d&r’da dergi okuma- vitrin gezme ritueli yaparken, birden bir anons yapildi: “ Acil durum. Bu bir tatbikat degildir. Binayi acilen bosaltiniz. Bu bir acil durum anonsudur.’…

Genelde bu gibi durumlarda sansli oldugum iyi bir nokta, cok sogukkanli olmamdir. Genelde o panik durumunu, gozunun onunden surulerce senaryo gecmesini, terler bosalmasi ve kalp krizine dogru giden carpintiyi hersey bittikten ve alarm durumu ortadan kalktiktan sonar yasarim. Iste bu sakin acil durum animda, cok guzel gozlemler yapma firsatim oldu.

Anons yapildi, ve insanlar duyduklarini algilayip harekete gecmeye baslamadan panigin kokusunu alan bebekler, sanki birisi kollarini kiriyormus gibi, avazlari ciktigi kadar bagirmaya, aglamaya basladilar. Panik!

Iste –kaslarini kaldirip goz kapaklarini hafifce dusurerek, agizlarinda ince uzun bir siritmayla ‘ bizim zekamiz PRATIK zeka’ diye kendini avutan- yurdum insaninin yaptigi cok guzel hareketler:

- Anons yapildiktan sonra kosusturmaya baslayan insanlarin en az yarisi otoparka kostu. Ay araba nerdeydi, kac numaradaydi, unuttum allahiimmmmm diye yakara yakara asagiya indiler. Cunku arabamsiz ben bir hicim, yasamanin ne anlami var ki?! Neyse dedim, devam ettim…

- YURUYEN MERDIVEN: Yuruyen merdiven bizim yerimize yurur, o yuzden de yuruyen merdivende durulur. E heralde panik durumunda da bizim yerimizi kosacaktir, o yuzden yine dursak da olur. ( Bu arada tabi acil cikis kapilari zaten varligi unutulmus olan birsey, o yuzden yuzlerce insan ikinci kattaki giris kapisina kosuyor.) Demek ki herkes icin en yakin cikis merdiven yakinindaymis.

- Yuruyen merdivende bir blokaj. Bebek arabali bir sari kafa abla. Insanlar arkadan ilerle diyor, kadin bebegi kucaginda donmus ‘ E ama bebek arabasi var, naaaapabilirim kii?’ diyor. 2 Secenek vardir diye dusunuyorum. Bebek arabasini birakirsin, muhtemelen canli degildir ve kalbi kirilmaz, bebegini alip bir an once kacarsin. Ikinci secenek, bebek arabasi cok cok cok pahalidir. Aranizda ozel bir bag olusmustur. Senin sosyal statunu belirten bir sembol olmustur. Bebegin de zaten agliyordur. Bebegi biraksin, bebek arabani kucaklar yine kacarsin. Ama zavalli kadincagiz tam arada kalmis tabi. Bu zor karari kim verebilir ki? Bebegim mi arabasi mi?

Neyse, bir sekilde ciktik merdiveni ve guvenlik gorevlileri yanlis alarm diye herkese seslenmeye basladilar. Tabi ki bunun hemen uzerine insanlar etraftaki her bir guvenlik gorevlisiyle kavga etmeye basladi. Yanlis alarm mi olurmus? Nasil bir panik yarattiklarini biliyorlar miymis, buna ne haklari varmis? Insan once bir kontrol etmez miymis?

Zavalli guvenlikler, koselere sikistirilmis, sindirdiler ve gozlerini kapatip kabusun bitmesini beklediler. Sorsan, sen Chanel, ben Gucci; haftasonu Paris, bayramda Amerika; ellerinde paketler kultur ve cuzdan zenginini oynayan bu insanlarin taktigini anladim, alisveris torbalarini tasirken herhangi bir ekstra agirlik tasimamak icin beyinlerini evde birakiyorlarmis.

Gercek bir alarm durumunda ‘dur bir kontrol edeyim’ dedigin anda surulerce insanin hayatini kaybedecegini dusunemeyen, kendini hala lise yangin tatbikatinda sanan, egitimin e’sini daha kavrayamamis sevgili insanlarimiz.

E peki ben sogukkanliyim, yapmam gerekenleri biliyorum, kurallar hersey tamam. Dalga gecmemis, butun acil durum kurallarini ogrenmisim. Gercek bir olay olsaydi, bunlar beni kurtaracak miydi? HAYIR. Cunku bu insanciklarin arasinda zaten ben oldum. Hizli davranmak gerektigini, nereye yonelecegimi bildim de kurtuldum mu? YokJ Demek ki ben de artik yuk yapmasin diye beynimi evde birakip cikabilirim.

Bu durumda acil durum olayini hepimiz icin kolaylastirmaya karar verdim. Artik tek bir kural var:

Acil durum sinyalini aldiktan sonra torbalarimiza, esyalarimiza, paralarimiza sarilalim; gozlerimizi kapayip ciglik atalim ve daireler cizerek etrafta kosalim!

Alive

After weeks of moving and its after effects, i've spent another couple of weeks for being lazy on work side and getting active in Hillside City; i am-finally- back.

And i would like to celebrate my return with a bread from my new book by Treuille & Ferrigno. It's an oregano, tomato and red onion bread: Pane con Pomodori e Cipolle Rosse. A recipe originated in Tropea in the southern Italian region of Calabria- i have no idea on the whereabouts of this place, let's googleMap it:)

It is not such an easy process, i tell you. First of all, i've once again experienced the importance of finishing a sentence when reading.

See, i've prepared my flour-salt mixture, dug a well in the middle, and poured the yeast-water thing in the well and mixed. But something was definetely wrong, it kind of divided itself into a thousand dry dough pieces. The sentence goes "...pour the yeast water mixture and mix, FOLLOWING THE SPONGE METHOD ON PAGE 54."

The sponge method, you fool:) So, i've started over...

You prepare a mixture then let it stand for an hour while it rises, then add some other ingredients and let stand for another hour. Then, just as it's risen beautifully,

deflate it with your fists -show no mercy- and let it stand for a-not-her hour...

So after a bunch of another-hours, you finally pop it into the oven, and mmmmm the smell that comes out after 30 minutes...

What came out, was not the most photogenic bread, but it's the soul that matters, right?:)

Bad luck

Hellouuu,

i know i know, i literally disappeared from the blogosphere...

BUT...

first of all, we still haven't completely got over moving, everthing is everywhere. Just got our tv on, and working on an alarm this week. But, i still don't have internet, because apparently you cannot have internet connected before you get a home phone line, and to get that you have to first carry your residence thingie from your previous adress to the new one:D I missed these subjects when i was growing up, so i still ask mom to do it:D

Anyways,

even if i had internet, my poor notebook is still down. I was just able to call Dell today, as they have this magic call center that can only be called from a land line. And i got the bad news. YESSS... my motherboard is gone. The -probably- burnt part is actually small, yet they say i have to change the whole motherboard. -Gonna be doing my research on that first, i'm not an easy customer;)-... So, send it out, wait for a bill proposition, think it through, give it an okay and have it fixed and returned....i guess i have at least 2 week before i get my laploptop back:(

But...

when i do return, i will be coming back with my new website -www.kiwibakes.com- which will include more sections obviously, annnnddddd it will be both in english AND turkish finally;) So wait a bit....

PS: By the way the reason i write my blog in English (I don't remember if i've explained before) is: I still do have a plan to apply the culinary school in the states in some future- at least it's a possibility- and for my blog to be a reference it has to be in English. That was my main reason for starting in English, but ofcourse i can do both and i will;)

Biscotti try-outs

Yes, it's been a long break, so i made a small bunch of biscottis to keep it running:)

Turned out good, still i donot like biscottis! I don't like coffee either, and they go best together...

Anyways the first bunch went to my dad, another i prepared for dear Feryal - and i even sewed the packaging myself, you tell from how tilted it is- andd the remaining to mom:) Hope they all enjoyed it..

Now that we're almost done with moving and resettling, i will be continuing my search for a master who will take me as his/her apprentice and teach me all...

Here are some pics

my new corner

the packing i sewed myself:)
almond, hazelnut, chocolate biscottis

TIME-OUT

My logs will unfortunately be delayed for a little more while, because my sweet little laptop......died.......

:(



See you soon enough...

Cinnamon Cognac Truffles

Here are the final products... I'm still working on the looks, but the taste is goooood:) (thanks to the Baking & Pastry book by the Culinary Institute of America)

Truffles truffles truffles

I'm working on my cinnamon-cognac truffles. So here's a sneakpeak for you:)

Will be finished by tonite...