Instead of Cake Class…

…This week I did Zumba! It is a class that is offered through the Lincoln Center/Adult Ed and I have to say it is AWESOME! I’ve never had so much fun working out, except for high school when I was on the dance team and we had 6am practice 3 times a week. I mean we are talking a total blast! I never knew just how fun it could be until I tried it. 

For those of you who may not know what Zumba is, it’s a workout that incorporates dancing. You basically dance for an hour, or however long your class is, and it is a total blast. Don’t worry about making an ass out of yourself, everyone does at first. I’m not perfect by any means and I have a dance history, but as long as you have fun with what you are doing, that’s all that matters! Seriously, give it a try, you won’t regret it. You can also modify the moves to your level. Our instructor is really good about showing us different variations of the moves for beginners and for those that have bad knees or hips, it can be modified to fit you. I think that makes it even more awesome. I try to do the levels they are at but I’m still trying to get the basic footwork down, but as a goal is to be able to do the moves flawlessly. That would be awesome.  

I will warn you however, the class is addicting. I wish I could do it every day, it is seriously that fun. I also have this need to blast music when I’m at home, good thing the roommates haven’t been home when I’ve been getting back, because it’s so good to feel the music even after the class is over. I feel like I have found a brand new me with this class, a person who isn’t afraid to have fun and be herself in front of a bunch of strangers. I don’t feel the need to be perfect and put on my game face when I’m doing Zumba. I think that is one thing that has greatly helped me as well. It has also given me a confidence boost, and for that the class is irreplaceable.  

With the Zumba I have also noticed I want to workout more, even if it’s just running on the elliptical. I find myself starting to crave the workout and the satisfaction that comes from working hard. I’ve been addicted to Pintrest lately and the Fitness section, so many motivational quotes and pictures on there. They inspire me daily to get my butt to the gym and work for what I want. If you haven’t checked out Pintrest you definitely should, get inspired! 

Now my challenge for you is to try something new! Whether it be Zumba, yoga, Pilates, kick boxing or whatever new challenge you want to take on! I really want to try yoga as well.  

XOXO,

Course 3: Final Class (Class 4)

Last night we had our final class for Course 3. We learned how to cover a cake in fondant and then we decorated with our flowers that we made over the last 3 weeks. It was a pretty fun class actually, pretty low key. Fondant is really easy to work with actually, I mean it tears and gets stretch marks really easy but it’s really an easy way to make a cake look REALLY good. Fondant is very forgiving in some ways and unforgiving in others. It is forgiving in the sense that you don’t have to have your cake perfectly iced for it to look good, however, if you get the littlest bit of lint or anything on it you will see it.

I really liked working with fondant, but it’s expensive and kind of a waste of money for just an every day cake because no one really eats the fondant anyway. I would say that you would use it for the grand occasions where you want the cake to be picture perfect, such as weddings or anniversaries. The fondant takes quite a bit of time as well. You have to first ice the cake in buttercream and then you have to roll out the fondant and get it placed on the cake without tearing or stretching it out. But then again you cannot argue with how good it looks when it is done! 

Here is a picture of my finished cake: 

I have to say this cake class has been absolutely amazing. I have loved every minute of it and learned so much! I can’t wait to have kids someday to be able to make them the awesomest cakes ever! Until then I guess I’ll be making them for friends and family members! 

How are you guys handling the winter? It’s back to being warm again up here instead of the subzero temps we had last week. I can’t say that I mind, but I don’t want all the snow to go away yet. It’s been nice having it around finally! 

Hope all is well!

XOXO,

On a Cold Night…

…Nothing soothes the soul like comfort food! We have been seeing subzero temperatures in Montana this week, such as on Wednesday it was -30 with the wind chill, and yes the entire city was still operating. We’ve gotten a foot or so of snow, and we’re still operating. No snow days for us. But nonetheless, I made some great comfort food from my child hood, chicken and dumplings! And it was sooo good! 

The recipe is super easy. Here it is below: 

Ingredients:

1 rotisserie chicken

4 cups chicken stock

Carrots, chopped

Celery, chopped

Frozen Peas

Onion Powder (you can use fresh onion if you have it)

Bisquick

Water 

Directions:

1)  Place carrots, celery and onion (if using fresh) into a stock pot, cook for until slightly tender.

2)  Put chicken and stock into the pot.

3)  Boil until the carrots just have a bite.

4)  Prepare dumplings according to directions on the Bisquick box.

5) Serve and keep warm! 

Here is what mine looked like with the dumplings on top. It was absolutely delicious. I hope you enjoy! 

XOXO,

Course 3: Classes 2 and 3

Well I am a little behind on my posts for the Wilton cake decorating class. I missed last week’s class due to travel for work, but my mom caught me up on Saturday after I got back! 

On Saturday we made calla lilies and roses out of fondant! That was really fun and so easy! That’s what I’m learning with this class, things are really easy to make but they take a lot of time to actually make and then they have to dry which takes days. It’s surprising how long it actually takes for the flowers to completely dry. 

Here is a picture of the lilies and roses: 

On Tuesday we made carnations, mums and daisies. These were really fun as well. The carnation is the most time consuming out of the 3 and I would say it is not my favorite, but they still look good. The mums and daisies are pretty simple. The mums are definitely not the prettiest flower but they are different so they work. They are a flower that you would want to have a specific use for them.  

Here is a picture of my mum: 

I didn’t get a chance to take a picture of the other flowers yet. I’ll try to remember to post them next week when we decorate a cake. We are covering the cake with fondant and then decorating, this could be really interesting. 

 After this class we will take the final course Advanced Gum Paste Flowers. I’m actually really excited for the next class. We make some really cool flowers, but it takes a lot of supplies to make as well. So that could be interesting. We shall see how it all goes.

How is the weather where you are? We have gotten a TON of snow since Sunday and it just keeps coming. I probably brushed a good 3-4 inches off my car this morning. I’m grateful for buying a new car now, there is no way I would’ve been able to get around in my Mustang in this weather with this amount of snow. The unfortunate thing is the main roads get plowed, but the residential areas rarely get plowed. So trying to get out of the neighborhood was interesting, but my car did great! So that was quite the relief. We are supposed to get another 1-3 inches today, 3-5 inches tonight and then another inch tomorrow. We’re looking a lot like winter in Montana now and that is awesome!