The first sign of Fall with the chill in the air, and frost on the cars in the mornings. The shops are full of Halloween costumes and candies, and as soon as Halloween is over the shops will be full of Christmas.
A lovely and horrible thought as I both love and hate winters. The hate part, is dark evenings and driving in the ice and snow. The love part, is sitting by a lovely fire watching all the different patterns that come from the fire and so many beautiful red flowers available with fir cones and pine.
No one knows what this winter will bring. One report says very mild, the other that winter will be very cold and lots of snow. I remember last winter was really heavy with snow and extremely cold.
This being our Thanksgiving, we wish our canadian customers a very happy and wonderful time with their families. We shall be spending the weekend with my son and family at their cottage. My two grandchildren pick up the fancy leaves from the lawn and decorate the table with them, with 13 members sitting down to eat together. Certainly a wonderful time for all.
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving,
Geraldine
Cake of the Month:
Originally from Sicily and introduced in 1700, these well-loved, familiar flowers are shapely, fragrant and undoubtedly beautiful. Colours vary from white, yellow, pink, red and crimson to mauve and purple. They are excellent as secondary flowers in arrangements with Roses as a main flower, accented with Variegated Ivy.
| Tools and Materials | |||
| – | 255L – Sweet Pea Cutter | – W32M – 32 Gauge Moss Green Wires | |
| – | TFMATM – Flower Mat with Holes | – 257 – Sweet Pea Calyx Cutter | |
| – | GTOOL15 – Geraldine’s Ball Tool – Large | – TPK1008 – Pallete Knife | |
| – | TPINL – Rolling Pin and Board | – Cornstarch & Shortening | |
| – | MLGP1 – ML Gumpaste | – Wire Cutters | |
| – | W26M – 26 Gauge Moss Green Wires | – Dusting Colours | |
| – | W28M – 28 Gauge Moss Green Wires | – Wooden Stick | |
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| – Step 1: To Make Pe Pod: With the 26-gauge wire, form a hook. See figure 1. | – Step 2: Attach a small piece of gum paste to the hooked wire and form it into a crescent shape. See figure 2. Let dry. |
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| – Step 3: To Make Petal ‘A’ Roll out gum paste very thinly, and cut out petal ‘A’. See figure 3. Thin around the edges with a ball tool. See figure 4. | – Step 4: Thin around the edges with a ball tool. See figure 4. |
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| – Step 5: Paint the pod with water. See figure 5. | – Step 6: Attach the petal, seaming it at the crescent. See figures 6 and 7. |
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| – Step 7: Attach the petal, seaming it at the crescent. See figures 6 and 7. | – Step 8: To Make Petal ‘B’ Roll out gum paste very thinly, and cut out petal ‘B’. See figure 8. |
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| – Step 9: Thin around the edges with a ball tool slightly curling the edges. Then fold the petal in half, towards you. See figure 9. | – Step 10: Paint the base of the pod with water. See figure 10. |
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| – Step 11: Attach petal ‘B’ to the base of the pod. See figure 11. | – Step 12: Repeat Step 6, this time using cutter for petal ‘C’. See figure 12. |
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| – Step 13: Paint the base of the flower with water. See figure 13. | – Step 14: Attach petal ‘C’ ensuring that the petal is pulled slightly away from the top of the open flower. See figure 14. Let dry. |
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| – Step 15: To Make Calyx: Roll out green gum paste very thinly and cut out calyx. See figure 15. | – Step 16: Paint base of the flower with water. See figure 16. |
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| – Step 17: Thread the wire through the calyx. See figure 17. | – Step 18: To Make Calyx: Attach the calyx to the base of the flower. See figure 18. |
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| – Step 19: To Make Tendrils: Take 32-gauge covered wire and wrap it around the wooden stick. See figure 19. | – Step 20: Slide the wrapped wire off the stick and open slightly. See figure 20. |
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| – Step 21: To Make Leaves: Roll out green gum paste very thinly and cut out leaves. See figure 21. | – Step 22: Thread 28-gauge wire through centre of the leaf, taking care that the wire does not break through the leaf. See figure 22. |
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| – Step 23: Vein the leaf. See figure 23. Shape the leaf and allow to dry. | – Step 24: To Assemble the Flower: To assemble, slightly bend the flower just below the calyx and attach up to 7 flowers on a wire, with the tendrils and leaves. See figure 24. |
September’s Recipe:
Cranberry Ginger Cookies:
| Ingredients: | |||
| – | 1 1/2 Cups – Brown Sugar | – 2 1/4 Cup – All Purpose Flour (Sifted) | |
| – | 1 Cup – Butter (Softened) | – 1 1/2 Tsp – Baking Powder | |
| – | 2 – Eggs (Large) | – 1 Tsp – Salt | |
| – | 1 Tbsp – Pure Vanilla | – 1 Cup – Finely Chopped Crystalized Ginger | |
| – | 1 Cup – Chopped Cranberries | – 1 Cup – Dark Chocolate Chips (Optional) | |
Method:
2. Beat butter until soft. Add vanilla, brown sugar and beat until smooth and creamy.
3. Add eggs one at a time and beat.
4. In a separate bowl wisk the flour, baking powder and salt. Leave to one side.
5. Stir in the ginger, the cranberries and the chocolate chips. Then fold in the flour mixture.
6. Roll 1″ balls of dough, arrange on a baking sheet and flatten with hands. Allow for expansion of cookies.
7. Bake 12 minutes until cooked.
8. Remove from oven and leave on racks to cool.
9. You can dip half the cookie into melted chocolate.
Great for Christmas Gifts!
Back to Basics with Geraldine – 2 Days Hands On Class
Get to know sugarpaste with Geraldine! You’ll be learning how sugarpaste is made, as well as colouring, covering, flavouring, and storing techniques. Discover basic decorating techniques (crimping, diamond markers and raindrops) that will turn your simple cake into a stunning creation.
Light lunch included. All tools will be loaned to the students during the class. Students MUST bring an apron, a notebook, and a pen.
Geraldine will take you through the steps of making, colouring, storing, and using Non-Toxic Paste. Learn the techniques to create a beautiful and realistic looking Quickie Peony.
Discover Geraldine’s newly developed method of making Non-Toxic Paste in the microwave, and why is her preferred medium for flower making.
Light lunch included. All tools will be loaned to the students during the class. Students MUST bring an apron, a notebook, and a pen.
* Tasting after the demo.
Exclusive Classes with Geraldine!