Kansas and Wichita Molds

I really like making molds.  I don't know why, but I find something just fun about putting chocolate in a mold and banging on a table while trying not to let the melted chocolate slop around.  Maybe it is the OCD trying to get all the bubbles (air pockets)?  What ever it is, it is just fun!  Below are my Kansas and Wichita molds.

The top photo is my Kansas mold!  It is in the shape of Kansas!  The others are Wichita related.  

Got to have the Keeper!

The front gold bars say Wichita on them and look like little yellow bricks up close (Wizard of Oz anyone?)

Easter Preview #2

Sugar Panoramic Eggs!  Do you remember these when you were a kid?  Did you ever try to eat them (i know I ate a few, oh my poor mom!)? These photos are from a couple of years past, but they are going to be close to the same!  

Girl Scout Cookies and Cocktails 2012

The 3rd Annual Girl Scouts Cookies and Cocktails 2012.  We submitted a Mojito Pie.  I still think I should have won, but I lost...  I will win next year!

Cucumber/Lime Mojito Pie!

Our Table with the pies all laid out

Finished product, Shout Out Cookie, with a cucumber and lime custard, topped with a rum and mint marshmallow cream. Mojito!

Flash Back Friday

Picture #1

Picture #2

For what I am going to call Flash Back Fridays, I am going to take a look back at some of the cool things we did last year.  Today is in honor of the Art for Arthritis auction.  I paired with a young artist and we worked with modeling chocolate.  We did a sea scene.  She made the dolphin and the fish on picture #2.  I made the fish in picture #1  and the "water".  The "water" is actually lemon flavored sugar.  The brown and blue are sprinkles.  We had a lot of fun creating this.

Painting Parties

We still are not done painting everything.  There are 2 1/2 walls to go and 1/2 a sign.  It is slowly starting to brighten up in the retail room!

Our Blue Wall!

The Green Wall!

The Party Room!  It is YELLOW!

My sign that is almost painted on this side.

This one is a different story.  When will the weather let me finish it?

Coloring Truffles

Painting the color into the mold, this was yellow, green and white (we use colored cocoa butter).

Once the color is set up, I put a swirl of chocolate into the mold.

When the chocolate is set up, I pipe the ganache into the center to set up.

This is the finished product!  I put pistachios and almonds on the bottom  after capping with chocolate.

The Manual Work

We still work in the pen and paper when taking special orders, but I am slowing converting all the orders to a spread sheet.  This is today's pile, never mind the box in my car, and the file folder on another table...  

Today's pile and my computer

Wyldewood Cellars-Cero's Wine and Chocolate Tasting

Saturday night we partnered with Wyldewood Cellars in Mulvane to do a chocolate and wine pairing.  We had 5 different wines paired with 5 different chocolates.  The most unusual candy we had was a candied grapefruit peel dipped in dark chocolate!  Wlydewood gave their history and a brief synopsis of how to make wine, and we gave our history and a quick summary of how chocolate is made.   It was fun evening!

Pre-Event set up

The glasses

The chocolates

The pairings

The people (there were some late, that showed up after I took the picture!)

Easter Planning/ Preview #1

Now that Valentine's Day is over, we are looking towards Easter!  Part of the fun is to flip through magazines and pick out packaging, decorations and other fun cute things!

We also have fun with color and chocolate for Easter.  

Easter Preview #1

Candy Bouquets

Candy Bouquets for any occasion!  We have added cake pops, strawberries, candied pineapple, chocolate molds, cinnamon hearts, dried fruit, and what we could get to stay on a stick!  Below are a few pictures of what we have done in the past!  The first 2 shots, we just did for Valentine's Day.  We even did a "Bro-quet" for a man with airplanes, chocolate mustaches and chocolate covered bacon!

2 days to Valentine's Day

We are busy, busy, busy with the last minute details for tomorrow and Tuesday (Valentine's Day!).  The shelves are stocked, the case is filled and the wrapping paper is ready!  I probably will not be able to post for the next couple of days, but I will try my best to (I just hope the snow storm is not as bad as they say... )

10 O'Clock News!

We are going to be on the 10 O'Clock News on KSN!  I hate the camera so my mom (and co-owner) was filmed, and I took pictures.  They were filming about Valentine's Day!

Vanilla Marshmallows Process!

Our marshmallow process:  

Heating the sugar!

Cut and ready to be dipped

Dipped and ready to be eaten!

Chocolate and Shoes November 2011

Back in November, we had a booth and served samples at Chocolate and Shoes for the DUI Victim Center.  I just finally got the pictures from the event uploaded!

The high heels you see dotting the table are actually chocolate!

Taffy

This past summer we pulled lemon flavored taffy.  We plan on making small batches again this year.  Here is a preview for what's come!  (We also decided this was one of the best arm workouts!)

Strawberry Champagne Truffles

Strawberry Champagne Truffles getting made for Valentine's Day!

Centers ready to be dipped

Dipped and setting up before packaging!

Towers of Chocolate!

Small Towers with Truffles or Turtles, 8 oz assortments, Honeycomb, and Cherry Cordials

Larger Towers with Honeycomb, 1 lb Assortments, Cherry Cordials, Peanut Brittle, Truffles 

Candied Orange Peels

If you have never had candied orange peels, they are delicious!  They are not as bitter as one might think.

Orange peels wading in a simple syrup

Dipped and ready to devour!