Fresh Start Daily

I tagged along with the Tans this afternoon when they decided to go out of the metro and drive to Tagaytay.

I had time to bake cookies tonight with my sister. 🙂

Normally, I’m the one teaching. This time, I’m the student.

Ingredients:

BREAD:
11 c bread flour
6 1/2 tbsp. sugar
2 1/2 tsp instant dry yeast
1 tsp salt
1/2 c olive oil
2 c milk
1 1/2 c water

FILLING:
5 cans tuna (w/o the oil)
3 medium sized onion
2 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 – 1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
470 ml mayonnaise
2 tsp lemon juice
5 boiled eggs
250 g cheese

• Pre-heat oven at 180 C
• I just adjusted the ingredients of the filling according to taste. You can add or subtract depending on your preference.

I love looking out my window and seeing this tree especially in the morning. I also love waking up to the chirping sound the birds that seek refuge in this tree make. It gives me a momentary escape from the big city. It also reminds me of the Lord’s goodness. It reminds me not to worry because He will see me through until He calls me home.

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow nor reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” – Matthew 6:26

The fondant cake design I made was inspired by kintsugi. Kintsugi, also known as “kintsukuroi”, is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by putting the pieces back together using gold, silver, or platinum.

Personally, I think the pottery looks more beautiful after being broken and mended. It’s similar with us. We are more beautiful when God mends our broken pieces. When HE works in our cracks, HIS light shines through and we are more radiant than ever. No one is beyond HIS grace.

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” – Psalm 34:18

My mother, sister, and I had a video conference today (like we always do). In the middle of the conversation, my sister asked if I already have news from the embassy about my study permit application. I told her there’s nothing still.

Then my mother and sister started giving me questions to ask my agent about the delay. They were panicking and were talking at the same time. I told them to calm down and to just pray about it but they kept stressing me out so I started to be rattled. I was eating lunch during our conversation and because I was already pressured, I stopped eating and started sending an e-mail to my agent and my aunt (who knows that agent).

When the call ended, I remembered how chill I was before we talked. Their worries rubbed off on me. Suddenly, I recalled my prayers to God. He sometimes allows delays in our life to protect us. There is a reason why I don’t have the permit yet or why I won’t have it at all (if I won’t). I told Him that I’m fine with His will for my life wherever it is.

I realized how easily I was swayed by the emotion of the people around me. I let their stress get into me. I’m not discrediting what they felt. Their opinions are valid and they are just really concerned. I admit I was also worried because the process is taking longer than expected. However, I have learned to lift it all up to God. Thinking about it all the time is honestly exhausting.

I’m usually chill. I don’t like being stressed because…it’s stressful. Haha! I’m the type who looks for solutions instead of wallowing in the problem. However, when there are major issues, I tend to overthink. Sometimes I can’t help but be worried. I’m not saying we should never worry because it’s part of our emotions as human beings. It can be good for the right reason. However, when we focus on the problem, we shrink the ultimate problem solver: God.

I learned that I should focus on God more when I’m struggling. When I focus on my problems, I feel all the more helpless and hopeless. I’ve learned to pray when there are problems I cannot overcome. I praise Him and sing worship songs. I remind myself of His character and recite them back to Him. When I don’t have the strength to do those, I just cry to the Lord and let out wordless groans. Even when there is no immediate change in the situation, I feel hopeful and confident again—not in myself but in the Lord.

The lesson for me today is not to let other people’s worries get to me. I love my family and I value their opinion. They were worried because they care about me. I am grateful to God for giving me a family that loves and supports me. We just had to be reminded today that HE is in control.

I saw pictures of dog fondant designs on Pinterest and I found them really cute. So I decided to use them as an inspiration for my cupcakes! I used the marshmallow fondant I made last week. I brought it back up to room temperature before I rolled it out because I stored them in the fridge.

Then I cut it with a round cookie cutter so that they fit the chocolate cupcakes I baked. I started adding the details to make them look like dogs. I realized that I can use lard or even water as fondant paste. The wrinkly brown dog looks messy because the buttercream is showing. New learnings today! 😉

Ingredients:
1 kilo confectioner/icing sugar
1,200 g of white marshmallow
3 tbsp water
Lard

I used the bain-marie method/water bath to melt the marshmallow. I filled a big casserole with water, put the casserole with marshmallow inside, and then let it boil on low heat.

After a few minutes, I started mixing the marshmallow to help speed up the melting process. I just kept mixing until I got the right consistency. I slathered lard/shortening on the wooden spoon so the melted marshmallow wouldn’t stick too much.

Once the marshmallow was completely melted, I started adding it to the icing sugar. I used my (clean) hand to mix the sugar and the marshmallow. I kept kneading until there were no more lumps and until it was smooth.

I divided the fondant into 5 balls. The sizes depend on the colors that I will use for the cupcakes. I used two different types of food color: gel and liquid. For the white, I used the gel food color from the tube. For the pink one, I used a different type of gel food color. It’s the one from a canester. I started with just a small amount because with gels, a little goes a long way. I just added some more to achieve the color that I want.

For the brown and black, I used the liquid food color. I regretted using it because I had to finish the entire bottle to achieve the color that I want and it changed the consistency of the fondant. It made the fondant too sticky and messy. Therefore, I had to add more icing sugar to it. It was a lot of work and it took a long time to finish. It was my first time to use the liquid food color and I think I will never use it again for fondant. I’ve always used the gel type and I’ve never had any problems with it. Now I know. 💡

I covered them individually with cling wrap to make sure that they will not dry out. Then I stored them in a sealed container before putting them in the fridge. Fondant can be stored for up to 3 months as long as it’s sealed properly.