Soooooooo ……….I have a new pad. 

 I am feeling pretty fancy on account of it being incredibly too large for my needs, I like to saunter around it’s naked, unfurnished rooms while waving like the queen. I like to stand on the balcony that adjoins my bedroom, look out far to the city skyline & think everything the light touches is my kingdom.

It has been 3 weeks but my garage is still full of boxes. Sadly 3 of those boxes contain shoes, it is ridiculous….I am ridiculous.

I couldn’t have predicted that moving out of a little one bedroom flat with our meager amount of furniture & possessions would be so much work. It took Mr Bake & Bloom’s mother & I 5 hours to clean out our flat. Heck…Mr Bake & Bloom got stuck doing the oven & it must have taken him 8 hours work in total getting that thing clean.

But it’s done now & I am busy making my new house a home.

My cute deck overlooking the back yard. It is the most beautiful place to eat breakfast. I can't wait to begin gardening too.

my (messy) kitchen. Note the power cord for the laptop hanging across the room to get to my new fancy ikea kitchen island that we got for half price.

I have been cleaning & testing recipes…they’re not ready yet but I thought I would show you guys some pictures. I am still working like a madwoman on this macaron tutorial. Macarons are a maddening confection, they have made me grey & wrinkled before my time but annoyingly, they are worth it.

Macaron shells. These guys are looking better every time I make them, I have finally figured out how to make them without air pockets.

I filled them with chocolate coconut ganache & a coconut agar agar surprise in the center

Believe it or not these are a health kick recipe. Choc buckwheat pancakes with cocoa nibs & red berry syrup. I loved the syrup...wasn't too keen on the pancakes.

So forgive me everyone for not talking to you in so long, as you can see I have been very very busy. I promise I still love you though & I will be back with more yummyness than ever. Next week I am having a little giveaway & making blondies so don’t be a stranger.

No one has attempted as many bad batches of those perfect Parisian cookies as I have. My macarons have stuck to the paper & lost their bottoms, cracked at the top, failed to rise, had big awful air pockets…you name it, I have seen it.

I have tried the French meringue method, the Italian meringue method & the little known Swiss meringue method all with disappointing results. All in all I would say I have made over 35 batches of failed macarons in the last 2 years.

Much of the problem lay within my own patience. I have incorrectly read recipes more times than I care to mention.

I am thrilled to tell you however that on Friday night, under the influence of 2 large glasses of riesling & quite a lot of peer pressure from my dear friend Maggie I was able to produce a near perfect batch of macarons! They were quickly sandwiched with salted caramel buttercream & consumed with vigour. In the end it was the classic French meringue recipe that worked for me, indeed it was exactly the same recipe I had used on my first attempt however it was executed with much more care & respect.

I am still no authority in these things but when I have produced a few more successful batches I will be posting a very detailed step by step picture tutorial because I am sure I am not the only serial macaron killer.

Saturday was spent doing work experience at The Flower Garden in preparation for Mothers Day.  Saturday could be summed up in one word: BUSY. I am not sure why I was surprised. I spent the majority of the day making up arrangements for the front of the store however I simply couldn’t keep up with the rate at which they were being purchased. Every time someone walked out the door smiling & holding one of my creations I felt a swoon of happiness. “I wanted to shout out, you there! I made that! I am glad you like it”

At the end of the day I received the most wonderful compliment from the boss’ son that I have a bright career ahead of me & he thinks I am wonderfully creative.  I am pretty much in love with being a florist right now (even if I am not technically being paid for it)

These were my small but significant triumphs this weekend.

Approximately 2 years ago I had never written anything more significant than a sharply worded letter to an airline or bank & I believed a blog was something you did in the bathroom & required you to light a match after. How your life can change so quickly is beyond me.

I stumbled upon blogging innocently enough while googling recipe ideas, I am sure I had seen them before that but I never paid it much attention. But in my vagrant googling I discovered a few blogs that inspired me to begin my own.

I have no delusions of food blogging grandeur. Bake & Bloom is simply my own recipe & floristry notebook & I am genuinely touched when people stop by & take the time to read about my efforts.  That isn’t to say I do have goals- I want to buy a better camera & improve my food photography, I never imagined that I would enjoy photographing cakes so much. I am improving my cooking on a daily basis through trial, error & vigorous taste testing by colleagues & family.

These are the top 5 blogs that inspired me to begin my journey & continue to inspire me on a daily basis.

1. http://www.bakerella.com/ This was the first food blog that really made me sit up & pay attention. It really struck me that this was not a professional baker, in fact she doesn’t even make her own pie crusts & often uses cake mixes. The whole point of bakerella is making everything look completely adorable.
2. http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/ Joy is funny, this is the best comedian/food blog hybrid I have seen. I don’t think she means it to be funny, she is just doing her thing, telling her day to day story. Her food styling is organic & honest, her recipes are things you want to make at home every day.
3. http://souvlakiforthesoul.com/ I found Peter through foodbuzz while looking for a yummy bean soup recipe before I completely understood what foodbuzz was. The biggest reason I like Peters blog is he is a successful Australian food blogger. He is the blogger I aspire to most, his photography is world class (in my humble opinion) yet he is self taught, his food is seasonal & inspired by his Greek heritage. There is something about reading souvlaki for the soul I find incredibly healing when I feel a little lost.
4. http://www.cannelle-vanille.blogspot.com/ Asthetically, this blog is a feast for the eyes. This is what the buffet will look like in heaven I am sure. Aran is in her words Basque ex-pat living in the US since 1998, her food is steeped in heritage. She works as a freelance food photographer, stylist & writer so it is no surprise it is stunning.  I love the way her children are so involved in her creative process, not only did her blog make me want to write..it kind of makes me want to be a mummy.
5. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/ This is the first example I had seen of a successful & highly commercial blog. Ree has regular giveaways of kitchenaid & Le Crusset products, her own cookbook, a bunch of sponsorships. Basically the pinnacle of success in the food blogging community. BUT! She is just a lady who moved to the country, married a cowboy & likes to cook him a brisket. It is fab! I honestly think if the writers of sex & the city got a hold of  her they could have an award winning series on their hands. Read the story of how she met & married her husband “Marlboro Man” It will make you simultaneously swoon & resent your unromantic significant other for weeks. 

So thanks guys, for inspiring me & especially to those of you who read me.

 Much love….xox Shannon

A BIG thanks to Dionne from The Ink Studio  for designing my new layout & putting up with my ridiculous requests such as “I want it to reflect my kitchen to garden approach” & “I want it to be cute & kitsch…but not too cute.” In hindsight, I didn’t pay her nearly enough. The woman has done a fine job don’t you think?

Well I am officially back at school, I finally unpacked my suitcase (yes, it took a month) I am also now seeking work experience in a florist shop so things are looking up in 2010.

Coming up this week: homemade bagels

Well I have some bruises, a sprained thumb & a broken tailbone but I also have a lot of great memories.

This little Aussie has just spent nearly a month in Canada & America (& I have the cellulite to prove it!)  I saw some amazing things like a semi naked man lady in L.A. Did some things I never thought I would do in my life, like shoot a Beretta assault rifle at the Gun Shop in Vegas & ride a segway in Santa Monica. I ate some things I never thought I would eat, like Hooters deep fried pickles.

I have begrudgingly now resumed my ordinary life as a receptionist/undercover baker/floral design student/blogger/wingnut

Always the optimist though (HA!) I have decided my travels will make me a much better foodie/blogger & indeed human being.  Coming next week will be my nod to Canada & North America in some kind of splendorific foodie way. I brought back maple syrup guys & I am making my own BBQ sauce (not WITH the maple syrup…duh!)

For now, here are a few happy snaps. I am glad to be back guys, I missed you too much.

A frightfully good piece of halibut I had for my 25th birthday. Thank you to Diva @ the Met hotel Vancouver

Me & my birthday cake

Diva @ The Met made me a divine chocolate mousse & pear cake

The best breakfast I have ever eaten. Vanilla bean french toast & bacon. (are you beginning to see what I spent most my time doing on my vacation?)

Granville Island Farmers Market. I would kill for a market like this at home

Our concierge @ the Vancouver Hyatt got us tickets to the sold out Canuks game. I had never seen ice hockey before & it was wicked good.

From our balcony & Whistler where we spent a merry little Christmas

The view from our room @ the Paris casino Las Vegas where we spent NYE

They let us eat cake in Paris

The Disneyland "Love O Meter" told Mr Bake & Bloom how it really is

Remember that cellulite I was telling you about?

I dub these pickles...DELICIOUS!

Could this fella be any cuter? *swoon*

We shopped @ Johnny Cupcakes L.A which was total radness

& ended the trip with a segway tour of Santa Monica & Venice Beach on a perfect sunny Californian day

The end.