T Ann Cake

Our holidays...what we 'done'...

2012-01-23T12:52:00.000-08:00

A little bit about what we did on our hols to new Orleans but mostly about what we ate and drank....tried not to do food/cafe research but a lot of what I ate/tried/saw will/may feature on the menu on our return...when I

Getting there

We chose Continental and went from Edinburgh to Newark and then onto New Orleans.

The really bad thing about Continental is the food - it's dire. I've only flown BA and Emirates as a comparison for longish haul but those are like Michelin starred restaurants compared to Continental. Mr R., was still down on the system as needing a Hindu meal which means that it's half edible; two different types of veggie curry with yellow rice. I've not flown with them for over two years so my Hindu meal request had been lost and I had 'beef' lasagne; jeez, this was bad. I ate a big bowl of salad and dressing. Blah.

The snack they give you in the last hour was always (for over 10 years) a warmed mini baguette thing of formed turkey and warm cheese which believe it or not, I would often eat (dipping it in their dijonnaise tub often helped). You did often think that 'it couldn't ever get any worse than this'. It did! They've changed the snack. Quelle horreur! It's now a softish heated tortilla with rice, 'chicken' in a cream cheesey oniony sauce - really really gross.

Immigration queue was non-existent and we sailed through to baggage collect. TMI but I had a quick pee in the baggage toilets and in my haste in attempted to avoid sitting on the seat (I'm a hoverer in public toilets), I banged my forehead on a stainless steel shelf on my way up and ended up with a raised egg and wee gash during the first few days of my holiday. Dumbass.

We were a little excited about our overnighter in New York and we had dithered about booking a hotel. We'd be arriving at 12noon on the 31st and leaving the hotel again at 4am on the 1st but we're both a bit old and both a big bit tired so we booked. Bonus was that I had quite a few hotel points left so I could book the hotel I used to stay in 3 times a year for work for free - hurrah! The hotel isn't anything special but the location is fab; in between Chinatown and Soho and 2 seconds from a subway with loads of fabbie places within walking distance.

Saturday 31st December 2011 - we've arrived in New York!
Finally got to the hotel at about 2ish and went straight out to one of our favourite haunts for a quick beer. Nolita House was recommended to me by a local I was working alongside a few years ago. It's only a ten minute walk from the hotel and we'd been there a few times for their bluegrass brunch. Lucky us, there was a bluegrass band playing (fiddler, banjoiest, guitar, double bassist, flautist & singer) so we settled down and had a couple of beers each. In hindsight not a good idea given that we'd only had a few hours sleep since the day before and were both knackered after such a hard week but the beers were scrummy!

Two more empty glasses of Brooklyn Pilsners with the band in the background

a mini clippette of the band (difficult to hear) and Mr R looking mean and moody

As we wondered around, we went to the little cafe/2nd hand book store in the neighbourhood - lovely wee place that I used to buy a lot of my books from (new books are sooooo expensive in the USA). Housing Works also has a great thrift shop next door.

Next stop on this gorgeously crisp cold day with blue skies was another favourite back towards the hotel, Balthazar on Spring Street.

I've used this place quite a lot; I like the Frenchiness of it and whilst not being cool myself, there are some lovely cool and beautiful people that go there. Let's not forget the food - I love it. We wanted to eat dinner back at Nolita House later so thought we'd nip to the Balthazar Bakery take out bit at the side of the cafe to buy cawfee and croissant - c'est bon! Bought a warmed jamon and fromage filled croissant and a chocolate chip cookie.

Back to the hotel for a scoff, a mini siesta in the hope that we can stay up until midnight.

Me looking forward to my coffee, jamon croissant and cookie (what's new?). Croissant and coffee good, cookie crappy (quality of chocolate and nuts good but actually cookie not good).

I didn't sleep. I was too excited. We didn't really have a plan for Hogmanay. We had discussed a few things and the night before leaving I'd researched a few possibilities -

Times Square to watch the ball thing drop - yes once in a lifetime thing to do but I hate being in crowds of people that have been drinking (main fear is people being sick - seriously, I have a HUGE fear of this). Luckily Mr R., didn't want to go there either.

Gotham Comedy Club to watch funny people saying funny things. I was up for it but Mr R., said we'd fall asleep (even if we went to the early show). I think he's/he was quite wise.

Chuck Berry was playing somewhere but when I told Mr R., the cost of the tickets, he wasn't keen and said that he'd probably die before then just to spite us.

Sandra Bernhardt was doing a gig somewhere. I quite fancied this one as I remember her stuff from the 80s but she's sort of disappeared off the radar but I was still curious. No chance. He wasn't interested.

The Met Opera for about our 5th visit (oooh, get us!). It's a fabbie place to watch opera and they still had some reasonable (ish) tickets left for The Enchanted Island. On a serious note (and this is completely true), I always fall asleep during the 2nd Act for some reason so I think if we'd gone to the opera, I would've missed most of it.

Although he sounds like he wasn't interested in anything, I think Mr R., was just being sensible. There were still tickets available for everything but we thought we'd wait and see.

We headed back to Nolita House for an early dinner. I had a cocktail (I had to, it was NYE) - I opted for an Asian Kiss (absolut, blackberry, pineapple and champagne)

Yes, my cocktail but he had a wee sip

I then went back to the Brooklyn Pilsner (scrummy) and Mr R., had some red wine. For food, Mr R went for the Lobster and truffle mac cheese and I went for the caramelised onion, pear, rocket and gorgonzola pizza.

Lobster and truffle mac cheese!

Caramelised onion, pear, rocket and gorgonzola pizza

Midnight UK time came and went and I phoned home and was sad that I wasn't with my girls but they were having a fabbie time there.

As usual, Mr R. wanted something bad so he went for a chocolate pudding and eeeek, this is where it went wrong in that it was a bit crappy, so crappy that it was inedible so we sent it back - boo!

S'mores chocolate pudding...looks gorgeous but the chocolate puddingy part was blah : (

Still couldn't decide what to do next and by this time (not late!) I was a just a little bit happy/merry/pissed. We decided to have a big walk around Soho - it was a gorgeous evening and there were a lot of fabulous people going off to what I think were lots of house parties.

I also took the (wrong) decision to do a bit of clothes shopping so headed into the big French Connection shop which was a stupid thing to do considering that I'm the biggest I've ever been (even bigger than I was at 9 months and 1 week pregnant) just now so shopping for clothes only served to depress me a little especially when you're husband says, "no, they're not doing you any favours". No new clothes for me then.

Believe it or not, after being out for a couple more hours, we headed back to the hotel (BEFORE THE BELLS!!!!). We both felt bad about this but were both ready to drop and we had to be up at 4am to head for the airport. My lovely daughter has since shouted at me for going to bed before midnight (but mum you were in NEW YORK)....oops.

Sunday 1st January 2012
Woo hoo. 2012. Early start but only an hour earlier than usual but the jetlap hadn't started yet. Newark to New Orleans. Should have been an easy quick flight. But no, a lady who'd had an operation the day before became ill on the flight and we had to divert to Birmingham, Alabama. There for almost 2 hours which was a bit of a pain (lady was going to be ok but carted to hospital just to be sure). I always try to look for the positive in things and oh wow, what a postive. At least 6 airport fireman boarded the flight and it was like something from one of those firefighter calendars - I'm not kidding. They were gorgeous ALL OF THEM!!!! My bloody husband wouldn't let me take a photo but I still have the images etched in my mind. Seriously.

Finally arrived in New Orleans and took a taxi to the hotel. Boiling hot weather and cos it was still early in the morning, we couldn't get out to the hotel so we headed straight out.

First day, boiling hot (yes, I'm in tights boots and jersey dress!!!) but this is me in the French Quarter in front of a typical French Quarter balconied house.

Mr R. on the first day. See how STRONG he is!!!!

We were starving so headed for an early lunch. Although I'd done some food research via chowhound (in my opinion the best place to research restaurants in the area you're going to), I hadn't printed everything out but I had a few notes. Alex remembered one from the list as we passed it on Decatur Street (still in the French Quarter). He remembered the words dive bar and got excited.

Coops Bar was just as everywhere had described, a bit divey and a bit dark but we wanted to give it a go and are sorta glad we did.

Coops blackboard menu. Click on it to see it a bit clearer.

We had a list of foods that we HAD to try during our NOLA trip so we managed to strike at least one off our list during our first meal!

Seafood gumbo and shrimp remoulade with creole sauce.

Close up of the seagood gumbo....yes, a snotty oyster (sorry, I like the taste but not the texture)... a Creole stew served with rice. Prepared with their dark roux, French Market vegetables, including okra, file powder (ground sassafrass leaves), shrimp, crabclaws, and oysters

Ok, so the gumbo was quite good (more ricey than others we tasted later in the week) but really tasty - gumbo of some variety is definitely going on the menu when we re-open. The salad was good in that I am trying to go back to my old ways of eating lots of green stuff but to be honest, the shrimps (boiled - lots of menus seem to do them that way) were a little bit bland. But with the remoulade sauce, they were ok.

Needless to say owing to the hot weather, owing to the fact we were in a bar, owing to the fact we were on our holidays, owing to the fact that we wanted to try local stuff, we had beers.... Abita Amber to be exact - yum (the good salad cancelled out the bad beer - that's how it works).

Huge walk around and then back to the hotel to check in properly. Bit of a sleep and then out for the evening.

Monday 2nd January 2012
Today we did something two things we never usually do on our holidays -

1) Had breakfast in the hotel. The main reason is the fact that it seems such a shame not to try other options where you are but the hotel had given us a voucher for our first breakfast and it would be silly not to use it! We had the buffet which had everything you could imagine on it. I had blueberry pork sausages, lots of crispy streaky bacon, cheesy scrambled eggs, hash browns and grits!!! Then some fresh fruit to make me feel more virtuous.

2) Went on a tour!!! We've never done this as we usually like to explore by foot mostly on our own. However, we couldn't escape the fact that every bit of advice (on line, from locals and tourists alike) had warned us that a lot of NOLA was out of bounds even in the day. Bit of a bummer given that we usually walk for miles each day to explore the out of the way bits but we didn't want to ignore the advice. We thought the best way to get a feel of the area was to take a tour! We took a Katrina/city tour by Grayline Tours and it was pretty good. Expensive, just over $90 for the two of us but good to see. Really sad to see the effects that Katrina is still having in certain parts of the city but very interesting...

Houses in the Ninth Ward; not a great area and further devasted by Katrina. Definitely not recovered yet.

Part of Brad Pitt's charity, Make it Right, where they're building a new neighborhood - affordable, eco friendly, housing for locals.

A closer view of some of the houses they're building

Fats Domino lived here until Katrina. Seemingly he'd stayed for the two previous huge hurricanes but he moved out after Katrina

We then headed for one of the many huge cemeteries in NOLA, often referred to as cities of the dead. This one was an above ground cemetery where generations of families are all placed in the same tomb.

Felt bit funny about taking a photo but I did and here it is. Some of the tombs are beautiful. Some less so.

We finished the tour via the Garden District which is all a bit posh. Some gorgeous houses.

Lunch today was getting ourselves some po-boys which is short for poor boys and is basically a 'piece', sandwich, roll etc etc. Our little bit of pre-trip research led us to Johnny's Po-boys on St Louis Street (same street as our hotel - woo hoo) in the French Quarter. We actually waited in a queue (I'm usually ok for queueing but him indoors doesn't usually do queues but I persuaded him.

Bloody long queue with hardly any room to sit and eat but I'd say it was worth it

I'd also researched what to have via chowhound and a local food blog from NOLA and knew that I'd go for one shrimp po-boy and one roast beef po-boy and both should be 'dressed' which means you get shredded iceberg, sliced tomatoes, pickles and mayonnaise.

Shrimp and beef po-boys - that plateful was all mine (one behind was Alex's). Louisiana hot sauce sitting on the table too.

The shrimp po-boy was battered (think these folks from the south are secretly Scottish-they like to batter and deep fry everything) and the roast beef po-boy was sliced tender roast beef and gravy! What was good about the beef one was that the gravy had smooshed into the bottom of the bread. Oh yes, with hot sauce. There was Louisiana 'hot sauce' on just about every dining table we ate on during the trip and they put it on everything. Lovely on the shrimp po-boy. Heaven. Big fat heaven but I liked them.

I was actually full by then but Mr R. had noticed a sign pointing diners upstairs to the sort of separate cafe for pudding. He opted for a praline pecan coconut layer cake - look at it, it's HUGE!

Big fat cake for big fat husband

Pre-mentioned big fat husband.....note the two forks, ie, to share. Not to share with yourself you greedy bugger. One of those should have been MINE!

I spotted something that could take away on route to our afternoon's siesta - saltwater taffies which are basically flavoured soft toffees so I bought a bag and off we went.

Music
What I've mentioned at this stage is music. Music seems to be around every corner in New Orleans. We were staying in the centre of the French Quarter and pretty much on every street corner, there was someone or a group playing. Whether it be an older guy who looked a bit like Santa (who was amaaaazing)sitting on the corner every night playing his guitar and singing the blues. Or groups like the Dirty Commies who looked like something out of (for those of you that are old enough) The Beverley Hillbillies but the music they were playing was fabulous whether it be a banjo or a washboard, they were great musicians (we bought a CD...hear it soon at T Ann Cake!).

Back to the hotel for our siesta and then out to play!

We went straight to Frenchman Street. Although Bourbon Street has a lot of live music, it's not nice to walk in and around (sorry, just my opinion!). Loud noisy bars with lots of drunks walking around and the quality of the music we heard coming out of the bars didn't seem to be the best - I sound like I'm being a right moaney pants here but I/we just didn't fancy going in. Think of big touristy pubs in Leicester Square, London or Las Ramblas in Barcelona, the Royal Mile in Edinburgh (civilised compared to this), Times Square, New York or Wenceslas Square in Prague but less space so the crowds and noise are more intense. So, Frenchman Street it was and wow wow, this was more like it. A street of music pubs with at least two if not three different bands playing a night - heaven for me and even more so for my music-loving husband (I love it when he's happy!). We opted for Maison. We listened to a French 30s style Jazz type band first (I was in heaven now).

Local SOS beer pitchers. Alex ordered a ginger pulled pork on griddled sliced French bread with colesaw and bbq sauce with griddled asparagus. I helped him and it was bloody nice but again, a huge portion.

Another bad pic....pulled pork lhs at bottom. bread at top. coleslaw on rhs. bloody tasty.

We bought another CD of their stuff and we've already uploaded it onto the ipod - it's great. Happy Frenchy stuff; the sort of stuff that puts me in a nice mood in the morning.

Home. Good sleeps.

Tuesday 3rd January 2012
Usual holiday routine! I stay in bed and wonderful (yes I did say that) husband goes out and 'has a rummage for coffee'. We've not been impressed by the coffee so far in NOLA. This morning he brought back coffee and beignets from Cafe du Monde; quite a famous cafe where there are often queues. Hmm. I am being so fussy but these beignets weren't good. They were still warm but were quite dry and doughy - not light and fluffy as I've had them before in la belle France. Coffee was pretty poor - the famous cafe au lait (all over NOLA where they add chicory to the milk but I just didn't love it. Next.....

Mr R. outside a painted 'tin' building on the way to Elizabeth's

Our plan for the day was to have our first go on a street car (not named Desire but it was good fun!). We then walked to the Bywater district to Elizabeth's cafe (another pre-researched cafe). It took about 45 minutes to walk there through a really interesting area - fabbie houses and the NOLA arts school and lots more. I loved Elisabeth's. In the middle of nowhere on a long dusty street but it was almost full! We'd passed practially no-one on the way there. Got a table and struggled with what to order. We order praline roasted bacon (THIS WILL DEFINITELY BE ON THE MENU WHEN WE RETURN) and it was scrumptious.

Alex then ordered the fried chicken lives that he had with their homemade pepper (chilli) jelly, hash browns (but were actually fried potatoes), biscuit (a savoury scone) and overeasy eggs.

I had Fried Green tomatoes, boiled fat headed shrimp and remoulade sauce and some NOLA blonde beer.

This was a lovely place and the food was scrummy.

Funky lady and man on the toilet door

Even liked the toilet door (probably should get a sign made for ours but I don't want a 'normal' sign....only the odd customer gets the 'P' sign above the door. Shame on them! Definitely recommend Elizabeth's.

Walk back was good too. Went to the Cake Cafe (another recommendation) but hate to be a moaney pants again but the cafe was really rubbish - coffee was bad and the carrot cake was just not good - too dry, carrots too coarse and not enough frosting.

Guess what I saw on the way back from Elizabeth's? A real live lemon tree!

Bloody good photos of a lemon tree even if I do say so myself!

Back to 'the list' for where to eat that night. 'EAT' being the operative word so that's where we went. Rather good. A big bit camp. Actually restaurant beautifully decorated on the inside (can't say that for lots of NOLA) and the food was a good match.

OOOH, turtle soup, on our list...let's go!

OK, had camera on wrong setting but this is Alex's turtle soup, different cuts of turtle, chillis, mushrooms, peppers, onions.

My choice: their trio: stuffed peppers (green pepper stuffed with cheesy stuffy things), rice and beans, gumbo - yum! Rice and beans bit spicy but in a good way. Gumbo with chicken and boudin.

Pud. His pud. Banana cream pie. Another thing going on the menu on our return.

Christmas lights still up New Orleans style on our way home from EAT.

Wednesday 4th January 2012

Cappuccino and blueberry 'scones' for breakfast curtesy of Mr R., brought back to the room. Coffee ok (La Boucherie on Chartres Street) and scones not like 'our' scones, slightly crumblier but perfectly fine.

Today, we'd arranged to hire a car. Good call. As we left the hotel, one of the hotel staff let off a huge bunch of balloons into the air - lovely sight in the blue sky!

Left early and headed to a plantation. This was a Creole plantation and seemingly a lot less 'posh' and smaller than other plantation houses but fascinating never the less. Photos and stories....

Mr R. on the porch of the plantation house

Plantation house porch - very puurrrty

Read this....unbelievable

And again

Laura plantation house

Workers' houses on the plantation

Ok. Next stop. Lunch. Tried to go to Boutt's in Lafitte but was shut so we continued along the hugely long riverside road until the end. Most of the houses on either side of this thin roadway were on stilts.

We got right to the end and asked a couple of fishermen for their recommendations for lunch. They were cutting up 'red fish' and were surrounded by pelicans hoping for titbits.

The fishermen directed us to Jan's cajun restaurant which was friendly and fine. Probably wouldn't recommend it.

Alex had broiled shrimp in a garlic butter sauce with salad, garlic bread, baked potatoes and cream cheese.

I had fried and battered catfish on toast with pickles, tomato, lettuce and mayo with fries and gravy on the side!!! Rootbeer too.

We then headed to the Barataria Nature Reserve because husband wanted to see alligators but time wasn't on our side and it was closing soon. When we got there, the guide told us that they'd be sleeping in the mud at the bottom of the river beds but we walked round anyway and it was rather pretty.

Back home and boring night ahead. I'd woken up that morning with sore head, barbed wire throat and sore ears so we stayed in and Alex went out rummaging and brought back a feast of crackers (I wasn't that hungry), cheese, cucumber, wine for him and Jim Beam, lemons and honey for me - lovely toddy and good sleep.

Thursday 5th January 2012

Same place for morning coffee and scone and it's ok. Boiling hot weather early on. Today's plan was for a bit of culture so we headed out onto the St Charles streetcar

and went to three museums (all next to each other). The Contemporary Arts Museum was severely lacking in exhibits (and most expensive) but in a wonderful space. Second was the Civil War Museum which was interesting but the exhibits were really badly put together so no timeline or anything for those ignorant of most of the Civil War dates etc. Third was our favourite. The museum for Southern Arts - great big modern space and great exhibits - a lot of modern stuff which is what we both like best. The roof terrace was gorgeous but super hot by this point

Mr and Mrs R., on the rooftop taken by the camera's timer (I'm so clever!)

We then headed to Surrey's for lunch. We'd read above this pre-trip and it got really good reviews. It's in the lower Garden district and I loved it. I had an amazing fresh juice of mango, pineapple and orange, expensive at $6 but on a hot day like that, was worth every penny.

Alex's lump crab, brie and avocado omelette

My lumpfish, mozzarella, tomato, greens salad with lime cilantro dressing

Back to the hotel for a sleep then out that night back to Frenchman Street for more food and music. We went to the Three Muses and it was more than fab. A dark bar (always good for a lady of my vintage) with a great atmosphere. Great music - Luke Winslow King, dressed in a 1950s style suit and singing through an old fashioned mike. So talented. Just him on vocals and guitar and a pianist. Wow. Food. Brilliant. Smaller plates (woo hoo) and what a selection; a bit different from the usual NOLA stuff.

Took photos on my phone and not downloaded them but Alex had falafel crusted scallops with carrot puree and roasted veg including baby carrots and teensy little sprouts. We also had roasted chilli salted cashews. I had beef brisket filled ravioli with a pinotage beef reduction and cheddar popcorn with kale. Bloody lovely. More beer for both of us.

Friday 6th January

Different place for Mr R's coffee run today and I'd say it was the best. The Croissant D'Or. He was being a trickster and told me that he'd bumped into Brad Pitt because it was very close to his house on Govenor Nicholl's Street...I didn't believe him....

This coffee was good and their pastries were scrummy. A slice of frangipane tart and a sticky pastry. We had a lazy lazy morning and didn't leave the hotel until around 10ish. We headed straight to our lunch venue for the day but we walked. Today, we were heading for Cafe Reconcile. It's a cafe with a mission! Their mission is to train young people from 'severely at risk communities' in the hospitality industry. This was in the Central area of NO, so there were a few streets on the way that looked a bit iffy but it was fine.

The counter and serving area

I had fried chicken with 2 sides: mac cheese and okra with tomato and shrimp

Alex had their bananas foster bread pudding and oh my, the walk here was worth it just for that! I usually hate bread puddings (blah) but this was amaaaaaaazing.

Alex had jambalaya

Me! Outside Cafe Reconcile

We got the bus towards somewhere I didn't want to go next but because I NEVER get my own way (ok, very occasionally), I went. We were going to the bloody zoo because husband still hadn't seen a 'gator'. On the way, I took some photos of the bead trees left over from last year's Mardi Gras - these beads are thrown down from floats and lots end up on trees - very pretty.

Off to the zoo then but first a nice walk through the beautiful Audubon Park - lots of joggers and families. We also spotted a gentleman in a sweatshirt that either Alex or a certain Mr C. could easily wear every day....

Went to the zoo and it was diabolical and I hated giving them my money. I was really really sad walking around it and couldn't even look at any of the sad animals in tiny tiny tiny spaces as we rushed to the alligators. Got there. Their space was tiny too. Took photos. Went. Sad.

Headed back to the hotel. Quick siesta.

Yes, back to Frenchmen and yet again the Three Muses. We hate to be boring by choosing the same place to eat but before you get to this pub/restaurant, you have to walk past at least another four with live bands on and none of them had anything that we liked - quite a lot of funky jazzy blues going on which isn't our favourite (we agree on some things).

Scrummy food YET AGAIN!

I had a roasted beetroot salad with a pomegranate (sp?) molasses vinagrette, goats cheese, rocket and candied pecans - oh my lord!!!!!!!!!!!!! We have these molasses in the store cupboard in the cafe - can't wait to do this one too!

Mr R.....lobster egg rolls with a sweet chile lime sauce - again - just scrumptitous

Saturday 7th January 2012

Was going to be another gorgeous day and we'd read about a Farmers' market in the Garden/Business district so we thought we'd walk. We ended up in the middle of nowhere (this tends to happen on our holidays - we divert our route - usually on purpose - to investigate) and I couldn't help going into a huge indoor thrift store and I stocked up on a few books. We got to the market and it was a bit small and if we had a kitchen at our disposal, we'd have struck hold (huge big fat prawns sold by the fishermen!) and great local veggies but no hint, sight or smell of the promised food stalls for a 2nd breakfast/early lunch. I then thought we'd try Surrey's again but it's such a popular little place that we would have to wait at least 40 minutes to get in (Mr R. HATES queuing) so that was a big NO.

What we did stumble across was Alex's idea of food heaven - an icecream parlour with good ice cream (they don't always go hand in hand!) - La Divina Gelateria - oh my word. I'm not as crazy about ice cream as he is but this place is good.

Yes, mine is the smaller one on the right - sweet potato and cinnamon ice cream. Him indoors (larger one on the left) was praline bourbon ice cream! Yum.

We then discovered that they had another branch very close to our hotel - thank goodness we didn't discover that on our first day!

We headed back to the French Quarter and came across lots of mardi gras beads in the street from a parade that had just past through.

We then stumbled across yet more street music (music on every corner - it's heaven) and this band was the Dirty Commies - so good, we bought a CD - really good and it'll be on the cafe ipod when we get back.

towards another luncherie on our original list - The Green Goddess. Loved it. Tiny little hole in the wall kitchen and hardly any indoor seats (by now it was boiling hot outside) so we managed to grab a seat outside - this is probably the favourite place for food during the trip.

My gorgeous mojito

The start of the mardi gras season. I was busy with my mojito so Alex went to take a photo. Hmm, if you look really hard, you can see crowds of people and ???

This may look like a boring toasted sandwich but it was THE sandwich. A Cuban sandwich to be exact. Salami, pulled pork, machego cheese, pickled banana peppers, roasted pineapple and garlic aioli. I think Alex got a miniscule corner.

An even closer look for you (well for me actually as this is going on the T Ann Cake menu). It's making me hungry as I write this and I've just eaten dinner!

Mr R. had the shrimp and pork belly bahn mi. Also with foie gras mousse (sshhhh), cucumbers, rocket, jalepenos, carrots, and loads more. Bloody good.

With very full tummies and with me having had that rather strong cocktail at lunchtime, it was time for our siesta!

That night, we headed back to Frenchman Street and listened to the music coming from each restaurant pub but ended up yet again at the Three Muses. Can't remember the name of the band but there were around 5 of them and they were a laid back talented bunch playing the sort of music that you want to listen to whilst you're in somewhere like New Orleans to make you feel a little laid back yourself!

That night, we headed back to Frenchmen Street but went somewhere new first. We stumbled across a large open patio bar - Mojitos Rum Bar and Grill with great music (no surprise!). Although there had been tourists in some if not most of the places we'd been in, this one was probably the most touristy but it was still ok and because it was such a warm night, it was lovely to sit outside and enjoy it. More local beers (my waistband probably doubled during this holiday) were had too!

The bank playing were Emily and the Faux Bario Billionaires - very Frenchy jazzy stuff - just up my street!

Alex about to eat our snack

Our snack. Alligator bites with their house dip. Like chewy chicken and a tourist dish definitely.

Very attractive!!!!!

The band finished their slot so we headed back down Frenchmen Street and yes, back to the Three Muses! But yet again, the music playing lured us in. This was another favourite. A young pretty singer with so much chutzpah that you don't know whether to be annoyed or jealous of her beauty and amazing talent. I was just in awe and Alex pretended not to notice either her beauty or her talent.... Her name is Kristina Morales and we now know that she's a New Orlean's local, went to Music College in New Orleans and is now bringing out CDs and performing lots. She and the band were fantastic! They did a lot of old blues/jazz numbers and she did a fabbie really rude version of 'I'll be glad when you're dead...you rascal you'!

Wow wow, ok. Duck confit, pear, rocket and caramelised onion AND tallegio - bloody good. The pears were just sliced so so thin. The talegio was good and smelly.

This is Mr R blowing a kiss to his 'hookers'. Hmm. 'Hookers on Flying Saucers' - so that's bacon wrapped Gulf oysters over plantains with celeriac remoulade! LOVELY!

The other thing that we loved about this place was that they did these small plates. Yes, New Orleans is not cheap - I actually think it's more expensive that New York - but I loved the fact that I could go for small plates for nice stuff rather than big plates of so so stuff! We also usually filled our tummies up with lots of the local beers - lots of them brewed by Abita. Not just blonde lager-type beers but some nice darker ones too.

So, this is what happens when you write down your food notes etc (I'm so sad that I'm not kidding!) and lose them. We also heard another band earlier in the week but for the life of us can't remember their name - yet again, another uber-talented bunch of rather handsome young men!

The drummer! View from the windown as we were leaving!

On arriving back at the hotel quite late (well late for us), we headed up to the rooftop pool for a nosey. It was a bit lovely. We failed at taking a good photo of us with a view behind us but it was nice and we kicked ourselves for not making use of the pool in the hot weather or for just spending some time in the bar up there.

Sunday 8th January 2012

Last morning and we weren't leaving until lunchtime. Do I admit to what we did first on route to the market at the waterfront...I might in a minute (even though it'll mean you finally confirm what a sad and gullible individual I am). We headed back to a second hand stall in the market to buy a couple of local cajun/creole cook books and I can't wait to try some recipes out. On the way back, we walked via Govenor Nicholl's Street which is where Brad and Angelina have a house RIGHT ON THE STREET! And, given that my mean husband had been trying to convince me that he'd bumped into Brad in the coffee shop a couple of days before, I thought I'd meander past just in case - yes, a dumb ass.

By now it was getting really hot again and we were a bit starving so we headed to another one from the list - Stanley's on Jackson Square. Ok but I didn't like the atmosphere - I thought they were just trying to get everyone that walked in fed and watered as quickly as possible so that they can turn the tables around quickly. Food was good though.

This was my choice.... a club stanley - chicken breast, smoked bacon, sliced ham, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, spicy caesar pesto and dressing on toasted French bread.

HUGE - yes, me and the sandwich!

Alex's brunch. Bad man. Bananas Fosters French Toast.....battered French bread, sliced bananas, vanilla bean ice cream, toasted walnuts and fosters sauce (rum!).

So that was our holidays that was. Tried not to take photos and turn it into a cafe research trip but why change a bad habit? It's times like this when I realise that space (both ingredients storage and prep space) just doesn't help with what I'd really love to do in the caff but we might get a bit more organised and go to the 'next level' this coming year!

xxx

Our holidays (part 1) Planning - The Big Easy...the Crescent City...N'uwluns...NOLA

2012-01-10T14:59:00.000-08:00

D'y'all remember when you were at school and you came home from the summer holidays and teacher made you stand and tell everyone where you went on your holidays? I do. So, this is going to be a bit like that... and I did the y'all as a huge big fat clue....we were in

New Orleans, Louisiana

Deciding where to go

We'd been talking about where to go during the early January cafe closure since coming back from Amsterdam in August. We both have travel lists and luckily, there's an overlap. I don't think much of his number 1 spot - an African safari and he doesn't think much of my wish to do Paris 'properly'...armed with a list of where the best local pastry shops and flea markets area.

Where we should have gone and more importantly wanted to go was back to Oz where his lovely daughter Hannah lives (along with her lovely Ozzie hubbie and three lovely boys) but it'd be silly to go all that way for a week or two. So Oz was out for now.

The chats continued every few weeks and for a while I had it sussed and Paris was on the list along with Istanbul as a little two city trip and I'd gone so far as to find really good low fares as to how to get there and back via trains, planes and automobiles but then we did what we always do .... nothing. I kept nagging and he kept avoiding the subject.

Tah dah...the decision's made

So mid-December came and no plans made. A usual Saturday night where Mr R., was cooking me yet another scrummy meal and I was mucking about on the laptop. This time I was clearing emails and another came up from Continental airlines. I had a thought....a city on our overlap list that neither of us had been to. I plugged in the dates (1 January for a week) and there was our holiday (well flights) but flying out on Hogmanay and returning on the 9th. A bonus was that with the stopover in New York, we'd have to spend NYE in the big apple!

I put the idea to Mr R., and we spent a quick 20 minutes talking about it and then pressed the button. Easy as that.

What now?

We spent the next couple of weeks talking about it and I did a bit of food research for the area but we did our usual again and didn't actually book accommodation until just before Christmas. We were going to be brave and book a funky little B and B in the French Quarter and read lots of reviews but one of them mentioned needing to wear shoes in the room because of certain stains on the carpet. That was it for me so we opted for a very safe option. A hotel, in the French Quarter but not on or just off Bourbon Street, The Omni Royal. Got an alright price and that was that.

Airport parking, dog kennels for my boy and that was it.

My boy Hamish looking ever so sad because he'll miss his mum

The countdown
To be truthful, we didn't really think about the holiday because we didn't have time to think about it; the cafe was stupidly busy the week after Christmas and I actually wasn't expecting that...quiet for for the first hour each day and then just plain daft (not complaining btw!).

We closed the cafe doors at 4pm on Friday the 30th and Mr R., and I were leaving at 5.30 the next morning. We packed that night!

We're having a little break

2011-12-30T11:24:00.000-08:00

Phew. The run up to Christmas was just a bit silly (still never got those mini Christmas cakes made; maybe next year). The week inbetween Christmas and New Year has been MADNESS!!! but I promise that's not a complaint.

Thanks for coming in. There are some of you that come in again and again and this little business just wouldn't be here if you didn't do that so I/we really mean it when we say thank you.

We're having a break. Some of us are taking a little break to various far flung places. But...we'll be back on Tuesday the 24th of January 2012 and I'm truly looking forward to it (once I've had my little break!).

With lots of love (and have a fabulous New Year when it comes).... from T Ann Cake

Ann, Alex, Caroline, Laura, Brooke, Morag and Jenna (and Kirsten - starting in January!)

xxx

2011-12-26T22:50:00.000-08:00

That lovely man has been and left me some lovely presents and I had a fabulous time at my daughter's house with her, her super duper cook of a husband and their two little girlies. Here's little Abbie saying 'cheese' through her Father Christmas hat just before Christmas.

And here's another of Kaitlyn and Abbie enjoying a pre-Christmas snack of their favourite natural yoghurt and honey.

Not forgetting my little boy Hamish. Here's Hamish helping with the pre-Christmas wrapping

I've eaten far too much and I'm now wearing elasticated trousers; I might as well start living in jogging bottoms and be done with it!

Went to the Boxing Day sales yesterday (first time ever). Got there at 9, left by 11.30) and bought quite a few things that I actually needed clothes-wise.

Back to work for four days and looking forward to it.

Secret Santa visited T Ann Cake after we closed on Christmas Eve - oh dear!

I think he'd been eating lots too. The album's on facebook - take a look HERE.

Hope you all had a brilliant Christmas and are looking forward to New Year. xxx

Ho ho ho

2011-12-20T22:10:00.000-08:00

4 sleeps until Father Christmas arrives. I came home last night and my very own Christmas fairy had been AGAIN. I am so lucky. There were some gorgeous huge snowflakes and tissue balls (if you've been in the shop lately, you'll know what I mean) up in our back living room and he'd hung up our Christmas cards using the little mini Santa pegs (didn't even know that the Christmas fairy knew where they were).

Need lots of coffee today because was woken by my Christmas fairy at 2.30am getting up to get some Rennies - part of our dinner last night was (whisper this bit) a ready made thing that Mr R. had bought and I don't know if he's just not used to it but I tried to read my crappy crime novel for an hour but gave up : )

But, I'm not grumpy because I'm going to see my grandaughter's first nativity play today and I'm super excited. She's not going to be happy as I think her family (both sides) and friends are going to make up about half of the audience and she didn't even want anyone to go and see her - so much so, she tried to tell me the wrong date for the performance. Little toad.

So, ho, ho, ho. Have a lovely day and remember be good. Only 4 more sleeps until that lovely bearded, slightly fat old man sneaks into your house (strange thing is, I feel like it's Christmas every day)

PS, if my lovely bearded, slightly fat old man reads this (he occasionally does) can he take the hint about 'crappy crime novel' and given that he's admitted that he's not quite finished his Christmas shopping, see if my Santa could ensure that a new novel could be part of his £25 Christmas present budget???????

PPS, remember, I post our daily menu each day (well, most days). Click on the menu page above for details.

2011-12-15T21:49:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to us, Happy Birthday to us.....a year ago today we struggled through the snow (again), started baking some cakes, Alex started making a pot of soup and his bread. Some of my farmers' market customers knocked on the door so we invited them in to take a look. Then a couple more did. Then a couple more. We tried to lock the door after people came in because we were "probably going to open tomorrow". We then forgot to lock the door and we noticed 'non previous market customers' had walked in and asked if we were open. I think my words were, "well not really but come in anyway". People then asked if we had a menu. The menu was the soup (chorizo, chickpea and roast pepper - we're doing the same soup today). They wanted it. We served it. Then they had cake and some drinks. Tah dah. That was it. We really did open by accident on that first day. Our menu today (a year on) is a little longer - have a look here or click on the MENU link above. Our savoury menu on the second day involved a tart - gruyere, sunblushed tomato, chard and red onion. Hmm. Sounds nice.

We're still here and are delighted about that and cannot quite believe the level of support we've received and the fact that our customers are probably made up of an awful lot of regulars who keep on telling their friends and families about us. Might sound a bit corny but it's quite difficult not to think that our customers are our friends (told you it was corny but we mean that). A common question in the kitchen is, "I think I know the lady/man on table two/three/etc" but then we realise we don't actually know you/them, it's just that they/you come in an awful lot and we feel we do know them. Do you know how difficult it is for us not to ask so many questions when you pop up to the till or when we take your order? Things like, where do you live? What do you do? Where did you get that lovely coat? Are you single (hee hee)?

To celebrate our first year, we want to try to raise a little bit of money for a charity that's close to our hearts - the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund. Not a very 'sexy' charity I'm afraid but one that needs any publicity it can get. We're going to offer free tea or coffee with any sit in food purchase and customers are very welcome to make a donation (no obligation of course). We're also holding a raffle for a £25 T Ann Cake gift voucher (we're holding the draw at 5pm in the cafe tonight).

If you've been in. We thank you. You've got an awful lot of other coffee shops/cafes to choose from in Dundee and you choose to come to us sometimes - we really appreciate this.

Lots and lots of love from Ann, Alex and the T Ann Cake team xxxx

2011-12-05T14:35:00.001-08:00

It is soooooooooooooooooooooo cold now. Really feels lovely and wintry but am a little thankful that it's not quite as wintry as it actually was this time last year. This time last year, Alex and I were finishing off the renovations in the middle of the snow madness...delayed opening by a couple of weeks but worth it in the end.

Just over a week until our first birthday - doesn't time fly......

PS. today's menu posted and you'll find it by clicking on the menu page above.

PPS. our lovely gift vouchers are now available to buy in the cafe...make a great gift you know!

PPS. fabbie 'Drop Bombs Not Scones' tea towels and tote bags now available to buy as are our 'love hate' and 'love cake' oven gloves.

2011-11-30T23:01:00.001-08:00

We 'christmassed' the caff last night.....

Ok, this arty photo didn't quite work out but look at the sparkly lights (and the girlies, L-R, Morag, Caroline, Laura and Brooke)

Christmas dancing, L-R, Caroline (why is she doing Egyptian dancing?), Morag, Brooke (swishing Phoenix hair ponytail and Laura)

L-R, Morag, Caroline, Laura, Brooke

Pretty window! My house will look very bare this Christmas : (

Introducing RUDOLPH!! No, it is not a springbok. L-R, Morag, Caroline, Rudolph, Laura and Brooke

Sparkling lights that you can't really see around sign

Pretty window, tired girls, L-R, Laura, Brooke, Morag and me (Ann!)

And a little cat from Hallowe'en (our Saturday girl Gemma)

I'm going to say the 'C' word

2011-11-28T21:33:00.001-08:00

No, not that 'C' word. The nice C word. Christmas. My ~~husband~~ aka, the Christmas Grinch doesn't usually allow the C word before mid December but this year IT'S DIFFERENT. I've had to plan for the caff so Christmas has been in and on my mind for quite a little while now. Decorations (we'll go a bit mad in there I think). Food (we'll do some, both savoury and sweet). Music. Ahh. Christmas music. Easy listening aka Dean Martin. Cheese aka Noddy Holder. Or a some classy cantatas aka Bach. Or a mix of everything. Yes. A mix. But there lies the problem. I've only just ordered a new one (up until now, Mr R. has lent us his ipod and he actually removed a huge number of the Christmas stuff from the ipod. So once the new (with much improved memory) ipod arrives, there will be lots and lots of new Christmassy stuff going on.

PS. T Ann Cake Christmas starts on the 1st December.

2011-11-21T21:44:00.001-08:00

Another menu, another week. Lots of Christmas prepping going on this week too. Bit exciting.

Today's menu can be found by clicking on the 'menu' link above.

Have a great week. x

Random questions....random answers gratefully received

2011-11-16T13:02:00.001-08:00

Sitting being a couch potato having just persuaded grumpy pants next to me that watching Pam Am (new US drama on 1960s air travel) on the telly would be a good idea and that's it got some really good preview write ups - quite scary how these little white lies sort of slip through my lips.

What I should be doing just now having just finished amending my menu lists (running record of what we have served every day and although it gets done a week ahead, I add whatever cakes I've made that day as well as any menu changes caused by us running out of something too quickly), amending my menu for the cafe window (do this each day, again, just in case something changes), amending the kitchen prep sheet (to keep us right, ie, what we have to cook/prep/sort that day/for the next day and lastly amend the blog's menu page - still with me? Ok, so I've done that and what I should now be doing is some accounts stuff but I'm not.

This post is entitled, random questions. Three have come to light in my head...

1) where the bloody hell is Burkina Faso? He who knows everything (and I'm not being mean here, he just does; it's one of the reasons I married him) told me that it's somewhere in Africa. I'm so bloody ignorant/badly educated. Well, someone from Burkina Faso has clicked on/read this blog - how exciting is that? And how bad is it given that I don't even know where it is....wikipedia, here I come.

2) Second random question - can someone help me learn a bit more about a random Norwegian kid's song about Napoleon? There are regular readers of the blog in Norway (my stats tell me where the readers are from) so if any of them were brave enough to help me with this one, it would make my day. When I was at school in Oslo when I was around 10, during our Norsk lessons, we used to sing a song about Napoleon going up into the Alps and drinking milk. So excuse the bad spelling ahead, it went something like, "Napoleon mason har over alpena dro, Napoleon mason har over alpena dro, Napoleon mason har ya, Napoleon mason har ya, Napoleon mason har over alpena dro". It then goes on to talk about, "og alle hadde flaske med melke sqverteri" - that last word looks more like Italian than Norsk - ah well. So, I'd love to find the actual words online and also find out if it's still sung there (in school).

3) Third random question, and this is one that came up around the dishwasher today. Acorns. What are they for? It all came about because Brooke and Laura were commenting on the shape of one of the butternut squashes that had been delivered. Sometimes these lovely things are a bit phallic but this one was a perfect fat acorn shape - beautiful. It brought back another memory from childhood. This time from Germany. We lived in Germany (as bratty RAF kids) for 3 years and I have a blurry memory of a local farmer paying kids to collect bags of acorns for cash. I've not checked this memory out with my siblings but I don't think my mind has made this up. Back to the dishwasher conversation, we then thought, what are acorns for (apart from being very pretty)? And, why would that farmer want bags of them? Brooke's answer.... for the squirrels. Hmmmm. Don't know about that one. So, if anyone knows the answer to this one (without using wikipedia), let us know? Please.

Final question. Does anyone know of a good pub quiz in Dundee? I want to go to one. I'm rubbish at them (apart from some music questions and late 1980s English football league questions) but I LOVE doing them.

Answers on a postcard or via the comments section on the blog (hardly any comments received these days since my huge non-blogging period a few months back but I know you're all secretly reading it cos I see the stats!!!).

Night.

PS. Got bored with Pan Am. Concentration span of a newt these days.

2011-11-14T21:53:00.001-08:00

Half way through December already - how the hell did that happen? Christmas is coming and we've booked our Christmas night out.

Although I love the festive season, I think that the 1st of December is early enough for decorating the cafe and I'm very excited (well, end of play on the 30th November).

Not nearly as ahead with other Christmas stuff but unfortunately the old staffing problem has reared its ugly head again - boo; fingers crossed we'll get further ahead this week.

Excited about food things the week ahead; some old favourites and a few newbies (at least one new soup, one new special and three more new cakes). Our recipe folder is getting bigger by the week!

Click on the menu page link above if you want to take a look at today's menu.

Closed this Saturday

2011-11-10T22:14:00.001-08:00

We'll be closed this Saturday (11th November). Something that isn't ideal but owing to a number of circumstances outwith my control.

Open again on Tuesday 14th November at 10am.

Have a lovely weekend from Ann and the team x

Full time kitchen post

2011-11-06T04:15:00.000-08:00

We've almost been open a year and what a year it's been. We've surpassed anything we predicted in how the business has grown but then, how on earth could we predict what wasn't there in the first place?!

Before we opened, I thought long and hard about how many staff we would need. Again, how on earth could we predict this? We started by recruiting lots of part-timers (mostly students). Unfortunately, this didn't work out that well; whilst the team were great, trying to work around upmteen different timetables wasn't.

Onwards and upwards. We've had a lot of stability lately and pretty much have (in addition to me and Mr R.) three full time staff and a few part time. This is far more than I ever thought we'd have. Unfortunately, it's still not enough. The problem is trying to get the right people in doing the things we need them to do.

I couldn't be happier with the current team at T Ann Cake. They do a mixture of making us laugh when we might on occasion feel like not laughing; occasionally making us cry but not very often and our lovely customers seem to love them too!

The current team have evolved from me recruiting for part-time staff and these have turned into full time roles. I am now, for the first time ever, advertising for a full time post.

Details are posted on gumtree and I'm going to be have to be seriously strict and say that I won't be able to reply to anyone who doesn't fulfil the criteria.

Take a look. If you know of anyone who fits the bill, pass it on.

Have a lovely Sunday. xxxhttp://www.gumtree.com/p/jobs/full-time-cook--dundee-city-centre/91105062

Remember, rememeber the 5th of November

2011-11-03T23:55:00.000-07:00

Okay, not quite the 5th but one of our specials for today and tomorrow will be bangers and mash. Scrummy local pork, mango and chilli sausages with mashed potatoes and our onion red wine gravy - YUM!

Failed in thinking of any firework inspired cakes but I promise that there will be a 'display' on that counter.

2011-11-01T23:10:00.000-07:00

Menu posted today and we've got four lovely savoury specials for you today including more of our very popular pulled pork sandwich with our spicy chipotle chilli bbq sauce.

I'm feeling a theme/trend appearing on our cake counter.. parsnip apple cake, today I'll be doing a beetroot chocolate cake and I want to do a butternut squash drizzle cake later in the week. See, cakes can be healthy!!!

Oh yes, more bacon brownies being made tomorrow (as long as bacon-loving Laura doesn't scoff all of the bacon)!

2011-10-31T12:56:00.000-07:00

Start of a new week....excited about the menu again! Remember I've been very good lately about posting our menu each day - click on the menu page above for details.

The pulled pork sandwich with our spicy smoked chipotle bbq sauce is making a reappearance this week as is a possible bangers n mash (local pork, chilli and mango sausages) later in the week. For those non-meat eater regulars, we'll have lots of veggie treats too and I'm talking a veggie Scotch egg!!!, a scrummy butternut squash herb filo pie and lots more.

Cakes....it'll have to be more bacon brownies in the oven (we had a customer phoning to prebook 2 this week!!), more parsnip and apple cake (2nd most popular this week and I need to get more beetroot into another chocolate cake - not brownies I think but our chocolate beetroot and poppyseed cake - see....who said that cakes aren't a healthy option??

Hallowe'en at T Ann Cake

2011-10-28T13:25:00.000-07:00

Costume made. Ok, half-made and currently sitting on the living room floor but still struggling to work out how I'm going to work in the kitchen with it on tomorrow!

Cupcake fairy witch in the cafe finishing off the decoration of her hallowe'en cupcakes; she's not working tomorrow and I had left by the time she'd finished so I can't wait to see what she's done with the next lot.

Sweetie pail out and hopefully we'll have some guisers in to entertain us (otherwise we'll have to eat all of the sweets).

Mad day today. Two new fiddly specials for us to finish making; not good when our first lunch customers all seemed to arrive at the same time; bit of chaos and fingers crossed everyone as happy. Towards the end of that first tranche, and before round 2, 3 and 4, all of the specials were dealt with / finished so that made it all slightly less frantic later.

Quick week this week and can't believe it's Saturday already. Have a lovely weekend. x

The week ahead

2011-10-24T14:05:00.000-07:00

Had a lovely day today. Couldn't manage a day without work unfortunately but had two cooking/baking fairies in the cafe today to get us started with a few things for the start of the week. I've been menu planning today and have found it really difficult today; trying to get a good balance between soups and savoury specials and trying to second guess what's going to sell out first.

So, I'm extremely excited about what we'll have on offer this week (click on menus page above for daily details) and that's not even thinking about Friday and Saturday when some of the cake counter may feature some spooky Hallowe'en items.....

Not sure what I'll be wearing yet but I've a feeling that the cafe may take on a slightly scary look on Friday xx

2011-10-20T21:48:00.000-07:00

Thank fffoodness it's Friday.... to check out what scrummy savouries we have on each day, remember to click on the 'menus' link above, or, just click here actually. Have a lovely day. I'm off to make some cakes. x

Quick update

2011-10-19T13:47:00.000-07:00

Very busy week this week and last. Things are going a bit mad around here (well, in the caff). Our regulars are still regular (in the visiting the cafe sense and not in the toilet sense... well, they might be but they don't share that with us) and we're still getting lots of new customers. We are doubly delighted... especially given that they seem to be coming in after their first visit (always fairly easy to get people in once but it's the second and subsequent visits that count).

One of our main soup, scone and bread 'team' has been away on 'holiday' - ha ha, he'll kill me for saying that but he returns soon - hurrah. I've missed his grumpiness, his flour all over the floor by 8.30am and his absolute resoluteness (right word?, actual word?) of never ever wanting to make a coffee for a real customer even though he's been on proper training courses!

I'm.....

2011-10-14T09:07:00.000-07:00

h.a.p.p.y

why?

'cos I got some hard sums to add up! So, first round 'done'. Now to the next lot. First bottle of cold peroni will only be opened if I put the computer down and get the next lot to work out. No reconcilation = no beer.

Book group spaces

2011-10-10T11:43:00.000-07:00

Thanks for those of you who got in touch about the book group spaces; I'll be in touch over the next few days.

Needless to say, if you haven't been in touch before now, we're at capacity again.

That said, if I continue to fail in my attempts to read the next book (I can read, it's just a time issue), then I imagine I'll be chucked out of the book group so that'll be at least one more place!

Book Group

2011-10-06T21:55:00.000-07:00

For those of you that have been asking, we have spaced for a few new members in the book group. We meet every first Thursday of every month at 6pm. E-mail me at t-ann-cake@live.co.uk if you're interested.

The book we'll be reading this month (and to chat about on the 3rd November) is 'That Summer in Ischia' by Penny Feeney.

Book Group this week

2011-10-03T11:17:00.000-07:00

Book Group this Thursday (6th October) at 6pm .... book we're reading (and some of us are struggling past the first few pages) is Alison Irvine's This Road is Red.

Waterstone's were out of stock as of last weekend but could be back in stock now (for those of you that haven't bought it yet - surely not?!).....

2011-09-28T12:51:00.000-07:00

News....news....news.....

Visit Scotland review
For those of you not on facebook, we were recently contacted by Visit Scotland to tell us that a customer had written a little review about us. They asked if we'd like to add further details to their site and we were delighted to do this. We're nearly a year old now but things like this make it all very exciting again!

http://surprise.visitscotland.com/things_to_see_and_do/food_and_drink/cafe_days/cafes/t_ann_cake.aspx

Can I say the 'C' word?
C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S......said it. We'll shortly and finally be selling our fabulous tea towels, tote bags and oven gloves - all rather funky and ideal for a present for that someone you love.

Talking about presents....we also finally have our 'official' gift vouchers. As is usual, they've been sitting around doing nothing for around a month now but we'll soon be selling them (and advertising their existence) in the cafe....great for a 'C' present but also just any type of present for that special someone in your life.

2011-09-19T12:12:00.000-07:00

Lots of prep done today in the cafe and again, very excited about the food for the week ahead. Tomorrow's menu (Tuesday) is HERE

Cakes for tomorrow (Tuesday) include a Victoria Sandwich cake filled with our homemade raspberry jam and vanilla buttercream (I know the W.I. say that it should only be jam but it's my cake and I like buttercream!!!), another layer cake - mocha layer cake - a chocolate sponge filled and topped with coffee buttercream and also topped with chocolate covered coffee beans. I'm also doing a newbie of a banana and maple ring/bundt cake and if I get over there super early, some earl grey shortbread.

We said our goodbyes to our 'token' boy Gary the week before last and it was very sad. He's off to do his postgrad and internship and we wish him lots of love and luck. We have a new 'token' boy (I promise we're not serious about them being token boys - it was the luck of the draw), Ronan who has been in a couple of times and will be starting with us proper this week.

Have a great week and say hello if you pop in.

xxx

2011-09-12T11:20:00.000-07:00

Very excited about the menu again this week. Quite a few new specials and at least one new soup and cake for you to try. Click on the 'menu' page above for more details...it's updated daily (I very occasionally forget but I'm getting better!). x

Oh my......lack of posting

2011-09-05T14:31:00.000-07:00

Feel crap for crappy lack of posts. Been busy busy busy. But, have made some progress.

Busy two weeks ahead with stuff I have to do. But...

I've found the grey wirey bit that runs from the camera to the laptop so I can finally upload some great food, people, cafe photos.

We've finally had our new business cards, postcards (fliers) and gift vouchers delivered!

I've had a nightmare two weeks and have had to change suppliers for a thing or two....really annoying and sad in a way but I have no control over these things and hey ho.

We've finally had a final final look through the big pile of applications we had for the cafe position so we'll be contacting people this week. There are some goodies in there which is a shame as we would love to take on more people but the kitchen would be a bit crowded!

Once we have new kitchen/cafe person in place and trained up, we'll be able to move onto the next food stage - breakfasts!! Was supposed to happen pretty much from day one but what's 8/9 months between friends???

New furniture...we're getting a replacement for table 1 (replacement for the big red retro gateleg table)and as soon as number 1 DIY man puts a hard varnish on it, it'll move into the prime position. Love the gateleg tables in the cafe but even as I bought them, I knew they were bad news, ie, we're always looking out for the legs collapsing. Desperately need a replacement for the smaller one now but I'm fussy.

It's Gary's last week this week. We're sad. But he's off to pursue his career plans in sunny Belfast. Oh yes, and we have a birthday too - hurrah!

That's it for now. Must be good and get good sleep this week.

Friday's menu and cakes, cakes, cakes and lack of beer

2011-08-25T14:16:00.000-07:00

Menu being posted every day at the moment....this routine thing sort of works! Just click on the menu page above.

Cakes for Friday...my big fat muscovado meringues, chocolate orange polenta, another chocolate beetroot cake, lemon poppyseed cake and, and, and. Lots more but I can't decide between a couple. I'll see how I feel in the morning.

PS. Still thinking about the future breakfast menu and am thinking about the unthinkable....buying in something that, in theory, we (read, Mr R.) can make and has made in the past but it took (and I'm not exaggerating here) 3 separate lots of proving and that's not even counting the initial making the dough stuff. Oh yes, and even more important, he basically told me that there was more chance of me ever sitting at home and being a lady of leisure than there was than him making me these 'gorgeous things' so that was that. I sort of understand. We don't have the time (well he doesn't) and we certainly don't have the space for the long proving so this is where I'm at. I'm trying samples late next week but I feel kinda funny about it all.

New postcards, business cards and gift vouchers coming soon too - few months late but better late than never.

Random piece of information. I'm feeling like a 'poor me' is coming on tonight. I'm spoiled. Not only do I have a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice placed before me each morning (3 to 4 oranges - tres healthy - I am also presented with a bowl of chopped fresh fruit (usually melon, pineapple and sometimes mango). Evening times... well, up until this week, my 'Peroni-putting-in-freezer-fairy' did ~~her~~ his job, ie, as I drunk one, another bottle miraculously found itself in the fridge. This fairy seems to have gone on strike. Why? I have no idea. The fairy has told me that the box of Peroni sits pretty much next to the fridge in the larder and that I'm a big girl (getting bigger by the day) and that I can do it myself. I'm feeling hard done by. I'm sure I remember a legal term from my uni days that has something to do with implied actions or something, ie, if something has happened for a long period of time and it sort of becomes 'normal' then it should continue.

No reason for me writing all of that down really. Well apart from feeling strange from having had no beer. Don't think that husband has been reading this lately so I should be safe. So, I've drunk lots of his white wine tonight. Don't even like stupid white wine. Much prefer a pungey bottle of red. What a meanie I am! Maybe he'll get sick of me drinking his wine and will restart his fairy Peroni stuff.

Madness!

2011-08-24T11:05:00.000-07:00

Only Wednesday in the new week but what a mad couple of days! Lots of returning customers and our lovely regulars but lots of newbies too - how fantastic is that??

I love what we've had on our menu so far this week (salami, potato and brie tartiflette again - so popular last week) or our red lentil dhal with cucumber raita and tomorrow is going to bring our sweet potato, thyme, goats cheese and red pepper lasagne - woo hoo and don't even start me on one of the new ones for Friday/Saturday (includes fish caught by Mr R. btw!!!!).

The T Ann Cake team are working like crazy and I am as well - promise I am! Here's to the days ahead....

Job opportunity - kitchen assistant

2011-08-23T12:37:00.001-07:00

Part-time Cook/Kitchen Assistant Needed

Are you a bit grumpy? Do you hate meeting new people?

Are you scared of hard work? Do you smoke? Do you love to moan? Do you have a no-can-do and a negative attitude? Are you a fussy eater who hates trying new foods?

YES!??? Really?? Then please don’t read on. No, I’m serious.

However, if you feel that you’re the exact ANTITHESIS of the above, then I quite like you already and you should continue to read this advert ….

I’m looking for someone to join the team on a more permanent basis (after a trial period) for 15 - 25 hours per week Tuesday – Saturday, however, flexibility out side those core hours and days may sometimes be necessary. You will also be working in the café serving customers & making coffee.

We are open 5 days a week (closed Sundays & Mondays) and also during the very occasional evening. We serve homemade (on the premises) cakes, cookies, tarts (sweet & savoury), soups, sandwiches and other scrumptious goodies.

The qualities I am looking for are:

- A good cook with recent commercial kitchen experience (this is essential)

- Hygiene qualification

- Presentable, well mannered and scrupulously honest.
- Common sense and initiative.

- Smiling nicely and meaning it!

- Someone who isn’t afraid of serious hard work – the candidate will be expected to work at a very fast pace (even when the café isn’t busy)
- Works well as part of a team.
- Ability to think on your feet.

- Good written and spoken English.
- Someone who doesn’t mind doing the boring bits as well as the exciting bits!

To apply: please send your full CV listing relevant experience (as well as letting us know what you’re doing now) to

t-ann-cake@live.co.uk

We will not be able to work around any student timetables for this post – sorry!

Love the cake counter today!

2011-08-18T05:04:00.000-07:00

Hugely enthusiastic about the cake counter today.....still in the oven as I left for a few hours of admin....our HUGE BIG FAT hazelnut & muscovado meringues, we've also got....apple, lemon and olive oil cake, lemon poppyseed cake, chocolate orange polenta cake, cup of tea fruit cake (my mum Sheena's recipe), gooey chocolate brownies, raspberry brownies, coconut and cherry scones, little orange drizzle muffins, caramel shortbread, pecan and maple flapjacks and a Spanish whole orange & almond (g/f) cake. Phew.

Coming tomorrow...our chocolate guinness cake (only got the liquid stuff mixed and melted today so will finish later or in the morning) and our Dutch appeltaart - also need to decide on another layer type cake and have some carrots so I think I might do a carrot, pineapple and banana layer cake. Also probably going to try to do a paradise slice again (v. popular). And, we're running short on brownies so think I might do something different as well as our 'usual' gooey fudge brownies.

Meant to add a photo take of the meringues but can't find the grey bit of wire that goes between the camera and the laptop and husband (who has probably tidied it away) is away fishing on a bit boat off Arbroath to hopefully catch lots of mackerel!

A lovely night...in a way

2011-08-12T15:03:00.000-07:00

Straight from the cafe tonight to visit one of my Aunties. You know when you get to a certain age, you should probably stop calling all of your aunties and uncles by their first names rather than Aunty x or Uncle y, well, I just can't do it - I love calling them Aunty or Uncle - it's just nice.

So a lovely visit tonight and my Aunty almost showed me how to make her FANTASTIC caramel shortbread and she'd even set everything out in the kitchen but we just didn't stop talking for hours - I think she was even chattier than me and I thought I could talk!!! But she's already given me her recipe and I'll give it another go (why is it that all of my aunties can make this but I can't? - well, Aunty Monica too, I don't know about the others)...so that's my challenge for Sunday (day off).

So, lovely night of memories x

2011-08-11T22:25:00.000-07:00

Gold star for me please...I've been updating the menu pages every day - click on 'menu' above for details of our scrumptious savoury menu. Cakes today will include dulce de leche brownies, gooey chocolate brownies, apple & olive oil cake with maple frosting, carrot cake, plum crumble cake, nectarine crumble cakes & maybe some cupcakes!

Book club info. for the next meeting on the 1st September on the cafe news section.

Can't believe it's Friday already - quick, quick week xxx

Back from our break!

2011-08-05T09:36:00.000-07:00

We've been on a sneaky wee break to Amsterdam! I haven't been since I was around 6 or 7 years old (mid 70s) and husband's never been so we went....

Although I was banned from doing so, I took lots of food photos and needless to say, both Mr R. and I are slightly larger than we were when we went.

Cafe re-opening on Tuesday but lots to do in the meantime. Tonight? I'll be doing some computer 'paperwork' but will also be trying to recreate the Dutch Apple pie/tart that I ate a lot of.....no actual recipe so I'll need lots of luck.

Full Amsterdam post to follow! : )

Today's menu.....

2011-07-27T22:38:00.000-07:00

is detailed on our MENU page...have a read. All homemade, by us at T Ann Cake. Lots of cakes will be on the naughty counter too. Check out our facebook page for a fuller list. x

Ann...you're not on holiday yet!!!

2011-07-26T14:19:00.000-07:00

That's the problem with deciding to take a break and, more importantly, for the cafe to have a break. I'm on a sort of slow down/come down/something down and I've reduced my pace.

That's. Not. Good.

Especially when you get to 5pm on a Monday night and you're due to open as usual at 10am on a Tuesday morning and you've not decided what soup, savoury specials or cakes will be on the counter.

I usually make a decision on what most of the food/specials/cakes will be on a Sunday and then work towards what to order to make them happen. That didn't happen. I relaxed a wee bit too much.

I've been good at trying to take one of the days when the cafe is closed (Sunday and Monday) as mostly a day off. This week, I almost took two full days off - nice and relaxing (kidnapped one of my gorgeous granddaughters for trampolining, visiting Sensation in Dundee, watched crappy telly and went fishing) and caught up with friends but that didn't help the feeling I had at 5pm on Monday when I realised I needed to open the 'caff' the next day.

Somehow I/we did it. Wouldn't be possible of course without Mr R., and the rest of the team who now seem to take it all in their stride.

So, Tuesday done. Sold out of two of the savoury specials that were actually supposed to last for 2 days (well laid plans and all that) but not to worry, we have two more in hand now. Caroline got her pastry-making mojo on and even got the tart case in the oven before the end of her shift. So a big fat greek tart is planned (think thinly sliced red onion, lots of feta, olives and roasted red peppers - oh and lots of lovely fresh herbs). We've got more mature cheddar, Guinness and chorizo croquebit and we're trying out one of my faves tomorrow - a spiced black bean, corn, coriander and cheddar quesadilla with a tomato salsa....we're still in discusssions about how to serve it - so that'll be a quick tester in the morning.

Cakes? Want to get some more Norwegian cinnamon rolls on at some point at this week. I also stopped off at our local fruit farm 'hut' this afternoon and bought two gorgeous packs of strawberries this afternoon so I'll be making lots of vanilla cupcakes in the morning to have with vanilla frosting and topped with a strawberry and some cooked crumble - yum.

Three days to go before the break - bloody hell.

Relaxing evening

2011-07-21T13:50:00.000-07:00

Knitting group was tonight. I'm relaxed. What did I knit? I sewed the pom pom back onto a knitted tea cosy for the cafe (a lot of washing in the machine meant a loose pom pom and you don't want a loose pom pom). Oh yes, and two rows of my light blue part of my knitted bunting.

I blame Joanna. She wasn't in a knitting mood either and I sat next to her (even though I'm in a huff with her as she's now no longer in the dunces knitting corner with me...actually no-one is)...just me...reminds me of being back in the dunces corner of Madras College when I was 15 and only getting 9% (yes you read that correctly) in my O Grade maths prelim and not being permitted to sit the actual O Grade when it came around...I suppose one good thing about moving schools and starting anew just about every year was that I could try to forget about my 9% and pretend that I was an absolute genius at the next school which on this occasion was a wee school down in rural Wiltshire where I then sat.....are you ready for this? O levels in Agricultural Science!!! I kid you not. And as part of the course, we had to help a pig called Cornelius give birth to her 13 piglets and then help bring them up for a while (well sort of) which is one of the reasons I went vegetarian for years, well that and being married to a farm worker/shepherd (oh god help me) and him bringing home 2 lambs as a 'bonus' one year - names? John and Pudding....they used to scamper (do lambs scamper?) about in our huge back garden and butt my toddler daughter which is why I continued not to eat meat for a long time. What started me eating meat again? My mother's rib of beef gravy one Christmas. There was this gorgeous smell coming from the kitchen and she was probably in dining room setting the table or something. I followed the smell just like you would see in the olden days in the Bisto add and it took me to the kitchen ...there on the hob were two pots of gravy bubbling away....one of which was a beef one. She's also made potatoes that were sitting ready to go out (or was it yorkshires?), I remember grabbing one of the two and dipping it in the beef gravy. My life as a veggie was over!!!!!!!!!! How the hell did I get to that from the knitting group? Oh yes, dunces corner.

Well, I had a nice relaxing time. Loved hearing the gossip.... men, tall men, not so tall men....the puppetry of the penis show....special 'cakes' in Amsterdam.....oh yes, it's not just knit and purl you know.

I've had a beer. Can you tell?

We're taking a break

2011-07-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

We're definitely doing it.....please don't forget about us or we'll all be really sad (and really poor)!

Closing in a couple of weeks for a wee break. Means a book group date change though - see below. So sorry.

http://t-ann-cake.blogspot.com/p/cafe-news.html

Decisions, decisions...

2011-07-14T22:37:00.000-07:00

Oh, oh, meat-loving team member Gary's not going to be pleased....have decided to move 'Man-Friday' to 'Man Saturday' this week and do our gorgeous Greek-style meat special tomorrow rather than today......and he's not even working tomorrow....oh I can picture his little face now - it'll look something like this

: (

Have a lovely day.

Facts of the day

2011-07-13T14:53:00.000-07:00

Brill. day today with lots of staff in to help prep. for the days ahead.

By the way, our customers....

love lovage (woo hoo)
love fresh lemonade
love our coffee (& the brill. team that make it so well...have learned from drinking coffee elsewhere that possessing good quality beans doesn't necessarily mean producing a good flat white etc)
love the fact that we only very occasionally have soups that we've done before...maybe a list of favourites...we're still managing at least 2 or 3 a week that we make up/try out!
love our 'boy' and 'girls' aka the T Ann Cake team....so many positive comments about them
In reverse, one of the newest members of the team commented that 'we get nice people in here'...and we do....phew!!!!
love us enough to forgive us for possibly closing at the end of July for a week??????? Why? Maybe the silly owner of T Ann Cake thought that she could survive through to January before she takes a cafe break but now knows that it'd do her the world of good to have a proper break..... final decision will be made in next few days. Yes, we don't need to close(good team in place etc) but silly owner knows she wouldn't be able to relax fully if she left cafe open & tried to take a break .....first year of business etc etc...treats business like a bit of naughty child.

Anyway, that's it for now. Looking forward to next three days in caff. Very excited about the planned food and cakes especially the homemade pitta!

2011-07-12T22:08:00.000-07:00

Remember to click on 'menu pages' above for details of today's menu at T Ann Cake.

Enjoy the sunshine - it's going to be a gorgeous day!

2011-07-11T22:39:00.000-07:00

Start of another week and I'm definitely raring to go. Last week was like no other in T Ann Cake, we had three record breaking days (the team did amazingly well but needed to sleep for a week at the end of it!).

We are, as ever, delighted with the returning customers and it's lovely to see people turning this into a regular cake eating/lunch spot. We do play a little game with our regular regular customers and try to predict which of the new savoury dishes they'll try. We almost always get it right.

What will this week bring? Who knows? I only got to do one new cake last week; the rest were usual favourites so I have at least three things on my list this week to offer (one is brand, brand new, the others are cakes that I used to sell on the markets) so very excited about that.

Also very excited about our 'Man Friday' dish this week....Man Friday???? Gary, our token cafe boy/man likes his meat....obsessed with bacon, in fact any meat. Ask him for ideas for soups/savouries???...."meat" is always the answer. I hate to admit when a member of the opposite sex is correct but he suddenly suggested that we should call Fridays 'Man Fridays' and always have a main meat dish. We've done it for two weeks now and the dishes were sooooooo popular. This week's dish involves home made pitta and we're very excited!

Daily menus are still being put on the menus page but here's a link to today's...MENU

Have a lovely week x

2011-07-08T14:55:00.000-07:00

Remember to click on our 'menu' page above for details about today's menu. All homemade on the premises by us and then there's our cake counter....planned for Saturday.... a very traditional Victoria sandwich cake, some sparkly mars mallow road!, lemon drizzle, paradise slice, chocolate orange polenta cake, plum cinnamon crumble cake, gooey chocolate brownies and some huge hazelnut muscovado meringues....

Menu planning...

2011-07-06T15:11:00.000-07:00

It's Wednesday night. I sorta planned my weekly menu on Sunday but it's already gone a bit skew-wiff (sp?) because you ate it all. Yes, this cafe thing's difficult to predict, ie, who's coming in when, who's going to eat what but come on, help me out a little!!! Only kidding. I'm delighted when the whole of a certain special is scoffed on the first day when I wanted it to last two days...

And then I have to bring in my 'emergency special', the one that I had at the end of the list 'just in case' but what if that special is relatively similar or is of the same ilk of the others we've had planned for that day, ie, you can't have 3 bloody salads on the ever-changing menu, especially when we live in Scotland even though it's July but let's face it, it's raining so you definitely can't have 3 salads on the menu on the same day.

Next problem? Too many specials to choose from. I've taken a small selection of my cook books across to the caff. However, I still have hundreds and hundreds in our larder at home so I'm always coming across recipes from books that haven't really been used that much and finding something that would be ideal for the caff's menu so I add that to the cafe wish list and don't get me started on recipes my favourite food sites/food blogs on the internet.

I've already started a list of what I'd like to do next week on the menu and guess what? None of the soups so far are from the new hugest, fattest soup book I own (that I accidentally bought last week).

It's exciting but frustrating. I love the fact that we hardly have any waste (hurrah) - nothing to throw out or give away but then it can occasionally be frustrating when we run out of a special an hour into a lunchtime...

Trying to switch off now. WILL. NOT. THINK. ABOUT. FOOD. AS. I. TRY. TO. GO. TO. SLEEP.

Questions, questions, questions...and today's menu

2011-07-05T22:16:00.000-07:00

Okay so here's how it is. We've just had a record breaking Tuesday (and we've had some good ones in the past) but at no point today did we feel like things were madly busy nor was it frantic, frantic, frantic.

There seemed to be two lunchtime semi 'rushes' but then people were popping in to eat all day (two final rib orders late, late afternoon). It even seemed quiet at certain parts of the day.

So, what's the answer? Are we merely getting used to it? Are the customer visit patterns changing? Are we finally going a bit mad?
Who knows but it's not just me ....other long-term team members are also asking the same question. Answers on a postcard please!!

I'm trying to remember to post our daily menu up on our menu pages so I'm away to do that now.

Absolutely chucking it down outside today - hugely different to the sweltering weather at the weekend - probably my fault for complaining on Monday that I was too hot. Will the weather keep customers away? Will it bring more in? Will it be a 'normal' Wednesday? That said, there isn't a normal Wednesday.

Have a lovely day and hope the sun's shining where you are!

Team photos

2011-07-04T13:03:00.000-07:00

Supposed to be sitting here doing admin and paying a few bills but in order to faff/digress/delay things further, I thought I'd finally post some photos of the fabbie team that make T Ann Cake work.

Staff page HERE

Blurbs to follow...should I write them (oh, the things I could write) or should I ask them to write their own/write one each for a colleague????

A lovely start to the week....

2011-06-28T12:11:00.000-07:00

How does this thing work? It was a hot day today (well, for Scotland) yet we sold tonnes of soup! Please explain. Please?

We had a lovely busy morning and we were pretty organised (doesn't happen that often on a Tuesday; our start to the week). We had a gorgeous smoked salmon pate on the menu (with chives from my garden) and sold quite a few of those, along with a big fat tart of the feta, sun blushed tomato and our pesto variety. Our soup was an interesting one - Turkish style roasted aubergine, tomatoes, yoghurt and toasted almonds - sooooo popular and such gorgeous spices and flavours in there. I also tried two new cakes (one I'd done before for the markets): a coffee and poppyseed cake and a dulce de leche brownie; I'll try to take a photo of them tomorrow (if there's any left).

Tomorrow, it's more chocolate raspberry brownies and some fresh raspberry & frangipane tarts. We're also doing a roasted tomato and white bean dip - yum!

Lots of regular customers today which was lovely including one regular who comes in now at least three times a week for lunch and always picks the 'different' thing from the menu - we LOVE that! Quite a few new customers again too - hurrah!, including one lovely couple made up of a young man originally Dundee who has returned from a long trip to the deep South in the U.S. of A. with a gorgeous American wife! That was a lovely story to hear today so we were picking his brains as to an American-bluesey style menu for this Friday and Saturday given that it's Dundee's lengendary Blues Bonanza this weekend (our Laura quite rightly said we should go with the theme). We can't decide whether to go for our bbq ribs or for pulled pork sandwiches so I'll make a final decision tomorrow and as for the cakes/tarts we're doing - woo hoo!

So, what will tomorrow bring? For me, in the morning, it's lots of baking including banana bread, chocolate orange polenta cake and chocolate raspberry brownies. After that? Who knows!

I may have to order lots of lemons again. If this weather continues, I think it'll be fresh lemonade all the way.

Our customers...

2011-06-14T13:51:00.000-07:00

We can't quite believe our luck in T Ann Cake in that our customers are nice. Is nice a 'nice' word to use or is it another word for boring? No, I mean it, they're nice. Our customers are also interesting. Whether they're new customers (we're still fortunate to have lots of them everyday) or regulars, the people walking through our door are just plain great.

Example of one came today when this napkin was left

It's a dark photo so here's the wording (sic)....

Ode to tea shop girls
Of all the lads who've passed my way
None look so pretty with a tray
Of all the bright things in the world
There's nothing like a teashop girl

Waitress sounds coarse and just one note
It's teashop girls on whom I dote
All treasures in the world peraiding
I'd trade for the smile of a teashop maiden

In apron-halfs and canvas shoes
With four eyes or with only two
Whether big or small, dark or pale
With back-combed hair or ponytails

Tea-cosy warm and tea cup pretty
No finer girls live in this city
They're half of all tea shops whole
My tip is in the sugar bowl

Needless to say, this brownie-stained napkin poem is already in a frame on the cafe wall. We were stunned and a big bit touched!

The rest...too little time and too little memory to mention them all and I'm not, of course, going to name names - that would be too crass, embarrassing for them/me etc., but here's a paragraph giving you a wee insight into some of the people that have had a bit of 'T Ann Cake'....................................
treacle scone lady (we know her name but isn't 'treacle scone lady' nice?, exotic sometimes trilby-hat-wearing European coffee-loving gentleman, very beautiful published author(ess?) trendy with cool fringe lady who brightens our day when she visits and even more so when the cool kids and hubbie come too, really nice couple that come in and just have a great relax even though we completely ignored them for ages (& then we noticed them!) but they were still relaxed abou it!, newish (not new atall as he's now been in a few times a week for at least six weeks) man of a certain age with nice salt and pepper hair who has a coffee and I can't tell whether he wants a chat or to be left-a-bloody lone, my Thorn Bird duo (oh my Lord!!!) - one is definitely a man of the cloth - colleague maybe but if you see me smiling, you'll know one of them have been in - sorry husband but I'm allowed to admire nice things!, bank girl who should write her own novel about her private life and the quest to find the perfect man - I defy anyone to sit with her for half an hour and not almost have to get the tenalady out with one of her tales, smiley mostly Saturday lady who cheers us up no end with her chat but is one of those people that will chat to anyone who is sitting nearby and she distracts me because I just want to sit and listen to what she's chatting about, board-game-tea-drinking boy/man - smiley and yet again... nice, quite a few new mums (and sometimes dads) who bring in their chubby-cheeked babies and make some of the team broody, yet more trendy kids and their good looking parents, sort of journo/IT lovely lady who the staff love & who always seems to be going off on one trip or another, lady who is a foodie who comes in a lot for lunch and or cake & is an avid fb commentor but who I always seem to miss on the days she comes in, our soup lady who comes in on average 3 times a week and chooses whatever soup sounds most exotic, family from beautiful seaside town to the West of Dundee, usually mum visits but also exam-sitting daughter and son and sometimes even Dad pops in, other coffee shop/cafe owners/soon-to-be owners who pop in for a nosey - you're very welcome but do what I do and say hello!!! : ) and last but not least, various (is it rude to put them in a group?) trendy arty-type boys and girls who seem to like us - hurrah! One more last but not least that I've just remembered? A group of older businessmen that seem to be in lots now for lunch - I might make one of them my husband number 4...yes, I'm only on husband number 2 and I love him dearly but I'll need to marry husband number 3 the minute he asks (see Thorn Birds gentlemen above). Now I will have forgotten LOADS of customers and the minute the doors open tomorrow, one of our super super regulars will walk in and I'll have to do a customer list part II.

Permission to add a slightly pessimistic note? Thank you. It took us an extra 8 - 10 minutes to get to the shop today because of the brand new set of city centre roadworks. Drive to work conversation went something like this... me "well, that's that then, who the hell is going to come to the cafe today given that you can't get near Exchange Street other thank going all the way round the system". Him, "lots of your customers walk to the cafe". Me," no they don't; loads of them drive and park and go....that's it, I'm ruined". Him, "shut up and get back in your box". I hate to write this down but he was right but I'm a little scared in case it does affect business : (

So, fingers crossed for a good week. We had a fantastic time at the Retail Awards. Mr R. and I left fairly early - we're both ancient now and just can't do these late nights anymore! Lots of photos and a video to share...I'll try to get them on soon.

Jam...Menu Boards and just stuff

2011-06-08T13:00:00.000-07:00

General cafe stuff?
Good day today in the cafe even though 'our' street is actually closed to traffic today; that'll be good for business then. We were certainly a little quieter for the first hour of business but lunchtime went a bit mad so phew and fingers crossed the bloody roadworks don't cause us too much stress.

Dundee is experiencing a mini version of what Boston in the US went through a few years back (is it still going on?) - the big dig. I think I only worked in Boston once and I remember driving through the mad roadworks and it literally felt like every second road was being dug up and re-routed. Dundee is a little like that just now; all very exciting for the city but I don't love the prospect of what it could do to my new wee business. I shall try to remain optimistic

Menu today
Lots of yummy stuff but they included a Spink's salmon (smoked by us) fishcake with lots of lemon and dill AND tah dah, a new panini. I've been a little lazy with the panini in our first few months. They've pretty much remained the same for a while now so we're doing something about that. That said, I know that some of our regulars would have a fit if we took certain ones off the menu but we'll do it gradually (and we can always have the favourites make a return after a bread). Today's newbie was (and will be for a while to see if it takes off) goats cheese, our own bloody gorgeous pesto, roasted (with garlic) portobello mushrooms and rocket - the smells coming out of the oven when we were roasting the mushrooms were divine - I hope it's popular.

Tomorrow we're finally doing another item that has been on my 'things to put on the menu' list since way before we opened..... Posh Scotch Eggs - we're 'enveloping' - is that the right term??? our gorgeous free range, local, organic eggs with a lovely mix of Scottish finely minced (& very lean, I saw them do it!!) with lots of smokey herbey flavours - we're calling them chorizo style Scotch eggs because those are the type of flavours in them. We're going to serve them with some of our tomato chutney and some really fresh green leaves, our toasted seeds and house dressing. I. CAN'T. WAIT. Honestly. I used to get sooo excited about such trivial things as travelling to foreign countries and buying stupidly expensive shoes but now, I almost pee my pants (yea, yea, it's my age too) at things such as Scotch Eggs and Posh Pehs. I'm not ashamed of that either btw ; )

What else? Oh yes, jam.
I mislaid (read couldn't find it within my shelves and shelves of cookbooks) my favourite 'chutney and jam' cookbooks so reverted to my second choice (although the foreword is by Hugh FW and he's a bit of a cooking god as far as I'm concerned). It didn't have a general strawberry jam recipe but I picked one for 'strawberry conserve' and it should be on the menu tomorrow. I've been horribly upset for two weeks now as we've had to serve our scones with BOUGHT IN JAM - oh the horror! We're also going to start doing toasted ciabatta with our jam too (we did that right at the beginning).

Menu boards
Around a month ago, I bought a horribly expensive menu board thing for the window. It's a thing with three A4 perspex holders that hangs in the front window. I then persuaded lovely current to put it up for me after having told him that I really needed him to do it quickly because I needed to get the menus in the window URGENTLY. They're still not in the window. I've been faffing again. I've been looking at the blurb about the cafe as well as the menus that have been almost written for months now but they're still not in the window. We're still not going the route of a fixed savoury or cake menu everyday but I want us to have something in there and we always print out a daily menu list anyway (for us to work from in the kitchen) so there is no excuse. I can categorically state that this document (3 pages) is now 98% there (thanks to a bit of further guidance from Caroline who incidentally is leaving us for a fortnight TO GET MARRIED!!!!!!!!!!!!! to the lovely Jamie who is a dab hand with our meat slicing machine) but I digress. I'm aiming to finish it tonight in the hope that I can actually print it all out and get it in the window. No more excuses. One big problem is that I'm going to have to put some prices up fairly soon. I've been putting it off and putting it off for over a month now and will for a wee while longer but they can't remain as they are. Our coffee bean prices (the last delivery) went up by almost 20% and our bread price went up yonks ago. Don't even get me started on the butter or good cocoa I use. I've not passed the relevant price increase onto the customer yet (don't hate me when I do) but I'll do a few more sums and then do it.

Retail awards
We've got the ceremony on Sunday night and there are 9 of us going. There's lots of talk about dresses and what to wear (and that's only from husband and Gary - our token boy - hee hee). Unfortunately for me, compared to last month, I've now suddenly found that only half of the dresses in my wardrobe will fit properly so unless I stop eating for the next four days, I'm in trouble. It'll be nice though and it's not about the winning of course....blah blah blah : )

Must run. I will finish that menu for the window and the kettle's boiling and I've got a Starbar sitting looking at me. Yum.

PS. no photos again so here are some random photos of our cake counter over the last couple of weeks!

Sunday - written off....= Monday horribly busy

2011-06-06T02:17:00.000-07:00

Now that we're closed on Sundays (for now anyway) and definitely closed on Mondays, it means that I actually get a proper day off. When we were only closed on a Monday, I was actually working seven days a week so now it's a little different.

Yesterday (Sunday) was my day off. We'd had another Saturday night out (two in a row - a record these days) and although I wasn't partaking of any sherry, it was a late, late night which means a horribly knackered Annie on Sunday. That combined with my twisted old back meant a bit of a write off but it was a day off.

So today (Monday) is a work day. I've already completed the first stage of the strawberry jam making. It's our first batch of the year and husband went to pick them up from Arbuckles on Friday. We ran out of our homemade raspberry jam around two weeks ago so it's been bothering me. I/we now have to make a batch (or seven) for the next two to three months so we have enough to last until rasp and strawberry season next year.

So, that's done and I've now got a few emails to send. I'm then off to the cafe to do a little bit of baking and planning.

Then back this afternoon to do some menu planning for the week, food ordering, paying invoices and then I'm off out tonight again.

PS. took a photo of the HUUUUUUGE pot of strawberries bubbling away on my fancy smancy new phone but don't know how to get it from the phone to here - quite a sad admission isn't it? Oh dear.

OINK, OINK

2011-06-02T22:47:00.000-07:00

Quick post - got to get to the 'caff' by 7 today as I need to escape for a couple of hours late morning for some physio (for my old lady back).

Our chunk of piggie arrived & it looked scrumptious even raw (sorry for the veggies out there).

Husband's dealt with it; it's been cooked in ginger ale then finished off with the most scrumptious glaze which includes some muscovado. It's now all ready for all meat slicer - very excited!

We'll be serving it in a Ploughman's lunch: our ham and/or mature cheddar, some plum tomato chutney (Caroline made it and it's bloomin' gorgeous), some of our lovely green salad, toasted seeds & dressing, some sliced gala apple chunks & a chunk of bread - how nice will that be (nice, I promise).

We're also going to serve some fresh lemonade today - the lemons are lovely just now (and full of flavour!) so that's on too (for those of you who aren't in Scotland and reading this - we're enjoying a mini heatwave just now - supposed to hit 24C today!!!).

Last but not least, as well as our Belvoir Ginger Beer that we've been stocking for a while now (very popular), we'll also have their Elderflower Presse from today too - this range is a bit pricey (sorry!) & the price has gone up since I last bought a load but oh it's good! Yum. Fact of the day: you don't pronounce the brand Belvoir as in "bell - vwah" as in the French way (well, you can but...) but you actually pronounce it as 'beaver' - there you go - what do you think of that then?

Have a lovely Friday. x

PS: quick pick of our penne, sundried tomato, kalamata olive, rocket and feta salad with oregano dressing...we're doing it again today - yum!

The butcher, the baker, the smoked fish maker....

2011-06-01T10:21:00.000-07:00

Tres excited.... not only did my favourite (to date) husband smoke me some beautiful Spink's salmon for our tart today (tasted scrumptious) and we got our bread delivery from our handsome Italian baker (he's almost forgiven for being late with our delivery last week - it's the accent every time - what a pushover I am) but I've just had a lovely conversation with a real live butcher....

We've not had much meat on the menu so far and I don't intend to turn us into a flesh-loving cafe everyday but I've wanted to have a few things, meat-wise, on the menu since waaaaaaay before we opened.

One of these things is being tested as we speak (can't say until it's hopefully on the menu next week) but the other is being delivered tomorrow.

I've built it up now haven't I? And, you're going to get all deflated because all I'm talking about is a bloody lovely big chunk of gammon from a lovely big chunk of a butcher! Ok, I don't know if the butcher is a lovely big chunk of a butcher but his voice sort of sounded like it would be (sorry husband but it's true). He (the butcher), sounded all confident about his meat knowledge, he sounded manly and I could also imagine him with a bloody-splattered white overall whilst holding a huge fat meat cleaver - ooh the thought!

Back to the meat. We are having this lovely bit of gammon delivered in the morning and we're going to deal with it (we're going to test things with a smaller piece first). We're going to be boiling it in somethings delicious (it's sweet - not cola btw) and then roasting it. We'll then serve it first as a Ploughman's lunch! Some of our own sliced ham, a chunk of mature cheddar, some fresh apple (you have to, it's the rule), some of our own chutney and some bread (if I can persuade Mr R. to make extra granary on Friday or Saturday, it'll be that, if not, we'll have something else) but I'm just happy. Fingers crossed I can persuade old grumpy knickers to start the process tomorrow - wish me luck!

Oh give me a ploughman's lunch and I'm a happy woman.

Not much more I can say is there? Have a good night. x

Monday, Monday....

2011-05-30T12:07:00.000-07:00

Okay, so we're almost into June and I'm doing what I do on most Mondays and that's sorting out a few accounts bits and bobs and then the more exciting bit...finalising menus for the next week.

Yes, it would be so much easier if we had a set menu but that would be a bit boring so this is when I try to decide what we're going to offer over the next 5 days.

How do I decide? Seasonality, weather forecasts and what I fancy making/getting others to make (and not necessarily in that order). Not just savouries but cakes too.

The weather forecast for the next week looks pretty good; especially towards the end of this coming week. This is the main reason why I've asked our coffee rep. to pop a catalogue through our door giving fuller details of their commercial blending machines so that I can think about offering frappes and iced teas. That said, I don't love the brightly coloured non-natural stuff so I'll have to see what's in their 'recipes' but I definitely want to do the iced coffees - gorgeous. The machine costs a bloody fortune but I love this type of thing and I think that some of our customers will too. I also love some of the teapig tea recipes that involve iced teas (their berry teas with fresh strawberries or lemon and ginger with fresh lemon - you get the picture). The biggest problem (apart from deciding whether to invest in it or not) is the problem of where to put it. I'll get the DIY expert/sensible man/my husband on the case. He'll scratch his head a bit, get his tape measure out, suck his breath in like a plumber would giving a high quote and then advise me/tell me not to do it. I think I may defy him on this one (and probably regret it later).

When I'm planning the menu, I have to think mainly about soups, one off savoury dishes and then sweet things. I think about what has proved popular with our lovely customers, what people have asked about, what's in season and then cost (of course).

I always try to do at least 2 new soups a week, at least one new savoury dish every day or two (new tarts, salads, frittatas etc etc etc) and at least 3 new types of cakes/traybakes a week.

Every Monday/Tuesday, I'm usually armed with a 'menu list' and this will list everything that I plan to do for the week ahead. It is pretty impossible to keep to this list for a number of reasons:
1) Time!!! Planning is key. I know that. Sometimes things don't go to plan. We're getting better at this! However, all it takes is for us to have a mentally busy day or for someone to call in sick and even if we're up to date and have things planned really well, we're then behind and we can't get something done for the next day.
2) Availability. It's not always possible to get hold of the ingredients I want to get hold of.
3) Popularity. If I've planned to have a 'special' on the menu for two days in a row and find that we don't sell any on the first day, I'll then often think again and quickly think of something else to plan for the next day. Or, if something sells out far too quickly, we have to think about something else for the next day.
4) Cakes and other sweet things. The problem here is that I have far too many cook books! I have loads now from the US too (mostly thanks to the lovely Tina) and one called Booze Cakes - I've not even started on that one yet but that maybe needs an outing soon. So, it's just a case of continuing with what I know our customers ask for but also providing new things all of the time. I get bored with things sometimes, even though I know they'll sell well. I'm super bored with cupcakes (did I really just say that out loud?) but I'll still do them now and again.

Within my thoughts this week...... a new rocket, garlic & potato soup - scrummy. A hot smoked salmon pate (we'll buy the salmon - husband has been rubbish at catch any fish lately) but he'll smoke it in his smoker for me and then we'll turn it into something scrumptious. What else? I've got some lovely feta and kalamata olives so that'll either be turned into a pasta salad or a big fat greek tart. Lastly and certainly not least, I've got Mr R. on the case of getting onto the ham man tomorrow so we can boil the little blighter (the ham, not the husband) in something sweet and then roast it and then, tah dah, it'll be some ploughman's lunches - yum!

New cakes this week - to completely contradict myself, I'd like to do little chocolate cupcakes or vanilla with some strawberry frosting (I tasted some frosting in Edinburgh on Sunday that actually make me almost pee my pants with glee) - bloody beautiful so I need to do some testing this week.

I'm going to leave the menu list now and do some filing - bliss. Got a visit from the little ones in a while and can't wait for that. Didn't have any pudding planned but my wee girl (25 so not quite so wee) will be delighted that I've pulled a whole uncut batch of malteser slice (her favourite) out of our freezer. I'd make it for the cafe and accidentally over-melted the chocolate topping and it looked a bit strange so I brought it home and stuck it in the freezer so that's our pud!

Have a lovely week.

Menu - posh 'pehs' and a counter full of cakes

2011-05-26T07:29:00.000-07:00

Not been here for a long, long time and this is only a quickie but I had to share a wee photo ....

Mr R's flaky pastry posh 'pehh'..today filled with chorizo, red pepper, tomato, chilli, garlic & chickpeas.

This is one of our 'posh pehhhs'. A 'peh' for those of you not from these parts is the way that Dundonians pronounce a 'pie'. I thought I'd take advantage of my husband's pastry making skills and asked him to make more of his flaky pastry and we filled it with finely chopped and sauteed chorizo, tomatoes, onion, garlic, red chilli & chickpeas. We cut the pastry into rounds (using our regular sized coffee saucers!!), did some fancy smancy crimping and tah dah!!!!! What's rubbish is that I didn't take a picture of the filling but believe me, it was GORGEOUS! Very garlicky and this batch of pastry is scrumptious. It was one of our savoury specials today and half of them had sold by around 1pm today. Already planning another posh peh tomorrow and I think it has to be a tomato, garlic, chilli, kalamata olive, oregano and feta mixture - YUUUUUMMMMMYYYYY!

I was very excited about the cake counter today too. This is what we had/have on it:

Victoria sandwich cake (vanilla cake layers filled with vanilla frosting and raspberry jam)
stem ginger cake
lemon drizzle cake
plum cinnamon crumble cake
gooey chocolate fudge brownies
chocolate chilli brownies (need to add more chilli next time)
treacle scones
apricot and lemon scones
mature cheddar, rocket and garlic scones
caramel, lime and coconut tarts
poached purple plum and frangipane tarts
poached purple plum crumble tarts
paradise slice
Peanut butter chocolate crispie slice

That is absolutely LOADS!!!! Woo hoo. Eventually. Fingers crossed when I head back over there in an hour or so, there will be something left (I've seen us having a full counter in the morning and then having 5 slices of cakes later in the afternoon).

Cake wise tomorrow (and maybe some later) will involve chocolate guinness cake (so, so popular since we did it last week), red velvet cupcakes, maybe a carrot cake and something gluten free (probably our flourless french chocolate cake with a touch of brandy). I'm also dying to try another recipe from one of my newish favourite American baking books (a Brooklyn based bakery that I visited on my last visit).

We had some amazing salami delivered this week - Milano instead of Napoli this time and it slices beautifully. It's got a really rich taste and although we include it on one of our panini (with gruyere cheese and our chilli jam), I really want to do something else with it. I feel a salad coming on. A bastardised version of one I used to do quite a lot that will include big garlicky ciabatta croutons, roasted salami slices and rocket..... could be a try out for tomorrow.

So having had these two hours at home and sat and done some boring stuff with accounts, I thought I'd update the exciting stuff too. I'm getting more excited about the lunches we're doing just now - it's almost at the point that I dreamed we would be at and I love the fact that it changes daily.

Still working on working out how now to incorporate breakfasts into the cafe. It's not as easy as it sounds! Considering that the kitchen is busy with baking sweet things from around 7.30 am until 11/11.30. Lunch prep overlaps and lasts (with the lunch service until around 2/3pm and then we do more prep for both later on (as well as cleaning up). So, how to incorporate serving gorgeous fresh breakfast choices that don't interfere with our sweet baking or lunches is a challenge. More and more of our lovely customers are asking about it. We're getting there so watch this space!

What weather forecast to believe? Metcheck or the BBC

2011-05-04T12:38:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm sitting here trying to plan our savoury menu for Friday and Saturday and I'm trying to do it in relation to what the weather forecast is telling me. How the bloody hell am I supposed to do that if one site tells me it's going to be rainy and another says it's going to be exactly what we've been having over the last few weeks, sun, sun and more sun. I think, in general, we're slightly quieter on really nice days so I'm having sneaky wishes for the BBC's rainy forecast but it does make for very difficult menu planning.

We always have to have at least one soup on the go so I'm trying to go for something that's not too wintry. We've not had a thai style thing for a while and we've got some lemongrass and coriander to use so that's one of them sorted.

I've also got it into my head to try a recipe for a scrummy blue cheese and broccoli puff pastry pie (not light and summery!!!!) that I saw in a magazine eons ago but never got around to doing it so I think we should have that too. But, we should also probably do a nice salad to balance it out so my thinking cap is still on.

I'm also getting my baking mojo back on and am aiming to do something new every day or so again (for the cafe). Tomorrow's is something I used to do at the markets but not for the caff - a mocha cupcake - a yummy mixture of coffee and chocolate and I'm also doing a lemon and thyme cake!!!!!!!!!!! LOVE IT!!! I'm also thinking about doing some little lemon madeleines in the afternoon too but not made them for a while and I've had a few disasters in the last couple of days, ie, using plain flour instead of self raising - idiot that I am.

Had some time out this afternoon and left Caroline at the helm (can't believe I can do this without worrying all the time - what a treat).... I got my hair cut and coloured for the first time in almost EIGHT MONTHS - I was beginning to resemble Cruella de Ville because of the lovely white streak I have near the front of my head so it's gone (for a while anyway).

Better run, have to finish tomorrow's prep lists and make a decision about soups etc so I can think about veg to order for tomorrow and Friday.

Running upstairs to have a bath (and to finish the book group book for tomorrow night - last minute Annie or what?).

Menu planning....running out of jam....book group

2011-05-03T14:37:00.000-07:00

Just a quickie tonight but am still on the trail of some frozen raspberries or strawberries!!! Why? Because we've finally run out of all of the homemade jam that I made last summer. Fortunately, or unfortunately (depending on how I look at it), the cafe has been a lot busier than we thought it would be hence no more jam. So I'm currently contacting a few of the local fruit farms to ask if they've got any of their berries from last year in their freezers!!!

I've also just ordered some fruit & veg for some more chutney and we'll be making that on either Thursday or Friday; won't be ready for a wee while but it's a start.

Also trying to see what the weather's going to do over the next few days so we can plan menus over the next few days. However, the weather seems to have bugger all to do with anything. We actually ran out of soup today even though it was a lovely warmish day!?!?!?!?!? We're still probably doing two to three new soups a week. Tomorrow's will be an old favourite - our Moroccan chickpea, spinach and lemon and Thursday's will be Tomato and Tarragon (a newbie). We're doing a gorgeous salad tomorrow - roasted broccoli and cherry tomatoes with rocket, cranberries, giant couscous and feta - YUM! Oh yes, a frittata too..... roasted courgette and red pepper, leek, herbs and cheddar.

Cakes? I was getting into a bit of a rut so I've decided to try to do a new cake at least four times a week (or new for the cafe anyway). Today's was an American 'whole lemon bar'. I used to eat them a lot over there and I LOVE them but I love anything citrussey (sp.?).... tomorrows is a blueberry and clotted cream layer cake - yum!

We've also got book group this Thursday at 6pm and although I wasn't looking forward to this month's read, I'm actually enjoying it!!! This is, I suppose, what joining a book group is all about I suppose, reading stuff you wouldn't usually choose to read.... I think we're going to be discussing this book in more detail and one of our members posted a link to the Oprah discussion group. I've posted it here just in case you're a member and you've not seen it yet....

The T Ann Cake Book Group

Next meeting Thursday 5th May at 6pm

Reading Questions for The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

(or just come along & say whether you liked it or not!)

1. Rose goes through life feeling people's emotions through their food. Many eat to feel happy and comforted. Does this extreme sensory experience bring any happiness to Rose or only sadness?

2. What does Rose mean when she says her dad always seemed like a guest to her? How does this play out in the rest of the novel?

3. "Mom's smiles were so full of feeling that people leaned back a little when she greeted them. It was hard to know just how much was being offered." What does Rose mean and how does this trait affect the mother's relationships?

4. Why do you think the dad like medical dramas but hate hospitals?

5. Rose says, "Mom loved my brother more. Not that she didn't love me—I felt the wash of her love everyday, pouring over me, but it was a different kind, siphoned from a different, and tamer, body of water. I was her darling daughter; Joseph was her it." Do you think Rose is right in her estimation and why do you think the mother might feel this way?

6. What does the grandmother suggest when she tells Rose "you don't even know me, How can you love me?" How has the grandmother's relationship with Rose's own mother affected the family dynamic?

7. What is Joseph trying to accomplish by drawing a "perfect" circle when it, by very definition, is impossible? How does George's idea to create wallpaper out of the imperfections affect him? How does validation and affection through art recur in the novel and what does it signify?

8. Why does George suddenly conclude Rose's gift isn't really a problem and stops investigating it?

9. What is the significance of the mother's commitment to carpentry (compared to other, short-lived hobbies)? How does this play out in the rest of the novel?

10. What is the impact of Rose's discovery about her father's skills? Did this change the way you see the father?

11. Joseph is described as a desert and geode while Rose is a rainforest and sea glass. Discuss the implications.

12. Why does Rose want to keep the threadbare footstool of her parents' courtship instead of having her mother make her a new one?

13. Are the family dinners—with Joseph reading, the dad eating, Rose silently trying to survive the meal and the mom talking nonstop—emblematic of the family dynamic? How has it evolved over the years?

14. How did you experience the scene in Joseph's room, when Rose goes to see him? What did that experience mean to Rose? Is there any significance to Joseph choosing a card table chair?

15. What does the last image about the trees have to do with this family? How do you interpret the last line of the novel?

PS. we could still fit the odd book group member in I think as well as possibly one or two for the knitting group. Get in touch if you'd like more details.

Oh blog, how I have ignored you....

2011-04-22T14:33:00.000-07:00

I won't promise that this is the start of a daily blog post again but it's a start. It's been an exciting (and tiring) couple of weeks. Mostly because my lovely husband left me.... ok, not in that way (well I hope not); just thousands of miles away for a couple of weeks and I've missed him HORRIBLY!! Not only for his cafe soup and bread-making skills but also for his house-dinner making skills, his ironing skills, his washing skills, his going to the cash and carry skills, his house shopping skills, his buying petrol for his wife's car skills, his buying and chilling my beer skills...I'll stop now (I love him a bit too ya know!). So, it's been a bit bad without him. Even worse? My other wee boy has been on a holiday too. Hamish, my mental Springer Spaniel has left the building and I don't know who I missed the most?

Whilst Hamish can't cook dinner, do the washing or the shopping - he's just the loveliest boy on the planet and he does things that the other boy doesn't do... he plays 'chase' around the house with a sock in his mouth, he steals stuff for fun out of my bag, he suddenly has a mad five minutes and runs up and down the stairs at a million miles an hour for no reason or he sits on my knee - the other boy doesn't do any of these things.... but they're both back overnight so HURRAH!!!!! All I've had to keep me company is an old lady cat who has turned very needy because she's been lonely too.

Back to the caff. This week was slightly quieter than the last two; especially Tuesday and Wednesday. The two weeks before this were just silly; the busiest weeks we've ever had and I'm grateful as ever to new and returning customers. Although we've been horribly busy (and staffing's as ever an issue given exam times etc), we've been doing a few more savoury items and I hope to try so many new things now that Mr R. is back.

Cakes-wise, we've done a few newbies and as ever, there are so many things I want and need to do. Watch this space.

Book and Knitting Group

The first knitting group meeting; LOVELY! We've just had our second group with 11 knitters/sewers turning up! From the very experienced to the rubbish knitters (me!), it's lovely and relaxing.

Our book group is now on it's second book. The first was Bob Servant - Hero of Dundee by local author Neil Forsyth and on the whole I would say we liked it!

Our second book is and although I look forward to reading it, I actually made the mistake of going into Waterstones for my copy (around the corner from the cafe) and did a '3 for 2' offer...not good that one of the others I chose was one of the other books we considered reading for our second book choice - The Slap. Now I really wanted this one but was out voted so thought, oh, I'll just buy it and read it after I read the 'Lemon Cake' book. I'm rubbish. I started reading 'The Slap' first and the book group book is still sitting unopened. I might bribe Joanna S. who is joining the book group with tea and cake to see if she'll talk me through a quick synopsis before the next meeting and I can pretend I've read it - just like my school days! Problem is that we're going to have a proper discussion about this next book and answer some questions that were posted on the Oprah Book Club site so I might actually have to read it myself.

Some cafe food and drink: some pics...more coming soon -

Ciabatta panini: Napoli salami, melting gruyere & our chilli jam with a side salad

One of Laura's lattes.... I say a bulldog, she says a teddy bear!

Coffee and walnut layer cake ....might do one tomorrow

Frittata and side salad

Goats cheese, chickpea, roasted squash and cranberry salad

Lemon meringue pie tarts - always popular

Lilac vanilla cupcakes

Rubbish pic but good cake - our stem ginger cake

Another of Laura's lattes - they're more abstract in the morning.....

our granary bread being mixed...almost at the stage where it gets chucked in the bowl for proving

Roasted aubergine, courgette, red pepper, feta, dried apricots and black olive couscous salad

Strathdon blue cheese, green leaves, walnut, roasted sweet potato and pear salad

Pea and mint soup with granary bread

PRESENTS!!!!
Now for the best bit! I have received two presents in less than twelve hours....
the first was last night just before knitting group. A couple of regular customers, C & S (been regular customers since the farmers markets) are huge foodies and he always seems to be telling me about lovely savoury stuff that he's been making if he pops into the cafe in the morning when I've still got my baking head on....when I'm just dying for something savoury but have no time to stop and eat something savoury. Can you imagine my delight to be given this.... a huge slab of his homemade pizza last night. His lovely wife, a fellow knitter (but a true expert), brought this along - scrumptious and I was sooo grateful (given that my personal chef is away)

My second gift made me so happy. Unfortunately it arrived when I'd popped out of the cafe for a couple of hours today to nip home to get some paperwork finished before a deadline.

Pretty cupcake cake tins!

Have you ever seen anything so pretty? This young lady, who loves our berry tea, bought it as a gift for me!! for T Ann Cake and it will be put to good use. I can't believe she did this... she's currently working as a volunteer in a Charity shop (a very trendy charity shop actually - well, it will be if she works there) and she's writing a blog about her experience there - even the title is funny! I can't wait to read about what goes on! Take a look....Second Hand Knickers and Not the Right Size

Fingers crossed she'll pop in tomorrow or soon. I have to thank her for this fabbie pressie and find out what her latest news is on her plans for next year... dance student, psychology student, 1950s-style vintage model (you should see her outfits!)... need to catch up.

Brunches no more
Boo. Ever since me and husband number 2 (that's the current one) used to sit in Nolita House at our bluegrass brunch, I dreamed of having something similar in my cafe one day. Our brunches were busy for a while; actually they were mental for a while and then the warm weather struck - not a good combo. The last two (when the weather was gorgeous) were soooooo quiet so I've decided that I can't muck around with opening times anymore so I'll close on a Sunday. I'll rethink what I want to do in a couple of months; maybe open on a Monday instead (rather not) or do a once monthly music brunch (bit more paperwork but....)

Bad news number 2
Pricing. This is difficult and I'll deal with it but not just yet. I'll have a good think and then decide. Since opening (not that long ago).... my bread price has gone up, my butter price has gone up by more than a quarter, my coffee prices are about to go up by 15% and our flour price is about to go up too. Good eh?! So far, even though I get quite a bit of feedback saying that our prices are too low given the quality of the food etc, I'm keeping things as they are but I'm going to have to look at a few things. Rubbish I know but pah! For now, I'll continue to bury my head in the sand (hope husband's not reading this!).

Staff
Next stage, alongside catching up with paperwork (same old, same old) and menu development, is to start telling you about the wee T Ann Cake team - they're a bit good so I need to post some pics up! They've been working very hard lately.

Must get to bed. It's been a very busy few weeks; that's not a complaint - it's amazing. Thank you for your support. Mean that.
xxx

An unplanned closure and a novel - sitting comfortably? I'm bloody not!

2011-04-01T13:17:00.000-07:00

Friday 1st April

As the note at the door said today, "this is not an April's Fool, T Ann cake will be closed today due to unforeseen circumstances".

Those unforeseen circumstances are me, unable to move up nor down unfortunately. I have to be brief given that I am now sitting with 4 cushions behind my back but will probably have to be moved elsewhere within the next 5 minutes!

A few days ago, I started to lose my voice and actually lost it fully yesterday. That was actually no big deal apart from not being able to phone a few orders through whilst in the cafe (others kindly did it for me - apart from Laura from Germany who suddenly declares that 'I don't speak English' everytime you ask her to use the phone (fyi, she speaks better English than a lot of native English speakers - including me). More importantly, I hated not being able to speak to customers coming into the cafe. A few customers came in (some that I'd almost like to consider new friends) and I hated that but the staff quite liked my silence and Mr R. loved it. So, no huge disaster. Just annoying.

I also started to get a twingey lower back a few days back. This is unusual for me. I've suffered the occasional vertebrae in my neck for a few years and my gorgeous friend in Australia will vouch for the fact that this was caused by very high heels, too much champagne and a tumble and knock out down some very old stone stairs in Glenfarg at her husband's 40th some years ago but that's another story for another time. I've never suffered from a 'sore back'. I just thought these twinges would go away.

It started to get worse yesterday with the odd twinge that I can only describe as being similar to contractions (last one of those was 25 years ago so ...). Dosed up with painkillers and hot baths but then this morning happened.

Got up and back felt fine. Husband even remarked on the speed that I'd got up. Went to go in the shower and then it happened. Horrible spasms and pain. Problem was door was locked and husband was upstairs in our bathroom and I was in the middle landing bathroom...with no voice. After throwing some shampoo bottles at the door and croaking, he came and I'd managed to unlock door. He put me in a hot bath and hoped for the best.

Didn't get any better but I did NOT want to even think about not opening the cafe as I don't think it's a good idea, especially after being closed last week and yet again, owing to staff holidays, exams and other complications, our first week back wasn't great (ie, very short staffed so I couldn't roll out a number of menu changes that I'd had planned).

Back to this morning and to cut what could be a bloody long story slightly shorter, husband got me in the car (lifting legs up etc) and we got the cafe and tried. Oh god we tried. I managed to walk around ok and got two cake made (slowly!). After multi 'contractions' and legs collapsing under me a few times with the twinges, I finally admitted defeat to Mr R., and said that we couldn't do it. He agreed. Well his words were, 'I told you that an hour ago you stupid.....'. We had Gary arriving to help open up at 9 so decided that Gary could help with some bits and bobs but we had to wait until a couple of orders arrived a bit later. Mr R., got in touch with the staff that were due later and I sat in a few positions until it was time to go.

A few hours later after having left A & E with a bunch of beautifully strong painkillers and the words, not much we can do but try to stay fairly active...we came home.

So, that's why we were closed today. If you're reading this and you came to the caff, I can only say sorry. Closing the cafe here and there isn't a sensible thing to do and I can only hope that people don't get fed up.

GOOD NEWS? There's lots actually. We'll be open as normal from tomorrow (10am). The other reason we were closed is that up until now, I've had no-one to help on a more permanent basis with the baking and the other cooking that we both do. Some of our lovely staff have done bits and bobs and that's been great but we knew that we needed to get more permanent help on board. We've been trying to find help with this for a long time now and we think we're there. There are two of them actually which is ideal. Both of them will do other stuff too but the fact is that, fingers crossed, we should now have two members of staff who can do cooking and baking on a daily basis.

Unfortunately, our search took a little too long and the timing didn't come in time for today when I really really needed help; one of the girls is on holiday and the other hasn't even really started yet but that was our problem and at least things are looking up.

As well as the two (newish) girls, I've also had some lovely help and messages from the girls (and boy!) that already work at T Ann Cake. Mostly students and they work bloody hard so we're very grateful for that.

Must leave this now and move position. Husband has been (mostly) a saint. He is actually having to move me physcially every 15 minutes or so when I get the shooting pains again and he is mostly uncomplaining.

We will be open tomorrow as usual with lots of lovely staff around, husband and even me. I still can't speak but I promise to smile. Who knows? I may wake up and be disco dancing in the morning with a recovered back? Maybe not but I'll be able to walk around, albeit slowly.

So, it'd be great to see you there on Saturday (and Sunday). Our soup will be an Italian soup - Zuppa di Melanzane - or an Aubergine (carrot, garlic, tomato & rosemary) soup to you and me! Our savoury specials will be a big fat tart of, I think, the Cullen Skink variety (if our leeks arrive on time - they will!) and that'll be served with our lovely green leaves, toasted seeds and house dressing. We'll have our smokey chipotle chilli blackeye and bacon beans on ciabatta too. We'll have our wee sandwich/panini menu and then we WILL have cakes of course. We'll have orange drizzle, some mars bar slices, some plum & cinnamon crumble cakes, some gooey chocolate brownies, some tarts (either lemon meringue pies or pecan pies - can't decide). I may be doing more directing and just the odd stir rather than my usual control freakerish re; me doing ALL of the baking but it won't go on the counter unless we're happy with it - we're a bit fussy like that. And, after picking up a new order of Janetta's vanilla ice cream, you can also turn most things into a pudding!

And brunch on Sunday too remember! 11am - 2.30pm.

So, if you have a spare wee while tomorrow, please pop in for lunch, a cake or just to say hello! I'll whisper hello back and look ever so grateful that you're there.

Ann xxx

First day back!

2011-03-28T23:40:00.000-07:00

First day back at ~~school~~ work today and I feel really positive about it all. That's probably because we went in for a few hours yesterday with a couple of the girls and did quite a bit of prep. Made sense and I imagine that's why I'm feeling quite relaxed this morning.

Don't know if I'll have time this morning as I have a LOT of baking today as well as cooking, spicing and roasting some chickpeas as part of a mezze but we're making a big batch of ketchup this week! We'll be able to serve it with a few bits and bobs but can't wait to start experimenting with some 'posh' sausage rolls too (our own flaky pastry too, of course!).

Must run, xx

Preparing for reopening on Tuesday

2011-03-25T08:58:00.000-07:00

We've been having a wee break. I call it a break but it's not been. Don't worry, I'm not going to have a 2 page rant about how much I've got to do with this, that and the other but in hindsight (wonderful thing), it might have been a good idea to actually get away from the house for a few days. Never mind.

Re-opening on Tuesday 29th March at 10am but we'll be in on Monday to start the usual prep. I'm sitting here planning what and when we'll be introducing some new savoury menu items because the weather is turning and has been Spring/Summer like for a few days (oh shoot, hope I've not jinxed it by saying that). Can't stop thinking about big bowls of salad, ie, the sort of thing that I used to regularly scoff when working across in the States - cannot wait. Cheesecake too for some reason! More mezze type platters and falafel have to make an appearance surely?

We can't start these fully until later in April (too many boring reasons to go into for now) but I'll trial a couple each week over the next few weeks to see if they sell.

Have just arranged our new 'opening hours' door decals and as usual, the mock up looks fabulous. I'm using a local company (from Broughty Ferry) http://www.morcant-designs.com/ We used them to make our window decals for the front of the shop (husband's niece had done the illustration and design) and wonder of wonders, it looks just brilliant -

Window decals in the dark!!!

He's coming to put them up on Monday and it'll be nice to get rid of the scrappy bit of paper that currently lists our opening hours on the door - LOOKS AWFUL!

I have also just ordered a floor to ceiling window menu hangy thing. I'm a bit worried (as was husband) that they are a bit snazzy and swish for the usual T Ann Cake style but I think once our menus are inserted using our usual paper/fonts, they should fit in nicely. We don't have a fixed menu so I'll list the drinks menu and the childrens' menu and the third section will be used to try to explain to T Ann Cake virgins passing by, exactly what it is we do, ie, our typical savoury stuff, our cakes and the fact that everything is homemade in the house. Did you know that some cafes and restaurants actually declared things are homemade or homebaked when in fact they've used local bakers to make their stuff and they're buying them in. Is that right? I imagine there's a loophole in the trading standards law that allows them to do it but pah!

Anyway, thought I'd do a wee update. Oh yes, one last thing. I think I might (and if my daughter's reading this, she may want to sit down otherwise she may faint) be making a purchase of a fancy smancy phone!!! What does this have to do with the cafe?? EVERYTHING. I'm going to buy an i-Phone type where I can take photos of the cake counter each morning or the actual menu board and send it out over the airwaves or however it's sent! I've been talking about it for too long now so I think I'll actually do it over the weekend.

Have a lovely weekend. x

Rubbish blogger and cafe 'break' news

2011-03-16T23:24:00.000-07:00

Rubbish blogger of the year prize goes to ...... Ann at T Ann Cake. Longest gap between posts ever. Ok, I am busy but so are many others who blog. I am going to right my wrongs next week when I will have time at home. I'll have time at home next week because we are closing the cafe for ONE WHOLE WEEK!!!!

Unfortunately, whilst I would love to report that I'm flying off somewhere exotic for a week to rest my weary bones...I'm not.

I'm going to spend the week catching up with tax and other paperwork (tax year end FAST approaching). I've also got some major clearing up to do. One of our spare bedrooms and our dining room have been pretty unusable for about a year and a half. I've used them both as storerooms for a lot of my Farmers' Market stuff (cake boxes, cake stands etc etc etc etc), paperwork and cafe stuff (bits of furniture, part tea sets, etc etc etc). You get the picture. Both rooms have never been fully emptied so that is one of my major chores for the week that the cafe is closed.

Oh what fun!

News - 26th February 2011

2011-02-27T10:54:00.000-08:00

Book and Knitting Groups
Both starting in March. Book group in the first week and knitting group in the third week. Both groups full now and I will be contacting everyone about it in the next two days.

New Products
EATING...I've relented and bought in some crisps after some requests from customers. I've bought in twos of a very good make; Tyrells Lightly Sea Salted and Tyrells Roasted Root Vegetables. I've also bought in some cute wee raisin boxes for the little ones that visit the 'caff'.

NOT FOR EATING....the 'Drop Bombs not Scones' tea towel that I have mounted on the cafe wall in a frame is proving to be very popular and they will be available to buy (unframed!) very soon. I will also have some bombs not scones tote bags too. Woo woo.

It's Christmas.....surprise package

2011-02-25T23:19:00.000-08:00

Ok, it was the 25th of February yesterday, and it's not Christmas but it felt like it.

Husband phoned the cafe mid afternoon and asked if I'd been back at the house today. He'd returned to the house after flying his boy toy gliders and found a cardboard box in our vestibule. I don't 'escape' from the cafe during daylight hours unless I have to run around the corner to the bank so I assured him that it certainly 'wisnae me'. He told me that the box contained an old tea set, a cheese slicer and some caramel shortbread and no note! A mystery.

I immediately thought that it might have something to do with my family because of the cheese slicer. Yes I know that you can get one of these anywhere these days but we'd always had them throughout my lifetime from when I moved to Norge when I was six weeks old - the Norwegians eat a lot of cheese and they slice a lot of cheese! These fabbie implements meant thinly sliced cheese so I used to get really annoyed if I went to anyone's house for a cheese sandwich and saw huge horrible thick slices of cheese. The ones that I've ever bought in the UK were just never sharp enough so I even bought extras when I used to work in Norway occasionally in my last job.

Husband brought the box over (minus the shortbreads, he's very bad) to the shop later and I immediately started to unpack it. The teaset was GORGEOUS. Light pastel'ly' colours on the outside and then lots of gold everywhere - I'm not good at describing things and I can't get my camera to download photos onto the laptop today for some reason - and then I found a little tag. A wedding label tag with "love Margaret" written on it in beautiful old handwriting. Then I clicked. My Aunty Irene on my father's side. She'd phoned a few months back and mentioned a tea set she received from her bridesmaid/maid of honour for her wedding in the early sixties and said that I could have it and here it was. How lovely is that? There is absolutely no way on earth that I will use it in the same way that we use the other teasets in the cafe but I think I'll display it somehow in a little wall mounted cabinet that we have and I'll have to display the label too I think - what a lovely thing to be given and to have. I can't wait to show it off.

The cheese slicer isn't just any old Norwegian cheese slicer; it's a very ornate one with a pewter handle and it was given to my Aunty Irene and Uncle Alec by my parents - it's gorgeous and almost too good to used but it's lovely and sharp and would slice a creamy bit of jarlsberg or gjetost no problem!

Then there's the millionaire shortbread!!! I'd had a silly day yesterday and hadn't had time to eat aside from two tiny tester mouthfuls of a newish cake in the morning. I tried to have some soup later but got busy with something else and had to leave it so by the time we got home last night and Alex made dinner (as usual!), he declared that he should test the millionaire shortbread. And he did. Two bits! He LOVED it. Unusually for me, because I'd not had anything throughout the day, I struggled to eat much last night, so I had to save my test for this morning. I think I need to get my Aunty Irene into the cafe once a week to make batch supplies of this stuff. It's a shortbread bottom rather than the biscuity one that I usually prefer but it was divine; the shortbread was so light. And then the caramel and chocolate layer. Seriously divine. She said that I could have the recipe if I liked it. I liked it - most definitely. But I don't think that there's a chance that it'll taste like that when I make it.

It tastes exactly as I remember my Aunty Monica's (same side of the family) millionaire shortbread tasted when we were younger. Aunty Monica kindly gave me the recipe and the 2nd batch that I made (of her recipe) was much much better than my first attempt but I don't remember it being nearly as good as when Aunty Monica made it.

There's a problem here. Aunty Monica lives in Nottingham and somehow I don't think would consider travelling up here to make her shortbread! Aunty Irene is closer - Kirkcaldy - but I don't think that I could persuade her to supply me with a cafe supply of shortbread!!!!

Thinking about Aunty Irene made me remember times visiting her and her husband (Uncle Alec) and my cousin Tom when we were younger. We didn't live in Scotland (full time) until I was a teenager so we only ever saw family maybe once a year. I always thought that Aunty Irene and Uncle Alec were quite posh - Uncle Alec was a school teacher but they had a piano and could play it! That was just lovely when we went to visit and watching (if I remember correctly) Tom being able to play. Lovely memories.

So what lovely memories in a box and I am ever so grateful that my Aunty Irene dropped these off. On my day 'off' (Monday) this week, I cannot leave the house as I have wages to finalise and get sent over the ether given that the cafe rota this week has been the worse yet and I haven't had a second to do anything in the cafe but I think I have to see if I can visit in another week or so - I have to see if the piano's still there too!

Reasons to be cheerful...1,2,3

2011-02-23T23:04:00.000-08:00

Was that Ian Dury and the Blockheads? Oops, wrote 'blackheads'. I have lots of reasons to be cheerful & a few reasons to have a couple of 'poor me' moments.

Reasons to be cheerful
1. Husband is still in the house. Some may ask why that is indeed a reason to be cheerful. Well, given that I screamed in his words 'like a banshee/fishwife' at him last night as I was about to leave the cafe.... and then proceeded to sit down on one of the comfy chairs and declared that 'I'll just sleep here overnight' and 'you go home, I don't need you anyway'..... yes, unforgivable. Remember, I didn't just say these words. I screamed them like an old witch (I'm sure he called me that too but I was all about me, me, me at that point & didn't hear much of what he was shouting back). So, we both mumbled something at each other and then came home and mumbled some more and now we're friends again. Poor man. Working for free. Staying ungrumpy most of the time (that's hard for him - he's naturally miserable, he says he was born that way). Trying to actually do his other job and look after our dog/the house whilst he's not at the caff. Yes, I'm lucky and must tell him that more.
2. Reasons to be cheerful 2,3,4.......... my baby girl & her baby girls, my sis. etc etc etc. My caff (even though it doesn't behave sometimes). My health. Well....

Reasons to be a miserable old bag (not quite a song title but Morrissey was close)
1. I am a healthy woman. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to work the way I am just now but poor old me.... I have an infection in my tooth where I had root canal treatment & it's sore and I've just finished my antibiotics that the dentist gave me for the infection (as a temporary measure) and it's still sore and the pills (along with the painkillers I've shoving down) make me feel horribly ill and because I can't ever be horribly ill (food/health/hygiene etc), I'm feeling pretty crap and really just want to curl up with my sore tooth and strange feeling top part of my tummy in my chest area and go to sleep for a day. Yes, stop moaning Ann. I will. In a minute. Let me get one last moan out. I'VE NOT BEEN ABLE TO HAVE A DRINK. Three days and I'm gagging. That's bad. It's not like I have a lot of drink each night. One a night (one drink, not big bottle). Probably the equivalent of one unit but oh how I miss it. It's like an old friend that I suddenly can't see. Husband delights in telling me (rather than the other way round) that he thinks I have 'a problem'. Bastard. Ooops, sorry, forgot that I love him lots right now. So, one more night and then it's back on the booze. No more having Mr R. sitting next to me with a cheeky ~~glass~~ bottle of red with a smirk on his face.

Caff's going well. Still struggling to get staff rota sorted but I have two people coming in for a trial in the next couple of days. We've struggled this week on the rota front and fingers crossed it's not affected service too much.

Must run and shower. Put some clean clothes on, only for them to get covered in flour and frosting within a couple of hours. Put a smile on my pain-ridden face (oh, I do this 'poor me' thing quite well!) and see what Thursday has to bring.

2011-02-16T16:08:00.001-08:00

I've finally added some photos to the 'cafe photos' and the 'cafe food photos' pages.... lots more to follow.

Heaven Knows I was miserable then....

2011-02-15T22:49:00.000-08:00

Pah, last Monday's post was a bit miserable wasn't it? Truth be know if I'd written something yesterday morning (Tuesday), it'd probably have been worse. But it's Wednesday now so miserable Tuesday is in the past.

Yesterday in the cafe wasn't bad actually. I had lots of nice visitors; I don't mind the word customer because I suppose that's what people are in the cafe but I also feel like they're visiting. My little girl was one of these visitors and she popped in for lunch with some of her university friends so that was lovely. What wasn't lovely is that she didn't like the idea of pea and mint soup (it's green) or that she had a toasted panini and didn't even eat the green stuff on the side (it's green). I tried to stop her ordering a cake afterwards (because she hadn't eaten her greens) but she just ignored me and given that she's 25 now, I suppose I couldn't argue but she still shouldn've eaten her greens!

Lots of lovely wee ones in yesterday too which is always nice and seems to make us all go a bit 'awwwww' in the kitchen; we're a bit soft like that.

Zoe, photographer extraordinaire was in with her wee cutie Martha and her lovely mum who is up for a visit. As usual, Zoe got her snazzy camera and pointed at lots of stuff and then tad dah... she took fabulous photos - how can that be? Ok, she does it for a living and she has an 'arty' eye but I'm a bit in awe. Sorry if I've prompted you to do this before but I have no shame (and no, she doesn't ask me to do this!)... please take a look at her stuff...http://www.facebook.com/photosbyzoe#!/photosbyzoe?sk=app_9953271133 You know you see family photos taken by photographers where the family are standing posing and looking all staid and frozen? That's not how she does it; I'm going to book her for a session soon so she can capture my little girl and her family but I think I'll wait until the baby is walking (few months yet).

Jumping back to me being a miserable old bag (sorry to depress you) but I think I'm a tad frustrated about our failed search for someone to come in and help for a few hours each morning in the kitchen; specifically to make our savoury stuff (and a quick loaf or two or bread). We've had lots of great general cafe assistant applications but no-one that is perfect (are we asking too much?) for the cook-type position.

I'm also cross with myself for not getting the savoury 'menu' sorted. I need to move on now and not expand it loads (because I love the fact that we hardly have any waste but the fact that I seem to be treading water and not moving it forward in any way. My fault. And only I can sort it. Rubbish.

So, the cafe is going a bit good. Thursdays and Saturdays are our busiest days and Sunday's were too (before we had our little brunch break). Back to Sunday opening again this week and we're looking forward to it.

Must run. Wednesday already and lots of cakes to make if I ever get myself over the road.

What will this week bring?

2011-02-07T22:26:00.000-08:00

Can I be honest? I'm beginning not to love Tuesdays. And, it's not because they're my new Monday but it's because I'm always behind before I've even started on a Tuesday. I'm talking cakes. I have to start with nothing on a Tuesday ('cos we're closed on a Monday).

We try to get to the cafe earlier than usual on a Tuesday but I have to admit that the 'naughty counter' (aka the cake counter) on a Tuesday in time for opening is a little bare. Yes, the answer would possibly be to go in on a Monday and bake but I feel that I need at least one day away from it (we're sometimes in doing other stuff anyway). And, most of yesterday was spent activating a horrible tax disk thing and inputting lots of boring things like national insurance numbers blah di blah di blah.

So, this morning's / tomorrow's cake list will go something like this...
1) gooey chocolate fudge brownies; get them in the oven, then...
2) lemon drizzle cake, then....
3) lemon meringue pie tartlets.....
4) pecan pies
5) cupcakes & frosting
6) stem ginger cake
7) whenver any of the above cakes are cool, make the icing/frosting and decorate!
8) if time, a fruit loaf
9) in the middle of all this and in time for opening, some scones...I think some ginger, apricot and almond today.
10) carrot cake at some point too!

So, there we go AND I'm short staffed. Eeek!

I also have to work out what we'll be making this week. We have an idea for today (that's good considering it is today) but I need to think about the rest of the week.

Have a lovely week. x

oh, and more more thing....Saturday in the cafe was just a bit mad!!! I definitely need to bring in another (our last?) table but I might wait a wee while for that one!

Chilli frickin' Jam

2011-02-04T15:42:00.000-08:00

Sitting here at 11.30pm, yes p.m., on Friday night. What's so crazy about that? Well, I've been up since early a.m. and did a shorter shift at the cafe today (11 hours!!) and will be up again at 5am... so why am I still up? I'm waiting for my chilli jam to cool slightly so that it can go into the ONE sterilised bloody jar. One jar of jam. One. OK, it's a hughish jar but it contains 8 red peppers, around 10 red chillis and tonnes of garlic etc etc etc. I thought I was being all sneaky and clever by getting Jen in the cafe to do all of the chopping (only large processor is still in the house)so that I merely had to cook it. Huh. The recipe says 50 minutes. Rubbish. An hour and 50 minutes plus plus plus.

I now have to wait for it to cool slightly and then get it into the sterilised jar.

Next time (a couple of weeks), we'll chop via the processor and cook it in the cafe and make a tonne of it. It's a scrummy recipe and it goes so well with our salami and gruyere in a toasted panini so that's why we're making it again.

What else am I doing? Can I confess? Will anyone ever speak to me again? Probably not but that's fine 'cos I don't have time to speak to anyone these days.... I'm watching 'Real Housewives of bloody Orange County. I'd like to say that this is the first time that I've watched this type of programme but whisper this bit.... it's not. I watched loads of the Housewives of New Jersey series (but only 'cos I used to travel around there a lot) - crappy excuse isn't it? Yes. It. Is.

So, as well as being a bit sad and having no social life to speak of just now. I'm also a dumbass who watches the lowest of the low reality shows on telly.

Lovely husband of mine. If you happen to read this. I'd like to apologise for watching this type of programme. I'd also like to apologise for admitting to whoever reads this that I watch this type of programme. Must start reading more (and I don't mean the Daily Mail). Must turn telly off.

Jam should be ready for a sterilised jar now. Tomorrow (Saturday) should be fun in the 'caff'.... lack of sleep, busy day and still not completely decided on the soup apart from the fact that it must be vegetarian (it doesn't have to be every day but tomorrow it does) and it can't be another dhal (we've become addicted).

Night night!

Latest at the 'caff'

2011-02-02T22:49:00.000-08:00

I posted here last Thursday and we'd had a great week. The Friday was a bit fantastic (our busiest weekday yet) and then the weekend............

Saturday was quiet at first and for about half an hour I actually thought I'd made too many cakes! Then madness hit and it didn't stop! So, so, so, so, busy! Hurrah! I'd scheduled some extra staff (well staff working more hours) but it still wasn't quite enough at times. We didn't have enough tables so I have to think about bringing in the final table at some point soon. Oh yes, we also ran out of cakes about 20 minutes before close. Not good! Week on week if we're looking at how busy Saturdays are, it's just getting busier and busier. Bit scary actually. And I still have the usual doubts about... ahhh, will it last etc etc.

Sunday Brunch was mad too! Our maddest yet and it was as busy as Saturday but in a condensed time period. The atmosphere was a bit fabulous; all helped of course by the customers coming in. It was a bit loud (but in a nice way) and we had a birthday table that seemed to grow and grow and even a wee performance of what I think was a Scottish folk song from that table. It's how I dreamed my cafe would look, sound and feel like what I was still doing my research and putting my 'mood board' together.

We're closed for the next two Sundays and I've made the decision to continue with Monday closing and to be open for brunch on Sundays.

I'll get some more photos posted soon; hate blog posts without photos!

Fantastic Friday.... oh yes, and finally our pulled pork sandwich!

2011-01-27T22:55:00.000-08:00

It's been another good few days at T Ann Cake and yet again, so bloody unpredictable...in brief....

Tuesday - fairly steady but quietish morning then good, good lunchtime and nice pace in the afternoon.
Wednesday - staff rota mixup which meant that I didn't open until 12.15pm ... more about that later.... but there were customers waiting to come in at 12.15 and then we had a fantastic day; great lunch period and then a lovely steady afternoon.
Thursday - usually busy, especially at lunchtime, but it was such a strange day. A lovely regular customer with her cute wee boy Rocco came in first and then we had quite a busy wee period. Quiet for a wee while and then a busy lunch but the rush period was over so so quickly... then not much custom...then everyone came at once again...then a wee bit quiet. And, looking at the tickets, it was our quietest lunch, ie, people actually having lunch but we sold a lot of cakes!
Friday - who knows....usually really busy at lunchtime and I think we're going to be ready for it...watch this space.

We're doing our first pulled pork bbq roll today with a side of coleslaw. Cannot wait. I've had experience of it in New York on some business trips and loved it so here's hoping we can do it some justice in Dundee! We're not making loads although we maybe should because even if it's not a popular menu item, we could take the leftovers home. Yum.

Had a another wee cutie in yesterday, a wee girl called Daisy, who I think is only 2 but she can draw moons!!! Very talented you know...she was given chalk and was drawing on the blackboard wall and kept on saying 'moons'. She even looks like a prospective arts student..or maybe fashion....just so trendy looking! Her mum and dad have brought her in before so it was lovely seeing wee Daisy again.

Almost the end of January now and things have not gone to plan. Our predictions (and everyone's elses) that January would be deadly quiet were ok actually because I thought it would give me time to get lots of systems in place...staff rotas, staff training, bill paying, food ordering etc etc etc so I'm constantly chasing my tail with that lot just now and having to do lots of stuff early morning or late at night but I suppose it's quite a nice position to be in....for now. I am delighted but will never take how busy we are for granted (even though a huge number of customers are coming because we've been recommended to them or others are returning again and again)...being a sensible pessimist....suddenly getting horribly quiet!

Looking forward to Friday though...

New week..starting with a bit of Haggis

2011-01-24T22:17:00.000-08:00

Haggis in a soup actually. It's Burn's night tonight so in the cafe today, we'll be offering Haggis, Neeps & Tattie soup. That's right haggis, neeps & tattie in a soup; we've had it before and that's what it tastes like - your Burns supper in a bowl. We will also be offering a pumpkin laksa with the usual chilli, coriander, coconut & lemongrass as an alternative... we won't make everyone eat haggis (but we'll try).

We'll also have a range of panini but we have to hotfoot it down to Forfar today because we've almost run out of the bread (sold far more than usual last week)and we don't want to use a crappy alternative. We'll have the usual salami, gruyere with our chilli jam and then the brie, apple & caramelised red onion but we'll also have some Scottish mature cheddar with rocket and our slow roasted plum tomatoes today. Possibly tomorrow, we'll have our first hot special....not that the soups that we've offered haven't been hot and special but this is hot and it's not a soup or a panini! We're doing a sort of greek style butterbean, tomato & cinnamon dish sprinkled with feta. Will probably serve it with a small toasted ciabatta but I'll decide later. And, later in the week, providing our wee experiment works, we'll have our pulled pork in a gorgeous bbq sauce served on a white roll (has to be white, it's the rule I think) with other stuff but watch this space, I can't wait for it!

Cakes-wise this week, I'm definitely going to do more of the apple pie muffins I made on Sunday - they are my current top favourite. I'm also DEFINITELY going to do some Norwegian type cinnamon rolls (childhood memories etc); been meaning to do them since we opened. I'm also planning to do some of my Oreo cupcakes & other bits and bobs. That's the plan anyway.

So, must run. It's still quite early and I have soooo much horrible paperwork to do. Mostly for the bloomin' tax man unfortunately but it's wages week too so lots to do.

Saturday's Report

2011-01-22T23:09:00.000-08:00

Busiest day yet at T Ann Cake. We had a ball. Hard work for us all but with a great team on board, we did it! Ok, a couple of blips here and there but we're new and we'll straighten them all out!

May have to put yet another table in soon as there were a few occasions when we had people waiting (including a lovely couple on their first visit that used to buy my cakes at the farmers' markets)! We had people sharing tables too which I love seeing (and I don't mean from a business point of view either!).

Lots of returning customers - wowee!!!! And, two lots of customers who came in twice yesterday (how lovely is that?). And loads of customers who came in because they'd been told that they should try us (and not by me!!).

Brunch today so must get ready for that. Should, fingers crossed, be slightly more relaxed!

Saturday - tea, coffee & cake anyone?

2011-01-21T22:56:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday was our busiest yet but knowing how unpredictable things are in this 'trade', it could be that we're quiet this Saturday. We're, touch wood, organised for today.... well, we hope we are. If I make this a very short post and get over to the cafe soonish, the cakes we should have are...

Orange Meringue Pie tartlets, chocolate fondant & cherry fondant tartlets, some scones (don't know what type yet - maybe good old fashioned fruit??, gooey chocolate fudge brownies, pear crumble slice, carrot cake cupcakes and possibly later..... ginger cake with lemon glaze, a carrot cake & a lemon drizzle cake.

Lunch? A chorizo, roasted red pepper, tomato & lentil soup, some Moroccan, Lemon, chickpea & Spinach soup (both served with our homemade granary bread), a couscous (both normal & big fat Egyptian couscous) with slow roasted plum balsamic tomatoes, olives & other lovely goodies served with a garlic & lemon aoili & paninis galore!

We're only open from 10 until 4 on a Saturday and I'm really looking forward to today!

We had a photographer in on Thursday taking the most amazing photos of the place. Her name is Zoe. Company is Photos by Zoe. Take a look at the link HERE for the photos she took of the cafe and then click here to see some of her other pics. Her wedding photos are amazing. So natural. I love the ones of whole wedding parties jumping around on huge haystacks. Her family portraits are also amazing. Just look HERE. You have to!!

Still pinching myself about the cafe! It's actually open and functioning and people are returning. We're not getting everything right but we're trying so, so hard!

What's next week going to bring? BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches we think. We need some really soft rolls for this so I need to speak to the baker Alessandro about what he could do for this! Can't wait.

The cafe last week...... (Jan 11th - 18th)

2011-01-18T20:04:00.000-08:00

Sitting here stupidly early in the morning (Mr R. woke me up with loud snorey walrus noises)and contemplating last week in the cafe, I can't quite believe how things are going. There were quite a few who doubted my sanity when I told them my plans especially given that I'd be opening in December/January and I think towards the end, I occasionally started listening to them but since Thursday of last week, I'm beginning to think really, really 'woo woo' thoughts. I think the research and work has maybe meant that lots of people see what I saw and like what we're doing. I say 'we' because Mr R. whilst still doing his day job as well as sort of semi retired is there helping out every single day.

So the cafe.... you know when you go out to eat (whether it be a la Michelin or a greasy spoon type) and you get the feeling that you're sort of doing the proprietors (sp?) a favour just by being there.... don't you just hate that? I do. That's why I am seriously grateful for every customer that walks through the door of T Ann Cake. Whether they be a new customer, a returning customer, friends or family, I still can't believe that people are coming in. That isn't as daft as it sounds. When I started selling my stuff at the farmers' markets, I remember turning round to my big sister on one of those days in disbelief when someone gave me money for something I'd made...in a way, that's how I feel when people come in to T Ann Cake.

Ooops....where we've gone wrong
I know that we've got some things wrong. We've had the occasional delayed order, drink that's been forgotten or staff that occasionally forget to smile (they're smiling inwardly...honest!), and whilst these may seem like trivial little things, they're not! When I was doing my cafe research, it was every little thing that I was looking at. Not just at menu ideas and the decor but also at how customers were treated. One of my biggest bugbears is customers being made to feel like me or the staff are doing them a favour by smiling, speaking to them, actually taking their order or taking their money! Even during busy periods, not actually smiling at a customer (and meaning it!!!!), looking them in the eye or any sort of bluntness/shortness in the chat or conversation makes my blood boil! When I'm out somewhere and it happens to me, it just makes me think that I should go somewhere where I'd be more appreciated and I'd hate anyone to think that at T Ann Cake!

T Ann Cake staff
I imagine working somewhere brand new and where things/menus/kitchen storage areas etc etc are changing almost on a daily basis must be a strange one. It's been great working with them and seeing where the strengths and weaknesses lie! It's also amazing to have so many CVs handed in! We're not recruiting for cafe staff right now but I'm amazed about the number of enquiries in the cafe and emails being sent by people that have visited who want to work at the cafe! If only they knew how hard the work actually is/will be! We're still all bedding in to the routines and getting used to how things work but it's not just about pouring the odd coffee and serving the odd cake!! There's a lot of yukky hard work too and then there's that period at the end of a busy shift (when you have to start moving quicker rather than slower!) is one that may put a lot of people off.

Menu
We're getting there, slowly. I've had a few panini choices on this week and they are going down well. People still seem to want soup and in this weather, who could blame them. There are so many things that I really really want to do and I will. We had our first request for chips this week....seriously and the customer wasn't a happy bunny when I said we weren't allowed to do them, oh well! I also have to keep on telling myself that there will be customers that just do not like the cafe; for whatever reason. Whether it be the furniture (a la multiple auctions, junk shops, antique shops...), the fact that we don't have a set savoury menu or just the fact that it maybe is a wee bit different from the norm, I can't take it personally if someone just doesn't like it or get it. Easier said than done of course given that I've been living and breathing this place for a long time now. From the renovation to the decoration to what we've put on the menu so far, it's all very personal so I try to just give myself a wee talking along the lines of, 'it's not for everyone so just live with it'!

I've also stopped apologising (well mostly) for only having a few cakes on the go. At the most I think we've had 7 different things to choose from and considering that I'm making everything myself, that's not bad. Ok, we almost run out sometimes but surely that means that everything is fresh and things aren't sitting for days and days and days (like in some places...ahem)?

I'm about to go through a bunch of applications I've received for a very, very part-time job for the cafe; a cook to help for at least 2 hours each morning to take over from Mr R. Very scary thought that he won't be in the cafe at some point in the future but I'm a big girl so I'll cope (or maybe I won't, watch this space!).

We've got the childrens' menu up on the blackboard now. There's one thing missing and that's 'sugo'. My italian tomato sauce for pasta that my granddaughter Kaitlyn has been eating since she was a baby (and wee Abbie has already had her first taste!). That'll be the next stage and probably once we've settled in a bit. Working out how much to make (it freezes beautifully) but also working out how to prepare the pasta so that it can be cooked in advance and prepared quickly and easily is something that I'll try to work out soon.

What's next?

Book Group & Knitting Group. We've already almost collection enough names for the book group and the knitting group. These should both start in February. There are so many other things that I'd like to do in the evenings but for now, this will do.

More Furniture. I'm sitting in my living room looking at a pretty ugly small round table and two quite nice chairs. They should go in at some point later this week/or on Monday ready for next week. I say ugly table because it's a horrid 'normal' cafe table. Round. Table for two. Melamine top. Middle leg. Modern. Yuck. So, I'm doing something to it otherwise it'll really stick out given that it looks so different to everything else we have in there.

Staff
We have quite a few lovely staff but this is only because I needed the flexibility for the rota. We have Jen, Hannah,Sarah, Laura W., Laura M., Gary & Kate; although sadly Kate is moving away very soon which is a real shame. I might even get some photos up soon....watch this space and hopefully they won't all run when I get the camera out!

So, I just wanted to catch up with the blog. I've been a bit rubbish at that lately but then I had a quick look at it and realised that the last post I'd put up was a bit of a 'poor me' post so I needed to change that.

It's Wednesday morning. 4 bloody a.m. to be precise but I've not had a stupidly sleepless night for such a long time that I'll allow myself this one. I'll look like I'm 72 in the cafe tomorrow but that's fine. I usually get incredibly hungry if I'm tired so as long as I remember to stuff my face, I'll be fine.

Snow, rain, driech driech driech and more driech

2011-01-12T22:32:00.000-08:00

Bored with this weather now. Woke up yesterday to more bloody snow; ok, just a piddly amount, an inch or so but come on, give me a break. Please?

Yes, I'm a dumbass for opening a cafe just before Christmas with my first proper month being in January but crappy weather too? No thank you.

Rant, moan over. Promise. Mr R. tells me off for being a moaney old cow and his mantra at the moment seems to be, 'it's January' and you should be very pleased with what's happening (cafe business-wise'. And I am, I really am but.....

People are definitely eating less cake and naughty stuff. But some of my lovely customers are also telling me (or sometimes I'm naughty and might accidentally hear snippets of conversation!!!) that there is a lot of month for a little of the money in January; lots of people are post-Christmas poor.

So, yes. Yet again I'm agreeing with my husband and I am extremely grateful for the people that are popping in to the cafe. This week has been slightly quieter but I'm happy. On the positive side, we're getting more organised. More shelves are going up everywhere. This sounds trivial but it's not; shelves in a kitchen are good. In fact, the phrase 'storage solution' now makes me very excited; almost in the same way that the thought, 'I'm off to Anthropologie' used to get me excited. Oh dear, that sounds so sad now I see that written down.

I definitely need to offer a few different sandwich/ciabatta panini choices on the menu. There have been too many requests about that for me to ignore it now. As well as options with meat or cheese, I definitely have to think of some veggie ones with no cheese and I'm on it! I also have to make lots more of my homemade chutney and the like. I did a napoli salami, gruyere & chilli jam panini the other day and it went down really well so I'm going to order a tonne of red chillis today and get that made in the next day or so. Luckily, it's the sort of jam/pickle that doesn't need too long a fester period.

I'm also going to fill some wall space with things that were supposed to go up before we opened but we didn't have enough time; I'll take some more cafe photos in the next day or so. And... talking about wall space, we sold our first of our artist's work yesterday. I was in the middle of getting in touch with her via the laptop when she walked in! So, she's a happy lady.

Must run. Cakes to bake. Papers to sort!

A very strange day in T Ann Cake

2011-01-08T22:55:00.000-08:00

Okay. I was always told that it would be pretty difficult to predict how busy or quiet a day would be in the cafe. I remember when I worked at the cafe Pillars in Falkland that they couldn't ever predict how a day would turn out and they'd been at it for years (well, aside from knowing that summer weekends would always be busy). But, only my second ever weekend of trading in early January? Oh yes, and then it snowed again! Not huge amounts this time, only an inch or two.

I wasn't hopeful but still had a counter full of cakes and tarts at the start of the day.

It was quiet to begin with. Horribly quiet to begin with. A few customers here and there. At one point the tables were full and then they left again. Then a trickle of customers one after the other. So, I stayed positive (even though at one point there was no-one in) and took myself off to the comfy couch by the window and did some paper work. Then it started....at first, loads of people popping in for takeaway cakes. Then at 2.30, madness hit T Ann Cake and it seems like the whole of Dundee and beyond had woken up and decided to come along!

I love it when the place is full. Please believe me when I say that I'm not just saying that from a business point of view. I'm also saying it from a, 'this is what I always wanted the cafe to feel like' point of view. Chat, a bit of noise, clean plates, the slurp of coffee and tea and happy faces.

Felt a little bit sorry for Jen (who works with me at T Ann Cake). She'd had a horrible bout of flu during our closure period and whilst she is better, I think she was hoping that we were going to get away with a nice easy day and a decent going home time! And Laura M., who'd been working up until 2.30 came back with friends and I was DELIGHTED because they started playing one of the games in the cupboard - FOOD AND DRINK TRIVIAL PURSUIT. I really really wanted to sit down and join in; I love Q & A games; especially if they involve food and drink! But again, it was nice seeing people doing things in the cafe that I'd wanted them to do when the cafe was merely a little thought in my head!

Loads and loads of my previous market customers popped in as well as others who came in because others had recommended us. How great is that? Still seeing customers from a long time back and also getting new customers?

Result was that we ran out of cakes - no, I think we had 2 slices left of a yoghurt and orange cake that I'd only finished mid morning but everything else - gone! An early start for me tomorrow.

Could my day have got any better? Well yes actually....

Knock on the door 5 minutes after I got in. It was Laura (mentioned above) who only lives a few doors away with a chinese takeaway for me!!! Let me explain. I know Laura's mum and Laura has been telling us about Diane's new dish of chicken fried rice that has become a family favourite. I guess I must have mentioned (17 times) how nice it sounded!!! She brought me a little portion of this....my plan worked. Just after arriving back from the cafe, I had to pop something in to Diane's but I knew that she'd be cooking this! Hee hee - that sounds bad doesn' it? I didn't actually stand and drool by the wok as she was making it (well only a little). So the result was that the lovely Laura brought me over a wee portion of what would have been I think a second helping for her - hurrah! Bad thing is that Mr R. stole a spoonful or two. Good thing was that I got to scoff the rest and it was delish!

Second good thing to happen? My lovely current husband had bought me the SATC2 DVD and he even sat and watched it with me!! Lots of brownie points for Mr R.!

A lovely ending to a what started of strange but ended up being a bloody good day!

Brunch at T Ann Cake tomorrow. We've had more snow overnight so who knows if anyone will brave the weather and toodle on down. We'll see!

Jan 7th - Part time cook position, Book and Knitting Group, Free WiFi

2011-01-07T13:01:00.000-08:00

Second day back and there are slightly fewer cake sales but lunches are BUSY so things are still a bit good! Lots of new and returning customers so that's also a bit good.

On a sort of related note, I'm looking forward to only our second weekend since opening (2nd & 3rd weekends, we were closed 'cos Christmas and New Year fell on them, so to speak). Our first Saturday (18th Dec) was great, trading wise (and only our third day of trading) but our first Sunday brunch was not great trading wise but that might have had something to do with the MENTAL snow that we had overnight (remember??? 4-5 inches in Wormit/Dundee). So, the forecast for the next couple of days isn't great; bit more sleet and snow and fingers crossed it isn't as bad as the last time.

Other stuff???

Part-time Cook/Baker Needed
I've just placed a little advert on gumtree for a (very) part-time cook/baker on Gumtree. Whilst I'd love to hire someone with a real true interest in all things food and baking related, I actually need to hire someone who has a true interest but who has worked in a commercial kitchen. This is what I'm looking for...

Someone to work between 2 - 3 hours a day, 5 to 6 days a week. Hours of work - mornings (before lunch time rush). The work will involve some baking assistance for Ann but it will mostly involve lunchtime prep/cooking. Help with ordering and food management and other kitchen duties if necessary. We are currentl open Tue - Sun.

The successful candidate will be able to work in a small team and will be able to both follow instruction but will also use initiative - a can do attitude basically. No 'ping' type experience needed (ie, microwaves are not us) but experience of cooking with good ingredients and from scratch, ie, making good, tasty food is a must. Only non-smokers should apply.

Last but certainly not least, the candidate will not be able to take holidays in late March/April or late September/October.

Email me on t-ann-cake@live.co.uk with a CV.

PS. I don't have any available positions for cafe/kitchen assistants at present. Sorry.

Book Group & Knitting Group
I've just put a little poster up in the cafe about our plans to set up a book group (first Thursday of the month) and a knitting group (third Thursday of the month) at some point in the near future (both at 6pm).

Book Group: up to around 10 members. No set agenda for the type of book we'd read (discussions about that would take place in the first meeting). Already 3 names on the list!!!!

Knitting Group: no limit for members. Need knitters of all levels of ability. I'm a bit of a rubbish knitter but I love to try (and I need to make more tea cosies) so I'm taking one of the 'rubbish knitters' slots!

Names/details are being taken in the cafe for both groups.

WIFI
We have free wireless broadband in the cafe for our customers. This is available morning and later on the afternoon, ie, not during the busy lunchtime period (I'm sure you understand!).

So, still smiling here and looking forward to my second weekend in T Ann Cake.

xxx

First day back at school

2011-01-06T12:24:00.000-08:00

Do you remember the first day back at school back in the day? I do. A wee bit of you wants to go back to see your friends but another part of you would rather that the holidays simply continued for another day or seven. That's how I felt today. I'd had, probably, a full day of doing not very much in the days we had off. It was nice. But a little bit of me wanted to get back to ~~school~~ the cafe to see how 2011 would fare!

Would anyone want to buy cake in January when (1) people have no money, and (2) those that do have money are on diets.

Well today was GOOD! I wasn't quite ready when our doors opened but we got there. New customers, returning customers and some friends popped by and it was great to see them all. The rush started early and finished early. More people in for coffee, tea and cake and slightly fewer for lunch but on the whole - wow! People do eat out in January (eek, am I jinxing the rest of January by writing that down?).

Meant to have at least the drinks menu and the childrens' menu displayed in the window today but after spending an hour finalising it (again) after my laptop's hospitalisation a few weeks back, it seems that I neglected to save it; this in itself is impossible so that bloody document is somewhere in my machine but it's playing hide and seek at the moment and my seeking abilities seem to be pretty poor.

I've decided to continue with the savoury menu as it is, ie, not to have a huge list of things on offer simply because I fear there would be an awful lot of waste if I did that. We'll always have a soup or two on offer. We'll always have at least one other special, such as a tart with a side salad and we should always have some sort of sandwich, or two.

The thing I have had to look at is our price list. Why? A few reasons - (1) silly VAT rise - this doesn't affect everything I'm buying but quite a lot of it, (2) a proper sit down to look at my costings over the holidays - eeek, and (3) around 5 or 6 customers telling me that my prices are "really reasonable".

I've always said that I don't want to take the pxxs out of anyone that walks through the door but I guess I have to be realistic about it all.

So, a new day tomorrow. As is usual, I'll announce what we plan to have on facebook but we're thinking the spicy dhal and coconut soup, a smoked salmon & dill pate served with toasted ciabatta and our hummus & some couscous with toasted ciabatta. Depending on how time goes, maybe a sandwich too but we will see.

Still not used the bloody panini machine properly yet so I may be brave and do that too.

Cakes-wise, I think that I'll do some lemon meringue pie tartlets, I'll make some more pear & frangipane tarts and fingers crossed I'll have time to do some cupcakes.

Waaaaay behind with paperwork so I guess I should stop writing this and get on with it!

Night night. annie. x