Happy Birthday to Willy Wonka !!

I'm sure that this cake will not taste as good as anything you would bake, Willy Wonka, but I hope you will enjoy it. Happy Birthday!

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I <3 Willy Wonkaby Cl. Panic, on location guest blogger

You see, Mr. Wonka was kind enough to send a care package to the trial team -- and boy did it make our day.

Although it's tough to rival the baked goods available at the local truck stop, Mr. Wonka kindly packed some of the best damned peanut butter cookies I've ever had.

Thanks Mr. Wonka!

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The French may be on to something...by Cl. Panic (blogger d'invité)

I've never been a huge macaroon fan. My Favorite Adult Associate, who cannot resist baked goods or coconut just loves them (she also likes Macaroon 5; they have some pretty catchy songs).

The other day, though, Willy Wonka carried around a little box for the first half of the day. He actually carried it to his own birthday lunch, and then carried it back to the office. As it turns out, he happened to be carrying around of a box of French Macarons (that's right, ONE O!) that he'd ordered from some high-falutin' bakery that knows how things are supposed to be done in the kitchen -- the French Way.

In the words of my favorite puppet, holy crap! These things were good! Now, they looked like little multi-colored sliders (see photo with NN's thumb's up), but tasted something like clouds scooped from heaver. Dessert heaven.

The French apparently know much, much more about how a Macaron is supposed to be made. I don't know when or where we Americans bastardized it, but our version does not do it justice. Sure this isn't the first time the French were right, but man did we really get it wrong!

So, Mr. Wonka has dedicated himself to making these things the right way. Apparently he not the first to become obsessed with such things. But I fully endorse his efforts and volunteer myself as a test subject to his baking ...

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Happy Birthday, Willy Wonka!!

Happy Birthday to Willy Wonka! I hope you like the chocolate hazelnut cake I baked for you. It has a layer of japanois and is topped off with a praline buttercream frosting. Yummmm!

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Frosting Frosty: Baking Wars of 2007by Cl. Panic (guest blogger)

Something of utmost importance occurred over the last weekend, but our dear friend Nonny Nu has yet to cover the incident. As I normally do, I checked in with my mental health professional and discovered that Nonny Nu is suffering from a severe case of CCH. Check out the DSM IV if you don't believe me.

Anyhow, Willy Wonka and Green Thumbs McGillicutty threw down over the weekend and engaged in the First Non-Annual TWoNN Bake-Off. Though some allege that they were seeking out other possible career choices (which would explain why Willy Wonka was "helping out" at the local Juffy Lube two weeks ago), they claim it was a purely academic endeavor. Regardless of the real reason, they found themselves in a cookie decorating class hosted by a renowned pastry chef in his San Fransisco loft.*

Armed with sugar, food coloring, little toxic silver balls, and parchment paper pipettes, the students attacked their assigned sugar cookies as would any ordinary reasonable prudent baker. White snowmen, orange and blue butterflies, silver martini glasses . . . they went as crazy as members of the bar can get.

So who's the winner? NN demanded a poll to find out.

Green Thumbs McGillicutty's Submissions:


Willy Wonka's Submission**:


* Said chef officially having the best job ever.

** Willy Wonka attempted to sway the ratings by including a shot of his antler-wielding canine, pictured above. Nice try Mr. Wonka. But ain't that Winston cute?

Cast your votes for the winner of the 2007 Baking Wars!

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Happy Birthday, Stubbie's Godmother!!

Please join me in wishing Stubbie's Godmother a very happy birthday!! She is turning mid-twenties today (I won't tell you exactly how old because I don't know myself!!). What a wonderful little girl, always cheerful, always helpful, and always willing to put in a verbal jab here and there. Some would call her perfect. I am still mulling that one over. (Check back for updates on that one!)

Anyhow, Coach Nelson (who moonlights as workspace decorator) did a wonderful job setting up the birthday location for Stubbie's Godmother.

Happy Birthday, Stubbie's Godmother! Enjoy it while you can!!

P.S. That isn't the birthday cake. That's just some photo I found on the web. But, can you believe some people are so serious and hoity toity as to quote Shakespeare on a birthday cake? No doubt, they will be having wine with it. *eyes*

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Willy Wonka v. Cl. Panic

Check this out. The chicken noodle soup with veggies was made by Cl. Panic, and the curried turkey burger with mango chutney was made by Willy Wonka. I don't know who's the winner in the Willy Wonka v. Cl. Panic bout but I can tell you that it's a win-win situation for yours truly!

HOG HEAVEN, HERE I COME!!

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TWoNN Hall Meeting: Get Ready for Thanksgiving!

Hi, folks,

Seeing as how we are all going to be celebrating Turkey Day separately, I was thinking of putting up photos from everyone's celebrations so that we could kinda celebrate "together." So, if you would like to join in on the fun, please email to nonnynu@gmail.com photos of 1) your Thanksgiving Dinner, and/or 2) (if appropriate) the atmosphere/decorations of your celebration. There will be a vote afterward for "Best Turkey (or Other Thanksgiving Meat)" and also for "Best Setting in a Supporting Role." (Special thanks to Freelance Midget for coming up with the idea for the voting! Unfortunately, she gets nothing for it.) Please note, if Willy Wonka participates, only 1/3 of the votes for his Turkey (or Other Thanksgiving Meat) will be counted.

The winner(s) will either get 2 extra entries counted (if they are already guestblogging) or will get honorary MAYO status on the Contributors list (if they are not already guestblogging).

All photo entries must be received by Nov. 23 midnight PST (that's the midnight that marks the END of Nov. 23--sorry, this "midnight" business has always been confusing to me). Polls open Nov. 24 noon PST (noons are much clearer, imho).

Remember, *NO FACES OR OTHER IDENTIFYING MARKS IN THE PHOTOS* and *NO NUDITY, STILLMAN*.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Nonny Nu
Chief Editor, The World of Nonny Nu

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Yum! Part Troisby Willy Wonka (tired guest blogger)

Busy little worker bees today, 10 hours of baking and making of cakes…it was almost like being at Nu, Nu & Nu LLP. Except at the law firm we don’t get to eat our memos. [Speak for yourself. -Nonny Nu, Chief Editor] Today was pulling together all the cakes we’d been working on previously in the week. So I now have three cakes sitting in the refrigerator, waiting for a good home. Today was the day to learn how to assemble the cakes…and apparently getting your cake level and split evenly is a big, big, big deal. Apparently, I am not good at this. (An interesting note, our instructor told us that when he was being trained they had to be able to split a cake, fill it, ice it, and decorate it in under 7 minutes or they failed).

So…the pictured cakes are: a raspberry/lemon curd genoise cake with whipped cream icing,


a variation on a black forest cake (chocolate chiffon cake with cherry mousse icing),


and a chocolate hazelnut cake with praline buttercream frosting and a layer of japanoise (see day two).


I guess that is about it, probably much more to say but I’m tired. [So, what's new? -Nonny Nu]

Oh…and for those who were wondering about the day three update*, in brief I learned the two axioms of making puff pastry:

1) With the proper equipment it is possible to make puff pastry at home.

2) No one has the proper equipment.

*Note from Editor: This is the day that Willy Wonka didn't blog.

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Excuses, excuses...

Will you just look at that? Second day on the job, and Willy Wonka "calls in sick." It's so hard to find good help these days. Nobody cares about the readership anymore...

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Yum! Part Deuxby Willy Wonka (newly annointed guest blogger)

Today was a whirlwind of activity. We made chiffon cake, genoise, angel food cake, japanoise, and puff pastry. (The angel food cake and japanoise are pictured.) The japanoise is a hazelnut meringue which can be utilized as a layer of cake itself or how we will be using it, as a filling layer...so it will be chocolate cake, layer of japanoise, layer of frosting, cake, japanoise, frosting, etc. etc. The picture is excess japanoise that we made into small snack size discs...they were also trying out the new ice cream machines at the school, so the suggestion was made to crumble pieces of japanoise as a crunchy topping on the ice cream.

Today was also useful for learning that the practice of law does not prepare one for standing on their feet for 8 hours straight and baking all day. Sore, sore legs and a very tight back. And no...there are not real angels in Angel Food cake...that would be Angel Meal cake. Based on the ingredients angels apparently eat sugar and egg whites. Sort of like, Atkin's-obsessed heroin-addict super-models.

I will probably be bringing some of my classwork to feed the ooda-loopas of Nu, Nu & Nu LLP tomorrow since I have to come in for a meeting. My classmates did not quite understand why I had to go home and do a couple of hours of work e-mail or why I might have to swing by the office...they all thought I was on "vacation." I was kind and didn't not laugh at their naiveté to our lawyerly ways.

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Yum!

If you remember, I introduced (well, sorta) you all to Willy Wonka who used to sit two doors down from me (before the big Office Shuffle of '07). As can be deduced from the candy (organic mango and pomegranate flavors) that Willy Wonka offers in his office, this man has an interest in food (and not just eating). This week, Willy Wonka is taking a vacation at...*drumroll please*...a culinary school! Can you beat that?? What a cool vacation, right? LOVE IT! Anywho, he is serving as our culinary correspondent, and his first (maybe not only--if we beg him enough to send more updates, so come on, people!!) entry is a fruit cake that he made today:[The recipe was entitled "Cake aux Fruits," which I think is French for "you've just spent too much money to learn to make a fruitcake." -Willy Wonka]

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