Just Can't Quit Ya

Financial report from Jenny's Bread Pudding Business, which has expanded to include the following products:

1. Bread Pudding, with homemade Challah
2. Sour Cream Walnut Coffee Bundt Cake, with Sugar Glaze
3. Coconut Chiffon Cake with Cream Cheese and Buttercream Frosting, and Grated Coconut
4. Berry Tart with Short Dough Crust and Vanilla Pastry Cream, with or without Painted Dark Chocolate on Crust

• initial investment—baking supplies (pans, tins, papers, dough cutters, bakery boxes, string, etc., including one mistake of a tart pan I did not use, worth $25): $275.99
• food supplies, as of today: $462.95
• total receipts in my manila envelope (excluding extraneous taxi, video, and "Bead World" receipts): $738.94

• Total intake, via invoices (excluding three orders gratuit, worth approximately $58): $666.05

• TOTAL LOSS SO FAR (not including hours of labor, which I have yet to calculate, but I could): $72.89
• Other side of the coin: Payback so far, not including my initial investment: $203.10, on my way to making back my initial investment of $275.99, and then maybe, maybe, I could begin to make money. Inch by Inch.

Note: There are several variables at work here, including:

1. I have not included in my costs: cleaning supplies, including dish detergent, floor detergent.
2. There are several receipts from last minute, unfulfilled mise en place shopping at my corner deli, where I have asked for the receipt, which I then have not itemized, so I'm not 100% sure that each of those items have gone toward my baking.
3. At same said deli, there is a very sweet worker who would really like to go out with me, and though I have told him I can't join him for a beer, a number of times, he seems to give me recession prices, often charging me only 1/3 of what the price is (though I'm sure the deli's not losing at all), so I don't ask for a receipt then, so 100% of food supplies have probably not been accounted for.
4. Perhaps I can knock out 2 and 3 above, and call it even.
   

Weekend Homework

Aaaah! New assignment from the gourmet takeout across the street: Coffee cake bundt cake with walnuts and drizzled glaze...Guess I know what I'll be doing with my single self all weekend. Plus, they want to call my brand Jenny from the Block (since I do live across the street), but asked to see my butt first, just to make sure the phrase fit. (And let me tell you, no one's asked me that for a while.) Grade: at least passing, I guess.

But Jenny from the Block? Hmmm...

Alexandria Speaks

Design: Alexandria, D.J.'s tween sitter

Take Two

Back by quasi-popular demand (two requests), I am now returning to the IFC. Got a midweek batch of B.P. in the oven; an inconsistent selling rate at the gourmet takeout across the street; a new, relatively lucrative (!) freelance copywriting gig on my computer (book covers for the publishing house); a daughter who I apparently put too much pressure on, so I'll no longer be going public, completely bustin', over her achievements, and in particular, her rash of upcoming performances; another surprise business venture I've yet to mention though have been sitting on for years, but suddenly my one-of-a-kind Lost and Found tween jewelry collection is possibly a wanted item at a seriously hip East 9th Street store; and a bunch of other stuff I guess I'll get into eventually. I also still maintain a two times per week Tracy Anderson Method Mat Workout DVD average, but that's probably the last you'll hear about that.

Shout out to N.M., funist, who inspired me (didn't take much) with his...UNSOLICITED ADVICE (trademark 2008, J.K.).

The Irreverent Family Cookbook

School's Out

Special Thanks!

Here's a sincere shout-out to my loyal blog followers, official or otherwise; any and all comment writers; my birthday celebrators; my mom for her present; my sister C. for being my most ardent fan, and E. for joining in at the end; Dee, the super cool bakery couple, the restaurant lifer, J., Monique, the three assistants, and the single mother of three who stopped coming after a while; the generous family, without whom I could not have managed the class; Alexandria, who picked up the Saturday slack; anyone and everyone who ever bought or will buy my bread pudding; the folks at the gourmet take-out across the street; my taste testers, aka, my landlord and neighbors; the cooking school on 7th Avenue and 14th Street; and mostly, to Chef Nola, one bitchin', life-altering chef and mentor, who always kept things cool in the kitchen.