BUTTER cream???

I had my first Wilton class on Thursday night and I'm so freaking excited about it! We didn't really do anything, except listen and observe while the instructor frosted a small cake, but I already feel like I learned stuff. For starters, I never really believed that it was possible to get a perfectly smooth cake with just plain frosting. She showed us how to do that! I also didn't really think I had a need for a cake leveler. Well, after seeing how easy it was to use, how nice and level her cake came out, and how flipping cheap it was ($2.99) I had to get one.

Last week, after I signed up for the class, I bought this:

They sell one with some stuff in it already, and another super deluxe kit that has a TON of stuff in it, but since I already had some things, I decided to go with the empty one. After I got home from class, I filled it up and organized it:

It has spots for my icing colors, tips, couplers, and flower nails, as well as the big space underneath for larger items, kinda like a tackle box. I hate hate hate the color, but this was my only option at the time. At about $12.00 after my coupon, if I decide to upgrade one day I won't feel too bad.

I have a LOT of decorating tips. I didn't realize how freaking many I have. Some of these are stacked two and three deep because I had multiples of the same one. I organized them in numerical order so that they would be easier to find, until I learn what they are all for. That's right, I don't even know what they all do! My brother gave most of them to me for my birthday one year. I've bought a few here and there also, and there were some in my class kit.

So far, the only thing that's bugging me about the class is the Wilton "buttercream" recipe that we are required to use. Now, I've been baking for a very long time, and I am a diehard about using the best ingredients for everything. If I can't get the best, I use the best available to me, but I never skimp. My buttercream is made with organic butter, Mexican vanilla from Mexico (my mom gave me a HUGE bottle, like a wine bottle a few years back and I will CRY when it's all gone, I tell ya!) organic milk... good stuff.

Wilton Buttercream is made with CRISCO. *gag* I can't eat that. That's disgusting. The only reason I even have that in my house is for the rare occasions when I make a pie crust, and then I only buy the little bitty can. Add to that you're required to use Wilton Vanilla extract because it's clear, and I'm ready to think I will eat NOTHING I make for this class.

I considered just sneaking in with my own recipe of buttercream, but because of the yellow of the butter and the brown of the vanilla, it won't be the stark white of the Wilton recipe and therefore will stick out like a sore thumb. I can't be the trouble maker the second week of class, especially if I know that I plan on taking more classes with her! So, I will just suck it up and make the nasty ass inferior frosting (it feels so wrong to call it buttercream if it has no butter in it!) and just feed it to my coworkers, hee hee!

I leave you with a picture of Miss Gidget. Guess who is in desperate need of a haircut???