E Clair Bakery

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Archives for October 2021

Tips on Finding a Great Bakery

If you’re on the hunt for a new bakery to visit with friends in order to treat yourself, continue reading to discover a helpful guide to finding your next favorite bakery. As there’s no reason to visit duds before you find a bakery san luis obispo.

Tips on finding a great bakery:

Search for unbiased reviews on local bakeries:

It’s well worth searching for Yelp reviews and Google reviews on local bakeries in your area, in order to find bakeries that have a great reputation and have managed to build a following for themselves. Make sure to take a look at the available photos in order to see what the pastries and cakes look like at each bakery as well as how inviting the premises of each bakery looks. As great bakeries are kept clean and inviting and are well taken care of.

Walk past local bakeries to see which bakeries are popular:

You should also be able to tell whether or not a bakery offers delicious fare by how crowded it is. If you walk past a bakery at a peak time and it’s empty, there is probably a good reason why it’s empty. As an example, it may feature stale food, overpriced food or may offer terrible customer service. However, if you find a line forming outside a bakery early in the morning, there’s a high chance that it serves exemplary food and is well worth visiting.

Visit bakeries which are known for having a speciality:

If you want to treat yourself to something special, you can’t go wrong choosing to visit a bakery which has a speciality. As an example, you may want to visit an ag bakery which is known for producing decadent eclairs. Alternatively, you may want to visit a bakery slo which sells fun, themed cupcakes. The choice is up to you.

Consider visiting a European style bakery:

If you love the idea of tasting some of the most delicious pastries in the country, you may want to seek out European style bakeries. Such as European bakeries in arroyo grande ca. As the ingredients which are used at European pastries are often imported from France or Italy. You may be surprised to learn that the flour which is used in French baking is different to the flour produced in the United States and that French flour is ideal for creating French pastries such as eclairs.

Start reading a local food blog:

Another way to discover new gems is to start reading local food blogs which feature reviews on new bakeries which you may not have heard of before. As a bonus, you’ll also be able to avoid spending money at bakeries which serve less than average food.

Visit bakeries which only serve fresh fare:

Only visit bakeries which bake fresh goods on a daily basis. As there’s nothing worse than eating a hard pastry or cake which has been sitting in a bakery cabinet for several days in a row.

So what are you waiting for? If you’re searching for your next favorite bakery, it’s a great idea to use the tips listed above in order to help you find a new bakery to visit.

Cakes and Eclairs Cooking Tips

If you’re a keen baker or are simply a connoisseur of cakes and pastries such as eclairs, you’ve come to the right place. Simply continue reading in order to discover a few handy tips on creating mouth watering, delicious cakes and eclairs. Some of which may help you take your baking game to the next level!

Cakes and eclairs cooking tips:

When baking cakes always use the tin size specified in your chosen recipe:

Always ensure to use the tin size specified in cake recipes in order to ensure that your cake comes out perfectly cooked. It’s a great idea to purchase cake tins in a variety of sizes, so that you’ll always have the right sized cake tin on hand to bake your favorite cakes.

Use a French star tip to pipe cream into your chocolate eclair cases:

In order to take the presentation of your chocolate eclairs to the next level, experiment with using a French star tip to pipe cream into your chocolate eclair cases. Instead of using a cream pipe which offers a regular circle tip. Especially as eclairs prepared with a French star tip are more likely to cook through evenly. Better yet, you’ll avoid cracking your eclair’s dough by using a star tip pipe to fill your eclairs. This is a particularly great idea if you want to bake eclairs that look like the fancy eclairs that you can purchase at an eclair bakery.

Bake your eclairs until they are puffy and golden:

If you’re unsure of how to know when your eclairs are ready to eat, simply bake your eclairs until they are puffy and golden.

Use regular sugar instead of brown sugar:

Most eclair recipes call for plain granulated sugar. So don’t feel the need the need to use fancy brown sugar in your eclairs.

Use a digital scale to measure all of your baking ingredients:

Whether you’re baking a cake or an eclair, it’s well worth purchasing a digital scale which will allow you to quickly and accurately measure your baking ingredients. Which will ensure that your cakes and eclairs have the perfect consistency.

Learn how to make the perfect choux pastry in order to create mouth watering eclairs:

One of the secrets to create the perfect eclair is to perfect the art of preparing choux pastry. If you’ve never made your own choux pastry from scratch it is comprised of milk, sugar, water, salt, butter, eggs and flour. Alternatively if you don’t want to prepare your own choux pastry from scratch, you also have the option of searching for eclair pastry near me. In order to find ready made eclair pastries that will make your mouth water. If you’re lucky you may even find an eclair café near you.

So if you love eating pastries, cakes and eclairs and have always wanted to know how to create the perfect eclair, it’s a great idea to follow the tips which are listed above. Especially if you’re interested in preparing home made eclairs for the first time!

Lifestyle Tips to Try Out

Going through a health and wellness transformation doesn’t have to be an uphill battle. By simply following all of the lifestyle tips listed below, you’ll be able to increase your health and lead a happier life.

Lifestyle Tips to Try Out:

Choose to eat foods which can promote brain health:

As you get older it’s especially important to go to the effort to eat foods which can promote brain health. Some examples of which include eggs, nuts, blueberries, strawberries, sunflower seeds, salmon, tomatoes, avocados, spinach and bananas. You can even treat yourself to a few pieces of dark chocolate each week as dark chocolate is listed as a food which can promote brain health.

Invest in purchasing an electric bike in order to commute to work:

If you love the idea of being more active but don’t want to spend more time in the gym, it’s well worth investing in purchasing an electric bike. As while you’ll be able to use your own foot power in order to commute to work, if you’re feeling tired after work you’ll be able to use your bike’s electricity to get home quickly. You may even find that you’re more likely to cycle on a regular basis if you’re able to rely on electricity to get you home, when you get tired.

Consider visiting your gym outside of peak hours:

If you have flexibility with your time, it’s a wise idea to visit your gym outside of peak hours. As that way you’ll be able to use all of the popular machines, without having to wait for other individuals to finish their workouts. As an example, if you work from home you may want to visit your gym in the afternoon, instead of in the morning or after work when your gym is likely to be packed.

Consider taking vitamins:

If you experience low energy levels you may want to take vitamins such as vitamin c, iron tablets or b12 tablets. It’s well worth reading the benefits associated with each available dietary supplement, so that you’ll be able to select the right tablet for your needs. You may even want to go a step further and to get a blood test taken to find out whether you’re vitamin deficient or iron deficient.

Wear your workout gear to bed:

If you want to start off your day by getting a quick workout in, it’s a great idea to get into the habit of wearing fresh workout gear to bed. That way when you wake up in the morning, you have no excuse to workout and will be far more likely to actually complete your scheduled workout.

Try to be active throughout each day:

Instead of waiting until your daily workout to be active, set yourself a goal of being as active as possible throughout each day. For example, always take the stairs instead of elevators and park far away from the entrance to your local grocery store in order to increase your daily step count.

So if you’re willing to make small but meaning lifestyle changes to your life in order to increase your happiness levels and to become as healthy as possible, it’s well worth implanting the tips listed above!

House DIY Tips and Inspiration

If you’re ready to complete a few fun home DIY projects in your spare time, you’ve come to the right place. As if you continue reading you’ll discover DIY tips and inspiration which will help you complete your home DIY projects.

House DIY tips and inspiration:

Use baby oil to get paint off your skin:

If you plan on painting your drawers to give them a new lease of life or painting your walls with a fresh coat of paint, it’s inevitable that you’ll get a bit of paint on your skin. While paint may be notoriously hard to get off your skin, you can easily remove paint from your skin by using baby oil to clean your skin.

Add a couple of drops of vanilla essence to your paint tray:

In order to avoid having to breathe in overbearing paint fumes, it’s a great idea to add a few drops of inexpensive vanilla essence to your paint tray.

Glue the bottom of your paint cans to plastic plates:

If you don’t want to accidentally spill paint onto your floor, it’s a great idea to glue the bottom of your paint cans to plastic plates.

Use double sided tape to fix your rugs to your flooring:

If you’re sick of your rugs slipping and sliding around, there’s a simple solution which you should try out. Simply use double sided tape to fix your rugs to your flooring. As there’s no need to purchase a specific rug gripper to keep your rug firmly in place.

Dunk your craft scissors into hot water before attempting to cut fabric:

If you find it difficult to cleanly cut fabric, there’s a magic solution which you should try out. Simply dunk your craft scissors into hot water for a few seconds before cutting your material and your scissors will glide through your material with ease.

Use a cheap broom to apply a stain to your wood floors:

If you want your wood floors to sparkle like new, you don’t need to purchase a specific stain applicator to evenly stain your wood floors. Instead, simply use a cheap broom to stain your wood floors.

Use shoe polish to buff out any marks on your wood floors or furniture:

If you discover marks on your wood floors or furniture, don’t panic as you’ll be able to easily buff out any marks on wood surfaces using a dark shoe polish. Alternatively, if you don’t have any shoe polish in your home, you can used ground coffee to buff out your unsightly marks instead.

Consider painting your radiators with spray paint:

Instead of trying to hide a radiator turn your radiator into a statement piece of wall art by using inexpensive spray paint to give your radiator a brand new lease on life.

Cover the tips of nails with soap before hammering them into your walls:

To make it a whole lot easier for your nails to glide into your walls, it’s a wise idea to cover the tips of your nails with a bit of liquid soap before hammering them into your walls.

So if you frequently compete home DIY projects, hopefully you found all of the home DIY tips and inspiration listed above useful. Especially if you spend your weekends completing fun DIY projects.

Health and Lifestyle Tips

As your health and wellbeing should always be your number one priority, it’s well worth taking proactive steps to take care of your body. To discover a few valuable health and lifestyle tips that will keep you on top of your health, simply continue reading.

Health and Lifestyle Tips:

Get a yearly blood test to ensure that you’re fit and healthy:

If it’s been several years since you’ve had a blood test, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor about having b12 levels and iron levels tested. As if you’re deficient of either, you may need to take supplements or alter your diet, in order to restore your b12 levels or iron levels. As if either level is low you are more susceptible to a wide variety of illnesses. Some signs that you may be deficient in B12 or iron is if your hair is falling out or you have dizzy spells on a regular basis.

If you struggle to lose weight and workout several times a week and eat cleanly, you may also want to have your body’s thyroid tested as thyroid disease is one of the world’s most common diseases and effects a large number of individuals. If your body has a thyroid problem you may find it difficult to lose weight due to a hormonal imbalance and may need to take prescribed medication, in order to regulate your hormones.

Use a foam roller to stretch out your muscles after challenging workouts:

If you often wake up with stiff muscles, the day after a difficult workout, it’s a great idea to use a foam roller in order to stretch out your legs and lower back. Paticularly if you’ve completed a lengthy cardio session or have been lifting heavy weights. If possible, you should complete a foam roll cool down stretch after each of your workouts. Especially if you want to be able to give your all to your workouts and to push your limits in order to increase your fitness and to get into the best shape of your life.

Use lemon or lime to flavor your water:

If you struggle to drink 8 regular glasses of water each day or dislike the taste of water, one way to increase your water intake is to use freshly squeezed lemon or lime in order to flavor your water.

Choose healthy options when you eat out:

If you enjoy eating out as a way to catch up with friends and family members, it’s possible to choose healthy options that are delicious yet nutritionally balanced. As an example, you may want to catch up with friends for açai bowls which are packed full of super foods such as coconut flakes, Greek yoghurt and blueberries or you may want to opt for a vegetable filled kebab when you’re shopping at your local mall. Once you’re aware of a few healthy options in your city, you won’t have any trouble eating healthy when you’re out and about or catching up with friends.

So if you know the importance of your health and wellbeing and are prepared to take proactive steps towards improving your health, make sure to implement all of the advice listed above.

Cooking Tips 101

If you’re not a natural in the kitchen but are passionate about cooking and want to increase your cooking skills, you’ve come to the right place. Simply continue reading to discover a few basic cooking tips which will increase your skill as a home cook.

Cooking Tips 101:

Opt to use fresh, local ingredients:

If you choose to use fresh, local ingredients your recipes will turn out a lot better. So it’s a great idea to search for seasonal recipes which boast ingredients which are in abundance, during each season. For example, the best time to prepare bruschetta in during summer when tomatoes are ripe, full of flavor and readily available. If possible, avoid purchasing ingredients which are imported from other countries.

Always use luke warm water to activate your yeast:

If you require fresh yeast for a recipe such as a bread recipe, be sure to use luke warm water to activate your yeast. As water which is too hot can actually kill your yeast and can prevent your bread from rising properly.

Always make sure to slice beef against the grain:

If you want your cuts of beef to be tender and succulent be sure to get into the habit of slicing your beef against the grain. If in doubt, simply slice your beef perpendicular to the muscle fibers in your beef.

Don’t ignore instructions to chill specific ingredients:

If a particular recipe tells you to chill certain ingredients, be sure to place them in your fridge over night. So that when you start cooking they are the right temperature for your recipe.

Use an ice cream scoop when you bake cupcakes or cookies:

One way to create evenly sized cupcakes and cookies is to use a basic ice cream scoop to scoop out your cookie dough or cupcake mixture. If you’re sicking of trying to use spoons to create perfectly sized cupcakes and cookies, you’ll love implementing this simple yet effective tip.

Crack your eggs on a flat surface:

While you may have been taught to crack your eggs on the side of a bowl, as a child, it’s a better idea to crack your eggs on a flat surface. As when you crack eggs on flat surfaces, you get fewer cracked shells that can end up in your mixture.

Preheat your oven:

You may have wondered why most recipes instruct you to preheat your oven, the answer is that if you place your food into an oven which is still heating, your food is likely to be badly burnt and inedible. So do yourself a huge favor and listen to the instructions to preheat your oven. Ideally you should preheat your oven before you start cooking in order to give your oven 15-20 minutes to heat up properly.

Throw out herbs and spices that are over 2 years old:

While many herbs and spices don’t have expiry dates, after 2 years herbs and spices lose their flavor and aroma. If in doubt, simply sniff your spices. If you can no longer smell a distinct aroma, throw them out.

So if you’re not a natural in the kitchen, there’s no need to become discouraged. Instead work on increasing your skills as a home cook by following all of the simple yet effective tips which are listed above!

5 Tips on Planning Your Dream Wedding

If you’re counting down the days until you’re able to call your fiancé your husband or your wife, you may be stressed out about the logistics of planning your fairytale wedding. If you’d love some help planning your upcoming wedding, simply continue reading to discover a few invaluable tips on planning the most important, memorable day of your life!

5 Tips on planning your dream wedding:

Opt for a unique wedding cake:

Instead of ordering a traditional wedding cake such as a chocolate cake or a fruit cake, why not order a unique, memorable wedding cake such as an eclair wedding cake. Especially if you prefer eating mouth watering fluffy chocolate and cream chocolate eclairs over traditional, heavy cakes that can leave you feeling bloated. If you’re shopping for the perfect wedding cake, it makes sense to opt for a wedding cake that is as unique and special as your relationship.

Allow your bridesmaids to choose dress styles that flatter their bodies:

Instead of getting all of your bridesmaids to wear the exact same style of dress, why not let your bridesmaids choose dress styles in the same color, which flatter their bodies. As your bridesmaids will be far more comfortable on the day of your wedding if they are confident about the way that they look. Also keep in mind that if you allow your bridesmaids to choose their own style of dress they’ll be more likely to be able to re-wear the dress which they choose, in the future.

Consider having brides men and best women:

If you’re a bride and have a close male friend or brother you may want them to serve as a brides man. As he’ll be able to simply wear a tie that matches the color which the rest of your bridal party are wearing. While if you’re a groom to be and have a close female friend, they may want to wear a black dress or a grey dress in order to match your best men. This is a great idea if you and your partner both have close friends of the opposite gender and are interested in planning a more contemporary wedding.

Make sure to write your own heartfelt vows:

As weddings should be personal, vows should be heartfelt and it’s a great idea to go to the effort of writing your own vows. In order to showcase how deeply you treasure your once in a lifetime love. If you suffer from writer’s block simply write about the things that you love about your relationship and the things which you’d love to promise to your bride or groom to be.

Choose a location that suits your personalities:

Some individuals prefer getting married in churches which they attend, while other individuals love the idea of having a beach front wedding or getting married in an opulently decorated hotel.

So if you’re counting down the days until your nuptials, it’s definitely well worth using all of the hints and tips listed above as inspiration for your wedding plans.

Working from Home Lifestyle Tips

If you’ve recently started telecommuting and working from home, it’s well worth continuing reading to discover a guide to working at home, which will help you create a brand new work routine. As while there are numerous benefits of working from home, working from home still requires a few adjustments to your work routine.

Working from Home Lifestyle Tips:

Consider getting into a morning routine:

One way to ensure that you get into a normal work day is to create a morning routine for yourself. As an example, you may want to replace your old morning commute to your workplace with a home workout or a run around your block. Alternatively you may want to complete a meditation session or a yoga flow before you sit down at your work desk.

Ensure that you have a dedicated work space:

Instead of working at your kitchen table or on your sofa, it’s a great idea to create a dedicated work space for yourself. If possible, turn one of the spare rooms in your home into a home office. Ideally your home office should be located in a quiet section of your home, where you’re unlikely to be interrupted by your room mates or family members. Especially if you’re a parent of young, boisterous children.

Invest in a high quality pair of wireless, noise cancelling headphones:

If you live in an area which gets plenty of traffic passing by or you live in a busy apartment complex, purchasing a high quality pair of noise cancelling, wireless headphones may be one of the best decisions which you make this year. As you’ll find it far easier to take important work calls and to be productive, if you’re able to cancel out any loud noises which may distract you from your work.

Ensure that you have a strong internet connection:

If you plan on taking part in video calls with your colleagues or clients, it’s important to ensure that your home boasts a strong internet connection. As the last thing that you want is for your video calls to freeze repeatedly. If your internet connection is slow it’s well worth speaking to your internet provider to see whether you require a different package for your needs or need to replace your modem with a newer, more advanced model.

Get into the habit of going for lunch time walks:

If you start working from home you may find it difficult to clock up steps and may become more sedentary. For this reason, it’s a nice idea to get into the habit of going for daily, lunch time walks. As a bonus, getting fresh air will also help you concentrate, when you return home and get back to work.

Ensure that you have a professional backdrop for your video calls:

You don’t want to appear on video calls with a messy home in your background. For this reason you should set up your work desk in a position which provides a clean, professional backdrop for your calls.

So if you’re still adjusting to the reality of working at home and are looking to get into a productive work routine, it’s definitely well worth testing out all of the tips which are listed above!

Baking Tips 101

If you’d love to take your baking to the next level and plan on wowing your friends and family members, simply continue reading to discover a handy guide to baking. As you may find a few baking tips which will instantly improve the quality of your home baking.

Baking Tips 101:

Ensure to take your eggs and butter out of your fridge several hours before you start baking:

In order to ensure that your eggs will be light and fluffy and that your butter will be beautifully creamed, it’s important to remember to take your eggs and your butter out of your fridge, several hours in advance. As an added bonus, you should find it easier to cut your butter if it has been sitting at room temperature for a few hours.

Purchase a glass mixing bowl:

It’s a great idea to purchase a handy glass mixing bowl, which will allow you to carefully measure out flour, milk or water. As well as purchasing a mixing bowl, ensure to purchase a set of accurate mixing cups and spoons which you’ll use each time that you bake.

Always use your oven’s middle rack:

If you place your baking trays in the middle rack inside your oven, the hot air in your oven will be able to circulate evenly around your trays. So if you want to ensure that your baking is cooked through properly, it’s well worth getting into the habit of always using your oven’s middle rack.

Don’t be tempted to open your oven door early:

If you routinely open your oven in order to check on the progress of your baking, your baking may flop and fall in on itself due to the rapid change of temperature. For this reason, you should never open your oven door early.

Set a timer on your smart watch:

Instead of relying on an old school timer, if you own a smart watch simply ask Siri or Alexa to set a timer for you. As you won’t forget about the cookies that you have baking in your oven if you get an alert on your smart watch that your baking is ready.

Purchase a metal skewer to check if your baking is cooked through properly:

Once you take your baking out of your oven, simply use a metal skewer to poke a hole through the center of your muffins, cupcakes or cake. If you take out your metal skewer and it’s still wet or has dough attached to it, your baking is not cooked through properly and should be placed back into your oven. However if your skewer comes out clean, your baking is cooked properly. If you don’t want to purchase a metal skewer, you also have the option of using a toothpick instead.

Always weigh each of your ingredients:

While you may be tempted to use rough guesses, if you want your recipe to work out, it’s a far better idea to weigh each of your ingredients. You may even want to purchase a digital scale, if you love baking and plan on baking on a regular basis.

So if are keen to take your home baking to the next level and would love to improve the quality of your muffins, cupcakes, cookies, cakes and slices, it’s well worth trying out all of the tips listed above!

A Guide to Learning to Cook

If you’re looking to become a more adept cook and want to be able to prepare all of your favorite foods at home, you’ve come to the right place. Just continue reading to discover a beginner’s guide to learning how to cook.

A Guide to Learning to Cook:

Watch YouTube videos to pick up new recipes and cooking techniques:

If you’re the type of person who learns best by observation, it’s a smart idea to start watching YouTube videos in order to learn handy new cooking techniques and to discover brand new recipes. Better yet, you can take things one step further and to cook alongside the videos which you watch. As you’ll be able to use the pause button to pause your video, when you need a little extra time to complete a step.

One of the bonuses of watching Youtube cooking demonstrations from popular home chefs is that you’ll be able to learn authentic international recipes from around the world. So if you enjoy experimenting with different cuisines it’s well worth subscribing to a few Youtube cooking channel.

Learn how to make a few sauces from scratch:

If you want to create flavorful dishes, it’s a great idea to learn how to make a few key sauces from scratch. Some of them which can be used to create glazes, marinades, stocks and soups. In order to get started, learn how to make béchamel sauce, hollandaise sauce and a tomato based sauce such as pomodoro.

Try to cook your way through an entire cook book:

If you’d love to be able to create a wide variety of entrees, sides, mains and desserts, it’s an excellent idea to set yourself the achievable challenge of cooking your way through an entire cook book. If you have little experience in the kitchen, you may want to opt for a cook book which was written specifically for beginners. Alternatively, if you already have a bit of booking experience under your belt, you may want to purchase a cook book from a celebrity chef whose recipes you enjoy.

Visit cooking blogs for free recipes:

If you don’t want to pay for entire cookbooks you also have the option of visiting popular cooking blogs, in order to find free recipes. One of the main advantages of finding recipes to follow from cooking bloggers is that you’ll be able to ask each blogger questions about their recipes. You may even find that other readers may leave helpful comments about ingredient substitutions that you may find handy. Especially if you have food allergies or intolerances or follow a vegan or vegetarian diet.

Ensure that you have all the ingredients which you need before you start following a recipe:

It’s always a wise idea to check off all the ingredients which you need to cook a particular dish, before you start prepping. As the last thing that you want to do is to get halfway through a recipe before finding out that you’re missing a critical ingredient.

So if you’d love to be able to prepare your favorite dishes for yourself, your family and your friends, it’s a great idea to get started by following the handy cooking guide above!