the sheer excitement of it all!!!

I'm getting such great feedback from everyone that I'm even more excited than before to get on my way to the ICE and start classes. Thanks everyone for being so supportive.

I've been testing recipes for my favorite magazine - Cook's Illustrated - and I'm a little disappointed with the pound cake recipe they sent me. I've tried it twice and pretty much gotten the same result. Oh, by the way, I'm a volunteer "home cook" tester. This isn't a paid position or anything like that. I'm getting a crust on the top of my pound cake instead of that lovely moist, lighter colored crack down the middle. I'll have to compare their recipe to others I find else where. But I'll learn something from this experience... as soon as I find a recipe that works! When I do... I'll let you know!