"Cause I gotta sweet tooth that'll never come loose"

Finally the day has arrived. My favorite bakery in Boston, and former work place, has published a cook book!!! Flour Bakery's owner Joanne Chang has given the public a gift in a book filled with many delicious recipes. It's so fun baking from it, tasting the treats that I have sold to so many happy customers.

Last night my cousins had a house warming party, and I brought over some Coconut Macaroons. Not many people like coconut, or at least not many people I know. My roommate who doesn't like coconut had two of these treats and said they were great, coconut and all. I made them using just my arm as a mixer. And they turned out beautifully large and delicious.

Almost two years later...unbelievable. So much has changed. Yet my passion for baking and writing and reading have remained with me. The other day I clicked on the link for my blog and reread some of my entires. I looked at some of the pictures, and miss baking. Im in Chicago now. Just moved into a new apartment with an old friend. Lately I have been thinking too much. About the uncertainty of the future. About life, love, and happiness, the usual. I went to the library and checked out some books. Get my mind right. To stop worrying about things that I have no control over, and just let it be. Because it will be ok. Baking has always been something I can do that takes my attention away from thinking too much.

I found this recipe for homemade Oreos. Im not a huge Oreo fan. I mean, if they are there I will dunk them in milk and utterly enjoy, but Im not the type to pick some up at the grocery store. Anyways, I found this recipe for them on a different blog as I was wandering around the internet. I think my cookie parts were a little thick and I laid the cream on pretty heavy. Bright side is I was concerned about making them without the aid of a mixer, but everything was doable by hand. Figured people have been making cookies for years, and I am sure there was a time when the Kitchen Aid wasn't invented. :) Feels GREAT to be back.

Same Cake, Same old?

Not same old. Broken ankle, hospital stay, and surgery. One move back home, and yet my third new room since I moved back a year ago.

I baked this cake four months ago. Same recipe, I baked it again tonight. It looks a lot different this time around. It tasted good, but I can see the mistakes.

Last time I went to the store and baked this cake solo. Because I could. Today one brother brought my ingredients while the other learned how to bake a cake from scratch. Yeah it may have been more difficult this time around, but with the help of family, it worked out.

Congrats A&B!

Im so very happy for these two.

Happy Birthday Big Girl

Better late than never. I made one of my favorite cakes for one of my favorite people. Whipped Berry cake is perfect for the hot months of the summer. Rumor has it the cake didnt even make it 24 hrs...I believe it!

Tres Leches.

Incredible. I had only tried this cake once before, and my brother Trent requested it for his birthday. Having no money to go out and buy all the ingredients for a strawberry whip I decided to give it a google and see how difficult this cake could be. Not. Difficult. At. All. Probabally the easiest cake I have made from scratch...ever. And oh so good. Ingredients included, AP flour, butter, sugar, vanilla, and eggs. That's all for the cake. Simply delish. Then stab away after the cake is cooled, get your tres leches mixed up: evaporated, sweetened condensed, and whole. Soak your cake for a couple hours and frost. Frosting consists of more vanilla, sugar, and whipping cream. That's all she wrote. Add some strawberries to the top for some tartness to break the cream. I will definetly make this again...this weekend? Ha...most likely.

Bake it Off.

April 20th huh? Close to three months since I have last been here. Well, I think I once heard a saying that pain takes you back. Either that or I made it up, whatever. Happy 4th of July, that's painful to me. I would say that the majority of people associate loneliness and the past with holidays such as Christmas and Thanksgiving, maybe even a birthday here or there. Not me. He and I had some great 4ths. Actually the three of us did. He, I, and the city. Boston. It is such a special place to experience this day. You walk outside not knowing if the sun will warm you or rain will soak you. I was fortunate enough to experience the former two years in a row. But today I am here. I am not by the Charles nor in the atlantic watching blue whales. So I scrap myself out of bed, and into the only place I know I can count on to distract my empty self, the kitchen. It's good to be back. Great to have a haven to help me. Chocolate chip cheesecake. No recipe folks, I just kinda read a little and remembered what I had seen others doing. It was good. Easy, quick, pretty...the cheesecake. A little too chocolatey for me, but I am anxious to try new flavors. Glad to be back, maybe we can start again.