tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492329086872899572011-11-27T17:49:30.364-06:00The following is a log of an interior designer's creative outlet in the kitchen. most of the recipes are quite simple with a few tricky one's mixed in. if only there was more time to bake, but alas, people need someone to design their work spaces.....Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.comBlogger611100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-44210523811875052152010-06-03T11:17:00.000-05:002010-06-03T11:17:55.835-05:00

During my elimination diet days my breakfast usually consisted of quinoa with apples, cinnamon, and maple syrup. I still eat that from time to time, but have been looking for other healthy alternatives that will keep me full and a little sweetness doesn't hurt either. let's face it, even after months of not having any refined sugar, the sweet tooth has not gone away. However, I have been

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-41109939392988586542010-05-09T13:04:00.001-05:002010-05-11T09:58:20.698-05:00

Happy Belated Cinco de Mayo or Happy Siete de Mayo! If you have been paying attention to this blog for the past year you may have noticed that my co-workers and I enjoy a good themed lunch from time to time. I think this is mostly forced by Natalie and I because we LOVE to order fabulous decor from Oriental Trading. Unfortunately we didn't plan this lunch far enough in advance to order any

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-32986477273952818532010-04-27T08:44:00.004-05:002010-04-27T10:28:14.133-05:00

Today marks 1 year from my first blog post, fruit sushi. I made a delicious Asian pasta salad last night (recipe to come), so I must have some serious asian persuasion this time of year. I had big plans to attempt a re-creation of the most delicious banana caramel cake I ate at a restaurant a few months back, however, due to my dietary restrictions until May 11th that deliciousness is going to

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-4757697778810874992010-04-17T08:09:00.002-05:002010-04-17T16:51:32.625-05:00

I originally decided to make these cupcakes for the bakesale because they do not need frosting and since they needed to be packaged individually I figured it would save me quite a bit of time not worrying about smudging frosting, but per usual, my sweet tooth got the better of me. I could not resist making these into my own version of Mrs Field's cookie cupcakes. I you have ever had one, then you

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-38947967416144601922010-04-13T13:55:00.001-05:002010-04-13T13:55:55.204-05:00

Mark your calendars for April 17th 2010! This is the big day! We are kicking off the Share Our Strength fundraising season with the first annual National Food Bloggers Bake Sale!! Maris of In Good Taste is leading the effort for Chicago. It's going to be a great event, Thanks Maris! Who: Some of Chicago's finest food blogs and bakeries will be there, including Kudos Kookies  & Foiled Cupcakes.

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-71369132002018200772010-03-18T19:29:00.003-05:002010-03-19T08:31:05.713-05:00

A couple of weekends ago I went up to Milwaukee to celebrate Gregory's birthday. We exchanged a few e-mails before the visit to decide on the menu options. He was all about cooking up a delicious dinner that was elimination diet friendly and I could not be more appreciative of that! I really enjoy cooking and baking, but my limits have been stretched on this journey since I need to prepare every

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-52932268567189769662010-03-10T21:09:00.001-06:002010-04-17T16:50:46.035-05:00

The cleanse is going well, and I have only had 2 migraines in 3 weeks. That may not sound great, but lately, that is a new record for me. I know one migraine was stress induced and the other may have been triggered by the addition of almonds into my diet. I will test them again in a week or two in order to confirm if it was a fluke or not. Anyway, I am feeling great! I have so much more energy

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-43254354361110907532010-02-21T13:27:00.003-06:002010-04-27T14:49:09.453-05:00

This post is slightly belated, but the treats within are appropriate for any occassion. Just fun for Valentine's because they are red & white. The first treat for a Valentine's/Chinese New Year work lunch was a hit, and was quick, perfect to whip up during a busy week. I had this strawberry pretzel dessert a few years ago and knew the recipe was not hard, but never found it until my co-worker,

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-74353804355953245192010-02-02T19:02:00.001-06:002010-02-02T19:05:08.741-06:00

It has not taken me long to truly enjoy the art of baking bread. I am still starting out and have yet to try some more complex breads (I am waiting to get a kitchen scale so I can weigh flour and also waiting for some warmer days). However, a couple of Sunday's ago it was a gorgeous sunny day which I figured would aid in the rising of my dough and it certainly did. A few days earlier I was out

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-40247687251691889202010-01-25T22:15:00.004-06:002010-01-26T13:08:21.131-06:00

I have found a new favorite recipe! Not just because it tastes great, but it is the perfect recipe to use up all the half bags of chocolate chips, craisins, coconut, nuts, or anything else you may have in your cabinets from a baking extravaganza around the holidays. These were so easy and delicious I actually made them two nights in a row. My roomies were quite dissappointed when I didn't bring

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-14202043113289037942010-01-15T18:18:00.001-06:002010-01-26T13:07:14.669-06:00

It is no secret that I am in love with my kitchenaid mixer and I have grand ideas of making delicious artisan breads and other specialty items.....in a perfect world my kitchen will never see a store bought bread item again. Seeing as though I have never tried my hand at yeasted baked goods I decided to start small and it doesn't get much smaller than crackers. Really though, these are pretty

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-10516269383930226512010-01-10T11:08:00.001-06:002010-01-26T13:09:07.484-06:00

I am now the proud owner of the Martha Stewart Cookie book and Martha Stewart Baking Handbook and simply cannot be baking enough these days. With my new kitchen aid mixer I am virtually unstoppable. I have quite a few baking supplies/ingredients left over from all of my holiday candy making so I have been narrowing down my choices by making things that don't require a trip to the grocery store..

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-30791105396695258952009-12-28T11:05:00.001-06:002009-12-28T11:05:39.746-06:00

I have entered a recipe for the infamous White Chocolate Haystacks  to be included in a recipe book being created by Foodista. These haystacks are a favorite on mine and anyone that I share them with! They have shown up in this blog multiple times even though the blog hasn't even celebrated it's 1st birthday yet. So please help me out and vote for this recipe. Thanks!

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-65044816140008990552009-12-19T10:50:00.004-06:002009-12-19T12:20:28.236-06:00

Shortly after Halloween I started compiling a list of all the holiday candy that I wanted to make this year. It's a long list and at first I thought I was being a bit over zealous, but it turns out not only was I able to do it (well, almost, I still have a few more to make this weekend for my family's christmas) but I had enough gatherings to attend to get rid of most of it and not have an

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-49576723053750745302009-12-19T10:45:00.005-06:002009-12-19T11:40:27.871-06:00

This is becomoing an old favorite of mine that I could devour year round, but they always remind me of the holidays. Ingredients: -1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour -1 teaspoon baking soda -1/2 teaspoon salt -1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut spread (I used world market's brand, super tasty!) -1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick) -1/2 cup sugar -1/2 cup light brown sugar -1 egg -1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-69681845235740603312009-12-19T10:40:00.029-06:002010-01-26T15:35:41.871-06:00

This recipe is near and dear to my heart because it is the first candy I ever made by myself while I was in college. It was such a success and definitely sparked my interest in getting creative in the kitchen. Recipe adapted from Pillsbury.com: Ingredients: -4.5 Cups Sugar -1/2 Cup Butter (1 stick) -1 12oz can evaporated milk -12 oz sweet baking chocolate, chopped -2 oz unsweetened baking

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-87854063891367882202009-12-19T10:35:00.005-06:002009-12-19T11:39:40.234-06:00

Even though I have pretty much discovered that if I crack open a new jar of peanut butter to eat or make some treats with I won't end up with a migraine I am still in a constant search for tastey recipes that use an alternate for peanut butter, so I thought I would attempt making peanut butter balls with almond butter instead and I think I like them even more than the original! Ingredients: 2

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-39526147701742485582009-12-19T10:30:00.033-06:002009-12-19T11:39:20.924-06:00

I historically have made myself sick over eating an abundance of these rich little candies every Christmas and I still haven't learned my lesson. These are SO delicious. I suppose for the average person these are extremely rich and half a piece is probably sufficient, but I could eat these all day all season long! Recipe adapted from Taste of Home: Ingredients: Bottom Layer -1 Cup Milk

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-2340249433786210942009-12-19T10:25:00.036-06:002009-12-19T11:38:41.046-06:00

We had a lovely work holiday party last night and I of course offered to make some candies for the occassion. In addition to a copius amount of chocolate caramel candies I also brought some other old favorites, Angel food candy and White Chocolate Haystacks (that my Grandma Vi had at every Christmas) and a new endeavor/favorite- chocolate hazelnut truffles. Angel Food Candy- recipe from

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-54082492259440784822009-11-29T10:08:00.003-06:002009-11-29T10:12:08.916-06:00

My brother and I have started a nice Thanksgiving Day tradition filled with cooking, baking, pajamas, and video games. This Thanksgiving I not only mastered 4 new recipes, but I am quite skilled at playing the drums on Wii Rockband. Here is our Menu/Itinerary for the day: Morning: -Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade -Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Scones  I was so excited to finally find cinnamon chips, I

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-58282320598098358042009-11-22T15:36:00.001-06:002009-11-22T15:37:38.765-06:00

In the spirit of fall I have been on quite the pumpkin kick and just about everything pumpkin sounds appealing to me. I am never opposed to cream cheese, so when I came across this cream cheese pumpkin bread I was very excited to try it. The recipe makes two loaves of bread so I decided to make one loaf to bring to a party and use the remaining batter for muffins. They both turned out fantastic!

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-14094978192492473982009-11-16T21:34:00.006-06:002009-11-17T08:20:54.759-06:00

In the past seven days my baked goodies have been in two different competitions. The first was an apple pie bake-off at my office. I think I have only baked one apple pie prior to this so I was pretty nervous. So nervous in fact that I did a trial run earlier in the week just to make sure my skills were up to par. The verdict of the bake-off, 2nd place, losing by 1 measly vote! However, I'm

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-26950554198616465522009-11-15T22:18:00.001-06:002009-11-15T22:19:28.070-06:00

Perhaps part of the reason I love fall so much is all the fall season inspired treats. I have been buying a can of pumpkin just about every time I go to the grocery store and just started putting them to use. I have never made truffles before and since I am intending to make A LOT of holiday candy, including truffles, I figured I better get my feet wet sooner rather than later. I came across

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-90677126222181620422009-10-30T18:04:00.004-05:002009-11-01T14:32:35.274-06:00

I decided earlier in the week that I really wanted to make cream cheese sugar cookies for halloween and once I decide I want to bake something there is no stopping me.....Not only did I have to purchase a set of 100 cookie cutters to get the pumpkin I wanted, but since I was going to the symphony last night I was also up until 2 am baking and frosting these buggers. They sure are tasty though.

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-1893720789684320452009-10-26T19:18:00.018-05:002009-10-27T08:14:58.131-05:00

I LOVE other people's birthdays. I have always been a fan of other people's birthday celebrations and I think I like them even more now since it is the perfect excuse to make something sweet for the masses. Claire requested a lot of something chocolaty and delicious so that she would have treats to enjoy for awhile after her birthday. Did I have the perfect recipe for her. Martha Stewart's Salted

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-49622495603906938462009-10-26T18:59:00.008-05:002009-10-27T08:14:46.600-05:00

Fall is in the air and as much as I want to make some pumpkin goodies I still had some apples to use up from my apple picking adventure with Maria, so I decided to put all the delicious pumpkin recipes I found on Picky Palate and make these AWESOME fall brownies. With the apples and cream cheese in these brownies they are very moist and perfect for the bakers edge, because the one drawback I have

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-21241424537502641382009-10-26T18:44:00.005-05:002009-10-27T08:14:35.456-05:00

So when I had some apples I needed to use up I decided to make Dutch Apple Bread. It is a simple apple bread with a delicious brown sugar/cinnamon topping like a Dutch apple pie. This turned out so great that I have actually made it twice since the initial trial. As I said, the first time I made it I just needed to use up some apples and ended up eating the whole thing myself during the coarse of

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-70638037279099744112009-10-01T20:58:00.012-05:002009-12-28T10:53:18.765-06:00

I happen to think that white chocolate is very misunderstood and people should give it more of a chance. I will say that if you are in the mood for chocolate it probably isn't going to do the trick, but on it's own it's so sweet and delicious. My cousin Becky came to visit (and deliver my car to me!) the other weekend and I made sure to have all the fixin's to make one of her favorite treats

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-20979485605894730082009-09-20T15:59:00.006-05:002009-10-27T08:14:14.224-05:00

I have had this chocolate chip cookie recipe in my back pocket for over a year but have been making so many other fun desserts I just haven't gotten to them. With so many bbq's and outings lately I needed a recipe that was going to make a lot and be easy to transport. And who doesn't like chocolate chip cookies? really, tell me if you are out there....but even if you do, I probably won't believe

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-85289674618390733792009-09-14T18:59:00.008-05:002009-10-27T08:14:03.783-05:00

Another delicious recipe by who other than Martha?! I love that these are actually brownies in cupcake form and the peppermint patty center melts perfectly to give the entire cupcake a hint of mint. I also really liked that these did not call for a frosting (and it was not needed, they were plenty rich and flavorful on their own). Because there was not any frosting these were super easy to

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-4004747436950412142009-09-12T12:08:00.022-05:002009-10-27T08:13:52.732-05:00

I have been in search for the perfect combination of chewy and fudgy when it comes to brownies for quite some time. I found it……..and then did not blog about it for weeks, and now I am not positive if this is the recipe I used or not. I'm about 98% sure it is,but I will make them sometime soon,just to be sure.Update: this is it!Chewy Fudgy Brownies, YUMHere are some representative photos of what

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-31765002377386788482009-09-12T11:28:00.008-05:002009-10-27T08:13:42.594-05:00

With just a little bit of bribery I was able to get Gregory and Dino to make the trip to Chicago for a visit. I gave them their super fun Threadless T-shirts upon their arrival and then we started our day. Before we even set out to explore the neighborhood we decided to make Tiramisu Cupcakes. Most of the cupcakes in Martha's book are fairly easy, but this was a tricky one that I knew I would

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-90917002807135046522009-08-19T20:49:00.009-05:002009-10-27T08:13:32.887-05:00

Oreos + Cheesecake + mini= Yes Ma'am!!! Since my first time paging through the Martha Cupcake book I have been so excited about these mini oreo cheesecakes. Cheesecake is definitely one of my favorite genre's of dessert and I am a firm believer that most things in a miniature form are just better, it's science. Although Ponies are mean, so they are not better, I guess they are their own breed

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-7750175083118255812009-08-11T19:00:00.004-05:002009-10-27T08:13:22.284-05:00

Happy Birthday to Bridget (8/2) & Bethaney(8/10)! A couple of weekends ago Maria and I drove up to Camp Kawaga in Minocqua, WI to help the girls celebrate their birthday's......for those of you that don't know, they are camp nurses there for the summer, not campers. I was pretty excited to give Martha's Snickerdoodle cupcakes a try. I'm glad that I got over my funk since the chocolate chip

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-54588430959664119142009-08-09T19:18:00.005-05:002009-10-27T08:13:12.092-05:00

What better way to spend a rainy Friday afternoon than at a matinee with a kid's pack. In case you're not familiar with a kid's pack, it is the greatest thing that AMC has to offer, a kid's size popcorn, soda, and fruit snacks all for $5.75! For over a year when I mention that my brother is going through Martha Stewart's baking book page by page I sometimes get asked if either of us has read

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-22355189022887569132009-08-08T14:02:00.005-05:002009-10-27T08:13:04.131-05:00

I have begun a fantastic ritual of taking some time every Sunday evening to peruse my favorite blogs and organize the recipes I find that I would like to make and also stock pile design ideas that one day I may be able to afford to bring to fruition. Organizing is right up there with baking as a favorite activity of mine, so you can imagine the

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-31439853996514696052009-08-06T18:49:00.004-05:002009-10-27T08:12:54.326-05:00

I have been blogging mere months, not even 4, but I'm already repeating some mistakes recipes. Carrie braved the summer construction/chicago traffic to come visit for the weekend, so the least I could do was try the fruit sushi again when she requested it. I really thought just being more patient and waiting for the chocolate dough and rice to cool more thoroughly would do the trick. This time

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-22156226955529041642009-08-03T21:14:00.011-05:002009-10-27T08:12:44.792-05:00

I have been putting this entry off long enough and it's time to face the facts that I screwed these cupcakes up. I was so excited about them, so even though they tasted okay I have not wanted to think about them since. I will definitely try to make these again, because I have confidence in Martha that these can be fantastic. I think there were a few problems with my approach:1. I need bigger

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-77240780929789265012009-08-03T20:37:00.004-05:002009-10-27T08:12:14.409-05:00

Bridget and Bethaney were home a couple of weekends ago for a final exam so I had to put my birthday 'Bakers Edge' to use to make some brownies, a study treat and good luck gesture for their upcoming exam. I decided to try a recipe from http://www.visionsofsugarplum.com/ since her oreo cream cheese brownies were so amazing. This time I went with the chewy fudge brownies. While they were

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-90633801970573454412009-07-23T20:13:00.005-05:002009-10-27T08:12:02.995-05:00

Story of my life....my eyes were bigger than my stomach when I was at the grocery store. I also can't pass up a good value. I found myself with 2 containers of blueberries, 2 pints of strawberries, and a bag of cherries with 2 days before leaving for Door County for the weekend. I decided to peruse the net for a good muffin recipe that I could freeze for a later date. I came across this Berry

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-4598558725599774342009-07-23T19:38:00.006-05:002009-10-27T08:11:51.805-05:00

I'm not exactly sure how the tradition started, but ever since Katy, Carrie, and I graduated from college, pretty much whenever we visit each other we have cinnamon rolls for breakfast. I whole heartedly love Pillsbury grands cinnamon rolls, but now that I have this fancy dancy blog I thought I would try my hand at making some from scratch. Katy bought be a 'Simple Old Fashioned Baking' book for

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-81075416178573044512009-07-09T11:45:00.018-05:002009-10-27T08:11:40.502-05:00

This will most likely be the first of many posts about cupcakes now that I am the proud owner of the Martha Stewart Cupcake Book. I was so happy that the carrot cupcakes were so early on in the book because they were perfect to bring in for my boss' b-day! Once I got past the first step of finely grating 1lb of carrots these cupcakes came together pretty quickly. The cream cheese frosting was

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-32292345040905450102009-07-08T18:33:00.017-05:002009-10-27T08:11:26.125-05:00

Over the 4th of July I took a trip to St. Louis to reconnect with my old friend Megabus and also to see my good friend Molly. We started out the weekend with a free Counting Crows concert under the Arch which did not disappoint. Between Adam Duritz being completely ridiculous, the sign language interpreters having great hip movements, and the middle aged ladies in front of us not having great hip

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-1471903141270084182009-07-03T10:37:00.004-05:002009-10-27T08:11:13.639-05:00

This past weekend, I was racking the bakeologist's brain (my brother Gregory) about why my butterscotch thins were so tasty but just too delicate, thin, and un-cookie like. We deduced that it may be because I have been using egg beaters instead of real eggs in my baking. He informed me that anytime he tried to make anything more delicate and used egg beaters or the already separated cartons of

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-79031444048900091982009-07-03T10:07:00.012-05:002009-10-27T08:11:00.144-05:00

One of my favorite cookies has always been the peanut butter blossom, but since I try to stay away from peanut butter these days (due to the migraines they inflict) and I love nutella I thought I would try these cookies with a bit of a twist. They are also a pretty dense cookie so I thought they would travel well. I made a double batch (which ended up being 100 cookies, whoops!) and sent some off

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-73138236438876393982009-07-01T20:18:00.030-05:002009-10-27T08:10:46.086-05:00

Devil's Food Chocolate Cake with Caramel Butter cream Frosting, go ahead, read on. I swear this will be my last post with a birthday recipe. Most people that know me well, know that I don't like my birthday, but this blog is really suggesting otherwise. I suppose I can change my birthday views if it means lots of delicious treats! I had an awesome weekend in Milwaukee which started with some much

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-72417145348158817172009-06-22T21:44:00.013-05:002009-10-27T08:10:32.264-05:00

Happy Birthday to me! To celebrate the step into my late twenties, ahhh, I wanted to bring a b-day treat into the office. Having a summer birthday I never had a chance to bring in birthday treats for my classmates, so now my co-workers can reap the benefits of my over-compensating for long lost birthdays. A couple of weekends ago my Aunt Judy made a most delicious treat for my cousin's graduation

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-88291808466397308312009-06-22T21:26:00.006-05:002009-10-27T08:10:17.167-05:00

I came home today to a fabulous birthday surprise from Bridget and Bethaney, The Baker's Edge! If you love brownies, and love the edge pieces, this is the pan for you. It has raised pieces to make a maze like pattern to create pieces that all have at least 2 edges. There was a very memorable moment in our household this past year when we did not allow a guest to have a corner piece of our

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-68026699343069307852009-06-22T21:10:00.004-05:002009-10-27T08:10:05.493-05:00

I have recently tread into the dangerous waters of co-workers expecting treats. I do love to bake and am happy to share with my work peeps, but I'm not quite sure how I feel about the random visits that are purely to check out if I'm harboring a baked good.....for now I'll just be flattered that people like my treats and keep my fingers crossed that they don't get angry when their blood sugar

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-3575832118477005912009-06-16T22:06:00.010-05:002009-10-27T08:09:52.982-05:00

Bridget and Bethaney are headed up to camp for the summer (as camp nurses, not campers) so I decided to give them a delicious send off. To start I made a caprese salad and cheated with a pre-made caesar salad. I did get a little fancy and made a chicken pesto pizza for the main course. Since no send off dinner is complete without dessert, I made Bethaney's favorite cookies from Baking Bites-

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-77859956015312514292009-06-11T22:42:00.009-05:002009-10-27T08:09:40.660-05:00

I have been putting a lot of thought into the next mail order treat that I was going to make, and since I can't afford to send things overnight, I have to come up with things that will ship well and stay delicious for 3-5 days. I thought these layer cookie bars may be the answer.......with the only dry ingredients being crushed up nilla wafers and cocoa and everything soaked in sweetened

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-58659830347918714062009-06-07T09:50:00.010-05:002009-10-27T08:09:29.040-05:00

I'm starting to get really excited any time I have an actual event to bake for. I think the initial appeal of having a baker around is wearing on my roommates and co-workers....we do have waistlines to watch afterall. Last night I went to see the Gipsy Kings with a group of friends/co-workers at Ravinia, so I of course offered to bring a dessert to share, along with the veggies and hummus, but I

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-90611520988442748442009-06-03T19:45:00.019-05:002009-10-27T08:09:16.702-05:00

This was quite an experiment for me, since I have never made regular brownies from scratch, let alone fancy'in it up with cream cheese and oreos, but I think I did a pretty swell job. I found this recipe on visions of sugar plum and the combination of dark cocoa and cream cheese made it a must try for me. Brownies from scratch is like anything else I have tried to make from scratch; just a couple

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-49289534550832298082009-06-03T19:31:00.006-05:002009-10-27T08:09:02.809-05:00

My good friend Claire is biking across the country this summer (http://www.bikeandbuild.org/) and before she left I promised I would send many goodies to keep her going for over 4,000 miles. Her first mail pick up is tomorrow, so I made some of my favorite cookies to send her way. The first time I was graced with these cookies was from my freshman year college roommate's mom, but it was just

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-70204162501955839862009-05-26T20:34:00.014-05:002009-10-27T08:08:48.191-05:00

I spent a lovely Memorial Day weekend in Milwaukee with family and friends and did a great deal of cooking/baking. I didn't make any sort of record of the cooking, but when I arrived at Becky's house we discovered that the refrigerator had not been functioning for an unspecified amount of time. Most everything was salvaged, but I spent the evening concocting a spaghetti sauce and some taco meat

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-19389418121944154002009-05-17T14:14:00.007-05:002009-10-27T08:08:34.350-05:00

Considering I am still thinking about the delicious cinnamon sugar crepe that I had while in Austin I decided to share the wealth and make some snicker doodle cookies inspired by the crepes. I made Betty Crocker's lighter recipe for the snicker doodles. That way I don't have to feel too bad about sandwiching 2 together and adhering with a delicious cream cheese frosting. I used Martha Stewart's

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-34928646193619412962009-05-12T22:04:00.007-05:002009-10-27T08:08:02.013-05:00

One lazy afternoon a few weeks ago I came across an easy recipe for S'mores cookie bars on Baking Bites and have been waiting for a good opportunity to make these for a group. Since I got back from Austin on Saturday night and had a not so productive day on Sunday, I needed a quick dessert to make for a girls dinner on Monday night. The cookie dough was super simple and assembling the chocolate

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-56354220378252894882009-05-12T21:13:00.024-05:002009-10-27T08:07:36.761-05:00

I was fortunate to be in Austin for work last week and able to extend my trip to have a couple days to explore the city and all the deliciousness it has to offer. Thanks to Bridget and Bethaney I had a plan in place for all the yummy places to hit up. So through 90 degree weather and extreme humidity I trekked through the city and think I earned most of the food I consumed. Here's a sampling of

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-82524025495209105042009-05-03T21:22:00.011-05:002009-10-27T08:07:18.422-05:00

I just got back from a fantastic long weekend in minneapolis and needed to update with this delicious chocolate hazelnut cake that carrie, andrew, and I took on. Carrie and I bought matching spring form pans and had to put one to the test with this cake. when we entered the kitchen in the final minutes of baking we entered a smoke filled room due to a slight butter leak out of the pan. This

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-11975363205997564872009-04-28T20:26:00.016-05:002009-10-27T08:05:52.659-05:00

I am heading out to minneapolis tomorrow to visit my best friend carrie so I wanted to make a little treat that she would enjoy to say 'thanks for the hospitality'. Not only will I have a fabulous time staying with her, but she is being so kind as to let me borrow her car for a morning, and if like me, you have not had a car for the past 5 years, you know what a great offer that is!carrie has

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549232908687289957.post-20431621935461624932009-04-27T20:09:00.013-05:002009-10-27T08:05:21.553-05:00

I recently came across an intriguing fruit sushi recipe on cakebatterandbowl.com that I just had to try. While it tasted delicious (and that can be confirmed by my roomies/biggest fans) the construction and presentation could use some work. I will definitely try this again and am hoping that simply chilling the dough and being a little less heavy handed with the fillings will do the trick....

Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318643177708648646noreply@blogger.com0