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one of my childhood memories was going to baker's square for a pie after enduring a doctor's appointment. it was definitely a ploy to make us feel better about the doctor and potential shots. is this the best place for pie...i definitely thought so when i was 10 years old with underdeveloped, uneducated taste buds. it was heaven. i can't say that i know that answer now because all of these restaurants have closed in california since. they're only in the midwest - if that says anything. well, since this was no longer an option, trying to find a pie seemed too daunting of a task, so i needed a sure thing. mind you, i was pregnant at this time, so mama was having a serious craving. remembering a blog post from my dear friend, regina , i called upon her to possibly make me a pie to address this monster craving. and, like a true friend, she made the pie at 9pm in the evening and i was presented with one of the most perfect slices of heaven one can ask for. the graha...

it's been quite awhile since i posted and if you missed me, i apologize. cute ox origami at the hostess desk for my first post of the year, i wanted to highlight a wonderful night spent at alexander's steakhouse for the husband's (aka "bear") birthday. i call him bear because he's a little hairy, cuddly, docile, and bigger than me (in the picture below, i'm wearing 4in heels and barely shoulder height). there are so many places i'd love to take him to experience food, but was inspired by a post from my friend regina when she took a friend for an expensive steak dinner. i thought this would be the perfect place to celebrate the husband - he likes steak and good food and i was intrigued by the restaurant that took the place of bacar. the service is impeccable - a little too informational at times, but outstanding nonetheless. the ambience can be romantic, intimate, cool, whatever you need it to be depending on your visit. what's also ve...

if you haven't heard, the SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS won the world series...again!! to have lived through one win in my lifetime was magical, but two? that's unbelievable!!! quite honestly, nothing beats the first feeling of victory when the boys won in 2010. because it had been so long since this franchise had actually won and the fact that it was the first win as the "San Francisco Giants", not "New York Giants", 2010 was so, incredibly sweet!!! don't get me wrong, there were some seriously awesome things that happened to get us to the 2012 win - two playoff comebacks, a well-rounded team with many firsts for some of the players (like marco scutaro), and a sweep for the underdog team that was counted out! take that, odds makers! so, how do i celebrate? by baking! in 2010, i made caramel apple cider cupcakes ...this year, i decided on pumpkin cakepops. i figured they are super of-the-season and i also hadn't made cakepops in quite some time. w...

for my father-in-law's birthday, i didn't have time to think about baking...so i went to my local pie shop to get him an assortment of his favorites: cherry, apple, key lime, & banana cream. i was actually really disappointed in myself for not making my own pie to celebrate his day...it's my ambitious drive that gets me to attempt things i never have. so, i chose to make the key lime pie for two reasons: 1) it's the father-in-law's absolute favorite and i've never seen anyone make one for him since i've been around (8 years) and 2) that was the least favorite of the slices i brought from the local pie shop...and i felt it needed some redemption. i also needed an excuse to finally use my mini keebler graham cracker crusts . by the way, he said it was the BEST he ever had...he was a little intoxicated so this statement may be slightly exaggerated. MINI KEY LIME MERINGUE PIE posted on plum pie by brooke on april 2011 CRUST  (i cheated and used prep...

i've seen these made before and have been wanting to get more creative with my cakepops. so, i had the opportunity to do just that for my niece's first birthday. it's simple - i made my red velvet cakepops  and put them on ice cream cones instead of a stick. "ICE CREAM CONE" CAKEPOP posted on you tube by yoyomax12 on january 17, 2011 red velvet cakepop sugar cones (if you can find mini ones, those are great!) candy melts sprinkles, candy, anything you like for decorating if you are not using mini cones, simply use a serrated knife to cut the regular sized cone into mini versions. i cut about halfway. after mixing the cake and frosting, mold them into balls and place on top of cut cones. lay on wax paper-lined baking sheet. place into refrigerator for 30 mins. follow candy melt instructions for preparation. you can add a little canola oil to thin - sometimes the thicker consistency can be difficult to work with. prepare a styrofoam block with...

i was so honored to be asked to help with a shower for one of my dear friends...of course, i had a spreadsheet ready to go with inspirations and my game plan. what's great about spring baby showers is that there's an easy theme that can come of the easter holiday...baby birds and eggs! luckily, this also correlated with their wedding theme, which was penguins - since they mate for life. i wish i could say that i've upped my creative skills and made the cake pictured above, but that was offered up by baby lloyd's soon-to-be great aunt. she was thoughtful enough to copy the bird theme from the invitation. the shower was held at the mother-to-be's in-law's in woodsy portola valley on a sunny day. her sister and i provided the decor, desserts, and appetizers, while grandma lloyd provided lunch.  upon walking in, guests were greeted with a wishing tree. i found these great metallic eggs and tied yarn around them. guests wrote their blessings and wishes for ...

sometimes i impress myself! for example, last night i had a baking marathon while intoxicated and everything still turned out well! i was preparing for a baby sprinkle, which is a smaller version of a baby shower for a "seasoned" mom, and took on the task of making sweet treats. i do have to mention that for lent this year, i chose to forgo all sweet treats...so i can only tell you that my treats seemed to get a good response, but i don't know myself. so, i'll trust that my friends weren't just being nice. anyway, so my baking marathon consisted of 6 treats...2 go-tos ( smore's bars & salted chocolate caramel cookies ) and 4 new ones: FUNFETTI CAKE BATTER CHEX BUDDIES these were a favorite fun take on the chex puppy chow aka muddy buddies , but the chocolate & peanut butter is replaced with white chocolate & funfetti cake mix. posted on six sisters' stuff  by camille on february 17, 2012 5 c chex cereal 10 oz vanilla flavored almon...

my co-worker asked me for some thoughts on what to do for her event. she has been preparing for her big launch party for her menswear brand, Fifth&Brannan , and i was flattered when she asked for my assistance in how to pull off her event. so, while we were playing with some ideas, she mentioned that in addition to the cheese pairings Cellar360 was offering with the Sledgehammer wines, she wanted something chocolatey and sweet. the first thing that popped in my mind were cakepops...they're easy, portable, fun, impressive favors! she asked if i was sure and i assured her that i would love to contribute however possible to help her with the launch. that meant a total of 200 cakepops, wrapped and finished with a tied strip of fabric straight from her line. these help make them look more distinguished and approachable for her target market...sophisticated, preppy men. if you ever want to attempt this, it takes 3 batches of cake and frosting. CHOCOLATE CAKEPOPS posted on the f...

it all started with a search for a new banana bread recipe for my very ripe bananas. as you may know, i actually already had a recipe i found which started the yummypages blog, but every time i made it, i felt like it still wasn't right. so, as i searched, i was intrigued by a recipe for monkey squares...banana bread base with brown butter frosting. when i was looking for a recipe, i was to start baking at 9pm, so i wasn't about to get complex and i was very happy to see that this recipe could easily turn into a loaf, so i went with it! what i realized when i was mixing the components was that the addition of wet ingredients made a huge difference in overall moisture. the original recipe calls for sour cream, but i only had plain yogurt, which is a perfect substitute and it also called for butter, which i was limited to. so, the substitution of canola oil brought the moisture level up a little more. i hope you enjoy the two recipes in one. MONKEY SQUARES posted on the girl ...

the main table with the all the L goodies one of the reasons i find new recipes to try is that i need them for the parties i plan and/or host. so, i thought it'd be inspiring and fun to add posts about the parties i've put together, along with the food i contributed. i've done a couple baby showers at work and birthdays, of course, but this one party was a little more special for me. it was a bridal shower for my boss, who i've also been hired as the day-of wedding coordinator. she got engaged in august, but i had been secretly brainstorming way before that. i wanted this to be perfect, as i knew it would be my pièce de résistance! first things, first...how do we surprise her? people in the office are well aware that when i'm gone for a period of time, there is a party decorating session happening. so, i schemed with my other boss to fake a sickness. i was really worried that she would not be fooled since i never, never call in sick. but, this worked like a ch...

i used to think french macarons were the next cupcake, but i have found something else sprouting up left and right...cakepops! if you thought cupcakes were easy handheld cakes, cakepops are even more portable and not as fragile (except when you're preparing them-see yummy tip below), so you don't have to worry about messing up the frosting. of course, we need to give serious thanks to bakerella for the introduction of this awesome, edible work of art. when i was on the search, i found a great idea for the red velvet cheesecake pops, but the recipe was using a box mix for the red velvet...i really wanted to make my own. so, i found a super tasty, easy recipe for the cake portion. but, i did have to cheat and buy a pre-made cheesecake...sometimes you have to choose your battles. RED VELVET CHEESECAKE LOLLI CAKEPOPS red velvet cake - posted on kathleen's gonna want seconds on january 28, 2011 cheesecake pop - posted on steamy kitchen on february 17, 2011 red velv...

is it just me or is the month of march filled with booze-induced holidays? mardi gras, st. patrick's day, a crazy number of birthdays? well, the purpose of this recipe was for a co-worker's birthday. my co-workers have the pleasure of being my guinea pigs, but i'm not hearing any complaints. i may have mentioned this already, but i am intrigued by the idea of turning one thing into a whole new awesome thing. case in point, peach bellini beverage into a very delicate, girly cupcake. this is perfect for any shower or a girlfriend's birthday. the champagne is light, but present and the peaches give the cupcake a delightfulness that anyone can appreciate. PEACH BELLINI CUPCAKES posted on sing for your supper on march 2, 2011 3 c all-purpose flour 3 t baking powder 1/2 t salt 1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 2 c sugar 1 t vanilla extract 6 egg whites 3/4 c champagne 1/4 c peach schnapps 1 small peach, peeled and diced preheat oven to 350°F. ...

again, another find on TasteSpotting ! the image of sea salted cookies was what first drew me into clicking the link...but it was the added bonus of knowing there was caramel inside that convinced me i needed to try making these cookies. the sweet & salty combination never fails and this take on the trendy sea salt caramels is a MUST for any fan. i dare you to try not getting addicted. CHOCOLATE CARAMEL COOKIES WITH SEA SALT posted on two peas and their pod on february 5, 2010 1 1/4 c all-purpose flour 1/4 t baking soda 1/4 t salt 5 T butter 7 T unsweetened cocoa powder 2/3 c white granulated sugar 1/3 c brown sugar 1/3 c yogurt 1 t vanilla extract soft caramel, rolled into balls (i used werther's) sea salt preheat oven to 350°F. line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly coat with cooking spray. set aside. in a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. set aside. in a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. remove from heat and...

happy valentine's day! enjoy some whoopie...ahem, pie, that is. what a better way to enjoy all the sweet things valentine's day brings? i enjoy baking for others and instead of hauling my cupcake carrier on my 1-mile walk, i needed something lighter and easier to bring to shower my work family. i came across this recipe during my weekly peruse through TasteSpotting and thought that this would be a good opportunity to put my whoopie pan pie to good use. so, find your valentine and enjoy a scrumptious bite. RED VELVET WHOOPIE PIE posted on brown eyed baker on february 10, 2011 3c all-purpose flour 1/3c cocoa powder 1t baking powder 1/2t baking soda 1/2t salt 1/2c unsalted butter, room temperature 1/2c vegetable shortening (i used vegetable oil) 1/2c light brown sugar 1c white granulated sugar 2 eggs 2t vanilla extract 3t red food coloring 1c buttermilk position rack in center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. line two baking sheets with parchment paper (or gre...