A Look Inside the Oven

Facebook

2012-04-17T13:28:00.001-07:00

Hey, everyone! Check out my new Facebook page for the blog. HERE

Struggles

2012-04-10T12:06:00.002-07:00

I have found that I have a constant struggle with eating healthy. Ever since I started working at the bakery, I always crave sweet foods. When my mom made the pumpkin bars for my Grandma's birthday, I ate 5. Sure, I could have stopped at one and I would have been happy, but I truly think I'm addicted to sugar. I crave it especially after I eat dinner.

Anyway, my goal is to cut bread and sweets out of my diet. I'm not giving up dark chocolate with almonds though because I feel like it's not that terrible. My main concern is that diabeties and sugar problems run in my family, and I don't want to deal with that in my life. It's time to get healthy!

Success is Sweet

2012-04-09T07:52:00.002-07:00

If anyone out there in Blogland was wondering how my paper turned out, I have good news. I just finished. 15 pages, 14 sources, pure gold. At least I hope. I mean I'm sure my professor will tear it apart, but I'm okay with that as long as I have time to fix it. I'm presenting next Wednesday. Yikes!

Currently eating: Peanut Butter Twix

Have a Hoppy Easter

2012-04-08T07:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was another crazy day at the bakery. I sold so many bunny cakes it was ridiculous. They opened the doors at 5:30 because as usual everyone was waiting in their cars, and the flow of people didn't stop. It didn't even stop when we closed. It took us two hours to clean up the holiday mess, and everyone was coming and knocking on our windows. Crazy!

See all of these windows? Yep, they knocked on all of them and stared at us cleaning up. Made me feel like they were zombies, or like I was in a fishbowl.

Happy Birthday Grandma

2012-04-07T07:49:00.000-07:00

Today is my Grandmother's 84th birthday! Tomorrow we are celebrating with a lot of food and desserts. I ordered a chocolate mousse cake for her and my mom made pumpkin bars with cream cheese icing!

My cute, little grandparents.

They've been married for 63 years!

My Mom's Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients:

Bars

4 eggs
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Frosting

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
3-4 cups confectioners' sugar
1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 baking dish.
Mix the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin with a mixer until light and fluffy.
Pour flour, powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda into another bowl and mix.
Pour flour mixture into pumpkin mixture and mix until incorporated and smooth.
Pour the batter into the baking dish and level out the batter.
Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool before removing from the dish or frosting.
Frost the bars when they have cooled -- To make the frosting: Combine cream cheese and butter in a bowl and mix until smooth. Add the sugar slowly until you reach the desired consistency. Stir in the vanilla.

It starts tomorrow

2012-04-05T16:03:00.003-07:00

I always say I'm not going to procrastinate, but I find myself doing it again and again. A lot of people that I know do the same thing. So, here I am with the rough draft of my Capstone paper and 0 pages. Not a surprise to me. It's due on Monday and I need 15 pages. I will start tomorrow. No, really. I will. Tonight, though, it's a Bailey's Irish Cream kind of night. Considering I'm writing my paper on "Juno and the Paycock," which is an Irish play, it just fits. I'll be putting it in my coffee in hopes that I can stay up and start writing some of my paper tonight. Wish me the luck of the Irish. Oh wait, their luck isn't very good.

Bakery on wheels

2012-03-29T21:05:00.000-07:00

Do you remember being excited when you would hear the familiar song of the ice cream truck as a child? Maybe even now you get that hint of excitement from the sight of the brightly colored, traveling ice cream truck. Now, picture this--a bakery on wheels! I can't imagine it would be very difficult. I mean, you would definitely have to bake all of the products outside of the truck, but I think selling them city to city would be a great idea. Who knows, maybe some bakeries actually have trucks like this! Would you buy baked goods from a truck?

List of 5 things to do before April 28

2012-03-28T16:15:00.001-07:00

1. Find a job--I feel like I am so stressed out from writing 9,000 papers, that I forgot I actually have to still live after graduation.

2. Write my 9,000 papers--Okay, I realize that 9,000 may be exaggerating, but I have around 10 papers to write before the end of the semester.

3. Graduate--Well, I got my graduation tickets today. I can invite 6 people if it's outside, but only 3 if it's inside. I don't like that ratio. I really want to write my parents a thank you letter sort of thing, like "To My Parents on my Graduation Day." We'll see if I have time.

4. Find a car/ save money--While I have been in school my parents have let me drive their car. They even paid for gas when I couldn'd afford it. I'm definitely blessed, but I feel bad still driving their car. I really like Kia Optima, but I'm concerned with gas mileage. Ford Fiesta gets 40 mpg! That would be amazing! I only have $4,000, so I guess I better start saving up.

5. Figure out my life--Easier said than done.

Cat Cookies

2012-03-27T16:09:00.000-07:00

Cat Cookies are calming me!

Meowwww!

Panic Attack

2012-03-26T14:49:00.000-07:00

I graduate in exactly 1 month. I think I'm having a panic attack because I have so much homework to do, and all I do is eat. Seriously, I believe I'm an emotional eater. Thank God I have a blog about food. When you're stressed out, do you eat a lot, too?

Alice in Wonderland Cake

2012-03-25T14:42:00.000-07:00

Hunger Games

2012-03-24T14:27:00.000-07:00

Does anyone like/love the Hunger Games? Check out these legit cakes and cupcakes

IPhone Cake

2012-03-21T14:26:00.000-07:00

Every girl's dream

2012-03-20T14:17:00.000-07:00

OAKMONT BAKERY

I'll take cake batter anything

2012-03-19T09:24:00.000-07:00

I love anything that tastes like cake batter. I know you're not supposed to eat regular, raw cake batter because it has eggs in it, but I just can't help it. Lately, I've been making Rice Krispy Treats, but sadly I want to eat them so fast (see Nummily post) that I just scoop them from the pan to my bowl and eat them with a spoon.

I just found this great recipe that combines Rice Krispy Treats and cake batter. Guess I better forget about my diet! Check this out, yum!

Cake Batter Rice Krispies Recipe(From How Sweet Eats)

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. butter

1 (10 oz.) bag of mini-marshmallows

1/4 cup yellow cake mix (the dry cake mix, not prepared into a batter!)

6 cups crispy rice cereal

1 (1.75 oz.) container of sprinkles

Method:

Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat and add marshmallows. Stir until they begin to melt, adding in (dry) cake mix one spoonful at a time so its combined. Stir in cereal so it is completely coated with marshmallow mixture. Sprinkle in half of the sprinkles and mix. Press into a baking dish (any size will do) and top with remaining sprinkles. Let sit for about 30 minutes before cutting. I find spraying a knife with nonstick spray helps to cut them.

Ali’s Tip:

I actually increased the cake batter to 1/3 cup for my recipe to give it a little extra cake batter kick (the 1/4 cup seemed just a little too subtle to me), but add as much in as you like!

***Note: Many readers have asked what to do with the remaining cake mix. If you would like to use it to whip up a batch of cake mix cookies, just measure out 6 oz. of the remaining cake mix, and combine it with 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil, and 1 egg. Stir until mixed. Then form into cookie dough balls, and bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.***

Break up food

2012-03-18T14:04:00.000-07:00

Well guys, I'm feeling kinda sad today. Relationship troubles...bummer. I think this is the best time for something sweet and fattening. Here is an article I found on what foods to eat when you're sad about a break up...or happy.

TOP 10 BREAK UP FOODS

Ice cream and pizza it is.

AND...

I'm watching this movie.

Irish Soda Bread

2012-03-17T19:14:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patty's day, everyone! Be careful, have fun, and try this recipe!

How To: Easy Irish Soda Bread

It tastes so much better with raisins!

Ice Cream Waffle Sundaes

2012-03-14T13:54:00.003-07:00

Holy cow, today's weather is amazing. Ok, well besides the fact that I sat outside for 20 minutes and my arms are so red from the sun. Oh, the curse of being pale. Anyway, if I had known Spring was going to jump up on us so quickly, I would have stocked up on some ice cream to make these awesome-looking cones.

Ingredients

1/2 cup hot fudge-flavored ice cream topping
1 - 2 tablespoons creme de cacao or 1 tablespoon coffee liqueur or peanut butter
2 giant waffle ice-cream cones or bowls or 4 regular waffle cones
2 cups tin roof sundae ice cream, coffee ice cream, Dulce de Leche caramel ice cream, caramel swirl ice cream or favorite flavor ice cream
1/2 cup sliced banana or quartered strawberries
2 tablespoons chopped chocolate-covered peanut butter cups

Directions

In a heavy small saucepan, stir ice cream topping and creme de cacao over medium-low heat until smooth. Remove saucepan from heat. Place each waffle cone in a tall cup or bowl. Scoop ice cream into cones. Top with banana slices. Drizzle with chocolate-peanut-butter sauce. Top with chopped peanut butter cups. Makes 2 large or 4 small servings.

Coffee and cupcakes

2012-03-13T22:48:00.000-07:00

Check out my fellow blogger for a great cup of joe or tea idea to enjoy with these cupcakes! Sipworthy

MCCC

You will need:

1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 ounces (1/3 cup) unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped, melted
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 cup chocolate milk
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

What to do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pans with liners.

2. Cream together the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Beat the melted chocolate into the butter mixture. Add the eggs, peppermint extract, and chocolate milk. Beat until creamy.

3. In a separate bowl combine the flour and baking soda.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the butter and chocolate mixture until well blended. With a spatula stir in the chocolate chips.

5. Fill the cupcake liners three-quarters full. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Sandwich Cake

2012-03-12T16:58:00.000-07:00

While browsing the web, I got overly excited about this sandwich cake! I know, I know, It's not a pastry, but in my defense, it is a cake.

Yum!

Cupcake ATM

2012-03-11T22:42:00.002-07:00

Well even though I had a bad weekend, Michelle boosted my spirit with this video. Cupcake ATM, say what?

Happy Birthday Barbie

2012-03-09T14:12:00.000-08:00

Today everyone's favorite doll turns 53, but she doesn't look a day over 20!

Barbie Cake

AND....

A nice tidbit of information about Barbie.

--If Barbie were an actual women, she would be 5’9” tall, have a 39” bust, an 18” waist, 33” hips and a size 3 shoe.

--Barbie calls this a “full figure” and likes her weight at 110 lbs.

--At 5’9” tall and weighing 110 lbs, Barbie would have a BMI of 16.24 and fit the weight criteria for anorexia.

--If Barbie was a real woman, she’d have to walk on all fours due to her proportions.

--Slumber Party Barbie was introduced in 1965 and came with a bathroom scale permanently set at 110 lbs with a book entitled “How to Lose Weight” with directions inside stating simply “Don’t eat.”

Spring Break is for Sweets

2012-03-08T09:08:00.002-08:00

Hey guys, since it is so rainy this afternoon, I decided to make something yummy! So, I've decided that diets are overrated! I came to this conclusion after almost starving myself every day and working out like a crazy person. I did not lose any weight doing this. Now, I eat what I want and exercise, and I lost weight. Lucky me.

Anyway, this morning I made Nutella cake in a mug! Genius right? I can't take the credit though because I found the awesome recipe on Pinterest, which is my new found love for everything I need to know about life.

What you'll need to combine int he mug...

4 tablespoons of flour
3 tablespoons of Nutella
3 tablespoons of cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons of vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
3 tablespoons of milk
4 tablespoons of sugar

Just mix them together. I found it didn't matter how you combined the ingredients because I just threw them all together! Then put in the microwave for about 2 minutes, and you'll have an amazing treat! I didn't put whipped cream on top to save some calories for later, but I think that would be the perfect addition!

Loafin Bakery Cafe

2012-03-07T09:16:00.000-08:00

So, today my mom and I visited a new bakery that they opened in our little town. It is called Loafin, which would be cute but they didn't have bread. To me, it didn't quite fit. Anyway, I ordered a Maple syrup french toast bacon cupcake. Yep, all combined. I love syrup, french toast, and bacon. This cupcake was over the top.

I really hate to be judgmental because I know that Oakmont Bakery has spoiled me, but the icing tasted like pure butter and it was gritty. It smelled amazing, but the taste didn't match.

I heard a woman talking to the owner, and I was disappointed to hear her responses to the questions the woman was asking. She seemed unclear of her intentions as a business, and didn't know if she would make birthday cakes. I went to look at their website www.loafinbakery.com, but it doesn't seem to be up and running smoothly yet. I don't know how her business will thrive, but I really hope they get it together!

Baked Smores

2012-03-06T09:19:00.000-08:00

It is official. I am addicted to Pinterest. No, really, It sucked me in!

I want to make these Baked Smores like you would not believe. Check this recipe out! http://www.theaprongal.com/2011/11/baked-smores.html