Fall In Love

Hi everyone and welcome back! I think it would be an understatment to say I've been sort of busy and really haven't had a chance to post up some new items for ya'll to look at! Summer came and went and here we are: back to school, cool crisp air and an the beginings of the color explosions in the trees. Now while soaking up some sun was great, I for one am excited that it is fall because it's my favorite time of year. Most of you out there know that spring/summer are peak wedding season. Which for me means I am baking and decorating away; providing brides sweet and unique treats for their wedding. I however, will be celebrating my 2 year anniversary next month and still love the fact that I had a fall wedding. I loved how romantic and almost whimsical the fall season made my special day! No, I did not make the cookies for my own wedding! I'm not that crazy! But, I would love to do some for your own! I know there are plenty of fall brides-to-be wondering about favors, centerpieces, you know... all the details! Cookies are a great way to add personal flair to on occasion that should uniquely be yours!

For A Whale Of A Good Time...

Do yourself and my buddy Nick Siegel a favor and purchase his awesome new cd entitled "We Make Our Beds In The Sea". I've known Nick for about 5 years now. He's super talented and you won't be disappointed when you hear his latest musical masterpiece. To celebrate his June release of his cd, I of course made him cookies! Like I mentioned before, I've known him for some years now and I know that he loves food...especially desserts! So go ahead and check hime out. You can visit him at www.nicksiegelmusic.com, or find him on facebook and myspace. Or even better, go buy the cd on iTunes!

Happy Birthday Elizabeth! Who's Armando? Perhaps an aldergator?

Happy 20th Birthday Elizabeth! Elizabeth Siegel is one of my best friends who just happend to celebrate her birthday! Since she's away at college, I decided to send her a birthday gift via mail in the form of cookies. This girl is one of the funniest, sweetest and coolest people I've ever met. And as a fellow foodie, I knew that she would truly appreciate some cookies. Now, I've learned a lot about Elizabeth just in the 2 years I've known her. She's a unique person and only a unique cookie would do! So I dug through my collection of cookie cutters and knew right away which cutter I wanted to find. You see, along with Liz's hilarious personality comes, well, hilarious moments. Let me explain. Last year she traveld to Florida and brought back the cutest and most awesome souvenir I've ever seen. A little green rubber friend, we like to call Armando. Now, Armando is not your ordinary gator. In fact, he's maybe a crocadile, I'm not sure. What I do know is that he is NOT a lizard. Let's just get that straight!!! Anyway, Armando graced me with his presense at a bridal shower, and my life has never been the same. This lil' guy finds his way into our adventures often. He loves chocolate brownies from Ted Montana Grill just as much as he loves hanging out in a dorm watching episodes of Scrubs and eating Warhead's Sour Spray. He's quite the trooper. So, I figured, in honor of Elizabeth's birthday I would send her Armando Cookies. Now that's a one of a kind gift!

'Til The Cows Come Home...

Or rather, 'til they leave the farm. My stepmom's uncle, better know just as Uncle Jim, was a dairy farmer for many years. How many? I'm not quite sure, but he grew up on a farm, so I'm assuming all his life. He lives up in Woodstock, and built a new house on his farmland. So everyone went over a few weeks ago to see the finished house and to celebrate his semi-retirement. I say "semi", because I'm sure he'll never give up farming completely. Along with retiring, came the decision to sell his cows. Uncle Jim's dairy cows hit the road a few weeks ago and I figured that cow cookies were just an obvious choice of dessert to bring to his party. Not that there is a shortage of baked goods at The Kagel Family gatherings or anything, but I know Uncle Jim has a sweet tooth for some of my baked goods. The cow cookie centerpiece was a huge hit. Moo.

Happy 1st Birthday Adeia Madeline!

Adeia is the daughter of some of our best friends. And she just turned one! It's hard to believe, but now she's walking and talking and is as cute as ever. Ryan and I are so glad that they moved back up to Chicago, so we can see them more often. We like being her "Tia" and "Tio"! We were fortunate enough to celebrate Addie's 1st Birthday with her. The party was a lot of fun. We got to hang out all day with her and the others of The Tuma family! I mean, it's been a while since I ran around with a baby and I sure have missed it, so needless to say, I had a blast! What would a birthday party be with out with cookies from The Baker E! I love that Addie is one of my #1 fans! She savors every crumb! Here's some picture from the party and the cookies of course!

Think Spring!

So now that the weather is finally nice, and since we missed a begining of spring, I figured I'd post some pictures from Easter! Can't get any more spring than that, now can it? My favorite thing about Spring cookies is the colors!I love decorating in fun bright colors. I have a large collection of Spring cookie cutters (that is always growing) and offer great options for Easter gifts, baskets and my personal favorite, table place settings.

Au Naturale

So you want to know something that makes me sad and often brings a tear to my eye? The fact that these days home-baked, fresh, and preservative free desserts and baked goods are just unheard of. Now, don't get me wrong. I grew up eating those cream filled treats and cupcakes from the grocery store with 5" of icing on them too, but had I known (or if my family did) I don't think I would have consumed them like I did. In this fast-paced world, it's probably a lot easier to pop a perservative-packed treat in your kids lunch box, but just imagine what you're feeding them. It's never a good thing when you can't pronounce the name of the ingredients. What I'm getting at is that baking with natural ingredients is something I take pride in. When you enjoy a sweet treat from The Baker E, here is what you're eating: real butter, real milk, real eggs, real sugar, real flour and pure vanilla. Nothing more, nothing less. Note: never say the "s" word in front of me. Shortening is not welcome in my kitchen.

People always ask me the shelf life of my products are. And while they are enjoyable and tasty for a good length of time, don't be surprised that they don't last months like many other brands and vendors. When you bake with ingredients that are natural, you can't keep them on a counter or shelf for months. And that's how it should be. Plus, if it tastes that good, it's usually not around for long anyways.

Food For Thought:
-Margarine is one chemical away from being plastic. I'm not making this up!
-Our bodies can break down butter. Since margarine is fake and has no nutritional value, our body does nothing with it.
-Shortening (it's killing me just to type that word!) is nothing but trans-fat. And we all know as of recently, how bad those are for us. It's partially hydrogenated, and the way it looks in that tub...imaginge that in your arteries. Gross, I know! Again, our bodies don't know what to do with those fake elements.

-Immitation Vanilla. It's just that. An impostor! It's made synthetically with chemicals that may smell and maybe taste like vanilla, but they are not real at all. Not unless it says 100% pure!

So you get the picture. Baking with natural ingredients is best! Best tasting, best looking and most importantly, best for us! So if you're going to indulge, why not indulge on something that is real and not fake and stuffed with chemicals and perservatives? When you order from The Baker E and feed that sweet tooth of yours, rest assure, that you are enjoying something that is naturally delicious and made with love!