Volunteer Appreciation

Hello, cookie lovers! 

 I thought these swirls would be fun for Empowering, Inc.'s 

Volunteer Appreciation Night!
Thank you all you wonderful EI volunteers! Muchas gracias!

It took a LOT of experimenting to get these cookies just right...

as you can see, there are still quite a few little goofs.  

So my biggest goof consisted of not screwing 

the top of the yellow frosting bottle on tight enough. 

Yes, yellow frosting went everywhere!  

Despite all the bumps along the way, the great thing about this design is you don't have to 

wait for the different layers of frosting to dry.

It's the First Day of Spring!

It is the first day of spring today, isn't it?  Okay, maybe it was yesterday.
Or maybe it was even the day before yesterday? I don't know!

Regardless, it's time for FLOWERS! 

 I can't wait until the tulips and daffodils start popping up!  

I baked up this batch for my friends at Empowering, Inc. Services to celebrate the March birthdays. 

 Happy birthday Shoba, Jamie, and Elle!

Music to My Ears...and Tummy!

I recently had the opportunity to make some treats for my 

wonderful former flute teacher, Valerie Roubos.  

I am so grateful to her for all the wonderful experiences I had while playing the flute.  

These treats were for her latest recital!  

Wait...It's Not Thanksgiving Anymore?!

I know, I know...most people only bake with pumpkin around Thanskgiving.
But what do you do when you have extra pumpkin hanging out in your cupboards?  

Well, I definitely suggest these DELICIOUS pumpkin muffins!  

When I found this recipe I was super excited because, well, I love anything with
cream cheese frosting!  

But you know what?  When I took them out of the oven, they weren't that great!  

But don't worry!  They just needed to cool  a little.  

The flavors just needed a minute to settle together.  

Oh and then...I COULD NOT STOP EATING THEM!  Too GOOD!  

They were the perfect treat to share at my early, Friday morning class.  

I've found that baked goods are definitely the best way to perk up

grad students as they inch their way toward graduation!

Where have all the cookies gone?

Where are they?!  Where are all the cookies, you ask?  

Well it turns out, when you're taking 26 grad school credits there just isn't enough time to bake!  

Trust me, I would much rather bake then read about the wonders of constitutional law. 

 But alas, I must be a dedicated student for just a few more months!

  Don't worry, I've got a few projects coming up that I'll be sure to post. 

 Then come May...cookies, cookies, cookies!  

(Well, at least until I have to start studying for the bar!)  

Celebrate Africa!

This weekend I had the pleasure of participating in Odyssey World International's Celebrate Africa!

 This event was an amazing celebration of all the different 

African cultures that are present in Spokane. 

Over the past few months, I have had the opportunity to get to know of number 

of African refugees that live in Spokane.  I've learned so much from my new friends 

and am so glad we could celebrate their wonderful contributions to the Spokane community.

Penguins and Polar Bears

Aren't these penguins and polar bears the cutest thing?!  

I'm just in love with those cute little penguin faces!  

 Now, I can't take all the credit for them.  

There are so many cookie geniuses out there who provided oodles of inspiration for these designs.  

These little guys were quickly gobbled up by my friends at Empowering, Inc. Services.

Let me tell you...everyday I'm so impressed by all the amazing work 

these people do to keep children and families safe and healthy!

Raspberry Cream Cheese Breakfast Buns

I was looking for a yummy breakfast treat, so I decided to try the
Raspberry Cream Cheese Breakfast Buns
from my Magnolia Bakery cookbook. 

 Magnolia Bakery was one of my most favorite places to go
when I lived in New York! 

 I always crack open their cookbook
whenever I'm looking for something new.  

These turned out pretty tasty, but I think they need a little tweaking 

before I share with friends and family. 

 I bet if I find a real delicious, fresh raspberry preserve to swirl on top, 

they'll be too delicious to keep around!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Birthday, Mr. Fix-It!

I whipped these puppies up for a friend's husband's birthday!
I haven't had the pleasure of meeting the fellow, but I hear he'sa real Mr. Fix-It.        

When I decided to make tool cookies,

 I hopped on the internet to check out what tool cookies cutter were available.  

Of course, there were a number of amazing sets (I'm always amazed at how many different cookie cutters are out there!),
but I wasn't about to pay the ridiculous shipping cost to get them here quickly.  

So, that left me with the "delightful" task of drawing my own tool shapes
 and tracing them onto the dough. 

 I say delightful sarcastically because I'm a really terrible drawer...I'm mean, really terrible.  

All of this accounts for the fairly rough edges of the tool cookies. 

 In the end though, after I slapped some frosting on them, I think they came out pretty cute. 

 I also want to apologize for the not-so-hot photography :) 

 I always end up baking in the middle of the night, 

so there's really no natural light to help the pictures look pretty.  

Oh well!

Pomegranate Buttercream Brownies

 Hope you have a yummy day!