Category Archives: Uncategorized

Bring it, Iron Cupcake!

Posted on by Abigail

I can’t believe the Iron Cupcake is only a few days away. There are a few things I wanted to remind you of before I go into a baking coma in preparation for the big day.

1.) GET THERE EARLY – I know Sunday is your day to sleep in, but seriously get there early. Especially if you didn’t pre-order your tickets online. Since online ticket sales are now CLOSED and they only have 900 tickets to sell at the door, they are expecting to sell-out. I’d suggest getting there around 9:30 at the latest. Doors will open at 10.

2.) SAVE YOUR EGG CARTONS – (Or hit up your local hoarder and borrow one from them). Egg cartons make the perfect cupcake holders. Plus, you get a free cupcake for being green and bringing an egg carton.

3.) BRING CASH – The event is cash only. So swing by the ATM on your way in to make sure you’re not SOL.

4.) SAY HI – My booth is #16. Make sure you swing by for a cupcake. :)

5.) VOTE FOR ME - Okay, this isn’t a must. You should honestly vote for whoever’s cupcake you think is best… But mine will obviously be the best, so it kinda works out.

6.) TWEET - For all the tweeters in the house, if you plan on tweeting about the event use @IronCupcakeMKE or #icmwmseduff

Most importantly, Thank you all for your freaking awesome support and for making me believe that I could actually do this. Competing in the Iron Cupcake has been on my bucket list since the first time I tasted the bacon cupcakes a year ago.

Still have questions about the Iron Cupcake? More info here: http://www.ironcupcakemilwaukee.com/2011/01/clash-of-cupcakes.html

Christmas Cookie Extravaganza 2009

Posted on by Abigail

Being the kitchen creature that I am, for Christmas this year I opted to bake cookies. For those of you who haven’t spent much time baking, this was neither an easier nor cheaper route than buying gifts. It took 72 hours, 25 pounds of flour, 25 pounds of sugar, 18 pounds of chocolate, 43 sticks of butter, 6 dozen eggs and heartfelt research to create 15 boxes of cookies. When it was all said and done we had made 12 different kinds of cookies. A grand total of over 700 treats. And they weren’t just any treats.. each batch of cookies was made for a specific person based on their favorite cookie, cupcake, candy or bar. My final website for my web design class links to each of the recipes and gives a brief description of why we chose the cookies we chose for each of our friends and family.

Pearfect Pie.

Posted on by Abigail

I’m being published! Here’s a clip of my Peafect Pie recipe which will be featured in Whitewater’s Recipe Book!

I find it interesting how the definition of happiness varies from one person to another. My boyfriend finds his happiness in a tie-breaking triple play for the Brewers’ win. My mom finds her happiness in a challenging game of Freecell. My best friend finds her happiness in an exhausting, yet invigorating run.

I happen to find my happiness in the kitchen. There is something magical about the way flour diffuses into the air, creating a kitchen full of clouds, as you sift it into a measuring cup. And, what could be more wonderful than the scent of vanilla, seeping through doorways to intoxicate the entire house? After all, isn’t it magnificent knowing despite the many uncertainties in life, you can rest assured when you combine five parts powdered sugar and one part heavy cream, your by-product will be a finger-licking frosting.

Baking has always been a way of life for me. In particular, I’ve always been partial to cookies – Chocolate chip, peanut-butter, oatmeal scotchies, and sugar cookies of every shape and design. Recently, I challenged myself to branch out of my baking bounds and attempt to create a pie. Pies are not like cookies. In my opinion a pie isn’t just “made” it is “created.” Pies are an art-form with the crust as your canvas.

It didn’t take long for my pie-making passion to evolve. Like an artist molding clay, I would create intricate patterns with the crust. And pray to god, it tasted as delicious as it looked. Unlike cookies, pies are a surprise. There’s no opportunity for a taste test on the first batch. With pies you must have faith that when you cut into your master piece,  open your mouth and close your eyes it will tickle your taste buds and melt away. This Pearfect Pie will do just that, and undoubtedly spread the utmost happiness.

Hate to break it to you, but you’re going to have to wait to read the rest of it! Cook books will be sold at the Sweet Spot in Whitewater’s Triangle District. Shoot an email at justabs06@gmail.com (that’s me) or whitewaterrecipebook@gmail.com if you’re interested in purchasing one.


My first turkey.

Posted on by Abigail
Abi's Rating 4.5/5

Abi's Rating 4.5/5

My definition of Labor Day- no work, no school, no mail. There are good movies on t.v. and that’s about it. So as I laughed hysterically to Adam Sandler’s The Wedding Planner for the umpteenth time I decided to challenge myself with something new in the kitchen. Drum roll please…. I ventured out to make my very first turkey. Although I was nervous at first, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be! And holy leftovers! We’re set for the rest of the week.

A few tips…

  • The recipe said the turkey would “completely cover” the stuffing. It won’t so don’t be discouraged. It still turns out delicious.
  • I added carrots and green beans to the stuffing for *circus.
  • I don’t believe in right or wrong ways to cut a turkey. I was a bit overwhelmed at first, but if you just go at it – you’ll be fine.

Get the recipe at Kraft Foods

*Circus: Adding ingredients to make a dish more colorful. My mom taught me this term and I use it in my cooking vocabulary often. For example… “Wow! That Salsa has so much circus!” It’s fun.

Hot Hot Hot … Chicken Tortilla Soup.

Posted on by Abigail
Abi's Rating: 5/5

Abi's Rating: 5/5

Spice up your life with this simple and delicious CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP. We absolutely loved it.

A few tips…

  • I kicked it up a notch with a hint of chili powder and medium salsa.
  • If you’re a protein lover use 2-2.5 pounds of chicken.
  • I made it in a crock pot and let it sit for about 6 hours, worked like a charm.
  • Make sure you keep an eye on the tortilla strips while they’re baking. They crisp up pretty quickly.
  • Top it off with sour cream, sharp cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips. Delicioso!

Get the recipe at Kraft Foods

Perfect Peach Pie

Posted on by Abigail
Abi's Rating: 4.5/5

Abi's Rating: 4.5/5

I’ll be honest. This was my first attempt at baking a fruit pie from scratch. I made it for a meeting at work, and I’m proud to say that everybody loved it. I was nervous at first, because there wasn’t anyway for me to test it or check the inside without damaging it. Ergo my fondness for making cookies – You get to have a round of mistakes before you perfect your batch. Anyways, the pie was wonderful! It’s a super easy starter pie for those like me who haven’t dabbled in pies.

A few tips…

  • Make sure you let the dough for the crust cool completely before you attempt to roll it out.
  • Mix cinnamon in with the sugar that you sprinkle on top of the pie.
  • If your using canned peaches, (which is perfectly acceptable) drain them first.
  • Beware! It is juicy. So it’s absolutely necessary to place a foil-lined baking sheet on the rack below the pie while it’s cooking. (Unless you enjoy scouring your oven!)

Get the recipe at Food Network

Here’s to the crazy ones…

Posted on by Abigail

Apple got it right in their 90s advertisement. It’s words like these that remind me why I went into journalism and what motivates me. 

 

Here’s to the crazy ones.

The misfits.

The rebels.

The troublemakers.

The round pegs in the square holes.

The ones who see things differently.

They’re not fond of rules.

And they have no respect for the status quo.

You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them.

About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.
Because they change things.

They push the human race forward.And while some see them as the crazy ones,
we see genius.

Because the people who are crazy enough to think
that they can change the world… are the ones who do.”

Motivation to write

Posted on by Abigail

I found a lovelyHappiness new blog today. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin takes a motivational and practical approach to writing and (surprise, surprise) happiness. I plan to start my own one-sentence journal as soon as I get home from my gloomy day on the beverage cart. Every Wednesday is “Tip Day” for Gretchen. And this week, her feature, Thirteen Tips for Actually Getting Some Writing Done, was featured on the Huffington Post. Check out her blog, I’m excited to have a new blog to follow, and more importantly – something to motivate me to continue my writing!

Customer service alive and well at Food for Thought

Posted on by Abigail

customersvcapathy400Tuesdays and Thursdays I have a short gap between my morning classes and have made a habit of sitting in the library catching up on a book or the headlines on the front page of the Journal Sentinel.

The giant Andersen Library has secret niches everywhere, silent and perfect for isolating my occasionally attention-deficit self from the slightest distraction. But on these Tuesday and Thursday mornings, solitude is not my objective. On these Tuesday and Thursday mornings I, in fact, seek out the loudest corner of the entire library – the corner closest to Food for Thought, a small cafe operated by a sweet, chatty old lady.

She eagerly greets each customer, recognizing most by name, as they order their routine Venti mocha and blueberry muffin. Each day she picks a topic, and brings it up with each customer as they stop in. Sometimes the weather, sometimes a hot pop culture topic. Today she has chosen the oh-so-popular topic of swine flu. As if some human poll carefully tabulating each response, she has the same sweet conversation with each everyone…

“Good morning, Bob! The bananas are really good today, nice and ripe. You should get one. How are you feeling? Have you relatives in Milwaukee… you know the swine flu is there. They closed schools in Milwaukee. Are you worried? I hope you’re taking care of yourself. I wish they’d just close down the University. I’d feel so much safer then.”

I curiously eaves drop as each customer answers with the same lines… 

“Oh yeah, heard about that. yadayadayada.”

This just doesn’t happen anymore. This dialog between customer and employee has become a somewhat of a prehistoric legend, yet here at the Food for Thought Cafe in the Andersen Library at UW-Whitewater, customer service is not only alive and well, but thriving.

Pretty sure the last time (and the time before that, and the time before that) I went to Wal-mart the ever-so-kind clerk flung my merchandise over the scanner, carelessly tossed it in the bag (heedless of the dozen eggs or malleable loaf of bread being crushed at the bottom,) just before muttering my total to me and nodding me off, sans a “thank you” or “have a nice day.”

In a world where a rapid decline of customer service has become acceptable, it’s the simple things in life – like the coffee lady’s sweet and sincere attempt to make not only a conversation but a connection with each caffeine driven customer she encounters – that motivate me to pay $3.47 for my cup of tea (which I could have made at home for $.13.)