Tonight in my studio there was a “sweet” explosion of color as I tried to finish the “piping” before class started! It was my week to celebrate the “loser” of CAKE WEEK… more to come!

I’ve heard great things about these cookies for quite awhile now… and finally made it into LEVAIN BAKERY on Randolph to try these sweet treats. And let me just say… they did NOT disappoint. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside & jam-packed with yumminess & plenty of chocolate chips!!! Well done Levain!!!

Special kudos to Christine, our very own “Star Baker” for the week who made some amazing cookies… especially these crazy-cool tie-dye frosted sugar cookies! You know how I love me some tie-dye… and cookies too!!!

So we’ve decided that we don’t want to “spoil” any of the surprise for those who haven’t watched yet… too much. But we do want to play a game and have sweet treats. So last night Christine had Stacie in “The Pool”… as we all drew players randomly before the show started streaming. Since Christine’s player was kicked-off, it was her turn for bringing treats based on the category that took out her player. So she made three kinds of cookies to celebrate COOKIE WEEK on Episode One of “THE GREAT AMERICAN BAKING SHOW.” We were celebrating Stacie who’s cookies kinda crumbled… and happy that Martin is back playing in the clay with us and “survived” the first episode on the show!

Please be kind… and don’t SPILL THE BEANS!!!

NO SPOILERS PLEASE!!! Some of us have watched all episodes, while others are taking their time. We’ve decided we can discuss Episode One this week. And then next week we can move on to Episodes Two & Three. So I would greatly appreciate no SPOILERS… especially in the Comments section. Please don’t ruin the fun for those who may not be up-to-speed yet. Thanks!

SPOILER ALERT : We “may” have had another Yellow Towel Situation in class last night as we play along with “THE GREAT AMERICAN BAKING SHOW”!!! One of my pottery students is a “baking contestant”… is that even a thing? But for the fun of the “game”… we’re “celebrating” the ones who got kicked off the show!!! So tonight we focused on the first episode of the show… COOKIE WEEK… where one of the unlucky bakers was sadly asked to leave the tent. Sorry Stacie!

Reminder… you don’t need any special subscriptions to watch the show. Just go to www.therokuchannel.com and you can stream all six episodes for FREE!!! No special equipment or ROKU box required!!! And then you can vicariously play along with us as we all root for Martin… who survived COOKIE WEEK under the tent!!!

Now that’s MY kind of museum… I could sit there for days!!!

Looks like someone is having a yummy dinner tonight…
and a handmade bowl makes it all that much better!!!

From Matthew in Stevens Point, Wisconsin…
“I love my coworkers’ wild rice, with a local farmer’s oyster mushrooms, another farmer’s spinach and microgreens, and another farmer’s beef tenderloin, all in a bowl by a Chicago-area potter you guys probably haven’t heard of… they call him the Stamp King.”

When you can’t quite decide, it’s always best to have friend with you at lunch so you can split & share TWO yummy sides! Like these amazing pancakes we had out in Elmhurst… Blueberry & Lemon Cheesecake pancakes or Peanut Butter Cup pancakes! I couldn’t decide… so Emma was willing to share with me.

So?… which flavor would YOU choose???

Looks like a yummy evening dinner at Rosene’s…
with juicy ham served on a stamped & soda-fired plate!

Sometimes you just need to celebrate making it to the end of another work week…