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Pear and Berry Crisp
During my first solo weekend in Chicago, I took care of the ususal tasks required from a young twentysomething: grocery shopping, hemming my chef pants, ironing my chef jacket, and studying the...
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Marble Bundt Cake
Earlier this month, we celebrated my younger brother’s birthday. Cam is a simple guy, and he likes his desserts that way too. Nothing too fancy, just classic flavors for classic goodness. When I came...
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Chocolate Stout Milkshakes
I’m sitting on a lot of ice cream, folks. Nothing makes ice cream disappear faster than making a couple of milkshakes. I love the incredible pairing of Guinness beer and chocolate and it’s a...
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Lavender-Scented Vanilla Bean Shortbread Cookies
This cookie was inspired by a number of things- the approaching holiday celebrating all things motherly, springtime in Chicago, and a recent trip to a spice merchant. I wanted to make something that is...
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Saffron and Cardamom Panna Cotta
When I go grocery shopping, there are three things I practically stockpile every time: butter, heavy cream, and eggs. If I could carry Sam’s Club or Costco-sized loads of these products home on each...
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Salted Peanut Butter Toffee Cookies
When I was younger and naive to the extent of flavors and ingredients in the culinary world, I thought there was only one type of salt- iodized table salt that people needed in their diets to prevent...
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Strawberry Season
Ever since I can remember, my mom would take us strawberry picking as kids. We would get up early to beat the heat, and head to Hilger’s Farm Market. Once there, we piled into a trailer that gets...
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Namaste…Peace & Ice Cream
“God, I hope you’re not turning into one of those reclusive cat freaks”, my older brother, Kyle, recently commented to me after I posted a picture of my cat Benny into an online photo album. This...
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Apple Season and Apple Spice Cupcakes
One of my favorite things about Autumn is going to apple orchards and picking our own apples. We always come home with more apples than we had expected… Fortunately, apples can last a long time when...
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Separating The Best From The Rest: The Ultimate Brownie Recipes
For the past month now, we have been dealing with a bit of an oven fiasco. None of the repairmen seem to know what’s wrong with it and how to fix it. As someone who bakes about every day, this has been...
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The Newest Pastry Adventures
Hello friends! It’s time for a little update. I’m moving to Colorado, which is an adventure in itself. My life will become significantly busier, but I’m determined to keep posting. Every time I’ve...
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Pumpkin Butter, Poached Pears, and Preserving Herbs
Shortly before Halloween, I purchased a pumpkin pie pumpkin. Yes, you read that correctly. Pumpkin varieties that work best for baking are the pumpkin pie pumpkin and the sugar pumpkin. Pumpkin pie and...
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Exciting News!
Hello friends! I am finally back to the blog world. After spending the winter season working out in beautiful Colorado, I decided to stick around. I am about to embark on a new adventure as pastry chef...
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The Sunday Harvest Menu
There are only a handful of Sundays left this season for our Sunday Harvest Menu at the restaurant! Since early June, the Restaurant Kelly Liken kitchen crew shops at the Vail Farmer’s Market every...
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High Altitude Baking
I am often asked by many of our diners how I adapt my baking for the altitude that comes with living up in the high rockies. When I first moved out here, I was terrified of what the elevation can do to...
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New Dessert Menu Debuts Today!
The aspens are turning a brilliant yellow right now, which only means one thing: fall is here. This can be reflected in the our new fall menu, which showcases the end of summer produce and early fall...
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Chocolate Pistachio Mousse Cakes for a Special Visit
My parents came out to visit for a few days and it was such a joy to see them and spend time together. Since we live so far apart, getting together was a special occasion. For one of the nights, I...
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High Altitude Rocky Mountain Apple Spice Layer Cake with Caramel Whiskey...
Last week I did a dessert special at the restaurant featuring this moist lightly spiced apple cake. Cubes of warmed cake were served on top of a spiced caramel (star anise, cloves, cinnamon sticks,...
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Autumn Palette: The Fall Dessert Menu
I managed to remember my camera tonight at work, and we also had the rare occasion of a slower night, which created a few opportunities to snap photos before the plates left the window. When I was...
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A New Beginning
Hello friends, it’s been awhile. I know I have been absent on here, and a large part of that is due to my lack of time. However, lately I feel there is something missing in my life. Making plated...
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