Happy Solstice!

The darkest of our winter days have been brightened up by some serious snowfall and an amazing full moon! The snow has not put much of a damper on business, but it did put a little wrench in our celebrating...we posponed our own holiday gathering here at the bakery because of bad roads and high winds. we are all working so hard it may have been more of a relief! Everyone loves a good snow day...it looks like we ARE HAVING A SNOW WEEK! We are closed on Christmas and New Years Day but the rest of the time we'll be here, keeping the oven fires burning and ready to make you a warm espresso! Happy Holidays to all!

Now THIS is what it's all about!

This little band visits us on Mondays with their parents...They are always interested in what Tim, the baker, is up to...this week they were treated to an impromptu cookie decorating session! They even got to do some of the sprinkling and boy, were they excited! The Maple butter cookies were extra special, thanks to their magic touch!

Looking Out

This the little snippet from Barb Wyatt's Show that I promised! She has sold 7 paintings already, so better get down here and check out what's left! All paintings will be on display until Dec. 20th

Chug, Chug, Chugging along!

The Holiday Train has left the station and is well on her way to ...what was it again? Oh Yeah...Cookie Nirvana! We are in full swing here, especially now that Nutcracker is over and my full attention can be focused on helping drive this train! We catered our first party of the season yesterday, and these next two weekends are lining up to be very festive! Come and check out Barb Wyatts paintings if your looking for a unique and, dare I say, Colorful gift, her prices are very affordable! We have lots of new T-Shirts in as well as a new batch of hand made mugs by our friend Ruby Haigh at Jars of Clay...Childrens books by Marguarida Kondak and hand printed cards by the kids at Otter Beach, Whew ! I told you we were on a roll!

A celebration of our Madness!

"There can be no genius without some touch of madness" -Aristotle


Sharon has returned from her trip with her usual zest for work...now that the refridgerators are all reorganized, we can get down to the tasks at hand. We are stll wrapped up in the cookie craze, which seems to be hitting it's stride, just in time for Party Catering to be added to the mix! I'm o board for the most part but there are a few important things to tend to first. Here's what's on my agenda for the next 3 days...Today, Friday, will be spent in the kitchen replenishing cookies, finishing cheesecakes for the Homestead Restaurant, cooking chickens for the potluck backstage at tonight's performance of the Nutcracker(set up is at 4:30)...then racing back to the bakery to set-up snacks and get ready for our first friday opening of Barbara Wyatt's paintings. The show is called 'Looking Out' and is a colorful delightful collection of smaller canvases...very giftable! The opening runs from 5-7 pm. After that I'm back at the auditorium to help with makeup and costume changes and to clean up the potluck table. Saturday is the final show. The bakery is feeding the performers this day with creamy Tomato Basil Soup and Rockfish Curry Chowder and Pizza! After cleanup backstage it's off to the cast party for ribs and a big ole CAKE! Whew!
Sunday officially begins PARTY CATER 2007...! I'll be in the kitchen with Kate, Ben and Morgan, wrapping borekas and rolling gorganzola grapes. Luckily, it's just one party (for one of our favorite customers)...next weekend is shaping up to be a wild one...

Holiday Cookies r us!

Yesterday began the crazy phenomena that is, what we like to call...'cookie nirvana'. The full list is still a work in progress, I expect to publish in the mext day or two. What I do have now are Maple Butter cut-outs, Lavender shortbread, Green tea shortbread, Pumpkin cookies, Ginger Sables, Parisian Macarons and Chocolate gingerbread. Today I plan to make some Peanut Butter kisses and coconut macaroons and more! We are selling them for 9.50 per pound this year and they weren't in the case for more than a few minutes before we sold our first box...one lady came back twice for the parisian macarons! So,it's off we go...to the land where cookies rule, and customers drool!

Bread Goddess!

Thank You, Sharon, for getting up at such impossible hours to provide us with such wonderful Bread! Especially today when the second half of your day involved driving four hours to Anchorage to get on a plane with your two little boys! We hope you have a fantastic time visiting your family and that the travels are all smooth...just like this day was, because of you! We'll be closed on Thanksgiving but will reopen at 7 am on Friday with a totally turkey free day! Roast beef focaccias for everybody! Happy Thanksgiving!

Pie Town!

The pies are sliding out of the oven as we speak! These are blueberry lattice tops and double crust apple...lookin' good! We have sweet potatoe pecan and pumpkin coming out as well! The bakery is a cozy place to be today with the rain pouring down outside...ruining our beautiful snow fall from the other day, we were so looking forward to sledding on thanksgiving! It's one more reminder that just because we live in Alaska, doesn't mean winter is a sure thing...darkness, now that's a sure thing! and pie, pie is also a very sure thing! We'll be open tomorrow until all the orders are gone and we can't stand it anymore...I'd say probably around 5...but we might make it til 6, you never know!

maple carmels...oh my!

Yo, I shoulda made this photo bigger , cause these are rocking good! Maple syrup, brown sugar and cream with a little butter stirred in at the end...brilliant! One thing...I should've added a little salt, next time I will, you can be sure of it! The Thanksgiving train is leaving the station with the orders starting to roll in...pies, cheesecakes, lots of bread, of course! We'll be baking up a storm right through the holiday, so if you need something, give us a call or stop on by!

Macaron Madness!

I went nuts for these cookies on a trip to San Fransisco a few years back, during a visit to Pascal Rigo at Bay Bread Boulangerie. He graciously gave me a tour of his very authentic storefront and amazing production bakery in the back...I left feeling very inspired and more than a little full from all the macarons. They haunted me until one day, I received Pascal's cookbook in the mail and there it was, the recipe for my favorite cookie ever! I've tried to make them a few times before this without great success...perhaps I just wasn't paying close enough attention. With the holiday cookie season looming, I decided to try again yesterday. I first tried the brick oven, but no , too hot. Hey,it's always good luck to burn the first batch right? (i know, i just made that up) Well it worked for me! Then second time I put them in the convection and did not forget them (key point) and look they are beautiful!

Welcome to our new websight!

My blogging days have been taken over by websight revamping...my excuse for not having posted in so long! if you did not get to this blog through our websight...go check it out at our same address...twosistersbakery.net. and let me know what you think! I can make changes in a snap, so if you see something amiss...well you can be sure i want to make it right. I'm ready to get down to baking...enough of all this computer who-ha1 We are almost ready for the holiday baking madness as we assemble our lists and decide which cookies will make the cut and which ones will sit on the sidelines. I made raspberry macaroons today...I think they are definitely on the to do list! Thanksgiving is just around the corner, so get your orders in now! In all the craziness, now, don't forget to enjoy the season! -Carri

Happy Birthday, Ben Tillotson!

We love you Ben, oh yes we do-oo! The one thing that makes it ok to turn 45 is that Ben does so before me! He makes it look so easy and since everyone who meets him thinks he's not a day over 30...well,I want a little of whatever he is having! Ben has been an Important Bakery Person from the very beginning, always there to help out. We are forever grateful for his efforts on our behalf (read: beer runs!) and for the comic relief he can bring to an otherwise stressful day. I can't count how many times he has been pressed into service on a moments notice...in fact I just did it today when Jane needed a ride to nutcracker practice...Thanks Ben! You are a gift, truly! We are celebrating at Land's End on Tues at around 7pm...(in case you want to buy a round in Ben's honor, heh-heh!)

The BEAT goes ON!

We just hired a couple more barista's and a new baker in training, Welcome to Matthew, Rachel and Ryan! Fall always brings a change in flow as well as staff...it's been fun to get to know some new people and feed on their enthusiasm. We have a strange thing happening with our connection to Drummers! Actually, it's musicians in general, really, but drummers in particular. We are are at 5 drummers, currently, two of them are named Matt. What does this have to do with Baking? I'm not sure, but, I'm thrilled really...Music is what gets us through the day and honestly, and when Haven plays the steam pitchers with the sprayer, it makes my day! I think it's what sets us apart from the other places to hang out. So, here's a big Thanks to everyone who has added to our IPOD and all the employees who bring their music style with them...it truly makes this a more enjoyable place to work! Rock on, people, rock on! Oh, and Morgan, Corina, Tory and Emily...Have fun in Mexico! (Happy Birthday to Ben and Corina!)

Harvest time!

The root vegetables are flooding in! Todays soups are all from local farmers...Kalugins potatoe leek and Castellani market veg. Yum! We are hunkering down for some windy wet weather which always means lots of soup goes out the door and into peoples tummies.

It's a BLT kind of Day...

The crazy hurricane like weather of yesterday has subsided into a nice mellow overcast day today...a good day for a walk on the spit trail before work...when I walked into the bakery a little before 10 am Tim had the BLT baby baguttes sandwiches all laid out on the baking board...don't they look lovely? Don't you just want to eat one?

thank you for calling Two sisters Bakery, if you would like to know the soup of the day, please press 1...

Here we go! Back to the routine of school and work...wait a minute...we always work...anywhoo, it's that time of year, when the people just want to KNOW..."What's the soup today?" is currently top phone inquiry...I have to say the soups have been rocking good lately! (today was indian lentil and garlicky potato) I'm considering adding a page to the websight for specials updated daily...am I crazy? It would be nice to give people a way to find out without having to call and...um...ask. The funniest part of my bakery day was reading about a deconstructed caesar salad make with an 8 hour egg (I'm afraid to ask!) and olive oil and anchovy ice cream! These people are killing me! Morgan came up with the idea of having a 'deconstructed day' at the bakery...can you just see it? The possibilties are endless! We still need to come up with an end of the year employee partay! Now come on people...help me out here...ideas anyone?

What the heck?

Here we are...just trying to be a bakery and all, when we get a little caught up in the more emotional side of what it means to have so many people to keep track of...and the bakery is nothing if not a place where we can all check in and be supported. Red is now officially on her own with Raspberry Lane Prechool and we are so excited for her! You go girl! there is a certain amount of satisfaction derived from making something happen and our dear 'Miss Red" has certainly made it all happen! We also had to say good bye to Irene today as she was flying off to Portland for winter of ...? I'm sure she'll be hooking up with Paolo Nutini and the band...I told her to say Hey from Me...Their biggest fan! Otherwise, the Bakery is in fall mode with a little mellower schedule (but no less Drama!) , it's nice to see our locals returning that were too put off by the crowds...we do wonder,though...What happened to Winslow? Anybody with answers to that one...let us know!

Fall Rules!

Yes! we made it past Labor Day weekend! Thank You to Carmen and Danell at SPIT SISTERS for such a great summer! I definitely think the symbiotic relationship between the two is the reason for our subsequent successes. These girls make us look good and hopefully visa versa! Regardless, we LOVE you girls and hope you have a most excellent winter! Also,big congrats go out to Homer Hounds who have really filled a niche in Homer we didn't even know was there...Corina and Tory, you rock the (dog)house! This brings us to Red and Anna who are rallying to move the preschool to an awesome location right next to the Bakery...We are psyched! Thanks to Morgan Peters, cake decorator extraordinaire and soon to be Dog mushing champion, for her participation in the Iron Chef competition...She took 2nd place along with Teri Robl...Congratulations on a job well done! We have the best employees ever and look forward to an interesting winter as we watch everyone come and go...Morgan to Mexico, Johnny to New Zealand, Andrew to Bike school in Portland...Irene....where were you going again? We love and are so grateful for all of you! Rock on people...weecha!

The beet goes on!

We are enjoying the nicest day today! Lots of sunhine and warm breezes...Fewer customers so we had a chance to clean some windows that hadn't been touched in an irritatingly long time! Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate with us...it was a mighty fine send off for two very'special' young ladies! The Dancing was a pleasant reminder of the fun we had at Mad Myrnas after the CAKE concert...ahhh such lovely memories...and oh, my aching head! You all really no how to party...STROKE BOT RULES! Hope every one gets a piece of this day! I'm going home to make raspberry jam! lol...Carri

Saddest Day Ever!

This day was going to be hard enough with it being the last day of Red and Irene! But No! Things got more difficult when we realized we had been broken into last night! Money and all the beer...hmmm! It's the first time in our 14 years that something like this has happened, so in a way we are lucky. No one was hurt, and we can make sure it doesn't happen again...Don't leave money and beer where they can find it I guess! CRAZY! As I tell you all all the time...It's always something! We are not going to let this bring us too far down, there is some celebrating to do with the opening of Raspberry Lane...Red, you are going to be great! And Irene gets to go traveling and will no doubt bring us back good stories to show off along with her latest tatoo. We love both of you very much and will be here for you always! (if you ever need bailing out of jail, just call!) Some of us got to see little Luella yesterday...What a Peanut-ella she is! So much for baby-land, it must be time to go back to feeding the people (even if one of them is a thief! ARGHH!) Rock on!

Welcome to the World Luella!

Our treasured friend and sometime barista, Cindy Lou, gave birth to Luella Katherine Pelaia on Sunday morning 9:30 am Alaska time...The family is well and she is BEAUTYFULL! Maya (bakery babay #1) reminds me that this is the first girl bakery baby since Jane (bb#2). "That's 11 years, Mom!" I stood for a minute and it dawned on me that, yes , we've been baking bread and having babies for quite some time now! This ushers in a new age when we can post the blessed event on the web along with the banner painted on butcher paper that no doubt is being made and hung at the bakery as we speak! Spirit week has spiced things up and tried to lighten our mood with the impending departure of Red and Irene..those two have wiggled their way into our hearts very thoroughly! Today was Zombie Apocalypse day...I'm hoping they took pictures, cause I missed it! Friday was Superhero Day and the response was awsome! Tim won for his Mighty Tighty Whitey! Wearing (thankfully clean) white briefs he gives wedgies to the bad guys and all of us a badly needed laugh! The customers were standing on stols to get photos of the crew...can you imagine that part of their vacation photo album! Rich! We'll get the complete schedule for spirit week online ASAP...until then...Sleep tight, Luella!