february faves: yee haw it's a round up
lovin' it #5: an update for chances to get cakes again.. LOL
Why is it in my ripe old age I still struggle to spell Febuary, Feburary? Febuwary? Ugh. I’ll get it eventually. It just never looks right. February. The longer you look at it the more misspelled it becomes.
February was ALL about croissants. Eat, sleep, breathe- croissant. Nothing else. Well, a glass of water or warm sparkling water every now and then- if I remember. Then I saw a few of you try your hand at making croissants at home. You’re all freaking insane. Power to ya but, you’re nuts. Maybe it’s the fact that I learned how to laminate with a sheeter I just don’t see myself making them by hand just for funsies (lest us all forget when I tried making them by hand last summer with PERFECT LAYERS just to be ruined by the perils of baking in a home oven hahahHHA, whatever). I’ve watched so so so many videos on making croissants and for those of you wanting to make an attempt, Benny’s Baked has very informative tutorials with lotsa tips to help home bakers make top notch croissants by hand.
The croissants still aren’t perfect yet, we feel really close but there are minor tweaks and changes that need to be made. Slowly and one at a time. Which, it can get frustrating since it’s a 3 day process before you have results. And like I can’t diagnose an issue to correct until I’ve actually seen the croissants baked off. But, so far everyone seems to like them. I’ve given some boxes of samples away to y’all via the group chat. We also have been selling the most viable croissants at Atwater Farmer’s Market and they have been selling like hot cakes. Which tbh- also kinda a mental struggle going on because I don’t ever really want to put anything out in the world unless its absolutely fucking perfect. But, from the business side (Alex’s side, so i don’t get a huge say in these calls lol) This testing process has been EXPENSIVE- I get it. So, I really cannot wait until it’s like actually what I want.
Also, I think it might be confusing and some of you think as the pastry chef for OOTA. Which actually is not the case. I’m (for now) just consulting and developing the croissant recipe as a base for them to get the entire program off the ground. Which is the sort of work I’m hoping to do moving forward. I don’t want people to think like oh something went down when I’m no longer working with them in a few months. But, who knows, I might stick around longer- part time, just to be able to shape croissants for hours at a time. It’s truly my favorite thing to do, so cathartic.
In other, non croissant related news- I started a podcast? Yeah. Well not just me, no way in heck could I pull this off myself. I’m cohosting with Rose Wilde and our amazing producer is Casey Ann Shea- who is actually sorta my stage mom. She picks me up and hand delivers me to almost every podcast meeting. Not that I can’t drive- I can. I own a car and everything. but, the rate at which Casey is driving me around, alot of people are surprised I “can” drive. “Can” meaning I hit more than my fair share of curbs and poles, for I’m just a girl.
Anyways, it’s called Kitchen Tape. Our first two episodes are out now!! You can listen on Spotify and Apple :) We have quite the first season waiting for you, filled with some deep dives and interviews with some of our favorite people in LA. The “point” of this podcast is to highlight just some kick ass talented people in the food space who are doing things we find interesting. We also want to highlight all the ways you can work in food with out working in a traditional kitchen. Our first interview went live earlier this week, we got to sit down and chat with Dara Yu. We talk life after being the youngest MasterChef winner and more!
Thank you so much to everyone who has given a listen, followed the pod, rated us 5 stars (even a thanks to the person who rated us 4 stars, which is still a great rating but the perfectionist trauma in me is gutted by anything less than top marks)!! Because of all of you we are already in the top 40 podcasts in the arts category after the first episode, WOAH. I hope you enjoy the rest of the season as much as we enjoyed recording it. <33333
It’s been two months not making cakes full-time. My inbox is still full of cake requests and pleads from people to come back. I don’t want to come back in the capacity I was making cakes before thats one thing I know. I do want to put an emphasis on larger format cakes, dessert tables and events working with people who have an art forward vision. Weddings, product launches, art gallery openings, branded pop-ups, events of the sort. If that’s what you’re looking for inquire within.
But, that’s not the comeback announcement I’m here to make. Starting in March I’m gonna have a Cake of the Month Club. Here’s how it’s going to work: Once a month, one day, I’m going to offer one cake flavor for pick-up. The flavor will be seasonal and crafted with much care and attention (like always). If you’re down with the flavor heck yeah, if not well then maybe the following month’s will resonate with ya. Really celebrating the idea of celebrating nothing. Celebrating having cake because I’m and adult with adult money who wants cake for dinner.
Each month the recipe for each cake will also be uploaded to coincide with the launch of each flavor. So the fun isn’t limited to LA (;
The kick-off to Cake of the Month club will be Saturday 3/30. Ordering will open up Tuesday 3/26 at noon. Flavor revealed soooooon.
On to the roundup!! It’s a short one, I didn’t do much outside of work so not a lot of time to find new faves. bummmmerrrr but the ones I did find are solid.
*This post has a few affiliate links, which if you click and purchase from I receive compensation at no additional cost to you. Sometimes the link also includes a few bucks off for you, a real win/win, if you ask me. I’m not here to aggressively peddle crap unto you, I still only link products I actually use, test with and enjoy*
Food & Drink:
Burlap & Barrel Everything Nice Baking Spice- a blend of cinnamon, coriander, wild mesquite, smoked star anise, cardamom. I’ve been testing a recipe for the inaugural Cake of the Month Club which features this spice blend. The warmth from the cinnamon is there but the flavor is far more robust. I’ve used the blend to make an Everything Nice sugar for the outside of snickerdoodles. 10/10
Black Bean Humms & Feta- I’m basically living off of Farmer’s Market trades at this point. The black bean hummus from Bonjour Spreads is perfectly spiced with little black beans studded throughout. The sundried tomato feta from Brothers is not too sun dried tomato-y. I love this pair on a slice of toasted ciabatta with a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of flaky salt. An ideal breakfast if ya ask me. If you find yourself at an LA Farmers Market I highly recommend seeking out both!
Valentine/Valentina Grapefruits- Another market trade. My regret is only grabbing 3!!! Because I have a real love/hate thing going on with grapefruit. But, this variety? chef’s frickin’ kiss. First, she’s beautiful. Pale orangish pink with pops of bright red striations. More mellow in flavor than generic grapefruit. I forgot which farm they came from but trust, this Sunday I will find out for you!
Hwachae- If your TikTok fyp looks anything like mind then you’ve seen your fair share of hwachae videos. Hwachae is a Korean punch often made with watermelon, fruit cocktail, milk and lemon-lime soda. It’s so refreshing and delicious. Alexys and I made it with watermelon, strawberries, peaches, lychee jelly, strawberry milk and lemon-lime soda. The flavor was very reminiscent of fruity pebbles. I just know i’m gonna be having this often during summer.
Misc:
Not Pot Banana OG Hemp body lotion- I got this with an order through the Feed app a few months back and finally got around to using it. I only added it to the box too, because I’m a slut for banana flavored or scented things. I’ve been using it right before bed to give myself a good shoulder rub- because lately my knots have knots. But, the sleep I get after is DEEP. I have not sleep so good in so long. Maybe its a placebo or maybe it’s the magnesium in the lotion ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This playlist dominated my spotify listens in Feb. Funky 80s, very upbeat and great to listen to in the kitchen!
Now that the days are getting longer I hope you’re able to enjoy some sunshine this month! Talk to ya soon! xXX Kassie ♡