on thursday, we decided to hit up the a's/rangers series over the weekend. saturday was out, but we had a 2-for-1 to use and also couldn't pass up the $4 plaza seats on sunday. that meant two a's games in three days. this might be fine and dandy for the casual fan, but for a girl who needs to meticulously plan recipes and their respective titles, grocery shop at at least two different markets, and bake ahead of time, 72 hours is a short window for baking two sets of treats, at least when you consider work, extracurriculars (like going to the ballet!!!), and my minute 4'x4' kitchen space. 

a side note: after much contemplation, i've given up on martha stewart recipes; they just never seem to bake quite right. most of the time, the salt content is off, but sometimes there's just a sheer lack of excitement and quality. if i spend  2 hours making chocolate chip cookies, darn it, i want them to be amazing enough that bud selig would try one and shout his praises to the heavens! well, maybe not that good, but i like my cookies to taste amazing. or special. or high falootin' tootin' good. or at least memorable. in my apartment, safeway baking recipes need not apply.

this weekend i hit up cook's illustrated for what should be the best of the best. run by america's test kitchen, these chefs and bakers put their recipes through a rigorous testing process before going to print, and foodies rave wonders about CI and ATK.

the chronicle inspired me to bake "andrew brown sugar cookies." made with browned butter and brown sugar, these cookies taste like chewy caramel.

on friday, i ended up down by the bullpen before the game, but technically i was ticketed for the plaza level. shawn with security--he's like my dhl guy: dependable and ready at a moment's notice, but no loud yellow clothing unless it's raining--assisted me with delivery, gently placing the box down on the bench prior to the team taking the field.

anyway, we had to leave the section once the national anthem was sung, but i got to see dallas braden scurry up to andrew brown and tell andrew ecstatically that he got cookies named after him. by that point, i was 15 rows away, yet i could hear the jealousy confusion taunting awe in dallas' voice. which brings me to sunday's game...

unfortunately, there's no braden sugar out there or dallas chips, and i felt at a loss for how to honor dallas. after a long saturday night of iron man, finding a parking place for dinner, and veggie chinese, i had compiled a short list of potential names for my chocolate and nut blondies (i used semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, macadamia nuts, marcona almonds, and walnuts-- no coconut or pecans, but the base is the same as the recipe):

• black and white mod-style blondies (referencing turn-back-the-clock day on sunday)
• the best bullpen, bar-none (blondie bars...)
• james blonde (only there's no james in the bullpen)
• a's wives in a box (as most of them are blonde, either naturally or via a bottle)
  
• blondies does dallas (not really pg-oriented...)
• six relief pitchers walk into a bar...

in the end, my moist and just-about-perfect blondies were christened "six relief pitchers walk into a bar," but i felt inclined to recognize dallas for his bullpen baker supportive efforts. i mean, how many guys, with their hair frizzing everywhere, runs up to another psyched that his buddy has his own cookie (though not mass produced like a wheaties box, but still...)? keeping this close to my heart, i added a note at the bottom of the box about the bars alternative name, "blondies does dallas." sure, it's not appropriate for a disney movie, but this is baseball. let's share the love, people. or at least the pg-rated version.

thanks to tonight's 20 hits versus the angels, tickets for the plaza level are just $4 this sunday. it's almost like two $2 wednesdays combined, only no dollar dogs. veggie dogs still cost an arm and a leg, though...

but maybe, just maybe, you don't like the 2nd deck. perhaps you're myopic or have an aversion to young children continuously getting sour apple cotton candy stuck in their hair inning after inning or become increasingly dizzy from the smell of the all-you-can-eat 3rd deck crew munching on handfuls of nachos and licorice ropes in quick succession. well, lucky for you, there are two ways to get cheapo tickets for this sunday's game!

go here and use the code "hits" for $4 plaza level or go here and use "jersey" for $10 off field level outfield tickets. yes, you still have to pay the surcharges/fees. the first 10,000 fans inside the gates will receive an A's 60s retro jersey. gooooo a's! and kudos to emil brown and jack cust, who contributed 4 hits each to the 20-hit grand total. 

am i the only one perplexed here? they're pushing a guy who hasn't played since the ice age (ok, slight stretch there... ) but not the blonde mop of curls who got his own bobblehead recently and actually started the year on the active roster?

saturday's game was my first official (non-exhibition) in-person game of the season. i decided to do something a little different, and show off my nuttier side. as in, mixed nuts. with emeril's recipe for spiced nuts on my computer screen, i proceeded to toast and coat marcona almonds, macadamia nuts, sunflower seeds, cashews, and walnuts. and after letting them sit overnight, i tossed them with dark chocolate chips and unsweetened coconut slivers (both helped to balance out the spiciness of the paprika), and boxed and labeled the mix "Let's Go Nuts for the A's! Mix." not too original, but it works, right?

that afternoon, the a's took batting practice first, so handing off the box then just wouldn't work as they rarely linger once the opposing team takes the field. miguel, the guest services guy, came by and said hello. as always, i offered him some of the day's offerings (i brought a ziploc bag of the stuff to tide any cravings for concession snacks), but as usual, he declined. the game started, and in the past, you know, the good ol' days, the pitchers would stand up between innings, stretch, and chat with the fans. in fact, the a's personable side was partly what got me interested in baseball in the first place... but saturday appeared to be a new day, one where pitchers sat in the box, not standing or spitting or yawning or tossing balls or anything, and by the third inning, the most action we'd seen was huston running to the dugout (probably for that yellow energy vitamin water he enjoys so much or to play a quick round of chess with andrew brown).

by the fourth, i was antsy, and so i finally got up with my little box in hand and trotted down towards the bullpen, where i found out that without brandon buckley or coach fischer, the bullpen has become a much quieter and "peaceful" place. think a zen garden minus the polished rocks, soft sand, or little wooden rake.

seems there's new policy that 1) the guys should talk less to the fans and 2) unless the player actively reaches for something (word has it they like a good garlic fry or two every now and then), i need to hand the box to the security guard (yeah, shawn!!!) via guest services (whoo-hoo miguel!!!). or perhaps this was policy before but not so strictly enforced by the players themselves. really, how can you say no to double chocolate brownies with green mint chips?

but back to cookies and such: no word on if security does a taste test, but the guy who caught KC's second HR ball and threw it back onto the field was promptly escorted out of the coliseum by a surly looking security guard. and if that's any indication of my potential future, well, it'd better be worth it, like a big-delivery-of-cupcakes worth it. guess i'd better get cracking. egg cracking, that is.

just a few notes today:

1. smell ya later, mr. rule 5, fernando hernandez.
2. welcome back, kirk saarloos!
3. make room on your shelf for the travis buck bobblehead. ski mask not included.
   
4. hint to ken pries and the oakland a's front office: erin seemed to enjoy herself at the dodgers' blogger day. i have a strange feeling a's bloggers would, too. but not for the dodgers, for the a's!
   

after a few months of non-bullpen rushing experience, i'm trying to re-conquer my fear of potential rejection and confusion as i present two handfuls of pitchers (with a spare catcher and a coach) with a white box jam-packed with scrumptious goodies. all in all, i figure i'm pretty lucky, as my helpful boyfriend happily pushes me toward the a's bullpen, leading me to sort of slip and trip my way to the fence with pounds of yummy cooked dough boxed up and ready to nibble teetering in my hands. not everyone gets that rare and special opportunity to make a fool of themselves in front of major league players, but in case you're interested, here's your chance (albeit in a closed and confined space)!

the a's have a few new commercials with a nostalgic feel up on their website. in the past, they've been humorous, entertaining, and might i even say, witty. in the "old" days, i'd actually sit on the sofa during a a pitching change, hoping to catch a commercial so that i could, for just a few seconds, push the "i need chips and dip" urge to the side and instead think, "yeah, those are my a's!" and if a's commercials were on all the time, it might have become the new diet craze (at least for me)...

these newest spots, though, seem to point to the a's greats of yesterday without enlightening us on who our current a's actually are. i understand that nobody really knew until the last week or so of spring training who'd be on the 25-man roster, and of the players we all actually know of, well, any of them could be gone at a moment's notice. so perhaps these commercials fit the mold of here today, but gone tomorrow (or by the next channel 6 broadcast). still, they aren't my favorites.

for those of you itching for a more interactive, cute, and dare i saw, impressive display of current a's players and their on-screen personas, take a look at the a's newly rolled out 100% baseball. the tagline may say absolutely nothing, but seeing kurt suzuki catch a newspaper in his robe is priceless. and that's what baseball is all about.

below are the top 15 search engine keywords that visitors have used to get to the bullpen baker in the past few months. topics seem to lean toward huston street and the players' relationship status. in rare cases, people are also interested in baking. and if anyone can tell me what two peas in a pod cookies are, i'd much appreciate it. my favorite keyword? the last one. sigh.

1. lacey and huston street
2. huston street's wife lacey
3. bobby crosby's wife
4. brandon buckley
5. huston street girlfriend
6. macaroons simple
7. oakland a's mug root beer float day
8. twinkie cupcake recipe
9. two peas in a pod cookies
10. chad huston emt
11. how to build a bullpen
12. dear sir or madam
13. a's baseball free tailgates
14. alex chavez oakland
15. baseball pecs

PS- if anyone's looking for news on brandon buckley, word is he's been doing some coaching and private instruction in the east bay. the bullpen baker hopes his students show their appreciation by bringing him lots of chocolate chip & cherry cookies. glass of milk optional.

i've got a little over two weeks until my first a's game in oakland for the season. the past few months or so, i've been racking my brain for some new ideas, searching cookbooks and such for recipes.

on a side note, i'm really jealous of claire of clairesquares; if only i could make something as good as these... although i'd also need a professional kitchen, amazing knives, and a whole lotta patience. i took a bunch of squares for the fam when i went home, and the dark chocolate ones were gobbled up in seconds. thankfully, i waited a few days until i presented the milk chocolate ones for everyone's sugar coma-inducing pleasure. apparently south florida isn't known for it's indulgent combination of chocolate, caramel, and shortbread palm-sized desserts. it is, though, recognized for its amazing key lime pie and gator-shaped gummi animals.

but back to baseball! this season, my goal is to tackle at least one kind of granola bar and a flavored home-popped popcorn, in addition to the basic cookies, brownies, etc.. do you have suggestions for a mini-sized dessert or on-the-sweet-side snacks that i can deliver to the bullpen? leave a comment with a link for the recipe or your idea, and i'll try to test out as many (viable) ones as i can.

today's exhibition game was much better than friday's. first off, no rain! instead, blue skies, a few clouds, and a massive flock of seagulls in the ninth. second, not only did the a's get hits, they scored runs! three cheers for bobby crosby and mike sweeney, who each hit home runs, and a round of applause for todd linden's overall awesomeness. really, this guy deserves a roster spot. he hits the ball well, and gracefully leaps and dives in the outfield for any balls that come his way.

after pre-game warm-ups, i gave the box of "those giants are big softies" chewy cookies to gio gonzalez, who promptly looked at them, exclaimed, "thanks!," and then said, "i can't eat all these! i'll be a fatty!" being the on-the-sidelines cheerleader that i am, i encouraged him to share with his teammates and not hoard all the cookies for himself. hey, it's only fair! interesting fact about gio: he pitches lefty, but writes and bats righty. he's also very cordial to his fans, taking the time to say hello, high five the big brawny men, and sign autographs for kids and young women.

now, about those cookies: the recipe calls for a moist cake mix base (i used duncan hines moist devil's food cake). i also subbed in sweet cream butter again for regular butter. these cookies turned out perfectly soft and chewy. mm mmm, good. i hope the players liked them, too. that is, if more than one of them ever got any...