If you’ve ever run with a Back on My Feet team, you know that each team has it’s own team rituals and traditions. Put a bunch of crazy runners together, shake well, and who knows what they’ll come up with to keep each other motivated, on track, and happy during those pre-dawn hours on the road.
The Boston chapter’s Team Hope House has the unique tradition of celebrating each birthday and holiday with homemade muffins — the perfect post-run treat! After a year of munching on a delightful array of delicious muffins, the official muffin baker herself, Andrea Croak, had the idea to use the team’s love of her tasty treats with a way to raise money for Back on My Feet Boston. Her idea: Back on My Sweets, a cookbook of Back on Feet (and friends) favorite muffin recipes.
Andrea set out with the idea of creating a book that was as much a piece of art as it was a set of instructions for some delicious breakfast treats. She recruited local Boston artists to contribute to the book and paired each with a recipe. Best of all? Back on My Sweets will be available for all of your holiday shopping needs!
To drum up some excitement for the forthcoming release of Back on My Sweets (available for purchase in just a few weeks!), Andrea took the time to answer some questions about herself and the stuff she loves the most (besides Back on My Feet, of course). Check out her answers below and head over to the Back on My Sweets blog to see the progression of the cookbook, interviews by the artists, and more information about Back on My Sweets!
Team Hope House members and Back on My Sweets Master Chef Andrea and Max!
What is your favorite muffin/cupcake?
If this is my last day on earth and I have to choose one, I want the chocolate chocolate chip muffin. And I want to lick the bowl too. A little known fact is I have an insane sweet tooth and yet to get a cavity. I swear I should be in the dental hall of fame the way I stuff my face with sweets. As I write this I am knocking on every piece of wood I can find. And if it’s my second to last day on earth then I want the Sunny Morning Muffin.
If you could be on any reality TV show, which one would you be on?
Top Chef. But I would get a pass anytime we had to cut onions. I would cry my eyes out and end up having to cut the darn vegetable with my eyes closed. Luckily I still have my fingers. And don’t tell my mom, but yes I’ve cut onions with my eyes closed.
What Sound or noise do you love?
Waves breaking. Laughter, it truly is contagious.
What sound or noise do you hate?
Negativity.
Apart from making beautiful artwork, cooking tons of muffins, and running for BoMF, what else do you do?
Tell awful never ending stories. Race people up flights of stairs, even if they don’t know it. Make up crazy scooter dances. When I’m not goofing around, I enjoy listening to NPR, running, cooking, and telling corny jokes (oh wait, that’s just more goofing around!). I’m really just a big kid at heart, never wanting to grow up. What’s a pirate’s favorite letter….
Tell me a bit about yourself.
Oh Gosh. Well, let’s see. I grew up in a smallish town in NY, as the oldest of three, we would run around exploring in the woods, go to school, and play sports. As I got older and graduated college, I fell in love with Boston and have been living in the area for a better part of seven years. By day, I’m a logistics grand master for a music company and by night, I’m a textile doodler. My shelves are filled with fabric, paper, thread, yarn, needles, book board, and anything else you might think of to use to create art. I love running through the streets of Boston, especially over the Mass Ave Bridge, and occasionally I’ll bring along my rescue dog, Max. Besides art, another creative outlet for myself is cooking, especially baking. And so I”ll bring yummy muffins to my running team so we can have delicious treats after our workouts.
What would be the title of your memoir?
I’ve got several titles in the works; Cool Beans Hot Rice, Happy Creating, or Measure 500 Times Cut Once.
Where does your inspiration come from
Mostly while I’m walking outside, just the simplicity of nature can inspire and generate ideas. Museums, orchestra, People on the street and window displays, I love seeing how people create new uses for everyday items.
When did you know you were an artist/maker?
In highschool I had an amazing art teacher whose motto was “Little Dab’ll Do Ya”. I remember spending lunches in the crafts classroom thinking about college and what I wanted to major in and all I thought was I want to be a “maker.”
Describe your creative process.
I think a lot about what I’m going to do before I start. And sometimes it bites me in the rear because there’s a little procrastination in there as well. But I usually put on some good tunes and then start creating.
If you could peek inside the studio of any artist, designer or craftsman (dead or alive), who would it be?
Chuck Close; I swear I could stair at his work for hours. And Shel Silverstein; such a creative genious!
What is one artistic tool you can’t live without?
[...] official! Back on My Sweets is on the market! Now you can be the owner of the first ever Back on My Feet cookbook! This [...]