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Alex Crossman

@alex.crossman

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Philly based. Had a second life as a pastry chef, now I’m just a home baker & software engineer 9-5. Proud auntie.

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July 27, 1957 - March 1, 2025. Mama. Mommy. My light. My protector. An artist in so many mediums - in food, in Chinese calligraphy, in watercolors, in embroidery, in crochet, in ceramics, in drawing, in playing the guzheng. So full of laughter and playfulness. An appreciator of puns, naughty jokes, antiques, and handcrafted wares. You could beat anyone in backgammon and mahjong and you could curse like a sailor. You had the greenest thumb and you could find beauty in anything; you especially had a talent for finding heart shaped rocks. You taught me compassion, forgiveness, patience, understanding, contentedness. I am so grateful to have spent these last 3+ months with you. I promised to be with you from my first breath until your last, and I made good on that promise. Taking care of you was my greatest honor. I would do it all again in a heartbeat. Thank you for sharing your life story with me. Thank you for everything you’ve taught me. Thank you for everything. One candle can light many others. I will do my best to share the light you’ve shared with me. Namo amituofo.

I’ll try to visit the ocean every 3/1, and I’ll see you in every butterfly. I love you the most, forever. by @alex.crossman

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2 years ago

2023. 12/31/23. 123123. I spent a lot of time with my niece and watching her grow up, I hiked glaciers and between tectonic plates, -w̶e̶-g̶o̶t̶-e̶n̶g̶a̶g̶e̶d̶-, I laughed until I cried, I cried until I laughed, I found myself surrounded by people I love, and I learned how strong my body can be.

Re: health scares alluded to during the 2022 recap - truly astonishing amounts of blood loss, wild amounts of hormones, immeasurable pain, 4 doctors, 2 surgeons, 3 myomectomies, and 292 days later I finally found relief. Thank god for heat pads, ibuprofen, and health insurance. by @alex.crossman

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3 years ago

2022. I became an auntie, we bought a house, we bought a car, I saw my mom for the first time in 5 years, we were in Philly mag, we spent time with so many great friends including one from high school who visited from Japan, we ate SO many great meals, I baked so many things and participated in 4 massive fundraisers for Ukraine and Pakistan and abortion rights and winter coats for the unhoused, and I finally converted to an FTE position (yay job security!)

I’ve also had health scares, mental health breakthroughs and breakdowns (mostly breakdowns), and am on year 33 of having a barely functioning memory.

But hey, that’s how it is! Love you all. Let’s see what 2023 has in store :) by @alex.crossman

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4 years ago

20 bakers! 28 types of treats! $2600 raised for @handspakistan providing flood relief to the 33+ million people displaced by the monsoons! Philly, thank you for really showing up. It was so heartwarming to see familiar faces and lovely to meet so many new ones. Every single one of you has made a difference — here is an example breakdown of what our $2600 donation could be used for:
• 101 rations,
• 67 sanitation kits,
• 5 safe drinking water facilities or proper shelters in marginalized areas,
• 12 medical camps,
• Providing basic healthcare or education to 30 people,
• or helping deliver 24 babies

An obvious huge thank you and round of applause for all of the participants - @freelancepizza_ @mariannequaile @mshelkowitz @_paistries @jes_ster @flakyafbakery @paristophillybaker @official.gumby @buckskin_scallion @chefanie.arbelo @misswonka @maur_ah @momosbakeshoppe @tinamarie2605 @flourandvines @bosabean @amrcatering @laurelinphilly @joyceliu1 and to @fredmuser for reminding me not to panic (and for buying the volunteers @goldiefalafel shakes!). Also to @mo.made_philly for printing the Venmo sign and my little stickers and @andy1ion for the promo flyer!

Endless gratitude to @herplacesupperclub - @stayhungree and @julianna_jane were so gracious to lend me the space for the event - and to @zachbroadman for making sure we had all the hot tea we needed to keep us going :)

Special thanks to @3springsfruit for donating delicious late summer fruit and @mikesolomonov for donating some much needed paper goods. I know a lot of folks wanted to donate supplies but coordinating the redistribution of a donation to 20 bakers was a logistical challenge that almost broke my brain. I’ll try to figure out a better system next time! This was my first time organizing at such a huge scale so I hope to continue learning and improving with each iteration.

Thanks again to everyone. Truly. I will never cease to be amazed at the generosity to be found in this city ♥️

#fundraising #bakesale #charity #pakistan #floodrelief #phillyfood #bakersagainstracism by @alex.crossman

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4 years ago

ONE WEEK AWAY!
The big day approaches. We’ve got treats from so many talented bakers and makers across the city and I’m so excited to share them with you.

See you all at @herplacesupperclub this upcoming Saturday September 24 at 11am!

All proceeds will go to @handspakistan who are aiding with search and relief efforts, providing first aid kits and water filters, feeding those who have been displaced, and more.

Participants: @freelancepizza_ (and his mother) @mshelkowitz @_paistries @jes_ster @flakyafbakery @paristophillybaker @official.gumby @buckskin_scallion @chefanie.arbelo @misswonka @maur_ah @momosbakeshoppe @tinamarie2605 @flourandvines @bosabean @amrcatering @laurelinphilly @joyceliu1 and yours truly

Treats include: pop tarts, madeleines, tomato pie, cider caramels, brownies, blueberry banana bread, apple tarts, financiers, pecan rye sable cookies, biscuits, meal kits, and so much more!!

Incredible artwork by @andy1ion ♥️

#fundraising #bakesale #charity #pakistan #floodrelief #phillyfood #bakersagainstracism by @alex.crossman

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4 years ago

PARTICIPANTS: I’ll be sending an email the week after LDW to start coordinating supplies, drop offs, etc.!

FORM UPDATE: form will shut down before I go to bed on Friday 9/2 due to limited physical space

For those of you who helped with or bought from the bakesale we did for Ukraine in March, this will be similar! Single location, walk-ups only with no presale.

So far these devastating floods have displaced over 33 million people and a THIRD of the country is underwater. Please consider participating.

#fundraising #charity #bakesale #pakistan by @alex.crossman

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4 years ago

Philly, you’re amazing. Thank you so much for all of your contributions to this round of Bakers Against Racism. You bought 108 treats (and some old ceramics) and raised $912.05 for @abortionfunds!! I rounded it to $950. I hope you all enjoyed your sweet corn treats and blueberry crisp bars :) I certainly enjoyed making them for you.
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Thank you to @roxanne_philly for hosting pickups, @3springsfruit for the berries, and @fredmuser @_paistries for lending me your baking pans!
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#fundraising #bakersagainstracism #bodilyautonomy #reproductiverights by @alex.crossman

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4 years ago

Offerings for this @bakersagainstracism sale, but with photos! Woo. Blueberry crisp bars ($5) and sweet corn cornflake treats ($4; swipe for a sexy pull shot)
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✨DM to preorder before Thursday 8/4 at 5pm
✨Payments and donations can be Venmo’d to Alexandra-Crossman
✨Pickups from 11am-6pm @roxanne_philly on Sunday 8/7 in the Italian Market. There’ll be some extra fun things from @chefanie.arbelo & @pastry_slut_ as well!
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#fundraising #charity #bodilyautonomy #reproductiverights #bansoffourbodies #bakesale #bakersagainstracism #mutualaid #donate #philly #phillybakersagainstracism by @alex.crossman

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4 years ago

As part of @bakersagainstracism’s efforts to aid a-spore-shin access, I’ll be participating in another bakesale.
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My offerings: sweet corn cornflake treats ($4) and @3springsfruit blueberry crisp bars ($5) but there will be several other bakers with things there as well! More info coming soon.
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Pre-sale starts now. Pickups will happen at @roxanne_philly on Sunday 8/7 between 11am-6pm, but throw in an extra $5 and I can deliver it to anywhere from river to river, Race to Morris.
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Payments and additional donations please Venmo: Alexandra-Crossman. Please also DM me your order so I can add it to my tracker!
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#fundraising #bakersagainstracism #bakesale #mutualaid #philly #donate #bansoffourbodies #reproductiverights #bodilyautonomy #charity #phillybakersagainstracism by @alex.crossman

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4 years ago

Sprinkles sprinkles everywhere! So many January birthdays. I made a funfetti cake two weekends ago and last weekend I made these! Funfetti biscotti with a lil white chocolate dip. Or an attempt at a dip. My bowl was awkwardly shallow and I was rushing it so sometimes I kind of just used a spatula to slop some on there. Cute tho, right?
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#funfetti #biscotti #birthday #sprinkles #thecandidappetite #quarantinekitchen #baked #imadethis #homemade #f52grams #feedfeed #onthetable #phillyeats #eeeeeats by @alex.crossman

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6 years ago

Holy heck it is painfully cold outside. RealFeel® 2°F?! It literally hurts to be outdoors right now. But hey, remember summertime? Stone fruits and berries and uncomfortable humidity? Ah yes, those were the days. Summed up in this peach and blueberry upside down cake, using none other than @3springsfruit of course.
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I keep thinking about how I should’ve put a few berries right in the center before layering the peaches but I was worried about the purple running. Hmm, actually that might’ve been cool. Next time!
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#peaches #blueberries #cake #nytcooking #summertime #latergram #quarantinekitchen #baked #imadethis #homemade #f52grams #feedfeed #onthetable #phillyeats #eeeeeats by @alex.crossman

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6 years ago

No glamour shots here but I did bake this towering NY style cheesecake for Logan’s birthday in October. It straight up looks like a wheel of cheese doesn’t it? ‘tis a shame about the crack but I swore the wobble zone was more than 3” across and the internal temp hadn’t reached 145° yet so I left it in the oven a bit longer. My b. Next time I’ll put more trust in Stella. Crack or no crack, the birthday boy was happy. Cheesecake is his fave!
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Fun fact: (are fun facts ever fun or are they just people wanting to tell you something you never asked?) The *vast* majority of home bakes you see are my first attempts at things. I’ll repeat bakes if it’s something with a good ease:shareability ratio or if I get special requests, but I’m almost always trying something new, and it isn’t always perfect. I’m just having fun, folks.
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#cheesecake #bravetart #seriouseats #quarantinekitchen #baked #imadethis #homemade #f52grams #feedfeed #onthetable #phillyeats #eeeeeats by @alex.crossman

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