Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Wet wed!!

There is something so serene and peaceful to listening to a light rain fall!!  That is what woke me up this am at 3.30.  We are suppossed to get rain most of the day which actually is a good thing it was gettin a bit dry out there.   I just love warm summer days with a light rain it feels so refreshing and the smell is heavenly.   
peach blueberry muffins

my red raspberry jalapeno jam  super yummmmmmmmmmo


peach raspberry loaves

cardamom bread

pistachio bread fresh out of oven


peach blueberry pound cakes waiting for glazing

my favo combo peaches and blueberries

peach blueberry pound cakes

Dale and hubby working on a project at tractor show

a peek of the corner of archway hubby is working on  I dont want to show all of it as it will be unvieled at show but I can say it is gonna be awesome and look just perfect for the spot it is goin


This week has been a busy one but after labor day things tend to wind down at markets a bit which means I have some extra time to work in my studio!! CANT WAIT!! been way too long.  I have alot of halloween things I want to make for fall.  Fall ahhhhhhhhhh my absolutely favo time of year, the mornings have been more fall like the past 2 weeks so it is a comin!! 
My list of things made this week and to also finish up today at the kitchen have been: peach blueberry pound cakes, peach raspberry cakes, peach blueberry and peach raspberry muffins, peach pecan muffins, peanut butter cream filled peanut butter cookie pies, banana nut bread, pistachio bread, cardamom bread loaves,  peach and apple pies, and some mini pies, and 2 batches of my red raspberry jalapeno preserves.  
 The savory chicken scratch gourmet items this week are:  stuffed peppers, stuffed shells with homemade tomato sauce, chicken veggie pies, roasted red herbed tater slices, and hopefully I will get done today eggplant casserole.
Plus 3 kinds of pierogie and lots of cookies!  So we have been busy busy but fun busy!  I love trying and making new things and am so very thankful for alll my customers that allow me to prepare things for their families to enjoy!  It really gives me a sense of joy and pride to provide unique menu options and using all local farm fresh produce helps our local farms also. A win win situation here!  Thanks to Fleming Farm's for all the wonderful squash, cuckes, pickles, taters and peppers and Thanks to Visser Farm's produce also it is amazing!
We have been goin to the campground here and there, our 5th wheel has been out there since aug 1st and we are enjoying gettin away with the boys overnight.  I just say "who wants to go camping" and they all do about 500 miles an hour running around the house and to the door and back! they love goin and I so enjoy seeing these guys happy. LOL   IT will be different this year for tractor show since we dont have our Bubba with us, he loved goin camping too and hubby would take him for a ride everynight before bedtime, cruising around checkin on all our tractors,  Buster has been goin the longest, we started taking him when he was not quite a year old in 2001 and he's been there every year with us and enjoys it as much as we do, but this year  we have our new guy Bruno who is lovin goin also. Home away from home.  My three little campers!! LOL
I better get to printing my labels for market stuff and then head over to the kitchen, today is Alesabeth's last day, she's movin out of state, I sure have enjoyed her working with me this summer and will miss her! THANKS for all your hard work!!
Hope yall have a great wed and I will be back soon!!
HUGS
Darlene
~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

A quick-n-easy pie recipe for yall!

This was our supper last night and absolutely delish!!  I used an already made rotiserrie chicken in it and some fresh locally grown veggies, zucchini, sweet pepper, onion, taters, carrots and celery all from within 20 miles of us!!  YUMMY!  I made a few more for market tomorrow in ALLEGAN. 


When I made the homemade crust it is actually my pie dough but with one addition!  some fresh minced rosemary.  Not only did it taste yummy is smelled divine!! 

Homemade spincach pasta drying, fresh locally grown wonderful spinach


These are my peach pecan muffins for market tomorrow too, Gold Coast Farm's fresh peaches and some toasted pecans make these irresistable for sure.

I had some red raspberries in the freezer so made some buttermilk raspberry muffins

NOW I want to share something easy peasy and super delish with yall!!  My mother in law made this pie for us last weekend while camping and literallyl it takes minutes, 4 ingredients and one bowl and spatula!! 
You take a 20oz can of crushed pineapple, drain it then top with one box of lemon instant pudding.  Mix together, the pineapple will thicken up then add a container of cool whip and fold until blended.


I cheated and bought an already made graham cracker crust but you can certainly make your own.


Scoop it into pie shell and chill!! OH yummyness!!
I want to make this with mandarin oranges and vanilla pudding, or strawberries with cheesecake pudding!  Too many things to try but at least this is one easy and quick dessert!~  Hubby ate 1/2 the pie so I needed to make another one for him. 
Well I am off to finish things at the kitchen for markets this week.
Hope everyone is safe and sound and makes it thru this stromy day ok!! 
HUGS
Darlene
~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Monday, August 22, 2011

Pickles and butterflies

HAPPY HAPPY MONDAY!! Well today was a fun day making pickles!  I did 48 pints of bread n butter pickles for markets since we were sold out quick.
I did round slices and then also long slices for sandwiches or burgers.


The first batch just out of canner


ready for labels

This guy was outside on the butterfly bush looking so so pretty

Stinker everytime I tried to get it's pic it would turn around

That one was the best

Sour cream cinnastrueusle filled muffins

blueberry bread

these pound cakes were delish!!  orange poppyseed with a nice orange glaze ontop

I just love bundt cakes!! this week since we are in peach season I am making fresh peach pound cake, peach praline crisp, peach praline muffins, and some peach bread.   Also I bought a couple of rotiserrie chickens and am making chicken veggie pies, stuffed peppers, and some fresh spinach fettucini.   
Markets this week
Thursday-=Allegan 
Saturday=South Haven
if you want to order anything and pick it up at markets just call or email me!!
I will gladly make it up and bring it for ya!
Have a happy night!
HUGS
Darlene  
~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Monday, August 15, 2011

A beautiful day~

this was an absolutely glorious monday!!  It was almost 80 degrees and sunny and just sw mi perfection!~!~ these are what our summer days are and we throughly enjoy with no humidity! 
After running a few errands this am my precious boys and I took a nice long nap this afternoon and sat outside and enjoyed the weather on our deck.
The weekend was about as miserable as they get at market.  Saturday was our big blueberry festival in South Haven and it was just terrible outside.  I got there around 5 am so I could get my booth set up before the storms were coming in, it was thundering over the lake and by 5.15 the lightning was actually scary and striking all around us, I got the canopies up and everything unloaded and the rain started, it was a downpour!!  My neighbors and I had secured our canopies down but the wind kicked up so hard it ripped a side and bent the pipes on their canopy.  We held it down but it still broke. 
The rain stopped for a short time and by daylight it looked like the sun might come out and it was clearing up... we could at least dry off a bit but oh no.........rain started up again and then just a steady downpour!~! it was like that for a couple of hours and by 11.00 they were saying there was another storm coming thru with high winds and torrential downpours.  We packed it up!  Enough was enough.  rain and baked goods just dont mix LOL

Here are some of my cheddar sweet pepper foccacia loaves


For my thursday market
I made some eggplant casserole!  YUMMY.  I am not an eggplant fan but I would definetly eat this for supper.

Blueberry bread loaves cooling off

Blueberry cheesecake bars these have been a big hit at makets~

 squash, peppers and brown rice simmering for my stuffed peppers

My stuffed peppers for market

This was a new recipe and will definetly be made again it was a keeper and super yummy!!  Blueberry and cream cheese filling in sweet bread braided. 

My blueberry cheese filled bear claws

Blueberry crumb cakes

Blueberry and peachy blueberry mini pies

braided bread loaves

After market on saturday I met my hubby and boys and my inlaws out at the campground.  It was nice to camp overnight.  We are goin back this comin weekend and we cant wait.  We have projects out at the flywheelers to finish up before the big antique engine and tractor show in sept!  That is our yearly vacation and we have a blast!  There are some great people there and my family and friends and best part my butt is in a tractor seat almost all week! LOL
So hope yall have a wonderful monday and I will try to post regularly, just have one more big market week for labor day and things will slow down!  YEAH!! I am exhausted these days.
Thursday is Allegan Market
Friday is Saugatuck Market
Saturday is South Haven Market
Thanks for stopping by!
HUGS
Darlene
~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Monday, August 8, 2011

Blueberry Festival this weekend


OH MY GOODNESS this summer is just goin by wayyyyyyyy too quickly~~  cant believe it is August and the big BLUEBERRY FESTIVAL is this weekend in South Haven MI~  We will do alot of blueberry goodies this week including my blueberry cheese bread, blueberry cheese crumb cakes, my blueberrry jalapeno preserves, blueberry orange preserves, blueberry cheesecake bars (so yummy) blueberry muffins, blueberry cheese pie, fresh blueberry pies, country blueberry jam, peach blueberry jam, blueberry coffee cakes and welllllllllllllll more blueberry things!! along with my other goodies. And dont forget this weekend we offer blueberry cheese pieorgies for markets too!~ 
So here are a few of the girls out roamin around with Donald our white peking duck and Ms Luella Alcott our female peacock.

We had a little visitor on our deck rail the other morning and I just had to grab a pic or two.  It was so cool looking, some kind of moth after the second pic it flew away but was so pretty!~

Never seen one like this, it reminds me of a mideval kind of plate or something. 

filing for my stuffed zucchini last week!! those were good! I just chopped up a bunch of sweet peppers, asst squash and some onions along with a topper of crushed crackers and parmesan cheese and butter and stuffed them in little zucchini boats.

They were a big hit at markets so doing more this week for Allegan Market on thursday. 

Lavender shortbread cookies were also a big hit!


I had an idea since I just love dipped pretzels, (it has been such a hot humid summer I havent made them for markets yet) but to incorporate this into a cookie,  So our newest cookie was born!!  Chocolate chip cookie dough, homemade caramel sauce swirled thru then added chopped pretzel sticks!!  Ok can you say YUMMY????  they sure were and a big hit at markets!!  I have to try and get another couple of batches of them made for this week.




these were my brownies but baked in a mini muffin pan and then their little bums were dipped in white chocolate and they had a bit of it drizzeled on their tops too. 


Some blueberry banana muffins and lemon poppyseed muffins ready for market.

Their is Ms. Alcott now!!  She is so pretty but her mate Prince is beautiful, I keep trying to coax him into fanning out his big gorgeous tail feathers while I have a cam in hand but havent gotten him yet!   
I did up 5 batches of my dear sweet Grandma Rose's polish dill pickle slices and have about that many more to do today and more of my bread and butter slices.  too bad cukes dont hold up better longer but with the high humidity we have had they start molding very quickly, infact a few hours after picking they start with powder mold on the surfaces so have to work with them babies asap! 
So hope yall are enjoying this beautiful time of year and have a super monday~
I will try to share more this week but it is just a busy busy week for us and I am off to the kitchen to work now~ ENJOY
HUGS
Darlene  
~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~