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generated with Smilebox   So here it is winter market first week!! I just cannot believe how fast the season outside has gone!  WOW!!  Well its been a fun week of painting signs for market and gathering up some fall deocorations to put outside the building where we will have our indoor market and oh my has it been a beautiful warm week here in MI  crazy last sat was only in the 40s and windy and oh so cold outside and this sat its gonna be near 70!!  Thats our weather though we are used to that!  I am thinking this might just be our indian summer and I am loving it!!  Lots of things to do to!  I cut a bunch of wood to make my painted snowmen signs and need to base coat them while its nice and sunny outside so they can dry and I can put another coat on them.  The fun part is the snowmen so cant wait.  And we went and picked up not the 2 that were planned but instead 4 alpacas.  2 boys and 2 girls.  They are such sweeties!!  The white girl is Rosie and then we have a tan one we named Rebecca.  One of the boys is Maveric (named already) and the other is ??? Havent figured that out yet.  Hes jet black and so pretty!  Our Curly is loving the company.  I dont know if I posted or not but we lost our other male Moe last Sat and since they are pack animals they need companions!  Well he has em now!! LOL  I will try and post some pics of them.  I love my tablet for pics since its not easy taking a laptop around to take pics!  especially without dual cameras.  So in the alpaca business!!  Theyre fur is amazingly soft and luxurious!!  Now we have to find someone who wants to buy it!  They will get sheared in the spring.  Oh my this was really funny too.... so we get them home and learn the females want the boys to come play! if you know what I mean and ... NOT now!  There gestation is 11 months and they would be babies next winter so we have to keep them seperated!  OK easier said than done let me tell you!! These girls lay down and dont move!  The boys were trying to jump the fences, they are in seperated pastures, so trying to put Rosie in her pasture was not easy!!  She laid down and that was it!  it took over an hour to move her into pasture, at least  Rebecca followed along and didnt lay down.  The boys were going crazy we had to keep chasing them back to their pasture since they would go right thru the electric fencing!  My word!  GEEZZEEE what a zoo!! we laughed so hard but it was alot of work.  crazy things! 
My Appy is doing great he turned 31 in april and is happy and healthy and my little Rosie May the goat is still with him and happy.  Love my furry kids! 
So if anyone out there reads this and can offer advise with the alpacas bring it on!  we are newbies and learning alot! and I am definitely smitten with them!!   Well I have some baking to get ready for market sat, pumpkin spice tea cakes, bagels, breads, and some cookies on the list to start today.  I hope yall have a wonderful day anda I am learning how to get the pics from my phone onto my laptop so will post pics soon!! 
 ~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

recipe to share

Ok here is the mocha wands recipe!!
I found it in the newest better homes and gardens cookie book.
1 cup butter softened
3/4 cup sugar
4 tsp instant espresso powder  ( I used 5)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/3 cups flour
also you need 8 oz chocholate chips for melting
1 1/2 cups finely chopped nuts ( I used toasted hazelnuts)

Preheat oven to 375.  In mixing bowl beat butter on med to high speed for 30 seconds.  Add sugar, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder.  Beat until well combined.  Beat in egg and vanilla, scrape bowl as needed.  Beat in as much of the flour as you can and stir in any left.
Place unchilled dough into pastry bag or cookie press fitted with a star tip.  (I used a med size tip as I didnt have a large star at home) onto ungreased cookie sheets about 1 in apart. Strips are approx 3 plus inches long.  Bake 10-12 min or until golden brown.  ( I did leave mine in a bit longer to be nice strong crisp cookie)  Cool completely.
Dip ends in melted chocholate and quickly either roll in nuts or sprinkle them on.  Place on sheets of wax paper to set.  Store inbetweeen layers of wax paper in air tight container.  can freeze these in ziploc bags too for up to 3 months.
makes approx 72 cookie wands.
EASY PEASY AND SUPER GOOD!!


We had the last of our holiday art/craft sales last night, I am glad they are over but will miss them.   Now I just have to finish up all the cookie makin and do up the trays to deliver them next week.  I am gettin ready to go to BRONSON HOSPITAL for winter market this am and then I actually have a 3 week break! YEAH!! YIPPEE YEE HAW!! LOL,  With the exception of orders that will be a nice little break.      I will post some pics this weekend from the sale and also from a fully loaded decorated house my friend showed me last night nearby!! This is just gorgeous!!  I am hoping the pics turned out as I was low on battery power in my dig cam if not  plan on taking hubby over there to see them this weekend so I can take more!!  They have absolutley every inflatable holiday figure and displayed so nicely.  The lights and the movements and the colors and oh it is just spectacular!! They get my vote for the nicest holiday display!! I may have to take them some cookies for being the best  winter wonderland display I have seen!! 
So I am off to get ready for market.  Hope yall have a great day and wonderful weekend!!
HUGS
Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Magificent Monday!! and a recipe for yall!

OK what a glorious day to be bakin the day away!!  I managed to get quite a bit done today!  Babka and Egg bread were the first things since they take the longest.  Well the babka actually gets made one day then it has to slow rise in the fridge overnight and is alot easier too!!  Egg bread done, and wrapped and flash froze!    Even though it was a bit cooler in the kitchen today the yeast was doin it's job as you can see above!!! yeah!

the babka dough is very very sticky but once you work a bit of flour in and do the skin on it it's quite easy and actually one of my favos to make and eat!!!  I made 4 batches so a few will be filled with a cinnamon walnut streusel and mabye a few will be filled with chocolate or maybe almond paste filling?  Not sure yet. 

I scale these out to 1 pound loaves they rise so nice and look gorgeous in the loaf pans. 

Just before putting them in bags in the fridge you smooth them and seal the bottoms.  Off to rest overnight!

Oh these are the boxes of my decadent choc cake truffles packaged up and ready for markets this week. 

And here are the finished orange creamsicle ones.  I dipped them in a white almond flavored bark and added a touch of orange candy topping. 

I do have to say if yall have ever melted white chocolate down it sure is more touchy than milk or dark choc. 

 Packages ready in a basket for markets!  

What does dark molasses, eggs, flour, brown sugar, eggs and fresh ginger make???  GINGERBREAD !!  I made a few loaves of gingerbread.  I cant decide if I want to make a lemon glaze for them or just give em all the "farmgirl bling"
 of a generous dusting of powdered sugar like below. 

Mix all your wet ingredients together

I used blackstrap molasses and got this beautiful rich dark color and the flavor is intense!!  Susan had some fresh minced ginger and that is amazing!!

Slowly add the sifted flour to wet ingred.  It sure doesnt take long to come together and make a very nice runny batter.  These are gonna be very moist!!

I just did up some small loaves but think I might try a neat flexipan that Susan has that are little triangles. 

And the blinged up gingerbread!! 

I also made some shortbread dough, some kolachky dough and zucchini pineapple bread. 

Now my recipe makes 10 large loaves but this taste of home recipe is very very close to what mine tastes like so thought I would share it with yall!! ENJOY it is very good!!

Ingredients

Zucchini Pineapple bread
3 eggs

2 cups finely shredded zucchini

1 cup vegetable oil

1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained

2 teaspoons  Pure Vanilla Extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup chopped nuts optional I use walnuts


Directions

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, zucchini, oil, pineapple and vanilla. Combine the dry ingredients; stir into egg mixture just until moistened. Fold in nuts
Pour into two greased 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool. Yield: 2 loaves.
These make perfect holiday gifts using the smaller mini bread pans I just fill em to 8 1/2 oz.  put em in a clear bag with a ribbon around em and a tag and Voila! foodie gift!!

Hope yall have a wonderful night!~!
And ps hubby didnt get a deer this am!! :( maybe tomorrow! 
HUGS
Darlene


~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

It's Friday!!

Wow its almost the weekend already!! GEE where do the days go?  I worked at the kitchen yesterday afternoon and boy did I miss it.  Mon-wed all I did is paint and get ready for a show next weekend and those days were busy ones but absolutely good ones cuz i could be home with my precious boys!! 
I made cranberry orange muffins yesterday and got a few mixes ready for today to bake.  My kolachky, some cut out sugar cookies and some sandwich cookies will be baked today to take to a shop in Saugatuck.  SPICE MERCHANTS will be trialing some things in there to see how it goes!! YEAH!!  They are an awesome tea and spice shop and it just smells so divine in there.  They are along butler street so if yall are near there stop on in!!    So most of my day will be spent baking and playin in flour of cource and that is fine by me! the only thing that would make it better would be to have my "boys" there but that is not possible.  At least though they are only 7 min away from me and yepper I do call home a few times to let them know I love em and miss em!!   Dave my market buddy always pics on me at market when I call home, he says boy "maybe I should call the cows at home and see what they are doin?" LOL oh well I know my boys hear me when I call and leave em a message on the machine!!  Usually it always ends with "and remember mommy loves you more than daddy!!" and there have been times my sweet hubby calls home too and leaves them a message and says "mommy's lying daddy loves you more"!!  Oh we love these guys!! 
Another nice day in mi today, cant believe this it has been in the upper 60s and into 70 this week!! all week too!! just gorgeous!! but they are talkin snow next week so more like our november should be round here.  That's ok I love the snow just really been spoiled this fall. 
The girls are doin pretty good they are however very mad at me!! and I do mean very mad!!  They are closed in their coop and pen for a few days as something in mid daylight killed one of my hens tues, no tracks and it wasnt typical of a hawk, coon, weasel, or coyote  so not quite sure what it could have been but there were feathers strewn about like it shaked her alot.  My poor little black hen it looked like one of our younger ones and you know I was home all day workin in my studio, I heard the guineas having fits talkin outside but each time I went to check I didnt see anything around.  So they are being grounded "safe grounding" for a few days.  We have 20 little ones that I have been waiting to intro them into the flock but will wait a bit longer since this attack.  My girls are free rangers and usually make their rounds around the property and pasture and then back home round dusk so now being closed in their pen they are MAD!! and acutally it is a nice size totoally enclosed pen 70 feet long x 16 feet wide and then their front pen to go into the coop so they do have alot of room yet but still it is not the same.  When I walked back to the house yesterday mornin they were standing lookin at the gate and just squakin away!! probably wonderin what I was doin and not opening the door for them.  Well better safe than sorry I dont want whatever was here to get used to lunch on me each day!! 
You know yesterday afternoon I took my brother to Holland to do some quick shoppin, our usualy spots hobby lobby, michaels, gfs, meijers and family fare and just happen to come incontact with some very friendly nice folks.  Usually everyone is just hurrin here and there and busy with things on their minds but for some strange reason I had a few people say comments to us.  One was while walking into meijers grocery store a lady was in back of us and when I pulled a cart out she hit it with one she was pullin out and they kind of got tangled up a bit , she said Oh I am so sorry and we laughed I told her no problem and she said have a nice day to us.  Then in the checkout a guy and I were goin to the same one and I stopped since I had more and told him to go ahead of us he looked so surprised and said are you sure?  like it was a huge deal and said thanks alot I will remember this!!?  then while walking out of the last store I was pushing the cart back to the storefront and a gal said Oh I will take that cart then you dont have to walk all the way back and I need one and also said thanks and have a great night!!  SO NICE to hear just the little comments and be nice to each other!  IT really made me feel good inside.   It just goes to show a smile,  a thoughtful greeting, or even just a word to someone makes an impact. 
Have a wonderful friday I will be back tomorrow with pics from today!!
HUGS
Darlene


~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Pics

The boxes of asst shortbread cookies for show today.

Made some kolachky with our homemade apricot preserves.  Nice dusting of powdered sugar finishes them great!

Here's my part of the booth.  I just took food stuff as my friend and I split the booth.

Ruth makes all herbal teas and homemade all natural soaps, and salves.  Her cold remedy salve is wonderful been using it alot lately!  And her sleep salve is the best!!  you rub a bit on the bottom of your feet before bedtime to help you relax and get a restful night's sleep. Lavender infused it smells wonderful!

I did some more dog cookies up but forgot them at home so they are already packed to go with me of cource if  I happen to forget them my boys will be happy!!! they are my quality assurance guys anyway and have to taste test everything for me!! except the chocolates of cource but I do usually make them their own treats to enjoy!! Last night they had some homemade gravy on their food and I wish I could have taken pics quick enuogh Buster and Barney both had dabs of gravy on their chins!  Too too cute!! Love these guys.  Buster I swear doesnt taste what he eats he just chows down, Barney usually eats kind of slow but Bubba! he savors every bite!! he is always the last one to finish and then goes to each other bowl and cleans em all out!! just in case there are any crumbs left!!   Ah my kids!!  and yes "dogs are just kids that eat off the floor!!"  LOL

We were about done and will only have a couple of touch ups to do this am before it opens.

Hope yall have a blessed weekend!! 

HUGS

Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Cookies, Cookies and More COOKIES!!

Today was all about cookies!!  I did 6 batches of shortbread cookies, one was my newest! lemon poppyseed, a batch of very vanilla 1/2 dipped in melted chocolate with toasted hazelnut pieces on top, a batch of raspberry flavored with toasted almond pieces in them,2 of  just  plain and a batch of mini chocolate chip ones.   Chocolate chip cookies, my peanut butter whoopie pies, cranberry lemon pecan cookies,  some sugar cookies, some bears and flowers made into pops (sorry forgot to take pics of them they were the last to get baked) I will decorate them tomorrow and take pics.   Also I did some bacon dip mix and a herbed veggie dip mix.  My friend and I are having booths at the St. Joseph Lions club craft show this sat in St. Joe MI!!  I also made up some of my pumpkin spice dip and taffty apple dip so have for samples too!! 

And I made up some cookie boxes with some of the asst shortbreads.  Each box still needs to be dressed up with a lable and tag and probably some cute ribbons!

Here is an example of the boxes of astt shortbreads, youl get 3 of the big dipped cookies, 8 lemon poppyseed and 6 rasp almond.  A nice sampler box for a guick gift.

Here's a prebaked chocolate chip cookie!!

The first batch of cookies in the convection oven!

cranberry lemon pecan cookies using locally grown cranberries!

my hubbys absolute favo!! my  plain ol shortbread.  I just have to remember when makin them to OVERBAKE yepper I said overbake on these!! LOL he loves them on the dark side! 

These are quite tasty!! but I do love toasted hazelnuts with chocolate! 

Here was the first batches mixed up.

Some of the cookies like my peanut butter get a smooshin!!  LOL they just dont spread out too much and these are my whoopie pie ones so with just a tiny bit of presssure from my awesome expensive smoosher gadget!!  (a small bowl bottom)

  they are perfect!!

What a glorious day it was first my mom, brother and I went out to our favo place early this am IDA REDS in Saugatuck!! absolutely the best food ever!! and a very cute quaint spot to eat!! WE love goin there and usually I get an omlet since they are filled with such yummyness but today I tried something new!! their french toast!! Oh my goodness it was heavenly! Just the best ever!! great bread toasted just with the edges a bit crispy and the insides melt in your mouth yummo!!  Hold on taste buds!!

then after that I went to the kitchen and played with cookies!!  now I just have to get everything loaded in the trailer and ready to leave tomorrow afternoon to set everything up!! I will try my best to take the cam with and share pics!! 

Hope yall have a wonderfully blessed evening!!

HUGS

Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Cakes, cookies, breads n more!

WHEW!!! what another week!!  One more major week to get thru and then I can take it a bit easier!!  LOL I love being busy but lately it has been super crazy busy!   On friday I made some sugar cookies with dried apricots then added my "farmgirl bling" some melted white and dark choc drizzeled ontop.  So cute and yummo too!!   I also bought a new book of some awesome recipes.  I did made one that I am not too sure what went wrong but I didnt care for these at all.  They are orange n cheese filled buns.   I am thinkin maybe they just didnt rise quite enough.  That is one thing I really dont like making ........ cinnamon rolls.  Not a big fan of them nope!!   They are just too heavy and not light n fluffy, at least the ones I have had and made.  Welllllllll these are kind of similar.  Good flavor and my customers liked them but I just didnt care for them.

I did chop up some fresh rosemary and made some rosemary and sea salt savory crisp crackers.  Now these are great! Also made were my cheese filled crumb cakes some filled wtih cheese and blueberries others with just a cheese mixture.These are the orange filled buns.  I did make a nice orange glaze for the tops.

AND THESE are Susan's yummy yummy chocolate cakes with a nice rich chocolate ganache frosting.  They were a bit on the plain side so I added some "bling" white chocolate topped with a bit of chocolate jimmies.  Too cute and they really are the BEST chocolate cake ever!~~

So I am off to make up some of my blueberry jalapeno jelly and some farmhouse red tomato preserves.  we are sold out right now.  

Have a blessed sunday afternoon.

HUGS

Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~