Kitchen cabinet re do

Hey yall!! WOW It has been like forever since I posted here!! so sorry!! This year came in like a whirlwind and is spinning us around.  Tons of emotions and tons of projects and tons of new recipes and ohhhhhhhhhh not nearly enough hours in the day!!  I so think I am becoming obsessed to make and do as much as possible in a short amount of time and in doing so am loosing my mind and whatever little and I do mean little organizational skills I do have!! LOL  All is good!!  Life is good!!
So hubby bought a small farm, I am in shock yet but not going into details I just didnt know about it til it was a done deal.   There is a darling old 1900s farm house that needs some updating.   Paneling in every yes every room!  LOL but I can fix that!!  We are going to plan on renting this house out for summer weekend or weekly rentals it is between 2 nice tourist towns and would make a great country retreat.   My first project is doing the dark brown kitchen cabinets into shabby, farmhousey, primitive rustic country love!  I fell deeply in love with the sagey green color paint I bought for my snowmen signs and have lots of that so on it goes!!

So here is part of the kitchen.  These cabinets are really built solid and heavy.   I like the details on the inlay but as you can see are dated.   Ok my friend referred to the wallpaper on this wall "willy wonka lick paper" LOL that is gone!!  ripped off quickly. 

After sanding and applying a light coat of primer the first one is painted.  This is only one coat but it did cover pretty well I thought. 

I  applied a bit of antiquing medium and then drybrushed some white here and there. 

I love that color so much couldnt wait to hang em back and see if this color would work.  They looked plain so with some drybrushed black around the edges that made em pop!

Here they are up and looking pretty good,  I loved the handles so farmhousey, I was at first going to paint them either black or white, but I like the patina on them just sanded a bit and they look good.  So now to figure out what color to paint the bases I dont like all the dark wood around the doors.  I am leaning towards a nice light almond or cream or maybe even light off white that can be distressed and antiqued up to match.  WHAT are your thoughts??

And I did make up a new item for market last week a spinach and cheese crostada!! OH MY what a delish and pretty treat that was!~!

flaky pie crust with the addition of a bit of cornmeal topped with the steamed fresh spinach, ricotta, parmesan, and romano cheeses, and a bit of seasonings

buttermilk biscuits

I did do a nice egg wash on top so they browned up beautifully. 

 here is a better clearer pic of the rustic crostada. 

and another cabinet one. Gee I wondered where that pic went to!! LOL

Hope yall have a great day I will be sharing all I do on the farmhouse and surely wanting opinions so please leave em for me!!

THANKS

HUGS

Darlene

 AND THIS SATURDAY FEB 2nd IS THE ICE BREAKER FESTIVAL IN SOUTH HAVEN MI!~ stop on by we have a great market and some wonderful vendors/crafters coming for ya!!

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~and SIMPLY~~

New baked goods

Hey yall!!!
I tried out a couple new recipes from my grandmas old cookbooks and I am in love with one of them and will surely make again!!

As you can see I made this recipe x 4 and made some in jumbo muffins pans for personal size coffee cakes, in small tins and also in my smaller bundt pans. 

Cinnamon Mocha Coffee Cake!!YUMMY YUMMY!!
The cinna mocha struesle looks pretty swirled thru the middles

I did make a cup of espresso and just brushed it over all the tops to give a bit more moistness and coffee flavor to them and then just dusted them with powdered sugar. 

LOVE bundt cakes!!

Here is the recipe for these:  (this is just the actual recipe x1)

Cinnnamon Mocha Cake

streusle filling:

In small bowl combine am mix:

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons baking cocoa

1 tblsp instant coffe (I used espresso powder instead)

1 tblsp cinnamon

Cake Batter:

Cream together until light and fluffy (approx 5 minutes)

3/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cup sugar

Add 4 eggs one at a time beating well to incorporate into batter

Beat in 1 tsp vanilla

In bowl mix together:

2 1/4 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

Alternate adding dry ingredients to creamed mixture with  1 1/2 cups or 12 oz sour cream starting and ending with dry ingredients. 

*optional you can add nuts or/and chocolate chips*

Grease and flour your pans

Place 1/3 of batter in pan then sprinkle on your streusle topping, then top with remaining batter. 

Place in preheated 350 degree oven until golden.  (I make sure internal temp is 200) and it also depends on what size pans you are using.  I would say in a regular oven a bundt pan usually takes 35-40 minutes.  Muffins are usually 20 minutes for jumbo.

After the cakes/muffins cooled I brushed over the tops wtih a strong cup of coffee and then sprinkled with powdered sugar.

**ENJOY**

I also made a batch of our gingered carrot soup, which I think is one of my all time favo soups. 

Red velvet brownies with cream cheese swirl

After running a knife thru the batter it looks so pretty.  I think next time I try these I will reserve a bit of brownie batter to add in globs ontop of cheese layer. 

Veggie pot pies

Topped and ready for oven. 

I had some left over crust so made some little personal size veggie pockets. 

And had just enough to make my lunch =)

And some halloween fun sugar cookies that will be decorated with frostings.  They went in the freezer to work with next week. 

I also made some more of my grandmas zucchini apple bread, black olive baguette loaves, Ezekiel bread loaves, zucchini muffins, espresso cream filled espresso cookie pies and chocolate walnut brownies.

I so missed my mom at the kitchen this week~~ she closed the flower shop in June and is packing everthing up and selling things.  If you are interested in any floral supplies we are having a big sale and things are going to be listed!!  I can say we have alot of satin ribbons in various widths, wedding supplies, corsage supplies, and tons of baskets available.

Give a hollar if you would like to see something I can email you pics of everything.

*Sad to say but I actually didnt go to market today, I have been up all night with a sinus/allergy infection and a horrible migraine and sore throat.  Needless to say calling the doctor monday morning. And we have a wedding to go to tomorrow so I am 100% sure my boys and I are taking a long nap today!! Just feel miserable right now =(  tis the allergy season I guess.

Hope yall have a great weekend!! I will be back to share more next week it is Blue Coast Artists Fall Studio tour next weekend and I have an order for lots of cookies to make so next week will be all about COOKIES!! WOO HOO!!

HUGS

*Darlene*

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Still hot and no rain

Oh my word!! No rain and we are still in the upper 80s and 90s this week!!   This is just horrible and not just for MI but all over people are experiencing this terrible drought.  There is rain happening all around our area but north and east we havent gotten a drop of it!!  they are saying possibly later this afternoon!! HOPE and PRAY we get some!! 
We took our Buster Brown swimming in the lake and he was such a happy happy guy!!  My camera was full so I didnt get to take pics!! =( but we will go again soon.  The lake was so warm hard to believe that big body of water was sooooooooo warm!!

My mom and I have been busy busy making all kinds of canned goods at the kitchen.  Each week we are doing up a bushel of pickle cukes and this week we made some of our cold cucumber salad. 

Ready for the processor to slice em up quickly!!

Dont these look pretty!!  the red pepper pieces and red onions give such a nice addition of color to these jars.  Fresh dill, peppercorns and a sweet sour vinegar brine were added. 

Love love LOVE using mason jars for market items.  I have so many at home and use them  instead of plastic tupperware containers. 

Dilly beans out of the canner!! I so wish they would keep their pretty green color!  but they dont.  Wonder if I should do some refrigerator dilly beans!! they would look awesome! 

AND THIS IS MY FRIEND'S NEW SHOP!!! not sure why I only got 2 pics!>?  but we were busy talking and laughing so I must have gotten sidetracked!

So this is FARMHOUSE CHIC PRIM ANTIQUE!~ in downtown Glenn! 

Love the displays and she is doing an amazing job turning this old lovely historical firehouse into a shoppers delight!!  I am taking things there and also some baked goods each week.   She also has a facebook page for the shop and you can view offerings as they arrive at the shop  Chick it out!! 

I am off early this am have to go to a doctors appointment.  I have a party I am catering for this weekend so need to get things ready for that and also markets.

Hope yall have a blessed day and keep cool and hydrated out there!!

HUGS

Darlene 

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Pizzas, breads, cookies and more!!

We made some sugar cookies and cut them into flowers, some as you can see have a stick in. 

Little flowers and lines make them pop!!

took these to markets this week and they all went quick.

I decided to try a new pizza crust recipe I found, which by the way is delish and soooooooooooooo easy peasy to make!! 

Pizza Crust Recipe:

2 cups warm (around 110 degrees)

2 pkg dry yeast (or 1/2 oz active dry yeast)

1 cup vegetable oil

3 tbsp olive oil

3 cups bread flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 tsp salt

This made 4 nice size crusts and this dough can be frozen in individual pkgs to take out 1 at a time.

My crusts were 14 oz each. 

place water in warmed bowl, sprinkle yeast on top, cover and let sit 5 minutes. 

Using whisk or fork mix water and yeast cover and let sit 5 more minutes, it will be frothy on top and then ready to use.

While waiting for your yeast to proof in mixing bowl or large bowl combine flour, cornmeal and salt blend together.  In bowl combine oils and add to flour mixture, add your proofed yeast and mix well.  This dough will be wet and sticky!  I sprayed the top of dough with some pam and covered with seran wrap and a tea towel.    Let sit in warm place for 1/2 hour. 

Ready to roll out and use!!

Top with your favo toppings and Enjoy!

This was a new recipe for me!! Tomato corn pie and let me just say one word>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> YUMMO!!  I found the recipe on pinterest and it is in my baking board on pinterest.  id = Darlene Stumpf-Westfahl

this is definetly worth making, it was on my csa for last week and I recieved several postitive comments. 

Here's the spinach mozzarella pizza!  This reminded me of some flatbread I made a couple years ago and it is so worth the time it takes.  Really it isnt too much just a few steps.   I cut up about 2 cloves of garlic and sauteed in a pan then added a pound of fresh spinach leaves and let that simmer down.  To me it has wayyyy more flavor in spinach than steaming!!  YUMMY! and good for you too!!

Tops of tomato corn pie

And a Martha Stewart recipe for flourless peanut butter cookies!  Yes flourless!! so for all you gluten free peoples this is a must make recipe!!  I added chopped roasted peanuts and didnt add the chocolate chips to the recipe.  you can get the recipe at Martha Stewarts site, I will post it here tomorrow it is at the kitchen.  Great easy peasy recipe too!!

So that was about it for the weeks baking, I am off til monday.  Gonna get some scrapping done and go shopping with my mommy!~  love those days!! we have so much fun together!!  love her with all my heart and would be lost in this life without my bestest friend....my mom!!

Hope yall have a Blessed Easter!! and enjoy this early spring weather!!

HUGS!

Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

baking and baking and more baking............

Hey everyone!!  What a fun and exciting week so far!!  I have made some new and absolutely delish goodies up!!
First is my new CHERRY BLACK RASPBERRY PIE, with a butter streusle topping, then I made up some ice cream cakes that were pistachio and red velvet with locally made vanilla ice cream (disaster happened to them)  some strawberry lemonade sorbet, chocolate ganache filled chocolate thumbprint cookies with pistachios, rhubarb cakes, cardamom sugar topped black raspberry muffins,

I am trying to use up the rest of last years crop we had frozen, cardamom goes so well with berries I made a nice little sugary topping with some cardamom for these muffins. 

My cherry pie filling along with some black raspberries for added sweetness and a bit of zing flavor burst!! 

Some butter crumb streusle topping on top

all baked and ready for market. 

My Grandma Roses's southern buttermilk shortcakes! 

Scooped out middles of my red velvet cupcakes replaced with some cream cheese frosing

And the scooped out part makes a cute little hat for these guys!

These are my sweet roll dough filled with some cinnamon streusel crunch

A pretty pink peony in the garden. 

Strawberry banana muffins

Another new one for me my Coconut Macaroon Pies

If u like macaroons then this is a must have for ya!!  LOL I just have to drizzel chocolate in the bottoms and ontop and they would be perfect for me!  LOL

Some graham crackers, hamburger buns, blueberry lemon buttermilk muffins, carrot cakes, and lots of cookies and I think that was about it for the last 3 days of baking.  I still have some things to make for market on saturday but tomorrows market goodies are done!  NOW on to our little disaster!  The big freezer at the kitchen shut off in the middle of the night last night, of cource yesterday Susan and I made some wonderful little ice cream cakes and sorbet and some ice cream sandwiches made with my chocolate chip cookies that all became one bit melted glob at the bottom of the freezer!  I so wish I would have taken pics of the cakes, they were so adorable and well we just had to try one too and we all loved it!! the bottom layer was my pistachio cake, then a layer of locally made vanilla ice cream then a layer of red velvet cake and top it all off with another layer of ice cream and some chocolate sprinkles on top.  CUTE CUTE and YUMMO!!  but all gone..........=( oh well I will make more on friday. 

Hope yall have a great night!

Talk more soon!

HUGS

Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~