Wed ramblings

Well  I did get quite abit done at the kitchen today for market tomorrow.My buttercrum topped blueberry muffins.  These are the most requested muffin at market and yepper they are yummo! A touch of lemon zest and some fresh squeezed lemon juice!

The buttercrumb topping is just butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, bread flour.

I do put quite a bit of fresh blueberries in each muffin

They look just awesome too!I sauteed some fresh red onioin and  a couple of white vidalia onions to carmellizing, made a big batch of foccaci bread and topped them with the onions, some dried chopped rosemary and a sprinkling of sea salt plus grated parmesean cheese.  These smelled super yummo in the oven, it is funny whenever you add fresh or even dried herba rhe smell is overwhelming.

It looks pretty too~  I just rolled them out to an oval shape and put them on a sheet of wax paper and in a clear bag. 

The edges are a bit crispy and would be perfect with a pasta dish or even a salad.

Here is one of my struesle filled babka cakes, since it is so hot outside I didnt make a glaze for them just some powdered sugar ontop and in a bag.  These are very fragrant too!  Babka is just about my favo dough to make~ but the foccacia is good and easy to make too.

We are suppossed to get storms tonight possilbly severe too! gee we cant seem to have a week of no rain or storms this summer!! crazy weather pattern thsese days but it looks all clear for tomorrow and sat~YEAH good market weather!! YEE HAW!!  I bettter get to figurin what we are gonna have for supper and then it is out to do chores. 

Hope yall have a great night!

~~HUGS~~

Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

MONDAY~~

Oh what a BEAUTIFUL fall day outside!! I got out of work around 10.30 this am and am loving this monday!!! GORGEOUS DAY !! The sun is shining and IF I COULD SEND YOU ALL A BIT OF IT I WOULD!! and IF i could post pics of these absolutely stunnin leaves i would do that too!! BUT still havent found my dig camera and am sooooooooooooo bummed out!! I am afraid we are gonna have to get a new one and that one I LOVED we bought it in jan this year and it took great pics!! OH well my crazy busy life has really affected my mind lately I guess!!

SO no pics again today!! I did make some darling pumpkin sugar cookies and put them on a stick then decorated with some frostings and CUTE CUTE CUTE! so did up some little ghostys on sticks that had white frosting sprinkled with some purple sanding sugar and then I used 2 small chocolate sprinkles for they eyes!! also did up some dark purple bats with green sprinkle eyes!! too cute i must say!!
The sourcream pumpkin streusel coffee cakes were a big hit at the markets and they pumpkin spice shortbread cookies went fast!! I need to come up with a different shortbread for the winter holiday season thought about a minty shortbread using andes mint candies crushed in the batter, dip in chocolate and top with some crushed mint candies for a nice look. Then package them in some chinese take out boxes decorated with snowflake paper!! Oh yepper time to get to thinkin about xmas!!

Also this week I had made some of my Grandma Roses' pumpkin spice bread, some chai butter cookies, cardamom mini coffee cakes, banana pineapple cakes ( these were adorable!! I made them in my mini bundt pan then topped them with some browned butter frosting and some fall sprinkles) and yepper that combo of naners and pineapple is really yummy!! Made some chocolate cappacino mix and packaged them in clear bags with a cute tag and some gingham papers complete with a gift tag.
ANDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD I was able yesterday after working to come home and work on some primitive fabric snowmen snowcones!! Gosh not ready at ALL for any outside SNOW!! even though it has sure been cold enough!! NOT READY I TELL YA!!! LOL
Well have a blessed monday and cross your fingers that I might find my digi cam today while tidying up a bit inside!!

HUGS
Darlene
~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Cookie club order

Wanna send someone you love a special gift of homemade cookies each month?? WELLLLLLLLL I can help with that!! I did list on etsy but will offer it here to my bloggin friends!!

Here's how it will work:

I will offer a dozen cookies to be packaged up and sent to the recipient each month around the 3rd week, I can do either a 3 or 6 month whatever you would like it to be.

3 month will be $40.00 which includes shipping to usa.
Here is a list of the cookies I will offer (my most popular ones from markets)

Chocolate Chip= we are told these are the best choc chip cookies LOL

Loaded Oatmeal= organic oats, peanut butter, honey roasted peanuts, m & m's

Chunky Peanut Peanut Butter= chunky organic peanut butter, honey roasted peanuts

Cowboy Cookies= chocolate and butterscotch chips and walnuts

Vanilla Hazelnut = my vanilla cookies with toasted hazelnuts topped with "farmgirl bling" chocolate drizzles

Pumpkin Spice= pumpkin spiced butter cookie with cinnamon "farmgirl bling" glaze

Butter Spritz= my butter spritz cookies topped with various sprinkles (2 dozen since they are a bit smaller)

Lavander Shortbread= flower shaped cut out cookies with organic lavander buds

Cookies will be in a clear bag with label and have a handmade gift card enclosed.

SO if you would like to do this please email me or leave me a comment here and we can work out the details. Shipping will be thru USPS priority for guaranteed freshness!! only us shipping available (sorry)

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Sneezy snezzy sunday

Well the last few days I have been goin thru my puffs like crazy!! With this cool weather change my sinus allergies are in over drive i swear!! I am a sneezin fool these days!!

So last week my friend and I made some ABSOLUTELY AWESOME cinnamon raisin bread. These loaves are for serious bread eaters!! LOL they are a woooping 2 pounders too!! They look just great and taste like nothing I have eaten before!! I also made up another batch of our EGGCELLENT EGG BREAD braided loaves, and my zucchini pineapple bread and did up some dilled bread rounds which were yummy!! Tomorrow if I am NOT sneezin we are making up some multi grain bread loaves and also a farmhouse white sandwich bread. So lots of homemade breads!! which I am swearin we will NEVER buy another loaf of store bought bread!!

This weather has been so stange all of a sudden friday it switched to almost early fall weather!! which is absolutely nutso! the plants are dyin and the tomatoes are pretty much still green, the beans, eggplant and broccoli are flourishing but the squash and watermelon and cukes are lookin pretty putrid!! poor things!! Yall know how much I LOVE the snow but am so NOT lookin forward to it at all!! our summer has just flewn by so stinkin fast.. My hubby keeps sayin "dont blink and it will be over" with everything we have looked forward to this summer and boy he is so right~ Vacation time will be here in just a couple of weeks and wow arent a bit ready for that!! Anyone else feel like life is in fast forward?? what happened to those long dog days of summer?? sure havent been round here LOL oh well at least we are all still well though~

So this week should be pretty productive i have picked enough ripe peaches to make some peach jalapeno jam, some peach pies, and also some more spicy dill beans and want to try some crispy breadsticks and a spiced flatbread so will be at the kitchen alot i guess!! love it but just really miss being away from my boys so much~~

Have a super evening and will chat more soon
~HUGS~

Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Happy week!!

HEY THERE!!
So sorry it has been soooooooo long since I last posted here!! It has been a very hectic crazy busy couple of weeks!! today I went with my brother and mom for his doctor appointment. Poor kid had to have another procedure on his foot, he had an infected ingrown toenail a couple of weeks ago that they surgically removed, it came back and was infecting again so they permanenently removed it today on both sides. I am so proud of him he did so good!! If any of you arent aware he is mentally handicapped and is a joy to be around!!
So JOSEPH I AM VERY PROUD OF YOU!!
So we went out to lunch afterward and did a bit of shopping and well before we knew it the day was gone!! so didnt get to the kitchen today at all!! so tomorrow will be a long day gettin ready for the markets this week!!
On the menu for this week is:::::::::::::
Peach praline cobbler, (my recipe) lots of muffins, loaded carrot cakes with cream cheese frosting, peach pies, cookies, pistachio bread, lemon buttermilk pecan bread, some raspberry crumb bars and lots of coffee cakes in different sizes... and maybe some homemade kitkat bars!! those are yummo!!~

It has been so stinkin hot and humid here it is a welcomed change tonight!! cooler and a breeze out!! YEAH!! I was about ready to try to get a window a/c unit for the barn for all the kids!! LOL they would love that!!
Well better get off here and make hubby some supper! I picked a 1/2 bushel of fresh purple beans and 1/2 bushel of dragons tongue so I am thinking BEANS for tonight for sure!! LOL
maybe a nice big chicken ceasear salad with some of our fresh grape tomatoes, some cukes, onions, and nice fresh romaine lettuce!! NOW i just gotta go pick all that!! not really just can raid my farmstand and bring it in! a nice perk to having a farmstand!!
Have a blessed evenin yall!! I am plannin on taking the camera with me to the kitchen so will try to post pics of all the new yummyos!!
~~HUGS~
Darlene
~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

HOT WED~~

OK we are in SUMMER!! it got almost 90 degrees yesterday and today is suppossed to be 90~~it already is hot and humid outside and only 6.30 in the am! Oh well it is sure nice to be warm and everything looks so alive with color outside. Plus i am thankful we have air my hubby and Buster just cant take the heat good anymore they both lay around in the house when it gets too hot.
Well another baking day today, yesterday a friend came and we made all sorts of goodies including some more strawberry banana bread, some chocolate chip orange brownies, streusel topped strawberry rhubard muffins, chunky granola bars, rosemary cheese mini loaves, apricot almond biscotti, a rhubarb pie for an order for market tomorrow, buttermilk shortcakes and I think that was it. Today is pistachio bread, bundt cakes, cheddar pepper bread, some kind of a cookie or two and cinnamon raisin bread. SOOOOOO I better get off puter and get myself ready to go.
Have a blessed day and hope yall are enjoying the summer thus far!!
~~HUGS~~
Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Produce, baked goods and market pics

Here are some of the homemade soaps we have.

MY STRAWBERRY BANANA BREAD was a BIG hit at both markets this week!~

Some produce ready for sale.

A dear friend made me this beautiful wreath of sweet peas so I hung it on one of the old recycled screens I have hanging on the outside of the farmstand. I love the sign I hung on top of it too!!!

A side pic of our little farmstand.

Some pretty onions!!

Radishes, and they are yummy!!

Peach pies I made last week for market

Banana sunflower muffins I made

A few goodies cooling at the bakery

Some breads drizzled with a vanilla glaze.

Here are some pics from the Allegan Michigan farmerst market on thurs

We had a horrible patch of tstorms come thru last week and the kitchen lost power but for once we didnt at home! knock on wood too!! We usually always have to pull out the generator in the early summer from some bad storms but it really hit the cliff and almost bounced over us and went inland 3 miles and boy was there damage!! we seen big ol trees uprooted and tons of big limbs and branches down all over, and the flooding was horrible in Holland which is aoubt 20 min north of us. Roads actually were either closed or GONE from all the torrntial rains we got!! Bust we survived a ok!!

WHEW!! what a busy weekend, we had more planting to do and we also had a busy day at market on sat and fathers day sunday!! BTW HAPPY LATE FATHERS DAY TO ALL THE FATHERS OUT THERE!! hope you had a restful fun day!!!

Well I have a couple of new recipes I have thought of this weekend to make this week for market. The little buttermilk shortcakes were a big hit and they sold well at the farmstand here at home this weekend too. I think they will be great with mixed berries when the raspberries and blueberries are ready. Gosh that sounds good for tonight may have to pull some out of the freezer and make it for a midnight (right 9pm is more like it) snack!!LOL

IT IS OFFICIALLY SUMMER we closed all the windows t0night and put on the ac!! YEPPER the air is running!! Buster and his daddy dont good in the humid heat of summer so it was time to break down and turn it on. I love the windows open but actually it is almost 85 degrees right now so it is a bit hot.

I hope yall have a super duper monday night and will chat more this week got more pics to take ya know!!!




. ~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~