Snowy day here

Hey yall!! WOW what a storm we had last night!!   We experienced snow in the am, rain mid afternoon and snow and ice last night!! BUT it is most beautiful out there!! the snow is just clumped on everything.  Here's a couple of pics I took when I went out to do chores this am.

My poor birdies, their feeders were iced up so I cleaned em up and put more seed out, they were happy and came back asap.

Looking out to our deck

This tree is gorgeous!****

LOVE SNOWY DAYS!!***

hazelnut sandie cookies

nice n golden brown

My grandmother Rose's english muffin bread all baked.  They are so aromatic and toasted with some butter and sorghum......yummo!!

had to take a taste of warm out of the oven bread~~~it doesnt get better than homemade warm bread

Susan made a batch of almond macarons!! they are waiting to get in the oven and do their magic!!

I also made some chocolate chip cookies, some brown sugar shorbread cookies, some of our "eggcellent" egg or challah bread and some foccacia and coconut macaroons dipped in chocolate.  Productive day and we are ready for market tomorrow!!

I also bought a few things for the new house, sanded and primed a few more of the kitchen cabinets and picked out a nice cafe latte color for the base of the cabinets.  We are going to go look at tiles this weekend to make our own backsplash in the kitchen.  FUN stuff!!  She should be ready to rent by early summer!!  and boy it could also be our summer place away from home LOL only 8 miles away!!

Hope yall have a wonderful weekend and stay warm and safe out there in this wintry weather!!

HUGS

Darlene

~~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~~

More goodies to share!!

Here's a peek at some of the things we made friday for saturday market.
My chunky tomato soup with noodles.  Yummy!! I had a bowl last night for dinner!

soups ready for market

cut up french bread loaves for my pumkin bread pudding

pumpkin bread pudding with maple syrup glaze

oh so yummy!!  bread pudding ready for the oven

blueberry lemon muffins

blueberry buttermilk cake

my mom applied my "farmgirl bling" lemon glaze to the cakes

italian herb foccacia loaves

we picked some lucky john apples from at the kitchen to use for apple crisp and apple zucchini bread *which by the way is one of the most delish breads I have had!!!

muffins waiting for topping

lemon glazed lemon tea cakes

We also made some banana bread, chocolate chip cookies, krispy chocolate chunk cookies with cocoa rice krispies, espresso cookies, and some of my chunky maple applesauce.

IT was a beautiful saturday to be out at market.  Thanks to everyone for coming out to South Haven market.

Have a blessed weekend!!

be back soon with some prim halloween handmades I am finishing up today!!

HUGS

Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Almost the weekend!!

Goodness it is almost weekend again!! WOW I have said it many times, but really cannot believe how fast time is goin by!!  On monday I feel like I have all the time to get ready for my thurs and sat markets and geeeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzzzeeeeeeeee it is gone like ...............that!! gone poof!  Crazy Crazy!!  Today was an absolutely postively one of the most beautful market days (weather wise) just as we were packing up it was getting hot, 94 when I left the parking lot.  I did put the ac back on now this evening it was a bit stuffy in the house and Buster was acting like he was a bit uncomforably warm.  He and my litte Barney boo are laying on the couch next to me!  Bruno and "Mr Naughty Pants" aka Arnold are playing with toys! Oh my I dont think I have introduced yall to our new addition!  "Mr Naughty Pants *LOL* Arnold.  Hubby surprised me a couple of weeks ago with another boston.  This one suppossely "wandered" to his work place and he fell in love!! OK at first I did believe his little story about how this poor little guy was all alone and lost and how he did TRY to find an owner!!  YEAH ok so yall can see where my thinking is now right....... Really we didnt need another dog but he is such a sweetie and has really fit in here in our little family quite nicely.  The boys play play play and "Arnold" is a cuite pie for sure!! He is very attached to hubby and sleeps curled up next to him, on top of him, or on his pillow touching him!  LOL very cute.  So hubby calls him "Boss" but as you already know from above I have another name or two.  LOL   Arnold fits because I have always wanted a pot belly piggy and since growing up watching Green Acres wanted to name him "Arnold" so this litttle guy fits that name quite well.  He does snort thus the name!!  LOL .

This is the newest addition!!  As you can see that yes........is a metal wrench he is hovering over!! He carried that around in his little mouth and then laid on the chair with it.  What a silly goof!  He finds things that I have no clue at all where they come from!  Little scavenger for sure! LOL but a keeper!

And my Buster Brown guarding one of his rawhides! 

This is a small mural I am working on at the flywheelers club we belong to. I have one more side then finishing touches to put on the base before the show starts in 2 weeks!! YIKES!! 2 weeks to go!! WOW!

This side is almost done, just gotta finish the addition on the barn and add a few little odds n ends. 

A garden and little orchard and some rows of corn

and of cource I HAD to just HAD to put some...............chickens on it!! somewhere!! LOL

piped out mocha cookie dough

My mom was the chocolate dipper!!   These are so yummy I could eat em all!!

Smores mini pies

These were done last week weekend, chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, chocolate cake then topped with cream and sprinkles.

mini apple pies with cinnamon crumb topping

my mom and I planted a few moon flowers this spring and they are soooooo pretty!! 

lots of beautiful blooms

This is one of the flowers before it opens, it kind of reminds me of a rose, the center is a lavenderish color and looks like velvet.  So pretty!

peaches ready for going in the cake batter

rustic herbed cheddar biscuit loaf

My mom being the "farmgirl bling" princess glazing the bundt cakes, muffins and dipping all the goodies in chocolate!!  Thanks Mommy I couldnt do this without you! LOVE YA!!

kiss kiss!

lemon glazed lemon muffins

nekked bundt cakes

1/2 glazed it sure adds alot to the cakes

So that's it for now!  I will share more tomorrow or over the weekend with ya!!  I have South Haven Market satuday and I will be taking a bunch of goodies over to my friend's new store in Glenn  Farmhouse Chic Prim Antique!!   She is having a grand opening sat!! 10-6 this saturday!! chic it out!!  like them on facebook too!!  She is a doll and I am so happy to be friends with yet another "craftychick" country gal!!

HUGS til this weekend!!

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~