My new ideas

So with my hubby loosing his job I have been trying to come up with some new ideas for my markets.   Thus Chicken Scratch Gourmet CSA program is now underway!!    So far this is what I am doing= I send an email out to my customer list on sun/mon, they will get to choose an entree item, a bread item and a desert item from a list of options.
Here is what the first week of it looks like=
Entrees= white chili, potato corn chowder or vegetarian chili
Bread= rustic herbed biscuit loaf, cornbread or rosemary foccacia
Desert= fresh apple crisp, spiced baked apples, mini pumpkin pie, or an asst box of cookies
I am goin to do this by the week to keep it affordable for customers.  $13.00 this week.  
Obviously I am pretty new to this so I am gonna put it out there for any of you to leave me advise or comments or ideas.  It is greatly appreciated!! 
Today was such a beautiful fall day cool in the am and a bit rainy  then now at 6pm it is 63 degrees and sunny. 
Today all I did was make a few batches of pierogi, and some mixes up for this weeks baking.  I am gonna do some almond spritz cookies, maybe pumpkin shapes and dip in an orange glaze for this weekends fall tour group.
My precious boys are doing wonderful and hubby is comin up with some new business adventure ideas for him too. 
I wish we had the funds to buy a food truck and go a few times a week to the city to sell lunches and early dinners.  But that isnt gonna happen any time soon.  Darnit! LOL I just think that would be so much fun!! to be creative with food and go to the people!! 
Kind of on a larger scale than markets and I just love doing markets.
Hope yall have a wonderful night~~ I will be back soon with pics of what I am making
HUGS
Darlene
~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

pumpkin cookies

Well today was a wet and chilly day outside.   It rained from the time I got up this am and is still raining tonight.  We really did need some rain it was quite dry out.  Next week looks like we should have a few pretty nice fall days so Buster and I can take our golf cart with a trailer and head thru the woods gatheting kindling for the wood furnace.  We have fun doin that and I usually have at least 3 big piles of sticks. 

Remember my little nekked punkin cookies from friday??  Here they are all dressed for fall.

I just made a quick butter cream frosting and piped on a couple of little curly vines on each.

This is a pic of a blurry pic but it is the top of my pumpkin cake roll.

These are fun to make and taste sooooooooooo yummy!! this was ours at home.   Hubby and I love pumpkin goodies.  This week for markets will be all about pumpkins!!!

My grandma Rose's spiced pumpkin pie bread, pumpkin pie cake, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin muffins with maybe a cinnamon butter streusle topping, pumpkin mini pies and pumpkin bread pudding (which by the way is my most favo of my bread puddings) comes with a creamy cinnamon sauce.

I also have some fresh apples we picked so I am thinking maybe maple apple bread pudding, apple bars and some caramel apples.  Fun fun fun!

I should do some apple butter and pumpkin butter but not sure I will have time.  I have orders for pierogi and cookies for the weekend. Blue Coast Artists fall tour is this weekend and I want to make some special desserts for our farmstand.

Hope yall have a restful evening.  I am off to watch the season premier of one of my favo shows.............. Desperate Housewives!!  love that show and have watched reruns of old episodes on lifetime several tims over!! LOL

Talk soon!!

HUGS

Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

First day of fall baking~

Today was the offical start of fall here in beautiful sw michigan it was gorgeous!!  The trees are just starting to show some colors and I cant wait til they all show their beauty.  Fall is my favo favo time of year!!  The colors, the sounds in the air, the smell around us and the fact that it is almost halloween!! my favo holiday to decorate for.

These are my butter crumb struesle topped zucchini muffins

plain ol zucchini muffins

butter crumb walnut struesle topped apple bread

Apple pie cakes, with butter crumb topping

these look and smell yummy, they are in the oven right now

I love how tall these muffins got!  and soooooooooo yummo!

nekked punkin cookies

nekked sugar cookie leaves

they will have some yellow and reddish color frosting on them.

I also made some white chili, stuffed peppers, potato corn chowder soup, my glazed pistachio bread and some banana muffins and mango passion fruit filled thumbprint cookies.   And some peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips, lavander shortbread flowers and some chocolate chip brownies.    A few other cookies and I am ready for market tomorrow.    We have a 60% chance of rain and storms tomorrow sunday and monday  and tuesday but wed and thurs look gorgeous!!!  I will be decorating for fall tomorrow after market so hope it doesnt rain tooo much1!
Hope yall have a wonderful weekend!!  Talk to yall soon!!
HUGS
Darlene

 ~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Back from the tractor show

Well vacation is over and it is back to work.  We got back monday and had lots to do the last couple of days, funny how we have so much work getting ready for vacation, during vacation and when we get back home huh!  Anyway it's all good!! We had a wonderful time and the boys loved camping.  This was Bruno's first tractor show and I think he had a great time.  Buster has been goin with us since he was a pup and he is 10 now so he is quite the experienced camper.  LOL  they enjoyed seeing all the people and love to lay on our bed to look our the front of the 5th wheel and see everyone and everything goin on plus they all go for rides on the golf cart around the campground.  

thursday night was our annual tractor cruise where we get a police escort into town and drive down to the beach.  This year I think they said there were 60or so tractors? the last couple of years it was well over 100 tractors and doodlebugs too.

It was windy and really cold outside that night so maybe that kept a few away.  This was the view  from the front of our H tractor.

A dear friend and his son in the cruise.  He just got this pretty Allis Chalmers done in time for the show.  LOVE that orange!!  GREAT JOB!!

My niece Carissa sitting on our Allis tractor.

On sunday a few men from the American Legion came over and did a special memorial with the boy scouts for 9/11 and that was very touching!  Seen alot of teary eyed folks attend it was something special.

Another front seat view goin to the beach

My sister in law being Silly mommy!! Carrie posing for Carissa.

Well I just wanted to pop in and let yall know I am back and will be back to work.  I have market today so it is an early day for me.   Made some new treats including a banana cake with maple crumb topping, fresh red raspberry scones, apple muffins with maple topping, red raspberry muffins topped with cinnamon pecan streusle, red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, pineapple goo cake with coconut icing, and some herbed dumplings for Allegan Market today.    Hope yall have a great thursday!!  Cold here it is only 45 this am!! crazy!!  90 last week and now chances of frost! so not ready for cold weather we have to get our wood supply ready.

Will be back with more tomorrow!!

HUGS

Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~