Wonderful Wed!!

What a great day I have had!!  Worked at the kitchen getting ready for market tomorrow and then came home played with the boys for awhile then worked a bit in the garden outside.

So here is my newest item!  A  COOKIELET a little cookie tartlet.   starting out with a shortbread cookie crust I pressed them into a mini muffin pan, baked til golden.  

I piped chocolate ganache' around the inside bottoms

Piped some homemade raspberry infused whipped cream filling into each one then dipped the tip in raspberry puree and sprinkleld some powdered sugar on top. 

Blueberry muffins with a butter crumb crunch topping

Red Raspberry almond muffins, and some cinnamon swirl coffee cake muffins

I strained some fresh red raspberries and then put them thru a sieve to use in the whipped cream

Whipping the cream up

Another newbie to satisfy your sweet tooth!! mini fudgey almond tarts.   Baked in little 6in springfoam pans these came out perfect and just the right amount.  A bit of almond glaze ontop. 

My glazed pistachio bread.  Most requested bread at markets!!  Never get tired of making it either!! LOL

Hope yall have a great week and be safe!!  There really are some terrible storms and tornados hitting across the country.   It was a perfect day only in the low 70s so much nicer than the past few hot and humid days we have had.  Sun is a good thing!!  Thanks for visiting and be back soon with more goodies!!
ALLEGAN MI MARKET TOMORROW 8-2
SOUTH HAVEN MARKET SAT 8-2
HUGS
Darlene
 ~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Memorial Day weekend

Hope yall have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!   We are goin tomorrow to a memorial service in our little cemetary down the road.  It is so peaceful and serene there with lots of big ol trees and birds singing.  So many people we knew from when we first moved here and recently lost are buried there, I like to ride my bike thru it or one of our tractors and just say hello to everyone gone. 
Well I got a gift from my hubby yesterday, little stinker didnt let on one bit as to what he got me.  And it is very difficult for both of us to keep surprises from each other very long!! LOL  Anyway he finally found another suburban similar to my old one I absolutely loved loved LOVED!!  I remember the day we both spotted ol blue in a car lot and quickly turned around to check her out.  Bought her the next day!  a 1987 chevy, dark blue with silver trim.  Our new one is welllllllllllllll not so new but in excellent shape and no rust, it wasnt a michigan truck that is for sure.  This one is a 91 burgandy with silver trim and already has a lift on it so it is actually a bit taller than mine.  I had a 4 in lift on ol blue and this one has a 6 in.  It needs some work on the motor and transmission but I cant wait to drive it.

So onto the work for the week!!  I was busy busy gettin ready for market yesterday and it was one of our best market days!!  I had a few new recipes I tried out one being  First I made a big double batch of my grandma Rose's babka.  This time I wanted more coffee cakes so brushed on some apricot preserves topped with some chopped dried apricots

Rolled into a log and shaped into a circle

Once they were baked I brushed some heated thinned apricot preserves on their tops and more chopped apricots added  

finished chocolate babka loaf

we interupt this bake sale to bring you pictures of my boys! LOL Bruno with his frog

Buster playin with a bear

and Mr. Boopie Woopie Boo takin a break from playtime. layin on my leg

Chocolate almond babka ready to be rolled and shaped

rolled out and cut into 8 pieces

ready for rising, I will brush melted butter on the tops before they go in oven

So onto the work for the week!!  I was busy busy gettin ready for market yesterday and it was one of our best market days!!  I had a few new recipes I tried out one being  some mocha tarts filled with chocolate ganache'  not too sure this recipe was from better homes and gardens magazine and I really didnt like the batter of the tart shell so ended up givin them to the chickens, will come up with my own I think.   Susan played with some homemade fondant.  she made some little domed butter cakes. 

they are just too stinkin cute! 

A layer of sealing buttercream frosting went on first then the rolled fondant!  Oh the yummy smell of almond paste!! 

Susan used a mini cutter to cut out dots and attach them to the cakes just some fun and whimsical cakes for market.

Oh and here's my Bruno now all tuckered out from playin with the froggy!  LOL

It was easier to pipe the cake batter in the pan than scoopin it out. 

I made a bunch of coconut macaroons and dipped them in chocolate before market.    I also made some of my rustic cheddar herb biscuit loaf, some of my berry berry banana bread, pineapple upside down cakes, my grandma Rose's recipe from long ago, some cinnamon struesel filled babka loaves, oatmeal raisin cookies, chocolate chip cookies, lemon shortbread cookies, chocolate chip shortbread cookies, peanut butter cookies, cranberry pecan sandwich cookies with lemon cream filling and my peanut butter whoppie pie cookies, chocolate chip brownies, peanut butter cream chocolate chip sandwich cookies.    Oh and some lemon blueberry muffins, butter crumb topped coffee cakes, my loaded carrot cake, cinnamon swirl muffins, and some banana nut bread.  I think that might be all!~~  LOL like I said it was a busy week.  I did also find some new recipes to try out this week in the Joy of Cooking old book, one of my favos!  So will let yall know how they go!!  I am gonna make sure to remember my camera this week!!  LOL

So my boys and I are gonna go outside since the storms are over and sun is coming back outside!

Stay safe and have a great long weekend!!

HUGS

Darlene

HAPPY BAKING!!

 ~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Bakerella's cake truffles and more

I just love cranberries and orange together so made up a batch of muffins.

And here's the "farmgirl bling" a nice orange glaze for the tops.

Just the right amount to even the tart cranberries out.  I do put my cranberries thru a quick trip in the food processor as I dont like too big of chunks in the muffins or in cakes so this gives em a nice rough chop. 

Some of my pumpkin bread puddings. 

I made a quick cinnamon, brown sugar and butter struesel topping for them.    And since finding BAKERELLA  last year I love making her cake pops!! I havent had much luck with them staying on the sticks so instead decided to do some cake truffles instead.  That way they will travel to shows and market much better packaged in the little candy cups and in boxes.  so here are 4 pans ready for the oven.

 

After baking and cooling off I chopped up the cakes and put them in the freezer before shaping. 

Here's the cake after adding a homemade cream cheese frosting.  Yepper she suggested using your hands to do this and it makes all the difference to get that frosting competely mixed in. Wearing gloves makes it easy peasy too, I didnt care for rolling them out by hand so I relied on my trusty cookie scoop.  This is the middle size scoop and makes the perfect bite size rounds.   

2 batches made today, an  orange creamsicle, orange cake with vanilla pudding and the other is dark chocolate cake with choc pudding.  both have cream cheese frosting in them and they will be dipped in chocolate.  I am thinking of dipping the orange cake in white chocolate with maybe some orange drizzeled ontop and then the chocolate will be dipped in choc with white choc drizzeled ontop.  They are in the freezer at the kitchen waiting to be dipped.  IT is best to let them freeze up before dippin. 
Chocolate chip and peanut butter sandwich cookies were made and also some of my orange marmalade filled kolachy cookies.  I am taking some things to a store today and see how that goes!!  hopefully they will have luck with everything. 
And here's the pan of kolachy before bakin, they are not exempt for my "farmgirl bling" either they get a very generous dose of powdered sugar after cooling.  These are my grandma Rose's recipe that my mom and I make every year to put on our christmas cookie trays.  Speakin of we need to start gettin things in order for them xmas is right around the corner and we deliver trays of asst cookies and some candies to friends and businesses that deal with us.  And of cource the mailman gets a surprise in the mailbox, the trash guy, neighbors and family!!  Typically we make up about 15 kinds of cookies, some toffee and some barks and this year we will add maybe some mini muffins or a little loaf of a sweet bread too. 
I always look forward to holiday baking and experimenting with making up the trays and tins full.  I am gonna make some up for the shows in the next few weeks too.  While at Michaels and Hobby Lobby friday I found some great printed up holiday goodie boxes and bags so bought way too much but love that kind of stuff!! and it makes such nice gifts.  I would so rather have a gift that was handmade than something store bought.  We look forward to my mother and father in laws candy they give us each year so much!!  Yes I even like to recieve food gifts from others!  LOL  Lots to get done today, I have 4 more snowmen signs to finish up and then work on a sign that a friend ordered, go and dip the truffles,  make up some cookie doughs for next week markets and deliver an order and then maybe relax!!  LOL.  It is startin to cool off too and we are expecting rain sometime today too so good day to work inside!! 
Have a great weekend!!
Talk to yall again soon!!
HUGS
Darlene

  ~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

***Snowy Weekend**

HEY EVERYONE~~I tried a new cake recipe and it actually was good and went great at markets this week.  A super moist butter walnut cake roll that was filled with a cream cheese filling and then I added a layer of some of my homemade jams.  The walnut cakes had my strawberry apricot jam and then I made a lemon cake roll with cream cheese filling and added my red raspberry jam.  I had to keep a couple of slices for quality assurance!! and they were good!!

These logs are the cakes cooling.

A finished roll sliced.  I do have to mabye adjust this recipe a bit as the cake was really too moist.

these cookie are my loaded oatmeal NO FLOUR cookies, they had chopped walnuts, peanut butter, organic oats, choc chunks and for fun some pastel m & m candies!! perfect for spring!! which by the way this being the official first day of spring and to NO surprise to us michiganders IT IS SNOWING!! the trees are so danged pretty all white but it is suppossed to get up in the 40s tomorrow and it will be gone quick!!

These are a new coffee cake.  I dug thru some of my grandmothers old cookbooks that I have and found Aunt Lil's struesel filled coffee cake recipe.  This is a really moist and buttery cake, filled with chopped walnuts and brown sugar and cinnamon.  YOU all know I had to add my "farmgirl bling" to them.  A cinnamon glaze tops them off.   I will be anxious to hear the responses from market as they all sold yesterday.  Love trying out new recipes, making up new recipes and then doing the tried and true old recipes from our grandparents.

I am off to maybe work on some new scrappy things and finish up a couple of challenge pieces I am working on.  Hope yall enjoy your day!!!  HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND~!~

~HUGS~

Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~

Valentines Day Cakes

Here's a couple of cakes I made this am for the shop.   And a few of the cupcakes that I just did a quick decor on complete with polka dots! LOL
LOVE them polka dots on everything! cant u tell!LOL
So we have a great selection of cookies, my top favos and then blueberry lemon buttermilk muffins, some of the lemon cakes with raspberries or blueberries, some zucchini walnut bread, lemon pecan bread, cranberry orange scones and cookie pops which I forgot to take pics of them.  The cooler is about bull of arrangements and lots of teddy bears holding flowers so we are READY!!  LOL
Hope yall have a great night!
If anyone wants to order please call FLORAL TOUCH FLORIST 269-543-4658 or 543-4815 Thanks!!
HUGS
Darlene  ~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~