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~~

TGIF

OH MY GOODNESS! I have a NEW FAVO!!  BABKA FILLED COFFEE CAKE!! First of all let me tell yall if you have never made or eaten Babka!! TRY IT!! DO IT! you will love this bread/cake.  IT is a very nice recipe to work with and I will post a recipe for you this weekend.   It has a light texture and perfect taste!!  I made a cinnamon butter streusel to put inside and shaped the dough into a round wreath for something different.  Taking a dough scraper blade cut 1/2 way into the dough around the circle and lightly open to fan them outward a bit to shape the edges.  I didnt want these cakes too thick and they turned out just perfect!  Before baking I brushed the tops with a bit of melted butter then lightly sprinkled a bit of cinnamon and a few crumbs of the streusel. 

After baking they needed a bit of my "farmgirl bling" so I made some vanilla glaze to drizzle ontop.  OH if I could just send yall a taste you would be hooked I promise!  YUMMYNESS for sure.  Next week I am gonnna try them with a bit of a cream cheese filling or maybe even homemade almond paste filling! cant wait!!  LOL

These were my grandmothers old southern peach cobblers that are do delish!  I love making these and they are one of my best sellers at market.  Oh by the way I will be starting to sell at the FULTON STREET ARTISAN MARKET everyother sunday starting in 2 weeks!! June 20th will be my first day! I will have some favorites and new ones to offer there!!  Hope to see u there!! mention you seen my blog and I will have a treat for yall!! 

Banana nut bread available with and without nuts.These are my Grandma Rose's rhubarb cakes!  Found this recipe diggin thru one of her old recipe books and she marked good next to it so figured it was a must try!  they turned out yummy.  A bit of brown sugar sprinkled on top for a bit of sweetness, a nice contrast to the tart rhubarb.

Well let me share with you what today will bring!!  QUICHE!!  Yepper today will be asparagus, ham and cheese quiche!!  I am gonna bake them and take them frozen to market tomorrow!!  Will take pics of them and the progress today at the kitchen!!    So with that said it is time to get my butt off puter and get to the kitchen to work!!  YEAH!! YIPPEE let the quiche fun begin!!  C U this weekend!

Have a blessed day!

HUGS

Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Buns and market day

I made an extra batch of bread dough and decided to play around and make some homemade sandwich or hamburger buns.  I found out you really use the palm of your hand to get a nice finished round edge on them. So after scaling them out at 3 oz each roll the dough around the counter then cup your hand over it pushing in with your thumb to form a perfect circle.  Easy peasy!! and they turn out fantastic!Using a pastry brush to apply a bit of egg warsh to each one then top with seeds.  LOL egg warsh is a perfect glue!!I am so so SO lovin babka!!  What a smell when that bread is baking! heavenly and the dough is so nice to work with and smooth!!   This week I made walnut struesel filled and also a few had some chopped dried apricots also.

This bread rises perfect and looks just delish!!

Sat was my first day back at South Haven Farmers Market and it was better than ever!! seein everyone again and some of my friends stopped by to say hi, which was an added bonus!! Great to see ya Mo, Donna, Gayle, Louise, Elaine and Lynn (miss you guys) Cathy and Deb and    Oh EVERYONE ELSE TOO!   I loved and enjoyed chattin with yall!!  And of cource all my farmer peeps!!!  If it wasnt for all of you my life wouldnt be the same!! and a HUGE GINORMOUS THANK YOU TO ALL THE CUSTOMERS!! we couldnt do a market without yall!!   Oh and whoever was the entertainment yesterday.......... YOU GUYS ROCK!! it was awesome music!!  IF you are near South Haven MI, stop on by on sats for a great time!!  Each week there is someone coming to play music and of cource we have something for everyone, local produce, jams/jellies, great granola, local honey, organic meats, jerkey, beautiful plants, herbs, perenials, handmade goods, soaps, wonderful frozen yogurts, salsas, and of cource AWESOME baked goods!!! LOL

Here are a few pics of market early on as we were all gettin set up.

This guy knows how to grow beautiful perenials!!  GORGEOUS! and he is a great neighbor at market too!!

Well hope yall have a blessed weekend and please take a moment out of your day to thank all the men and women in the military who fight for our freedom and who have graciously given their lives for what we are today....

HUGS

Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~