Sunny and stormy sunday

Well it is thundering one minute then sunshiney the next! Yepper this is MI weather.  Gosh it sure is hot again! we ususally dont have this hot weather this long and it is suppossed to be back up in the 90s again this comin week!! YUKK!!   thank goodness for central air!~ LOL Well here are a few pics from things that got made friday.   I did get quite abit ready for market sat.  We also started picking the sweet corn!~ Ambrosia is one of the best bicolor sweet corn we have ever grown and ate!!  Super super sweet and the first and second pickin's are the best!~!~  My hubby is so very picky about his sweet corn he watches and watches it until just the right perfect time to harvest!! we usually will have corn everynight for a couple of weeks to enjoy it !!  we usually freeze about 4 dozen ears and it is so sooooooo good all winter.   The best way to enjoy sweet corn is my hubby's grandmothers way!!  She uses an electric knife to take the corn off the ears then adds some sugar and a bit of salt to the pan and lets the kernals just come to a boil for a few minutes, cool then place in freezer bags with the liquid you cooked it in.  It tastes so fresh and sweet!~~    Super yummo I gotta tell ya~~  

So I made some apple walnut cakes, peach topped coffee cake that I added my own twist to~~ I will post the recipe and my additions at the end of this post.  Very good!~! 

Some of my glazed pistchio bread,

my rustic round herbed cheddar bread loaves.  They resemble the cheddar bay biscuits we used to get at Red Lobster.  Almond poppyseed bread with an almond glaze, and my very popular glazed peach praline topped muffins.

I made a glaze using the juice from our frozen peaches from last season. of cource as yall know they just have to have my "farmgirl bling"  LOL and I added some of my praline topping for the right amount of sweetness and crunch with the toasted pecan. I also made some of my popular cowboy cookies, some orange vanilla glazed orange cookies that tasted like an orange and cream drink by stewarts!! my favorite~, the squash n cheese filled ravioli were a big hit as the pierogies were too!!  My mom made her cheese n strawberry filled crepes and took them along and we sold quite a few they are so good heated a tad bit then topped with some sauce.  I like to also have them filled with cream cheese and fruit!! oh my goodness I am gettin hungry and maybe breakfast tonight,?? Oh I just rememberd while typin this we have steaks out and yepper u guessed it some fresh sweet corn already for supper.  We also like to make a foil pkg with aluminum foil add some chopped red taters, onions, fresh mushrooms, butter, seasoning and some rosemary sprigs fresh from the herb garden and put it on the top shelf in the grill.  They cook so nice n slow and all the flavors blend in so nice.   YUMMO!! 

Ok so I promised yall my herb cheddar bread recipe to here ya go my bakin lovin friends~

Rustic Cheddar Herb Bread

2 cups flour
1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dill weed

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/4 cup dried minced onion flakes

3 tablespoons cold butter

1 egg

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup milk  (I use buttermilk)



Directions

1.In a large bowl, combine the first nine ingredients; mix well. Cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. In another bowl, whisk the egg, sour cream and milk until smooth. Stir into dry ingredients until just moistened.

2.I spread this mixture into round baking pans that were coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on a wire rack.
I also sprinkled some cource kosher salt ontop of them.
 
I leave yall now hoping yall have a blessed evening!!  
HUGS
Darlene
 
. ~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Squash n cheese ravioli

Well my professional ravioli maker ELIJAH came in today and we did up egg dough, which is only 4 cups flour, 5 eggs, 2 tsp a good virgin olive oil, and a sprinlke of salt and just enough water to make a rough dough.  I put it thru the processor which is super easy and then put it thru the pasta machine up to number 7.  I sauteed some of our fresh yellow squash, patty pan squash, and zucchini along with some red and sweet onions in butter. let it cool then added a lg container of ricotta cheese and a touch of pepper.   We flash froze them and packaged em up for market tomorrow.  

These are my blueberry banana muffs, did some loaves of bread too.

My own recipe for luscious lemon scones.   Fresh grated lemon zest and fresh squeezed lemon juice add a perfect lemony taste for these.  There is just no comparison for lemon juice than the real thing.

Unbaked rustic rosemary cracker bread.  I used some of my dried rosemary from last summer to make these and the whole oven smelled of rosemary.  YUMMO!!  They are nice and crispy and would go perfect with a sharp cheddar spread or maybe a garlic cheese spread too.

So that was some of the treats we made yesterday today will be a busy day with a few new recipes, one being an almond amish poppyseed bread, a peach cardamom coffee cake, and a blueberry coffee cake.  Also cookie dough was made so they need to be scooped out and baked.  A busy baking day for markets!

TOMORROW is ALLEGAN Market stop on by for great foodies!!  Lots of produce and treats for your shoppin pleasure!~ 

Have a happy tuesday yall!!

HUGS

 Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Relish, babies, and bread

My friend gave me a new kitchen gadget and I am in love!! LE PRESSE!!  it is so easy and can do so many cuttings!! It is a hand cranked cutting machine that actually is very useful.   It is big and comes with a tower full of cutting dies that also will rice, grate, chop, dice, extract juice, and julienne veggies.   So I wanted to play and brought in some cucumbers from the garden and made my dixie relish.   It has candy sweet onions from VISSER FARMS, in Zeeland MI, our cucumbers and peppers, lots of apple cider vinegar, which by the way is made right here in sw michigan and the Heinz factory in Holland, celery seed, mustard seed and salt.  This is great on burgers, brats or I like to add it jack up a plain ol sandwich.  It also tastes great in tater salad or mac salad.

And we got our last load of babies in, we have had no luck hatchin out our guninnea eggs so I ordered 15 of them from our feed store and also got in some more Isa Brown hens and some plymouth white rock hens.  Miss Margaret and Miss Annamae did hatch out 3 more little babies and boy I can sure tell which rooster is doin the deed as these two ladies are white and brown and the babies are solid black. last time they hatched some eggs they came out white with black spots so it is always fun to see the surprises!! and my girls are such good mammas to these babies.  And we also got another pair of bronze turkeys.  My little guy "frankie" the bronze turk that we got in may is growing and doin great.  The 2 new ones are suppossed to be a pair but we will see how that goes you never know.Here are some lemon buttermilk cakes I made for markets last week some had fresh Mi blueberries some with our red raspberries and then a few with both berries mixed.  And my fabulous  BERRY BERRY BANANA BREAD which is always a big hit.  IT has both blueberries and strawberries cut into my banana bread.   This week I am thinkin of tryin a new banana bread maybe chocolate chip or chunky monkey with peanut butter and chocolate chips?? 

I am taking my mom out to breakfast this am to Saugatuck so we can eat on the deck at IDA REDS.  THEY have the BESTEST BREAKFASTS!! I love that place and the atmoshpere in town is charmin, by the deck outside there is a little waterfall and flowers and it is just awesome!!so is my mommy though!! SHE IS THE BEST EVER!!  I had Elijah make some spinach cheese ravioli last week and they were amazing!! HE did a wonderful job on them and they look perfect!!  This week is a new ravioli!!  I sauteed some red onions, yellow squash, zucchini and some patty pan squash in butter with a touch of fresh chopped garlic and some pepper and mixed it with some ricotta cheese and guyerre cheese and some fresh parmesean so cant wait to try that!! I thought it would be fun since we are picking alot of squash now and sauteed it tastes amazing!!These are my white chocolate thumbprints with red raspberry preserves ontop, and some of my rustic round cinnamon raisin bread.Before bakin they look have such a nice light tan color from all the cinnamon in them and after they are nice and golden and I add just a touch of melted butter mixed with some cinnamon sugar for the tops.

Ok well it is time for me to get ready to get my mom  so I will chat more with ya later.  Hope your july is going smoothly and it isnt too awful warm for ya!! I know they are talkin in the 90s this week here!! too hot for me but it doesnt last too long so I can handle it!!

The produce is just abundant right now so if yall are nearby stop on by for some fresh yellow squash,patty pan squash, 8 ball round italian zucchini, green and yellow zucchini, cucumbers, onions, beets, and soon I will have fresh beans out in the farmstand for ya!!  we are located just off Lakeshore Drive and 120th ave.  Someone is usually around and will help if you have any questions.  Peaches and Nectarines soon too!! 

we are 2 miles south of Glenn, and just 10 min south of Saugatuck.  OPEN 7 days a week!!

HUGS

Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Back to it tues!!

My little Mr. Boopie Woopie Boo and a squeaky toy, he is such a mommys boy I love it!

Well hubby and I took the day off yesterday and just played around at home with the boys.   It was heavenly!! I havent had a day like that in quite awhile so it was good and now i feel refreshed and reenergized to get back to work at the kitchen today!!  Lots of things to make to make up for my slackin day yesterday LOL

My mom and I picked some black raspberrries that were ripe and put them in the freezer til we have enough to make a big batch of jam.   I just love these little hollyhocks they are so cute and fit nice along the garden fence.  I did plant another flat of them so we will have even more next year. 

I had several of these pretty stargazer lilies planted along fence but this is the only one that came up this year.  They smell divine! 

Pics of our black rasp bushes, we keep lettting them spread out so we have more and this year they are nice and big and tasty!  I might even have enough to also make a batch for some syrup or ice cream topping. 

Just a few celery bunches, and also some green table onions.  

We are making pierogies today and some spinach n cheeses stuffed ravioli and I want to make some blueberry orange bread since I got some fresh blueberries, strawberry coffee cakes and mabye some orange cream cookies.  I been putting together and testing a recipe for these cookies and cant wait to try them out.  They will be a orange flavored butter cookie with vanilla buttercream filling, maybe a root beer one would be next.  A root beer float cookie sounds too yummy!!

So I am off to pick up my mom and run to the store to get some ingredients then it is off to work for me!

Hope yall have a great tues and are enjoying this beautiful season!!   I already have my camera in the truck so I dont forget to take it to the kitchen today. last week i forgot it almost everyday.

HUGS

Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

HAPPY HAPPY 4th OF JULY YALL~~

WOW!! I have NEVER seen our market so busy as it was today!! And usually we have until about 9 am or so until folks start comin but today by 8 am there were tons of customers!! and what a positive atmosphere today!! AND thank you to everyone and all the wonderful comments today.  Not to brag but here are a few comments about our products!! "YOU ROCK", Your baked goods are just as I remember my grandmothers to be", (love that one) "THANKS for being here at market and giving your customers so much variety" and also "I am so glad you are here as  I dont bake and know I can come to this market and your delicious goodies will be here for me"~~ LOL THANK YOU EVERYONE!! I feel truly BLESSED and cant thank yall enough for buyin  from me and trusting me to make you a tasty quality product!!  I just am overwhelmed!~  My mom and brother came down to market to help and believe me I could not have done it without them.  We had line ups in the booth and it was so nice to talk to people and watch as folks even argued over the last package of the tater n cheeses pierogi!!  I will make more this week!! ELIJAH!! where oh where is my "pierogi pro"??   LOL he made several dozen of them on friday~   I will see u tues!!  What an asset he is too!!~  and fun to work with!

So here are a few of the items we offered this week:   these little cookies are actually my nekked glazed lemon tea cakes and are so dang yummy too!! a favo at markets, and with their "farmgirl bling' glaze they just pop off the plate!!

Blueberry banana muffins were a big hit and also my butter crum streusel topped blueberry muffins,  strawberry banana bread, zucchini pineapple bread, blueberry banana bread, lemon glazed muffins,  cherry crisp, my peach praline crisp, glazed pistachio bread,  rustic cheddar herb bread rounds, loaded carrot cakes, babka coffee cakes filled with frut jam and streusel and also a chocolate and streusel filled babka bread were the populars.   I did run out of my peanut peanut butter whoppie pies and cranberry lemon cream filled cookies and also the blueberry lemon muffins early but there still was plenty of goodies available.  There was a big demand for ravioli but we just didnt have enough time to get it done for todays market.  NEXT week!!  right Elijah"?? LOL

Anyway that was a few of the goodies we had and it was really fun not to have to pack up very much at the end of market.    Again thank you to all my wonderful customers/friends that come out to buy from us!!    Well I have to run and get chores done and it is off to bed time for me and the boys we are all beat!! I am gonna try my bestest to stay in bed tomorrow am at least until 6 am!!  sleepin in for sure!

I hope yall have a very blessed 4th of July weekend, with the cookouts, picnics, trips to the beach, or maybe just layin around in a hammock under shade trees, or in a lounge chair on a deck ENJOY! 

and sip on some sweet tea and RELAX!  people dont take time to just relax and breathe anymore!! we are all in fast forward mode and I say ENOUGH YALL!! time for me~

Have fun, be safe and please remember all of our men/women fighting for this beautiful great country of ours!!  AMERICA WE LOVE YA!!

HUGS!!

Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~