Sue's Kitchen: bakery in central ohio

Showing posts with label bakery in central ohio. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Crumb Topping for Pies, Muffins, Coffeecakes....you name it!

   I don't know about you, but I think baked goods need to be visually appealing. Yes, they have to taste good but presentation is also important! Something I use to "top off" my blueberry muffins, coffeecakes or crumb top pies is my "Crumb Topping." It's simple to make and adds so much to whatever you put it on.
   Here's Sue's Crumb Topping recipe and "how-to":
   In a food processor, process 1 stick COLD butter ( if it's not cold it will be clumpy and mushy), 1 cup flour, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup sugar, pinch of salt. Process until tiny pea size. You can add 1/4 tsp cinnamon if you want, especially with anything with apples. Add a heaping tablespoon on each muffin (I then add some more fruit on top) or cover your coffeecake or pie with the crumbs. Bake using your recipe's instructions.
   I keep extra crumb topping in the freezer for quick use.
   Check out the picture of the muffin at the top of my blog for the crumb topping...yum! They are crowd favorites at Market 65 as well as my Farmers' Markets.
   Happy Baking!!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Baking a LOT!!

   As you can see by the above picture, Sue's Kitchen is busy baking fresh pies and cookies for customers at the Westerville and Granville Farmers' Markets. I can't begin to add up the many dozens of cookies my oven produces each week and I can only guess there's about 40 pies each week. Then there's muffins, brownies, Biker bars, cinnamon rolls and whatever else I decide sounds good.

   Strawberry season is about over, as well as rhubarb....But the cherries are coming on and soon we will have Lodi apples and peaches....and berries!!

   Remember, I can hold back a pie or two if you call or e-mail me ahead of time. The pies go fast!! See you at the market!

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Lots of Baking for Fun & Parties & Fundraisers :)

We've been busy at Sue's Kitchen and it's not even market season yet!! We've made pretty party dress sugar cookies for a bridal shower, loads of jumbo blueberry crumb and apple pie muffins for Market 65, and petite cheesecakes with fresh strawberries, (all pictured above).

And now-we're putting the finishing touches on a Vintage Spring Gift Basket for the Morrow County Hospice fundraiser. The basket has fresh baked chocolate chip, snickerdoodle and sugar cookies, a loaf of Springtime Carrot Lemon Bread, a darling vintage apron, hand embroidered dresser scarf, a Pat Wharton porcelain bunny pin, vintage recipe cards, and recipe books all in a beautiful white basket. I hope the lucky person who receives this basket enjoys it as much as I did putting it together.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Enjoy Spring Sugar Cookies and Strawberry Rhubarb Pie!

Spring in Sue's Kitchen means buttercream frosted sugar cookies with all kinds of pretty sprinkles AND strawberry rhubarb pies. I'll have both plus more goodies at the last Columbus Winter Farmers' Market this Saturday, 10am-1pm. We're at the Clintonville Woman's Club. See you there!

Thursday, March 3, 2011

The Clintonville Woman's Club enjoyed Chicken Pot Pies!

Last week I partnered with one of the best chef's in town (Chef Auggie from The Clintonville Woman's Club), to make 100 chicken pot pies for their Founders' Dinner. I made the crusts and club's emblem for the top and he did the rest of the work. I heard they were a Humongous Hit and after eating this one I know why. Not to brag or anything, but the crust was the flakiest I've ever eaten and the chicken/veggie filling was to die for. I love it when a collaboration comes together!!

For those of you who missed it, here's a bite:

I'm off to bake some triple chocolate brownies and

lots of cookies for Market 65. Enjoy the day!!

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Sue's Kitchen at Market 65

Hey all you foodies...there is a new restaurant in town and it's called "Market 65". It is located at 65 E. State Street and opens tomorrow, February 28th. Sue's Kitchen has been asked to provide some of the delicious fresh baked goods (muffins, cookies and triple chocolate brownies) on the daily menu so please check it out! You can view the menu on their website: http://www.marketsixtyfive.com/ or facebook page.
Good Luck with the grand opening tomorrow, Pat & Anthony!

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Happy Birthday Rose!

I recently was asked by one of my customers, Jane, to make a double layer chocolate cake with chocolate icing for Rose who was turning 10. She wanted peace signs and bright colors and the shapes to be "10". Well, as I've said before...I'm a pie baker and not a cake baker but here is my effort and I have to say I was pretty happy with how it turned out. Jane said it was a hit so that's all that counts. Happy Birthday, Rose!!

About Me

I grew up in the country in Ohio on the family farm baking alongside my Mom and Gramma…back when we grew huge vegetable gardens, foraged the fields and woods for summer’s blackberries, and picked tart cherries until the juice ran down our arms. We spent many a hot afternoon “putting up” gallons of transparent applesauce for our enjoyment later in the winter. Those hot summer afternoons were also just right for raising bread dough on Gramma’s dining room table, later to be hand-rolled into buns and slathered with butter when they emerged from the oven for us to eat. Now that I think about it, it seems only natural to me that one day, many years later I would decide to share my love of baking with others.

After leaving Ohio, moving around, going off to college and working as a nurse, my husband Jim and I came back to our family farm and built our home. We raised our two daughters, Sara and Caitlin, and have been fortunate to have our parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents and extended family close by. How blessed we are to have such wonderful family! Then about seven years ago I decided I wanted to do something to make extra money. Sara was going off to college and I thought this would help with expenses. Farmers’ Markets were just starting to become a popular Saturday morning venue for socializing, buying fresh produce and sampling all kinds of delectable goodies artisans, like myself, baked and brought to sell at the market. I visited our town’s market one day with my Mom and I thought to myself. “I can do this!” And so, our local farmers’ market is where I took a leap of faith and “Sue’s Kitchen” was born.

Each week as I set up my table and put out my pies and cookies I was amazed by how many people do not bake anymore. Is it our fast paced lives that prevent us from throwing flour and butter together to produce yummy cookies? Are fewer people being taught this art as they grow up? Or is it just too easy to hit the local supermarket and pick up a pre-packaged sweet to take home? Whatever the reason, I quickly found how much that lost art of baking is truly missed.

Baking with heirloom recipes has brought smiles to the faces of my customers over the years, especially my homemade pies with flakey crusts and fresh juicy fruit fillings. When I use the leftover pie dough for cinnamon sticks I find my customers have their own family story and nickname for these treats: “roley poley” “cinnamon rolls”,etc..Whatever the name, they say when they were kids they waited in anticipation for them to be done baking then devoured them while still warm. I remembered the cookies Mom baked for us kids and she gave me her Oatmeal Raisin cookie recipe, which I make every week. I always loved Gramma Rose’s Molasses Sugar cookies, which are a fall favorite. I am lucky to have her old wooden recipe box complete with all her handwritten recipes, tips and even some letters. Some interpretation is needed here and there to replace her “butter the size of an egg” with actual measurement.

Another summer farmer’s market season is just beginning along with the growing anticipation of what new to bake, how to reach out to more people and how to design my new logo and website with the help of my friend Linda and my daughter Sara. I hope you all enjoy the ongoing happenings from Sue’s Kitchen.

Sue's Kitchen

Sue's Kitchen Menu