Sweets for Valentine Sweeties

Friends Zoe and Janessa enjoyed some mini cupcakes for Valentine's Day at the Worthington Winter Farmers' Market this past Saturday. We had a nice crowd who came out and braved the cold weather to pick up their purchases. Thanks to everyone for coming!

And for Valentines' Day my pies always have to be pretty.........

Snowday

There's nothing like a snowday to get me motivated to bake something just for my family, clean up the kitchen, and organize all the cookbooks and inspirational magazines that I've accumulated. I look outside and see the huge icicles hanging from the roof and the constant falling snow and I know I will surely appreciate spring this year. I know my husband Jim will too as he works for ODOT and has been working many 12 hour shifts plowing the roads in northern Licking County. Winter is beautiful but...come on..enough is enough!!

Here is a fun Snowman Family from Worthington

Pretty Pies and Valentine's Cupcakes

This Saturday we will be at the Worthington Winter Farmers' Market with delicious fruit pies and mini cupcakes. If you want something special for your Valentine this would be the perfect time to order their favorite sweet as we have another market on February 13...the day before Valentine's Day, how perfect! How about their favorite mini pie decorated with hearts packaged in its own box and tied with a bow?? Or a box of mini cupcakes: decadent dark chocolate with chocolate buttercream frosting, vanilla bean with pink buttercream or red velvet with cream cheese frosting? All wrapped up with a pretty bow. All you need is the card.

Mini Cupcakes and Mini Pies.....oh what a sweet small indulgence

Mini pies and cupcakes can satisfy that sweet tooth without causing the guilt of having eaten a whole slice of cake or pie...don't you think? Just a small sweet indulgence, like this mini apple pie. Or these mini cupcakes: Red Velvet w/cream cheese frosting, Dark Chocolate w/chocolate buttercream frosting and Carrot Cake w/cream cheese frosting. Yummm!

I'll see you all at the Worthington Winter Farmers' Market this Saturday with all of the above. Bring your sweet tooth!

Happy New Year Everybody!

A new year means trying new things and I'm always searching for new recipes for delicious goodies to bring to market. Today we had a FRIGID start to the day but our Columbus Winter Farmers' Market was well attended and enjoyed by all. I try to bring things that people can sit and enjoy with a steamy cup of coffee as we have a hospitality area where you can sit a spell and visit.

I'm learning about the lovely little treat called "scones". Yummmmmmmmm! My good friend, Dana Landrum (Landrum Cottage) introduced them to me awhile ago but I only made them a few times. Well, I made them for today's market and they sold out fast! Below is a picture of my cranberry scones slathered with heavy cream ready for the oven. After they come out I drizzle them with a lemon glaze. Wow, these are so heavenly...they melt in your mouth :)

"Christmas in the Country"

Every year I ask myself if I'm going to have another Christmas open house...I ponder the question awhile then decide, "YES!" I started having my open house in 2005 as a way to provide Christmas baked goodies for friends and family. We gather together and enjoy good food and hot spiced cider. Over the years it has grown and this year I was joined by friends Bee Katz of "Cowtown Candies", Gretel Adams of "Sunny Meadow Flower Farms" (you may have seen her on the cover of Columbus Monthly recently), and my sister-in-law, Becky Joseph. What wonderful handmade items they brought! Delicious fudge, cards with beautiful photography, lovely scented handmade soaps...........something for each of our senses!

While the open house is a lot of work and preparation, we sure have a good time being together. Isn't that what the season is for? Being together?

Here are the "Elves" who helped me prepare for my 4th annual "Christmas in the Country" Open House. Thanks to my Mom (Effie), Cousin Vicki and friend LeAnn, we enjoyed a very successful day. Not pictured is my daughter Caitlin-thanks for all your help Cait!! We couldn't ask for better weather...sunshine, cool but not too cold, and no slippery roads! Thanks to everyone who came and enjoyed themselves. I'll share some pictures of the goodies we had for gift buying, parties, Santa's plate, etc. We had a "make your own cookie dozen" table which was a huge hit. We'll have to have a repeat performance next year.

I baked for so many hours I lost track. I do know I baked about 60 dozen various cookies and at least 25 dozen sugar cookies. There were also Cranberry Orange Breads, Pumpkin Spice Breads, Cocoa Banana Breads, and Old Fashioned Pecan Tassies. After the open house I baked some more.....pies, cookies, breads. I sure hope everyone enjoyed what they bought. I had fun not only baking everything but also making them look pretty and packaging them for your parties and gift giving. Above are Gingerbread Men, Chocolate Sugar Cookies with Peppermint Candy Cane Sprinkles, Cherry & Apricot Rugelage, Cherry Thumbprints drizzled with White Chocolate, Peanut Butter Blossoms, Chocolate Dipped Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Beautiful Buttercream Froster Sugar Cookies.

I'm hoping everyone had a wonderful Christmas and will have a safe and Happy New Year!

Being Thankful

I take great pride in this beautiful apple pie because my daughter Sara made it for her friends when they celebrated Thanksgiving in her tiny Brooklyn apartment last Sunday. I think her artistic expression says it all................................

Holiday Baking: Get Ready, Get Set...BAKE!!!!

We had our very first Columbus Winter Farmers' Market of the 2009-10 season this past weekend and it was such a gorgeous day. Thanks to all who came to visit us. I'm glad I have a few markets to get me ramped up for holiday baking. So far I'm in for about 20 pies, some pumpkn rolls and cookies. Shouldn't be too bad. As you can see in the picture above, I've baked a lot of pies over the holidays :) This was just a fraction of what I made one year. I think the grand total was 72 large pies. Whew!!!

Please come see us this coming weekend at the market (you can check out the website @www.columbuswinterfarmersmarket.com There will be lots of wonderful goodies for your Thanksgiving table. I'll definitely have a variety of pies (Apple, Pumpkin, Pecan for starters), Chocolatey Chip Pumpkin Cookies, Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread, Fannie's Apple Walnut Brownies, and who knows what else?

See you Saturday!!

Shipping Goodies to Loved Ones is EASY

I'll be baking this week so I can ship some fall cookies and pumpkin spice bread to my Sara in NYC-she's needing a taste of home about now. If any of you ever need some sweets shipped most of my cookies and breads travel quite nicely. Sara is my test market and everything has arrived delicious and fresh and uncrumbled. I don't ship pie, of course-that would be a disaster. Holidays are a great time to share the love through homebaked goodies!!

Halloween Fun

We sure had fun at the last Westerville Farmers' Market! Thanks to all who came to see us. Have a super year and don't forget the winter markets.

Come visit me at the Columbus Winter Farmers' Market

For all of you "foodies" who are addicted to farmers' markets with their availability of locally grown and produced foods, the friendships established and the atmosphere of the market, you MUST come to the Columbus Winter Farmers Market. Saturdays, November through April at the First Unitarian Universalist Church, 93 W. Weisheimer Rd., Columbus. It starts November 14 @ 10am until 1pm. Check us out @www.columbuswinterfarmersmarket.com. See you there!

Summer Farmers' Markets are winding down.....

This week is the last Westerville Farmers' Market for 2009 and I will miss it something awful! We have had a tremendously loyal customer base who stuck with us through all the crazy weather of 2009. I hope to see you all there Wednesday. Many of us vendors will be dressed for Halloween and hope to trick or treat you all...so see you there my pretties :)