Tuesday, November 1, 2011
experimental whoopie
tried my first double batch of chocolate whoopies - will bake some up tonight for the college cafe, then whip up the rest of them tomorrow. will be interesting to see if doubling the recipe affects the batter. fingers crossed!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
i want a new oven range!
as proud as i am of our two brave little toaster ovens, i'm wishing on every evening star for a new fully functioning, baker-friendly gas oven range!! this baking on itty bitty trays in itty bitty ovens might make for a colorful story, but it surely does NOT make for a happy baker who uses time effectively & efficiently!! looking forward to welcoming a glorious new addition to our family of appliances - soon, please, universe!!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
last village market
my heart says - GO! making pumpkin sliders, regular chocolate whoopies, crackers. whatever doesn't sell will still be fine on monday for the cafe. go out in a "best practices" blaze, setting up even bigger & better success in springsummerfall 2012!!
pumpkin whoopie sliders delivered
hard to let them go. could so easily down so many in an incredibly short time. and, yes - they really ARE even better the next day!
Sunday, October 16, 2011
hiatus
took a bit of a hiatus from late august thru mid-october. feeling tender over those months, with so many "ten years ago" dates connected to mom's passing. not sad or even bittersweet - tender.
good to be back after a remarkable six weeks, an even more incredible ten years. the ethereal version of the world's biggest & best roller coasters & merry-go-rounds & ferris wheels & fire works all rolled into a single SPECTACULAR!!! best way to describe the past ten years, starting with that unforgettable day two weeks after mom was reunited with her o! best beloved and i got the boot out of bisys literally hours after returning - as demanded - from family leave. even then, within an hour of being shown the door, i suspected that mom had a fine hand in shaking the dust of the corporate world off my feet. that woman always did think i had bigger fish to fry & i'd realized that by the time the car got to willow grove. and nothing that's happened over the past ten years has made me think otherwise.
am back from a blogging hiatus & am rarin' to go with the next whatever. the best is yet to come!
good to be back after a remarkable six weeks, an even more incredible ten years. the ethereal version of the world's biggest & best roller coasters & merry-go-rounds & ferris wheels & fire works all rolled into a single SPECTACULAR!!! best way to describe the past ten years, starting with that unforgettable day two weeks after mom was reunited with her o! best beloved and i got the boot out of bisys literally hours after returning - as demanded - from family leave. even then, within an hour of being shown the door, i suspected that mom had a fine hand in shaking the dust of the corporate world off my feet. that woman always did think i had bigger fish to fry & i'd realized that by the time the car got to willow grove. and nothing that's happened over the past ten years has made me think otherwise.
am back from a blogging hiatus & am rarin' to go with the next whatever. the best is yet to come!
Monday, August 22, 2011
Best Farm Market to date!!
Everything went like clockwork - even with leaving the baking until Saturday, thanks to horrific thunder & lightning & great deluges of rain that rocked the area on Friday.
As vicious as the weather seemed Friday night, Saturday dawned beautiful & with hardly a smidgen of humidity. Paige Austin, bakers' organizer par excellence, was on vacation but Chara Daum handled the bakers' tables with a deft hand. It says A LOT that the folks behind the tables seemed to be having as good a time as those in front. Hard to believe that this next Saturday is the last scheduled market - it has been a remarkable experience for so many of us.
Plus - - the Whoopie Pies were a mega hit & every single gluten-free muffin sold!!
As vicious as the weather seemed Friday night, Saturday dawned beautiful & with hardly a smidgen of humidity. Paige Austin, bakers' organizer par excellence, was on vacation but Chara Daum handled the bakers' tables with a deft hand. It says A LOT that the folks behind the tables seemed to be having as good a time as those in front. Hard to believe that this next Saturday is the last scheduled market - it has been a remarkable experience for so many of us.
Plus - - the Whoopie Pies were a mega hit & every single gluten-free muffin sold!!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Prosperity Power!
Way to go - made over twice as much as last week's Bryn Athyn Bounty Farm Market than I did at the first! That's the sort of possible, prosperity-centered progress I want to be making.
This weekend - which is BA Bounty only, no Village Market - will be making my own recipe G-F (gluten-free) Morning Glorious Muffins and the Bodacious Blueberry, too. Had planned on skipping them this go-'round, as the tops turned sort of moist in last week's direct sunlight, but then Mary Van Z mentioned how totally delicious they were & how happy she was to be able to eat something gluten-free that someone else had made. So they're in, after all.
Introducing Whoopie Pies this weekend - classic Chocolate, with three filling options: iconic fluff, straight buttercream & raspberry buttercream.
Going to be a busy busy busy Friday night! Praise be that I'll be baking in a professional, licensed kitchen rather than depending on my incredibly dependable but takes-forever-to-bake-big-batches Brave Little Toaster Ovens.
This weekend - which is BA Bounty only, no Village Market - will be making my own recipe G-F (gluten-free) Morning Glorious Muffins and the Bodacious Blueberry, too. Had planned on skipping them this go-'round, as the tops turned sort of moist in last week's direct sunlight, but then Mary Van Z mentioned how totally delicious they were & how happy she was to be able to eat something gluten-free that someone else had made. So they're in, after all.
Introducing Whoopie Pies this weekend - classic Chocolate, with three filling options: iconic fluff, straight buttercream & raspberry buttercream.
Going to be a busy busy busy Friday night! Praise be that I'll be baking in a professional, licensed kitchen rather than depending on my incredibly dependable but takes-forever-to-bake-big-batches Brave Little Toaster Ovens.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
berwyn, here we come!
a new vendor event - an 08/11/11 "block party" in berwyn! will feel right at home - about 5 minutes from chad & whitney. a thursday, noon to 3:30 p.m.
will feature pet-traits, offer "deev's gone crackers" munchies, rep bill's best bbq sauce & offer the cat & dog quotes cum magnets as our kitty cottage fund raiser.
envisioning an after-event run to my beloved clay's corner bakery, then back track to the devon barnes & noble to wait out traffic, followed by a leisurely back roads meander home.
dinner at...?
fun!
will feature pet-traits, offer "deev's gone crackers" munchies, rep bill's best bbq sauce & offer the cat & dog quotes cum magnets as our kitty cottage fund raiser.
envisioning an after-event run to my beloved clay's corner bakery, then back track to the devon barnes & noble to wait out traffic, followed by a leisurely back roads meander home.
dinner at...?
fun!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Saturday, July 2, 2011
praise be!!
got a licensed kitchen!! gonna make chocolate-dipped strawberries & chocolate chip cookies (regular & gluten free) for the special july 4th village market!!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
accentuating the positive
am DETERMINED to discover a licensed kitchen to use this coming weekend to make chocolate-dipped strawberries & my deevalicious meat rubs for the very special july 4th village market. keep beating those bushes until i flush one out!!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
beating the bushes
friends with a certified kitchen are understandably unwilling to give me access ~ reasonable, practical response. c & s club charges $100 for an afternoon, decimating any potential profits.
a solution's out there, just keep looking and leaving a path to best profitable solution open!
a solution's out there, just keep looking and leaving a path to best profitable solution open!
Monday, June 20, 2011
pondering the impact
whenever our country's hit a rough patch, a lot of folks helped bolster faltering incomes by baking cakes & pies & other tasty treats to sell. we don't have that option these days.
two years ago, when i spent sundays from june-oct at the jenkintown whole foods famers market, all i had to produce was proof that i was using a health department-certified kitchen (which, thanks to lou & grace, i could rent at a good price). now, i'd need to get a license, too. the cost would cancel out any potential profits.
which leaves me unable to sell my hand-crafted, twice-baked crackers at the village market @ southampton station, or my rubs.
and i'm just one of thousands locked out of bolstering family incomes through such means. going to make a difference, a big difference.
two years ago, when i spent sundays from june-oct at the jenkintown whole foods famers market, all i had to produce was proof that i was using a health department-certified kitchen (which, thanks to lou & grace, i could rent at a good price). now, i'd need to get a license, too. the cost would cancel out any potential profits.
which leaves me unable to sell my hand-crafted, twice-baked crackers at the village market @ southampton station, or my rubs.
and i'm just one of thousands locked out of bolstering family incomes through such means. going to make a difference, a big difference.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
quiet victory
our 2nd market day - 05/28 - featured more vendors, but about the same amount of browser/buyers. hey, what do you expect on memorial day weekend? think of the debut market our tech rehearsal & this past saturday our full-dress rehearsal.
again, we featured john's artwork AND introduced bill's best bbq sauce, which we're repping on behalf of the fehon family. oh, and we sold decadently dipped chocolate-covered strawberries for a mere $1 - low cost makes for good kharma, as they are our kitty cottage fund raiser.
my crackers made their debut - for taste testing rather than purchase. the remaining crackers have a glorious future, part of next weekend's opening of a retrospective honoring the 10th anniversary of orchard artworks. how spiffy is that!!
bill's best was a hit - sold 8 bottles, plus one to myself to give the robinson family tomorrow (big grillers). john garnered the usual "ooooos" & "aaaahhhhs" and we raised $ for kitty cottage.
about kitty cottage - there were about 20 chocolate-covered strawberries left over. instead of divvying them up between gallaghers & staubs, as i would have last year, instead offered them to the first fb friend who'd give $10 as a kitty cottage contribution. diana glenn peterson asked if i'd swap the strawberries for 55 cans of fancy feast (purchased for her kitty, who then turned up her nose at wet food). the jackpot!! dropped by the strawberries & picked up the fancy feast, which we'll deliver (along with the $8) later this week.
a quiet market day, a decisive victory!
again, we featured john's artwork AND introduced bill's best bbq sauce, which we're repping on behalf of the fehon family. oh, and we sold decadently dipped chocolate-covered strawberries for a mere $1 - low cost makes for good kharma, as they are our kitty cottage fund raiser.
my crackers made their debut - for taste testing rather than purchase. the remaining crackers have a glorious future, part of next weekend's opening of a retrospective honoring the 10th anniversary of orchard artworks. how spiffy is that!!
bill's best was a hit - sold 8 bottles, plus one to myself to give the robinson family tomorrow (big grillers). john garnered the usual "ooooos" & "aaaahhhhs" and we raised $ for kitty cottage.
about kitty cottage - there were about 20 chocolate-covered strawberries left over. instead of divvying them up between gallaghers & staubs, as i would have last year, instead offered them to the first fb friend who'd give $10 as a kitty cottage contribution. diana glenn peterson asked if i'd swap the strawberries for 55 cans of fancy feast (purchased for her kitty, who then turned up her nose at wet food). the jackpot!! dropped by the strawberries & picked up the fancy feast, which we'll deliver (along with the $8) later this week.
a quiet market day, a decisive victory!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
mise en place, indeed
this month is always lunatic, filled with as many "must do" events as december. upped the ante this year, with our participation in the village market at southampton station.
our debut "market day" was may 14, with the next one this saturday.
we kept our opening day to the barest minimum - just showed off john's artwork, along with using chocolate-covered strawberries & oreos (a mega hit with the guys) as fund-raiser for kitty cottage. all went remarkable well, in spite of the overcast skies & really chilly temperatures (i wore my wool shawl to keep warm; john headed back home for his green jersey jacket). in spite of baking scores of crackers, set them aside for the time being.
this weekend, we'll spotlight john's artwork, my crackers AND the fehon's "bill's best bbq sauce" - will make the space, as giving them as much exposure (they're at glenside market every sat, same hours) as possible for their brand new product. my hope - but not a necessity - is to have hand mixed rubbing spices to sell, too. will also offer a $1 goodie to raise funds for kitty cottage (will do throughout market); will, at the very least, get in the seasonings from penzey's.
at our debut, it dawned on me that our canopy's struts are made of aluminum, which takes magnets. i made up a bunch of holders for promoting things of interest, at least to me ~ bats & the furniture lady, creative links du jour, "one ocean-many shores", kitty cottage, 2 keets in the kitten, smart-tay part-tay, we love our vet and john's website/my blogs. and i made two - "our story" and "what is the association for frontotemporal degeneration" for diane to use for the newspaper article about "bill's best" and info about the genetic disorder. they were my very own idea - didn't see it anywhere or adapt a similar idea. just came to me, unasked but very welcome.
it's beyond cool that john & i have, in the space of a vendor's spot, the opportunity to manifest our talents & interests. and that the event is being organized by a group of life activists from bryn gwelyd. it feels like the spot i've actively craved for 35 years (and probably forever on an unconscious level) has presented itself. all of my entities - and spotlighting john - in one spot. pretty awesome.
one of my blogs is called mise en place - "everything in its place." looking at where i am, what i am doing, what stretches in front of me awaiting my focused attentions, i realize how mise en place, the sweet spot i longed to experience, surrounds & uplifts me.
our debut "market day" was may 14, with the next one this saturday.
we kept our opening day to the barest minimum - just showed off john's artwork, along with using chocolate-covered strawberries & oreos (a mega hit with the guys) as fund-raiser for kitty cottage. all went remarkable well, in spite of the overcast skies & really chilly temperatures (i wore my wool shawl to keep warm; john headed back home for his green jersey jacket). in spite of baking scores of crackers, set them aside for the time being.
this weekend, we'll spotlight john's artwork, my crackers AND the fehon's "bill's best bbq sauce" - will make the space, as giving them as much exposure (they're at glenside market every sat, same hours) as possible for their brand new product. my hope - but not a necessity - is to have hand mixed rubbing spices to sell, too. will also offer a $1 goodie to raise funds for kitty cottage (will do throughout market); will, at the very least, get in the seasonings from penzey's.
at our debut, it dawned on me that our canopy's struts are made of aluminum, which takes magnets. i made up a bunch of holders for promoting things of interest, at least to me ~ bats & the furniture lady, creative links du jour, "one ocean-many shores", kitty cottage, 2 keets in the kitten, smart-tay part-tay, we love our vet and john's website/my blogs. and i made two - "our story" and "what is the association for frontotemporal degeneration" for diane to use for the newspaper article about "bill's best" and info about the genetic disorder. they were my very own idea - didn't see it anywhere or adapt a similar idea. just came to me, unasked but very welcome.
it's beyond cool that john & i have, in the space of a vendor's spot, the opportunity to manifest our talents & interests. and that the event is being organized by a group of life activists from bryn gwelyd. it feels like the spot i've actively craved for 35 years (and probably forever on an unconscious level) has presented itself. all of my entities - and spotlighting john - in one spot. pretty awesome.
one of my blogs is called mise en place - "everything in its place." looking at where i am, what i am doing, what stretches in front of me awaiting my focused attentions, i realize how mise en place, the sweet spot i longed to experience, surrounds & uplifts me.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
welcoming wisdom
How DID the kitchen get so knee-deep in clutter? Digging out, as I've an incredible amount of baking & mixing & making to do over the next four days! Happy days, doing what I love for people who appreciate it.
Joan Chittister writes in her book, Welcoming the Wisdom of the World, "It is the ability to spread happiness that moves the world, that gives a person scope, that unsticks me from the obsession on which I am stuck."
Whipping together cupcakes or handcrafting crackers or dipping strawberries in a chocolate bath, then hiking the final products to Glenn Hall or the Brickman Center or Artists Gallery gives me deep-down satisfaction. It's not, never has been, a way to get attention or validation, which can only be won by who we are not what we do, but a free-will offering of edible affection.
That's pretty splendid, in my book!
Joan Chittister writes in her book, Welcoming the Wisdom of the World, "It is the ability to spread happiness that moves the world, that gives a person scope, that unsticks me from the obsession on which I am stuck."
Whipping together cupcakes or handcrafting crackers or dipping strawberries in a chocolate bath, then hiking the final products to Glenn Hall or the Brickman Center or Artists Gallery gives me deep-down satisfaction. It's not, never has been, a way to get attention or validation, which can only be won by who we are not what we do, but a free-will offering of edible affection.
That's pretty splendid, in my book!
Monday, May 9, 2011
busy busy busy
making the goodies for this week's cairnwood village tea, rescheduled to wednesday from today; baking crackers for the village market at southampton station outdoor market (local-sustainable-handcrafted) debuting this saturday; and rustling up more crackers & my popular cheese ball for saturday evening's reception at artists gallery, lambertville.
all with just two small toaster ovens! looking forward to when i have the luxury of a fully-functioning oven range (may it be soon), but incredibly grateful for the beyond-belief efforts put out by two small stoves that fit just one toaster oven-sized tray of crackers. and they make a mighty tasty job of it!!
all with just two small toaster ovens! looking forward to when i have the luxury of a fully-functioning oven range (may it be soon), but incredibly grateful for the beyond-belief efforts put out by two small stoves that fit just one toaster oven-sized tray of crackers. and they make a mighty tasty job of it!!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
big doings afoot!
boy, was my brain buzzing last night! mega excited about the "local-sustainable-handcrafted" outdoor market at s-ton station, with lots of ideas careening around my cranium.
it would be so much fun to offer packets of rubs & popcorn seasonings along with our crackers. am checking to see if we could offer space to spotlight bill's best bbq sauce (if the fehons want to). and what a grand opportunity to offer my crafts for sale & show off crafts (even jewelry - although not for sale) showcased in creativity workshops.
can feel beams of creativity shooting out my fingertips! and it's not from me, which is wierd & fabulous at the same time.
and it all became two years ago with flights of cupcakes. o be joyful!!
it would be so much fun to offer packets of rubs & popcorn seasonings along with our crackers. am checking to see if we could offer space to spotlight bill's best bbq sauce (if the fehons want to). and what a grand opportunity to offer my crafts for sale & show off crafts (even jewelry - although not for sale) showcased in creativity workshops.
can feel beams of creativity shooting out my fingertips! and it's not from me, which is wierd & fabulous at the same time.
and it all became two years ago with flights of cupcakes. o be joyful!!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
local - sustainable - handcrafted
that's the vibe behind the village market at southampton station, which debuts on may 14 & runs thru oct.
with the lockphy murpharts as vendors!!
john will present his art work, particularly his pet-traits, while i'll hawk my crackers, craft workshops & cupcake parties, and maybe packaged meat rubs (waiting for okey-dokey on latter).
would love to give space to bill's best bbq sauce, if it's okay with denise & cathie and if the fehons approve.
looking down the road, will feature a variety of crafts - "in the (sister)hood" prints, "wish" boxes, utee pins - on various saturdays. tres laid back.
impossible to turn down the opportunity ~ organizers seem like kindred souls, great event space, just two saturdays a month & only from 9-1. if we know we can't make it on a given saturday, denise & cathie have a list of folks happy to step in for that date. what's not to love!!
and all from a) going to fred's b) being myself (talking up john at every opportunity) and c) following up. seeing the opportunity in front of us & taking it.
ain't life grand!!
with the lockphy murpharts as vendors!!
john will present his art work, particularly his pet-traits, while i'll hawk my crackers, craft workshops & cupcake parties, and maybe packaged meat rubs (waiting for okey-dokey on latter).
would love to give space to bill's best bbq sauce, if it's okay with denise & cathie and if the fehons approve.
looking down the road, will feature a variety of crafts - "in the (sister)hood" prints, "wish" boxes, utee pins - on various saturdays. tres laid back.
impossible to turn down the opportunity ~ organizers seem like kindred souls, great event space, just two saturdays a month & only from 9-1. if we know we can't make it on a given saturday, denise & cathie have a list of folks happy to step in for that date. what's not to love!!
and all from a) going to fred's b) being myself (talking up john at every opportunity) and c) following up. seeing the opportunity in front of us & taking it.
ain't life grand!!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
get real
i've got to get a good stove in full-working order that does what i need it to do. impossible to get a footing with pampered chef or realize my baking intentions with two small toaster ovens.
get real, girl, and get it done.
get real, girl, and get it done.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
tentative menu for 04/10 Artist's Gallery Reception
in case they want me to do the full spread - very similar to 04/10!
carrot cake mini cupcakes with cream cheese/toasted coconut frosting
cream puffs
sugar cookies
hand-crafted crackers
cheese
apple & pear chunks
carrot cake mini cupcakes with cream cheese/toasted coconut frosting
cream puffs
sugar cookies
hand-crafted crackers
cheese
apple & pear chunks
04/11 Menu ~ Cairnwood Village Monday Tea
mini cupcake carrot cupcakes
lemon chiffon tartlettes
sugar cookies
asst tea sandwiches
chunks of apple & pear
cheddar cheese
asst hand-crafted crackers
jelly beans
almonds
slices of choc-enrobed, butter-cream easter eggs?
lemon chiffon tartlettes
sugar cookies
asst tea sandwiches
chunks of apple & pear
cheddar cheese
asst hand-crafted crackers
jelly beans
almonds
slices of choc-enrobed, butter-cream easter eggs?
Monday, April 4, 2011
CV
NOT curriculum vitae, but Cairnwood Village.
Earlier this afternoon, ropped off tea sandwiches for this afternoon's "minister's tea" at Bryn Athyn's retirement community ~ egg salad, tuna salad and cream cheese with olive.
No idea if my older friends care or not, but feels good to do something special for such a special group of people. Somehow makes me feel closer to Mom & her circle of friends ~ Cornelia & Grandma Rose, Viola & Sylvia, Consuelo & Gay, Gig & Ellen. (Although I should, in that case, be making whiskey sours!)
Next week, I'm responsible for the full spread. Thinking a pre-Easter spread: lemon chiffon tartlettes, sugar cookies, tea sandwiches & cream puffs, along with chunks of apple & pear, goblets of grapes, cheese & my hand-crafted crackers, almonds & jelly beans, and maybe slices of Mom's chocolate-enrobed buttercream Easter eggs.
Earlier this afternoon, ropped off tea sandwiches for this afternoon's "minister's tea" at Bryn Athyn's retirement community ~ egg salad, tuna salad and cream cheese with olive.
No idea if my older friends care or not, but feels good to do something special for such a special group of people. Somehow makes me feel closer to Mom & her circle of friends ~ Cornelia & Grandma Rose, Viola & Sylvia, Consuelo & Gay, Gig & Ellen. (Although I should, in that case, be making whiskey sours!)
Next week, I'm responsible for the full spread. Thinking a pre-Easter spread: lemon chiffon tartlettes, sugar cookies, tea sandwiches & cream puffs, along with chunks of apple & pear, goblets of grapes, cheese & my hand-crafted crackers, almonds & jelly beans, and maybe slices of Mom's chocolate-enrobed buttercream Easter eggs.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
gloriously gilded lily
i normally shie away from oreo's attempts to expand its market beyond the classic cookie. but the newest attempt - sandwiched with peanut butter cream & enrobed in chocolate - calls to me for at least a taste test. and they are on sale at giant!
envisioning leaving a platter at bacnc (aka bryn athyn college) on 04/06 ~ nibblings of tastycake's butterscotch krimpets & this new incarnation of a timeless classic.
envisioning leaving a platter at bacnc (aka bryn athyn college) on 04/06 ~ nibblings of tastycake's butterscotch krimpets & this new incarnation of a timeless classic.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
triple lemon
am kicking off my end-of-year flourish (as far as bacnc goes) with a plethora of triple lemon cupcakes. a sunny thought on a miserably grey, bleak day! now to pick a day to drop off. oh yum!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Renewed zeal!
Keep an eye on this blog for news of my April activities as I devote the month to trying out new cupcake recipes from a cookbook treasure & the new BHG cupcake publication!
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