Category: Farm Girl Bakes

 

Baking is a prerequisite on the farm, it’s one of those things you learn very young and continue to hone into adulthood. These are the beautiful things that give us that extra energy when tending the fields, or reward us over the winter.

Grilled Rhubarb Cobbler

Grilled Rhubarb Cobbler

Every time I pick rhubarb for sale at the farm stand I think about the potentially diet-damaging and oh-so-delicious dishes I can create with the red celery-like stalks. I daydream about the cobblers and crumbles and compotes and jams and all of the wonderful ice creamy goodness! Then the summer temps slap those ideas right out of my head because this summer has been brutally hot. That’s the theme of my life these days and I’m not liking being (ahem) in my mid-forties one bit… especially in July. My hormones haven’t squelched my urge to cook and bake, but they have forced...Read More
Pi Day 2014: Raspberry Ricotta Pie

Pi Day 2014: Raspberry Ricotta Pie

I tend to get an idea in my head and dive in - only later realizing that what I thought was a great thing is, in actuality, a shit-ton of work. Yesterday I woke up and went about my usual routine and set my happy child on the school bus at 8:30am.  My daily scan of the school lunch menu revealed tomorrow (today) is 3/14.  I HAD to make a pie. How can any self-respecting blogger pass up this golden opportunity?  The pie itself wasn't really a shit-ton of work.  The list goes on after that: little jam turnovers made...Read More
Cabernet Chocolate Bundt Cake

Cabernet Chocolate Bundt Cake

Did you ever want to give someone a gift because they did something nice for you? Maybe 1) they helped you shovel ridiculous amounts of snow or 2) they watched your kid so you could have a girls night out when your regular sitter came down with a (legit) 104° temp or 3) they did something outrageously thoughtful and a simple card just won't do? Or, maybe you missed a birthday or Mother's Day or National Drink Wine Day (Feb 18th. No joke)? Perhaps you missed Valentine's Day.  I almost did... Give someone a gift because they did something nice for...Read More
Pineapple Upside Down Cake, or The Way to a(n Old Fashioned) Man’s Heart

Pineapple Upside Down Cake, or The Way to a(n Old Fashioned) Man’s Heart

There are some weeks when I go shopping and all I throw in my cart is junk.  I grab lots of cheeses (soft, creamy brie is a favorite) and crackers (wheat crackers are good for me!), ice cream (It's for The Boy! Riiight.), some Fritos (Scoops are nice, and so salty that your lips hurt after you eat them), Nathan's hot dogs and a tube of Crescent Rolls (who doesn't like impromptu pigs in a blanket?). There are other weeks when I spend more time in the produce section than in the rest of the store.  Those are the weeks...Read More
A Sweet Gift: Cranberry Almond Biscotti

A Sweet Gift: Cranberry Almond Biscotti

It's that time of year when you hear bakers and non-bakers alike mutter that famous line: I gotta make my Christmas cookies! I am not one of those people. I make a truckload of cookies the week before Thanksgiving for our annual Open House at the Farm and once that weekend is over, I'm so sugared-out that I cannot even think about cookie baking OR cookie eating. However, for a cause such as Cookies for Kids Cancer, I'll suffer just a little and bake up a batch.  Love and Olive Oil and The Little Kitchen have teamed up to host The...Read More
Baking Up a Storm – The Cookie Review

Baking Up a Storm – The Cookie Review

Wow. What a week! We celebrated the holiday a little early, as we have each year for the past eight, and hosted our Annual Open House at the Farm last Sunday.  It was a madhouse from the very start and what a fabulous day!  We had plenty of locally grown veggies on hand to sell to all who wished to create a gorgeous Thanksgiving meal in the true spirit of eating seasonal and local.  There were 10 other vendors inside our barn selling their homemade and homegrown goodies as well. Overall, I'd say it was an amazing turn-out and our...Read More
What to do with Bespeckled Bananas

What to do with Bespeckled Bananas

Obviously, make banana bread. But not some oily, bland, burnt banana bread... you want one that tastes just like Aunt Pam's! And Aunt Pam would be whom, you ask? Well, she would be my mom's sister, and she is also the family expert on banana bread baking.  None of the banana breads I've had can compare to hers. I set out to find a recipe on Sunday morning (because Sunday mornings were made for baking... in case you didn't know), and found one in The Fannie Farmer Baking Book by Marion Cunningham.  It looked like it would be similar to...Read More
Forgot to buy colored sugar for cookies?  MAKE IT!

Forgot to buy colored sugar for cookies? MAKE IT!

A friend of mine asked me to make a cookie donation to a very worthy cause: The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. As her way of raising funds for this cause, Katie hosted a Spa Day complete with raffles and giveaways and the cookies I sent her were included. I was absolutely honored to help. I can't say that I've lost anyone very close to me because of breast cancer, but it's touched the lives of several in my family and surrounding circles over the years. I've even had my own 'let's have another look at that shadow' and 'perhaps...Read More
No Dough Left Behind

No Dough Left Behind

Thomas will be turning 9 this week. He's wicked smaht with a mouth to match and has, apparently, no fear of punishment.  As much as it pains me afterward, I tend to let him have an opinion and voice it as well.  Then I suddenly regain my composure and tell him to zip it and go to his room until he can speak to me with respect and kindness. [caption id="attachment_4113" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Thomas snagged the camera once we arrived in sunny Florida.[/caption] It kind of irked me when we were away last week and he complained about my driving....Read More
Amazing Dulce de Leche-Kahlua Cream Cupcakes

Amazing Dulce de Leche-Kahlua Cream Cupcakes

Because you can't have a birthday without cupcakes! I started blogging exactly three years ago in hopes that my farmers market customers would stop by here to find the recipes and cooking ideas that I dole out with reckless abandon each week during market season.  Seriously, if you see me at market, you know that I will tally a sale, instruct workers, corral my child, zing my mother, and give a lecture on the proper care and storage of sweet corn all at the same time. Over the course of the last three years, however, this blog has undergone a...Read More