"It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas."

The month of December is my favorite month of the year. It's not because my birthday is in December; it's because of Christmas. I LOVE Christmas. It's decorations that can be seen from store fronts, front lawns, and town squares. It's the music that is piped through speakers in the stores or over the radio waves. It's the thought of giving a special gift to someone. It's the movies, old and new, playing continuously throughout the month. It's also the goodies that grace office parties, family parties, and get-togethers.

When I think back on Christmas' past, I can recall fond memories like visiting my grandparents in West Virginia and experiencing snow for the first time. Grandma Phillips would always have pepperoni rolls and popcorn balls waiting any and all who stopped by. She would also serve Broccoli and Cheese Casserole for dinner. When visiting my other grandparents a few hours away from my dad's parents, one would walk into the kitchen and see Granddad Nestor making his pies. He would make an Apple pie and a Cherry pie knowing that my mom loves cherry but hates apple and my dad loves apple but hates cherry. Grandma Nestor had the ribbon candy in a bowl on the coffee table in the living room. In our house, we would sit around the tree and each person would pick their favorite Christmas song and we would worship together as a family. Dad would read the Christmas Story from Luke and we would open one present from the grandparents before heading to bed.

Now that we are all grown up and have moved away from home, we've started new traditions while keeping old traditions. I've learned how to make spritz cookies from my mother-in-law and will be learning how to make anise braids in a couple of weeks. These are goodies that my husband grew up having in his home during the holidays. Keeping him from eating the spritz cookies that are stored in the freezer will be a challenge but a good one. Another tradition we kept is reading the Christmas story. A new tradition is the annual worship team Christmas party held at our house. We host the party the first weekend after Thanksgiving because the month of December can be very busy and chaotic. We always make a goody that people can take with them. One year it was homemade hot chocolate mixes in canning jars. Let's just say that that idea was never done again. This year instead of making cookies, we opted to do different desserts.

 Homemade Cashew Turtles, Red Velvet Cupcakes with Butter Cream Frosting, Les Canneles, Madeleines, Chocolate Covered Strawberries, and Dark Chocolate boats with Lemon Pudding and fresh fruit were the dessert options. The Les Canneles and the chocolate boats were the most time consuming and frustrating desserts to make but they were the most popular. Everyone had a lovely time and were able to take boxes of sweets home when they left.

 Yes, December can be busy, frustrating, and just plain tiring but I still love the month and all that comes with it. This December not only are we busy placing holiday orders we are also participating in the Winter Market being held in Plymouth at the South Shore Sports Expo (JunglePlex). Stop by December 15 from 9 am-1pm and pick up gift baskets of goodies to give to teachers, coworkers, friends, or as hostesses gifts. Place orders for Christmas Eve/Day dinners. We love being able to share some of our favorite items with you.

"Whatever happens, give Thanks."

 Thanksgiving Eve. Normally I would be busy preparing for Thanksgiving dinner but this year we are not hosting Thanksgiving dinner. All I have to do is bake a Sugar-Free Blueberry Pie for my father-in-law and bring some Pumpkin Bread.  Thanksgiving is a time to gather with family around a table, enjoy a nice meal, catch the parade and a game or two. In my family, we spent the time before dinner talking about what we were thankful for. Some years it would just be the four of us; other years it would include other family members and friends. Whether it was filling Thanksgiving baskets, volunteering at a shelter or visiting a nursing home, we always were willing to give back.

While growing up, my dad lost his job twice. The second time he lost his job was the longest period. It eventually had us moving away from Louisiana. During those times of unemployment, my dad would do odd jobs around town. He was the maintenance guy at an apartment building, the custodian at the church, a night security guard, and other job titles that paid much lower than what he was use to. Because of him losing his job, we, as a family, cut corners and did without. We would help clean out apartments at the apartment building when needed or help clean up Sunday School rooms. We might not of had the newest gadget or the top name designer clothes but we had a roof over our heads and food on our table. God always provided for us. His timing was perfect every time. Thinking back over the years, my sister and I never complained. We just did. Our parents taught us that it wasn't about how much stuff we had but about what we could do for someone else in need.

Here in the United States, we have more stuff than what we really need. At times we take this for granted. The ability to head to a grocery store and have a huge selection to choose from or the ability to hit several clothing stores for particular items. The ability to grab a bite to eat out or order delivery whenever we want. Most people in other parts of the world are happy if they have clean drinking water, a pair of shoes, food to eat, or even the chance to go to school.

Don't worry about what deals might be out there on Black Friday or about what you want for Christmas. Stop focusing on what you don't have but on what you DO have. No matter what happens in our lives, there is ALWAYS something to be thankful for.  What are you thankful for?

Close but no cigar.

Last week was a blur of activity. Getting ready for the New England Food Festival took up a majority of our time. Baking over 2000 Holiday cookies sure seemed to take forever but in actuality it didn't. We labeled 2000 bags on Monday, started baking on Tuesday and finished baking Thursday. Of course holding down our regular jobs meant we would bake about 5 to 6 hours a night after working all day. Bob did most of the baking since he has a good system. I did the packaging and together we filled up 4 large tubs of cookies. Friday we decorated our table with the main ingredients we used in the cookies and got much needed sleep before heading out early Saturday morning to do the final preparation.  We entered the festival with the sole purpose of getting our name out there. We think we have accomplished that goal. Guess only time will tell.  Like us, we met new business owners participating in the festival for the first time. We had a chance to talk to a lot of people and to talk to the judges. Though we didn't win a category, we still enjoyed the experience and are giving it serious thought for next year.

The festival was a great time. The crowd to enter the tent started lining up 15 minutes before the festival started. Of course with the Thanksgiving parade starting at 10:30, the whole area was bustling with activity. Once the doors open, the masses started pouring in. Last year the festival saw 1500 people so the coordinators told all vendors to plan for 2000. By 2:30 pm, all of the ballots were given away and people were still entering the tent. Around 3:10 pm, we ran out of our 2000 individually sealed packages and started opening up the displayed packages. Of course, the displayed cookies didn't last long and we were completely out by 3:30 pm. 

We did get a lot of feedback from the public and the judges. One judge stated that our cookie was the "Best darn cookie" he ever had. Another judge asked us for the recipe. Several paying participants came back to get cookies to go, tell us that our cookies were better than theirs, or to find our name on their ballot to vote for. One lady made it a point to say that our entry was the best thing she tasted at the festival. A few out-of-towners came back to stay that they wished we were in Alabama or California. We did mention to all who asked where we were, that we do local delivery and ship anywhere in the United States.  One competing vendor even attempted a 'cookie throw down' with us. Needless to say, they walked away admitting that our cookie was better than theirs.

So now that the festival is over with, we are gearing up for the holidays. Pies for Thanksgiving will be delivered on the 24th and orders for Christmas are already starting to pour in. So thank you to all that came out and supported us at the festival and who are currently supporting our local business this holiday season.

New England Food Festival and Beyond!

This weekend in Historical Plymouth, the New England Food Festival will be taking place. The festival is on Saturday, November 20 from 11 am to 4 pm. Judges will be choosing the best entries from 20 vendors in areas of soups, chowders, desserts, party foods, and decor. There is also a People's Choice award also.  The cost is $10 per person and kids under 5 eat free. If you are enjoying the parade, stop by along the waterfront to see what other events are happening this upcoming weekend.

We will be in the festival competing in the Dessert category. We're in the process this week of preparing to make 2000 Holiday cookies. We are looking forward to the festival and meeting a lot of new people. We hope to see our faithful and loyal customers also.

After the festival, we will be busy preparing orders for Thanksgiving. Pies can be shipped to any destination (except the pumpkin pie), picked up, or delivered. We also offer a wide variety of breads and also do platters for those of you hosting Thanksgiving at your house. Take away some of the stress by having us do some of your holiday baking for you.

If you are thinking of Christmas ideas for co-workers, business associates, family and friends, why not send them a gift basket of cookies, biscotti, or a mixture of baked goods. Not sure about what to send, you can send them a gift certificate. We do over corporate boxes. These boxes come with 16 to 26 individually wrapped  cookies of your choice. Hosting a holiday meeting, have us deliver a few platters.  To guarantee deliver for Christmas, orders must be received by 12/17 so they may be shipped out by 12/18.

This time of the year can be crazy if you let it be. Take the time to be thankful and enjoy the time you spend with family and friends. Try to be a little more patient with others.

When's Daylight savings?

The month of October has been a blur. All of the markets are done for the season and to be honest, it's nice not having to worry about doing a market on top of everything else. The market season was great for us and we've already decided to do Hingham full time next season along with Cohasset and Carver. We might even pick up a few spots here and there for a little while.


The New England Fall Festival is coming up shortly. Anyone who "likes" the FB page will be entered into a drawing to earn gift certificates from vendors competing in the festival. The festival is held on the waterfront on 11/20 from 11 am to 4 pm. Stop by to try delicious desserts, party foods, soups, and chowders. Since the fall festival is not far away, we're in the process of preparing for it. We're thinking of how we want to decorate our spot, preparing the bags with our labels and getting all our items ordered so that when it comes time to bake 2,000+ samples, Yes, I did say 2,000, we're ready. We've even thought about inviting friends over for free food as long as they help us bag cookies.


I've been jotting down ideas to try out and other things to experiment with but so far I haven't had the time to spend in the kitchen. As the weather gets cooler and the nights get darker, I'll be hitting the kitchen and whipping up a batch of something.

We did open an Etsy account and have a store through Etsy. Etsy is a site that promotes craters and producers. Check it out and give us feedback. Not all items are listed on Etsy as on our original store website but there is a representation. Spread the word for us if you please.

Also on our plate is to meet with local businesses and see about getting some of our products in the stores. We'll let you know as things unfold.

Have a great week. Enjoy the beautiful fall weather and this lovely Indian Summer we're currently experiencing.

Crisp Morning Air

 Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending the morning in the kitchen experimenting. Outside was sunny but very cool. Fall is marching in and this time of the year has me playing around with different tastes and scents. I started the morning off with baking a batch of jumbo Blueberry Muffins with the blueberries harvested from a local grower. Instead of making Blueberry pies for the market this week, I went with the muffins instead. That way if they didn't sell, I would have easy breakfast food for the mornings.

After twelve plump and delicious smelling muffins came out of the oven, I tackled a few new breads. Orange Nut, Oatmeal Raisin, and Cranberry. The zest from the oranges filled with kitchen with that nice summer scent. I just wanted to keep zesting oranges just for the fun of it. I used locally grown cranberries just harvested from the bogs for the cranberry bread and the cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice made the oatmeal raisin bread mouth watering.

 The day was perfect for experimenting and several new customers were impressed with the breads and loved the muffins. As one customer stated "I'll take 7 muffins. They look delicious and I can see the blueberries." Not bad for a morning spent playing in the kitchen.

Maples Leaves are falling.

 Is it me or are the leaves turning earlier this year? Its the end of September and all around me the leaves are starting to show their other colors besides green. I could break into a science lesson on photosynthesis and chlorophyll production and tie it into the orbit of the sun but I won't. It is pretty to see the oranges, yellows and reds show up however, to me, it signals the end of a very busy summer and that dreaded Old Man Winter is on his way.  It's also a message to tell me that I need to do fall yard and garden clean-up when I have a free moment. But besides all that, it's a message that lets me know that I can start experimenting again with recipes. Usually during the height of the summer and the busyness of the market season, I don't get a chance to experiment and explore different things. I have a list of items I want to make and try but never the time to do it during the summer. So I guess you can say that in a way I am looking forward to the fall.

Last weekend I had a few extra minutes to try a few items out. I wasn't able to get to what I had planned to do that day but what was accomplished was great. First, I made some pumpkin muffins with brown sugar sprinkled on top. Not your average size muffins but the jumbo kind. Of course getting muffin tins big enough for the jumbo pan was a challenge and still is at this moment but it's on the ever growing to-do list for when I have a few extra minutes. Anyway, the muffins came out great and now I want to do other muffins to sell at our last few remaining markets. Maybe we'll start offering them for purchase on-line.

Second, I made a Maple Walnut Bread. I figured since the leaves were starting to fall off my Maple Tree in the front yard, why not try a bread that says "Fall". Grade A Dark Pure Maple Syrup from a local vendor was used in this recipe. Walnuts were split into two piles and one pile was crushed into a meal that was added to the flour. Everything was mixed by hand and turned out into several bread pans. While the breads were baking, the smell of maple filled the air. Just another scent of fall my sister would say. The breads not only looked good but were amazing when sampled. This item we'll only offer during the fall season. If you are in Cohasset this Thursday or Carver on Sunday, you can get one for yourself.

In the upcoming weeks, a lot of experimenting will be taking place in our kitchen. We'll keep you updated on the progress as time goes on. For now, enjoy the scenery and all the smells that fall has to offer.

It's happened again.

This Thursday we'll be debuting a new biscotti: Cherry Chocolate Hazelnut. The biscotti has a rich chocolate taste and the cherries, which have been soaked in a port wine, give it an additional burst of flavor. So if you're interested, stop by Cohasset and see Bob for a bag. We have a feeling they might go fast.   Another new biscotti, not to us but to the market, is the Pecan Oat Biscotti. This biscotti is great with just about any type of beverage. The nutty flavor with a hint of white chocolate make this biscotti a great cookie.

So since we're talking biscotti, where do they come from? What is their origin?

The biscotti has its roots back to the time of the Romans. The legions of soldiers needed a food source that had a long shelf-life so these unleavened, finger-shaped wafers were first baked to cook them then baked again to dry them out. This method made the wafers durable for travel and provided nourishment to the travelers. The word biscotti is derived from the Latin "bis" meaning twice and "coctum" for baked (which was later changed to "cotto" meaning cooked.  After the fall of the Roman empire, survival was the foremost thought so it wasn't until the Renaissance that the biscotti re-emerged in Tuscany and since then people have been enjoying these twice baked wafer as a morning treat with coffee or tea or as an after dinner treat.

Some of my Italian friends call the biscotti cantucci  and any other crunchy cookie, whether round or square or elongated, biscotti.  Some pronounce biscotti, bee-SCOAT-tee, while others pronounce them, bis-Cot-tee. Whatever you call them or how ever you pronounce them, you can find a wide range of flavors. Currently we offer the following flavors: Chocolate Coffee Cashew, Pecan Oat, Cherry Chocolate Hazelnut, Anisette, Pistachio Cherry, Orange Cherry Almond. All can come plain or some of them can be dipped in Dark or White Chocolate or drizzled with White Chocolate. So if you are in the market for a good biscotti, give us a call.

Fall Specials

It's that time of year again, Back to school. The changing of the air, the winter clothes in the stores, the school supply ads all point to the fall. Students don't enjoy this time of year whereas parents are very happy and excited for this time of year.

We decided to offer two discounts this fall. One is a Back-to-School discount. Receive 15% off your entire order. Use the promotion code School10 when you checkout. The discount is available until November 1, 2010.

Another discount we are offering is for teachers. Being an educator, I know first hand how much money I spend to get supplies for my classroom or for those students who can't afford it. I love finding a bargain or sale just as much as the next person. If you are an educator, you receive 15% off your entire order not only for the fall but the entire school year. Just use promotion code Teach during checkout.

Enjoy this time of year.

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall!

The summer sure has been a beautiful one but it has gone by way too fast. As we prepare to do the last official market of the summer, I'm thinking ahead to the fall and all that it will bring. Bob will be doing the markets in Cohasset the month of September and October. Both of us will still be doing the Carver Market. The dates for Carver are 9/5, 9/19, 10/3, 10/10. Fall time is the time we bring out the pumpkin bread, pumpkin pies, the buckles (blueberry and cranberry), zucchini breads, the Holiday and Cinnamon Chip cookies, Sour Cream Coffee Cake, and we might try some muffins. There is talk of doing some apple crisp while at the Carver market. So come check us out.

Many markets will be celebrating the fall with some sort of fall festival. Most markets end the middle of October but there are a few that will continue into November. A few places even do a winter market. Check out Edible South Shore to find which markets are open later in the year.

With the fall comes the New England Food Festival. Plymouth host a variety of activities prior to Thanksgiving. Check out http://www.usathanksgiving.org for more information. We decided to see if they had all the vendors for the festival and they needed one more so we signed on. Now the daunting task is to decide which item to enter into the festival. The festival will be held on the waterfront on 11/20 from 11-4pm. If you are in the area, stop by. Vendors will be competing in areas of Best Chowder, Soup, Dessert, Party Foods, Decor, Local and Fresh. Judges will award a prize to a lucky vendor in each category. A people's choice award will also be awarded. Should be a fun and exciting time.

Enjoy the sunshine, the cooler morning temperatures, and the signs that fall is on its way.

Introducing the Choc-a-lotta and our 200th Fan

The winner of our "Name that Cookie" contest was Kristy Reine from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She received a bakers dozen of the new cookie. The Choc-a-lotta has Dark, Milk, and White chocolate chips mixed in the oatmeal batter. We narrowed down all the suggestions to 4. The four possible winners were: Trifection, Trinity, Harmony, and Choc-a-lotta.


We also had a contest going to see who our 200th fan would be. Jill Currier from Somerville, MA was our 200th fan. She was able to pick any item off the website and choose a bakers dozen of the Original cookies (Oatmeal Chocolate Chip). She had purchased some cookies earlier in the day at the Carver market and joined our Facebook page shortly there after. Enjoy the cookies Jill.

Stay tuned for another contest.

Farmers Market Feedback

Spending the summer at the markets is a way to meet people. Below are comments given to us from customers at a variety of markets.

"Your Harvest cookies are the best cookies we've had...probably ever! Just simple oatmeal cookies with dried fruit, no chocolate. The whole family enjoyed them." Cohasset Farmers Market customer

"The Apple pie was the best apple pie I have ever had. I have had a lot of them over my lifetime." 85 year old man at the Hingham Market.

"I tried an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie from another vendor at the Braintree market and was disappointed. Your Oatmeal Chocolate chip cookies (Original) are to die for. The chocolate and the salt make it delicious" Cohasset/Hingham Farmers Market customer

"I'm addicted to the Chocolate bread. It's so moist and delicious." Cohasset Farmers Market customer

"I've been looking all over for your Pistachio Cherry Biscotti since we had it at an Edible South Shore lecture series. I couldn't get them out of my mind." Carver Farmers Market customer

"It's worth it for cookie goodness." Cohasset Farmers Market customer in regards to the carbohydrate content.

"The Coconut Banana bread is amazing. I can't stop buying it every week." Cohasset Farmers Market customer

"The Sugar-Free Blueberry mini-pie was delicious. Over 2 pounds of blueberries and you could taste the blueberries." Hingham/Cohasset Farmers Market customer

"You products not only taste good but they look good."


Thank you for all of your feedback. We'll post more at a later date. Stop by and check us out.
Cohasset Market every Thursday from 2:30-6:30 until the middle of October.
Carver Markets every other Sunday from 12:00-4:00 until the middle of October.
Hingham Market Saturdays from 10:00-2:00...fall dates to be added

Name That Cookie Contest!

So far August is shaping up to be filled with hot, humid weather and afternoon thunderstorms. Our market today ended up being a wash after a few hours due to lightening and thunder followed by the skies opening up and pouring a ton of much needed rain.

We're kicking of August with a contest. We made a new cookie. This one is of the same base as all the other cookies, Oatmeal, and has dark, milk, and white chocolate chips. The winner of the contest will be given a dozen of the new cookies and their name on our website. So think of a winning name and submit it either through our FaceBook page or email us at info@familysecretsbakery.com. Good luck to all of you.

On a side note, ideas and thoughts are starting to pour out of our minds for new cookies, biscotti, breads, and cakes. Hopefully we'll be able to experiment shortly on a few ideas and if all goes well, start offering them for the fall.

Just a reminder, we are in Cohasset every Thursday from 2:30-6:30 and will be at the Carver's Farmers Market 8/15 and 8/29. If you are looking for something that isn't usually brought to the market but is offered on our website, give us a call or email us and let us know. We'll be happy to make it and bring it to the next market we are at.

Enjoy the month of August. Hope to see you at a market.

Time marches on.

The month of July has flown by. We've been busy baking and selling items at 3 farmers markets. I can honestly say that I felt like I was on a merry-go-round. We enjoyed our time at the Hingham market and made new friends and contacts. It was great to see other customers from other markets show up. Maybe in the fall we'll head back to Hingham for some dates. Right now, it's nice to have only 2 markets to worry about.

Trying to figure out what to bring to the markets is always a challenge. Since we only bring a small sampling compared to what is offered on our website, it never fails that we don't have something someone is looking for. For example: Toffee Chip cookies. They weren't a big hit at the beginning of the season so we stopped bringing them along with us only to find people asking for them. Another cookie having the same results are the Freedom cookies. The Blondies and Southern Comfort cookies have a certain following, but lately they're selling out before the Original or Peanut Butter Cups. Don't get me started on pies or breads. One week, all the breads can sell out in an hour but the pies are slow moving. The next week we bring more breads and less pies and it's the pies that are flying off the shelves instead of the breads. At this stage in the game, we just laugh about it. We're reminding customers that they can email or call us a few days before we show up and ask us to bring/make something for them. We'll hold it for them on market day. So far this concept has caught on.

We love hearing feedback from our customers. One elderly gentleman from the Hingham market raved about the Apple Pie. Another lady from the same market commented that on the Cream Cheese Pound Cake. She stated that her elderly aunts absolutely loved it.

August will be a little slower in pace but we're still at the Cohasset Market every Thursday and will be in Carver on 8/15 and 8/29. As fall approaches we'll bring out different breads, like Pumpkin and Zucchini, and Blueberry and Cranberry Buckle and Sour Cream Coffee Cake. If you have any suggestion for new cookies, breads, biscotti, let us know.

Let Freedom Ring!

It's hard to believe that July 4th is just around the corner. Some would say it is the official start to the summer. The 4th of July is a time to gather with family and friends for great cook-out food, fellowship, fun, and of course, Fireworks. Usually one participates in watching a town parade or attending a town's firework display. Some brave souls travel into the city and watch the Pops play at the Hat Shell or line the banks of the Charles to watch the Boston night sky light up. Wherever or whatever the 4th finds you doing, take some time to dwell on what this holiday means. We've come a long way since 1776. Let's not forget what this country was founded on or what our soldiers have fought for and are currently fighting for. If you haven't done so, take the time to say "Thank You" to a veteran or to a family who has a family member currently serving in the military, whether it be here or abroad. As Americans we have a lot of liberties and freedoms that a majority of the world does not have. Let us not take it for granted because it can easily be lost.

In honor of our country and of our military both past and present, we created a cookie called Freedom. Cranberries, white chocolate chips, and blueberries are baked in oatmeal to make this delicious cookie. If you happen to catch us during this season, try one out. They are our featured cookie this coming Thursday at the Cohasset Market.

Thank you to all of you that have served your country, for being willing to give the ultimate sacrifice so that we may continue to enjoy the freedoms we have today. God Bless you.

Let Freedom Ring!

Repeat Customers

Our first market of the season was in Carver on June 20. Though it was Father's Day, we had a lovely day. It was great seeing customers from last season and meeting new customers. Thank you to all of you that stopped, by both repeat customers and new ones.

We'll be at the Cohasset market tomorrow from 2:30 to 6:30. The market is located on the commons just up from Cohasset Village. Stop by if you are in the area. We look forward to meeting you.

Let the fun begin!

We'll were gearing up for our first Farmer's Market of the season. Currently we are busy baking cookies and other delicious treats. If you haven't found a market near you, check out Edible South Shore's website for a list of all markets in the area. There is nothing like spending a few hours at the market. Nowhere can you find fresh produce, locally made crafts, baked goods, and other local treats. Get out and support local farms and businesses. We hope to see you some time this season. We're in Carver on Sundays, Cohasset on Thursdays, and will be in Hingham on Saturdays during July.  Let the fun begin!!!

More dates!

We added Cohasset Farmers Market to our schedule this season. The market is on Thursday from 2:30pm to 6:30pm. It is located on the town commons. The market officially opens June 17. We'll be there starting June 24th and will continue to be there almost every Thursday. Stop by if you are in the area.

We also added a trial run at the Hingham market. Hingham has two markets located at the Bathing Beach, right along Route 3A. There is a market on Wednesdays from 2pm-6pm and on Saturdays from 10am-2pm. We'll be in Hingham on July 10, 17, and 24 with the possibility of adding more dates as the season progresses.

If you haven't experienced a farmers market lately, head on out. There are many markets around the area and it is the best way to buy items locally. We look forward to meeting you. So if you see our tent, stop by and say "Hi!"

Let the Season Begin!

As the weather starts to get nicer, people are gearing up for the farmer market season. Hingham's market starts this weekend while markets like Carver, Cohasset, Plymouth, and Marshfield start roughly the second week in June.

Last year we ventured out and committed to dates in Carver. We enjoyed our experience so much that we are returning to Carver this year while hoping to add some more dates at other markets. Getting to know the other vendors and meeting new people weekly was a highlight of our season last year. We're looking forward to this upcoming season.

Carver Farmers Market  is held in the park in the center of town (route 58) on Sundays from 12pm - 4pm. There are activities for the kids, live music, and lots of different items to choose from. The dates that we will be in Carver are: June 20, July 11 and 25, August 15 & 29, September 5 & 19, and October 3 & 10. We may pick other dates but for right now these are the ones we are committing to being at come rain or shine.  Stop by and see us. For those of you who are repeat customers, we look forward to seeing you.

We are planning on scheduling some dates in Cohasset. The Cohasset Market is held on the commons on Thursdays from 2:30pm to 6:30pm. We'll post the dates to our website once we finalize them. We are scheduling a trial run at Hingham's Farmers Market. There are two markets in Hingham, one on Saturdays from 10am-2pm and the other is on Wednesdays from 2pm-6pm. Both markets are located at the bathing beach in Hingham off of Route 3A. Once we know when these three Saturday dates will be, we'll let you know. We're also looking in to doing some dates at the Marshfield market. The Marshfield Farmers Market is held on Fridays at the Marshfield Fair grounds from 2pm-6pm. If we decide to do the Marshfield Market, we'll let you know.

Thing that is about it. We hope to see you at one of these markets. If we don't know you, introduce yourself to us. We usually make items just for the markets that can't be purchase through the website so if you are out and about, come check out our table.

Enjoy the beautiful weather! Let the season begin!

Still working...

Last week I had some extra time to experiment in the kitchen. Of the 4 experiments I did only one is still not perfected yet, those darn Lemon Coolers. I made a batch and had the texture and size I wanted but when we tried them out with our guinea pigs, I mean our taste-testers, the same comment was made. They needed more lemon.

So I decided to add more lemon. This turned out to be one of the moments you just have to call it quits, walk away, and come back another day for another try.  My husband suggested adding double the amount of lemon. Of course he meant lemon zest and I took it for double lemon juice and zest! Needless to say the cookies were awful.

Well back to the drawing boards. Haven't had a chance to work on them again this week but will try them this weekend. Who knows, maybe with all that is going on with these cookies, they'll turn out to be amazing. One could hope! Stay tuned.

A Chocolate dessert even non-chocolate lovers can enjoy!

So this week has been one of experimenting. I already posted two new breads to the website and let you know about it in a previous blog. If you didn't have a chance to read it, let me introduce them again to you. We've added a Lemon Poppy Seed bread and a Coconut-Banana Bread to our list of tasty items for you to try.

Wednesday, I was being lazy and decided to give the pound cake idea a try. We offer a cream cheese pound cake already. You can purchase it as a loaf form or as a  bundt form. The recipe came into the family by way of Kentucky. My grandmother remarried after the lost of my grandfather to a gentleman from Kentucky. Man, did Preston have the thickest drawl out there. Living in Louisiana, I have heard my share of thick southern drawls but his sure beat all. He would make this pound cake and people would rave about it. My mom asked him for the recipe and then I asked her for it. A while ago we were talking about it and my mom mentioned that when my grandmother found out we had it, she stated that not even his daughters have it. So thank you Preston for giving us a little of your family recipes to share. So anyway, I decided to added a heaping amount of cocoa to the recipe to see what it would taste like. The kitchen sure smelled good while it was baking and it looked delicious while it was cooling on the rack. Since I was now running late to church, I cut it up to give out to tasters for their feedback. All who had it said it was unbelievable but it was the comment of a friend that stood out.

Joanne is like me in all her candy choices. She doesn't like chocolate hardly ever and would rather have something sugary instead of something chocolaty. She's even been known to order a birthday cake for someone else in vanilla because she doesn't like chocolate cake. So when she called me and stated, "That was amazing. Oh my goodness. A++" I knew I had a winner. For someone who doesn't eat chocolate much to fall in love with a chocolate dessert, what more feedback could I want?  So now you can purchase the Chocolate Cream Cheese Pound Cake from the website. It is only in the bundt version but will be a dessert that you would want more of after you have had a slice.

Introducing...

Well, I've decided to let you know now versus waiting until next week about the experiments I worked on yesterday. After playing around with two bread recipes, we have added two new types of breads to the website.

You can now purchase a lemon poppy seed loaf or a coconut banana loaf. Both recipes are amazing but don't take my word for it. Order one or both and find out for yourself. The lemon poppy seed recipe was a recipe I had but had overlooked it when picking out breads to feature on the website. I love lemon poppy seed so as soon as a loaf came out of the oven, I cut into it and enjoyed a very moist, lemon rich slice of goodness. I took my grandmother's banana nut bread recipe and added a little bit of coconut and a splash of dark rum. The bread is delicious and for someone who really doesn't like bananas that is saying a lot.

I'll post later how the lemon coolers come out along with the chocolate pound cake.
Stay tuned.

Under Construction

As most of you know, Bob and I both hold down regular day jobs and have Family Secrets Bakery as a side job. This upcoming week is Spring Break for most school system here in Massachusetts and since I'm not traveling with a group of students outside the country or going to some nice tropical place myself, I'm going to spend some time in the kitchen creating new products.

One of the products we've been working on in our spare time are Lemon Coolers. Over 10 years ago I spend some time in Savannah, Georgia on a National Marine Sanctuaries workshop. While touring the city, I picked up some Key Lime Coolers for my husband. They were amazing. Small circular cookies with an overwhelming flavor of Key Lime dusted off with powdered sugar.  Recently a customer asked if we made Lemon Coolers. At the time we were concentrating on the Oatmeal cookies but we've always talked about adding more than just the oatmeal based cookies to our product line.  I started combing through recipes from my side of the family. These recipes were either passed down or given to my mom at one time or another. For 13 years of my life, my family called Louisiana home.  I might not have been born in the southern state, but this is were I grew up and is what I consider home. It was here that I found a recipe for a powdered sugar cookie. Bob first tried a version and the cookie wasn't what we were looking for. He even added a very lemony frosting to add to the top of the cookies. Though good they weren't perfect. I tried another version. This was a comical adventure. I misread a certain ingredient and ended up adding instead of a tablespoon of lemon juice, I added a cup. This made the dough very watery so I tried to thicken it up by adding more of the dry ingredients. Needless to say I knew defeat when I saw it and tried again with a new batch. The third trial came out better than the first trial but still didn't have that citrus kick we were looking for. So this week, I'm going to re-work the recipe and see if I can get a cookie that is light but full of lemon flavor.

Another recipe I'm going to experiment with will be making a Chocolate Pound Cake. I have two recipes for a pound cake. One of the recipes comes from a family member who lived in Kentucky. As far as I know, my mom and I are the only ones to have this recipe. It is a Cream Cheese Pound Cake recipe. Not as heavy as you would think and is very addicting. It is good by itself or with a little bit of apricot preserves on top. I'm going to play around with this recipe and see what would happen if I add either melted chocolate to the mix or some cocoa powder to the mix.  My husband is a chocoholic and will eat any chocolate in the house. His behavior has been a joke in our house. I'm not real big on chocolate. I'm more of the sugary candy kind of person but I do enjoy a piece of dark or white chocolate every once in a while. Every time I'm in the mood for a piece of chocolate, there isn't any because he's eaten it all. I've had to hide it in order to have it when I want it. Just another chocolate item for those who love chocolate.

Two more recipes I'll try to get to this week will be bread recipes. I love lemon poppy seed muffins so I'll try a lemon poppy seed bread from a recipe I've filed away and kind of forgot about until now. My grandmother has always made a killer banana nut bread. It's very moist and though I have never loved bananas, I love this recipe. I also love coconut so I'm going to try making a tropical bread with both banana and coconut and see what will happen.

So as you can read, this week will be a week of experimenting with flavors and ingredients. Not sure how it will turn out but since I love baking and it is relaxing and I'm on break, why not try! I'll let you know later how this week turns out.

What's going on...

It's been a busy few weeks.

First, we found out that we were awarded the 2010 Local Hero Award for Food Artisan by Edible South Shore. You can look for information on these awards in their spring issue and can also read about all the winners in their blog, which will focus on one winner every Friday.  Thanks for voting for us. We appreciate it and are humbled.

Second, we survived our first fundraiser drive. Our cookies, along with coffee and other deserts, were the focus of a spring fundraiser drive in some local schools. The week before Easter has us baking over 5,500 cookies. After working our day jobs, we would come home and bake for several hour each night.  All total, it took us 48 hours to fill the orders. Since we survived, we're looking forward to doing another fundraiser drive in the fall. If you're interested, give us call.

Third, we just updated the design to the website. Tell us what you think. We're also experimenting in the kitchen with new recipes. Look for them in the future.

A year ago, we attended a silent auction at our church. Naturally, my youngest son Nate, who knows me all too well, led me to a large bin of homemade cookies on the auction block. A boy after my own heart! I quickly allowed him to bid on the rights to those cookies. Time after time he would check the status of the bidding of those cookies and report back to me, where my reply was always, “Ok, you can bid higher.” With Nate by my side and my desire for the cookies, the results were inevitable, we won those cookies!

After winning the cookies, people began approaching us telling us how “lucky we are to have won the cookies”, and that “we are in for a pure treat”, and that “nobody makes cookies like those”, as well as cash offers and offers of “I’ll be your friend for one” man, I could not wait to get in the car and dig into those cookies! Soon enough, we did just that, as we found ourselves making the drive home while experiencing the best cookies we ever had. 
Bill Lagos, MA.

"These cookies can ruin a marriage"
Davina from Stafford, VA in reaction to not sharing with her loved ones.

"You haven't had a cookie like this!"
Sharon from Spotsylvania, VA

"These cookies rock!"
Maggie, Sophia, Everly, age 9, Georgetown, TX

Mary Donahue of Kingston, MA stated "Those biscotti will curl your toes!"

Tony Girgio of Weymouth, MA stated "That is the best cookie I have every had." (speaking of the original oatmeal chocolate chip)

"It's an eating adventure!" -Carver's Farmer's Maket customer

" I just wanted you to know that the cookies were a HUGE hit with our family. My husband has been sneaking bites all day. He said that they were phenomenal, the best ever! My daughter, Leah, while begging for another one told me that they were the best cookies she ever had. Our Aunt Donna is the gourmet chef in our family, and Leah whispered in my ear, "These are even better than Aunt Donna's, just please don't tell her I said that."
Bridget, Oklahoma

Dear Family Secrets,

  On two occassions now I have been treated to your cookies. WOW! The flavor and texture is just like mom used to make. My favorites were the white chocolate chip. Their size alone makes them unique. These are no stingy confection. Even at my age (67) a glass of milk and one of these treats, makes a great dessert. Thank you for making the gifts to me very special indeed. I look forward to more delights coming my way.

Thanx,

J. Phillip Mclaren, Ph.D. Professor of Biology, Quincy MA