"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.