Bun is 'Out' of the Oven!

I heard from a friend that another friend of ours that has been pregnant throughout the entire summer had her baby girl! I bet she is absolutely beautiful and I can't wait to meet her.

Their is something so special about a new baby-almost magical. These little 'packages' that emerge from the mother and into their arms. It always amazes me.

From where exactly do they come from? Naturally, I understand the biological side of things--but there's got to be something beyond that.

I will never (in all of the days of my life) forget the exact moment I met each of my three kids for the very first time.

I love the phrase a 'bun in (or out of) the oven' to refer to a baby in it's mother's womb. I spend a lot of my time in the kitchen not only baking but preparing lots of meals too and I have found over the years that my kids (a long ago bun in the oven themselves) come to me so often to ask for help on something, to chat with me or to ask for a ride to a friends while I am in the kitchen.

It is a place where I often have a 'real' bun in the oven-like a cake or some cookies. In fact, I have lots of cookies to bake this morning for a party tomorrow.

But first, to my dear friend, I wish you the very best with your new little 'bun' who is no longer in your 'oven'. I wish your family the smoothest transition possible in having a new baby in the house and I wish you lasting friendship and joy with your new daughter.

Baking & Beauty

I have been thinking about beauty this week: how beautiful Cape Cod is in the summer, how beautiful my girls are and how beautiful something as simple as a cake can be.

We have a family of four visiting us from California. They've never been to Cape Cod. Naturally they find it beautiful.

This photograph is from my daughter's cell phone. She forwarded it to me while they were on the ferry home from a day trip to Martha's Vineyard. I stayed back that particular day because I wanted to fill my table at the farm.

Late yesterday afternoon I delivered mini lemon cakes and dreamy island cookies. Good thing too-when I arrived my table was completely empty. The weather for today looks beautiful! We are going to take them out to the Outer Cape-go for a swim, maybe a hike and find a fun place for a good meal.

Oh, where has the time gone this summer?

Dreamy Island Cookies

On November 6th of last year I posted an entry here called "The True Tale behind Dreamy Island Cookies". Most of that particular post ended up in a Falmouth Food Column published in the Falmouth Enterprise.
There is something that keeps coming back to me about how special these cookies are. They are not only delicious but the recipe was created out of a fun adventure I had with my kids.
I made three batches of Dreamy Island Cookies this week. One batch was made on the morning my son had three friends at the house for a summer sleepover.
As the boys grow into their adolescence I find it can be challenging to know how best to interact with them. They're certainly not babies--not quite adults. They're always hungry, love their privacy, stay up super late and sleep in all morning.
As they emerged from their slumber they all said, "Wow, those cookies smell so good!"
Granted, cookies can't show me how to raise a teenage boy, but they definitely get the conversations started.

A Girl After My Own Heart & Mama Mia!

Bella celebrated her birthday last night. She invited some friends over for pizza and a sleepover. I took them to see Mama Mia! I knew I was going to love it.
It was so much fun. The movie was funny and sweet and very entertaining. I can't wait to get the music soundtrack. It would be perfect as back ground music for baking or cleaning house.
One of her friends brought her a special gift that went in the refrigerator as soon as she arrived. It turned out to be a home made chocolate brownie carved into her name-Bella!
It was creative and thoughtful- a girl after my own heart.
I delivered a triple chocolate decadence cake yesterday to a client. I topped the dark chocolate ganache with a decorative treat in the shape of a whale.

Dog Days of Summer!

Dog Days of Summer refer to those very hot days during July and August.
I did a quick search on phrasefinder.org and the origin of this phrase goes back to the ancient Romans. The site explains that "the Romans noticed that the hottest days of the year, i.e. in late July and early August, coincided with the appearance of Sirius - the Dog Star, in the same part of the sky as the Sun. Sirius is the largest and brightest star in the Canis Major constellation, in fact it is the brightest star in the sky. The ancients believed that the star contributed to the heat of the day".
For me, Dog Days of Summer mean that when I am baking I gather every fan I can find and position them around my kitchen. It also means that I sneak away to the water every chance I get.
Over this past weekend we met some friends out on Sandy Neck. They have an RV and park it out there for a few days at a time. You never quite know what the day will bring! Saturday we huddled under the awning as we watched a storm pass by. The best part of that day was the brief time just after the storm had passed.
This week I am baking for the farm, filling a Gift Basket order and creating a super chocolate cake for a client's birthday.

Summer Reads & Warm Muffins

A long time friend of mine (we met in the second grade) recently passed on five books for me to read. My first thought: what good deed could I possibly have done to deserve this? I know her tastes so if she liked the books chances are I will enjoy them also.

Lately stopping at the Library to find something new to read can be frustrating. When you don't have a book in mind it can be a little like looking for a dropped coin or ring you've inadvertently lost on the beach-impossible!

The one I am reading now makes me laugh every few pages. It's an easy summer read called: The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters.

As for warm muffins. Yum! There are so many ways to make muffins. From a sweet chocolate chip or banana pecan to a savory leek and ham muffin or a crab and cream cheese.

Muffins are great straight from the oven or tucked away in the freezer for late night munchies.

Recipe for Cranberry Muffins:

butter (for greasing)
generous 1 1/2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c sugar
4 tbsp butter, melted
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 c milk
1 1/8 c fresh cranberries
1/4 c grated Parmesan

Oven to 400 degrees. Sift the flour, powder and salt in a bowl. Stir in the sugar.
In separate bowl, combine the butter, eggs and milk, then pour into the bowl of dry ingredients.

Mix lightly together until all of the ingredients are combined, then stir in the fresh cranberries. Divide the batter into 18 prepared cups. Sprinkle Parmesan over top. Bake for 20 minutes or until the muffins are well risen and golden brown.

Summer Guests & Beach Weather

I am back home from a quick over night trip off Cape. Sophia and I made the small journey to see family and friends because my two oldest are at a summer camp this week and it seemed like a good time to sneak away.
I have been baking all day today. I am making a Fabulous Carrot Cake for an upcoming wedding shower and I have Dreamy Island Cookies in the oven now for my next farm delivery.
I spoke to the sweetest lady today on the telephone about how much she likes my lemon cake.
Those calls are good for me-especially when their is a little part of me that wishes I spent the day at the beach today. Mostly because time spent outdoors and on the beach can be so limited.
On Friday I am expecting a total of seven house guests for the weekend. I have been mopping, doing laundry and changing sheets like no body's business while my goodies are in the oven.
Have you ever heard the kids song that sings:
"Cousins, cousins here come the boys! Bedlam, mayhem, noise noise noise..."?
It's the perfect song for this weekend-my house guests include my two sisters, four nephews (under six) and my sixteen year old niece. Not to mention my three children.
Here's to hoping for some of that Cape Cod beach weather!

Raising Kids & Baking Cakes

I may be reaching a little here but I always find so many similarities between raising my kids and baking a cake. My kids need the right amount of love, attention and discipline so they have room to grow in the world. My cakes also need just the right amount of my love and attention. If I put too much of this or that or if I leave out a little of something the cake can fall flat or even worse not taste quite right. When one of my kids doesn't get enough sleep, consumes too much sugar without a healthy meal to go along with it or simply hasn't had time to play and be free then they too 'fall flat' or don't seem 'quite right'.
It's always a juggle for me to get my kids to all their activities on time and replenish my table at the farm not to mention filling other orders that come in. I suppose I can learn from the kids and the kitchen that maybe it's simply a matter of striking a balance between giving my time to my kids and giving myself to my kitchen.

Nantucket Charm & Sugar Cookies

With the older kids visiting their Grandmother in Dallas, July 4th seemed like the perfect day to pop over to Nantucket. We rode the early fast ferry from Hyannis. Here are a couple pictures from the excursion. I also threw in a recent picture of my lobster and starfish shaped sugar cookies. They taste as good as they look!

Viva La Vida!

A Spanish speaker I am not. I took french throughout high school. Although my days as a waitress in Los Angeles as I put myself through College lent my ear to many south of the border phrases.
The popular Coldplay song titled above translates (I am pretty sure) as "I Live the Life".
On a pretty Cape Cod day I am tempted to speak a similar phrase. Although as I walk through my busy days as a baker, writer, mom to three, wife, etc- I get it. My version of "I Live the Life" looks different than the popular phrase in song- I hold the key.
Most days I can't even find my keys.
But I'm like most people- there are things that are beyond first appearances. Beyond appearances.
My son reminds me the song reflects a story in the French revolution.
Like all good stories their must be a universal message here. Take the good with the bad. Don't stop short. Embrace life.
Isn't it true that sometimes the things we should really 'get' we miss entirely? I know there are times I do.
For now, it's simply summer on Cape Cod: Viva la Vida!
Over the weekend I made Dreamy Island Cookies, Two Sand Pail Cakes: one for Sophia's fourth birthday, the other for a cake auction Bella entered and a carrot cake.