Friday, December 23, 2011

Hark the Herald Angels Sing!

I am done!  I'm not sure how it all got accomplished but by-sinckerdoodle I am DONE! The house cleaned, the presents are wrapped the cookies are baked. The dog is sitting by my side on the couch and we are enjoying Christmas.  National Lampoons is on TV for the 10th time this season. Eddie just arrived, by the way.

All the stress, all the worry, all the crap that goes along with Christmas, in the end is worth it. We'll pack up the car when the husband gets home and we'll travel, with the millions of other families, to my parents house for Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning. Then we'll pack up the car and back home to his Parents house, for Christmas number two, then finally home on Sunday night for 'our Christmas'.

I get to see friends tonight for dinner. Which is one of the best presents I could ask for. Ryan and John are in from Canada, Michelle from Boston and Katrina from Syracuse, will all meet on the shores of Lake Delta, for a good meal and a lot of laughs. A LOT of laughs. Last time we were there, same restaurant, semi-differnet group of people, we ended up leading the room in a rousing rendition of the "Erie Canal" song. 
 
For you folks that didn't sing it every year in elementary school.

Now on a side note. While I was looking up the Erie Canal song for the uninitiated, I found out that THE BOSS covered the song. I had no idea, I would have thought that the song was a hell of a lot cooler back in elementary school if I had known that Bruce was singing it. And apparently Pete Seeger and Bruce sang it in concert, in places like Dublin! I had no idea we were that cool.

A new, hopefully, tradition is that my bestie, Michelle, and her family is joining my family for dinner. I can't wait. It's always a blessing when you can share your table with loved ones, and this year our table will be extra full. Best friends and a new husband. I love Christmas eve, the house smells so good, dinner is wonderful, and we get to sit around the tree. Late at night I put on my jammies and I watch Midnight mass from the Vatican. I love to see the basilica all decorated. It'll be even more special this year, because I've actually been there. It's been two years since then, but I missed it last year, so I'm not counting that one! 

Christmas day is always a whirl wind. Packing the car with the dog then to my Aunts for dinner. It looks like 20 this year. That means a dozen or so hams. Aunt Gail likes to keep the 1 to 1 ratio. Never want to run out.  We've got wedding pictures so that'll be fun and we get to actually visit with everyone, since at the wedding there was no visiting. To much going on, and not enough time and to many people.

Poor Penny (the dog) has no idea what's instore for her this weekend. I don't think that she'll even get up out of the bed on Monday when it's all over, Hell, I don't think I'll get out of bed on Monday either.

Well to All my blogging friends and family, Have a safe and Wonderful Holiday this weekend, no matter which one it is. Enjoy your family, don't stress to much, and no matter what take 5 minutes out for yourself.  That way the chance of killing someone, goes down exponentially.


Monday, December 19, 2011

OH my Goodness Gracious! Grab the Nog!

I haven't written a post in forever. I (like many of you are) am currently pulling my hair out, trying to get ready for Christmas (or your holiday). 

List of Things I haven't gotten done yet and I only have 5 more days to go:

Baking (business and personal)
Shopping
Wrapping
Cleaning
Packing
Laundry
Visiting with neighbors
Christmas cards (though the bulk went in the mail today)

So I really shouldn't be taking a few minutes out to write to you, but you've all been on my mind and it's one more holiday thing that I can't put off any longer.

I really can't believe that Christmas is in 5 days. We live in the Capital Region of New York, and we still don't have any snow. Which I feel is bullsh*t. I put up with tons of snow each and every year. I am originally from Central New York where over 100" inches of snow each season was typical. In this area that would be disastrous. But we still get a lot of snow, so frankly if I have to put up with it from December 26th to April/May then damn-it I want a effing White Christmas. I don't feel that this is too much to ask, seriously.

I had great expectations this year of having a really well put together Christmas. HA!  What a pipe dream that was. Just because I don't go to a company to work, in my deluded mind, I thought that I could some how get everything that I wanted to get done, done. What a crock that was.  Besides now baking non-stop for days filling Christmas orders. I made my own Christmas cards,which seriously I love but, Christ was that time consuming.

I think in some egg nog induced dream, we would be sitting around the crackling Yule Log on t.v., stringing our own popcorn garland, drinking hot toddy's and  singing Christmas carols. I need to get my head out of the clouds, get back to making sugar cookies, and cranberry orange bread and put on White Christmas for the zillionth time, to make myself be merry and bright! I feel like Clark Griswold going crazy at the end of Christmas Vacation.
 
This one isn't for the kid's but it makes me laugh every damn time.

Well I think that was my pre-christmas break down/rant. Now that I'm done... Back to baking!

Monday, December 12, 2011

Things I Hate about Owning my own Business- and things I love!

There are times when owning your own business sucks. Like really, really sucks. It all balances out in the end, but the hard times are hard. There are so many things that I don't know, or don't understand. I can spend an hour pouring over the NYS Tax site and still not know what I need to do.  I hate keeping books. I'm just bad at it. Well hell, I've been crap at keeping a bank book, so why would business books be any different?

What's the worst part (and best) of owing your own business? No one tells me what to do. No one makes the decisions except me. There is no one to take the blame when things don't get done. When mistakes are made, well I made them, and I can't even yell at anyone for it. That just plain sucks.  But on the flip side, no one tells me what to do. I don't have any idiot bosses that like to boss for the sake of bossing. I don't have any stupid corporation that sends down memos just to keep vice presidents busy writing them. No dumb, day long meetings, when I have better things to do. It's just me, little old me.  I never stop working. My office is in the house, and there are always books to work on. Always. So that means when I'm watching t.v. with the hubby, I should be in front of the computer putting in receipts. Or writing a blog ;) or working on a new recipe, or thinking of a new product, the list just goes on and on and on.

So what's the best thing?   I'm just me. When it's time to go on vacation, we go. I don't have to take time off to take penny to the groomers, or when there is a sale at Macys... anyway.  I get to watch GMA most mornings. When I'm home, it's lots of Penny time.

The bestest best thing? I have never done anything that is so fulfilling. I know each and every customer. I am glad to see folks out at farmers markets. I know that I will build a business that will make (hopefully) thousands of people happy with full bellies.  That when they have a special occasion, I can help them celebrate. I might not be at the table when they serve a cake or put out a plate of cookies, but a little bit of my heart is there.  That is the best part.

Well it's going to be a busy week! I've got tons of cookies to bake 'cause Christmas is 12 short days away.

SO...  this week I'll be out at Delmar Farmers Market, it's the last one so make sure to stop and get some beautiful locally made gifts and treats! I'll also be out at Hudson Valley Community College for their Christmas shopping in the Student Center tomorrow!

Don't forget to order your cookie platter. 4 dozen cookies for $20!  Seriously you can't beat that! I ship! So let me know if you would like one. Well off to work for me!

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Christmas is all Around

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

I got my first Christmas card in the mail today! The tree is up, Christmas tunes are blaring all around the house and I've lost my voice.  Yeah it's been swell.  I had a very busy weekend, and a meeting on Monday, today I was supposed to drop off some items to the Delmar Market Place. 

The weekend went great, the meeting was interesting since I had to whisper the whole time I felt like everything that I was talking about was this huge secret. Like National Security sized secret.  And the drop off -- not happening today. Too much coughing, I don't want to go and bake and cough all over everything and spread my love around. So I'll do the drop tomorrow. I thought I was doing good today. I have been talking with Penny, and my voice was holding out well. I called Kevin to ask about FTP file sharing and 2 minutes in to the convo I was back down to a whisper. AWESOME!






So here I set, listening to Nat, coughing and feeling the holiday spirit.  So I thought I'd share some holiday cheer with you out there. I would like a Peppermint Mocha no whip from Starbucks if anyone is the EGB area and would like to drop one off.

Friday, December 2, 2011

Oh sweet DSLR Nikon D3100 How I love thee.

The D3100 nikonusa.com
You are my muse. You make me sing. You lift my heart to the stratosphere of digital photography. Sorry that was kind of sickening. But I truly do love it---a lot. It's my Father-in-laws, and once in a while when I bat my big brown eyes all pretty like, he lets me borrow it. Mostly because I need to borrow it for the business, and I need to take product photos and pictures of my dog. Seriously this camera makes taking photographer worthy pictures easy. Well at least I can pretend to be a photographer, and they don't come out so bad. good enough I feel that I can use them in/on print and website material for the company.  FIL once had a Nikon film camera and had a lot of the lenses that went with that, so he is now able to utilize them with the new camera. Even though it's a DSLR and you can change all the regular camera stuff like, shutter speed an stuff (I really have no idea how to do all photog-y stuff with the camera) it's really still a point and shoot camera. But the best part is it has exceptional clarity, and you can still use the view finder! This is an odd little quirk of mine. On our much loved Cannon P&S, I don't miss the view finder at all, if it was there I don't think that I would ever use it. On this camera though, I find myself mooshing my face to the back of the camera all the time to use the view finder. It just seems like the way to take the picture. I don't  know, I might be a little crazy. P.S. if you have an extra one laying around and are thinking ...Hmm I never use this, I might as well send it off to someone who would really appreciate it. CONTACT ME!!

Well this is all because, I'm getting a website!  WOOHOO!!  It's in the works now and I can't wait to give you all the details on it. I have been blessed to marry a man that has graphic designers as friends. Sweet Score! A lovely lady named Brianne Ptak-Mimura did my logo and and equally lovely lady named Adrienne DeTraglia is working my website as we speak. I will have all their info up here so I can rightfully plug their wicked talents!

Well that's about it for today. Lots of baking about to happen. Delmar Farmers Market on Saturday and the Troy Victorian Stroll on Sunday. Hope to see you out  this weekend getting ready for the holiday and picking up some yummy treats!

Please Mommy, may I have some more?












Monday, November 28, 2011

The Question Box

So I have added a question box in the pages above. I figure, I can answer cooking questions when they arise. I might not know the answer right off the top of my head, but with my bookshelves full of cookbooks, and Google, I can give you an answer or point you in the right direction for a recipe etc. I'm not sure how the formspring site will handle this, I feel like this feature will get a lot of revision on my blog, but we're here to grow together. So when a question arises pop a question in my blog and I'll get back to you ASAP.  Good luck with your cooking!


oh- on a side note-- I will not give out recipes for anything I sell, but will be glad to give you something similar (or options on how to order ;) ). I hope you understand.

Andrea

Friday, November 25, 2011

A quick shout out

for my husband....

He started a blog about the 250 greatest movies of all time as listed by imdb.com

You can see his blog here  250: a movie odyssey

He's just getting started, but its a really good start!!

I am now done with shameless family promotion.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

I'm gonna get me a Squirrel Skin Cap!

ok. Well I'm not really going to kill a squirrel intentionally. Though if I could have gotten my fingers around that little neck of his this afternoon...

Today was a cooking day. All thanksgiving - all the time, Stuffing, Cranberry sauce, Rolls, and Sweet Potato Casserole. We in the North East have long used our out door spaces as refrigerators for most of the winter. Really you only have to worry about things freezing, not being too warm. Most of the time its colder outside then in your fridge. So I got the stuffing made and out to the stoop it went. On to the Sweet potatoe Casserole. Extra maple syrup.... delicious and out to the stoop it went. Penny and I took a break for some cuddle time on the couch. I heard some thumping outside, but thought it was a squirrel on the roof over the door.

Well it was a squirrel.

When I finally got up to investigate. There was a FAT Squirrel sitting on my sweet potato casserole. Gnawing off a chunk of plastic and then reaching his grubby little paw in to my delicious oatmeal crumb topping. I banged on the window, he looked up and gave me the proverbial finger. 

"Ha lady! I got your casserole!" and  "This is what you get for sending your dog after me, every morning"



I could not get to the door fast enough.

And there it sat. One, once delicious, Casserole. Now full of plastic chips and nail marks, and my tears.

So after a blue streak of curses came flying out of my mouth, I stood on my stoop, with my half gnawed dish and shook my fist in the air at the squirrels.

Yes. I did that. In my pink old lady slippers.  It's official. I'm now old and crazy. Soon I'll be on my front porch shaking a cane at kids going by, and telling them to "stay off my lawn"

Oh sweet Jesus!  When did this happen?!

So needless to say the lid went to the garbage, the dish went out to the yard, so the furry rats can have a nice Thanksgiving too, and I went to Hannaford to get more sweet potatoes.

I hope everyone else's holiday preparations are rodent free! 


Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Thankful Tuesday

So what am I thankful for?

With Thanksgiving now just hours away (yikes!) I'm taking 5 minutes out of my pie baking morning to be thankful. Well that's not true because I am thankful all the time. Soo very thankful!.

I don't think I have enough time to write all the things here. I am a busy lady. So I'll give you the short and sweet of it.

1-The big GOD - yep...through all things. With out some gudience and  tough love, I don't know where I'd be.

2- My Husband - only three months in. He has supported me through everything. Losing a job and staring a company. Even during lean times (sometimes very lean) he has never asked me to stop baking and go back to 'real work'. He is my rock. He is my love. He lights my path. He is why I get up everyday.

3- My Family - This includes all my friends- My heart is full because of you.

4- Wet Sloppy Dog Kisses. (nuf said)

5- Customers. With out you I have no business. Please continue to support me and enjoy my baked goods.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Delmar Marketplace!

Announcement! 


You will now be able to purchase Andi's Apple Cakes at the Delmar Market Place!!





Stop by to get all of your local goods (and Apple Cakes) at the four corners in Delmar! They've got a great butcher, not to mention lots and lots of local products. Make sure your thanksgiving and Christmas shopping includes buying local from DMP!!!

I'll be dropping off my first run of Apple Cakes around 5 tonight!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Busy Week

Oh the week we had....

Out and about. We travelled to western New York to see Kevin's (husbands) family.  Late wednesday night, stopping at my parents house to drop off the dog. This was Grandma and Grandpa's first dog sitting extravaganza. And now Penny knows how awesome going to Grandma & Grandpa's is. 'Cause there, we don't eat meals, we just get snacks.  ALL DAY. But hey, we were glad that Mom and Dad would watch her, and what ever took her mind off of not having us there and her being in a strange place.  So treats all day, whatev-

It was really great to spend time with his family, something that we don't get to do to often. Alot of his family is in North Carolina, and cousins are spread out all over the North East. Buffalo isn't a short trip, but we were glad to do it. A lot of laughs were had.  Home we came on Friday night, as I had a Delmar Farmers Market in the morning.

Didn't get a lot of sleep, but that's ok. I make due. After the farmers market, I made a stop, which I will cover in depth later. And off to Mr Liam Gregorys 2nd birthday party.  Great to see friends, glad to have root beer floats with the birthday boy! Kevin picked out books for Liam,  his favorite included "How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight". This is apparently a whole line of books. Dinosaurs do lots of things. I'll have to investigate this further. 

At 3pm Michelle showed up! It's do good to see my best friend!  Lots and lots and lots of laughs later we went out to Ali Baba in Troy for dinner. SOOO GOOD!  We love us some Turkish food. Bring on the wood fired lavash. To the grocery, liquor store and home we came.  A sentimental viewing of Army of Darkness   and half a Long Island Iced tea.... And I was down for the count.   

Sausage biscuits and gravy for breakfast, and subsequent coma after. Its a good week.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Etsy!

So I've had a shop on Etsy now for quite a while. Have I used it?  NOPE!  But now with the holidays (fast) approaching I wanted to be able to give a quick and easy way to order. So Etsy is back in business! 

Located at the left of your screen is my Etsy widget.  You can click right on and wham-o your there. Pay with any major credit card and I'll get the oven fired up and it'll be on its way in no time flat. If your looking for something on the Treats for Sale page, just let me know. I can post a private sale (just for you!) you purchase with the security of paypal and away it goes. Please comment below if you have any questions or shoot me an email  andisapplecakes@gmail.com

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Christmas Cards are here!




So I take a class once a month with my M-I-L and S-I-L. They are both Stampin Up demonstrators. And wow. Well they (we, I helped out too!) did my wedding invitations, eventually I'll get pictures of those up as well. They do really beautiful work. On Monday nights once a month they teach a class. We make 4 cards to bring home, and they hope you buy something out of the catalog. So for this Tuesday morning post I just wanted to show off what I did last night, and if your local to the Albany NY area, I'm sure they would love to have you, contact me for more information.

What a great bunch of ladies are at this class. All ages. All funny! Boy do we laugh, we make a lot of mistakes. But who cares! There is definitely pink snow on the Lodge Card because I was too impatient to let the ink dry before I put on the glitter for the snow. I apologize to who ever gets that card for Christmas. 

Well this was a short post, but I just wanted to show off my work!

Monday, November 14, 2011

Thanksgiving Reminder!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner! 

Make sure you get your holiday order in soon!  
(please by November 20th)



Pies
 
Apple -Apple Crumb- Pumpkin $10
 
Breads/Cakes
Apple Cake Bundt $15
Apple Cake Loaf $8
Pumpkin - Cranberry Orange Loaf $5
 
Email me:  andisapplecakes@gmail.com 
Call me: 518-281-1686
Paypal Payment available.
Shipping for Bread/Cakes only (pies don't travel well)
Thanks!!

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Mac & Cheese for Dinner Tonight

I've been craving mac and cheese for a while now. And yes, I want Kraft. But in my 3/4 hearted (a little bit more then half-hearted) effort to not buy processed foods I decided that making it would be much much better.  So after church today I sat down to find the "GREATEST MAC AND CHEESE RECIPE EVER!!! (use god like voice here)  Now listen, I'm a chef and I have no problem making mac and cheese on my own. Sometimes though it's good to find a recipe, to see what the others are doing and what your not. Sometimes they're better, sometimes they're not. A few blogs and websites into the research I noticed that many had referenced Martha Stewart's Recipe for "Perfect Macaroni & Cheese".  Well if so many folks are writing about it, I'm going to give it a whirl.

Out to Hannaford I go, because I'm mad at Price Chopper at the moment due to their lack luster selection of gluten free items.  And hey it takes me a whole extra minute to get to Hannaford, literally.  Goods purchased and back home I come.

Easy enough recipe. She wants you to make your own bread crumbs, but I'm lazy and used whole wheat panko bread crumbs from Ian's   I still sauteed them in butter, but it saved me a step.  I also halved the recipe, because it makes enough for 12, and since we aren't the Duggers, I didn't need that much.

I'll put the recipe here and in the recipe section of the blog but if your not a well versed cook, definitely check out Martha's page as she gives lots of tips and reasons why you do things.

So with no further ado.....


Martha Stewarts Perfect Macaroni and Cheese


Serves 12
6 slices good-quality white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar
2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyere or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated pecorino Romano
1 pound elbow macaroni

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread pieces in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into the bowl with bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

2. Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.

3. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup pecorino Romano. Set cheese sauce aside.

4. Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 fewer minutes than manufacturer's directions, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar and 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup pecorino Romano; scatter breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes; serve.





So here is the Mac & Cheese Round up:

All done and Hot out of the Oven!
It's good, really good.  I was chatting on the phone with my bestie Michelle while I made this and neglected to keep some of the cheese out for the top. Oh well. Didn't matter, was just a little cheeseier in the sauce.  Good cheese is a must. Your going to spend upwards of $15 on cheese if your making the full recipe.  Don't skimp and get crappy cheese- and grate it yourself. It only takes a few minutes, less if you have a food processor, and that way there are no preservatives. And really fifteen bucks isn't bad when you think it serves 12, so spend the money and get the good stuff. All in all I'll make this again. It was de-lish, perfect if your going to have folks over for dinner or going to a pot luck.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Something Yummy this way comes!

A new product unveiling will occur tomorrow at the Delmar Farmers Market!  But thankfully you have checked in here to get all the latest and greatest!   So with no further ado......



Pumpkin Whoppie Pies with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Filling. 

$1 each 
Limited quantity available
Orders will be taken!



See everyone out tomorrow morning 9-1 Delmar Middle School Cafeteria!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

New Calendar

Hey Everyone I just wanted you to know that I put up a new page for my calendar. This way you will always know where I will be with Andi's Apple Cakes. Also included will be important dates to remember, like last day to order for holidays (thanksgiving is coming up...hint hint).

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

As Promised Weekly Thing

So as I said a post or two ago, I needed a weekly thing to keep myself on task. So for my wedding shower I was given a recipe box and a everyone put a recipe in. There are some really wonderful family recipes in the box and I want to share them with everyone. So I'm going to start a page for recipes and every week I will cook one and add it to the page. I'm shooting for Mondays but we'll see.  I hope you all follow along, I'll of course Write a little about each one and if I'm feeling saucy I'll do pictures as well.

Hello Blogger!

I can't even say that I will miss wordpress very much, because I won't. I am just getting to know the ease and use of blogger, but I can definitely say... Where have you been all my blogging life?  So much nicer, so much prettier, so much BETTER! 

I have successfully ported all of my other posts over, (woohoo), and I just need to get some of the little things worked out, get a gallery made etc, but already it looks SO SO SO much better, I'm sure you will agree!

~a

Where Have I been?

Around, but obviously, not here.


Errands, and cleaning, and really no one wants to know about how I’m super stoked I got the fridge cleaned out last week. (I did and am so happy about it)


So yeah.


As you can probably see I’m not that much of a writer, more of an un-organized rambler. I’ve never really been a writer, never kept a journal or diary, etc. Which is probably a reason that I can’t keep up with the blog on a regular basis. I’ve decided that I need to do a semi-weekly post like a Wordless Wednesday or a Flash Friday or a oh I don’t know.  I got the idea from two great Mom Bloggers Mrs. C at Never a Dull Moment   and Mrs G at The Next Chapter…  both close friends, awesome women, and great Moms. So hopefully I can keep a better track on my blog. It is a great release to sit down and have a conversation about what ever you want to have one about (<– does that make sense?)   Anyway.


Apparently this is Blog Month, Mrs G is doing a blog a day for the entire month! Good for her, but I know right now I am not that dedicated! Some day, maybe…   

So what’s going on in the business world.



Saturdays until 18th of December 9-1 in the middle school cafeteria in Delmar.  Oh my goodness- what a great market!  Lots of farmers out with the last bits of produce from the summer. Fresh meat, and eggs and a Fish Mongerer!  Freddy’s Rocking Humus (best humus around), Peruvian Delights (check out the empanadas), The Herb Guy (sorry I can’t remember his name) he makes an AWESOME coconut tea.  I’ll be there with AAC through the winter. So come out and see me!


Order for Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving is fast approaching!  
(17 days from today!) 
Get your orders in for dessert!

Pumpkin-Apple-Apple Crumb  $10
Apple Bundt $15

Apple Loaf $8

Pumpkin- Cranberry Orange Loaf $5

email me at andisapplecakes@gmail.com to get your order in by November 21.



So I think that’s about it for all the exciting things going on.  I’ll (try to) be more diligent on the posting front.

till later

~a

Friday, October 28, 2011

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Sunday, October 9, 2011

To My Michelle:

Recipe of the Day.... Crumpets.

So, I am endeavoring on making a decent crumpet. Which should be interesting, since, I've never had a crumpet. I have nothing to compare it to, no model to set it up against. I'm off to the grocery store for ingredients. I've been reading blogs all around the interwebs looking for ideas and the general recipe for one. I'm feeling like it a pancake-y sort of a thing.  I'll make this a several part blog on the "Crumpet: A Quest"  and then we'll see what we get.

Friday Night-  Attempt Number 1 -  So they came out...Meh. Not really what I was looking for, or what I think I'm looking for. No real nooks and crannies. Mostly doughy and heavy. They really weren't what the blog described. I think I filled the rings to much. And someone had mentioned that they had put the soda in right before cooking. I think I'll try that with the next recipe. We'll see!  This is the best part of experimenting, figuring out what works and what doesn't. So these are mine:

Ok so Crumpet fest-tober is on hold for awesome weather. Yard work must be done, so I will continue this little exploration of crumpetness on Tuesday.

 

Crupmet Update:

I might have found the one. This recipe has a lot more air and you add the baking soda at the end, after you have let the yeast do its work. Lots of bubbles everywhere.  Here is the new picture. (if your english, please let me know if these look better) The first picture is as it went into the pan and the second is when it is getting ready to be turned. They seem to work out really well. They do tend to be a little bit greasy. But after you toast them, and add some butter, you don't seem to notice the greasiness.  I have to apologize. I completely forgot to take a picture of them when they were all finished. But they look better!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Upcoming Events

Hey Everyone!

So I wanted to keep you all updated on upcoming events:

October 15th  Saturday

  • Extra Life Fundraising


    • Raising money for Children's Miracle Network-  its going on at our house and of course Andi's Apple Cakes will be providing the sugar!  It's 24 hours of Gaming for  sick kids. Which means lots of Mountain Dew, Coffee, fun, and I'm sure several meltdowns. Please Support me Here!



October 31st  Monday

  • Halloween!!  Which means Candy and Goodies!!   I've got Pumpkin Bread available. Along with other awesome fall treats! (more info later)  So make sure you get your order in so you can take some yummy things to the office or just have something to snack on when the trick-or-treaters get to your house.


 

From now till Winter

  • Kristy's Barn is stocking my Apple Cakes and Pumpkin Bread.  Make sure you get over to the Farm get some pumpkins, Apple Cakes, sign up for your 2012 CSA, pet some animals and get some super yummy apple cider doughnuts!


 

I'm going to be at a few different craft shows, and as soon as I get the dates and times pinned down I'll let you know.

 

Also I'm running a Breakfast goodie contest- I was going to draw on October 1st but I want to get some more entries. So I'm extending the drawing to October 15th.    The Drawing is for a basket of breakfast goodies to be delivered to your office, for 2-30 people.

If you want in on the contest: Please email me at andisapplecakes@gmail.com

Include Your:    Name -- Place of Business-- Telephone Number-- Address-- How many people are in your office

Please put "Contest Entry"   in the Subject line

Again I'll draw October 15th and let the winners know.

 

See you at a farmers market or craft show soon!

 

 

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

And I'm BACK!

So, sorry about that little wedding glitch.

Regular life seriously got in the way of the business life. But that's all taken care of now, so I can once again focus on my business and this part of my life.

Let me catch you up on the latest news. I got married :) And it was awesome.Not to pat my self on the back (shameless self promotion coming) it was the best party ever.  It really had everything.  Ask most anyone that was there, I hit the nail on the head with this one. The flowers were beautiful thanks to Brian at Bountiful Blooms The music was killer, everyone danced all night long. Our tunes were played by Jim from Affordable DJ Services who we had got when we contracted through AMS/ Capital Disc Jockeys Tim, the owner, hooked us up!  From Tim we also got the open air photo booth. Which was a huge hit. We get a disc with all the pictures on it and seriously, I can't wait.  Our outstanding photographers were from Alter Image Photography out of Syracuse. They did my BF's wedding and were awesome then and did a superior job at ours. I really can't thank them enough for capturing my day. Lance and his wife/assistant were really wonderful to have and let me do what I wanted, and somehow still came out with great pictures. You can see our Album (first 200+ of 3000) pictures.  But the real stars of the show were the caterers. Mansion Catering/Hall of Springs couldn't have done a better job.  Angelo Mazzone puts together teams like no one else. I worked for the Hall and knew when it was time, they were the ones to call. We walked in sat down with Kevin Sykes and it was done. Really it was just that easy. A few conversations, and a menu appears, exactly what we wanted with out even knowing it.  When you hire the best, you get the best, and boy did they deliver. I'm still getting complements.  We ate, we danced, we drank, we had ice cream! You can't have a party without Ben & Jerry's!  The owner, and friend, Pat Pepino sent a scooper and a cart full of ice cream. So YUMMY!! After all was said and done guests made their way home with a cup of apple cider, an apple cider donut from Kristy's Barn and of course an Andi's Apple Cake. Seriously, what did you think I was going to give out as a favor at my own wedding??  All of the festivities occurred at Pat's Barn a hidden gem in the wedding world. April Rounds who sells/manages the place for RPI is awesome to work with, and in a few years time, she will make it a wedding hotspot! So I think that was everyone. Oh....Transportation was by Premiere Limo, Dresses were from David's, Tuxes from Men's Warehouse (which I do NOT recommend). Hair was from Studio 1 in East Greenbush.  All in all, it went off with out a hitch. Everyone had an awesome time, we couldn't be happier.


So back to reality.


I'm back to business, I'll blog again very soon with where I'll be and when I'll be there and some new and exciting things I have in the works. One of those things will be a new web site.

Thanks for letting me do the wedding thing. I promise I won't go away that long again!

Mrs. Salhoff

Monday, August 22, 2011

Yeah so this wedding thing is coming up.

Yes I am using this as an excuse as to why I haven't blogged in ages. T-19 days. Stress levels are starting to reach maximum proportions. I might stroke out. I can actually hear the wedding bells ringing. Good lord in heaven above, please preserve me!

 

I will be back, I don't know when, But I will be back!

Friday, July 22, 2011

Oslo

As my friend Andy G. (king blogger @lunchboxbrain) tweeted earlier. "I hope my son will someday experience a planet at peace."

 

Today people were killed in Oslo and a small island off the coast of Norway called Utoya. There was a bomb in the city, that killed two and injured many, and there was a gunman dressed as a police man that went to the island where a youth camp was being held and opened fire.

Children had to jump in the water and swim for their lives as they were being shot at.

What has this world come to.

What is to be done, so that, Liam and my children (not yet sparkles in my eye) will have a history class and talk about a subject called war and terrorism. And be able to speak of it as something that is just not done any more, that as humans we have moved beyond the use of guns to settle our differences. Where we all feel safe in our homes. Where we all treat our fellow humans as our brothers.

I have hope, but its not strong. I fear, I will have to explain why people blow up buildings and attack innocent children.

 

prayers go out to all those families that have been broken by this misery.

 

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Minggy? yeah it's cool.

So a friends brother started this little web site. It's still in beta now (soon to be released) but it's shaping up to be quite awesome! Pretty much it's a linked in/craigslist/meetup all rolled into one. I can have a business account and a personal account in one (sweet!) and I can post ad's and look for things that I want to do or get or see etc.  They have a video on their website that explains it all. I urge you to check it out and sign up. The more people that are on, the cooler it will be.

 



Minggy.com   <-------  Check it out there!!

 

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

So.... Yeah. That's what I gotta say about that.

Yeah, I'm just plugging along. I've been doing 4 farmers markets, this week I think I am just going to do three. I think I am taking the Feura Bush Market out. It is a brand new market, and I'm all for growing from the ground up, but there is no farmer at the market. Sooo, its a little hard too have a farmers market and no farmer. I feel I'll do better by doing three really well then 4 half-assed.

I've got a couple of new ideas. And I'm trying to get things planned for when the farmer's markets slow down. I'm looking for suggestions for festivals/ shows/ etc that I can go to sell. Its hard because we'll be gone at the end of September. Well everyone, put on your thinking caps.

On to wedding stuff. I think that's why the farmers markets are starting to push to the back of my mind. Anyway, wedding invites are done, almost.  The shower is this weekend, which I am super excited for. I can't wait to see everyone! So I still have a few minor things to do, but it's coming together.

It's 53 days away.

 

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Sorry I Haven't Been Bloggy in the Last Few Days.

Yeah, really haven't been feeling it. I'm guessing it's the weather. It's just hot here. Which makes me want to do nothing. Lord, the dog won't even get up. She had spent most of her day moving from one place to another to lay down. I think she  is in search of the coolest place in the house (there isn't one, but how do you explain that to a dog?) she's already tried the bed, the floor in the bed room, most places on the floor in the living room and now she is on the couch. Tough life of a dog.

Well I'm starting a new week, Four farmers markets. I'll see if I go crazy by the end. The best part of it all is that HP7pt2 comes out on Thursday night, so that means no sleep what so ever.  I can't wait though!  Well this is going to be a short blog, cause I have to package up some cooled banana bread and get ready for Watervliet. Time too swelter in the afternoon!

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

T- 9 Days........

We have had a torrid love affair, since those first days, 13 years ago. Late nights in bed, waiting for hours just to get my hands on him.  Turning him over and over in my hands.  Crying, laughing, all emotions were felt, through him, and with him.

I'm going to miss that little boy wizard.

Get your mind out of the gutter.

ok. I have  a secret passion, well I have lots of secret passions, but this one's final chapter (unless someone wants to write some more) is coming to a close.  It's about a little boy and a scar and some wizards and lots of other stuff too. Harry Potter is being released next Friday night. Seven books and 8 movies, tons and loads and buckets of stuff to go along with it all.

I started reading the books to some kids that I was babysitting.  I thought that YA Fiction had come along way if this was the kind of books that were out now. Well little did I know that there weren't really any books like that out.  I kept the fact that I was a HP-Fanatic under-wraps, well I tried to at least. It would have messed with my street-cred in college. I figured I was the only 20ish gal out there reading, kids books.

Then I went to my first B&N Midnight Release party. I had found 'my people'.  But its all done. The story closes. Only one more midnight showing. One last time I can wear my HP tee shirt in public with out being completely embarrassed.

One last time...

 

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mObK5XD8udk&w=560&h=349]

 

I can't wait  !!

Monday, July 4, 2011

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Feura Bush Farmers Market

Well this is a quick Saturday Morning Post. I am picking up the Feura Bush Farmers Market on Wednesdays. I still think I'm going to pick up the Coeymans one as well on Thursday Nights. I don't have the sheet in front of me but I know that The FB is at the Jerusalem Reformed Church on 32. 2pm-6pm I think, or something close to that. As soon as I dig the paper out of the car I'll get it up on the Calender.  I've been having a great go at Voorheesville and Watervliet. I really enjoy meeting everyone.

Some Highlights:

Voorheesville:

There is a Hummus Guy coming in the next week or so.  Fresh Hummus....CAN'T WAIT!!

A farmer is selling home grown mushrooms.

There is a fresh meat (chicken, steak, etc) and Egg farmer.

Farmer Jon has great greens ( got some chard for some sautéed greens)

Watervliet:

Kristy's Barn is there with AWESOME produce every nweek (they're also at Delmar, Voorheesville, Cohoes, North GB)

The Watervliet Historical Society is there raising money with the sale of glass wear and nick-nacks.

I hope to see you out at the markets to see what our region has to offer, it's really outstanding!

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Etsy!

Hey!  I'm on Etsy now.....

 

Which means You can use your credit card!

Check me out HERE!!

I'll be working on a for-real website soon.

 

33-29

Today I am Happy to be a NY'er.  My close friends can do the same things that I can do. I will be able to celebrate with them, when they take the next step in their relationship.

More Importantly.....

They get to have the same basic rights that I enjoy everyday. They get to express their love to their partner, just as I will in 78 days.  When they get sick, their loved one can be in the room with the Dr. and stand next to the bed.  They can put their partner on their insurance and share a last name.

My fiancé and I tried to become domestic partners when I was laid off. Let me tell you, this is NOT equal but different.  It's just not equal. It is a Giant Giant Giant pain in the tucass. Even though we live together, have a puppy, pay our bills out of one check book, and generally, except for that piece of paper, are married. We weren't married enough to claim domestic partnership. We didn't own a car together. If we had owned a car together for 6 months, then we could claim domestic partnership. Then, is when the fun begins. The tax forms are ridiculous. So all in all, not equal at all, not when any straight couple can walk into the clerks office, take an oath, and sign a paper, and its done. But today, no one has to do that any more.

Today I am proud to be a NY'er. Finally our elected officials did something right

Monday, June 20, 2011

Dum Dum da Dum....

So I haven't really talked a lot about my impending marriage on the blog. Mostly because it has not been an issue at all. We got engaged a year and a half ago in Egypt, Kevin set the date on the boat and by mid summer all the big things were taken care of, the church was booked and the barn was booked. By the first of the year we had the photog, the DJ and the florist and I had my dress.  All that was left was the limo. (Check) Tuxs Just need to order. and the little stuff. I swear I might be the calmest coolest bride around. Really. I am stressing about nothing. Well you always stress about money, but that can't really be helped. We picked out the invites, made the way too long list. We know what our favors will be and have some great surprises planned for our guests.  I AM READY!

I say... bring it. The sooner the better! I am a go for the Honeymoon. My bikini is bought and there is a rum punch somewhere with my name on it.  I have a ton of sundress' and just need to find a fancy hat to wear, But I'll probably get that on the island.

So this all is brought on because we went to a wedding last night. We had a really great time, we didn't know a lot of people there, but that's why we had so much fun. We had a good meal, had some cocktails, and danced! I just kept imagining what our wedding was going to look like. What we were going to have for center pieces. How the cake was going to look. ETC, ETC, ETC. Then I realized how much more hectic our was going to be, we got to spend time with each other last night. Not so much at our wedding. We'll have family and friends in from all over the country, and it will be the  first time my four brothers and I will be together since 1985. yes 85.  I can't wait. but I know it won't last long enough. Even though we pretty much have a Weekend planned for everyone. It still won't be long enough. We have spent countless hours getting things ready and thousand of dollars, not to mention all the money our guests will be spending to come and stay here in Albany.  I just don't feel that 6 hours is going to be long enough.

I'm sure that every bride and groom feel the same way.  Right?

 

 

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Time to get up on the Soap Box

DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR FOOD COMES FROM???

Seriously? Do you have any idea?

Tomatoes? Lettuce? Bananas? And those are just fresh vegetables.

So this was all prompted by a visit with my friend Betty (name changed). Betty is 'in a family way' and we were discussing how being pregnant makes you rethink your diet (or it should!) Betty has a gluten intolerance (Celiac), which when pregnant can become severe. She must be very, very careful about what she is eating, not just when she is pregnant, always and forever. She reads every label and knows where her food comes from. I applaud her!

I am a baker, and now a business owner. Do you know what you have to do when you bake for a living? Make ingredient labels. Being a chef and a country girl, I know what's in season and where it is coming from. But I didn't know what was in Vegetable shortening (Crisco) until last week. I have a basic knowledge of what it is (as should every Chef) it's hydrogenated vegetable oil. So in basic non-sciencey terms, the molecule of vegetable oil has open parts like the sides of an inside piece of a puzzle, where things can fit. So to turn liquid vegetable oil into a solid shortening, they use hydrogen and fill up those sides. But a lot of the time they don't fill everything up, so you get partially-hydrogenated vegetable oil. Awesome right, it's from veggies and now it makes decent pie crust (not as good as lard, but that's for another post) problem is that when you don't fill up all the bonds it leaves spots open and stuff can cling to it and get into your body. FREE-RADICALS!!!! These are the hangers on of the cool kids world. So sometimes, bad nasty sh*t can help it's self on in to our bodies. Cancer causing stuff and the like. These Trans-fats also lead to heart diseases and a host of other nasty illnesses. Listen I'm not a scientist and I'm sure if you know one they would be able to explain it better to you, probably a scientist out there will read this and have many, many polite observations on how I could have explained it better. Listen there is a wikipedia article HERE. But they use lots of sciencey terms. Where was I going with all this.... Oh yes what's in Crisco.  Ok so I know Crisco isn't the best for you, but neither are the triple chocolate cream de menthe brownies that I make. Everything in moderation I say.  But I was making a label and got out the can to copy the ingredients over.  Good Lord in Heaven ABOVE! What was all this crap?

Vegetable Shortening: (Soybean Oil, Fully Hydrogenated Palm Oil, Partially Hydrogenated Palm and Soybean Oils Mono and Diglycerides, TBHQ and Citric Acid (Antioxidants)


I don't know what TBHQ is and frankly I'm scared to look it up. Oh and on a side note, I don't know how to make the font bigger, if someone knows throw me a comment wouldya?  Back to the Rant.  So out shopping today, I needed more shortening, because in some baking applications, you need a solid fat and butter (always delicious) doesn't always translate across recipes without some major tinkering. And not for nothing if Grandma said use shortening... I'm not messing with the best.  True though when Grandma used shortening, I'm sure it didn't have TBHQ in it. Ok. I looked it up. It's an antioxidant. Really it keeps fats from going rancid. So that means I can have crisco on the shelf for years and....Still Good!  That scares me, I knew I didn't want to look it up :/  So checking out the food labels on solid vegetable shortening can be a wonderful and eye opening experience. Well not really. But on the good side I found a shortening that doesn't have so much of the extra crap in it. And it was a store brand. So I saved a few pennies, left out a few chemicals, and pretty much vowed to read every label I buy. Eventually I would like to go all natural baking. Slowly I will change recipes and work out the chemicals when I can. It will take time, and it will be hard to find replacements that work.


So I got really far off topic- sort of.  Back to knowing where your food comes from. We live in a society that has come to believe that strawberries can be grown year round. Here. In America.  News flash.... They can't. Though we do have a great range of climates and are able to get a longer growing season on a lot of vegetables. We can't grow everything all year around. But we can ship in Apples from New Zealand, and fruit from Chile, and Mexico.


Being at the farmers markets has really opened my eyes to how little people understand where there food comes from.  A lady walked in to the market and was looking for corn. Now I can guess she probably doesn't drive past a corn field on her way home, it's not even knee high yet. The corn your eating out of the supermarket was shipped in from the south. Probably Texas and the like. I did find a great site that helps folks understand when food will be ripe in their area.  Check it out HERE.


It's really sad that many Americans have little concept of the origin of their food. So tonight when you sit down to the dinner table, take a look around. Do you know where your food came from and what's in it?


Monday, June 13, 2011

This week.....

So I haven't posted very much this week, kinda been hectic.  After the farmers market on Tuesday, I got home and got ready to leave for my parents house in Westernville. I was on my way home for a final concert by my band teacher Mr. Ischia. He taught for 36 years. I really can't imagine doing the same thing for 36 years. He loved it though, said he could have done another 3-4 years. But thought it was time to go, golf and spend time with his family.  It was really great seeing him, and the high school, and some high school friends I haven't seen since I left.  The school looks different, Mr. Ischia's hair is a lot greyer, and the friends haven't changed, just got a little older. There were some mixed emotions going back, though I was excited once I got there.  I still had the, OMG moment, will I still fit in?

Then came a long awaited for moment... I got to check two things off my list. 

1. Have a drink with a Teacher

2. Have a drink at Benny's Respectable Gin Mill

Really It's called Benny's Place, it's in Holland Patent and the great aspiration of a group of High Schoolers Back in the late 90's. David Parker, used to talk about Benny's Respectable Gin Mill all the time, like he was the Norm of Holland Patent and had his own seat at the bar, when really we all knew that he had never been in for a drink before, being that he was 17 and a decent kid that only made mischief and a small bit of trouble.  So when at the age of 31 I finally got to belly up to the bar and order a Gin & Tonic-- it was a moment, the fact that I was doing it with Mr Ischia, made it that much more special.  We laughed and talked,  I caught up with friends,  we did a lot of remembering.

 

So back home Thursday after noon to live life, had some orders to go out and did a lot of paperwork.  Scrubbed the house, and I'm baking today for tomorrow, I'll be at the Watervliet Farmers Market tomorrow from 2:30 - 5:30. Come and visit. Kristy's Barn is there from Schodack and they've got great produce for being early in the season.  I'm going to try to get into Voorheesville on Friday Nights. I'll hope to see you there too!

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Boogie for Breast Cancer!



Hey everyone, Boogie for Breast Cancer is happening, and you should be there! Not only to support cancer research, but you'll have the chance to win a goodie basket from  Andi's Apple Cakes!!!!  Tickets are on sale till Friday ( I think) Give Michaeline a call and go have a great time!!

Watervliet Farmers Market!!!

[gallery]

So Today was my first day, not with out incident, but Today was my FIRST DAY!!!!!!!!

I got a call from the Watervliet farmers market last week, wondering if I was going to participate this year.  I was scheduled to have my inspection of the kitchen on Friday morning, so I put off making the decision till Monday. Well of course the inspection went great! The very nice inspector John, checked out the kitchen and passed me with flying colors. With ta A-OK from the state I was off shopping like a champ. Can I spend money! I wish there were some sort of shopping award, I would win it. And what ever happened to Shop Till You Drop on Cable.  I loved that show, well I loved Supermarket Sweep more, but they were on back to back, so I consider them one. Anywho. I bought bought bought on Friday. On Saturday, I did yard work and ate Chinese.  (Yes that is a mentionable activity since I don't get egg rolls very often) Sunday was the nieces' recital ( Go Em!) and Monday was baking. and more baking, and still some baking.

Buy late late late Monday night, I had almost finished, but since I was falling asleep standing up, off to bed I went. Got up this morning with butterflies in my stomach. Did I make enough? Did I make too Much?  Will I remember everything? OH MY GOD! Small baby freak-outs all morning. Thankfully only the dog saw me and she loves unconditionally.

I had one small hiccup..... no Insurance. This would be the aforementioned incident.  I had gone on Monday to pay for my insurance. The very nice lady, Beth, was going to email the binder to me yesterday afternoon.  No binder this morning when I woke up!?!  So on my way to the FM I stopped by the agency. Why doesn't everyone move fast when you want them to?   Well what to do, no insurance, no market, Right? By 3pm the underwriter had finally written my policy and I was covered. Yep, that's me-- daredevil. I went a whole half an hour without insurance.  Cause I went anyway. Rules be damned! I will sell my applecakes come hell or high water!

It was the first day of the season at Watervliet. There were only 6 vendors and I did ok! Nothing spectacular, but ok. I'm going to say for the first month, I'll only do ok, till I get a customer base, then I hope for more.

But Today was my first day :)

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Chocloate Chip Cookies

I'll let the pictures do the talking.  $5 per dozen.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Fathers Day Special!

Hello All!


Fathers Day  is fast approaching and your Dad deserves...


COOKIES!


Tell your Dad how much you love him with


2 Dozen Home Made Cookies


&


a pound of fresh ground coffee


(from a local roaster of course!)


All for $20 plus shipping if not local

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

slow and steady wins the race.

So where had Modern Family been all my life,  even though this blog was to have nothing to do with television and everything to do with exercising.  There was just a Priscilla Queen of the Desert reference. Seriously what was I watching at 8:30 on Wednesday nights?

I digress, again this was supposed to be about exercising and how good DH and I are doing at keeping active.  We are out every night after dinner to do something.  Tonight it was bike riding, we did 4 miles. I am quite proud of us. Will it last? It better, cause I need to keep this figure for the wedding and he is still loosing weight, over 100 pound so far.  I really am quite proud of him.  He is going to look so good in his tux!  Most importantly though, he is healthier then he has ever been (since I've been around, at least).

So slow and steady wins the race. A little exercise every night.  I want to do a 5k this fall sometime.  I know me! a 5k!!   We'll see.  I can run a mile with out stopping, which I couldn't do in High School, so I count that as a mini victory. I just have to add the 2.1 miles on to the end of that and voila! 5k.

On a business note, I am one step closer to getting my 20-C licence.  Hopefull everything will be ready to go by the 2nd week in June. (Fingers crossed!)