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