Cranberry Sauce

So, I've never really understood the appeal of that jelly log that slides out the can. You know what I'm talking about, we've all tried it and in some homes its a staple on Thanksgiving. As a kid, I always thought it was icky and, in turn, that all cranberry sauce was like that. And then, some years back in another life, I was working for a caterer and she made homemade cranberry sauce. From whole oranges and fresh cranberries. Let me tell you, it blew my mind. I'd never seen such a thing and was thoroughly impressed. 

With the preserving bug I caught recently, I decided that offering a fresh cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving would be a fun addition. And, after a few trials, I was rewarded with this....

Oh yea. Lovely, lovely cranberry sauce. Slightly sweet but with a nice cranberry punch, it's lightly spiced with cinnamon, allspice and cloves with a nice undercurrent of whole oranges. 

It will be a great accompaniment to your Thanksgiving turkey and the sandwiches the next day. Can you imagine a turkey and ham (yes, we do ham too!) sandwich with that sauce peeking out from the bread? Yum! 

I'll be making the sauce to order, so ping me if you'd like a jar. And don't forget that this would make a fantastic hostess gift if you've been invited to dine at someone's home.

Available in 2 sizes:

8oz     $5

16oz   $8

Please note: the cranberry sauce must be refrigerated.

And I have to tell you, in the process of testing recipes, we've been slathering it on toast in the morning -- Nolan is officially a HUGE fan of the cranberry sauce! 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Thanksgiving -- Are you ready?

Thanksgiving is a mere two weeks away and it's time to get serious. While you scour all your cookbooks, magazines and online options for winning recipes, why not get a jump start and check one thing off your list now? Place an order for your Thanksgiving desserts and save your precious oven time for the turkey.

I'm currently offering a 10% discount if you order two or more pies. Mix and match from Pumpkin, Pecan, Chocolate Pecan and/or Apple. All pies are made with my signature all butter crust, it practically melts in your mouth!

And if pie isn't your thing, consider ordering some Pumpkin Spice cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese frosting instead (dozen minimum please). 

And for all those potluck-ers out there, bringing a homemade pie or some cupcakes is a guaranteed pleaser. Just planting some seeds....

Have a great Thanksgiving and I look forward to making your day all that much more stress-free.

Pre-discount prices are noted on the menu below:

Strawberry Jam!

Is it just me or are the strawberries exceptional this year? We can't seem to get enough of them around here and so I decided to make some jam to enjoy long after the little green baskets disappear. 

Now, I don't know about you but we have an issue with things being too sweet. I know this seems like an oxymoron coming from a baker, but I think that the flavors of whatever you're making should shine through, not just the sweetness. I find that this a huge issue particularly with strawberry jam where its more sugary sweet than strawberry-y. 

That said, I embarked on a journey and found the most lovely recipe that perfectly balances the sweetness with bright strawberry goodness. 

Needless to say, it's been such a treat! My personal favorite (so far!) is to have it on an English muffin with a cup of coffee, but Nolan seems to really enjoy it on his waffles. Its so good, its hard to go wrong.

And, of course, I'm sharing the goodness with all of you! 

Packed in 4oz and 8oz jars, you can get in on the action. 

4oz jar     $3

8oz jar     $6

They should have a shelf life of around 2 years if unopened but should be refrigerated once you decide dive in. Limited quantities so don't wait too long....

August Special | Blueberry Pie

The monthly specials are back! 

I've been waiting for all the lovely summer fruit to hit their peak and didn't want to miss an opportunity to share the amazing rewards. A fresh fruit pie is such a special treat and, when it comes to summer time, it's a toss-up between blueberries and peaches. So I flipped a coin and we're doing blueberry pie this month. And, who am I kidding, there is nothing like a heavenly slice of blueberry pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Made with my signature all butter crust, each pie is filled with almost 2 pounds of lightly spiced fresh blueberries and then brightened with homegrown Meyer lemon zest and juice from my Grandmother's tree. If you're a pie lover, this is not to be missed!

$25 for a 10" pie (Pyrex size)

Pies will be available all month (all summer really) while the berries are at their peak and deliciously sweet.

Drop me a line if you'd like to order a pie or have something else in mind -- special orders are never turned away!

 

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Long time no blog...

It's been a while, hasn't it?

Just a quite note to let you all know I'm still here and still baking! I've been keeping busy the last few months with a few orders and a lot of experimenting. Here's a peek at what I've been up to the last few months....

Cheddar Chive Scones. (Also known as Love At First Sight.) I even experimented with adding bacon to them which gave them a lovely hint of bacon without being overwhelming. Win win.

 And then there were the pies.... Lots of them. A couple of rhubarb pies:

A couple of Pluot Pies:

Peek-a-boo!

Some goodness on the homefront: Classic Peach Pie (and a blueberry pie, too, but we were so excited to dive in I forgot to take pictures!)

A birthday cake and cupcakes for our lovely little neighbor and all around cutie pie, Helen:

 

And the ever delectable Salted Caramel Chocolate Bars. Hello.

There were a few other goodies but, alas, I neglected to get pictures. Needless to say, we've been plugging along over here and are determined to keep at it.


Drop me a line if you're craving some sweet buttery goodness or to just say hi. And stay tuned for the August Special!

April & Easter Special

The end of March is here and that means its time to start gearing up for Spring and Easter. In keeping with the Easter spirit, I've decided to offer Carrot cake and cupcakes. Chock full of carrots, golden raisins and other goodies, they are spiced just right and absolutely perfect when paired with my cream cheese frosting.

Each cupcake is topped with a tiny orange flower to give it a little something special. Boxed by the pair in a fun window bakery box, they arrive ready to be devoured.

$6 for a pair.

Also available by the dozen for the special rate of $30.

Also available is this sweet little six-inch four-layer cake. While it may look small, it will easily feed 10 people at your Easter feast.

$25 for a cake.

If you'd like a larger cake, drop me a line.

And, as always, special requests are welcomed.

The birthday party

Better late than never, right?

Here are a few pictures from Nolan's birthday party a few weeks ago..... His [2nd] birthday cake! This time 6" 4-layer carrot cake for him to blow out a candle with. (Sorry for the dark picture, it was taken at 1am the night before the party as I scrambled to finish everything.)

Check out the anticipation on that little face!!

We're big fans of edible party favors around here so I made "stained glass" cookies using a traditional butter cookie and crushed Lifesavers.

I couldn't find a lower case "n" let alone one that was the right size so I made one by modifying a tutorial I found online -- it was surprisingly easy.

Here's the stained glass in full effect!

To keep things nice and tidy, I wrapped them snuggly in cellophane bags.

They were a big hit and something I plan of offering as a special order item. So if you have a birthday or other party coming up and would like to order some custom monogram cookies, drop me a line!

That's it for now, but stay tuned for the April/Easter special coming next week.

Eating cake like a champ

So I promised I'd follow up my last post with the deal on the Red Velvet cake rounds... Well, the biggest incentive I have for starting up Homemade was to not only do something I love, but also stay home with my little man.

Two years ago, on February 7th, Nolan was born. So to celebrate that special day, I made him a toddler size cake of his very own. May I present to you a sweet little 6-inch 4-layer Red Velvet cake:

I think he was more delighted with the frosting than the candles.

And, yes, that is cake on his forehead. Later, he decided the fork was taking too long and dug in with his hands. That's my boy!

And there still some left to enjoy!

I stand corrected...

Apparently I could have helped cater your Super Bowl party by sweetening it up a bit.... A last minute order came in and I was delighted to help out!

Mini and full size Red Velvet cupcakes (for a more finished look, I added a tiny chocolate heart to the top of the minis after taking the pictures)

Mini Banana cupcakes with deep dark chocolate frosting

And, those Red Velvet cake rounds you see in the back there.... I'll post that lovely bit tomorrow....

Valentine's Day Special: Red Velvet Cupcakes

February is here and that means Valentine's Day is just around the corner. To make your plans easier, here's one thing you can tick off your to do list....

This month, I'm offering a sweet duo of Red Velvet cupcakes for you and your Valentine. These charmers are frosted with a traditional cream cheese frosting and topped with a white chocolate candy heart. They come boxed and tied with a red ribbon, ready for gifting, and are sure to please that special someone.

$6 for a pair.

Also available by the dozen for the special rate of $30.

And, as always, special requests are welcomed.

Holiday Goodness

Our holidays were filled with much goodness (read: non-stop eating!), for which I am most grateful as I am surrounded by fantastic cooks and bakers. And, oh, how I love that the holidays coincide with crab season -- YUM!

There was so much baking to be done here at Homemade that I didn't manage to get a single picture of my handiwork, what a shame. But! I did remember to snap a photo of these tasties

I made these lovelies the day after Christmas for the Mr. and I. Fantastic [shortcut] cinnamon rolls made with biscuit dough instead of yeast dough. Done in about an hour and oh so good.

Looking at the pictures again makes me want to make another batch. They were so tempting that we had to share them with the neighbors just to get them out of the house or we would have eaten them all ourselves. Cause that would have be bad. Right?