Anchorage, Alaska Saturday Farmers Market

My farmers market only has a few short weeks left before the season of outdoor selling by the farmers ends.  I will sorely miss the fresh grown items.  The first few weeks of  June we eagerly await the few veggies that the early days of summer bring. 

As the summer months begin to become longer days each Saturday at Farmers Market new and larger veggies appear. 

I have not met a veggie that I really don't like...well except for Peas and Lima Beans.  Both are the only two that I do not like and will avoid as must as possible. 

I did come home with Green Cauliflower, as well as Purple Cauliflower, a fresh stalk of Brussels sprouts, and radishes.  Several delightful meals for the week ahead!

We already had a bag of potatoes, fresh spinach, onions, and a friend just brought us a bag over of his home grown carrots that are "rainbow colored"  Red, Yellow, Pink and Orange Carrots ~ so cool I'm going to make a Carrot soup with them all!

Trial and Error

Over the last few days I've been testing out my #1 basic recipe for my Zucchini Bread. A short time ago I was asked by a bakery to sell this recipe to them. I said no. Plain and simple its mine and it can not be beat for taste. Yes I know its good and I'm not above on bragging on it ! I know many cooks say oh Mine is Great...but read my lips: MINE IS SIMPLY THE BEST. It took me a long time to prefect this recipe soooooo now I'm adding additional treats in it. Let me tell you all the new flavors I will be adding to my shop at Etsy:

Totally Gourmet Zucchini Mini Loaves ->

Almond Jalapeno Cheese

Wasabi Nut

Five nuts plus one (pumpkin, sunflower, pine nut, almond, pecan, and chocolate chips)

Fruits Ole' (ohhhh you are going to love this one)

I can't wait to load these into my listings and start selling! Over the next weekend I'll be stocking the shop up once again for the holidays. Summer is half over and the heat will end, school will begin and I need to be ready with tasty treats and desserts!

Cookies, Chocolate, and Living the Good Life

My mother taught me the how to cook, my father taught me joy of eating what I cooked, then my grandmother taught me to love cooking. As a beginner cook I always thought cookies were the best thing to bake. Cakes you just baked once. Cookie baking lasted all day long. It was an afternoon delight filling the house with wonderful smells and aroma's. Neighbors would drop by to have a cup of coffee and taste the latest batch of cookies. With the new cookbook I purchased last week, I tried a new recipe withlots of my own twists to it. I'm naming the cookie after my father. Has many of his favorites.

"Myles to Go"

It's a mocha chocolate chunk candied cherry almond nut cookie. A dozen of these cookies will be available for ordering at my shop at Etsy. http://www.CoveredinChocolate.etsy.com

Fur Rondy and Iditarod

The next two weeks are Fur Rondy which is a winter festival here in Anchorage ending with the kickoff of the world famous dog sled race the "Iditarod". If your in Anchorage for Fur Rondy...watch out I'll be visiting lots of the different activities myself, taking pictures & giving out freebies of my candies! Although these are mini bites of White chocolate Oreo cookies candies Yes two in a box to be giving out plus I'll be giving out Dark Chocolate Truffles, chocolate lollipops and also will be handing out the "Blonde Bombshell cookie". Totally awesome way for folks to get a taste of my gourmet desserts! Plus what a fun way to advertise my online shops! Low cost- high impact and I get to have fun too! I'm be the one with a huge bag of treats handing out small white boxes with truffles or bites in them, & clear bags with cookies. I be the one wearing a red jacket, black gloves, and black hat and plaid scarf! So come on over to Fur Rondy and all the activities and Make sure you get your freebie of a delightful gourmet dessert!

Candy Making Day

Friday I worked with chocolate. I was in the candy making mood. It's one of my more fun things to play with. Melting the chocolate, pouring into molds, waiting for it to firm up and then releasing the candy from the molds to see how they turn out is well worth it all! White chocolate with oreo cookie bits was the major project winner of the day. The first picture is my 4 pack Candy Bars, which will really appeal to the adult in all of us. Then the really fun summer time 'Sea Shore Lollipops' which brings out the child in all of us. Tasting the sweets after dinner was wonderful. I'm a true white chocolate lover...I'll pass over milk or dark chocolates in a flash if white is anywhere near. After dinner I ate the seahorse lollipop. YUMMMMMMMMMYYYYY! Thats the great part of making your own - so fresh and even if this sounds like bragging and it is - Homemade is totally good. Dang Good! I will be selling both items in my shops. http://www.lollishops.com/CoveredinChocolate and of course http://www.CoveredinChocolate.etsy.com Blog followers get a 10% discount just mention you are on my blog as a follower in your note to seller, I'll check you name and revise the invoice for you! Simple and easy. I love things that have no fuss!

Does Size Matter?

Does a small dainty cookie appeal to you or does that monster chocolate chunk with M&M's make your mouth water up? As an online business I find decribing a cookie rather hard. Displaying a cookie so a person understands that it's bigger than a normal size cookie - okay whats normal size you ask? Recipes have certain standards. Normal size cookies are to me about 1 1/2" to 3" inches. This would cover say a Swedish Tea Cake (round) to a chocolate chip cookie (flat) Standard drop by teaspoon on to cookie sheet. Big size cookies to me go 2 1/2" to 4". Standard drop by tablespoon/two tablespoons onto cookie sheet. Then monster size cookies anything over 4". Most of my monster cookies are about 5"-6" inches. Standard drop by ice cream scoop or 1/4 cup onto cookie sheet. Then each size will also vary a tad in cooking time. Bar cookies also have different sizes. Just about any baked good can come in all shapes and sizes. This is a new cookie in my monster size that will be added to my shoppes later today: AND This cookie also needs a name! Tomorrow my post will be a contest to name this cookie. Stay tune for details posted tomorrow!

Amaretto Silk Orgasm Cookies

Visit me at either of my Gourmet Shoppes! http://www.CoveredinChocolate.etsy.com http://www.lollishops.com/CoveredinChocolate I'll be adding these cookies to my shop later today! OMG never in my life have I enjoyed baking a cookie more! My preferred nut is Pecan, but almonds grounded to tiny tiny gains add a whole new meaning to nuts in cookies. Then a big splash of Amaretto Liqueur (did I say big ... I mean huge) When you order your "Amaretto Silk Orgasm Cookies" mention my blog with blogspot or indiepublic in the message line and I will send along Two Chocolate Moose Lollipops as my gift to you!

A Day in Chocolate Heaven - Ohhhh so Sinful

Today I'll be working with various chocolates to test out several new candy molds I recently purchased for adding to my line of Gourmet Sweets. I'll be testing out new colorings, extracts, and different chocolates to see how each work together in the process of making Gourmet Candies! Testing day is exciting, fun, but also frusrating! But it is the one chance I get to become totally creative with all my kitchen gadgets. Then we get to sample what we made to see if and when it gets added to the growing list of sweets that go into my online shops. Pictures will be taken during the whole process so that I'll be able to share the fun I had while testing.