Tis the season as they say...for LOTS of cookies! :)
Over the past few months TnT Bakeshop has gone through ALOT of changes....
we've done the farmer's markets for 2 seasons now and pondered what to do with this winter season. (standing outside in the Adirondacks is a bit cold in the winter..so hence no outdoor farmer's markets LOL :))
We have opened the doors to the public at our current kitchen location for the past couple of months and have totally loved it. Our customers have enjoyed coming up and seeing "where it all happens" and have been totally encouraging in our progress forward. For us it's been little steps forward to the next progression, almost like setting the foundation for a building so that it is sturdy and structurally sound. We also feel that we are supposed to do this without any extra financial burdens to ourselves...no borrowing! So essencially this business is totally providing for itself to grow...little by little.
Now...the really cool news.....drum roll please!
As this Christmas week fastly approaches we have received a totally awesome early Christmas gift from a wonderful couple in the Keeseville village....
A storefront space! Front door and big window, beautiful shiny new floor and freshly painted walls.... yaaay!! We will continue to use my present kitchen for all of the makings of our goodies, but you can now enter at ground level, on Front Street to purchase your freshly baked breads and goodies of the day. I'll post pictures of the progress periodically, and update you to the new website as it is also built...
We'll be offering a cupcake and a tart of the week so keep a watch for your favorite...along with various breads, scones and muffins, cookies and treats....there something sure to peak everyone's interest. As always, special orders are always an option.
Thank you for your continued support and encouragement as this journey continues onto it's next phase....we're looking forward to what the upcoming year will have to offer! :)
For now....I'm off to play in cookie dough! Merry Christmas and a Very Happiest of New Year's to everyone! {christa
Monday, December 19, 2011
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Farmer's Market season....
Has it really been THAT long since I've posted on here? yikes! I guess the markets really have taken over..lol. I have to admit that I do love them...baking furiously the day and night before, crashing for a couple of hours before getting up at the crack of dawn with the first glimpses of sunshine, loading and reloading the car for the early morning commute....Finally arriving at the destination to unload and set up a beautiful landscape filled with little tarts, tasty treats, breakfast goodies, and breads...yummmy! The first cup of coffee, steamy and intoxicating fills up my senses after i put on the last touches to the tables. The first of the morning customers arrive, chipper and eager to see what thier perserverance will achieve for them. I love those people...they chat with me in thier exhuberant tones, charging my batteries more than the coffee ever could. I love people...funny I know, but I love people. I love to see the expressions on people's faces after that very first bite of a freshly baked blueberry scone, as the berries pop and the butter melts on thier tongues...it's worth every extra minute... every frustration....it just fills my heart to see people happy because of such a little thing like this. They go on about their day, and many more new "friends" start to the fill the marketplace. The the end of the afternoon the tables now look barren and deserted...a good day's work was had, and tomorrow we get to do it all over again. :)
Friday, April 1, 2011
they're poppin up like daisies!!
Here in upstate New York, in the heart of the Adirondacks, it is now spring! No mind that it is snowing again outside my freshly washed windows, it is still spring. The seeds have shown up at the door, the purposefully picked bags of potting soil purchased, and my mini greenhouse is now showing signs of life.
The search began last summer for delicate little fresh flowers for wedding cupcakes and special tortes to no avail. Going to the local nursery wasn’t an option due to the chemicals used to make them as lovely as they are. I did find a mere few little packages at the grocery store, but not what I would use for a wedding cake deserving of so much more. Fondant flowers are always an option…but would never compare to the frailty of these little pieces of life. So this year, I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands, literally.
The seeds for edible plants such as peppery nasturtiums and calendulas, the mild chive or early onion blossoms, and not to forget the sweetness of dandelions, bachelor buttons, Johnny jump ups, squash blossoms, or the lovely lavender are now just starting to pop their tiny little stems out of the dirt where they sleep. I’ve been a gardener for years…mostly the normal veggies, but flowers? That venue I never dove into very deeply. I love the variety of colors, shapes and sizes of the blooms and leaves, but had never tried growing them on my own before. The peace of being outside in the warm sunshine; gloved hands in the dirt to help to nurture a new life that will eventually give you its all; the taste of freshly picked delicacies…getting back to a simpler way of life, becoming self sufficient. What’s not to love about gardening?
So the new adventure begins….delicate little blooms and leaves will eventually become sugared and crystallized confections, or left fresh when possible, to adorn the tops of creamy white or chocolate icings. Now, if I can just remember to not over love them like to tend to do with my veggie garden! J
The search began last summer for delicate little fresh flowers for wedding cupcakes and special tortes to no avail. Going to the local nursery wasn’t an option due to the chemicals used to make them as lovely as they are. I did find a mere few little packages at the grocery store, but not what I would use for a wedding cake deserving of so much more. Fondant flowers are always an option…but would never compare to the frailty of these little pieces of life. So this year, I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands, literally.
The seeds for edible plants such as peppery nasturtiums and calendulas, the mild chive or early onion blossoms, and not to forget the sweetness of dandelions, bachelor buttons, Johnny jump ups, squash blossoms, or the lovely lavender are now just starting to pop their tiny little stems out of the dirt where they sleep. I’ve been a gardener for years…mostly the normal veggies, but flowers? That venue I never dove into very deeply. I love the variety of colors, shapes and sizes of the blooms and leaves, but had never tried growing them on my own before. The peace of being outside in the warm sunshine; gloved hands in the dirt to help to nurture a new life that will eventually give you its all; the taste of freshly picked delicacies…getting back to a simpler way of life, becoming self sufficient. What’s not to love about gardening?
So the new adventure begins….delicate little blooms and leaves will eventually become sugared and crystallized confections, or left fresh when possible, to adorn the tops of creamy white or chocolate icings. Now, if I can just remember to not over love them like to tend to do with my veggie garden! J
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
never trust a skinny baker...
I guess I should explain that statement...
...a contented "sized" tummy from lots of "experimentation" and "practice" in the kitchen...
...thick arms of the muscles needed for making doughs, carrying bags of flours and sugars...(not to mention moving the machinery from time to time)
...a few handful of wrinkles from the many mornings arising at the 3am alarm...
...the strong, but worn, hands of years of making, stretching, and shaping of dough...
Yet, to me, the modern baker is changing. At a stretched 4 ft 10 (and almost a half), thin frame, and just approaching 40, I have gotten many a look from people. Yet one statement stood out more than any other over this past summer of attending my first farmer's markets..."you can never trust a skinny baker".
At first I stood aback, almost wounded, like I didn't belong there. I had chased this dream for nearly 15 years, and worked hard to get to where I am today. Then I thought about it...I had alot of this same metality of what people and things are "supposed" to look like. I grew up enjoying cooking shows where the chefs and bakers all were depicted with this same original vision. My own mentality changed because I wanted to "fit in" to this elite group of people. Then I realized that the old adage "never judge a book by it's cover" is very true. Sometimes the "tigger's perserverance" is the driving force that has kept me going to accomplish my dream, and, at the same time, I can look at the world with a different view that is outside the little box that I had kept it in for so long. :)
...a contented "sized" tummy from lots of "experimentation" and "practice" in the kitchen...
...thick arms of the muscles needed for making doughs, carrying bags of flours and sugars...(not to mention moving the machinery from time to time)
...a few handful of wrinkles from the many mornings arising at the 3am alarm...
...the strong, but worn, hands of years of making, stretching, and shaping of dough...
Yet, to me, the modern baker is changing. At a stretched 4 ft 10 (and almost a half), thin frame, and just approaching 40, I have gotten many a look from people. Yet one statement stood out more than any other over this past summer of attending my first farmer's markets..."you can never trust a skinny baker".
At first I stood aback, almost wounded, like I didn't belong there. I had chased this dream for nearly 15 years, and worked hard to get to where I am today. Then I thought about it...I had alot of this same metality of what people and things are "supposed" to look like. I grew up enjoying cooking shows where the chefs and bakers all were depicted with this same original vision. My own mentality changed because I wanted to "fit in" to this elite group of people. Then I realized that the old adage "never judge a book by it's cover" is very true. Sometimes the "tigger's perserverance" is the driving force that has kept me going to accomplish my dream, and, at the same time, I can look at the world with a different view that is outside the little box that I had kept it in for so long. :)
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