Lots of Love at the Market

This Saturday was filled with sunshine and beauty! Much Love to go around!
Love of our favorite Double Dutch Chocolate Brownies from some beautiful customers who are enjoying the new market lawn, while sharing the giant soft chocolate gooey love filled goodness!

Fun Filled First Week

My first week as a new intern has been a blast!

On Tuesday, Tracie helped me get aquatinted with the kitchen and the daily routine. Also, I was able to assist in making some delectable chocolate brownies. I highly recommend trying them as they will surely satiate your chocolate needs.

On Wednesday, Nissa showed me how the Blacksburg market works. She ran me through the set up routine and introduced me to some of the regulars. Throughout the afternoon, she also educated me about the ingredients in the baked goods and a few of the stories behind them. Seeing people enjoy our hard work is definitely going to be one of the most rewarding parts of the experience.

Thursday I was able to work with both Ashley and Nissa. One of my jobs was to assist Nissa with making oat power cookies. If you haven't tried them yet, you must! They're the perfect blend of chocolaty, sweet, crunchy, and nutty goodness. Ashley showed me how to finish off and package the cookies, while trying to stay one step ahead of Nissa's baking. They have a great system and everyone works harmoniously together.

On Friday, I worked closely with Nissa to make a variety of humus's and olive tapenade. We concluded the day by getting ready for Saturdays' markets.

So far I've learned that flexibility and creativity are going to make a great recipe for solving any challenge we may come across. Everyone is extremely inviting and I had a great time working with the girls this past week. I'm looking forward to the weeks to come!

~Erin~

Customer Love

The instant gratification of seeing people enjoy our goodies is unparalleled. Thank you for sharing our passion for quality baked goods, and for looking so darn cute while you do it!

Photo Credit: Peg Fisher

Our Friends: Merry Peas

For one dollar per stem, you can be the owner of a cheery, lush, fragrant peony bloom. If you play your cards right, and get one with lots of buds on it, they'll continue to bloom into a beautiful bouquet! All you have to do is visit Mary P. at her stand called Merry Peas! Between you and me, she accepts our olive tapenade as legal tender. :o)

~Nissa

From the Interns: Kazandibi Rolls

Tracie allows us to make a little something of our own each week, to sell at the market. This Wednesday, I'm making some cinnamon rolls, with a Mediterranean twist.

I was originally inspired by a blog entry written by an English woman who is living in France, and is on vacation in Marrakesh. She wrote about some lovely honey drenched pastries she was enjoying on her holiday. The mention of Mediterranean desserts sparked a memory a gorgeous dessert called Kazandibi, which I had a few years ago at a Turkish restaurant. It is a light milk custard similar to flan. It's dusted with cinnamon (not cinnamon and sugar...just cinnamon) and pistachio nuts.

I thought a good way to combine these elements of inspiration in an original way would be in a cinnamon roll. So this Wednesday I offer you the Kazandibi Roll: A milk dough roll filled with cinnamon and pistachios, and glazed (read: drenched) with honey.

~Nissa

Big Spring Mill 225 lbs of flour

The Harrah family took a morning trip to the flour mill to buy 225 pounds of flour. Spotted a duck on the bridge. Ty was super stoked to see the duck and also a train on our business trip today.

Our Tiny Intern

Our Tiny Intern, 5 Month Old Ryder, helps mommy prepare brownies for baking!