Farm Baking

The return of cold wintry weather

gave me the opportunity to direct my attention to the kitchen.  

Baking took the place of gardening this past week.

I tried a new recipe from my favorite cookie book...

Spritz butter cookies with a dark chocolate filling.

So, so good!

I think they would be perfect for a tea party or shower.

They are so easy and quick, too!

Any time I come across "bee" items for the kitchen,

I cannot resist.

I found a pan to make this yummy almond cake...

Each honeycomb section is the perfect portion size.

The recipe is a keeper, too!

Whole grain dough, rising....

yielded three loaves of delicious bread.

This weekend three of our kids came to cook Saturday dinner.

I only wish I had taken pictures....

we had the yummiest pretzel rolls for our 

local, pasture raised beef and goat cheese burgers.

Horsing Around

It's a little early for Easter cookies,

but they're coming.

I was in the mood, nonetheless, to make some

Scottish Shortbread cookies...

Horses!

I like how these turned out.

A New Treasure

We've discussed my love for antiques previously.

To me, a perfect day is one in which I escape to one of

several favorite antique malls and lose myself 

amidst the displays.

Today was just such a day.

By the end of my treasure hunting

I had found this beauty.

It is an old iron candy machine

and it works perfectly.

It was red, but I decided that black would

look perfect in my kitchen....

so a coat of paint later, this is what it looks like.

M&M's are something we always keep in the house.

The kids expect it.

So now we have the perfect place to keep them.

Each turn of the handle dispenses 2 pieces of candy...

a perfect ration for a quick "goody" fix!