Blog

I just woke up from my afternoon nap, and I am happy and ready to finish my day full of joy and energy. I am sure everyone knows that bakers work early hours.  I always think of us as little pixies in the dark, getting up in the middle of the night while the rest of the world slumbers, as we travel to our little bakeries and make magic in the kitchen.  It really does feel like that to me.  As obvious as it is, I truly love the whole cooking and baking for a living thing so much.  I love my customers and all the people I wo...

Nobody wants to be sick as a child, and I was no exception. Being sick meant no play whatsoever; which was horrid because “playing” is all we knew. We played indoor board games, outdoor team games, make believe, Easybake, Barbies, and babies – we rode our bikes everywhere, we ran through the sprinkler, we went sledding and skating up the road… we played hard! There were no video games, DVDs, DVRs, cable television, or cell phones. The only electronic item we played with was our record player and the T.V. antenna. When you were sick as a kid bac...

1. It is a time of love renewal! You have an excuse to tell people that you love them all day long! 2. It is a time for sweet treat indulgence! 3. It reminds us the beauty of a handwritten love note –  a valentine on real paper with real heart-felt thoughts penned and signed with love. 4. That the day’s sole purpose is to celebrate love. 5. That everyone deserves to be loved on this special day. My Top Five Favorite Romantic Movies 1. Pillow Talk 2. Gone With the Wind 3. Something’s Got To Give 4. When Harry Met Sally 5. Overboar...

Terry, a former colleague, friend, and fellow ardent pie lover and I could talk hours about pie. We talked everything pie; cream pies vs. fruit – canned cherries vs. fresh, crumb topping vs. lattice, meringue or not, and on and on… He was not very picky about his pies, which is where we disagreed immensely. My thoughts were, and have been to this day, if a pie isn’t amazing, than I am not interested in having any. His thoughts were, a pie is pie, is a pie. He believed there to be only two kinds of pie; good pie and better pie! This always made ...

Since I was a little girl, I have always adored cookbooks. While growing up, my twin sister would be entranced by Nancy Drew mysteries, while I was completely enchanted by Better Crocker Junior cookbooks.   My dear mother has a huge assortment of cookbooks, which is where I got the fever as I grew up, perusing and studying her treasured culinary collection. As a young woman, I started collecting them as well, picking them up at antique stores, garage sales and such. Like old rolling pins, I have a hard time passing the...

I love a good rolling pin, especially old ones that have seen many a pie crust in their day. I have had a dear collection of rolling pins throughout my baking career, most of which are scattered around my pie shop. Throughout the years,  I would pick them up at second hand stores for a few dollars, mainly because I couldn’t bear to see them forgotten by the masses.   I love thinking of their former owners.  I believe them all to be expert pie bakers, generally because of the patina of the wood and the worn colors on the han...

Oh, to can or not to can? Without fail, each year the thought of canning seems a bit overwhelming to me. Make no mistake; canning is clearly tedious work and probably a tiny bit old-fashioned for some. However, there is no comparison to the fresh flavor and self gratification of canning your very own. I remember my mother “putting up” quarts of peaches, pickles, tomatoes and jams every year, as did my Aunt Margie and Grandma Ferrell. While visiting my grandmother I remember going down to the cellar to bring up jam for breakfast with both ...

  I just got back from a very filling and comforting meal at Bob Evans with my husband, daughters and elderly parents. We all sat around eating and smiling while stuffing dinner roll after dinner roll smothered in butter and honey in our mouths. Although the dinner wasn’t outstanding, it was good and it was comforting, exactly what Mr. Evans was aiming for, I suspect. Actually, the same exact scene takes place at my own dining room table three or four times a week as my family gathers to eat delicious, warm and comforting food....

My Daddy is a man of simple passions and pleasures. He loves dogs, farms, newspapers, visiting with people, hardware stores, pigs, education, fixing cars, collecting old radios, WWII memorabilia, feeding birds and squirrels, doctor appointments, collecting boxes, garage sales, laughter, story-telling, butter pecan ice cream, marigolds, flannel shirts, Tiger baseball, history, peanuts, his family and PIE!  One of my fondest memories while growing up was listening to Detroit Tiger baseball games on the radio together on warm summer nig...

In a few days we will celebrate Presidents’ Day in recognition of great Presidents like Abraham Lincoln. As much as I feel compelled to write about Lincoln, I also feel almost “wordless.”   However, I do know two truths that stand out in my mind when I think of great men and women, and especially Abraham Lincoln.  I believe that people who do great things have two virtues above all others; the capacity to dream and the aptitude to live a selfless life. People who live their lives selflessly understand their purpo...