Happy Birthday, Ava!

Strawberry cupcakes I baked for my grand-daughter's birthday!

COUNTRY BAKE SALE

Old and Everlasting, just outside Cazenovia, NY is having an autumn country show this weekend, Saturday, September 17th 10am to 5pm and Sunday noon to 4pm and they've asked me to do a bake sale! So I've been busy baking like crazy. I'm making strawberry cupcakes, key lime cupcakes, blueberry cupcakes, lemon cupcakes, vanilla and chocolate chip cupcakes. I'm making 3 different pies, my Mom's recipe for Southern Fried pies, several different kinds of cookies, chocolate crunch bars, raspberry jam and Scottish shortbreads. Busy, busy, busy but oh so much fun! It's tough not to taste everything, but happily, I don't have time for that!! See you there........if you're local!

I LOVE AUTUMN!!

I really do love autumn! In fact, I think it is my favorite season! One of the many many things I look forward to are the raspberries! They are so huge and so luscious! They make great jam, and it doesn't take many of them to make up a jar. So, that's what I'm up to today. Makes my kitchen smell so great! You just want to pop some toast in and sit down with a cup of tea, toast, raspberry jam and ME!

STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES

Experimenting with recipes for strawberry cupcakes.

SPECIAL BIRTHDAY CAKE

Baking an Orange Cake today for a special ladies birthday. I love baking with lemons or oranges. It makes the kitchen smell so good, so fresh. I really do love to bake. Wish I had orders for baking every day of the year!
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BAKING PAVLOVAS TONIGHT !

I'm in Florida visiting my sister. She's hosting a dinner party tonight and I've been asked to do the desserts! I think I'll make Pavlovas for everyone. I'm going to make them with fresh locally grown Florida strawberries. These strawberries are small but oh so sweet and delicious! I love how this dessert is crusty on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. It's from the 1920's in New Zealand. It was a favorite dessert of the famous Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova and thus they named this dessert after her.
It's a great summer dessert, so pretty........hope everyone will enjoy them!

These three are made with strawberries, blueberries and raspberries!

FRESH HOMEMADE BLUEBERRY PIE

Went blueberry picking again today. Love to be out in the country on such a gorgeous summer day, and blueberries are so easy to pick! Fun eating them as a snack while you're picking too! Came home and baked some pies. This one is for my dear friends
Marianne and Rob. I think a blueberry pie is one of Rob's favorite!! Hope so!

Making Jam

It's been so much fun this summer to go picking raspberries and blueberries with friends, then come home and make up some jam. Ohhhhhh...the house smells so good!
I always cant wait to put some homemade bread in the toaster and have tea and toast for dinner! With blueberry jam.......ofcourse

COTTAGE In CAZENOVIA

This is the little cottage in Cazenovia where I do all of my baking. It is a tiny little house but reminds me so much of England inside, and it has a great oven!

About Me

A few years ago, my life took a turn I never expected. Life has a way of doing that sometimes. It was during those difficult days that my daughter gave me a card that really resonated with me. Here’s what the card said:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails and explore….dream…. discover!” - author unknown

Sometimes, when your life takes a turn you don’t expect, you basically have two choices…………you can fold up your tent and call it a day …………or you can face fear in the eyes and get out there and dare to discover the life you dreamed of! I chose the latter and Profiteroles Bakery was born!

Oh, I didn’t plan my little bakery business to come out of this, it was very much a surprise for me as well ! My two younger children were away at college, my eldest daughter was married and had a little girl. It seemed to me as though their lives were moving forward, as well they should, and I was wondering what am I going to do now? With that, a friend called and asked if I would bake some pies for her Thanksgiving dinner. I said I would be happy to and so I baked an apple, cherry, blueberry and pecan pie for her. I t was fun! Nice to do something creative.

She rang me the next day to say “the pies were fabulous…you really should start a baking business!” Next, Christmas was upon us, and the orders kept coming in for Christmas cookies, cheesecakes, chocolate mousse, pies, etc . I couldn’t believe how busy I was! This was great, I thought, but surely it will not continue after the holidays. Again, to my surprise it did continue.

And so, here I am….just over a year since I baked those pies for Thanksgiving and now I’ve done weddings, college graduation parties, tea parties with over 200 guests, birthdays and I’m baking for two local restaurants and trying to get a third on board! It is amazing when you dare to take that leap of faith how your life can take a turn you never expected……only this time it was a good turn…..one I surely never expected !