Merry Christmas

Wreaths and Craft Shows

When I am not packing mixes to ship to our stores,

I am helping my friend Sherri Glezman from Outdoor Decor

make wreaths for the Christmas season.

We will both be at the West High School craft show this Saturday.

Hours are 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

You can stuff stockings with Creekside Grains mixes

and decorate your front door with a beautiful wreath!

Apples!

Our poor little apple tree tipped over during the storm last month.

We tied up the tree.

It came back to life and we have ripe,

incredible tasting apples!

I am a happy girl!

Ready for More

After filling an order last night that was being picked up today,

I saw that there were no orders hanging from the clips.

I wondered how long it would be before the clips were full again.

I did not have to wait long.

The first call this morning was from a store in the Upper Peninsula,

ready to fill her shelves again.

Back to work for me!

Time for Homemade Tomato Soup

It is time to post this recipe again. There is nothing like homemade tomato soup!
My friend Bobbie from Bobette's Beads gave us the recipe.
8 Tomatoes
1 Onion, chopped
Salt/Pepper
Heavy Cream or Half and Half

Cut tomatoes in half and put on roasting pan.
Drizzle olive oil on top of the tomatoes.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 60 minutes or until soft and browned.
Saute onions.
When both are done, put in sauce pan and add 1/4 cup water and 1 cup heavy cream or half and half. Add more or less cream to taste and salt and pepper to taste.
Use blender to combine.
Serve with Cracker Uppers and enjoy! My favorite Cracker Upper with tomato soup is Cheddar Dill.

Phone Calls

I love this time of year.

At least once per week, the phone rings and I see the caller ID.

When I answer the phone, I do not say the usual greeting.

Instead, I ask, "how many cases would you like this time?"

Deb laughs, tells me how many cases she needs and we prepare

and pack the order to ship to Tassier Sugarbush

in the Upper Peninsula.

Their maple syrup goes great with our pancakes!

Visit to the Manitou Islands

Fifty years ago, Michael said goodbye to North Manitou Island.

He had spent his childhood there. 

He never thought he would be able to return.

Yesterday, we were able to take a guided tour of North and South Manitou Islands.

The memories flooded back as he toured the homes that he stayed in as a child.

 The cottage pictured here is the "Monte Carlo."
It may be tied to Frank Lloyd Wright in “Cottage Row,” a group of early 20th century dwellings
that were built for and occupied by summer residents and visitors. 

Michael enjoyed several meals with the lumberjacks during his island stays.
After months of trial and error, Michael said "I did it!"

He had recreated the exact flavor of the original lumberjack biscuits.

To celebrate the trip, his Northwoods Lumberjack Biscuits are on sale!

Check our web site or email us for details.

Creek Breeze

For too many years (over forty), Michael Cole and I worked seven days a week,

too many hours each day.

After Michael's accident, we made a decision to try to stay out of the commercial kitchen

at least one day each weekend. 

Michael found my hammock in the basement.

It had been packed away for thirty years.

He surprised me last week and hung it next to the creek.

Tomorrow, in the heat of the day, I will be in the hammock, reading a book,

enjoying the cool breeze and soothing sounds coming from the creek.

Cherry and Blueberry Season

It is cherry and blueberry season!

Just add butter to the crunch mix.

You can put the prepared mix on top of cherry or blueberry pie filling - the easy way to bake...

or...you can put the mix on top of fresh prepared tart cherries or fresh blueberries.

Either way you choose to bake, the crunch is so easy to make and tastes so good!

Right now, the Blueberry Crunch is on sale. 

There is a limited supply, so call now! 

If you call, we can give you a better price on shipping than the web site calculates.

Hot Bread on a Cold, Rainy Day

It was a cold, rainy day, so Michael spent the afternoon beating on bread dough,

then baking in a loaf pan, the old fashioned way.

The kneading was really good therapy for his hand.

This bread is so pretty and tastes so good that I could eat an entire loaf tonight!