THE LIST.

Here's what I've got for all you good (and not-so-good) little girls and boys:

HOLIDAY SUGAR RUSH 2011

Perfect Pecan Pie: $20

Apple Crumb Pie: $20

Spiced Pumpkin Pie: $20

French Silk Chocolate Pie: $25

Chewy Brown Sugar Cookies: $15/dozen

Killer Chocolate Chip Cookies: $17/dozen

Holiday Cookie Gift Tin: $30

-contains Chocolate Butter Toffee Cookies, Candied Ginger Cookies, Double Chocolate Mint Cookies

- packaged in a festive tin

- includes a lovely, non-denominational holiday card, which I would be happy to personalize with your message

Delivery is absolutely still available - the charge will be worked out on a case-by-case basis.  Just let me know where and when you need it, and we'll figure it out.  Everything here is beautifully packaged and makes a GREAT gift. 

I'll say it again - you should check out One More Slice on Facebook.  I have pictures of many of my products up, with more added all the time.  Also, there's a new holiday treat exclusively for Facebook fans, and it's really really good.

As always, email me at OneMoreSliceBakery@gmail.com with any questions, concerns - or orders!

It's winter now! No, really!

Hello there, wonderful people.  I hope your Thanksgivings were as good as ours.

I have to say, this unseasonably warm weather is not helping me accept that the year is swiftly coming to an end. I took my girls to the playground yesterday wearing long-sleeved shirts and sweaters (but no coats), and they had to dodge some puddles under the swings.  It's been a little difficult to get into the holiday spirit when I haven't had to put my winter coat on more than a couple of times.

Still, there's nothing like baking to get you in the mood.  I am nursing a small ginger obsession right now.  I love the smell, the heat, the textures, everything.  And if you've never tried the Lemon Ginger tea that Stash makes, I highly recommend it.  Put some honey in there and voila.  But I digress... the point I wanted to make is that I've been trying lots of ginger recipes, and I think I've got a couple of winners for you.

I've been trying a few new things, actually.  I realized recently that I've been neglecting chocolate - CHOCOLATE, of all things - in my lineup.  That will be remedied soon, I promise.

Also, I've been busy ordering things for my business - like pie boxes!  Hooray!  And less glamorous, but still exciting things, like pie tins and new cookie scoops.  It's been suggested to me that I make some T-shirts, which I think is a great idea, but I haven't found anything that isn't super expensive or kinda fugly or both.  I'll keep looking.  If any of you know of a great custom t-shirt company, let me know in the comments.

Please know that the pies that were available for Thanksgiving are still available for the holidays.  I'm going to be changing the price structure a bit, but it's nothing extreme.  In light of my recent "aha!" moment involving chocolate, I am trying a new pie tomorrow that may very well be added to the lineup.

I will also be offering a special cookie gift package!  It will have at least three types of cookies, nestled in a holiday tin - and it includes a personalized holiday card for the lucky recipient.  Perfect for gift-giving.

And if you haven't already, come on over to https://www.facebook.com/pages/One-More-Slice/190036751076772 and become a fan.  I'll be offering a special product only to my Facebook fans, and it's... well, it's delicious.  You'll just have to come see.

One Week

I'm not a sit-down-and-eat-till-I-pop kind of person.  I graze.  This holds true even on major eating holidays like Thanksgiving.  I'll eat all day long, little plates here and there, happily munching and getting distracted and munching again.

Until it's time for dessert.  That's when my pupils dilate and my grip on my fork tightens, and suddenly I'm all business.  

We always have a pretty magnificent smorgasbord of pies at my family's Thanksgiving.  There are a lot of us, and every branch contributes.  (And you'd better believe we all make everything from scratch.  I was raised right by these people.)  I consider it a personal failing if I don't at least get a few bites of every kind.  Even when two people each bring an apple pie - well, you've got to try both!  Every pie is special!

It's great when new family members bring in new foods and shake things up a bit.  My cousin's wife brought pumpkin whoopie pies last year.  As much as I adore regular pie, those whoopie pies were the perfect twist on convention.  It's always good to keep an open mind when you're planning your holiday menus - tradition is a beautiful thing, but why not make new traditions too?

So, on that note.

Have you been a good little Thanksgiving elf?  Have you got all your desserts sorted out and accounted for?

If you don't - all is not lost.

I am able to take a few more orders!  Check out your options here: http://onemoreslicebakery.blogspot.com/2011/11/thanksgiving-countdown-only-3-weeks.html

And may I suggest, for those of you braving the Midnight Madness shopping, that you bring some Chewy Brown Sugar Cookies with you on your bargain-hunting journey.  Highly portable, incredibly delicious, they'll help keep a smile on your face as you deal with the soul-crushing chaos that is Black Friday.  (They're also just as good eaten in your pajamas, with a mug of tea, sitting in front of your computer as your browse Etsy.  Which is way more my speed.)

  

Timing Is Everything

There's just never a good time to tear down a kitchen, is there?

(That was rhetorical.  But just in case you're really wondering - no.  No, there isn't.)

As all my fellow New Englanders know, last winter was insane.  My husband works at a school, and I'm pretty sure he got a snow day per week from January through mid-February.  The storms were relentless.  We, like many people in our area, got ice dams on the north-facing side of our house that caused leaks in the ceiling.

Guess which ceiling.  Guess!

Yup, the kitchen.  Only the most frequently-used, central room in the house.  Ugh.

We chipped the ice off the roof and the leaking stopped, leaving ugly brown water stains behind.  That was okay, because we had been planning on repainting the ceiling anyway.  We knew the leaks might represent something more sinister - some more serious damage to the house - but it still took us a while before it finally occurred to us: hey, why else do we have this homeowner's insurance?  This is what it's for!

So we're finally moving forward with getting things fixed.  We have a friend who's a contractor, and he's telling us that we've got a lot of work ahead of us.  It looks like my beloved kitchen will be out of commission for at least a couple of weeks in December.  

DECEMBER!  It's almost enough to make me tear my hair and rend my garments.  I love cooking and baking in December.  I actually got most of my Christmas shopping done early this year, and I had been looking forward to the relatively leisurely, stress-free baking I would get to do as a result.

I had also planned on offering some special Christmas goodies for you, my wonderful customers.  I am going to try to find a way to make this work, but it's going to take some pretty creative problem-solving.  

*sigh*

Well, there is plenty of silver lining to all this.  First, it means that when it's all done and the dust has been swept away, I'll have a lovelier, more functional kitchen.  

Second, it means that I still have a kitchen all the way through November - so, Thanksgiving orders are still on!  And I can take more!  

Hit me up, y'all.  Remember, order by next Wednesday (the 16th) for guaranteed Turkey Day goodness.  I still have some slots left in my free delivery promotion.

onemoreslicebakery@gmail.com

**A HUGE thank you to the people who have already placed orders - your support means so much to me.  

Guilty Pleasures

Today I was in Market Basket with my baby girl.  Going to that place is like playing a contact sport.  Maybe it's because it's right off the highway, but no matter when I go, it's always near-pandemonium.  (Hey, good for them, right?)

I am totally part of the traffic flow problem in that place, because I'm not familiar with the layout yet, and I'm constantly having to retrace my steps to find something I missed.  Today, this meant that I walked by the end-cap with all the Little Debbie cakes on it multiple times.

Now, what I'm about to say next is something I should probably not admit publicly.  Especially considering my position as a home baker who believes in making things from scratch, from ingredients you can recognize and pronounce.

But... I cannot turn down those Little Debbie's Christmas Tree Cakes.

As a kid I was a big fan of Little Debbie's.  I loved pretty much everything they made.  Oatmeal Cream Pies, Nutty Bars, Swiss Cake Rolls, the whole line - except Devil Dogs.  Those things are vile.  Anyway, I've outgrown my affection for pretty much all of those (besides, I can make a WAY better version of Oatmeal Cream Pies myself... hey, maybe I should offer those at some point!), but Christmas Tree Cakes are different.  They still have a place of honor in my heart.

I'm sure part of it is the link with my childhood.  My mom never bought them, but my friends' moms - well, they were another story.  So I associate them with the excitement of hanging out at friends' houses, eating something forbidden - because, of course we were eating them as snacks in the middle of the afternoon, which my mother never would have stood for.  They were special.

At this point in my life, I should know better.  They are essentially sugar, vegetable shortening and a bunch of nasty chemicals.  Gross, right?  And yet... and yet...

That weird, slightly hardened coating, halfway between a glaze and a shell.  The intense fake vanilla flavor of the airy cake and whipped frosting inside.  The crunch of the colored sugar on top.

It's so wrong, and yet SO RIGHT.

So I bought them.  And I totally opened the box in the car and ate a package of them right there in the driver's seat.  My daughter is fortunately still in a rear-facing car seat, so she couldn't see me as I stuffed my face with my own hypocrisy.  Oh, the shame!

Do you have a guilty pleasure food?  Something you know is wrong on so many levels, but you just can't resist it?

Leave a comment and tell me about it!  Come on, you know you want to.  No judging.  We're all friends here.

Thanksgiving Countdown - Only 3 Weeks Away!

So, is it just me or did November really sneak up on us this year?

Oh, who am I kidding.  It sneaks up on me every year.  ESPECIALLY since I had kids.  

Anyway, it's officially the holiday season.  Things are getting pretty hectic, if they haven't already.  Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to cross something off your to-do list?  

I'm going to make it worth your while to be proactive.

The first 10 people to order a Thanksgiving dessert from me will get FREE DELIVERY.  If you live in Eastern (as in, the 495 area to the shore) MA or Northern RI, I will bring it to you, at no extra charge.  Just imagine, dessert is done - and you didn't even have to brave the traffic!

Here's the thing: I will only be taking 15 Thanksgiving orders, and the deadline for ordering is November 16.  So I consider it a win-win for you and for me to have things planned as far in advance as possible.  

You are always welcome to come pick up your order at my house, if you'd rather.  But I know how hard it can be to run errands at this time of year, and I want to encourage you to give me a try!  I make everything from scratch.  And please, when you place your order, let me know of any allergies you or your guests have.

Here are your delectable options:

Perfect Pecan Pie* - $18

Everything a pecan pie should be.  Sticky, sweet, toasty, nutty goodness.  I don't usually arrange pecan halves decoratively on the top - I think it makes it harder to slice and eat - but if you'd prefer that, just let me know.

Apple Crumb Pie* - $18

Creamy, spiced apple filling, topped with sweet buttery streusel.  You know comfort food?  Well, this is comfort pie.

Spiced Pumpkin Pie - $16

This is traditional pumpkin pie, with extra spices to give it a subtle kick.  People who aren't crazy about pumpkin pie have told me that this one changed their minds.

Apple Upside Down Cake* - $12

Slightly sweet vanilla cake, smothered in beautiful caramelized apple slices.  For the Team Cake people in your life.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies - $16/dozen

Tangy-sweet cream cheese frosting sandwiched between little pumpkin cakes.  Shake up your old Thanksgiving dessert lineup with these beauties.

Chewy Brown Sugar Cookies - $15/dozen

I find myself making these for my own consumption a little too often.  They are made with dark brown sugar, melt in your mouth, and taste like a wonderful combination of molasses, toffee and caramel.  YUM. 

* - Contains nuts!  Other than the pecan pie (obviously), these can easily be made without nuts if you prefer.  

    

As always, please contact me at onemoreslicebakery@gmail.com with any questions or orders. 

       

I'm Ready!

For years, people have been telling me two things:

1.  I should sell my desserts.

2.  I should start a blog.

Well, I'm finally ready to give it a go, so why not combine the two?  

I've always liked baking.  When I was a kid, one of my favorite things to do was look at my mom's ancient Betty Crocker cookbook.  Besides providing tremendous entertainment value (from the intro to the pie chapter: "If you want to please a man, bake a pie!"), it gave me knowledge to aid and abet my sugar obsession.  I would watch my mom make apple pies as gifts for my grandfather or my uncle, or crank out 6 kinds of Christmas cookies while keeping me and my two younger siblings out of trouble.  All of this was marinating in the back of my mind.

When I got a bit older, I would bake Christmas cookies for my co-workers and friends.  Watching "Good Eats" taught me SO much - including why some of my childhood baking experiments didn't turn out so well!  I would cook and bake occasionally, but it still wasn't something I did all the time.

Then, my husband and I moved into our house in Bellingham.  I was home all day with my then-4 month old daughter, and I had this beautiful new kitchen to play with.  I started trying in earnest to learn more, to improve, to get really comfortable and enjoy the process.  I bought my own cookbooks, started reading food blogs, watched even more "Good Eats" (seriously, I adore that show).  I made a rule for myself that I wouldn't buy cookies or sweets at the store - if I wanted them, I'd have to make them!  (And I even follow my rule, most of the time.)  

One thing that has definitely prompted me to try my hand at baking for others is that my family can't possibly eat everything I want to make.  We'd all have diabetes and no teeth within a couple of months.  So hopefully, some of you lovely people with exquisite taste will ask me to bake you a little something - for the holidays, or just because.  Seriously, if you live in the Bellingham area and ever find yourself craving some killer chocolate chip cookies (or brownies, or sugar cookies, or whatever!) let me know.  I *might* be able to get them to you that day. 

Bring on the holidays!