A GREAT NEW YEAR IS COMING...

Just picked cherry tomatoes 

Suddenly, all of the cherry tomatoes on my two plants decided to ripen at once. They're delicious, especially the darker ones called "Black Cherry", which have an old fashioned big tomato taste. It's hard to determine when they're ripe & ready for picking because of their odd color. One day too late and they've split, which isn't a good thing. They've been brightening up salads, stir-fries and sandwiches, but each day more ripen. In order to prolong my enjoyment I roasted a batch with olive oil, salt & pepper at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. When they were soft and beginning to brown I mixed in slivers of fresh garden basil and let it cool.

 Cherry tomatoes after oven roasting, plus basil

I made small packets of this intensely tomato/basil flavored mix and froze them. This way I can always add that fresh garden taste to pizza, pasta, soup, spreads and who knows what else, all year.

Yesterday I amassed a colorful variety of veggies to bring home from the Sunday Palma Sola Farmers Market.

Multi-colored zucchini, striped eggplant, bright green peas and perfumed dill. Their organic red cabbage is in a class by itself, so sweet with just the right amount of crunch when julienned into a salad. I love raw cauliflower but it takes on a wonderful nutty flavor when you roast it the same way as the tomatoes.

This weekend join me in celebrating the Village of the Arts January ArtWalk Fri 6-9:30pm and Sat 11-4. Welcome a creative New Year by sharing & enjoying everything you find in the Village galleries. I'll be open during ArtWalk with my goodies & hope to see you in the driveway of 932 12 St W 

Friday night wander the streets & look for BABE, the delightful therapy horse who works at Prospect Riding Center. She'd love to nuzzle "Happy New Year" to you.

I can't help sharing with you what an incredible family I have. Sure, they're all smart, funny, thin, good looking, very loving and employed at the moment. Move over 007,  because together they pulled off the most amazing coup. A box arrived for me in a plain brown wrapper a few days before my actual birthday. Assuming it was a present, I executed extreme restraint & left it unopened on the table. It was only due to the pointed direction of my son (who has played a director on & off tv) & my brother over the phone, (my daughter was out of the country), that emboldened me to open it early. A few minutes later I delivered the gift from its tenacious packaging. My mouth dropped as I saw it was a MacBook Air.

They're insanely WONDERFUL, so I'll be taking this "smaller & lighter than a breadbox" computer with me on my various travels. It isn't often that I'm so happily stunned and rendered speechless. This was one of those very rare times. Thank you Abby, Rob & Teddy...I LOVE IT, but I love you more!!!

New Year celebrations are a tough time for me. The day after our last party "Just Desserts" on Jan 1, 2003 Rea was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The doctor's prognosis took the air out of the room as nothing else could. In contrast, this photo taken a few years earlier, shows us celebrating New Year's Eve with joy & hope for the future. Those are the feelings that embrace me whenever I think of Rea and our life together. So, from that very loving place, I send you my 
Very Best Wishes for a Happy, Healthy & Joyful New Year.

I'm starting 2013 by focusing on something happy. That has to be Roasted Garlic Blue Cheese Breadstix. I spent 2 years developing this recipe for Rea when we lived in N.C., where we couldn't find any crusty & crunchy bread. It was the  original product that launched BONNI BAKES in 1997. This week I'm also baking Whole Wheat Raisin Walnut Bread. This loaf re-creates what Chock Full 'O Nuts used in their classic Cream Cheese & Nut Sandwiches, which I consumed a lot of as a kid. This soft flavorful loaf makes a great sandwich bread, with or without cream cheese, and is fabulous when toasted. Limited number available, Special Order $4.50/loaf.

When I saw these stunning sweet red peppers yesterday I knew I wanted to make something yummy with them. They're sitting on my counter now, but are actually headed to the grill. Once they've charred and cooled I'll scrape off the blackened skin and use that smokey red pepper body. Not quite sure what they'll become but it will be yummy! Stop by the Palma Sola Farmers Market this Sunday Jan 6th to sample it, go home with the free recipe & have a chance to buy those very peppers.

ALSO AVAILABLE ON MY MENU THIS WEEK:

HOMEMADE JAM & CHUTNEY   $4/jar

Mango Strawberry Cardamom,  Strawberry Balsamic Black Pepper, Mango Meyer Lemon, Berry Basket, Just Strawberry, Tangerine Pineapple Meyer Lemon, Keitt Mango Chutney, Ginger Pear Chutney.

BREADSTIX  $4/pkg

Rosemary Parmigiano, Roasted Garlic Blue Cheese

MEGA MUFFIN  $2/each

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin 

CHOCOLATE ORGASM COOKIES  $5/pkg

Mostly Belgium Bittersweet Chocolate, chocolate chips & almonds

LARGE COOKIE  $1.50/each

Belgium Dark Chocolate Orange Walnut, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin Walnut, Belgium Dark Chocolate Lemon (no nuts), Classic Chocolate Chip (no nuts)

PLACE  YOUR  ORDER  BY  5pm  WEDNESDAY

call (941) 746-6647 or email bonnibakes@gmail.com

 PAY BY CASH OR LOCAL CHECK MADE OUT TO "BONNI BROWN"

ARRANGE TO PICK UP YOUR ORDER AT MY HOME IN The Village of the Arts 

FRIDAY OR SATURDAY  from 2-5 

or SUNDAY AT PALMA SOLA FARMERS MARKET 11-3

              Palma Sola Farmers Market  Sundays 11-3 

held at Geraldson's Community Farm. Go to their FaceBook link 

where you can get driving directions  & more information

facebook.com/palmasolafarmersmarket 

Happy New Year & Hugs from my kitchen,

Bonni & Twink