My last week in Bradenton before...

I set off for southern India, by way of New York City. It will be fun to spend a couple of days experiencing the new Brooklyn artisan food scene, see my extraordinary kids, inhale cold air, drive in traffic, wear a real jacket and eat street food while walking down the street. I LOVE NEW YORK

BONNIBAKES FLORENTINE STROMBOLI

This Sunday is the Super Bowl, so naturally I've been thinking about appropriate food to accompany the game. At the top of my list is something delicious that you can casually eat while starring at the screen. One of the most popular items on my BONNIBAKES BAKERY/CAFE MENU was Stromboli with Dipping Sauce. I'm going to make 15" Stromboli logs, which can be put into an oven to heat & crisp, then cut into slices. A thin slice makes a tasty snack, while 2 1/2" slabs serve 6 as an entree. Anything left over can be frozen. My homemade Red Tomato Dipping Sauce is available separately. 

Choose from vegetarian Florentine Stromboli (spinach, tomato, onions, garlic, olives, mozzarella,  basil & parmigiano) or Pizza Stromboli (tomato, pepperoni, mozzarella, oregano & parmigiano). 

15" Stromboli $20       12 oz Squirt Bottle w/Sauce $5 

 Special Order only

This week's loaf is Minorcan Multigrain. It's VEGAN, a traditional round sandwich loaf, studded inside & out with poppy, sesame, flax & pumpkin seeds. Since a lot of people will be making finger food, it can also be ordered as a baguette. Slice it into thin rounds & serve alongside your appetizers & dips.

Minorcan Loaf $4.50    Baguette $3     Special Order only

Round out your crunchy snacks with the amazing flavors of Roasted Garlic Blue Cheese or Rosemary Parmigiano Breadstix. Or put a dollop of my Strawberry Balsamic Black Pepper Jam on a wedge of Brie, seated on a cracker. Yum!

When it comes to muffins, I'm going to leave you with an all-time favorite, Cranberry Orange. Wonderful fresh orange flavor throughout & punctuated with loads of bursting fresh cranberries. Nothing dried up here.

Of course there's nothing wrong with giving your sweetie a suggestive early VALENTINE SURPRISE. No matter what they say, ain't no one who doesn't smile when they open a package of CHOCOLATE ORGASMS. And they're usually very grateful!! I'll be in India by Feb 14th, so this is your last chance to stock up. I hate to see grown folks cry, so order yours by Wed at 5pm to make sure you won't be disappointed.

ALSO AVAILABLE ON MY MENU THIS WEEK:

HOMEMADE JAM & CHUTNEY   $4/jar

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

BREADSTIX  $4/pkg

Rosemary & Parmigiano  or  Roast Garlic Blue Cheese

CRANBERRY ORANGE MEGA MUFFIN  $2/each

Lovely orange body, filled with fresh cranberries...never dried

CHOCOLATE ORGASM COOKIES  $5/pkg

Chocoholic delight: mostly Belgium Bittersweet Chocolate with 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)

Special Order only items must be pre-ordered by 5pm Wed to guarantee their availability for pickup later this week. Everything is hand made in small batches. Most items on my listed menu might be available at the Sunday Palma Sola Farmers Market, unless sold out.

PLACE YOUR ORDER  

call me at (941) 746-6647 or

 email  bonnibakes@gmail.com

by 5 pm WEDNESDAY 

 Pay by cash or local check made out to Bonni Brown

PICK UP YOUR ORDER

 at my home in The Village of the Arts  (932 12 St W)

FRIDAY or SATURDAY from 2-5   
or

Palma Sola Farmers Market SUNDAY 11-3

             I'm at Palma Sola Farmers Market  Sundays 11-3 

held at Geraldson's Community Farm in NW Bradenton. Go to their FaceBook 

link below where you can get driving directions  & more information

facebook.com/palmasolafarmersmarket 

Sunday at the Farmers Market I'll have samples & a take home recipe 

of a delicious dish made with local Farm Produce

 Hugs from my kitchen,

Bonni  & Twink (who always washes her paws before eating)

Hopefully, my next email will be from INDIA !!

It's been a wonderful & VERY FULL WEEK

If you've known me for a while, then you probably met the adorable, exuberant & talented young Anna when you stopped into BONNI BAKES. This is what she looked like as a budding teenager. She started working for me when she was 13 and being home schooled. Her dad John worked as an architect for Mike Carter down the street. Once a week she drove in with him from St Pete and spent the day with me learning to bake, cook, experiment, design and meet/greet the public. In truth, I was the lucky one, because I had the privilege of watching Anna grow & blossom into an amazing young woman over the years. 

Last week I was honored to be present as she stepped into her new role of wife. Outside, in a beautiful setting, she & her fiance Chris glowed as they exchanged vows. I don't think that grin left my face for hours. Note the current trend of grooms wearing high-top sneakers with dark suits. Of course Anna floated across the dance floor.

Now that the wedding is over I can share the wedding present I gave them. I commissioned Village of the Arts clay artist JoEllen Gorris to make a statue of Chris & Anna based on a photo accompanying their wedding invitation. I love the details, including the dogs.

The next day my wonderful friend Judy arrived from New York City. We first met in 1968 as newly weds & next door neighbors on the Upper West Side. Within a few years our three children were born, and they're still friends.

This is Judy. We set off on a week-long road trip with no itinerary, reservations or expectations, but planned to visit a few of Judy's friends along the way. First stop was the Florida Craftsmen Gallery in St Pete, where Diane Shelly is the Exec Director (floridacraftsmen.net) They have an amazing array of work, in many mediums, all created by Florida artists. And Tammy Berk, ex-Villager & pheonomenal photographer, has her gallery in the same building. Next, we walked across the street to experience the Holocaust Museum. As a Jew whose parents lived through pograms & anti-Semitism, it was very meaningful and emotionally exhausting for me. It was time for something lighter.

After a night & day in Tarpon Springs we arrived in Melbourne, where we did the zip-line at the Brevard Zoo. Strapped into a harness with ropes & clips, we walked across 20+ jiggling obstacles 20 feet above the ground, plus zoomed on zip-lines through the treetops. It was bizarre seeing the monkeys looking up at us from their enclosed habitats below. A small but sweet zoo and a great time for both of us. Who wouldn't fall in love with a flamingo chick like this.

We spent the next fews days as the very pampered guests of her wonderful friends Karen & Danny in Boca Raton. 

After two more reunions with people that Judy hadn't seen in decades, we drove back to the Gulf Coast. Her trip winds down in Sarasota & I'm back in the TreeHouse kitchen baking up a storm...and still smiling. 

This week I'm baking loaves of Challah from the old Jewish bakeries of NYC. Great as is, with a shmear of butter or a Friday night blessing. It also makes the most delicious French toast, especially with orange juice & zest added to the eggs. Special Order  $4.50/loaf.

If you want something crunchy to munch on or dip in coffee, try my Almond Mandlebrot. It's the Jewish version of biscotti, full of toasted blanched almonds, just like Tante Ethel used to make. Special Order  $2/pkg of 2

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

Crunchy hand-rolled rods made with garden fresh Rosemary & Parmigiano cheese

BLUEBERRY LEMON MEGA MUFFIN  $2/each

Light lemony body, filled with fresh blueberries...never gummy

CHOCOLATE ORGASM COOKIES  $5/pkg

Chocoholic delight: mostly Belgium Bittersweet Chocolate with 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)

TO PLACE AN ORDER  

call me at (941) 746-6647 or
 email  bonnibakes@gmail.com
by 5 pm WEDNESDAY 

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

PICK UP YOUR ORDER

 at my home in The Village of the Arts

FRIDAY or SATURDAY from 2-5   
OR

Palma Sola Farmers Market SUNDAY 11-3

             I'm at Palma Sola Farmers Market  Sundays 11-3 

held at Geraldson's Community Farm in NW Bradenton. Go to their FaceBook 

link below where you can get driving directions  & more information

facebook.com/palmasolafarmersmarket 

 Hugs from my kitchen,

Bonni 

I'M ABOUT TO HIT THE ROAD

My wonderful friend Judy will be coming down to Florida to enjoy a little R&R away from her hectic life up north. We're going to spend a week traveling around the state, goofing around, talking each other's ears off and having fun. No formal plans or commitments. It sounds heavenly!! So I won't be doing any baking for these next two weeks.

Yesterday afternoon at the Palma Sola Farmer's Market we were entertained by a series of local musicians while visitors toured the farm & learned the benefits of supporting local organic agriculture. It made for a very happy environment, especially for the young, like this adorable 3 day old baby goat.

The event was even covered by the Bradenton Herald in today's paper. Here's a link to the story in case you missed it
http://www.bradenton.com/2013/01/06/4341209/veggies-are-still-the-stars-at.html

I roasted a batch of farm grown sweet red peppers and turned them into a variation of a classic Spanish sauce/dip called Romesco. If you didn't get a chance to taste it, perhaps you'd like to make some for yourself. Once the peppers are roasted it comes together in 5 minutes using a food processor.

QUICK SPANISH ROMESCO STYLE SAUCE                        Makes about 1 1/4 cups

1/2  cup whole skinless almonds (about 3 oz), toasted

1 cup roasted organic red peppers (recipe below)**

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar

1 medium garlic clove, peeled (or more to taste)

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

Finely chop almonds in a processor. Add roasted peppers, vinegar & garlic; process to a coarse puree. With machine running, pour olive oil slowly through feed tube. Process until puree thickens slightly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to small bowl, cover & refrigerate. Flavors will blend if made a day earlier. Bring to room temperature before serving as a dip or sauce with fish & poultry.

** TO ROAST FRESH RED PEPPERS leave whole and cook on a grill (or under a broiler) turning occasionally, until the skin is totally blackened. Let peppers rest & steam in a covered dish or paper bag for 10 minutes. Remove carefully (they’re HOT). Peel off & discard charred skin & seeds.

Before leaving I just want to share my insurance story with you. Six months ago my car insurance policy was about to renew with Progressive and I inquired about their "Snapshot" program, which offers discounts based on your actual driving history. I thought I was a perfect candidate to have their device installed in my car for several months. I was shocked to hear that only new policies were eligible, despite my being a loyal customer for almost a decade. After some discussion I was advised to cancel my policy and initiate a new one. Not only did I immediately save over $100, but now that the "Snapshot" results are in, my premium has been reduced by 21%. Which proves it never hurts to ask.

Have fun and hold down the fort until I get back.

Hugs from beyond my kitchen,
Bonni