It's Memorial Day...let Summer begin

In fact, it's felt like Summer for quite a while now. One way to beat the heat is by having a beach picnic. I sold my final Minorcan Market Basket last week (thanks, Johanna) but still have this red picnic set I bought there. Its ingenious design, which is light to carry, contains a generous service for 4 of large, medium & small plates, cups & covered containers. Plus, each side of the 2 part outer container transforms into a large salad or serving bowl.

Minorca is a Spanish island with incredible beaches along its shoreline. This one is Macarelleta, where my husband Rea shot his famous Foster Grant commercial with Leslie Caron. The highlight of many of our trips to Minorca were the picnics celebrating Saint's Days, explorations of new beaches or just excuses for playing in the water & chilling out with food and local gin. Only one picnic set available.

I'm working my way through boxes of kitchen stuff and finding some treasures, like the hand crafted wooden rolling pin from Belize and large Hartstone shortbread pan. I just unpacked the vintage milk bottles and carrier, a great wood pizza peel and the final batch of vintage quart canning jars.

You can see all of these items, plus a lot more that I'll be selling, when you pick up your order this Friday from 1-5.

A beautiful surprise greeted me the other day as I watered a pot of Streptocarpus sitting on an outdoor etagere. Turns out that this beautiful little Dove turned it into her maternity home. She has been dutifully sitting there, pretty as a picture, guarding her nest. My problem has been to carefully keep her space green, moist & healthy without scaring her off. I want to see her chicks!

THIS WEEK'S MENU   Pick-up  Fri  May 29   1-5 pm

BREAKFAST CORN MUFFIN     $2

Think of this as a meal conveniently sitting in the palm of your hand. A delicate corn muffin studded with bacon, sauteed scallions & lots of melted Cheddar cheese, especially on top. Satisfying, filling and outstanding when toasted.

OUTRAGEOUS PECAN BROWNIE     $2.50

These intensely chocolate brownies share their interior with toasted pecans for a marriage made in Heaven, but enjoyed here on Earth, with every bite.

THE BIG COOKIE    $1.50

Each cookie has its own personality & unique flavor profile. Some are seductive, using the allure of Belgium chocolate to get your attention. Others invoke memories of childhood or a less complicated time. Find your match amongst Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Walnut Raisin, Snickerdoodle, Pecan Coconut Belgium Milk Chocolate. 

CHOCOLATE ORGASM COOKIES     $5/pkg

My legendary chocolate delivery system made with melted Belgium bittersweet chocolate throughout, toasted fresh almonds, chocolate chips & very little flour. Sold in packages of 4 because you must have more than one.

MANGO PINEAPPLE CHEESE BRAID    $3/slice

Enjoy a generous slice of this yummy soft Danish with a filling of sweetened cream 

cheese and a conserve made from my Keitt mangoes & fresh pineapple. Just delightful.

SUMMER TOMATO GALETTE   $4.50

A personal sized open faced pie (made with my buttery hand crafted pastry), filled with luscious garden tomatoes, peppers, corn, scallions, Parmesan and goat cheese sprinkled with fresh herbs. Filling enough to be a light meal for one or share as a side dish. Can be frozen and reheated.

NEW YORK CHALLAH      $4.50/loaf 

The classic bread used by Jews to celebrate Sabbath all over the world. A golden crust with soft interior; made with eggs and a second cousin to brioche. Use leftovers for the best French toast ever!

JAM & CHUTNEY      $4/jar 

Made in small batches with locally available fruit, including Keitt mangoes & Meyer lemons from my own pesticide-free trees. ONLY A FEW JARS LEFT! GINGER PEAR CHUTNEY, BERRY BASKET JAM or MANGO PINEAPPLE RUM JAM.

No artificial flavors, colors or preservatives EVER!!

ORDER BY 5pm WEDNESDAY

all items in limited supply... first come, first served

PICK UP FRIDAY 1-5 pm at former BONNI BAKES bldg

in the Village of the Arts

   930 12th Street West 

TO PLACE AN ORDER 

email bonnibakes@gmail.com  

  
or call me at (941) 746-6647 

   PAY BY CASH OR LOCAL CHECK TO BONNI BROWN  

 Hugs from my kitchen,

Bonni

What decade is it anyway?

I seem to be lost between the  '40s to '60s if you measure me by my surroundings. I've been organizing some of the vintage items, including kitchen tools, dishes & linens. These pictures are just an example of what there is.  At long last I've gone through a lot of garden items, from small pots to substantial crocks. I used some of them to make pickles from our garden but they'd also work for sauerkraut or kimchi.

There are lots of odd things like an original metal frame from a 1960 Butterfly chair; hand forged andirons; old coal bucket, irons and assorted vintage glass light fixtures.

You'll be able to take an early look when you pick up your order this Friday afternoon. The SALE will be advertised to the general public for SAT May 23 from 11-4. Come to the former BONNI BAKES building at 930 12th St W, not my TreeHouse.  Sorry no credit cards.

I apologize for how frazzled I was last Friday. Just as I was about to put 3 loaves of bread dough in my home oven, ALL electric suddenly went off. Turns out that another FPL pole was being installed behind my house. Scrambling to get 6 loaves of bread & 3 trays of rugelach baked in time took the wind out of my sails. I've decided to lower my expectations of what I can get done in a given amount of time, and hope things go more smoothly this week. Taking a few deep breaths should help too.

I received sad news that an incredible woman, Libby Blatt, died this week at age 92. She had a long musical career as a bass player & was a member of Quin Tango. She only stopped touring a few years ago. Libby was also the person who hand wrote the original recipe that became my BONNI BAKES' Stromboli. I was fortunate enough to meet her over lunch once & she lit up the room. What an amazing lady & inspiration. The world is a little darker today. To see what you missed, here she is playing with Quin Tango.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKoxtMVl-qo

If that fabulous music makes you hungry, keep reading.

THIS WEEK'S MENU     Pick-up  Fri  May 22   1-5 pm

THE BIG COOKIE    $1.50

Each cookie has its own personality & unique flavor profile. Some are seductive, using the allure of Belgium chocolate to get your attention. Others invoke memories of childhood or a less complicated time. Find your match amongst Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin Walnut, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, Snickerdoodle, Pecan Coconut Belgium Milk Chocolate. 

CHOCOLATE ORGASM COOKIES     $5/pkg

My legendary chocolate delivery system made with melted Belgium bittersweet chocolate throughout, toasted fresh almonds, chocolate chips & very little flour. Sold in packages of 4 because you must have more than one.

ORANGE CRANBERRY MUFFIN     $2

A perennial favorite that blends the tartness of fresh cranberries with the mellow sweetness of Florida oranges, all within the gentle embrace of your hand. How perfect.

JEWISH COFFEE CAKE    $3/slice

Sitting down to a cup of tea or coffee with a hefty piece of cake is a Jewish tradition. In many places around the world this Coffee Cake, filled with chocolate, walnuts & cinnamon, is what you'll be offered...if you're lucky.

BLUEBERRY SCONE   $2.50

Insanely delicious, moist & bursting with loads of fresh blueberries. I rarely make them because they are such a pain, involving things like grating frozen butter by hand. Snag one while you can.

PESTO SWIRLED BRIOCHE ROLL     $1.50

I was looking for a new way to use the fresh pesto I've been making with my organic basil crop. A soft egg enriched roll enhanced by the addition of basil, Parmesan, garlic & nuts sounds right to me. Pair it with salad, soup or a cuppa something.

ROSEMARY CHEESE OLIVE FICELLE      $2.50/loaf 

Thinner than a baguette with a crusty outside & soft interior; and punctuated by fresh cheese, olives, capers & aromatic rosemary from my organic garden. Plenty of flavor to go around.

JAM & CHUTNEY      $4/jar 

Made in small batches with locally available fruit, including Keitt mangoes & Meyer lemons from my own pesticide-free trees. GINGER PEAR CHUTNEY, BERRY BASKET JAM or MANGO PINEAPPLE RUM JAM.

No artificial flavors, colors or preservatives EVER!!

ORDER BY 5pm WEDNESDAY

all items in limited supply... first come, first served

PICK UP FRIDAY 1-5 pm at former BONNI BAKES bldg

in the Village of the Arts

   930 12th Street West 

TO PLACE AN ORDER 

email bonnibakes@gmail.com  

  
or call me at (941) 746-6647 

   PAY BY CASH OR LOCAL CHECK TO BONNI BROWN  

 Hugs from my kitchen,

Bonni

MOVING SALE BEGINS THIS FRIDAY 1-5pm

With a little LOT of help from my friends, the TreeHouse living room has reappeared. Of course this means that all of the "stuff" I had been storing there has been moved into the former BONNI BAKES building. This past week I have been literally awash in soapy water cleaning everything up. And what a variety!

This batch of Ball canning half pint jars were used by my mother to "put up" purple plums in syrup during WWII. They're squeaky clean now & even have new rubber gaskets. Other sizes of jars (including some blue), heavy cream & milk bottles too.

Vintage linens include a hand crocheted ecru cotton bedspread made by Cousin Gertie in the '30s; formal tablecloth/embroidered napkin sets from the '40s, and lots of linen napkins & a few tablecloths I used for dinner parties in the '60s. If you're low on decorative handkerchiefs, I've got you covered too.

Chess was big in our house & as a result there are several sets available including the GIANT one from Venezuela where the storage box opens up to become the playing board. Juggling pins, stuffed animals and a quartet of bakelite Mah Jongg sets. Most beautiful is the delicate Asian doll in her kimono, hand carried from Kyoto, Japan. I haven't organized all of the kitchen equipment yet, but there's a LOT of it.

One-of-a-kind nylon banner flags, designed by my late husband Rea, and sewn by me. There's even the Asparagus Flag that we flew outside when those veggies were shooting up in our NC garden. Straight from my Dad's Brooklyn drugstore are two working malted machines. The classic green one made in 1943 and the all metal model from 1927. Lots of brand new shiny metal cups and even a cannister to store your malted milk powder.

                                                         
So you get the drift, things that have been part of my life but won't fit into a NYC apt, like the WWII silk parachute canopy. 

The MOVING SALE will coincide with this Friday's pick-up during 1-5 in the former BONNI BAKES building, not the TreeHouse. Also, the sale continues Saturday & Sunday 11-4.  No credit cards. All this work is making me hungry!!

THIS WEEK'S MENU     Pick-up  Fri  May 15   1-5 pm

THE BIG COOKIE    $1.50

Each cookie has its own personality & unique flavor profile. Some are seductive, using the allure of Belgium chocolate to get your attention. Others invoke memories of childhood or a less complicated time. Find your match amongst Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin Walnut, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, Snickerdoodle, Pecan Coconut Belgium Milk Chocolate. 

CHOCOLATE ORGASM COOKIES     $5/pkg

My legendary chocolate delivery system made with melted Belgium bittersweet chocolate throughout, toasted fresh almonds, chocolate chips & very little flour. Sold in packages of 4 because you must have more than one.

CRANBERRY CORN PECAN MUFFIN     $2

It's the magical combination of a buttery corn muffin dotted with cranberries and toasted pecans. I love mine toasted with a hint of jam. How do you like yours?

NYC JEWISH APPLE CAKE    $3/slice

Just like the cake I grew up with...lots of cinnamon covered fresh apple chunks surrounded by a moist not-too-sweet cake. A match made in heaven, or Brooklyn, by generations of immigrants using family recipes.

TOMATO, PESTO & VEGGIE MINI GALETTE   $4.50

A personal sized open faced pie made with my buttery hand crafted pastry, filled with tomato, peppers, onion, 3 cheeses & pesto. Hardy enough to be a light meal for one or share as a side dish. Can be frozen and reheated.

RATNER'S ONION POCKETS     $3.50/pkg of 4

Ratner's was a landmark Jewish dairy restaurant which operated for a century on the Lower East Side of New York. They baked more than 1500 onion pockets each day to serve alongside every meal. No wonder tasting these delicious rolls triggers such nostalgic memories.

MINORCAN MULTI-GRAIN   (VEGAN)     $4.50/loaf

Inspired years ago by a loaf I had while visiting Minorca. This crusty boule boasts over 8 grains & seeds throughout its tender crumb. The complex flavors are brought out by toasting. It's my go-to sandwich bread.

JAM & CHUTNEY      $4/jar 

Made in small batches with locally available fruit, including Keitt mangoes & Meyer lemons from my own pesticide-free trees. GINGER PEAR CHUTNEY, BERRY BASKET JAM & MANGO PINEAPPLE RUM JAM.

No artificial flavors, colors or preservatives EVER!!

ORDER BY 5pm WEDNESDAY

all items in limited supply... first come, first served

PICK UP FRIDAY 1-5 pm at former BONNI BAKES bldg

in the Village of the Arts

   930 12th Street West 

TO PLACE AN ORDER 

email bonnibakes@gmail.com  

  
or call me at (941) 746-6647 

   PAY BY CASH OR LOCAL CHECK TO BONNI BROWN  

 Hugs from my kitchen,

Bonni