Mis-adventures of the Neophyte Baker Part 3

Even though I'm not a skilled baker, I really enjoy it.  My mother bakes a lot and has since I was a child.  I don't know why her baking genes didn't get passed down to me, but as I get older, I sure wish they had.  She has cookbooks older than me with grease-stained pages and dog-eared corners, reminding us of our favorite recipes.  How many of my childhood memories are connected to those yellowed and torn pages!  Each time I see oatmeal cookies it reminds me of sneaking the dough from the freezer before my mom had time to bake it.  Or how no one knows who Tommy's Mommy is, but our favorite cookie recipe is called "Tommy's Mommy's Chocolate Chip Cookies."

This weekend we celebrated our second annual cookie party at my mom's house.  It's a new tradition I have started to continue her cookie-baking legacy.  On Sunday, the women in my family gathered at Mom's house for a full day of baking, laughing and mimosa-drinking.  This newly-founded custom includes each of us picking our favorite cookie recipe, bringing the ingredients and sharing the bounty.  This year we chose to make Gingerbread, Double Chocolate Mint, Peanut Butter Kisses and Sugar Cookies.  Though we are new at this, we learned to make the sugar and gingerbread doughs ahead of time to avoid sitting on the couch for hours waiting for the dough to chill.  On the day of, we only had to make the Kisses and Chocolate Mint cookies, and then roll out, bake and decorate the others.

Green Efforts: Dry Creek Vineyards

Dry Creek Vineyards, Fume Blanc, has been selected as Oliver’s Green Item of the Month, for December. Dry creek has proven themselves a leader in the sustainable wine making community. We are proud to partner with a business that shows a high level of commitment to making the best product and stewarding the land.

Just recently, Dry Creek received an award from The Leadership Institute of Economy and Ecology for their Leadership in Sustainability. There are many reasons Dry Creek received this award, including their commitment to considering the 3 E’s of sustainability (Environment, Economy, Social Equity), in the decisions they make.

Mis-adventures of the Neophyte Baker Part 2

When the days get colder and shorter I always feel the need to nest. Maybe it harkens back to our days of hunting, gathering, and hibernating, but whatever it is, all I want to do is stay home and bake. My boyfriend loves and hates this time since he is the taste-tester and the dish-doer. Hey, beggars can’t be choosers and besides, he is way better at the dishes than I am (just in case he reads this).

If you remember my pumpkin bread disaster you know that I am not the best baker alive, but I have a good spirit and never give up. I decided to try another holiday favorite: snickerdoodles but made in a cupcake form. Doesn’t that sound delicious? A warm, soft, sugary cupcake with cinnamon frosting on top!  It sure does to me and by the way, snickerdoodles were my mom’s best cookie recipe and my favorite of all time. I have made them so many times that I was convinced I could ace this cupcake recipe no problem. Well, things don’t always go as planned.

Landlords, Round-a-bouts and Cotati

We’ve received numerous requests to explain our motivations to build a new store in Cotati and our position regarding the various road designs being contemplated for Old Redwood Highway that may effect our decision to move forward with that development. 

Our plans to build a new store on Old Redwood Highway close to the intersection of Hwy 116 originated from years of failed attempts to negotiate an extension for our current lease that expires in 2014.  We had tried for several years to schedule a meeting with the landlord to negotiate an extension, but the landlord was unwilling to even meet with us to that end. In addition, we were frustrated with the deteriorating condition of the Rancho Cotati Center and lacked confidence that our landlords would make appropriate investments in the center to support our long-term business goals.

Mis-adventures of the Neophyte Baker

I decided that writing a blog entry for the Oliver's website about using fresh pumpkin instead of canned would be seasonal and fun.  I found a tasty-looking Alton Brown recipe for pumpkin bread that looked "kind of simple", right up my alley.  Simple was the name of the game - I'm not a baker - I do ads and social media here at Oliver's.  Besides, my boyfriend's place is small and not conducive to a baking extravaganza.  So I picked up a sugar pie pumpkin in the store, went home and got to work.  
     I cut the top off, scooped out the seeds, saving them to roast, and cut the pumpkin into sections that could fit in my hand.  The recipe called for grated (?) pumpkin so I chose a sharp-edged spoon to scrape the pumpkin, shaving it into a shreddy-looking pile.  This simple act took over AN HOUR.  My hands and arms were aching. Libby's was starting to look really good.  I had to watch a crappy reality show to help get over myself.