This week at the Morningside Farmer's Market.....

In an effort to truly embrace my time back in Atlanta, I have decided to make a commitment to go to the Morningside Farmer's Market every Saturday morning to get my vegetables for the week. The farmers are all independent and grow organic veggies.

This week I discovered:
Spanish Melon (haven't eaten it yet, but it is very yellow and I am told very sweet)
Japanese Eggplant (plan drizzle with olive oil, sesame seeds, and stir fry)
Heirloom tomatoes (all were delicious by themselves with salt and on several sandwiches)
Lemon Cucumber (it really looks like a lemon but tastes like a cucumber)
Sweet corn and okra (used both in a corn chowder made with bacon, lots of butter, and served with cornbread muffins - I love being pregnant and having an excuse!)

We'll see what I come up with next week......

Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies

Back in Atlanta, I was inspired to try some new baking recipes for our picnic at the Tony Bennett concert at Chastain. If I might say so myself, these are truly some of the best brownies I have ever tasted. The recipe continued with instructions for a Coffee Frosting, but these are really rich on their own. I do not think they even need a frosting. This recipe comes from Good Housekeeping - June 2002 (I know - I have been cleaning out old magazines for the move!)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking pwoder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (add even more if you like cinnamon like I do!)
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 13" by 9" pan with foil and grease.
2. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
3. In a saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Remove pan from heat and stir in butter. Stir in eggs, one at a time, until blended. Then add the vanilla. Stir flour mixture into sugar mixture until blended. Spread batter into the pan.
4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. I baked them for about 30 minutes and they were still gooey in the middle, which is the way I like them.

Hannah and Tom's Birthday Cupcakes

My soccer cupcakes in place for the party!

Soccer Cupcakes

This past weekend I made vanilla cupcakes with a vanilla buttercream icing for a child's soccer-themed birthday party. Mark and I then devoured the leftovers that I decided to make with coconut and dark chocolate cream icing. Yum!

The Cupcake Business

Vanilla Cupcakes with Rose Buttercream

The cupcake business, although small, has begun. A friend, Selina, asked me to make cupcakes for her daughter, Sophie's, birthday.

Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

This past weekend I made 80 cupcakes for a wedding in Point Lonsdale. They turned out great, but every new venture provides a learning experience.

Notes for the future:

1. Don't put buttercream in the fridge if you expect it spread nicely. And adding milk after the fact won't work!

2. French press ground coffee will not substitute for instant espresso.

3. Don't take the cupcakes to the event to finish the icing. All the oldies came 30 minutes early and watched the end of the show.