
I would like to take this time to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
I will be posting soon pictures of more work that has been completed. Recovery from my knee surgery is slow and I will get them posted asap!
Our friends George and Tammy Smartt called Friday night and asked me if I would make her 10 dozen Christmas Sugar Cookies and "Fru Fru" them up on a pretty tray and festive ribbon. What better to have sitting out waiting for Santa with a big glass of milk Christmas Eve!
I think that they turned out awesome! Snowmen, Christmas Trees, Gingerbread Men, and Candy Canes. I decorated them exactly the way "My Mother" always decorated them when I was a little girl. It brings back memories!
I borrowed this picture to let everyone know that I have finally perfected my Gingerbread Cookie Recipe!!!
As promised, these are the Pumpkin Pies I made for Cil and John. The Porters are all coming to John and Cil's home for Thanksgiving. When I delivered their goodies, their home was absolutely in the Thanksgiving mode.
My sweet friend Lillian Stewart asked me to make her a Pecan Pie for her to have for Thanksgiving. Lillian's children are going to be in from College and from Nashville. Amanda and Erik are her life! Lillian is a wonderful friend!
Candy Woodlee asked me to make her a Coconut Cake just for Thanksgiving. When I delivered it to her today, she said, "I will have to hide it because it will be eaten before Thanksgiving lunch tomorrow." She also said, "It's too pretty to eat!"
Cil Porter asked me to make her this beautiful Sundrop cake just for her husband John. I just love going to Cil and John's home. They have a beautiful home and the view on the lake is beautiful! Cil asked me to make her two Pumpkin Pie's as well. I will post them just as soon as they come out of the oven.
Rhonda Ramsey is a wonderful friend. She asked me to make her a Strawberry Pretzel Salad for Thanksgiving. Rhonda is always helping me when I grocery shop. She has become a really great and awesome friend! My recipe was given to me by Judy Woodlee several years ago after a Christmas dinner at Central. I did take the pecans out in the crust because of food allergies with nuts.
Melanie Brock and Debbie Jennings asked me to make them 4 dzn. cupcakes for Bunker & Wesley's Birthday party tomorrow. Bunker and Wesley said that they wanted "Ms. Joy's Cupcakes, They Are Heavenly!" Happy Birthday Boys! We Love You!
Kandice Patrick asked me to make her another dzn. of my awesome Banana Cupcakes with Honey & Cinnamon Buttercream Icing. She plans on taking them to her mother's house for Thanksgiving lunch. I bet they don't make it there. Jerry told me that he only got one out of the last dzn. I made for her.
I just wanted to share a few pictures of the Craft Fair that is going on this weekend at the Civic Center here in McMinnville. I have had more compliments on my booth! Thank You all of my friends who stopped by and bought goodies from me, who placed all of the many, many orders, and the overwhelming response in my booth. I am almost sold out and it's only the first day! My friend Jane Ann Pryor is the Chairman of the Craft Fair this year. Thank You Jane Ann for all of the compliments about my booth and the presentation that I worked so hard on! Your kind words made my day!
I made Red Velvet Cakes from my Aunt Christine's recipe, Sundrop Cake from my MIL's recipe and have sold almost all of them out! I am taking orders for Thanksgiving, items to be ready for pickup for all who didn't get there early today.
Pumpkin, Pecan, and Fudge Pies are displayed at my booth as well. Fresh, never frozen....orders for Thanksgiving can be made by calling me or shooting me an e-mail!
I had almost forgotten to remind everyone that I will have a booth again this year at the Regions Craft Fair this Friday & Saturday (Nov. 21st & 22nd) @ the McMinnville Civic Center.
My sweet friends Kathy Collier and Cil Porter are hosting a Baby Shower for Kaitlyn Darnaby today. Kathy had called me a couple of weeks ago asking me to fix some goodies for the shower. She requested my Classic White Cake just for a sweet baby girl. I couldn't resist making these darling eatable baby booties. She had also requested for me to make some of my wonderful Cream Cheese Mints. Keeping with the theme, I made baby booties as well. Of course, she wanted some of my Chicken Salad on Cocktail Croissants. They are just the perfect size for this occasion.
My sweet friend Michelle Prater asked me a few days ago to make her son Logan a cake celebrating his 4th Birthday. She loved my Strawberry cake I made her SIL April last week. She said I could do any theme that I wanted....I just love this Birthday Champ Pin. This is something that he can enjoy at his party and keep forever.
Tara Collins called me and asked me to make some goodies for her daughter's birthday which is today. She wanted my Classic White Cake with White Buttercream Icing, Pink and Hot Pink Dots and Lime Green Ribbon. She wanted a beautiful "Blinging C" on top. I really think that it turned out beautiful! She also wanted a smaller version for her daughter to have for herself.
Tara also wanted some cupcakes and cookies with the same theme. I was up early this morning baking the cakes and cookies fresh for her to pick up by 10 a.m. My children love it when they wake up to the smells of my kitchen on their days off from school. They always tell me that it smells like Gatlinburg in our house.
April Kinslow asked me to make this darling Wow Wow Wubbzy cake for her daughter Kaylee's birthday. She asked for me to make it with my Strawberry cake recipe. I had never heard of a Wow Wow Wubbzy, but it didn't take me long to find it on google.com. I decided to hand draw him on the cake. He turned out quite cute! April is very sweet and I really appreciate our friendship!
Kandice Patrick called me and asked me to make her some Old Fashioned Potato Candy. This is my favorite Homemade candy with Martha Washington coming in second. I hope you enjoy this and hope you get to feeling better soon!
I made two of these just out of the oven Fudge Pies.
I wanted to share with you these beautiful cakes. I have been meaning to get edited and posted and have been unable to get the time to get them edited. I loved her idea for a "Cinderella Wedding". Each layer was a different flavor. The layers were: French Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, Carrot, and the Anniversary Layer was French Vanilla and Chocolate. She also wanted Almond Flavored Buttercream Icing.
When you're a Tennessee Volunteer Fan, you gotta have one of my favorite cakes! This Neyland Stadium cake was Rachel's favorite! She asked me to fix this just for her!
Today was Joey Grandey's 50th Birthday. We had been planning a party for the original gang at Susan's house for a few days. Of course, Lauren and Leah were in on it as well. Susan had asked me to make some cupcakes for his birthday with the number 50 in black on each one of them. What's absolutely funny is that I had no idea that her plates had the exact style of font I chose to do his 50 in. That is awesome!
I am planning on putting the party pictures on my family web page tomorrow, as soon as they are edited.
Granny Greene always made Homemade Jam Cakes when John was growing up. My mother-in-law still carries on the tradition. She gave me Granny Greene's "Secret Recipe" a couple of years ago. She has taught Katie how to make them as well. This is a fresh one ready to be eaten. The caramel icing is to die for! They can also be frozen and used later on. She will bring us one each year and we'll put it in the freezer and use it on Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day.
My friend Christi asked me to make something special for a friend of hers that is in the hospital. So.....I found this darling parfait glass and of course a girl's gotta have her chocolate with a splash of fru fru. When someone is in the hospital, it is so nice for someone to think of you and what a better way to say "Get Well Soon!"
I just love the McGiboney family. Mary Jane asked me several weeks ago to make a Surprise Anniversary gift for David and Joyce Britton. Their anniversary is Sunday. She asked me to make them a Sugar Free White Chocolate Cheesecake. This is one of my best selling pies. It is a wonderful smooth homemade pie and if you like cheesecake, you'll love this!
Katie wanted several different things for her party. She wanted Halloween Cookies, Pretzels Dipped In Chocolate with Halloween Sprinkles, Orange and Mango Punch, Swirly Chips, and Pink Strawberry Cake.
I had told you earlier that Katie helped with some of her goodies. Bless her heart, she dipped and sprinkled these pretzels. She did an awesome job!
She was so excited about her cake! She did not know that it was going to look like this! This is the first time she had seen it completed.
Today we are celebrating Katie's Belated Birthday. Her birthday was in August, but she wanted to wait and have a party after Basketball season had started so she could invite all of her friends from the school team. She asked me to make her a Homemade Strawberry Cake and decorate it like it was a present. She loves pink and chocolate brown. I had to put her Signature "K" on it as well. We have lots of goodies made up for her guests. I will post more of them this afternoon. Some....she made herself.
My sweet friend Betty Walker asked me to make these beautiful cookies for her son Eric's Open House at Walker Gardens for today. I have been experimenting with "My Own Glaze Recipe" and have come up with a winner!!! This recipe is not from any recipe book anywhere! I hope that the entire Walker Family enjoys these along with their customers today! Thank You Ms. Betty!
Tammy Crouch is a wonderful friend. She asked me to make this beautiful cake for her future Grand-daughter's Baby Shower. I made her a wonderful Homemade Strawberry Cake, used Homemade Chocolate Buttercream Icing, Regular Buttercream Icing, and used the Pink and Brown Lady Bugs in each corner. This is an absolutely BEAUTIFUL cake! I loved what she asked me to write on it: "A Gift from God Kaidence Hope Crouch". Timeless!!!!
Today is Kara Youngblood's 21st Birthday! She is the Big 21! Her mom Pam asked me to make her a special cake just for her special day! Kara loves pink, black, white, red, jewels, polk-a-dots, stripes, ribbons, her initial K, and my fabulous homemade classic white cake! I think that I hit most of those right on the target. When Pam picked it up last night, she was so excited! The Bling on top for her 21 was perfect!
My dear friend Susan Grandey asked me to make this darling cake for our mutual friend Penny Shockley. Penny has been the Pioneerette Dance Team Coach for several years and is now the Sophomore Principal at WCHS. I was so honored to do this for them. I have been able to know and love Penny over the past few years and felt very, very honored to make this for her. I had her children in WCYB in T-Ball and enjoyed them so very much! Let's say she was very surprised at her party!
My son John Ryan works with Vanessa McBride at Lowe's. She said that he is always talking about how delicious and creative my cakes are. She called me and asked me to make this darling 3D Spiderman cake for her. He's all homemade Classic White cake with lots of detail.
Talissa Pelham and her friends at Dr. Watlington's office ordered lunch just for them yesterday and wanted My Signature Chicken Salad on Croissants and some of my Homemade Sugar Cookies. With the season of Halloween in the air.....these ghost's are the perfect touch!