My son Ryan made a surprise visit from Jacksonville yesterday. To celebrate I took my two favorite men out to breakfast at First Watch. I had an ulterior motive. First Watch is located around the corner from the Maitland Farmer's Market where I plan to set up shop. I hoped if I asked real nice, maybe they would walk the market with me. Breakfast was a tasty and filling skillet with potatoes, cheese, scrambled eggs, crumbled bacon, tomato and avocado. With hot coffee and engaging conversation it made for the perfect start to the day. As we paid the bill, Mike noticed an application for their breakfast club. The card mentioned buy one, get one offers would be e-mailed. Happy dance!
My plan worked. Mike and Ryan accompanied me on a quick stroll through the market. To my delight, we only came across one cupcake baker, one mystery pastry baker and two bread bakers. Market traffic was light. The vendors were not particularly engaging and it was HOT, very HOT. We stopped by to see Cathy of Cathy's Cajun Cuisines. Last weekend I bought some of her Fire and Ice Pickles. This week I reported on how much I enjoyed snacking on them all week. The pride on her face was priceless. I want to experience that feeling. And I will...real soon. Don't forget to check out Cathy's product offerings at www.cathyscajuncuisines.com or better yet come to the Maitland Farmer's Market to visit us both.
One thing that struck me, was just how poorly most of the vendors displayed their wares. It will not take much to stand out in the crowd. Cathy is one of the exceptions. Her booth draws you in with an impressive, in your face, product display and a big smile. Many of the other vendors timidly hid behind their tables. This will not be me! I may not sell a lot of cookies, but I will engage a lot of people in conversation. Thanks to genes from my mom, there are no strangers in this world...only friends I haven't met yet. Thanks Mom!
Tonight I actually cooked at home. Amazingly this cash starved foodie has a habit of eating out. But Costco had fresh Wild Sockeye Salmon on sale yesterday and I could not pass it up. I grilled the salmon along with some chicken for Ryan and served it with mashed potatoes and Caesar salad. Everyone seemed pleased...even Maddie who sampled something from everyone's plate.
My baking adventures tonight weren't nearly as successful as dinner had been. I misread my Oatmeal Cookie recipe and set the oven at 350 F instead of 375 F. Unfortunately it took me two pans before I figured it out. I was baking for a birthday basket for Ron's friend. It has to be there by Wednesday and it looks like I will be baking again tomorrow and shipping overnight. I cannot send something less than perfection.
Many hugs,
Kathy
No comments:
Post a Comment