Starlight Bakery News

Herb Walk with William Broen

2010-03-22T18:40:00.000-07:00

William Broen, bioregional herbalist

Last Saturday Dave and I met a group at Tucker's Grove for an herb walk led by William Broen. William took us on a 2-1/2 hour walk, identifying edible and medicinal plants as well as a few poisonous ones to avoid.

First he showed us poison hemlock.

It looks like a carrot top and also like Queen Anne's lace, but it's very poisonous. Look for red blotches on the stem to help you identify it. Do not eat it.

The hemlock was in a patch of wild blackberries.

The bushes are beginning to bloom, but no berries yet. We'll have to check back maybe next month.

Oxalis is blooming all over town.

As kids, we used to call it sour grass. We'd chew on the end of the stems. It contains oxalic acid, so it's best not to eat a lot of it, but you can eat some and you can certainly use the flowers as garnish.

Next he showed us mugwort.

These silver-backed leaves have a smoother edge than some which are more jagged. People put it near their beds or under their pillows to stimulate dreaming. It's very bitter but the tea is good for digestion and to help break a fever. It's antibacterial and antiparasitic. It is often picked during the full moon.

Mugwort often grows near poison oak.

Some people use a poultice of mugwort to treat poison oak. Not everyone is allergic to poision oak but most of us don't want to find out. In the fall poison oak turns red. It has five lobes and grows on the stem in clusters of three.

This is a yellow dock plant.

As a poultice, it will soothe bee and nettle stings. It's also good for anemia.

This will be a beautiful display of California wild roses in a couple of months.

The rose is very fragrant and leaves a rose hip after the bloom fades. The tiny hips turn red and are full of vitamin C. September is a good time to collect them. They are tart but good for your heart. They would probably make a good rose hip jam if you can find enough of them.

This dandelion doesn't look particularly yummy.

However this much-maligned plant is quite edible and is treated with great respect in Europe. It is especially good for the lymphatic system.

We came across two varieties of plantain.

Chew a little of this fibrous leaf and apply it to insect bites. It's cooling and according to one of the women with us on the walk, it really helped soothe the bee sting on her toe.

Here's the narrow leaf plantain.

We stood under a California live oak and learned that the acorns must be leached in water before eating. They were part of the native American diet here.

The California bay laurel is highly fragrant and can be used in cooking, but only use about 1/3 of the amount in the recipe. It's much stronger than the commercial variety. Roasted bay nuts are also edible.

An elderberry tree! You can eat blue or purple berries but not the red variety. The leaves, roots, and bark are purgative, so you might not want to eat those. Rub the underside of the leaf and it will smell like peanuts.

We found a chaparral current bush. A few of the currents were purple enough to try.

The miner's lettuce was quite delicious. Better than most of lettuce greens growing in my garden.

Look for a little white flower growing out of the center of the rounded leaf. We also found chickweed growing alongside the miner's lettuce.

Look for a ground cover with a small white star-like flower. The stem has tiny white hairs on one side if you hold it up to the light. It was quite tasty too.

The black sage drew lots of bees.

It has a strong sage fragrance. Chewing the leaves is good for sore throats and for gingervitis. It will also help to dry up breast milk when weaning.

Pineapple weed grows easily here. Sometimes I even see it in sidewalk cracks.

(Click for a close-up)

It's a close relative of chamomile but doesn't have the white flowers. It sure smells like chamomile.

The yerba buena was quite minty and apparently doesn't often show up this far south. Maybe it's all the rain we've had this year.

Cheeseweed mallow grows readily in my garden without invitation. I had no idea that it was useful. We ate a little and were surprised by its gelatinous texture which can be soothing to the digestive system.

As you can see, we learned a lot on this walk. There will be another walk on July 11th at 5 pm for a requested donation of $10. What a deal! Contact William at willbroen@hotmail.com if you want to be on his mailing list for more herb walks in Southern California.

The Lion Cake

2010-02-13T07:58:00.000-08:00

I can't really take credit for this pancake, but here is the story behind the picture.

Over the holidays I worked at Williams Sonoma at La Cumbre. I thought it would be a good opportunity to find out what people are cooking at home. However I soon realized it was a good opportunity to spend a lot of money buying cooking stuff with my discount. Yes, I spent more than I made, but I did buy some fine Christmas gifts.

This is one of them. Williams Sonoma sells these pancake forms in sets of three. The designs change during the year. I knew my granddaughter Saraphina would like this set because it includes a monkey.

Shaun perfected the method of making these pancakes, as you can see. You put the form onto a flat skillet or griddle then use a squeeze bottle to fill the mold with pancake batter (a buttermilk pancake recipe comes with the molds). When the pancake firms, you remove the mold and turn it over to cook briefly on the other side.

But a plain pancake wasn't enough for Shaun. Once on the plate, he filled the eyes and nose spaces with raspberry jam, sliced some bananas on top and gave it a sprinkling of powdered sugar. Delightful!

Now doesn't that make you want to run right out to Williams Sonoma to get a set of molds for tomorrow's breakfast? Last time I was there they had a set which included a sun, a moon, and the planet Saturn. Hmm, what time do they open?

Edible SB

2009-10-18T21:05:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen the latest issue of Edible Santa Barbara, hurry to the farmer's market and pick one up. They are also available at several local businesses. The article on local honeybees is mine. I also have a hand in the Thanksgiving toast in honor of the delicious Thanksgiving meal we prepared from the recipes in Pascale Beale-Groom's article.

Working with the Edible editors and writers is lots of fun. In fact after hearing us talk, the Starlight Mice decided to accompany me to the Saturday Farmer's Market this to get a close up view of some of the local foods I've been talking about. I wouldn't be surprised if some new adventures show up on their blog.

Speaking of blogs, between articles, I've been doing a few blog pieces on the Edible Santa Barbara blog. Most of these stories are focused on this month's Eat Local Challenge.

Isla Vista Food Co-op is also doing an October Eat Local Challenge and they have the supplies you need to make it easier. Next Saturday, October 24, is their 2nd annual Co-op Country Fair.

(Click on the flyer for a more readable version)

Our whole family enjoyed it last year, but this year our granddaughter will really love it! If you're worried about parking, check out the bus schedule. There's a bus that takes you right to the Co-op. I've also been writing for the Co-op newsletter, the Sunflower Seed. You can pick one up at the store or download a copy from their blog page (scroll down to Fall Issue in the column on the right side of the blog page).

Tonight I'm baking salt water to find out what local Ledbetter Beach salt tastes like. After 7 hours of accelerated evaporation I think I have a yield of about a teaspoon, but I'm sure there are more ions suspended in the remaining water just waiting for the right moment to crystallize. Stay tuned....

Have Penguin Will Travel

2009-09-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

It took me a couple of months to find the perfect excuse to buy my very own Penguin. If you watch the video, you'll see why it was so difficult to resist. Basically, it turns tap water into soda water. Is it cost effective... hmm. That excuse probably doesn't work.

However, you will soon be hearing about some eat local challenges for October. The idea is to try to eat only foods produced within a certain radius of your home. Some people will try to eat only foods grown or raised within 100 miles of their home for the whole month. Others will identify a broader range or choose certain meals or days to focus locally. The idea is to become more aware of where our food comes from so we recognize the importance of supporting our local farms and farmers.

Tap water from my faucet made into a soda is genius! And I can make syrups from my garden to flavor it. The first was a rose petal syrup from the roses blooming in my front yard, then the chocolate mint growing prolifically in the side yard, and a batch of orange rosemary syrup from the rosemary in the backyard and oranges in the front. I did use non-local sugar in the syrup, but I'll work on a recipe to make it with locally-produced honey from San Marcos Farms.

Anne and John Wiley join me in a local soda tasting

Edible Santa Barbara
The Fall issue of Edible Santa Barbara will be out soon. Watch for it at the Farmer's Markets, Lazy Acres, C'est Cheese, and many other distribution points around town. If you didn't get a chance to read my article on Full of Life Flatbread, just click on that link. But be prepared to schedule a weekend trip to Los Alamos after reading. You'll probably see us there. It's a great quick get-away and the food is creative, locally-sourced, and quite delicious.

My article in the upcoming issue is on bees. Plus I test all the recipes for the magazine. Lucky me!

Krista (the editor) and I made all of Pascale's recipes for a Thanksgiving Dinner and staged a Thanksgiving Feast on a very hot day in August. I can assure you that all the food in the photos is real and smelled wonderful, making it very difficult to wait patiently through all those photos. But it was worth the wait. Ahh, that carrot puree.

Montecito Country Kitchen

Speaking of Pascale, the owner of Montecito Country Kitchen, I have been working my way through her salts, teas, and herb/spice combinations. I bought the whole collection of salts. Some are coarse, some fine. Some are smoked. There are pinks, greys, black, and white. They are primarily finishing salts to sprinkle lightly on the top of your salad, steak, or caramel dessert.

The teas and spice mixes are good pantry items. The teas are beautiful, smell good, and lovely to add to a cup of hot water when a friend stops by. The seasoning mixtures (like herbes de Provence) make great gifts... if you can give them up.

Pascale's Mediterranean cookbooks, Spring and Summer, are gorgeous--filled with photos, many she has taken herself. Again, these are photos of real food, not lacquered or sprayed to look like well-prepared food. And the tastes are quite wonderful. Autumn will be released in October, just in time for holiday gifts.

Penryn Fruit Loop
Laurence Hauben is now offering fresh fruit for purchase and pickup. The fruit is from Penyrn Orchard, a 4-1/2 acre ranch in Placer County. Each week we have the opportunity to reserve a share of the fruit headed for the Santa Monica Farmer's Market. They grow many unusual varieties that are more delicate and less likely to survive large scale commercial transport. This week it's Crispin Apples and Asian pears, followed by a potluck dinner at Laurence's home.

To get your name on her email list, contact Laurence at sbslowfood@gmail.com. She is also the leader of our local Slow Food Convivium. A couple of months ago Laurence dug a pit in her backyard to cook a really large fish and sent out an invitation to join her in a spontaneous potluck gathering. We visited and ate together at long tables under the trees. Yes, you want to be on this list.

Taste of the Town
There are lots of food-focused happenings around town. I'll end with a link to Rosminah's photos of Sunday's Taste of the Town fundraiser for the Arthritis Foundation. With my friends Maria and Joe, I ate my way around the event, twice. Rosminah was right, the rabbit pate from Square One was awesome!

Apricots - U Pick

2009-06-23T07:40:00.000-07:00

Take Winchester Canyon Road across Cathedral Oaks until you see the Apricots and Vincent Farm signs on your left. You'll go up a little road and follow the arrows marked on the road to park.

Stop at the shed to pick up your bucket and easy picker tool. As you walk across the road to the orchard, look for the trees that are dropping ripe fruit on the ground. That's the place to start. I often search the ground for ripe apricots that aren't damaged. At this point in the season, the fruit is falling fast.

After you've filled your pail, you weigh your fruit and pay for it. It's good to have some $1 with you so you have the exact amount.

These are incredibly sweet apricots with that lovely apricot tang. The harvest only lasts two to three weeks and we are in week two. We picked our third bucket yesterday and are freezing pitted apricots to use in future crumbles and jams.

IV Co-op
Vincent Farm apricots are also available at the IV Co-op and at the Farmers Market this week.

BTW, those of you who have made it out to the IV Co-op, (see post below) have until the 27th to send me your impressions so you can be entered in the sticky bun drawing. That's only four days away.

Isla Vista Community Cooperative

2009-06-12T08:53:00.001-07:00

If you haven't been to the Isla Vista Food Co-Op, you need to go there! They buy the freshest seasonal fruits and vegetables from local farms. You can buy bulk organic herbs and spices and just about anything else you need to fill your pantry at really reasonable prices... because it's a cooperative. That means you pay a yearly membership fee. You can volunteer hours of work, but it is not required.

A Little History
Dave and I first participated in the co-op during the summer right after the IV riots. We'd rented an inexpensive apartment in IV and discovered that we could get really fresh produce and cheeses if we bought through a group that met a someone's house. Our job was to gather the cheese orders, pick up bulk cheese from Quality Market (a lovely market at Mission and De la Vina where the baby store is located today), and cut it into portions to fit the orders. Then we took it to the Saturday gathering place (someone's yard) for other members to pick up. This was the late 60s and early 70s at their best. It seems like there were about 20 participants, but there might have been more.

The Co-op Today
Now all this is available 7 days a week under one roof. It's even fresher and they offer a whole selection of dairy products, healthy snacks, and even eco-friendly housecleaning products.

Fostering community is still an important mission. They have frequent tastings and special events. In fact, there is an event coming up on July 3rd, but don't wait until then to check it out.

They also make delicious sandwiches, so if you work in Goleta, you can shop at lunch AND get a great healthy sandwich.

IV isn't crowded during the summer and the co-op would really love it if more Santa Barbara folks would come out to shop there. When you go out to Costco, drop by the Co-op as well.

To get there, take Storke Road toward the ocean. When Storke dead-ends into El Colegio Road, turn left onto El Colegio. After the next stop light, turn right onto Camino Pescadero. Then turn left on Seville (you'll see the Swiss Chalet apartments at that corner). The co-op will be on your right.

A Request
Since I've agreed to help the Co-op put together a summer newsletter, I want to know what interests you about the market. So here's my proposition. If you already shop there, email me a note about why you shop there. If you don't shop there now, go out there for a visit and email me your impressions. What would you come back to buy? What would you like to know about the Co-op?

The Reward
Everyone who emails me about the Co-op will be entered in a drawing for a pan of 8 sticky buns (not vegan). I'll choose two winners. The deadline for the drawing is June 27, but the sooner the better.

Here's my pitch for buying local seasonal food:

You support and help maintain local food sources
Your food is fresher and more flavorful because it can be picked when it is ripe
Seasonal food gives you something to look forward to
Food traveling long distances is more likely to have begun to deteriorate, losing nutrients and fostering more bacteria growth

Food for Adults

2009-05-26T12:38:00.000-07:00

Okay, last post I mentioned that the money from our upcoming Taste of the Nation event would go to feed local kids. But here's the thing, to help those kids, local restaurants, caterers, beer brewers, and wine makers are offering you tastes of their own creations for a donation of only $55... if you buy your tickets online (http://tinyurl.com/TOTNSB) now, before all the tickets are gone.

If you wait until Sunday to purchase at the door:

Admission will be $75 (instead of $55)
The event may be sold out

Being on the organizing committee has a lot of benefits, like working with people who passionately share my love for good food. But the most exciting benefit is getting a preview of what foods will be offered at the event. So just to temp you a little here is a little inside scoop on the kinds of things that are planned:

Ca'Dario - Ravioli al burro e salvia spinach and ricotta ravioli with brown butter and sage sauce

Ariel Catering - Local ridgback shrimp a la plancha with golden sun-dried tomato and apricot gazpacho

Opal Restaurant and Bar - Vegetable curry puff pastry empanadas with a mild jalapeno cilantro aioli

Square One - Whole roasted spring lamb flatbread, harrisa, cured lemon-olive relish

Montecito Country Club - Mini lamb gyro, basil chili tzatziki, butter lettuce, shaved marinated shallots, confit cherry tomatoes in mini pita pockets

This is only a tiny selection of what the 20+ food booths will be offering. There will also be wine and beer tastings, awesome views of the ocean, music, live and silent auction items, and even a photo booth. All on the upper lawn at the Montecito Country Club this Sunday, May 31st from 3 to 6 pm.

All of the ticket sale money goes to Food Banks in California, with 70% of it staying in Santa Barbara to support our own Food Bank and nutrition education for grade school children.

Hope to see you there!

Food for Kids

2009-04-18T17:42:00.001-07:00

Click on the graphic to see a larger, more readable, version

Share Our Strength is a national non-profit group that brings together local food professionals to raise money to help feed local children. Our local event takes place on Sunday, May 31st, on the upper lawn at the Montecito Country Club. Enjoy an afternoon of food and wine sampling with live music and spectacular views of the ocean and Channel Islands, .

I have been working on the organizing committee for this event. Tickets are $55 in support of the Food Bank of Santa Barbara. You can purchase your tickets online now at http://taste.strength.org/site/Clubs?club_id=1401&pg=main. We have sponsorship levels if you would like to donate an additional amount.

We are also looking for volunteers to help us on the day of the event. Email me (Nancy@StarlightBakery.com) if you would like to volunteer on the day of the event.

Marshmallow Rabbit Winners
Our marshmallow rabbit winners (just in time for Easter) were Roxanne Erskine and Laurel Lyle. I'm told those little bunnies almost didn't make it to the Easter table... a nibble here and a nibble there.

Edible Santa Barbara Magazine
If you haven't seen it yet, make sure you get a copy before they run out. Copies are available at places like the Farmer's Markets, C'est Cheese, and IV Co-op.

I personally tested the recipes, so I can tell you they are all really good. In fact I'm making the shrimp fritters again tonight.

I'm thinking that a subscription to this magazine would make a thoughtful gift for out-of-town friends and family.

What We're Up To
Dave is keeping up with consulting jobs and working on his solar project in his spare time. I'm assisting in cooking classes at Braille Institute and Peabody Charter School and working on future articles for Edible Santa Barbara. We're also expanding our vegetable garden. Yum!

Stay in touch. We miss seeing our friends on a more weekly basis.

Emerging from Chocolate World

2009-03-07T13:50:00.000-08:00

Persimmon Fudge

Hmm, not sure I'm actually ready to emerge from Chocolate World. Every day for the past 3 months I've thought, "I'm really getting pretty sick of eating chocolate." But then a few hours later I come up with another idea to try... and taste. Oh, the burden of creativity.

After deciding to give up our commercial kitchen at the end of December, I signed up for an online chocolate course to learn how to use chocolate in a way that consistently produces professional looking results. The course began in early January.

Chocolate is very tricky stuff. Even an accurate thermometer doesn't guarantee perfect results (or sometimes even acceptable results). Plus I had to develop centers using things like homemade fondant, caramel, fudge, and toffee. These are temperamental candies where I have to control the crystallization of a sugar syrup to create just the right form of crystallization. One small mistake and it becomes something entirely different. You can see my final results and read about what went wrong along the way on my Chocolate Temper wiki.

So, to celebrate finishing this course, I'd like to offer two lucky winners each 12 Marshmallow Rabbits. This is not your traditional marshmallow rabbit. Nope, it looks like this:

Marshmallow Rabbit

I start with a homemade marshmallow, dipped in homemade caramel topped with a pecan half. That is dipped into a bath of perfectly tempered chocolate. (Tempered means that it will have a lustrous shine and a clean crisp snap.) The bunny faces are lovingly painted in white chocolate.

Here's what you have to do to enter this drawing. Go to my Chocolate Temper wiki to identify the 5 candies I submitted for my final project as well as the one candy that I chose not to submit. Email me (Nancy@Starlightbakery.com) with your list. If correct, you will be entered in the drawing to take place at noon on March 29th, rabbits to be delivered the following week.

I would offer it closer to Easter, but I need to fly to Portland to help an aged friend celebrate her 60th birthday.

Edible Santa Barbara Magazine
Be on the lookout for the new quarterly Edible Santa Barbara Magazine. It will be on the stands at the end of March. It will focus on local regional foods and wines. I'll be writing articles for it. Plus I've been testing the recipes and I can tell you they are really good! It's the kind of magazine you'll want to collect and save.

Stella Mare's Jazz
We've also been going to Stella Mare's (by the bird refuge) every other Weds. night to sit by the fire and listen to jazz. Our son Shaun plays the drums in a jazz trio (bass and keyboard) that night. Upcoming dates are March 28 and April 1st. They start at 7 pm. Stella Mare's makes delicious appetizers. My favorites are the grilled artichoke and the crab cakes. You can order wine, a cocktail, or hot chocolate as well.

Maybe we'll see you there? Saraphina goes with us and likes to sing along with the trio, so the more friends to distract her, the better.

Mission Accomplished

2008-12-10T10:11:00.000-08:00

The BCRC Tea and Fashion Show was a raging success. In fact you might want to buy your tickets now for next year. We sold out ten days early and had a waiting list of 25. This is unheard of in Santa Barbara where everyone waits until the last minute to buy tickets for events.

I deeply appreciate all the people who helped plan, bake, prep, plate, and serve. It was a symphony of smiles and laughter. From now on I'm only serving on committees where our focus is on eating.

The Sad News
Dave and I have decided to give up our commercial kitchen space. That means after December, we can no longer do large scale baking or offer a weekly special. We will, however, work on our website, to put up photos of the things we can bake if you have a private party and need someone to bake.

Blogs
Stay in touch because we're always baking. I will continue to update this Starlight Bakery blog with special notes about what we are baking and my local food discoveries. The Starlight Mice will continue their adventurous mischief as well. In fact, two mice have recently returned home from a trip to Egypt.

Bries for December

This is a ready-t0-bake brie wrapped in puff pastry. Inside the pastry, the brie is topped with raspberry jam, chopped apples, and almonds.

Take it out of the freezer, bake at 400 degrees about 45 minutes (until puffed and golden). Let it sit about 15 to 20 minutes to cool the molten cheese a bit.

These keep in the freezer a long time. I recently served one I made last December. They are great to take to a party or serve as an appetizer. They also make good gifts.

I will have them available until the end of the month.

Ingredients: Brie, puff pastry, almonds, apples, raspberry jam.

Starlight Mice
We have also had requests for Starlight Mice for gifts and for holiday platters. (Actually they are really good to eat too.)

I'll be making these challah dough mice with chocolate hearts.

You can order these through the end of the year as well. Just send me an email and let me know when you need them.

Prices

Ready-to-Bake Brie - $15 each
Starlight Mice - $1.30 each

Thanks!
Nancy and Dave Oster, Starlight Bakers

Tea Menu

2008-11-21T04:18:00.001-08:00

Okay, I have the best committee in the world to work with me on the Breast Cancer Resource Center tea menu. Here we are making sure that our menu works. We've eaten our way through two working meetings. We think we have the menu pinned down, but it might take a little more tasting.

It might not surprise you to note that a Starlight Mouse showed up when we started our cheese tasting. We were looking for cheeses that pair especially well with hoshigaki (hand massaged dried persimmons) and grapes. The staff at C'est Cheese helped us choose a selection of cheeses that taste delicious with hoshigaki. Then our committee tasted and narrowed down the selection to these three: Double cream gouda, Ossau Irati, and Midnight Moon.

Obviously the Starlight Mouse is eager to confirm our choices.

Also on the tea menu are a pineapple fruit bowl filled with melon, grapes, pineapple, and pomegranate; salmon with cucumber, dill, and cream cheese finger sandwiches; layered sundried tomato pesto, basil pesto, and goat cheese finger sandwiches; almond pound cake slices with lemon curd and raspberry; rosemary lemon tea cookies; and chocolate coated nibs from Chocolate Maya.

As of last night 70 of the 100 seats at the tea and fashion show were already filled. This is awesome for an event in Santa Barbara... where people usually wait until the last minute to buy tickets. So, if you want to join us, purchase your tickets ($40) quickly at https://www.regform.net/bcrc/tfs/tfs.php.

Apple Pies
This is the last week for ready-to-bake apple pies. The pies are $14 each and you need to get your order in by Sunday noon for pick up on Monday at our kitchen at 5392 Hollister between 9 am and 6 pm.

Brie en Croute
Yes, we will make bries in December, but not until after the tea. I'll let you know more about those in December.

Thanks!
Nancy and Dave Oster, Starlight Bakers

P.S. There's a Starlight Mouse sighting update at www.StarlightMice.blogspot.com

A Busy Week

2008-11-07T06:39:00.000-08:00

In addition to watching election returns and baking, we have been busy this week planning the menu for the upcoming Breast Cancer Resource Center Tea, which Starlight Bakery is hosting.

BCRC Tea
The Breast Cancer Resource Center (BCRC) is our local information and support center for women and men dealing with breast cancer and breast health issues.

The BCRC is often the first stop after a breast cancer diagnosis but we also provide information and support to anyone who needs help getting a breast lump evaluated, waiting for the results, and to family members looking for ways to support a loved one. It was built and run by the community it serves... a network of local women and men reaching out to help each other during times of uncertainty, treatment, and healing.

The tea will include a Coldwater Creek fashion show featuring models from the BCRC. The event will be held on Saturday, Dec. 6th at the Unitarian church hall (where we held our first organizatonal meeting for the BCRC). Tickets ($40) are available online at https://www.regform.net/bcrc/tfs/tfs.php or by calling the Breast Cancer Resource Center at 569-9693. There will also be an admission free Artisan Faire in the courtyard with opportunities to buy holiday gifts made by local craftsmen.

Apple Pies
I have more apple pies. I will continue to stock the freezer until Thanksgiving. But get your order in now, so you won't be disappointed when we run out.

Rosemary Focaccia
This bread is really versatile. For the tea, we are slicing it in thin horizontal slices and layering it with smoked salmon, cream cheese, and cucumbers. Then we cut it into strips and cut those into colorfully-layered finger sandwiches. The strips can be wrapped in plastic wrap and kept in the refrigerator until you are ready to cut the sandwiches... an easy make-ahead appetizer.

I'll add a photo the next time I make them.

Special Items this Week

Rosemary Focaccia - $6.00
Ready-to-Bake Apple Pie - $14.00

Drawing of Week
I've been hired to bake pans of cinnamon rolls and sticky buns for a weekly meeting at a local technology company. I have an extra pan of 8 sticky buns available this week. If you place your apple pie order by this Sunday noon (for pickup on the 10th, 17th, or 24th), I'll enter you in a drawing for the sticky buns.

Roxanne Erskine won the apple pie last week. Yay Roxanne!

Pickup or Delivery
You can pick up your order from 9 am to 6 pm at 5392 Hollister on Monday or I can deliver it to your place on work on Tuesday morning.

Thanks!
Nancy and Dave Oster, Starlight Bakers

American-Made Apple Pies

2008-10-29T07:17:00.000-07:00

Get your order in now for our frozen ready-to-bake apple pies.

I have to warn you that if you plan to taste your pie ahead, you might want to order an extra. You may remember the story of my neighbor Daniel who baked one to take to a holiday dinner. He and and his brother Javier decided to take a little taste while it was cooling. Then they sat down and ate the whole pie. Oops.

Daniel ran across the street to get another one, but we had none left.

We are using Granny Smith apples with brown sugar and a light touch of orange in the filling. The streusal topping contains homemade almond paste (no almond extract flavoring). The crust and topping are buttery and delicious.

Baking is easy. Defrost your pie for 30 minutes to an hour, then bake it at 375 degrees for 1 to 1-1/2 hours (until the filling bubbles like jam). Try to let it cool before eating.

Pie pick ups will be from 9 am to 6 pm on Mondays November 3rd, 10th, 17th, and 24th at our bakery kitchen at 5392 Hollister. Tell me the date you want your pie(s) ready for pick up. It will help us a lot if you let us know now, even if you don't want to pick up a pie this week.

We are making 9" pies. If you'd like us to use a special pie plate from your collection, bring it by on one of the Mondays before your pick up.

Ingredients: Apples, organic unbleached flour, butter, brown sugar, white sugar, almonds, tapioca starch, cornstarch, orange zest, and salt.

Rosemary Focaccia

The IV Co-op Fair was a great success! We took an oven and generator so we could serve hot samples of rosemary focaccia made into fragrant garlic bread. I noticed several people came back for thirds. Lots of people told us they buy our bread weekly. One woman said her roommates sent her out to pick up the focaccia for a special dinner they were making and by the time she got to the Co-op, it was sold out.

We are back to one day a week at the bakery (Mondays). Dave bakes his breads on Monday evenings, so you can either stop by to pick up frozen focaccia during the day on Monday or set up a delivery time and place with me for Tuesday. The good news is all our breads freeze well and only need about 10 to 15 minutes in the oven to crisp the crust back up when they are almost defrosted.

Ingredients: Organic flour, yeast, water, olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper.

Special Items this Week

Ready-to-Bake Apple Pie (9 inch) - $14.00
Rosemary Focaccia - $6.00

Drawing for an Apple Pie
Answer the poll question of the week by noon Sunday and email me that you participated. I'll put you in our drawing for a free apple pie. Anyone who orders this week will be entered in the drawing automatically. (The last person who won an apple pie is now an enthusiastic an apple pie customer.)

Thanks!
Nancy and Dave Oster, Starlight Bakers

Padaro Pumpkins

2008-10-23T09:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my sister Barbara and I took a trip out to Carpinteria, got off at the Santa Claus exit and turned left over the bridge, then right onto Via Real and headed toward the large pumpkin balloon we could see floating above the Padaro Floral pumpkin patch. (The balloon lets you know that the pumpkin patch is open.)

We parked and followed a wall sunflowers to patch. The patch was packed with kids.

Many of the kids were sitting on benches listening to Michelle, one of the owners, tell them about pumpkins, and gourds, and Indian corn... all available at the patch.

Interesting shapes and colorful corn and all at really reasonable prices. I think the Indian corn was 50 cents an ear.

I was most intrigued by the bumpy gray Hubbard squash that Michelle and her father both told me was really good for pumpkin pie. Michelle said customers always come back to buy more before it sells out.

Uhh, yeah. I wouldn't have bought it either if my sister hadn't assured me that I could trust their judgement (she knows from experience that Michelle is an excellent baker). It was $8 for this boulder-sized squash.

We lugged it home and then tried to figure how exactly to cut it. It was like trying to open a coconut. The outer skin could be chipped away, not peeled. None of my knives would cut through it.

Using the cleaver like an ax was slightly more successful but a little scary. Together we came up with a plan where I placed the cleaver where I wanted to cut it and Barbara pounded on it with a hammer. Then we forcefully dislodged the cleaver and moved it gradually around the circumference until the squash opened enough that we could crack the two halves apart.

It's a very meaty squash without a lot of seeds or that stringy gooey stuff in the center.

I roasted the hunks in my convection oven. Eventually the pulp got soft and caramellized. The bits that I tasted as I scooped it out and bagged it up were delicious. I'm looking forward to making a pumpkin pie with it. The texture is dense, not watery, smooth, and the flavor is richly sweet.

Apple Pies in November
We will only offer Rosemary Focaccia bread this week again so we can ramp up for apple pie making in November. You have one more week to decide how many ready-to-bake apple pies you want to order in November.

This Week's Special Item

Rosemary Focaccia - $6.00

Pickup and Delivery
I can deliver your bread to a place of work on Tuesday morning or you can pick it up from our kitchen at 5392 Hollister on Tuesday between noon and 6 pm.

Thanks!

Nancy & Dave Oster, Starlight Bakers

P.S. Don't forget the I.V. Co-op Fair on Saturday. We'll be baking some Belgian Ginger Rolls (vegan) for you to taste in the morning and Rosemary Focaccia garlic bread in the afternoon.

Isla Vista Co-op Country Fair

2008-10-16T14:58:00.000-07:00

Here is the place to be a week from Saturday (October 25). Seville Road in Isla Vista will be closed to traffic for the Co-op's annual membership gathering and fair. There will be live animals, local farmers, music, and even some Starlight Bakers!

Dave and I will be baking up some tasty items (all vegan, of course). I hear we will be near the coffee so we're planning to sell some delicious pastries and looking forward to meeting some of our customers. If you haven't been to the Co-op, this is a good time to check it out. Their produce is awesome and they have great bulk prices on organic herbs, spices, flours, etc.

Since our baking will be focused this week on preparing items to sell at the Fair, we will not offer any special items other than fresh-baked Rosemary Focaccia.

November Baking
We will be going back to one day a week (Mondays) at the bakery in November. I'll only be making sweet items that can be frozen and picked up on Mondays.

We can deliver fresh bread to you on Tuesday mornings, or you can pick up frozen breads on Monday from our freezer. Since our breads freeze and reheat well, we will keep a variety of breads in the freezer to be purchased at any time. Just let us know what you want and we'll tell you if we have it or when we can bake it. We will continue to bake Rosemary Focaccia on a weekly basis.

Apple Pie
I plan to sell apple pies for a few weeks in in November. Like last year, these will be unbaked apple pies with an almond streusal topping (homemade almond paste). Customers who bought these last year told me I made them look like really good cooks during the holidays.

I won't offer any weekly special items (other than the Rosemary Focaccia) the last week of October because I'll be making apple pies ahead for pick-up on the following Monday (November 3rd). I'll send you a reminder to get your pie order in for November. My friend Denise will be helping me but we are limited by how much dough we can roll out in one day.

Challah Mice Winner
The winner of the challah mice last week was Barbie Deutsch. The answer to the poll was, of course, "All of the Above," which means any answer was correct. No poll this week, but watch for future polls and prizes.

Price on This Week's Items

Rosemary Focaccia - $6.00
Various Other Breads - $5.00 (ask for availability of a specific type)
Unbaked Cookie Dough (12) - $8.00 (ask for availability of a specific type)

Tuesday Pickup
You can pick up your orders from the our kitchen at Crumbs 5392 Hollister on Tuesdays from noon to 6 pm. We also offer Tuesday morning delivery to your place of work if that is more convenient. Feel free to stop by for a visit on Tuesday afternoons.

Thanks,
Nancy & Dave Oster, Starlight Bakers

Taking a Deep Breath

2008-10-09T12:00:00.000-07:00

Feeling stressed out seems to be a way of life lately, so when my friend Jo pointed out that the weather has been beautiful and we should go for a ride in her plane, I agreed. By departure time, Dave had decided he wasn't going to be left behind. He grabbed the camera and joined us. That's why I get to share this refreshing picture with you. Dave took this photo as we flew over the mountains behind La Conchita. Three Starlight mice to Jo for reminding us it's really great to be living in this beautiful place.

Peanut Butter Cookies
Now back on the ground, we're thinking about next week's baking. I will make more peanut butter cookies, so get your order in if you are out of them.

For those of you who haven't tried them, you can bake all twelve at once or just a few at a time. These were baked in my toaster oven set to 375 degrees. A quick easy dessert sure to impress anyone who stops by for coffee or tea.

Ingredients: Organic unbleached flour, butter, egg, sugar, vanilla, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, peanut butter.

Zucchini Bread Winner
Our winner last week was my friend Kathy... of rosemary mouse fame. Kathy and I have been friends since 2nd grade. Neither of us really wants to believe how many years that is.

And speaking of Starlight mice... a couple of them have made it all the way to Belgium! Who knows where they'll turn up next. I think some are already on their way to Hawaii.

Chocolate Tasting
In addition to the three challah mice for Jo, I'll give the winner of this week's poll three challah mice. I just have to figure out what question to ask in the poll. I'm running off to help with an election mailing so you'll have to check back for the poll question later tonight.

Hmm, a woman who worked on the mailing with me is a nurse. As our conversation turned to chocolate, she told us that she often prescribes chocolate to relieve stress. That explains why the chocolate tasting we had after the first debate was such a success.

This week when my neighbor Barbara joined us to watch the debate, she demanded chocolate before it was even over... I think she already knows about the stress reduction thing. So, that leads us to this week's poll question. Email me if you submit an answer so I can add you to the drawing. I'll put some really excellent chocolate hearts inside those three challah mice.

Breads of the Week
This week it's Rosemary Focaccia and a new bread requested by my friend Barbie. We'll bake a Rustic Wheat Raisin Bread with Walnuts. Rustic means that it has some wild yeast (sourdough) starter in it.

Rosemary Focaccia Ingredients: Organic flour, yeast, water, olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper.

Rustic Wheat Raisin Bread Ingredients: Organic unbleached bread flour, whole wheat flour, wild yeast starter, yeast, salt, canola oil, agave syrup, raisins, walnuts, cinnamon.

Prices on this Week's Items

Rustic Wheat Raisin Bread with Walnuts - $5.00
Rosemary Focaccia- $6.00
Unbaked Peanut Butter Cookies (12) - $8.00
Baked Peanut Butter Cookies (4) - $3.00

Zucchini - Fruit or Vegetable?

2008-10-02T07:21:00.000-07:00

While the answer I was seeking in last week's poll was zucchini, I was reminded by a friend that botanists would classify zucchini and green beans as fruit, not as vegetables. The only actual vegetable on the list was arugula... so if you answered arugula you were also correct (I've never tried to make a tea bread with arugula, but it might be quite tasty).

That, of course, led me to wonder why there is a disconnect between culinarians and botanists over what goes into the vegetable category. For a botanist zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, green beans, etc. are fruits because they are part of the reproductive process of the plant. Culinarians seem to be okay with calling things that grow on trees and bushes fruits, but most things that grow on vines or ground plants we call vegetables (well, except for grapes and berries). We also think of sweetness as part of our fruit vs vegetable classification. We consider the sweeter ones fruit... but then what about vine-ripened tomatoes? Oh well, making sense of it seems pretty hopeless.

Poll Winner
Elda Rudd was last week's winner. I shared the second loaf with this cute little Starlight mouse. Fortunately he didn't eat much. But we did. This is a good recipe, no pineapple, but lots of zucchini and some pecans. I also use a little wheat flour. If you'd like a second chance to win one of these tasty loaves, answer this week's question and email me to let me know that you participated.

Challah Mice
I've been making various pastries with our vegan challah dough in preparation for some upcoming events. The challah mice are yummy. They have a bit of semisweet chocolate inside and a sprinkling of crystalized sugar on top. I'll offer them to you as well this week. They look very cute perched on a plate of salad, a cheese plate, or a fruit platter. You never know where one will show up!

Ingredients: Organic unbleached spelt flour, all purpose flour, and bread flour, Bob’s Red Mill egg substitute, soy milk, Earth Balance butter substitute, agave nectar, salt, yeast, chocolate, crystallized sugar, almonds, cloves.

Breads of the Week

Rustic White Bread is our specialty bread this week along with Rosemary Focaccia. This is the bread made with an added wild yeast starter to increase flavor.

Rustic White Bread Ingredients: Organic bread flour, water, barm (wild yeast starter), yeast, salt.

Rosemary Focaccia Ingredients: Organic flour, yeast, water, olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper.

Prices on this Week's Items

Rustic White Bread - $5.00
Rosemary Focaccia- $6.00
Vegan Challah Mouse with Chocolate Heart - $1.30

Tuesday Pickup
You can pick up your orders from the our kitchen at Crumbs 5392 Hollister on Tuesdays from noon to 5 pm (usually it's 6, but we need to get home in time for the debate). We also offer Tuesday morning delivery to your place of work if that is more convenient. Feel free to stop by for a visit on Tuesday afternoons. We usually have some extra loaves of bread if you suddenly realize you really can't wait another week without a loaf of Starlight bread.

Thanks!
Nancy and Dave Oster, Starlight Bakers

Finding Solace in Chocolate

2008-09-25T21:18:00.000-07:00

After listening to far too much news this week, I've decided to buy myself some really good chocolate. If you haven't been there yet, the place to go is Chocolate Maya at 15 W. Gutierrez St (that's down near Santa Barbara Roasting Company). Maya carries local chocolates as well as chocolates from around the world. I'm planning a little chocolate tasting tomorrow night, sharing some origin chocolate (made exclusively from one region) with some friends.

Challah Mice Winner
Last week's winner of 8 challah mice was my friend Laura who won them just in time to share them with her grandchildren this weekend.

This week's poll question will win you a tea bread made with the item in question. Email me when you've selected an answer and I will enter you in our drawing.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies are on the baking schedule for this week. Baked cookies and pre-portioned frozen cookie dough are both available. The portioned cookie dough can be baked one cookie at a time in your toaster oven. My friend Lucy recently had an out-of-town guest who mentioned she was hungry for something sweet in the evening. When she went to bed, she found a plate on her pillow with two freshly-baked Starlight Bakery chocolate chip cookies. Now that's friendship!

Ingredients: Organic unbleached flour, chocolate chips, butter, brown sugar, eggs, cane sugar, walnuts, dried apricots eggs, crystallized ginger, vanilla, baking soda, salt.

Breads
This week's breads will be Rosemary Focaccia and Rosemary Potato Bread.

Rosemary Focaccia: Organic flour, yeast, water, olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper.

Rosemary Potato Bread: Organic unbleached flour, olive oil, water, potato flakes, yeast, fresh rosemary, salt, and pepper.

Prices on This Week's Special Items

Rosemary Potato Bread - $5.00
Rosemary Focaccia- $6.00
4 Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies - $3.00
12 Unbaked Chocolate Chip Cookies - $8.00

And the Winners Are!

2008-09-18T07:09:00.000-07:00

Yes, the correct answer to our vacation quiz was Cayucos, but the foggiest place on earth and somewhere with no phone were true as well. Jo Duffy and Denise Frey won the two carrot tea loaf cakes we had available this week.

Since I still have a lot of carrots, I think I'll make more carrot tea loaf cakes available this week for anyone who would like to order one. I freeze them and use them when I have friends over or I need a last minute special dessert. I've defrosted them after several months with no apparent loss in quality. The wheat germ, carrots, and pineapple make this a healthy treat... right?

Ingredients: Organic unbleached flour, butter, cream cheese, heavy cream, sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar, carrots, pineapple, wheat germ, eggs, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and vanilla.

This Week's Drawing

I've been busy working on vegan breakfast pastries this week. That includes challah mice with chocolate hearts. As you can see, they are taking over my freezer, so I'd like to share some with one lucky winner. Answer the poll on the upper right and email me that you've entered your answer. I'll add you to our drawing for 8 challah mice. (hint: Starlight Mouse Sightings)

We had a friend over for dinner last night. Each of us had a challah mouse sitting on our plate, next to the salad. Challah mice cute and they taste good too! The entry deadline is noon on Monday.

Breads of the Week

Anita's Black Bread and Rosemary Focaccia are this week's offerings. Anita's bread is a hearty flavorful mix of rye, wheat, and white flours with chocolate, coffee, and molasses.

Anita's Black Bread Ingredients: Whole wheat flour, rye flour, bread flour (all flours are organic), raisins, butter, unsweetened chocolate, coffee, molasses, sugar, yeast, fennel seeds, caraway seeds, salt.

Rosemary Focaccia Ingredients: Organic flour, yeast, water, olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper.

Prices on this Week's Items

Carrot Tea Loaf - $10
Anita's Black Bread - $5
Rosemary Focaccia - $6

Email me your order Nancy@StarlightBakery.com by noon on Sunday. Pickup or delivery is on Tuesday.

Thanks and have a good week!

Nancy and Dave Oster, Starlight Bakers

Back from Vacation

2008-09-11T08:41:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are home after spending a relaxing five days on the coast. Taking along some Starlight Mice added a bit of whimsy to our trip.

Drawing

This week's drawing will be for a Carrot Tea Loaf. This is a carrot cake baked in a loaf pan. We add a little wheat germ instead of nuts and top it with a lightly sweetened cream cheese frosting. This cake freezes nicely, so you can save it for a special event.

To enter our drawing answer the poll on the upper right of this page. Hint: the answer is in my Starlight Mice blog at http://www.StarlightMice.blogspot.com.

To be entered, you must email me to let me know that you have participated in the poll. We will choose two winners.

Cracked Wheat Bread

Dave plans to make the cracked wheat bread again this week. It has a bit of wild yeast starter in it and a light wheatiness. Last time he made it into baguette shaped breads. This week he will do it as a boule. We ate all the samples before we found the camera last time, so I still don't have a photo. But it will look like this.

Ingredients: Organic whole wheat flour, natural yeast (barm), organic unbleached bread flour, cracked wheat kernels, ground flax seed, agave syrup, canola oil, yeast, salt.

Rosemary Focaccia

We'll also be baking Rosemary Focaccia. This bread is great with eggs for breakfast, soup for lunch, and pasta at dinner.

Ingredients: Organic flour, yeast, water, olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper.

Oatmeal Orange Zest Cookies

I'll be replenishing my stock of Oatmeal Orange Zest Cookies this week. You can buy them baked or unbaked frozen. The frozen cookies are formed and ready to put into the oven or toaster oven one or more cookies at a time.

Ingredients: Organic unbleached flour, butter, raisins, sugar, honey, egg, oatmeal, pecans, cinnamon, vanilla, baking soda, salt, orange zest.

Prices on This Week's Special Items

Cracked Wheat Bread - $5.00
Rosemary Focaccia- $6.00
4 Baked Oatmeal Orange Zest Cookies - $3.00
12 Unbaked Oatmeal Orange Zest Cookies - $8.00

Rosemary Mouse Sightings

2008-09-03T10:04:00.001-07:00

We are finally on vacation. But reports of Rosemary Mouse sightings are coming in to us by email. To stay up-to-date on the spread of Rosemary Mice throughout the state, check our Rosemary Mouse sightings blog at http://www.StarlightMice.blogspot.com.

Two-Week Break

2008-08-27T07:51:00.000-07:00

Our plan at the moment is to take a short break and go somewhere. So we will not offer any special items for the next two weeks. However if we run into some interesting food stories on the road, we'll post them.

This is your chance to diet for a couple of weeks so that you can order something really yummy when we get back.

Speaking of yummy, Carol Carter won this week's apple pie. She was at the bakery in a flash to pick it up. She said she's never won anything... up until now. She emailed me to tell me it was the best apple pie she'd ever eaten in her whole life. Whew, the pressure. Can I ever make one that good again? What exactly did I put in that pie? Oh yeah, it's those apples from Ladybug's apple tree. Our dog Ladybug looks like she weighs 350 pounds after this apple season and now she's picking the fig tree. Sigh.

Kathy's Rosemary Mice

You may recall The Story of the Rosemary Mice I shared a few weeks back from my friend in Ojai. Well guess what? I discovered one sitting on my cutting board this week! I think they are breeding.

Actually, I've been making vegan challah for the co-op (an egg bread without eggs...), and using the scraps to make challah mice, birds, and hedgehogs. This week when Dave and I were forming the Rosemary Potato Bread and Buns, we had some leftover dough so I made Rosemary Mice!

When I made a delivery yesterday to the Breast Cancer Resource Center, they were just putting together a platter of cheese and fruit. We added a Rosemary Mouse. Now who could look at that and not laugh? I can visualize these mice spreading to cheese platters across town.

Since we always have a little dough left when we loaf the breads, we may find our freezer filling up with Swedish Rye mice, Anita's Black Bread mice, Rustic White Bread mice, and Multigrain mice as well as Rosemary mice. Be sure to ask us if you are preparing a cheese platter

Rosemary mice meet to discuss breeding plans.

So off we go to places unknown. Start dieting. We'll see you in two weeks.

Thanks!

Nancy and Dave Oster, Starlight Bakers

Grandmotherhood and Apple Pie

2008-08-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Lucy Thomas and Dale Taylor who won last week's drawing for Starlight Sticky Buns! Both winners left smiling.

Oh yeah, did I mention that I'm a grandmother?

Well, since my apple tree gave us a crop of sweet tasty apples this year (and I became a grandmother), I'm going to do a drawing this week for one ready-to-bake apple pie. My streusal topping includes homemade almond paste (made with real almonds and no artificial almond flavoring). To enter your name, you must vote in the Starlight cookie poll on the upper right of this page and email me (Nancy@StarlightBakery.com) to let me know you voted.

Your pie can be kept in the freezer until about an hour and a half before baking. Defrost, then put it into a 375 degree oven for about 1-1/2 hours. Our apples are really good this year.

Rosemary Potato Bread or Hamburger Buns

There are two options for our specialty bread this week. You can purchase it as a Rosemary Potato Boule or as hamburger buns. The buns come in groups of 6. We just used the last ones in our freezer so it's time to make more.

Ingredients: Organic flour, potato flakes, olive oil, water, rosemary, pepper, yeast and salt.

Rosemary Focaccia
Our fragrant and lovely Rosemary Focaccia will be available as well.

Ingredients: Organic flour, yeast, water, olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper.

Ready-to-Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies
We have a good supply of Chocolate Chip Cookies on hand, so let us know if you need some. My friend Anita had her granddaughter visiting from France this summer. She says her granddaughter enjoyed baking up these cookies for special treats.

Ingredients: Organic unbleached flour, chocolate chips, butter, brown sugar, eggs, cane sugar, walnuts, dried apricots eggs, crystallized ginger, vanilla, baking soda, salt.

Prices on This Week's Special Items

Rosemary Potato Boule (1 lb) - $5.00
Rosemary Potato Hamburger Buns (6) - $5.00
Rosemary Focaccia - $6.00
12 Unbaked Chocolate Chip Cookies (what, no Rosemary?) - $8.00

We've Added Tuesdays for Pickup!
Now you can pick up your orders from the our kitchen at Crumbs 5392 Hollister on Tuesdays from noon to 6 pm. We will continue to offer Tuesday morning delivery to your place of work if that is more convenient. Feel free to stop by for a visit on Tuesday afternoons... visiting with friends is our favorite part of having the bakery.

Thank you!

Nancy & Dave Oster, Starlight Bakers

Peanut Butter Cookies

2008-08-13T07:15:00.000-07:00

This week I'm making frozen portioned peanut butter cookie dough. We use these a lot when we want a quick snack. Just put the frozen cookie onto the tray and pop it into the toaster oven set at 375 degrees. I usually bake about 8 minutes and then press down the centers. I bake them another 4 minutes to crisp up the edges.

This is good if you are watching your calories because they taste wonderful and they're easy to make but you can't get very many into the toaster oven.

I'll also sell them baked, but frozen is safer if you're watching calories.

Ingredients: Organic unbleached flour, butter, egg, sugar, vanilla, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, peanut butter.

Cracked Wheat Bread

This is actually a picture of our multigrain bread because Dave hasn't made me a loaf of cracked wheat to photograph yet. I'll change the photo as soon as I get one.

The difference between the cracked wheat and the multigrain is that it will be a bit wheatier and will have just cracked wheat rather than the variety of grains Dave uses in his multigrain.

Here is our tentative ingredient list. (It has been a busy week trying to get back to work... last night was our first baby bath, which took 4 people plus baby.)

Ingredients: Organic whole wheat flour, natural yeast (barm), organic unbleached bread flour, cracked wheat kernels, ground flax seed, agave syrup, canola oil, yeast, salt.

Rosemary Focaccia

Our weekly standard. Great for sandwiches or toasted garlic bread.

Ingredients: Organic flour, yeast, water, olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper.

Prices on This Week's Items

Unbaked Frozen Peanut Butter Cookies (12) - $8.00
Cracked Wheat Bread (1 lb) - $5.00
Rosemary Focaccia - $6.00

Orders and Workplace Delivery

Email me your order (Nancy@StarlightBakery.com). Our deadline is Sunday noon so that we can shop for ingredients. I will send you a confirmation email when I receive your order. If you don't receive one, email me or call me (252-0418) to confirm that I received the order.

We bake on Mondays. During the day I work on cookies, muffin mix, scones and cinnamon rolls to keep in the freezer so you can order those anytime. We bake our breads on Monday night.

We can arrange delivery to a place of work or a neighborhood (if you order with a group of friends so several customers can pick up from one place). When you email your order we can plan pickup or delivery.

Thank You!

Nancy and Dave Oster, Starlight Bakers

2008-08-09T17:48:00.000-07:00

Pure Sweetness

Yes, the great moment finally came. Saraphina has arrived. She is, of course, beautiful, sweet, and sure to be brilliant. She was born on Thursday afternoon weighing in at 7 pounds 6 ounces. Are we lucky or what? Both of her parents are well and very happy... although a bit tired.

New Blog Format

After hearing from many of our customers that they are no longer receiving our weekly newsletter, we have decided to switch to the blog format so that your weekly news will not get caught in your spam filters. This is apparently what has been happening. This means that you will need to bookmark this blog site and check it weekly for the specials of the week, food stories, and other interesting tidbits on food happenings around town. I am planning to update it on Wednesdays so that you will have more time to check it and order for the following Monday baking.

Friends of Hannah-Beth Jackson BBQ

Speaking of food, I'll be baking chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter cookies this week for a free BBQ at Stowe Grove (580 N. La Patera Rd) to honor Gap firefighters. It takes place on Sunday August 17th from 12 pm to 3 pm. Hannah-Beth is running for State Senate so this is a chance to thank the firefighters, hear from Hannah-Beth (which is always interesting), and have some good BBQ. Or you can just come to eat my cookies. To RSVP, email barbie4HBJ@cox.net or call 967-6165.

Rustic White Bread

I know our newsletter is a little late this week, but we will be making Rustic White Bread on Monday evening (made with a wild yeast starter that gives it a bit of a sourdough taste and texture). If you want to order some loaves, let us know by Monday noon and we'll include your order in the count.

Ingredients: Organic bread flour, water, barm (wild yeast starter), yeast, and salt.

Rosemary Focaccia

We are also making our Rosemary Foccaccia, as usual.

Ingredients: Organic flour, yeast, water, olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper.

Prices on This Week's Items

Rustic White Bread (1 lb.) - $5.00 ea.
Rosemary Focaccia (1 lb.) - $6.00 ea.

Orders and Workplace Delivery

Email me your order (Nancy@StarlightBakery.com). Our deadline is normally Sunday noon so that we can shop for ingredients. However, this week we will take orders until Monday noon since we are a day late in getting our newsletter published.

I will send you a confirmation email when I receive your order. If you don't receive one, email me or call me (252-0418) to confirm that I received the order.

We bake on Mondays. During the day I work on cookies, muffin mix, scones and cinnamon rolls to keep in the freezer so you can order those anytime. We bake our breads on Monday night.

We can arrange delivery to a place of work or a neighborhood (if you order with a group of friends so several customers can pick up from one place). When you email your order we can plan pickup or delivery.

Thank You!

Nancy and Dave Oster, Starlight Bakers