I started by taking a beginner Wilton Cake Decorating class at A.C. Moore sometime in 1995 or 1996.  It was a blast, and I was pretty good at it (I think). I followed up with the Level II and Level III classes, and from there I began offering myself up to friends and their go-to cake maker. Friends and co-workers began asking me to make cakes for bridal showers, baby showers, kids birthdays, parents anniversaries, and weddings.

My skills improved markedly over the years; some of the early cakes were not really that good – I was still developing technique. But the later ones turned out pretty good (not quite professional, but better than average). I actually even almost became an instructor; Wilton recruited and accepted me, but the job would have involved me driving three hours round trip twice per week, and the pay wasn’t enough to even cover the cost of gas.

I took photos of just about every cake I ever made, and I thought it would be fun to share them here.  I love looking at these photos, because every one of them tells a story from my life. Since I made the majority of these cakes for family and friends, I was usually present at the events where they were served, so the photo gives me an instant flashback to my past and often brings me a smile or a laugh.

Why did I stop making cakes?

Two reasons: I began to resent the smell of buttercream, and I also developed carpal tunnel syndrome. I’ve since had surgery to repair the carpal tunnel, but I never really got back into making cakes after that. Though, two years ago I briefly re-entered the field to make a wedding cake for a co-worker. But, nothing since then. I’m just not that into it anymore.

Some of my favorite photos and stories after the jump, plus a gallery of all the cakes I could find photos of.

One of my earlier birthday cakes, from a time when most of the men in my life were Yankees fans (and when I possessed a crappy camera, apparently). This particular cake was for my sister’s ex-boyfriend Craig (we’re all still friends, so it’s ok). I have another similar cake that I made for my ex-husband, but I’m not showing that one here. We’re definitely not still friends. A birthday cake for my former co-worker Theresa’s daughter. This one reminds me of Blue Circle Cement, where Theresa and I worked. She’s still there; I moved on rather quickly. But I still have fond memories of my co-workers – so many great people.

Another wonderful memory. This is the first wedding cake I ever made, for my friends Wayne and Cheri in 1996. Also co-workers from Blue Circle Cement. Wayne and I worked together in the lab, and he taught me so much – about cement, about fixing things, about life. He also introduced me to Car Talk on NPR, for which I am eternally grateful. Wayne was much older than me (he was close to retirement when I started working there), but he was truly one of the greatest friends I’ve ever had. Wayne passed away last year, and I’m still crushed by the loss. He and Cheri were a big part of my life back then, in so many ways, and I miss him terribly. Rest in Peace. A birthday cake for my friend Debbie’s son’s 1st birthday. I don’t remember the year; it was definitely not 1994, even though that’s what’s printed on the photo. I’m thinking more like 1999. Debbie was a friend I met through our Daughters of the American Revolution chapter (yep, I’m a DAR). Debbie and I had a lot of fun together back then, but I’m not sure where she is and what she’s doing now. I’ll send some good thoughts out into the universe for her and her family. I hope they’re doing well. For my cousin Gabby’s 8th birthday in 1997. Gabby is 22 now, and probably doesn’t like the Rugrats anymore. This cake was fun; Gabby gave me one of her school folders that had a tiny postage-stamp sized picture of the Angelica character on it. I made a photocopy, enlarged it about a million times, and created a wax-paper stencil that I traced onto the frosted cake with a toothpick. I then did the outline with black buttercream, and filled in the lines with colored gel. She loved it! For my friends Marlene and Chris‘ wedding, in July 1997. One of my favorite cakes. What this picture doesn’t show is where the side of the largest cake got crushed in the box as I was bringing it to their reception hall. My fiance (we got married three months later) drove a Mitsubishi Eclipse at the time, a tiny sports car with an even tinier back seat. The cakes were in the back (why not the trunk? I have no idea), and Mike took a corner too fast or something, sending the cake flying into the wall of the back seat and flattening it on one side. There was a lot of yelling that happened on the rest of the trip (and the rest of the marriage, if we can be honest). Luckily, I always brought extra frosting and decorating bags with me. I managed to disguise the damage, mostly by turning that side of the cake towards the wall. No one noticed. Marlene and Chris will be celebrating their 15th Anniversary this summer, and they just welcomed their beautiful baby girl Jules into the world! Congratulations and best wishes for a lifetime of happiness, you guys!

This is hands-down my favorite cake of all time, made for my friend Kelly’s first baby shower (her baby is now in middle school!). Our friend Jen (party planner extraordinaire) asked me to make a cake using Kelly’s theme – Noah’s Ark. I spent weeks before the shower hand-piping each of those animals out of royal icing and crafting the ark out of gingerbread. I’m still amazed at how cute those little animals all turned out. Days before the shower, I baked the cakes. The night before (I’ve always preferred to work at night), I began to assemble the cake. First, I assembled the bottom tiers. Then I placed the boat cake on top (which was made from half of a football-shaped pan), and decorated everything. Lastly, I thought it would be a good idea to stabilize the layers by inserting a dowel all the way through the center of the tiers. This would prove to be my fatal mistake. About an hour later (around midnight), I noticed that the boat cake had split in half and was beginning to crumble onto the round layer beneath. All the frosting in the world wasn’t going to fix it. My husband was just getting out of work, so I called him frantically crying, begging him to go to the store and buy me shortening, powdered sugar, eggs, and another box of cake mix. When he finally got home with the goods it was around 1:00am, and I had to bake another boat cake, allow it to cool, and then finish decorating the whole thing. Yes, I was up all night. I went to the shower later that morning, having gotten no sleep at all. But that cake looked AWESOME!

This one makes me a little sad. I made it for the wedding of my friends Brian & Julie. It makes me sad because I haven’t seen Brian or Julie since my divorce seven years ago (I hate that friends are often forced to take sides). I guess posting this photo is my way of telling them  how much I miss them and would love to see them again. If anyone still keeps in touch with Brian, will you let him know?

I made this one for my grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary in 1996. My grandmother cried when she saw it, because she never had a wedding cake; she and Papa had taken their vows in front of a Justice of the Peace and never had a reception. I was so glad I was able to give them the beautiful cake they never had. Grandma & Papa passed away in 2008, within three weeks of each other. They had been married 62 years. 

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Photo gallery below. Click on any of the photos to open the gallery.

Anyway, I made reference to my friend Angelos in my recent post about Greek food - sort of asking for his help in pronouncing avgolémono (as in the soup my friend David ate). My “ask” consisted of a link to his website, which I never actually mentioned to him.

So, if you too were also wondering how to pronounce it, here’s his response (warning: at the end there’s a smart-ass comment directed at me, for those of you offended by such things):

Angelos himself owns and operates a blog, focusing on food, beer, booze, and other topics. It’s relatively new, so get over there and read his stuff. He’s a pretty entertaining guy, even when sober.

Interesting fact about me: when I was a kid, I sort of taught myself a little bit of Greek. I spent hours poring over the “Greek” entry in my parents’ antiquated (1965) Encyclopedia Britannica, and learned the Greek alphabet, as well as some Greek words. Over the years, the knowledge that I gained from that exploration has helped me a great deal, especially in spelling, etymology, and mathematics. I’m totally serious. I am a nerd from WAY back. Just yesterday I encountered a Δ.

My culinary odyssey is presented here in more-or-less chronological order.

DC3 - A while back, I had inquired about finding a Chicago-style hot dog in the 518. I did get a couple referrals, but I never followed up. So when Sarah asked if it would be okay if we got hot dogs for lunch on Friday, I jumped at the chance. DC-3 is a one-off little joint, with a large menu and a small seating area. Of course, I ordered the Chicago 7: all beef dog, poppy seed bun, tomato, pickle spear, “nuclear green relish” (they aren’t kidding – that stuff is day-glo green), onions, sport peppers, yellow mustard, and celery salt.  It was terrific. Those sport peppers pack quite a kick (you can see one tucked in there near the bottom left), and the pickle spear is a weird but welcome topping. I loved it. I got a side of fried pickles, which were pretty great – nice and tangy.

This was very, very messy.

On Sunday, while Sarah was out at a baby shower, I made a return visit to DC-3, and tried a Tucson Sonoran dog (bacon-wrapped dog, buttered bun, pinto beans, onions, diced tomatoes, white spicy mayo, jalapeno relish, mustard). It was not as tasty, and about 10x messier than the Chicago 7.  And it was sufficient fuel for the Oprah LifeClass marathon I sat (and cried) through that afternoon.

There’s more. A lot more. After the jump.

The Sweet Lobby – where I had my first macaron (properly spoken with a gravelly French accent). A religious experience, almost. I only recently became aware of the existence of these little delights, but was put off by the mania that has begun to surround them (much like that of my nemesis the cupcake). I was fully prepared to be underwhelmed by the experience. I could not have been more wrong. The selection at the shop was vast – they had probably 12-15 varieties from which to choose. After much deliberation and guidance from Sarah and the shopworker, I selected two: Hazelnut Praline Salted Caramel, and Pumpkin Black Sesame.

Heavenly, heavenly bites...

I thought the cookie would be crisp and chalky, like a traditional meringue (probably my most hated sensation). Instead, it was chewy and delicate. The filling was intense and ethereal, its flavor fading quickly and leaving me wanting more. I had remarked to Sarah that upon entering the phone-booth size shop (seriously – the place could really only hold about 5 people, tops) I wanted to buy approximately 8 dozen macarons. They were so beautiful, and looked so incredible.  But, she reminded me of their price. Sometimes I get carried away when I see sweets. Anyway, I’ve been dreaming about them ever since. I hear that one of my favorite local merchants, Dreampuff Marshmallows, makes macarons. She is also a vendor at the Schenectady Greenmarket (and the Troy Riverfront Farmers Market), so I’m hoping I can score some right here at home.

Busboys & Poets – we only had time to stop in for a quick beer and hummus plate, before we had to run to catch a play at the Capital Fringe Festival (Sarah’s friend Michael Merino wrote an odd – and amusing – play entitled “Squirrel, or the Origin of a Species”, which is essentially a series of conversations between Charles Darwin and an American Gray Squirrel. Yes, it was as weird as it sounds.) The menu was intrigiung – lots of vegetarian and vegan offerings, in domestic and ethnic varieties. I hope to get back here on a future trip – hint!

Fort Fringe - this is the theatre space where we saw the show. The venue itself was unremarkable – your standard black box with rickety stairs and dangerous, not-up-to-fire-code seating.  But the bar had PROSECCO ON TAP! What?!? No kidding. Yeah, it was pretty cool.

Kushi – After the play, we lingered around a bit until we finally decided to get some dinner. We ended up at a Japanese place in Mt. Vernon Square, which surprised me by actually being open that late (yes, I know, I’m from Upstate NY, where stuff closes at 9pm). It featured small (small!) plates, and we each ordered a couple things. The idea was to share, but the plates were so small that sharing was actually kinda difficult. I know that sounds very fat-American of me, but I am a cheapskate, and I really didn’t feel like there was a whole lot of value there. Anyway, I ordered a delicious soba noodle salad (fresh soba, with a splash of rice vinegar, soy, and some fresh greens), and an order of chicken breast skewers with shiso & plum sauce. The mixture of shiso and plum was transcendent – flowery, pungent, green, not at all sweet. It was unlike anything I’d ever had before.  More, please! Maybe give me two orders next time.

Chick-Fil-A – At one point, Sarah had mentioned that she loved the sandwiches at Chick-Fil-A, which took me aback. Sarah and I are both socially liberal, and I was surprised she would patronize a company which supports anti-gay organizations. She is, to her credit, conflicted by the fact that such a bad company makes such good chicken. I kept kidding her about it  (calling it Chicken and Hate) until she made me stop at one so I could understand why she would set aside her convictions long enough to eat their food. Grudgingly, I have to admit she is absolutely right. The original chicken sandwich was terrific, and simple – fried chicken breast on a buttered bun with pickles (we were in the South; butter goes on everything). I really did like it. Their waffle fries were not that good – undercooked and underseasoned – but, oh that chicken. It’s a good thing that chain isn’t here in the Northeast.  A nice touch: the bible verse on the receipt.

Argonaut – with Sarah and Joanne for Sunday brunch, something I just never do anymore, for some reason. I knew nothing about this place before Sarah suggested it, but I woke up that morning craving a Bloody Mary – apparently I was having some sort of premonition, because The Argonaut has an actual freakin’ BLOODY MARY BAR.  They bring you out a pint glass that has some ice and vodka in it, and you hie yourself over to the bar and help yourself to tomato juice, twenty different kinds of hot sauce, horseradish, celery salt, pepper, Old Bay seasoning, lemons, limes, and giant stalks of celery. I have never tended a bar, so I really had no idea of a Bloody Mary recipe, so I kind of just poured a bunch of stuff I like in the shaker. I made a huge mess. I did not return to the scene of the crime. Sarah enjoyed a bottomless Mimosa and tried valiantly to find the bottom, to no avail. Oh, also we ate some stuff that I don’t remember.

Hello Cupcake! – I know, I know. I hate cupcakes. I have no excuse. I bought two: Dulce de Leche and Maple Bacon Pecan. They were quite lovely. The Maple Bacon Pecan one did not actually have any bacon flavor in it, at least that I could detect. Perhaps Sarah’s experience was different. That’s all I’m going to say about cupcakes.

Founding Farmers – A very popular restaurant that my friend MEB suggested – she’s a frequent DC traveler, but hasn’t made it to FF yet, and thought it was something I might like. She was right. Founding Farmers has a goal of “promot[ing] sustainable agriculture and the ways of the American family farmer at every turn,” and “quality and natural ingredients.”  They don’t always buy local and organic, though – sure, if it makes sense, but they are mostly on the lookout for high quality ingredients from sustainable resources. And they buy carbon offsets in case the food sources are not all that local. A nice philosophy.

We started with an appetizer of Proscuitto, Fig & Mascarpone flatbread- so many delicious things going on there: fresh creamy cheese, fatty prosciutto, tangy balsamic vinegar, and sweet figs. We also got a bottle of Arbanta Tempranillo from Rioja, which was outstanding.  Sarah got a skirt steak with chimichurri (which looked good, but I did not taste it) and I ordered the Macaroni & Cheese with Gouda, Gruyere, ham, peas, & apples. The apples really put that over the top – so so good. I can’t remember if we ordered dessert. I don’t think we did, but we did finish the bottle of wine.

Mitsitam at the National Museum of the American Indian – We stopped there for lunch before I hopped the airport shuttle. The cafeteria is unlike other museum cafeterias, in that it serves interesting food – in this case, traditional offerings from several different American Indian geographical regions.  I went for the  cuisine of the Great Plains, and ordered a Chipotle Chicken Taco. I wanted it because it was made with fry bread, which looked so fresh and fluffy. I was also not really feeling particularly well that day, and there wasn’t anything else I really felt like eating. The fry bread seemed so soft and comforting. It turned out to be the best part of the dish – the chipotle chicken was so mild, there was not even a hint of heat. And it was topped with boring cheddar, lettuce and tomato. Eh. Not really worth $11.50. Sarah’s New England Lobster Bread Pudding (and her blueberry cobbler) looked delicious, but I didn’t even feel like trying it. Like I said, I was not well. The best part of this lunch was the fact that Sarah’s teeth were stained blue for the rest of the day.

Free Wine from Southwest Airlines – the end of a long trip. I boarded my flight home and was towards the end of the second boarding group, so seating choices were slim. I headed to the back of the plane (“the back of the plane gets there at the same time as the front” sez Sarah), and somehow managed to find an aisle seat. I was just settling in when I noticed a woman and her daughter, maybe 7 years old, trying to find a couple seats together. The mom told the daughter to sit in the seat next to me (the middle), while she would head back a few rows for another middle seat. I didn’t think the mom would want her kid to be sitting alone, so I offered up my aisle seat and took the lone middle seat in the back. The flight attendant saw me, and told me that since I was so nice, she was going to buy me a drink. A guy in the back yelled, “What’d she do? Can I do it, too?”  I still wasn’t feeling so hot, but who am I to turn down free Merlot? Thanks, SW.

Wow. Looking back on my weekend away, I am noticing that I ate a lot. A LOT a lot. No wonder I wasn’t feeling well that last day. Back to the gym I go.

*****

Other good things that happened on this trip: met someone who possesses the same superpower I do, got to see Joanne and new baby Lilah, and FINALLY got down to Richmond to see parents-to-be Marlene and Chris. It was a pretty fantastic weekend.

I was getting tired of my logo – it feels cartoonish now.  The whole look of this place was boring me.  Frankly, I was boring me.  So, I’m paring down, scaling back, simplifying.  And I’m celebrating my new space with a new feature on Wendalicious – Food Foto Friday.  Or Phood Photo Phriday.  Or something like that.  I may need help with the name.  Anyway.

Send me your favorite food photos, and I’ll post them on the blog every Friday.  Send them using the “Send me an Email” link over yon (to the right), and don’t forget to tell me your name and what the photo’s all about.   Readers will get to vote on their favorite food photo, and winners will be announced on Monday.  Heck, I may even be able to scare up a prize every now and again.

I think it’s going to be great to see what other people are cooking in their kitchens and finding in their favorite restaurants.  I’m pretty proud of myself for thinking of it, actually.  Go, me!

I will get things rolling with a few photos taken during a recent trip to Our Nation’s Capital with Sionna, to visit our BFF’s Sarah and Joanne.  These were all taken at La Tasca, a cute tapas restaurant in Old Town Alexandria VA.  Chosen by Joanne – great choice.  We ordered the Meat Tapas Tasting Menu, and I think I got a shot of everything we ate.  Photos after the jump.

Aceitunas Mixtas - An mix of Spanish Black, Gordal, Manzanilla, and Arbequina olives lightly marinated in olive oil, herbs and spices

Gambas al Ajillo - Shrimp sautéed in olive oil and garlic

Buey al Jerez - Grilled Angus beef steak slices in a sherry mushroom sauce, with fried fingerling potatoes.

Chorizo a la Parrilla - Grilled authentic Spanish chorizo sausage links. Well, they didn't really *taste* authentic. Not the best dish we had that night.

Tortilla Española - Traditional Spanish potato and onion omelet

Espinacas Salteadas - sautéed spinach with garlic, pine nuts and raisins.

Pollo al Ajillo - Crispy, baked bone-in chicken glazed with a savory roasted garlic sauce

Meloso de Ajo - Creamy rice with roasted garlic, pine nuts, raisins, and scallions.

Solomillo de Cerdo Iberico - Grilled pork tenderloin medallions wrapped in bacon and served with Cabrales cheese sauce

Albondigas a la Jardinera - Meatballs served in a fresh vegetable and herb tomato sauce

Flamenco Dancers. Of course!

Anyway, I scanned my favorite recipe for Deviled Eggs, from my broken-down, food-stained copy of The Joy of Cooking (it’s the recipe for Stuffed Eggs, with the Deviled Egg variation underneath it).  Enjoy it, Mal!

Recipe for Deviled Eggs

Our driver, Dan, whisked us from our house to The Barnsider on Sand Creek Road in Albany for a pre-show dinner.  If you like steak and seafood, then this is the place for you.  The large menu features lots of beef, shellfish, and many combinations of the two, with two or three chicken dishes mixed in for those of us not interested in the surf or the turf.  Every dinner includes a trip to their salad bar, which is nothing special, but not too bad, either.

Bob and I ordered the Bacon Beef Wellington appetizer: beef tenderloin tips wrapped in bacon,served in puff pastry shells with a cabernet and caramelized onion demi-glace.  It was fantastic – the tenderloins were fork-tender, and the pastry was flaky and perfect.  The demi-glace was sweet and rich, and I practically licked the plate clean.  For our entrees, Bob chose his customary prime rib, and I ordered the chicken feature: chicken breast stuffed with chorizo sausage.  Nothing outstanding, but perfectly delicious.

The only issue we had with The Barnsider was the sloooooow service.  We made a 5:45pm reservation, early enough (we thought) to be able to get to the show by 7:30pm.  Our first waiter (can’t remember his name) took our drink orders, and promptly disappeared, never to be seen again.  Luckily, Barb is outspoken, and got the attention of another waiter (Jake), who took over our table without missing a beat.  But, the clock kept ticking, and by 7:10 we still had not received our food.  After telling Jake that we had to get out of there pronto, our food magically appeared (along with the check).  We quickly ate our food – which I loathe having to do – and rushed out to our waiting limo (I love saying that).  No time for dessert or coffee, but thankfully we had some champagne in the limo…

We managed to get to the concert during the second song of the first set of Elton and Billy at their dueling pianos.  After a minor kerfuffle with two drunk people and two confused old ladies who were sitting in our seats, we settled down to a very enjoyable show.  Elton John was great, but Billy Joel is my man.  Every song (except his really early stuff) conjures up a memory for me, mostly happy.  Though, I did shed a few tears during “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant”, which brought back some images from a former life.

Billy was a in a giddy mood, fooling around with a slide whistle at one point, and then putting a towel on his head during “Uptown Girl”.  This was his last show with Sir Elton (“His Majesty”, he called him once) and his excitement to be at the end of the tour was clearly evident.   At one point, he donned an electric guitar and pulled his roadie Chainsaw up on stage, who proceeded to sing a very loud rendition of “Highway to Hell”.  Billy did this same stunt the last time he was in town, but it was still funny.

All in all, a terrific night with great friends.  Images from the concert after the jump…

Elton and Billy at their pianos

Sir Elton

A View from our seats

Billy Joel, during "We Didn't Start the Fire"

The Piano Man, singing something (not Piano Man)

There will be photos forthcoming – Chef Mark instructed me to show up at his restaurant “at 11am, with a camera and casual pants”.  Woo-hoo!

• Roast Turkey with Apple Cider Gravy
• Southern Corn Bread Stuffing
• Roasted Acorn Squash
• Sweet Potato-Banana Casserole (sickly sweet side dish thing made by Mom, which probably should have been a dessert)
• Corn Casserole (divine, made by Aunt Claire – I’m hoping she’ll post the recipe here!)
• Steamed Brussels Sprouts & Carrots
• Spiced Cranberry Sauce
• Pecan Pie (again, made by Aunt Claire – recipe please??  It was delish)
• Pumpkin Pie (made by Grandma)
• Tiramisu Toffee Trifle Pie (I varied the recipe a bit – used ladyfingers instead of pound cake for the crust, used Neufchatel cheese instead of mascarpone, and used Cool Whip Lite instead of regular.  Still INCREDIBLE – just ask my co-worker David.)
• 2008 Alsace Willm Gewurztraminer (the perfect white wine for turkey and stuffing – just TRUST ME)

The turkey, gravy, and stuffing have been traditions with me since 1996 – they are tried and true, delicious every time.  I’ll post recipes if anyone requests them…

I love having Thanksgiving at my house on the Saturday after the holiday – it gives me almost two whole days to cook, which is better than a vacation for me!  I just love getting up early (this is the only day I enjoy that), putting on my apron, and spending the entire day puttering around the kitchen, listening to NPR and creating a delicious meal for my family and friends.  Plus it’s easier for my family to travel up here from downstate on the weekend.

I usually try one or two new recipes each year, to add a little gustatory excitement to what can sometimes be an overly-predictable day.  This year, I made a cranberry sauce instead of my usual Cranberry Relish (created by me and posted many many years ago on AllRecipes), mostly because my sister Kristen wasn’t able to make it, and she seems to be the only one who prefers the relish to a sauce.  I also decided to let my mom and aunt bring a side dish, which I usually don’t do (mostly because I’m neurotic about the food I serve.  Mom and Aunt Claire are great cooks, but you never KNOW…)

I made an assortment of appetizers, too (just in case all of my neighbors showed up unexpectedly):

• Stuffed Mushrooms (a family tradition for as long as I’ve been alive)
• Buffalo Wing Dip (stolen from my sister’s friend – it’s basically a combination of chopped grilled chicken, fat free cream cheese, fat free mayo, fat free ranch dressing, shredded reduced-fat cheddar, and enough hot sauce to make it taste like a Buffalo wing.  Heat in the microwave for 5 minutes or so, and……good lord, it’s awesome)
• Crudites, cheese & crackers, olives

A lot of food for 8 people, I know, but isn’t that the point?  I was so worked up from cooking that I forgot to take pictures….I’m so sorry.

Bob and I have enjoyed stuffing and gravy at every meal since Saturday, and I plan to eat every last crumb of that Corn Casserole.  I am bringing the three leftover pies to work this week, one day at a time, for my co-worker David to have for breakfast.  I’ve told him to share, but I don’t think he listens.  The boy loves pie.

So, these are my Thanksgiving traditions – what are yours?  And will you share your recipes?

Activities, Performances, and Demos:

• Local Expert, Chef David Brough will demonstrate proper techniques for cutting up chicken at the market this Sunday. Shoppers may purchase fresh, whole chickens from Cooper’s Ark Farm then bring them upstairs to the Local Expert table to learn how to cut them up.
• Live classical and new age guitar from Harry George Pellegrin.  Harry is a good friend of mine – he played at my wedding!  He’s fantastically talented – don’t miss this opportunity to hear Harry!
• Children’s Activities with Mark-IT Art. A new mini art project each month. Kids of all ages can be creative and make art.
• 11am – Jam session with Tim Barker and Friends. Bring your guitar, violin, mandolin, banjo, bass and play and sing along.
• Community Table: Waggin’ Tails Pet Rescue.
• The Farmers Market Nutrition Program for 2009 concludes this Sunday, senior citizens and WIC recipients can use their coupons with any produce vendor at the market.
• Variety vendor: Burden Lake Creamworks
• Alternate week vendors: David Smyth, Moseskill Marketplace, Full Quiver Farm

What’s Fresh and New at the Market this Sunday:

• Cooper’s Ark Farm: eggs, fresh whole chicken, chicken sausage, and MAYBE a couple turkeys for Thanksgiving.
• Madura Farms: exotic mushrooms, micro-greens, sprouts, popcorn and unique vegetables including black radishes
• Pixies Preserves introduces a new line of no-sugar added spreads made with just fruit (no added sweeteners). Also try their seasonal Pumpkin Pecan Butter.
• Native Farms: long-lasting Fall and Thanksgiving centerpieces with dried fruit, grains and greens
• Hudson-Chatham Winery: desert wines packaged in distinctive bottles for holiday gift giving
• Ambition Cafe and Eatery: omelets, coffee, egg sandwiches
• Saratoga Peanut Butter Company:  sample the new gingerbread peanut butter–Catch me if you can!
• Merry Hill Farm: alpaca yarn, fiber for spinning and crafts, and hand knit alpaca accessories and NEW sock and scarf knitting kits!

You can find the latest info about the Schenectady Greenmarket by visiting their website or their group on Facebook.  You’ll find updates, recipes, links, and lots more.

I hope to see you there!

Left to right: Jackie Baldwin, Jaime Ortiz, Mark Graham, Larry Schepici

So, today’s the day they all get to cook for about 80 guests at the James Beard House, a vertitable Mecca for gastronomes. 

Mark left at about 8 this morning, and sent me a few photos when he got there:

Here it is!

Here We Go!

Can’t wait to hear how it went!  Best of luck to all of the Capital Region chefs in NYC tonight – show ‘em what you’ve got!