Happy Halloween!

Fiber Artists

I'm very happy to be newly pairing up with the super talented Jan of Four Winds Farm in Gorham.  Jan is a Fiber Artist with a small flock of her very own sheep!  She makes the most gorgeous needle felted sculptures such as dogs, cats, rabbits, cows and more.  Needle felting is a way of entangling the fibers together using a sharp needle with burrs.

 

Look at how amazing this is!

 

 

 She also spins yarn AND can spin custom yarn from your pet which then can be knit into a soft sweater or scarf!   She also makes beautiful felted soaps.  This is where Casco Bay Soap Co. comes in.  Jan has purchases some of my soaps and will be felting around them for wonderfully, beautiful felted bars of soap.

 

Please visit Jan's website to see her amazing creations - http://www.fourwindsfarmmaine.com/#!products

BUT I also have been working with Susan of Felt Experience in New Gloucester.   She has been purchasing my soaps for well over a year now and felting them to sell alongside her gorgeous hats, vest scarves and other creations that she makes in her New Gloucester studio.   She felts some soaps for me and I sell them at my markets.  Susan wet felts which is wet felting which is a way of entangling the wool fibers with soap, water and agitation.

Look at this amazing hat she made!

Visit Susan's website to view her beautiful work - http://feltexperience.jimdo.com/

Casco Bay Soap Co. On Instagram!

NEW!  Follow me and my adventures on Instagram!

 

 

Marbled Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies

Oh yum yum!!

 

Marbled Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies?   I have these on the baking schedule this weekend!  How about you?  From Better Homes & Gardens online, picture and recipe credit to them. 

 

 

http://www.bhg.com/recipe/brownies/marbled-chocolate-pumpkin-brownies/?socsrc=bhgfb1023132recipe

 

 

Marbled Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies

Ingredients

• 3  ounces  cream cheese, softened
• 1  tablespoon  butter, softened
• 1/2  cup  sugar
• 1  egg
• 1  cup  canned pumpkin
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground ginger
• 1  tablespoon  all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4  cups  all-purpose flour
• 3/4  teaspoon  baking powder
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 6  ounces  unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 3/4  cup  butter, cut up
• 2 1/4  cups  sugar
• 4  eggs
• 1/4  cup  milk
• 2  teaspoons  vanilla
• 3/4  cup  coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted (optional)

 

Directions

 

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over the edges of the pan. Grease the foil; set pan aside

 

2. In a medium mixing bowl beat cream cheese and the 1 tablespoon butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the 1/2 cup sugar. Beat until well combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in 1 egg, the pumpkin, 1 teaspoon vanilla, the cinnamon, and ginger until combined. Stir in the 1 tablespoon flour. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl stir together the 1-1/4 cups flour, the baking powder, and salt; set aside.

 

 

 

 

4. In a large saucepan combine the chocolate and 3/4 cup butter. Cook and stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Gradually add the 2-1/4 cups sugar, beating with an electric mixer on low speed just until combined. Add the 4 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in milk and the 2 teaspoons vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture just until combined.

 

5. Spread chocolate mixture evenly in the prepared pan. Spoon cream cheese mixture in several mounds on top of the chocolate batter. Using a narrow metal spatula, gently swirl the cream cheese mixture into the chocolate batter. If desired, sprinkle with walnuts.

 

 

6. Bake about 60 minutes or until center is just set when pan is gently shaken. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Use foil to lift uncut brownies out of pan. Cut into brownies.

 

From the Test Kitchen

• Layer brownies between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

NEW Winter Market For Me!

Find me on Wednesdays as part of the NEW Yarmouth Farmers Market - Winter edition!

 

 

 

Inside "The Log Cabin" located at 196 Main St. in Yarmouth you will find this brand new winter market anchored by the wonderful farmers Sarah of Winter Hill Farm in Freeport and Justin of Deri Farm in North Yarmouth.   I will be there and I have heard a rumor that my friend Paula of Paula C's. Baked Goods will be joining us too. Stop in for wonderful seasonal veggies, farm fresh eggs, Sarah's cheeses and other dairy from her farm and of course, my soaps!

 

More vendors will be joining us, so stay tuned!

 

Follow The Yarmouth Farmers Market on Facebook - Here

 

I start NEXT Wednesday October 30th and the market is from 3:00-6:00.

 

Hope to see you there!!

Down East Pumpkin Bread

I've been stirring the soap pot with lots of seasonal soaps...Apple Cider, Pumpkin Spice Scrub, Star Anise and more.  I wish I could eat some of it but, it still taste like soap!   So, I had a craving for Pumpkin Bread and was on the search for a new recipe.

From one of my new favorite blogs, Migonis Home - Living Large In A Small Space.   Down East Pumpkin Bread!  Here in Maine, Down East is a term used often to describe the Northern Coast of Maine.  This bread was something for me to try, as Maine is near and dear to my heard. It was soo delicious!  Nice and moist and full of subtle fall flavors.  I made 1 large loaf and 4 smaller loaves from this recipe. Thank you to Migonis Home for this perfectly fall treat!

 

ALL PHOTOS AND RECIPE ARE FROM THE BLOG AND CREDIT GOES TO MIGONIS HOME - whoops!  It looks like she credited All Recipes here:  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Downeast-Maine-Pumpkin-Bread/

Here is the link to the blog and post about the recipe:  http://www.migonishome.com/2013/09/downeast-maine-pumpkin-bread.html?showComment=1381324898270#c1701561014204349191

 

Here is the recipe for you to use:

Preheat oven to 350 and grease your choice of pan. 

7x3 pans will take about 50 minutes.

My muffins take about 20-25 minutes depending on how full I fill the tins.

 

Combine these ingredients in a large bowl and mix together:

1 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree

4 eggs

1 cup of vegetable oil (canola works well too!)

2/3 cup of water

3 cups white sugar

 

In a separate bowl combine:

3.5 cups of unbleached flour

2 tsp baking soda

1.5 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp ginger

 

Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl and mix it thoroughly. Pour into baking pans or tins. It will be done when you can stick a knife into the bread and it comes out clean of uncooked batter.

Close Buy Catalog - Last Shopping Days!

Only 1 day left!  Head over to the website: http://www.closebuycatalog.com/   and shop ALL LOCAL goods for school fundraising!  You DON"T have to have a student in a school to shop, simply choose who you would like to benefit at the end of check out.  Find my Laundry Detergent and Shampoo Soap Bars within the pages (find me under the Eco Friendly, Body Care and Under $20.00 pages).

 

 

Close Buy Catalog

 

Local-Goods Fundraising
for New England Schools & Non-Profits. Close Buy is available to schools and non-profits throughout

New England.

 2013 sale runs online September, 1 - October 10.

 

 

Anyone can shop, and 30% of every sale will go to the entity
you choose at checkout. Have fun!