It Could be More of a Micro-Market

Upon further research, I think we are going to be opening a micro-market vs. a ghost kitchen. Or maybe it's a combination of the two. Not sure yet. 

I've been testing some recipes that I hope to feature as part of the grab and go offerings. I don't really have plans to carry things like chips and sodas that one would often find as part of a micro market. 

I plan to offer fresh, homemade dishes as stand-alone meals or items one could use to complete meals at home. 

I'll start with a small, but familiar inventory and experiment and expand from there. There will be plenty of Upper Midwestern comfort food, but also options on the lighter side and seasonal specialties. 

The truth is, I'm not really sure what will work and what people will want, but I'll definitely be listening to the feedback. 

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A Tale of Two Scones by Andy

It was the best of scones, it wasn’t the worst of scones.

I’ve never been a big fan of the scone. In my experience, they are dry, crumbly and taste a lot like a plain biscuit. I’ll pass, thank you. I didn’t understand the attraction, until now.

Recently, my wife put a plate down in front of me with a scone on it. I started to tell her I didn’t care for scones, and she said, “it’s an iced raspberry scone. A new recipe I just worked out. I think you will like it. Try a bite.”

It did look pretty good, and I’m a sucker for icing.

It took her a while, but my mother taught me to eat what was put in front of me without complaint. I took a bite.

To say it was amazing is an understatement. In her tinkering with the recipe, my wife had somehow managed to fix everything I disliked about scones. It was tender, moist and just the right amount of sweet. The raspberry didn’t overpower. The icing was the perfect compliment. It was easily the best scone I’ve ever eaten. My wife had done it again.

She let another one sit out for 24 hours and then had me take a bite. It was the second best scone I've ever eaten. It didn’t dry out or lose its appeal. Most baked goods can’t boast much of a shelf life, but this one shocked me.

My wife routinely does this. She takes foods I don’t think I like and changes my way of thinking about them. I hope she’s able to keep doing that for many more years. It's nice to know I can learn something new, even at my age.

She's been working on something called a "banana bread scone." If it tastes half as good as it sounds, I will have to change my opinion of scones altogether. I can do that, if presented with compelling evidence.

Impressive job, my dear.

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Easy Savory Vegetable Cheese Tart 

This is a summer favorite and a great way to use up vegetables all summer. 

It's as easy as rolling out a sheet of frozen puff pastry dough onto a 1/4 sheet baking pan, combining 1 cup of shredded mozzarella, one package of Boursin garlic and herb cheese and one container of mascarpone and then spreading it over the cold pastry. Top with your favorite veggies. This one has zuchhini, tomatoes, asparagus tips and mushrooms.

Like on the one pictured, you can also add a layer of finely crumbled cooked Italian sausage. I cooked the sausage with some tired veggies and it was a great way to use up fennel and onion that were past their best. 

Drizzle with olive oil and season with your favorite herbs or blends. This one has seasoned pepper, a parmesan and truffle blend I needed to use up and herbs de Provence. The possibilities are endless. 

Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for ten minutes and then reduce to 375 for 35 minutes until the pastry is puffed and golden brown around the edges. Let cool for ten minutes and then cut it up and serve it! 

Breakfast, entree, appetizer, lunch with a side salad, this one is great any time of the day.

Enjoy!

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Meeting with the Lumberyard-Cottage Progress

We met with the architect, Angie, at the lumberyard to go over the floorplans for our projects. Pictured is the first-draft proposal of the Garage/Mother-in-law apartment design.  Angie will now take our plans and convert them to the final plans for our builder. We are already in the process of the back-and-forth suggestions and changes to create the best plan. 

Once the plan is finished, we should have a good idea of what it will cost. How much Andy and I will have to do ourselves, will soon become apparent.

We aren't losing any sleep over it. Much. 

This part of the project will provide on-site housing for Andy's mother, a 3-car garage space to replace the one we lost to a tornado ten years ago, an outdoor living space/extra car port in a storm, and a 2nd floor space for Andy's hobbies and work-out room. 

It checks a lot of boxes for us. On to the next step and the continued adventure of doing big projects with your spouse! 

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