Sugarcrafter

Sugarcrafter Sweets, My New Business!

Tracy — Mon, 14 May 2012 04:15:08 +0000

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen a photo I posted over the weekend of a farmers market stand selling jams and jellies. Well, I am very excited to announce that that stand is MY stand! To give you a little background, I began my canning adventure right here on Sugarcrafter 3 years ago near the end of 2009, and I quickly fell in love with preserving my own food. I think I described my love for preserving best in my post on red currant jelly, which I’ve summarized part of here:

I was trying to remember what prompted me to start canning…I never canned with my mom, but the stories she’d tell me of her red-stained hands from peeling an endless line of tomatoes for sauce and then canning them with my grandma made me long for a simpler time (and some of that tomato sauce). During fall 2009, I read a few blog posts about people making their own jams and jellies as Christmas gifts. I had a big enough stock pot, so I decided that I’d attempt making a few jars. I found it very satisfying standing over those pots of bubbling fruit. Of course, there was also the joy of hearing the “ping” as each jar sealed, and the sense of accomplishment that I had just preserved my own food…and of course, the look on everyone’s faces when I gave them homemade jam for Christmas!

I didn’t realize it at the time, but I got the canning bug, and I got it bad. Now here I am, just as addicted to putting up as ever. In addition to gifts, I’m beginning to look to canning as a way to preserve the summer and to help us to eat locally year round.

Later, right at the beginning of 2011, I was laid off from my technical writing job when my department was suddenly eliminated. After the initial shock, I started thinking about how that unexpected turn of events could actually be a blessing in disguise; a license to pursue my dreams of doing something in an industry I was really interested in – food. Rather than getting hired at a restaurant or going to pastry school though, I decided to focus on what is most important to me - supporting local efforts toward sustainability, and sourcing food locally and seasonally as much as possible.

My passion for preserving seemed to fall right into place, and I started non-seriously considering starting my own business. Those thoughts and plans grew serious, and so I began working to get my business off the ground…and just last month, my brand new company Sugarcrafter Sweets became official. I was accepted into a local farmers market for the 2012 season, and that photo I posted was from my first day this past Saturday. I had so much fun, met so many wonderful people, and sold more than I thought possible for my first day at the market as a rookie who still has much to learn. I am definitely looking forward to the coming weeks and the many opportunities that lay ahead!

All that said, I couldn’t be more excited, and I’m so happy to share the news here on Sugarcrafter where my journey began. If you like, you can follow my business at my new website SugarcrafterSweets.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter…and if you’re in the area, be sure to head on down to the market and check out my stand! As always, thank you so much for all of your support!

Mac & Beer Cheese

Tracy — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:40:18 +0000

Remember that mac & beer cheese that I mentioned we had at Stone Brewery during our stay in San Diego? And how I promised I’d be recreating it at home? Well, this is its moment of pure, cheesy goodness. After a lot of research and a fair bit of tweaking, I’ve come up with a recipe for what I think is a pretty accurate representation of their dish. Of course, you can always get a little fancy with the spices if you want, or use milk instead of cream, or different kinds of cheese or beer – make it your own! This is by far the best mac & cheese I’ve made, and I know I’ll be making it again and again. I also know it’s going to be great this summer as a side to the many hot dogs and hamburgers we’ll be consuming once grilling season gets underway…and, I think it’ll be a perfect potluck dish as well. Enjoy!

...Read the rest of Mac & Beer Cheese on Sugarcrafter.net

Keurig Single-Cup Brewer and Coconut Mocha Coffee Giveaway Winner!

Tracy — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:29:34 +0000

Congratulations to lucky number 72 – Amy!

You are the winner of the Keurig Single-Cup brewer and box of the new Coconut Mocha k-cup packs! Please contact me at prizes [at] sugarcrafter [dot] net with your full name and mailing address so that Green Mountain Coffee can get your goodies out to you as soon as possible.

Also, a huge thank you to everyone who entered! I enjoyed reading your responses to the “How Fun Are You” quiz, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

Homemade Chocolate-Glazed Funfetti Doughnuts

Tracy — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:30:13 +0000

Happy Thursday! If you haven’t yet, don’t forget to enter my giveaway for a Keurig Single-Cup Brewer and a box of the new Donut Shop Coconut Mocha coffee - you have until Sunday at midnight to enter, so you still have plenty of time!

And now, we’re going to have a little fun…funfetti, that is! I don’t normally keep boxed cake mixes on hand because I find them just as easy to whip up from scratch (with the added bonus of avoiding all those ingredients I can’t pronounce), but because the hubby loves funfetti cupcakes so much, you can usually find a box or two of the sprinkle-filled mix in my pantry – until now. I decided that it was high time that I recreated it at home, and the resulting recipe is what I came up with. Perfect, fluffy white cake with plenty of sprinkles for color, and of course, fun! And although I used the batter to bake up some doughnuts in my doughnut pan, you can also use the recipe to make 12 cupcakes (I recommend frosting them with a vanilla bean frosting, such as the one I used in this recipe). Enjoy, and I hope you have a happy, sprinkle-filled day!

...Read the rest of Homemade Chocolate-Glazed Funfetti Doughnuts on Sugarcrafter.net

Keurig Single-Cup Brewer and Coconut Mocha Coffee Giveaway

Tracy — Tue, 01 May 2012 16:04:43 +0000

Over the past year as a Keurig K-Cup Ambassador, I’ve immensely enjoyed sharing my coffee addiction with you as well as many of the different k-cup portion packs available. So today, you can imagine how excited I am to be giving away a Keurig Single-Cup Brewer! One lucky reader will receive a brewer along with a box of Coconut Mocha K-Cup packs, the newest and most fun addition to the line of Donut Shop coffees. The brewer features a programmable on/off timer, adjustable water temperature, and multiple cup sizes. Not to mention the snazzy blue backlight for the water tank, which I especially love when it’s dark in the morning…that soft blue glow is like a beacon leading me to coffee goodness and the feeling of comfort I get when I’m holding a warm mug and getting ready to start my day!

So that you can enjoy the goodness too, Green Mountain Coffee is offering one lucky Sugarcrafter reader the chance to win a Single-Cup Brewer and a box of Coconut Mocha K-cup portion packs. To enter, take the Donut Shop “How Fun Are You?” quiz by clicking the image below (will open a new window), and then come back here to leave a comment telling me your results.

For additional entries (if you already do any of these items, they DO count, but you must leave a separate comment for each item):

Become a fan of Green Mountain Coffee on Facebook
Become a fan of Sugarcrafter on Facebook
Follow @sugarcrafter and @GreenMtnCoffee on Twitter, and tweet the following: Win a @Keurig brewer and @DonutShopCoffee goodness from @sugarcrafter & @GreenMtnCoffee! Enter here: http://bit.ly/IqGeGi

Giveaway ends Sunday, May 6th at midnight, and is open to US residents only. One winner will be randomly selected using Random.org and announced Monday, May 7th.

Full Disclosure: Prizes are courtesy of Keurig and Green Mountain Coffee. I was given the products to review free of charge, but I was not monetarily compensated, and the opinions expressed here are all my own.

S’mores Cookies

Tracy — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:23:13 +0000

It seems that my offer went over well with Mother Nature…even though it’s still on the chilly side out there, there’s been no more snow to speak of, and for that I am very thankful. Now, we can get back to all things spring…and even a little bit of summer. My friend Shelly over at Cookies & Cups has been doing a S’mores Week on her blog all week, so I’ve been dreaming about going camping and one of my favorite parts, sitting around the campfire talking and making s’mores. Since I was really craving cookies one night this week, I decided to take that inspiration and whip up a batch of s’mores cookies. Not only are these cookies fun to make when you want a little taste of summer, but I’m thinking about making them for our next camping trip since I think they’d make a great portable snack to take on a walk or hike. Hope you enjoy the cookies, and if you’re looking for more s’more-inspired desserts, head on over to Shelly’s blog!

...Read the rest of S’mores Cookies on Sugarcrafter.net

Strawberry Rhubarb White Wine Sangria

Tracy — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:57:48 +0000

Dear Mother Nature,

I’m not really sure what’s going on out there, but in case you forgot, it’s supposed to be spring. I was not supposed to wake up and see this. Yes, I realize that it’s upstate NY, and we usually have winter 9 months out of the year. But you see, you’ve spoiled us with all the nice weather we’ve been having all winter long – and well, the mini snow storm we had yesterday? Not cool. So today, instead of enjoying some of this delicious sangria I made a couple days ago when it was still spring, I’m hitting up my Keurig for hot cocoa. On behalf of very cold northerners everywhere, I humbly request that we all move past this pesky little storm as quickly as possible and get on with spring. I’ll even share my sangria. Deal?

Sincerely,
Tracy

...Read the rest of Strawberry Rhubarb White Wine Sangria on Sugarcrafter.net

Edamame Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Cucumber, and a Sweet Honey Dressing

Tracy — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:46:27 +0000

I have a little problem, and it’s called constantly missing lunch. I’m always too wrapped up in getting things on my to-do list done when I realize my stomach is growling, and by then it’s already 3pm. I don’t want to eat too much that late in the afternoon though, because then I won’t be hungry for dinner…so more often than not I try to wait out my hunger, and then end up overeating at dinner time. Not smart! Fortunately though, I believe I’ve solved my problem. Making a fresh salad to have on hand during the week – whether it be my basic pasta salad, a quinoa salad, or a summer salad, depending on what’s in season – helps me keep my hunger under control by having something healthy ready to snack on. Since we still don’t have much growing here in upstate NY yet, I made frozen edamame the star of this easy spring salad, with a sweet honey dressing that plays wonderfully off the tangy feta cheese. I hope you enjoy it!

...Read the rest of Edamame Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Cucumber, and a Sweet Honey Dressing on Sugarcrafter.net

Nutella Waffles

Tracy — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:51:02 +0000

I meant to share these right before the weekend, but I can’t wait any longer. You see, I made these waffles back in February – yikes! – upon our return from San Diego. I couldn’t wait to be in my own kitchen again, and of course the first thing I went for was the jar of nutella waiting patiently for me in the pantry. And that’s why I can’t wait any longer to share these waffles, because you need them in your life now. You may want to halve the recipe if you’re not making them for company though, because we definitely had way too many waffles left over for the two of us. At least, until the next morning when I devoured the rest of them for breakfast (so, maybe you don’t want to halve the recipe…just saying). Enjoy!

...Read the rest of Nutella Waffles on Sugarcrafter.net

Nutella-Filled Lamingtons

Tracy — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 13:55:06 +0000

Though we definitely had plenty of Easter desserts – including these cookies, frosted sugar cookies that my mom made, strawberry charlotte that my mother-in-law made, and a banana cream pie, I had one more to make. My sister requested lamingtons for her birthday, and since that was back in March, I decided that Easter was the perfect time to make them since we’d all be there to celebrate (and, because you can never have too much dessert)! After last year’s butterbeer cake and the puffle cake from the year before that, I thought these sophisticated little coconut cakes were the perfect way to celebrate my little sister’s special day. And, since the two of us are just a little bit obsessed with nutella, I just had to use that as the filling. I adapted the sponge cake and frosting recipes from David Lebovitz’s; the resulting cakes were perfection in my book, and my sister agreed. We hope you enjoy them, too! Have a great weekend!

...Read the rest of Nutella-Filled Lamingtons on Sugarcrafter.net