Baking

Hello Foodie Friends! AnnMarie and I had a great time today on “location” . If you watched live, you saw our antics sideways because neither of us realized it would post in the opposite orientation. If you sat through the entire clip we applaud and clink our glasses to you!

Today we paired two canned wines (YES, I said CANNED) with a simple light lunch/easy appetizer of Roasted Turkey and Cheddar wraps (or pinwheels, depending on how you slice them) Our platter had both, and we added fresh fruit, figs, olives and mini-pickles to round out the spread. Here’s the recipe , along with the wine pairings. We shopped at Wegmans, Trader Joe’s and our local farm market for everything! Let us know if you try this, or most importantly, if we have sold you on wine in a can!

Turkey Cheddar Wraps

4 ounces cream cheese spread (from 8 oz container)

*Homemade spice mixture (see below) OR – try the Trader Joe’s “Everything but the Bagel ” seasoning . Both are delicious!

4 (8 inch) flour tortillas ( I used a combo of white and whole wheat)

1 pound roasted turkey (I used Boar’s Head from the deli)

8 slices mild or sharp cheddar cheese

*Spice mixture : in small mason jar , combine 2 tablespoons each of dill, parsley, onion powder, and garlic salt. Shake until thoroughly combined. Sprinkle roughly 1 tsp. on each tortilla, after you spread the cream cheese. You’ll have enough left over to store for another batch later. Try it in sour cream as a spread or dip!

To assemble:

Spread thin layer of cream cheese on each tortilla, sprinkle with your choice of seasoning (see above).

Top with the two slices of cheddar cheese and 4-5 slices of roasted turkey

Roll tortillas and wrap in plastic wrap. Store in fridge 2-3 hours or overnight.

When ready to serve, remove plastic wrap and slice off ends, cut in half (for a wrap served sandwich style) or, slice off ends and cut on the diagonal into 4 pieces for appetizer style pinwheels.

AnnMarie’s wine picks:

Day Owl California Rose

Crafters Union Rose

(both found at our local Wegmans)

Cheers to Tuesday, picnics, and fine wine in a can !

Gina

Out of all the most frequently asked questions, this one is the one NEVER asked, but is on every customers mind after either A) placing an order with a custom baker, B) Researching websites  of local bakers and comparing prices, and C) heading to Walmart or Costco after spending time on the phone (or see B) inquiring about custom cake ordering with local baker. 

I’d like to shed some light on the subject here. 

• Besides the actual ingredients, TIME goes into your cake. 
• The time it takes to bake and decorate a cake is only a fraction of the time spent on your custom order. Custom means you are getting what you want , built around your tastes, theme and party size.  
• There is often a great deal of time spent working with customers to get their order just the way they want it. We answer emails, take phone calls, respond to texts , and answer FB messenger. Sometimes all of the above on one order, before we even turn the oven on!  
• Once we get the details in writing, more time goes into shopping for ingredients, ordering special images or candies/edible decorations, as well as ensuring we have an appropriate sized cake box to hold your custom order safely and securely ! 
• Even with shopping at wholesale stores and restaurant supply shops, real, high quality ingredients are not cheap. Here at “From Gina’s Kitchen” we use real butter and vanilla. Not imitations. Because we like to serve you what we serve our family. 
• Once the shopping is done, Its time for the fun part- the baking and decorating! Here we take quality ingredients chosen just for your order, and spend time and care to making your cake taste as delicious as it is beautiful! 
• Your custom cake isn’t sitting in the freezer waiting for you to pick it up on a Tuesday after you’ve called Monday night.
• Your custom “sheet “ cake from a small baking business isn’t the same as what you’d get a Costco. 
• Your custom cake isn’t sitting in a window with four other cakes that look just like it.
• Your custom cake is waiting for you to place an order, (preferably two weeks in advance of your event) , and will be unlike any cake you ever got from Walmart or Costco. 
• Because you didn’t get it from either of those stores.   
• Cost of running a small, custom baking business “the right way“. These vary by the business itself but some of the costs that bakers like FGK have are: commercial kitchen rental, insurance, taxes, advertising, marketing, labelling, packaging, salary, equipment, etc. Note: that many home-based bakers choose to take shortcuts to reduce costs. FGK is not one of those businesses.
• Time, quality ingredients, custom details, and overhead expenses add up to one delicious dessert that may just seem like flour , butter and sugar. But when you factor everything that goes into a custom cake, you’ll see that little price tag is worth splurging on every once in awhile .