Due to curves in life's road, I have moved over here: reachingtotheskies.blogspot.com  I'd love to see you there!

A peak into my new blog:

 

This is spring!

 

While the view from the bakery window may not look warm and springy (Can you find the nearly buried bird bath?)...

 

 

 ...inside is warm and blooming. Happy Spring!

 

Meet Barm

Seven years ago "barm" became a part of my life. Barm, just one of the many names for plain, old sourdough starter, has been growing happily ever since. He is a bit of a demanding fellow, though, begging for food quite regularly. Today was one of those days.

 But barm doesn't get fed for nothing. He is a good worker in my bakery.

 2006 -- Some of barm's first successful loaves.

Barm is still at it! He is just a young thing, after all.

Christmas Vacation

Vacation is...

...treats.

...family and special foods.

 ...year-end bookkeeping.

 ...extra sleep.

 ...time to read.

 ...season's-end Julekakke.

 ...friends and games.

 ...loads of laundry.

 ...twinkling lights and tinsel.

 ...cross-country skiing.

 ...hot tea.

...Mt. Clothes-to-Iron.

 

 ...mounds of dishes.

 Christmas is... 

... Immanuel, "God with Us."

“I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:10-12).

“[Christ Jesus], being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:6-11).

Summer Snapshots: Faces of the Farmers Market

Welcome to Lakes Area Farmers Market, Detroit Lakes!
Let me introduce you to a few market faces.

Every farmers market needs a local honey stand!
We began using Dan's Honey's quality product in our baked goods this summer.

A young entrepreneur

We are there, too!
Note: "we" = my family (some pictured below), me (this picture), and, of course, our baked goods

Maren, my right-hand-woman

We enjoyed Hannah's help when she was on this side of the pond.

Aunt Dorothy came to visit!
She relished Deb's homemade chips bought with some of her birthday money.

It wouldn't be much fun without shoppers of both the window and actual kind. I loved visiting with many while giving caramel roll samples on Customer Appreciation Day!

Children ready for a story and treat
Maren read a children's story each week while eager listeners munched their snack from the picnic basket.

June Flowers

What does this bouquet of garden-picked peonies have to do with baking? Why, they are in the bakery, of course! Even though our eyes were buried in our baking most of the day, we never could forget these lovely flowers. Their perfume permeated the room. Even when the usually overpowering granola and Garlic Sticks were baking, we sniffed the peonies' spicy-sweet aroma. Now that's a nice way to spend a day in the dish water!

May 4, 2012

Harvey, ND -- The birthplace of quality, organic flour

Dad preparing our trusty pick-up for a heavy load.

Strong backs (over) load the pick-up with 1000+ lbs. of locally grown and freshly ground flour.

Thank you, Dakota Prairie! We will see you again next year.

More Than a Bakery, Part II

The bakery turned banquet hall awaits Thanksgiving guests.

The guests? 30 relatives. The other 15 were seated in our original dining room.

More Than a Bakery, Part I

Aunt Ruth and Mom roll flatbread while Grandpa looks on.

The bakery is more than a bakery. We knew that it would be way back in the blueprint phase. That's why we...
...chose a floor plan suitable for both a bakery and a living space (if needed in the future).
...chose flooring that's both commercial and "pretty."
...plumbed it for commercial sinks and a small apartment (again, if needed in the future).

I could go on, but you get the picture.

Here is a peek into one of the non-bakery moments. One day last December my grandparents and aunt, Ruth, came for our annual flatbread making day. A Ronnevik family Christmas Eve meal would not be complete without this delicious, crackery bread. This time we were aided by a compact and efficient bakery, four ovens included. The baking was done in record time and satisfied many palettes over the next month.

Grandma and I manned the ovens.

Flatbread. Mmmm...

Meals for a Dime

Together we shipped 109 meals to Haiti and Africa!

Over the summer a can sat on our market table collecting pocket change. By the end of the year we had collected $10.97. Last month we sent that money with our friend, Joey, to the Global Aid Network Distribution Center in Lancaster County, PA. That's where Joey works packing aid to be shipped to needy communities around the world in the name of Christ. Thanks for helping!

To learn more about this project, go to gainusa.org.

All good friends share. They even share jobs. At least Megan and I did.

Many a Friday last summer found Megan on an early morning drive to my kitchen. She would join Maren (sister #1) and me for the day's baking, up to twelve hours at times. Megan brought much help and encouragement to our kitchen. Due to her deft hands Maren and I found a few formerly unheard of minutes for meals, coffee, and even a little story time. By sharing, I think I got the better end of the deal.

This fall Megan took her turn at sharing. A dream came true when Hannah (sister #2) and I got a behind-the-scenes view into a coffee shop.

Megan mixing up one of her many ice-blended coffees that day.

Hannah and I each got to make our own coffee. Here I am preparing grounds for espresso.

Caramel colored espresso. Beautiful!

Heating and frothing milk. Thankfully Megan helped me through this scientific process.

Adding flavors.

Almond Joy Mocha. Amazing!