Central Coast Local Fresh Food- Delivered! plus two recipes

I do love good food. Especially when someone else makes if for me!

Seasonal Custom Cuisine offers fresh food made with care from as many local, fresh, and organic ingredients as Michele can source for you. Take a peek at her delivery menu here.

Stop by Nature's Touch NEW location in Templeton to grab fresh soup and salads on the go.

Michele Knecht, owner Seasonal Custom Cuisine shown at Speckled Hens Antique Show, Templeton, California.

Try two of her recipes:

Corn and Basil Salad

Brown Rice and Chickpea Salad

Seasonal Custom Cuisine at Nature's Touch

225 Main St

Templeton, California

All photographs by Richard Fusillo.

Photo Shoot at Picking Daisies with Sprigs n Things & Blue Photo

Erin of Sprigs n Things: Innovation, Elegance, Flair (I'm in the back, in blue)

What a fun afternoon we had for a holiday package photo shoot! The details on our sweet packages will be out soon but I couldn't wait to show you Jonathon's work and the lovelies he captured. Yes, he does weddings!

In these photographs...
Picking Daisies: Handmade Cotton Napkins

nd Amy Bakes Cupcakes cupcakes
Photographs by (and shared with permission):
Jonathan of Blue Photo

Cupcake Tower Toppers for Your Handmade Wedding

Four takes on the classic wedding topper. Why not choose something you can keep and enjoy to top your tower of wedding cupcakes?

Simply gorgeous handmade paper flower cupcake tower topper! Purples and citron fill this little lovely- peek in her shop for pieces in the color of your wedding. WeddingsbyBeccaMari on Etsy. $58

Tuck a secret surprise inside- this cupcake tower topper is also a box! Handmade by Amadalebel on Etsy. $59

Sweet and lovely. Vincent and Lola are handmade by Wonderful Rubbish on Etsy. $120

Hand painted to look just like you two! Made by GraceFallen on Etsy. $35 including stand.

A Cupcake Family: Three Lessons Learned

Meet my cupcake team! We all pitched in to make this show all that we could. Sharing ideas, space, and energy with Stephanie Hendry of Ruby Rose (wonderful vintage lovelies) and her husband John, daughter Ruby. We all had a blast and learned a lot about working together in business as a family. Here are a few tid bits I picked up and tucked in my hat to learn from...

1. I once heard Maya Angelou speak on how we treat our family compared to those we see throughout the day. Her exact words are lost to me but what I took, and never forgot, was something like, Do not spend every last drop of energy on customers and co-workers, saving nothing for our families when we are worn out at home at the end of the day. So true and such a challenge to balance it all. Or is it just me?

2. Set clear expectations and, when possible, say it in writing. Creating standard procedures for everyday tasks makes it easier when helpers aren't working every day but perhaps only occasionally. Write up a checklist and keep it in a protective sleeve. Pull out the delegated checklists on the big day and hand each helper their assigned tasks. Assuming they have already learned the task- a cheat sheet couldn't hurt. 3. Assign tasks according to their strengths. One helper of mine will tell me every cupcake is soooo good. The other gives critical feedback on exact specifics on why one test batch was better than another. One helper can snap into hyper drive, staying focused and helping when the cupcake pressure is on. Another simply can't be rushed. Ever. Both are wonderful assets and make a good balance for our team. I try to thoughtfully assign tasks according to both skill and temperament. It's a learning curve for sure.

Being a cupcake team and a wife and mother to the same crew is a balancing act. I'm definitely learning on the job and would love any ideas that have, and have not, worked for you. Please do share your comments!

All photographs are by Richard Fusillo, taken at The Three Speckled Hens Vintage & Antique Show

Templeton, California

Fall 2009

Lindsay + Ian Wedding: Cupcakes at Castoro Cellars Winery

Lindsay + Ian + Cupcakes

Castoro Cellars Winery, Paso Robles, California 2009

Dark Chocolate Merlot Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Buttercream

Blue sugar paste flower to match invitations with 6" cutting cake, just for the bride and groom.
www.AmyBakesCupcakes.com

all photography by and with permission from Ken Kienow. www.KenKienow.com

Cupcakes for an Elegant Evening in Paso Robles

The city of Paso Robles is putting on an Elegant Evening with shops open late and holiday festivities to kick off the holiday season. Amy Bakes Cupcakes will be sharing cupcake delights at Sealed with a Kiss, fine stationers. Please come by and say hi!

Saturday November 15th, 2009

5pm to 8:00pm

Sealed with a Kiss

offering Amy Bakes Cupcakes

1313 Park Street
Paso Robles, CA 93446

Phone: 805.237.2645

Fabulous Fall Florals for Central Coast Weddings

This year has surprised me with the number of Fall brides preparing for their weddings and wanting to use all of the rich hues of the season. Thanks for our mild climate, wedding season lasts into November on the Central Coast. I asked Erin McClellan of Sprigs N Things: Florals with Flair to share a few ideas for brides. She has knocked my socks off with these gorgeous Fall floral pieces! The descriptions and photography are Erin's, except where noted. Enjoy!

A collection of chocolate dahlias, flame calla lilies, bare grass loops, fiddleheads, cymbidium orchids and chocolate cosmos. This lovely bouquet is hand wrapped with a chocolate brown satin ribbon.

photo above by Johnathon of Bluephoto

A collection of flame calla lilies, circus roses, chocolate dahlias, curly willow and a touch of hypericum berries. Hand wrapped with a mocha satin ribbon.

This unordinary bouquet has an assortment of chocolate dahlias, celosia, hypericum berries, cymbidium orchids and asters. Hand wrapped with a chocolate brown satin ribbon.

These beautiful bridesmaids bouquets feature asiatic lilies, ranunculus, hypericum berries, tulips, kangaroo paw and italian ruscus. Hand wrapped with a spice colored satin ribbon. These bridesmaids bouquets compliments our orange bliss bouquet perfectly.

This bouquet is filled with tulips, flame calla lillies, ranunculus, hypericum berries, italian ruscus, galax leaves, and kangaroo paw. Hand wrapped with a chocolate brown ribbon. An extra special touch is the hankerchief incorporated into the bouquet.

An assortment of peach roses, flame calla lilies, hypericum berries and asiatic lilies.

Hand wrapped with a creme satin ribbon.

To see more work by Sprigs n Things and to schedule a consultation for your big day, please visit here. Be sure to stop by the gallery for gorgeous bouquets, centerpieces, and more florals with flair!