We have a wonderful Fresh Market nearby that I love to visit, finding some excuse to buy even the smallest item just to browse through the store. It’s a special place, with sample hot coffees, a nice produce section and beautiful fresh flowers at a surprisingly reasonable price. They  also have a great meat and seafood section as well as lots of rows with different fresh breads and goodies. Unfortunately I have quite a big sweet tooth so I mostly find myself visiting the candy aisle where they have big glass containers filled with all sorts of sinful loose candies.

My personal favorites are the chocolate covered almonds and the chocolate malted balls. Oh, and perhaps the licorice and jelly beans. Then there are the chocolate covered pretzels and layered mints. Of course when I like to pretend I’m eating well, I’ll buy some of the dried fruits and some of the healthier snack alternatives. But the truth is I almost always want to grab a small bag of malted milk balls on nearly every visit, just like a kid in the candy store!

Well it might be cold outside, too cold in fact, but it’s always nice when you can come inside to a warm home and turn on the oven to bake something for dinner or dessert. I’ve found myself making a lot of homemade bread lately and the house always smells wonderful. Sometimes the aroma of fresh-baked bread is almost as enjoyable as eating the warm butter bread itself. Another constant favorite in our house is baking cookies - oatmeal, chocolate chip, and sugar cookies being among the ones being made most often. If you like making desserts and would like to make something special for Valentine’s Day, you might want to treat yourself to this Kaiser Heart Shaped Bundform Cake Pan.

Kaiser Bakeware has been making wonderful nonstick cake steel baking pans for many years and have a reputation for quality and consistency. When you bake your desserts and meals in well-made pans and dishes, you’ll find you get much more consistent results. With cheaper pans you often get unevenly cooked meals and cakes that stick to the side. Good pans are always worth the investment.