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Five Loaves Bakery & Cafe Images from Francesville, Indiana

Jessica Nunemaker — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:00:00 +0000

It had been a long time since little Indiana had paid a visit to Five Loaves Bakery & Cafe in Francesville, Indiana.

After looking at the images below, I think you’ll agree that a return trip to Francesville, Indiana was long overdue. That Sugar Cream Pie was amazing!

Five Loaves Bakery & Cafe has a lovely selection of baked goods that look as good as they taste. Now that they’ve branched into catering, you can wow your guests with great food from this phenomenal Indiana bakery.

Five Loaves Bakery & Cafe Images

Five Loaves Bakery and Cafe in Francesville, Indiana Sugar Cream Pie

Five Loaves Bakery and Cafe in Francesville, Indiana Cookies

Five Loaves Bakery and Cafe in Francesville, Indiana Homemade Chocolates

Five Loaves Bakery and Cafe in Francesville, Indiana Goodness

Five Loaves Bakery and Cafe in Francesville, Indiana Cinnamon Rolls

Find more Five Loaves Bakery and Cafe images and other pictures in Indiana on my Flickr photostream.

Five Loaves Bakery and Cafe
106 S. Bill Street
Francesville, Indiana 47946
219.567.2600

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Veni’s Sweet Shop in Nappanee, Indiana

Jessica Nunemaker — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Veni's Sweet Shop: Nappanee, Indiana

Nappanee, Indiana is thrilled about the new kid in town, Veni’s Sweet Shop!

Yes, Veni’s Sweet Shop is as good as it sounds.

Veni’s Chocolate Shop in Nappanee, Indiana

Nice and bright, this shop is so welcoming. Rows and rows of chocolates in all shapes, sizes, and flavors beg to be bought and eaten behind the shining glass.

I would be lying if I said I came out of Veni’s Sweet Shop empty-handed!

But it’s research, right? I mean, I don’t really even have a choice in the matter. I owe it to all of you to tell it like it is.

Indiana Sweet Shop

Veni's Sweet Shop: Nappanee, Indiana

After an agonizingly difficult decision, I ended up with Orange Creme, Vanilla Creme, and Mint Creme. My favorite flavors right here in little Indiana! Awesome.

Smooth and delicious–there’s no additives, wax, or preservatives in these chocolatey bites of Heaven. You can definitely taste the difference. Fresh and fantastic.

At this Indiana candy store, the Orange Creme was my favorite!

Personally, I would love to do more research on Veni’s Sweet Shop. Seriously. Name the day!

More Than a Chocolate Shop

Veni's Sweet Shop: Nappanee, Indiana

This Elkhart County shop isn’t only for those who need a Chocolate fix (though it certainly does the trick!).

There’s a selection of nuts, candy, and even drinks–like an ice cream float or Hot Chocolate.

But more than that? I see Veni’s Sweet Shop as one more reason to bypass the big box shops and to support local business. Oh, how sweet it is!

Go There

A sweet shop is just what Nappanee needed! I can’t think of a better fit for this bustling Indiana town.

Find Veni’s Sweet Shop images and other pictures in Indiana on my Flickr photostream.

Veni’s Sweet Shop
101 West Market Street
Nappanee, Indiana 46550
574.773.4242

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Puppy Chow Recipe

Jessica Nunemaker — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Puppy Chow Recipe

Quick snacks like this Puppy Chow Recipe are perfect for holiday celebrations–and beyond!

I don’t like spending days in the kitchen. But what I do like are simple, delicious recipes that can be easily thrown together.

Puppy Chow, or you may know it as the Muddy Buddy Recipe, is good stuff to have on hand and feeds a good-sized crowd! Pair this with Reindeer Mix and you’ve got enough to feed a few!

Puppy Chow Recipe

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Puppy Chow Recipe

Another hand-written recipe I copied down before leaving home for the first time. I guess I wanted the essentials!

Ingredients

9 Cups Chex Cereal (I prefer Corn Chex)
1 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate
1/2 Cup Peanut Butter
1/4 Cup Butter or Margarine
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 11/2 Cups Powdered Sugar

Instructions

Melt Chocolate until Smooth. Stir in Peanut Butter, Butter, and Vanilla until smooth.
Add in Chex Cereal. Mix to combine.
Pour cereal into a plastic baggie.
Pour in Powdered Sugar.
Shake to coat.
Spread on Waxed Paper to set.
Store Covered.

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Easy Dessert: Homemade Chocolate Pudding Recipe

Jessica Nunemaker — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 15:00:00 +0000

Homemade Chocolate Pudding Recipe

While everyone, everywhere is obsessed with pumpkin recipes at this time of year (and who can blame them?), little Indiana had a hankering for chocolate.

I love this recipe for homemade chocolate pudding. It’s easy and so fast to fix!

Be forewarned, however, that you cannot speed up the process. If you do not cook the pudding long enough, it will seem a little runny after it cools. We like this warm or cold–and it’s especially good with a dollop of whipped cream.

Easy Dessert: Homemade Chocolate Pudding Recipe

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Easy Dessert: Homemade Chocolate Pudding

From The Complete Guide to Country Cooking from Taste of Home books. See your local mom and pop bookstore and check this out!

This is my go-to source for many, many recipes.

Ingredients

1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Baking Cocoa
1/4 Cup All-Purpose Flour
2 Cups Water
3/4 Cup Evaporated Milk
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
Pinch Salt

Instructions

In a saucepan, combine together the Sugar, Baking Cocoa, and the Flour.
Add Water and Evaporated Milk and stir until smooth.
Cook over Medium heat, stirring constantly so the bottom does not scorch.
Cook until thick--you will see a difference. The original recipe says one minute, however, it usually takes somewhere between 3-5 minutes on our stove-top to reach the correct consistency.
Remove from heat.
Stir in Vanilla Extract and Salt.
Cool to room temperature, stirring several times.
Pour into bowls. Serve.

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Whoopie Pie Recipes: Chocolate Peanut Butter

Jessica Nunemaker — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 12:51:28 +0000

Whoopie Pie Recipes: Chocolate Peanut Butter

I am on a whoopie pie recipes kick. Making cookies is not half as fun as making these peanut buttery bites of Heaven.

You would think that these would be so complicated and impossible. But guess what? They aren’t at all!

With little more effort than it takes to make cookies, you can bask in the glow of presenting a show-stopper of a dessert. These Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies won’t disappoint.

Whoopie Pie Recipes: Chocolate Peanut Butter

from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

For the Cookies:

1 12-oz. pkg. miniature semisweet chocolate pieces
2 Tbsp. milk
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups all-purpose flour

For the Peanut Butter Filling:

1 Cup Butter, Softened
1 Cup Peanut Butter
1 Cup Marshmallow Cream
2 Cups Powdered Sugar
2 T. Milk, optional (if needed)

How To Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies

350* oven.

Set aside 1/4 cup chocolate pieces to sprinkle on cookies.

Melt 1 cup Chocolate Chips and 2 tablespoons Milk (I stick a bowl over a boiling pan of water). Set aside.

In mixing bowl, beat butter and peanut butter until combined.

Throw in Sugar, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, and 1/2 teaspoon Salt. Combine.

Add Eggs, 1/2 cup Milk, Vanilla Extract, and the Melted Chocolate. Beat until combined.

Beat in Cocoa Powder and Flour until just combined. Stir in the remaining Chocolate Chips.

The original recipe calls for 2 teaspoon sized blobs of dough. However, I find that my 1 1/2 Tablespoon cookie dough scoop makes a nice, easy to eat cookie. Either way, drop the batter 2 inches apart onto parchment-covered cookie sheets. You can supposedly use ungreased cookie sheets for this one but I always use parchment paper.

Sprinkle tops of cookies with reserved Mini Chocolate Chips, gently pressing down on the top to make them “stick” if needed.

Bake 9 minutes or until tops are set. Cool on sheets 1 minute before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Spread filling on flat side of one half of the cookie. Be generous! Top with remaining cookies.

Peanut Butter Filling

Beat together all filling ingredients except for milk. If filling feels stiff, beat in milk as needed.

Makes 25ish servings.

Find more Whoopie Pie Recipes images and other pictures in Indiana on my Flickr photostream.

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Whoopie Pie Recipes: S’mores

Jessica Nunemaker — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 19:23:02 +0000

Whoopie Pie Recipes: Smores

Summer, Hoosiers, and S’mores go hand in hand, but with this (never-ending) heat wave, I switched to this Whoopie Pie recipe. All the flavor of S’mores without the fire!

Other parts of the country call them by other names (like Gobs) but in my Indiana town? Not so much. Whatever you call them, they are ooey-gooey awesome.

I flip-flopped one of the steps (because it just made more sense to me). That’s how I roll.

Whoopie Pie Recipes: S’mores

From Billingsley and Treadwell: Whoopie Pies

For the Cookies:

1 1/2 c.Graham Flour (or Whole Wheat Pastry Flour)
3/4 c.All-Purpose Flouor
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
4 tbsp. Butter, softened
4 tbsp Vegetable Shortening
1 c. Dark Brown Sugar, packed
2 Large Eggs
1/2 c. Buttermilk
2 tbsp. Milk
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp White Vinegar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

For the Marshmallow Fluff Filling:

1½ cups Marshmallow Fluff
1¼ cups Vegetable Shortening
1 c. Powdered Sugar
1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract

For the Chocolate Ganache Filling:

8 ounces Bittersweet Chocolate, finely chopped
½ c. Heavy Cream

Making The Whoopie Pie

Whoopie Pie Recipes: S'mores

Preheat oven to 375*. Break out the Parchment Paper to line your baking sheets and get out the ingredients to make the Chocolate Ganache.
Place bittersweet chocolate into bowl. Heat Heavy Cream in sauce pot on stove until bubbly and pour over Chocolate.
Let rest 10 minutes, then whisk to remove lumps. Cool for two hours or, in my case, pop in front of the window air conditioner and cool a bit faster so it is easy to spread!
For the cookies: In a medium bowl, whisk together the King Arthur flours, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Using your KitchenAid Mixmaster, cream together the butter, shortening and brown sugar (about 3 minutes). Add in eggs and buttermilk. Beat until combined.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the milk, baking soda, and vinegar.
Put the mixer on low speed and add in half of the flour mixture, mixing just until it’s combined. Mix in the milk mixture and then the remaining flour mixture just until combined.
Add vanilla and beat on medium speed for two minutes or until combined. Scrape sides and bottom as needed.
Using a 1 1/2 Tablespoon cookie dough scoop, drop tablespoons of the dough onto prepared baking sheets, 2″ apart.
Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, until the tops feel firm, spring back slightly to the touch, and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes then switch to wire rack to cool completely.
For the Marshmallow Filling: Beat together Marshmallow Fluff and Shortening until smooth (3 minutes). Add in Powdered Sugar and Vanilla Extract. Beat until fluffy (3 minutes).
Assemble the Whoopie Pies: Spread a layer of the Chocolate Ganache over the flat side of one of the cookies. Spread a layer of Marshmallow Filling over the flat side of another cookie. Sandwich together. Repeat. A lot! This recipe made 17 sandwich cookies.

See more Whoopie Pie Recipes: S’mores images and other pictures in Indiana on my Flickr photostream.

little Indiana: Where to Stay, Play, and Eat in Small Towns in Indiana. Discovering Indiana’s best small towns! Now get little Indiana on your Kindle.

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Chocolate Shell: Copycat Hard Chocolate Shell Recipe

Jessica Nunemaker — Mon, 16 May 2011 15:26:25 +0000

Chocolate Shell: Copycat Chocolate Shell Recipe

Chocolate Shell. You know the stuff. It magically hardens on your ice cream and takes it from good to great! While I may sound like a (horrible) advertisement, I love my ice cream but what I don’t love is paying a lot for stuff that’s probably full of things I don’t even know how to say.

Chocolate Shell

little Indiana keeps it simple. I’ve got a hard chocolate shell recipe that doesn’t just taste like the real thing — it tastes even better! Warm off the stove, there’s just nothing like it. Nothing compares to homemade!

Copycat Chocolate Shell Recipe

1/2 c semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons Butter

Melt together in a saucepan over low heat stirring constantly. Makes enough for 3-4 servings (if you are skimpy with the stuff). Store in the fridge if there is any left (which is doubtful). You may eat some with a spoon or use entirely too much on your ice cream–in which case you will feel ill and vow to never, ever do that again…until the next time you make it!

*Modified by me after pouring over countless recipes that were too complicated or required fancy pants ingredients. See photos of hard chocolate shell in action and pictures of Indiana on my Flickr photostream.

little Indiana: Where to Stay, Play, and Eat in Small Towns in Indiana. Discovering Indiana’s best small towns! Now get little Indiana on your Kindle.

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Recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies: The Best Ever!

Jessica Nunemaker — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies

“Really, your recipe for chocolate chip cookies is the best cookie recipe ever?” To that I say, “Absolutely!” little Indiana and family are cookie connoisseurs.

Once upon a time, I wanted to become a personal chef and was hot on the trail for the perfect recipe for chocolate chip cookies. This is it.

This recipe for chocolate chip cookies is soft, buttery, and flexible. Just don’t over-mix them and you will have Perfection in a cookie. The original recipe isn’t mine but the baking directions certainly are!

Recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 c. Butter or Margarine, softened (I usually use margarine ‘cuz it’s cheaper and still tastes perfect!)
1 1/4 c. Light Brown Sugar (dark brown just isn’t the same)
1 1/4 c. Granulated Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla
2 Eggs
4 c. Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
2 c. Chocolate Chips (more or less depending on taste but for me, I like a nice balance between cookie and chips.)

How To Make Chocolate Chip Cookies

First, make sure you have absolutely everything you need. Then, throw together the butter or margarine and the sugars in your KitchenAid mixer and mix well. Chuck in one egg at a time or do like I do and throw them in at the same time. Toss in the vanilla.

Measure out the dry ingredients but hold the chocolate chips. You could dirty another bowl and stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt or, for this recipe for chocolate chip cookies, or you could save yourself a bit of time by putting it in the mixing bowl and whooshing around the dry ingredients before combining the two of them. Makes absolutely NO difference and saves you step. I’m all sorts of rebel.

Before your dry ingredients are completely combined, add in your chocolate chips. The original recipe wants you to manually add three mini chips to the top of each blob of dough but…I find that completely ridiculous. I mean, seriously?

Moving on: Grab your parchment paper because it is the greatest invention known to man (well, that and Indiana wine but that’s a different story). Pop it on your pan and using a 1 1/2 T. size cookie scoop (any smaller and they end up a little hard) space out your dough at least 2″ apart.

Send hubs and kids out of the room for Some Important Item so you can eat cookie dough without sharing. Bake at 350* for at least 15 minutes but mine take closer to 20 to get done. Let them cool on the pan for a minute or two and then pop them onto your cooling rack.

Don’t eat any cookies for at least an hour because you ate 3 Tablespoons of dough too many and feel sick. Repeat the process the next time you make this fantastic recipe for chocolate chip cookies!

Final Thoughts

little Indiana is totally okay with trying out your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. Leave me a link or the recipe in the comments below and I’ll give it a go! If it’s better (and it’s going to have to be really, really good) — I’ll be sure to post it in a future article.

little Indiana: Where to Stay, Play, and Eat in Small Towns in Indiana. Discovering Indiana’s best small towns! Now get little Indiana on your Kindle.

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The Homestead Buttery and Bakery in Remington, Indiana is Homemade Heaven

Jessica Nunemaker — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:16:21 +0000

Remington, Indiana Homestead Butter and Bakery: Reuben Sandwich

In Remington, Indiana there’s a new kid in town.

This family owned restaurant boasts homemade food and bulk goods in a beautifully restored old building in this small Indiana town.

Remington, Indiana: Homestead Buttery and Bakery

At the The Homestead Buttery and Bakery, everything is homemade.

What a menu! How would I ever decide? Simple: I had to have my customary Reuben Sandwich . Hubs ordered the Homestead Stack.

Our sandwiches were so delicious we couldn’t stop making yummy noises (or maybe that was just me)!

I don’t know what kind of bread it was but it was so flavorful! You can kind of see from the photo on the left how it has little flecks of herbs in it. What you can’t see is how absolutely wonderful they went together!

There’s Always Room for Dessert

Remington, Indiana: Homestead Buttery and Bakery

We also had a root beer float, which was silly of us, because we had to get pie, too!

Wednesday is pie day at the The Homestead Buttery and Bakery. Who can say no to a case of nummy looking, fresh-baked pie?

I love Lemon Cream Pie and the The Homestead Buttery and Bakery’s Lemon Cream Pie was the best one I have ever had.

The crust was perfection and the filling was the ultimate complement–a perfect balance of sweet and slightly sour.

Hubs ordered the Chocolate Cream Pie and it was good, too. He devoured it pretty quickly while groaning about being full. Oh, the sacrifices we make for little Indiana.

More Than a Cafe

What’s fun about this place is that they don’t just stop at the whole bakery/cafe part. Great though it is–there’s more!

If you are looking for where to buy bulk goods in Indiana? You are in the right place!

They also sell dry goods, home decor, and have plenty of take home casseroles, cookies, and more in their freezer case. Anyone can bring home a piece of Remington, Indiana!

Lucky Indiana Town

Remington, Indiana: Homestead Buttery and Bakery Lemon Cream Pie

Remington, Indiana residents are so incredibly lucky to have the The Homestead Butter and Bakery in their town! Judging from all the people who made their way in and out while we were there–they will be in town for a long, long time.

Thanks to Rensselaer Adventures for the suggestion on this great new place to eat and shop!

See more Homestead Buttery and Bakery images and other pictures in Remington, Indiana on my Flickr photostream.

The Homestead Buttery and Bakery
36 S Ohio Street
PO Box 221
Remington, Indiana 47977
219.261.2138

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little Indiana: Where to Stay, Play, and Eat in Small Towns in Indiana. Discovering Indiana’s best small towns! Now get little Indiana on your Kindle.

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Five Loaves Bakery in Francesville, Indiana: You Had Me at Homemade Chocolates

Jessica Nunemaker — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:30:49 +0000

Francesville, Indiana: Five Loaves Bakery and Cafe

Finding a sensational bakery and cafe, Five Loaves Bakery, in Francesville, Indiana is just part of the reason that I love exploring small towns.

The other reason? Trying a little of this and a little of that–all in the name of research!

Five Loaves Bakery and Cafe in Francesville, Indiana

I love, love, love the furniture! Five Loaves Bakery and Cafe had a variety of tables in different types of wood in all different styles. It looked so cute and felt so inviting!

We sat down for a bit at a gorgeous Walnut set to enjoy the homey and inviting atmosphere.

Country touches are here and there. It’s just a lovely shop!

Five Loaves Bakery Food

Francesville, Indiana: Five Loaves Bakery Sugar Cookie

I ordered a Peach Banana Smoothie, that was really good and bananery.

Hubs ordered a Strawberry Smoothie, the most popular flavor according to the owner of Five Loaves Bakery. He enjoyed it.

The kid requested the large frosted flower sugar cookie and mowed down before we remembered I had to take a photo! Oops.

I am so very glad he offered me have a bite – that sugar cookie was melt-in-your-mouth amazing! I begged the kid for another–thank goodness he likes to share!

Homemade Chocolates

But the fun doesn’t stop there! They’ve also got an absolutely fabulous display case with beautiful wood molding and trim that once was one of many such cases in the Gutwein shop across the street.

Now, let me tell you about the beautiful things on the inside of this case, like assorted fresh muffins, frosted sugar cookies, and homemade chocolates!

This is the first bakery I have seen yet that boasts homemade chocolates so after our initial order--we each bought one for the road!

Chocolate vanilla cream for me and a dark chocolate coconut one for hubs. And it was good. Well, mine was, anyway. Hubs ate his without giving me a taste! The nerve!

Baked Goods of Goodness

Five Loaves Bakery and Cafe is phenomenal. Everyone is so nice and friendly, the atmosphere is so pleasant, and the food? Well, A++!

You’ve got to check out this small Indiana town. There’s a lot of neat stuff here.

Me? I can’t wait to try some more of those homemade chocolates!

Find more Five Loaves Bakery and Cafe images and other pictures in Francesville, Indiana on my Flickr photostream.

Five Loaves Bakery and Cafe
106 S. Bill Street
Francesville, Indiana 47946
219.567.2600

View Larger Map

little Indiana: Where to Stay, Play, and Eat in Small Towns in Indiana. Discovering Indiana’s best small towns! Now get little Indiana on your Kindle.

New! Offering affordable online advertising for your small Indiana business! little Indiana Businesses is the online presence that you’ve been looking for.