photo courtesy of Coombs Family Farms

Ingredients:
3/4 cup Coombs Family Farms 100% pure organic maple syrup
1 T water
4 T butter, chilled
2 T heavy cream
6 T butter melted
1 cup sugar
4 golden delicious apples, peeled, seeded and quartered
1 box puff pastry dough, cut into an 8” circle
Vanilla ice cream

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 F

To make caramel sauce:
In a small pot, combine maple syrup and water. Without stirring, heat over medium high heat until syrup boils and turns to a dark brown. Remove from heat and stir in butter and cream. Be careful as the syrup may be hot and may splatter with the addition of the butter and cream. Pour mixture into an 8-inch cake pan.

To make apple filling:
In a medium bowl, combine sugar, butter, and apples. Place apples in heavy baking pan, over syrup mixture. Place puff pastry circle on top of apples; prick with fork. Bake for 25 minutes or until apples are tender. Remove from oven and carefully remove puff pastry. Set puff pastry aside. Put baking pan (with apple mixture) over medium heat and simmer until the juices have completely evaporated. Watch constantly so it doesn’t scorch.

To finish the tarte tatin:
Put puff pastry back on top of apples and flip pan onto large round platter. Remove pan. Slice and serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

About Coombs Family Farms:
100% pure maple has been a way of life at Coombs Family Farms for seven generations (since 1840). Since 1988, Coombs Family Farms has produced certified organic maple syrup. A champion of small family farming, Coombs Family Farms also sources 100% pure organic certified maple from other small, independent farmers who share the Coombs commitment to quality, environmental stewardship, and sustainable forestry management. To learn more, please visit www.coombsfamilyfarms.com or view their videos on Youtube.

Availability: 
The Gingerbread Ice Cream Sandwich is available at Burtons Grill, located at 1363 Boylston Street, Boston, Ma 02215. Burtons Grill hours are as follows– Mon – Thu: 11:30 am – 10 pm, Fri – Sat: 11:30 am – 11 pm. It is only available November 1st through the winter season! For more information about this seasonal delight, contact Burtons Grill at 617.236.2236 or visit the Burtons website at www.burtonsgrill.com.

Chocolate Inked Sweet Shoppe is located in the historic Village of Metamora, MI. Metamora dates back to the 1800′s and is also known as “horse country.” The building that CISS is located in was built over 150 years ago and has quite a history. It was recently purchased by friends and has been in the process of a complete renovation, the chocolate shoppe is located in the back half of the building. The outside of the building is in the process of being completed now, though when you walk into the shoppe  you will be taken back to years gone by. It gives you a quaint, warm and cozy feeling when you see the signature colors of teal and brown. The fireplace will make you want to sit at one of three tables that remind you of a old fashioned ice cream shoppe. You can enjoy the warmth of the shoppe as you wit with your laptop to access the only shoppe in the village with WiFi or you can relax as you watch a favorite program on the large plasma T.V. 
 
Sharon and Kevin make a variety of handmade chocolates, which include their signature handmade salted caramels, molded caramels, molded chocolates, truffles, specialty chocolates, nutty and krispy barks, dipped nuts, fruits, pretzels, cookies, and so much more. They offer muffins, cookies, brownies, cupcakes, and even Sharon’s signature cake that will truly bring you back. The signature cake can be ordered in any flavor with infused ganache, a chocolate whipped cream, or a fruit filling. Each cake is then drizzled with dark, milk and white chocolates. It is a mouth watering cake that will have you wanting more. “CISS” also does gift baskets for all occasions. One unique product that they have is chocolates that can be printed with photos, logos, and text. These chocolates are not made by Sharon and Kevin, they are made by their supplier in a nut free facility. They do personalized chocolates for all occasions, weddings, graduations, birthdays, funerals, etc. “CISS” also offers Cook’s Farm Dairy Ice Cream. Cook’s is a  working dairy farm and is well known in the Metamora area. You can order ice cream cones, handmade waffle cones and bowls that are dipped in chocolate, great tasting shakes, smoothies, sundaes, parfaits. Coffee, sweet tea, lemonade, canned soda, bottled water are other items that are available. You never know what may be available on any given day, there is always something different.
 
Chocolate Inked has a website for the personalized chocolates and you can call them with any questions and to place your orders. You can access the website at: www.chocolateinked.com
 
You will be pleasantly surprised when you enter the world of “CISS.”  With a tag line of “Have you been CISS’d today?” first time customers will leave with a special chocolate “CISS” so that they too,  “Have been CISS’d today!”
 
Chocolate Inked Sweet Shoppe
70 E. High St.
Metamora, MI. 48455
810-678-2022
Fax: 810-678-2022

photo courtesy of Toffee to Go

The Toffee To Go Story

When Lisa first tasted the traditional Schalk toffee she thought it was so incredible she told her husband, Jim, they had to learn how to make it immediately. Jim and Lisa spent hours learning the family recipe and after many attempts they had it mastered. They made a few alterations to the original recipe and what started out as a yummy treat for their friends and family has become Toffee To Go-home of “incredible handmade toffee.”

During the holidays, Jim and Lisa cooked their handmade almond toffee for family, friends and neighbors. It wasn’t long before their toffee became a popular topic of conversation and many of their friends hoped to be included on their Christmas toffee giving list. In 1997, their friend, Debbie Jackson, suggested the couple sell their incredible handmade toffee.

Jim and Lisa first started selling their toffee in 1998 to friends who had their own holiday gift giving needs. That year, Lisa also started selling the toffee at local Christmas shows. To their surprise, the first year they sold over 125 pounds of their gourmet treat. The next holiday season they were asked back to every Christmas show, and many new clubs and organizations were asking them to display and sell their toffee.

Jim and Lisa realized in 2002 that the demand for their toffee was getting too large for them to continue to sell out of their home. They decided to incorporate and expand into a commercial kitchen. Again, it wasn’t long before Jim and Lisa realized they needed more than just the commercial kitchen: they also needed a packaging and shipping area. They moved into their first commercial location in July of 2004 and opened a small retail shop on November 23, 2004.

With the incorporation in 2002 , and business thriving, the couple knew their delicious toffee was more than just a treat for the holidays. After adding two new packaging options, they quickly moved into the corporate gift segment, selling their toffee year round. Local corporations were ordering the Tampa Treasure for client and employee gifts and receiving rave reviews. Back then, Jim, did all the cooking and Lisa did the packing and shipping. Now, companies all over the country are ordering Toffee To Go and Jim still cooks and oversees the production staff and Lisa handles sales and marketing.

Whether customers need holiday gifts, business gifts, corporate gifts, party favors or just a treat for themselves, Jim and Lisa have a delectable selection of toffee available. They take pride in the fact that no preservatives are added to their toffee and that it is still made by hand in small batches. Lisa and Jim love the candy business and they are ready to serve you at Toffee To Go!

About their flavors:

Toffee to Go has a thin layer of chocolate so the incredible rich buttery flavor comes through on every bite. Toffee to Go has three fabulous melt in your mouth flavors. All three are made by first blending sweet creamery butter with pure cane sugar to create a rich, bubbling aromatic mixture. Their mouth-watering milk chocolate almond toffee has an abundance of roasted almonds and a thin layer of pure milk chocolate. Their decadent dark chocolate pecan toffee is paved with pecans and covered with a thin layer of pure semi-sweet chocolate. Their wonderful white chocolate macadamia nut toffee has mouthfuls of macadamia nuts and is covered with a thin layer of white chocolate. The final sprinkling of chopped walnuts on each flavor completes the transformation into a decadent gourmet treat!

Packaging:
Toffee to Go has several packaging options. From their signature gold boxes and tins, to bright colorful options that can all be imprinted with corporate logos or event names for branding purposes, Toffee to Go has sizes and styles to fit every budget and occasion. Of course, the best part is knowing that the recipient will remember your gift of Toffee to Go long after the last bite is gone.

Discount CODE for 100CafeStreet.com readers: CAFE20. This code will give you a generous 20% discount on the 8oz gold Toffee to Go boxes.  It expires on Sept. 30, 2009.

The Giveaway

This giveaway is open to US residents only.

Prizes:
Toffee to Go will give away three (3) of their 8 oz. Assorted Flavor boxes of Toffee to Go. That way the winners can sample each of Toffee to Go’s incredible flavors!

How to enter (required): Visit www.toffeetogo.com and then come back and leave a comment telling us the name of your favorite product!

For additional entries (leave a new comment for each additional entry):
- one additional entry if you become our fan on FACEBOOK;
- one additional entry if you grab our button from the sidebar and post it on your blog, please post the link;
- one additional entry if you follow us on Twitter;
- one additional entry if you send a tweet about this giveaway (once a day only); make sure to include @1happyblogger. You may use the following to tweet: @1happyblogger For a chance to win some toffee, go to http://www.100cafestreet.com/toffee-to-go-giveaway
- one additional entry if you fave us in Technorati;
- one additional entry if you blog about this Giveaway with a link back to 100CafeStreet.com and Toffeetogo.com
- one additional entry if you follow 100CafeStreet.com via email.

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The giveaway ends on Sept. 9, 2009 at the end of day, Pacific Standard Time. Toffee to Go will ship the prizes.

*Please make sure you leave a comment for each additional entry so you get credited.
*Also, please make sure you typed in the correct email address.
*The winners will be announced via e-mail and have 2 days to get back to us or other names will be chosen.
*Incomplete entries will be disqualified & deleted.

Founded in 2004, Bake Me A Wish! is a premiere on-line bakery offering handmade cakes based on award-winning family recipes.  Perfected by master pastry chefs and using the freshest and most decadent ingredients available, the cakes are priced between $20 and $66,  including shipping.  The fresh and mouth-watering delights arrive beautifully packaged in a customized box with a personal note.

Bake Me A Wish! has unveiled its Holiday Gift Cakes 2009.  Now you can celebrate the season by sending delicious cakes to your family, friends, clients and colleagues!  All of the cakes are decorated with an imported Belgian chocolate plaque, a “season’s greetings” salutation and are specially packaged in an elegant gift box to guarantee freshness. For corporate clients, Bake Me A Wish includes a customized gift card with the company’s logo accompanied by a personal message of gratitude. Best of all, Bake Me A Wish! cakes are both kosher and certified by Chof-K, perfect for this holiday gift giving season.

Here a few of the Holiday Gift Cakes 2009 offered that are under $35:

Caramel Apple Crumb Cake

A moist golden cake layered with apples, cinnamon and topped with a layer of thick, delicious, tender streusel.

Then, a layer of creamy caramel is drizzled on top.

Serves 6-8 people (7” diameter)

Price: $29.99

Cookies and Cream Cake

A moist and fudgy brownie cake topped with crunchy chocolate sandwich cookie pieces .

Topped with a festive drizzle of white chocolate.

Serves 6-8 people (7” diameter)

Price: $34.99

Double Fudge Crunch

A moist and fudgy brownie cake enrobed with mouth-watering chocolate chip and cinnamon oat streusel, with ribbons of dark chocolate glaze.

AS SEEN ON RACHEL RAY!

Individual Serving (4” diameter)

Price: $15.00

To order your gourmet cake gift or to inquire about Bake Me A Wish’s corporate loyalty programs, please call 888-987-9474.