Welcome to
NIQUI BAKES
Niqui Bakes is the name of my new home baking business here in El Dorado County, California.
Though my experience is long, the business is new, and as always, a one-woman show. It has a basic structure, and we will see how it evolves.
In short, my food story is: I am an Italian expat, and I used to be a chef/restaurateur when I still lived in Italy. Until I burned out, which is when I moved to Hawai'i.
I have recently returned to baking as a way to calm me and soothe my soul, and simply could not stop. Yielding to encouragement from family and friends, I started offering my baked treats to the neighborhood. The response was quite enthusiastic, so I made the jump, and here I am.
Who is Niqui? I am.
Niqui is a nickname, the short version of Monique, which is what my mum sometimes calls me.
DISCOVER
the baked treats I am offering
Cookies.... lots of those
I really enjoy baking cookies the most. They give me great satisfaction. They are like art in a bite.
The ones you see in these images are only few. My repertoire is rather large and keeps expanding, especially
as I tweak and update my old recipes from my restaurant years.
Cakes
Round cakes, loaf cakes, bundt cakes, small, medium and large.... and always what I enjoy eating myself.
Of course I am constrained by the California cottage license food list, but you can still do a lot within those parameters.
Tarts & Tartlets
Tarts large and small will begin to happen as soon as I have reworked my recipes to be compliant with the California cottage food requirements. That means no pastry cream, no fresh whipped cream and all that good stuff. Sigh!
ABOUT MY BAKING
how the process works
I bake everything fresh and from scratch.
The ingredients I use are as organic as possible. The eggs are usually local, but always from pasture raised chickens who eat well.
My baked treats are therefore 95% organic, even if I cannot label them so.
This is how I eat, so this is how I bake.
In a way, baking for me is like a meditative process. It soothes me and brings me joy. I would like for it to continue that way, because the joy and love is transferred to my baked treats.
And seriously, I bless the food and infuse it with energy each time, so I'm not kidding.
I bake what I love and what I enjoy eating myself. There is a lot of baked goods I love, and I like variety in everything.
What I don't like to eat or bake will not happen in my kitchen.
Generally, I bake two to three a week, usually so that fresh baked goods are ready for Friday pick up.
I bake something different every week, as that keeps it fun and interesting for everyone, myself included. I also like to follow the seasons as well as use herbs in my sweet treats.
Everything is beautifully packaged and presented, so they can also make wonderful gifts.
I post my weekly baking schedule on my Facebook page and Instagram account .
You can also find me in the local NextDoor chapter, and the El Dorado County Chat group on Facebook.
I would now like to invite you to enjoy browsing around this beautiful blog where, among many other things, you will find a lot of my recipes.
You can easily start from the latest posts below, or go to the main menu at the top of the page.
Latest Posts
Follow me on Instagram
NEW APRIL FREE CALENDAR WALLPAPER FOR YOUR DEVICES
A burst of Lilac to celebrate what I feel is the true start of the new year.
I photographed this Lilac (and many other wonderful flowers) in a beautiful Napa garden, where I had the privilege to live for a few months in what feels like last week, but was in fact already a few years ago.
Thank goodness nature (and photos) exist outside the human construct of time.
Just go to the links in my profile @lifeoutofbounds to download the wallpaper as my gift to you.
Happy April everyone!
xoxo
M
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#freebie #calendarwallpaper #lilac #naturephotography #flowers
Yesterday I baked a batch of these….
I don’t think there will be any left by the end of today.
(It’s the dogs, of course, not us 😜)
They are Margheritine di Stresa (Little Daisies from Stresa), my favorite cookie. Deceptively simple, but melt-in-your-mouth bites of heaven. 🌸
Ok, I need another cup of tea now. Earl Grey, of course
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#margheritinedistresa #cookies #baking #foodphotography #biscottini
Some lovely images from various gardens to wish you a happy and easy transition into Spring (or Fall if you are in the Southern Hemisphere), which is happening in just a few hours:
March 20th at 7:46 am California time, or 14:46 GMT 🌸
And if you enjoy photos of nature, gardens and flowers, you will find lots more on my website. See the links in my profile @lifeoutofbounds
xoxo
M
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#springequinox #springflowers #gardenphotography #naturephotography #flowers
🌸 BLOOMING SEASON IN CALIFORNIA | What, Where and Approximately When 🌸
Free PDF e-book
As it happens, after the blog post was published, I felt that all the information belonged into a downloadable PDF e-book that people could just have with them for reference. We are only at the start of the season after all. So I designed it right away and here it is!
I have added as much information and links as I could muster; about wildflowers yes, but also other popular blooms like: lilacs, wisteria, roses, lavender, sunflowers and marigolds...
If you are interested, you can find it at the link in my profile @lifeoutofbounds
I hope you will enjoy, and find it helpful in your springtime nature explorations.
xoxo
M
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#freebie #californiawildflowerseason #wildflowers #freeebook #california
🌷One more floral post to celebrate spring: Flower Bulb Day in San Francisco!🌷
Saturday March 21
when Union Square i transformed for the day into a beautiful pop-up garden with more than 80,000 tulips in assorted colors and varieties.
🌷You can stop by and pick up your free 6-tulip bouquet with bulbs attached so you can plant them in your garden to bloom again.
🌷This year this event also debuts in Washington DC, on Sunday, March 15 at DC’s National Mall.
🌷People line up early for this event. Go and enjoy!
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#tulips #sfflowerbulbday #flowerbulbdaysf #flowerbulbday #sanfrancisco
