Good things from Cory's kitchen - and yard

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Good things from Cory's kitchen - and yard

Hello, my name is Cory. My day job is being a teacher, but I like to bake, cook, and garden.

I wanted to start a page where I could share the good things I make and/or help grow.

11/01/2026

Handmade chocolates

I'm starting a foray into making chocolates, using the same care and good ingredients I do for my other baked/jarred goods.

I'll expand my offerings as time goes on, but for now I have jam dots and three-bite cups.

The dots are the shiny, snappy little half spheres you see in the picture, dark chocolate shells filled with a little bit of my homemade jam. Perfect little bites.

The three-bite cups are in the picture too. Right now I have mint creams and a lemon cream with or without a little jam. I make the creams to fill them too and, believe me when I tell you, if you like York, you'll love my mint creams, real cream butter and sugar make this one melt away to nothing as you eat them. Milk and dark chocolate on these. Each of the cups is about 1 oz.

$1 each on the cups, 2 for $1 on the dots.

Message me here if interested. Happy to arrange pickup or drop off in Sterling.

p.s. Christmas is coming, keep an eye out for my usual retinue of homemade Christmas candies!

10/31/2026

Homegrown Spiced Blackberry Jam

With the recent near-frosts, I figured I had harvested all of the blackberries I was going to harvest and set to work turning them into jam.

This jam is half seedless, and, just in time for fall, has a tiny bit of warmth added in the form of a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg.

If you've ever had a blackberry pie, this jam tastes like that filling.

Note: these are homegrown blackberries from up here in town, grown on my own bushes. There's a limited quantity available. When it's gone, that's it until next Fall!

$6 for a half pint jar.

10/30/2026

Italian Bread Loaves or Hoagie Rolls

Italian bread is the term I use for the crusty, but softer than French, bread you get in an Italian restaurant.

This bread tastes great on its own, but that doesn't mean it won't taste better with some additions.

Slice it thin, put some butter on and enjoy with pasta. Tear off chunks, use it to mop up the sauce after the pasta. Maybe make your own party-sized sub??

This dough is also great as smaller hoagie rolls. If you want to make the kinds of hoagies at home that make Jimmy jealous, start with this bread.

Top them with your favorite meats and cheeses and enjoy! In the picture attached, you have one of my rolls with ham, pepperoni, salami, and provolone which I toast under the broiler and top with some shredded lettuce and bottled Italian dressing.

Another great way to have them is to buy (or make) some meatballs and marinara or Italian sausage links and marinara. Top with some mozzarella or provolone and toast under the broiler.

One batch of dough makes either 8 hoagie rolls or two approximately 1 pound loaves.

Either freezes beautifully.

$9 for 8 rolls or two loaves.

Message me here if interested. Happy to drop off or meet for pick up in Sterling.

10/29/2026

Muffins --Lemon (or almond) poppyseed and oat

I'm offering lemon poppy seed, almond poppy seed, or oat muffins.

If you're wanting a dense, moist crumb, I would steer you more to my chocolate chunk muffins than these.

These muffins are light (though not dry) with a nice even and tender crumb, real butter in the background, and a crisp outside.

Eating one (or more), won't leave your fingers greasy and you feeling like you weigh as much as a battleship.

They're also light enough that if you like to slice and top your muffin with jam or a touch of butter there's still room.

The poppyseed variation can go a couple ways. I can add a little almond to the batter and then top with sliced almonds. I can also add some lemon to the batter and then add a bright, lemony-sweet glaze on top.

For the oat muffins, I toast oats and then use my food processor to make them into a flour which I add to a similar base recipe (plenty of butter that is!), and then top them with an oat/pecan streusel. This makes a muffin that is tender and moist and suffused with what it's supposed to taste like: a nice toasty oat flavor. This one really is just waiting to be buttered or topped with jam.

I can make them straight in the muffin tin so you get that traditional mushroom shape with its crispy overhang, or I can use my tall liners if you prefer the tapered look like in the pictures. Either way, they're delicious.

The recipe makes a dozen muffins each about 2 1/2 oz.

The poppyseed versions are $15 for a dozen. The oat ones, since they take a little more time, are $16 for a dozen.

Any of them freeze well so you can get a batch and take them out as you'd like.

Message me here if interested and we'll figure it out. Happy to drop or or have you pick up in Sterling, CO.

10/28/2026

Bacon and Cheddar Sourdough

I just finished baking one of these for someone and, my goodness, I wish you could smell this post.

Every time I make one of these I'm sorely tempted to keep it for myself.

My bacon cheddar sourdough starts with my wild yeast starter sourdough. I mix in some bacon and cubes of smoked cheddar. I’m not talking the orange blocks from the supermarket either. I mean the good cheddar, the stuff that’s aged and sold with the other fancy cheeses.

The slight sour and complex flavor of the sourdough bread pairs perfectly with the mix-ins. The bacon pieces impart a slightly smoky aroma to the whole bread while the pockets of cheddar give you a slightly smoky, salty, cheesy bite.

Great for eating on its own, this one pairs well with crisp, sweet apples, pears, or perhaps a little fig (or fig jam).

Like my blue cheese walnut, this one weighs in at about one and a quarter pounds. I can shape it like a batard (see the picture) or a boule (bowl shape). $12.

p.s. I can make you one that's gluten free too if you like.

Message me here if interested. Happy to arrange pickup or drop off.

10/28/2026

The plum is ready to sleep, apricot is still making up her mind

This is my apricot tree out back. I grafted a plum scion onto it a few years back.

The part of the tree whose leaves are turning is the plum graft, the rest of the apricot tree is still green (though starting to turn slightly).

I've often wondered with my grafts whether or not the grafted parts keep their original properties or whether they stick with the tree they're grafted to. What I find is that the grafts usually don't break dormancy too much earlier in Spring, depending as they on the tree they're attached to for nutrients and sap.

The grafted parts will have about the same bud break time (though perhaps differing flowering schedules depending on what the variety is).

The opposite seems to be true in Fall. In this case, I don't believe that the graft needs a hormonal signal from the tree below to decide when it's time for dormancy. Thus you get what you see in the picture. The different varieties may decide it's time for winter's sleep at different times.

Fingers crossed for no frosts post-flowering next year!

10/27/2026

Gluten Free Really Good M and M Cookies

Sometimes you want gourmet, sometimes you want simple (but still great-tasting). Whether you’re gluten free or not, now you can enjoy the simple homemade flavor of a really good M and M cookie.

Just like the wheat version, these are soft and chewy, sweet and buttery, with just a little bit of extra salt to make you want more than one at a time!

If you don’t want the whole batch all at one time, these will freeze well. Pop one or more out of the freezer and let them thaw for about 30 minutes and you’re on your way to a really good cookie!

$22 for a batch of 16 cookies. Each is about 2 oz in weight.

Message me here if interested. Happy to arrange pickup or drop off in Sterling.

10/27/2026

New York Deli Rye (and others)

Say hello to the New York Deli Rye.

It's a mix of light rye flour and wheat flour, a little brown sugar, a little shortening, some of my wild yeast starter for a complex flavor (the dough also has some commercial yeast), and for the authentic touch, some lightly sauteed finely diced onion.

This loaf is sliced and ready for corned beef, Reubens/Rachels, and pastrami! The deep, earthy flavor of the rye will set off those strongly flavored lunchmeats and mustard well. It also goes great with ham and cheese. You'll think you just stepped out of line at a NY deli.

As a quick aside, if you were thinking more of a pumpernickel or a marble rye a la Seinfeld, I can do those too, let's talk.

I am not a fan of carraway seeds, so I don't add any to my ryes, but if you are I'm happy to add it to yours.

I can also omit the onion from the Deli Rye if you don't want it.

$9 for a 9 x 5 sized loaf. The approximate weight is about 1 3/4 pounds.

I can also do this as a free-form loaf shape if you'd like to give it the authentic look as well as flavor.

Message me here if interested. Happy to arrange pickup of drop off in Sterling!

10/26/2026

Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Bread

Think cinnamon raisin swirl bread, but with some extra twists.

The cinnamon and sugar aren't just in the swirl, they're in the dough too.

Then I add chopped toasted walnuts to the dough. As they mix in, their oil spreads through the dough perfuming it with the smell of walnuts. The crunch they add is pretty good too.

Lastly, the literal topper: right after it's out of the oven, I brush butter on and sprinkle cinnamon sugar all over for a sweet, spicy crunch on the top of each slice.

This one's ready and waiting for toasting!

$11 for an 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf.

Happy to arrange pickup or delivery here in Sterling. Message me if interested.

10/25/2026

Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread

The cooler weather means it's time to start thinking about Fall: leaves changing colors, a chill in the air, and sitting inside comforted with warm spice and the flavor of pumpkin.

If you're gluten free, you don't have to miss out on that last one. My gluten free pumpkin bread will give you plenty of spice and flavor.

They're not the gummy, dense kind tasting as much of tin can as of pumpkin. They’re nicely cakey with the right amount of spice and a little bit of tang from both buttermilk and cream cheese.

$13 for an 81/2 x 4 1/2 loaf.

I can add toasted walnuts for a $2 upcharge if you'd like.

Message me here and we'll get you started on your Fall journey. Happy to arrange pick up or drop off in Sterling.

Address

Sterling, CO
80751

Website

https://www.goodthingsfromcoryskitchenandyard.com/

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