From the Editor

We are thrilled that Fall is here, bringing some of our favorite seasonal eats like apples, butternut squash and melons. Enjoy our suggestions for cooking with pumpkin in the Fresh, Seasonal, Delicious section below.

We would like to officially welcome our new Operations Administrative Assistant, Melissa Clark. She's been with us for two months and is proving to be such a tremendous help as we continue to grow. If you call us between 9AM - 3PM Monday-Friday, Melissa will be the one answering the phone and all of your questions!

We are gearing up for a busy Holiday Season! We are excited to offer our Thanksgiving Dinners To-Go for the second year in a row. We are partnering with Grow for their amazing turkeys and with Cookin' Stuff for a special gift-with-purchase. You'll be receiving emails soon with our Thanksgiving Menu and promotion details.

Our popular Thanksgiving cooking classes are filling up fast this season -- you can register on-line!  We will consider adding more classes if there are waiting lists.

...And then there are the Holidays!!  We are already booking Holiday parties and Gingerbread House Decorating Birthday parties for Kids!!  We are here to take the stress out of Holiday Entertaining through our cooking classes and catering.  We'll be sending out info on our sensational Holiday Menus for Cocktail Parties, Corporate Holiday Dinners and Holiday Dinner Parties. Contact us for more information on booking your holiday party!

It's hard to think about October without conjuring up pictures of pumpkins carved as Jack-O-Lanterns. But October is also the peak of the season for eating pumpkins. While all pumpkins are edible, many are simply not grown for eating. Most of the baby pumpkins are cultivated as an ornamental vegetable and the larger pumpkins are meant for carving. However, there are a number of varieties that fall into the "small pumpkin" category that are perfect for eating. They include: Sugar Treat, New England Pie and Peek-A-Boo. If you're at a Farmer's Market, as the farmer which kind they have and what’s best for cooking. At a regular grocery store, look for small pumpkins around 3 pounds and watch out for the varieties listed above for your best bets.

Cooking a pumpkin is much like cooking any other winter squash. Simply cut the top off and scrape out the seeds. Rub the inside with a mixture of butter and brown sugar. Sprinkle liberally with salt and throw in a cinnamon stick. Place on a baking sheet and roast at 400 degrees for about 1 hour or until the squash is tender. To test it, gently push a knife into the skin - it should pierce all the way through easily. Serve cut into pieces with a bit more butter. If you’re ambitious, try one of our all-time favorite Gourmet Magazine recipe for Roast Pumpkin Fondue - this is a show-stopper!!

For other tips on using pumpkin and other winter squash, join us for our Fall Fast & Fab Cooking Class, where we'll make an amazing Warm Roasted Squash, Bacon and Kale Salad that is delicious with fresh pumpkin.

Cooking with beer is one of the new culinary trends that we love. In honor of Oktoberfest, here are some basic tips and tricks to using beer in sweet and savory dishes.

Consider using a lager beer in place of white wine or an amber ale in place of red wine next time you’re recipe calls for wine. In particular, we like to use beer for braising meats. The bubbles help tenderize the meat and the complex flavor of beer reduces to make a delicious sauce.

Beer and mustard are a great combination! Try our Beer & Dijon Braised Pork - a simple recipe that uses an inexpensive cut of meat and yields amazing flavor.

Stout beer is also a perfect ingredient for desserts. It’s got a lower alcohol content and is laden with rich, molasses flavors. We love Nigella Lawson’s Chocolate Guinness Cake – we turn this recipe into cupcakes all the time!

Follow us now:
   

Join our Facebook  fan page!  Check out our tweets on Twitter! Follow us and you'll be the first to hear about upcoming special events, our favorite restaurants, recipes we love and the latest culinary trends.

Perfecting Thanksgiving Classics - It’s time for our favorite class of the year!! We will demystify turkey roasting (and carving!), demonstrate how to make the perfect gravy and give you fool-proof recipes to add to this year’s Thanksgiving celebration

Thanksgiving Desserts-  hands-on baking workshop.  We’ve got four spectacular and simple desserts that are perfect for your holiday celebration dinners.

Friday with Friends: Latin Thanksgiving - It hard to get away from serving those required Thanksgiving classics, so we’re providing some Latin inspiration to mix things up! Bring a date or just a friend for our popular FridayNight with Friends Series. This time we pair a bold and flavorful Latin Feast with wines that will work with any of your holiday celebration meals.

Sign up now!

We got you covered this Thanksgiving.