Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup with Cheesy-Garlic Croutons

The Ghost Of Christmas Past

Have you ever reflected back on things you’ve done in the past and cringed? I have. Unfortunately I have done that often, and it usually involved me and my potential for food snobbery.

The first time I hosted Christmas Eve I went a little overboard. I was on a mission, and out to prove that I was the Queen of Christmas. This would be no run of the mill jello salad Christmas Eve, baby! There would be smoked salmon, ham, various chutneys and mustards, deviled eggs, rolls, fresh baked cookies and the piece de resistance, a Bouche de Noel. (‘Cause doesn’t everyone have one of those?)

In reality I was just young and stupid. I have since learned that less is more when it comes to making a feast for 14 after working at the store all day. However one of the items I made that year was a Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup that was really, really good. (I served it in little demi tasse cups as soup shots. Go ahead. Roll your eyes.)

This soup is definitely not for everyday. It is a special occasion soup. It is decadent, and has enough heavy cream and butter in it to make having your cardiologist on speed dial a good idea. It is also a nice and elegant addition to your holiday dinner no matter what you serve it in. Read more…

Chocolaty Caramel Thumbprints

Cookie Time!

I have holiday whiplash. Just when I was settling into turkey and pie Thanksgiving was over, and now my family is getting ready for our Holiday Cookie Exchange this weekend. We bought our tree on Sunday, and now it is in it’s preferred spot awaiting adornment. I am in a mad dash around the house to get the rest of the decorations up in time for Sunday’s soiree. Did I mention that my husband was in New York on business all week, and that my daughter’s school called to have me pick her up because she is sick? Ho. Ho. Ho.

The good thing is that the kids are old enough now to actually help rather than hinder, and the help required is making cookies. Cleaning the bathroom would be nice too but I know that ain’t happenin’. What kid (or adult for that matter) doesn’t want to help make cookies?

For sanity’s sake, I am sticking with classics this year for my cookie line up. Shortbread, Swedish Ginger Cookies, Spritz Cookies and last but not least, just for decadence, I am making Chocolatey Caramel Thumbprints.

I am sucker for anything with chocolate, caramel and nuts so these babies are a no-brainer. I am still on the fence as to whether I will share them or not.…I think they will be my reward for cleaning the bathroom! Read more…

Holiday Cocktails

Thanks for the Giving

This week is the busiest week of the year for us here at the store. It is also my favorite. This is the week, despite the craziness and stress, neighbors stop to greet each other in front of the stuffing mix to ask them how their family is doing and to wish them Happy Thanksgiving. This is the week where long-time customers and even a few new ones reach across or around the counter to hug our employees and wish them a Happy Thanksgiving. And of course, the sentiment is returned.

This is the week that while we are preparing for our meals with our family, we all take a minute to give thanks for the extended family we meet in our daily lives. It is the very definition of neighborhood and community, and it is a really great thing.

To all our friends, customers, employees and neighbors, we would like to wish you all a safe and Happy Thanksgiving and a very merry holiday season!

To help with the merry, try one of these tasty concoctions guaranteed to keep you warm when it’s cold outside, baby… Read more…

Mincemeat Pie

Making Mincemeat of ‘Em

I love Thanksgiving. It is fast becoming my favorite holiday. In the past, if you had asked me what my favorite holiday was I would have quickly answered that it was Christmas. As I get older I seem to like Thanksgiving more and more.

Possibly it is because I love the Over The River And Through The Woods feel of the drive through the back roads of Central California to my mother-in-law’s house. It’s gorgeous. The leaves on the trees are all different colors. The persimmons hang on bare limbs of enormous trees. You can smell the wood fire smoke in the chilly morning air. Norman Rockwell perfect, I tell ya.

It is also possible that I like Thanksgiving because I don’t do all of the cooking. In fact I do very little if any at all. (Strange, I know but it is nice to just show up and be fed from time to time). This year, though, I am adding a little Larson flare to the Thanksgiving table.

Growing up, Gam, my mother’s mother, would always make a mince pie. Mince pie is a throwback to an older generation and is frankly very misunderstood. Since traditionally it was made using suet, a.k.a. beef fat, people assumed that mince pie would taste like, well, beef fat. It does not. It is actually made of dried fruits and nuts and is quite good. However, the only people of my childhood who would risk their taste buds and eat the Thanksgiving mince pies were Grandpa Larson (my Dad’s Dad), Pa (my Mother’s Step Father), and my dad because he never saw a pie he didn’t like. The rest of us treated mince pie like poison and stuck with the pumpkin.

I had the opportunity to try legit mince pie when I was traveling in Scotland, and I have been hooked ever since. I do admit I make it without the suet. In all fairness, I don’t even make the mincemeat. I use the jarred Robertson’s Classic Mincemeat that we carry in our gourmet department. It’s just as good as what I could make, and so much easier. I do add a splash of brandy. I can’t help myself. I just gotta mess with it a little.) And here’s another tip, the frozen Upper Crust ready made pie shells are by far the best frozen shells I have tasted, and they have a gluten-free version too. Just buy two shells, and roll out one for the top crust.

For those who are interested in trying a mince pie but don’t want to make it, or even just bake it, we have them available in our pastry case during the holidays and, frankly, we are one of the few markets who do, so grab your forks!