another week bites the dust

so seriously, can barely believe it's friday again - late friday night at that.

just arrived home from catering a wedding rehearsal dinner and am now putting the finishing touches on my prep to get ready for another weekend at the seaport market.

this week there are two new main courses.

the first is a new batch of smokey mac & cheese. there's smoked gouda, double smoked bacon, chipotle, oven-dried tomatoes, poblano peppers & corn with a panko crust.

small $9 large $18

then there's spinach & artichoke strata. a strata is a savoury breading pudding and this version is made with homemade bread, garlic, sundried tomatoes, basil, oregano, eggs, cream, artichokes, spinach & asiago cheese. i only made larges & they're packaged in 9-inch pie rounds and are large enough to serve 4-6 people.

large $15

there's also a fresh batch of beet, parsnip & pear soup. it's vegan & gluten-free with fresh herbs and a splash of cider vinegar. like all of the soups it's $7 for a 500ml container. the soup selection is quite extensive now that we're coming in to fall so be sure to check out the list on my freezer door at the market.

chipotle lime bbq sauce will also be back on my table this week. i've downsized to just the maple bourbon & chipotle lime flavours and will be sticking will those for the time being. small jars (250ml) are $5 and large jars (500ml) are $7.50.

there are three salads this week.

the broccoli remains unchanged with bacon, peppers, red onion, sunflower seeds & almonds.

the root veg salad is the same as last week:

there's red & green cabbage, carrots, parsnips, celery root, fennel, red onion, dill, parsley & a whole grain mustard dressing. it's vegan, gluten-free & my favourite thing on the menu at the moment (aside from chocolate frosting of course!).

then there's a new take on the quinoa salad this week. it has baked sweet potatoes, cherry tomatoes, roasted red peppers, green onions, lemon, cilantro, pumpkin seeds & a bit of spice.

all salads are $5 for a 500ml serving.

the sweets are pretty much the usual. banana cupcakes & lemon tarts are back this week.

i just need to go make two more batches of frosting & i'm done!!!

in addition to what i mentioned tonight, there is a ton of selection in the freezers right now... even more than fits on my blackboard at the market. fingers crossed that tomorrow is the start of another busy weekend. see you in the morning :)

turkey day

thank goodness i don't have to cook or bake for family thanksgiving dinner. i am already 'thanksgiving-ed' out.

this week has been a bit bananas. i've got my fingers crossed that it will be busy, busy, busy at the market tomorrow. 

typically i don't make full size pies or cakes - logistical nightmare - but for thanksgiving i made an exception. i have chai spiced pumpkin pies and streusel-topped apple pies.

come early, i seem to recall selling out within an hour last thanksgiving.

i'll also be serving up individual sized portions of each with fresh whipped cream, in lieu of lemon meringue tarts which will return next weekend.

i've got some other pumpkin treats up my sleeve too. there are gluten-free pumpkin cheesecakes with a gingerbread crust & little pumpkin cheesecake/cupcake hybrids that i haven't made in ages & ages... i forgot how much i like them & they'll be a fixture on my table for the next couple of weeks.

there's also the usual array of cupcakes, cookies, macaroons, snickers, walnut shortbreads, hello dolly's & oreo cheesecakes.

i also made a double batch of buttery dinner rolls to complement a thanksgiving spread.

the new main course this week is 'thanksgiving pie'. it's essentially a turkey dinner wrapped in to one bite. it's like a shepherd's pie but instead of beef there's turkey, gravy, carrots, peas, brussels sprouts & herbs. and instead of mashed potatoes, there's potato & bread dressing with cranberries & sage. the turkey is from shani's farm and it's pretty tasty!

here's the finished product:

small $10 large $20

i also backed up my soup inventory this week. there are fresh batches of baked beans, red pepper/tomato/sweet potato/chipotle and miso/mushroom/udon/choy.

oh & i almost forgot about salads! i decided to continue with the broccoli for one more week so that remains unchanged. then the other three salads will be vegan, festive & potentially served warm to complete a vegan thanksgiving feast.

the first is the red rice salad i did last winter - roasted butternut squash, walnuts, cranberries, maple.

the second is barley, wheatberry, radicchio, savoy, beet, pinenut & balsamic.

and the third is a winter vegetable slaw with cabbage, carrot, fennel, apple, dijon & herbs.

as of yet, none of the salads are complete, there are still pies to bake & frostings to be made. i'm working away but i may not get everything done. i'll try my best... how many days til christmas?

see you bright & early!