back at it

so much has happened over the last couple of weeks that the blog has definitely fallen by the wayside.

last week i had the biggest catering gig of my life. on saturday night, right after the market, i catered a kosher event at the Shaar Shalom Synagogue to celebrate their 60th anniversary. to ensure it was kosher, i did a fair bit of research, asked a ton of questions & prepped in the kitchen at the synagogue all week. it was quite an undertaking, i worked a 20-hour workday last saturday but everything went well & it was fantastic exposure for my business... phewf! (i had been a weee bit stressed.)

then at noon the next day i was on a plane heading off on vacation. five days without picking up a knife, washing a dish or baking a thing, it was grand. things have been really busy with the business lately so it was great to get away just before the christmas insanity begins.

i got back late last night, just in time to do all of my baking for the market this weekend. there will be the usual assortment:

breakfast cookies

snickers brownies

spicy chocolate brownies

maple walnut shortbreads 

hello dolly's

goat milk fudge

and of course cupcakes. this week i will have vanilla, pink grapefruit, red velvet, lemon-blueberry, carrot-maple. chocolate, chocolate-mint and gluten-free chocolate.

my mum did the grocery shopping for me while i was away. but i decided to skip the salads this week for a number of reasons - too much running around, too much to do in one day, plus i'm still on vacation mode... hope no one's too disappointed but they'll be back next week.

while i didn't make any new main courses this week, there's still plenty of selection in the freezers:

beef shepherd's pie  small $10 large $20

moroccan meatballs  large $20

sesame ginger pulled pork  small $10 large $20

holiday pulled pork with sweet potato casserole  large $20

chicken, leek, broccoli & bacon pies  small $10 large $20

mediterranean vegetable & feta ragu  small $9 large $18

lentil shepherd's pie  small $9 large $18

vegan thai green curry  large $18

i have a huge poultry order to pick up tomorrow from shani's farm so look for the return of jerk chicken & turkey-dressing pies next week, perhaps even a butter chicken dish.

also just a reminder, next weekend is the halifax crafter's holiday show at the olympic centre on cunard street. i'll have some helpers to take care of things at the market but i'll be holding down the fort over there. i'm super stoked for this show, great, quirky, original christmas gifts as accessible prices. plus they have ckdu on site spinning cool tunes all day so it makes for a great vibe. make sure to check it out!

since we're also getting in to the holiday season, don't forget that i sell GIFT CERTIFICATES! they're available in any denomination & can be picked up at the market. i'll have plenty with me this weekend - see you then :)

zombie apocalypse

should the zombie apocalypse commence tomorrow, i'm as ready as i'll ever be. i have enough frozen food on hand to last quite awhile.

last week i was pretty overwhelmed with catering - appetizers & sweets for 60 on halloween & a 4- course sit down dinner for 10 on friday night - hence the lack of a blog update or any new frozen options. needless to say, the freezer was pretty bare at the beginning of the week:

this week was pretty mellow on the catering front so i took the opportunity to replenish my frozen meals in a big way. there are a whopping 5 new mains, most just fresh batches of old favourites. 

this is how it looks now:

i started out vegan with a new batch of lentil shepherd's pies. the 'meat' layer is lentils, mirepoix, mushrooms, swiss chard, tomatoes, zucchini, peas & corn. it's topped with a winter vegetable puree consisting of parsnips, celery root, turnip, cauliflower & sweet potato with some nutritional yeast to add cheesiness.

small $9  large $18

ps: it's gluten-free!

next up was grilled mediterranean vegetable ragu with herby quinoa. this one combines everyone's favourite flavours from the focaccia i typically make for parties...

...minus the gluten. there's loads of grilled veg - zucchini, baby eggplant, red onion, red peppers - in a tangy tomato sauce with kalamata olives, sun dried tomatoes, feta, parmesan & goat cheese. it's served up with quinoa tossed with olive oil, garlic & fresh oregano.

small $9  large $18 - vegetarian & gluten free

then it was on to the meat. first up were moroccan meatballs, featuring getaway farm beef, in a piquant tomato sauce with harissa quinoa. this has become the best seller on the menu lately. it's gluten-free & cow dairy-free. there are tons of interesting flavours too - sumac, dates, harissa, citrus, coriander, ginger, olives, cumin, almonds...

small $10  large $20

then i made a big batch of sesame ginger pulled pork again featuring meat from getaway farm. i braised the shoulder overnight with soy, ginger, chillies & rice vinegar. the next day it was shredded & combined with broccoli, celery, nappa cabbage, baby bok choy, lime & cilantro. it's paired with jasmine rice with bean sprouts & green onions.

small $10  large $20

the final main course of the week was a batch of chicken, leek, broccoli & bacon pies. the chicken came from both shani's farm & thousand hills farm. it was braised and mixed up with double smoked bacon, melted leeks, root veggies, broccoli & fresh herbs. the whole lot got topped off with puff pastry and a brush of egg wash.

small $10  large $20

i also made a birthday cake yesterday for one of my most favourite little guys who comes to visit almost every weekend. i don't know who was more excited about it, me or him. i think it's probably the use of sprinkles but i absolutely love this cake!

ok i still have lots to do tonight but i'm getting there. the baking is done! there are 3 kilos of fudge to hopefully last the weekend, 8 types of cupcakes, 4 types of bars & breakfast cookies. i think that's plenty!

i have yet to make the salads, but i will have broccoli, sweet potato & quinoa on the menu this week. the quinoa will be the version with fennel, olives & grapefruit.

i'm also working on a new offering for obladee wine bar. i'm concocting a sharp onion jam to pair with the charcuterie & cheese offerings. it's going to be fairly acidic & should make for a nice accompaniment to the richer meats & nuttier cheeses... well that's what i'm going for anyway!

alrighty back to work & if you need provisions during the zombie apocalypse, you know where to find me.