stick to your ribs

after the freakishly pleasant winter of 2012, everyone sort of forgot that winter is cold & snowy & it sucks. 2013 has thus far given us a reality check. 

i just want to eat. stick to your ribs, piping hot, comfort foods are really the name of the game at this time of year. it's pretty handy that i happen to sell those at the seaport market every weekend ;)

this week i actually didn't make any new main courses. on monday night i taught a little in-home cooking class/made a 3-course dinner for some gals. then as soon as that was finished i jumped on production to cater a lunch for 40 people on wednesday. this one turned out to be for a bunch of big names in provincial politics. 

things went swimmingly but didn't really leave a lot of time to cook for the market. fear not, my inventory is insane at the moment so there will still be lots of options this weekend.

italian braised beef with root vegetables, red wine, tomatoes & basil over soft, herb polenta  

small $10 large $20

thai red curry beef with coconut, lime & cilantro, with peppers, zucchini & japanese eggplant over rice

large $20

beef shepherd's pie with getaway farm ground, carrots, peas & corn with cheddar, mashed potatoes

small $10 large $20

chicken parmesan with buttermilk-marinated, breaded and then baked chicken breast with loads of cheese, pasta, spinach, fresh tomatoes & marinara

small $10 large $20

chicken, leek, broccoli & bacon pies in a rich, herb-gravy with a puff pastry lid

small $10 large $20

chipotle turkey with black bean & corn succotash, bell peppers, chillies, lime & rice with melted cheese

small $10 large $20

turkey and dressing pie with carrots, peas, sprouts & gravy topped with cranberry & sage, potato-bread dressing 

i think there are only 2 smalls left - $10 each

lobster mac & cheese with foxhill cheese curds, oven-dried tomatoes, leek bechamel & panko crust

small $12 large $24

fish cakes with salt cod, lemon, savoury, green onions & a breadcrumb crust 

 $10/pkg 4

vegan curry loaded with sweet potatoes, cauliflower, green beans, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, coconut milk, lime, cilantro & chillies over basmati rice & quinoa 

small $9 large $18

lentil shepherd's pie with mushrooms, kale, zucchini, tomatoes, peas, carrots, corn, sweet potatoes & parsnips with fresh herbs & a splash of balsamic

small $9 large $18

moroccan pumpkin tagine with dates, olives, lemon, peppers, tomato-ginger sauce & harissa quinoa with almonds

there are just a couple smalls left - $9 each

geez louise that's a novel! it doesn't even all fit on the blackboard right now. i remember the good ole days when i had 2-4 options a week...

i'm cutting down on salad production this week a little. i'll still have four flavours (broccoli, quinoa, beet & sweet potato) just smaller batches of each. the quinoa is switching back to the holiday version with grapefruit, pomegranate, parsley & fennel. i figure it's more soup weather right now though.

speaking of soup, i finished the carrot/apple/ginger this week so here's what's in the freezer:

carrot/apple/ginger (vegan, gluten-free)

curried butternut squash (vegan, gluten-free)

vegetable stew (vegan, gluten-free)

beet, parsnip & pear (vegan, gluten-free)

miso mushroom (vegan)

baked beans (vegetarian)

seafood chowder

hearty chicken stew

classic beef stew

on the dessert front, i made a new concoction this week:

it's a brown, butter blondie base (a blondie is a brownie without the chocolate) topped with a fairground inspired concoction of caramel popcorn, pretzels & peanuts. i actually haven't eaten one yet so i'm not sure exactly how they turned out but they look pretty good!

these are in addition to the usual array of cookies, cheesecakes, brownies, bars, squares, tarts & cupcakes.

time to get in the kitchen & i hope to see everyone over the weekend because i have a lot of stuff to sell!!!

ps: please, please, please come on sundays. they have been really boring & i need visitors :)