a much better week

i'm feeling about a million times better than last week! thank goodness, to miss a saturday market is sort of a big deal for my business. many thanks to all my faithful regulars who stopped by the sunday market last week to pick up their weekly goodies, it softened the blow. 

so, last week before things got dicey, i made a batch of smokey mac & cheese that's loaded with double smoked bacon, green onions, roasted cherry tomatoes & beautiful local corn from elmridge. there's a cheese trio of parmesan, mozzarella & foxhill curds in a garlicky bechamel sauce. this one would make a great side for any bbq meal... or supper on its own really, maybe with a salad ;)

small $9 large $18

the other mains on the board this week are:

beef shepherd's pie

moroccan beef meatballs

brisket & blue

chipotle pulled pork

sweet & sour pork meatballs (only 1 left)

chicken pot pie (only smalls)

lobster mac & cheese

fishcakes & beans

vegan curry

lentil shepherd's pie

the poultry selections are getting a little thin, but fear not, i have loads of chicken on order from shani's farm for pickup tomorrow :)

since i didn't make it to the saturday market, my freezer stocks weren't depleted as much as usual so i skipped a new main course this week. i did however start replenishing my soup selection. over the summer months there's a marked decrease in soup sales so i've been letting inventory turn over. but this week i went bean crazy!

there's a new batch of baked beans - sold on their own for $7 or with 4 salt cod fish cakes for $15. i call them 'not your mother's baked beans.' they are super tangy thanks to a combo of tomato paste, vinegar, worchester, maple, molasses, onions and a few secret herbs & spices. they're more like a bbq baked bean and work really well as a side to ribs or pulled pork.

i also made a batch of white bean, lemon & kale soup. this one is vegan & gluten-free, but you wouldn't know to taste it. the beans are cooked low & slow with caramelized onions and roasted garlic until they become really rich & creamy - without the help of any dairy. then to freshen things up, i hit it with lots of lemon & kale at the end. the kale is this batch is exclusively from my garden!!!

the other flavours in the freezer right now are:

curried butternut squash (vegan, gluten-free)

tomato, vegetable stew (vegan, gluten-free)

roasted red pepper, tomato, sweet potato & chipotle (vegetarian)

black bean & corn chili (vegan, gluten-free)

chicken stew

beef stew (there's only 1 left)

seafood chowder

they're all $7 each for a 500ml portion not matter the flavour

the salad selection will be back to normal tomorrow too. i'm finished the broccoli, beet & sweet potato already. i just have the quinoa to finish up. it'll be the curry version with lots of spice, crunchy veggies & i think i'll throw some spicy, stewed chickpeas in this week's version.

special orders also kept me on my toes this week. every monday i'm now making meal deliveries to bedford, if you'd like to hop on that train just let me know. i'm in the hammond's plains area every monday afternoon-ish. then there was a very special birthday cake yesterday.

and i just got home from dropping off a selection of appetizers & cupcakes which are now en route to a cottage party tomorrow. their menu included:

caprese salad skewers with garlicky bocconcini & balsamic tomatoes

olive tapenade, creamy blue cheese & truffled white bean dips

a selection of vegetables & crackers

mini waldorf chicken salad sandwiches on homemade flax seed buns

smoked salmon mousse in savoury profiteroles

i forgot how much i love making profiteroles...pressing my nose against the glass & watching them rise... the anxiety & then the relief when it all works out!

before:

after:

ok back to the kitchen, quinoa time. oh & decorating 150 cupcakes for a wedding tomorrow! hope to see you all over the weekend & that you're enjoying this gorgeous friday evening.