Hi Moira,
I have great news for you. At the last minute the landlady offered us a lower rent for the next six months at our store in Mt. Albert to give us a chance to build the business here into a viable enterprise. And we have decided to take her up on that offer. As a result we will be staying here for at least 6 months and hopefully a lot longer than that if we can develop the local support we need to continue to operate a store here. Thank you very much for your touching story about our store. We very much appreciate the loyalty we have received from folks like you and it broke our hearts to have to close our store here. However, perhaps with continued support from you and others we can find new customers and keep our store in Mt. Albert open over the long haul. Any ideas or suggestions you might have in this regard would be greatly appreciated. In the meantime, to celebrate our staying here, we are having a Grand Re-Opening Sale this coming Thursday, Friday and Saturday at our Mt. Albert store only. 10% off everything in the store for these 3 days only ~ while stock and supplies last. Please spread the word to your friends and neighbours. Look forward to seeing you at the store soon. We will bring in your milk again next week - hope that's okay. Thanks again for caring so much about what we are trying to do here. Yours ~ Bob Burrows @ clean food
Was I ever thrilled to receive this email! We have been given a second chance to help the Clean Food Connection succeed and I am going to try my best to get the word out there.
We had a lovely Christmas with lots of great food. I soaked our farm fresh turkey in a brine for about 24 hours before I put it in the oven. Nigella Lawson was the inspiration for that. She claimed that by soaking the turkey in a brine of water, salt, sugar, onion, orange, and various spices, you would end up with the juiciest of turkeys. The turkey ended up being wonderfully juicy and I would definitely do it that way again. My brother-in-law, Jake, cut the turkey up into manageable pieces and then we roasted the turkey for a much shorter time. We had turkey stock on the stove for most of the afternoon and evening. You might find the absence of stuffing in the bird a travesty, but my Mom made her stuffing in the crock pot and it was still very good. (picture is of myself and my sister Lori)We also enjoyed the Barefoot Contessa's Spinach Gratin and Smashed Sweet Potatoes with Apples, both recipes from her "Parties" cookbook. In the afternoon, we had fresh oysters, among other things, and the Barefoot Contessa's Mignonette from "Barefoot in Paris" was wonderful (a vinegar mixture with shallots, fresh dill and chives, etc., for spooning into your oyster shell just before devouring it). For Christmas dessert, Lori used up her stash of frozen passion fruit by making passion fruit curd from Nigella's "Feast" cookbook. I made meringue nests and then whipped up some organic cream. By that time, I don't think we had the energy, but I thought about sprinkling pomegranate seeds on top.
Soul & Oscar, or "the Hounds" as we affectionately call them, gave me a Japanese water stone for sharpening our knives. Included with the gift was a gadget which holds the knife in place at the right angle to ensure the best edge. We have yet to sharpen anything but I am one step closer to having beautiful knives once more. Their gift was purchased online from Lee Valley. Such thoughtful dogs!In 2008, I have a few trips planned that will keep me hopping with lots of food adventures. In February, I am off to New York City for a weekend of feasting and fun with my cousin Beth. In April, it is back to Vancouver Island for the 2nd Bi-Annual Girl's Weekend. In May, our whole family is heading to Newport, Rhode Island for the wedding of my cousin, Beth. So you see, this year really is shaping up to be something of a hum-dinger in the way of food!
As for blog business, I have decided to start replying to comments on the blog. I am sorry that I haven't done this sooner, but a lot of times I would email whoever left the comment directly and continue the conversation that way. Please feel free to leave comments and chances are I will now respond to them!
There seems to have been an issue about locating past recipes quickly and without having to scroll through every single recipe to find the one you're looking for. I have changed the blog so that when you see the past months on the right-hand side of the page, click on the little arrow and it will display every recipe from that particular month. Much more convenient.
Most of all, I want to continue trying new recipes and revisiting old ones, pouring through my cookbook collection, and writing about food just as I am thinking about it in my head. Thank you for reading "The Good Egg Blog" and I look forward to sharing many more recipes and stories with you in the year ahead!
