Being we are in the week leading to Thanksgiving, it is the official start to the holidays. I hope you will include To The Last Drop in your holiday preparations and entertaining! Stop in or visit the What’s Cooking site to see what we offer to help with the sharing of good times and family this Thanksgiving.

Our Christmas sides and specialty foods will be listed on the website the week of December 1 as well as available for orders in the shop. I will have several favorites of my family as well as some I hope will soon become yours.

I called one of my brothers last night to remind him of the relentless teasing he and the others gave me about my first attempt at gravy- the lumps were magnified over the years and the story has gotten bigger than life. However, now that I can make a gravy that is actually edible, that memory is still a part of our family like so many others.

I wish you many happy memories in the making that are spun together with laughter, beginnings, traditions and the sharing of good food. I will get out my weathered copy of “It’s A Wonderul Life” that makes its seasonal debut each Thanksgiving, watch it for the first of a hundred times this holiday, count my many blessings and look forward to all the joy in the weeks ahead.

During this upcoming holiday season, I hope our paths will cross and you will stop in for some cocoa on a snowy afternoon, warm yourself with some homemade soup, or just pause for a moment to see what old movie is on in the kitchen.

Happy Thanksgiving and many blessings for a holiday season of warmth and comfort.

Claudia

Weekly menu:

For your convenience, we’ll be open 11am-8pm on Wednesday, November 26th to give you time to pick up your menu items.

For those of you with extra family or friends staying through the weekend, To The Last Drop will be open late the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving - from 11am - 8pm - in case you need to stop in for more home-cooking for your guests.

Soups:
   Tuscan Tomato
   Butternut Squash
   Potato Corn Chowder
   Roasted Chicken, wild rice and mushroom

Meatloaf
Twice baked potatoes
Stuffed shells
Lemon Chicken

For your Thanksgiving needs:

Signature red pepper and cranberry relish
Signature shrimp spread
Signature sun dried tomato spread
Red pepper and sun dried tomato coulis

Sweet potato puree
Blanched carrots broiled with horseradish

Parmesan herb breadsticks
Parmesan wafers

This week is passing very quickly it seems and before we come to the end, I wanted to thank all of you who were able to attend the Open House last weekend. It was great to see many old friends and to meet many new ones.

The shop was filled with laughter, music, a holiday buzz and the anticipation of snow. I hope each of you felt at home and will be back to visit and take a class, try some of our food to go or stay and cook a meal! Just like at my home, I love a full house of people and the sharing of food.

The anticipation of snow…I must say, I do so with joy being from Chicago and loving the changes of seasons. In celebration of those snowflakes coming down and to help ease the pain for those of you who do not get excited when they fall, I will have hot homemade cocoa for anyone that visits on the days when the snow is falling. Not when it is sitting there on the ground…..but actually falling as those big lacy flakes that make even most grownups grin.  I will look forward to seeing you! 

A reminder for Thanksgiving orders…please place your order by this Saturday, November 21, and pick-up will be the day before Thanksgiving up until 8 p.m. The coolers at the store will be filled with some soups, spreads and holiday goodies all next week for your guests and families. 

Until next time…
Claudia 

Stop by To The Last Drop this week for these Cuisine To Go menu items!

Soups:
Butternut squash
Tuscan Tomato
Chicken with wild rice and Mushroom-Friday/Sat
Italian Tortellini- Friday/Sat

SALADS:
Chicken salad
Caprese salad
Pesto chicken pasta salad-Friday

ENTREES:

Beef Stroganoff
Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken
Meatloaf
Twice baked potatoes
Lemon Chicken-Friday/Sat
Stuffed Shells-Friday/Sat.
Shrimp Spread
Red pepper Coulis
Cranberry and red pepper relish
Sundried Tomato spread- Friday/Sat

Fresh baguettes- every day
Other assorted breads/savory snacks

Welcome to Lucy’s Corner, which will be my ongoing blog about cooking, kids, pets, friends, places to go, things to do and other experiences to share.

As this is my first post, on my first blog, on my first website, about my first business, I hope you’ll allow me this time to thank all of those friends and associates who’ve helped make To The Last Drop a reality.

To all my family who’ve supported me every step of the way, I love you and thank you for your ongoing words of wisdom and advice (especially you, Mom!), your belief in my talents and your love of my cooking which is why To The Last Drop is here.

I especially want to thank the three greatest children any Mother could hope to have in her life. They’ve sacrificed time with Mom, took on more responsibility and have continually supported my dream of establishing To The Last Drop.

To George Small and all the workmen who toiled so hard to bring To The Last Drop to life, thank you for going the extra mile to ensure everything was built just right. I now have a beautiful place of business because of your craftsmanship and dedication.

To my many new clients whose immediate support has overwhelmed me, thank you for your business. I pledge to continue to cook great Cuisine To Go items, hold fun Cooking Classes and deliver extra personal service with every Catering assignment.

To my inaugural staff  I thank you for your patience and dedication. Your pride in what you are doing shows and your smiles and weekly notes mean a great deal. We have lots of fun ahead!

Next time you visit, Lucy’s Corner will contain other stories and reflections as I head down this wonderful path. Thank you for reading.

Claudia

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays as it’s the one holiday where the meal is the centerpiece of the occasion. As a cook, you can guess I really appreciate the tradition of families and friends gathering over a wonderful dinner and celebrating their friendship and love for each other.

To The Last Drop would love to be a part of your Thanksgiving celebration with our delicious selection of sides and appetizers, made especially for this very special holiday.

For Thanksgiving we’ll be featuring:

• 3 soups the week of Thanksgiving - Butternut Squash, Tuscan Tomato and Potato Corn Chowder
• Thanksgiving sides include Sweet Potato Souffle, Butternut Squash Stuffing and Traditional Stuffing
• Delicious Carrot Horseradish Casserole
• Shrimp Spread and Sun Dried Tomato Spread

For your convenience, we’ll be open 11am-8pm on Wednesday, November 26th to give you time to pick up your menu items.

For those of you with extra family or friends staying through the weekend, To The Last Drop will be open late the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving - from 11am - 8pm - in case you need to stop in for more home-cooking for your guests.

Please give us a call to reserve your items - 979-3233 - and we’ll have them ready for you to pick up.