I hope all of you had a joyous holiday with your family and friends.  I would like to especially thank our many customers whose support of To The Last Drop made this a very successful and festive first season. 

As we will do every year, To The Last Drop will be closed from December 24, 2008- January 13, 2009.

However, we will be regularly checking voicemails as well as emails while we’re closed in case you want to sign up for an upcoming class.

Speaking of classes, our cooking classes are filling up as well as weekend events at our store. You’re welcome to reserve your date for a special dinner with friends, a class or two or a business gathering.

There will be new items added to the take-home food menus beginning January that will keep us warm and satisfied through the winter months…soups, pastas, empanadas,individual pizzas.

I will return to blogging as usual beginning on Sundays in January- starting January 11th.

Thank you again for your interest and patronage of To The Last Drop. We look forward to a new year filled with good food, memorable events and meeting new friends.

Claudia Pierson

Weekly menu for Week of December 14th
(Remember we’re always adding new items throughout the week)

Soups:
Tuscan Tomato
Chicken Noodle

Entrees:
To The Last Drop Meatloaf
Thai Peanut Noodles with Sauteed Chicken and Snap peas
Double Baked Potatoes
Pulled Pork Bbque
Fresh Pasta with Bolognese Meat Sauce
Crab Cakes with Waterfront sauce

Salads:
Chicken Salad
Pasta Salad

Signature Spreads:
Shrimp
Sun dried Tomato
Roquefort
Artichoke mushroom

Additions:
Italian Breadsticks
Parmesan Wafers
Cookies

Week of December 15, 2008

One of my favorite movies is” Its A Wonderful Life” with Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed.Movies of those days were not only filled with emotion but also with the simple beauty of a long gaze between two people across the room, heartfelt songs that had lyrics everyone could relate to and a lesson for us to take away after the film was over. I know I will be showing my age (I have finally become my parents!) but I am at least old enough to see that a good deal of that is missing now and is missed.

So much of our daily lives are so complicated with choices, molded and remolded, new and improved versions of things that were simple and wonderful at the start. The holidays always get me on my sentimental binges when I find the simple pleasures in everything around me-even the food I prepare. While the parties and gatherings often call for a sophisticated menu and guests are treated to the special treats that debut once a year- there is still and will always be, a desire to incorporate the homemade cookies and traditions which feed our souls much more than our stomachs.

Just as I will share some of those traditions with my children and friends, I would also like to share some of them with you. During the next ten days I will have some of my favorite things at the shop. No set menu- just as I make them for home I will make some for you. Stop in and see what is available that day, spread some holiday cheer, and if you would like, share a favorite recipe of yours with me.

I have been fortunate to be able to share in some of your holiday parties, see your homes filled with warmth, witness the blessings of good friends, family, laughter and affection. While it is work, it is much more. You have invited us for a birds eye view of life at its best- and I thank you for that. It is a reminder each time I return from an event that truly “It’s A Wonderful Life”. I will look forward to many momentous occasions with new friends- weddings, anniversaries, birthdays… and at each invitation, I will bring my sense of tradition and my respect for the simple joys in life. Some things don’t need to be improved upon- they are wonderful and provide riches beyond comparison for us.

Enjoy your days of preparation and anticipation…..

Weekly blog- December 8, 2008

I had a full house of kids this weekend- the snow brought out all the excitement of winter and the holiday approaching and by noon I had boots, sleds, gloves, and coats strewn everywhere. Cocoa and snacks, chili and cornbread, and the best part of it all…..a fresh cut tree in the living room. In the midst of all of this,a friend of my sons made a comment that truly will stay with me for a long time. “if there were a candle that smelled like your kitchen, I would buy it and burn it every day.”

We have all seen those candles that smell like “sugar cookies” ,apple pie”, “fresh baked bread”…. I guess when it truly comes down to it, we long for those wonderful aromas because they bring back memories of childhood, offer us some comfort and calmness in our busy lives, and immediately make us have a very simple happiness within. We have so many conveniences in our world now that create more time or us; yet, we seem to have less and less time to do what really matters.

I hope that in your own busy days there is a small time for gathering of friends,family or quiet time for yourself. Within that time share some warm cookies, some fresh baked recipe that was once shared with you and a return to what we know we all long for….simple and meaningful pleasures.

I most likely will never have a candle that is named “Claudia’s kitchen” but I will always have a kitchen both at home and at To The Last Drop that is filled with many friends, many aromas, and food that I hope will make you happy. Happy is good…..

Come in and pick up these Cuisine to Go menu items for a cozy meal at home.

Soups:
Italian Tortellini
Roasted red pepper and tomato
Butternut squash
Cream of asparagus

Entrees:
Thai peanut noodles with sauteed chicken
Chicken parmagiana
Fettucine alfredo
Fresh linguini with a bolognese sauce
Pork tenderloin with dijon mustard sauce
Meatloaf

Roasted potatoes with gruyere and herbes de provence
Green beans with shallots and mushrooms

Signature spreads:
Roquefort
Shrimp
Sundried tomato

Remember to check out our baked goods as well….baguettes each day, breadsticks, parmesan wafers, cookies and more!

Thanksgiving has passed for another year and I hope you all found yourself among loved ones and friends.

Sometimes the simple gifts of the season are the very best- time shared together, stories of family and all faiths told and re-told, traditions strengthened as well as created for the very first time and many of those seem to center around food and meals. Those memories last long past the season- they become a part of us and help define our roots and foundation. There seems to be a part of all of us that desires to pass on a part of our childhoods and those roots whatever they may be. It keeps us connected, keeps us grounded.

As I cook each day here in the kitchen I think a lot about who will be sharing this food. While I did not attend all the dinners on Thanksgiving where my food was present, I did feel a part and wondered about each.What were the families sharing, what were their many blessings… it is what I do each day as I prepare the menu for the week- and with that, it creates the feeling that we are somehow connected.

So, in this season, reach out to not just family and friends but to others around you. There may be a person who would love to share a meal, hope to have a friend to talk to over coffee, and be waiting for you to open that door. Open the door, unlock the latch and share a part of you- the best gift of the season.

I hope you will stop in and allow us to share a part of us with you with our cocoa on snowy days, homemade soups and pastas and dinners for you to share with your family or even that stranger on the other side of the door.

Happy Holidays!

OUR MENU THIS WEEK INCLUDES:
chicken wild rice and mushroom soup
butternut squash soup
Tuscan tomato soup
Italian tortellini soup
roasted red pepper and tomato soup

lemon chicken
chicken parmigiana-Friday
fettucini alfredo
pork tenderloin with wild rice and mushrooms with a dijon mustard sauce-Friday
fresh linguini with bolognese meat sauce

italian breadsticks
parmesan wafers
garlic cheddar biscuits

To The Last Drop Signature chocolate chip cookies (Yum!)