A brief but heartfelt blog this week!

Many blessings to all of you and your families for a beautiful Holiday season. We all come from different backgrounds, share many different faiths and walk unique and varied paths in our lives. Our differences do not divide us but give us all the opportunity to practice understanding. tolerance and kindness. We share that which does unite us- a desire to be loved and love in return and a yearning to be a part of something much bigger than ourselves.

With that in mind, I wish you a season of joy, goodwill, loving kindness and understanding.

We will be closed from December 20-January 5th. Best wishes for the New Year as well and I will see you in 2010!!

With Blessings-

Claudia

I am counting down the days- 10 to be exact! Not the days left to mail packages and haver them arrive in time for Christmas. Not the days left until Christmas . Not the days left in the year 2009.

I am counting down the days until my son returns from his first semester at college. To hear that familiar door slam and “Mom!” called will be the best Christmas present of all- nothing else required. To go to sleep at night knowing he is in his bed upstairs and to wake every morning to him sauntering into the kitchen for some breakfast is all I want/all I need. I can’t wait to have him put the last few ornaments we have saved for him on the tree. Can’t wait to hear him laugh with his sisters. Can’t wait to see his crooked smile and have one of the enormous hugs. And my heart will be full and overflowing when he comes down those stairs with his sisters on Christmas morning just as they have done for many many years.

His sisters and I are not the only ones who will be very happy he is home- Maddie will be so happy that “her boy” is here. When they lock eyes and he says “hello girl” she, too, will feel that overwhelming joy. Maddie is our fifteen year old rescue dog. We have had her fourteen of those years and when she had aged enough and earned her place inside the house, she became Todd’s roomate. For years they have slept together and awakened together and when she became so weak and arthritic that it seemed impossible to go up the stairs to his room- she did it. There was no keeping her from Todd.

Maddie, by all medical logic, should not be here today but her sheer will to live and her desire to remain with us has sustained her an additional 1 1/2 years beyond the day we considered putting her to sleep after seeing the reports. Having done that before with other dogs, we chose to give Maddie the choice to tell us when it was time- we are still waiting for that day. There are signs and some days we listen more carefully but the message has not been spoken. Ten days until Todd’s return and I pray I don’t hear it.

We now have a baby gate at the stairwell so that Maddie will not attempt to climb the stairs (she also loves the girls and wants to always be with us no matter where we go). I know that the gate will be moved aside and Maddie will follow step by step each night with “her boy”- slowly and surely. The return trip down may need some strong arms to carry her but she will do the ascent on her own for the prize at the end will keep her going.

Homecomings are precious- the moment of reuniting is beyond words. I know that one dog in particular will not need words- her tail and eyes will do the talking and it will speak volumes.

May all your homecomings this season be filled with joy and the reuniting of loved ones in your lives. I will be closed from December 20-January 5th so as not to miss all those precious moments. When we re-open in January we will have warm breakfasts to go, new items in our coolers to bring home for dinner or share at gatherings with friends, classes to join and cooking to do!  Check out all the many places on our website and visit the shop- we will be there until the 19th cooking and watching “It’s A wonderful Life”. Sfter that….I will be savoring a truly wonderful life at home.

Until next week-

Thanksgiving has now past and we are moving ahead to the next holiday to share in and savor. This year, the memory of Thanksgiving will stay with me all year through and more. I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday with families and friends.

From the time we landed in Florida last Wednesday and returned last night late, our hours were filled with the enjoyment of sharing meals and preparation together. I just spent the holiday with my three children, my siblings, their children and my parents and a very special person who endured the initiation into our family life. Together, for five days, we cooked, ate, cooked, ate and laughed until our stomachs were either too full or too tired from the laughing.

Wednesday we shared a dinner and cooked pies,potatoes, appetizers until the wee hours of the night. Thanksgiving was of course filled with more early morning cooking and baking and then the sharing of one enormous dinner a movie and lots of stories. Friday was a very special celebration and dinner out for my parents 60th anniversary followed by more desserts and home movies dating back to 1923. (I was only in the ones from 1960 on thank you very!) Saturday was filled with decorating my Mom and Dad’s home for Christmas and of course, more food and yesterday we dragged ourselves to the airport very thankful they were only weighing our suitcases and not us!

Throughout the entire weekend I could not help but notice how the creating and sharing of food was a bond and a place of meeting for us to engage with one another, share and work together and relax and laugh. One brother was terribly missed at the table but not in spirit and the stories, food and drink flowed freely.

Gatherings do not have to be formal, do not have to be planned with perfection and do not have to be “gourmet” whatever that word has come to mean in this culture. They need to be planned and shared with joy, meaningful emotion and a desier to share much more than what is on the plate. The nourishment that I gained over the past five days was far more in my heart than in my stomach. I am filled up in more ways than one.

So, plan a gathering with some friends, neighbors, co-workers. Skip the crowded restaurants and choose a small and intimate place or home. Create together, share more than the meal, and start a new movement of bringing people back to the table. You will be happy you did and your heart will be full….as well as your stomach!

Happy Holidays!

On Thursday there will be a slowing down, a sharing of stories, laughter and hugs. Tables will be adorned with home cooked meals prepared with love and holding many secrets of years past and families and friends will share time together- something we should all do more often.

My children and I and will be traveling to share the holiday with my parents, all of my siblings and most of their children and some special others in our lives. My son will join us from his first year at college- I can hardly wait to see him. We will cook together, watch old movies, tell our stories and treasure the time with one another. Through a year of dealing with many struggles such as Alzheimers, cancer and challenges of the economy we will put all that aside and remember the many many blessings we have and all for which we should be thankful.

I wish all of you a day and want you to know I am truly thankful for the opportunities you have given me, the events in which you have allowed me to share, and for your support, encouragement and generosity.

I look forward to sharing the holiday season with you- we will have the new class list for January-June 2010 available online and in the shop December 1.  Gift certificates are available for classes, meals or private dinners. We will also have special holiday treats, spreads and items to purchase at the shop for your holiday entertaining. Stop in and visit, have a cup of cocoa on a snowy day and watch a minute or two of “It’s a Wonderful Life”…you know it will be playing!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Claudia

I am cooking more turkeys this week than I ever done within a years time. Lots and lots of turkeys, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and gravy!! I still get a moment of anxiety over my gravy because of my older brothers teasing me about it one year long long ago. Altrhough it has now been 40 years since the word “lumpy” sent me into tears and onto my bed, it still haunts me!

I hope you don’t have that type of scarring with any portion of your meal this holiday. I have long since conquered the lumps but also know that turkeys, stuffing, sides can all give a person some worry especially when a table full of family and friends is waiting for that perfect meal that will bring back old and create new memories. That’s a lot of pressure on the cook!

If you find yourself in need of some advice or some sides, spreads wtc. that will help- just call. I will be cooking turkeys all week and taking orders for Thanksgiving dishes. Check out my website and the menu and call or stop in to place an order. All orders need to be picked up on November 24th- just keep that in mind.

Thanks to all who stopped by at the Open House on Saturday- it was a nice day and I appreciate your sacrifice of thie unbelieveable weather outside to come inside and try some food, sign-up for classes and see what was cooking- literally! It was a great day and I really enjoyed seeing you-

Until next week….

If any of you have read any of my previous blogs or know me personally- you know this is a subject close to me. I am a very traditional person and have roots with parts of my life that run very deep. I think to some, looking at some of these things which I am rooted to would seem trivial, perhaps a bit superficial, and even a bit odd. So be it. I have along with the people in my life, a deep connection to and attachment to things and actions.

Tradition is there as I still keep in contact with several of my childhood friends, college friends, post college New York friends, and past neighbors. I still write letters and send birthday cards (although my memory is a bit taxed in the past two years or so), still love to make homemade Christmas cards and send a picture of the kids (they hate me for it) and count as my most favorite moments those which are shared with old friends, siblings and of course, my kids. I have belongings that will never ever leave my side-momentos, books, furniture, jewlery that has been loved for many many years by members of my generational family. I was sorting through many things this past weekend and realized that such items are not just stuff or things- they are a part of me. I know some may disagree and say we should not allow ourselves to become attached to material things. I don’t love these things, however, because they create a persona, gain superficial and social respect or because I “need” them to make me whole. I love them because they are me as they are a part of my story, a part of where I have come from and  part of those who have loved these things in the past. They make me feel I belong to something more that today and that I have stories and memories that are important and can continue on to my children and their children……

I also love the events and behaviors that are traditional for me. Waking my kids every morning and bringing them breakfast (I know, you are struggling to believe that one), allowing one “outside” dog at a time in the house as they become the oldest and in need of extra TLC. We have done this three times and sadly are about to follow this tradition again as Maddie enters her last weeks with us. I love watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” for the first time every Thanksgiving night, watching “I love Lucy” whenever I cook, and Sundays in the winter, in the kitchen with a classic old movie, making a comfort food dinner to enjoy.

Traditions- they only have to make sense to you and that is what counts. However, the richness of those traditions deepens with every loved one, friend and even sometimes stranger, with whom you share them.

I hope as we enter the holiday seasons and all the traditions that we each have- you will find someone new to share them with and grow deeper those special memories.

I would love to hear from everyone, their favorite traditions of the holiday season. I would love to hear of some of your special meals, creations in the kitchen and family gatherings. Look for my email newsletter next month for some of my favorite holiday meals- maybe even a story or two!

Stop in on December 1st for some home cooking and the first run of “Its A Wonderful Life” fp the season!!

Here we are, in November, and I am confused. I went to several stores over the weekend running my usual errands and each time I left a store I felt as though I was in some time warp. I knew it was Halloween weekend because I got out my “ghoul goblets” , watched as costumes were being assembled, and got out our collection of scary old movies. Yet, I turned one corner and there were all the decorations and menu items for Thanksgiving. People were buying solid pack pumpkin, ready made crusts and bags of stuffing. No sooner did I pass through Thanksgiving that before me were ornaments, tinsel, cards and an array of fake trees.

So….what month is this? In what season are we? It seems to me that we have forgotten how to savor moments, times in our lives, and the uniqueness of every day. I do understand the black and white- marketing, retail, businesses struggling to survive in this economy. I also understand that we lose so much along the way. Life is in the journey. We have forgotten to savor each year as it passes, each season as it changes and brings with it so many different and wonderful gifts, each holiday as it provides much more than a business and marketing opportunity, and each day as we cross the paths of many many people and fail to notice them or engage with them on the way.

The terms sweet and savory are often used in culinary text. Sweet, without a doubt, is a wonderful treat to our senses. Savory is welcomed as it adds a bit of variety and flavor. Alone, each are a necessary part of cooking. Together….well, together they are unbeatable. Life to me is sweet and savory. While we like the “sweet” moments and parts of life such as all the things we want rather than perhaps need and constant and instant gratification for ourselves, we should love the savory. We should “savor the savory”. Take the time to see each day for what it is without rushing ahead to the next day, week, month of our lives.

Savor the planning and anticipation of the Thanksgiving holiday as it approaches. Reflect upon all the blessings and that for which we should be thankful. Savor the moments that take you down that path of sweetness that can often be blinding and a bit misleading rather than just the sweet treats at the end. Sprinkle your life with the savory- slow down and allow roots to take hold, meaningfulness to return and a whole life to be embraced.

I will not be putting out my Christmas decorations until Thanksgiving is past. I will be savoring the moments and not wishing them away after the meal is done and dishes washed. As my “ghoul goblets” get placed back away in the pantry and  I put away the costume box and other Halloween traditions, I will be able to smile remembering this past Halloween. I will savor the memories and they will be embedded in my memory forever- no regrets that I didn’t take the time to enjoy the journey.

Fill your days with sweet and the savory- it makes for such a well balanced meal!

Claudia

Here’s to hoping this week brings better health and some regular schedules. Whatever flu it was that visited my home last week, it was a flu that I pray has no other visiting relatives in town- or in this state- or in existence! I lost a week. I was even too sick to cook and for me, that is on death’s bed.

That was last week and thsi week- I am cooking! Check the menu for the week to see what is in the shop and I hope you will stop by. I hope you were not inconvenienced last week and thank you for your understanding.

A reminder that next week we will begin having at least one vegetarian and one vegan entree and offering for you. Our Open House will be November 14th and we hope you will join us for a special day.

Hope to see you this week!

Claudia

With all the flu in Zionsville- including my own home- I have decided to close the shop for the week. I am hoping most of you have escaped it and with fall break this weekend, I m hopeful that when we all return next week the flu will have gone away on a break as well!

I will re-open next week with regular hours and lots of warm soups and comfort foods for you. Until then, keep well and I thank you for your understanding.

Claudia

Well, just as we were all gong to get our flu shots, the flu beat us to it. I will make this short as I am included in the “us” as well as my two daughters and need to crawl myself back to bed.

Just wanted you to know I am closing the shop for a few days while we all get back back on our feet. I will be closed: Monday, Tiesday, wednesday this week and will re-open on Thursday. I am generally closed on Thursday but will be open this week for normal hours- 11-5. In addition, we will be at the shop as usual on Friday 11-6 and Saturday 11-5.

Hope you are esacaping the flu- it is not one of my favorite houseguests……