It is an interesting week when you invariably start smashing together tasks geared towards the impending holidays. Yesterday I found myself blow drying a pile of spaghetti and pulling out massive amounts of Christmas and Hannukah items for the shop, while also researching side dishes for Thanksgiving. Some of us really hate that Thanksgiving doesn't get. . . excuse me? Oh, why was I blow drying spaghetti? You'll just have to come to the shop to see.
Anyway, we hate that Thanksgiving doesn't get the fanfare of Halloween and Christmas. It is in fact essentially a food holiday, one of our favorites (obviously) and it is coming up fast. So we've put together some recipes for inspired side dishes which will impress anyone at the table. Jacob swears that any sweet potato hater will change their ways after eating Marcus Samuelsson's version. Our family loves the flexibility of Ottolenghi's rice salad with caramelized sweet onions, cherries, and nuts pictured above. If you need a show stopper or just want to see people's faces as you unveil a bundt shaped cranberry sauce, we've got you covered too.
There has also been a fair amount of discussion behind the counter this week regarding the best way to prepare a turkey. To lace, or not to (we don't), stuffing vs. dressing? It depends on where we came from. To brine or not to brine? It appears to be a favorite way to prep around the shop, here is your guide. Gravy? Don't you dare mess with the gravy. You need lots of it, make what you normally make and then triple it. As a matter of fact, buy 12 small pitchers and give everyone their own little stash. (not kidding)
This week, you'll also find out some of our favorite gadgets and tools in our recent collaboration with Edible Indy online. Take a peek at some items on SALE, including a special opportunity to buy a Corkcicle at a deep Black Friday/Small Business Saturday discount. We have lots of knives on sale but don't forget, before heading to the game this weekend, come by the shop for our Ash Blaeds Pop-Up Shop.
We hope you have an amazing weekend, and if you are ready to get shopping, please do, we are ready for you!
Need gift ideas for friends and family? We prefer tools and gadgets which provide a solid return on investment through their ease of use, multi-tasking ability, or quality construction. We've teamed up with Edible Indy online and tell why these are some of our favorites. Read more. . .
Sale Sneak Peak
Corkcicle 16 oz Glampagne Tumbler or Canteen
Reg $24.99, Sale $14.99*
*We have a total of 72, 36 of each style, limit one item per customer
Black Friday and Small Business Saturday ONLY
while supplies last
Staub 4 quart Enameled Cast-Iron Cocotte
Reg $284, Sale $99.99*
*limited to gloss cherry, white, turquoise, and matte black - on sale NOW, while supplies last
Save the Date
Pop Up Shop: Ash Blaeds
Join us Saturday, November 23rd as we welcome Aric from Ash Blaeds
Knives have long been a source of fascination for Aric. Whether watching his parents cook, starting fires during backcountry camping and fishing trips with family, or viewing 12,000 year old bits of flint in a museum, he realized from an early age how valuable a good knife could be. As one of our earliest and oldest manufactured tools, there is something almost instinctive about holding a knife where one can sense it's inherent function and usefulness. In museums, libraries and book stores, if he wasn't learning about natural sciences, he was pursuing knowledge about arms, armor and tools of cultures and peoples that came before us.
As an adult at university studying biological sciences, he picked up two sets of skills that relied heavily on knives: READ ON
Hoosier Hills Food Bank
Hoosier Hills Food Bank is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides over three million pounds of food annually to over 100 other non-profits serving people with low incomes and personal challenges, children, and seniors. HHFB member agencies serve an estimated 7,500 people each week and 25,800 individuals annually. We distribute food in eight Indiana counties, including our six-county Feeding America service area which covers Brown, Lawrence, Orange, Owen, Martin, and Monroe counties. We also distribute federal commodities in Crawford County. A small staff and hundreds of volunteers and food and financial donors have distributed over 60 million pounds of food since 1982.
At Community Kitchen our mission is to work, alone and in collaboration with others, to eliminate hunger in Monroe County and surrounding areas through direct service, education, and advocacy.
Our philosophy states that Community Kitchen provides free nutritious meals, nutrition education, referrals to other agencies, and a clean, comfortable social environment for patrons, staff, and volunteers. Through daily operations and educational outreach, Community Kitchen works to educate the public about the extent of hunger in Monroe County, explain probable causes of hunger, and provide ways to respond to hunger needs. The agency’s ultimate goal is for individuals to achieve regular access to an adequate diet through normal means. A soup kitchen is not considered “normal” means, but rather a “safety net” for people who have not yet achieved food security on their own.
There are only 24 days between Thanksgiving and the beginning of the four back to back holidays of Hanukkah, Christmas Eve, Christmas, and Kwanza beginning December 23rd. Let us ease your stress. Our team can easily put together gifts for teachers, co-workers, and others you would like to acknowledge. We offer custom gift baskets or sets, personal shopping (no need to be there, just drop us an email, call, or DM us on Instagram), we always offer complimentary gift wrap, and can ship right from the shop. We are quite literally little elves just waiting to help.
We believe anyone can cook.
We believe in welcoming everyone to the table.
We believe some tools are timeless.
We believe high quality isn't always expensive.
We believe in making things from scratch when possible.
We believe in gathering & connecting with one another.
