We have a winner!!

Congratulations Tonique!! 

C.J., our Christmas elf, drew from 16 names in the mug!  Thank you all for playing- we're doing this again soon!! 

If you want something else FREE, we are doing "CAROL FOR YOUR COFFEE" all week next week.  Come in and sing your favorite Christmas carol for a FREE 12 oz Frosted Mint Mocha. 

Merry Christmas Friends!!

Win This Coconut Cream Pie!!

Just leave a comment on this post, and we will select a random winner from the posts at 2:30 today!

Good Morning Smoky Mountains!

CONGO SQUARES

Do you have a few treats that you consider holiday must-haves?! Congo Squares and Fruit Punch are 2 staples at my Grandma's Christmas Eve Dinner. And I'll just say I have no idea why they are called Congo Squares.

They are square, so that part makes sense. Anyhoo, here is the recipe.
It says the yield is 48. I ended up with 16, so they must be cutting bite-size pieces! I also used butterscotch chips in my batch because that's what I had on hand...that's a variation my momma started, and it's so good!

There is a word of caution, though...Be so careful not to overcook! They harden a little after taking them out of the oven, and I have had to gnaw my way through some brick-like squares before. (Because I really wanted one, that's why.) Usually I get the cooking time right by my 3rd batch of the season at the latest. 

Oh my... the truth comes out about my baking skills...or lack thereof, as my siblings may say. :)  
Let me know how you like these if you try them! 

Cranberry Christmas Salad on WBIR/Fox43 Morning Show!

Now Serving...Cranberry Christmas Salad

Thank you WTNZ Fox43 for letting me prepare this salad on your show this morning! 

I just love food!  And for Christmas, I love festive food.  So we're making a Cranberry Christmas Salad today...and it's a fresh salad, not the jiggly kind.  Nothing against jiggly salads, thighs, etc - that's just not what we're making today. Our Christmas salad has green spinach, red(dish) craisins, and plenty of other great flavors.  Here is the finished product:

It looks simple, and the good news is- It is!  Because I'm not a complicated recipe kind of girl at this point in my life. But I do like to play with food, and that is how this started.  I had cranberries:

12 oz, to be exact.

And, I had been making cranberry sauce for our November panini, so it seemed an easy transition to make Cranberry Syrup. 

Put 12 oz cranberries, 2 c sugar, and 2 c water in a pot. 

Boil until cranberries burst and simmer for a few minutes:

This is when the cranberries just begin to burst and your kitchen begins smelling very good! 

After simmering, strain the solids from the syrup.

Now you have about 2.5 cups of delicious cranberry syrup that can be used in different things.  For example, try Iced Cranberry Tea by adding 2 oz cranberry syrup to 6 oz sweet tea, and pouring over ice.  You can adjust the measurements for your taste.
But for our salad, I made a Cranberry Vinaigrette!
Add 4 oz Cranberry Syrup, 7 oz olive oil, 1 oz balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsp white vinegar, 1 pressed garlic clove, and salt to taste.    Whisk it together in a bowl or in a "Measure,Mix, and Pour" from Pampered Chef.  I love those for salad dressings! 

Before putting the salad together, toast the chopped pecans. 

I put them in a single layer on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for about 7 minutes. As soon as you can smell them, take them out of the oven so they don't burn.

For the salad, I used 10 oz Fresh Spinach, 1 cup Craisins, 6 slices cooked and crumbled bacon, 1 cup Toasted Pecans, and 4 oz Crumbled Goat Cheese.

I would recommend tossing the Spinach leaves in the dressing before adding the other ingredients. The smaller ingredients fall to the bottom of the mix, so it's not quite as pretty if you toss it all together. And add the goat cheese as the final topping to keep it bright and white!

 Of course I didn't decide this was the best method until after I tried it. The good news is that it still tasted fantastic.  Let me know how yours turns out!  Or if you want to try ours, we will be serving it Monday- Saturday from 11 am- 4 pm at The Tin Roof Cafe. Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Just Beet It...

I have a new love of roasted beets!  Have you made them before?  They are so earthy and fantastic-tasting...especially with goat cheese.  Last year, I roasted some because I found a recipe using a citrus vinaigrette and goat cheese, and it was very enjoyable for those of us who like roasted beets.  (I can't help but think of Monica's face when she tried the beets, though- it was the most awesome combination of "that's disgusting, but I'm so sorry I don't love your beets"  that I've ever seen. Love you, Monica! :) 

But back to the exciting food- Chef Brent kicked the beet salad up a notch this year.  You roast the bulbs by cutting the stems off, adding olive oil and salt, then wrapping them in foil.  Roast in a hot oven for about 45 minutes until tender.  Cool for a few minutes, then use a paper towel to rub the skin right off the beets.  And if you have disposable gloves, they are a good option here- beets are very colorful!  Okay, here comes the good part:

Slice the Beets

Using a little biscuit cutter or something like that, cut your beets into pretty circles

Blend some goat cheese with a bit of heavy cream to make it spreadable, then pipe it or spoon it onto the first beet layer.  Then add another round of beet, then another round of goat cheese, etc...

Once you have the layered beet/goat cheese mixture, let it chill while you cut orange segments.  When we took the beets out of the fridge, the beets had colored the goat cheese- so pretty!  Just quarter the beet stack and layer it on top of salad with the orange wedges.  Our salad this day was from the garden- arugula, chives, parsley, beet greens... then Brent added chopped walnuts, balsamic vinaigrette, salt, and a little olive oil.  It was so so yummy!  

I tried to make one at home and it wasn't nearly as nice- looking, but the taste was very enjoyable.  It did have roasted beets, after all!  Now the question, if we make this at the cafe, what are the chances you would try it?  ;)

 

Friendship Tea

Powdered Orange Drink, Lemonade, and Tea aren't ingredients you see around the cafe...um, ever.  But I made an exception because I was craving some Friendship Tea.  It's also called Russian Tea. 

If you want to try it, here's the recipe I used:
1 1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 c Tang
1/2 c Nestea Instant Tea
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice, ground
1/2 tsp cloves, ground
1 c. Lemonade Mix

Like I said, there's not much healthy, natural, or wholesome about it. Oh, I didn't say that, but now I have. :)

If you don't want to stay up awhile, use Decaf Instant Tea.  I used Caffeinated and had some on my way to midnight Black Friday shopping.  It started wearing off around 4:30 a.m., so it was a perfect addition to the ridiculously fun shopping trip! Lol!

Here are the ingredients mixed together:

And I will warn you here that the Orange, Lemon, and Tea powder is so fine that the air becomes much fruitier as you whisk...and a fine layer of powder settles on everything around the bowl.  Maybe it's called Friendship Tea because you are saving your Friend from having to clean up the dust! 

Anyhoo, I use 2 tbsp for a 12 oz mug, and fill the rest with boiling water.  It really is a good treat for a cold night! It can be a great hostess gift too-  Just package it in a pretty jar, tie it up with a special mug, holiday ribbon, and whatnot, and you're set.  Hope you enjoy!

Gimme some sugar!

We had the opportunity to participate recently in SUGARFEST, a Winterfest event planned by our awesome Sevierville Chamber of Commerce.  For a $5 entrance donation,  guests could receive samples of over 30 desserts!  Here is Sophia with her plate-o-sweets:

Looks yummy! 

We had our cafe booth, and Mary Lou had outdone herself with a Red Velvet Cake, Chocolate Cake, and Strawberry Cake, so we gave out samples of those and at the end of the event, each full dessert was auctioned off to continue the fundraising efforts for the E.L.F. Scholarship program. 

Also at our booth were Geanine & Hannah Cruise.  Geanine had made a Lemon Pound Cake with Citrus Glaze and super-amazing Coconut BonBons!  Yumm-o!

 It was a really fun morning and great way to kick off the holiday season...or should I say our holiday appetites?!  Plus, we got to be interviewed on Fox43 news for a minute and the booth was shown on WBIR's news at noon!  It was a great chance to let more people know about the cafe.  Thanks to everyone who came out this year- we're already looking forward to participating again next year! :)

Fresh from the herb garden...

As a new gardener, I'm still surprised at how much flavor is growing right outside our door in late November!
Today, I cut arugula, parsley, chives, oregano, sage, and rosemary. It smells fantastic! 

Turkey Day!

We're getting the turkey ready to roast with fresh sage from the garden, salt, and olive oil...scrumptious!

Potato Leek Soup

Wiht bacon crumbles...and for mine, I add red pepper flakes...need some hot spice on this cold day!

Why to hire a chef

1) On slow days, he makes pizza. This one has goat cheese, caramelized onions, rosemary and arugula from the garden, and bruschetta- this is really,really good.  I feel guilty not sharing it. Almost.
2) I'll think of more after pizza. :)

Oh my- look what Jeff & Patti sent!

My aunt and uncle have been to the cafe.  And they saw our metal folding chairs.  And look what they sent us this past week... 

 

Real Chairs!!  Thank you Aunt Patti and Uncle Jeff!! And thank you John and Ashley for helping clean them up and load them on the trailer!  And thank you Grandma and Aunt Sandy for hauling them up from Georgia in a Uhaul!  Woohoo! :) 

No more metal folding chairs...unless we have a group of more than 50 or so...but then we'd need to add on to the cafe, so we're good for now. 

And they didn't send just these 8 beautiful wooden chairs, they also sent 12 beautiful chairs with wooden seats and these fantastic coffee mug cutouts on the back:

I'm so, so thankful!  And I bet anyone who's had the pleasure of using the old, metal folding chairs on a winters day in this barely-insulated, 100+ year old farmhouse will be so thankful too!! No more frozen rears! Oh, it's a good time at the cafe.

Now that we're looking so fancy, I thought we needed a few more things to spiff the place up.  So we bid adieu to our clorox-stained aprons that were still attempting to promote our giftshop we closed almost 3 years ago.  Thanks to Rita at C&F Sales, we now have these:

New aprons!!!

Then, I went crazy and bought this from Loralei's on Main:

A beautiful new chalkboard for daily specials, soups, etc...  This will be so helpful! Have y'all been to "Loralei's on Main"?  If you like the cafe's style, I think you'll be a fan of a lot of Lorie's things, also!

Back to our new stuff, though, I'm so excited that we finally have:

BUSINESS CARDS!  

Thank you http://www.laurelpetty.com/ for the fantastic design! 

 

Wow.  Those new chairs really lit my purchasing fire!  (not sure how that works since they were a gift...anyway.. :)   We even put a paid ad in The Mountain Press' restaurant guide.  For the cafe budget's sake, I hope to switch from cafe splurges to Christmas shopping soon, but in the meantime, I'm going to just enjoy the fact that the cafe has a basic promotional tool again, our guests don't have to worry about falling through their chairs, and our aprons look clean!  Hallelujah! 

Thank you friends for putting up with us even when we don't have all of our ducks in a row.  We are making progress, and I'm so thankful!  :) 

Arugula

Is here and fantastic- now, what to use it in?

November Special

Roast Turkey, homemade cranberry sauce, and goat cheese on Brioche Roll. ;)

I have a little bee in my bonnet...

There really aren't many things in my everyday life that move me to publicly voice my opinion.  So few, in fact, that many people may assume I don't have many opinions.  But, as everyone does, so do I.  I've just learned to suppress my opinions really well, so as not to cause a stir and to avoid confrontation.   And there's always the sound advice from Abe Lincoln that has pulled me back from the edge- just in case I start to spill my opinions: "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt." 
But, really, I have this annoying little bee that I need to get out of my hair! 

I'm a local Sevier County girl.  I've lived in Sevierville my entire left except for 4 years at college (just a county over) and 4 months in Colorado.  My mom, my grandparents, their parents, etc...all Sevier County peeps.  I'm just saying this to say that when I speak as a local, I have a really good idea of what that means.

Throughout my life, there were days I didn't appreciate my hometown.  This had more to do with wanting to discover new cultures and enjoy new adventures than the town itself.  The good news is that as I grew up in Sevierville, I was able to travel quite a bit. Tourism is our industry, so it only makes sense that we travel, also- I call it research.  And after "researching" many cities and countries,  I absolutely love coming home to the Smoky Mountains.   

"But what about the traffic?"  You get used to it like you would in any town- there are backroads or a few days a year, you may stay closer to home.  "But what about the always-packed Walmart?"  Well, have you looked around other stores lately? I stopped at a different store-that-shall-remain-nameless in a neighboring town-that-shall-remain-nameless the other day.  It was so dreary- maybe I just caught it on a bad day- with people getting off work and dragging around the store.  But give me my Sevierville Walmart anyday- people are moving and happy- they are on vacation and have places to go and things to see!   
And how many other towns celebrate every holiday to the extreme??  I'm spoiled.  In order to move me now, I would need another town with Christmas lights on every surface in town for at least 3 months of the year. And I would need a lot of -fests.  Winterfest, Springfest, Harvestfest, Create-your-own-fest, etc... And I would need Dollywood.  Because sometimes I need kettlecorn, stat.  I just take my handy-dandy season pass- the one that you don't have to pay for parking and you get a discount on food- hop on Veterans, take a tram, and I'm enjoying that sweet and salty popped corn before you know it.  Okay- I don't do that everyday, but I do love Dollywood. 

Oh, I've gotten so excited about Sevierville, I'm off-track- back to the buzzing in my bonnet...I love good food.  There, I said it.  I LIVE IN SEVIERVILLE AND I APPRECIATE GOOD FOOD.  And, guess what?  I'M NOT ALONE.  Don't look so surprised, Chef. Close your mouth and hear me-  There are people living in Sevierville, in Sevier County, in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee who appreciate fine food.
Do we have more chain restaurants and gravy boats than you can shake a stick at? Yes.  Do we love donuts, too? Yes.  Is one of the most popular places to eat in a gas station? Yes.  But, hear me again, we ALSO appreciate the taste of fresh-from-the-garden, chef-created, maybe even on a white tablecloth, hard-to-pronounce-but-we'll-try-it-anyway food.  We just don't want it served with a side of stuck-up.
Don't let the fact that I make casual sandwiches in a casual farmhouse atmosphere confuse you.  I've eaten well in my life. I'm not a chef, I'm not a food expert, I'm not a judge- I'm an eater/diner/patron who got bored with my real job and thought a local cafe would be fun- even with the limited culinary knowledge I possess. And, I'm not going to be quiet when I hear people say that chef-driven restaurants will not work in this town. If you don't believe the local girl ranting on her blog, ask a new citizen who has moved here from another town, and I bet you'll find a similar request- More quality, local dining establishments, please! Ask a guest travelling in their motorcoach, staying in a cabin, or shopping at Tanger- more good food, please!  Ask the diners currently eating downstairs as I type- more options, please!
I'll agree that it's not a well-trodden path, an easy road, etc.. and some education about new foods may be required- but isn't that the joy of serving unique food?  I love serving food that some of our guests have never tried.  It's even better when they thought they didn't like something, but when prepared without a can opener, it turns out they do. Honestly though, even saying that, I'm probably offending most of my guests because, as I may have mentioned,  people here do know and love good food. 
In conclusion, if I could add one thing to my hometown, it would be more chefs, more eateries, more cafes, more coffeeshops, etc... I'm not sure I could love my hometown more, but I'd be willing to try. ;)

Feeling so grateful for my hometown, my neighbors, and my guests as I step off my soapbox,
Summer







   

Autumn Garden- Progress Report

I can't take a lot of credit for anything happening in the garden right now.  Some of the herbs that are doing so well are only growing because the tomato/other plants that were suffocating them have been removed. 
The new sprouts are courtesy of Chef Brent and CJ's planting on a slow afternoon.  Here are some earlier and later photos:

The bright yellow on the left is oregano, front 3 plants are parsley, mid-right is chives.  (The very front right is not supposed to be there- a weed?)  And there are 2 big holes in the middle of the bed from the humongous tomato plants that were removed.

These plants have been getting bigger now that sunlight can reach them!

The rosemary and sage just keep growing- I'm ready to use the sage with some turkey for November...stay tuned...

A little cabbage sprout!

I think the animals like the little cabbage sprouts.

A little beet sprout!

As of today, there are many more little beet sprouts- I'm really excited about beets- I realized last year that I Do like them!  But how do I know when they are ready? Any knowledge is appreciated!

Look at these little arugula sprouts!  I may be most excited about the arugula- I just love it!  They planted a lot in professional little rows, but as it's coming up, we can tell what dirt the kids were playing in the other day:

Hmmmm... one side is not as orderly as the other...  :D   As long as kids are having fun in the garden, I'm okay.  Lord knows, I tore out enough of Mamaw's plants back in the day. But when you're little, how do you know what's a plant sprout or a weed? I didn't get to help weed much after that...

I'm ready to eat some arugula soon, though- I went to lunch with a friend the other day, and she had a grilled cheese- but it was amazing grilled cheese- Gruyere, Caramelized Onions, & Arugula. I'm looking forward to trying that at the cafe! 

Cravings.

It's time for me to work out again. With weights. Which is the first time I've really used a weight room since college, and I graduated in 1999.  Oh my. 
I started 2.5 weeks ago. (Do I look more fit?  Yes, I thought so. ;)  I would have written this blog earlier, but most of my body hurts too bad to move.  Just ask Chef Brent and C.J.- if something drops in the kitchen, it stays there until someone else's muscles can bend down to get it.  They are loving this exercise program, let me tell you!   
But beyond the ridiculous pain of working out (oh, I'm such a wimp), is the new meal plan.  And I know I've eaten enough cakes and cupcakes over the last 3 years to last some people a lifetime, but it's not easy to just stop cold turkey.  Ah...cold turkey...you're just not the same, but don't leave me- I'm hungry.
My biggest craving? 

Behold the Red Velvet Cupcake.

I just stare at it sometimes.  If you've wondered where the strawberry, lemon, and orange creamsicle cupcakes went, it's my fault. I've only asked for Red Velvet lately.  It just looks so yummy.

Even yummier up close.

And, I'm beginning to feel like my 4 year old niece.   "Well, I just want to smell it"

And admire that cream cheese frosting from a little closer view.  

Goodness, that's a beautiful photo.  

YIKES. Have to snap out of it. Back to reality.

Reality wouldn't usually be so harsh if it could be followed by a cupcake.  Trust me, I've tried to explain to my trainer that I needed just a sample to cure my craving.  He made me do extra sets of exercises for suggesting it. I get in trouble a lot. Him: "Do 100 pushups"  Me: "I'm not sure I can do a pushup"  Him:"Get on the bicycle" Me: "ok" *smile*

But I've found a compromise of sorts.  I'm allowed something green and turkey or chicken for lunch.  But since I'm not eating the cupcake- and I figure there has to be something in the universal weight loss system that considers what you didn't eat when you get on the scale, right?- I've managed to spice up the meat and greens combo a little bit.  

I'm having the new Pomegranate salad. The sweet red pomegranate seeds and creamy white feta cheese kind of remind me of the cupcake, so I'm really enjoying this lunch!  Which makes no sense at all, but it's working for me. (The walnuts, red onions, and bit of balsamic vinaigrette are just there for fun.)

And so far things are going well at the gym, so I've not had to put my meal plan "specifics" under the spotlight.  There are meat and greens in there, right? ;) 

Sounds good.  And now I have to go to work with the cupcakes.  Wish me luck!