Happy Pancake Day

We love holidays that give us a good excuse to eat lots of pancakes and International Pancake Day does just that. It takes place every year on Shrove Tuesday, aka Fat Tuesday. This holiday goes back several centuries when the English prepped for fasting during Lent. Back in the day the strict rules prohibited people from eating dairy products during Lent. Therefore pancakes were made to use up all the eggs, milk and butter before the fasting season of the 40 days of Lent.

On Pancake Day, pancake races are held in villages and towns across the United Kingdom. The tradition is said to have originated when a housewife from Olney was so busy making pancakes that she forgot the time until she heard the church bells ringing for the service. She raced out of the house for church while carrying her frying pan and pancake in hand. Since that day in 1445, the women of Olney have continued to race on Pancake Day.

When the town of Liberal, KS heard about the annual events in Olney, the women of Liberal challenged the women of Olney Buckinghamshire England . For the past 61 years, the women of the two towns have competed. They wear the traditional dress, apron and scarf, while carrying and flipping a pancake in a skillet along a 415-yard S-shaped course. To me the hardest part of the competition would be carrying the pan. My set of All Clad pans work great for cooking, but to carry it 415 yards while running seems impossible. The fastest runner is said to receive the "Kiss of Peace" from the Verger or Bell Ringer in the Church. To date the women of Liberal are ahead 34 victories to Olney's 25.

As much fun as that competition sounds, we have something a little more subdued. In honor of International Pancake Day we would like to offer the first 5 people who comment on this blog post a free 16oz Farmhouse Pancake and Waffle Mix.

Winter Farmers' Market

Something that many New Englanders look forward to every summer is the Farmers' Market. It's the place to get fresh fruits and vegetables grown in your own backyard. We got our start at the Farmers' Market back in 1991 and it created a great foundation for Stonewall Kitchen. It is one of the places that has inspired many of our delicious products.

I have good news for those that thought they could only experience the Farmers' Market in the middle of the summer ... Winter Farmers' Market. It is a growing trend here in the Seacoast and in lots of other parts of the country. I really hope it is not just a trend, but something that will be around for a long time. I love going to the Farmers' Market and getting fresh fruits, vegetables, cheese, flowers, etc. All while supporting the local farmers and vendors. There is always such a great variety of products and some you never knew existed. Have you ever heard of Dessert Hummus? I had never heard of such a thing until my last visit and let me tell you, it is delicious. I got the Chocolate Mousse Hummus and it disappeared almost as quickly as I got it home.

The excitement has definitely caught on in the Seacoast. There is always a steady stream of shoppers at the Local Winter Farmers' Market, which is held at various locations throughout the area. For a complete listing of locations in the Seacoast you can visit the Seacoast Eats Local website.

It has also become popular in other parts of the country. Here is a link so you can find out if there are any Winter Farmers' Markets in your area. http://www.localharvest.org

Jamming in Seattle -- Jam Tour Day #1

What a great first day for the Jam Tour. Seattle is a beautiful city, the views are amazing. The tour is being kicked off by myself and Laura, both of us from the marketing team. We were lucky enough to need to criss-cross the city a few times as we headed back and forth to Bellevue. Amazing coastline spots (and we thought Maine had that nailed!) with the snowcapped mountains in the near distance ... it is truly spectacular.

We gave out free sample jars of Wild Maine Blueberry Jam, coupons and offered tastings of our jam on our Simple White crackers. We were very well received everywhere we went. The most common response we got when we asked people if they wanted a free jar of Blueberry Jam was "Who could pass that up?" Yes, a few skeptics asked "What's the catch?" ... nope, no catch! One gentleman was so happy he says he is going to include us in his will. Now that's showing some love for our Wild Maine Blueberry Jam!

Another lucky perk of being in Seattle for the tour is that my brother lives out here. He and his family treated us to an incredible dinner at Wild Ginger in Bellevue. Their menu offers that each diner "take a culinary tour of China and Southeast Asia". And they state that "Our staff is here to guide and inspire you." Well, inspired we were. The food is served family style (if you wish, and we did), so we quickly found our table overflowing with curried tofu, beef and prawn satay, mushroom and snowpeas, seafood Thai noodles and more. The food was amazing. And I have to say how impressed Laura and I were that my 4-13 year-old niece and nephews devoured the food right along with us. Wild Ginger boasts one of the best wine lists and they have received accolades from Wine Spectator. We enjoyed our dinner with a very nice, smooth Syrah. Finished it off with banana, coconut and ginger flavored desserts. Nothing could have improved the evening!

It is so great to be able to meet our fans face to face. Some of you arrived after recieving our twitter and facebook messages. We're glad the word is getting out. We are just getting ready to start day #2 on the tour. We hope to see more people out today. We will be heading to West Seattle Thriftway at noon and then QFC on 2746 NE 45th Street.

Join the tour, and if you can't, let someone near us know. We will keep you updated on our whereabouts. In the meantime you can check out our entire schedule to see if we will be visiting a city near you.

(Photo from luthor522)

Join the Tour ... 2010 Jam Tour

This year, we'll be traveling around the country spreading our love for Wild Maine Blueberry Jam! Teams from Stonewall Kitchen will be visiting specialty food retailers and attending local events. We are looking forward to connecting with our loyal fans and meeting those who have yet to experience our great jams.

Throughout the tour, we will be handing out free samples, coupons for $2.00 off any Stonewall Kitchen jam, jelly or marmalade. Plus at many locations, we will be offering onsite tastings of our jams and specialty foods.

Check out the schedule and plan to join the tour.

See you on the road!

New Year's Resolutions

The New Year is only a few hours away and you know what that means ... time to make your resolutions. Some of the top resolutions that are made every year include quit smoking, more time for fitness, loose weight, get out of debt, spend more time with family, eat healthier, etc. Most resolutions will be broken or quickly forgotten. I have always found it funny that following January 1st my gym is extremely busy, but quickly resumes to normal levels of activity within a month or so. I have to admit that I am not the best at keeping my resolutions. Maybe this is the year that will change. I will make one of my resolutions to not break my resolutions.

We have already made our resolution here at Stonewall Kitchen. It is to continue our efforts to being more green. We are having improvements made to our lighting system and HVAC system in our warehouse. Both of these improvements are going help us to be more energy efficient.

Let us know what your resolutions are going to include. Let's hope they include buying more Stonewall Kitchen jam!

We would like to wish everyone a safe and Happy New Year!

Keeping your Holiday Greens Fresh

Whether you make it or buy it, fresh greenery is a great way to dress up your home for the holidays. Not only is it beautiful to look at, it also adds a wonderful aroma to your house. Decorating with greenery is one of the oldest holiday traditions around. Historically evergreens were used, but now all sorts of greenery varierities are used; such as holly, ivy, pine and cedar. With the proper care your greenery can be kept looking fresh longer. Dried out greenery is not only unattractive but it can also be a fire hazard. Here are a few tips that are helpful in caring for your greens.

Keeping Greenery Fresh
-Make sure to always place your fresh greenery away from heat ducts, radiators, appliances and other heat sources.
-Keep completed wreaths, garlands and arrangements in a cool location until use.
-Display fresh greenery and fruits out of the sun and away from heat.
-Plan to replace greenery and fruits throughout the holiday season if they become less than fresh.
-Water trees and arrangements frequently to ensure that they do not dry out.

If you are interested in learning more about the History behind Holiday Greenery check out this site that I came across in my travels.

Happy Holidays!

De-stressing During the Holidays

It is so easy for us to forget the importance of the season when we all get so crazy busy preparing for the holidays. It's the time when our to-do list is a mile long. I know that mine is at least that long. My head is spinning just thinking about everything that I have to get done; wrapping, shopping, decorating, sending out holiday cards (does holiday include New Year's?), host a holiday party for girl's night, baking, etc. etc. We decided that the holidays shouldn't be so stressful and we asked around the office for a few tips to de-stress. Check out our tip of the day and remember to take the time to enjoy the holidays!

Celebrate with Cocktails

This might not be exactly what you had in mind when you read that title but no doubt you will find some great uses for our festive and unique cocktail recipes. These cutely-named cocktails are so fun we thought they deserved their own blog post. The Angel's Kiss is as smooth as the name suggests, and the Grinch Martini is guaranteed to grow a small grinchy heart at least 2 sizes! Enjoy!

Angel's Kiss

Ingredients
	1/2 oz. brandy
	1/2 oz. crème de cacao
	1 tbsp. cream
Directions
1.	Pour ingredients carefully into a pretty curved glass in this order: a) Crème de cacao b) Brandy c) 1 tbsp. Cream
2.	Top with a dollop of freshly whipped cream.

The Grinch

Ingredients
	2 oz. Midori
	1/2 oz. Lemon juice (fresh)
	1 tsp. Sugar syrup
Directions
1.	Mix all ingredients in an ice shaker.
2.	Strain into a chilled martini glass.
3.	Garnish this green drink with a red cherry.

Find more tips of the day on our website.

And, don't forget about today's deal of the day!

Gingerbread House Fun

Looking for a fun project to do with the kids during the holidays ... how about building a Gingerbread House. Don't be surprised if there is more eating of the candy than attaching to the house, but that is to be expected. Last week we made our own Stonewall Kitchen Gingerbread House which was entered into a contest at the York Library.

Our theme was Christmas in the Maine Woods. As you can see we built a log cabin with a rock wall, skating pond with a canoe and duck and of course being the Maine woods we had to do a Moose. We are all amateurs and enjoyed taking the time out of our busy schedules to take on this project.

Here are some of the other Gingerbread Houses that we thought turned out really great.

If you are not as ambitious or have as much time as we did, you can always purchase a gingerbread house Kit or a fully assembled house. If you buy a kit then all you have to do is the fun part ... decorating. Here are two options that you can find at stonewallkitchen.com.

Swapping Ideas

We have some great ideas to help you with your Yankee Swaps and Cookie Swaps. For those not familiar with a Yankee Swap, it does have Christmas related origins but can be done at any time of the year. It is believed that it was even done as far back as the Civil War.

There are many variations of a Yankee Swap, but the basic idea is that everyone finds and wraps a gift of the same value to bring to the party. Then each person picks a number, there should be just enough numbers for everyone. The person that picks number one gets to pick and open a present. The person with number two then either takes the gift from the first person or picks a new present to open. It continues on until everyone has opened a gift. It can get really interesting when people start taking presents from someone else. There can be lobbying, bartering or bargaining to get the best present or keep the one you have. After everyone has opened a gift, then the first person gets to pick any gift that they want from anyone else. As you can imagine number one is the best number to pick!

We have some great gifts for Yankee Swaps and they start with our Deal of the Day. Today we have our Holiday Breakfast Collection for 50% off the original price. Your gift will be the hit of the swap and the one that everyone is passing around. And today's deal will ensure that you will stay within your budget.


How about ideas for your next cookie swap? Check out our tip of the day from Day number five ... Decorating Holiday Cookies. With our Sugar Cookie Mix and our tips you can easily make these at home.

Black Friday ... Let the Countdown Begin

Black Friday, the Friday after Thanksgiving, has come to be known for the kick off to the holiday shopping season. It is that time of year when things start to get hectic and crazy and everyones to-do lists are a mile long. It is not an official holiday, but many people have the day off and use it to start their holiday shopping. Many stores open at midnight and people start lining up in the middle of the night. I personally have never experienced that phenomenon, it actually kind of scares me. I am happy to be at home in my cozy bed.

Stonewall Kitchen is happy to take part in the Black Friday tradition; only we wanted our event to last for three days. We are offering 20% off online purchases November 27th, 2009 through November 29th, 2009, 11:59PM ET. It is only good for purchases made at stonewallkitchen.com and the offer is not valid in our Company Store locations. Please Enter Source Code Q01436R9 at checkout.



We are also kicking off the holiday shopping season with our Deals of the Day. Every day we will be offering a different deal; when the day ends, the deal ends. But remember, you must check back every day or you could miss out on some great deals. It is a great way to get some extra savings on gifts for everyone on your list. And let's be honest, who doesn't like a savings!

We would like to wish everyone a happy holiday season and let us help you make this season more enjoyable.

'Twas the night before Thanksgiving...

'Twas the night before Thanksgiving, when all through the house
Not a pot was stirring, not even by your spouse.
The stockings were clean in the dryer with care,
however, your in-laws soon would be there.
The plans for the meal had not entered your head,
yet now all you wanted was to sleep in your bed.

Are you afraid that tomorrow this will be you? Stop by your favorite Stonewall Kitchen retailer and pick-up ingredients for these quick thanksgiving dishes!

Goat Cheese and Red Pepper Jelly

Ingredients
1 5.3 ounce container of goat cheese
1 jar Stonewall Kitchen Red Pepper Jelly
Stonewall Kitchen Down East Crackers (optional)
Garnish with cilantro leaf

Directions
Spread goat cheese on Stonewall Kitchen Down East Crackers.
Top with a spoonful of Red Pepper Jelly. Garnish with a cilantro leaf.

Tomato Bruschetta

Ingredients
1 French baguette, sliced ¼ inch thick
Olive oil
1 clove garlic
Stonewall Kitchen Tomato Herb Bruschetta Spread
2 Tbsp. basil leaves, chiffanade
Parmesan cheese, shredded

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place baguette slices on a baking sheet. Brush with olive oil and bake 5-10 minutes, until slightly toasted. Rub garlic over warm toast.
Spread Stonewall Kitchen Tomato Herb Bruschetta Spread over each toast. Top with basil leaves and Parmesan cheese. Serve at room temperature or heat under broiler until cheese melts.

Apple Jalapeno Jelly Meatballs
Serves: 8

Ingredients
1 pound 1-inch Swedish meatballs (store bought or your favorite recipe cooked)
1 jar Stonewall Kitchen Apple Jalapeno Jelly

Directions
Thaw, if frozen, the meatballs. Place in a sauce pan. Add Stonewall Kitchen Apple Jalapeno Pepper Jelly. Heat. Serve immediately.

Also don't forget about the recipes in our "What Can I Bring" booklet.

Only 7 Days Left ... Let the Planning Begin

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. It is a time to spend with family and friends and let's not forget enjoy a huge feast. It is one of those holidays that is filled with traditions. Some of my family traditions include mashed potatoes, squash, peas, stuffing, onions, cranberry sauce and of course the biggest, freshest turkey we can find. There are always plenty of desserts, usually more pies than people at the table. We always have Apple Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, Chocolate Cream Pie and Mincemeat Pie. My grandmother always makes homemade rolls that are out of this world. Someday I am going to attempt to make them myself. I have always been intimidated by anything that calls for yeast and requires a rising step. I think it stems back to the time when I was in grade school and tried to make a loaf of bread for a school project. Lets just say it made a really nice brick! Since that time, unless I can put it in my bread machine and turn the power on it has not been attempted. So this year when we all make the trek up to Northern Vermont to my parents house, maybe I will bring along some new recipes and start up a new tradition.

If you are looking for any great recipes for your Thanksgiving table please check out our website. Below are some of my favorites.


Pumpkin Soup
Serves: 4

Ingredients
2 Tbsp. Stonewall Kitchen Extra Virgin Olive Oil or unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/4” dice
2 cups chicken broth
1 jar Stonewall Kitchen Maple Pumpkin Butter
1 1/2 cups half and half or light cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions
Heat olive oil or butter in a saucepan. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add potatoes and chicken broth to saucepan; cover and bring to a boil. When potatoes are fork tender, puree potato-onion mixture with cooking liquid in food processor or blender. Return mixture to saucepan. Stir in contents of 1 jar Stonewall Kitchen Maple Pumpkin Butter, and half and half. Reheat gently. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe Tips: Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and toasted pumpkin seeds.

Sweet Potato Casserole with Roasted Garlic and Onion Jam
A zesty fall favorite, yet sure to become a special dish any time of year.
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients
3 cups sweet potatoes, baked and mashed
½ cup Stonewall Kitchen Roasted Garlic and Onion Jam
½ tsp. vanilla
½ cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup toasted buttered bread crumbs
Optional: 1 cup caramelized onions

Directions
In a large mixing bowl, beat together all ingredients except for caramelized onions and bread crumbs. Lightly grease a 9x9 baking dish, and pour mixture into dish. Optional: Cover potatoes with caramelized onions. Sprinkle top with toasted bread crumbs. Bake uncovered in a preheated, 350 degree F oven for 30-40 minutes or until brown and bubbly. Serve immediately.
Recipe Tips: This dish can be made a day ahead. Cover and refrigerate; then cook as directed.

New England Cranberry Relish Stuffing
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3/4 lb. vegetarian sausage, crumbled (or regular sausage, if you prefer)
1 small yellow onion, medium dice
1 large celery stalk, medium dice
1 jar Stonewall Kitchen New England Cranberry Relish
2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
2 cups vegetable stock
3/4 lb. unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 loaf day old bread
To taste salt and pepper

Directions
Heat large sauce pan on stove. Add oil. Heat one minute more.
Render sausage until lightly browned.
Add onions, celery, Stonewall Kitchen New England Cranberry Relish, and Old Bay to the pan. Sweat for about seven minutes, until the onions become translucent.
Add stock and butter, and bring to a simmer.
Place cubed bread in a large stainless steel bowl and pour above mixture over it. Mix well.
If stuffing is too dry, add more stock. If stuffing is too wet, place it in a casserole dish, cover it with foil, and cook it in the oven at 375 degrees F for approximately 20-25 minutes.
Serve warm.

Pumpkin Custard Pie
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients
1 ready-to-bake pie crust, precooked according to directions
2 cups heavy cream
2 egg yolks and 4 whole eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup Stonewall Kitchen Maple Pumpkin Butter

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Heat cream in a small, heavy saucepan. Warm thoroughly but do not simmer. Remove from heat and stir gradually into beaten eggs. Add Maple Pumpkin Butter and mix well. Pour custard into pre-baked pie shell. Bake approximately 40-50 minutes or until custard is set. An inserted knife or toothpick will come out clean. Cool before serving.

Recipe Tips To make tarts, press dough into tart pans and pre-bake for 8 minutes. Cool. Spoon custard into tart shells. Bake for 20 minutes.

Please share some of your favorite Thanksgivings recipes. Who knows ... maybe they will get incorporated into someone elses' traditions.

Chocolate Milk ... Not Just for Kids

This is the chocolate milk we remember as kids. Rich, creamy and super chocolatey!

Because we use only the best ingredients for all of our products we partnered with another great Maine company, Oakhurst Dairy. They are equally as committed to using the freshest, highest-quality ingredients. Our new Chocolate Milk begins with super premium, Grade A, whole milk. All natural, no artificial growth hormones. Added to that is rich, dark chocolate making this a drink people of ages will request. Look for it at your local market.

Give a Gift that Gives Twice

We believe that we have a social responsibility to give back to our community. We try to do any part, small or large to help out those in need. One event that we do every summer is a Pancake Breakfast at our Flagship location in York, Maine for the York Food Pantry. It is a lot of fun and we get to help a good cause. All the employees donate their time and come flip pancakes for the hundreds of people that attend.

We also donate a portion of the sales from some of our best-selling gifts to various charities. Some of the charities that we have chosen include agencies doing research and supporting survivors of breast cancer and their families, organizations dedicated to fighting childhood hunger in America and organizations that help individuals and families affected by AIDS as well as organizations that educate on the prevention of AIDS. If you are interested in giving a gift that gives twice this holiday season check out some of our gifts that give.


Downeast Breakfast



Award Winning Products Gift Tote



Our Blueberry Breakfast Gift

Tuscan Mammas at Stonewall Kitchen

Since our Cooking School opened in May of 2008 we have had over 11,000 attendees and hosted more than 80 guest chefs from all over the world; each with their own amazing recipes and menus to share. This past weekend was no exception when we hosted the Tuscan Mammas from Tutti a Tavoli in Tuscany, Italy. Both classes were completely sold out weeks in advance and no one walked away disappointed. The food was amazing and the Tuscan Mammas were over-the-top entertaining. And two guests were lucky enough to walk away with free tuition to attend Tutti a Tavola in Tuscany ... how exciting!

On Monday their menu included an Onion Tart, Short Pasta with Leek Sauce, Chicken Fricassee, Sauteed Spinach, and for dessert a White Dome with Seasonal Fruit. I got to sample all the dishes and they were fabulous.

Here are a couple of their recipes from the weekend.

Torta Salata di Cipolle
Onion Tart

Ingredients

• 1 kg onions, preferably white


• 2 eggs


• A good handful of freshly grated Parmigiano


• Salt, pepper, olive oil

For the pie crust:

• 200g flour


• Olive oil, water, salt.

Preparation

1. Slice the onions thinly and cook them in oil until golden. Adjust salt.
2. When ready and cold, add eggs and freshly grated Parmigiano.
3. Mix quickly the flour with some cold water, a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt.
4. Stretch the dough with a rolling pin as thin as you can and line a baking pan.
5. Pour in the filling and bake at 200°C – 400°F approx. 30 minutes.

And for dessert ...

Dolce Bianco ai Frutti
White dome with season fruit

Ingredients

• 500g white yoghurt


• 400g cream


• Sugar to taste


• Fruit (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, peaches etc)

Preparation

1. Mix yogurt and sugar.
2. Whip the cream firmly and fold it in.
3. Line a strainer with a thin cloth and pour in the mixture.
4. Put the filled strainer with a bowl underneath in the fridge for 12 hours.
5. Unmold it on a dessert plate and decorate with the fruit.
6. Serve with fruit in season.

In fall/winter grapes, tender pears etc and add hazelnuts, walnuts, dates.
In spring/summer fresh berries with a fruit sauce

Enjoy!

If you are interested in planning your own Tuscany adventure you can visit their website.

http://www.tutti-a-tavola.com/

Gadgets, Gadgets, Gadgets

We all have them and we all love them! Why is it there is such a fascination with gadgets? There are those gadgets that work well and we use them all the time and then there are those that just seem to sit in our cupboards and collect dust. That got me thinking and I surveyed the Stonewall Kitchen staff to ask them about their favorite gadgets. Overwhelmingly I got a response of the Veggie Chop by Chefn. This is used regularly by our Cooking School Staff and it is their favorite. You can easily and uniformly chop veggies, onions, nuts, etc. It is easy to clean and disassemble and it is relatively small for storing.

They also recommended the Emulster and Garlic Wheel by Chefn. Some other close runners up were the Pot Minder and Brown Sugar Savers. I do actually have a brown sugar saver which I leave in my brown sugar and it does work. The Palm Peeler by Chefn which is worn on your hand and easily and safely lets you peel your veggies. The Microplane Graters are great tools in the kitchen. I use the zester frequently at home.

The Chopper/Scrapper came highly recommended by our Recipe Developer because it is so useful in the kitchen. You can use it to cut and measure brownies, cakes or bars. Or it can be used to scoop up chopped veggies.

Finally, our Mini Spatula made the list because it can get into every small jar or space that you can imagine.

I would have to say that my favorite gadget that I use at home is the Swiss Mandoline Slicer by Zyliss. I use it all the time. It has all the great attachments so you can julienne or slice veggies or potatoes uniformly and effortlessly. It is easy to disassemble and clean and stores together with the holder so all the attachments don't get lost in your pantry.

We would love to hear your list of favorite kitchen gadgets.

Stonewall Kitchen Cafe

In my haste to get my kids and myself out of the house this morning, I left my lunch sitting on the kitchen counter. Luckily for me, we have the Stonewall Kitchen Cafe connected to our offices here in York.

When lunchtime rolled around, I headed to the cafe and tried to decide exactly what I wanted. It is always such a hard decision becuase there are so many yummy selections. I usually have the Stonewall Kitchen Cafe Salad with grilled chicken on top. I know it might not sound that exciting but it really is a great salad. I am not sure what they do to make it so good; maybe it is the fresh mixed greens with cucumbers, grape tomatoes, sliced red onion, carrots, green beans, and radishes, topped with feta cheese and a slice of ciabatta bread on the side. Today however, I decided to go with the Tuscan Sandwich, another one of my favorites. It is fresh Mozzarella, sliced cucumbers, green leaf lettuce, and vine-ripened tomatoes with Stonewall Kitchen Basil Aoili on ciabatta bread with a drizzle of Stonewall Kitchen Sweet Basil Oil. It was delicious! I did however pass on the mouth watering whoopie pies that were calling my name.

Next time you are in the area, try lunch or breakfast, or even just a latte at the Stonewall Kitchen Cafe, you won't be disappointed.

Maybe I will just have to forget my lunch again tomorrow!

End of Summer

Today is the last day of Summer. However, Fall is one of my favorite times of year in New England. The leaves have started to change and it is another beautiful day here in Maine. We have had some great weather this month; hopefully it will continue and we will have an Indian Summer. We deserve it, after all the rain we got in June!

My name is Stacy and I have worked at Stonewall Kitchen for almost 8 years. I work in the Marketing Department and I really enjoy my job. I am so lucky to be able to promote a great product that I truly love and work with such a great group of people. This past weekend I attended a neighborhood block party. We plan this every year at the end of the summer. The entire neighborhood gets together and I am always responsible for all the condiments. Of course I use it as an opportunity to ruthlessly push all the Stonewall Kitchen products on my friends and neighbors. (They never seem to complain.) I also made one of my favorite recipes using our Spicy Corn Relish ... Spicy Black Bean Salad. This always seems to be a crowd favorite whenever it is served.

Spicy Black Bean Salad
Serves: 6

Ingredients
1 Jar Stonewall Kitchen Spicy Corn Relish
1-15 ounce can Black beans, rinsed and drained
4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1 Avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
3/4 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped Directions

Place all ingredients including Stonewall Kitchen Spicy Corn Relish in a serving bowl. Toss and serve at room temperature.

We would love to hear what you make when you attend a gathering.

Enjoy,

Stacy

Free Pancake Breakfast

Join us in Freeport, Maine for a Free Pancake Breakfast this Sunday September 13th, 2009 at the Grand Opening of new L.L. Bean Home Store. We will be serving pancakes from 8-11am, hope to see you there.

-Stacy