Evelyn's Blog - Taste of Gourmet

Taste of Gourmet to the Rescue!

Jeannie Wise, couldn't wait to share a yummy story from Thanksgiving with me.  (Rita and Jeanne, a sister-in-law Team, are just Star Taste of Gourmet Consultants!) One of their customers, Tommy Saunders from Ocean Springs (a fabulous cook we hear) was in charge of the dressing for Thanksgiving Dinner. He was short of self-rising flour when making cornbread for the dressing, and substituted a cup of Tomato Basil Beer Bread that he had in the pantry!  We hear Tommy was told it was, "the best dressing he'd ever made" (and he's an expert!)  Tommy is just the same kind of cook I am!  If you don't have exactly what you need, substitute the next best thing (in this case, the flavors in our Tomato Basil Bread may have created a brand new dressing recipe!)  Thanks for keeping Taste of Gourmet in your pantry Tommy - I sure would have like to have tasted that dressing!

Come See Me in Memphis!

You can have a taste of some of our great food and buy Christmas presents too!  I'll be in Booth 99 at the Subsidium Christmas Show (it's called Carousel of Shops) at the Agricenter from 9 to 6 on Thursday, Friday and Saturday (Nov.29, 30, Dec.1)  It's a great show and I'd love to give you a taste of our Toffee Crunch Cheese Cake Ball or Jezebel Sauce!  Jen will be there on Saturday!  Ya'll come see me! Ya'll come see us!

My Little Eating Advertisement!

Just as you enter the front door of The Crown, my Smoked Catfish Pate sits on an old English butcher block, ready to be sampled!  It's the first stop for every guest - an invitation to try the Pate or our Mississippi Mousse.  My four year old grandson, Prescott dearly loves the Pate!  When he comes in from pre-school each day, the Pate is his first stop!  Cracker after cracker gets dipped into the bowl and sometime, we have to "invite" Prescott to allow our lunch guests to get close to the Pate so they can taste!  He's a great advertisement for how good it tastes!  (And his other favorite is our Bayou Beer Bread when the wait staff bring it hot out of the oven!  He makes himself at home in our tiny corner table for one and slathers on that butter!  Prescott, my little eating advertisement!)

Shop in Comfort!

I've heard this weekend that tomorrow is Cyber-Monday?  The day that on-line ordering for Christmas is HUGE!  Well, Taste of Gourmet is ready and excited to take your orders for now or for shipping anytime you want them!  Shipping is what we do best!  So go to our on-line store and "get hungry!"  Remember too that Taste of Gourmet gives you personal attention every step of the way during your shopping!  From handwritten gift cards to advice over the phone if you want that too!  You can talk to a "real person" in the Home Office Monday to Friday from 8 to 5 - to answer any questions!  But our on-line store is open 24/7!  Have fun "taking it easy" shopping this year - no crowds - no cold weather - just great selections from tasteofgourmet.com! ( FYI - Our new RazMaTazz seems to be the next Best Seller)

Flavor to Go!

I heard the best idea this morning from Bradley Tathum's mom.  Bradley is a Marine at Camp Lejune, who loves to eat at The Crown when he's at home!  He also loves our Jezebel Sauce (it's a sweet hot horseradish mustard) that he keeps on hand to "jazz up" a subway sandwich or any military food that needs a touch of real flavor!  I love the fact that he "armed" with flavor in a jar!  What a great idea for service men and women or college students who really want  to enjoy a good meal!  Even if it means a pocket full of Jezebel Sauce!  Our new RazzMaTazz Sauce would be another great sauce to jazz up a sandwich!  (RazzMaTazz is blueberries, raspberries and cranberries with a kick of chipotle pepper! So gooood for turkey or ham sandwiches at home or away!) May God bless all our precious men and women in the military and keep them safe!

Food is a Gift of Love!

Have you heard? This is the "biggest" shopping weekend of the year!  All of us at Taste of Gourmet are happy that we can make that shopping so much easier for you!  In the comfort of your own home, you can buy all your gifts for Christmas!  We'd love to help you! Food is a Gift of Love - Taste of Gourmet is the perfect gift!

• You Can - order from this website
• You Can - call your personal Consultant to place your orders
• You Can pick up the phone and call 800-833-7731
• You Can request a catalog by phone or on-line!
• Your order will be taken with a smile
• Shipped when you want it with handwritten gift cards.
• Given a "gift touch" of tissue paper and shred - no cost

You and your order will be given personal attention from people who care about your business - the Taste of Gourmet Family! Happy "staying at home to shop" Thanksgiving weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving 2007

Tony, Jen and I have so much to be thankful for - our precious family, our wonderful friends, our Country, our Church, our Taste of Gourmet Family of Consultants and those dedicated helpers who work with us in the Plant and at The Crown, our caring customers, the list goes on forever.  And we are forever grateful to our God who taught us to be "Thankful in Everything!"  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

"I really Have a problem!"

When the phone rang this morning, Jennifer Eicher, one of our Consultants from Birmingham, said, "I really have a problem."  This got me worried, then she said, "There is bad news and good news!"  I was nearly hysterical by this time!  I like everyone to be happy!  Then she said, "The good news is that I absolutely love the new Royal Fudge Sauce. It's just like a sauce my grandmother used to make." I'm smiling now!  "The bad news is that I just can't stop eating it!  With a spoon even!"  Now Jennifer, I just can't call that "bad news" because I'm so pleased you love my Fudge Sauce.   That love makes your grandmother and me happy!

"Dessert Cooking" Day!

This is "Dessert Cooking" day in my house for our Thanksgiving Dinner!  We're going to Birmingham to share the Holiday with my sister's precious family!  Larry is frying turkeys and smoking ham, Wanda's doing all the trimmings, except the Dressing and Gravy - that's my job!  And ONE of the Desserts I'm doing is our new Mississippi Mud Cake!  I'm baking it this morning, I'll wrap it tight and keep it cold!  Then on Thanksgiving afternoon, I'll drizzle the new Royal Fudge Sauce over the plates, pop a slim slice of the Mud Cake on the plate (it's really, really rich so small is good) top it with ice cream and then our new Caramel Pecan Sauce!  I can taste that rich chocolate now!  Don't you just love the Holidays and an extra excuse to cook lots of desserts?

Have a Hunter in your Family?

Tomorrow is the start of Deer Season in Mississippi!  Tony isn't a hunter, but we are blessed with friends who share their bounty with us! Let me share a "secret recipe" for venison with you!  The "recipe" is to use our New Orleans Style Beef with five pounds of venison, cut in 1 inch pieces.  Add 2 cups more of beef broth (or red wine) to the directions and cook it slowly in a large crock pot or in the oven until the meat is tender! (I use my oven in the winter, so my house smells good and stays warmer too!)  The spices in the New Orleans Beef are wonderful and you'll have a Louisiana stew to serve on mashed potatoes, rice or noodles! (In New Orleans they call this "stew" Grillades and serve it over grits!) Unless you are feeding the entire hunting camp, there will be several "bonus meals" to put in your freezer ready to enjoy later!  Happy Hunting and as they say in Louisiana, "let the good times roll!"