Evelyn's Blog - Taste of Gourmet

Thinking of Mother's Day.....

"Sweets for the Sweet" - yes, I know that is an OLD, OLD saying.  But what is more true or logical for a Mother's Day Present?   Desserts from Taste of Gourmet for your Mom to make for herself....or for YOU to prepare and take to her on Mother's Day! 

Speaking as a Mother (and Grandmother) I LOVE the idea of one of my precious family walking through the door with a Mississippi Mud Cake ready to slice....or an Apple Cake topped with Toffee Crunch!  Or a bowl of homemade Chili!  So YUMMY!  No matter how good a cook you are or how long you've been cooking or how much you enjoy cooking (now THAT I really do enjoy).......there is still a tremendous joy in receiving a Gift of Food....it's a GIFT of LOVE!

We can sure take care of all the Mothers with our Taste of Gourmet Food Gifts!  Look and order on line at www.tasteofgourmet.com or call us for suggestions and to put together a box of LOVE!

 

Merry Christmas 20% Discount

That's right.....there is still time to fill your pantry with great food to enjoy during the Holidays...AND wrap up for gifts under the tree!  We are shipping right up through December 23rd......but if you want your goodies to arrive before Christmas....place your order on-line by Sunday and everything SHOULD arrive by Friday.....most places in the country!  AND you will get a 20% Discount!

Enter the Discount Code....MerryChristmas (in the credit card section of the ordering process)  to receive a 20% Discount on all your purchases!  PLUS we will include a FREE recipe booklet in every box that ships!

Make your Christmas Delicious with Taste of Gourmet! 
Remember you can also choose one Half-price Customer Special with each $40.00 order you place!  Order TODAY!

Thanksgiving Sale ......time to order for the Holidays!

We're enjoying Sweet Potato Muffins this morning....sprinkled with the Crunchy Sugar Topping that comes in the box!  It's heavenly to eat and such wonderful aromas coming from the kitchen!  I made the Muffin batter yesterday so all I had to do is spoon it into the muffin cups this morning!  How easy is that?   And the batter will last for a week in the fridge....if you can stay out of it!

Go on line today and order all the Taste of Gourmet goodies you'll need for the Holidays at a 20% Discount!  Then your cupboard is stocked and you can relax and enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas...knowing you have deliciously easy food to serve your family and friends!  AND give as gifts!

Go to www.tasteofgourmet.com and in the check out area of the ordering....
use the code ThanksgivingSale for your 20% Discount!

Be sure to order $40.00 (after discount) so you can choose a Customer Half-price Special!  The Dessert Trio is perfect for the "eating season!"
Apple Cake, Mississippi Delta Fudge Pie and Chocolate Truffle Cheese Cake Ball for just $12.50!  
Just 12 Days before Thanksgiving!  And we have so much to be thankful for!  
 

Guests from Great Britain...

Yesterday we hosted a luncheon for 49 visitors from all over Great Britain....and loved every minute!  The tour from Travelsphere was in Indianola to tour the B.B. King Museum, hear some wonderful live music and to enjoy a Southern Luncheon at The Crown!  What a great group they were!

The blues and jazz music of Alfonso Sanders, head of the Fine Arts and Music Department at Mississippi Valley University, was absolutely perfect.  He sat in a corner of The Crown singing and talking to the crowd.  We had lots of other diners in addition to the tour group and what a treat for them too!  When Alfonso sings "Summertime"  you just have to sing along.  But I did it in a whisper....Alfonso's voice is too smooth and gorgeous!

Lots of the group were eating Catfish for the very first time (I served the Catfish Allison and Creole Catfish Cakes as well as Chicken Allison) and they loved it!  I promised that the recipe would be on the blog....so here it is again and easy to find!  Hope you all enjoy trying this recipe at home...but don't forget to come to Indianola to visit the museum, ride down the Indian Bayou and enjoy lunch with us at The Crown!

Our visitors really enjoyed my Dessert Table and they finished off two of the Sherry Trifles and Southern Praline Pies as well as getting a sample of everthing on the table!  Love it when my guests are in love with our desserts!  Several took Mississippi Delta Fudge Pies with them! 

Allison Butter - Especially for my new British friends!
1 stick (4 oz) of Butter
½ cup mayonnaise
1 cup Parmesan cheese
4 green onions – finely chopped
1 teaspoon of Worcestershire Sauce
Dash of Tabasco
Put everything in the mixer, let soften and then mix well!  Will keep in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 weeks.
To serve:   Spread Allison Butter over poached fillets of catfish or chicken pieces – (Cod will work well too.)
Broil until very browned and serve over rice.

 

Quick Bite - Plus Quick Meals on Sale

I absolutely LOVE Salads.....all sorts!  This Chili/Taco Salad is on the menu at our house tonight!  It's healthy (I am using the ground turkey) fresh tomatoes from Indianola's Open Air Market!  Yum!

Make Black Bean Chili - Takes only 30 minutes on the stove - Use ground beef OR ground turkey!
Keep in the refrigerator and then microwave a serving to top a simple lettuce and tomato salad!
It's a Quick "Southwest/Taco Salad" that is low calorie - low effort - low heat in your kitchen!  And BIG flavor

Now the PLUS Quick Meals on Sale......order any of our products from now through Monday night at a 20% Discount...Use the code ChristmasinJuly to get the discount online! 

Or just come by The Crown through Saturday afternoon to get 20% off our Taste of Gourmet great foods including Black Bean Chili, plus Books, Toys, Crosses, Glugg Jugs, Cards, T-shirts, aprons......Don't miss this sale!

Home-made Gifts the simple way...

All-American Apple Cake makes the very BEST Pumpkin Bread in the world...even my son who grew up on my "from scratch" Pumpkin Bread is a believer now!  He was sure he could taste the difference in my original recipe and my new quick way to bake!  He could NOT tell the difference!  Hurray for "speed scratch" from Taste of Gourmet....we make eating well so easy!

All-American Pumpkin Bread - makes 3 medium size loaves or 5 to 6 mini loaves
1 box of All-American Apple Cake
1 cup of vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 can (16 oz). can of pumpkin
Optional - Add 1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Mix everthing together with a spoon in a big bowl. Pour into sprayed pans and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until done - about 20 to 25 minutes...just check because ovens vary and the size of the loaf pans varies so much!
Your bread will be moist and delicious...wrap the loaves as gifts and know that your friends will LOVE what YOU gave them for Christmas!

The bread freezes perfectly....so order your Apple Cakes now, bake the breads next week and be ready for Christmas giving!  Order at www.tasteofgourmet.com and your order will ship within 24 hours! 

Remember that you have through Saturday, December 4th to use our 10% Discount Code to order.  Code is EPQZP
Gift Giving is EASY with Taste of Gourmet!  Don't want to do the cooking?  Simply give your friends a box of Apple Cake or Mississippi Delta Fudge Pie or Southern Praline!  Pop a bow on the box and it's ready to give!  A $40.00 order gives you the option to choose a Half-price item.  Choose from the Soup Collection, A Simple Supper or the Dessert Trio!  Use the Discount - order at Half-Price - Christmas just got even more delicious! 

Quick bite for Thanksgiving "leftovers"....

Yes, I know we haven't even eaten the turkey yet...that's tomorrow and we'll love every bite!  But I have to share with you MY FAVORITE way to use the bits and pieces that are always left after dinner and then sandwiches that night!

Make my Creole File' Gumbo and use those bits and pieces for the meat!  Also be sure to add  the rich drippings from the roasting pan (that didn't go into the Giblet Gravy} to the Gumbo pot.  I always add a pound of link sausage cut in little pieces to all my variations of Gumbo....it just adds a little more heat and spice!  You'll never know you are eating the "leftovers" from Thanksgiving!  It's a feast!

Now you might not have one of my Gumbo mixes in your pantry!  No problem...you can order it on-line (or from a Consultant) and we'll ship it all to you on Monday!  So tomorrow night or Friday morning.....get all your bits of meat together, put them into a freezer bag and throw it into the freezer until your Gumbo mix arrives! 

We even have a 10% Discount code for you to use from now through December 4th!  The code is EPQZP  and you'll be able to buy a Customer Half-price Item too when your order totals $40.00 or more!  Great way to stock up for Christmas cooking AND for Christmas gifts!  Food is always a gift of love!  You'll find great gift ideas and combo packs (or create your own) at www.tasteofgourmet.com.
Happy Thanksgiving Day ya'll!

 

What are you doing for your Mom on Sunday?

Mother's Day gifts don't have to cost a lot of money......they just have to be full of love!  I always cooked lunch and made a special cake for my mother and grandmother on this special day...and I want to continue that tradition by helping my grandchildren cook something special for Jennifer!

Sage loves to help me cook (she's not a great "taster" of what she cooks but loves the fixing and stirring!)
Our plan is to make Sweet Potato Pancakes on Saturday at our house, then she can just pop them in the microwave for a minute Sunday morning!  Made with the Sweet Potato Muffin mix, they are moist and yummy and Sage loves cutting up fruit!  So what could be better than she and Prescott serving Jen pancakes with butter and a bowl of fresh fruit!  They can do that at their own house without burning themselves and it will be a huge surprise for Jen!

Then....since they both love to decorate a cake... that's the second project for the day....they will be deciding what and how to do it....I don't want to stifle their creativity....Prescott will probably choose Twix lined up all over the square cake...and Sage will likely cover hers with whipped cream and then sliced strawberries!  It's their gift and I love helping them.  Izabela and Carter in Maine decorated Kevin's birthday cake a few days ago......Carter said, "Bella did it all and it was the most beautiful cake I have ever seen!"  Bella's secret was every inch top and sides, was covered in chocolate chips!  YUM!

I've said a million times.....FOOD IS A GIFT OF LOVE!....and when you prepare it for someone you love...the love just multiplies!  And we all get to enjoy every bite!  Have a wonderful Mother's Day weekend...My love to all of you who are Moms! 

Merry Christmas from Mississippi....

The Elves at The Crown are scurrying like mad to get presents wrapped and out the door with our sweet customers!  The Shipping Elves at the Plant are wild too...with last minute gifts and provisions for New Year's Parties being shipped all over the country!  We LOVE Christmas in the Mississippi Delta because it gives us a chance to be a part of Christmas celebrations with families everywhere!

You know, you can't get any better than that......enjoying Christmas Eve and Day with people you love and then having so many people enjoying our food as part of THEIR Christmas celebrations!  I do love our business!

Merry Christmas to all of you....from Evelyn, Tony, Jennifer, Sage and Prescott and each of our precious family of Taste of Gourmet Consultants! 

Celebrate Christmas...

This little 3 stanza poem was in our bulletin at Church on Sunday....I thought ya'll might like it too!

Decorate your Christmas tree.
Ring a Christmas bell.
Sing a joyful carol with a jubilant Noel!

Light your Advent candle wreath.
Rejoice with friends on Earth.
Give thanks to God for sending Christ in this, His Christmas birth.

Share your joy of Christmas
And God's blessings from above.
Celebrate God's Graciousness!
Celebrate God's Love!

This little 3 stanza poem was in our bulletin at Church on Sunday....I thought ya'll might like it too!

Decorate your Christmas tree.
Ring a Christmas bell.
Sing a joyful carol with a jubilant Noel!

Light your Advent candle wreath.
Rejoice with friends on Earth.
Give thanks to God for sending Christ in this, His Christmas birth.

Share your joy of Christmas
And God's blessings from above.
Celebrate God's Graciousness!
Celebrate God's Love!