Call for Seasonal Recipes!

Happy week before the New Year, sexy food folks!  Looking ahead to the coming flip of the calendar always has us thinking about priorities and intentions. We don't do the whole 'resolution' thing, because we really feel every day should start with resolve to make the best choices and live the best life possible. 


We do set priorities and intentions for a variety of day to day fun, and our big intention for the New Year is to develop the Sexy Food "Homemade Tastes Better on Handmade" Calendar for 2013. You're invited to help by submitting your favorite seasonal recipe - here's how it works:

Each month, I'll write up a little something about what's in season near me (I'm in western North Carolina), and will feature a recipe for at least one seasonal ingredient. You're invited to join in - if you're in this region, well then you'll find head start info here. If you're in another area, we'd love for you to share a little something about what's seasonal where you are, and offer up a recipe that you enjoy. Pictures are even better! If you also enjoy eating and serving your delicious homemade fare on handmade pottery, send us those images too and be sure to credit the cook as well as the potter (and photographer too)! You can write the whole post up and send it to us with images, and we'll post as many as we can, in the order they arrive. We'll be working on the calendar throughout next year, and while the print version of the calendar will likely feature recipes that are regional to NW North Carolina, if we get a big enough response, we'll do multiple versions, and of course we'll feature many more here on the blog.

If you're in this area, you can find a list of what's locally seasonal via the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, or if you're outside this area you can check the right-hand column next to our posts, where you'll find a link that will help you learn what's seasonal in your area throughout the year. In that same column you'll also find details on how to submit content for the blog.


Easy-peasy, right? We'll get started here right after the first of the year, but if you're in this area here's a head start with a list of what's in season in western North Carolina in January: 


apples
greenhouse tomatoes
greenhouse vegetables
leeks
potatoes
pumpkins
sweet potatoes
winter squash


Let the cooking begin!

Christmas Brunch

It has happily been a very busy and fun-filled holiday season, which has been good for the soul but not so good for regular blog posts. The promised Thanksgiving chronicles were set aside because I was having too much fun with visiting family to pick up the camera. The entire event can be summed up in the dog's reaction to us finally sitting down to eat:

For Christmas I was again the happy recipient of visitors for brunch, so I got one of my best presents in the form of a nice, long morning in the kitchen working my way through a pot of coffee while putting together our meal.

even 'mis-en-place' looks better and is more fun with handmade pottery!

went a little outside of 'regional' to add the blueberries to the
fruit salad, but after all, it's Christmas

the makings of a mighty tasty mimosa

had the blueberries, so they joined in too

The brunch feast, much of it sourced from many favorite local makers,
growers, raisers: eggs scrambled with smoked trout, bagels with chevre & same smoked trout,
thick-cut bacon, sweet potato hash, green beans saute-ed with balsamic-soaked
red onions & tomatoes, fruit salad, tangerine-ginger-prosecco mimosa

 Once again, homemade tastes better on handmade, and tastes even better when shared with friends!

ongoing & upcoming fun at The Village

Every day, more and more things fall into place at The Village Potters, and you can really feel all the good energy from activities in the Gallery, to busy bee potters in studios, to classes that have started in The Teaching Center.

One of my classes includes Jo, who is returning to clay after a very long absence (I always say, the clay will wait for you!). And she's not just coming back after a long absence - when she arrived to class, she brought with her memories of having learned on an old, box-frame kick wheel (she's now on an electric), and having only ever worked on cylindrical forms that were finished on the wheel (I started her throwing off the mound).

But in spite of all that, she's making the transition back to clay smoothly and we're having a great time! It is one of the benefits of our classes running on an open enrollment - Jo was able to start when she was ready, after the Thanksgiving holiday, and because I have three other classes on the schedule, the class she has to miss next week will be easily made up with no loss in her momentum. Have I mentioned how much I love this Teaching Center?

In other Village news, we're having a Studio Holiday Sale this Sunday that's a real blow-out-end-of-year-extravaganza! All our Gallery work will be 20% off, plus I'll have other 'end of run' items specially priced in my studio area. I'll also be running a special promotion for my classes, whether you register then or buy a gift certificate. There are incredible gift options across the board, plus Johnny Harwood & friends jazzing up some holiday tunes and sweet refreshments to stoke your four-hour-shop-local-blitz!