Happy Thanksgiving!

If you're still looking for something yummy for your Thanksgiving table, try one of our tried & true recipes. Our pumpkin soup is out of this world. Have a very Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Pumpkin Soup

(1) 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
6 ounces chopped celery
6 ounces chopped onion
3 ounces chopped carrot
4 ounces sweet butter
1 tbsp curry powder
½ tsp allspice
¼ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground cinnamon
32 ounces chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup heavy cream
Salt & pepper to taste

Sauté carrot, celery & onion in butter til onion becomes translucent. Add stock & seasoning then bring to a boil. Add pumpkin puree and reduce heat to a simmer. Continue cooking for ~ 20 minutes. Puree soup together with an immersion blender, food processor or blender. If using a food processor or blender, allow soup to cool first. Add cream while blending

For an element of surprise place toasted pine nuts, sultanas (or golden raisins) and sautéed crisp julienned Serrano ham on the bottom of the bowl. Pour soup over.

YUMMY CAKES!

Here is one of Lynn's latest gorgeous cakes. Linda's daughter in law, Amy had her baby shower this past Sunday and fun was had by all. The flavor of the cake was marble spice with caremel mousse. So delish! Not a piece left. Look for Lynn's other creations on her web site http://www.yummycakesbylynn.com/

Deciding on a photographer was much easier than I thought it would be! But, deciding on a location for the wedding….that was exhausting! My fiancée and I struggled to find the perfect spot. We really wanted the water to act as a beautiful backdrop, so with that as a priority, our search began! We looked at some stunning locations such as

Eolia Mansion at Harkness Memorial State Park ,

The Branford House at Avery Point, and The Florence Griswold Museum on the Lieutenant River. Eventually, we decided on Eolia Mansion! It had everything we were looking for…except our guest list is much larger than the 150 guests that it can hold. We went back and forth a 100 times – cut the list or start the search all over again? Ultimately, we decided everyone on our list was too important.
We finally settled on The Crocker House Ballroom – an 1873 historic building that has plenty of room for both dinner and dancing. Inside, it has beautiful gold chivari chairs and four elegant pillars that give an architectural presence. Some drawbacks for us…it doesn’t have a beautiful water view and parking can be challenging.
Do I still think about having our wedding at Eolia Mansion…yes, every now and then! (especially since I am frequently catering weddings there!) ….. But, The Crocker House is where we will dance the night away, surrounded by our family and friends, and in the end, it’s not so much about the space as it is about who we are sharing the space with!

RED HOT!!

Linda is on her way to the warmth of Orlando Florida for the latest RED - Regional Education Day. Host Warren Dietel of Puff 'n Stuff Catering has assembled two days of "red-hot" education and two nights of events.

Linda is especially looking forward to speakers Rebecca Grinnals and Simon T. Bailey. Rebecca, the owner of Engaging Concepts Consulting will be discussing "Capturing the Luxury Wedding Market" and Simon, author of Releasing Your Inner Brilliance is sure to capture the attention of his audience as he discusses "discovering how to motivate your team and bring out your company's hidden brilliance". We all can't wait to hear about both seminars (and of course the night life) when she returns!