New Year for Greatness :)

January is a busy month for us in a way that is different from every other time of year. It is typically a slower month as far as weddings and events where we are onsite catering and such. However, it is where we spend lots of time in the office. Taxes are the most time consuming, hours upon hours gazing and those profit and loss statements, creating new menus for the year, booking events and tastings for the wedding season, canning and taking the time to organize the freezers, and of course, catching up on all the paperwork that has piled up around us due to the amount of time in the kitchen during most other months.

We are particularly excited for a few things this year coming up. For one, I am starting a new postion at Sur La Table as a chef instructor. This is so exciting for me, I am finally getting the chance to really share and teach my passion for the industry with others. I am training and co teaching with the other chefs in Los Gatos, and of course learning so much from all of them, and I will start teaching solo starting in May!! :)



Back in December we donated to the Younglife auction. This is an ministry that is very close to my heart as I participated in high school and now have the opportunity to lead on Monday nights. Spending time with these high school students and sharing my love for Christ with them is very special. Anyways, we donated to the auction, which raises money for our activities all year. Normally the past few years we have donated a dinner for two in your home, but this year we went BIG! Dinner delivered to your house once a month for a year!! Pretty awesome. January's dinner consisted of Butternut squash soup, organic greens with English cucumber, and fresh dinner rolls. I am pretty excited to continue these dinners for the year, hopefully trying out a few new recipes with them for the seasons.






Last Saturday night we catered to a group of people who take great care of us, Oasis Hair and Skin!! This salon rocks, filled with women who take wonderful care of the people in our community, using organic hair and facial products, along with great talent and amazing personalities!! The best part of the evening, I will say, was the coconut bread pudding we served for dessert! It was sooo good :)

Womens Retreat

This past weekend, we catered to a small group of women who were apart of a women's retreat here in Santa Cruz. This is a really relaxing way to spend the weekend working, catering to a lovely group of ladies while they better themselves and the relationships around them. We have had the pleasure of catering the previous retreat for these women in December, this past one last weekend, and then another one in March. We prepare all three meals, as well as provide tea and cookies and spa water throughout the day. Most meals are gluten free, with lots of organic veggies, healthy proteins, fruits and nuts. We look forward to our weekends with these women!!

Vacationers in Santa Cruz

Happy New Year!!! I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season with those you love. We were able to spend time with family as well, even though the holidays can be a bit crazy with catering. We spend December 27th in a vacation rental right on the beach in Santa Cruz with a family from the bay area and some of their relatives from out of state. The client contacted us about providing a local dinner paired with wines from the Santa Cruz mountains. This was a very fun dinner, not to mention delicious!

We decided to have apps served at the island in the kitchen, giving the group a chance to ask us about our company, and what we enjoy about our line of work. Because we are a mother and daughter team, people are usually interested in more then just our food. :)
My favorite app we served was a roasted beat, thyme and goat cheese dip. This is SO EASY! (and pairs well with Stors Chardonnay.)

RECIPE:
2-3 large beats. ( we used red, although golden beats would work just as well.)
1 package soft goat cheese. (about 6-8 ounces) This depends on how much you like.
3 sprigs fresh thyme.

Roast the beats in the oven with the skin on. I like to roast them dry, with no oil or salt and pepper because I love the way they taste all on their own. Let them cool, and then coarsely chop them into serving dish. Mix in goat cheese and the thyme and put back in the oven to warm through. Serve with your choice or bread, or crackers. YUM!

Best to you all in the new year! Hopefully I will get better about posting on this blog. :)