While we slow down, sit back, and enjoy the view this Fall, October has quietly sliped away and we’ve surged into November before we could even count our Halloween loot! Then - it starts to loom over us - turkeys, hams, mashed potatoes, yeast rolls, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, pumpkin pie -Thanksgiving is here and it’s time to plan. What will I serve? Who will be coming? Where will they all fit? How and when should I start preparing?

…and the Thanksgiving stress has begun…

Here at Simplicity Gourmet, we strive for just that, Simplicity. We want to help you take your normal Thanksgiving recipes that take hours to prepare and cut the time down so that you are out of the kitchen and making memories with your family and friends. Thanksgiving should be a special time of sharing and laughing and should not be wrought with stress, sweat, and frustration.

We hope you enjoy all of the classic holiday favorites that we have created just with you in mind. Make sure to let us know how your Simplicity Gourmet Thanksgiving turns out!

~ Miss K

This time of year always brings up so many memories of growing up. I love fall - sweaters & sweatshirts, forests of fiery leaves, crisp, cool air, breezy, sunny walks, the smell of fires and apples and baked goods, and, of course, pumpkin carving. When I see an intricately carved jack-o-lantern, I always picture my grandpa on the back porch at my grandparent’s house creating jack-o-lantern masterpieces. My Poppy was an avid jack-o-lantern champ! I’d eventually end up raking leaves into huge piles and jumping around in them but he’d emerge from his huddled position over the pumpkin and I was always in sheer amazement at how he had come up with yet another piece of pumpkin perfection. Their house was the last house on the block and everyone from the entire neighborhood - and I’m sure beyond - always came out to the vast array of faces - silly and scary alike. Oh, sigh, childhood snapshots in time that I miss so very much.

This year, as I started to wish so badly that I could recreate one of his masterpieces just one more time, my mind started to wander to the reason why we have this strange tradition. Ever wonder why we carve faces into pumpkins?

A little easy research and I’ve found myself thoroughly educated on the subject. In short, carving jack-o-lanterns was an ancient Celtic practice on a holiday called “Samhein,” a holiday reserved to honor the memory of deceased family and friends. The jack-o-lanterns would be lighted by burning lumps of coal and placed in the windows and doorsteps of the homes on the last day of harvest. Now, I was surprised to find that it wasn’t actually the pumpkin that the Irish used, but rather hollowed out turnips, gourds, or potatoes.

When the Irish began to immigrate to North America, they brought this tradition along with them. Turnips weren’t so plentiful in our part of the world, but pumpkins definitely were and they were found to make for much more elaborate jack-o-lanterns. While the actual traditions of Samhein was buried along with our ancestors hundreds of years ago, you will still find most houses glowing brightly this week with their very own homemade jack-o-lanterns welcoming home their little trick or treaters.

My research has also given me a few pumpkin picking tips that need to be shared. A couple of things to keep in mind when pick out your pumpkin is that you will always want to make a trip to a pumpkin patch - it’s so quaint and rustic, you almost always get a hayride out to the pumpkin patch out of it! Plus, you will always get the freshest pumpkin when you pick it straight from the vine. A farm stand would be the second best choice to pick up your pumpkin b/c they were picked locally and you know they haven’t endured abuse during a long trip to the supermarket. Try to sit the pumpkin upright when it’s still attached to the vine to make sure that it sits level. Make sure that the stem is still attached to the pumpkin; pumpkins that are ready for harvest should have dried, brittle stems that are easily broken from the vine. Make sure your pumpkin has a vibrant orange color and is free of bruises and scaring, soft spots or any signs of mold. Carry your pumpkin by the base and make sure to store it in a cool place until you are ready to carve it.

This year will be my first year without my Poppy’s Pumpkin Patch, so, I’m attempting to make him proud and create a couple of my own tonight. I found a few pumpkin design books for $5.00 each that I downloaded straight to my computer - pretty fancy, huh?! They are unbelievable - you won’t be disappointed. So, wish me luck - I hope to make my Poppy proud!

Jack-o-lanterns aren’t the only things that pumpkins are good for! For the very best in Fall fare and activities, visit Pumpkinfest with Simplicity Gourmet today!

Have you ever wondered what a “Parsnip” is like? I’m sure you’ve seen parsnips as you meander through the produce deparment. I”m even more sure, you always quickly think to yourself: What recipes would I use parsnips in? What are the health benefits of them? What are they like? Well, wonder no more! I think that a lot of people are intimidated by the way parsnips look and therefore, shy away from them - which makes me very sad for them. Don’t judge a book by its cover!  

Parsnips have a nutty, peppery, sweet flavor that you just won’t find in any other veggie. They are good pretty much any way that you want to make them: roasted, baked, fried, sautéed, mashed, and they are awesome in deserts (a lot like it’s cousin the carrot).

Parsnips have historically been the favored vegetable for Europeans over carrots and potatoes. They were introduced to America in the late 16th century but sadly come in a dismal third to carrots and potatoes to the American taste buds. Parsnips are a root vegetable, resembling a creamy white carrot but are considered far more nutritionally superior. They are beneficial for lowering cholesterol and loosing and maintaining a healthy weight. They are low in saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol. They are high in dietary fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folic Acid, Manganese, and Potassium.

Parsnips are at their best in the winter after the first frost - the cold turns their starch into sugar which gives them their sweet flavor. They are available at your grocer from late fall through early spring - so, for many of you out there, it’s prime time for parsnips in your area! When you get your parsnips home from the store, it’s best to wrap them in a moist paper towel and store in a dark location in your fridge. They will keep for two weeks or longer, making them an ideal vegetable to buy in bulk!

I have 3 Parsnip Side Dishes and 1 Parsnip Dessert that I absolutely LOVE and I’m going to share them here with you today. Of course, I cook all my food on stainless steel bake ware and waterless cookware, if you need any adaptations to these recipes, feel free to email me anytime: ksnyder@simplicitygourmet.com. I hope you enjoy these special Parsnip recipes as much as my friends, family, and I do.

So…we’ve finally made it. Noon last Saturday was go time! Of course, we both had a whole slew of things on our minds that we wanted to partake in but we just weren’t really willing to risk any stomach issues to do it. But…there was one thing that we both just had to have…one thing that our love never waned from…can anyone guess what that would be? You’ve got it…Cheez-Its! J

Check out our veteran advice on how to break an extended fast today!

As I write this, I am both saddened and exited to say that we only have four days, three hours, and 44 minutes left on our juice fast. This week, Jenna and I both are taking a deep look into the inner workings of our fast and making our lists and checking them twice of everything, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically, that we have learned and are taking with us for the rest of this weight loss journey.

 Find out our fasting insights and weight loss total now!

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So…a lot of you are asking how we’ve done it - what’s the plan. Since we’ve got four weeks under our belts now, we’ve got everything nailed down to a science. Including how to save money while buying organic produce in bulk - which can get quite pricey with the volume of fruit you need to buy on a juice fast!

Find out how our week went, our weekly weight loss, and “the juice fast plan.” 

So…we have been baptized by fire this week…

Scene from a confession…

It was early evening on a Friday night. Jenna and Katie were exhausted from a long day of work and still needed to stop by the grocery store to pick up a few groceries to make their special treat dinner. They wandered silently through the grocery store, letting an awkwardness quietly build between them. The two roommates were rarely apart and were quick to share every detail of their lives with each other. There was something hidden in the silence, something both of them feared to say to the other.

They checked out and walked to the car. They silently bundled their groceries into the back seat and Jenna responsibly returned their cart to its home. They paused at the doors, Katie at the driver, Jenna at the passenger and their eyes locked - the unsaid still hanging like a tightrope between them. Jenna timidly caved first, “I have to confess, I ate a cheez-it!” Katie breathed a sigh of relief and said quickly, never breaking her gaze from Jenna’s, “I have to confess, I ate a cheez-it too.” They both smiled and shared a silent moment only the very deepest friendships understand; a moment that said their covenant for these forty days was not broken and the other was forgiven.

The scene above is the event as it actually happened. Remember the treat I mentioned giving my dogs when they come inside from the back yard? Well, Jenna and I both absentmindedly popped a Cheez-It in our mouths, at different points in the week, after administering the treat to our pups. It wasn’t conscience, something we both do out of habit. After the cheez-it incident, oh, what a sad story! The sweet Cheez-It lullaby sung to me and called after me all week long - along with many others - this was my food craving week, for sure! To top it all off - I taught a cooking school Saturday and Jenna and I worked a bridal show on Sunday (right next to a caterer with yummy pork crostini and gorgonzola & walnut bruschetta, a cake company, and the famous Doubletree Hotel cookies - my fav!). Almost too much for the juice fast girls to endure…almost…

Read the rest of our week, how we battled the food cravings, our weekly weight loss update, and yummy homemade liquid fast soup.

So…the news you are all here for…my second week’s update. First of all, I feel amazing! I am full of strength, joy, and confidence. I am sleeping really, really well and I wake up feeling completely rested and ready for the day. I battled at the first part of the week with some hunger pains, but they only lasted about 24 hours. To tell you the truth, I didn’t even know what they were at first - I mean, I’ve never had a hunger pain in my life…not even close! I miss food - I miss cooking it just as much as eating it and even more, I miss sharing it. I love to spend time with all my friends and usually lure them to my house by home cooked meals 2 to 3 times a week - it’s awfully quiet around the house with just me and the animals - tick, tock, tick, tock goes the fasting clock.

Read the full story, my weekly weight loss update, and all my information on juicing for your complexion.

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So…last Tuesday, I started a 40 day juice fast. It’s something I’ve toyed with for many months and researched and finally just said, “Hey, stop thinking about it and just do it!” Among other reasons (detoxing, body cleansing, health etc.), this decision was primarily spiritual for me. I work with food – I write about food, I research food, I talk about food, I cook food - there’s just no way around it! In recent years, it’s kind of become an obsession and while I eat a lot healthier than I ever have before and I have made significant strides in weight loss and nutrition education while being at Simplicity (in large part to my cookware, I must admit), I have yet to have a sense of real victory and freedom from the battle of the bulge. So…as one of my wise chums put it…I’ve decided to kick down the door and start taking names! Read about the Who, What, Why, When and Where’s of Juice Fasting, see how my first week went, and my first week’s weight loss.

So…did you know that once a month, the local Nashville, TN office has a FREE cooking class for all current Simplicity Gourmet customers?!? Each month, we all gather and our resident expert waterless cooking gurus (Erica, Stella, Phillip, Bobby, or me) cook through 5-6 meals in about 2 hours. Pretty fancy, huh? J

In all seriousness, we have an incredible time together each month. We review care and cleaning tips, introduce new products, and always have a class special to get you wish list items at an amazing price. Each participant gets a full recipe packet to take home and gets to sample all the tasty foods prepared.

For me, personally, what I have gained most from cooking schools is just the opportunity to really sew into the lives of my customer’s and visa-versa. I sincerely look forward to seeing them each and every month and miss them when one of our regulars has to be absent. Many of our customer’s have become much more than that to me; I am honored to call them my friends as well. Recently, we’ve all started emailing and calling about waterless cooking ideas and experimenting together to create something new…company and customer working together to get the most out of a lifetime product. Even after all these years, many of us veterans are still learning new and interested tricks of the cookware. For example, Erica and I recently learned how to boil an egg without using any water which, in turn, we demonstrated at our last cooking school.

So, if you’ve discovered some handy waterless cooking tricks or yummy unique recipes, tell us! We would love to get the word out – and of course give you all the credit! J If you are in the Nashville, TN area,  we would love to have you join us! We have four classes left for the rest of year for 2008: July 19, August 23, September 20, and November 8. Contact us at info@simplicitygourmet.com to get more information and to confirm your seats. See you soon!

Hugs! ~ Miss K

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