September 2020 Newsletter
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Try to remember the kind of September when life
was slow and oh, so mellow
Try to remember the kind of September when grass
was green and grain was yellow
from “The Fantasticks”, Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones
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Creativity in Crazy Times!
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This month, staff were asked to put on their creative caps and play with words to express our experience of living in the days of Covid19.
It was a tall order, and our courageous team came through with these pieces to share.
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Free Therapy
Grab a pen and write.
It will take away the bite
Of things that go bump
In the night.
All you need is a pen.
It doesn’t matter when.
Day or night, you decide
And do it again and again.
Perfection is not the goal.
Only release for the soul
From all the day’s madness
And hyperbole.
Write about any ideas you find
That breathe life in the halls of your mind.
Words to paper or on a screen
These are the nuggets you’ve mined.
Feel the stress slip away.
With each passing line that you splay
Much as a loved one’s embrace
At the end of a very hard day.
-Kim
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What Matters
Wisdom to learn from this time in our lives,
Helping one another any we are able,
Attention to life at a slower pace,
Time to spend with family, friends and loved ones.
Memory of good times in the past.
Ambition to change for the future.
Tolerance of the situation; it will change.
Tenderness toward all, young, old & in between.
Empathy can be a powerful skill,
Remembering we ALL have struggles to overcome,
Smiling, even though it’s covered by a mask.
-Cindy
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Coronation
Crown the king of viruses with thorns –
pricking our consciousness
bringing us alive,
present
to this moment.
Ah! There are roses –
velvet depths
sweet contemplation
rooting our senses
to meaning
relevance
purpose.
-Kristy
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Thoughts During a Pandemic
It is in times of distress
That we most need to remember
The things for which we have to be grateful.
I am grateful for friends and family
My garden, my job and my home
Great books, flowers, white wine and time.
Empathy and honesty
Offered in high tensile moments
Quickly upends the worst of intentions.
When common ground appears in short supply
Speak with silken threads that may bind
Us to our humanity.
We are just one of many
Each wanting peace, civility
To receive such gifts, you must also give.
Rather than laying out our grievances
Sharing all that leaves us empty
Seek to smile broadly instead.
Smile with your mouth.
Smile with your eyes.
Smile with your heart.
-Kim
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Hope Is
Hope is compassion
The smiles we can not see
The hands we can not hold
The hugs we can not give
Hope is love
The distances that we keep
The masks that we wear
The hands that we wash and wash and wash
Hope is family
The ones we choose
The faces on phones and screens
The voices that remind us of eyes we long for
Hope is patience
The frustration at staying home
The anger at the unfairness
The sadness of loss
We all have hope.
Family
Compassion
Love
Patience.
We will prevail
We will survive
We will see the other side of this dark night
We have hope
-Anonymous
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“When you find happiness,
happiness will welcome you home.”
by Hannah B Akers
-Handpicked by Margie
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RECIPES
Rolling out the red carpet for autumn’s arrival, these recipes definitely qualify as comfort food!
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Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese
PREP 15 min
COOK 1 hr
TOTAL 1 hr 15 min
YIELD 8 Servings
We’ve seen a lot of butternut squash and mac & cheese move through the Harvest Moon over the years, so we thought it might be time to put them together in one dish! Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese, a healthier version of macaroni and cheese is so creamy and delicious, no one will ever guess it’s also good for you!
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Ingredients
Olive oil spray or rub
Kosher salt
1 pound cubed butternut squash
10 ounces elbow pasta (or any favorite pasta you should choose)
1 ½ cups vegetable broth, divided
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium shallot, minced
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
½ cup shredded gruyere cheese
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Chopped chives, optional, for garnish
Sriracha sauce, optional, for topping
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Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray or rub a 9” x 11” glass baking dish with oil and set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add squash and boil until tender, 5-6 minutes. When fork tender, transfer squash with a slotted spoon to a blender.
Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions. When cooked, drain and put back into the pot.
Meanwhile, add ½ cup vegetable broth, onion powder, garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper to the blender with the squash. Blend until smooth and creamy.
In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan, ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté 2 minutes.
Sprinkle the flour evenly over the shallots and cook another minute.
Add the remaining 1 cup broth and milk and whisk to combine. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook 5 minutes, whisking frequently.
Remove pot from heat and whisk in cheese, pureed squash, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper.
Add sauce to noodles, gently mix to combine, then transfer mixture to prepared baking dish.
Sprinkle with breadcrumb mixture and bake 25 minutes. Switch oven to high broil and broil for 2-3 minutes, or until crumbs are starting to brown.
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Orecchiette with Summer Squash, Mint and Goat Cheese
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COOK TIME: 9-12 min
Orecchiette (pronounced oh-reck-ee-ET-tay) is a distinctive type of pasta from Puglia (Apulia), the southeastern region of Italy that forms the heel of Italy’s boot. The pasta is shaped roughly like small ears, hence the name “orecchiette” which means “little ears.” Orecchiette is mostly sold dried but is best when fresh; however, they need to be shaped by hand and are challenging to make. In Puglia, this pasta is most often served with a simple tomato sauce, but orecchiette can also be paired with a variety of ingredients and works well with chunky sauces.
SUBSTITUTES: Penne, Farfalle, Fusilli
Although orecchiette is a unique shape, there are other types of pasta that will suffice as substitutes. The cup-like structure of orecchiette allows for sauce and vegetables or meat to nestle inside and cling to the pasta, so choosing something that will act similarly is ideal. Penne (preferably the mezze variety which is smaller), farfalle (bowties), and fusilli (corkscrews) are good choices, as well as conchiglie, which are small shells.
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Ingredients
1 pound orecchiette
6 ounces fresh goat cheese
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 pound zucchini and yellow squash, very thinly sliced
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 cups finely chopped mint leaves and stems
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
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Directions
In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta until just al dente (slightly under cooked; firm to the bite). Transfer 1 1/2 cups of the pasta cooking water to a small bowl and stir in the goat cheese until smooth. Drain the pasta.
Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, cook the stick of butter over moderately high heat until it turns brown and smells like roasted nuts, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until lightly browned. Add the squash, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute, until just tender.
Add the pasta, goat cheese sauce, mint and the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet. Reduce the heat to moderately low and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil and serve.
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Stuffed Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
SERVES 2-4 People
A Hasselback potato is one that’s thinly sliced, topped with bread crumbs and herbs, and then roasted. Traditionally, it is made with russet potatoes, but sweet potatoes make a tasty meal selection too.
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Start by choosing some evenly shaped sweet potatoes, they’re easier to slice.
Next, you want to wash and peel them, at least the top 3/4 and leave the peel on the bottom part that sits on the pan.
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The trick to slicing the potatoes almost all of the way through is to lay two chopsticks on either side, that way you won’t accidentally cut them too far.
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Ingredients
2 sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons butter (chopped in little pieces)
2 tablespoons applesauce
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup peeled and finely diced apple
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch salt
Olive oil
Directions
Once your potatoes are cut, carefully rub them with olive oil and place them in an oiled roasting dish. For easier clean up I recommend lining your pan with some parchment paper. Preheat your oven to 400°.
Stuff your sweet potatoes with anything your family likes. A combination of apples, cranberries and pecans is always a hit. Mix with butter, maple syrup, applesauce and cinnamon to create a sauce to “glue” it all together.
Some possible stuffing substitutions are: walnuts instead of pecans, pears instead of apples, raisins instead of cranberries, agave or honey in place of maple syrup. There is lot of room for creativity.
Finely dice the peeled apples to make sure they fit into the potato slices.
Carefully push some of the stuffing between the slices of potato. The rest you can pile on the top. Drizzle any remaining liquid over them as well.
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Cover the dish with foil and bake them in the oven for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. Keep an eye on the topping so it doesn’t burn. After they’re done you may want to drizzle a little more maple syrup over them if they seem dry.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
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New, Back In Stock, and Seasonal Items in August
We want to be YOUR store. Please let us know if there is something we don’t have that you want, and we will do our best to get it in!
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