Happy Holidays from Leslie's Tavern In This Issue Holiday Update From Behind The Line Christmas Eve/ New Years Eve   Thyme To Cook Our kitchen store is stocked with great gifts for the holiday's. Every Saturday from 12 to 1 we are offering free kitchen demo's Free food and advise on gift ideas ..plus the fact that what we sell is chef tested...he'll show you!  December 10th "Share a Cookie Day"..YOU bring a recipe to share and enjoy all the cookie we'll have to share with you!!!    Thyme To Cook is proud to announce that we now sell Kitchen Aid food processors mixers attachments..oh and same $ as the box stores..so please shop local!!!        It is with a bit of sadness that we bid farewell to Megan Seidner  She and her husband Chris are expecting their third child.  A fixture here  on Friday Evenings for the past four years..her very friendly and personable service will be sorely missed.  As is our usual practice with our "expecting" staff..we offer many possible names for the child.. In this case we came up with "Rex" and are still considering a girl's name.  We wish all the best to the Seidner family      Comfort Food Night Sunday's 5 to 8 Kobe Burgers Chicken & Pasta Lomo Salada Pork Marsala Lamb Burgers and all under $20 oh.. and there will be other stuff as well!   Shop and Dine    Locally keep the  money  in our local economy!   We are always INTERESTED in your input..what would you like to hear from us in this newsletter????         With winter closing in and the holidays only weeks away, Leslie and Carley are busy decorating the dining rooms.  Having renovated the back dining room last spring, we are now able to feature a tree in the middle of the back dining room and really create a wonderful space for larger holiday parties (up to 60) to enjoy themselves.  Smaller holiday parties (6-25)will enjoy the intimacy and privacy of our other dining rooms to celebrate their get together.   We hope you we're pleased with the selection of appetizers/entrees/desserts that we offered during the fall months. I thought we had some winners on the menu!  We are currently developing some new dishes that we expect to be on our evening menu through the winter months. Leslie's will continue to offer some less expensive entrees as well as many appetizer/salad combinations for people looking for lighter fare.  Sunday evening's is "comfort foods night" with some entrees under $20..     As most of you know, we are always changing our menu. Practically nothing stays on the menu for long. So where do we come up with new ideas? Our cooking classes offer a great opportunity to experiment with recipes that we think might appeal to you. Honestly, most of the dishes we make in our classes are a "hit" with members of the class. The hard part is trying to decide which appetizer..entree or dessert to put on the menu. It is difficult with so many to choose from.. With our menu changing nightly we plan to offer a "hit" from our cooking classes every week through the winter.             What we see...tourist from "down country" like the Thai stir fry...I think it perceived to be healthy.. which it is..The sauce is actually one of my old favorite that has about 20 ingredients..Thai curry is slightly hot but some people fear it to be too HOT!  ..I keep messing with the recipe..but always go back to the original...it will stay on the menu!       Locals love the filet mignon ..we have several customers who come weekly for it...I cut my own tenderloin from "Braveheart" Black Angus choice tenderloin..people can tell the difference between freshly cut and  pre-packaged...     Younger customers like anything with sausage..bacon..chicken..cream..combined with pasta.."big flavors" are a critical factor..Ethnic cuisine and out of the ordinary dishes are popular with younger customers. They are definitely willing to try new things. These people are really fun to cook for!.    Many woman like smaller portions of healthy food..whats up with that ????probably why woman live longer than men...      Seared sea scallops seems to be universally enjoyed..with cauliflower puree..married with butternut squash ravioli..a keeper..for now      Lamb is our most popular entree some nights then we don't sell anymore for days...go figure! Most of you like shrimp ..but for some reason I have a tough time selling mussels..oyster..clams...go figure!                  Christmas Eve and New Years Eve are two nights we really enjoy. With staggered and limited reservations we are able to create a relaxed and enjoyable evening without all the hub-bub so often the case on those nights. Basically we do our regular menu with a few special items and no increase in prices. Although we do not provide entertainment..Leslie's is the perfect "starting " place for the evening...or "ending " place after a long day of watching football games! We have many regular customers who seem to enjoy a low keyed affair and come back annually for one or both of those evenings.. Each dining room is fully  decorated and the feeling in the restaurant is very festive. So if you are thinking about either of those evenings..we do suggest you call 802-463-4929 very soon...Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year .. Leslie and John Marston   Remember December 10 th is Cookie Recipe Swap Bring a recipe and some cookies from the recipe and enjoy some great new ideas..and a cookie too!!!   Sauce Class..Classic and Contemporary..December 5, 2012 Holiday Entertaining..Great Ideas for entertaining..December 12 Cooking Light..Start the New Year right! January 9 2012 Beyond Basics Seafood Cookery..terrific new ideas! January 16  Free Demo's and Food every Sat. till Christmas at Thyme To Cook ...a "Local" Kitchen store!!!!!