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10/31/2015  

Celebrating Dia De Los Muertos


Despite Halloween's tremendous fun, this year the excitement is mounting for Dia de los Muertos. Perhaps it's the pull towards a celebration with deeper meaning, and certainly it is our passion for Mexican cuisine...here are some great ideas for creating the perfect atmosphere to reconnect to loved ones both living and who have passed.

You may choose to make an altar (here is inspiration), and bake the traditional Pan de Muertos as an offering. Be certain to gather with friends and family to share food, drink and stories. Here is a little help for your festivities with recipe ideas and product recommendations from our store.

Maseca makes the best Masa for tortillas and tamales. Their website has step-by-step recipes for both.

Texas Tamales Cocktail Tamales save time in the kitchen, but are big on flavor. You can find these little gems in the freezer.



Los Chileros
has dried chilies and powders that will give your recipes a taste of authenticity.

Don't forget the fresh tomatillos, jalapenos and pablanos in our produce department.

Amalias Cocina Enchilada Sauce is flavorful, and can compliment the simplest of dishes. Mix and match their sauces with your recipes.

Lake Champlain Aztec Hot Chocolate Mix is spiced with cinnamon, a light kick of cayenne, and a kiss of sweet vanilla. Just add hot milk for a mug of rich, full-bodied, and deeply satisfying hot cocoa.
 



Chronic Cellars 

We have a delicious assortment of Chronic Cellars wines that are perfect for Dia de los Muertos...and carry the spirit of Halloween. Fantastic for entertaining, as a potluck contribution or gift.

Stone Fox for $19.99, Dead Nuts for $24.99, Sofa King Bueno for $19.99, Purple Paradise for $14.99, Suite Petite for $14.99, and Spritz for $14.99.
    
 

Rick Bayless translates the heart of this world-class cuisine to everyday cooking.

This book blends more than 150 recipes with passion, patience, clarity and humor. Bayless unerringly finds his way into the very soul of Mexican cuisine, from essential recipes and explorations of Mexico's many chiles to quick, everyday dishes and pull-out-the-stops celebration fare. He guides us through a wide range of richly flavored regional Mexican dishes, combining down-home appeal and convivial informality with simple culinary elegance.

There is no greater authority on Mexican cooking than Rick Bayless, and no one can teach it better.



The Iconic Mexican Chocolate

Ibarra's traditional chocolate, one of our staff favorites, is laced with cinnamon and undissolved (crunchy) granulated sugar. It makes the best hot chocolate, and a deliciously smooth mole.

Used it in baking recipes, it adds a level of richness not found in standard baking chocolate. We even enjoy the gritty texture, and savor it by itself as "Chocolate Para Mesa."
Get the Recipe for How to Make Mexican Hot Chocolate... 

From the Cocktail Post
 
Some cocktails don't need mixing.
KAH� pays reverence and honor to Mexico and its people. KAH's unique packaging is inspired by traditional Calaveras used in Dia de los Muertos rituals to symbolize death and rebirth. Inside is a delicious tequila that has won the highest awards.

Every bottle is an individual, hand-crafted work of art, no two bottles are the same. While the bottle captures that enduring spirit, so does the tequila inside, as KAH's distillers transform hand-selected 100% Blue agave into a lively tequila.

We carry Blanco in the white bottle for $49.99, Reposado in the yellow bottle for $59.99, and Anejo in the black bottle for $64.99. We also have a three pack of mini bottles for $29.99 that makes a wonderful gift. 
 
 

How 'bout them apples?
At Pied�mont Gro�cery we are loving the fall fla�vors of Devoto Orchards Cider. They are made from hand�picked, never con�cen�trated, 100% organic, heir�loom apples. They come in three vari�eties, and we can't decide which we like better.

Cidre Noir offers layers of ginger, licorice, and crisp green apple on the palate, fin�ished with an ele�gant tannic structure.

1976 has aromas of ripe pear lead to a creamy tex�ture and lush fruit on the palate fin�ished with soft tannins.

Gravestein has aromas of lemon, sage, yeast, and mint on the nose lead to bright acidity and a smooth finish.

To make the best cider, your family tree better be...well...an apple tree.
-Jolie Devoto, 2nd Gen�er�a�tion Apple Farmer

 Read More...

From Amy and our "What's For Dinner Wednesday" recipe blog 

Food to Die For
Halloween hasn't arrived yet but I am already over it. Too many stores have had the Halloween stuff up and on the floor for sale since August. (Even worse, I have seen the Christmas stuff in some places...really?) The over-availability of anything Halloween-related has made me indifferent to the goblins and ghouls. Even my kids seem lukewarm about Halloween-and when you think about the amount of candy that could come their way, that's saying something.

To combat this, I have decided to stage my own personal rebellion (Okay, teenage angst tantrum is probably more accurate.) and focus on the day after Halloween. This year we are going to honor our dead with a Dia De Los Muertos feast.

Some of you may see this for what it actually is: another excuse for me to make Mexican food, my favorite. You would, indeed, be correct. But consider it as a way for me to educate my family about the fascinating traditions of other countries, thus making them more well-rounded and accepting citizens of the world...Nah, I wouldn't buy that either.

I will say this, any opportunity to get together with family and friends, to remember those whom we have loved and lost, is worthwhile. If it happens to also come with some rockin' good food (and don't forget the Margaritas!) from south of the border, so much the better.

Most of our honoring will occur on the soccer pitch, because of playoffs. I am going to use this Chicken Mole recipe to make life a little easier. Mole is one of the most iconic and flavorful dishes of Mexico, and is therefore the perfect choice with which to coax the spirits of the departed back to gather with friends and family for a great feast.

Slow-Cooker Chicken Mole
Adapted from Martha Stewart
What is great about this recipe is the ease of preparation. It is perfect to do in the morning, and find a simmering pot of mole when you get home from a day's work.
 
Get the recipe...
 
In This Issue
Day of the Dead Wine
This Month's Cookbook Pick
Featured Product
The Cocktail Post
Vendor of the Month
Slow-Cooker Chicken Mole
Seven Days a Week
 
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Sunday
9 AM to 7 PM 
 
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Visit our recipe blog to learn what Amy, our VP and resident foodie, is cooking up in her home kitchen.

Apple Cider Caramels

Slow-Cooker Chicken Mole

Pecan Bars

Sausage and Apples

Senate Bean Soup &
Gam's Navy Bean Soup


Rizzo e Zucca (Rice and Butternut Squash)

Baked Farro, Bacon and Butternut Squash

Baked Apple Dumplings

Granola Bar Cookies 

Curried Chicken and Apple Wraps 

Streamlined Baked Manicotti

Chicken Tamale Pie

Easy Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream (No-Churn)

In Memory of Desmond Ritchie

Chiles Anchos Rellenos de Queso (Cheese-Filled Ancho Chiles)

Tian de Courgettes au Riz (Zucchini Tian)

Clam Chowder with Root Vegetables and Thyme

Lemon Meringue Pie

Jelly, Marmalade & Jam

Never-Fail Biscuits and Strawberry Freezer Jam

Black and Tan Sundae

Spinach Cobb Salad with Bacon, Blue Cheese, Avocado & Derby Dressing

Singapore Sling

Summer Pannini

Peach Cobbler
 
Canal House's Chicken Thighs with Lemon

Spicy Beer Marinated Flank Steak

Grilled Pork Chops with Sweet Lemongrass Marinade

Mexican Bulldog Margarita

Classic Ensenada Fish Tacos

Amy's Roast Chicken

Old Fashioned Chocolate Layer Cake
 
Crispy, Crackly Apple-Almond Tart

Cashel Blue, Spinach and Smoked Salmon Tartlets

Easy Self-Rising Biscuits

Classic Chicken Chow Mein

Julie & Julia's Bruschetta

Spicy Mushroom Tamales

Mush�room and Shallot Quiche

Amy's Gua�camole

Roasted Cauli�flower & Hazelnut Salad

Bach�elor Beef Stew

Crock Pot Oats & Amish Style Baked Oat�meal

Champagne Cocktail

Irish Coffee

Holiday Cookie Basket

Anise Cakes

Roasted Fresh Ham with Citrus and Rye

Christmas Butter Cookies

Gam's Apple Chutney

Pie Month

Autumn Salad with Apples, Comt�, and Hazelnuts

Deconstructed Holiday Turkey with Sage Gravy

Cornmeal-Crusted Crayfish Pies

Old-Fashioned Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting

Three Soups!
Bonus Recipes


Apple, Onion and Cheddar Soup

Traditional French Cassoulet

Endive & Fuyu Persimmon Salad with Pecans

Double Cut pork Chops with Garlic Butter

Inside Out Pumpkin Muffins

Cock-A-Leekie Soup

Crab and Corn Pies with Corn Crab Sauce

Amy's Hummus