It may be cold and rainy outside, but it feels like spring inside of our shop! All of our new spring merchandise (linens, platters, cocktail napkins, cheese spreaders and more) has arrived, along with our Easter chocolate! We have a huge selection of Easter chocolate and candy from Rheo Thompson Candies and Reid's.

We are featuring a special promotion (while supplies last). If you purchase either the sundried tomato & pesto torte or the maple pecan ice wine torte, you may purchase our blue cheese, candied walnut and dried fruit torte at half price!

pancetta baked pork fillets

This is an incredibly easy and delicious recipe that's special enough for company.

Credit goes to Chef Merla McMenomy whom I had the pleasure of working with at Dish Cooking Studio in Toronto.

serves 2-3
(you can easily double the recipe)

ingredients

• 3 slices pancetta
• 1 pork tenderloin
• 1 apple, sliced
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 6 fresh sage leaves
• 6-8 cups arugula
• pepper, to taste

method

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wrap pancetta around the pork fillet to enclose.
2. Place the sliced apple in the base of a baking dish and top with the pork. Sprinkle with oil and sage and pepper.
3. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes or until pork is cooked to your liking. Serve pork thickly sliced with arugula.

Chef Mark has created a selection of new vegetable side dishes, including:

• corn succotash with peppers
  (my fav)
• rich cauliflower gratin
• roasted root vegetables
• peas with bacon & sauteed shallots
• creamed spinach with shallots & garlic

I need your help in naming our new local foods gift basket!

We will soon be offering a gourmet gift basket filled with local foods unique to our region.

I'd love your help in coming up with the perfect name for this new basket! If I choose your name, you'll win a free basket! (retail value of $80.00)

The basket will include several of our best-selling signature items (best-ever granola, black pepper and pinot noir biscotti, shorttbread and spiced nuts), as well as the following items:

• rheo thompson candies mint smoothie chocolates
• wellesley apple butter
• hergot's award winning summer wildflower honey
• stemmler's pepperettes
• rootham's red pepper jelly
• local maple syrup
• golden hearth ultimate ginger cookies
• all things tea ontario ice wine tea
• herrles corn relish (or pickles)
• a foodlink's "buy local buy fresh" map

I'd love your suggestions for a catchy name for the basket. Thanks for your help!

If you read my article in the Waterloo Chronicle, you may recall a recent story that I wrote on "easy tips for entertaining at home" (feb 25/09). There was one final "tip" that I wrote which never made it to print... I think it's a good one so here goes:

Dana's final tip:

Remember that it’s YOUR mood which sets the tone. Your guests aren’t going to have a good time if they see that you’re exhausted from all of the preparation or if you’re running around in a frenzy trying to host the “perfect” party. To quote Ina Garten (the “Barefoot Contessa”): “Your friends aren’t going to have more fun if you spend two weeks making the hors d’oeuvres!” Which brings me to my corollary – your guests won’t have a good time if your husband is tense – so pour him a stiff vodka tonic 30 minutes before your guests arrive – and refresh it a couple of times over the evening – you’d be surprised how much more engaging / charismatic / helpful he’ll be... It’ll remind you of why you married him in the first place. (Works like a charm for me every time!)

That everything tastes better with bacon? (at least I think so!) Pancetta is an Italian bacon that is cured with salt and spices but not smoked. Prosciutto is the Italian word for "ham" and is also not smoked. Regular bacon is cured and smoked.

One last thing – we’re hoping that all of you receiving this newsletter want to be on our distribution list.

If you would like to be removed from this list, please let me know and we will fulfill your request asap.