Truly Thankful Thanksgiving!

It has been a while since I’ve written a new post here, but it hasn’t been for lack of subjects, from taking on Dr. Kruse’s idiotic “Leptin Reset” to more Junk Science Studies Run Amok. And there are oh so many of those. There are even a few really good new books out there on the science of nutrition and obesity that I want to review for you. Sigh. Maybe in the Spring.

So to my readers, I apologize for being an absentee landlord. It isn’t that I haven’t wanted to be here for you, it’s that I’ve been very, very busy these last six months, working incredibly hard to finally get to the launch stage of Good For You Goodies.

And it looks like I’m nearly there, with a handshake for a contract to sign in a few weeks. I’ve spent all summer and most of the fall working with the commercial baking facility in Boston that will make  my goods, sell them in their three fancy dessert restaurants and to their myriad of wholesale accounts– and pay me a royalty for each piece sold.

The work process was this: I’d revise a recipe, send it to them, they’d bake it, I’d drive in and taste it, we’d critique it, and I’d revise the recipe again and we’d start the whole thing all over again. It’s one thing to bake a set of Killer Brownies in one’s own kitchen — and quite another to have it made on an assembly line in a commercial kitchen with commercial equipment. And that’s even before ‘batching up’ to bake 200 sets of brownies at the same time!

Then, once the recipes were declared a ‘go’ by all parties, the goodies had to be taste-tested at one of the restaurants, to see if the guests liked them and would be willing to buy them. It was nerve-wracking, watching folks lift the forks to their mouths, scrutinizing their expressions as they chewed thoughtfully (or better, joyfully), and then commented to the head pastry chef, who relayed the information to me. Luckily, two of the three recipes tested were big hits, and most folks were stunned to learn they were sugar-free. The custard bread pudding with caramel pecan topping is back on the drawing board for next spring, but the aforementioned Killer Brownies, the Peanut Butter Mousse Tart with Chocolate Crunch Crust and Ganache Topping, the Cupcakes, and the Milk Chocolate Icebox Cheesecake are ready to go!

And not just to the restaurants. The facility already ships their own goods all over the country, so my Goodies will too. I’m meeting with a web designer next week.

So I’m truly thankful that we’ve reached the place where my dream can finally launch, and especially thankful that I have so many wonderful Protocol Participants and Faithful Readers with whom I can share the news. I’ll write more about what it’s like to launch a food business — and a sugar-free one at that — if any of you are interested in hearing about it.

To celebrate, I decided to do a bang-up Thanksgiving here, instead of going to friends or restaurants, as has been my habit over the last few years, since cooking is definitely a ‘busman’s holiday’ these days.

Here’s the menu for tomorrow, all of which I made (or will make) myself except for the ravioli, which is hand-made (just not by me):

Hors D’Oeuvre
Crab, Shrimp & Wild Mushroom Ravioli
Hand Made Ravioli Napped in Garlic Rum Cream Sauce

Entrée
Duck Two Ways
Moroccan Roast Duck with Sour Cherry Sauce ~ Tea Smoked Duck Breasts

Légume
Haricot Verte Provençale
Roast Apple Mushroom Stuffing

Garniture
Cranberry Orange Chutney

Assiette de Fromages aux Fruits
Triple Crème Brie. Jasper Farms Bleu.
Vermont Goat Bijou. Port D’or.

Crostini  ~ Beurre de Fines
Apples & Pears
Sugar-free Caramel Walnuts
Fig & Cacao Torte

Finale du Cours
Café et Thé
Hand Made Chocolate-Covered Bacon & Chocolate-Covered Caramel Walnuts

Vins: Champagne Brut. Assortiment de Rouge & Blanc.

The cheese course and coffee/tea sugar-free chocolates will be enjoyed before the fire in the living room, and although we begin in early afternoon, I imagine it will be dark by the time we get there. A meal worth eating is a meal worth spending some serious time over.

I wish each and every one of you a meal worth eating tomorrow, and wonderful friends and family to share it with.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU ALL!