Greetings from the Bistro!

Greetings from the Bistro!
November 19, 2021
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And, Another Fine Week It Has Been!!!
Well, once again the weather is doing its crazy ying-yang of warm, cold, rain, snow, sometimes all in one day. Unfortunately my lawn is covered in a blanket of leaves that are not scheduled to be cleaned up until next week. I sure hope that we don’t get a dumping of the white stuff. Maddie and Sophie will be sad to see them go as they have a blast running through piles of tree droppings way higher than they are tall. I love to watch them get their ya-ya’s out and then come in and crash for the next few hours. I’m so lucky to have my buds; they always meet me, tails wagging, when I get home. It doesn’t matter if I’ve been gone 30 minutes or 5 hours I get the same joyful greeting. We are happy to roam the yard and woods or head to the Kensington trail. As I’ve mentioned before Sophia will hanker down in a full run to catch a deer. She soon realizes there is no way she can catch up with them. Then there is sweet Maddie who doesn’t care a bit about spending any energy chasing anything. She is content running around the yard being happy. Ponies are good. I am having amazing rides and am very thankful for my awesome animal buds. Thank you God.

In addition to the deer around my woods, wild turkeys are prolific thanks to conservations programs instilled over the last decade. They are the most difficult of birds to hunt so their numbers keep growing. Only one in six hunters will fell a wild turkey. The average life span is three to four years unlike their domestic cousins who live, birth to freezer, 26 weeks. Domestic birds eat 75# of feed in their life, wild birds feed on seeds, nuts, insects and berries. And, they can fly. I can attest to that as I’ll see them perched in trees time to time.
 It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is just around the corner. For me Thanksgiving Day has always been the start of winter and the holiday season. The reminiscences of past holidays are dear. Grandmother made the pies until my sister Liz took over the duties. What pies they were. Pecan, sweet potato and pumpkin. All still warm from the oven and topped with real whipped cream. Mom was up at the crack of dawn preparing the bird for roasting. Dad made the dressing which included everything but the kitchen sink. Then too all the little appetizers: bar cheese stuffed celery, big black olives (a must have for sister Kitty), Aunt Betty’s pickled beets and deviled eggs. I was in charge of the mashed potatoes, roasted acorn squash and a green salad. We ate well for days afterwards too finishing up the leftovers. My favorite go-to was a turkey, cold dressing, cranberry sauce and mayo sandwich. A Thanksgiving slider of sorts. So good! But, this year I’m breaking tradition and ordering “out” from the Bistro and bring home some sides. I only have a small group, all of whom could care less if there is a bird on the menu, so I’ll marinate salmon in red wine overnight, sear it and finish in the oven. It turns a gorgeous mahogany color, a fish coq-au-vin of sorts.

Today is the cut-off for ordering your Thanksgiving sides. Let Mary and Sharon cook your Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Cranberry Sauce, Gravy, Stuffing, Green Bean Casserole, Maple Sweet Potatoes or Glazed Root Veggies. YUM!

The first observance of Thanksgiving in the United States took place on December 4, 1619 in Virginia. Thirty-eight English settlers had just arrived in the New Land, and their charter required that the day of arrival be observed yearly as a day of thanksgiving to God. It was two years later, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, that Thanksgiving took on the theme of a harvest festival. A harsh winter killed half the members of the colony the year before, but a good corn harvest the following fall encouraged the people to give thanks to God for the progress the colony was finally making.

So, in the spirit of the holiday I give thanks. Thanks that I am not homeless or hungry and have the ability to help those who are; grateful for all the wonderful opportunities that I am given on a daily basis; proud of a remarkable staff that strives to satisfy not only Sharon and me but each individual that walks through our door; glad for the old friends that we see each day and thrilled for all the new ones we’ve made over the years and so appreciative of your compliments – they kindle a fire in us to come back and do our best every day. Thank you!!!  And, of course, thankful for my wonderful family, great circle of friends and my sweet pups and kind horses.

Sharon and Crew have some Wonderful Chalkboard Features per se.

Bistro Plates Include:
CORNMEAL DUSTED WALLEYE: Served with a Root Vegetable Gratin, Locally Grown Detroit Sprouts and a Fresh Cranberry Mustard;

VIETNAMESE BAHN MI BOWL: Chicken Meatballs with Bell Pepper, Green Onion, Garlic, Ginger and Cilantro Tossed in a Sweet and Spicy Glaze over Sticky Rice with a Cool Salad of Cucumber, Carrot, and Shaved Onion Tossed in a Coconut Vinaigrette;

FRIED CALAMARI STEAK STRIPS: Giant Squid Steaks Sliced and Dredged in Seasoned Flour, Fried and Presented Over Tomato Orzo and Topped with a Warm Mediterranean Salsa of Grilled Yellow Banana Peppers, Kalamata Olives and Feta in a Lemon-Oregano Vinaigrette

and last, not least

VEGETARIAN PLATE: Roasted Delicata Squash (Please, Eat the Skin!) Stuffed with Creamy Risotto Studded with Corn and Peas. Finished with a Drizzle of Basil Oil. YUM!!!