Vermont Shortbread Company

The Heart of New England

I’m pleased and honored that Marcia from The Heart of New England reprinted one of my articles, Are You a Foodie? on her website.

The Heart of New England is a great resource for all things New England, so it’s quite special to me that I’m included.  Whether you’re a northern New Englander yourself, or have always wanted to visit – you’ll find whatever you’re looking for ‘New England’ at The Heart of New England.

The LemonGrassGirls are Nesting

Maybe it's the cold autumnal breeze that makes us want to retreat inward and prepare warm feasts for our families, but the LemonGrassGirls are back at it: blogging about life through food stories.  It's one of our favorite things to do! 

Got a favorite food story YOU want to share? 

Consider submitting it to the LemonGrassGirls.  We'd love to read your "entrees".  E-mail your food story to Ann at jsaz-AT-gmavt.net or dina-AT-wordfeeder.com. 

I've had a sudden craving for pumpkin or squash soup after a lovely bowl of creamy, cinnaomony squash soup today accompanied by a curried chicken salad sandwich on a fresh baguette.  I enjoyed this meal with a friend whose energy is creative, enthusiastic and just downright inspirational.  Often, it's the company, rather than the meal that takes center stage.   Combine loving, laughing energy with a long, colorful autumn meal and you've got the ingredients for a profound essay. 

It's that simple.  Write to us. 

Lemongrassgirls.com: Really Cool Food Writers

I've neglected the other blog I share with my copywriter/internet marketing guru pal of late.  It's not that I haven't felt inspired to write about food, I've been preoccupied with personal matters and running my business. 

After taking an amazing intoductory food writing class recently, I remembered that food and writing are not optional to my happiness and success.  They are essential to my well-being.  So I'm back at it. 

Come visit us at Lemongrassgirls.com and read about the food adventures of the odd couple of copywriting geeks who have woven a friendship and business opportunities around their passion for food. 

I Want to be a Food Writer When I Grow Up

Yes, I would really like to be a food writer when I grow up. 

Everything I write has food language in it.  I once fantasized about writing a book about dating after 40 - based on what else...food!  I had made up all these dating rules and each one was based on my date's food likes and dislikes.  I once attempted to write about all the guys I ever dated and guess what - I didn't write about their personalities - I wrote about my judgment of them based on what foods they ate and cooked, from mild mannered Mr. Milquetoast to erotic exotic Mr. I'll-Try-Anything-Once.  Even my own autobiography is full of food analogies and has a food title. 

Growing up in a totally non-foodie family, it's one of life's greatest ironies that I grew up to own a gourmet food company that now pops up on page one when you Google the term "shortbread".  That's hilarious! 

I don't know where I'm going with all this food writing stuff right now, but I know I'm onto something as I build my platform.  Tech writer and teacher turned gourmet food company owner turned guerilla marketer turned food writer with an edge = ? 

Anyway, Dina Giolitto and I have created a foodie blog to in which release our pent-up food fantasies.  Instead of talking incessantly about what we had for dinner, we decided to write about it.

For a blog entree, with a hearty side of laughter, and just the right dash of Memory Lane, visit our LemongrassGirls blog at (and don't forget to comment while you're there): 

http://lemongrassgirls.com/

Beauty and the Bean

Back in the mid-80s (yikes, was it really 20 years ago?), I was a young teacher working in New Orleans.  To earn extra money, I worked part time across the street from my Magazine Street apartment, at PJ's Coffee and Tea.  Having grown up on instant Maxwell House, I was not the most coffee-savvy drinker in the world. 

In the days before Starbucks, before coffee houses became trendy and common, I learned the basics about roasting coffee beans and serving coffee from experts.  I learned about coffee's origins, roasting methods, and how to prepare the ultimate cup.  In my opinion, the best cup of coffee can only be made with a French press, a glass carafe in which you mix ground coffee, boiling water, and use a simple plunger-press device to push the grounds to the bottom when you want to serve the coffee.  This is the best way to make coffee because you don't "cook" the coffee as you would in a drip machine.  Cooking coffee releases its acidity and makes it bitter.  I was so in love with my French press, I used to bring it on camping trips.  There's nothing quite like rolling out of your tent in the woods at dawn, wrapping your cold hands around a warm cup (not a paper cup, perish the thought!) and sipping slowly as you tend the fire for your morning breakfast.  I might also argue that the cold drip method is up there with the French press. This method produces a coffee concentrate that you can keep in your fridge, but it's slow and I believe best suited for iced coffee, which is how I learned it at PJ's. 

Don't get me wrong.  I'm not anti-drip or anti-percolator.  Heavens, no!  For large scale convenience, there's nothing like machinery.  I own a drip coffee maker and a Krups cappucino/espresso maker and use them frequently.  When I'm bolting out the door in the morning, I fill my metal thermal mug (never plastic, ick!) with a dark, rich French roast.  If it's a particularly good roast, I drink it black so as not to sully the flavor.  If it's mediocre or I'm just in the mood for light coffee, I use Half-and-Half.  No sugar in my coffee, thank you.  My husband uses skim milk which upsets me to no end because it produces a grayish colored murky coffee I find unappealling. But hey, he likes it and as long as he knows never to use skim milk in MY coffee, we're cool.

Now about flavored coffees.  I often take flack for this but let me just say I am vehemently opposed to flavored coffee.  Coffee IS a flavor, so adding additional flavor to it is like adding ice cubes and club soda to a pricey bottle of merlot.  How would you possibly appreciate the personality of a  bottle of wine if you added extra stuff to it?  You'd change the entire personality of something elegant and simple and make it complicated and confusing.  With coffee, as with many foods and drinks, simplicity is elegant.  Back in my coffee house days, we did not serve flavored coffees.  We offered a dark roast, a medium roast, and a water-processed decaf to our customers along with an assortment of fresh baked goods, made from scratch by local bakers.  We believed flavored coffees were just wrong because they covered up the true essence and beauty of the bean.  Plus they weren't popular then.   I know they are popular now.  The rows of syrupy flavors in bottles lined up in some coffee bars are testimony to the popularity of flavored coffee.  I'll pass, thank you. 

To eat or not to eat with coffee?  Again, keep it simple.  Toast or an English muffin and a steaming cup of java comprise the ultimate breakfast.  A medium roast in the afternoon with fresh biscotti is heaven.  A demi-tasse of dark espresso with the tiniest slice of lemon rubbed around the edge of the cup allows me to linger and enjoy the afterglow of a perfect meal.

Ahhh, did I mention shortbread and coffee?  Always appreciated, always appropriate, a wedge of Vermont Shortbread with your coffee is the ultimate in luxury and pampering.  It's probably not something you'd eat every day, but for those times when you want to practice extra self-care, why not enjoy your coffee with the most elegant and simple of all cookies, shortbread?

When food and drink are pure, simple, and flavorful without being contrived, you will want to savor them slowly and purposefully.  You will want to sit quietly with your steaming cup and your snack with your eyes gently closed and allow flavors, aroma, and warmth to dance their slow, sensual dance of comfort and nurturing.  And guess what?  The world feels a whole lot friendlier when you take the time to enjoy the beauty and simplicity in your bean...or in whatever you're eating and drinking.   

Are YOU a Foodie?

So much food to sample; so little time. Ahhh, the foodie’s quandary. What’s a foodie, you ask?

I first heard the term from a European friend who used it to describe himself about 20 years ago. Grocery shopping with this man was a delight. He’d lift a plump cantaloupe in the market, squeeze it gently, sniff it and joyfully proclaim it ripe, while gazing at it reverently. In the meat section of the market, he’d paw through the beef until he found the most perfectly marbled steak of the bunch. (“Not too lean, you need a little fat to give it flavor,” he’d say.) He’d hold the package as if cradling a newborn baby and declare it “gorgeous.” To this suburban middle class American girl who grew up in the 1960s and '70s on Rice-a-Roni, white bread, casseroles made with cream of mushroom soup, and Velveeta, all this hoo-ha about food was initially, well…bizarre, to me.

Tell me, when was the last time, you gazed at a brightly colored carrot with its green leafy top attached, a perfectly grilled steak that you cooked outdoors, or the ultimate slice of apple pie (not too mushy and runny, not too crunchy with golden flaky crust made from scratch, and vanilla ice cream just beginning to melt over the sides) and marveled at its texture, color, and the way it feeeeeels in your mouth as you slowly revel in that first bite?

Are you over the moon because you’re sharing an amazing meal with your partner or a group of friends or family? Are you mixing in a dash of laughter or conversation with your meals? Are you focused on only the meal and the company rather than multitasking? Do you see food as one of life’s great joys rather than necessary fuel for your body?

If you’ve done this recently, congratulations, you’re a foodie (in this writer’s opinion). If you haven’t, I invite you to slowly and purposefully give it a try. Sit down at a table (not at your desk). Arrange your meal so it looks attractive on the plate (maybe add a garnish for a splash of color?). Notice the food’s size and shape. Breathe in its aroma and joyfully anticipate each bite while giving thanks for the abundance you have before you. Share a bite with a friend or lover. Savor each mouthful slowly, mindfully, and gratefully. By the way, you can do this with a peanut butter sandwich or you can do it with filet mignon. That’s the beauty of being a foodie.

The way I see it, becoming a foodie doesn’t have so much to do with your ability to cook, or your penchant for fancy gourmet food, but rather your openness to all food experiences and your willingness to partake in the great banquet of life by surrounding yourself with people and sharing food you love. It’s about balance, too. This foodie enjoys her once-a-year Big Mac or the occasional Ring Ding just as much as she enjoyed the osso bucco, foie gras, and tuna tartare she ate last weekend at a trendy eatery. And yes, this foodie will always love the comfort food she grew up on (Campbell’s Tomato Soup with Ritz Crackers, anyone?) because it evokes beautiful memories of cold winter days spent playing in the snow, breaking only for a warm lunch before playing some more.

Balance. Variety. Moderation. Beauty. Gratitude. To heck with the carb police, I say! My European friend was my model as I grew into a foodie. He never obsessed about calories, fat, or content, he never over ate – he simply enjoyed everything, without judgment or agenda. We Americans aren’t always so good at that.

Fellow foodies and foodie wannabes, there is so much out there to try. And today, it’s easier than ever to find your favorite ethnic food at your local grocery store or quickly order your favorite gourmet treat online. My challenge to you this month is to try one new slightly outrageous food item and buy one old comfort food item. Share them with people you like. Savor it. Indulge. Feel the luxury of enjoying a simple meal or a lovingly prepared dessert. Approach each bite with childlike wonder as you chew slowly. Talk. Laugh.

Congratulations, you’re now a foodie. It’s easy.

Key Lime Shortbread, Anyone?

I'm back from Key West with a mojito hangover and key limes on the brain. 

Anyone for key lime shortbread?  I bought the fixins! 

Wouldn't it be fun to do a state-inspired shortbread for each state of the union?  Okay, Florida, key limes are easy.  But what does one do for Idaho?  Potato shortbread?  How about South Dakota?  Maine is easy - blueberry.  What about my home state of Connecticut?  Tobacco shortbread?  YUM! Help!

Help!  First person to come up with valid (tasty, not weird) ideas for each of our 50 states wins a gift box shortbread. 

BTW, wait till you see the work Dina did on my web site while I was gone. I can't wait to get it posted.  I'm feeling inspired having been away from Vermont and my normal life for a week.  One vacation every 3 years is simply not going to do anymore.  No wonder my daughter was calling me Mrs. Anxiety. 

Okay, the state shortbread contest is officially on.  Ready, set, go. 

Alaska...salmon shortbread (example of a gross suggestion)

Georgia...peach shortbread (example of a good suggestion)

Fine Food and Wine Festival

Each year Vermont Shortbread Company participates in a local food and wine festival.  It's held at Shelburne Farms, which is a 1400 acre working farm, National Historical Landmark and educational center and one of the prettiest places around.  It sits on Lake Champlain and is host to many local events such as the annual summer Mozart Festival on the expansive lawns overlooking the lake. 

This festival is a fundraiser for the Flynn Theater in Burlington, VT. It's a great opportunity to stroll in a lovely environment, sip wine and taste local food.  This will be VSC's fifth year participating.  I love doing the show because I love hearing the praise for my product and watching my guest book fill up with names for my mailing list.  Mostly, I just love good food. 

Click below to read details...come say hi if you can.

A New Foodie Venture

I am a foodie; not a food snob. I enjoy a huge Hershey bar as much as I savor a small piece of Godiva chocolate. I enjoy a cold beer in a can as much as expensive champagne served in Waterford crystal. To me, the company with whom I share the meal matters more than the contents of the meal. Food is about so much more than fuel for the body. It’s about being in touch with my senses and immersing myself in laughter, camaraderie, and conversation around a shared meal.

In the decade I have been running Vermont Shortbread Company, I've seen the specialty food market growing in leaps and bounds. I believe that people are returning to comfort over convenience, quality over quantity, and authenticity over packaged foods.  I've watched the emergence of the slow food movement and I'm grateful for the trend.