Sansaba for Your Summer Pantry

This week we are highlighting a perfect product for your summer pantry. A longstanding GH Favorite... Sansaba Preserves! The original Peach, Pecan & Amaretto has been a top selling product for us since we opened and we still love it! All of the flavors are great over cream cheese and served with crackers for a great appetizer. One of our customers loves to make special sundaes with Breyer's vanilla ice cream, and I love to (O.K. I know this not a heart healthy recipe) pan fry homemade pound cake (from the freezer) in butter and then top with any flavor, add some whipped cream...YUM!

Try this recipe for a easy yet fantastic pie that everyone loves!

One of our customers made this pie for a church social and everyone went crazy over it. She was so excited because she isn't much of a cook so she is usually asked to bring paper products however, after this pie everyone asks her to bring dessert. She bought a case of Sansaba to have on hand, and get this she won't give out the recipe as it is now her "secret". While this recipe calls for peach, pecan and amaretto it really works well with any of their flavors.

It is great on pancakes, or waffles on slathered on a biscuit (another customer told me last week that she eats it straight from the jar! I'll mention no names, we don't judge!)

Finally, one of my favorites is to grill chicken and then baste it with the peach, pecan and jalapeno serve on rice and it is AWESOME!! Come try it out if you haven't already! A must have for your summer pantry.

Summer Entertaining is Simple With a Well-Stocked Summer Pantry

It seems like during the summer unexpected guests can drop in at anytime, but that doesn't have to catch you unprepared. The key to successful entertaining on the fly is the idea behind the Gatewood Hall properly stocked “Summer Pantry”. Below is an extensive list of items a gracious host or hostess could keep on hand. Please don’t be overwhelmed. Rather than store them all just select a few that suit your tastes. Pick items that you love and that are versatile (for your needs) and then keep them in supply. Convenience products are not all the same. I have a few of my favorites to keep in the pantry and freezer during the summer for last-minute appetizers, snacks, quick meals or to dress up leftovers. I will share those with you over the next few weeks.

As I have mentioned, I believe the key to the successful Summer Pantry is to stock up on versatile, shelf-stable ingredients so you can knock out a tray of hors d'oeuvres at a moment's notice.

Must-have options for the cupboard:
o A good quality mild cracker or crisp bread
o Cheese straws- (A true southern expectation. There are so many great store-bought versions there is no need to make them, most are foil sealed which gives them a long shelf life, or you can even freeze them.)
o Pickled veggies— For serving as antipasto or garnishing a Bloody Mary or Martini
o Canned dolmades- (stuffed grape leaves), a Greek treat stuffed with rice.
o Jarred roasted red peppers or sun-dried tomatoes— Items like these plus a little fresh garlic dress up a jarred pasta sauce, or can be used atop crackers in hors d'oeuvres
o Jarred pesto- Spread it on crackers or slices of crusty bread. (Pesto just tastes like summer to me and while I love to make it from scratch there are so many great jarred versions you can’t go wrong.)
o Nuts- Pistachios, smoked, mixed- (My favorite is Marcona almonds from Spain. They are sold at many specialty stores, but the best buy is from Costco. Marcona almonds are flat and crunchy, and have a more delicate flavor than American almonds. They're simple, classic, satisfying and healthy too.)
o Stuffed olives— keep a few jarred or canned varieties on hand, preferably good quality ones with a twist such as stuffed with garlic, jalapeno, or even almonds. (Sometimes I’ll buy a mixed jar of olives, drain and refill with a hearty red wine, but be sure to refrigerate if you do this)
o Unique or special salsa- (I usually keep a regional peach or fruit version and a great traditional flavor)
o Olive tapenade
o Jarred eggplant appetizer
o Wonderful fruit jam or chutney

o Good local honey
o Really great mustard
o Your favorite mayo (you can add things to it to make it a great spread)
o Dry salami, pepperoni or other cured meat
o A can of quality Italian tuna in oil for sauces or topping salads and crackers- (Truthfully I never keep this on hand this but I have a friend who swears by it!)

Beverages

o Champagne or Prosecco— Serve alone in the evening or mix with juice and garnish with a strawberry for mimosas at brunch
o Sparkling water
o Soda
o Beer
o Red wine
o White wine

Seasonings, Stocks & Spices

o Extra virgin olive oil
o Balsamic vinegar and a flavored dipping oil- (like garlic, basil, or lemon)
o Sea salts ( I love the flavored versions like lavender or citrus)
o Chicken, Beef & Vegetable stock
o Garlic powder- (I prefer the jarred crushed garlic)
o Canned Italian tomatoes and paste (I love good canned tomatoes!)
o A good pre-made canned sauce (You can add some spices to give them a bit of flare. Without question an unusual pasta and a jar of sauce + added fresh garlic and herbs to brighten the flavors create a no-fuss dinner.)

Rice & Pastas
Boil, drain and pour your favorite sauce and you are good to go.

o Arborio ( aka: Risotto)
o A couple varieties of pastas (I like the idea of Penne, Linguini and Tri-colored Fusili)
o Jasmine or Brown Rice

Crusts, Bread & Shells in the Freezer
These are great to have in the freezer. Just thaw and fill with just about anything for a last minute appetizer or dessert.

o Frozen puff pastry
o French Baguette
o Ready-made pizza dough
o Pie crusts

Cheese in the Fridge
Most cheeses last for a really long time in the fridge, and can be a valuable addition to your Summer Pantry

o Cream cheese
o Goat cheese
o Wedge of Cheddar
o Chunk of Parmigiano- Reggiano
o Brie

Desserts

o Vanilla ice cream (a really good one, I prefer good ole Hagen Daz)
o Cookies (I have a friend who makes a big batch of their favorite cookie dough and freezes them for an easy quick sweet end of a meal sometimes they make ice cream sandwiches. Take your favorite cookie, put a spoonful of ice cream and top with another cookie. Keep in the freezer until you are ready to serve. A simple & fun treat!)
o Pound cake
o Frozen fruit
o Chocolate or Caramel (I love a really great jarred chocolate or caramel sauce, in the summer there is something about a really great sundae or ripe fresh fruit dipped in chocolate or caramel simple yet decadent!)

Miscellaneous Items
o Beautiful or fun paper napkins & plates
o Easy melamine plates, trays and service ware
o Nice looking tooth picks & bamboo skewers

You don't want to be caught with nothing to serve when people drop by and your well-stocked Summer Pantry (and freezer) will ensure that you always have fun, party food available without much prep required. I will spotlight some of my favorite products, where to get them and what to do with them over the next few weeks. I know we have some really great entertaining friends out there…Have I missed something that you love to keep in your Summer Pantry? Please share your ideas! I love hearing from you!

Happy & Gracious Summer Entertaining!

Corky

The Summer Pantry- Fine Provisions by Gatewood Hall

It’s the official kick-off of summer and with that we are rolling out something fun at GH! Welcome to The Summer Pantry- Fine Provisions by Gatewood Hall.

We love gracious entertaining! Summertime in the north Georgia Mountains is the perfect time to enjoy the outdoors, friends and family in our beautiful part of the world. Some people find entertaining effortless it just comes naturally but, others find it daunting and often overwhelming. It concerns us because those that fall into the second group often say forget it because they feel it is just too much hassle, especially in the summer when they’d rather be out having fun instead of worrying about “party details”. That is where we at GH come in with The Summer Pantry.

The Summer Pantry at Gatewood Hall Gracious Home is a great corner of our store where we will stock some wonderful, fine provisions that are unique, special and most of all VERSATILE and EASY! These provisions include wonderful gourmet food items that can dress up anything from cream cheese to your favorite dish, great books on entertaining, beautiful napkins and accessories, to the perfect CD for the soundtrack of your get-togethers.

As I said I love to entertain, I know that I am my mother’s son because she has always loved to entertain and decorate. (My parent’s home is always in season, they especially love this time of year decorating their lake home getaway in North Carolina. I am telling you from Memorial Day to Independence Day and into the fall, everything…even down to the boat dock and boat house will be “all done up” and this is a place where wonderful memories have been made!) But sometimes mom and I tend to get carried away with details, we keep adding to the menu, or stressing over that one extra “thing”…(ask Shawn about the time I bought a baby grand, player piano the day before a holiday party for 80 guests…It did turn out to be a hit albeit, a bit expensive however, I love that piano to this day). This extra stress can be dangerous when entertaining because it can take all of the joy and spontaneity out of your event.

We are also fortunate because we have some friends who are great at entertaining. We can tell you one in particular can pull together a fabulous dinner party for 10 people in an hour! (We are talking Sunday evening, at his second home in Cherry Log Mountain…just on a whim!). Again, this is where the Summer Pantry idea came from. What we have come to learn is that if you have a well-stocked pantry with the right provisions great entertaining can be easy for anyone. So for this wonderful summer season we at GH will be sharing and posting ideas and tips as well as new products and recipes for your personal summer pantry. In the store we will be offering more weekend tastings and maybe even a mini-workshop event and some block parties to get you inspired! If you have some great ideas or tips that you’d like to share we’d love to hear from you! In the end our goal is that we want to help you be able not only to relax and enjoy your time in the mountains but, also be able to create some wonderful memories with your family and friends with some easy and gracious entertaining.

Have a wonderful Memorial holiday as we remember all of those who have fought for our freedom in this wonderful country. Come in and see us this weekend and check out “The Summer Pantry”.

Check Out Our Friends New Business: The Wild Deal is Launched

Some friends of ours recently started a new business called The Wild Deal that we think is awesome. The concept is really great and we thought it would really appeal to many folks in our area. It is also great timing for graduation or Father’s day gift ideas.

The Wild Deal was launched by a small group of family and friends with a love for the outdoors. Some of them obsess about fishing, some obsess about hunting, and others just enjoy anything physically challenging and potentially dangerous in the realm of outdoor adventure. Being outdoors has always helped these folks escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The Wild Deal was created with the intent of helping others escape to the outdoors in an affordable fashion. The hope is that the great deals they bring to people, will help them be able to escape more often, or maybe even allow someone to really escape for the first time.

Select your territory and choose from deals like rafting on the Nantahala River, or deep sea fishing in Florida. There are even some side deals for gear and equipment. The Wild Deal obtains incredible discounts in the fields of Hunting, Fishing, and Outdoor Adventure and makes these discounts available to you through the use of a collective buying business model. Because they bring a large volume of customers to retailers and guide services, the retailers and guide services in turn save time and money on marketing, and are willing to pass the savings on to you.

The core value at The Wild Deal is quality. They only deal with guide services and suppliers that provide quality experiences and quality products. There's no risk involved for you or the retailers and guides. It's a win-win for everyone. It's well worth it to them to sell their quality products and services at a discount, if it introduces them to a lot of new customers. And, it's definitely worth it for you - just check out the deals and please share this info with your friends and family too!

The email is info@thewilddeal.com

or their website is http://www.thewilddeal.com/

you can even follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

The Fannin County Chamber is AWESOME!!

Our Fannin County Chamber ROCKS! We were asked to participate in an event that was held this past Thursday night to host several travel writers from across the US and Canada. The media marketplace event was called "A Little Taste of the Georgia Mountains", and we were honored to be asked to participate! We were paired with a restaurant and ours happened to be one of our favorite's Blue Ridge Brewery (Woo Hoo!)

Shawn, Brenda, Becky and Chrissy had the store all spruced up for our guests! I have to say I think our little town looked awesome! All of the merchants had really stepped up and put in some hard work to get camera ready for our guests.

One off our favorite artists and friends Lynn Kemp came to hang out with us show off her fabulous "Made It!" jewelry line with our visitors. They raved about her wonderful collection, we even sold a few pieces that night!

Oh man- you would not believe the spread that Blue Ridge Brewery put out! Lamb chop lollipops with herbed couscous, spinach pizzas, hummus triangles, Polina's famous open face egg salad with pepperoncini, charcuterie samplers (one of my ultimate favorites), their outrageous chocolate pie and of course some of Pat's very special beers! Without question team BRB BROUGHT IT!! Our guests were blown away...I saw one of them taking a photo of the lamb chop plate!! Shawn, Becky and I were very polite until all of the visitors had been through but let's just say when the last guest left our store "we helped clean up!!" and it was pure heaven!! Pat, Polina, Sandy and Beverly we are proud to have been teamed up with you, thanks for all of the hard work, and fun time!

We also sampled Girl & Fig Mostarda and our newest gourmet goodie from Atlanta, Georgia Hot Squeeze...our guests loved them!! (If you haven't tried them yet you are missing out!)

We had these stickers made up! Because we love our town, and we love our Chamber! Great job Jan, Elaine, Jode, Donna and the volunteers that made this special event happen! You all did a great job shining a light on our corner of the world, the event was so professional yet casual and gracious! THANK YOU, we appreciate all that you do!

Hot Squeeze Arrives at Gatewood Hall!

At Gatewood Hall we are always on the search for new products! A few weeks ago one of our wonderful guests told me about a gourmet product that was created and made in Atlanta. I love Georgia products so I was interested…I quickly did some research and hooked up with Sue Sullivan the creator of a product called Hot Squeeze Sweet Heat Chipotle Sauce. Once I heard her story I knew that I wanted to try the product and meet her. So this past weekend I received my sample and started on my research (and you thought I was off being lazy on Saturday!) I am so happy that I looked into this because I love Sue’s products and after having the pleasure of meeting her I am excited to be a part of her adventure to get her product in the hand of everyone. It is clear that she is a passionate entrepreneur who is proud of her creation and wants to share it with folks and I just love that about her! I want to share Sue’s story and tell you about her two sauces!

Before Hot Squeeze, Sue Sullivan was a caterer in Atlanta, Georgia she began catering when her children were babies as a way to be a stay-at-home mom. Sue’s husband, who at that time worked for CNN, hired Sue for her first film production catering job. The business grew and grew and by the time her children were teenagers, she had taken on a business partner, renovated a commercial kitchen in her home and was working full time catering film production lunches.

Hot Squeeze began innocently enough as a chipotle glaze for a pork tenderloin served at one of those lunches. It was an instant hit, so she tried the glaze over grilled salmon and flank steak. Then she started using it in recipes for black bean chili, stews, and mashed sweet potatoes. It became a signature ingredient in her catering menus and a staple on their tables. Sue and her partner soon found that clients poured it on everything—meats, vegetables and even on salads, soon it had to be available at every lunch they served.

Word about the delicious sauce spread within the industry and film crews from all over the US, when on assignment in Atlanta, began to request catering from the “two women with the incredible sauce,” and they soon became known as the “Chipotle Sisters.” Clients begged them to bottle the sauce so that they could buy it at home.

For years Sue’s clients continued to tell her that she should bottle the sauce, and for years she would look at them like they were crazy — She was busy enough running a catering company and as she says she had no clue how to bottle a sauce.

As a self-proclaimed workout-aholic, Sue tells the story that her spin class instructor always asks that the group share their New Year's resolutions. In 2006, she told her class that she was finally going to get Hot Squeeze into a bottle. It took her 10 months to actually do this! She said that she asked a lot of questions, researched everything, and then took a leap of faith, but in October of 2006 the first run of 500 cases of Hot Squeeze was produced. (Sue says she felt a little like Lucy in the candy factory when she saw those first bottles come off the assembly line!)
So what exactly is Hot Squeeze Sweet Heat Chipotle? Well it is a very versatile sauce with personality. It's smoky (because of the chipotle, a smoked jalapeno pepper). It's spicy, it's sweet, it's sassy and it's sexy all in one bottle!

Use it as a condiment, like a steak sauce. But it’s not just for steak—it jazzes up everything on your plate from meat, fish, potatoes, to vegetables and even salad.

Use it as a finishing glaze. Let’s say you’ve just grilled up some salmon. Squeeze on the Hot Squeeze and watch as it coats the fish with a sexy glaze that tastes as great as it looks. Tired of baked chicken? Transform it into something exceptional with a little Hot Squeeze! Some say it’s got Asian nuances, others think southwestern and still others think barbecue. Once you realize how good Hot Squeeze is on food, try using it in recipes for chili, black beans, vegetable casseroles and soups, it adds that extra zip. Mix it with mayonnaise for a sandwich spread or add it to vinaigrettes for a new twist on salad dressings Hot Squeeze can be used as a stir-fry sauce and a bbq sauce. Hot Squeeze can be drizzled over goat cheese or cream cheese for an easy appetizer or used as a dip for egg rolls or meatballs.

Sue’s newest creation is Hot Squeeze Orange Ginger Zing (OGZ) It’s got a bold burst of orange and fresh ginger and just a little bit of zing. Like Chipotle Sweet Heat, this sauce was created to do everything! I used it on shrimp this week and served it with brown rice and it was outrageous. It tasted like a gourmet recipe that I had worked on for hours! Sue said people have even used OGZ on cheesecakes and ice-cream. And the great news is that we all know that Ginger is really good for you!

Both of the Hot Squeeze flavors puts an end to condiment clutter because you can clear out all those other bottles of sauce. With Hot Squeeze you’ve got it all—sauce, marinade, dressing, glaze—in one bottle! I’m already addicted. I LOVE THIS STUFF!! It is a sassy, all-purpose sauce that is good for you, too! All natural, fat free, low sodium, kosher and shelf stable. Each flavor has endless uses in your recipes and at your table…come try it this weekend…I promise you are going to be addicted too!

You know it is addiction when you are at one of the new "trendy & fancy" gourmet burger places in Atlanta and you are enjoying what once was your favorite turkey burger and you think to yourself..."Darn, do I have that sample bottle of Hot Squeeze in my car? it would be awesome on this!" Yep- I seriously did that!!

Made It Jewelry By Lynn Kemp At Gatewood Hall

You are going to love this story! After selling his ceramics company “Our Name is Mud” a few years ago, John Nelsen realized his gift and passion is finding talented local artisans and helping them “make it” big. Today, a journey that began with handmade ceramics... has evolved into a new venture helping handmade jewelry artists called “Made It!”.

The interesting twist this time around is after finding a handful of great handmade jewelry artists, instead of producing product he likes, the final vote of whose product gets made goes to the people buying it... you the customers. An online voting system fueled by social media and national publicity campaigns drives consumers to participate in choosing their favorite artists and jewelry. Then the top vote getters get made. Consumers get what they want jewelry designs already in demand in retail stores. The business model is sort of like American Idol but with fabulous jewelry artists!

More importantly, this opportunity is helping very talented small local jewelry designers share their inspired creations in a way they couldn’t do alone because John will have it manufactured. And how rewarding to know that every “Made It” designer presented has a pre-established fan base with consumers that love their jewelry, looking for stores like Gatewood Hall that carry their designs.

But wait it gets better!! What makes this story even better is that one of the first three artists selected is our very own Lynn Kemp from right here in Blue Ridge! We have been fortunate enough to have known Lynn for awhile now, not only is she just a wonderful person, she is a wife and mother that we just love she is also a very, talented jewelry designer that is driven by fashion and inspired by nature! Straight out of the gate Lynn’s leather bangles were named a top seller at the winter shows.

We were thrilled and very proud that we would be able to sell Lynn’s “Made it!” designs. We picked up the line at the unveiling in January and we received a partial shipment this week! You will love Lynn’s designs and they are perfect for Mother’s Day! Come in this weekend and check them out