Holly's Sweets & Eats

Slow Food, Organic, All-Scratch and Other Buzz Words

info@hollyssweetsandeats.com (lori) — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 13:02:00 +0000

Everyone is talking about slow food and organic ingredients, and all-scratch. These are all principles we have had in place since we opened. Slow food means using ingredients from the area and treating them with care, taking our time and not using any convenience foods. A perfect example of slow food is our beef pot pies. We take big, lean cuts of beef and painstakingly trim it of fat and sinew, carefully brown the ruby red cubes and then slowly braise them in wine and Guinness for three hours. While that is braising, we make beef stock from roasted bones and vegetables (another 4 hours). After that, we add slowly carmelized onions and mushrooms and thicken the sauce the way your grandmother used to. We have to let it cool for several hours before we can make it into pies. We chop fresh herbs to add to our crust, of course we make it by hand as well. After we assemble them, they are baked in our ovens and given to you. All in all, it takes an entire day to make beef pot pies. All of our meats that we use in our sandwiches are slow roasted in our ovens- no deli meats for us!
Organic is better!!! There are several wonderful organic growers in the area that provide us with as much produce as we can use. There are studies which state that it is best for our bodies to eat foods from our area as they will help us combat the allergens in our natural environment. Unfortunately, tomatoes don't grow here in the winter so we do have to get some organics from California.
All-Scratch is a term you will here popping out of our staff all the time. It means that we make everything from raw ingredients in our store. We don't bring in frozen bread and bake it off, we don't use any frozen tart shells or custards in pails for our tarts. When we make lemon meringue pie we zest the lemons, squeeze the lemons and stand over the stove for at least 30 minutes making the filling. Our pie shells are rolled by a human, filled with pie weights and baked; then filled with the most delicious lemon curd. Then we beat the meringue and top each pie with billowy white mounds before baking it again for a golden crown. Again, it is a slow process but necessary to our commitment to all-scratch baking. I once asked a cook if she cooked from scratch; she replied, "I scratched my behind while I read the directions on the box!" At Holly's, we take the utmost pride in the ingredients we use, the methods we follow to prepare our food, and even in the customers who choose to put quality over convenience. Next time you wait while we tie your box with ribbon, think of this article and remember, we worked hard on what is inside; it deserves more than just a plain cardboard box.

Christmas Order Forms

info@hollyssweetsandeats.com (lori) — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 01:23:00 +0000

Download the 2006 Christmas order form now and enjoy your favourite sweets & eats this holiday season.

Christmas Cooking Classes for Kids

info@hollyssweetsandeats.com (lori) — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 20:09:00 +0000

Christmas time is busy in our kitchen but we love letting the little ones into the land of sugar and spice. Their wide eyes and eager fingers have convinced us to hold one more session of baking classes before Christmas. There will be a class for 4-6 year olds and a class for 7-11 year olds. They will be held on December 2nd.
There will also be a Gingerbread House Class for Parent & Child. On Wednesday, December 6, there will be a class for a parent and a child (11 yrs. and over). Please stop in the bakery for more details and to register.

We Open at Eight!!

info@hollyssweetsandeats.com (lori) — Thu, 11 May 2006 23:05:00 +0000

There is a chill in the air and Holly's is a great place to warm up. Our scones and muffins are ready when we open at eight and you can grab a latte to go or sit down and enjoy a little peace and quiet bfore heading to work. Our Gym Girls still come every morning after their workout for coffee and muffins and a lot of laughs. For those of you who want to avoid the lunch rush, join us early and enjoy the calmness of the morning at the bakery.

Cake Decorating Classes

info@hollyssweetsandeats.com (lori) — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 20:06:00 +0000

We were terribly disappointed when the Parks & Rec Cake Decorating class was cancelled so we will be holding them in January. Watch for further details in December.

Our Customers are Wonderful!!

info@hollyssweetsandeats.com (lori) — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 22:44:00 +0000

We would like to thank all of our customers for their business over the Thanksgiving weekend. It was quite a sight to watch Lori carrying pies from the ovens to people's cars. We hope everyone enjoyed everything and we could help make your holiday more delicious and less hectic. For those of you who placed your orders extra early, we hope you enjoyed your special treats.
While the weather turns colder, remember to visit us often-it's always warm at the bakery!!

Food to Go!

info@hollyssweetsandeats.com (lori) — Tue, 20 Sep 2005 16:13:00 +0000

We have finally developed menus for everyday meals to pick up and serve to your family. We have the menu available in the store and we are hoping to have them available online as soon as Lori gets the Webmaster on the job. Each week will have a new menu along with our regular favourites like our Steak & Guinees Pot Pies or Chicken Curry. We strongly believe that food to go should be healthy and not loaded with extra salt or preservatives. Already, many customers have enjoyed picking up several meals for the week. Please call ahead and we will have your food ready and waiting to pick up. We are looking for feedback from our customers in regards to what types of meals they are looking for, how much work they would like to do when they get it home, price range and most important dietary concerns. If you have an interest in this area, please email Lori at info@hollyssweetsandeats and give her your thoughts.

Gluten Free White Cake!!!

info@hollyssweetsandeats.com (lori) — Thu, 11 May 2006 23:11:00 +0000

We are always working hard on baked goods for those with special dietary restrictions. It is difficult to create something that is as good or better as the regular item on our shelves. We have achieved success in many items. These items are custom orders only. On occasion, you will find these items on the shelves but it is only because we made a batch for someone else and you came in at the right time. We would be happy to make you any of the items on our list and we promise to continue developing more each week.
Gluten Free: Chocolate Chip cookies, Double Chocolate Chip Cookies, Vanilla Cake, Peanut Butter Cookies, Cheesecake
Sugar Free: Apple or Mixed Berry Pies and Tarts
Dairy Free: Chocolate Cake with Buttercream or Ganache, any of our cookies can be made dairy free
Egg Free: Some of our cakes, and most of our cookies can be made egg free.

For more details on yourdietary needs, call the bakery and speak to Lori or Holly.