Good morning! The glorious National Flag of Canada, the single red maple leaf on a white background bordered by two red panels was approved by a parliamentary committee of 15 members on December 15, 1965. The design, chosen from thousands of submissions from fellow Canadians, was one by George Stanley, the Dean of Arts at the Royal Military College (RMC) of Kingston, Ontario. The RMC's own flag is almost exactly the same design and George liked it so much, he simply plunked a 13 point maple leaf in the centre. The maple leaf was redesigned to have only 11 points because the detail of 13 was lost when viewed at a distance. This flag was officially adopted by proclamation by Queen Elizabeth II on January 28, 1965 and was raised in a public ceremony on Parliament Hill on February 15 that same year, replacing the Canadian Red Ensign flag that had been used from 1921-1965.
Ok so before we get started we need to talk turkey. Literally. If you haven't yet ordered a fresh turkey from us you should know that everybody wants a small bird this year. We've had more requests for 10-12 lb turkeys than ever before because there are smaller gatherings due to COVID-19. But there are only so many little birds to go around. They needed to be ordered months in advance and since then, provincial mandates were implemented limiting the number of people who could be allowed to spend time together. Yet another casualty of this pandemic. So we want you to know that you can order a half turkey or even just some parts of a turkey instead of not getting the small whole bird that you're looking for. We can easily cut a 20 lb bird, for example in half, allowing you to still have the same amount of turkey, with both white and dark meat, and it'll cook faster, too. We had quite a few satisfied customers at Thanksgiving who chose to have a half turkey so we wanted you to know about this option so that you can plan your holiday accordingly!
Now, onto the new stuff! If you'd rather not eat an animal for your holiday dinner then you should definitely consider getting a Vegan Stuffed Beast from Victoria's The Very Good Butcher. As per the company website: Please everyone at the table with fluffy, savoury stuffing wrapped in a succulent meatless roast. Crispy, herby and juicy, this best-seller is the perfect addition to any meal and comfortably feeds 5-7 people. Just know that these are selling quickly and quantities are limited.
Another great local business is Green Cuisine restaurant, bakery and café. It's been offering Victorians vegan dining options since 1990. And Pepper's has a really unique and yummy treat called Green Cuisine Mochi! It's the rice cake you bake! The company website describes mochi as follows: Made from organic sweet brown rice, Green Cuisine Mochi comes as a flat, hard square and has a plastic-like sheen to it. Mochi is a traditional Japanese food, and is said to promote stamina. We carry different mochi flavours to satisfy your sweet or savoury needs. Mochi may seem strange at first, but it’s delicious! Choose from Original Brown Rice, Cinnamon Raisin or Sesame flavours. Here are a few ways that mochi can be prepared:
Baked Mochi: Cut mochi in 1″-2″ sections and bake for 8-10 minutes. Mochi will puff up into soft, pillow-y squares that are chewy inside.
Mochi Waffle: With a large knife cut mochi into slices, place them in a preheated waffle iron, close lid and cook for 4-6 minutes. The mochi will melt together into a crispy waffle. Enjoy with maple syrup.
Mochi Sticks: Cut mochi into thin slices, bake or pan fry until crispy, and serve with a soup for a warming lunch.
Sometimes just getting dinner on the table, let alone a healthy and low calorie one, can seem like a miracle. But with new Miracle Noodle, you'll wonder how you ever got by without it! It's the smash-hit noodle craze that's lasted over 1400 years in Japan! Made from the konjac plant, now you can have noodles with almost no calories, low/no carbs, that's grain-free, low on the glycemic index and gluten-free! Yes, by substituting Miracle Noodle with your traditional sides of potatoes, rice and regular pasta, you'll be eliminating hundreds of calories at every meal and your blood sugar won't spike. These vegan noodles are comprised of 97% water and 3% soluble plant fibre that moves slowly through the body, making you feel fuller longer and tasting great! Try them in Fettuccine Style or Angel Hair Style and your keto or paleo diet will never be the same again!
Looking for a tasty and quick high-protein snack that you can take anywhere? You get all that with Ocean's Snackit, the tuna with multigrain rice cracker snack available in Original (skipjack tuna, mayonnaise style dressing), Lemon & Pepper (skipjack tuna with lemon flavour and pepper) and Onion & Celery (skipjack tuna, mayonnaise style dresing with onion and celery). Each one has between 16g and 19g of protein and zero gluten. Plus, the tuna is responsibly caught, they're classroom and dolphin friendly and best of all, they're ready-to-eat!
You know, cranberry sauce is the cherry-on-top, so to speak, of the holiday turkey meal. If the turkey is the Pièce De Résistance the cranberry sauce is the Beaute d' Emeraud. You've gone through all that trouble to make the perfect dinner, right? So why not serve the best dang cranberry sauce this year? Farmer's Market Organic Cranberry Sauce is made with organic, non-GMO cranberries and cane sugar. And it's free of the Big-8 allergens just in case you were wondering.
We can't forget the kiddie's at the Christmas breakfast table! They'll squeal with delight when they see a box of Kellogg's The Elf on the Shelf Holiday Cereal waiting for them. Its nummy vanilla flavour is Santa and the elve's favourite and it'll be little Cindy Lou's, too, once she gets a taste! After all, there's a reason that it's the official cereal of the North Pole.
What's traditional and festive, filled with dried fruits and made with butter, almonds and eggs? The answer is Panettone, the Italian sweet bread of the holidays! You'll make the best french toast of your life with this bread, and you'll make a best friend for life is you give this bread as a gift! Moulin Vert Bakery just so happens to make a fine Panettone and you can find it in the bread aisle at Pepper's. Right beside it you'll find a few more exquisite holiday treats from Moulin Vert. There's Moulin Vert Fruitcake, the fruitcake that will make you actually like fruitcake! It contains house-candied fruit, dried fruits, almonds and real drinking rum! And while you're at it, grab Moulin Vert Orange Cranberry Shortbread or Moulin Vert Haggis Farm Shortbread which is their version of the classic Scottish shortbread made with 100% organic spelt flour.
There's only one more newsletter until Christmas! Oh, and please keep the donations coming in for the two families that Pepper's is sponsoring this year! Your generosity is so very much appreciated! Until next week, stay safe getting all of your holiday tasks completed, be kind to each other and take good care!
Pepper's Foods