Good morning! It's prognosticating day aka Groundhog Day and we're all waiting with baited breath to find out if Wiarton Willie or his other North American brethren will see their shadows or not! And while we're at it, has anybody figured out yet how much wood these critters can chuck? Groundhog Day, officially, goes way back to February 2, 1887, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Specificaly, Gobbler's Knob is the exact location where a fellow named Clymer Freas, a local newspaper editor, decided that his idea of a weather predicting giant squirrel (lovingly named Punxsutawney Phil) should emerge from his den and determine if another 6 more weeks of winter should occur by whether or not his sees his shadow. The tradition of a small animal predicting the length of winter, however, goes waaaay back to a pagen festival called Inbolc which morphed into a Christian tradition called Candlemas. Germans spun their own version whereby badgers and other small critters seeing their shadows signified an extended winter. Some of those Germans settled in Pennsylvania in the late 18th and early 19th centuries and that's where the custom comes from. Of course, those of us who live here in Lotus Land couldn't actually give a care about this custom because it's already almost 10 degrees and the cherry and plum blossoms are just about ready to explode. Sorry rest of Canada.
Ok, it's business time so to speak so let's get going on what's new at Pepper's! Valentine's Day is just around the corner so why not spread some of the love around by offering some amazing Heart Shaped Valentine Cookies by Cake's Etc.? These tasty sugar cookies are decorated in coloured chocolate and come in a six-pack gift bagtied with a red ribbon!
"More cheese, please!" was the sentence asked by one of our customers and Dora, our Deli Manager, responded by putting not one, not two but three types of them in her cooler! Haltwhistle Cheese Co. of Duncan, BC, produces numerous varieties of cheese and the cows' milk types brought in are definitely going to please all those cheese-lovers out there! As taken from the company website:
Thombury - is the cows' milk counterpart of our signature Tomme de Vallée. This traditional French Alpine cheese is full of rich and earthy flavour.
Tadwick - is our traditional English cheddar. This cheese is sweet and sharp with a melt in your mouth texture.
Nailsea - is a mild Gouda with a pleasantly smooth texture. This buttery and velvety cheese has a fresh and light flavour, making it adaptable to many uses.
You just can't beat the one-two combo of cheese and crackers. And bonus if both of them are local! So pick up a box of Jenny Marie's Cracker Company Turmeric & Pepper Crackers when you pick out your new favourite cheese from Haltwhistle (they're within five feet of each other). The earthy flavour of turmeric combined with the subtle spiciness of black pepper creates a most excellent profile that pairs with just about anything. They're hand-made and baked fresh right here in Victoria, BC!
You know, it's imperative to have something to drink when you're eating cheese and crackers. Wine is often the go-to beverage of choice. But if you're a beer drinker just embarking on your Dry February journey, you can still enjoy a nice cold one! How's that? Partake Brewing Non-Alcoholic Beer is a Canadian brewed craft beer that not only contains no alcohol (well, almost no alcohol at 0.3%. That's about the same amount as a normal sized glass of orange juice) but has only 10-30 calories and as low as zero carbs per can! It's won World's Best in the non-alcoholic category at the World Beer Awards, too! Choose from Blonde, IPA or Pale brews and feel free to mosey over to their website for in-depth descriptions of each of these truly delicious suds: https://drinkpartake.ca
There are just so many great foods that pair well with a cold beer and often it comes in the form of wings, burgers, chicken, pork and so on and so forth. But how great does this sound to go along with them? Frank's RedHot Thick Sauce comes in Original, Buffalo Ranch and Buffalo BBQ and makes the perfect coating for your wings, an excellent dip for veggies or a super sauce for pulled pork or shredded chicken on a bun! Seriously, if you're a fan of Franks RedHot Sauce you'll already know that you can literally "put that $#!t on everything!" and make it taste even better!
How about a fun and healthy side-kick to the awesome kick-butt meal you just created with Frank's RedHot? Easy! Cal-Organic Rainbow Carrot Chips are great for snacking or dipping and have been washed, peeled and cut so they're ready to eat straight outta the bag!
Meat pies are very popular this time of year so when we got wind of Duncan's Little Zimbabwe Farm (Vancouver Island's happiest place!) Pies, we didn't hesitate to get them in our Frozen Foods section! Available in Beef Baby (beef and vegetable medley) and Cha Cha Chicken (chicken and vegetable medley) there's also a Veggie-licious (garden vegetable medley) option for those of you who don't want the meat! Hand crafted and locally produced in the Cowichan Valley, they're fully baked and ready to eat. Cook on the middle rack of the oven at 350 degrees and you're good-to-go in 15 minutes!
If you're already heating the oven up you might consider tossing in some Gardein Meat-Free Seven Grain Crispy Tenders, too! These certified vegan tenders are also kosher and dairy-free and are quick and easy to prepare in 10 minutes! Your meatless Mondays will never be the same again!
Have yourselves a great day and until next week stay safe and take good care!
Pepper's Foods