Christmas Hours: Looks Like a White Christmas Ahead!

I hope everybody is having a jolly season so far!    The snow is so pretty!   Wishing everybody safe travel if you are visiting friends and relatives to celebrate the holidays!

Merry Christmas! 

If you still haven't decided what to have for dinner on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, think about a nice leg of lamb roasting in the oven or lamb shanks in a casserole!  We have several whole boneless legs that weigh about 3 pounds and some half legs with bone the bone that way about 2.5 pounds.  Also we have some whole legs with bone and boneless shoulder roasts too.

Homer Village Market will expand its hours for the winter season beginning in January 2013 and will be open again on Mondays but will be closed on Sundays.   Hours will be Monday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.  If you are on your way and need me to stay open longer and wait for you, just call ahead and I can stay until closer to 7 p.m. if needed.

 

Christmas Hours:

Open Monday 12/24 10:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

Closed Tuesday, 12/25

Open Wednesday, 12/26, Thursday 12/27 and closing early on Friday 12/28 by 2 p.m.

Closed Saturday, 12/29, Sunday 12/30, Monday, 12/31, and Tuesday, January 1, 2013


Reopening with new Winter Hours beginning Wednesday, January 2, 2013 at 10:30 a.m.

Smith's Eggnog-French-Toast Casserole Recipe

SMITH’S EGGNOG FRENCH TOAST

INGREDIENTS

· 7 large eggs

· 2 cups of Smith’s Eggnog

· 1/3 cup sugar

· 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

· 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

· Salt

· 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla

· 1 French bread loaf, cut into 1-inch slices

· Powdered sugar

PREPARATION:

· Beat together: Eggs, Eggnog, Sugar, Salt, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, and Vanilla

· Dip slices of bread in the eggnog mixture, and place them side-by-side in a greased, ovenproof, glass dish. Pour any remaining mixture over the slices

· Cover and refrigerate overnight

· Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

· Bake on bottom rack for 20 to 25 minutes (watch overbrowning bottom)

· Place hot dish on rack to cool slightly, and dust with powdered sugar

· Serve with maple syrup and melted butter

· Makes 6-8 servings

Note: tsp. = Teaspoon

Lamb for the Holidays

I was browsing the recipes on the website of the American Lamb Board.  There are links to other sites that also have some delicious sounding recipes for lamb.  Lamb shanks are featured in several recipes, since they make such a nice family-style dish with potatoes and carrots.  The long, slow cooking with wine and fragrant herbs and spices makes a wonderful aroma in the kitchen.

If you are interested in having lamb for your holiday meal, please stop by or call and let us know which cuts interest you.  We have whole, boneless leg roasts (rolled and tied), whole and half leg roasts with the bone, lamb shanks two per package, lamb chops two per package, and ground lamb in one-pound packages.   Lamb meatballs make a festive meal!

Here are some links to interesting lamb recipes:

www.americanlamb.com

http://www.saveur.com

http://www.foodnetwork.com

Tis the Season!

Season's Greetings!   Welcome to December!   Where did November go?   

At the farm, our chickens just enjoyed eating the two pumpkins that provided nice, fall color outside the store from mid to late November prior to being wilted by several nights of frosty temperatures.   Now it's time to decorate for Christmas at the farm and the store.

If you are doing some holiday shopping and looking for stocking stuffers or other small gifts for your friends and family, stop by Homer Village Market and take a look around.   Here are a few ideas:

How about a hand-made cotton dishcloth - very pretty!  Only $2 each

Who wouldn't enjoy a fragrant and pretty bar of botanical herb soap made in a small batch?  We have lemongrass and also eucalyptus only $2 for small bar and $4 for medium size.  These make nice hostess gifts at holiday parties, and so does a pretty dish cloth.


We offer local maple syrup from Butcher Family Farms, which is located less than two miles from Homer.  Half-pints are $5, Pints cost $9, and quarts are $16.  We can also get half gallons or gallons if you order a few days in advance.

 

 

 

 

All greeting cards are on sale including boxed Christmas cards.   Gift mugs and small toys are also on sale.

 

 



Hope You Enjoyed Your Thanksgiving Holiday

As usual, Homer Village Market was closed on Thursday, but we are open on Friday and Saturday of Thanksgiving week.   What a beautiful day we had on Thanksgiving this year.  Sunny and temperatures in the 60's!   Who could ask for a better day to go for a drive, walk in the yard, or even look out the kitchen window while preparing or cleaning up after the Thanksgiving feast! 

Today is "Black Friday" as the big stores and savvy shoppers like to call it.  It is business at usual here at the Homer Village Market, but in the spirit of the season, we do have a number of specials in the store:

Greeting cards are 50 cents off per card, limit 5 at this price
Thanksgiving cards are 50% off each card
Boxed Christmas cards are 20% off
Gift Mugs are $7, regularly $9
Toys are all on sale, priced as marked

If you are looking for a hostess gift or a Christmas gift, we have two unique items you may like:

Handmade (crochet) dish rags, 100% cotton, $2 each - very pretty and useful

Rose's Botanical Gardens Herbal soaps:  $4 each including Eucalyptus and Lemongrass



If you are out shopping and driving around, you are probably getting hungry for a snack!   Besides our every-day huge selection of snacks, we have ice cream on sale and pre-made sandwiches in the cooler.

Need Energy?  RockStar energy drinks on sale $1.99 each. 

Nickle's Bakery Now Featured

It is a complete coincidence that Homer Village Market is introducing donuts in the store the very same week that iconic Hostess has stopped producing Twinkies, Ding-Dongs, Ho-Hos, Cupcakes, and Wonder Bread!   

Heiner's has been Homer Village Market's bread supplier since we opened the store in 2006.  There are many loyal Heiner's bread customers who will probably be sorry to see no more Heiner's bread on the shelves.   Heiner's was purchased by Sara Lee and then again by Bimbo (yes, Bimbo) and a decision was made by their management to stop serving small businesses in the area.

Although we are sorry to lose the previous product, we are thrilled to have an Ohio bakery such as Nickles take their place.  Especially since Nickles has more varieties of bread available and a complete selection of sweets such as donuts.

If you have a favorite Nickles bread or sweet baked concoction, please stop by and let me know or go on our website and drop us an email.  

You can visit Nickles website to learn more about them and their products, here.

November Happenings

There has been so much going on in the world, that it is easy to get lost in the shuffle!   November in the US has been filled with anticipation and aftermath of the Presidential election, interrupted by the huge tragedy of Hurricane Sandy in the northeastern US, which is still affecting people there to this day.  Just to add to the anxiety of the already hectic season as we think about the holidays, there is the sex scandal in the CIA and the erupting war in the Middle East, Gaza, affecting Israel, Egypt, Syria, Palestine.  Continued bombing in Iraq and Afghanistan putting our troops in danger.........and the looming "fiscal cliff" endangering our fragile economy in the US, even as the price of gold is soaring.   Some factories are closing, including Hostess, but new businesses keep forming.  Many people are hoarding food and supplies underground for that doomsday scenario that isn't hard to imagine with all the troubles we see today,

Despite all the tension in the US and the world right now, the human spirit seems alive and well.   School children are bringing home report cards making parents proud, school pictures show smiling faces of graduating high school seniors, prayers are being said for our troops, our friends and family, and even people we do not know who are suffering the many troubles here and everywhere.  People are getting married, having babies, and buying houses....not always in that particular order, of course!

This weekend, families are out with their children, hunting in the woods for deer, a tradition in our rural area, with this weekend designated as "deer-gun" season for children who are licensed to hunt.  It is an exciting time for families, and cherished memories will be talked about for years to come.

And people are buying food for their Thanksgiving feasts, looking forward to visiting with family and friends, and thanking God for all they have to be thankful for in their lives.   Some are already looking forward to Christmas and Chanukah, which are right around the corner in December!

Homer Village Market is open today, a sunny Sunday in November, to be part of the family tradition of being outdoors this weekend!    Normally closed on Sunday and Monday, today the store will be open until about noon, and tomorrow the store will be open part of the day.   

I am thankful for all my loyal customers and friends and family who have been supporting my efforts to have a store in Homer for the community and all the people passing through on this busy highway for over six years now.   Many of you will be enjoying a leg of lamb for Thanksgiving, or maybe venison stew or roasts to celebrate the harvest season.  It is fun to try sometihng new, and let some of those turkeys have a holiday too!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!   The store will probably be open Thursday and Friday with reduced hours, so please stop by or phone ahead!