Olive has Christmas all wrapped up – cookie-wise that is. Between my own personal stash of Olive My Love frozen cookie dough and these handmade cookies I bought at St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market, all I will have left to do is bake some squares.

You’ll find the kiosk for Gracie’s Christmas Cookies inside the Peddler’s Village building at St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market. I was told they freeze beautifully so I bought a stash to freeze for Christmas. Gracie’s makes more than 30 varieties. Now I can sleep peacefully while visions of Gracie’s Cookies dance in my head. Aren’t they just adorable?

Gracie’s will be at St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market on Thursdays and Saturdays, from Nov 13 to Dec 20, 2014.  Click here to find other Gracie’s sales locations at craft shows in Southern Ontario (including December dates in London, Niagara Falls, and Toronto).

 Christmas baking all wrapped up…CHECK!

I am very sorry to share the sad news that Crawford’s Village Bakery is closing November 30, 2014. It’s such a loss for our community but aren’t we just so lucky to have enjoyed 47 years of Crawford’s best quality old-fashioned-goodness and friendly service. Oh how we will miss the pies! And I’ll miss the trips out to Crawford’s to stock up on gourmet goodies for our family feasts. Thank you to the Crawford family and staff for all the efforts you put in over all of these years to serve us so fabulously! Everything was always top-notch and well-loved. Best wishes and a big group hug from your community.

Click here to read Crawford’s announcement on their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Crawfords-Village-Bakery/143235322437107

Click here to read my post on why I love Crawford’s so much: http://olivetoeat.com/?p=3981

Head on out to Crawford’s soon to stock up for Christmas before they close. Don’t wait too long because they may sell out before November 30th.

Okay…I gotta go have myself a wee cry now.

So, what has Olive been up to lately? I’ve been really busy cookin’ up a wee business of my own:

that I will be launching at Three Wishes Shabby Chic & Vintage this Sunday November 9th, 2014 from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm at 11 Barry Avenue in Streetsville (across from the Streetsville United Church parking lot).

Remember me raving about how dreamy the Three Wishes shop is? Now Christine is launching her own line of handmade lavender products that are absolutely Bloomin’ Lovely!

Christine uses local Ontario lavender and packages in pretty vintage containers. She has graciously invited our artisan friends to join the official launch of Bloomin’ Lovely Lavender at Three Wishes. And we are inviting you to join us (please RSVP [email protected] or the Facebook event page). Taste brilliant homemade jellies and salsa made by my friend Debbie Crook (the Canning Queen). Admire the beautiful work of my talented friends Pilar Rey de Castro (artist, art teacher, and illustrator) and Eleonora Gattesco Roberts (artist and interior decorator). Kate Mulroney’s Pearl Button custom-made bunting, cushions, and quilts are adorable. Please join us.

I put a whole lotta love into my line of artisanal cookies. I make them by hand in small batches, using a family-favourite recipe. Whenever possible, I use the finest, natural, local ingredients like Stirling Creamery European-Style Churn 84 Butter (artisanally crafted in Stirling, Ontario since 1925).

My standard flavour is classic Dark Chocolate Chip – the recipe that started the cookie dough rolling. Cut the frozen log into 1/2″ thick slices (or roll the slices into balls) and bake.

For Christmas, I will also be making Milk Chocolate Chestnut (creamy milk chocolate with a subtle hint of roasted chestnuts) and Dark Chocolate Skor (dark chocolate and sweet Skor toffee bits). Dark Chocolate Skor spreads out a bit during baking so slice only.

Follow my blog and watch my flavours change with the seasons. I have an ultra-feminine recipe tested for Mother’s Day and a lovely summer flavour that my taste testers rated as “awesome”.  It is so fun using the dough as a canvas to play around with new flavour combinations.

You can order my cookies freshly baked or as no-frills, frozen slice-n-bake logs to take out of your freezer when you are ready to bake yourself. Serve made-from-scratch goodness without the stress and mess of cooking it yourself, and no one the wiser (I won’t tell!). Stock up on some dough for Christmas or scratch a few gifts off your shopping list. The dough is well-wrapped and can be stored in your freezer for at least a month. The baked cookies can also be frozen, if you wrap them well.

Frozen logs are 6″ long and make one dozen 1/2″ thick cookies (diameter and thickness of baked cookies varies depending on ingredients). I will be selling freshly baked cookies in half dozen bags at the event and taking orders for frozen logs or freshly baked (see packaging options below), to be delivered to you at a later date.

Have an elderly parent, under-the-weather friend, or someone special that you want to send a little love to? Order an Olive-O-Gram and I will deliver beautifully packaged, freshly baked cookies to their doorstep.

Packaging options for freshly baked cookies include one dozen or two dozen cookies in a white scalloped-window box tied with a pretty ribbon. Want to make it an extra special gift?

Choose a cellophane-wrapped, cookie-filled vintage milk glass container. Click here for gorgeous ideas for displaying milk glass in your home – thank you cobistyle! Boxes and milk glass will be tied with a charming ribbon and attached with a label card of your choosing (see below). Milk glass containers vary in shape and size and quantities are very limited. Delivery charges may apply. Local deliveries only.

I am just starting up my very small-scale business so quantities will be limited. Come on out to Three Wishes on Sunday to have a taste, shop, or place an order to avoid disappointment. It will be a great chance to see Christine’s shop – brimming with vintage treasures – before it closes for the winter, and to meet my talented circle of friends.

Right now I am so busy getting ready for the event but I will post further ordering details on my www.olivetoeat.com site as soon as possible. If you can’t come to the event but want to place an order, please send me an e-mail through my site ([email protected]). Thanks!

Milton, you are in for a real treat! Streetsville’s gem of a restaurant, Saucy, will open a second location in Milton soon. The launch party is scheduled for Sunday November 2, 2014. Saucy has been our favourite local spot for celebration meals since it first opened its doors in Streetsville in November 2000. Why? The chef’s talent for creating brilliant flavour combinations shines through on plate after plate. Here is just a taste:

Pernod Prawns: My favourite appetizer at Saucy and quite possibly in my universe. Not on the menu anymore but if you ask, the chef will graciously make it for you bang on perfect every time. A beautifully composed plate of plump shrimp in a sublime, creamy Pernod sauce with a hint of anise, accented with soft chunks of tomato and chopped chive. Spooned over a soft but wonderfully chewy, grilled garlic baguette – perfect for mopping up the sauce. Garnished with tender-crisp asparagus, lemon, and fresh pea shoots. It just doesn’t get any better than this.

Crispy Goat Cheese: A swoon-provoking, generous pillow of warm, panko-crusted, creamy chèvre. Garnished with a dollop of sweet raspberry compote. Crostini and balsamic-dressed mixed baby greens on the side.

Bruschetta: Juicy, marinated Roma tomatoes on two pieces of creamy garlic toast, topped with plenty of paper-thin, shaved parmesan. Garnished with fresh basil chiffonade. Drizzled with balsamic glaze for a touch of sweetness.

Roasted Veggie Salad: A colourful medley of roasted butternut squash, asparagus, red onion, zucchini and sweet peppers with baby greens, dressed in a well-balanced vinaigrette. Sprinkled with crumbled feta cheese and drizzled with balsamic glaze.

Grilled Salmon: Nicely grilled and finished with a velvety sauce of puréed butternut squash, sweet maple, and ginger. Roasted garlic potatoes have a delicious crispiness on the outside. Flavourful seasonal vegetables are perfectly cooked.

Seafood Pasta: Seared shrimp, PEI mussels, and clams over spaghetinni and spinach, tossed in a dreamy goat cheese and basil rosé sauce. Garnished with fresh pea shoots.

Cedar Plank Scallops: Billowing scallops seared to absolute perfection, caramelized on the outside, tender on the inside; the focus simply on their buttery, nutty sweetness. Big, clean flavour that try as I might, I just can’t stop thinking about. Garnished with sweet shards of honey Dijon pork shoulder, rosemary mirin vinaigrette, and curly green onion.  My son kept begging for my pork but I didn’t mind because the scallops on their own had swept me away.

Recently renovated dining room decor is simply-stated casual elegance – perfect for a business lunch or a special night out. Better acoustics now with modern lux fabric panels and rich drapery. Wrap around floor-to-ceiling windows with nice view of treed park. Late night casual lounge. Summertime sidewalk patio.

Visit Saucy’s website for locations, hours, and menus.

Website: www.saucyinstreetsville.ca

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SaucyInStreetsville

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SaucyGrill

UPDATE: Crawford’s Village Bakery is closing November 30, 2014. 

My first memory of Crawford’s Village Bakery is of the sweet fragrance of their still warm pies as we stocked them in the Cheeseboard Café’s cooler when I waitressed there back in the 80s. Alison made frequent trips to Crawford’s to keep up with the demand for their delicious, freshly baked fruit pies, like Strawberry Rhubarb and Cherry. I fondly recall the elderly lady who routinely struggled to get to the Cheeseboard just for a prized piece of Blueberry Pie.

My favourite memories of Crawford’s are the trips my Mom, sisters, and I used to make there every holiday. At Thanksgiving we’d pick up our order of Pumpkin and Dutch Apple Pie (my favourite!).

At Christmas we ordered Butter Pecan Pie and our Easter order often included Quiche.

Mom and I loved to browse the shelves for gourmet goodies to embellish our feast,

stuff in Christmas stockings, or hand out as charming hostess gifts.

(Top photo) Suc’ Aromatisé flavoured sugars from France – can’t wait to try the Violet. (Middle photo) Martin Pouret French mustard, Safinter Smoked Spanish Paprika, and Terre Exotique Flower Salad from France. (Bottom photo) Guelph, Ontario’s Kitchen Connaisseur.

Our cookie trays included Aunt Maud’s Christmas Fruitcake. Lucy Maud Montgomery was related to the Crawfords. Elaine and Kelly Crawford published Aunt Maud’s Recipe Book from Lucy’s original recipes, which were passed down through the family. You can buy it at Crawford’s.

Mom always placed a festively-shaped, handcrafted Chocolate Sucker on each grandchild’s plate.

We often picked up little treats for ourselves to enjoy later like German Chocolate Brownies. In those days, we’d linger over a homemade lunch that Crawford’s used to serve in the adjoining room.

(Photo) German Chocolate Squares, Butter Tart Squares, and Date Squares.

I still adore going to Crawford’s for pies and gourmet goodies, cherishing the traditions that Mom and I started. Crawford’s was founded in 1967 by Bob and Elaine Crawford who still run it today, with the help of their daughter, Kelly, and friendly staff.

(Top photo) Some of the happy bakery staff: Angela, Katie, and Jennifer. (Middle photo) Andrea, the talented jam and jelly maker. (Bottom photo) Corry, one of the lovely chocolate ladies.

Throughout all of these years, the quality of Crawford’s products has remained consistently excellent. We have never been disappointed.

The classic fruit pies (Blueberry, Cherry, Dutch Apple, Strawberry Rhubarb, Rhubarb, Rhubarb Cream Cheese, and Butter Pecan) are usually regularly available throughout the year. Summer seasonal pies (available on certain weekends) include such delights as Luscious Lime, Lemon Chiffon, Double Lemon, Lemon Sour Cream, and Blueberry Lemon Crumble.

Luscious Lime Pie

Apple is available all year until summer’s celebration of Peach. Raisin Pie is available by special order. Butterscotch Pie is baked about six times a year, usually around a holiday or long weekend. Pumpkin and Crimsonberry are available weekly except during the summer.

Crimsonberry Pie

Lemon Meringue is available on weekends only from fall to spring. Mince and Mincekin pies (pumpkin with a bottom layer of mince) are the joys of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Crawford’s usually features lighter pies at Easter to celebrate spring. Stay tuned to Crawford’s Facebook page for pie schedule announcements. All pies are lovingly made from scratch with a perfect crust and delectable fillings. Crawford’s pies remain the gold standard for pies in our region and are worth every calorie!

The shelves are brimming with artisanal treats and fine imported products like olives, oils, vinegars, pastas, and sauces.

Local products include The Garlic Box, Credit Valley Gold Honey, and Temple’s Sugar Bush Maple Syrup.

And of course, Crawford’s homemade Jams, Jellies, and Sauces. Oh, I think I’ll make my Dad’s day and pick him up a jar of Crawford’s Chili Sauce and a Meat Pie.

I bought my son an old-fashioned Chocolate Cake from Crawford’s for his birthday this year and it was really good. Crawford’s handmade and dipped Chocolate Truffles are far too tempting to resist!

Leave enough time to hunt for a vintage treasure to buy amongst the antiques that have replaced the little café. Check out the Lucy Maud Montgomery Museum in the same space.

Businesses like this, run by families like the Crawfords, are an absolute pleasure to write about. Thank you to the Crawford family for years of continued excellent service.

Call ahead to reserve your favourite pie or to place a chocolate order.