Food & Drink
Belgian chocolate covered fruit are new this year.
Magic in Minutes
VICKI GILHULA
Winter 2008 |
As much as we long to have those Christmases just like the ones we used to know, most of us just don’t have the time or the patience. (And grandma is away at her condo in Florida.)
The friendly people at M&M Meat Shops are the next best thing to a grandma gourmet. There are two locations in Sudbury and one in Val Caron. The shops offer everything from savory starters to sweet endings.
Some people, especially women, still feel a tinge of guilt about serving ready-made food.
“Don’t consider yourself lazy; consider yourself wise with your time,” says Jocelyne Bilodeau.
She and her husband, André, own M&M Meat Shops on Lasalle Blvd. (in the former SuperMall).
“Today’s hosts want to spend time with their guests...not in the kitchen,” says André.
Shelley Niesing, who owns the Paris St. franchise and the one in Val Caron with her sister, Stephanie Jones, says customers do like to add personal creative touches to dishes, such as pretty garnishes or a tasty sauce “to make them their own.”
For example, M&M garlic cheese dip added to a big bowl of mashed potatoes can turn this comfort food into a gourmet dish, she says.
The free glossy M&M 2009 calendar has recipes such as turkey meatballs with pineapple sauce, chicken Caesar potato salad; and shrimp bake Provençal.
The best recipes come from customers, says André Bilodeau.
Jocelyne Bilodeau advises customers to make a dish look “homemade” by simply taking it out of the container and putting in on a pretty plate.
Garnishes, such as lemon wedges, dress up a shrimp ring. “Scoop out a half a grapefruit and put cocktail sauce in it,” for a beautiful presentation, she says.
M&M sells more than 40 different kind of appetizers. Meatballs, torpedo shrimp (wrapped in pastry) and chicken florentine crowns are customer favourites. Mushroom brie is one of Jocelyne’s personal favourites to serve guests.
Festival potluck lunches and dinners are very popular, and they can be challenging for people who don’t have time to cook.
Products such as stuffed pasta shells, chicken’n dumplings, cabbage rolls and chicken primavera are some easy suggestions, says Jocelyne.
Holiday dinner favourites including stuffed turkey breast, scalloped potatoes, side dishes such as mixed vegetables, perogies and pasta salads, and pumpkin pie are also available at M&M.
The caramel tiramisu cake, an M&M exclusive, won the Signature Dessert Award at the More Than Just Desserts charity event last March.
(Impress guests by pouring a shot of Irish cream in a glass and topping it with a piece of tiramisu.)
Other ideas include making a holiday cream puff tree. Simply use toothpicks to place cream puffs on a foam tree and sprinkle the puffs with icing sugar.
Although M&M Meat Shops sells hundreds of ready-made foods, the bestseller is boneless skinless chicken breasts.
M&M Meat Shops started 28 years ago in Kitchener. Today, the Canadian-owned company has 477 franchises throughout Canada. It is listed in the Top 50 best managed companies in Canada.
M&M’s products are flash frozen to keep the fresh flavour and juices locked in. Flash freezing is a technique whereby products are frozen solid in a blast freezer. All products have easy-to-follow directions for preparing.
The shops will have a holiday open house from Nov. 22 to 29 and invite customers to come in to sample their selection of festive foods. Customers should bring their appetites and curiosity. Staff can answer all kinds of questions and make entertaining suggestions. (If grandma’s in town, bring her along too.)
