Erma Bombeck, domestic goddess and humorist, once wrote: "Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence."

IN THIS ISSUE, we're focused on savoring the process of fixing the Thanksgiving feast. It's not just the time at the table, it's about making kitchen time pleasurable while creating delicious food as we're reminded, once again, to live with gratitude. Key to enjoying the feast is planning, knowing what can be done ahead of time, and tried-and-true recipes. We have for you the Perfect Roast Turkey, Old-Fashioned Do-Ahead Bread Stuffing, and Parmesan-Crusted Creamed Corn and our best tips for delicious Mashed Potatoes and Gravy!

There's a chill in the air and winter is nipping at our heels, but the tea's on at Acorn Farm, so stop by and have a cup! While you're here, consider purchasing tickets to our Nov 21st charity event, GRACIOUS TABLES, GRATEFUL HEARTS! It's a wonderful evening that helps out local families in need. We sold out early last year so don't wait to get your tickets!

We've have a number of things happening at Acorn Farm that will be a lot of fun this season. Don't miss our ANNUAL OPEN HOUSE, on Nov 14th which is now less than two weeks away. It will be a fun, free, Friday evening! You'll find details on all of our events below. As always, call the store at 248-684-1373 if you have any questions.

Joyeux Noël!

Friday evening, November 14^th, 6-9 pm

Free! No registration required!

Join us for our 7th Annual Holiday Open House. We'll enjoy an evening celebrating the season, Paris-style, with special guest chef Brigitte Romero, who will share her culinary talents with us by means of a lovely crepe demonstration! We'll also enjoy some lovely appetizers made by Brigitte, and we'll focus on all of our lovely French cookware: Emile Henry, Le Creuset, Mauviel, and more! Nationally recognized paper artist, Jan Blough, of Fenton, will be here signing her beautiful cut glass & paper silhouette ornaments of the Milford clock, made especially for ACORN FARM. You won't find them anywhere else! She'll also bring along an assortment of her other fine pieces.

Save the date----it will be here before you know it! Our open house is always a favorite with our regular customers. We'll have hors d'oeuvres, wine, crepes, and a drawing or two! No registration is required but pencil it in now, before your schedule fills up!

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Gracious Tables, Grateful Hearts

Friday, November 21st, 5:30-7pm or 7:30 to 9pm

Tickets $35 - Benefiting Community Sharing
This was such a wonderful event last year that we decided we needed to do it again, So . . . you are cordially invited to attend our second annual Gracious Tables, Grateful Hearts. Enjoy an evening filled with friends, food, fun, and fabulous ideas for the holidays! You'll find 5 beautiful tablescapes to inspire you -- each with a different theme, highlighting the beautiful Juliska tableware. Celia Margolis will be here representing Juliska and offering a special deal. With a Juliska purchase of $150 or more, you'll receive their Christmas hostess plate worth $68, a $300 purchase will earn a set of two Au Gratin dishes worth $126. Finally, a $600 purchase

will be rewarded with a gorgeous Jardin de Monde turkey platter with a value of $295.

So that everyone has plenty of hors d'oeuvres and they're served hot and delicious, we're offering this as two separate showings with tickets for either one or the other----one from 5:30 to 7pm and the other from 7:30 to 9pm. Tickets will be available on October 21st and will benefit Community Sharing.

Check your calendars now to see which showing will work best for you, either the 5:30-7:00pm or the 7:30 - 9pm session

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Red Bag Saturday
Saturday, November 29th - 8am - 5pm

Those of you who have already earned their RED BAGS are already looking forward to the last Red Bag Saturday of the year, when you'll enjoy a 20% savings on most things in the store. If you don't know about RED BAG SATURDAY, here's how it works: Fill out a Kitchen Cash card in the store. Each time you make a purchase, we'll add it to a box on your Kitchen Cash card. Once all six boxes are filled, we'll total them up and give you a gift card for 10% of the total of those purchases, as well as a RED BAG that entitles you to 20% most things in the store on the 5th Saturday of a month. It happens four times per year.

If you don't have a red bag yet, by all means, sign up now! Even if you just need to come in for a birthday card, make sure we add it to your Kitchen Cash card. Six visits between now and RED BAG SATURDAY will earn your RED BAG. Membership has its privileges, so see the store for details. Remember, all purchases made in the same day count as a single purchase.

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Toast to the Holidays - Small Plates for Holiday Entertaining!

Featuring Trish Ranallo of Le Creuset and

Steven Seelye of Hope Family Wines

Thursday, December 11th - 7:30 - 9:00 pm - $15 FULL!

What a fun night this should be! Come enjoy a tantalizing baked brie, an assortment of fun appetizers and some delicious wines! Trish Ranallo will be helping us introduce some wonderful new bakers and servers in their Wine & Cheese line and showing us a few quick and easy recipes for entertaining. Each participant will leave with recipes and a Petite Au Gratin dish from Le Creuset (value $13).

Steven Seelye does a wine-tasting for us every year and he does a wonderful job talking helping you pair your dishes with just the perfect wine. Take a little break from holiday hustle and bustle and enjoy a taste of wine and some great hors d'oeuvres!

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In this season of thanks, we are thankful for you -- your friendship and support.

Happy Cooking!

Kathy Magaluk and all of us at Acorn Farm