One of my favorite comments over the years came from a friend who thanked me for allowing Kitchen Kettle to happen. On that subject Thanksgiving comes to mind. My husband’s suggestion that we close the shop on Christmas Day brought my immediate response to include Sundays, but I forgot to add Thanksgiving to the list of closed holidays. The results have been interesting.
The first time my Thanksgiving omission reared its ugly head was when I quickly left my family’s Thanksgiving Dinner to sell our jams to a visitor who was traveling a great distance while Bob and the children watched their football games. As the business and the three children grew, we each manned positions in our backyard business to accommodate bus groups who were happy to find a welcome when very few other places were open. The townspeople enjoy walking off their own dinners as they check out changes in the Village because it isn’t quite so busy with “tourists.” In time we offered complete turkey dinners in the Cafe and Laura, the manager, had to cook for willing co-workers who promised to help between 10 and 4, and guests alike. We decided right on their opening day that The Kling House Restaurant could be closed that day. They get to make the pork and sauerkraut dinner on New Year’s Day. Later I found it easiest to make a restaurant reservation for my own family after work if we expected to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner together with conditions that personal thanks for their many blessings be expressed at the table. We’re now entering the stage of covered dish dinners at my granddaughter’s house.
However we end up celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday, expressing thanks is vital. Here’s my list. I’d love to hear yours.
- for patience and love of all of you
- for treasured leadership and involvement of the Kitchen Kettle Family
- for loyalty and appreciation by long-time guests and friends
- for surrounding beauty and influence of our Lancaster County
- for prayers and helping hands to those in need
- for our faith and hope in an even brighter future for all
Love and peace to you and yours. Pat Burnley
Filed under: Kettle-Talk by Grammy - - -
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I love this time of year with it’s smells and flavors … leaves burning, spices simmering, and a warm glow inside homes. I’ve recently discovered that one of our newest flavors of jam here at Kitchen Kettle is a great fall flavor, even though I initially thought it was more of a light, summertime flavor. Lemon Pear Jam is a refreshing blend of… well, of lemons and pears. I guess I was stuck on the fruitiness of the jam when I related it to summer, but I’ve been discovering some fun fall ways to use this interesting, new product. One of my favorites is as a simple spread on all things gingerbread – cookies, cake, cupcakes, you name it. Last week I nestled a tablespoon between my pancakes for a delicious, warm fall breakfast. Tonight I’m going to try it on some baked fish. I’m not the most creative person in the kitchen, so I’d welcome any ideas and recipes!
Filed under: Kettle-Talk by Lisa - - -
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What is the true meaning of Christmas? For me, it is making a difference in the lives of 100 local families. And I am lucky enough to be able to touch those lives through Kitchen Kettle Village at Christmastime.
About 5 years ago we started our annual “Giving Back” program. I work with the school nurses at two local school districts and “adopt” 100 local families. I don’t know their names, only how many children are in each family & their ages. As a Village we collect & purchase the food to provide “Christmas Dinner in a Box” for each family. We also collect toiletries and toys to fill stockings for each child in those 100 families. Then we invite them all to Kitchen Kettle about a week before Christmas to pick up their goodies and spread some holiday cheer. We have marshmallow roasting, hot chocolate & crafts for the kids. The parents can enjoy the musical entertainment and just spending time with their family.
It never fails, every year I am brought to tears by the heartfelt thanks we receive from many of the families. But it takes the collective effort of a Village to make a difference – from the individual shops that make donations, to the Kitchen Kettle employees who pack the boxes of food, to our vendors and customers making monetary donations. It is by far one of my most rewarding challenges at Kitchen Kettle!
Lisa
P.S. If you would like to “pay it forward” with us this holiday, feel free to make a monetary donation or donate food items or toiletries. Just comment on this post and I will give you all the details. 
Happy Holidays!
Filed under: Kettle-Talk by KKVblogKT - - -
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This Friday is Halloween. As you all know, having fun is part of who we are at Kitchen Kettle. So any holiday is fair game for antics, costumes, music and hilarity. Our 8th Annual Character Days is this Friday morning at 8:30 in the Kettle Cafe. All our team members (and any guests who would like to) are invited to dress in costume and vie for cash prizes in four categories - Most Original; Most Halloween Inspired; Funniest; and Best of Show. I love the caveat on the invitation - “Please use good judgment with your costume. It should not be too scary or too sexy. And remember, you’ll need to be able to work in it all day.”
We’ve had some pretty creative thinking in our past competitions - the Saturday Night Live Cheerleaders, (whose costume was relegated to the scarecrows at 7 Sweets & Sours Festival this year,- waste not, want not we always say); a UPS man; Steve and Bob who decided to be Red Hat ladies; and the usual ghosts and goblins.
It’s a lot of work to have fun. But it’s always worth it at Kitchen Kettle. Whether it’s Character Days, Yummie’s birthday party, Friday nights between Thanksgiving and Christmas, or Rhubarb Festival, our holidays are always a part of our conversation on how to bring something new to the table. It keeps all of us interested and all of you coming back to see what we’re up to. And that keeps both of us happy.
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banjo-jimmy
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What is your favorite season? At Kitchen Kettle Village, October has always been my favorite month and each one provides more excitement - corn husk decorations, pumpkins that are carved or used as the head of scarecrows and creative corn creatures, colorful mums and the last of the summer flowers.
It’s time to get back to hot, spicy cider made with our Apple Cinnamon Jelly, the last of local canteloupes are treasured, fresh pears are turned into deliciouis Pear Butter while Peach, Pumpkin and Apple Butters are newly proided. This year the women in the Kitchen are busy turning fresh pickles into Bread & Butter Pickes, Sweet Pickle Relish, Sweet Pickle Chips and the latest you’ve all been reading about - Kickin’ Pickles. The Bake Shop has a new flavor of the month - Pumpkin Walnut, mmmmmmmm! And new gift packages are being invented in anticipation of the next season - Christmas!
But we’re not just food in October. The Deerskin Leather Shop has a new display of UGG boots, leather coats are back in style and I love to snuggle into my lambskin vest on a windy day. Some people like the smell in the Leather Shop better than the one in the Bake Shop!
From another perspective, I like to watch our maintenance men rake leaves from our many large trees that line the walkways. It brings back memories of leaping into those huge piles of leaves when I was a child. Did you ever do that?
So why would I love October? Why not? If I can keep busy, I might live for another ten glorious years and watch all our wonderful Kitchen Kettle family grow while I greet our great guests and old friends all over the Village. People are beginning to stop me on the way to lunch just to say hello. It makes my day!
How about you? Is this not the grandest time of year?
Pat Burnley - “Grammy”
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Here we are…in the midst of unseasonably warm – and beautiful – fall weather, and I’m thinking about Christmas! Christmas has always been a special time of year to me, perhaps even more so since I came to Kitchen Kettle. I know I’m biased, but I love the Village at Christmastime with the simple decorations, the carolers, the hot cocoa and all the other simple touches that are part of the uncomplicated, peaceful ambience of the season. I’m especially excited this year about Christmas with Mrs. Claus & Yummie, a magical experience for young children and their families. For the first time, we’re offering the holiday dinner, storytelling and personal visits with Mrs. Claus and Yummie in our Kling House Restaurant, Pat Burnley’s childhood home. What better setting than a home all decorated for Christmas with a fire in the fireplace and excited wonder in the eyes of the children? I can just picture the frost on the windowpanes and the cheerful glow from inside. I can’t wait to see this newly-created experience in action. There are so many magical Christmas moments…I’d love to hear yours.
Filed under: Kettle-Talk by Lisa - - -
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Have you tried the new Kitchen Kettle pickles yet? If you didn’t already know, we have a new line of pickles that are scrumptious. The Kickin’ Pickle Chips have just enough heat to make things interesting and the Sweet Pickle Chips have a sweet, crisp taste that is hard to beat. Now for the fun part…have you ever had fried pickles? Kristine Grego our “Food Specialist,” made fried pickles as part of her tailgating demonstration at the 7 Sweets & Sours Tailgating Festival a few weeks ago. Quite honestly, I thought it sounded pretty bizarre, but then I sampled one. They were so good! So, here’s the recipe for you to try at home or at your next tailgate. It is definitely a conversation piece. Let me know if you have any fun or bizarre recipes that use Kitchen Kettle products. I would love to hear them!
Fried Kickin’ Pickle Chips
1 pint Kitchen Kettle Kickin’ Pickle Chips
1 egg
2 Tbsp. milk
½ cup flour
½ cup cornmeal
Vegetable oil for frying
Ranch dressing
Drain pickle chips in a colander. Cover with a plate and refrigerate overnight.
Beat egg and milk together in a shallow bowl. Mix together flour and cornmeal in another shallow bowl. Dip pickle chips in egg milk mixture; dredge with flour mixture. Heat vegetable oil to 350°. Fry pickles until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve with Ranch Dressing if desired.
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Filed under: Kettle-Talk by KKVblogKT - - -
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For over 25 years our “fair weather friends” Banjo Jimmy and the Red Rose Ramblers have entertained our guests from all over the world. I well remember his audition in the back of Connie Webb’s horse and wagon tour at our village. That was back in 1981. Today, Reuben Stoltzfus has AAA Buggy Rides here at Kitchen Kettle. Jimmy doesn’t ride on the wagon anymore, but you can. Have you taken the ride? Since I don’t get to “audition” the drivers anymore, I’d love to hear about your experiences on it.
But back to Jimmy. He has almost as big a following as our jams and relishes. People spontaneously start tappin’ their toes, swingin’ their partner and then go into a full-blown dance. We join him in singing familiar hymns, spirituals and old favorites with the same joy that matches Jimmy’s unusual style.
Jimmy is a self-taught musucian who plays numerous instruments including banjo, guitar, piano, mandolin, bass fiddle, accordion and trombone. He was inspired by the the music of his grandfather who was very protective of his instruments and wouldn’t let Jimmy touch them. But at the ripe old age of 8, Jimmy couldn’t restrain himself any longer and took a banjo up to the attic where he began playing “You Are My Sunshine” on one string. Grandpa came home, heard Jimmy playing and said “Boy, let me hear you do that again.” Then Grandpa got his guitar and played along. That was the beginning. Jimmy has been playing his heart and soul into New Orleans jazz, blues, country and gospel songs ever since.
I want to thank Ed Mummert for the story about Jimmy’s start in music. Ed also plays with Jimmy’s band. Jimmy just keeps inviting people to join him. Often someone will bring his guitar or brass instrument along and start a jammin’ session - the music kind, not the food. And I get to listen to it all day long, at least when the weather’s nice.
Thanks to Jimmy and all his musicians who keep us singing every day.
Pat Burnley, Co-founder
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