PIEMANIA IS A WARM WINTERTIME GUILTY PLEASURE

It's now December and winter is settling in. It's time to get cozy. We have several tried and true epicurean delights that help us cope with frozen mornings and frost-filled evenings. One of our favorite survival strategies comes straight from the ovens of our Pastry Department. PIEMANIA IS BACK and we are true believers is the power of the Pie! Here is our Guilty Mantra, repeat after me...

I love warm pies in the winter.

I love warm pies that are baked in different shapes and sizes.

And I especially love warm pies that are served ala mode.

Piemania is our salute to living well in GuiltyTown.

At your next party catered by Provence, Guilty suggests you get lost in PIE MANIA. It's a selection of freshly baked of large seasonal pies to include Strawberry, Banana Creme Pie, Blueberry, Apple crumb, chocolate pecan and Key lime pie accompanied by vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce and Chantilly whipped cream.

We love to be creative when it comes to pies and last week we decided to experment. We enjoyed a warm Apple crumb pie with a Caramel & Sea Salt Gelato. The combination was so delicious we were lost for words. Sometimes you are lucky enough to savor a personal Guilty moment that is almost indescribable. This was one of those rare raptures.

Princeton's Peacock Inn is a First Class Guilty Pleasure.

This past weekend was just a sensational moment in time. The Indian Summer weather was especially beautiful, business is booming and the word is spreading, "Provence Catering's highly acclaimed international cuisine is better than ever." The reviews on the web are outstanding. We are being hailed by many of our discerning clientele as the Mid-Atlantic's finest off-premise caterer.

Thin Mint and Guilty celebrated their 22nd Wedding Anniversary this weekend, enjoying a five course gastronomic feast at Princeton's Peacock Inn. Our gourmet meal was magnificent and the service was sublime. Everything was perfect and I highly recommend spoiling yourself at this storied property that dates back to the Revolutionary War. Here is a great review on this recently renovated historic landmark.

Lancaster County Market in Wayne is a local treasure chest of Guilty Pleasures.

One of Guilty's favorite Epicurean adventures is my annual Holiday Season shopping spree at the Lancaster County Farmer's Market in Wayne, PA. This upscale market is always bustling with upbeat patrons, but that is especially true during the Holidays. My favorite Farmer's Market is like an action scene from the "Christmas Carol" with incredible aromas wafting in the air and deliciously prepared foods casting a spell of Guilty Pleasures. With a local focus, savvy and smart shoppers are looking for gourmet foods to enjoy at home.



Over the next month or so Guilty will be visiting with different market vendors to sample their specialities and help spread the word. Holiday shopping is always more enjoyable when the Guilty Pleasures Club helps to guide the way. Come hungry and be prepared to sample, smile and purchase personal delights. Sharing is permitted, even encouraged. It's the Guilty Code.

Holiday Party season is fast approaching. Be prepared to party like it was 1999.

The fast-approaching Holiday season is the perfect time to look back as we move forward. Remember when our biggest concern was Y2K? Would our computers still work at midnight and would our everyday lives survive that dramatic leap into the Great Unknown, the 21st Century?

Yes and yes. We survived the changing of the computer clocks and turning the big 50. Mercy me, sweet 60 is now on the not-too-distant horizon. So much has changed in America and all of us now know how we fortunate we were to live in a pre-9/11 and pre-Katrina world.

We certainly knew how to throw a great Holiday Party in 1999. Stock options were the social currency, not Facebook and living well was not a lost art. Now is the perfect time for Main Street to take back our economy. Spend some money this Holiday season spoiling yourself and changing America's Partitude. The surest path to a robust economy begins when you support local businesses. The hospitality industry is a great place to start. Host a great party, hire a new employee and just watch our consumer confidence level soar.

Provence is thrilled to be at Appleford

Provence Catering is now available to cater events at the Appleford Estate and we could not be happier. The gardens at the Villanova estate are second to none and the perfect setting for a beautiful wedding reception.

Give a call to learn more about Appleford Wedding specials.

Fire up the smoker...It's time for a Barbecue Bash, Provence style

Like a magic wand, spring is finally here, casting a spell over the Delaware Valley. The timing could not be better. This weekend we will be participating in the Communiversity festival in Princeton. This annual celebration of community and culture is the highlight of the Spring social season with over 35,000 attendees.

Chef's Ron, Greg and Mario will be serving up some of the best barbecue anywhere. Our secret dry rub and different sauces will be the stars of the show.

We are back and more committed to enjoying Guilty Pleasures and Great Hospitality

So much has changed at Provence Catering since we last blogged. We have pushed the envelop and grown as a company. Our catering commissary, warehouse and Executive offices have expanded from 4,000 sq. feet to over 10,000 sq. feet. With our Wedding business growing every month, we have built two new Tasting Salons. Their grandeur and elegance have been very well-received. It's the perfect setting to sample our exceptional cuisine and plan your upcoming event.

Not all our exciting news is coming from within Pennsylvania. We have opened a beautiful office, Tasting Salon and English garden in downtown Princeton on Nassau St. The community has welcomed us with open arms and Princeton brides are really excited about Provence.

The Guilty Pleasures blog will now focus on exceptional food, great hospitality and personal Guilty Pleasures.

Movie Theatre Popcorn

I am not too focused on the guilts of the world. Just my own. When guilt calls, I run to the phone and listen. I'm ready for it. Some might even say I train for it.

Movie theatre popcorn is one of my greatest guilts. I like food I can see my reflection in, it is so greasy. Food that practically screams "don't eat me! I'm terrible for you!" as you're cramming it in your mouth. It has come to the point where the movie-viewing process is completely backward: I start craving the popcorn, then I decide which movie I want to go see. Or at least, which movie I can get some enjoyment from as I indulge in the main spectacle: the popcorn.



Even the atmosphere in which you eat this popcorn screams of guilty pleasure: you take this giant tub of overpriced butter, salt, and popcorn into a dark room where anonymity rules, and then you indulge. You can't even see what you're eating, just adding to the indulgence (If I can't see it, the calories don't count, right?).

Greasy, salty, buttery deliciousness. The satisfying crunch and the explosion of guilty flavors. Movie theatre popcorn should be in the guilty pleasure hall of fame.

A Sugar Rush for the Ears

I love terrible music. It's true. Every bad dance pop song you hear on the radio is gold to me. How am I supposed to say no to those irrepressible dance beats, simplistic lyrics, and perfectly packaged pop songs? They are designed much the way a shot of espresso is - a sugar rush that's supposed to wear off very quickly...but not until you've purchased it from iTunes.

I relish the chance to cave in to my most simplistic love, to roll up my windows and turn up the dance music. I'm the kid whose hand is in the cookie jar and has just gotten a fistful of warm chocolate chip cookies. Success is immediate and satisfying. I wonder if I look as guilty as I feel.


Don't get me wrong, I love good music as well. I'll argue with anyone over the best Beatles songs, the best Led Zeppelin live footage, or which Michael Jackson album reigns supreme. But when those dancey pop songs come on the radio, I can't help reveling in the moment and not even thinking about when that sugar rush is going to wear out.

It's Summer Somewhere

Whomever decided that some foods can only be enjoyed at certain times of the year should be put out of their misery. Because misery is what I, personally, experience when the first few days of winter arrive and announce, “we’re here!” with bracing winds and bouncing sleet. I should be allowed to turn up the heat to 80 degrees, mix a margarita, and enjoy summer foods in December if I like. Really, is there anything inherently wrong with a crisp lemon water ice when the snow is coming down outside? Or, slicing open that watermelon I just purchased in January while playoff football is on screen? Of course not – it’s summer somewhere, right? Just because I happen to be living on the far side of the sun five months out of the year doesn’t mean I can’t be allowed to join in on some of the fun in the sun…even if the sun does disappear at 5 p.m. sharp every day. Summer isn’t a privilege in my world: it’s a right, and a right I want to enjoy even when Old Man Winter comes over for a long-term stay.

My guilty pleasure is remembering that it's only winter outside.