Fam Din Forever!
Good Morning,
Before we give into the meat of this newsletter we wanted to talk some Turkey. A few of you have asked if we will be selling and delivering turkeys this year. Will we? Does a one- legged duck swim in circles? The answer to both is YES. We will launch the page with a small number of turkeys from Hurd Farm and chickens from Tad at Feather Brook Farm later this week. We will shoot out a brief (promise!) email mid-week.
We will also be doing a fundraiser with our friends at Elevate Youth to curate Thanksgiving Dinner shares for 130 of their families this Thanksgiving. More news on that soon!
Have a great day and don't forget your ear warmers.
Erin + Tim
Fam Din Forever.
This week we are saying goodbye to two legends of Family Dinner. Luis Ramirez and Maria Ortiz have been a part of the Fam since what feels like the damn beginning, and we're not quite sure what we will do without them. Luis and Maria will be moving back to Puerto Rico in the coming months, fleeing the New England Winter hellscape that is soon to arrive and returning to their families (and their families' cooking.. wait, homemade Puerto Rican food? Llévame contigo!!)
This email will be a bittersweet nugget to write, for sure, and we will be looping some ethereal Taylor Swift/Bon Iver tracks to soothe/amplify our sadness. (Too early for wine? Yes.)
Luis and Maria came to the US from their beautiful home town of Toa Alta in Puerto Rico and moved to Framingham. Luis worked in logistics at the TJX company and Maria in community health organizations. They joined the Family Dinner crew in 2018. To Family Dinner they brought their dedication; amazing sense of humor and incredible collection of Superhero/Disney/Pixar paraphernalia. They also put up with my utter lack of knowledge related to any pop culture:
Me: "Maria, is that a blue mouse on your hoodie? With ears?"
Maria: "ERIN! No! This is not a mouse, it's Stitch! From Lilo and Stitch!"
(Editor's Note: It may have been Lilo, not Stitch. I can't recall. I really am that useless.)
They are both entrepreneurs at heart and started two businesses while they were here; Master Designs by Luis Ramírez and Bags & More with Provy. Check them out, like the pages and send some love as their going-away.
We asked them a few questions about their time with us:
What's it like working for Family Dinner on a Saturday? An adventure!! We don't care about waking up early on a Saturday and considering that we are Caribbeans we rode against the cold and snow cause we knew we were going to have a great time!!
Favorite Family Dinner food: Pizza dough + pesto + ricotta cheese (Editor's Note: Same.)
First thing you're going to eat when you get back to Puerto Rico: Maria- Mofongo con carne frita, Luis- Servicio Arroz Chino con carne frita y tostones con ajo.
Yes please, I'll take two of each.
In their time with us, we became good friends. Laughing and dancing in the kitchen when times were easy and supporting each other with food and love when times were tougher. We will miss our friends but are so happy to have met them through this crazy little business.
And though they will be somewhere much warmer and more beautiful than here; they are always with us. Turns out that Family Dinner, much like Cobra Kai, is for life.
WHAT'S IN THE BAG?
Note: If you order a "Meat and Fish Share" you will just receive the meats listed, not the "dairy" items (eggs, yogurt etc). If you order a "Fish and Seafood Share" you will receive the fish listed, and not the dairy items
Add-on Grain of the Week - Crackers from Brewer's Crackers
HALF SHARE
Omnivore Protein - Pork Chops from Brookford Farm; Eggs from Feather Brook Farm
Pescatarian Protein - Bonito from Red's Best; Eggs from Feather Brook Farm
Vegetarian Proteins - Greek Yogurt from Sophia's; Dozen Eggs from Feather Brook Farm
Paleo Proteins - Pork Chops from Brookford Farm; Eggs from Feather Brook Farm
Fruits and Veggies - Cabbage from Drumlin Farm; Apples from Kimball Fruit Farm; Potatoes; Mustard Greens from Clark Farm
Grain - Pasta from Seven Hills
Special Treat - Brownie Bites from Forge Baking Co
WHOLE SHARE
*This week for the Whole and Double Shares we are including Tea from Yatra Tea company. This tea will soon be available as an add-on. We included it once before and thought it would be good to have again to stave off the winter chill!
Omnivore Protein - Pork Chops from Brookford Farm; Eggs from Feather Brook Farms; Bonito from Red's Best; Tea from Yatra Tea Company
Pescatarian Protein - Bonito and Salmon from Red's Best; Tea from Yatra Tea Company; Eggs from Feather Brook Farm
Vegetarian Proteins - Greek Yogurt from Sophia's; Dozen Eggs from Feather Brook; Seitan Sausages from Basil and Bunny; Tea from Yatra Tea Company; Eggs from Feather Brook Farm
Paleo Proteins - Pork Chops from Brookford Farm; Eggs from Feather Brook Farm; Bonito from Red's Best
Fruits and Veggies - Cabbage from Drumlin Farm; Apples from Kimball Fruit Farm; Potatoes; Mustard Greens from Clark Farm; Squash from Langwater Farm; Arugula from Brookford Farm
Grain - Pasta from Seven Hills
Special Treat - Brownie Bites from Forge Baking Co; Chocolate from Taza
DOUBLE SHARE
Omnivore Protein - Pork Chops and Lamb from Brookford Farm; Eggs from Feather Brook Farms; Bonito from Red's Best; Tea from Yatra Tea Company; Butter from Kriemhild
Pescatarian Protein - Bonito, Haddock and Salmon from Red's Best; Tea from Yatra Tea Company; Eggs from Feather Brook Farm; Butter from Kriemhild
Vegetarian Proteins - Greek Yogurt from Sophia's; Dozen Eggs from Feather Brook; Seitan Sausages from Basil and Bunny; Tea from Yatra Tea Company; Eggs from Feather Brook Farm; Butter from Kriemhild and Pierogi from Jaju.
Paleo Proteins - Pork Chops from Brookford Farm; Eggs from Feather Brook Farm; Bonito from Red's Best; Lamb from Feather Brook Farms
Fruits and Veggies - Cabbage from Drumlin Farm; Apples from Kimball Fruit Farm; Potatoes; Mustard Greens from Clark Farm; Squash from Langwater Farm; Arugula from Brookford Farm; Peppers from Marshview Farm; Turnips from Iron Ox
Grain - Pasta from Seven Hills; Ginger Turmeric Bread from Forge
Special Treat - Brownie Bites from Forge Baking Co; Chocolate from Taza
RECIPES
Bonito Tacos: We just made these last night. We riffed on the spices but didn't skimp on the lime. They are heaven. We had soft flour tortillas (expired two weeks ago but who is counting?) otherwise we like to make our own.
Fried Cabbage: Shannon really wants you to make this.
Creamy Yogurt Pasta: Mix in any sauteed greens you might like!