Happy 15th Anniversary to our biz!

Fifteen years ago we received our official registration for StoveKeepers and our business was born.  We had just moved to New England and one night had a friend of Art's over; he saw that we had a selection of mailers on franchise businesses.  He said he had a better idea.  He was a pellet manufacturer who had just lost a dealer in the town we were now living.  He said start a stove shop and I will give you the support you need and introduce you to industry people you will need to know.  I worked on our business plan for months and secured financing.  We received our registration in May, attended trainings all summer, and opened a shop with five stoves and several big plants (thanks Mom and Dad!) to help "fill the space."
Our first location was cozy and the landlord was very flexible and let us choose our terms.  SBA, who provided our financing, did their best to mess with our plans but we needed them initially so we did what we had to do.  We ran an ad and opened our doors September 1, 1998.  We did make a sale that day :-D, sadly it was on credit card so I could not frame our "first dollar."  Still, we were thrilled!  When we took a vacation to Colorado for Christmas that year we left a clipboard and a couple tons of pellets out back and let people take fuel on the honor system.  We worked really hard those first couple of years with Art working another job, me taking small computer jobs in between, running the store, doing trainings, installing, delivering and every other task in a day.  We were exhausted but having the time of our lives.

Not every day was a joy.  I still remember having a week to come up with $20,000.  I never thought we would make it and was terrified!  Somehow it all worked out.  After two years going solo we hired our first employee.  By 2003 we had three others and at that point I stepped out of the shop to tackle the bookwork that we had previously outsourced.  We grew every year for the first ten years and received top ten awards from Harman a few times. We won a cruise to Alaska with other high achieving shops and Harman employees.  That was a trip of a lifetime.  A train and cruise tour from Fairbanks down to Vancouver.

We have had three locations in our fifteen years, as well as an off-site warehouse.  In 2009 we were able to purchase our own property.  We took two years where we used it as a warehouse and fixed up the showroom, paved the parking lot, and put up a fence before we moved.  It was risky.  We were moving two towns away!  The move was stressful but within a year we had a record setting quarter which eased our minds about our move.
We now have five full time employees, one part time, Art and myself.  The industry is a roller coaster.  It is not for the faint of heart.  One year can see a 20% increase and the next 30% down.  Cash flow is my main job now.  Art's main role is managing the employees and vendors.  We are a good team and both agree that we couldn't/wouldn't do it without each other!
It is a good technology and I think I will say that we have done more good than harm.  We have done our best to provide a good and fun job for our guys with stability and perks.  I think our guys are also proud of not only the products we sell but the work they do.  Hoping for another ten successful years and possibly beyond!

Making Bratwurst Sausage with my KitchenAid

I absolutely think my KitchenAid mixer is the best thing since sliced bread.  It has a place of honor on my kitchen counter and helps me make cookies, cakes, whipped cream, pretzels, bread, pasta, ice cream, hamburg, dog food when Zdeno was VERY fussy, and now Sausage!  My parents live in Mexico part of the year where it is not always easy to find sausage.  This got me thinking.  How hard is it to make sausage?  What equipment do you need?  So after a quick Google search I saw that there were many recipes for making sausage with the KitchenAid.  I already have the machine and the meat grinder and I found I could get the sausage stuffer attachment for less than $15 from Amazon.  So, I was off on my adventure! 


A quick note on casings.  Most videos I watched showed a laborious and tedious process of gently stretching out natural casing, soaking it, rinsing it, soaking it in vinegar, rinsing it again, then laying it out for use.  This seemed to me to the burden of sausage making.  A quick stop at a local Meat House showed me that if you buy the cellulose casings you can skip all of the unpleasantness described above.



Homemade Bratwurst Recipe and Process
I found this German Bratwurst recipe at www.lets-make-sausage.com if you would like to see it in it's original form.
Bratwurst is made with emulsified meat.  I couldn't go that far but found that by grinding the meat through the large then small grinder multiple times worked well.  The consistency won't be exactly the same as the store but I think the taste is better!  The grinding is probably the most time consuming part of the recipe.  If the meat is cold/semi-frozen the grinding will be much easier!  I learned that the hard way.  If you hands are going numb handling the meat it is almost cold enough...

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs. Pork Shoulder or Pork Butt (80% lean is recommended as fat is an important ingredient.  If you get a leaner pork you may want to supplement with pork fat- which is what I did.)
• 1 lb. Veal or Beef (Again if you get a lean cut you may want to supplement with added fat.)
• 1-2 Tbsp. Kosher Salt 
• 1 Tbsp. Ground Nutmeg
• 2 tsp. Ground Mace (can substitute all spice, or cinnamon if you can't find mace)
• 1 tsp. Ground Ginger
• 1 Cup Cold Milk
• 2 whole eggs, beaten
• 1 Cup Non-Fat Dry Milk Powder (Used as a binder) 

Directions:

Trim the pork and beef.  Cut into 1 inch cubes.  I start with semi-frozen meat for easier cutting.  Place a metal bowl inside a larger bowl filled with ice and chill meat in fridge.  I did this the morning of and left for a couple of hours but overnight is probably better. 

After cutting place in freezer for a half an hour before grinding.
 
Grind meat through large grind plate, then twice through smaller grind plate or step down in size each grind if you have more than two grind plates.

Grind Plates

In a separate bowl mix the beaten eggs with one cup of milk and combine spices.  I used a container with a lid so I could just shake it together.

Mix the egg/milk mixture into meat with your hands and work for at least two minutes.  It should be a soft paste.  You may run it through the small grinder one additional time if preferred.

Load up the sausage stuffer and casings onto the KitchenAid and tie a knot at the end of the sausage.  Leave a little slack in case if pops open when twisting links later.  In the picture note I did not leave much slack, which is how I know you need to leave slack because it blew out...
 
Stuff into 32-35mm casing.  I made one long sausage then twisted links after the fact.  Note- this part of the process is much easier if you have two people; one in charge of feeding meat in and the second in charge of catching and managing the growing link.  If you get an air bubble pop it by poking with a knife as the casing is filling.

Twist into links if preferred.  Size is your call.  Then refrigerate or freeze immediately.
I have read on many sites that the sausage should rest for a day before eating so it can plump.  I don't know how vital it is but I saw it enough that I let them sit overnight before cooking.
Cook and ENJOY!

Home!

We got back from Florida and the Hearth Show on Saturday and we left for Vermont on Tuesday.  We drove up in a blizzard; by we I mean, Art.  I had a flask and did my best not to pay attention to the semi truck that bowled past us on I-89 going North.  Not five minutes later we saw another 18 wheeler poised on the side of the embankment with his nose facing the road and the box parallel to the road but facing the opposite direction that traffic is traveling.  The really interesting bit is that there were no tire marks in the snow.  It looked as if he had floated to his destination.  No clue how he did it but I am sure it was spectacular and horrifying.  I imagine he needed a change in pants to say the least.  


We had a nice visit at our friend's home.  They were in Florida at the Hearth Show with us and when they heard that we were going to Jay Peak for skiing (again- Art, not me) they offered their vaca-home to us.  We gladly accepted.  It is tucked up on a hill by Lake Willoughby, which can be seen from the house on a clear day.  It is a charming house with classic hardware and charm to beat the band.

The boys and kids went skiing at Jay the first full day and Burke the second.  Sandra and I didn't even have to leave the property.  We snowshoed around the property and beyond we found a snowmobile trail with some easier walking.  Zdeno was able to come with us and he had a blast!  He loves snow shoeing with us.




We got to use the Oakwood first hand as they use this as a heat source at the house.  Sure, they have a furnace but what fun is that?  Will and Sandra also enjoyed the fabulous six burner gas stove in the kitchen.  I am sorry, but those things freak me out!


We did get to go over to enjoy Will's Hill this past weekend as well.  We got to snow shoe and ski with the kids and Zdeno had a blast with Beauty.  She loves to roll him in the snow and drool on his ears.  He loves it!  He jumped out of the car and rolled over in the nearest snowbank for her.  They are too adorable together.  We had a good time, too.  Art taught the kids how to play double solitaire.  





I am quite happy to be home now.  We don't have anything else planned until Newport.  We are not leaving this house (for the night) for all of April!  That will be the first month since November we pulled that off.
I am looking forward to catching up on house cleaning and projects like getting hardware in the new bathroom.  I also want to move my home office from the Bear Room to the Loft.  We fired up the stove on the porch and it is warm enough that we can enjoy daily meals out there again :-)
We also have early buy pricing and notices to get out and that whole pesky 'we need to hire someone' thing to deal with... 

Winter

We have had a real winter here in New England this year.  It is mid-March with over a foot of snow still on the ground and another storm will drop 4-8" on Tuesday.  We have certainly worked to enjoy the season!  We have had a busy travel winter with nearly 40 days away from home since Christmas!  

We spent Christmas in Connecticut with Art's sister.  I then stayed on and went into the city with my niece Abbie.  We were able to visit the 9/11 Memorial at the Trade Tower site.  It was quite emotional.  The waterfalls are a touching tribute. 

Then we whisked off to Foxboro to see another niece marry her high school sweetheart after thirteen years!  It was fun to ring in the new year with the family at the start of their union.

We were home for a short rest before heading off to Jackson, NH to start the ski season!  We enjoyed a few good snowstorms that gave the skiers powdery days at Black, Wildcat, and Bretton Woods.  I am more of a snowshoer so we enjoyed stomping around Dolly Copp as well as spending a day at the Jackson Cross Country Ski Center.  A little retail therapy is always nice, too :-)

Hockey season started late this year but we did still get a six game mini-pack and were able to enjoy our first game in late January.  We were so excited to go to the opening game.  They won which was wonderful and the Bruins gave us a free t-shirt, food and a discount at the shop to help make up for the late start.  We had to sell a couple of games due to upcoming travel but were happy to at least be able to attend a few!






We were home for a little over a week before we headed South.  We stopped in Arizona to pick up and visit Art's Dad then headed to Mazatlan, Mexico to see my folks and spend a week in the sun.  We enjoyed showing him our favorite places like the Los Osunas Agave factory, the top of the Freeman, Playa Bruja and old town which was decorated for Carnaval. 

Upon our return we headed North to Maine for our annual ski trip with friends and family.  We rented a beautiful house on the Carrabassett River just South of Sugarloaf.  We were able to bring Zdeno with us and enjoyed snowshoeing around the property, having a bon fire, sitting in the hot tub during a snowstorm and enjoying the company.  Skiers had a few good storms and lots of good snow.

We also had the Sims up for a fun weekend of resting relaxing and playing in the snow.  We went to Parker's Maple Barn to check out the sugaring, which is going well this year, and have a yummy breakfast.  Then off to Brookline as some had not yet seen our shop.  Then we went over to the Wildes to Enjoy Will's Hill skiing and snowshoeing.  Puppy Teddy had a blast!  He probably slept all the way home in the Passat, which Abbie bought from us this weekend.

We weren't back long before we headed down to Florida for the annual Hearth Show.  It is always good to catch up with our suppliers and peers.  There were some new products this year which was a pleasant surprise.  It seems like our industry has been stuck in a rut the last few years with declining sales.  Some new stoves included the Harman Advantage which does over 40,000 btu's of heat in a stove less than 2' square.  The coolest part is that it is controlled by your ipad or iphone! 







We also snuck away one afternoon to go over to the Kennedy Space Center.  We loved seeing the Hubble Imax movie, the old rockets on display, and the unexpected surprise of getting to hear astronaut Bob Cenker speak and share his experience on the shuttle in the 1980's.

We were thrilled to finally be back home at the end of that trip though.  We have packed a lot into the first couple of months this year!  That was our last planned air travel trip this year.  Upcoming we just have a night at our friends in Northern Vermont to use Art's free ski ticket at Jay Peak that he got when he had to get new skis this year and then nothing until Newport at the end of May!

Hope you have kept busy and warm this winter and have enjoyed the snow!!!

Venezia

Venice was like a whole different world.  The water was such a brilliant greenish-blue that it looked as though it had been dyed.  What we thought was a little island was actually a series of islands and canals dissecting a very large area.

The first night we wandered around for a few hours before settling on a local place for dinner.  Pasta and wine in case you wondered...  When we were walking around we noticed a large number of (dirty) tables stacked up here and there all along the walks.  When we came out from dinner we were surprised to find that the water had come up over the edge of the canal onto the sidewalk.  All of those tables (planks) were now lined up so that people could walk above the water on them.  The water is actually higher in the morning with up to a meter of water coming up over the canal and into the buildings.  We had to wait to get onto the island each morning because it was too under water. 

As with all of our stops there were too many cathedrals, ruins, and statues to mention.  We did a hop on hop off waterbus tour which was perfect for our rainy day visit to the city.  Ironically, Hurricane Sandy was bearing down on the Northeast at the same time.  I think we got more rain in Venice that in New Hampshire this weekend.  Not the same for Abbie's home- NYC

Here is another of Italy's charming leaning towers (in the background).  I also got a lovely hat as I underdressed today :-/

We toured the Doge's apartments, the nearby cathedral, museum, the bridge of sighs and the prisons.

 

That night I used my Vonage app to call Art to check on the storm.  He said all was fine and it was being overblown in the media.  Lovely, until fifteen minutes later Abbie got a text saying her flight was cancelled.  She then called her bf to find that her Mom had been evacuated from her town in CT.  After no luck on the phone we headed to the airport early to try to find another option for Abbie.  She was able to re-route through Boston which worked out well because the long awaited memorial for Mom was later in the week and her family was up there anyway...

I went home as planned through Frankfurt.  There was a little schnee (snow) and it was chilly so I didn't see much but I had a fabulous dinner with goose, dumplings, and the best fried camembert cheese ever!  Oh, and Oktoberfest beer!  (no wine!!)

I felt very spoiled to get business class with my frequent flier miles.  They upgraded me because it was the only one available