My daily bread...
As I sit here writing this week’s newsletter, I can actually hear hail hitting the windows. Because apparently Alberta looked at our stretch of absolutely gorgeous summer weather and thought, don’t get too comfortable.
Thankfully, it’s just one of those freak Alberta storms rolling through, because otherwise, what a summer we are having! The forecast for this coming week is looking downright beautiful again, with sunshine and temperatures climbing into the high 20s. Patio weather is most definitely not done with us yet.
Maybe it’s the sunshine, maybe everyone is soaking up these last glorious weeks of summer, or maybe you’re all just really hungry, but holy smokes, Rise has been BUSY!
The baking around here has gone a little ridiculous, and I am absolutely loving it. You people are loving the pastry counter, we are continuing to play and perfect those pies, and I think it’s finally safe to say it: pies are here to stay at Rise!
We’ve also got some new hands joining us in the kitchen. Summer holidays are winding down, schedules are settling back into place, and suddenly I’ve got more people beside me, which means we can start stretching our wings a little and getting even more delicious things onto that counter and into the cooler.
And believe me, I’ve got ideas.
So, with another beautiful Alberta summer week ahead of us, a busy kitchen full of people, and a pretty darn delicious menu planned…
let’s get into what’s happening at Rise this week.
MONDAY MORNING: Doors open at 7am and we’re right back at it.
The coffee is brewing, the BLTs are available all day, every day, the sourdough is ready for toast, and those Rise & Shine Breakfast Muffins have one very important rule around here: they need to be baked and sitting on that counter when we unlock the doors at 7.
NEXT UP WE START FILLING THE GRAB & GO COOLER…
We'll have our grilled chicken wraps back again this week, along with our Olds College smoked beef wraps. We only have a couple of those beautiful smoked beef roasts left, so this will most likely be their last week in the cooler for a little while.
Then come the Quinoa Salad Bowls. The farmers' market is overflowing with vegetables right now, so we're taking full advantage. Our quinoa bowl this week will be packed with all those beautiful market vegetables, including some incredibly sweet fresh corn. It is so tender and sweet that we're leaving it raw, cutting it straight from the cob and tossing it right into the bowl.
And we’re giving this week’s bowl just a little Mediterranean twist, tossing in chickpeas, artichoke hearts and olives alongside all of those beautiful market vegetables. Then we’ll tie the whole thing together with a fig & honey vinaigrette. Fresh lemon, a good Dijon mustard, olive oil and fresh herbs. Simple, tangy and just enough to let all those gorgeous late-summer flavors do their thing.
One little change we've made around here: rice paper salad rolls are now a Tuesday thing.
Mondays are FULL. There is an enormous amount of prep happening in the kitchen, and we've decided we don't need to race quite so hard to get absolutely everything into that cooler at once.
So Monday, we fill it up with wraps and salad bowls, take a tiny breath…and Tuesday morning, the rice paper salad rolls join the party.
And just like that, another week at Rise is underway. 💛
Sourdough line-up...
Monday - no sourdough loaves
Tuesday - Red Fife Country Loaf and Superseed Multigrain Loaf
Wednesday - Classic Brown and 100% Whole Grain Organic Loaf
Thursday - Light Rye Loaves and Sourdough Milk Buns
Friday - Red Fife Country Loaves and Cinnamon Buns
IT’S CINNAMON BUN FRIDAY!
Oh my gosh, this is the week we’ve been waiting for! The last Friday of the month is here, which means CINNAMON BUN FRIDAY at Rise.
We’ll be rolling out those beautiful sourdough milk-bun cinnamon buns, loaded with cinnamon caramel, topped with cream cheese icing and finished with toasted pecans. And if you already know you need one (or six), pre-ordering is always a very good idea.
A quick note about pre-orders… For all of our new Rise people, we’re a little old-school around here. There are no online orders, DMs or phone holds, just pop into Rise and place your order with us at the till.
And you can pre-order pretty much anything we make, salad bowls, sourdough loaves, cinnamon buns, cheesecake, pizza… you name it. Let us know what you’d like, we’ll write it down, take payment, and have it waiting for you on pickup day.
Easy peasy, Rise style💛
🍕☀️TGIF PIZZA FRIDAY☀️🍕
CHICKEN CAESAR IS BACK! Okay, people. You know this one. And if you don’t, you’re about to.
This Friday we’re bringing back one of those Rise pizzas that people go a little crazy for, Chicken Caesar Pizza!
We’ll start with our creamy garlic base, grilled chicken, artichoke hearts and a little red onion, then cover the whole thing with mozzarella and provolone and send it into the oven.
And then? We make a Caesar salad on top of your pizza. Because why wouldn’t we?
Crisp romaine, House-made Caesar dressing, crispy bacon, shaved Parmesan, crunchy sourdough croutons, fresh lemon and lots of cracked black pepper piled right on top of that hot, cheesy chicken pizza.
Pizza meets Caesar salad and it is ridiculously good.
Coming out of the oven at 11am and we will bake until we sell out!
CHEESECAKE FRIDAY - PASSION FRUIT & PISTACHIO
Okay, I think we’re going a little exotic with Cheesecake Friday this week.
Passion Fruit & Pistachio. And seriously, how good does that sound?
We’re starting with our graham crust and a beautiful New York-style cheesecake, with ribbons of tart, tropical passion fruit puree swirled right through before it heads into the oven.
Once it’s baked, chilled and settled, we’re going to crown it with a layer of silky pistachio mousse, followed by vanilla bean Chantilly, another good drizzle of that gorgeous passion fruit and a scattering of toasted pistachios for crunch.
Rich and creamy. Tart and tropical. YUM!!
Basically, summer decided to become a cheesecake.
And just like that…
Tomorrow the hay bales out on the patio are getting picked up.
And I have to admit, I’m a little sad about it.
Those darn hay bales have made my heart sing every single time I’ve walked up to Rise these past couple of weeks. There was just something about them sitting out there with the quilts, the patio and all of our Open Farm Days fun that made Rise feel extra special.
But I suppose it’s time for them to head back to where hay bales belong.💛
And while little signs of summer winding down are starting to creep in around us, we are definitely not done with summer yet. We’ve got another gorgeous week ahead, the patio is waiting, the kitchen is BUSY, and there is a whole lot of deliciousness coming out of Rise.
So come grab a coffee, find yourself a spot in the sunshine, eat some ridiculously good food and soak up these beautiful late-August days with us.
And I’ll meet you right back here next Sunday with another week of deliciousness from the Rise kitchen.💛
