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The Weekly Newsletter |
Menus and Stories for July 12 - July 17, 2004
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| "Native South" Biscuits and Salsas |
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How 'bout these?
Vidalia Onion Cheese Biscuits
White Chocolate Sweet Potato Biscuits
Fiery Peach Salsa
Roasted Vidalia Onion and Artichoke Salsa
Sound good?
Yup, we thought so.
(And we like how they taste too.)
We'll be putting these in our "Taste of the South" gift baskets from now on, but feel free to add some to a summer picnic, a jaunt to the lake, a trip to New York. Bring some of these and you'll be the most popular house guest.
We can almost guarantee it!
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What's in this issue: |
1. Native South
2. Barry and his produce
3. Dinners to Go
4. Casserole of the week
5. Talented individuals
6. "Handmade" Jam
7. Fun stuff!
8. A note from Laurey
9. YUM!
If you'd rather not receive these weekly notes, simply scroll to the bottom of this page, follow the instructions about "unsubscribe" and that'll be that. |
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| Barry and his garden's bounty |
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Barry and Laura (B+L Organics) were the first farmers we ever worked with - probably starting over ten years ago. Barry brings us beauties from their hilly acreage up north of here.
Last week we had baby carrots, fennel, beets. I go to the market, browse, and request things for the following week.
What a shopping plan, right?
Lucky us - and lucky you.
Thanks Barry and Laura. |
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The nightly dinners for the week (Call 252-1500 to order) |
Dinners-to-go are available Monday through Friday.
Here's how it works:
Just call us in the morning and we'll take your order. Then come back between 4:30 and 6:00 to pick up your dinner - all ready in a heatable container. Simple, yes?
Monday July 12 Curried Chicken with Cashews 9.50
Tuesday July 13 Smoked, Grilled Turkey with Peach Wild Rice 10.25**
Wednesday July 14 Greek-style Pastitsio 10.00
Thursday July 15 Braised Pork Loin with Fruit Stuffing 10.25**
Friday July 16 Pan-fried Trout with a Balsamic Red Onion Marmalade 11.00
** means you can enjoy this meal to your "low-carb" heart's content. Yum! |
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Dinners to go for the whole month |
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| The Casserole of the Week |
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Casseroles are made each Wednesday.
Call to order on Tuesday if you can.
Orders will be ready on Wednesday between 4:30 and 6:00.
Order a full pan for 9 (or so) or a half pan for 4 or 5.
This month we are featuring casseoles that represent some of the places our ancestors came from. Try 'em all, why don't you? Why cook?
This week's casserole (for July 14) is our version of a Mexican favorite called "Chilaquiles.” It is a Mexican kind of lasagna: Tortillas, Chicken, Rice, Beans, Tomatoes.
This one will be mildly flavored.
Full 32.50
Half 16.25
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Talented and interesting individuals |
Here's Deb, moments after tucking a morning Fritatta into the oven. Deb's been here for about seven years (isn't that amazing!!!) cranking out crab cakes, dinners to go, and all the standards.
In her time away from here Deb plays classical guitar, sings with the Asheville Symphony chorus, and does watercolor painting too. She graduated from Antioch College, which means that the conversation in her section of the kitchen can get pretty lively.
The first day she worked here we did a dinner for 350 and the featured vegetable was Fiddlehead Ferns, shipped in fresh from Maine. As I recall, Deb spent about 5 hours cleaning the silly things. I guess I knew that she'd put up with a lot if she could put up with that kind of tedium, smiling all the while.
She's married to Marty, a child of the Second City world in Chicago. Interesting folks, both of them! |
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| "Handmade Blackberry Jam" - our own |
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The berries are fat and full around here these days. We went into Jam mode last week, spending an afternoon cooking and canning beautifully tart, organic fellows from Broadwing Farms. Karen wasted no time in getting them out on display. The Broadwing folks are bringing us more and more and we'll keep the pots going until they're all "put up" for the winter.
This Handmade Organic Blackberry Jam has a bit of sugar, lemon zest, and some really good, natural fruit pectin. We keep the sugar to a minimum, by the way, so, if you like your jam a bit tart, this will make you very happy, indeed.
We call our jams "handmade" because they are just that, carefully made by my very own hands and ably assisted by Kris, who, in her other life here, is the baker. For the summer, on special occasions, we transform ourselves into "The Jam Babes." (We have no special outfits yet - but Kris is a sharp dresser, so we just might have to find something to go with our new name.)
(Our Mission Statement says that we're supposed to have fun while we do what we do - so I guess it's safe to say that we're just following the mission while we make these jams for you!) |
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Another something fun |
This gum stopped us in our tracks at the food show. Incredibly funny package designs and cute words made us chirp and grin for a good long time.
This one is my particular favorite.
"Be nice or leave. Thank you." (!)
You might prefer the "Fugidaboudit" gum or the Gum Philosophy, complete with pithy sayings like,"Things should be as simple as possible but no simpler."
It isn't every day that a little thing can so easily make things seem lighter, so stock up, my friends. |
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| A Note from Laurey |
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July 10, 2004
Is it just me or do you find yourself going back to simpler times?
Last week, as you see, I turned an afternoon in jam-making time. You know I grew up at Blueberry Hill, of course. And you know that my parents inherited a bunch of blueberry bushes when they bought the place. They added more bushes when they moved in, and mid-summer in Vermont meant that all hands picked berries in any spare moment. The kitchen there, in addition to taking care of the guests’ meals, became a small jam factory. Since we served three meals at the Inn, however, jam making was done late at night, after the dinner dishes were done, and after the guests had gone up to their rooms. (I might be making this up, but it seems to me that this is how it went.)
My sisters and I picked the berries, as did all the summer helpers. And then, when the berries were at their prime and all the available buckets were full, we had jam night. My mother cooked, my father cleared the counter, readied the space. Someone washed the jars, the lids, the utensils. Berries bubbled, jars were filled, turned upside down, put away. I probably did not help, because the jam would have been too hot for my young hands, though I do remember watching.
The other day Kris and I, “Jam Babes” went into action. I measured, cooked, instructed. Andy washed the jars. Kris hustled around, boiling the lids, sterilizing, organizing. We were a smooth team and, in a couple of hours, we made 64 jars of jam. I could have kept going but we’d used up all the berries and, much to my horror, almost all the jars. (I am admitting that advance planning is not my strong suit. In the midst of this flurry of activity I sent someone to the store room and realized that we only had enough jars for one more round of jam. Emily got on the phones though, and more jars are due in this next week, just in time for the next round of berries. Whew!)
I had had a hard week. I really miss my friend Dooley, more than I can say. I have felt sad, lonely, uncomfortable. I have been unsettled and just not sure where my place was in the world. Getting back on my bicycle helped. Taking my pup for a walk helped. Doing crossword puzzles and sleeping has helped too.
But really, things began to turn for me when I put myself back at the stove, immersing my body in the heat and the pace and the distraction – or, more accurately, the concentration, of simply making jam.
So it’s a funny thing, to see the shelves in my shop filled with this handmade jam. I can look at it and be happy because I know it tastes really good. It’s not too sweet (I found a pectin that doesn’t demand the sugar ratio that most commercial products require.) And I trust the berries, knowing that there has been nothing evil sprayed on them. But the very best thing for me is the comfort in knowing how settling it can be just to stand, stir, reflect, and pour these quiet thoughts into a jar of jam. Handmade. Transforming. Nice.
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Yum! |
| Before The Jam Babes get their hands on 'em. |
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Contact Info: |
Laurey@laureysyum.com
828-252-1500
67 Biltmore Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801 |
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