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The Weekly Newsletter |
Menus and Stories for March 28 - April 15, 2005
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| Going to Italy |
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| Even though this picture is of a market here, it reminds me of baskets of garden treasures we will soon see in Italy. Yum!!! |
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Unexpected, unknown family show up |
There I was, sitting at a meeting. These two women hovered, smiling.
"Do you mind if we interrupt you for a sec?" they said.
"Sure thing," I said. "You two look like sisters!"
"We are - but there's more to it than that!" they replied. "We're your cousins!"
I stared. "My cousins?"
Turns out they are two of the five daughters of my Uncle Alec, my father's brother. I'd met one of them before, a long time ago but I had never met the second sister of this duo.
Can you imagine?
Head spinning, I invited them to come back for lunch and we had a delightful time sharing stories, comparing childhoods, planning our next meeting - with the nine remaining Masterton girls. We kept staring at each other, looking for, and recognizing, family traits.
What a grand life this is! I never know who is going to come through the door. Makes it all very fun.
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| Karen becomes a cook |
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We had a busy week this week and, with a few unexpected absences and a previously planned vacation or two, the kitchen got caught short.
Karen, modeling "above and beyond the call" behavior, pitched in, prepping and assembling a few hundred of "Richard's oven-roasted Tomatoes" before switching gears, putting on her party clothes, and heading off to serve the 400 guests.
Everyone else swapped around too. Deb came in on her day off. A new fellow, Oso, stepped in for a few part-time shifts (based on his willingess to hop in, and his incredible talent - you'll hear more later - we've invited him to become a full-fledged member very soon.) Martha, Kris, Adam, Donna, Melissa, Virginia, and Allison pulled up the slack.
Emily, here in the office, ran the entire show from the office point of view (with a bit of help from me - in between a fat calendar of meetings), John organized and delivered everything, and the dish crew: Antonio, Grace, and Dan scurried around cleaning up like crazy.
We're beginning to recognize, in a more formal way, examples of "Above and Beyond the Call of Duty." I must say, this crew does it on a regular basis, but it is time they got some attention, I think. We'll roll out the whole story soon. |
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The nightly dinners for the week (Call 252-1500 to order) |
Dinners come with a freshly-made green salad, salad dressing of the day,
and made-right-here bread of the day. We take reservations until noon or so.
Please order by phone (252-1500), by FAX (252-02002)
or stop in to speak to one of us in person.
Dinners are ready at 4:30 and can be picked up until we close at 6:00 pm.
Monday March 28 Chicken Parmesan with Romesco Sauce 9.75
Tuesday March 29 Braised Beef Tips with Mushrooms and Rice 10.50
Wednesday March 30 Honey-lime Chicken with Jalapeno Spoonbread 9.75
Thursday March 31 Salmon Trout w/ Collards + Black-eyed Peas 10.50
Friday April 1 No dinner (just kidding – April Fools!!!)
Shrimp and Sugar Snap Peas with Risotto $29.99
(just kidding – how about 11.75)
Monday April 4 Chicken Marbella 9.75
Tuesday April 5 Portabella Mushroom Crepes and Scalloped Potatoes 10.25
Wednesday April 6 Pork Tenderloin with Rosemary and Applesauce 11.25
Thursday April 7 Merlot Beef and Carrots with Mashed Potatoes 10.75
Friday April 8 Crabcakes Remoulade 11.50
Monday April 11 Citrus Herb Chicken and Asparagus 10.25
Tuesday April 12 Tri-colored Tortellini Florentine 9.50
Wednesday April 13 Italian Stuffed Flank Steak 10.50
Thursday April 14 Grilled Pork Chops with Chutney and Yams 10.25
Friday April 15 Tuna Filet “Vera Cruz” 11.25
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Laurey's (yum!) Catering and Gourmet to Go |
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| Casserole for 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.
Wednesday, March 30
Cheddar, Ham, and Potato Casserole
Whole 34.00
Half 17.00
Wednesday, April 6
Karen’s Mom’s Torta Rustica*
(*a layered pizza-like concoction with cheeses, peppers, Itailan Sausage and all sorts of great things. Karen’s Mom calls it “Easter Pizz,” because it is an Easter treat. Easter was early this year but we thought you’d like this anyway.)
Full 34.00
Half 17.00
Wednesday, April 13
Beef and Mushrooms Dijon
Full 38.50
Half 19.75
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New Glass from Laurey |
| Getting rounder and thinner. No cracks this week. hurray! |
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| My first attempt at color |
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| Color makes it harder to do. But this is an okay start, I think. |
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This week's paperweight |
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| A Note from Laurey |
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I’m off to Italy. At this point I almost consider it my third home. (Vermont is second.) This trip is a “Delicious Expedition”, one of those jaunts that I run with Monroe, my old buddy from here who now owns and runs “Homewood, a special event location.” We have a full week planned with our guests, a sweet small group who can hear us without one of those pesky megaphones. Our original vision for this business emphasized small groups, no bus tours, and no megaphones!
Last time I was there, I fell in love with a bombed out old cellar hole. I saw it and that was that. It sits on the side of a spectacular hillside, overlooking the Orcia river valley. There is a sweeping view and I am very excited about going there and sitting on the broken wall and imagining what it might be like to build a house. Of course this is completely inane. It takes a couple of days to just GET there, so it can’t be a "weekend" place. And it is not connected to any water or electricity or much of anything so a renovation would not be an easy thing. But who cares, right? Still, a dream is a dream and it has kept me entertained this past year.
This particular trip has been an interesting one. First we were fully booked. Then some people dropped out. Then it filled again. Just a few days ago one member of a party of four fell off a horse and seriously shattered her ankle. Since the remainder of her party consisted of her daughter, her sister, and her mother, they all decided not to come. (Thank goodness for trip insurance!!!) We scrambled around and filled their places with other members of our families (Monroe invited his brother. I invited my sister.) So the trip is full once again, but we have kept the internet buzzing with changes to all of our assorted reservations. Hotels, cars, restaurants, tastings, and even the villa have been changed a couple of times in just this one week. I’ll tell you, I am learning how to become a calmer and calmer person as time goes by. Keeps it all fun, though.
Anyway – thanks for letting us go. The gang here is all set, knives honed and cupboards full. THEY won’t miss a beat. The sun is warming things up and is pouring through the southern-facing windows here in our shop. Come for lunch. I will, as soon as I get home. Ciao!!
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Sad news, sweet thoughts |
Our head cook, Richard (of the famed Sweet Potato Salad) lost his mother this past week. She had not been well for some time, but this week she got much worse and, ultimately did not make it over the necessary hurdles.
We know she meant a lot to Richard and we know he will miss her very much. He'll be back at work next week. We send him our softest thoughts. |
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Contact Info: |
Laurey's (yum!) Catering
Gourmet-to-Go (and to stay!)
67 Biltmore Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801
828-252-1500
Hours:
Monday - Friday 10:00 - 6:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 - 4:00 pm |
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