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The Weekly Newsletter |
Menus and Stories for October 23 - 28, 2006
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| New from Salem |
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Our friends over in the flatter part of the state have been working on their packaging and have these bright examples to show this season. We love their cheese straws, especially at this time of year. The small and large round tins of cookies are very popular too, filled as they are with paper-thin wafers of sweet. A fat handful is fun to eat, one crisp nibble at a time.
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Our own D.O.C! |
In Europe and in other parts of the world they have long had "controlled denomination of origin" designations, you know: Champagne can only come from that area of France, and so on. The idea is a marketing one, of course, but there is something to be said for the idea that the flavor of the land comes through in the produce that is grown in a specific area.
The hard-working, imaginative folks at Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Projects have been working on just such a designation for our area. I've shown you the "Appalachian Grown" stickers before but this is the first time I'm showing you a sticker on one of our products.
Here's the deal: in order to sport the sticker, a product must contain food that is grown at a certified farm (that is, it must meet the geographic specifics listed on the application). Pete and Mary grow the blackberries for our Blackberry Jam Babe's Jam. Their farm is now certified, and so, just this week, I got permission to stick the Appalachian Grown sticker onto our jam.
I LOVE this!
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| FUN!!! |
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Here's a sneak peek at some vibrant, hand-made coasters and placemats from Sheree, an artist who lives near here. She hand paints miniature floorcloth-like pieces (she also does big floorcloths, but they don't fit on our shelves so well).
Come take a look at her handiwork. We have an assortment of her placemats, each one of which is unique. Pick up a matching set or mix your own. I'd like one of each. (You probably will too).
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Dinners to go |
Dinners, as you know, 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.
Here is the menu for this coming week:
Monday October 23 Chicken with Caramelized Onion and Smoked Gouda 9.95
Tuesday October 24 Homestyle Chicken and Dumplings 9.95
Wednesday October 25 Spicy Beef Tips with Parmesan Risotto 12.25
Thursday October 26 Crabcakes – zippah dee doo dah! 12.00
Friday October 27 Parmesan Tacos with Tilapia and Basmati Rice 11.75
Every time you order a dinner to go you are eligible to enter our drawing. Just drop a card in our drawing jar (a business card works or fill out one of the cards that we have right here) and, at the end of the month, we'll pull one card which will be good for two free dinners-to-go.
(This really works! We have had one fellow win three times - which makes him very happy, though I think he is the perfect winner, since he orders three or four times each week.)
Maybe you'll win next month.
Order a lot? Enter a lot!
Good luck!! |
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Our website |
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| Special casserole of the week |
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We make a special casserole each week on Wednesday. Please give us a call by the end of the day on Tuesday and we’ll fix yours for you. Come by between 4:30 and 6:00. Get a half (for 4 appetites) or a full sized pan (for 9 or so.)
Wednesday October 25
Shrimp and Grits
Full 46.25
Half 23.25
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Cute Tea Tins |
Said quickly you'd get "Cutie Tins" and they are!
Emily found these tiny cutie pies a few weeks ago and here they are, all displayed and ready to slip into a quick gift basket or a lunch box. It's getting to be the time for an afternoon hot cup, don't you think? Here's your quick solution.
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| Mugs're back |
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Just the other day my friend Ginger came by, hoping to take a bunch of these to Ireland. We were completely sold out. I told her they were due in and, what do you know, the very next day were received our order. Ginger will just have to come back (I think she leaves this week so I hope we're not too late.)
Sarah, our new display wizard, wasted no time in presenting enough for the time being. (They are right next to the new tea tins and not too far from the hot chocolate because Sarah thinks about these things.)
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Odds + Ends Bin |
We sell those cute packets of gum, as you know, and they make a bunch of smiles burst out of all of us and many of you too. I love the hoots that I hear as people browse through the "Happy Center'" where all the gums and silly magnets live. But here's the dilemma: what do you do with the one or two that are left at the bottom of the bin? See, we try to bring new gums in all the time so that the selection continues to be interesting, but that inevitably means that there will be a couple of leftovers, sitting all alone after all the others have been sold. Here's my thought: an "odds + ends" bin. Paw through and see if you can find one that suits today's mood.
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| A Note From Laurey |
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It has been another fun, if somewhat hectic, week.
I’m still plugging away at the book. I now have a proof, a fully-designed version of the entire piece, all illustrations in place, all stories laid out as they will be in the final print. I’ve been lugging it around, trying to find time to sit and peruse, picking up little typos and glitches and trying NOT to re-write the whole thing as I go. (It’s kind of late for that, you know, but it is hard to resist).
There is one story about Peanut Butter and Marshmallow Fluff (do you remember this stuff?) Because I have quoted the entire jingle (did you sing this song when you were little?) I felt I should get permission from the company to include it. Not knowing exactly how to do this sort of thing I started by Googling “marshmallow fluff.” In a computer instant, up popped “Durkee-Mower,” and a connection to the company’s website. Delighted, I browsed through the whole site, learned all about Mr. Durkee and Mr. Mower and the history of their “fluff,” which, I found out, has not changed since they started making it, way back in 1920 or so. Following the pages on their site I dialed the contact phone number.
“Good morning, Durkee-Mower,” a pleasant young voice said.
“Good morning,” I said, “I’m, um, writing a book, a cookbook-y memoir book and I would like to get permission to use your Fluffernutter jingle in one of my stories.”
“How fun!” the voice said, “Let me connect you to Don Durkee.”
DON DURKEE! Mr. Fluff himself!!!! Oh my!
“Don Durkee,” a deep voice said.
“Uh, hi, Mr. Durkee,” I stuttered. I had not imagined I would get to speak to the man who had practically raised me! I sputtered out my request, telling him about the book and the story and my wish to get his permission to include his jingle.
We agreed that I’d fax a copy of the story to him, which I did, as quickly as possible. But then a week or so passed and I did not hear anything. So last week I dialed the company phone number again and once again got connected to Mr. Durkee.
“Hi, it’s me again, the one who lived on nothing but peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwiches when I was a little girl,” I said.
“Oh, hello,” he said, smiling (I could tell).
I said, cautiously, that I had not heard from him and wondered if he had had a chance to review my story and if, perhaps, he had considered giving me permission to quote his jingle. After a back and forth or two, and a bit of him saying he thought he’d already done so, we agreed that I’d fax him another copy of the story, which I did, as quickly, once again, as possible.
And then, late this past Thursday, I came back to the office after a day of meetings and site visits and who knows what and found a little yellow post-it note on my desk saying that Mr. Durkee had called and had given me permission to use the jingle. And, by the way, would I please send him a copy of the book when it was done?
You bet!!!
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Pre-party planning |
We're in the midst of another very big weekend. Yesterday, Jaime collected everyone for a "here's what's going on tonight" session. It's easier to get all heads in the same frame while everyone is gathered in our sunny shop than it will be once they all arrive at the party site - the top of a mountain in this case - and everyone disperses to set up the cooking and serving areas for a tented event. They had a beautiful, if slightly frigid, event. All guests were happy and the staff, who had been told to bring a warm layer, seemed pleased too. (I, for one, am always happy to know that both the clients and the staff had a good time.)
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