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The Weekly Newsletter |
Menus and Stories for February 19 - 23, 2007
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| Today is the offical day |
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Yup - today is the offical book release day for me. Tonight I'll be at Malaprops, our wonderful independent bookstore, reading some stories and signing books. Do come if you can. I'll be reading around 7. And then come over to the shop and help celebrate. The gang is in the kitchen right now, cooking some things from the book (they've chosen the menu so I'm not even sure what we're having).
I'd love to have you be a part. Zounds - what a ride this is. And what a lovely, lovely day. Thank you for being a part.
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Mardi Gras is this Tuesday! |
Yup - the calendar keeps flipping, doesn't it?
We're making a special Mardi Gras Dinner to go fo ryou this Tuesday, February 20
Here's our menu:
Crawfish Gumbo
Blackened Chicken
Red Beans
Dirty Rice
Cajun Cornbread
King’s Cake*
Please place your order on Monday if you can (we need time to hide the baby, you know).
Dinners will be ready for pick up on Tuesday between 4:30 and 6:00
The real price is 14.95
* If you are the lucky one to find the baby you'll get your next dinner for free.
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| Sorghum in February |
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I just came back from upstate New York where it was REALLY cold, in the low single digits every day. I was at glassblowing school, spending all day concentrating on how to put color on glass - a mysterious, captivating and engaging way to while away the hours.
I started each day with a bowl of hot cereal, pouring on milk and syrup. When I came home I missed my routine of breakfast (I usually drink just coffee around here) and was happy when Chris made some hot cereal as a welcome home for me. I couldn't find any maple syrup (argh!) so I decided to try some local molasses instead. It was great. Perfect for winter. Not terribly sweet. Just, well, right.
We have it here in the shop. Try some, why don't you?
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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.
As a reminder, 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.
Maybe you'll win next month.
Order a lot? Enter a lot!
Good luck!!
Here's this week's menu:
Monday February 19 Thyme-roasted Chicken with Glazed Sweet Potatoes 9.95
Tuesday February 20 Mardi Gras Special Dinner-to-Go (please see above)
Wednesday February 21 Szechuan Beef and Gingered Rice Noodles 11.25
Thursday February 22 Grilled Sausages with Hungarian Stuffed Peppers 11.25
Friday February 23 Sesame Tuna Filet with Spicy Asian Vegetables 13.75
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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. Order before noon on Wednesday and we'll have yours ready to pick up between 4:30 and 6:00 that very afternoon. Order a full for 9 portions or, if your gang is smaller, opt for the half-sized one, which serves 4 or so.
They do freeze perfectly so if you want to stock up for the holidays, go right ahead!
This week's offering is:
Carolina Chicken Pot Pie
Full 34.00
Half 17.00
We'll be happy to add salad and bread for you if that sounds like somehting you'd like to do.
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We did it!!!!! |
Wow Wow Wow!!!!
We finally have organic milk. I think I've mentioned that we've been pushing our wholesaler for months to get this. And I've said that we could drive to the store to pick it up but we've been working on the bigger picture which is about changing the system in this little way. Others have been pushing too and now, hooray, Sysco is selling Organic milk and other dairy products. This, to me, is a very big deal.
Our pledge is to do more each year. I counted the other day was was happy to see that we work with almost 20 different local farmers and food producers. We want to do more and we will continue to persist and improve. More for us means more for you and also means that more farmers get to keep farming, keeping the land as we want it to be. And that, to me, is the very most important part of all.
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| Good stuff for kids |
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Xochitl, our favorite Salsa and chip maker, has a new version, which is perfect for younger folks. Another thing we're concerned with is bringing healthy food to small people. Here's one way we've found. This salsa is hand made, has good ingredients (things you can pronounce, you know) and would be much better after school than a twinkie.
(Um, if you don't have any kids, you are welcome to get some for yourself.)
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More good stuff |
We're now using free range eggs exclusively. The eggs in our burritos are local but our local egg gal's chickens can't quite keep up with all the eggs we need for the cookies and brownies and quiches and so on. This, we think, is the next best thing. Another good thing for you.
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| A Note From Laurey |
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February 17, 2007
I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. Tonight I read my stories out loud for the first time – well, for the first time to more than my fellow classmates in my writing classes. I have no idea who will come or if I will get choked up or if it will be as smooth and comforting as I hope and dream it will be. I felt compelled to write these stories and felt compelled to print them and now, to read them out loud. I have never felt such a strong push about anything before, a relentless voice that has kept urging me, soothing, assuring, coaxing and cajoling. Tonight is the night.
I’ve started hearing back from readers and the words are nice to hear. I am hearing new stories, too, from folks who have read mine. Tales of some other person’s mother or grandmother or failed recipe or memorable meal. I thought this might happen and, now that it is, I smile and listen and feel good about not giving up with the book when I was in doubt.
I got a note the other day from someone who knows someone who, it turns out, was my sisters’ and my lifeguard for three years when we lived in Florida. My parents ran a winter version of Blueberry Hill for a few seasons, hoping to figure out a way to make a living when it was so cold in Vermont and things were difficult. My sisters and I had a babysitter to take care of us while our parents worked but, unbeknownst to me, we also had our own lifeguard. The gent is now in his 80s and has just entered our lives again. Isn’t that something?
When I reprinted one of my mother’s books all sorts of people turned up with stories about her and about their time at our Inn. It was a full and rich experience for me. This is too. It’s different because it is my version of the stories that are now out in the world, not my mother’s, but they are already prompting these curious and unexpected tales that are filtering back to me.
It is one big circle. And here I am. In it. Part of it. On it. And outside of it too. Yes, it is an interesting and full time. And I feel deeply grateful to be here.
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The gang |
We said adios to our sweet friend Antonio a couple of weeks ago. He'd been away from his family for too long and so he's off in his warmer, southern home. Zayt has returned to keep our kitchen spanking clean. He, Zayt, is our resident poet, known for leaving scraps of esoterica laying about for us to find in the mornings.
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