Menus (etc.) from Laurey's for April 9 - 14
Happy Easter?

This was my morning view today. I feel sad for the poor rosemary, bent over by the snow. It's probably melted by now, but what a sight!
And, just last week!

Right in front of the rosemary. Imagine!
Dinners to Go for the week

Monday April 9 Cider Chicken with Potato Artichoke Gratin 9.95
Tuesday April 10 Scallops, Tuna & Roasted Tomato Provençal 13.50
Wednesday April 11 Beef Sirloin Marbella 11.25
Thursday April 12 NC BBQ Ribs & Sweet Potato Salad 10.95
Friday April 13 Shrimp Scampi with Lemon Parmesan Risotto 12.25

We make these dinners during the week. Give a call before noon and we'll fix one or more for you. They are ready for pick up between 4:30 and 6:00.

Dinners come with a salad, dressing of your choice (all made right here), bread of the day, and an appropriate accompaniment. When you come, see what the bakers have made for you.

Call 252-1500
Trying to decide!

It's hard to figure out what to have, I admit. Here's Cate helping.

You do know, I hope, that if you don't see what you like on our designated dinner to go menu, you can always just come by to see what's in the day's offerings. Now that Spring is here (well, maybe not today) local things will be appearing more and more. Lucky for all of us, yes?
Casserole for the week

Wednesday is casserole day around here.
We make full size, which serves about 9, or half size, for about 4 servings. Give a call by noon and yours will be ready for pick up between 4:30 and 6:00.

These always freeze well so feel free to stock up. (I would if I were you!)

Wednesday, April 11
Spinach Artichoke & Pancetta Savory Bread Pudding
Full-34.50 or Half-17.25
More good tastes from Richard

Richard, of sweet potato salad fame, has been at it again. These are his Fried Apple Pies. I couldn't resist the other day and polished one off - way too fast! He tucked some cheddar cheese in and that made it even more delicious.

Have you, by the way, tried his grilled pears with blue cheese? Why not? They are my new favorite!
Another local reading - April 15th

Did you miss the Malaprops reading? (It was very cold that night and a lot of people were down with the flu.)

I'll be reading and signing books at Accent on Books on Sunday, April 15, starting at 2pm. The store, in case you don't know, is underneath Steinmart on Merrimon Avenue. That is, behind The Fresh Market, next to Training Partners, close to Port City Java, and not too far from Beaver Lake. Does that help? I hope to see you there.

I'm also going to be in Atlanta on May 5th at Star Provisions (that's almost certain), in Chapel Hill at McIntyre's on June 10 (2pm), in Ann Arbor at Zingerman's Road House on June 26 (dinner time), and in Vermont, at the Vermont Book Shop in Middlebury, on July 5th (2pm). Hope I get to see you one of those times and I'll remind you of these dates at the times come closer.
We now have towels!

Okay, so I'm not the fastest mover in the world. Emily, here in the office (not to mention many others) has been suggesting (repeatedly!) that we do more with the Don't Postpone Joy* logo and that we have more gift-y type things to offer in the shop. I agree, but have gotten caught up in other things.

Here, tucked under these chocolate eggs (tomorrow is Easter, let me remind you) is one of our new Don't Postpone Joy towels. They are old-fashioned, old-looking cotton flour sack cloth. Very soft right off the bat. Very nice too. I came home from my vacation and Emily had hung one right next to my sink. That was a nice surprise.

We're going to feature them in a special Mother's Day gift basket, which will have a signed copy of Elsie's Biscuits, a coffee mug, a biscuit cutter, and a couple of other things. Sweet!

(*did you know that we hold the registered trademark for these lovely words?)
A note from Laurey

April 7, 2007

Good morning to you. Happy Day before Easter. I’d guess that tomorrow’s Sunrise celebrations will be a little different this year, with people trudging through last night’s snow. You never know what the weather will be at this time of year around here. I hope the fruit trees and tulips make it. I really do.

Last week I was in Hawaii, never wearing more than a t-shirt and shorts. This week I am dressed in long corduroy pants and a sweater and wool socks. Sheesh!

Hawaii is a beautiful place, to be sure. So exotic. So fragrant. So odd (from the point of view of a gal who started out in the hills of Vermont and who now lives in the hills of North Carolina). Those hills are straight up “so steep that you have to crane your head back as far as it will go to see the top” hills. Their flowers ARE “as big as your head” (as a friend suggested they would be.) The ocean pounds, waves crash, winds blasting through, scouring faces with sand. It’s warm, and harsh in a strange way. Those mountains are so new, ours, here, so old, that the contrast is very sharp. I liked visiting there. Very much. But I feel more at ease, more at home with the more rounded, softer shapes of this part of the world.

One day we took a boat ride up the western side of Kauai, to the Na Pali coast. This coast line is so rugged that no roads can be made. The mountains come right out of the sea and go up steeply for thousands of feet. Moss-covered crags and sharp canyons and alluring valleys drew us in, but landing was not possible (our boat was too big) so we watched, imagined, dreamed. You CAN hike this part of the island and we did see dots of hikers here and there. One fellow sat on a cliff and serenaded us by blowing a conch shell. Eerie and haunting and dreamy. Fog came down from the top of the mountain, which is in clouds most of the time. It is the rainiest place in the whole world!

Later that day the captain took us to a calmer area and let us snorkel around for awhile. At his call I swam to the far side of the boat and found myself swimming, all alone, with a big sea turtle. We had a water dance of sorts. It beckoned, I followed. It led, I tried to keep up, tried to learn these new steps. Finally, as I have done on a few rare occasions, I gave in, let go, swayed and bent and hovered and waited to see what would come next. Maybe the turtle did too. Maybe we both forgot where we were for those moments. I know I did. Except that, even as we were dancing, I thought, very clearly, “This is incredible. You must remember each bit of this. This may never happen again.” So we floated and breathed and adjusted ourselves in the current and I tried to remember every little bit.

Now I’m home, at my desk, cold, wondering about it all. I have no conclusions. None. I’m just breathing, hovering, waiting, imagining. Remembering.

I’ll be in touch next week.


Surveying their kingdom

Skipper (the little black fellow on the right) and Tye have become good friends. Tye has stopped chasing Skipper and Skipper has learned to hold his own or, if need be, to scoot under the porch gate, out of Tye's reach. This is one of their favorite places. This is one of my favorite views of them. This was, by the way, yesterday. Oh my.

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