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The Weekly Newsletter |
Menus and Stories for May 21 - 25, 2007
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| Our newest graduate |
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This is Anne. She graduated last weekend (as did Riana, who is not here today).
Anne graduated cum laude from UNC-Asheville with a dual major in Political Science and Interdisciplinary Studies. At some point she will go on to study Quantitative Methods in Geography, which, she tells me, means analyzing spatial data, why people live where they live and that sort of thing.
Right now she is analyzing farm lands, studying their demise and the relentless development of our area. There is a bigger picture which has to do with land features and population centers and so on. All very interesting.
But today she gets to slice tomatoes right here. I'm so glad she gives us her Saturdays. We've been very lucky to have her and are very proud of her (and Riana - who is going to become a lawyer working on land issues too, I think.)
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Our newest Culinary graduate |
This is Elyse. She's a grand example of what a shy kid can become if she puts her mind to it.
A couple of years ago I got an e-mail from her, asking about doing a summer internship. I met her and invited her to join in, which she did. Over the months she's been here we've seen an increasing competence, grace, pleasantness, and, yes, ability to talk!
I was a judge for her graduation dinner (though I did not judge her) and was very impressed at her menu, her plates, her ease, her smiles, and her ability to adapt to being in the front of the stove, rather than being tucked away into a corner.
She'll be with us until she makes her next step. Lucky, lucky us!
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| Red! |
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Oh my, isn't this a beauty?!
Last Sunday, Mother's Day, I went with Chris to the Species Garden of the Weyerhauser Company, just south of Seattle. They have 10,000 species of Rhododendron. That's ten THOUSAND! Unbelievable. Acres and acres of paths with, last week, bushes and trees and plants and things in full bloom. Coming from here, with the freeze damage, the color was shockingly beautiful.
This particular flower was the Grand Prize winner in the bloom contest they had going on. (That's probably not the right language, but you get the point, right?) I thought you'd like to see that color. Scroll on for more.
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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 May 21 Mediterranean Chicken with Apricots and Olives 10.25
Tuesday May 22 Orange and Dill Tilapia with Tomato Coulis 11.25
Wednesday May 23 Grilled Marinated Flank Steak with Herbed Potatoes 11.50
Thursday May 24 Chicken Marsala with Tomato and Mozzarella Salad 9.95
Friday May 25 Warm Bouillabaisse Salad with Saffron Sauce 11.25
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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.
This week's offering is:
Wednesday, May 23
Macaroni and Cheese with Butternut Squash
Full 28.50
Half 14.25
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Orange |
This flame azalea burst with orange in the azalea section of the garden. There were plants that came from all over the world, some native to elevations of 14,000 feet, though they all seemed to do fine at Seattle's height, close to sea level..
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| Yellow |
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This guy was another top award winner.
Sheesh!
This is what they mean by "a riot of color."
Wow. Wow. Wow.
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Green |
They also have a Bonsai exhibit at the Weyerhauser Gardens. (We have a terrific collection near here at the NC Arboretum, but it's fun to see what other people do too.)
Anyway, the green pictures I took are nice, but this little sweetie pie Maple baby caught my eye.
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| A Note From Laurey |
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May 19, 2007
Hiya,
I write to you on a clear, cool, bright morning here in Asheville. Things are in full swing in the kitchen, everyone getting ready for a complicated party we are doing this evening. (I’ll take some pictures and will show you next week.) I will cook for this event later on. I’ve been planning this wedding for a long time and it’s hard to believe tonight is the night.
It’s times like this that me so very happy that my little house is as nice as it is. Yesterday Chris came to pick me up after work and we went out to a garden shop to browse through plants and flowers. She’s taken on the highly daunting task of envisioning a landscaping plan for the woods below the house. (I’ve always let it fill in with poison ivy and briars and weeds but that is not her style.) Right before the big Easter freeze we received a trailer load of rhododendrons and laurels and other things with more complicated names that Chris had selected for the woods. She’s been studying native plants and only chose things that are from here for this new garden area. Since she grew up in California and lives most of the time in Seattle, she’s had some studying to do. A few weeks ago Chris and I planted all those plants, helped immensely by the digging talents of my little rototiller (last year’s birthday present as you may recall.) But the trailer full of plants, piled high it seemed, once planted looked pretty skimpy to her eyes. (To me they look great, but remember, I’m the one who is happy with weeds.)
Anyway, yesterday we found a whole bunch of other native fellows and filled up her car with them. We’ll plant on Monday, I think, or maybe Tuesday. More trips and plantings will follow in good time.
But tomorrow night we’re having a dinner at home (all cooked by Chris) which is a birthday celebration for me and my birthday sister (and my other sister) and two friends who are also Taurus babies and some other people too. I’ve been imagining the table decor (and have blown some glass place card ornaments for the occasion) and am excited about that whole thing. But Chris is the one who is spending today shopping and cooking. She’s making Strawberry Ice Cream for dessert with local strawberries she’s found, tra la! She also found some just-caught North Carolina Mahi Mahi and some NC Shrimp and who knows what else. She’s spent quite a bit of time in Mexico and that is the culinary theme for this dinner. YUM!
All in all I’m thrilled to know that is what is going to happen tomorrow at home. If it’s warm enough we’ll sit out on the new back deck and look down at the beginnings of Chris’s garden. We’ll eat, talk, laugh, and celebrate our lives as friends and family – so much love. So lucky we all are.
I’ll be in touch next week.
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And BLUE! |
This is some sort of Poppy from China. It really is this color - a wild bright blue that looks like some kid got crazy with a crayon. Each flower sways on a single tall stalk, little dots of oddity in the midst of blasts of color from all over the world.
Just thought I'd share my birthday, Mother's Day, Seattle weekend excursion with you.
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