The Weekly Newsletter
Menus and Stories for October 29 - November 2, 2007
Yu -UUUMMM!!

I'm very very fond of caramel apples at this time of year. Check 'em out in our "help yourself" case up in the front of our shop. We now have a big one and a little one. Dipped in caramel and rolled in nuts, they are SO good!

We buy them from a place that does SUCH a good job. (Last year I took some to my women chef's conference and got yelled at because I had not made them myself, but, after my colleagues got over that truth, they scarfed them right up.)

Adam's Cheese Selections

Oh we have so many fabulous locally made cheeses these days. We send assortments out on fancy parties but have also started to make them available in our shop. Adam and his gang will cut just the right amount for you and, if you like, will present them on a catering platter. We have crackers to go with 'em too.

Yum, indeed.

Off to Vermont

I'll be in Middlebury on Saturday at 3 if you're around. The Vermont Book Shop on Main Street.

And mark Saturday, November 10 on your calendar if you live around here. I'll be in Sylva at the great Smoky Mountain Book Fair. I'll be part of a panel at 10:30, talking about food memory and stories. There will be lots of authors and books and things to do there. (Do you know there is an entire "Life is Good" store in Sylva?)

Hope to see you!

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 is this week's menu:



Monday October 29 Brie and Almond-stuffed Chicken 10.95
Tuesday October 30 Shrimp Scampi Crepes 14.95
Wednesday October 31 Dijon-roasted Salmon with Parmesan Risotto 11.75
Thursday November 1 Chicken Marbella 10.25
Friday November 2 Tilapia Picatta with Wild Rice and Spinach 12.50

A preview of Thanksgiving:
The details will follow but here is this year's menu:

Thanksgiving 2007

A Taste of the South

Starters:

Cheddar Cheese Sausage Balls

(with Hickory Nut Gap Sausage)

The Dinner:

Sorghum-glazed Turkey with Apple Chestnut Stuffing

Cheesy Mashed Potatoes with Classic Gravy

“Green Bean Casserole”

Haricots Verts with Crunchy Onions

And Roasted Mushrooms

(a fancy version of the traditional one)

Southern Corn Pudding

Cranberry Orange “Jubilee” Chutney

Clover Leaf Rolls

Traditional Pumpkin Pie

Apple Crumb Pie

$29.95 per person

Our website
Special casserole of the week

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. (Yes, you can order in advance too.) Order a full for 9 portions or, if your gang is smaller, opt for the half-sized one, which serves 4 or so.

Say, we'll happily make a salad and provide bread for you if you like, just let us know when you call and we'll get you all set up.

Wednesday, October 31
Carolina Chicken Pie
Full 32.50
Half: 16.25

Wild Turkeys

We catered a birthday party the other night in North Asheville. On my way to the party I was stopped by a car with Florida plates. I was a little annoyed (I was running late) but then, once I saw what had stopped them, I instantly relaxed. The Florida gang drove off and I pulled to a stop, grabbed my camera, and snapped away.

The party hosts were not excited like I was. These turkeys have taken up residence and are pesky, eating gardens, lawns and such. Still, for me, it was a thrill to see them running around.

New pins - so cute!

I don't think I mentioned these cuties. If I did, please excuse my exuberance.

The other night my sister and I went to a performance of Chicago City Limits, an improv troupe. They did an utterly hilarious sketch which involved one member of the troupe having to try to guess a motto, one shouted out by an audience member. Our words were the shouted suggestion and it was anxiety-producing and highly entertaining to watch as the cast struggled to coax the phrase from the selected guesser.

At the end of the show I went backstage and gave the cast member my very own pin. She seemed happy.

My lunch

Okay - true confessions:
I, now 53, still love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I've grown away from peanut butter and marshmallow fluff, but I can still go for this particular combination. The other day I came back to this lovely presentation at my desk. (I have a tendency not to eat and the gang here knows it and takes care of me.)
Do you like the nasturtium garnish?

By the way - if you need some help in your own kitchen (other than with our dinners to go) check out my friend Maggie who runs Aubergines and Olives (google that name and you'll find her.) She'll fill up your pantry, organize your kitchen, do all sorts of things.

A Note From Laurey


October 26, 2007

Morning everyone.

It’s Friday morning and I’m off to Vermont this afternoon so I’m getting a bit of a jump on the newsletter. I’ve been missing that place and so this weekend visit will, I hope, fill me up for a while. The computer tells me it will be raining during my visit, but that’ll just make be feel good about being inside with friends and family.

Actually, I have a very beautiful Sugar Maple tree in my yard right here and this year it is presenting a most delightful array of brilliance for my personal enjoyment. No need to gallivant around, chasing leaves in northern parts. I’ve got them right here.

When I first moved here I’ll admit to sneering when I heard that people traveled here to see the leaves turning. I grew up in the land of flaming red and yellow and orange and it just did not seem possible that there could be anyplace else that offered such a display, especially if it was not called “Vermont.” (I admit, now, to sniffing at New Hampshire’s and Maine’s and New York’s and Canada’s colors too, always feeling that Vermont’s were better.) But as I’ve settled down I’ve seen that our colors are very beautiful, as are the ones in all those other places. I grew up in a little bubble and it is good to look and see outside it.

So now it’s almost November and it’s time for all those holidays. All of a sudden things feel like they are going to be incredibly full and maybe even frantic. Today is chilly and grey and slow and that’s just fine with me. I’m going to try to stay with that instead of getting sucked into the rush and frenzy. We’ll see if I can do it.

One nice thing about the chillier temperatures is that Skipper and Tye, the cat and the dog, have become much more affectionate. They pad around after me when I come home from work, waiting for me, hoping that I’ll sit down. As soon as I do, they hop up on me or next to me, snuggling in as close as they can get. We share our warmth and it is a very nice thing indeed. Before I had them I used to come home, fill a hot water bottle and carry it around. (Lest you think me a complete dolt, let me explain that my hot water bottle has a cover that looks like a little sheep and is very cute!) These two are much more interactive than my little sheep was.

Another nice thing about them is that they slow me down. They wait all day for me to come home and then, once I do, remind me of breathing and petting and just plain sitting. In the mornings they both like to go outside and lick the moisture off the leaves, the piles of fallen, bright-colored beauties.

What else, really, does one need?

Take care and I’ll be in touch next week.

Happy Halloween! - a haiku

Richard and Essie*
Carving and howling in fun.
Happy Halloween.

* Our chef and his wife

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