The Weekly Newsletter
Menus and Stories for June 2 - 6, 2008
Such a pretty sight
Sometimes I get so filled with joy at the light or the day or the look of the front of my shop.  In many ways this thing, this creation, is like a child, with all the accompanying challenges AND delights.  One of these days my child will go away to college but until then, I get to say, "Oh you look great today, sweet shop!" or "Gosh I'm proud of you!" or "How did you get so cute!"

Today my shop is like this.  And last night The Garden Room was the venue for a rehearsal dinner.  I sneaked in to take a peek and heard the groom gushing to his friends about how excited he was to be sharing the night with them.  This place is very nice and I was happy to have him and all his friends here.

Today I'm proud of this place.  Warm and welcoming.  Sweet.  Cute.  Pert.  Nice. 
Lucky me.

CHOCOLATE!!!!
Sometimes, when we're not paying attention, something runs out.  Like chocolate.  HOW can this happen, you might wonder?  Good question. 

The good news is that it's back.  And the better news is that our favorite chocolate maker has some new flavors.  Dark chocolate with peppermint.  Oh gosh.  Come see for yourself. 

The other night I cooked at home for some friends.  Dessert was a dish of Full Sun Farms' strawberries on which I had sprinkled some new salt I'd bought in Portland when I was there last week.  We dipped the berries in my friend Lyne's "Sue Bee" Honey (we have it here) and popped some chocolate into our mouths at the same time.  It was a perfect end to what had also been a perfect meal, if I do say so myself.

Pond floats for the summer
I'm done with glassblowing for the summer.  My friend's studio faces west and it is simply too hot to manage.  These are the results of my last session there: a basket full of pond floats in light summery colors.  My friend Eleanor has a bunch of these in her pond and she has nice things to say about them, shimmery and fanciful orbs that bob in and out of her water lilies.  You might like some.  These won't last long but you're welcome to them as long as they are still here.

Dinners to go for this week
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           June 9              Dijon Chicken with Scandinavian Slaw 9.95

Tuesday           June 10            Local Beef and Vegetable Stuffed Potatoes 13.25

Wednesday      June 11            Ginger Flank Steak with Sesame Potatoes 11.25

Thursday          June 12            Lamb Meatballs with Dried Cherry BBQ Sauce 11.75

Friday              June 13            Cornmeal-crusted Tilapia with Mango Relish 13.25

Our website
Special casserole of the week
We make a special casserole each week, usually on Wednesday. Order before noon 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,  June 11

Chicken Mole Tortilla Pie

Full: 34.00

Half: 17.00


 

Smaller chocolate
 If you wish to have a nibble, these will do for you.  Also, here's a way for you to see which one you'd like to have in the full-sized bars described above.  Either way, this is the only place to find my favorite Vermont Chocolate in Asheville (I think.)

Near the front door
Last summer's big blue pot is brimming with herbs these days.  It seems that it was just last week when the dirt was all I could see.  Now, just like that, it's green and lush and inviting.  It's a nice entry, a nice reminder that we are a part of the earth and the gardens and herbs.  I sometimes forget, when I'm staring at numbers on my computer.  This is all much more than that. 

Health Food (um, not)
I was in Portland last weekend for a board meeting.  I've never been there before so I went in wide open.  Good thing!  A friend picked me up at the airport and we went right to Le Pigeon for a bite before dinner.  Off in the distance we could hear drums and could see a parade coming across the Burnside bridge.  Turns out the parade, escorted by police cars and followed by a column of hearses (yes, you heard me) was a rag tag bunch of folks who were marching to the new location of Voodoo Donuts.  There were roller derby gals with saucy things written across their rear ends, a fellow dressed up like a hot dog with a little hot dog sidekick rolling along next to him in a wheelchair, and assorted decorated people of all sorts. 

A friend has described Portland as Asheville on steroids.  Apt, I think.

At the end of my trip I went back to the original Voodoo spot to see what the fuss was about.  Here's what I found: Captain Crunch donuts.  Nice.

A Note From Laurey

It is 06-07-08 today.   A fine thing.  We’re doing a wedding in a little bit.  I wonder how many people chose this date for its numerical magic.  I would if I were them.

Some of you have asked about my bees.  They seem to be fine.  A friend, a real beekeeper, came to look at them last week and he declared all well.  I am still a bit perplexed by the whole venture, and have another person coming later on today to offer her opinion and advice.  Between them I feel well cared for.  And really, the bees know what to do.  If I were them I’d be annoyed at the masses of cicadas but everyone says it’s almost time for that infestation to be done for the next 17 years.  Not a moment too soon, in my opinion.

I am mostly delighted and moved to be a part of the growing number of beekeepers, especially around here.  The message is getting out that the bees need our help.  In this area there are a whole lot of new and not-so-new beekeepers doing what they can to ameliorate the situation.  I’m part of a movement, it seems.  I can see my hives from the kitchen, the bathroom, the den, and my bedroom of my cabin.  I find myself looking at them all the time.  And then, of course, I like to go and sit on the bench next to them, watching for pollen-laden workers.  They are very busy these days.  And now, instead of being nervous about going to check in on them, I find myself increasingly giddy with anticipation.  I’m not doing anything except providing them a place to live, but I feel a sense of pride.  Funny.  The pride is really about them, not about me.  My little girls are doing so well! 

Tomorrow afternoon, as it turns out, a gal I do not know is coming to look at them.  Her name is Erica Jane and she has a band called Erica Jane + Remember the Bees.  (I have not yet heard them so I can’t report on their music.)  Well, Erica (or is it Erica Jane?) found out about my hives and is interested in taking a picture with her band in front of some hives somewhere.  Not only does she sing, she is interested in raising more awareness about the plight of bees. I thought it was a cool idea and invited her to visit and it makes me happy to think that my hives, my little bee girls, might be the background photograph for her new album and that they might be able to help spread the word about bees and honey and health of our world. 

I didn’t really think about this aspect of beekeeping when I started.  Now it feels like there is a cool river flowing near me that I never really noticed before.  I’ve hopped in and am finding a thrill in being in this flow.  It takes me away from whatever else might be troubling to me on any given day.  I get caught up in my drama.  They make honeycomb.  I worry about trivial things.  They raise more brood, take care of their queen, pollinate flowers.  Lessons abound.

These little bees are fine teachers.  Fine reminders of life outside my internal churnings.  I’d suggest you get some, but maybe you have your own project that helps you in your own way.  My pup got stung last week and she did not like that so she’s not so thrilled as I am.  I have not yet been stung and am, still, deeply delighted.

I’ll be in touch next week.  Until then, take care and come say hi when you’re in the neighborhood.

 

After one bite
Turns out I could not finish my donut, satiated as I was by my return visit to, and complete meal at, Le Pigeon.  I DID take one bite for strictly journalistic reasons (you're welcome) and tucked the remainder in my bag.  Not quite sure why I bothered, but anyway, somehow the thing made it all the way back to my little cabin with me and was, in a moment of canince gluttony, eaten by my dog.  She seemed to like it just fine, looking at me with that "Mom, I did something bad" look that I know so well. 

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