|
The Weekly Newsletter |
Menus and Stories for November 17 - 21, 2008
|
|
| We're 5! |
|
Well, we're also 21 (my years cooking for you) and 18 (our number of years in downtown Asheville) and 12 (our number of years on this side of Biltmore Avenue...)
But yesterday we celebrated our 5th year in this lovely space. These sweetie pie red and yellow roses, in an Alaskan Cedar vase were a lovely gift. The vase is a prototype for a series of canisters that my friend Gail might make. If she does, you'll be the first to know.
5 is a good number. And it's also stunning to realize, once again, that time really does fly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jubilee Chutney in the HOUSE! |
Chutney Babes (a.k.a. me and my friend Jill) spent yesterday morning making chutney. There is a facility near here that I rent, a place with gigantic pots and cauldrons and tables and things. It is SO much fun! I actually had to stand on a ladder to stir my enormous batch of chutney, using my entire body and all my strength to combine the fresh berries, oranges, golden raisins, and apple cider (which is locally produced and was actually bottled in this same facility.)
Jill and I put the last lid on the 300th jar exactly 3 1/2 hours after I put the first bag of cranberries into the pot.
We give a portion of the proceeds to Jubilee each year. They send the money to folks in the community for emergency heat and food and such. We think that's a nice thing.
|
|
|
|
|
| One week until Thanksgiving |
|
One more week. Amazing, yes?
If you don't feel like cooking, let us help! We're doing the entire dinner. Packed, ready to heat. Invite your friends and family. We make it as easy as possible (but we're not so good at ironing your napkins.)
We're taking orders until this Friday, the 21st. Dinners are made for you the day before Thanksgiving - November 26th. You can come pick up between 2 and 4, which is when we'll be closing. give us a call. We'll talk you through the easy ordering.
Here is this year's menu:
At the start:
North Carolina version of a New England Relish Tray:
Adam's Mixed Pickles
Pickled Seckle Pears
YellowBranch Cheese Wedges with Crackers
The Meal:
Herb-Roasted Turkey with Sage Stuffing
Mushroom Gravy
Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Mrs. Wilbur's Spiced Nuts and Made-right-here Marshmallows
Curly Kale with Lusty Monk Mustard
Honeyed Baby Carrots with Tops
Laurey's Jubilee Chutney
Rosemary Cheddar Rolls
The Sweet Finish:
Apple Pie
Pumpkin Pie
How does it work?
We make and package dinners in individual portions or, if you wish, family-style. You can get slices of white meat turkey or a whole turkey (which is good if you like leftovers). One meal comes with one slice of pie, but you can certainly get an entire pie if you like. We'll talk you through it when you call, don't worry.
Dinner, as I said above, are made on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. That's November 26th. You can pick yours up between 2 and 4, which is when we close. Call 252-1500 to place your order. Yippee!! The price, same as last year, is $29.95 per person.
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Dinners to go for this week |
| Dinners 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 (252-0200)or stop in to speak to one of us in person.
Dinners are ready at 4:30 and can be picked up until we close at 6:00 pm.
Monday November 17 Chicken Parmesan with Linguine 9.95
Tuesday November 18 Grilled Salmon with Corn Soufflé 14.75
Wednesday November 19 Spinach-Mushroom Stuffed Pork Loin 12.25
Thursday November 20 Elsie's Chicken Baked in Wine 9.95
Friday November 21 Catfish Po'Boys with Fried Yukon Gold Potatoes 10.75
|
|
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, November 19
Seafood Risotto Primavera
Full: 48.00
Half: 24.00
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sweet Betty Bees |
Our friend (and my bee mentor) Lyne, is the Blue Ribbon winner at our Mountain Fair and also at the State Fair. Her bees make perfect cells in their frames and fill each one with beautiful honey. I asked her to bring in one of her frames and, though she gave the winning frame back to the bees, she agreed to loan us another one. It's not perfect because each cell is not filled in, but it's still a thing of beauty as far as I am concerned.
She also brought us some small and medium jars of this year's crop. And she is going to come spend the afternoon with us on Saturday, December 13. She'll bring a demonstration hive - with bees! - and will have her honey and lots of stories. Don't worry, I'll remind you.
|
|
|
|
|
| Yukon Gold |
|
Our friends at Route 11 only make these special chips in the fall. Made from organic Yukon Gold potatoes, hand cooked in small batches, they are SO good. We've stocked them up front on our red shelf unit. If I were you I'd make my way through all their chip flavors. The Dill Pickle ones are fun, as are the Mama Zuma's Revenge - which are NOT for the faint of heart.
In a word, "Yum!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fran's Caramels |
Gosh these are good!
Hand made caramels are covered with dark or milk chocolate and are sprinkled with smoked sea salt. They're from Seattle which is a fine place for hunkering down with a cup of hot coffee and a handful, okay - maybe just one - of caramels.
|
|
|
|
|
| A Note from Laurey |
|
| November 15, 2008
What craziness. I left my house this morning with the skies emptying in a complete downpour. I was wearing a shirt, a sweatshirt, a vest, a coat and a fleece hat. An hour ago the sun came out and each of those layers now rests in a pile on the chair next to me (well, I still have my shirt on.)
Fall, November, in Asheville can be a tricky thing. Hot. Cold. Dry. Wet. Winter. Mild. I've spent many years in shorts on Thanksgiving Day. Over the river and through the woods on a horse-drawn sleigh. Not exactly. Not here. Not these days.
We're done with the madness of the fall. We're taking some deep breaths, getting ready for Thanksgiving, wondering about, thinking about the next span of time. I'm grateful for the little routines I have, things that keep me going when times feel uncertain.
My dog and cat have no sense of disruption. They are creatures of habit and if the routine is followed, all is well with them. Tye, the dog, gets wildly excited every single time I go to give her a bowl of food. Her food is not the excitement. No. Her enthusiasm, her glee is the anticipation that the cat might have left some of his dinner or breakfast uneaten. Bits, even tiny little bits, of cat food send Tye swooning. Would that it was that easy for me!
She, the pup, is also the world's best companion. Yesterday, knowing I had a lot of chutney to make, I got up and left the house in pitch dark. I went to work, loaded my car with jars and lids, cranberries, pots, a hat, towels, and apron, the recipe, spices, and excitement. Jill and I, as I told you, unloaded everything and then went right to work and filled more than 25 dozen jars - all by hand because the chutney is too thick to send through the jar-filling machine. And, after we finished, I loaded up the more than 25 dozen jars and the empty boxes of cranberries and sugar and vinegar and cider and the dirty aprons and took them all back to the shop. Rolando helped me unload the car and stack and put everything away.
I got back upstairs to the office, checked in and tried to focus but I just was beat so I handed out paychecks and went home. Tye was thrilled to see me. "Time to check the cat bowl already???" but, noticing that I went right to my bed, she happily followed along, hopped up right next to me, and most accommodatingly, took a nap. She did not get a walk and the cat had cleaned his dish so she didn't even get any remnants of his dinner. But she did not express any displeasure. My company during the day, an unusual thing, was all that she needed right then. She lives in the moment. A good teacher, she.
This afternoon, when I'm done here, I'm going to go home and we're going to go for a real walk. It'll finally be her time to stop, lollygag, browse, sniff, and set the pace. Mine, for her, has been much too much this past week.
Frankly, it's been a bit much for me too. I'm glad it's November. I'm glad things are a little bit slower. October is a busy, busy time for us. November, not so much. It's just fine. Just fine with me.
I'll be in touch next week.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Margy's Toffee |
I love having candy with the name of the candy maker. These small businesses concentrate on what they do best - making really great candy. Small batches. By hand. Hmmm. Sounds familiar.
Sweet Margy, self-proclaimed "Confection Diva" is the gal who showed up a couple of years ago with samples of her wares. We, in the office, the offical tasters, devoured the goods as fast as she could open the packages.
They're a staple here now. Trust me on this one. And, they're from Chicago where many good things are made and many fine people live.
|
|
|
|
|
|
