The Weekly Newsletter
Menus and Stories for February 23 - 27, 2009
Off it goes!!!
My sister Heather and I went and picked up my bike from Liberty Bikes early this past week.  They'd taken it apart and tucked it into a bike box and had given it the loving attention I would have given it (well, maybe not quite that much attention).  Anyway, we picked it up and took it to the Pack and Send at River Ridge and they weighed it and gave it it's official stamps and off it went.

Heather is tracking it for me on the UPS site.  When she last looked, it had come and gone from Louisville and from some place in Illinois.  It'll be in San Diego pretty soon and a bike mechanic will put it together for me and I'll be reunited with it on March 4th.  Yay!

Cooking Class continues
We featured Tuscan things this past week.  Various toppings for Bruschetta, a couple of pastas, a little of this and that.  We all gather around the big stove in our kitchen here.  They watch, taste a bit, and jot notes.  Then we go eat.  (Me too!)  Nice.

Chris still has a few spots in his series that will be on Tuesdays in March.  Soups.  Sauces.  Entrees.  Three classes.  Want to come?  Call us at 252-1500.

The Laurey Bikes shirt
My friend Jean Wall Penland has a lovely touch with her pen.  She designed this shirt for my bike ride.  Mark, over at Halcyon Printing, turned them into these shirts.  We have some here for sale if you'd like one.

Thanks Jean!  (And Mark) (((and Shannon too - for turning Jean's work into camera ready art.))))

 

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 February 23 Grilled Chicken with Fettuccine Alfredo 9.95

Tuesday February 24 Chickpea Cakes with Spinach, Rice, and Pine Nuts 10.25

Wednesday February 25 Prosciutto and Mozzarella-stuffed Pork Chops 11.75

Thursday February 26 Grilled Flank Steak with Cheddar Mashed Potatoes 12.25

Friday February 27 Crabcakes with Rosemary Polenta 13.25

 

 

Our website
Special casserole of the week
We make a special casserole each Wednesday.
Give us a call on Tuesday before we close and we'll fix you up.
Order a half if you have around 4 folks, or, if you have a bigger group,
Or just like leftovers, order a full sized one.
Then come pick up between 4:30 and 6:00 on Wednesday.

This week's special casserole is

Wednesday, February 25

Seafood Newberg with Orzo and White Wine Sauce

Full: 49.50

Half: 24.75

Spring is very nearly here
I dropped some of my glass off at Blossoms in Biltmore Park the other day.  They have lots of locally-made glass there, including some of mine. 

When I got there I saw these beauties arranged in - yup - one of my pieces!  See, I'd made some glass for a friend for Christmas, a commission from her children.  She'd taken my vases to be filled with flowers and there they were, waiting to be picked up!  It was like seeing a long lost child.  Sweet!

Mardi Gras
Yup - we had a party last night with all kinds of Jambalaya and Etouffee and Creole this and that.  We'll keep having Cajun food through next week.  Come get you some!

Oh - by the way, if you know anyone in San Diego, there's going to be a party THERE on March 4th at 5:30 at the St. Tropez Bakery.  Party party PARTY!!!  Tell 'em to come by.  And if it's YOU, well, so much the better!

Um...
Someone dropped off these stickers the other day.  Inspired by my friend Monroe who used to put everything on his head (I have quite a collection of pictures of him!) I stuck one on my face.  And then took some pictures of myself. 

Oh well. 

This probably falls into the "too much information" category...but it made me laugh.

A Note from Laurey
February 21, 2009

Gee whiz.

My bike has gone. Packing has started. It's time for lists and final preparations and checking and cross checking. I leave on a day or two more than one week - March 3rd.

REALLY???!!!

I started pulling out all my bike clothes the other day, making piles on the window seat in my bedroom. My cat and dog spend time up on that window seat during the day, so when I came home, I found all my tidy stacks scattered all over the floor. SOME people are not happy with this activity.

There is a lot to think about with this ride. Getting in shape, for one. And I have overdone it and have had to actually pull back. But all the people who have been helping me train think I'll be fine so I'm trying to settle into believing them.

Getting the final bits of equipment has been fun and methodical. I bought new Kevlar tires the other day. Hopefully they will be impervious to cactus spikes and broken glass. I have a new tube of sunscreen, and extra pair of bike shorts, new socks, new rain pants, new stuff. I feel like a kid on the first day of school, eager to try all those things I've been carrying around in my new pencil box. I do have a new pencil box, but it will not be going on the trip. My new handlebar bag WILL be going and in it will be my camera and all my little good luck charms.

Taking care of things here at work has been good. There is a fabulous team in place here. Emily and Adam and Jaime and Chris lead the office, shop, catering, and kitchen teams. And those teams all have great folks, cooks, servers, sweet people. Nothing will be different here at all - all the same people will be doing all the same things. Don't stop coming! Don't stop planning parties, lunches, breakfasts. We need you and this gang is ready to take care of you. (and if you ask, they'll point to the map and tell you where I am and what's going on.)

I've been learning how to do remote hookups with my little portable computer. I'll be updating my blog (http://www.laureybikes.blogspot.com) on a regular basis and will also continue to send in my once-a-week notes to you right here. I now have a Facebook page too, (I am SO with it!) so if you want to be Facebook friends, feel free.

But I haven't really had the "mom's going to be gone for two months" conversation with the little furry friends. Emma, who works here, is going to take care of them and my house. She'll take them for walks, well, not the cat, and they'll be fine. I'm the one who gets choked up thinking about my days without them. We have quite a little pattern these days and I will miss them very much.

I've been cleaning up my gardens and I know that when I get back the Iris will be up and the dogwoods will be in bloom and my yard will be lovely. That's exciting. And my friend Gail is going to come and do some gardening - making a nice compost pile, digging around in the dirt. Shes' a Rose gardener so maybe she'll start to make a Rose bed at home.  It'll be nice to come home to that - and to her.

My bees, I'm afraid, might not have made it. There is SO much to learn. Time will tell. I'll know how things went once I get home. I might need to start all over again with new bees. We'll see.

My sister is gong to help keep up with my bill paying and will start my car a couple of times. And by the end of this week I'll be caught up with my desk, having balanced my accounts, arranged for my taxes, filled my prescriptions, changed all the batteries, done the final laundry and vacuuming. There is a lot to do to go away for two months.

I'm very excited. Excited about what I'll see, who I'll meet, what will happen. Thank you for sharing this adventure with me. And thanks to everyone who helps make Laurey's what it is. I could NOT do it without them.

I'll send one more note from here next week.

Until then - cheers,
Laurey

Henry celebrates
Now that he's in school I don't get to see him as much.  But he came last night for our party and modeled his dad's hat and beads.  He's is a cutie pie, that's for sure!

"Laissez les bons temps roulez" indeed.

Laurey's Catering and gourmet to go • 67 Biltmore Avenue • Asheville • NC • 28801