I've been on a vacation and here is the only picture of me standing up on a surfboard!  There are no pictures of me tumbling off, headfirst into the sand in front of a beach full of amused viewers.  There are no pictures of me missing the hundredth wave in a row.  There are no pictures of me catching a wave and then bailing out as I see I am headed right for another surfer. And there are no pictures of just lying on the board, happily waiting, bobbing in the warm Mexican waters.

 

Sayulita is a busy town these days.  No longer the sleepy little undiscovered surfer's village, it is full of, um, people like me.  But there is a lively local life and, if you wade through the surfers and visitors, this is one of the things you see.

 

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. Orders are ready by 3. Feel free to stay here with us, listening to music and visiting with your friends. I can't think of a nicer place to linger and we're now open until 8, you know.

 

Please order by phone (252-1500) or stop in to speak to one of us in person.

 

Dinners for this week are:

 

Monday January 11 Tandoori Chicken with Wheatberry Pilaf 11.

Tuesday January 12 Roasted NC Trout with Beet, Orange, and Dill Salad 12.75

Wednesday January 13 Pot Roast with Herbed Dumplings 11.95

Thursday January 14 *Pan-fried NC Mahi Mahi, Cole Slaw and Cornbread 12.50

We make a special casserole each week.

 

Order by noon or so. Order a half if you have around 4 folks. If you have a bigger group, or you just like leftovers, order a full-sized one.

 

Then come pick up between 3:00 and 8:00. (Or bring a gang and enjoy your dinner right here. We do have beer and wine by the glass, you know.)

 

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. Orders are ready by 3. Feel free to stay here with us, listening to music and visiting with your friends. I can't think of a nicer place to linger and we're now open until 8, you know.

 

Please order by phone (252-1500) or stop in to speak to one of us in person.

 

Wednesday, January 13

Julia's Beef Bourguignon

Full 60

We're doing the next few Dinner and Conversations a little differently since the farmers are in hibernation for the next few months.  So we thought you might like to have dinner with your friends AND learn a little too.

 

SO!  The January one will be a Visit to Tuscany.  (In February we will visit South Africa!  In March, well, stay tuned for that one.)

 

Here are the details:

 

Join me (Laurey) and your friends for a casual, fun evening.  I’ll be making and serving some favorites from Tuscany.  With each course I’ll demonstrate and show you what I’m doing (the way they taught me in Italy) and I’ll also tell some stories, show some pictures, and tell you about travels in that fair country.  If you have ever been, or would like to go, this dinner will be great fun for you!

 

We’ll have hors d’oeuvres (“Antipasti”), a Pasta Course (“Primi”), A Main Course (“Secondi”), and a traditional Tuscan finish too (“Dolce”).  The cost will be $55.00 (+ tax) per person which will include recipes, the demonstration, all the food (of course!) Tuscan wines too. 

 

As they say, “Buon divertimento” (“have fun!”)

 

I've had a nice week here in the warmth of Mexico.  I hear I've missed  lot of cold and snow and winter.  I've missed my dog and my cat but I have not missed the cold.  I'm sitting in shorts and a t-shirt right now, windows all opened wide, no sweater, no fireplace, no furnace.  It's nice.

 

I've had some really good food, seen some wonderful art and craft, gotten a little bit tan, gotten over some of my surfing bruises, and have had a lot of nice walks on this lovely beach.

 

It's almost time to shift to home thinking.  Time to get ready to teach on Wednesday (all about kitchen tools) and time to play my uke (at the Tuesday jam) and time to listen to music (with Laurie Fisher on Thursday) and time to cook for you on Friday (we're hoping to go to Tuscany this fall so here's a preview.)

 

And then on Saturday we have a big party in the cafe (a double birthday party) and on Sunday we have our staff Christmas party - when we finally have time and interest.  Then I'm off to a meeting in San Francisco for a couple of days before coming back for more.

 

Slowing down is good.  Living a full life is good.  Contrast points out the value in each.

 

Thanks to the gang at home for running the show, letting me laze here for a week.  I'll be glad to be home.  And I've had a very, very nice time here.  Put it on your list, this.  Stopping, wandering, surfing.  Good stuff.  I recommend it. 

 

One of the tricks is being in the right place when the wave comes.  One thing I observed on this trip was that it was usually somewhere other than where I was.