Oh yeah!  Who's scared of a little snow?  Not me!  It may snow (and they say there's going to be another big fall soon) but, well, here in the mountains of Western North Carolina that's what is supposed to happen in the winter. 

 

I made a mistake in a previous newsletter.  (Imagine that!)

 

The next cooking with Laurey class will be here on Wednesday, January 19th starting at 6 pm.  The class will be how to Cook with Seafood (not cooking with honey).  We'll be making some of my mother's recipes (this is a picture of her teaching a cooking class...!)

 

Blueberry Hill Baked Fish*

Broiled Shrimp with Garlic

Elsie's simple Steamed Shrimp

Fish* in Parchment Paper

 

(*I'll be getting local fish so I can't say, right now, what exactly what it will be...)

 

We're launching this year's Dinner and Conversation series with a meal featuring honey and some of the many other things that would not exist without bees. 

 

Join me for a wonderful meal.  I'll bring my bee hives (but no bees) and will share stories of my bees and the miraculous elixirs they produce.  We'll have a "honey bar" set up for you AND each course will feature different honeys.

 

By the way, I am the newly selected spokesperson for The National Honey Board and have just been invited to speak on Martha Stewart's Sirius radio show - all about cooking with honey.  I'll share some of those stories with you too.

 

Here are our dinners for this coming week.

 

Monday, January 10

Green Tabasco-fried Chicken with Sweet Potato Fries 7.95

 

Tuesday, January 11

Local Tempeh Stir-fry with Brown Rice 8.95

 

Wednesday, January 12

Stuffed Peppers with Hickory Nut Gap Beef 8.95

 

Thursday, January 13

Chicken Marsala with Mashed Potatoes 7.95

 

Friday, January 14

Seafood Fettuccine with White Wine Sauce 9.25

 

Order by noon and we'll have your dinner ready to pick up by 3. Our new winter hours are in effect so we're now closing at 7.

 

Salad and bread is now a la carte (not included.)  Let us know if you'd like to add them.

 

We make a special casserole and a special lasagna 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 7:00.

 

The casserole this week is:

 

 

Wednesday, January 12

Shrimp and Grits

Half: 29 Full: 58

 

The lasagna is:

Friday, January 14

Mexican Beef Lasagna

Half: 22.50 Full: 45

 

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

 

When I was on a bike ride on The Outer Banks a couple of years ago, I saw these hilarious, fanciful buttons in a cutie pie shop.  I bought a lot of them for myself and have been looking for them since, wanting to have them here - for you.

 

Saturday, January 8, 2011

 

Hoo whee! It’s snowing outside! Tiny flakes, so light and pretty, are really starting to come down. When I left home this morning the sun was trying to get through, but it looks like the clouds are winning that particular dance.

 

As a little girl, snow meant fun. Sledding or, for us, tobogganing, skiing, skating, snow angels. I hate that my first reaction is – “Ugh, what parties are going to cancel?” What has happened to me? I do have friends with children and they are thrilled with snow. For them a big snow storm probably means a day off from school and, if they’re lucky, a day of sledding or snowboarding or skiing. I need to adjust my priorities, shake off this “grown-up” idiocy.

 

On Monday, after we send out a big party (which, yes, I hope does not cancel!) I am driving to Charleston. I’ve been invited to speak about growing up in an Inn and also about living a life of joy. Getting ready for the talk has given me a chance to think about these things. Going to Charleston itself gives me pause, for it was to that city that I traveled for chemo way back when I was dealing with cancer. Hmmm. Which reminds me that I am glad to be on this side of that particular journey.

 

My mind is full these days. I have big plans, big ideas, big desires, big intentions, big determination. I’m working on a book proposal. I’m envisioning some new glass I want to make. I’m starting to plan a raised bed garden I want to try to make for my home – filled with bee-friendly flowers and Laurey-friendly vegetables. I just started a new exercise glass (ouch!) and have a regular bike ride in my sights – as soon as the snow stops. And I have hopes for my bees. After all, if I’m the spokesperson for them I need to be a good beekeeper, right?

 

So as we start this new year and as I look out my window here and see the snow falling, falling, falling, I feel a giddy excitement even though it does not mean I am going skiing or sledding. I might, when I get home, decide to make a snow angel. I might. But even if I don’t, I am filled, happy to be healthy, energized, stimulated, captivated, and surrounded by the folks I work and live with here in this shop and in this town and in this world.

 

I'm going to Charleston this week to give a couple of talks to the Professional Innkeeper's Association conference.  The second talk is a cooking and tasting demonstration - all about honey.  But the bigger talk, the one I'm most excited about, is about growing up at Blueberry Hill Inn.