Oh what fun it is to go into our kitchen in the morning.  You are still at work, or maybe you are home, getting ready.  Maybe you are exercising.  Maybe you are still asleep.

 

Well, while you do whatever you do in the mornings, the team here at Laurey's is zipping away, chopping, prepping. slicing, picking and choosing from the boxes and baskets of fresh produce.

 

I love going out to eat.  But I must say, my favorite place to go is right here.  We have a really talented group of cooks who continue to be inspired by the contents of our walk-in refrigerators.  If it's a rainy day, they'll make a chowder.  If it's hot, you'll find a chilled soup.

 

Monday, July 18

Grilled Thai Chicken with Coconut Rice 7.95

 

Tuesday, July 19

Chickpea Cakes with Cucumber Sauce and Parslied New Potatoes 6.50

 

Wednesday, July 20

Lito’s Beef, Black Bean Empanadas with Spicy Tomato Salsa 7.50

 

Thursday, July 21

Lamb Meatballs with Local Tomato Sauce 10.95

 

Friday, July 22

Here is this week's casserole:

 

Wednesday, July 20

Chicken Country Captain

Whole: 54 Half: 27

 

And this week's Lasagna is:

 

Friday, July 22

Pesto Chicken Lasagna

Whole: 60.50 Half: 30.25

 

Martha brought this one back to the office and I think it is my new favorite thing to eat. 

 

Local Tomatoes.

Local Cucumbers.

Local Basil.

AND

Local Cheese curds from Yellow Branch.

 

OH so good.

The poblanos are fresh and local, as are most of what Lito puts into them.  See what I mean?  With all these cooks, everyone can find their favorite thing.

 

Ends of bread become bread crumbs.

 

Taking care of the Earth (part of our 5 pointed vision) means we do as much as we can to use everything.  Scraps of vegetables get turned into soup stock.  Scraps of soup get turned into gravy.  And scraps of gravy go into the compost, to turn into soil, to grow more vegetables.

 

 

July 17, 2011

 

Hello from my home at the end of a Saturday which is falling at the end of a long-ish week. I am finally feeling pretty good but it has been a week of sleep for me. Hard to imagine that a body could need or could use as much sleep as I seem to need or use these days. But there you have it. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. And napping.

 

First of all, thank you for all the sweet and lovely and caring notes. I read them, think about them, need them, and am grateful for them. Emily and Noel put a little red tin in front of my desk and most days, when I come to work, I find a note or two waiting for me. I get a card in the mail too, most days. Sweet reminders that I am in your thoughts. It’s kind of a foggy time for me so these cards matter. These cards with “go get ‘em!” or “you can do this” or “holding you in the light” matter.

 

I’m getting a bit of an understanding of what this particular jaunt involves. I have a week of fog and then a week of no fog. The fog includes lots and lots of sleep, moments of clarity, bits of glimpses of a memory of the no fog times. And then the no fog week is a time to regroup, go to work and do more than eat breakfast (did I tell you how good our breakfast is?) This coming week is a no fog week and I’m looking forward to the clear light days, the hours of alertness, the conversations about something other than how tired I am.

 

In the midst of the fog/no fog life at home continues. The garden is now wildly overgrown. Time to trim the Shasta Daisies, time to prune the Verbena. Time to plant that Lavender. Time to weed, pluck, replant.

 

My bees are good. It’s the busy time for them. Each morning, when I leave my home, I stare at their hives, marvel at their energy as they zoom in and out, gathering, orienting, scouting. It’s almost time for the Queen of that Queenless hive#1 to hatch, breed, and get to work. And then all the hives will be in full swing. I’m hopeful that they will be good and strong going into the winter this year. So far so good.

 

And I’m good too. This is a difficult trip, to be sure. I’ve been talking to some of my friends who are on this summer’s bike ride across the Northeastern part of the United States. I remember how I thought that ride across the Southern Tier of the United States was an incredibly difficult ride, the harest thing I'd ever done. Compared to this, that was a breeze. This trip is much, much harder but I am slowly understanding the twists and turns, the hills and the intricacies of the route and hope I am rising to the challenge.

 

Thanks you very much for all your support. And thanks too for keeping the Laurey’s Team busy. Both matter to me – very much.

 

Martha also brings in flowers from her many gardens, arranges them for our tables, and makes sure to give me my own little bouquet. The red blossom is bee balm, which I have at home too, thanks to her. My bees love it, as do I. And this little vase at work reminds me of my bees and gardens at home.