Yikes!  Is it possible?!!  Valentine's Day is NEXT WEEK.

How does this happen?

 

The reality is that Valentine's Day is on a Tuesday this year.  If you're anything like me (heaven forbid) you like to stay home - especially during the week. 

 

The fine news for you, in this case, is that we are making a Valentine's Day Dinner to go.  Pick up a couple, add some wine, light yourselves a fire, and hunker down for the night.  Easy and festive and nice, yes?

 

Here's the menu for you:

 

Brendan has come up with two delicious main courses.  You can choose between them – or heck, get one of each!  Please give us a call by Monday the 13^th (or earlier if you can) to reserve your dinners.  They’ll be ready for you to pick up by 3 on the 14th.  We stay open until 7, as you know.

 

The Salad:

Local Butter Lettuces with Candied Pecans and Pomegranate Vinaigrette

 

The Main Course:

Pan-roasted Duck Breast with Creamy Polenta and Figs

Or

Shrimp and Scallop Risotto with Spinach and Caramelized Fennel

 

Crusty Rolls

 

The Dessert:

Individual Chocolate Mousse

 

The price per person is 19.95 + tax

 

We make dinners to go Monday through Friday.

 

Call 252-1500 by noon or so and then come pick up your dinners between 3 and 7, when we close. Add a salad for 3.25 or bread for 1.25.

 

Here is this week's menu:

 

Monday, February 6

Chicken Baked in Wine with Brussels Sprouts 8.25

 

Tuesday, February 7

Spanakopita with Syrian Salad 8.25

 

Wednesday, February 8

Braised Pot Roast 9.50

 

Thursday, February 9

Chicken Croquettes and Applesauce 8.25

 

Friday, February 10

Call by noon and then come pick up between 4 and 7 that day!

 

Casserole of the week - Wednesday, February 8

Chicken Tetrazzini

Full: 35 Half: 17.50

 

Lasagna of the week - Friday, February 10

Pesto Chicken Lasagna

I've been studying honey, as you know, learning about all sorts of aspects of it: how bees make it, of course, but also how to be discerning when tasting it. 

 

As you know, I think, I'm working on a book about cooking with honey and other things that would not exist without honeybees.  Part of each of the 12 chapters is a piece about that month's chosen honey varietal.  I've been having a lot of fun figuring this all out and would love to share my explorations with you.

 

SO!

 

We're having a guided honey tasting on Wednesday, February 22 from 6-8 pm.  I'll help you understand what to look for in honey and how to make sense of the variations of taste.  We'll be focusing on the 12 varietals from around the country that will be in my book, but will also compare them to commercial not-really honey (yuck) and also some fine local honeys too.

 

These are not really new, but some of you might not have had them.  Martha makes the dough and, on a fairly regular basis, fills them with vegetables and local cheeses and puts them out on our deli case for your delectation.  Oh yeah.

 

And what's not to LOVE about these?  This is a hard part about working here, trying to avoid over consumption of sweets.  I try to restrict myself to one a week, but that is clearly not always possible, especially with a selection like this!

 

 

February 4, 2012

 

Hiya. It’s a grey and drizzly day around here but the kitchen gang is bustling and has been since early morning today. I sent a “thank you” to them as I poked my head out of my covers. Though it’s now been two weeks since my surgery I am still recovering and so sleeping in a bit is a gift given me by my sainted staff.

 

Things are good in general. Lewis the pup is still with me, thanks to renovations to my sister’s house. Lewis is better off with me rather than the construction zone that exists in his real home. Tye, MY pup, is not completely delighted with the arrangements but she is coping. Lewis is tiny compared to Tye but he is learning to hold his own around her. She treats him like a pesky younger brother. He hops around her adoringly, much to her consternation. Ah well.

 

I’m knuckling down on my book. My wish is to complete the recipes this month – a bit of a daunting task. If I were to just WRITE them instead of counting how many I have still to write, I’d probably be done. As it is, I’ve been studying honey tasting, and have been working my way through the honeys I have been collecting. It is a fun task, especially to observe the development of my own palate for honey. Learning something new has always been a thrill for me and trying to discern the difference between buttery and caramelized and burnt is a fun and interesting pursuit these days. Best of all, I can actually TASTE! (That was diminished during my recent treatments.)

 

Two weeks ago I “graduated” from my Livestrong at the YMCA exercise program. This twice a week experience was really good for me, getting me back into the gym and back to thinking of myself as a survivor rather than as a patient. So this week I started my own regimen, getting to the gym twice, working through the exercises I’ve been learning, reminding myself of my body’s healing abilities. This is a good thing to remember, especially since I am not quite done with the treatment. I have one more surgery, which will put me back at zero for a bit. But then I’ll start again, getting to the gym, coaxing my poked and prodded and cut up self to rise up and carry on. I signed up for a big personal challenge for this July but I can’t quite make it public yet. Stay tuned – I’ll fill you in soon.

 

In the meantime, well, I’ve been enjoying Asheville. My gift to my sister this year is 12 experiences. We had dinner at Curate last week, her gift for February. Curate, in case you haven’t been, is the new-ish Tapas restaurant up the street from here. The family who runs it has quite the pedigree and the food shows it. We liked it so much we have already been back. Twice in one week. Yes! We’ve also been to The Diana Wortham theatre twice: seeing Selected Shorts one week and Aquila Theatre the next. We’re so lucky to live here with all that Asheville has to offer.

 

And now I must make time for a meeting with a bride and groom. I must say I am happy to do so.  Happy, especially to feel well enough that I get to just do a normal thing like meeting with a new client. Life, as they say, is very good.