Yikes!  Is it possible?!!  Valentine's Day is THIS week.

How does this happen?

 

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

 

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.

 

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 13

Prosciutto and Spinach-stuffed Chicken and Rice 8.25 (GF)

 

Tuesday, February 14

Valentine’s Day Special Dinner to go

 

Wednesday, February 15

Pork Tenderloin with Orange Blossom Honey Mustard 7.95 (GF)

 

Thursday, February 16

Roast Leg of Lamb with Natural Jus and Mashed Potatoes 9.95

 

Friday, February 17

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

 

Chicken and Shrimp Jambalaya

Full: 53 Half: 26.50

 

Spinach and Artichoke Lasagna

We're about to head into a cold snap but one can always remain hopeful, right?  Seeing a big dish filled with locally grown greens is a bright spot in my day.  And eating them fills a belly with goodness and a heart with health. 

 

Emily loves our Shazamwich but, wanting less bread, turns hers into a "Shazalad!"  (She's so clever!)

 

 

February 10, 2012

 

Hiya.

 

I write on the cusp of a cold blast. Word has it that our temperatures are going to drop in the next few days. It IS winter, after all, so it is to be expected. I noticed a flowering Quince in bloom in my yard the other day and have heard an escalation of local songbirds in my trees. Yikes! I hope they’ll be okay.

 

Reminds me of:

The North wind doth blow

And we shall have snow

And what will poor Robin do then, poor thing?

She’ll sit in the barn

To keep herself warm

And hide her head under her wing, poor thing.

 

I haven’t seen any Robins – yet. The little woodpecker on the tree above my hot tub chirps at me when I’m outside in the early mornings. He keeps active, pecking tidy little rounds of holes around its trunk. It is my Tulip Poplar so I hope that’s not a horrible thing. Its flowers are the genesis of my Stoney Knob Gold honey.

 

Speaking of honey, I’m getting excited about the honey tasting on February 22nd. Three of my beekeeping friends are coming. One is bringing some local Mead (!), a couple are bringing their own honey which we will compare to some of the honeys I have in my collection from around the country. I asked my friend Dianne about bringing her honey and she said, “Well, all I have is Sourwood.” ALL?! I’d say hoorah for that. There’ll be enough for you to purchase if you are so inclined. Call us at 252-1500 to save your spots.

 

In other news, I finally gave in and packed away my Christmas ornaments the other day. I’m not big on hurrying these things. Packing them away meant re-organizing my closet, which involved shuffling things around in my office, which encouraged me to straighten things out in my bedroom which brought the dog hair dust collection to my attention which made me get out the vacuum cleaner which…well, there is no such thing as JUST putting things away. How, I ask myself, did I gather all these treasures? And, should I clear things out? Maybe. Maybe not. Time will tell.

 

Best of all, I suspect that it is just about time for the rising sun to hit me in the face. The last sunny day we had, the last one when I was still in bed for sunrise, the beams had crept across my wall, past the paintings on my north side of my bedroom, and had almost reached my bedside table. I feel that the light will cross the final few inches very soon. Very. As I’ve been feeling better I’ve been getting up earlier and staying up later, but sun in my face in the morning is a fine reason to loll for just a bit, waiting for that glorious moment. Soon.

 

The saddest part of these gifts is how quickly they disappear.  I could ask for more but my expanding waist prevents me from doing so.  A little is better than none, I suppose (and this was not a "little.")