Gee the scheduler kind of clumped things up this month!  Valentine's day was just last week and now, just like that, it's Mardi Gras.  We're making a modest little Mardi Gras Dinner to go for you.  Hope you like it.

 

Here you go:

Mardi Gras Gumbo with Dirty Rice and King Cake 10.50

 We still have a very few spots left.  Want one?  Call us!  252-1500

 

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 20

Chicken and Coconut Curry with Cream 7.95

 

Tuesday, February 21

Mardi Gras Gumbo with Dirty Rice and King Cake 10.50

 

Wednesday, February 22

Turkey Roulade in Puffed Pastry with Artichoke Hearts 8.75

 

Thursday, February 23

Beef Empanadas with Spanish Rice 9.25

 

Friday, February 24

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

 

Casserole of the week - Wednesday, February 22

Full: 55 Half: 27.50

 

Lasagna of the week - Friday, February 24

Turns out that Endive spears are grown on year-old Chicory Roots.  Did you know that?  If you want the whole story, visit the link at the end of this story.  And ask your grocer to get this - it's much more local than the kind from Belgium, you know.

 

Braised, the endive spears make a fine sandwich filler.  He paired them with a fresh relish he made.  It was the day's sandwich special recently.

 

 

February 18, 2012

 

Mmmm. It’s a deliciously lovely day here in the mountains of Western North Carolina. And guess what!!??? The sun hit me smack in the face this morning. That wait is over! Spring is definitely on its way – in Laurey-speak, that is. I’ve been tracking it, as you know, and I suspected, as you also know, that it would finally start rising far enough to the north that it would light up my bed in the morning. Today it happened. (Actually I think it happened a few days ago but I was away last week and it has been cloudy too, so today is the day I will celebrate.)

 

As March approaches I have a lot to think about. First and foremost, it was 25 years ago that I moved to Asheville to become an Outward Bound instructor. A freak early snowstorm made it impossible for me to get to the first aid training I needed in order to have the credentials to get a reasonable salary. And because I missed that course, I found my mind wandering to food when I did instruct students. After all, I realized it would be a long time (a whole year!) before I could take that course again and in my short-sighted way I decided to start catering, not having the patience to wait and get the credential and carry on with that Outward Bound life plan. Of course, I ignored the fact that I have NEVER even been to a catered party. EVER! But with the chutzpah that I got from my limited Outward Bound experience, I mean, I had climbed rocks BLINDFOLDED - certainly that was enough to start my own business, right? - I plunged in.

 

Now technically, the real anniversary would be in October, when I did my first party, or maybe August (or was it September?) when I announced to a group of business women that I ran a catering company! At that moment I only had a brochure, a KitchenAid mixer and my orange VW van, but I spoke up and got one party and then another and then another. But I choose to celebrate from the time I moved to Asheville. That was March.

 

And now it has been 25 years. A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

 

I am thinking about March in another way now too. I am about to have surgery (March 7th for those of you who keep track of these things) to remove the last of any suspected disease in my body. As far as I am concerned (if anyone is listening), that’s plenty enough surgery and treatment, thank you very much. Got that?!

 

Later this week I am going to officially announce that I am going to do a big bike ride, not as big as a ride across the United States, but big enough for me right now. I’m going to ride in the 40th annual ride across Iowa known as RAGBRAI. It’s in late July so I am counting on my recuperative abilities to get healed and in shape by then. This ride will be in honor of surviving cancer. For me, as you may or may not know, this is my third time, but I’ve decided that the third time is a charm and is, by the way, charming enough! I’ll be raising funds for Livestrong, Lance Armstrong’s cancer survivor program and will be on the Lance Armstrong Foundations’s team (!) I’ll also be celebrating the Livestrong at the YMCA program. I recently “graduated” from this program for cancer survivors. The coaches and the program helped me get up and going again, for which I am deeply grateful. Pretty soon I’ll tell you how you can join me in this important ride. For now, just telling you is enough for me.

 

And that, my friends, is my news for this week.

My plan is to have all the recipes in my book written by the end of this month so I can send them out to the recipe testers while I'm healing.  Then I can incorporate their suggestions as I edit in April.