I have just come back from my annual Women Chef's conference.  So sorry that I did not get to see my San Francisco friends but I was swamped.  Please forgive me Laurie, Chris, Ada, Maryanne, Janet B, Susan, Connie, and all my other friends.  Next time.  Promise.

 

Monday, January 21

Prosciutto and Spinach-stuffed Chicken 8.95

 

Tuesday, January 22

Braised Kale, Butternut squash and Almond Cous-cous 7.95

 

Wednesday, January 23

Elsie’s Swedish Meatballs with Egg Noodles 8.50

 

Thursday, January 24

Pot Roast with Potatoes, Carrots, and Peas 9.50

 

Friday, January 25

Pan-fried Catfish Filet with Collards 9.25

 

Casserole to go:

 

Wednesday, January 23

Whole: 35 Half: 17.50

 

Lasagna to go:

 

Friday, January 25

Whole: 38 Half: 19

 

Our Soup class is full BUT here's your early notice about the next class - a session of playing with local winter foods.  No need to stay hunkered to the fireplace with a Grilled Cheese sandwich.  I'll scour the markets for fresh, seasonal ingredients and then we'll see what we can do.

 

 

This is a demonstration class, but there will be ample for you to taste.

 

The cost for the class is $25 per person. We’ll have wine available for purchase. And if you’d like dinner, come early and sample our

Simple Supper options in our deli case.

 

Call us to save your spots. 

 

 

 

Man oh man! Such abundant color!

 

My best friend and I spent a lovely morning at the farmer's market.  We gazed, grazed, sat and watched, talked, pondered.  This beauty caught my eye at the end of the day, when almost all the flowers were already gone. 

 

Oh we had such a fun day playing with color recently.  My friend Alicia is so colorful and is such a fine teacher.  She got us all painting and drawing and imagining.  What fun.

 

She's agreed to come back for another round of play.  This one is going to be a day of hand-made cards.  She has piles of ideas and inspirations, heaps of examples, loads of material, and a cheery demeanor through it all.

 

Come join us on Sunday, February 10, right before Valentine's Day, ya know!  You'll learn new techniques and methods.  And you'll be surrounded by playmates of all kinds.  Do come, okay?

 

Ah what a delight it is to have a Godson.  Ezra and I spent a LOT of time together when he was little but now that he is grown, our time together is less frequent. 

 

But his mother is my best friend and so we had a visit after my conference finished.  After some chatting, I took off my hat and showed Ezra and Barbara my head of tiny hairs.  They ARE beginning to grow but my hair is still VERY short.

 

When I saw him, Ezra had a full head of luscious brown hair, wavy and curly and thick.  But the next morning, when we were at breakfast, he removed HIS hat and this is what he showed!  Bald me.  Bald him too.

 

I've had a charmed life of late. I've had more than a month away from chemotherapy treatment and am now chubby and braced for another four treatments.  I'm ready (good thing, as it all starts tomorrow.)

 

I just had a fine time at my chefs conference and had a lovely time with my friends.  I ate lots of great food and had lots of hugs and shared time for story telling.

 

And then last night I flew home.  I took BART, the San Francisco metro, to the airport, since I was flying the overnight flight.  All was good, and I relaxed on the train, warm and content.

 

But when I got to the ticket printing machine, I could not find my wallet.  I carry just a slim thing, only large enough to hold a couple of cards and my driver's license. 

 

YIKES!

 

I found a customer helper and, still scouring all my pockets, told my tale.  I DID, by chance, have another wallet with me that had my Biltmore Estate ID card (with a photograph) and my medical cards - no picture but two other instances of my name in print.

 

The ticket gal accepted that, stamped my printout of my ticket with my luggage tag, and sent me off to the security checkpoint.  Not knowing how this would go, I looked right into the agent's eyes and spilled my story.  He called a supervisor who looked carefully at my Biltmore Estate pass and my Blue Cross Cards, and gave the okay for me to enter, advising me to call the police quickly.

 

I got to the gate and called my friend, hoping she'd find my things in her couch cushions or in her car.  We racked our brains, trying to remember when I had last had it, and we decided that it was probably in my suitcase, in the pocket of the pants I'd been wearing the day before I left.  I decided not to call the police or the credit card people until I could see if I had, indeed, left them.

 

I settled in to wait and then, after a bit of a stretch, I heard my name on the airport pager! 

 

Zounds!

 

I answered the page and chirped with glee when the police officer told me she had my cards, wallet, and license.  I raced out past security, and profusely thanked the police woman before skipping BACK through security, telling all the concerned parties that I HAD my wallet, all contents intact.  None of them could believe it, but they celebrated right along with me.

 

And then, on the place, a crowded plane, I had one WHOLE row of seats to myself.  Can you imagine!  I lay down and slept pretty well.

 

And the topper was that I left my iPad on the SECOND plane but someone tracked me down in the ladies room and told me they were holding it for me at the gate.

 

What a day!  What a serious of fine events.  What a perfect lead up to the return to treatment.  I even found a heads up penny next to seat on the plane.  Charmed.  Surrounded.  Protected.  Sweet.

 

I'll be in touch next week.

Cheers,