Valentine's Day is Thursday, February 14th.  We have a nice dinner to go planned for you.  No messing with fancy clothes or slippery roads.  Light a fire, chill a bottle of something and settle in with us (um, at YOUR house, that is.)

 

Here's our menu:

 

Caesar Salad with Parmesan Croutons

 

Blue Cheese, Spinach,

and Walnut-stuffed Bistro Filet

or

Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

 

Glazed Brussels Sprouts

 

Dilled Onion Rolls

 

Individual Chocolate Mousse with a Spiced Whipped Cream

 

Please order by Tuesday, February 12th (or earlier!) We'll have these dinners ready for you to pick up on Valentine's Day between 3 and 8pm.

 

The cost is $17.95 per person.

 

This has become one of our new regulars.  Crisp outer.  Soft and warm inner.  We serve it with a spicy sauce that goes so well with the salty crust. 

 

Monday, January 28

Chicken Marsala with Broccoli 8.75

 

Tuesday, January 29

Spanikopita with Rice Pilaf 8.50

 

Wednesday, January 30

Potato Gnocchi with Vegetables and Sage 8.95

 

Thursday, January 31

Pork Tenderloin with Mushroom and Potato Gratin 8.25 (GF)

 

Friday, February 1

Lemon, Dill, and Garlic Pan-seared Amberjack 11.95

 

Casserole to go:

 

Wednesday, January 30

Whole: 55 Half: 27.50

 

Lasagna to go:

Friday, February 1

Whole: 59 Half: 29.50

 

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. 

 

 

 

You know we make a variety of what we call "simple suppers" Monday through Friday.  (You won't be alone if you come here for breakfast, stop back in for lunch and then swing by to see what's available for supper.)

 

We're starting to have music here in the cafe in the early evenings.  Our first group is called Woolsey Heights Band.  They play "Southern Soul and Blues."  If you're anything like me, starting to listen at 10 at night just doesn't always work (since I'm usually asleep.)  Well, these folks will be here from 6-8 on the 7th and would love to play for you. 

 

Alicia Keshishian, color babe extraordinare, is returning for a second session of Playing around with Color.  This time it's a day of making cards.  Ahem!  It IS almost Valentine's day, my friends.

 

She has piles of ideas and inspirations, heaps of examples, loads of material, and a cheery demeanor through it all.  Sounds like fun to me.

 

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?

 

Many of you have asked me how you can learn to keep bees.  Our local fabulous Center for Honeybee Research is offering beginning classes again.  This is where I started and it is a great place to get you going.

 

Follow the link below for more information about the class and to sign up.

 

The bees need you!

Saturday, January 26, 2013

 

Hi all.

 

It’s a grey day here. Chilly. Damp. I am heading home to my woodstove soon.

 

Yesterday was a funny one. The forecasters called for a sleety slippery day. When that happens around here the grocery stores do a bang up business and everything else cancels. Ah, silly times. As often happens, nothing happened. Well, in my immediate area, that is. Turns out there was serious weather to the East of here (as reported by a traumatized bride-to-be who had driven here in the midst of the storms outside of Raleigh.) When I left my house in the morning, the walk shone with ice but by the time I returned, an increase of the temperature left wet bricks and nothing more.

 

In the meantime, staying home seems like a good thing. My pup is delighted to see me and tramps around following my footsteps whenever I am home. We keep an eye out for each other, making sure we are never too far apart. She protects me and that is good.

 

I headed back into treatment last week. Today, a few days after the dosing, I feel okay. I am REALLY hopeful that these last four are the last four. Walking around feeling woozy is no fun and my poor body wishes we were done. Soon. Again, soon.

 

Things are swirling around, in between the times of quiet. I start teaching again this coming week (though the class is sold out – try for February 13th if you’d like.) I always get a little jumpy about these things. There’s no need, really, as my style is low-key which means that there is a certain lack of polish about the way I cook so being less than perfectly prepared generally fits who I am. My tendency is to go to the market on my way home (when I feel like cooking, that is) and make dinner based on what I find. In a way, I do the same thing with my classes, trying to convey that it is possible to make dinner without too much forethought. Anyway – jitters are good. I’m happy to be coming back in this way.

 

We’re in major planning for the JOYride for Livestrong at the YMCA. This bike ride, a fundraiser for this program which helps cancer survivors, is coming right along. We’ve now decided to have three ride lengths: a fun ride for little kids (riding in a traffic-free track at Carrier Park); a Quarter Century (25 mile) Ride around the river and a fun Half Century (50 mile) ride in and around the river’s hills. The date is May 18th. Stay tuned for more. And if you’d like to be more involved with us, do come to the next planning meeting on Friday, February 8th at 8:30 in the morning here in the café.

 

We have the card making class on the 10th, our first music in the café on the 7th. Valentine’s Day is the 14th with another cooking class the day before. At the end of the month I get to go to Chicago to learn more about being a Livestrong Leader. Zip zip! Through this all I weave the final three treatments, rising up and sinking into the moods as they change inside me. My hair has started to grow back and I am ready to be done, ready to go on and have fun again, treatment free again.

 

So I think I’ll head off to my pup and my woodstove.

This showed up on my desk recently.  Inside a festive wrapping I found a gorgeous counted cross stitch with these lovely words and sweet images of my favorite creatures. 

 

Pat, the artist, made it for me.  Charmed.  Me.  Yes.