The Weekly Newsletter
Menus and Stories for March 24 - 28, 2008

The sweetest baby
Here's little Bailey, my new great niece, snoozing and doing what it takes to grow into herself.  She is perfection to me, sweet and innocent and just right. 



"Lunch at Laurey's"
These little sweetie pie twins come for lunch with their mother quite a lot.  She says that they now ask for "Lunch at Laurey's?" when she is getting them dressed in the morning.  I note with pleasure that they roar with delight at our food - not special menu baby food - just real things from our deli case.  As I was lining up this shot the girls were reveling in their quiche and fruit. 

Sweet?  You bet!


My lunch!
These Bison burgers were the day's special here the other day.  Very lean.  Very good.  Chris, our sous chef, marinated and grilled them.  I added one of Richard's Grilled Pears (with Maytag Farm's Blue Cheese).  De- LISH!

Oh, the bison is another local product.  We get more and more each day.  And, in my estimation, that's a good thing too.  Another good reason for Lunch at Laurey's.

Michael Pollan says not to eat at your desk but I find myself here most days and am very happy to do so.  I get to look at this picture of my sisters and they make me very happy indeed. Nothing wrong with that.


Dinners to go
Dinners, as you know, come with a freshly-made green salad, salad dressing of the day, and made-right-here bread of the day. We take reservations until noon or so. Please order by phone (252-1500), by FAX (252-02002) or stop in to speak to one of us in person.

As a reminder, every time you order a dinner to go you are eligible to enter our drawing. Just drop a card in our drawing jar (a business card works or fill out one of the cards that we have right here) and, at the end of the month, we'll pull one card which will be good for two free dinners-to-go.

Maybe you'll win next month.

Order a lot? Enter a lot!
Good luck!!

Here is this week's menu:
Monday           March 24         Cider Chicken with Cheddar Potatoes 9.95

Tuesday           March 25         Curried Shrimp and Chicken Chapatti 11.25

Wednesday      March 26         Grilled Flank Steak with Ginger Béarnaise 10.75

Thursday          March 27         Pork Chops with Pecan and Onion Stuffing 10.75

Friday              March 28         Tilapia Piccata with Lemon Risotto 12.25


 

Our website


Special casserole of the week
We make a special casserole each week, usually on Wednesday. Order before noon and we'll have yours ready to pick up between 4:30 and 6:00 that very afternoon. (Yes, you can order in advance too.) Order a full for 9 portions or, if your gang is smaller, opt for the half-sized one, which serves 4 or so.

Say, we'll happily make a salad and provide bread for you if you like, just let us know when you call and we'll get you all set up.

Wednesday,  March 26

Beef Bourguignon

Full: 38.25

Half: 19.25




Cupcakes!
We have a new baker.  Bakers seem to come and go.  Elyse, our most recent gal, is moving to South Carolina to be close to her family.  Marty is our new guy.  I think he'll stick around because his wife, Deb, works with us and has done so for years now.  Essie, who is married to our chef, fills in too, baking a couple of days.

My proposal to both of them is to have cupcakes on a regular basis.  To me a cupcake is the perfect amount of cake.  And they are so handy, easy to hold, easy to eat.  Fun.  Here's a snap of today's offering. 

Marty also makes a great scone and a terrific muffin.  Essie does too.  And now with the warmer temperatures we'll be opening up our windows in the mornings so you can sit with us and have coffee in our sunny space with their baked yums.  Oh - I just found out that free wi-fi DOES work in our front window seats.  Not that you need to do work here, but it's nice to know you could if you wanted to, right?


Sacred Geometry in our Garden Room
Have you ever been curious about Sacred Geometry?  I have.  Do you know what it is?  I don't.  Well I know enough to know that I want to know more.  I have a friend who DOES know about it and who is going to teach a class about it.  You don't need to be a math person - this is NOT a math class.  It is more a philosophy, I think, a way of looking at shape and form and beauty. 

My friend Terry is going to teach this class over four weeks, all on Tuesdays from 6:30 until 9:00.  Classes will be held on April 22 and 29 and then again on May 6 and 13.  The class will be held here in my shop on those four evenings.  There will be a charge but I'm not sure how much it will be other than to say it will be reasonable and, from what I know, will be well worth it.  I'll let you know.  Oh, there are only a limited number of spots available so let me know if you want to be counted in.


Better water vessels for us and you
It used to be that we'd give out disposable cups for our in-house iced tea and water.  These are our replacements, a result of our folks wanting to make things better around here. We're always searching for ways to improve what we do.  Fewer things in the landfill is a good thing in our minds.


A Note From Laurey

March 22, 2008

Good day to you.  I’d say morning but, as I glance up at the clock, it is now noon.  Missed my chance.  It’s been a good steady morning here, prospective brides are on the loose and they find their way to us and so we sit with them and help them imagine their meals months and, in some cases, years away.  In a little while we’re doing a tasting for a couple who is getting married next month.  Weddings are in the air.   

Late yesterday afternoon I took Tye, my sweet and very patient pup, for a walk.  The sun was thinking about setting but filled the air with thick and rich light.  Tye is a redhead and she looked beautiful prancing around the lake.  She loves spring and she loves walks and she loves me and so she was very happy – as was I.

As we walked I thought about something that happened earlier in the day, something that made me proud to get to work with the people I work with.  One of our customers had ordered a gift basket earlier in the week.  Emily took the order and left specific instructions for its completion and delivery yesterday  - Good Friday.  Adam chose special cheeses and he, too, left clear notes for me about what he had chosen and where it was to be found.  Julie was to be the delivery gal.

I found Adam’s cheeses, followed the guidelines left by Emily, and put the basket together – a very nice basket, if I do say so myself.  I gave the basket to Julie and that, I thought, was that.  But a little while later, Julie called saying that the office she had been instructed to go to was closed.  The college is a Presbyterian one and everything was closed for Good Friday.  Hmm.  Jaime, here in the office, phoned around, looking for a home address to deliver the basket.  I called the basket giver, asking for help, but, getting only an answering machine, left a message but didn’t feel very hopeful about that being much of a solution.  Back in the delivery neighborhood, Julie scouted for a neighbor, someone, anyone who might be able to help.  No one was anywhere.  Everyone was gone for Good Friday.  Oh dear.  Jaime kept trying and I tried a little bit more and Julie kept trying too.  But finally I, in frustration, said, oh the heck with it, just bring the thing back here.  I give up.  But Jaime persisted and Julie persisted and the basket giver called in and got in touch with the intended basket recipient and Jamie was able to talk Julie through some complex turns and twists to get to the basket recipients' home and got the basket to the recipient after all.  It took longer than I would have liked, but time is not always the only things that counts.  Jaime did not give up.  Julie did not give up.  I’m glad that they were here, glad that the basket got to where it needed to go.  It was a happy ending.  A lesson in persistence.  A good lesson. 

I found out that on Monday this next week I finally get to pick up the parts for my bee hives.  I’ve been feeling anxious and impatient about that too.  But my bee mentor soothed me the other day, saying that there is plenty of time.  I will, she said, get everything in time.  The queen is not ready, is not even born.  Mid-April, the bee breeder tells me.  Mid-April. There will be plenty of time for me to put my hives together before the bees are ready.  Spring seems slow this year.  Maybe it is my impatience, my lack of recalling that it will come, that it has its own time, that I have no control but that it will, somehow work out.  I’m glad that the bee hive pieces are closer to me and that I can soon start.  And that it will, as it always does, get warm and be fine.  Every year this is what happens.  And it will this year too.

 


Happy Easter
I've been sneaking around with grass and candy and treats, tucking little eggs here and there.  It's kind of fun to look in my bag and see these colors.  Tomorrow is Easter.  Rebirth, new thoughts, and, um, chocolate. 

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