The Weekly Newsletter
Menus and Stories for July 5-9, 2010

Home. Home. Home at last.
Adam and Emily and Henry have returned!  Henry is quite a bit better and the folks at Duke let them all come home.  It will still be quite some time before Henry's immune system is fully up to snuff, but he is coming along nicely.
 
Emily will come back to work pretty soon.  Adam's going to take care of Henry.  And all is better and better.  I have missed them all very, very much and I am so happy that all the prayers and thoughts and doctors and miracle bone marrow donor have resulted in the possibility of a healthy life for a little boy and his sweetly lovely parents. 


COOL!!!
WE GOT A NEW AIR CONDITIONER!!!!!!!!!
 
We needed it. 
We could not afford it.
But we needed it.
 
Things were melting, both the food and our machinery and, frankly, us.
 
We've been busy enough this spring to finally be able to say yes to the purchase.  FINALLY!  And so, this past week the machinery was installed and hooked up and tweaked and filled and all.  It works and it feels great in here.  GREAT!!!


The prettiest table
Couldn't resist including another snap of the table from last week's wedding.  Set up under a tent up in the mountains a couple of hours from here, the bride and groom had this 80 foot long table built for the party.  Antique barn boards were salvaged and turned into a big party center.  The bride found old linens and old plates and old etched glasses for the occasion.  The weather was perfect too!
 
What a day!  What a party!  What a time!


Dinners to go (or to stay!)
Here are our dinners for the week. Order by noon and we'll have your dinner ready to pick up by 3. We are open until 8 now which makes it easy for you to dawdle if you like. Feel free to stay right here with us if you like. We'll reheat your meal and stay out of your way.
 
Monday, July 5
* Champagne Chicken 11.25
 
Tuesday, July 6
Pub-style Fish and Chips 12.50
 
Wednesday, July 7
Chicken Penne with Artichoke and Asparagus 11.25
 
Thursday, July 8
Grilled Tuna with Orzo and Leeks 14.00
 
Friday, July 9
Roast Pork Loin with Local Zucchini Papparadelle 11.75
 
* these are gluten free
(though it is important to know that
we do not have a wheat free kitchen.)

Our website


Special Casserole and Lasagna of the week
We make a special casserole each week.
 
Order by noon or so. Order a half if you have around 4 folks. If you have a bigger group, or you just like leftovers, order a full-sized one.
 
Then come pick up between 3:00 and 8:00. (Or bring a gang and enjoy your dinner right here. We do have beer and wine by the glass, you know.)
 
Please order by phone (252-1500) or stop in to speak to one of us in person.
 
This week's casserole is:
 
Wednesday, June 7
Couscous with Chicken, Roasted Peppers, and Mint
Full: 35 Half: 17.50
 
We make Lasagna every Friday. Here's this Friday's offering:
 
Friday, July 9
Chicken and Roasted Vegetable Lasagna
Full: 35 Half: 17.50
 
Call 252-1500 to order yours.

Casseroles for the month


All in a day's work
Our staff gets to do much more than merely serve on these outdoor events.  They are the ones who actually create the dining rooms!  In this case, the bars were constructed of bales of straw.  The dessert buffet was made of old bourbon barrels. 
 
It's nice to have big, strong men on our staff.  Eduard is a fine one indeed!


Lovely desserts
Here's a look at a dessert buffet: an assortment of southern specialties.  The Appalachian Stack cake has layers of cookie/cake and layers of dried apple sauce.  The Chocolate Decadence cake has bourbon-soaked raisins inside.  And the Hummingbird Cake - well, it is moist and oh so delicious.  You can't see the Peach Cobbler or the Red Velvet Cake or the Vanilla ice Cream or the fresh berries.  Or the Derby Pie.  But they were there.  Promise.


Jenna!!!!
Lovely Jenna Lindbo has been making quite the name for herself.  I am absolutely delighted to announce her CD release party - this Thursday night.  6-8 pm, right here.
 
I love her music, her lyrics, her vibe.  A sweet friend of mine says Jenna "has serious sparkle."  I'll say!
 
This gal is on her way up.  Fast.  Do not miss this evening.  Okay?

Jenna Lindbo


A note from Laurey
Hiya,
 
Happy 4th of July weekend!
 
As I write this note, Adam and Emily and Henry are here for lunch. They are home, as you have seen from the pictures, and things are returning to normal. Whee! As I have said, it will be some time before he can be in the world as other children can be. Henry has a newly forming immune system and it takes time to grow those precious cells, time for him to be strong enough to be around the kinds of things that other children get to do. He’ll get there – thank heavens. He will. He’s on his way.
 
Things are a bit calmer here than they have been for the past couple of months. I don’t mind one darn bit. I have loved being as busy as we have been. Especially with this tenuous economic climate, I am grateful for so much work. And I’m also grateful for a bit of a break. It’s time for folks to head off for vacations so our work load is a bit lighter for a little bit.
 
Yesterday Kris and I went off to do a site visit. On the way we stopped in at the glass studio where I practice my very challenging “hobby.” And though I dropped in unannounced, I was delighted to run into the studio folks who invited me to spend a day next month demonstrating glassblowing for a VIP tour. The guests include the Governor of North Carolina! FUN!
 
And then, once we got back to Asheville I enlisted Kris’s support in getting me some carpet for my bees. See, in front of the hives things are kind of weedy. And using a weed whacker in front of bee hives is not a great thing. So I decided to put some carpet down in front of the hives which I will cover with mulch. No weeds! We went into the carpet store, me intending to buy some remnants. Kris mentioned that I was using them for ground cover in front of my bee hives and the guy turned to me and suggested we visit their dumpster! Ha! Off we went. Kris couldn’t believe it when I climbed up and in, but it was a huge one of those long stretch dumpster things and that was the only way to paw through the scraps. I really scored, hauling out a couple of fine looking cast-offs. When I got home I put on my bee gear, weed-whacked the area in front of the hives, and spread out my newly acquired carpet. It has a sophisticated tweed patter and everything!!! NICE! All that remains is to cover it up with mulch. All in good time.
 
My weekend is spread out ahead of me like an endless field of clover. Sweet and open and full of possibilities. I’m hoping to get in a couple of bike rides. I’m planning to visit my bees. I’m expecting to sleep in – maybe. And on Sunday I’m looking forward to a picnic in our new downtown park. Some friends will gather, spread out the feast, and settle in while we wait for the dazzle of the fireworks. Sounds kind of ideal to me.
 
I’ll be in touch next week.


The run of the joint
Henry can't quite be around lots of people, but that will happen as time goes by.  For now he gets to sneak in here before the day's guests arrive.  After having spent so many months in a hospital room or a small apartment, the expanse of our shop is a delight to him. 
 
The other day, his first day back, he raced up and back, running, hiding, flirting, chortling.  It is a delight to once again be a part of his life on a regular basis.  

Laurey's Catering and gourmet to go • 67 Biltmore Avenue • Asheville • NC • 28801