Susan is the author of a number of books.  You may have read On Rue Tatin, her culinary memoir about moving to Normandy and creating a life in France. 

 

She has a new cookbook called Nuts in the Kitchen and she is coming to the United States to promote it.  We have managed to save a night of her time for you.  She'll be here with us, sitting with you and telling stories about living in France and about cooking with nuts.

 

Sounds fun to me.

 

Save October 20th, won't you?  The dinner will feature recipes from her book and will give you a taste of fall in a nutty sort of way.  Her cooking class sold out in a snap.  Call soon to save your spots on this dinner.  $60 per person (add $12 if you'd like wine too) will give you the full four course meal and an opportunity to spend the evening with this lovely chef.

 

I do get to don my gear and play in the kitchen still.  Lucky.  I love doing it.  Here's a snap of me plating a bridal luncheon here yesterday.  (Check out the snazzy new jacket, courtesy of my friend Rochelle, who owns Chefwear, the jacket company!)

 

The bride asked for a meal of local bounty.  Sure thing!

 

They had:

Curried Chicken Salad with Local Apples and Grapes

Local Greens, Braised

NC Sweet Potato Salad with Local Honey

Roasted Local Vegetables

Biscuits with my Blackberry Jam

Here are our dinners for this coming week. You might enjoy taking dinner home or to your favorite picnic spot or, heck, just to one of our tables. We'll reheat it for you even!

 

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.

 

Monday October 4

* Lamb Curry with Gingered Rice 11.75

 

Tuesday October 5

Portabella Wellington with Caesar Salad 11.00

 

Wednesday October 6

* Rosemary and Sorghum Roast pork Tenderloin 11.75

 

Thursday October 7

Grilled Tuna with Creamy Polenta and Roasted Broccoli 14

 

Friday October 8

Our favorite Crabcakes with Dilled Rice and Coleslaw 13.25

 

* these are gluten free

 (though it is important to know that

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.

 

The casserole for next week is:

 

Wednesday, October 6

Eggplant Parmesan

Full: 42 Half: 21

 

We make Lasagna every Friday. Here is this week's offering.

 

Friday, October 8

Mexican-style Lasagna with Poblano Peppers

Full: 45 Half: 22.50

 

The kids from "our" school - Isaac Dickson Elementary School, spent the morning here earlier this week.  (We are paired with the Chefs Move to Schools program, you know.)

 

Representative Susan Fisher was with us and helped a group make applesauce with local apples and local honey.

 

Brendan's group made Honey-glazed Turnips.

 

And my group made Candy Roaster Squash soup.

 

The tv cameras were here documenting the class.  All in all it worked out well, children scrambling for more tastes of The TURNIPS!! (Who would have predicted that one?)

 

Oh frabjous day indeed.

 

I adore this gal, love her voice, her lyrics, her zip and energy.  If you have not heard her, well, come.  That's all I can tell you.  She's getting discovered and you'll be able to say you heard her back in the good old days.

 

Trust me.  Really!

 

Running a place like this has its challenges.  One of the big ones is the impact we make on our Earth.  People need bags to put things in.  People need containers to put food in.  People need plates, forks, napkins - that sort of thing.

 

We've committed to making huge reductions in the amount of plastic we use.  We just used the last plastic grocery bag and are switching to paper only.  We're switching away from plastic plates and all or our disposable ware is now biodegradable or recyclable. 

 

Here's Andrew with our new Earth-friendly "bevnaps."  (That really IS a word.)  So far we don't have a great hot soup to-go container, but we're working on it. 

 

 

October 2, 2010

 

WHAT a gorgeous day it is here in Asheville. I’ve been to the market, to a craft fair, and to the chiropractor so far today. Later on I get to do a delivery for a wedding, and then, a bit later, am going to give a talk to a group of parents and teachers at a new school – all about bees and honey and the industry of it all.

 

Tomorrow is The Blessing of the Animals at Jubilee, my spiritual community, and Tye is set to go. Last year she was the only animal at the early service and got blessed by everyone! Whee! Later on I’m going to play with my mentor’s bees. And then, perhaps, I’ll go for a bike ride.

 

On Monday it’s time to get back into the glass studio. Finally it is cool enough to approach the furnace without fear of fainting from the heat. Its glass ornament time, glass pumpkin time, holiday gift crafting time.

 

Last week I got completely carried away. (Who, me?) Enchanted by the cool weather, I decided to do some fall cleaning. I’m much more of a fall cleaner than a spring cleaner. I started in my kitchen, scrubbing the counter tops, which led to a thorough cleaning of everything on top of the counters: the microwave, the toaster, all the canisters, and then the stove top. The stove TOP led to the oven and that led to the floor.

 

I replaced the sprayer in my sink and when I was at the hardware store I also bought some weed covering cloth. After I cleaned the kitchen it was outside to the bee yard which was getting choked with crabgrass. I scraped off the mulch I’d piled on top of some old carpet padding (which was doing a lousy job of weed coverage), put down the new weed cloth, replaced the mulch and, satisfied but not yet tired, moved to my back yard.

 

I’d started a garden in the back last spring and it was almost completely covered with weeds. But the rains earlier in the week had softened things up and it was not at all hard to yank out the weeds by the handful. At the edge of the bed I found some poison ivy but thought surely its strength must be diminished this late in the season so I grabbed it, too, bare hands and bare arms and all.

 

Weeding done and, remarkably still not tired, I moved on to the woodpile. I’ve been seeing a chiropractor to help heal my back which I injured on my bike ride. She’s been doing a great job and things felt so good I decided to get out my axe to split some wood.

 

Not smart.

 

On the fourth log my back started aching and I wisely stopped, but not before some damage was done. I put the axe away, cleaned up the weeds, stored the remaining weed cloth, tidied up the yard, the kitchen, the house. Finally tired and, forgetting about the poison ivy, I lay down to watch some golf.

 

By the next day the poison ivy blisters were starting and by then it was too late to use the TechNu that I keep in my medicine cabinet. My back was aching and the planned bike ride got tabled.

 

Now, a week later and a few hundred dollars poorer, I’m on the mend. After using every over the counter concoction I know of, I finally succumbed to the prescription options and am almost over the blistered, poison ivy-covered arm. My back, after two appointments and a few hours of ice, is back to normal.

 

I admit all this sheepishly. I think it is time to keep the axe in the shed. Time to remember to use the TechNu or, better still, leave the poison ivy alone! Time to be a little more moderate.

 

Ha! We’ll see how that goes!

 

All the children in Miss Susan's class are taught to use all five senses when they taste.  They look, smell, touch, listen and then, finally taste.  As you know, things taste better when the ingredients are local and, better yet, when you make them yourself (or get them from someone you know.)