The Weekly Newsletter for September 12-16, 2011
So much good news!

We're featured
We are September's Featured Restaurant in The Laurel of Asheville, a beautiful local magazine.  Paul Howey got some beautiful snaps of our food (ably cooked by the kitchen team and presented by Adam and Andrew).  Tina Wolfe "got" us in a nice way with her careful interview and recording of why we do what we do.
 
Take a look (click on the link right below these words)

The Laurel of Asheville


AND - we're # 1 - again!!!
Oops - we're not allowed to say where.  SHHHH! 
But I'm excited and we'll announce it soon.


Dinners for the week
Give us a call by noon and we'll have your dinners ready by 3. You can come until 7.
 
828-252-1500
 
Monday, September 12
Chevre and Spinach-Stuffed Chicken (GF) 7.95
 
Tuesday, September 13
Spanikopita with Artichoke Salad 7.95
 
Wednesday, September 14
Flank Steak Fajitas with Guacamole 9.50
 
Thursday, September 15
Oh boy!!! Chicken and Dumplings 7.50
 
Friday, September 16
Elsie’s Chicken Baked in Wine with Egg Noodles 7.95

Laurey's


Casseroles and Lasagna for the Week
Here is this week's casserole:
 
Wednesday, September 14
Shepherd’s Pie with Local, Hickory Nut Gap Beef
Full: 60 Half: 30
 
And this week's Lasagna is:
 
Friday, September 16
Roasted Early Fall Vegetable Lasagna
Full: 38 Half:19
 
Call us by noon and we'll have yours ready to pick up by 3.


Busy, busy!
It is a fine thing for me to sit at my desk and look at our office walls filled with charts and graphs and plans and lists.  We're nicely busy these days with lunches and dinners (and breakfasts) going all over the place.  Our fall is shaping up well with a couple of huge events coming up and a number of weddings and special events to keep us all hopping (well, not me so much right now...)
 
Thanks for keeping it so!


New red things!
I screeched to a halt yesterday at the store.  I went to get some containers for my house (trying, still to deal with the mice visitors.)  These file folders caught my eye and, in my opinion, there can never be too much red in my life.  These will hold the collection of bee and honey things I'm amassing as I work on my book.
 
Yippee!


Mark the 29th for Drumming with Jessie
Jessie is a little squirt of a thing but MAN can she drum!!! (and we found we could too after a few hints and suggestions from this wonderful teacher.)
 
We had one session last month and had so much fun she agreed to come back.  Do join in.  It is REALLY fun!
 
Call her to save a spot: 828-777-5115 is her number.  The class costs just $20.00 (payable to her that night).  We start at 7:30 - and our cafe is closed so we can make as much noise as we wish. 


I do
My beloved home state got slammed recently.  You may wonder why I choose to put an item about destruction in a newsletter filled with good things.  The simple truth is that in difficult times, people emerge and step up to help.  That is happening Vermont.
 
We are going to do a benefit here soon so please stay tuned.  Many farmers lost their dairy cows, a heartbreaking thing to think about.  We're going to pair with a group who is helping get new cows to the farmers.  Click the link if you'd like to know more - and watch for our announcement.

Vermont Farm Disaster Relief


A word or two from Laurey
September 10, 2011
 
Hiya, hiya.
 
Wow – what a gorgeous day it is here. Crystal skies, fresh air. The remnants of these storms have really cleared things out. It’s sad that that kind of event is needed to clear the way but that’s how it is sometimes, yes?
 
I’ve had some fresh air in me too. Funny how things crank along and things are done, tests are administered and then, for someone like me in this current state of my life, one waits to hear the “results.” Mine, this week, were good. Very good. I moved up in the opinion of my surgeon – nice to be well thought of as a surgical candidate, I find. My other doctors continue to tell me I look good. “Young and healthy” is the current lingo, along with, “You’re doing great. Keep it up.” Sounds great to me. I’ll take it! Right now, though I am still sore from the recent surgery, I AM finding a resilience that others have mentioned but which I have not previously fully acknowledged.
 
I’m pleased that my body is responding to the medical treatments. I’m relieved that I can undergo major surgery and, one week later, drive myself to the shop to sit in my chair. (I’ve been much more “productive” at other times of my life, but for right now, driving and sitting impress me plenty.)
 
I’m also relieved to have a break in treatments right now. One’s body needs time to recover after surgery and before treatments start up. I have a one month hiatus. YAY!!! And, as I look at the calendar, it seems that I might have my last treatment before Christmas. What a grand present that would be. Best of all, it is nice to start to really know that I can withstand this whole ordeal. I am not shriveling up. I’m taking it easy, granted, but I’m pretty good. And pretty good is just fine with me.
 
I’m back on track to write. Things are in order. A new season is starting and for me that is invigorating. It’s hard to write when I don’t feel well, but I DO feel well so let the writing continue. I am surrounded by my bees, by honey, by energy and clarity and so I say, all is good.
 
Thanks for all the support you continue to give me and the gang here. One fun thing about all the doctor visits is that over the nearly 25 years I have been doing this work, our food is well spread in town so there is almost always someone who tells me their favorite thing to eat at our shop. Of course the sweet potatoes are a favorite, but so are the black bean cakes, the burritos, the Shazamwich (Wednesday’s special sandwich) and the Reuben and the soups and the…. These excited outbursts from my nurses and doctors - “Oh!! You’re Laurey of LAUREY’S!!!” – lift me too. Pretty sweet.
 
And so I shall go for now. I hope you’re finding time to enjoy this beautiful weather. I’ll be in touch next week.
 
Cheers - Laurey


Blessed bees
And in the midst of everything else, my bees chug along.  The other day, just after I snapped this photo, I pulled up a chair and sat in my driveway watching the bees.  All four hives are fully active.  My mentor is going to help me with a "State of the Union" examination soon to check on the insides of the hives.  For now I am happy that I have these magnificent creatures in my life and at my home.  They are truly life-giving.

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