W/E August 17th After the rain...

Things are heating up, even if the weather isn't. Our plans are beginning to move forward. Last week Terry Hampton wrote a lovely article for the Quill that really caught the essence of what we are about. Hopefully, enough people who may not have been in before will be motivated to try us out. No doubt there will be a few who, though they visit, will simply not "get" us. While I would love to please everyone, I am not naive enough to think that those who are hooked on fried fast food will necessarily find a place in their hearts for our efforts. For the rest of you~ WELCOME!

You might have noticed the new chimney flues placed outside in the courtyard. These will be the basis for a new fenced area. Why? So we can apply to change our beer and wine license to include outdoor seating. As it is written now, our license only includes indoor seating.

Our first major update will be to add true craft beers on tap. To facilitate that we need to purchase a refrigeration device called a kegerator. They can range in size from handling one keg to small ones handling three small kegs to three door mammoths that can handle 10 or more different small kegs. So how are we planning to fund this? For the first time EVER, I am putting a few of my existing medium to larger quilts on a temporary sale of 20% off. These are doubly a bargain as I have not raised the price on any of my work since I stopped touring in 2009. I should point out that "Live Water", aka "the fish quilt", is not included in this offering. We plan to keep that quilt as the color and theme inspiration for the decor next door. I'll plan to have a sheet with thumbnails and prices of about 20 of my quilts by week's end. This markdown is short-term and will be over by the end of September. If you have had your eye one one of my quilts, there has never been a better time to purchase one. An example of the pricing would any of my 25 block  (approx 35" x 35") quilts are typically priced at $1800 each. At 20% off, the discount would be $360 or $1460.  If one you like isn't on the price sheet, just let me know. Many of them are stored off-site but can be brought here so you can see them. Just ask. Each quilt has a story. Be a part of OUR story. If you would like to see my inventory you can go to my website—www.rebelquilter.com. Full pricing is listed under the folder "purchasing/ pricing."

As the summer begins to wind down—did it ever get started?—the crops are hitting in droves. The richest flavors are still developing on the vines. The next major crop I am looking at are the coral mushrooms, which abound in this area. Chances are good that if you have any land, at all, you'll find a nice clump of them. They are some of the easiest mushrooms to identify.  They look just like coral growing on the ocean floor. I'd also like to buy chanterelles if you have them, too. We love to include the mushrooms in our stir-fries. BTW—the coral mushrooms freeze really well for later use. Wash them and shake out moisture before freezing

If you have figs growing they should be ripe soon. I'd like to buy some of yours if they have not been sprayed with any chemicals. The Turkish Brown fig actually does fairly well here as long as you can provide a growing location out of the harsh winter wind. My fig tree is about 3 years old and this year it "took off!" It is now about 8 ft. tall and has about 30 figs on it. I am looking forward to including some in a dessert and another appetizer looks really good.

We have started a new tradition amongst our staff. While we like to keeps things fairly casual, we still like the idea of a somewhat cohesive "look" in what we wear. A few weeks ago I spotted a line of shoes that really got me excited. The last time I got really excited about a pair of shoes, they were go-go boots in 1965. When I showed them to the staff they got excited too. This week Drew will be sporting his new shoes. They are scheduled to arrive on Tuesday. In the future when a team member gets his/ her new pair, we'll say they earned their "soles." There is a wide variety of colors and patterns so everyone still has some creativity in how they look. We plan to eventually have everyone wearing Hawaiian shirts, black pants and Inkkas shoes.

I have also ordered some fabric to replace the curtain in the main bathroom. I'm excited to be gradually spiffing up the joint. Now if we can just get that carpet cleaned....

The dinner specials will cover a wide range of territory. The Seafood Entrée will be whole rainbow trout stuffed with crab. Think—crab cake inside the trout. Holy Moly! I'll serve it with a garlic and spinach rice pilaf and summer stir-fry. Sea Sauce will accompany $15.99. I have 16 servings for the week.

The Flavor Journey will be from Greece. Chicken souvlaki, Greek style zucchini fritters, spanakopita, and marinated cucumber salad plus tzatziki. $14.99. The souvlaki are chicken breasts on skewers marinated in garlic, oregano, lemon juice, olive oil and mint and then grilled. The spanikopita is a puff pastry stuffed with spinach. The fritter is made from fresh zucchini, feta, egg and herbs.  The tzatziki is a a condiment made from Greek yogurt with fresh herbs, lemon and cucumber.

This week's lunch specials~~
Monday~ Jalapeno popper grilled cheese  (whipped cream cheese, jalapeno and apricot jam)  with gazpacho or tomato soup. Amy will decide on whether to serve a hot or cold soup depending on the weather. I'm betting hot. $7.59

Tuesday~Roman Sandwich with side 50 cents off at $7.59

Wednesday~California Club sandwich (turkey,ham,bacon,tomato,avocado,sprouts and chipotle mayo) with side $7.99

Thursday~ Crab and shrimp Louis lettuce wrap crab, shrimp, heirloom cherry tomatoes, Louis Sauce-similar to Thousand Island dressing. in a wrap. $8.50

Friday~Thai Turkey Salad~ ground turkey, cucumber, lime, mint, peanuts.....yum! $7.59

• We love that you are making this journey with us. Shortly, I expect, you'll be able to enjoy regional craft beers on tap. 
• We love sharing this experience with you and have heard you loud and clear that you feel you have a vested interest in where we take things. Thank you for caring so much. 
• We love that you think we are contributing to the quality of life in these parts. We'll keep doing so.

Have a glorious week!

~~Susan