Time for a bit of focus and anticipa-ay-tion

What a difference a week can make. Last week I felt like I was going off in six different directions, at once. Now I feel a bit more centered. Part of that relief has come from my mother moving into assisted living. Although I visit her daily, Monday through Friday, I no longer feel like a part of my attention is focused on wondering how she is faring alone at home. Her comfort and safety are now pretty well assured. Whew!

An area of greater focus comes as we prepare to host the National Audio Theater Festival attendees for their welcoming banquet and morning breakfasts.  This is a real feather in our caps and is causing us to do some stretching and growing. I am already preparing quiches and sweet breads that can be made ahead and frozen. There are a huge number of details that must be planned for and kept track of. Bruce's experience is proving most valuable.

By the way— that image is of my Blood Lily. It bloomed again for the first time in three years. That's our full-sized cat Blossom sitting about 2 feet behind the bloom. It is about 8" across and usually times it's burst with the 4th of July.I've had this lily for 15 years. The same length of time I have had the spider lily you see out in front of the cafe.

Will you be attending the Old-Time Music festival? We will be open that Saturday (the 16th) with a very limited, though, we hope, appropriate menu. Among those items being offered will be Pintos with ham and cornbread, pulled chicken BBQ sandwiches, our version of slaw and potato salad and cold watermelon. The A/C will be on and we'll provide a refuge from the heat. Renee' Wood will be playing penny whistle through the lunch slot. Come join us and bring along your friends who usually don't get to visit us.

My all time favorite flavoring component is garlic—especially, freshly harvested, very juicy garlic. Judging by the little hats my garlic flowers are wearing, it is neary time to dig them out. As is often the case at this time of year, the ground is pretty dry in my bed and will need a thorough watering before I can safely try to pull them. I love how they leave little baby garlics behind as they leave the ground—thus assuring next year's crop. I also enjoy drying the flowers by inverting them from a high point. I am quite sure you will see evidence of garlic gathering in the cafe soon and maybe even smell it.

We are bringing the smoked catfish dip back this week. We do a long smoke of brined catfish then add tasty ingredients that begin with cream cheese and end with onion, jalapeno, and citrus juices. No—I didn't just give you our secret recipe. There are lots more flavor elements. But the reviews have consistently been good. I invite you to try it next time you are experimenting with appetizers.

It is already scorching hot outside and we are in full summer mode learning our A/C system. We're bringing in some fans to help keep the air moving and cooler. We'll try to confine our oven work to the earliest hours to help manage things. Another dang learning curve!

Did you hear Swift Kick's preview Friday night? This local, highly talented bluegrass band features musicians Junior Bunch (mandolin, fiddle, lead and harmony vocals), Sean McCormick (guitar, mandolin, lead  and harmony vocals), and Steve Markley (banjo, lead and harmony vocals). Junior and Steve have been playing together for the last 30 years, and four years ago, when Sean moved back into the area, they formed Swift Kick. They play mainly bluegrass, but also do country and rock covers—and original material. Join us Friday night for this foot stomping treat.

I've so far been disappointed in the produce offerings at the farmers' market. Isn't anyone growing the early ripening varieties? How come no one had fresh peas? Asparagus?  I am sure hoping to see some new offerings soon. If your garden is of generous proportion, perhaps you can sell me some of your chemical-free produce. We don't go through large quantities of any one veggie. I just like enough variety to make it interesting. Anyone growing fennel bulb? What berries do you have? Call me and let me know—505-0302.

Now onto this week's flavor journeys—
All week~ new Chicken Gyro~50cents off = $5.49 Our wood-fired chicken, red onion, cucumber, feta, black olives plus tzatziki sauce on 2 flour tortillas. Served with fresh fruit or Italian potato salad.

Monday~Organic spinach and mushroom lasagna and side salad $6.25
Tuesday~Pork tamales with a white cheese sauce and salsa verde. Served with black beans. $6.25
Wednesday~Mexicali quiche served with jicama and fruit salad $6.25
Thursday~Island shrimp salad with tiny blueberry muffins $6.25
Friday lunch~Elk burgers with carmelized chipotle onions and orange/radish salad $7.00
Dinner~A: Seasoned chicken skewers with a Tunisian mixed salad  and baked potato $10
B: Salmon Oscar is a seared salmon topped with crab, two asparagus spears and béarnaise sauce (hollandaise with our own tarragon vinegar) plus side salad $12
C: Marinated and grilled eggplant and zucchini; tabbouleh and gazpacho $10

Looking forward to a great week. Come see us! and thanks for being there. We are proud to be feeding you. You give me room to stretch.

Susan—

Scattered

Scattered is a term that best describes my outlook right now. I feel like I am going off in all directions, at once. June is going to be a wild ride and I am already in preparations for it. We are excited that we have landed the banquet and breakfasts for the National Audio Theater Festival in the third week of June. This will mark a new level of catering/ banquets for us, as each day we will feed 60+ attendees. That is over and above our usual 40-50 at lunch. So I am working ahead to prepare quiches, desserts, sweet breads...all items which can be easily frozen. We're investing in chafing dishes and racks for storing prepped foods.

This week we celebrate being open at this location for 6 months. Can you believe it? During that time the learning curve has gotten a bit gentler and I am beginning to feel like I've gotten a handle on the whole picture. I still can't accurately predict how busy we'll be. We expected last Friday—going into the Memorial Day weekend to be fairly quiet. NOT!!!! It was one of our biggest single days, ever. Then, when I was expecting to be busy, like on Cinco de Mayo, we were dead.  Other surprises are when specials either sell out quickly or not at all. Hmmm. I can only guess that time and experience will be the teachers there.

The flowers this week will be less showy as they come from my herbs and other growing things in my yard. No showy, colorful flowers, this week. Instead you'll see Elderberry heads, maybe garlic flowers, privet, etc. If you have such to share, please do so.  

This short week we are keeping things pretty simple. Bruce has his tamales, of course. This week they are Polynesian. Sounds pretty fruity and delicious—Chicken-stuffed with a Pineapple/ pepper sauce and Hawaiian Fried Rice.

Wednesday, Bruce is creating a Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Pasta Salad.

Thursday, I'll have pork tenderloin with a fresh mulberry sauce, fresh green beans, and garlic mashed potatoes.

Friday I am introducing a new sandwich—still not sure what to call it. It is a Greek chicken roll-up. I'll take the wood-fired chicken, slice it and add Greek seasoning, Then put it in the warmed flour tortillas we use instead of pita, add tomatoes, feta and cucumbers plus tzatziki sauce. It'll be served with either the fresh fruit or Italian Potato Salad. Enjoy it beginning this Friday at lunch. I'll really want feedback on this new item. So speak up, PLEASE!

Friday night this week is First Friday and that means Open Mic. We hope to have several performers. Last month was delightful with a wonderful variety. The house was packed and everyone was entertained.

The menu for Friday night is:

1. Lemon chicken skewers, Greek potato salad and fresh green beans $10
2. Ratatouille Quiche—zucchini, eggplant, onions, garlic with feta and Swiss cheese served with a marinated vegetable salad and cheese biscuits $10
3. Italian sausage and eggplant lasagne with side salad $10

With more fruits coming into season, you should see more desserts presented. If I am not too scattered, that is. Please join us as we begin our second half-year. We couldn't be here without your on-going support and encouragement. Have a great week!

A Sally Fields Moment

On Monday last week I had a "Sally Fields" moment. You know that time when she won the Academy Award... Well, it kinda felt like that.  You see, one of my main objectives in cooking for you is to expand your palate—broaden your view of what might taste good. To make that happen you have to be able to trust me to take you on flavor journeys that won't send you over a cliff. So on Monday I was able to offer a dish that included local morels. To my dismay and delight, you lined up for them and we sold out quite quickly. So, there I was thinking, "they trust me, they really trust me."  Don't worry, my head came back out of the clouds on Thursday when very few showed up for our Cinco de Mayo offerings. Hmmm. But, I forge on.

This week we will be hosting a supper club whose theme this time is Morrocan. I've had quite the time investigating this cuisine and learning the ins and outs of presenting it.  Naturally, my digging has resulted in my adding at least one dish to this week's menu. Among the specialties that set the Morrocan cuisine apart are the heavy use of almonds, honey, lemons, and an herb mixture called ras-el-hanout that means "top of the shop" or best the shop has to offer. There is no definitive set combination of spices that makes up Ras-el-hanout. Each shop, company, or person would have their own secret combination containing over a dozen spices. Typically they would include cardamom, clove, cinnamon, ground chili peppers, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, peppercorn, and turmeric. (thank you, wiki-pedia) The meats are often slow cooked with these spices and served over cous-cous, a tiny pasta made from semolina flour. Semolina flour is that flour that is used to make pasta, made from hard durham wheat. The combination of apricots and melons has me intrigued. I'll be finally digging out my bottle of orange blossom water given as a gift by my dear friend, Marlene. This, too, is a delicate flavor direction of the cuisine. In celebration, we'll be making mint tea, also.

Last week was a stellar week, overall. Despite Thursday being the slowest day we'd had in weeks (including the stormy ones), we had our best week ever. Friday night was a total rock-out! We had 5 different acts for open mic. All were well worth the listen and we hope to see them again. I absolutely LOVE the feel of Friday nights as we switch gears and focus on good food, good friends and a slower pace...and you can be home in your jammies by nine!

Just a reminder~we have office meeting packages that pack multiple lunches in larger containers and save you some dollars. Next time you are staying in, consider sending someone by to pick up a group order that will make any meeting go better! Please call in by 9:30 a.m.

Because this is going to be a very busy week, I am keeping my blog entry short.Watch for new flowers on the steps in back. Know that you are a very valuable part of our adventure. We treasure your business and even more, the many warm friendships we've developed. Thank you for being here and for spreading the word about our little cafe. Now here's this week's flavor journeys—

Monday~Spinach and Arugula salad with carmelized Vidalia onions, Blue cheese, apple slices, seasoned pecans with a sun-dried tomato vinaigrette

Tuesday~Tamale Tuesday;Wood-Fired Chicken and Black Bean Tamales, with Avocado-Verde Sauce, Salsa Verde and Spanish Rice.

Wednesday~Pork Tenderloin with garlic new potatoes and side salad
 
Thursday~Waldorf Chicken Salad
 
Friday~ Lunch: Elk Burgers
Dinner: Chicken Tagine with couscous; Spaghetti with grilled ratatouille; Shrimp with grilled watermelon salad
 
Have a lovely week. It looks very good for dining al fresco.
 
—Susan

Won't THIS be an interesting week?



9 days of no power = very cold

 It is visions of scenes like this that prompt me to tell you that if it is icy, we won't be there.

That's Mom at 80 trying to cope in the cold. If it truly looks like ice is heading our way—and so far it looks likely—we'll be heading to warmer parts to avoid having to be stuck in a house without power.

I do actually have a menu planned out for the week. But I am releasing it knowing that ice could prevent us opening for more than one day this week.

Weather Whimps? You betcha.

In the mean time, I'm delighted to tell you that things have been going extraordinarily well. We couldn't be more thrilled. You have no idea what a leap of faith this was for us to do. We've always been dreamers and forward thinkers. But the last few years have taken their toll. We have to look harder at opportunities and more thoroughly investigate the downsides. We never used to do that before. We were always full speed ahead. The learning curve is beginning to lose some steepness. There is a bit more prediciton to our plan and actions and we are getting some of the logistics worked out. Believe me, whenever you are experiencing any frustration due to our greeness in logistics, I am experiencing it three-fold. It can be painful. But we ARE getting things grooved in. If you were here last Friday night you saw some of that in action. Simply by adding table numbers to each table, we were able to get food properly served without incident—yeah we're green!!! We also worked it out so that each meal served was simply a matter of serving and not having to cook to order. The result? Almost no waiting—in fact most people were able to carry their trays right back to the table as soon as they paid. So we feel we are continuing to improve as we learn this crazy food service game.

We are really trying to listen to your preferenes, so please voice them when you come in. Tell us what we are getting right and PLEASE tell us what you feel needs attention. I am most grateful for the feedback. It is all too easy to get caught up in the excitement of creating a dish and forget who the audience is likely to be.

Bottom line— it is going quite well and we are loving what we are doing. We need to continue to grow and bring in more repeat customers. We are hearing from many that word of mouth is what brought them in. I LOVE that!!!

So here are this week's planned menues—

• Monday~Chicken mole soft tacos with black beans and side salad with jicama; $6.25  Soup~ Chicken corn chowder(the lighter version) cup/$3.49 bowl/$4.99; Sandwich~ Chicken Pesto Sandwich (pesto, chicken, provolone cheese, avocado, sprouts with side of fresh fruit $6.25
• Tuesday~Italian tamales with side salad and garlic toast $6.25; Soup~Minestrone $3.49/cup $4.99/bowl; Sandwich~Chicken Pesto Sandwich (pesto, chicken, provolone cheese, avocado, sprouts with side of fresh fruit $6.25
• Wednesday~Chicken pot pie + side salad $6.25; Soup~Honey chili pumpkin squash cup/$3.49 bowl/$4.99
• Thursday~Ham and asparagus quiche + side salad $6.25; beef and Italian sausage lasagna + side salad $6.25; Soup~Honey chili pumpkin squash cup/$3.49 bowl/$4.99
• Friday~Chicken mushroom crepes with rice pilaf + side salad $6.25; French onion soup cup/$3.49 bowl/$4.99 plus lots more tapas at night

This Friday night will be a new concept for us. It will be open mic night. We'll give various local performers a chance to communicate with you and entertain you. This is a new experience and we honestly don't know quite what to expect.  We are excited to be a part of the community and we want to support our local musicians as we can—all part of local sustainability. If you know someone whose performance would work in our small cafe venue, please encourage them to come down and get on the list.

Update on Valentine's Day—we are NOT going to do it. We would rather wait until we can be a bit more organized and prepared. Plan now for NEXT year.

St. Patrick's Day— Plan now to enjoy traditional as well as decidely Irish fare. We will be serving up a very spcial Corned beef accompanied by potatoes and steamed cabbage and several other Irish surprises. March 17th, of course.

Earth Day Local Harvest Feast—April 29th (Friday) We'll be serving up locally raised and produced foods as a part of the Chefs' Collaborative—a national organization of chefs geared toward local sustainability.

Have a great week. We HOPE to see you despite what Mother Nature may throw at us.

Sept 27- October 1~~White chicken chili, Pesto Chicken Sandwich & Th/Fr sushi

It's really beginning to feel like fall now and with the rain out of the way, the courtyard should be perfect. I have ordered new batik fabric to change out the tableclothes to a more appropriate color-scheme for autumn. The next batch of mums should begin blooming and a few pumpkins added to the mix should be just about right.

I've been awaiting this weather to bring out the white chicken chili. Finally!!! We'll be using Jon's wood-fired chicken as the base. I'll cook navy beans from scratch, add onions, garlic, cumin, chili powder, some newly roasted New Mexico Hatch chilis, and so on. I'll top it with Crema Mexicana and toasted Pepitas and  serve it with a jalapeno cornbread muffin. Bring on the cool weather!!!

For the sandwich this week we are bringing back the Pesto chicken sandwich. I am using what is probably the last of Mary Badiny's basil to make fresh pesto. This is the "spread" on the sandwich. Then a few slices of wood-fired chicken, fresh tomato, provolone cheese and sliced avocado. If you missed it the first time, here is your chance. We had people asking for it well into the next week last time.

For you sushi fans-- I am making sushi but only on Thursday and Friday. I will make spicy shrimp rolls and serve it with miso soup. You might wish to reserve yours a day ahead--just to be sure.

In case you missed it, we have brought the fish tacos back as a permanent item on our menu.

The "return" goody~~for those of you making a second or more visit during the week~~ your goody will be a bar cookie of some sort. I make those for delivery beginning Tuesday. So I am reserving my decision on which one right now. It's a surprise.

We now have several people helping us find our perfect next spot. We are looking for some creative thinking to make it all work. Progress is being made. Your continued visits are making it happen. Your spreading the word even farther will make a huge difference in the long run. Thank you!!

If you haven't been back in a bit, please make this the week you do so. There are lots of improvements-- larger quesadillas, more meat on the sandwiches, umbrellas shading the tables & a community table. We've gotten quite a bit faster as we learn to streamline some techniques without sacrificing quality.We continue to make our own breads each day, use fresh ingredients and source locally as much as we can, and we really care  that you get a meal you thoroughly enjoy, at a cost you find reasonable, in a timeframe that allows pleasure. We actively seek your feedback and listen to what you say.

See you this week!

9 Days & Counting! Italian Shrimp Salad

I grew up eating this salad. Now that I think about it, I think it was nearly the ONLY salad my mother ever served. Maybe it was the era. I'm not sure WHERE my mother got the recipe, maybe a magazine, but we all loved it. Every single family member.

Having grown up in Texas I was exposed to the cuisine of many cultures- but it came mostly later. Strangely, my first awareness of my mother ever trying to cook Mexican was using a powdered mix to make chile con queso. Being an ex-pat Canadian, she promptly served it over toast like a rare bit. My palette at that point had never had hot. I was probably about 10 years old. It was a dismal failure with the family, never to be repeated.

Not so, the Italian Shrimp Salad. Shrimp in our house was a real treat and having a dish where everyone felt like they got a really good dose of shrimp flavor while having a recipe that stretched was pure joy. It was saved for special occasions and celebrations. The photo above is a 16 oz portion and will be served with garlic toast.

Here are all the ingredients laid out-- my mise en place. I started with sushi rice which is a medium grain. I personally like its texture better than long grain white rice. It absorbs the dressing better. There is fresh gulf shrimp, fresh from my garden Italian parsley, Romaine lettuce, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, mustard and a pinch of smoked paprika. We used to make it with cayenne and that is good, too. But I like the touch of the smokey paprika.

All the ingredients are fresh except the mustard. No preservatives, no unknown stabilizers-- just good wholesome, oh so good ingredients.

This will be one of our rotating specialty salads. Enjoy!