W/E September 13th Seasonal momentum

This time of year folks who are growing things are also frantically canning, pickling, freezing and scarfing. What looked like a few extra plants "just in case," now seem like a daunting task of preparation. It is a time when multiple generations gather together to get the job done, just as it was done 100 years ago. I grew up a city kid. I never knew the joys of canning, pickling or freezing. When Jon and I got together 43 years ago, his grandmother was still living in her home in Duncan, Oklahoma and she was still gardening and canning. It was the first time I had really ever eaten home canned food. I really didn't understand what all the thrill was. We always got our food at the grocery store and occasionally the farmers market. Now I "get" it. Now I wish I hadn't been such an ignorant snob who really only felt the home-canned foods were a leftover of a bygone era. While I still don't have a full appreciation of pickled produce, I at least understand and can give value to the efforts and rewards. Even though I was a member of 4H and cooked a lot, I never had occasion to can or pickle. We didn't have a garden and it never occurred to either my mother or me to buy a whole bushel of something at the farmers market and do something with it.  My time with 4H was spent sewing and "dog training."

This last week one of our long-time customers brought in some lovely pickles. Amy jumped on them. She LOVES pickles of any kind. I think I need a primer on pickle appreciation. Bruce used to make several kinds of refrigerator pickles and our customers seemed to enjoy them. While I enjoy the fresh pickles made with rice vinegar—like the cucumbers and carrots on the Bahn Mi sandwiches, the more garlicky, heavily seasoned ones pass my tongue, grip my lymph nodes and pucker my lips without striking a level of high enjoyment. Is it that I am missing an understanding of them? Perhaps if I was introduced to them earlier, with more comprehension of content.... Educate me, please. I know they are a healthy food.

Last week was simply CRAZY. The Downtown Business Association, now affiliated with the Main Street Promotions Committee and headed up by Anita Parrett-King, did an amazing job of getting a crowd up for the first monthly Stroll. I'm embarrassed to say I totally underestimated their effectiveness and we got swamped Friday night. I THOUGHT I'd be able to hang out at the reception for my artquilt exhibition. Wrong! I was cooking, and cooking, and we ran out of food. Duh! For next month's First Friday Artwalk we'll change things up a bit, present a limited menu that can be handled with limited staff and served quickly, reservations will be encouraged and I'll be able to visit with people who take the time and effort to see what we have to exhibit.

We'll be bringing in out-of-town talent from Rolla—Bliss Hippy—to keep you entertained on October 4th. Bliss Hippy is a "psychedelic folk" band with folk, rock, and bluegrass influences, playing mainly original songs that range from inspirational to down right irreverent. Offering Bliss with an attitude for over 20 years. They have a strong following up in their neck of the woods, so mark this one on your calendar!

I love that the first Artwalk was a success. The community deserves to have a regular function such as this to give a reason to get together outside of sports or church or school. In every place I have ever lived, monthly artwalks were the norm and a favored reason to gather. I am thrilled to see it happening here. A few years ago I was the featured artist at a gallery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin ... in January. I was delighted and surprised to see it was well attended as were all the restaurants, boutiques and galleries in the art district. No weather wimps up there! Hopefully, this will evolve into a year-round event and the venues can present artists, foods and entertainment to keep everyone realizing they are missing out on what's happening if they sit one out. For too long the artists who live in this area—and there are many—have had to show their wares outside the region to sell their work. Perhaps by allowing  friendlier, educationally oriented opportunities to see art, an audience will be built that has an appreciation of, demand for, and a budget for art. For me to show so many of my works in a professional manner, along with materials that documented my career—I  really did have a thriving career as an artist before the cafe—and being able to have educational "parts" and tools to explain my methods, opens the door to build that audience. We will leave my display up until the next First Friday Artwalk. Please remember that all my art is 20% off for the first time ever. The reason for the "sale" is to finance our expansion, which will add a taproom to feature local and regional craft beers.  The more pieces that sell, the faster the expansion.

This Friday evening, Gordon Johnston returns singing and playing classic folk/rock tunes and originals on keyboard. Gordon always gets great comments from our customers when he plays, so plan on joining us!

We WERE going to start soups this week. But as it will be the hottest week all summer, we'll wait. I have a strong line-up of soups poised for your enjoyment. Cue the taste buds.

The dinner entrées this week are both European. The Flavor Journey is French. It is roasted pork loin with a Sauce Chasseur, or hunter's sauce. It is a brown sauce made with wild mushrooms, white wine, shallots, garlic, brandy, fresh parsley and tarragon, butter and demi glace. Demi glace is a classic French ingredient made by reducing a meat stock multiple times to gain richness. The pork loin, topped with the sauce chasseur, will be joined by mashed potatoes seasoned with peppadew peppers and gouda cheese. Peppadew peppers are a South African pepper that seems like a cross between a tomato and pepper but, of course, is not. It is mild. Also, I'll add  green beans cooked with cherry tomatoes and fresh basil as a second side.  It'll be delicious. $15.99

The seafood entrée is Italian. It is Cacciucco—pronounced, I think, as kat jook' oh. It is a dish native to western coastal towns of Tuscany and Liguria, especially Livorno.  It is a fish stew made with many different fish. In fact, traditionally it is made with at least as many fish and seafoods as there are c's in the name. The primary flavor profiles include red wine, a mirepoix of celery, onions and carrots, fresh herbs, tomatoes and a fish broth. A layer of fried bread lines the bowl, the seafood is laid on top and the broth is poured over all. Magnifico! Comes with a side salad. $15.99

In addition to the carrot cake for dessert I have a nectarine clafoutis. It is something like a custard made with lots of eggs, fresh fruit, honey and flour. It originates in France and a wonderful way to highlight a specific fruit. Pretty simple but oh, so delicious. $5/ with vanilla ice cream

Lunch specials~~

Monday~ Vegetarian biscuits and gravy. $6.99
Tuesday~ Balsamic chicken and mushrooms over noodles $7.99
Wednesday~ Hash brown casserole made with bacon $7.49
Thursday~ Spicy shrimp with curry sauce, snap peas and jasmine rice $8.29
Friday~Tequila lime chicken tacos $7.59

This should be the week that things begin to pick back up. I hope so. We are ready to meet your needs and serve you. Tuesday evenings are still pretty quiet. So if you have a hankering to see us on a Tuesday evening, I encourage you to call ahead. If things are really dead, we're gone by 7:00 pm. But we don't WANT to be.
We look forward to seeing you and your friends and family. Have a super, late summer week. Absorb all that hot weather now. It may be all you get.

Warm wishes—
Susan

W/E July 13th Skipping along through summer

When all in life is going well it is easy to approach the future with a light heart and a touch of insouciance. When life seems a bit more serious it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking more effort is needed. Effort doesn't necessarily translate into more results. Actually I have found the opposite to be true. If I look at ways to make the journey more fun, light hearted and downright silly, life seems to get brighter and go more smoothly. After a week of "serious effort" I am far more exhausted and likely to be frustrated than a week of "let's play a game." Each can get the results but the second leaves me far more satisfied and happy. It all comes down to "energy management." The amount of energy needed for the light hearted approach requires less energy and tends to be self-regenerating.

Why do I mention this now? Because we are finally beginning to see our summer business picking back up. We had a few weeks of wondering what had happened. Fortunately, even when the lull seems to go on way too long, we are humbled by the strength of the returning force when it hits. We have been striving to keep things light and now we are rejoicing. We missed you!

You came back just in time to celebrate the abundance of the season. Each week, in addition to what we are finding at the local produce stands and Mary and Skip Badiny's garden, we are also being gifted with some fabulous fresh herbs and veggies. Just last week we were brought French tarragon, oregano, parsley, winter savory, poke weed and chives as well as fresh eggs. We love that you share with us. If you are about to leave town and don't wish your crop to go to waste, we'd love to include your goodies on salads and in stir-fry.

Earlier I mentioned energy. Well the foods we have been getting in abound in it! When crops are harvested and consumed with minimal delay there is an almost direct transfer of energy from plant to you. While working in preparation I am acutely aware of the boost in energy that the freshest produce and herbs contain. Dang near visceral. When long-distance transport, cold storage and time enter the picture, the available energy is just reduced. This may seem all new-agey but we who are working with the produce are quite aware of it.

One of the experiments we added while trying to get our numbers to a sustainable level, was to be open Saturday evenings. Despite being open for six Saturdays in a row, it has not proven to be a desirable night for dining—at least during the summer. So we are ending that dinner service for now. I expect we'll add it back in come fall. We are anxious for your feedback. Please feel free to share your thoughts.   ####NOTE#### No more Saturday Evenings this summer.####Note####

This week Renee Wood Trio will play on Friday evening. This time Jon Lumsden will be the guitar player. Even though we have Renee and her trio fairly often, there are actually 2 different sets of personnel. The sets of music played are almost completely different when Tom Rowley joins her as guitarist.  Although both Jon and Tom are playing jazz guitar, they each have a different take on things and Renee's improvisation is quite different between trios. Renee plays saxophone and David Moore plays drums.

We'll have three dinner specials this week. I doubt I'll have the ingredients for all three throughout the week, so if you have a favorite, come in early.

The seafood entree this week is a low-country crawfish boil complete with corn and boiled potatoes. We'll cook the crawfish in a broth seasoned with Old Bay..  $12.99

The second option is a pork loin roast glazed with garlic jelly. I'll serve it with our seasonal stir-fried veggies plus a tomato tart. $12.99 BTW—We make the garlic jelly in-house and have containers of it available for sale. It would make a lovely hostess or thank-you gift for someone who enjoys cooking.

The third option would be the Flavor Journey straight from Italy in the form of linguine all' Amatriciano. This ones really celebrates the season with slow oven roasted Roma tomatoes, pancetta and pecorino. The pancetta is an Italian ham and the pecorino is a cheese somewhat similar to Parmesan. This makes a very pretty dish—lots of flavor and lots of color. $12.99

I have some special appetizers right now too. A fresh batch of goat cheese plus some lovely smoked salmon brings out the water crackers and dill.  The second and third appetizers celebrate the arrival of eggplant season. We have a combo platter of hummus plus babaganoush (an eggplant dip) served with pita chips and crunchy veggies. The third one will have to wait until Wednesday evening before I'll get a chance to bring it together. It is grilled eggplant rolls stuffed with feta and kalamata olives. Each of these is for a short time only while the ingredients are readily available and fresh.

For desserts I have a real treat. Last week I took a whole large plant's worth of basil and blanched it—cooked quickly in boiling water and then tossed in ice water to stop the cooking. This intensifies the flavor. Then I made a simple syrup (half water /half sugar) and cooked it in that a for several minutes to make a basil syrup. That was then blended with juice from a whole honey-dew melon, some fresh lemon juice and a pinch of salt and then frozen. The result is a basil granita served on a bed of fresh sliced peaches. The flavor is delicate, summery and bright.

By Wednesday evening I hope to have a fresh local blackberry cobbler ready.

Now here are the lunch specials for the week~~

Monday~ Stuffed manicotti with creamy tomato sauce and side salad $7.99
Tuesday~ Solstice Salad 20 cents off. A base of romaine topped with fresh mozzarella, fresh Roma tomatoes, wood-fired chicken and fresh basil. Served with balsamic vinaigrette $7.39
Wednesday~ Baja chicken tacos with side $7.99
Thursday~ Pork Bahn Mi sandwiches $7.99
Friday~ Summer squash and 4-pepper smoked sausage quiche plus side salad $7.99

As always—we are grateful for your support and continued sharing of our little secret. Amy, Drew, Vincent and Haleigh all welcome you when we are not around. In the evenings you'll see those faces plus Christina and Sharon and, of course, Jon and me. We invite your input and encourage you to write reviews of our services on sites such as yahoo.com, yelp.com and google.com or even just a quick word on our Facebook page. 

~~Susan

Spring? Really? W/e March 29, 2013

Well that last blast of winter sure came in with a bang. Thankfully, it thawed quickly and the subsequent blast skipped us entirely of the white stuff. I am now officially READY for spring to take its lead. Sheesh! Enough, already!

To celebrate I'll bring in some nice stems of forsythia for the tables. That should help perk things up.

We'll have a new sign hanging on the three-door cooler which will list the beers currently available along with pricing. We try to keep up with your preferences. Be sure to tell us if something you want is missing. We'll try to accommodate you.

We are encouraging you to try out some of our higher end wines. I am downloading some of the "shelf talking points." These are the blurbs the retail stores put on the shelves to give you more information about your choices. None of these wines are over $25, and the responses have been quite encouraging. Don't forget that on Winey Wednesday any wine purchase is 20% off.

Last week we introduced "double punch with friends." This promotion is designed to encourage you to bring in a new customer when you dine with us. For that you'll get a punch for both your meal and theirs. We need to boost our customer visits by about 30 per week to get things into a long-term viable range. We know you are the best resource for helping us get there. Thank you!

Many of have asked about the blue bottles on the tables. They are filled with  Kangen Water®, a healthy drinking water rich in minerals, purged of impurities, and ionized through electrolysis. Alkaline ionized Kangen Water® is an excellent choice for healthy hydration. Not only does it taste great and refreshing, but it also helps you avoid impurities. If you'd like to bring in some jugs to try it at home, just ask us to fill 'em up. You can sample it for free. There is a brochure with information available at the register. We have made  the decision to invest in this machine, as it allows us to wash our vegetables without them absorbing the chlorine that is in the city water. You may have noticed that our coffee, while still made as strongly, no longer has the acidic finish to the flavor. This is due to using a higher alkaline water.

We will begin to assemble the raised garden in back pretty soon. We are in need of used cinder blocks. If you have any, even a few, we'd appreciate it. Also we may use old tires to form a perimeter. If you have a few discards, we can find a sustainable use for them. We plan to plant herbs, edible flowers, heirloom vegetables and peppers.  I am thrilled to make this addition to our culinary experience and to turn an otherwise ugly plot into something beautiful.

The new meatless Mondays are taking off with a bang, and I couldn't be happier. Amy is leading the charge but Andrew and Vincent are right there with her. This week Drew and Vincent concocted a meatless taquito made with brown rice and portabella mushrooms. The rice is seasoned with cumin and pepitas and cooked with our in-house vegetable broth. To that mixture is added a sofrito of tomatoes, peppers, white wine vinegar and lime juice. All are rolled up in a harvest wheat tortilla and pan seared to crisp it up and hold the shape. Served with a side salad for $6.99. We can now also make smoothies and fresh carrot juice. These latter are available all week but must be asked for until we establish their permanent place on the menu. Have you TRIED fresh carrot juice? Yum! I may be offering free tastes this week. Be sure to ask.

Our bread machine is on the fritz and while that is the case we are having Jason make most of our sandwich breads. We are also substituting some commercially made sour dough and whole wheat. Please bear with us while we scramble over this hurdle.

In the past we have introduced various sandwiches which will have a strong following for a few weeks but then taper off. This season my plan is to make a different sandwich available for a week at a time. We'll rotate through the Bahn Mi, the Roman, Reuben, etc. This week is a California chicken club made with either bread or a tortilla wrap, wood-fired chicken, chipotle mayonnaise, feta, avocado slices, tomato and sprouts. If you wish, I could even do it as a lettuce wrap. You tell me. It'll be served with the usual seasonal sides. $7.59

I am introducing two more of the seasonal sides shortly. The first will be a Mediterranean farro salad and the other is a tabouli. Both offer a fresh flavor profile and will add a nice textural balance to any meal. The farro is an alternative grain suitable for those who are going gluten free.

This is the last week of Lent, and I am thrilled to present stuffed whole trout on the dinner menu. These are 10 oz BONELESS whole trout which I'll stuff and bake with a mixture of spinach, shitakes, fennel, and shallots which will have been softened in a white wine broth. This will be served on a bed of wild rice pilaf and accompanied by grilled fresh asparagus or seasonal stir-fry. My Sea Sauce will round out the plate. Served with salad at $14.99. I have a total of 16 servings for the week. If you are serious about having this, you need to have me reserve one for you with your dinner reservation.  Available Tuesday - Friday or until gone.

The meat Flavor journey is a stuffed pork loin. I'll stuff it with farro, a healthy alternative, gluten-free grain, as well as apples, shallots, fennel and parsley. It will be accompanied by spring red potatoes with fresh garlic and parsley with a reduction gravy as well as grilled fresh asparagus or our seasonal stir-fry. Served with a side salad for $13.99. Available Tuesday - Friday.

Next week.....drum roll please... roasted leg of lamb.

The soup this week will start with a vegetarian French onion soup. The onions were oven-roasted with olive oil instead of pan cooked with butter. They are still very tender and caramelized. Instead of a meat-based broth Amy used our in-house vegetable broth. Are you enjoying Amy's efforts at introducing more vegetarian fare? Be sure to tell her! We want her to SHINE!!!!!!

We have had a difficult time getting reviews on some of the various review sites. Perhaps you could share your viewpoint with the likes of Yelp.com, topix.com, yellowpages.com, yahoo.com, google.com, MissouriLife.com, foursquare.com or 417.com  We haven't gotten any bad reviews, just ones that are terribly out of date—like from the first 3 months we were open. It kills me that some of the local restaurants that don't offer fresh foods can get a higher review simply because people actually go to the sites. Please share your opinions. This will help our exposure. If you know a food critic, please tell them about us so we can get a published review. If we need to work on something, I need to know about it.

Here are this week's lunch specials—
Monday~ Portabella Taquito with side salad $6.99
Tuesday~ California Club Sandwich with side $7.59 Available all week. See notes above for description.
Wednesday~ Wood-fired chicken crepes with broccoli and smoked gouda plus side salad $7.99
Thursday~ Stuffed cabbage rolls plus stewed tomatoes and side salad. $7.99
Friday~ Wood-fired salmon tacos with pineapple salsa and cilantro lime slaw plus side $7.99

Seafood entrée~ Stuffed whole boneless trout over rice pilaf with asparagus or stir-fry and side salad. $14.99

Flavor journey~ Stuffed pork loin (farro, apples, fennel, shallots, parsley) plus spring red potatoes with garlic and parsley and grilled asparagus or seasonal stir-fry. $13.99

Desserts~ Chess pie, baklava, plus something chocolatey...hmmm. Ideas? Share them!

I hope you and your family are able to enjoy the last relics of winter while watching spring begin to unfold at last. We cherish your friendships as well as your business. Thank you for sharing your friends and family with us. Have a joyous week!

~~Susan








  

Local is better

This past Sunday was Earth Day. I thought I'd give you a bit of insight into what we are doing at the cafe to keep our carbon footprint as small as possible.

When we started this cafe we knew we would be doing things a bit differently from the get-go. Among the founding policies was to use as much locally produced foods as possible. That translates to using foods that have traveled the shortest distances and therefore used the least amount of fuel to get here. As the cost of fuel goes up, you'll see those costs translated into food costs. Hopefully, our approach will keep our prices more reasonable along the way. We have far less waste and scrap than most restaurants—utilizing as much of the fruits, veggies and meat scraps to make soups and broths. What does get wasted usually gets separated into compost. We have several customers who regularly take home our composting veggies for their compost heaps.

We added screen doors to the front and back. On days when the temperatures are moderate and the humidity low enough, we keep the main doors open. I just love the sound of the front screen door when customers come in and out. My favorite sound is the low level chatter of guests. It sounds completely different when the doors are open. My hearing is somewhat impaired and the fact that the sound is impactful indicates just how important a sound it is to me.

 We've started using some microgreens and those have me tantalized. Each individual tiny plant has a distinct flavor. They may look like a garnish, but they pack a big punch. Be sure to try them next time you see them on your plate. Some are spicy, some very green, some just a lovely color with a mild flavor. They take about 2 weeks to grow to the point we use them.

A new change we've made on Friday nights is to start the music a little later—like 7pm. This has worked out well and allows us to focus on getting you served properly with food that is well prepared and hot. We close the kitchen at 8pm for the prepared meals but stay open until 9 and can serve from our tapas menu until then. These are sharable appetizers that are quickly prepared. Examples of these tapas items would include the pesto pizza, Tuscan brushetta, smoked catfish and chips, bacon-wrapped jalapenos, bacon-wrapped cream cheese and pistacio-stuffed dates and brushetta topped with basil goat cheese and fresh tomatoes. Our chips and salsa also make a great appetizer or snack to accompany your beer or wine choices. Don't forget we usually have fresh inhouse made desserts. But, you'll have to ask your server for the latest offerings.

And speaking of Friday night music, our own Jon Lumsden will be playing solo this week. He was teaming up with Greg Kwalume and Rick Brischetto, but Greg has been given a promotion and is being transferred to Atlanta. We wish him well but will miss his lovely guitar leads. Jon will play his own tunes as well as selections from the Great American Songbook.

I'm keeping the dinner specials close to home this week. The seafood will be from Rockbridge—just up the road off of State Highway 14. There have been several requests that we keep rainbow trout on our weekly menu and this just may be the debut of that. It will be available all week. The fillets are quite sizable—7-9 ounces. I'll lightly dust the fillets in flour with a bit of semolina flour and cornmeal plus a few herbs and spices. Then I'll simply pan sear in butter and olive oil. I'll serve it with our "Sea Sauce" plus rice pilaf, stir-fried seasonal Asian veggies and a side salad. Right now those seasonal veggies are tatsoi, Napa cabbage, green onions, red pepper and green beans. They will vary as the season progresses. $14.99

The "Flavor Journey" this week will also be from close to home. I am taking a pork loin, butterflying it and stuffing it with apples, sage, shallots and a bit of bread. It will be tied up and oven roasted. I'll serve it with side salad, garlic mashed potatoes and the previously mentioned stir-fry plus a bit of pan gravy. $10.99

Mary Badiny has done a fine job of keeping us in fresh produce. Unless you are growing your own, if you are not getting her weekly organics or the Semyck's fresh produce you are paying a high price for food that has been shipped across country and isn't as fresh. I encourage you to keep your dollars in the local economy and support these producers.

Now here are this week's lunch dishes~~

Tuesday~ Introducing our new wood-fired tuna sandwich. Jon is wood-firing the tuna fillets and then I am making that into a tuna salad. We'll keep it simple—tuna, mayo, mustard, pepper plus a little chopped red onion. We'll treat it like the Tuscan sandwich and add tomato and sprouts. It'll come with a side. It'll be available all week. If you enjoy tuna sandwiches, give it a try. $6.49

Wednesday~ Thai chicken noodle salad with peanut sauce. This has been a hit in the past. The base is a spinach salad with a rice vinegar dressing. Then chicken and noodles that have been dressed with peanut sauce top it. Sesame seeds and shredded carrots finish it. $6.75

Thursday~ Florentine tamales. Made with poached chicken and spinach with a parmesan cheese sauce. I think he is serving it with a risotto. $6.75

Friday~Pesto pizza with smoked chicken sausage, mozzarella, chopped tomato and mushrooms. Served with side salad. $6.75

I hope you have a chance to get out and visit us. Have a lovely week.~~
~~Susan

Picking up the pace

The vultures have come to roost in Thayer. I took this photo last week shortly after most of the flyers had settled down for the night. This was my first image of 5 that I moved from left to right in my view. There are 85+ vultures in this image and the remaining photos had a total of over 500. It is quite amazing to see them stacked up and soaring just before they roost. Someday, I'll learn how to use my Photoshop Elements to make a panoramic shot.

Well, last weekend was not our best. We decided to try to lure shoppers in on Friday and Saturday for lunch. That was a bust. One that will not be repeated this year. So we will NOT be open on Saturdays for lunch during your shopping sessions. I had very mixed emotions regarding being open during those times, so I am not disappointed. We old farts need more recovery time, and giving up our Saturdays was not done easily—but that is happily now rectified.

By the time you read this, we expect to have received our first snowfall of the year. All winter long, if you come in while foul weather is happening, remind us and we'll give you a double Lunch Bunch punch. We appreciate your braving the wet or cold stuff to come see us.   

Did you notice the minor change in the lettuces in the salads? We have been able to get nice lettuces from Mary Badiny/Marantha Farm. She has a good volume now and expects to throughout the winter months. We are adding them into our usual Romaine. Are you a fan of arugula? If so, please tell me and I can add some into your salad at no additional charge. I am a big fan of arugula. It has a taste very similar to watercress—a peppery bite. Just tell me how much to add. Mary tells me she planted lots of it. Throughout the winter months we'll also have access to kale and Swiss chard.  I know to add the kale to soups. But, beyond adding Swiss chard to quiche, I really have had little experience with it. So your input and ideas would be appreciated.

Will your office be having a holiday party of some sort? How about letting us cater it? We can make it quite simple for you and you'll get to eat lots of tasty, even healthy treats. Even our most decadent are at least made from real ingredients—like real whipped cream, eggs, cream cheese or butter. We make sure our flavors are real—like chocolate, vanilla and almond.  We can work with your budget and most special dietary needs. We DO need a bit of warning, so 24+ hours is pretty important.

How about gift certificates for your employees or family members? We are delighted to see how well received our gift certificates have been. People LOVE them! You determine the value. We have them printed on a nice card stock and present them in an invitation-sized envelope. 

We will be helping to cater several private parties again, this year. As we have gained experience, my confidence has grown. I enjoy getting to create outside my usual format. Presenting dishes that get you the kudos while keeping entertainment hassles to a minimum is one of our primary aims. Thank you for trusting me to make it work.

My menu is getting a bit of a shake-up this week as I re-organize from the weekend. Monday, which is usually quite low key, will get a nice entrée in the form of a pork loin stuffed with Granny Smith apples, shallots and white wine. I'll have oven-roasted root vegetables to accompany it. Beyond the usual onions, carrots and potatoes, there will be turnips, sweet potatoes, parsnips, and rutabaga. Don't miss this—perfect for a snowy day.

I invented a new pie last week. It is an apple pie that is topped with pumpkin custard. You see, I had this apple pie that just didn't look as full as I thought it should. I was making a pumpkin pie for our own Thanksgiving and decided to pour some of the custard right in on top of the streussel topping. It is now pretty as well as tasty. The dollop of whipped cream on top is just a bonus.

With the cooler weather, I have been digging into my stash of soup recipes. This week we'll start out with Bruce's beef and veggie soup. It has a nice flavor base and Jon got quite excited about eating it. Then I'll do a Tom Ka Kai for Tuesday. That is the Thai chicken soup that has coconut milk, lime, cilantro and tons of flavor. It is one of our most requested. Later in the week I'll do a beef and barley soup—guaranteed to stick to your ribs.

Desserts this week will include white chocolate cheesecake. Bruce has been tasked with digging out some of his family recipes of desserts.  No doubt, something good will come of it.

So here is this week's Flavor Journeys menu ~~

Monday~Pork loin stuffed with apples and shallots. Served with oven-roasted root vegetables and a side salad. $6.50
Tuesday~ Pulled pork tamales with salsa verde cheese sauce and Spanish rice. $6.50
Wednesday~ Creamy chicken enchiladas with cilantro lime slaw and Spanish rice. $6.50
Thursday~ Spinach turkey crepes with tarragon hollandaise. Served with side salad. $6.50
Friday~ Baked sausage manicotti. Served with side salad and garlic bread $7.00

Reminder: we will resume Friday nights after our vacation in January.

Thank you for sharing your time, your ideas and your resources with us. We all benefit, and I feel very lucky.

~~Susan