W/E Dec 14 Same Song/ Second Verse

Wow~ Two weeks in a row we were not open on Thursday or Friday. That's not happened before due to weather. Guess we'll have to cram a whole lot into a little time.  Please include us in your lunch choices and even dinner choices this week.

To keep things as simple as possible I'll keep the same dinner specials from last week. We'll do new lunch specials and throw some potato soup into the mix. That should bring us back to where we started.

For myself,  I am trying to do as little chopping prep as possible. I had a misunderstanding with a cat Thursday evening. He feared I was grabbing him to put him out. In fact, I was gently petting his back. But just to make it really, really clear that he had no intention of facing the "wintry mix", he reached around and bit the heck out of my hand. This, of course, happening just as all the world was coming out of the sky. In Thayer we got 1/4" of freezing rain, topped by 1" of sleet, then 14" of snow. We were not going anywhere! Front and center in my memory was the fact that Kelley from Wal-Mart DIED from a cat bite a few months ago. So we did the usual field dressings after soaking in soapy water, kept it elevated and exposed. When we finally arrived at the OMC ER on Saturday morning, my hand was hurting pretty badly. But they got me fixed up with antibiotics, a tetanus shot and a pain pill or two, and now it is healing nicely. The swelling has greatly decreased and I can nearly chop. Hopefully, it'll be mostly mended by the time we get to the 2 caters this weekend.

The Stroll on the Square last weekend got cancelled as well as our music. This week the Christmas tree lighting has been re-scheduled to Thursday with fewer choirs. Michael McClure, local painter extraordinaire,  has a lovely display of his work in our "Gallery." We thank you for supporting local artists and helping to keep the money in the local economy.

Music THIS week will come in the form of Marideth Sisco and Dennis Crider of Blackberry Winter fame. They usually draw a nice crowd and we always look forward to their playing.  They have been in the studio recently and we may have new tunes to hear. Don't miss this lovely opportunity; reservations recommended. Music will start about 6:15.

Perhaps we can make up for some lost time with a good crowd all week.  The lunch specials all look tempting~

Monday~ Falafel gyros  $7.25
Tuesday~ Pulled pork quesadillas  $7.99
Wednesday~Caesar-roasted Tilapia with vegetable quinoa  $7.99
Thursday~Ham, Swiss and spinach quiche with side salad  $7.99
Friday~Chicken Stroganoff with side salad  $7.99

Seafood Entrée~ Mixed seafood crepe—shrimp, calamari and crab in an herbed cream sauce. Served with wild rice pilaf and our seasonal stir-fry. $14.99

Flavor Journey~ Spain~ Garlic chicken over mushroom polenta with stir-fry $13.99

We are always grateful to see your smiling face walk through that door. This week even more so. Your energy is what helps keep us going. Thank you. Have a joyous week.

~~Susan et al.







 

And then the rains came...

What a difference a week or two can make. Just before the tropical depression arrived we were sweating bullets wondering if our landscaping, livestock, or patience would outlive the draught. And now I look out the window on our drive into West Plains and I see lots of green. Our hope is restored. We dance in celebration.

This week is homecoming week in West Plains. Many of you already have plans for Friday night. We decided to bring Jennifer Strickland, our planned musician, next week so as not to compete with local events. While there will not be music, we will be geared up to get you fed and out the door for the game if you arrive in a reasonable time frame. If you are not part of the homecoming festivities, we'll be open until 8 pm, as usual. It might make for a nice quiet evening.

As we move into the more moderate weather we look forward to being able to, once again, leave the main door open and the screen door slapping. I felt we got cheated out of that season last spring. Summer started way too fast. With the moderation of temps comes time for soups. We've been digging deep to find some more scrumptious ones you'll love. You'll see your old favorites—white chicken chili, tom ka kai, lentil soup, wild mushroom bisque, French onion, chicken noodle, roasted root vegetable, kapusta, black bean, potato and leek, butternut squash, chicken corn chowder, chicken and sausage gumbo—as well as some new ones like fish chowder.  I love collecting soup recipes so you are likely to experience some new flavors this season. This week we'll begin with a new one "Chicken and summer squash chowder with basil and wild rice."

Jon and I roasted and blistered over 300 Hatch chili peppers last weekend. Now packaged and frozen they'll be readily available all year to season our soups and chilis. Oh yea!

With the humidity finally dropping it might be time to make some meringue. Individual meringues topped with fruit and whipping cream are called Pavlovas in Australia and New Zealand. We've had such a rash of egg-yolk heavy desserts lately that the whites have been building up. I have these lovely new pan liners that prevent the whipped egg whites from sticking... Something is bound to come of it by midweek.

We're going to keep the lunches pretty simple this week.

Tuesday~ Chicken Bahn Mi Sandwich (now with 3 chicken patties) plus side item 50 cents off.

Wednesday~Soup(see above) plus grilled cheese and onion quesadilla. $7.50

Thursday~Grilled Peach salad with fresh mozzarella and arugula $7.50

Friday~ California (sushi maki) Roll, miso soup and cucumber/ seaweed salad. $8.00

The Flavor Journey this week (Tuesday through Friday at night) comes from India. It isn't a curry. It is chicken tikka masala. It is another dish that utilizes many of the healing herbs and spices. In fact, this dish has 20+ ingredients including cinnamon, garam masala (a combination of many Eastern spices), cardamon, cumin, ginger, garlic, and yogurt. All these wonderful flavors are mixed into a sauce, and the chicken is slow cooked in it. The result is a rich stew served over jasmine rice. Served with a salad. $10.99

The seafood (available Wednesday through Friday for dinner) is Tilapia baked in a pistacio crust accompanied by late summer grilled vegetables (squash, onion, eggplant, sweet peppers, Hatch peppers) and a cheddar-onion polenta croquette. Served with a salad.  $13.99 If you are a person who knows you need to eat more fish but don't like "fishy" fish, then tilapia should be on your radar. It is very delicate and mild and the pistacio crust should be flavorful.

We look forward to seeing you this week. You might even enjoy dining al fresco. In the evening, if it isn't too windy, we'll have the torches out. While you are here, tell me about your favorite soup.

See you soon~~

Susan