New on the Menu

There is something that will sound different about to appear on the lunch menu . It was a recipe that Chef found on the internet , and  being rarely satisfied, tweaks everything. Its called bacon cheeseburger pasta. With the popularity of fried pickles  growing, it even has pickles in it. ( Yeah , there was a moment of gross out factor for me as well but , with my involvement with Henri , came the responsibilities of test subject. ) It has everything in it that you would find in a bacon cheeseburger. The pickles are not fried but they are hot. He experimented with about four brands of pickles , and surprise, the ones that held up best were Breckenridge Farms Hamburger Chips- Bigger shock, these are the least expensive ones that I buy for home use at my local dollar store. They seem to hold up better under the heat,staying crisp.  He upped the cheese from cheddar to sharp cheddar as well. It is amazing and good. 
The men with the notebooks are back. We thought that they might be critics or from the health department but that does not seem to be the case. They are very secretive about the notes that they are taking. It might be nothing but they act like students cheating on a test, they are trying so hard not to be noticed that ,of course, they command our attention when at the cafe. We did speak with the Sheriff in case we are being set up for a robbery. They just don't feel right. 
This being Sunday , Henri and I spent some time on our own. We watched the last four episodes of  True Blood (Season One ) while we drank our coffee this afternoon. Can't this poor girl find herself a Human boyfriend? Even her boss is s shape shifter... I like the Vampire sheriff- he's hot. And as for Bill's Fledgling? The eposode whould have been titled "When Good Christian Girls Go Wild." I don't think much of Bill as a training master. But he does have it bad for Sookey. 
Bon Soir et Bon Apetit ,
Arina Copain,Office Manager

Another Sunday but not so sleepy

As I mentioned before , I love Sundays, the only day that the cafe is closed. I get to cook. I made my famous ( in my family) unstuffed cabbage .(Henri claims that its unstuffed because its easier to chop the cabbage up and add it rather than spend the time making the little tiny meatloaves wrapped in cabbage leaves. I'll never tell.)

We listened to Cole Porter, Glen Miller, and Scott Joplin. There was an article online , I think  that it was alternet.org which spoke about the appeal of evil, which we read . My comment to Chef was that the concept of Evil is subjective . The article was based on Christian values. We don't embrace those as we were both raised more generic pagan.  The author of the article was bemoaning the fact that evil is appealing- Henri wanted to know what degree of evil the author was discussing. Is it as Evil to not want to do without in the name of the common good when the people that will benefit have nothing in common with the doer? And what if your survival depends on it?

 I believe that some acts are intrinsically evil, molesting children for one, but to call lack of thrift and maybe good judgement because you bought a Dior ( I haven't) evil just does not measure up. I am sorry if there are children starving in the Third World. I don't understand my responsiblity in their support - I certainly do not want to see anyone hungry,

Is it more evil to let a dictator kill his own people than it is to send US troops to fight the said dictator, knowing that you may cause nine children(one family)  from our neighborhood  to lose their father after serving three tours in Iraq and is currently serving his second in Afghanistan? We know these nine children, we have met their parents. Though there are many things that their mom and I  do not share in common- what of the privation that their children would suffer at his loss? It was probably preventable if anything happens to him. Losing a parent is hard no matter who you are.

The author also claimed that evil was lazy and good industrious. If a universal definition of good and evil cannot be agreed upon, how can one determine the quantity or quality of the work involved in one's life? If two people each wrote a business plan and one required five hours of labor like some executives, and others like Henri , put in sometimes twelve or fourteen hour days due to the nature of the labor, is one more evil than the other? What if the man who works five hours a day puts hundreds out of work due to the nature of his labor? Is he evil? He does not know the people who will suffer at his hand. But they will suffer all the same.I don't view either of us as evil, but I am sure despite the long days at work and lack of involvment publically with charity towards others , there may be some who would consider us to be evil.

I am reading Night Rising by Chris Marie Green as my bus book . Like the writing, hate the vampires that I have encountered . They aren't human , have tails and lack intelligence.

We are looking forward to the premiere of Atlas Shrugged Part 1, due out in April. We have heard good things about it and seen the trailer.

Chef is thinking about some kind of special relating to the movie that week so do watch for it.

Bon Soir et bon apetit,
Arina Copain , office manager

Arrgh! Its Monday again- with an hour less sleep.

I love Spring, except for the allergies. Everything is so fresh , and the produce that Henri uses is local . We will be posting a new menu soon which will reflect changes in the season.

There have been some men in suits visiting us recently. We know most of the locals and they don't act like tourists. Has anyone else seen them ? They come in , write in notebooks , and hardly speak. Not even to Katie. Everyone loves Katie and she usually can get customers to open up. There are no conventions in town. Wonder who they are.

Jean Paul will be making an Irish Stew with Guiness for St Patrick's Day. He made me culcannon which is mashed potatoes , cabbage and onions the other night. Sadly, we can't offer Guiness as a beverage. No liquor license. He will be giving samples this afternoon after 4:30 if you want to stop in and try it.

Bon soir et bon apetit,
Arina Copain,
Office Manager

Sunday , Sweet Sunday

I really love Sundays . The cafe is closed. Its quietand today, it has rained all day. Its a day that Henri and I get to reconnect for the week . Doesn't mean that we don't work- I certainly have enough to do. He does weekly specials based on available seasonals. His father calls us perfect two year olds- we play nicely by ourselves together.But then its really about the balance between work and personal lives.
We have a large order of  fruit coming in this week- I love the way that they smell when they are fresh . I found a recipe to surprise him with this week. He's pretty sharp so I have to work to put something past him . I normally think of cider for fall but can't think of any reason why it would not be just as nice in the spring.
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Country Witch Eggnog 1 cup apple cider 3 cups milk 2 eggs, beaten 1/2 cup whipping cream 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 2 tablespoons brandy Combine all of the ingredients in a large cauldron or pot and cook over medium heat for 13 minutes. Pour the hot eggnog into mugs and top each serving with fresh whipped cream (if desired). Country-Witch Eggnog is the perfect drink to serve your Wiccan friends and family members at Yuletide (Winter Solstice) and Ostara (Spring Equinox) Sabbats. (This recipe yields two quarts.) ~Gerina Dunwich -The Wicca Spellbook~ Its much too soggy to go out today . Plus the dogwood is just starting to bloom , and I am allergic. (Betcha thought I was going to say garlic .) I challenged Chef to sit still long enough to watch Las Vegas season 4 disc 4 this morning. He countered with True Blood season 1 disc 2. I hope that it was intended as a comedy because we both found it funny.   I did finish Blood Prophecy. Liked the writing, hated the rats . Plus I dislike vampires not staying true to their nature. But I suppose that its mostly humans who buy the books so what ever makes them comfortable.   I am currently reading a book on designer Edith Head. For those too young to remember her- think Edna in the Incredibles- the character was based on her.   Bon soir et Bon Apetit, Arina Copain Office manager