November is the time when we are all gearing up for Holiday giving. When some of us have so much and are so thankful, we would like to suggest thinking about honorable organizations that work for the good of us all. Please consider ALL your sources for better livings as well as one of ours, Renewing the Countryside, which will received matched contributions for even the smallest donation of $25. Thank you and Happy Holidays!

http://www.renewingthecountryside.org/

So, as reported on the Home Page, together with the Schubert Club, we hosted the reception at the Memorial held by our friend Jorja Flizanis for her late husband, Michael, at the Ted Mann Concert Hall this past Sunday. Because no one can guestimate the attendance for such an event, I was told to plan for 600. Six hundred for an hour reception at 8:30 on a Sunday night. In the best case scenario, I planned 5 pieces of food for 600 people...that's 3,000 pieces of food to be passed in one hour. Troops! Bring in the troops.

Who would have known? I had to have clarity in my cuisine offerings, so I called my Master Gardener,

A quiet Saturday turned into one celebration after the other! Jerry and Robert called in the am to reserve a table for "14" that turned into a major celebration of twenty-two. Here they are AFTER most had left and these were the lingerers. At Five we had the Pocket Hercules folks with a pre-set farewell partee. What lovely light, company, and food! A buffet of Orzo Pasta Salad, Boughatsa Tyri, Pitsas, Melitzana & Pita, Tyro & Veggies, wine and beer. What would you want on a sunny, cool Saturday afternoon. Thank you Tina et al.

So, when Steve, who plays soccer with Lazaros came in for lunch today, he asked his server, "do you have the stuffed squash blossoms?" which was relayed to me and to which I answered, "No." By the end of the shift I was being asked if we would be serving them tonight, because if I were, he'd bring his wife! Well, I had exactly 12 blossoms in the walk-in, hardly enough to put out 3 orders. So I got on the phone.

To go back a bit, the Gardens catered the Walker Art Museum's Appreciation Dinner for their volunteer tour guides last Saturday, July 18. While the weather threatened havoc, good luck, charms or karma,

the passing of Michael Steinberg. We saw Jorja and Michael brunching at Spoon River when we were at the Mill City Farmers' Market a couple weeks ago. I came upon them announcing, "Twin Cities Paparazzi at Hand"....it had been some time, Michael had been ill and Jorja explained that they really didn't move far from their condo above the restaurant in response to my complaint that I missed their visits, particularly their Sat lunches with us at the Gardens.

What a beautiful day it was today....so many stopped by with whom our lives have intertwined...At about 4pm when the store was nearly silent, in came Sophia DeHoff, a darling waif of Scandinavian blond, a up close to hug me. I looked over and there was her dad, Rob, brother, Tobby and Rob's brother, Mike, and his friend, Meg....Anne, Rob's wife and mother of those darlings, came in late, one of the warmest people I barely know, but she always makes me smile. It was Rob's 40th and his family celebrated him at the Gardens. It seemed only yesterday when we catered their wedding.

It was good to see some of our favorite buddies yesterday at the Gardens, West and Calder, I guess you could say that they have grown up here starting even from with in utero ingestion....huh Dena? As you can see, they were exploring some of the new flavors of the Gardens, Mavromatika soupa, as well as their standard faves...Tyro, Fava, Patzaria. For dessert they were treated to our secret stash of Pagoto Fistikia, pistachio ice cream, waiting for its introduction on this summer's must try list!

You could also call them "squash blossoms" as in "flowers of the zucchini vine" picked first thing in the morning before the blossoms