LAFFlines #3: Surrounded by Spectacular
A Note from Abby
Surrounded by spectacular.
Ever seen a man do a backbend so deep that he slipped his head into the seat of his pants? Well, on Wednesday night at Virginia Tech’s Moss Arts Center, a contortionist with Cirque Kalabanté did just that accompanied by a saxophone, bass, and African drums. Curled backwards with the two sides of his ribcage flaring to the ceiling like a pair of ram horns, could he hear our breathlessness? The astonished silence punctuated by gasps and whispered exclamations? The toddler’s wail?
I was lucky enough to sit beside my mother, who was in town to celebrate her 70th birthday. My mother’s favorite color is yellow. That could be why the thick carpet of yellow leaves at Hahn Garden was the most spectacular thing I saw this week. Rose seemed as dazzled as I. (But that could’ve been because of the squirrels darting from bush to bush.) People—including Goethe back in 1810—have been studying color psychology for years. Yellow, last Monday morning, put me into the psychological state of sunshine. The glorious ephemerality of golden light.
The leaves were too beautiful to walk upon. I hesitated. Held my breath. Listened to the leaves crinkle under the faint breeze. A squirrel scampered out from behind a statue. Rose sprang forward against her leash. And over the yellow we ran.
Apple-maple-sage stuffed acorn squash.
Online Orders for LAFF are Open!
Online orders are now open here. To avoid waste, orders are tied to a specific production date. The first production date available is Sunday, November 24 (next Sunday!). You can pick up orders at Millstone Kitchen (the commercial kitchen where I make LAFF), or I will deliver your order within the Blacksburg-Christiansburg area. If the pick-up/delivery times that are listed on the online store do not suit you, please email me to coordinate a time that DOES work: hello@laffkitchen.com. Delivery is free…for at least the rest of 2024.
I will announce more production dates in next week’s newsletter. Thank you for your patience as LAFF (slowly) gets off the ground.
Recipes and Food Inspiration
This week’s recipe is a slam dunk for Thanksgiving. Actually, it’s two slam dunks because there are two flavors of stuffed acorn squash: Chai clementine and apple-maple-sage.
Since we have some new folks (yay!) receiving this newsletter, here are links to the recipes published so far:
“Delicapple” Black Rice Bowl with Balsamic Glaze
Mad Hatter Spring Rolls with Sweet Heat Carrot Sauce
Plus, here’s the introductory video on making delicious meals with LAFF:
I’m eager to tailor LAFFkitchen to our community and value your feedback. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me: hello@laffkitchen.com
Thank you for reading and getting more LAFF in your life.
Cheers,
Abby