All the loaves appeared to be in tact – even through 2 medium aftershocks!
[I only felt one of them though]
I drove in to the bakery today just so I wouldn’t have to get sweaty and take another shower. Bummer because I hit major traffic on Main St. where a gas line had a leak – not sure if it was quake related or not. I had to detour through the hospital – which was a pain!
I finally arrived to find the granola factory hard at work.
Not sure if we can do another round after this. We are worn out!! 700 hand-filled and weighed bags…on top of regular bread production. It’s really great granola though!
I headed back home after some work. You know…I swear the porch did not have this many cracks before today…
In preparation for book club, I made a green salad topped with broccoli slaw, goat cheese and peanuts to ground my dinner. It’s just not dinner without at least one thing green, and I had to assume we’d only be enjoying wine and chocolate at the party!
I waited for Seamane to pick me up whilst standing in the screen door. I attempted to sit on the porch but the mosquitos are not yet gone! I got 4 bites in 2 minutes.
Confession – I still have 50 pages to go. But since this wasn’t a plot-heavy book it was OK. We all agreed that we liked parts of the book and disliked others. And everyone agreed that for a food critic’s memoir there was NOT ENOUGH FOOD talk! We were hungry for more!
There were lots of treats to munch – two cheese platters, guac and chips, veggies, hummus and dips
I brought our new Pesto Parmesan Swirl and a handful of Savannah Bars – they were a hit!
I had a few small glasses of white wine and far too many hunks of manchego. Love that stuff. Along with a slice of bread and a few chips + guac bites.
For dessert, Alice brought out a tub of homemade cream cheese frosting to drizzle over chocolate cupcakes
These ladies sure do know how to eat! I fit right in : )
Back at home, I talked to my dad and caught up on emails. Ready to sleep – hopefully rumble free!
{ 58 comments… read them below or add one }
Oooh I wanna read that book!! The workers at the granola factory are all granola-ed out
First again!!! (I notice this because my Gmail comments all start with you
)
Poor granola workers ;(
Don’t get used to it
That pesto parmesan swirl bread sounds amazing!!
You need to hire staff just to box granola.
You’d be a great book-club guest – there would always be great bread available! Ruth Reichl wrote “Garlic and Sapphires” too which I haven’t read yet, but is more about being a food critic -might be more interesting. Who/how do you guys select which book to read anyways?
Staff JUST for granola, wouldn’t that be great? Its important stuff!! Too bad Kath would probably have to pay them only in granola
I really liked Garlic & Sapphires too, I got the audio from the library and it was surprisingly well done, Ruth did the reading herself. I found it very amusing – tried to read Tender at the Bone after and just could not get into it! Definitely needed more food
I completely agree with you about Tender at the Bone. I found her “struggles” as a adolescent annoying and not worthy to be read to be honest! I read her other book, about her experience as the food critic for New York Times, which was MUCH better I can’t remember the title offhand.
What a fun idea for cupcakes at a party. I’ll have to remember that!
The earthquake was so crazy today! Didn’t feel any aftershocks over here in Williamsburg, but then again maybe I just missed it. I was too late for that granola deal, you guys have to do it again some time so that I can get some!
The pesto bread looks great! So pretty. I love pretty food!
That is quite the spread of deliciousness on that table! ….I still can’t get over that earthquake stuff! wow, glad you are all safe!
I’d be in heaven at your book club get together! The food spread looks fabulous.
Send more rumbles tomorrow around 2pm. I enjoy being evacuted from my office under an afternoon sun.
That’s my granola!! I can’t wait to get it, looks so yummy.
Pesto parmesan swirl? I’ve never seen that at my Great Harvest!? Feed me now!!!!! YUM.
mmmm that spread of yumminess looks absolutely delicious!
A tub of homemade cream cheese frosting in my kitchen would not make it to book club, except for what came with me in my tummy. Just saying’
I want the pesto swirl bread like right now too. YUM. your posts always make me hungry!
OMG… that tub of frosting.
Are you going to be selling AND shipping the granola permanently? I bought some in your Open Sky deal and I’m almost out.. and very sad about that.
Not permanently
It’s just too much to do on a regular basis..but sporadically probably
So delicious!!
I’ll be a granola helper if it means compensation in granola
I love, love, love the granola workers and appreciate each bag they lovingly fill for us! Please don’t stop! It’s your fault you got us addicted to it! Think how we would feel each time we had to look at it your lovely photos…knowing we could no longer indulge in it…… we would be so sad….:(
I take full responsibility!
700 hand-filled and weighed bags = whoa!!!!! THAT was a lot of work! Wow!
The book club meetup…who cares if you didnt totally finish the book. Book clubs are all about wine, cheese, and fabulous desserts, and great conversation and chitchat. Judging from the looks of this post, all of the above were handled
And that frosting. I want.
That was surely a lot of granola to pack, but I am sure your fans will enjoy it!
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
I wish the great harvest here had savannah bars. The one by the last city I was at didn’t have it either.
On another note, was the bowl of green kumquat like things quenapas?
Olives!
Wow, that’s a lot of granola! That meal looks like the perfect reward for a job well done.
There’s just something glorious about food-lovin’ (food-bloggin’) friends
Wow! I didn’t know eating yummy food was part of being in a book club. Very nice.
I would start a book club just to have food like that on a normal basis.
What a day we have had today! Whew, I am glad we all made it out ok!
That’s a nice spread of food for a book club meeting! The new pesto swirl bread looks delish, only I am imagining one with cheese swirled through.
my front porch is full of cracks! i didn’t even make the connection
The Savannah bars look delightful! I want to be part of a book club like that
Your book club looks fabulous!
When they were showing the map on TV about the center of the earthquake.. and Cville was on the map.. I kept saying that you lived there .. and I think my boyfriend thought I was crazy and making things up. The special things of blogging..
I thought that was ketchup on that cupcake!
Is it weird that I was hoping for some aftershocks and was disappointed that we didn’t get any? ; )
Whew! That is a ton of granola. I would be tired too haha
What a beautiful spread….looks like a fun book club night!
I’m glad the bread is safe! Haha. and book club looks like a fun time! I’ve joined one here in Chicago, but we meet up at restaurants. I think doing it at home and bringing food sounds more fun, and better on my budget!
That is a LOT of granola! Whew…but I’m sure the purchasers will totally appreciate every little bit and bite.
Nice looking spread! What’s in a Savannah Bar? I don’t think I’ve seen them at our nearest GH.
Baker’s choice of fruit plus oats, coconut, brown sugar, butter, and whole wheat flour
Book club sounds fun. Did you start it or just find one randomly to join?
I joined my friend Seamane’s group
wow what a beautiful spread at book club!
What a great book club!! Looks like you guys had some delicious food to share. Hopefully Cville is shock-free today!
I thought of you guys when I heard about the Earthquake! Glad everyone is ok! I am in Ohio right now and some people felt the quake in downtown Dayton
I seriously love that you have a book club. I want one!!
Also – LOVE peanuts in a salad. I always wonder if people will think it’s weird when I throw them in there, glad I’m not alone because it’s such a nice crunch/flavor
How often do you meet in your book club? you look like you had a feast from all those food
that pesto parmesan swirl looks interesting 
anything with pesto is delicious 
Phew – glad the bread didn’t take a dive off the rack during the quake, like your shampoo bottles.
Even happier that the granola is unharmed! I took a moment out of my beach vacay last week to make sure to buy the deal. Can’t wait for bag #2 of Cville Cluster. 
~
Ruth Reichl is one of my favorite authors – but I started with her book Garlic & Sapphires which I still think is her best after having read all of her others. It’s very funny and charming – I’d recommend that before Tender At the Bone/Comfort Me with Apples any day. definitely think about reading that one!
THANK YOU TO ALL THE GRANOLA WORKERS
I personally can not WAIT to get my stash!!!
I absolutely LOVE Ruth Reichl–all of her books are fantastic, if you ask me. Garlic & Sapphires is the one about her experiences at the New York Times, but there’s also Tender at the Bone, Comfort Me With Apples and a memoir about her mom that’s been published under two different titles. One thing I love is that they’re not really FOOD books, per se, but since she’s a food person, she uses food as a way to tell the stories of her life. And I think she’s just a wonderful storyteller.
Now I want to go re-read all of her books…*looks longingly at them sitting on the shelf nearby*…
I ordered some of the granola. I can’t wait to try it!