So this past weekend was our favorite fair. It's chock full of fun. We paced ourselves and even had a little break and let the boys go nuts in all of the leaves that had scattered the park. It has everything, livestock barns, crafts, 4H competitions performers, tractor pulls, fair rides and sooo much more. Eric got to go for the first time in three years. This is a big time tradition in our family. The one thing that attracts us more than anything is fair food. Moderation is okay right? Once a year to me is moderation to enjoy all of it's greasy goodness.
We could not make a decision on what we wanted. Soup in a bread bowl, Buffalo Burger, BBQ brisket, Burgers, hot dogs, fried everything, chili, bbq chicken, really huge turkey drumsticks. It came down to Italian sausage sub for Eric and a buffalo burger for me, hot dog for Gabe and cheeseburger for Sebastian. We passed the giant eclairs and our decisions were mostly because we didn't want to be too full for later.
We stayed till the very end of the day for the dessert auction. Now this is one thing we have never been to. Everyone who is interested gathers around the vegetable competition barn and out of the small door at the end the auctioneer walks outside with a microphone. All money collected is donated to the local food pantry so it all goes to a good cause. All entries and winners are auctioned off. There are bread, pies, cookies, cakes, tarts, homemade granola it is truly amazing. There are junior and adult cake decorating competitions the entries looked like something from a cake competition you would see on Food Network.
At this point in the day the boys had had it, they were exhausted! Eric was salivating and I was just curious. The first thing we bid on and won were homemade donuts. These were gone two days later. You really get into the fun of bidding, even if you don't win you start to develop a strategy. Bid for a dollar less than you think your limit is. Simply put the auctioneer always gets you before you say Uh oh I didn't mean to bid. Too late and he knows it! The boys started coming out of their fair coma when they saw orange cakes that looked like Halloween graveyards and a one that had a fondant fisherman sitting on a bridge fishing in a pond. We then won a homemade multi-grain bread that looked incredible. Since the auction I'm the only won who's been eating it.
Then came the cookies. well Eric is REALLY into peanut butter. I can't ever buy a small jar because it'll be gone in one sitting with a spoon. Out comes peanut butter and jelly picnic cookies. The cookie itself looks like a slice of bread but the peanut butter and jelly are baked in between the "slices". Eric salivated so badly his hand went up before the bidding even started. By this time we had begun a box of goodies the donuts, bread and now the cookies. I was enjoying myself having fun till all of a sudden the love of my life was placed on the auction block. A rather large Swiss chocolate cream pie with homemade whipped cream and chocolate shaving. My heart palpitated and I was a goner. Needless to say I won this pie and my empty plate is sitting right next to me as I type this. Eric told me on the way home, that my eyes had bugged out my jaw hit the floor and he knew it was over from there. There was no way I was going home without that pie!
The pie was a blue ribbon winner at the fair and in my stomach!!
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
We're out of dessert! Do something!
One of the best times working at the entertainment venue was arranging the dessert table. When I see a doily it makes me think of chocolate. I absolutely loved taking the cakes out of their pastry boxes and cutting them in slivers small enough to feed a large army. After each slice I would drag the knife sideways down the edge of a clean square plate so that no crumbs would damage the perfect top of the cake when I cut the next piece. When I was finished arranging the table, I would find my carefully hidden square plate and with my index finger wipe the chocolate icing off and taste the delectable burst of ganache. This was a treat that I never told the other chefs about. Why do you ask? Because they are vultures and would have swooped in and stolen my plate if they knew. Since as a cook in a equatorial temperature kitchen you sweat profusely and eat little the taste of chocolate in my mouth was pure bliss. It ended with a very triumphant hand wash and a cat that ate the canary grin on my face.
The table always looked fantastic just before service like something you'd see in a display case. On some nights it was my duty to keep this table stocked with goodies, plates and forks. Sometimes I just had to tidy it's appearance. People LOVE their dessert and if you need any proof man the dessert table! One such night I was doing this very thing. I was running food for the buffet and keeping an eye on the dessert table. We started getting low on desserts when I told the head chef we were almost out. A frantic frenzy started in the kitchen as I was told to look in the freezer. Who cares about the meal give the people their sugar!!!!
This was a chance for me to think out of the box. Okay..... think back to mom, meme, aunties and the things they used to bring to family gatherings. With stealth that would make MacGyver blush I gather plastic wrap, floss and ranch dressing. In all seriousness I gathered whipped cream bags, angel food cake, frozen strawberries and a can of chocolate fudge. Through the innovative use of a microwave for defrosting and crumbling cake I did the impossible. In less time than it takes for a cook to have a butt break I created a trifle to the shock and amazement of the kitchen. I even had enough left to create a very quick plates of strawberry short cake.
At the end of the night I took a couple of victory laps around the kitchen as I brought in the last remnants of the trifle. The only thing that tends to happen when you have such a wonderful moment is that somewhere out of nowhere the thing you were looking for the most materializes out of thin air because the kitchen gnomes bring it out of hiding. There in the chefs hands from the walk-in came a triple dutch chocolate cake. The only thing I could do in regards to the hairy eyeball was say, "Well that's great we can use it tomorrow night!" That's why if you tell your chef you are out of something they tell you to "Look Again".
The table always looked fantastic just before service like something you'd see in a display case. On some nights it was my duty to keep this table stocked with goodies, plates and forks. Sometimes I just had to tidy it's appearance. People LOVE their dessert and if you need any proof man the dessert table! One such night I was doing this very thing. I was running food for the buffet and keeping an eye on the dessert table. We started getting low on desserts when I told the head chef we were almost out. A frantic frenzy started in the kitchen as I was told to look in the freezer. Who cares about the meal give the people their sugar!!!!
This was a chance for me to think out of the box. Okay..... think back to mom, meme, aunties and the things they used to bring to family gatherings. With stealth that would make MacGyver blush I gather plastic wrap, floss and ranch dressing. In all seriousness I gathered whipped cream bags, angel food cake, frozen strawberries and a can of chocolate fudge. Through the innovative use of a microwave for defrosting and crumbling cake I did the impossible. In less time than it takes for a cook to have a butt break I created a trifle to the shock and amazement of the kitchen. I even had enough left to create a very quick plates of strawberry short cake.
At the end of the night I took a couple of victory laps around the kitchen as I brought in the last remnants of the trifle. The only thing that tends to happen when you have such a wonderful moment is that somewhere out of nowhere the thing you were looking for the most materializes out of thin air because the kitchen gnomes bring it out of hiding. There in the chefs hands from the walk-in came a triple dutch chocolate cake. The only thing I could do in regards to the hairy eyeball was say, "Well that's great we can use it tomorrow night!" That's why if you tell your chef you are out of something they tell you to "Look Again".
You might be attached to a chef if...
You might be attached to a chef if...
... there are more pictures of food on your computer than your children
...chef coats and pants is the first thing you look for when birthday shopping and Christmas shopping
...instead of giving your chef a glass of water at home you hand them a pitcher
...the plates you use at home came from a restaurant (they were given to us when T.G.I.Fridays changed their plate design)
...You have a framed print hanging in your house of peppers, chef, cafes or tomatoes
...when you buy a car you have to consider if a cambro can fit in the trunk
...you find substitutions for everything (out of sugar for your coffee? Use the red sugar that you decorate cookies with. What's wrong with pink coffee?!?!?!)
...you can't cook in the kitchen together because you 120lb chef needs a 6 foot radius of space to work in.
...you've eaten things that would never enter your vocabulary escargot, chicken livers?!
...you know when your chef wants you to taste something, it's probably hot enough to burn your lips off.
...you know the food trends of this coming season simply because you are your chef's research assistant
(locally grown, gluten free, grass fed, foraged herbs and mushrooms, sustainable)
...you have more cookbooks in your home than your favorite online retailer.
...your chef has made you record every cookbook that is borrowed from your home.
...you have your own chef coat/pants/clogs/apron and hat
...you use monogrammed knives in your kitchen
...there are food magazines in your bathroom for reading material
...you place bets on who will win competitive chef shows and you are usually the winner (it's a rerun and you've seen it 5 times)
... there are more pictures of food on your computer than your children
...chef coats and pants is the first thing you look for when birthday shopping and Christmas shopping
...instead of giving your chef a glass of water at home you hand them a pitcher
...the plates you use at home came from a restaurant (they were given to us when T.G.I.Fridays changed their plate design)
...You have a framed print hanging in your house of peppers, chef, cafes or tomatoes
...when you buy a car you have to consider if a cambro can fit in the trunk
...you find substitutions for everything (out of sugar for your coffee? Use the red sugar that you decorate cookies with. What's wrong with pink coffee?!?!?!)
...you can't cook in the kitchen together because you 120lb chef needs a 6 foot radius of space to work in.
...you've eaten things that would never enter your vocabulary escargot, chicken livers?!
...you know when your chef wants you to taste something, it's probably hot enough to burn your lips off.
...you know the food trends of this coming season simply because you are your chef's research assistant
(locally grown, gluten free, grass fed, foraged herbs and mushrooms, sustainable)
...you have more cookbooks in your home than your favorite online retailer.
...your chef has made you record every cookbook that is borrowed from your home.
...you have your own chef coat/pants/clogs/apron and hat
...you use monogrammed knives in your kitchen
...there are food magazines in your bathroom for reading material
...you place bets on who will win competitive chef shows and you are usually the winner (it's a rerun and you've seen it 5 times)
Friday, November 9, 2012
How to have a long marraige to a chef
So, after seeing some posts on the married to a chef facebook page I got to thinking. Someone just celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary. For someone who is attached to a chef, it is not as glamorous as having your own personal chef. I know some people would argue with me but there are many times that I think being married to a chef is more difficult than being married to a 9-5er. If you are part of this club, you can have a laundry list of things you go through that no other "normal" marriages would. It got me thinking so much, that I thought I would do some research on chef marriages and find some good words of advice. It was not easy! You Google "chefs and marriage," and what you come up with is affairs or chefs cooking for a marriage equality event. No wonder it's so hard to find support! Kerilyn Russo's site, Marriedtoachef.com came up quite often too. ;) But, there are many of us that love being married to a chef and face it head on every day because every day is different, a new adventure. We NEVER get bored being married to a chef!
The marriage that popped into my head was the marriage of Julia and Paul Child. I found out so much reading about them. They could laugh together at an elaborate dinner that had love poured into it but turned out less than appetizing. They created their own traditions. Since they couldn't get things together in time to send Christmas cards, they sent their spectacular Valentine's Day cards. How many of us have to celebrate holidays on another day? They knew that holidays in the food industry are not normally for celebrating with family. We all go through this, yet they accepted it. They supported each other in what they loved most. It wasn't a one sided relationship. Sometimes, as spouses of chefs we pour ourselves into our chefs' careers. We can't forget ourselves. They want us to succeed just as much as we help them to. Paul's journal was a form of reflection. We should reflect on the achievements we have made over the time we have been married. Small victories add up to big things over time. How many of you have a chef who, in the beginning, was figthing for a job even as a fry cook just to get their foot in the door? Jobs were frequent, and at times brief. It's a huge achievement to still be a strong couple when your chef has multiple job offers at a time. As much as Paul was supportive, he was confident enough in himself that he could celebrate the moments when Julia was in the spotlight, and without envy. As a couple, we should celebrate those moments together. Julia herself admitted to keeping the passion in her marriage with her lunch time "breaks". You know what I mean. This can get put not only on the back burner but on the back of the stove, that dusty ledge where the egg timer sits. The words that ring true with me is "We are a team, we do everything together." Ah, the use of the word "we". Julia always recognized that behind a good chef there is a dedicated spouse/significant other. In the morning they snuggled in bed together; when he was not needed he did the things he loved. He could survive on his own, which most of us do on a daily basis.
I have found that many chefs' relationships are private, especially celebrity chefs. I would love to hear more about relationhips that have been successful and withstood the test of time. In restaurant years they are sometimes as short as the turn of an egg timer. What about those of us who want theirs to withstand the time of a Rolex that's been buried in a swamp for 70 years and is still ticking when it's found. Extreme, yes I know.
I think this is truly a question that has to be taken to the streets and will involve some interviews. Send me an email if you know someone who has been married/attached to a chef for a long time at: ninanottheship@gmail.com. In the meantime, I will be conducting extensive research.
The marriage that popped into my head was the marriage of Julia and Paul Child. I found out so much reading about them. They could laugh together at an elaborate dinner that had love poured into it but turned out less than appetizing. They created their own traditions. Since they couldn't get things together in time to send Christmas cards, they sent their spectacular Valentine's Day cards. How many of us have to celebrate holidays on another day? They knew that holidays in the food industry are not normally for celebrating with family. We all go through this, yet they accepted it. They supported each other in what they loved most. It wasn't a one sided relationship. Sometimes, as spouses of chefs we pour ourselves into our chefs' careers. We can't forget ourselves. They want us to succeed just as much as we help them to. Paul's journal was a form of reflection. We should reflect on the achievements we have made over the time we have been married. Small victories add up to big things over time. How many of you have a chef who, in the beginning, was figthing for a job even as a fry cook just to get their foot in the door? Jobs were frequent, and at times brief. It's a huge achievement to still be a strong couple when your chef has multiple job offers at a time. As much as Paul was supportive, he was confident enough in himself that he could celebrate the moments when Julia was in the spotlight, and without envy. As a couple, we should celebrate those moments together. Julia herself admitted to keeping the passion in her marriage with her lunch time "breaks". You know what I mean. This can get put not only on the back burner but on the back of the stove, that dusty ledge where the egg timer sits. The words that ring true with me is "We are a team, we do everything together." Ah, the use of the word "we". Julia always recognized that behind a good chef there is a dedicated spouse/significant other. In the morning they snuggled in bed together; when he was not needed he did the things he loved. He could survive on his own, which most of us do on a daily basis.
I have found that many chefs' relationships are private, especially celebrity chefs. I would love to hear more about relationhips that have been successful and withstood the test of time. In restaurant years they are sometimes as short as the turn of an egg timer. What about those of us who want theirs to withstand the time of a Rolex that's been buried in a swamp for 70 years and is still ticking when it's found. Extreme, yes I know.
I think this is truly a question that has to be taken to the streets and will involve some interviews. Send me an email if you know someone who has been married/attached to a chef for a long time at: ninanottheship@gmail.com. In the meantime, I will be conducting extensive research.
Adult Trick or Treating or The Hierarchy of Candy
So my children's birthdays came and went. The boys are now 3 and 6 and are they busy!! Busy is the nice word for wound like a top if you're curious. Halloween quickly approached and Gabriel wanted to be a ghost pirate (reusing his brother's Jack Sparrow costume) and Sebastian 24 hours before Halloween decided he wanted to be an Angry Bird. I used to be an anti-Angry Bird fan till I started playing it. My chef is addicted to it and is constantly playing it. Don't get him started on Angry Bird Season's or Rio.
So in 24 hours I made a costume for Sebastian. Trick or treating went smoothly and we had a blast. Once the kids were in bed, the war began. Luckily the boys are young enough that we can swipe candy and they don't notice, much. It all begins with the chocolate and I don't mean all chocolate. It's the Hershey's, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers, Milky Ways, Twix and Kit Kats. They are the royalty from the plastic pumpkin bucket. Then comes the commoners Milk Duds, Whoppers, Nestle Crunch, Skittles, M&M's, gum, Twizzlers and Tootsie Rolls. Then you've got the bottom of the bucket. You have no name brand lollipops. Actually, all lollipops are the lowest of the low. You'll be holding onto these till Easter. Along with the lollipops and gum you have a lot of no name candy that you wouldn't eat when you were 7. Every so often you may get the holy grail of Halloween candy. These rarely are found in a bucket now a days. For example, full sized candy bars, those styrafoam UFOs that remind you of the wafers at church except that they are filled with little balls of candy, Squirrel Nut Zippers are up there too, the strawberry hard candy that we pick out of the bowl at the doctor's office, and every so often you might find a fireball.
I usually pick off all of the chocolate before Eric consumes 15 to 20 pieces in one sitting (I'm being nice). For the next few days we end up relocating the bucket a couple of times without informing the other or consolidating the two buckets into one.
This made me stop and wonder. If adults went Trick or Treating, what would we want in our orange pumpkin bucket.....full sized candy bars, definitely peanut butter cups and I would imagine all of things we used to get in our buckets when we were little. How many of you used to get caramel popcorn balls. Yes, I was one of them. The only thing I would pawn off onto my mom were Necco wafers. The dollar bills from grandparents never hurt either.
At first I felt guilty eating a piece here and there when my kids did all of the collecting but, I'm saving them from quite a few tooth aches. I'm preventing them from overloading on candy between now and Christmas when the kitchen table seems to blow up with food. For now I will sit and continue to rationalize our thieving behavior and put the bucket back on top of the fridge.
So in 24 hours I made a costume for Sebastian. Trick or treating went smoothly and we had a blast. Once the kids were in bed, the war began. Luckily the boys are young enough that we can swipe candy and they don't notice, much. It all begins with the chocolate and I don't mean all chocolate. It's the Hershey's, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers, Milky Ways, Twix and Kit Kats. They are the royalty from the plastic pumpkin bucket. Then comes the commoners Milk Duds, Whoppers, Nestle Crunch, Skittles, M&M's, gum, Twizzlers and Tootsie Rolls. Then you've got the bottom of the bucket. You have no name brand lollipops. Actually, all lollipops are the lowest of the low. You'll be holding onto these till Easter. Along with the lollipops and gum you have a lot of no name candy that you wouldn't eat when you were 7. Every so often you may get the holy grail of Halloween candy. These rarely are found in a bucket now a days. For example, full sized candy bars, those styrafoam UFOs that remind you of the wafers at church except that they are filled with little balls of candy, Squirrel Nut Zippers are up there too, the strawberry hard candy that we pick out of the bowl at the doctor's office, and every so often you might find a fireball.
I usually pick off all of the chocolate before Eric consumes 15 to 20 pieces in one sitting (I'm being nice). For the next few days we end up relocating the bucket a couple of times without informing the other or consolidating the two buckets into one.
This made me stop and wonder. If adults went Trick or Treating, what would we want in our orange pumpkin bucket.....full sized candy bars, definitely peanut butter cups and I would imagine all of things we used to get in our buckets when we were little. How many of you used to get caramel popcorn balls. Yes, I was one of them. The only thing I would pawn off onto my mom were Necco wafers. The dollar bills from grandparents never hurt either.
At first I felt guilty eating a piece here and there when my kids did all of the collecting but, I'm saving them from quite a few tooth aches. I'm preventing them from overloading on candy between now and Christmas when the kitchen table seems to blow up with food. For now I will sit and continue to rationalize our thieving behavior and put the bucket back on top of the fridge.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Food Storage Containers
It's amazing how territorial we can be when it comes to our Tupperware. Any mom can recognize a quality piece of food storage a mile away. I'm sorry I buy the Hillshire Farm cold cuts for the container. It's true. If I'm going to lose a container I'd rather it be the one I shelled $2.00 out for and not the $10 Tupperware container that turns colors when the food has reached the appropriate temperature. I'm not sure if they exist but I think I might Google the patent office after this post. Containers though, have come a LONG way. I definitely have my favorites and become unreasonably irate when one is lost, broken or melted. If it weren't for environmental issues I think I'd create a graveyard to those friends lost forever. Ahhh just like the crayola crayon maker we can invent the Tupperware Tupperware maker, you can take your old ruined friends and create new ones.
This post is just making me look unstable. I did the other day pick up a great little container for $4 at Marshall's. It holds a sandwich on one side then has a flap that goes over the second part for snacks and locks altogether. I begrudgingly send Gabriel to daycare with it.
Don't become tempted by those containers that are cute and look like classic products you purchased in the past. They are the first to die. Unfortunately if you want good food storage containers you've got to pay for quality. If you are married to a chef you might receive food from friends in a 5-er. Those who cook know what I'm talking about.
This post is just making me look unstable. I did the other day pick up a great little container for $4 at Marshall's. It holds a sandwich on one side then has a flap that goes over the second part for snacks and locks altogether. I begrudgingly send Gabriel to daycare with it.
Don't become tempted by those containers that are cute and look like classic products you purchased in the past. They are the first to die. Unfortunately if you want good food storage containers you've got to pay for quality. If you are married to a chef you might receive food from friends in a 5-er. Those who cook know what I'm talking about.
Where does bacon come from?
My son, ever the curious one asked my mother the other day, "Where does bacon come from?" So she was very short, sweet and honest. Sebastian asked if they put the pig back when they were done. My mother answered no. My son then decided he didn't want to finish his bacon, but will very happily finish his pancakes. After receiving the call from my mom letting me know about the conversation and how she handled it, I thought, "Oh boy here we go".
After coming home I had a little conversation with Sebastian and asked him if he wasn't going to eat bacon anymore. He replied with, "Yeah I'll still eat it but just don't tell me they kill pigs because then I'll think everyone dies." Okay, fair enough for a soon to be six year old I'll leave it at that.
That should have been the end of that but now every time we have dinner he asks what meat we are having or what animal it came from. This weekend we will attend one of the many fairs that happen in the fall. I wonder what he will ask when we visit the livestock barns.
After coming home I had a little conversation with Sebastian and asked him if he wasn't going to eat bacon anymore. He replied with, "Yeah I'll still eat it but just don't tell me they kill pigs because then I'll think everyone dies." Okay, fair enough for a soon to be six year old I'll leave it at that.
That should have been the end of that but now every time we have dinner he asks what meat we are having or what animal it came from. This weekend we will attend one of the many fairs that happen in the fall. I wonder what he will ask when we visit the livestock barns.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
How Being Married to a Chef Has Changed My Life
Being married to a chef can being trying but rewarding too. Results may vary and like the success of a past teacher you don't always see the results till years later.
1. Your hobbies seem to produce more. I have knitted three cable knit hats in about a week. It's that speed factor.
2. Your to-do lists resemble prep lists. Things you need to do now, things you need to pull for tomorrow (kids clothes) and the things you need to get ready for next week. I also have knit two dish washing cloths (they last longer than sponges!!)
3. When you have guests over they seem to always have a full glass in front of them.
4. On the same vein you probably have a dishtowel tucked into your back pocket wiping end tables as you replace said drink with a full one.
5. Your laundry can consist of one load of dishcloths. Think of all the trees you're saving.
6. If you weren't a complete OCD neat freak you probably have started becoming one.
7. You can look at a recipe and change it to your liking with confidence.
8. You are no longer intimidated by the chefs on food network.
9. Your children are trained at a very young age to help prepare dinner so that you are not left to do it by yourself. They also can help clear the table at three or four years old.
10. Your table linen collection is the envied by all.
11. You probably have plates for each season of the year.
12. Your fridge rarely has nasty food in it because of "first in/first out"
13. Your kitchen gadgets can sometimes serve as decorations too. The wooden big spoon and fork you use to serve out of the giant salad bowl. (Remember that episode from Everyone Loves Raymond when Marie took them down off the wall?! )
14. You are the only person among your friends that owns a plug in coffee urn that hold about 5 gallons of coffee. Your friends make reservations to borrow it all the time :) (Check out All-You magazine and they will recommend that you rent it out to make a little $)
15. You don't have to buy those expensive croutons you've been craving because you know how to make them with that leftover bagel.
16. You always know where your Tupperware lids are because you never keep a container unless it has one.
17. You probably own a pair or two of Danskos and would never have considered it before you married your chef. Your feet have thanked you ever since.
18. You can push yourself beyond what you thought was your limits and realize that you can do so much more. That's a great feeling of accomplishment.
1. Your hobbies seem to produce more. I have knitted three cable knit hats in about a week. It's that speed factor.
2. Your to-do lists resemble prep lists. Things you need to do now, things you need to pull for tomorrow (kids clothes) and the things you need to get ready for next week. I also have knit two dish washing cloths (they last longer than sponges!!)
3. When you have guests over they seem to always have a full glass in front of them.
4. On the same vein you probably have a dishtowel tucked into your back pocket wiping end tables as you replace said drink with a full one.
5. Your laundry can consist of one load of dishcloths. Think of all the trees you're saving.
6. If you weren't a complete OCD neat freak you probably have started becoming one.
7. You can look at a recipe and change it to your liking with confidence.
8. You are no longer intimidated by the chefs on food network.
9. Your children are trained at a very young age to help prepare dinner so that you are not left to do it by yourself. They also can help clear the table at three or four years old.
10. Your table linen collection is the envied by all.
11. You probably have plates for each season of the year.
12. Your fridge rarely has nasty food in it because of "first in/first out"
13. Your kitchen gadgets can sometimes serve as decorations too. The wooden big spoon and fork you use to serve out of the giant salad bowl. (Remember that episode from Everyone Loves Raymond when Marie took them down off the wall?! )
14. You are the only person among your friends that owns a plug in coffee urn that hold about 5 gallons of coffee. Your friends make reservations to borrow it all the time :) (Check out All-You magazine and they will recommend that you rent it out to make a little $)
15. You don't have to buy those expensive croutons you've been craving because you know how to make them with that leftover bagel.
16. You always know where your Tupperware lids are because you never keep a container unless it has one.
17. You probably own a pair or two of Danskos and would never have considered it before you married your chef. Your feet have thanked you ever since.
18. You can push yourself beyond what you thought was your limits and realize that you can do so much more. That's a great feeling of accomplishment.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
My Entree Just Crossed the Road
It is a beautiful time of the year here in NH. We look forward to fall just as much as we desperately wait for summer. Just because we live in NH doesn't mean we all love winter! The trees are changing color and after a couple of so-so years this year is a good one!! The boys and I went to the Highland Games like I typed in my last blog and I had my meat pie with HP sauce and was very satisfied. Sebastian and I got into an argument that sometimes fries are called chips and that I paid 10.50 for them and he had better eat them! 10.50 was my meat pie and fries.
Monday presented me however with another surprise. On my way to work I had to let about 27 turkeys cross the road. Turkeys in New Hampshire have an attitude that no other foul has. In the fall wild turkeys are everywhere. They may be in your front yard munching in your garden at 5am squawking and waking everyone up. Many times they are crossing the road in flocks. In the fall they LOVE the plowed cornfields.
When I was a teenager I remember living in the studio apartment on the bottom floor of my parents house. To throw my trash out I had to go out the sliding glass door and walk to the dumpster. The yard was lined in forest as we are also locating in the White Mountain National forest. One particular Thanksgiving Day I remember cleaning my studio because family was coming over. On my way to throw out the trash I neglected to notice a flock of about 15 turkeys were right in front of me. They are not polite, they do not want to be pet. They stare at you daring you to just try and hurt them. Armed with a 4 foot birch tree branch I swung my way to the dumpster and back. This is a small introduction to the New Hampshire Turkey.
After watching these turkeys cockily cross the road, I thought to myself, that is one animal that I would not feel bad about hunting with a bow. I'm not a hunter, never have been, I fish. Living in New Hampshire hunting is a very prevalent sport. I had never considered it until watching my entree cross the road and remembering that I had just bought a butternut squash this past weekend and that there might be a dusty can of Ocean Spray cranberry sauce in my closet. It's times like this that the natural hunter comes out in you. You wonder, is this what it was like for our first settlers and Native Americans? Did the turkeys taunt them or have they decided that they have as much freedom as any other animal on the hunting lottery.
I was contemplating this further when about another mile down the road I had to stop again for three more very fat turkeys. Frustrated I called my husband and talked about my thoughts on bow hunting and taking out a turkey. He pointed out that he could dress it and pluck it. My motivation was killed however when I recalled how he felt the first time he gutted a fish at one of his previous jobs. Bye Bye turkey dinner.
Monday presented me however with another surprise. On my way to work I had to let about 27 turkeys cross the road. Turkeys in New Hampshire have an attitude that no other foul has. In the fall wild turkeys are everywhere. They may be in your front yard munching in your garden at 5am squawking and waking everyone up. Many times they are crossing the road in flocks. In the fall they LOVE the plowed cornfields.
When I was a teenager I remember living in the studio apartment on the bottom floor of my parents house. To throw my trash out I had to go out the sliding glass door and walk to the dumpster. The yard was lined in forest as we are also locating in the White Mountain National forest. One particular Thanksgiving Day I remember cleaning my studio because family was coming over. On my way to throw out the trash I neglected to notice a flock of about 15 turkeys were right in front of me. They are not polite, they do not want to be pet. They stare at you daring you to just try and hurt them. Armed with a 4 foot birch tree branch I swung my way to the dumpster and back. This is a small introduction to the New Hampshire Turkey.
After watching these turkeys cockily cross the road, I thought to myself, that is one animal that I would not feel bad about hunting with a bow. I'm not a hunter, never have been, I fish. Living in New Hampshire hunting is a very prevalent sport. I had never considered it until watching my entree cross the road and remembering that I had just bought a butternut squash this past weekend and that there might be a dusty can of Ocean Spray cranberry sauce in my closet. It's times like this that the natural hunter comes out in you. You wonder, is this what it was like for our first settlers and Native Americans? Did the turkeys taunt them or have they decided that they have as much freedom as any other animal on the hunting lottery.
I was contemplating this further when about another mile down the road I had to stop again for three more very fat turkeys. Frustrated I called my husband and talked about my thoughts on bow hunting and taking out a turkey. He pointed out that he could dress it and pluck it. My motivation was killed however when I recalled how he felt the first time he gutted a fish at one of his previous jobs. Bye Bye turkey dinner.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Beware the free meal
Ever since my chef started working at the new restaurant he has brought home something to eat for himself every night. For some reason he prefers to eat it at home when shift is done because he's an overachiever and can't stop long enough to refuel. He complains that every time he brings something home I take a bite. How can you seriously expect me NOT to take a bite out of his food. It's the only time I get to taste his cooking aside from the one night he has energy to cook for us at home. Needless to say I feel no guilt at all and continue to do this. Every so often he will come home and be too tired to eat what he's brought home. In my book that means it is up for grabs!!! Many times I end up bringing it to work for lunch the next day or eat it immediately.
The problem with all of this however is that I'm doing this when he comes home late at night. As we all know we shouldn't eat too close to bed because your body stores it immediately yada yada. Yeah, I get that and probably should stop. The biggest deterrent that I have to stop eating so late are the horrible dreams. Experts aren't kidding when they say eating just before bed can affect your sleep. I have learned that I can have half a club sandwich and sleep fairly well. Nachos or buffalo tenders, forget it. I will wake up sweating dreaming that my children were eaten by sharks during an alien invasion. Reminds me of when I was pregnant.
The other problem that I noticed is that my weight loss that was going so well over the last year stopped. I haven't started gaining yet but in looking at what I'm stealing off his plate probably isn't helping. Fries, nachos, burger, wrap, panini. The list goes one. However this is just before a major menu change. The selections will be far more healthy when the menu changes. Seeing that before he started working here I rarely ate fried food I am sabotaging everything I have accomplished health-wise in the last year.
The solutions? Here are a few.
1. Go to bed before he comes home.
2. Drink so much water that by the time he gets home I'm too full to eat.
3. Brush my teeth just before he comes home, I mean the works, pre wash, brush, mouthwash, flossing, whitening treatment so that when he comes home I don't want to ruin my teeth.
4. Pretend my hands are broken so that I can't begin that hand to mouth action that I am an expert at.
5. Tell myself I wasn't craving that particular thing anyway.
This is an ongoing battle I will curb one take home box at a time. Tell me if you're the spouse of a chef who's experiencing the same struggle!
The problem with all of this however is that I'm doing this when he comes home late at night. As we all know we shouldn't eat too close to bed because your body stores it immediately yada yada. Yeah, I get that and probably should stop. The biggest deterrent that I have to stop eating so late are the horrible dreams. Experts aren't kidding when they say eating just before bed can affect your sleep. I have learned that I can have half a club sandwich and sleep fairly well. Nachos or buffalo tenders, forget it. I will wake up sweating dreaming that my children were eaten by sharks during an alien invasion. Reminds me of when I was pregnant.
The other problem that I noticed is that my weight loss that was going so well over the last year stopped. I haven't started gaining yet but in looking at what I'm stealing off his plate probably isn't helping. Fries, nachos, burger, wrap, panini. The list goes one. However this is just before a major menu change. The selections will be far more healthy when the menu changes. Seeing that before he started working here I rarely ate fried food I am sabotaging everything I have accomplished health-wise in the last year.
The solutions? Here are a few.
1. Go to bed before he comes home.
2. Drink so much water that by the time he gets home I'm too full to eat.
3. Brush my teeth just before he comes home, I mean the works, pre wash, brush, mouthwash, flossing, whitening treatment so that when he comes home I don't want to ruin my teeth.
4. Pretend my hands are broken so that I can't begin that hand to mouth action that I am an expert at.
5. Tell myself I wasn't craving that particular thing anyway.
This is an ongoing battle I will curb one take home box at a time. Tell me if you're the spouse of a chef who's experiencing the same struggle!
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Sending Sebastian off to Kindergarten
Well this morning was probably more difficult for Eric and I then it was for Sebastian. He started Kindergarten. I started putting his snacks together 2 days ago. Eric complained that groceries this week seemed to be 80% Sebastian's school food and 20% the rest of the family. I remember the lunches my parents used to pack and how much I hated peanut butter. Peanut butter sandwiches 10 days in a row was just plain torture. I grew up in southeastern Massachusetts and went to a parochial school. Our hot lunches were pretty predictable. There was pizza, tuna (especially during Lent), hot dogs, chicken nuggets, cacoila (the only Portuguese hot lunch among a city that was 85% Portuguese at the time) and these just switched around every week. School lunch has come a LONG way!
I've worked in schools for the last 10 years or so and now you see salads, turkey sandwiches, soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, spaghetti, tacos, Thanksgiving Dinner, Christmas Dinner, 100% fruit juice popsicles the options are endless. The best recipe I ever got for grilled cheese was from a lunch lady. I'm currently trying to find a healthier alternative for the spread which is 1/2 softened butter 1/2 mayo. Yes, I think I felt my arteries twitch too. The difference after that spread and inserting the cheese is you bake the sandwich in the oven at about 200 degrees. I did sub the spread with olive oil one day and it came out pretty good. But then again I love olive oil and use it all of the time!!
I know a chef who is the head of food service at my old high school. I'm envious of the students as they eat A LOT better there now then when I went there. His food has been described by the guidance counselors as gourmet.
I searched on the internet for Cool School Lunches, Creative School Lunches and came across tons of ideas. If Eric wants to sit their and sculpt some Asian noodles to look like a Wooki, be my guest. I would rather have somone make that for me than do it myself. For fun check out the Cool School Lunch Bento Boxes, they really are very artistic and appetizing! Then ofcourse I want him to have a healthy lunch full of choices. He also is a peanut butter hater and eats Nutella. So this resulted in a giant debate between Eric and I about the nutrional value of a Nutella sandwich and that it's not candy it's hazlenut spread yada yada.
So food shopping with Sebastian was interesting we got apples, bananas, carrots, watermelon, cheese sticks, goldfish crackers, juice pouches, a freezer pack for the lunchbox, a puzzle piece sandwich cutter, ham, Nutella and the list goes on. I expressed to my mom that I think I've packed too much food for him. My first clue was that I was having a hard time zipping up his lunchbox, I'm currently pricing out ones that expand. I'm sure that if there were an apocolyptic event at his school he could live on today's lunch alone for about 7 days. I know in the world of preventing obesity in children I can understand your concerns. However, Sebastian is a bean pole with a very large head perched on top. We love to tell him to turn to the side and act as if he's disappeared. He loves showing us that he can feel his ribs. He's a picky eater but what he loves, he eats by the truckload. I like to compare him to a hummingbird. He must burn the calories as fast as they come into his mouth.
So we delivered him to school and hung out on the edges of the playground with all of the other nervous parents. He handed off his 20lb lunchbox to Eric so he could swing on the monkey bars and when the bell rang he ran full stop to retrieve his lunchbox from his father and joined the rest of his class. Eric and I returned to the car misty eyed while his younger brother Gabriel (2 1/2) cried all of the way home because he missed his brother.
I've worked in schools for the last 10 years or so and now you see salads, turkey sandwiches, soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, spaghetti, tacos, Thanksgiving Dinner, Christmas Dinner, 100% fruit juice popsicles the options are endless. The best recipe I ever got for grilled cheese was from a lunch lady. I'm currently trying to find a healthier alternative for the spread which is 1/2 softened butter 1/2 mayo. Yes, I think I felt my arteries twitch too. The difference after that spread and inserting the cheese is you bake the sandwich in the oven at about 200 degrees. I did sub the spread with olive oil one day and it came out pretty good. But then again I love olive oil and use it all of the time!!
I know a chef who is the head of food service at my old high school. I'm envious of the students as they eat A LOT better there now then when I went there. His food has been described by the guidance counselors as gourmet.
I searched on the internet for Cool School Lunches, Creative School Lunches and came across tons of ideas. If Eric wants to sit their and sculpt some Asian noodles to look like a Wooki, be my guest. I would rather have somone make that for me than do it myself. For fun check out the Cool School Lunch Bento Boxes, they really are very artistic and appetizing! Then ofcourse I want him to have a healthy lunch full of choices. He also is a peanut butter hater and eats Nutella. So this resulted in a giant debate between Eric and I about the nutrional value of a Nutella sandwich and that it's not candy it's hazlenut spread yada yada.
So food shopping with Sebastian was interesting we got apples, bananas, carrots, watermelon, cheese sticks, goldfish crackers, juice pouches, a freezer pack for the lunchbox, a puzzle piece sandwich cutter, ham, Nutella and the list goes on. I expressed to my mom that I think I've packed too much food for him. My first clue was that I was having a hard time zipping up his lunchbox, I'm currently pricing out ones that expand. I'm sure that if there were an apocolyptic event at his school he could live on today's lunch alone for about 7 days. I know in the world of preventing obesity in children I can understand your concerns. However, Sebastian is a bean pole with a very large head perched on top. We love to tell him to turn to the side and act as if he's disappeared. He loves showing us that he can feel his ribs. He's a picky eater but what he loves, he eats by the truckload. I like to compare him to a hummingbird. He must burn the calories as fast as they come into his mouth.
So we delivered him to school and hung out on the edges of the playground with all of the other nervous parents. He handed off his 20lb lunchbox to Eric so he could swing on the monkey bars and when the bell rang he ran full stop to retrieve his lunchbox from his father and joined the rest of his class. Eric and I returned to the car misty eyed while his younger brother Gabriel (2 1/2) cried all of the way home because he missed his brother.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Research in Action
One of the things I love to do is perfect a recipe. If you have read the description of this blog then you already know the level of my expertise, little to none. So my most recent endeavor last week was preparing for the coming New Hampshire Highland Games. My chef is in his second week at a new restaurant and I have already flooded him with texts of suggestions, dates of food competitions and ideas for a food truck at our nearby college. I'm telling you, food trucks are the way to go. They were all over the Burlington, VT campus. We have one here! A recent magazine article reported that fashion trucks are the new thing same idea but with clothes, hide your wallets gentlemen. Anyway, so the Highland Games is a huge weekend here in central New Hampshire.
The Games take place around the end of September and is packed full of fun! My father in his younger days threw a caber, I've got pictures. If you are a local you probably avoid Lincoln, NH the way you avoid Laconia, NH during bike week. You know the weekend is fast approaching when you start to see businesses flying flags that have purple thistles on them and everyone starts wearing plaid. It doesn't matter if it's not you own families' tartan, which is a plus, you just wear it! Even the locals in the area don't blink an eye when you start to see men wearing kilts all around town.
My idea was this... I have stood in the endless lines at the games for some meat pies and bridies. Why not offer it at the restaurant. If I could get it there instead of standing in line forever and trying to find a bottle of Lea and Perron's that isn't empty to put on my pie, I'd be in heaven! So the game is on. I started searching online for recipes and found some great resources on allrecipes.com. It being August in New Hampshire we're already thinking about fall and soups. If you don't live in NH, fall really starts about mid August. The nights start cooling down and the mornings are chilly for longer. I seem to be very hotblooded first thing in the morning so my mornings consist of my husband and boys complaining that I have the back porch door flung open to let in the early morning air.
I decided that I was going to try a leek soup since leeks are very plentiful this time of the year. I started with one pot then in the true spirit of experimentation I divided the batch among two pots and started varying the ingredients. One batch had potatoes, the other had mostly veggies like cauliflower, carrots, broccoli and other spice. My poor chef was just about to head to work and I sat him down at the table with two bowls, two spoons and a glass of water. I sat in a very official fashion across from him pen and paper in hand. Keep in mind every time I taste test anything from my chef it's usually atomically hot in temperature. He sat and tried the first with the potatoes. He liked it well enough, we established that it should definitely have potatoes, there weren't enough leeks blah blah blah. The blah blah blah was a lecture I received on what is authentic leek and potato soup and what isn't. Don't ask me because I tuned him out.
Next he tried the primarily veggie one. Okay my chef doesn't like cauliflower in the soup. I think I got that point with the face he made. We established no carrots, not enough leeks and no cauliflower. So now my recipe has been reduced to leeks and potatoes. I still have yet to retry leek soup. I instead suggested he have a Portuguese night at the restaurant. For now I think I'll experiment on the nights when he's working and not have any taste tests till I have found the true magical recipe. Right now my plans for the Highland Games is to stand in line for my meat pies and bridies. I wonder if they're available in the frozen food aisle...
The Games take place around the end of September and is packed full of fun! My father in his younger days threw a caber, I've got pictures. If you are a local you probably avoid Lincoln, NH the way you avoid Laconia, NH during bike week. You know the weekend is fast approaching when you start to see businesses flying flags that have purple thistles on them and everyone starts wearing plaid. It doesn't matter if it's not you own families' tartan, which is a plus, you just wear it! Even the locals in the area don't blink an eye when you start to see men wearing kilts all around town.
My idea was this... I have stood in the endless lines at the games for some meat pies and bridies. Why not offer it at the restaurant. If I could get it there instead of standing in line forever and trying to find a bottle of Lea and Perron's that isn't empty to put on my pie, I'd be in heaven! So the game is on. I started searching online for recipes and found some great resources on allrecipes.com. It being August in New Hampshire we're already thinking about fall and soups. If you don't live in NH, fall really starts about mid August. The nights start cooling down and the mornings are chilly for longer. I seem to be very hotblooded first thing in the morning so my mornings consist of my husband and boys complaining that I have the back porch door flung open to let in the early morning air.
I decided that I was going to try a leek soup since leeks are very plentiful this time of the year. I started with one pot then in the true spirit of experimentation I divided the batch among two pots and started varying the ingredients. One batch had potatoes, the other had mostly veggies like cauliflower, carrots, broccoli and other spice. My poor chef was just about to head to work and I sat him down at the table with two bowls, two spoons and a glass of water. I sat in a very official fashion across from him pen and paper in hand. Keep in mind every time I taste test anything from my chef it's usually atomically hot in temperature. He sat and tried the first with the potatoes. He liked it well enough, we established that it should definitely have potatoes, there weren't enough leeks blah blah blah. The blah blah blah was a lecture I received on what is authentic leek and potato soup and what isn't. Don't ask me because I tuned him out.
Next he tried the primarily veggie one. Okay my chef doesn't like cauliflower in the soup. I think I got that point with the face he made. We established no carrots, not enough leeks and no cauliflower. So now my recipe has been reduced to leeks and potatoes. I still have yet to retry leek soup. I instead suggested he have a Portuguese night at the restaurant. For now I think I'll experiment on the nights when he's working and not have any taste tests till I have found the true magical recipe. Right now my plans for the Highland Games is to stand in line for my meat pies and bridies. I wonder if they're available in the frozen food aisle...
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Secret Ingredients are a Secret
Ingredients are well guarded secrets. Take for instance a Portuguese Recipe my grandfather has been hiding from me since my birth. It is a recipe that has only been handed down to the men of the family. I had to get married to my chef to get this recipe, and even then, it was given to my husband.
Recipes are usually shared freely, it's the ingredients that are guarded by the secret service. Why did Aunty Nancy's chicken not turn out the same? She didn't tell you that she put in a special smoked paprika that came from Uncle Manny's brother when he brought it over from Portugal. Here you are feeling like an idiot using the store brand paprika. Chefs know this secret and they flaunt it! They will give their recipes to each other but they won't specify certain brands of ingredients. Go ahead and wander through your kitchen. I will bet you your chef has atleast 10 different unlabeled baggies, jars or old sauce containers with the labels peeled off that hold's ingredients that only they may know.
I expect that if I allowed him, my husband would build a shrine to his smoked paprika, jarred red peppers and other valued ingredients. I can't share too much as I value my marriage and good food. Be careful of being present to a secret ingredient hand off. You can see one a mile away. They resemble the drug deal you saw in the movie, Bad Boys. Someone opens a small bag that is unlabeled and sniffs its contents. If it's good the said chefs huddling around each other smelling it will roll their eyeballs into the back of their head in sheer delight.
Don't even think about using it without their permission either! They must be the ones to first open the jar and used the last of what's in the jar. Don't be surprised if they even dole out the ration to you.
The biggest warning I must offer is. If they are trying an experimental recipe with the said sacred ingredients, DON'T tell them it doesn't taste good. I don't care if it tastes like wood chips with charcoal paste on it. Make sure you say it's good and then every so slyly ask, "What would you do different next time." This might cause them to confess it tastes like crud. Good Luck!
Recipes are usually shared freely, it's the ingredients that are guarded by the secret service. Why did Aunty Nancy's chicken not turn out the same? She didn't tell you that she put in a special smoked paprika that came from Uncle Manny's brother when he brought it over from Portugal. Here you are feeling like an idiot using the store brand paprika. Chefs know this secret and they flaunt it! They will give their recipes to each other but they won't specify certain brands of ingredients. Go ahead and wander through your kitchen. I will bet you your chef has atleast 10 different unlabeled baggies, jars or old sauce containers with the labels peeled off that hold's ingredients that only they may know.
I expect that if I allowed him, my husband would build a shrine to his smoked paprika, jarred red peppers and other valued ingredients. I can't share too much as I value my marriage and good food. Be careful of being present to a secret ingredient hand off. You can see one a mile away. They resemble the drug deal you saw in the movie, Bad Boys. Someone opens a small bag that is unlabeled and sniffs its contents. If it's good the said chefs huddling around each other smelling it will roll their eyeballs into the back of their head in sheer delight.
Don't even think about using it without their permission either! They must be the ones to first open the jar and used the last of what's in the jar. Don't be surprised if they even dole out the ration to you.
The biggest warning I must offer is. If they are trying an experimental recipe with the said sacred ingredients, DON'T tell them it doesn't taste good. I don't care if it tastes like wood chips with charcoal paste on it. Make sure you say it's good and then every so slyly ask, "What would you do different next time." This might cause them to confess it tastes like crud. Good Luck!
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Birthday list, knives, wrapping paper, cake
Yes, I have been married to my chef for 7 years now and I didn't think this birthday would be much different from the others. I had my list but this year I thought I would get him some knives. After some innocent information seeking questions I knew they had to be German or atleast nearly German made, no santuko knives and was hoping for a 10" forged chef knife. Good questions hu?!
So while shopping I filled my cart with the normal birthday related things...cards, cake, candles, wrapping paper, ribbon, two Kuhn Rikon knives and a 8" Forged steel chef knife. It didn't seem odd to me at all since my husband is a chef and he needs knives for his profession. Well after unloading at the checkout, I noticed that the cashier gave me an awkward smile and the customers behind me turned white. I smiled but again, didn't think anything of it. Oh, I also had my two sons with me.
While driving home I was really thinking about why people gave me such strange looks while cashing out and it dawned on me. Oh my Julia Child!!! They must think I'm a murderer or something. Now the amusing part about all of this is that we don't buy adult cakes for each other on our birthdays. We like to buy kiddie style cakes if we don't make it ourselves. So of course this cake was all colors of the rainbow and one of the cards my boys insisted on was meant for a child with a big hippo on it, but hey they wanted it for daddy. If it had been near Halloween I guess it would not have looked strange but I laugh to think about all of the things that were racing through these customers' heads.
Needless to say Eric couldn't stop cracking up when I had told him all about this after he opened his presents. His remark well..."I would expect no less from a distant relative of Lizzie Borden." Thanks honey, love you too!
So while shopping I filled my cart with the normal birthday related things...cards, cake, candles, wrapping paper, ribbon, two Kuhn Rikon knives and a 8" Forged steel chef knife. It didn't seem odd to me at all since my husband is a chef and he needs knives for his profession. Well after unloading at the checkout, I noticed that the cashier gave me an awkward smile and the customers behind me turned white. I smiled but again, didn't think anything of it. Oh, I also had my two sons with me.
While driving home I was really thinking about why people gave me such strange looks while cashing out and it dawned on me. Oh my Julia Child!!! They must think I'm a murderer or something. Now the amusing part about all of this is that we don't buy adult cakes for each other on our birthdays. We like to buy kiddie style cakes if we don't make it ourselves. So of course this cake was all colors of the rainbow and one of the cards my boys insisted on was meant for a child with a big hippo on it, but hey they wanted it for daddy. If it had been near Halloween I guess it would not have looked strange but I laugh to think about all of the things that were racing through these customers' heads.
Needless to say Eric couldn't stop cracking up when I had told him all about this after he opened his presents. His remark well..."I would expect no less from a distant relative of Lizzie Borden." Thanks honey, love you too!
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Cookbooks, Their Place in Your Home
If you are a chef or are connected to one, then you have no fewer than 200 cookbooks in your aparment or home. I am sure that none of us have enough space for all of them either.
Julia Child forbid that you suggest they get rid of atleast the duplicates or misprints. In my opinion, the only cookbook that is a good one, has food stains all over it! You know, pages falling out, taped edges, fading recipe. Some of us have a decluttering list from placed such as fly lady (LOVE HER). If you aren't familiar with fly lady, google it, Marla Cilley, made my life living with a chef loads easier. There shoulds be the same type of list for decluttering cookbooks. If you like one reciped out of a 300 page cookbook then photocopy that recipe and spread the love, book, to someone else who will love it. Bless them with the joy it did for you so long ago.
Some like the red checkered bible you have had since grandma retired her Crisco is definitely a keeper( I know you know which one I am talking about). One book that everyone should have chef or non chef is a cookbook that breaks down the science of cooking into to normal people terms. Good Housekeeping put out a great one some years ago it is a yellow hardcover, looks more like college textbook than cookbook. I have grown to understand a lot more about substitutions, measurements and what not. Those tables in the front and back covers are priceless!!
Cookbooks find their way into our house as presents on most all major holidays, yard sale finds or freebie boxes. Our chefs like to think the book they found is the Holy Grail to finding the perfect recipe for the perfect Sunday Gravy that has been their quest since the weilded their first pair of tongs.
So the following list is a means for keeping only those cookbooks worth the space on your shelf.
Do Not Keep If...
1. You can't understand the recipe or it would make even Alton Brown scratch his head.
2. You haven't cooked anything from it in the last 3 years.
3. You use it on the ends of the shelf to prevent the other books from falling.
4. No one likes what you have cooked from this cookbook.
5. You respond with, but I might find something I need later on? (This response more than 10 years ago)
6. When your child says they want a cookbook you hand it over to them without reserve.
Keep It If...
1. It has dog-eared pages?
2. It has atleast 5 food related stained pages
3. You recommend recipes from it to other people.
4. It is one of the go to books when looking for a new recipe.
5. Ingredients in this book are easy to find in your area or can be ordered. (There is NOTHING more frustrating than wanting to try a recipe that you can't find the ingredients for, this is a mom talking)
6. It has pictures of the meals that your results actually look very similar.
So I am looking for storage suggestions from everyone out there. I will be posting this question to various people and looking from input from fellow readers of this blog as well. We want to hold onto cookbooks because they inspire and motivate us to try their recipes, not because they make us feel inferior or intimidated, questioning our abilites to cook.
Julia Child forbid that you suggest they get rid of atleast the duplicates or misprints. In my opinion, the only cookbook that is a good one, has food stains all over it! You know, pages falling out, taped edges, fading recipe. Some of us have a decluttering list from placed such as fly lady (LOVE HER). If you aren't familiar with fly lady, google it, Marla Cilley, made my life living with a chef loads easier. There shoulds be the same type of list for decluttering cookbooks. If you like one reciped out of a 300 page cookbook then photocopy that recipe and spread the love, book, to someone else who will love it. Bless them with the joy it did for you so long ago.
Some like the red checkered bible you have had since grandma retired her Crisco is definitely a keeper( I know you know which one I am talking about). One book that everyone should have chef or non chef is a cookbook that breaks down the science of cooking into to normal people terms. Good Housekeeping put out a great one some years ago it is a yellow hardcover, looks more like college textbook than cookbook. I have grown to understand a lot more about substitutions, measurements and what not. Those tables in the front and back covers are priceless!!
Cookbooks find their way into our house as presents on most all major holidays, yard sale finds or freebie boxes. Our chefs like to think the book they found is the Holy Grail to finding the perfect recipe for the perfect Sunday Gravy that has been their quest since the weilded their first pair of tongs.
So the following list is a means for keeping only those cookbooks worth the space on your shelf.
Do Not Keep If...
1. You can't understand the recipe or it would make even Alton Brown scratch his head.
2. You haven't cooked anything from it in the last 3 years.
3. You use it on the ends of the shelf to prevent the other books from falling.
4. No one likes what you have cooked from this cookbook.
5. You respond with, but I might find something I need later on? (This response more than 10 years ago)
6. When your child says they want a cookbook you hand it over to them without reserve.
Keep It If...
1. It has dog-eared pages?
2. It has atleast 5 food related stained pages
3. You recommend recipes from it to other people.
4. It is one of the go to books when looking for a new recipe.
5. Ingredients in this book are easy to find in your area or can be ordered. (There is NOTHING more frustrating than wanting to try a recipe that you can't find the ingredients for, this is a mom talking)
6. It has pictures of the meals that your results actually look very similar.
So I am looking for storage suggestions from everyone out there. I will be posting this question to various people and looking from input from fellow readers of this blog as well. We want to hold onto cookbooks because they inspire and motivate us to try their recipes, not because they make us feel inferior or intimidated, questioning our abilites to cook.
Kids and the Farm Stand
We loooove going to our local farm stands in the summer! The boys usually go with me and we make our rounds. We start with a large stand near the local airport (by airport I mean planes that hold all of two people), sometimes we up North to a food purveyor we know, hit the local farmers market and then finish off at another farmstand near the house. This last one is usually the freaky stop this person has plastic doll heads, a mummified halloween decoration and various plastic lizards placed around the displays. Weird, yep but his mesculun mix can't be beat!!!!!
I always have to plan on spending double what we actually need. The reason for this is my boys love to eat the veggies while we are in transit. They eat so many carrots that the floor of my car looks like Bugs Bunny has taken residence in the back seat. Those two boys can polish off a bunch of farm carrots in five minutes flat! So when I get home the carrot cake muffins I was planning to make have now become corn muffins.
Our food purveyor gent up North has lots of different fruits and veg. Not only does he get produce locally he also gets some of his product from NY. Occasionally we see a pineapple and Sebastian, my older son, goes nuts!! As parents it is stamped in our contract when we leave the hospital to get as much entertainment out of our job, bringing up our children as possible. When we got home we handed him the pineapple and said, "Ok, eat it!" The look of confusing on his face was worth it! I even loved it when he cautiously tried to sink his teeth into it. We are able to really try different produce with our boys from this gent, things you don't see around our area. We once bought a flat of 52 tomatoes for $10. The rest of the day was spent at home parboiling, peeling, seeding and freezing.
Farmer's market's are a blast. I am a sucker at all of the different products you can buy there local beef jerky, sandwiches, plants, pottery, jewelry, veggies, fruits, bread, cupcakes....... the list goes on. I know enough NOT to go to one with my chef husband. If he did go with me I wouldn't have been able to pick up the three gorgeous bunches of wildflowers that are in vases all over the house, or the rosemary herb ciabatta loaf, or the necklace he won't see till I wear it Christmas Eve. Then your kids ask if they can buy the rabbits that someone is selling and you tell them "No, because they are poo flingers and I'll be dlkdsflk if I'm going to clean that up in addition to the hampster and fish"
The last stand is the best one. The boys are so afraid of the mummified decor, doll heads and fake lizards that they won't even get out of the car. I have been known to jump a mile from a perfectly place 3 foot fake iguana. The best mesculum mix in the world is here. Our local restaurants even order it from this guy! He is the only Caucasian I know in the area who is sooo tanned from being out in the fields that he blends in with a Hershey Bar. He still has this tan in January. I'm thinking of taking up farming because I'm still pasty in August. You are lucky if he's wearing shoes when you pull up. The next best thing I love is that he has packets of dried organic herbs in addition to the fresh that he sells. I love his strawberries, blue berries and giant sunflowers that puts out on August. One year I became obsessed with white pumpkins for Halloween after reading Martha Stewart. (the level of difficulty for inserting christmas lights through holes drilled in the pumpkin is, Lobotomy Surgeon). Low and behold he had a display of white pumpkins. Imagine my aggravation when we had snow on the ground that year on Halloween. Welcome to New Hampshire!!
After this day's venture. We come home with about 3/4 of what we've bought because my boys have eaten so much fruit and veg if you shook them up you'd get a smoothie. But hey they have had their vitamins, right?!
I always have to plan on spending double what we actually need. The reason for this is my boys love to eat the veggies while we are in transit. They eat so many carrots that the floor of my car looks like Bugs Bunny has taken residence in the back seat. Those two boys can polish off a bunch of farm carrots in five minutes flat! So when I get home the carrot cake muffins I was planning to make have now become corn muffins.
Our food purveyor gent up North has lots of different fruits and veg. Not only does he get produce locally he also gets some of his product from NY. Occasionally we see a pineapple and Sebastian, my older son, goes nuts!! As parents it is stamped in our contract when we leave the hospital to get as much entertainment out of our job, bringing up our children as possible. When we got home we handed him the pineapple and said, "Ok, eat it!" The look of confusing on his face was worth it! I even loved it when he cautiously tried to sink his teeth into it. We are able to really try different produce with our boys from this gent, things you don't see around our area. We once bought a flat of 52 tomatoes for $10. The rest of the day was spent at home parboiling, peeling, seeding and freezing.
Farmer's market's are a blast. I am a sucker at all of the different products you can buy there local beef jerky, sandwiches, plants, pottery, jewelry, veggies, fruits, bread, cupcakes....... the list goes on. I know enough NOT to go to one with my chef husband. If he did go with me I wouldn't have been able to pick up the three gorgeous bunches of wildflowers that are in vases all over the house, or the rosemary herb ciabatta loaf, or the necklace he won't see till I wear it Christmas Eve. Then your kids ask if they can buy the rabbits that someone is selling and you tell them "No, because they are poo flingers and I'll be dlkdsflk if I'm going to clean that up in addition to the hampster and fish"
The last stand is the best one. The boys are so afraid of the mummified decor, doll heads and fake lizards that they won't even get out of the car. I have been known to jump a mile from a perfectly place 3 foot fake iguana. The best mesculum mix in the world is here. Our local restaurants even order it from this guy! He is the only Caucasian I know in the area who is sooo tanned from being out in the fields that he blends in with a Hershey Bar. He still has this tan in January. I'm thinking of taking up farming because I'm still pasty in August. You are lucky if he's wearing shoes when you pull up. The next best thing I love is that he has packets of dried organic herbs in addition to the fresh that he sells. I love his strawberries, blue berries and giant sunflowers that puts out on August. One year I became obsessed with white pumpkins for Halloween after reading Martha Stewart. (the level of difficulty for inserting christmas lights through holes drilled in the pumpkin is, Lobotomy Surgeon). Low and behold he had a display of white pumpkins. Imagine my aggravation when we had snow on the ground that year on Halloween. Welcome to New Hampshire!!
After this day's venture. We come home with about 3/4 of what we've bought because my boys have eaten so much fruit and veg if you shook them up you'd get a smoothie. But hey they have had their vitamins, right?!
Little Chef
My oldest son has been cooking with my husband since he was 2. His tasks varied from mixing dough to forming cookie balls. He even has his own child-safe knife. His expectations of cooking and food in general has become highly developed. In our house we call it picky. When he was younger, he didn't like hot dogs or peanut butter. Even today it's got to be Nutella.
Oatmeal in our house contains more ingredients than full English break. In our house this is your typical morning oatmeal.
Whole Wheat Oats
Butter
Cinnamon
Sugar
Cocoa Powder
Water
Various Sprinkles ( all of the ones you couldn't use up on ice cream night)
Directions as dictated by my 5 1/2 year old
You take a tablespoon of butter and melt it with some cinnamon and sugar.
Then toast the oats with the butter for flavor
Add a tablespoon of chocolate powder. Then slowly add water a bit at a time till it looks good.
After you put a lot in your bowl put sprinkles on it. I like the dinosaur ones.
Note: He puts a lot in his bowl and only a bit in his brother's. He then makes sure he has staked his claim on whatever is left over in the pot.
Our little chef just received his own baker's hat from my parents from their recent trip to Nantucket. So when we got home, while getting ready for bed, my skinny little chef was running around the house in his underwear with his baker hat on his head. At first he wanted to wear the hat to bed and I said sure. He then thought better of it and folded it carefully deciding he didn't want to ruin it.
Since starting this entry, we have now started getting his own utensils for cooking. Our younger son has now acquired the same desire for cooking. His version of soup for daddy the other night is as follows:
Beach bucket
Mini carrots
Salt and pepper
Ketchup
Water
Brown sugar
Mix all together, enjoy!
I love the phrase, "When a child hands you a toy phone, you answer it!"
"When a child cooks for you, You eat it!! "
Monday, August 6, 2012
The Best Thing About Being Married to a Chef
I was recently asked, by Kerilyn from Marriedtoachef.com, what was the best part of being married to a chef. Well that got me thinking...
Usually when I am thinking about something I look either ill or ticked off, so all this morning Eric kept asking me what's wrong but he wouldn't take "nothing" for an answer. Unfortunately if I were to tell him what I was thinking it would go to his head. Here are some of my answers.
You don't have to be worried about eating too much in front of your chef.
You can be honest about how something tastes.
If you need to lose those last stubborn 10lbs work with your chef for a couple of weeks. They melt off, honest!!!!
You now know so much more about selecting quality ingredients at your local supermarket and stands. You just smirk to yourself when you see someone pick an overripe tomato.
You can create dishes without being slave to the recipe card. Substitution is the key to favorite food creations! (example my Post Christmas Eve soup that I make from the leftover veggie platter)
You can make apple butter better than your favorite restaurant.
You spot budget draining products at the grocery store and avoid them at all cost.
Your chef teaches you so much that your meals become healthier with every year your together.
(I used to be the potato flake queen, I am now the Real Mashed Potato Queen!!!)
Your chef shows there love for you every time they cook for you because you know they put their everything into it.
They are energetic, passionate people.
Usually when I am thinking about something I look either ill or ticked off, so all this morning Eric kept asking me what's wrong but he wouldn't take "nothing" for an answer. Unfortunately if I were to tell him what I was thinking it would go to his head. Here are some of my answers.
You don't have to be worried about eating too much in front of your chef.
You can be honest about how something tastes.
If you need to lose those last stubborn 10lbs work with your chef for a couple of weeks. They melt off, honest!!!!
You now know so much more about selecting quality ingredients at your local supermarket and stands. You just smirk to yourself when you see someone pick an overripe tomato.
You can create dishes without being slave to the recipe card. Substitution is the key to favorite food creations! (example my Post Christmas Eve soup that I make from the leftover veggie platter)
You can make apple butter better than your favorite restaurant.
You spot budget draining products at the grocery store and avoid them at all cost.
Your chef teaches you so much that your meals become healthier with every year your together.
(I used to be the potato flake queen, I am now the Real Mashed Potato Queen!!!)
Your chef shows there love for you every time they cook for you because you know they put their everything into it.
They are energetic, passionate people.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Kids of Chefs, A Rare Breed
When a chef procreates a strange things happens. Kids like no other are born.
For those you have kids are plan on it, do not be surprised if you see the following.
Your child's firsts will include My First Cookbook
Your children ask for the specials before a server can give them at a restaurant.
The lists to Santa include Paula Deen dvds and a spatula.
Their favorite shoes are clogs.
When ordering out not only do they tell you what they want to order, they also tell you where to order it from.
At Halloween your child wants to be the sun. So you make a costume out of a pizza box and everyone says he looks like the kid from a breakfast sausage commercial. Guess which one....
Your cookware and flatware disappears only to be found on the cook top of your children's play kitchen.
While other kids are making sand castles your children are making mud pies and dirt soup.
Your kids beg for chive eggs for breakfast.
They expect dessert EVERY SINGLE NIGHT.
When you visit your chef's restaurant they think EVERYONE works for their mommy/daddy even the owner.
Having "restaurant hands" is seen as a strange right of passage.
For those you have kids are plan on it, do not be surprised if you see the following.
Your child's firsts will include My First Cookbook
Your children ask for the specials before a server can give them at a restaurant.
The lists to Santa include Paula Deen dvds and a spatula.
Their favorite shoes are clogs.
When ordering out not only do they tell you what they want to order, they also tell you where to order it from.
At Halloween your child wants to be the sun. So you make a costume out of a pizza box and everyone says he looks like the kid from a breakfast sausage commercial. Guess which one....
Your cookware and flatware disappears only to be found on the cook top of your children's play kitchen.
While other kids are making sand castles your children are making mud pies and dirt soup.
Your kids beg for chive eggs for breakfast.
They expect dessert EVERY SINGLE NIGHT.
When you visit your chef's restaurant they think EVERYONE works for their mommy/daddy even the owner.
Having "restaurant hands" is seen as a strange right of passage.
You were offered a job on her catering crew?!
My first experience as a prep cook was accidental. I was going to work during my summer off from being a media specialist with 3rd and 4th graders to be a bar cashier at an entertainment venue. Weeks went by and I hadn't even been put on one shift. Necessity outweighed common sense so I accepted a job working in the cafe kitchen with my husband, his boss and the rest of the crew. Now this kitchen not only put out a dinner buffet every night for it's paying guests but we also fed and cooked for the artists and their staff.
I was really nervous and excited about this at the same time. Occasionally an artist would bring in their own catering crew. This was so with a particular event for a major country star. I was excited and got to work backstage with her personal chefs and had grown accustomed to working at a frantic pace and getting a lot done in little time. When backstage you see everything from the tour buses, to the families, sound checks, costumes you name it, it all happens there. It was amazing to see fridges stocked full of food you only see on food network.
I must have cut three cases of tri-colored cauliflower that day. Within our U-shaped working stations each cook two others and myself we prepped, cooked and served lunch and dinner to about 140 people. Finally one of the chefs asked me if I had eaten yet to which I replied "Well, no, but i have to finish cutting this first." After being given the hairy eyeball I got a plate sat at one of the tables to find myself sitting three feet away from the well-known country singer, her children and their nannies. Needless to say I was a little starstruck, starstruck dumb. My mouth must have been hanging open because when she turned and looked at me with her very bright blue eyes, I snapped my gaping mouth shut and looked down very intently at my plate of food studying the shapes and texture of what I was eating. Forget that... I was staring at my food thinking "I am an idiot I just got caught gawking at a country star."
After finishing the meal I very stealthily got up, took care of my plate and tripped over the leg of the table. Yep, grace at its finest. The rest of dinner prep consisted of me stuffing almonds into dates and wrapping them in bacon. It was a triumph when I was told that the crew was stuffing sandwich bags with dates to eat on the bus trip later.
This was a memorable day and story sometimes filled with tears when I relay it because at the very end of this eventful day.... I was offered a job by the head of the catering crew....Me.... I have no experience doing this.. It was like a friend asking you to come out and play and saying, sorry I have homework or sorry I'm grounded. In this case it was sorry, I'm married and have a son and I'm really a librarian. If this had been three years ago I would jump on that bus as fast as a kid would run away with the circus. With the chef's business card in hand I triumphantly waved it under my chef's nose and relayed to him the events of the day. After telling my chef and the exec chef everything I very smugly turned on my heel leaving them with their mouth hitting the floor and finished it off with a quick "Yes" and a fist pump.
I was really nervous and excited about this at the same time. Occasionally an artist would bring in their own catering crew. This was so with a particular event for a major country star. I was excited and got to work backstage with her personal chefs and had grown accustomed to working at a frantic pace and getting a lot done in little time. When backstage you see everything from the tour buses, to the families, sound checks, costumes you name it, it all happens there. It was amazing to see fridges stocked full of food you only see on food network.
I must have cut three cases of tri-colored cauliflower that day. Within our U-shaped working stations each cook two others and myself we prepped, cooked and served lunch and dinner to about 140 people. Finally one of the chefs asked me if I had eaten yet to which I replied "Well, no, but i have to finish cutting this first." After being given the hairy eyeball I got a plate sat at one of the tables to find myself sitting three feet away from the well-known country singer, her children and their nannies. Needless to say I was a little starstruck, starstruck dumb. My mouth must have been hanging open because when she turned and looked at me with her very bright blue eyes, I snapped my gaping mouth shut and looked down very intently at my plate of food studying the shapes and texture of what I was eating. Forget that... I was staring at my food thinking "I am an idiot I just got caught gawking at a country star."
After finishing the meal I very stealthily got up, took care of my plate and tripped over the leg of the table. Yep, grace at its finest. The rest of dinner prep consisted of me stuffing almonds into dates and wrapping them in bacon. It was a triumph when I was told that the crew was stuffing sandwich bags with dates to eat on the bus trip later.
This was a memorable day and story sometimes filled with tears when I relay it because at the very end of this eventful day.... I was offered a job by the head of the catering crew....Me.... I have no experience doing this.. It was like a friend asking you to come out and play and saying, sorry I have homework or sorry I'm grounded. In this case it was sorry, I'm married and have a son and I'm really a librarian. If this had been three years ago I would jump on that bus as fast as a kid would run away with the circus. With the chef's business card in hand I triumphantly waved it under my chef's nose and relayed to him the events of the day. After telling my chef and the exec chef everything I very smugly turned on my heel leaving them with their mouth hitting the floor and finished it off with a quick "Yes" and a fist pump.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Vegetable and Fruit Carving for Dummies
I like to think that part of what makes this blog entertaining is that I am so passionate about helping my chef that I will research and do whatever I can to help him succeed.
One of these times was when he was an executive chef at a fine dining establishment. He was getting tired of the garnishes used on his dishes and asked me to look for something new. I have made some pretty impressive veg crudite platters that looked like a large fish scales and all so I was feeling pretty confident. After my kids went to bed that evening I Googled veggie carving and watched videos on Youtube about how to make cucumber designs, tomato and carrot flowers among other creations. It was midsummer which meant every produce you could think of was available at my local farmers market. So I stocked up my fridge which looked like I was feeding a vegetarian convention for 50.
Mistake number one, I realize now, I was using dull knives. Mistake number 2, I think my tomatoes were a little over ripe as my peel kept breaking. In the end I ended up with enough garnishes to fill one small monkey dish. If you don't know what a monkey dish is, look it up, it's small. I would compare it to the size of a feeding bowl for a hamster. If there is one thing I can't stand is wasting food. It drives me nuts when I make dinner for they boys and they sit down with the appetites of children who haven't been fed since they were weaned off of the bottle then, after two bites they are "full" or feeling "sick". Keep in mind they aren't being fed liver and onions but things we love as a family. So back to the last thought... after hours of practicing on these veggies, I consumed three tomatoes, five carrots, two cucumber 5 stalks of celery and two apples. Why not wrap and store them you ask. Salad doesn't do well in my fridge. For some reason veggies and fruits would rather die than sit in my fridge for the next meal.
After all of this love I put into my research my darling chef came home to tell me he shocked green onions to create some curly looking green octopus thing to put on food. Needless to say I haven't carved veg or fruit ever again. However if you are interested in food carving check out Youtube for some great videos. Even if they aren't in English visually they are very informative.
One of these times was when he was an executive chef at a fine dining establishment. He was getting tired of the garnishes used on his dishes and asked me to look for something new. I have made some pretty impressive veg crudite platters that looked like a large fish scales and all so I was feeling pretty confident. After my kids went to bed that evening I Googled veggie carving and watched videos on Youtube about how to make cucumber designs, tomato and carrot flowers among other creations. It was midsummer which meant every produce you could think of was available at my local farmers market. So I stocked up my fridge which looked like I was feeding a vegetarian convention for 50.
Mistake number one, I realize now, I was using dull knives. Mistake number 2, I think my tomatoes were a little over ripe as my peel kept breaking. In the end I ended up with enough garnishes to fill one small monkey dish. If you don't know what a monkey dish is, look it up, it's small. I would compare it to the size of a feeding bowl for a hamster. If there is one thing I can't stand is wasting food. It drives me nuts when I make dinner for they boys and they sit down with the appetites of children who haven't been fed since they were weaned off of the bottle then, after two bites they are "full" or feeling "sick". Keep in mind they aren't being fed liver and onions but things we love as a family. So back to the last thought... after hours of practicing on these veggies, I consumed three tomatoes, five carrots, two cucumber 5 stalks of celery and two apples. Why not wrap and store them you ask. Salad doesn't do well in my fridge. For some reason veggies and fruits would rather die than sit in my fridge for the next meal.
After all of this love I put into my research my darling chef came home to tell me he shocked green onions to create some curly looking green octopus thing to put on food. Needless to say I haven't carved veg or fruit ever again. However if you are interested in food carving check out Youtube for some great videos. Even if they aren't in English visually they are very informative.
Monday, July 30, 2012
How much was our groceries?!
When food shopping with a chef it does not take much time before your chef can rack up the family food bill to as much as $500. The following precautionary measures can be taken to prevent you from losing your car payment to your fridge. As much as food is important menu planning is essential.
When planning for the week All You magazine has it right when they suggest that you plans meals that use the same ingredients so you aren't using two tablespoons of tahini paste and then are stuck with a 16oz jar that goes nasty in a week or so. Your chef will notice this. When they mention it act dumb, praise them for noticing and remark about how quick prep work will be throughout the week. Otherwise, they might get bored by their dinner choices, if you are lucky enough to have your chef home for dinner. Analyze the weekly circulars I never have coupons for what I need because I almost always by store brand or cheaper. Never underestimate clearance bread, it can be frozen. If it isn't on sale, you don't need it!
Do not go food shopping with hungry kids or a hungry chef, you might as well sell your car right then and there. A hungry chef will doom your food bill within the first five steps into the bakery section.
Do not go food shopping right after watching a show on food network. Chefs call it inspiration, I call it strategic marketing. Of course I want a nice beef wellington but that's not necessarily on my list, my cell phone bill told me so.
Never underestimate a good seasoning and what it can do for your meal! If you have an arsenal of herbs and spices in your kitchen the options are limitless. You won't find yourself having to buy special sauces, marinades or pre-seasoned kits. They are not as cost effective as they might appear and chefs are suckers for fast, easy and that don't require much brain power. They need to save that for their kitchens.
Look through your cupboards before you go shopping! The best thing your chef can teach you is SUBSTITUTION. No panko or regular bread crumbs or bread for that matter to toast? My kids went nuts when I made chicken tenders using graham crackers from our camp trip and Cheerios dipped in maple syrup and mustard. Just call it "special coating".
These tips are a great start and you MUST praise your chef during cash out saying that you could never have saved so much if they weren't with you contributing all of their great knowledge and expertise. Trust me it works!!
However I must warn you.... even if this works most of the time there will be a shopping trip where you might have to give in and sacrifice your next hair cut or week of lattes to make them happy. But hey that's okay because you'll have a week of great meals!
When planning for the week All You magazine has it right when they suggest that you plans meals that use the same ingredients so you aren't using two tablespoons of tahini paste and then are stuck with a 16oz jar that goes nasty in a week or so. Your chef will notice this. When they mention it act dumb, praise them for noticing and remark about how quick prep work will be throughout the week. Otherwise, they might get bored by their dinner choices, if you are lucky enough to have your chef home for dinner. Analyze the weekly circulars I never have coupons for what I need because I almost always by store brand or cheaper. Never underestimate clearance bread, it can be frozen. If it isn't on sale, you don't need it!
Do not go food shopping with hungry kids or a hungry chef, you might as well sell your car right then and there. A hungry chef will doom your food bill within the first five steps into the bakery section.
Do not go food shopping right after watching a show on food network. Chefs call it inspiration, I call it strategic marketing. Of course I want a nice beef wellington but that's not necessarily on my list, my cell phone bill told me so.
Never underestimate a good seasoning and what it can do for your meal! If you have an arsenal of herbs and spices in your kitchen the options are limitless. You won't find yourself having to buy special sauces, marinades or pre-seasoned kits. They are not as cost effective as they might appear and chefs are suckers for fast, easy and that don't require much brain power. They need to save that for their kitchens.
Look through your cupboards before you go shopping! The best thing your chef can teach you is SUBSTITUTION. No panko or regular bread crumbs or bread for that matter to toast? My kids went nuts when I made chicken tenders using graham crackers from our camp trip and Cheerios dipped in maple syrup and mustard. Just call it "special coating".
These tips are a great start and you MUST praise your chef during cash out saying that you could never have saved so much if they weren't with you contributing all of their great knowledge and expertise. Trust me it works!!
However I must warn you.... even if this works most of the time there will be a shopping trip where you might have to give in and sacrifice your next hair cut or week of lattes to make them happy. But hey that's okay because you'll have a week of great meals!
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Paula Deen, My 5 1/2 Year Old's Girlfriend
Okay here's the interesting thing about being the wife of a chef. My oldest of two boys LOVES Paula Deen. So much that one day out of the blue he told my mother that Paula Deen is his girlfriend. So he started watching our Paula Deen dvd's as she is one of my personal favorite chefs. Then he wanted to make her recipes. This infatuation continued with me going to the library and requesting Paula Deen videos from other libraries. You have never seen a kid scream like my boy when one of her shows come on my parent's t.v. He can even imitate the way she says tomato pie. This is no word of a lie or exaggeration! Mother's Day this year was celebrated with cake and coffee. The cake my mother brought over was none other than Paula Deen's Hummingbird Cake from the local grocery store. When cutting into it my son noticed Paula Deen's face on the packaging and pronounced that Paula Deen had made the cake just for him. After our Mother's Days gifts were exchanged he began to make a card for her. Try finding an address that you hope would get to a celebrity chef. If any of you know one PLEASE let me know. His love and loyalty continues when occasionally we can find an episode of Paula's Party. Most recently at dinner one time my husband and I were discussing Anthony Bourdain's bashing of Paula Deen and how it didn't surprise us that he would say such a thing and my son... groans loudly and says "Paula Deen is going to be mad at me" Needless to say all conversation at the dinner table stopped at we looked at our son with confused faces and asked, "Why?" To which he responds " I didn't send her a Mother's Day card." Try being a parent and holding it together without cracking up in a moment like this. So I am holding on to a Mother's Day card for Paula Deen with mom's son's favorite character that he loves to draw on it, a hairy alien. Sebastian has been cooking with his chef daddy since he was two. Obviously small tasks that are age appropriate but this boy has decided he wants to be a baker when he grows up. The apple does not fall far from the apple pie.
Okay today is 8/23/2012 and Seb starts Kindergarten this coming Tuesday. He has informed me he wants to make Paula Deen's Stick to the Roof of Your Mouth Cookies for his class. He also told me on the way home that we should probably go visit Paula Deen because he is SURE that she misses him. This is when it gets hard.
Okay today is 8/23/2012 and Seb starts Kindergarten this coming Tuesday. He has informed me he wants to make Paula Deen's Stick to the Roof of Your Mouth Cookies for his class. He also told me on the way home that we should probably go visit Paula Deen because he is SURE that she misses him. This is when it gets hard.
You might be the wife of a chef if...
You might be the wife of a chef if...
...you tell your children if they don't behave you will 86 dessert
...you know your chef's kitchen staff by name and reputation but not by face
...your close group of friends include a baker, chef, kitchen manager, restaurant owner, bartender, server, dishwasher, food purveyor, florist, dj, musician, caterer, limo driver, sommelier, justice of the piece, event coordinator and travel agent
...when talking to friends who want to book an event you whip out your cell phone and scroll through your 200 contacts
...a date with your chef includes them disappearing into the kitchen for the tour while you are left in the dining room smiling at the other guests.
...when you go out to eat you act like you are a food critic (you also have a small notebook in your purse because you secretly wish someone would ask you to be a food critic)
...your children know what Duck Con Fit is even if they pronounce it Duck Cone Feet
...you know your chef will take at least 3 more hours for them to come home when they say "We're just cleaning up now"
...you give your chef's food purveyor the shopping list for your Christmas Even Buffet. Who wants to stand in those long lines at the grocery store anyway!
...you have ever had to load 100lbs of linens in your small car, with your children in their car seats, to deliver them to your chef who is having an event in a half hour
...your children have stuffed animals, hats and t-shirts from every restaurant, boat or hotel within a 100 mile radius of your house (your children are also on a first name basis with each of the owners)
...you order out the only night your chef is home
...you have to question the traditional resume format because your chef can't hand the potential employer a 20 page packet
...you can succesfully work in your own chef's kitchen from dishwasher to prep cook
...you read as many biographies of other chefs that you can to better understand your own chef (My personal choice was Gordon Ramsay's autobiography)
...you know why specials are really made at a restaurant and think twice before ordering them
...you tell your children if they don't behave you will 86 dessert
...you know your chef's kitchen staff by name and reputation but not by face
...your close group of friends include a baker, chef, kitchen manager, restaurant owner, bartender, server, dishwasher, food purveyor, florist, dj, musician, caterer, limo driver, sommelier, justice of the piece, event coordinator and travel agent
...when talking to friends who want to book an event you whip out your cell phone and scroll through your 200 contacts
...a date with your chef includes them disappearing into the kitchen for the tour while you are left in the dining room smiling at the other guests.
...when you go out to eat you act like you are a food critic (you also have a small notebook in your purse because you secretly wish someone would ask you to be a food critic)
...your children know what Duck Con Fit is even if they pronounce it Duck Cone Feet
...you know your chef will take at least 3 more hours for them to come home when they say "We're just cleaning up now"
...you give your chef's food purveyor the shopping list for your Christmas Even Buffet. Who wants to stand in those long lines at the grocery store anyway!
...you have ever had to load 100lbs of linens in your small car, with your children in their car seats, to deliver them to your chef who is having an event in a half hour
...your children have stuffed animals, hats and t-shirts from every restaurant, boat or hotel within a 100 mile radius of your house (your children are also on a first name basis with each of the owners)
...you order out the only night your chef is home
...you have to question the traditional resume format because your chef can't hand the potential employer a 20 page packet
...you can succesfully work in your own chef's kitchen from dishwasher to prep cook
...you read as many biographies of other chefs that you can to better understand your own chef (My personal choice was Gordon Ramsay's autobiography)
...you know why specials are really made at a restaurant and think twice before ordering them
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
What do you do? I'm a chef's wife!
I'm a chef's wife and what does that entail? You reschedule holidays so that even if the world is celebrating Christmas on the same day, you may have it just before New Year which means you'll be lucky if you celebrate New Year's before February 14. Am I complaining? I did that the first three years of marriage to my chef and then got used to it and found ways of dealing with it. As a chef's wife you have to reassure your chef that it is okay and that a holiday isn't a holiday unless you are all together no matter what day that may be.
Sometimes you inadvertently find yourself with a second job you never asked for. I have been a bartender, server, hostess and prep cook at many of the establishments my husband has worked at. So after I worked a full day at my regular job I would don my black and whites and sometimes do dishes for the rest of the night. I think I may have gotten to the point where I won't have to do that anymore but who knows. My first memory of prep cooking was being in tears out the back door of a kitchen after having worked 16 hours and couldn't stand on my feet any more. These adventures in the culinary industry, I think, make me tougher than before.
The thing I can't get over however is the job jumping. Is it an industry norm? I don't know yet. I am still trying to figure that out.
If you think you will receive gourmet meals marrying a chef? Think again. When they are home rarely do they cook unless they have two days off back to back.
On the plus side you become their closest adviser, research assistant, secretary and negotiator. Chefs who have a passion for cooking don't know what they are worth. So despite their arrogance they will work for peanuts just to be able to save a restaurant from closing its doors forever. What are they seeking? Despite their arrogance I think they are the most self conscious people I know. Even though their food can make a five star restaurant look like McDonald's they are always afraid that someone will not like what they have prepared. So if you are a chef's wife or just interested in hearing about how my husband nearly severed his wedding ring finger three months before our wedding.... Stay tuned.
~ Nina
Sometimes you inadvertently find yourself with a second job you never asked for. I have been a bartender, server, hostess and prep cook at many of the establishments my husband has worked at. So after I worked a full day at my regular job I would don my black and whites and sometimes do dishes for the rest of the night. I think I may have gotten to the point where I won't have to do that anymore but who knows. My first memory of prep cooking was being in tears out the back door of a kitchen after having worked 16 hours and couldn't stand on my feet any more. These adventures in the culinary industry, I think, make me tougher than before.
The thing I can't get over however is the job jumping. Is it an industry norm? I don't know yet. I am still trying to figure that out.
If you think you will receive gourmet meals marrying a chef? Think again. When they are home rarely do they cook unless they have two days off back to back.
On the plus side you become their closest adviser, research assistant, secretary and negotiator. Chefs who have a passion for cooking don't know what they are worth. So despite their arrogance they will work for peanuts just to be able to save a restaurant from closing its doors forever. What are they seeking? Despite their arrogance I think they are the most self conscious people I know. Even though their food can make a five star restaurant look like McDonald's they are always afraid that someone will not like what they have prepared. So if you are a chef's wife or just interested in hearing about how my husband nearly severed his wedding ring finger three months before our wedding.... Stay tuned.
~ Nina
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