Friday, September 30, 2011

The last day of September! We had thunderstorms with rain today, very unlike Reno. Well, Thursday was not as quiet as I had hoped it would be. PT at noon, then errands, culinating in a wait at the VW dealership while I took Jordan's car into be serviced. I'm wondering if I'll ever catch up on sleep! Between the Farm to Table, knee surgery and another out-patient procedure, I always seem to feel tired, lol. That should pass. Friday was quiet, me and the new cat (minus Ah Choo who is still at "Aunt Janell's house"), who we have decided to call "Crazy Cat". She'll come up so you can pet her, then suddenly starts growling or hissing and walks away. She almost bit me, then jumped up on the couch to sit next to me. Crazy! I stopped by PT and had them blow up by exercise ball (their idea), so I can do exercises over the weekend to try and strengthen my core muscles. I also tried to take care of some billing and banking issues. I have a consulting job with Jordan and his USC students who are doing a project with LA county. It has something to do with hospitals and I'll be a "technical advisor". I think I can do that, lol! Otherwise, not much new.....

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Tuesday morning was spent doing errands (delivering cookies to Karen at Hillbilly Hotdogs, picking up my serving dishes from SCOR, paying bills). I also finished my Mascarpone Cheesecake with a Roasted Cashew Crust and made Passion Fruit Caramel Sauce (yum!). I headed over to my personal chef job in the afternoon. I made Soft Summer Spring Rolls with a dipping sauce, Pork Loin with Pomegranate Orange glaze, Parsley Rice, Carmelized Shrimp, Grilled Chicken with Spinach and Pine Nut Pesto (no basil), Warm Chickpea and Grilled Zucchini Salad and Green Giant Soup (made with leeks, potatoes and petit peas). All yummy stuff!

I stayed and had dinner with Michael (Cumin Crusted Tuna with rice and sautéed zucchini). He shared some his Mascarpone Cheesecake with me-talk about creamy! Then home. Jordan got home about 9am. A long two days in LA, but it sounds like it was productive.

Wednesday (today), I had an appointment with Laurie at Standards of Excellence. Seems like I always had the job, it just took a while for Laurie to call me. My first cooking demo will be October 26. I'll be making dinner for 30 people, cooking with the featured Miele appliances. Should be fun. I get a food budget AND get paid my going hourly rate. Very nice! The next dinner will be December 7.

While I went to my appointment, Jordan took Ah Choo back to Janell's. The new cat, "Tigger" seems terrified of Ah Choo. I hate to say this, but I think "Tigger" needs a one cat household. Makes me sad to think this adoption is not going to work out. And who knows what "Tigger" has been through of late that makes her so afraid.

I had a doctor's appointment in the afternoon, came home and took a nap and read some. I did make cookies in the Morning to take to the doctor (they seem to get all excited that someone would bake for them, lol). Chocolate Chip Cookies with a secret ingredient (crushed potato chips-adds crunch and a little salt). We'll see what kind of response I get on those.

A quiet evening, otherwise, and the promise of another quiet day tomorrow (one hopes anyway......).

Monday, September 26, 2011

Sunday was not the relaxing day I thought it was going to be, lol. We had over night company (a friend of Jordan's), I had baking to do for Monday and Tuesday, Jordan left for LA Sunday afternoon. Jan stopped by to return some of my pans from Saturday. She was very pleased at the way things turned out Saturday and even more pleased there was not one complaint from our visitors. She and Jim are already talking about next year, lol!

"Tigger", the new calico cat we adopted, seems to be settling in, with only a scant hiss or two. We'll see what happens when I bring Ah Choo home Monday.

Today was filled with more baking and cooking. I have a catering job at 6pm for the partnership meeting. I'm making Hangar Steak with a Shallot Cherry Sauce, Mashed Potatoes, Herbed Summer Squash Medley, Dinner Rolls and an Apple Cranberry Galette. I baked cookies for Karen for her Hillbilly Hotdog business-White Chocolate Cranberry, 2 dozen.

I went shopping for my personal chef job today, then baked a Mascarpone Cheesecake with a Roasted Cashew Crust. It also has a Passion Fruit Caramel Sauce that goes with it.

As I dropped off the partnership meeting dinner, I found out two things-the State was there for an inspection and two, that the consensus of the MEC meeting was that my forte was dessert. I have to say, I'm happy I am not the OR manager there!

I picked up Ah Choo after I dropped off dinner, and came home. Oh, oh, much hissing and growling (Tigger). I guess this is just going to take time.....

Saturday, September 24, 2011

We did it!!!! Our Farm to Table Dinner was a success! Yes!!

I had two helpers today, My sister Janell and Diane, a friend who wants to get I to the food business. Janell and I arrived at Jan and Jim's house about 10am. Diane was there by 11am. Other than a very short lunch break, we worked pretty much right up until guests arrived preparing food. We continued to work right up until dessert.

I assigned tasks. Poor Diane cut and juiced the watermelon for the watermelon cooler. It took a long time to make 23 cups of juice! I took the juice and made it into our watermelon cooler. Janell went out into the garden with Jan and picked vegetables for one of our side dishes. She also cut up our fingerling potatoes (which by the way were not very fingerling! They looked like full sized potatoes some of them!). Diane also made our "sandwich" of ciabatta, tomatoes, mozzarella, pesto and basil. I worked on the chicken dish, the tomato soup with mint pesto, baked the savory Palmiers, and got the grilled beef going.

I worked hard, Janell and Diane worked hard, Jan and Jim worked hard and Jordan and his friend John worked hard. A lot of planning went into this so it was nice to hear everyone say how much they enjoyed the evening. Jordan dragged me out of the kitchen because everyone wanted to meet the chef. I got a long applause from the entire group. Amazing! I think we all did a great job!

Now it's time for bed, but I'm hungry, lol. I didn't eat dinner, too much to do. Plus, once you've worked on food long enough, you end up not being very hungry. So maybe I'll go see what's in the fridge!

Friday, September 23, 2011

Well, the night before the big event.... Wish us luck!

The past two days I've been shopping for food and alcohol, baking up a storm and lying awake at night going through all my lists of things to do. I think we have everything covered! Jan is also a little nervous. I believe we are at 58 people right now. Amazing how things sold out so quickly!

Diane Momberg and Janell will be acting as my "sous" chefs, although all the responsibility is mine. I think we have all the food covered! For appetizers we have: Roasted Tomato Soup with a dollop of Mint Pesto, Caprese-style sandwiches (open face) and Savory Palmiers. The entrees are Seared Steak on a bed of Arugula and Herbed Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast with Warm Grape and Pine Nut Salad. The sides are Roasted Rosemary Fingerling Potatoes and Herbed Summer Squash. And for dessert we have a trio of selections: Chocolate Mousse, Italian Almond Cake with a Berry Compote and a Streusel -topped Plum Tart. Al the desserts will be small individual portions so as not to overwhelm the diners after a large meal.

But for right now, I am exhausticated! So I'm going to bed cause I need to get up early to make one more plum tart. :-).

I still need to post pictures! It's on my to do list.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

The Farm to Table dinner is coming down to the wire (it's September 24th) and it seems that is the most consume g task I have. Monday was spent shopping for the catering job I had on Tuesday (MEC meeting at SCOR), doing some shopping for my personal chef client (I usually shop the day of but with so many things to do, I did a part of it early) and making phone calls. I ordered the wine for the Farm to Table-18 bottles each of Chardonnay and Cabernet. It had to be paid for before Fine Vines would place the order and I certainly understand that. I also had PT in the midst of all this. And I baked a Coconut Layer Cake for my personal chef client (pick of the week!). It tur Ed out well and I did take pictures but as I write most often on my iPad, I can't seem to get my pictures uploaded from my phone.

Monday evening was dinner with Jan and Jim as part of a final planning stages for the Farm to Table. We went to Los Compadres on 4th Street. Ok, but I doubt I will write it up on Examiner.com, lol. I think we have almost everything ordered, etc.

Tuesday I met Jan at 9am at Top Hat Party Rentals to finalize everything. $714 for all the supplies we need! Amazing! At 10am I met Karen and took her a box of cookies for her hot dog cart. Peanut butter cookies. Hope she likes them. I took the leftover cookies to PT and they raved about them (always good to know when you have a successful product!). Then I went shopping at Whole Foods to finsh off my shopping. I finished fairly early but did not get everything done-for whatever reason, I forgot he didn't have an oven so had to make a Ratatouille Tart at home. And I forgot to buy lamb for the Koftas (lamb stuffed pita bread), so had to make the meatballs for that! Yikes!

I did make it to the MEC meeting in plenty of time. I made couscous topped with sautéed spinach, topped with sautéed chicken with a balsamic tomato sauce. Very good! I made Eton Mess for dessert. Yum!

Today (Wednesday), I had an appoint,net with my orthopedic doctor who is very pleased with my progress. I made him giggle again-so funny! I am ahead of the curve, which makes me happy. Just need to not over due things. He says no impact sports, no running, etc, otherwise the prosthesis wears out more quickly. I can live with that.

Then home to bake before going to PT again. After today I'll just need to go once a week. Yeah! $25 a visit adds up! I ran some errands, met Janell at Backstube for a quick bite, then bake to more baking.

I did get a job offer from Hey Chef-the place in Truckee. Just need to fill out my paperwork. I talked with Laurie from Standards of Excellence and will meet with her next Wednesday to talk about a job (about once a month). I also got a call from the Director at GI Consultants about a per diem job. I still need to call her back. Things seem to be picking up! And my friend gave me a card from one of the people I used to do business with at SCOR. They want me to cater a dinner party, lol. Guess I'll call them tomorrow.

So that's the skinny on my life. You know as much as I do, lol. Now it's time for bed......

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Saturday we were up at 6am and out of the house by about 7:15am, driving to Truckee. The interview for Hey Chef! was at the Truckee Airport. Apparently the Verbecks (who own and operate Hey Chef out of their home) also own the cafe in the airport and attached to that cafe is a conference room. Who'd have thought?

There were four of us, three of which were looking for a position as wait staff or bartenders. I was the only chef. We were met by Holly Verbeck, wife of Chef Grog Verbeck, who spent an hour going over the company and it's policies and mission, then had us set up an actual table for a luncheon. She also had each of us fold napkins in as many shapes as we could, then took a picture. Kind of funny! After that, she told us we would hear from her in about a week as to whether or not we were hired (although she says we won't actually be working for Hey Chef until we actually do a job). Seems like everything went well so we'll see.....

After Truckee, we drove on to St Helena, CA to the CIA (Culinary Institute of America). I took a class on the flavors of Tuscany from 2:30-4:30pm. It was kind of nice being back in a big kitchen. They really have everything outfitted nicely (with the help of Viking Corp). We made about a dozen dishes, divided up between 15 people. I ended up working by myself because everyone else came in pairs. Chef Sandy felt sorry for me I guess because she sent over her student assistant to help me. The student's name is Rebecca and she moved to California from Wisconsin! Small world!

After class, Jordan and I ate at the CIA's restaurant, Greystone. We sat out on the terrace. What a gorgeous view! That was a nice surprise! All in all a lovely, relaxing day. We drove home after we finished dinner.

Today (Sunday), I spent experimenting with peaches and plums and crusts. I was hoping to use wonton wrappers brushed with butter, then sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, but they turned out almost too crunchy. I tried phyllo dough-better, but no. Guess I'm going to have to just make my own crust. As for the fruit, ugh! Even though Jan and Jim brought back peaches from a farm in Benicia, they were not very good. And they were starting to go bad, so I made jam with them. The plums they bought in Bencia, however, were quite good, so that's what I'm going with. Plum tarts in addition to chocolate mousse and little Italian Almond Cakes. Time to buckle down and get to work! I also had to make cookies for Thunderbird Lodge (chocolate chip, no nuts) and Karen of Hillbilly Hotdogs (peanut butter). A busy day spent baking.

Friday, September 16, 2011

I thought Thursday would be a quiet, rest day, but it was not to be....

Our backyard cat started to want to come in the house, but as we still weren't sure of the cat, we did not let her in. I was having a hard time with this, so Thursday morning, caught the cat (the cat came right up to me when I brought some food out, so I scooped her up and put her in the carrier I already had outside), and took her to the Washoe County Animal Shelter (Humane Society). Turns out the cat was not feral but had a chip, was female, 9 years old and her name is "Tigger". I am hoping they find the family who owns her but if not, we may end up taking her in. She is a pretty cat..... We'll see.

After that, I helped Michael put up some pictures and he showed me around the kitchen I will be cooking in starting week after next. He is moving shortly. Such a nice house!

By the time I got home, I had an hour's sit down, then met Hannah from Hulsman Ranch and picked up the 16 pounds of London Broil we are using for the Farm to Table dinner. Did I tell you we have 51 people signed up? And that does not even count Jan and Jim and Jordan, nor our wait-staff! AND we have a waiting list of people who want to come. I'm not sure I thought we could pull this off, but looks like we will.

Thursday at 4pm, Jordan and I drove up to the Lake to Thunderbird Lodge. They have been selling my cookies all summer. It was their last "Thunder Thursday", a cocktail party of sorts for their patrons and volunteers. Bill, the manager (who LOVES my cookies and blames me for his ever expanding waistline,lol), took a few of on a tour of the Lodge as well as the Thunderbird boat. OH-la-la! Beautiful lodge with stunning views! Bill also had a lot to say of Mr. Whittel, the original owner of Thunderbird Lodge. Whittel was quite a character. I brought up some of my cake truffles, although the event was catered and they were not needed. There was prosciutto-wrapped figs with blue cheese, Gourgeres filled with veggies and a little piece of bacon, Mango Springrolls and Lemon Meringue bars. All quite good. Bill did suggest that he needed to being me up to cook a dinner at Thunderbird Lodge. To which I replied, "I'd love to!". We'll see what happens there....

Today (Friday), I worked the Flu shot clinic at the Walmart on Damonte Ranch Pkwy. Ugh! Long day. I gave 31 shots, which at least helped to pass the time, but the pharmacy staff was not very friendly and there was no one that offered any help. I guess the staff at the 7th Street and Mae Anne Walmart are unique. There was also some problems contacting Mollen Immunizations in the morning. You have to call the company twice a day when you work-once to clock in and once to clock out and give them clinic information with numbers of shots given, vaccine levels, etc. Frustrating when computers don't work!

I stopped to see Ric on my way home, who gave me money for two tickets to the Farm to Table dinner (good guy), then came home. Ah Choo keeps looking for the other cat outside. I guess he doesn't understand she is gone. When I got home there was a message from Laurie, the manager at Standards of Excellence offering me a job. It would be once a month starting October 26. When I didn't hear back from them, I thought they either hired someone else or decided not to hire any one. So, I will call her back on Monday and see what we can work out.

I have an interview tomorrow up in Truckee from 8am-10am. Had to get my resume in order, have a list of references, take a four page test (on food and service), bring some sample menus and write a cover letter. Whew! Guess we'll all see what happens in the morning! I could be cooking for the rich and famous and moneyed Truckee-Tahoe crowd! After that, Jordan and I will drive on to the Davis Farmer's Market and check out their produce. And THEN, we ar egging to the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) where I'll be taking a class on The Flavors of Tuscany. A gift from Jordan and a nice little getaway before the start of a crazy week! Gotta love the man!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Flu shot clinic today. I was at the 7th Street Walmart. I ended up giving 40 shots today! This particular Walmart gives the nurses help from the Optical Dept when the nurses get busy. Apparently they want to succeed! I worked with Kathy most of the day (she's the new optical Dept manager) which made the day go faster. The clientele at the 7th Street Walmart seem a little more upscale, which surprised me, but Kathy confirmed it.

We have 51 people signed up for the farm to table dinner. Mon dieu! Guess I'm going to busy next week!! Lots to do!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Up early, although that seems to be relative, now that I have all kinds of stretches and leg exercises to do in the morning. It takes at least 30 minutes if not longer. Today is my personal chef day.

Grocery shopping first, then cooking. Not a big list today, my client is eating out. Smoked Cinnamon spiced Beef in Lettuce Cups, Sautéed Chicken with a Creamy Mustard Mascarpone Marsala Sauce, Pasta Ponza and Piri Piri Shrimp. Dessert is Craggy Chocolate Cake, called that because it puffs up as it bakes and then collapses as it cools because there is no flour to give it structure. Just chocolate, butter, eggs and sugar. Goes nicely with cream or ice cream. And it's gluten free! Not that it matters here. It was a short day, then I was off to an afternoon appointment.

I didn't get home until almost 6:30pm! Leftovers for dinner, a piece of plum tart, talked with Jordan and now bedtime-already! Tomorrow I am at the flu shot clinic at Walmart. This time the Walmart on 7th Street. We'll see how that goes, lol. It will be a long day!

Apparently my cake truffles were a hit! Nice!

Monday, September 12, 2011

Sunday I finished dipping my cake truffles. I'll come back and post some pictures. I made lemon, carrot cake, Devil's food and red velvet cake. All yummy (who'd have thought?). Then I boxed them up in half pound candy boxes, lined with green tissue with a green ribbon around the middle. I used my new logo to hold it in place. The packages do look cute!

I cleaned my office after that and filed papers. Not much else. I did try marinating a London brill in the Black Noddy beer Dan gave me. We'll see how it turns out!

Today, I delivered my 30 goodie boxes to SCOR. Nice to have that done! Now all I have to do is wait for the check to come (the check's in the mail, lol). Then I went to PT and Kohl's (I needed an 8 inch springform pan). I came home and baked what's called Craggy Chocolate Cake-no flour, just eggs, chocolate, sugar and butter. It turned out well, I think. Not much else going on, so guess I'll just go to bed!

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Times certainly flies!

Thursday I had PT early in the morning, then met with Amanda, the editor of EdibleReno-Tahoe so I could pick her brain a little. She and Jackie are partners and it was Jackie who had told us we needed to charge at least $100 a plate for our Farm to Table dinner. Amanda has a little broader view of all this. While she agrees we have all the high end components of a more expensive farm to table dinner, she says you also need to look at the economy and what people are willing to pay. I spent an hour talking to her, which was very kind of her, I know she's really busy.

After my meeting with Amanda, I had to go to the bank to get a few things straightened out (still) then moved on to my personal chef job. It was a short week for that as I did it Thursday rather than Tuesday. I made Red Wine Braised Short Ribs, Chickpea and Spinach Salad with Cumin Vinaigrette and Citrus Yogurt Sauce, Pasta Primavera, Pork Florentine, Lamb Skewers with Arugula Salad and Rice Crusted Chicken Breast with a Creamy Mustard Sauce. Dessert was a Fresh Fig Tart.

From my personal chef gig, I went over to Buckbean Brewing Company to pick up some beer samples to use for cooking. I may incorporate them into the farm to table dinner. Those two guys, Dan and Doug, really are nice guys. They do a lot for the community.

Thursday evening, Jordan and I had a conference call with Jan and Jim (all four investors in this venture) about pricing. We decided to cut the price of the Farm to Table dinner as we had gotten some negative feedback on our price. And as Jan points out (without malice), that I am an unknown chef and they are an unknown farm/event center, so some people will not want to take the risk os buying an expensive ticket. And that was the night when we realized that the "Buy" button on the website wasn't working. So who knows how many people tried but couldn't buy tickets! Bummer! Anyway, we hope to at least break even.

Friday I spent all day at Walmart at the Flu Shot Clinic. At least I gave 20 shots this time, not just five. I do think, however, people still think it's early for a flu shot. I still am amazed at the different types of people that frequent Walmart! But enough said.

Today, Saturday, we had Ah Choo issues when we woke up. He had pooped in several places around the house, plus had a poopy butt! I had to stick him in the bathroom sink to clean him. He was NOT happy! So I cleaned and then went shopping with Janell. I needed more dipping chocolate so we went to Michael's. Ran a few more errands, then back home to start the dipping process. I still have one more batch to dip, then I will put the frilly touches on the tops on them and I'll be done!! At least that part. They still need to be boxed up. I'll deliver them Monday morning.

But now, bedtime...

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Up early for PT today and tomorrow. They are working on releasing my scar and also trying to increase circulation as my foot and ankle swell on that side. They also recommend getting a stationary bike to build up my leg and knee strength. Guess I'll have to work on that.

I delivered cookies to Karen who owns the "Hillbilly Hot dogs" cart she operates three days a week by St Mary's Hospital. I ended up ordering a "hillbilly hot dog" which is a hot dog (they are good dogs, gotta say that!), BBQ sauce, cheddar cheese, chopped onions and bacon. That should last me for about one year, lol, before I'll need another one! Then to the bank and home.

I baked a fresh fig tart today for my client tomorrow. Hope he likes it! Worked on the computer, answered emails, and did a little grocery shopping.

We have a striped cat who has taken up residence in our backyard. He sleeps on one of the chairs around the table on the deck (they have cushions), walks around sometimes, and makes Ah Choo crazy because Ah Choo wants to be friends and the other cat doesn't really what anything to do with any of us. Poor Ah Choo!

I do my personal chef gig tomorrow for this week so a shorter list of things to do. The EdibleReno-Tahoe magazine came out today-nice. I'm going to pick some up to hand out. We'll see if anyone buys a ticket from that ad!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

We finally did make it to the rib cook-off in Sparks, but not until Sunday evening. Just too crowded to find a parking space any earlier. The food was ok, but it felt more like a carnival that a cooking competition. Too bad!

Monday, I cooked lists in preparation for trying out the last of our farm to table dinner recipes. Lots of work but worth it! Musts a few tweaks here and there. It was nice spending the evening at Jan and Jim's house. They are really great people! Also got some loose ends tightened up for the dinner.

Today I worked at the Walmart on 2nd Street from 9am to 6:30pm. Amazing people watching there! I almost forgot it was burning man over the weekend because some of the people in the store looked like they were still there! Oh, well, keeps things interesting! I only gave five flu shots today! Long day, easy money. Kinda weird! Anyway, home by 7:15pm, dinner at 8pm then bed.....just cooking work tomorrow.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Labor Day weekend! I can't believe it's September already!

Friday was therapy. They are working to break up the scarring over my patella. Doesn't seem like they are doing much at the time, but it must be doing something cause my knee always bothers me when they are done! I had lunch with Janell-sushi. Haven't had that for a long time. Then I got a haircut (haven't had one for two months!), then off to early voting for the Nevada congressional seat that is currently vacant. I came home and made soup from the leftover beans from the other day. Sauté equal amounts of onions, celery and carrots until softened. Then I added Italian sausage (two links for Jordan and I), then chicken broth, the white beans, a can of diced tomatoes, a bay leaf, fresh thyme, dried oregano, then simmered for about 45 minutes. Then I added fresh spinach and let that cook down and left the soup on the back burner on very low, just to keep it hot til Jordan got home. It turned out very well!

Saturday I made four cakes to use for my "cake truffles" (cake pop, no stick) that are due September 12. I figured I could mix up the doughs, form them into balls, then freeze them. I'll dip them in chocolate next weekend. That way I'm not going crazy doing everything at the last minute. I still spend a lot of time on the computer, looking at recipes and food and plate presentations. I decided maybe I need to go back to some of the cookbooks I have and peruse those for new ideas.

Today we tried to go to the Sparks Rib Cook-off, but it was SO crowded we couldn't find a parking place! Since we (Jordan, Janell and I) were hungry, we had lunch at the Gold and Silver Inn on 4th Street across from the Gold Dust West. Guy Fieri did a show on the Gold and Silver recently, as my sister Michele reminded me, so I thought it was worth going to. I hadn't been there in years! Jordan and I split the Lemonade Pork Chops and Janell got the Tri-Tip sandwich with Mahagony Sauce (BBQ sauce made with grape jelly!) and fries. Everything was good. The place is still old (it has to be at least 50 years old) but the food was good, and the staff is obviously proud of the Food Network recognition they received.

Not sure if we'll try and go back to the Rib Cook-off tonight or not. We're hoping the traffic (people) will drop off later in the day. We'll see!
In the meantime, I need to bake some chocolate chip cookies and make up my last pan of cake into cookie truffles. And I still need to go to the store. Tomorrow we are going over to Jan and Jim's house to try more recipes, new London Broil from KT Beef and let Jan try the chicken dish. I'm making Savory Palmiers, Roasted Tomato Soup, Chicken Stuffed with Herbed Goat Cheese with Warm Grape and Pine Nut Salad, Peach Crostata and Chocolate Mousse. Lots to do!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Today was errand day. I had lunch with Ric at Beaujolais, a French restaurant on West Street. Very good food! Yum! Then I stopped at two different banks, stopped to see Karen at Hillybilly hotdogs (she ordered another box of cookies for next week-Wednesday), then went grocery shopping. Walmart was packed! Seemed a little weird for a Thursday afternoon! The Strawberry Cheesecake muffins I made yesterday turned out pretty good. Not as sweet as I thought they might be. They were improved by a dusting of powdered sugar. I'll take some to PT tomorrow and see what they say. It's a quiet day so far......