Happy Halloween! I was not expecting any trick or treaters but we got three! Jordan said if you don't want anyone stopping, then turn off the light! So I did. Good thing I had a some candy!
I was up by 7am, had breakfast then went shopping for my two (actually three) jobs tomorrow. The rest of the afternoon was spent prepping all the food, slicing, dicing and making some of the food a day ahead (like the cranberry chutney and the Pecan Pumpkin Crunch). I am making lunch for the SOE crew with some of the leftover asparagus, a good will gesture, if you will. I am making asparagus and spinach quiche, a mixed green salad and chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Then off to my private chef job, my last counting for this client until Christmas (he's going to Maui). Ah, well...
Once I am done there, it's off to cook for the general partnership meeting (read: more people coming than usually come). They are having Sweet Sausage, Sage and Hazelnut Stuffed Turkey Breasts, Herbed Mashed Potatoes, Orange and Ginger Glazed Carrots, Cranberry Chutney, Parker House Rolls and Pecan Pumpkin Crunch with Bourbon Whipped Cream. Should be a good meal. I think I will be tired by the end of the day!
I still have not had a chance to make Key Lime Coolers (cookies). Too many other things to do! Hopefully I will get to them on Wednesday. Don't want to waste those Key limes!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
I have got some catching up to do!
Friday, I worked at the Hyatt in Incline village (still trying to make that extra money!) doing a wellness clinic. We had to be there by 7am and work until 12:30pm. We ended up going over because a few of the employees showed up after 12 noon (closing time). Our boss for the day told us to keep going, so we did. I ended up meeting three wonderful women, which made the clinic very enjoyable. The Hyatt employees were also great! I was nice to be in a work environment where people were very happy to have a job, loved working at the Hyatt (many of them are long term employees) and were very thankful to all four of us for just showing up to do a wellness clinic for them. And when it was all over, they even fed us! In the next room was a wellness fair to go along with our clinic. The Hyatt was serving lunch to their employees and included us in the bargain. The had spinach salad with a variety of toppings, green beans with red onions, whipped parsnips (most people would not have been able to tell they were not mashed potatoes), chicken in a light sauce and mahi, also in a light sauce. For dessert, there was a trifle and plum kuchen with local honey (to drizzle over the cake). I was impressed, they did a very nice job!
I got home around 2:30-3pm and found Jordan at home working. I did my billing for Tuesday's Food for Thought at SOE, did some reading and by 9:30pm, was ready for bed (had to get up at 5am two days in a row!). Jordan made dinner. He is always telling me he does wonders with leftovers and it is easy to cook good leftovers when he uses dishes I have made. Good man!
Saturday Jordan went on a bike ride in Susanville with a friend of his, Bob Moen. Guess it was really cold, so it made the ride not so pleasant. Me, I worked at Walmart on 7th at a flu shot clinic from 9am to 5:15pm. Walmart was crazy busy all day. People were in there buying Halloween costumes and Halloween candy. I even saw Chef Mark Estee (from Moody's in Truckee and Campo soon to open here in Reno) shopping in there with his wife. Guess you never know who you are going to run into! Gail, one of the nurses from the Hyatt clinic, who lives in Reno part of the year and South Dakota the rest of the year, showed up at my table and chatted for a while. Her daughter lives here and Gail comes to help with babysitting, etc. After the clinic, I drove to my friend, Swad's house, for a candle party (she makes all her own candles). It was nice catching up with a few friends (from my old job at SCOR).
When I got home (about 7pm), Jordan took me out to dinner at Fuego's, a tapas bar and restaurant over by the Pioneer theater. They have patterned themselves after the Spanish Tapas bars and serve mostly small plates of food but do have a handful of dinner entrees to choose from as well as dessert. Some of what we ordered was a little too spicy for me, but the flavors were outstanding. I was glad we went, and even Jordan enjoyed himself, lol. He always says I am the one with the sophisticated palate and that he often cannot tell the subtle differences in foods that I can. I counter that by telling him you can always educate your palate, be it wine or food. I'm not sure he believes me, lol!
Today, is a nice quiet day, for which I am truly ready! I have a busy week coming up with some cooking and some clinics to do so am working Monday through Friday this week. (I am not complaining!) Ah Choo also seems to be happy I am staying home. He is curled up next to me on the couch and has been for some time. Crazy Mary is upstairs, under the bed, still not really willing to be a "part of the family". Jordan and I have extended the amount of time we are giving her to acclimate but I am unsure of the outcome for little CM (as Jordan calls her). She is still afraid of Ah Choo, even though he wants to be friends. It is a beautiful day out, so both Jordan and I need to get out for a walk or something. No cookies due Tuesday for Hillbilly Hot Dogs, so no baking today. I still have work that needs to be done for Jordan on his LA Hospital project. I will be working on that during my down time.
Friday, I worked at the Hyatt in Incline village (still trying to make that extra money!) doing a wellness clinic. We had to be there by 7am and work until 12:30pm. We ended up going over because a few of the employees showed up after 12 noon (closing time). Our boss for the day told us to keep going, so we did. I ended up meeting three wonderful women, which made the clinic very enjoyable. The Hyatt employees were also great! I was nice to be in a work environment where people were very happy to have a job, loved working at the Hyatt (many of them are long term employees) and were very thankful to all four of us for just showing up to do a wellness clinic for them. And when it was all over, they even fed us! In the next room was a wellness fair to go along with our clinic. The Hyatt was serving lunch to their employees and included us in the bargain. The had spinach salad with a variety of toppings, green beans with red onions, whipped parsnips (most people would not have been able to tell they were not mashed potatoes), chicken in a light sauce and mahi, also in a light sauce. For dessert, there was a trifle and plum kuchen with local honey (to drizzle over the cake). I was impressed, they did a very nice job!
I got home around 2:30-3pm and found Jordan at home working. I did my billing for Tuesday's Food for Thought at SOE, did some reading and by 9:30pm, was ready for bed (had to get up at 5am two days in a row!). Jordan made dinner. He is always telling me he does wonders with leftovers and it is easy to cook good leftovers when he uses dishes I have made. Good man!
Saturday Jordan went on a bike ride in Susanville with a friend of his, Bob Moen. Guess it was really cold, so it made the ride not so pleasant. Me, I worked at Walmart on 7th at a flu shot clinic from 9am to 5:15pm. Walmart was crazy busy all day. People were in there buying Halloween costumes and Halloween candy. I even saw Chef Mark Estee (from Moody's in Truckee and Campo soon to open here in Reno) shopping in there with his wife. Guess you never know who you are going to run into! Gail, one of the nurses from the Hyatt clinic, who lives in Reno part of the year and South Dakota the rest of the year, showed up at my table and chatted for a while. Her daughter lives here and Gail comes to help with babysitting, etc. After the clinic, I drove to my friend, Swad's house, for a candle party (she makes all her own candles). It was nice catching up with a few friends (from my old job at SCOR).
When I got home (about 7pm), Jordan took me out to dinner at Fuego's, a tapas bar and restaurant over by the Pioneer theater. They have patterned themselves after the Spanish Tapas bars and serve mostly small plates of food but do have a handful of dinner entrees to choose from as well as dessert. Some of what we ordered was a little too spicy for me, but the flavors were outstanding. I was glad we went, and even Jordan enjoyed himself, lol. He always says I am the one with the sophisticated palate and that he often cannot tell the subtle differences in foods that I can. I counter that by telling him you can always educate your palate, be it wine or food. I'm not sure he believes me, lol!
Today, is a nice quiet day, for which I am truly ready! I have a busy week coming up with some cooking and some clinics to do so am working Monday through Friday this week. (I am not complaining!) Ah Choo also seems to be happy I am staying home. He is curled up next to me on the couch and has been for some time. Crazy Mary is upstairs, under the bed, still not really willing to be a "part of the family". Jordan and I have extended the amount of time we are giving her to acclimate but I am unsure of the outcome for little CM (as Jordan calls her). She is still afraid of Ah Choo, even though he wants to be friends. It is a beautiful day out, so both Jordan and I need to get out for a walk or something. No cookies due Tuesday for Hillbilly Hot Dogs, so no baking today. I still have work that needs to be done for Jordan on his LA Hospital project. I will be working on that during my down time.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Jordan is home, yeah! It was a long drive home and now he's not so sure he wants to drive it again, lol. It IS easier to fly.
I was in Fernley today to do a flu shot clinic at the Lowe's on the east side of Fernley. Long drive (not as far as San Diego!). Everyone was very nice. Home Depot has it's training room at the back of the store. Lowe's training room is at the front of the store. Different but the same, I guess. I was scheduled to give 40 flu shots (there are a minimum number of people they need to get signed up in order to have this service) but only gave 22. Lots of sitting around. They were also training new hires today so I got to sit thru that spiel. Interesting to sit in on that. I also learned that Lowe's (although that name is a fairly recent introduction, it was started by a man named Buchman) was started in 1946 and catered only to professional people. It apparently was not open to the general public. The first five stores were opened in North Carolina. It wasn't until after Buchman's death that the company went public, is traded on the NASDAQ and is world wide. Interesting (especially when there is nothing else to read, lol).
I made a Swiss Chard quiche for dinner and served it with a salad. Good stuff. I also made a small Pumpkin Tart. Love pumpkin! I will go back and add pictures of some of the dishes I've made. Since I mostly write on my iPad, it's not easy to upload photos. I need to be on a regular computer for that. So eventually I will catch up!
I have a Wellness Clinic tomorrow at the Hyatt in Incline Village. Should be interesting. And I will get to meet more Summit employees. So far everyone has been very nice. I have to be there at 7am so it will be another early morning!
I was in Fernley today to do a flu shot clinic at the Lowe's on the east side of Fernley. Long drive (not as far as San Diego!). Everyone was very nice. Home Depot has it's training room at the back of the store. Lowe's training room is at the front of the store. Different but the same, I guess. I was scheduled to give 40 flu shots (there are a minimum number of people they need to get signed up in order to have this service) but only gave 22. Lots of sitting around. They were also training new hires today so I got to sit thru that spiel. Interesting to sit in on that. I also learned that Lowe's (although that name is a fairly recent introduction, it was started by a man named Buchman) was started in 1946 and catered only to professional people. It apparently was not open to the general public. The first five stores were opened in North Carolina. It wasn't until after Buchman's death that the company went public, is traded on the NASDAQ and is world wide. Interesting (especially when there is nothing else to read, lol).
I made a Swiss Chard quiche for dinner and served it with a salad. Good stuff. I also made a small Pumpkin Tart. Love pumpkin! I will go back and add pictures of some of the dishes I've made. Since I mostly write on my iPad, it's not easy to upload photos. I need to be on a regular computer for that. So eventually I will catch up!
I have a Wellness Clinic tomorrow at the Hyatt in Incline Village. Should be interesting. And I will get to meet more Summit employees. So far everyone has been very nice. I have to be there at 7am so it will be another early morning!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
I was up early today to finish off the dinner gift a friend was giving to one of the doctor's he works with. I also needed to make meringues for Pavlova for a luncheon I was making. It was a very busy day today!
I went over to Michael's house (I didn't quite make the 10am I said I was going to do, lol). I set the table with the good china and silver, talked for a bit, then made the salad. Mixed spring greens topped with strawberries and orange segments (it was also suppose to have pecans but I forgot those and we decided to leave them off. I still manage to forget things even with a list, although Jay Bushman tells me that happens all the time.) The salad was dressed with Chai Vinaigrette-a very nice combo. I did find some sunflower seeds while rooting around so added those for some crunch. Next I made the sauce for the salmon. A honey-lime-cilantro mixture. Since I made the rice yesterday, all I had to do was sauté some shallots, then removed the pan from the heat, added the rice, topped the rice with two salmon fillets, tucked sprigs of broccolini around the edges and drizzled the honey-lime mixture over everything. Put it in the oven for 8-10 minutes and you have a very elegant meal. When you plate the meal, drizzle the rest of the honey-lime mixture over everything. It was a hit! For dessert, I made Strawberry Pavlovas, meringues topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and strawberries. What's not to like??
After I cleaned up and washed dishes it was off to prepare for the next gig. I went home, repacked my rolling cart, then mixed up a batch of pumpkin cookies dough. Standards of Excellence (SOE) does this demonstration in one of their ovens where they cook a head of garlic with a sheet of cookies to show that the garlic does not affect the taste of the cookies. Then it was off to shop. Raleys ended up not having Boursin cheese or prosciutto so after I bought all I could at Raleys, I headed for Trader Joe's and picked up those two items. It did, however, put me behind in my time line. I arrived at SOE, unloaded the car, and started working. Almost the entire meal was done in their steam oven. Unfortunately, it is rather small and they have only a limited number of pans that work in that oven so things had to be done in stages. That did not help my timeline! I steamed broccoli, but in the middle had to refill the water reservoir inside the steam oven, so that took longer than expected. My rice didn't cook all the way through in the steam oven so I had to finish it in the steam microwave-convection oven (who'd have thought there even was such a thing!!). There was only one non-perforated pan so I had to cook the chicken in stages. And quite a few people cancelled so I had a lot of extra food stuff. Dispute several setbacks, people loved the meal and they all had a good time.
I did learn several things tonight: even though I regularly cook on different appliances, I need to give myself extra time for SOE as things can go wrong very easily. I need to arrive hours earlier than I did today. I learned not to plan two events in one day (although I suppose there would/could be some exceptions). And I need to shop the day before, or at least the morning of, not right before an event like this. Bottom line: people seemed happy with everything, as did Laurie the manager, so that was a good thing.
Now it's time for bed though, I am exhausticated!! Jordan called to say he would be later than he thought, so I probably won't be able to stay awake to greet him. I'll let Ah Choo do that, lol.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
PT this morning. I am going once a week now until the middle of November then I'll be done. Yeah! The knee is great, it's the scar that is a little bothersome.
I took the Oatmeal Raisin cookies to Karen, who said she didn't order any! Since they were packaged up already, she took them. She still has some cookies left from last week. Another lesson learned: don't always believe your client, let them order from you. There is a fine line between pursuing a client and helping them order what they want and not doing anything, which might be misconstrued as you not wanting their business. One of these days I'll get it right!
A few errands, then off to cook. I baked tart shells and a Bourbon Pecan Tart. I cooked Chicken Roulade with Rice and Asparagus, Split Pea Soup, Baked Ziti with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe and would have made two other things but forgot my eggs. As I am going back tomorrow to make lunch, I'll get to them later. I also made Bourbon Honey Roasted Pork Tenderloin, Mashed Potatoes and Apricot Roasted Carrots and Parsnips. These will be the doctor's gift to Mellonese. I also made Salad Nicoise ala Julia Child. Michael lent me one of Julia Child's cookbooks that he had given his mom for Mother's day one year. Huge book! Lots of pictures, though and very how to.....
I had dinner then returned home to do a bit more work. I am tired tonight! Jordan worked at USC today and will tomorrow morning, then drive back to Reno. He always seems rejuvenated when he goes down there!
Monday, October 24, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
It's quiet without Jordan here! My daily routine also changes slightly when he is gone. Wake up, stretches, feed the cats, muck out two kitty litter boxes, make my own coffee (I am spoiled, lol), shower, then get on with my day.
I made Oatmeal Raisin cookies this morning. I need two dozen to fill Karen's order but the recipe only made 23! I had to make up another batch! I used a new spice blend from Penzey's called baking spice. It has cinnamon, cardamom and two other spices. Quite tasty, so we'll see how well they are received. I also learned my lesson, bag and label cookies the night before they are due so as not to have last minute "snafus" that make me late! So they are all boxed up nicely.
I had lunch with Ric at Arlington Gardens (he does go to other restaurants but not often, lol). Meatball soup and Norwegian limp bread ( the cook at Arlington Gardens makes it each year for the Daughters of Norway so gives some to the restaurant). The limpa bread was better than I expected or remembered!
The rest of the day was filled with laundry, recipe research, mail correspondence and work on the LA hospitals project. I also stopped into Pier 1 and filled out a job application as a sales person for seasonal work. We'll see what happens! Just trying to cover all my bases so to speak and make sure I have some sort of steady income.
I talked with Jordan tonight. He is staying with his daughter. She and her husband recently moved to a small town outside of San Diego as they were buying a business in that area (her husband lost his job some months ago). Unfortunately the deal fell through and now they are
not sure what they are going to do. Just goes to show you there are others with more problems or issues than you. So I am very thankful
for what I do have. As my mother always said, "Things always work out, maybe not how you thought they would, but things always turn out
the way they are suppose to". Wise woman, my mom.
Tomorrow, PT in the morning then cooking the rest of the day. The other doctor Michael works with and that he often shares his lunch with, has asked me to make a special lunch for her and Michael. So Wednesday morning I will be making Lime Honey Glazed Salmon, Basmati Rice and broccolini, a mixed green salad with strawberries and pecans dressed with a Chai vinaigrette, and for dessert-Strawberry Pavlovas. She is very excited about it! Little does she know that he is giving her a take home meal that day also, lol! Bourbon Honey Glazed Pork with Mashed Potatoes and Apricot Roasted Carrots and Parsnips. She also gets dessert-Bourbon Pecan Tart (got a bourbon theme going on!). Nice surprises all around!
A friend has been suggesting I look back at my blog and see what I was doing a year ago. Well I finally did just that and found out a year ago I was in Paris! How time flies. And what a wonderful trip that was! Time seems to soften the memories, which is a good thing. By the end of that trip most of us were ready to go our separate ways (too many strong personalities!) but what I mostly remember is cooking, seeing many stores/factories/restaurants and remembering how beautiful everything was. Maybe some day I will be able to go back.....
I made Oatmeal Raisin cookies this morning. I need two dozen to fill Karen's order but the recipe only made 23! I had to make up another batch! I used a new spice blend from Penzey's called baking spice. It has cinnamon, cardamom and two other spices. Quite tasty, so we'll see how well they are received. I also learned my lesson, bag and label cookies the night before they are due so as not to have last minute "snafus" that make me late! So they are all boxed up nicely.
I had lunch with Ric at Arlington Gardens (he does go to other restaurants but not often, lol). Meatball soup and Norwegian limp bread ( the cook at Arlington Gardens makes it each year for the Daughters of Norway so gives some to the restaurant). The limpa bread was better than I expected or remembered!
The rest of the day was filled with laundry, recipe research, mail correspondence and work on the LA hospitals project. I also stopped into Pier 1 and filled out a job application as a sales person for seasonal work. We'll see what happens! Just trying to cover all my bases so to speak and make sure I have some sort of steady income.
I talked with Jordan tonight. He is staying with his daughter. She and her husband recently moved to a small town outside of San Diego as they were buying a business in that area (her husband lost his job some months ago). Unfortunately the deal fell through and now they are
not sure what they are going to do. Just goes to show you there are others with more problems or issues than you. So I am very thankful
for what I do have. As my mother always said, "Things always work out, maybe not how you thought they would, but things always turn out
the way they are suppose to". Wise woman, my mom.
Tomorrow, PT in the morning then cooking the rest of the day. The other doctor Michael works with and that he often shares his lunch with, has asked me to make a special lunch for her and Michael. So Wednesday morning I will be making Lime Honey Glazed Salmon, Basmati Rice and broccolini, a mixed green salad with strawberries and pecans dressed with a Chai vinaigrette, and for dessert-Strawberry Pavlovas. She is very excited about it! Little does she know that he is giving her a take home meal that day also, lol! Bourbon Honey Glazed Pork with Mashed Potatoes and Apricot Roasted Carrots and Parsnips. She also gets dessert-Bourbon Pecan Tart (got a bourbon theme going on!). Nice surprises all around!
A friend has been suggesting I look back at my blog and see what I was doing a year ago. Well I finally did just that and found out a year ago I was in Paris! How time flies. And what a wonderful trip that was! Time seems to soften the memories, which is a good thing. By the end of that trip most of us were ready to go our separate ways (too many strong personalities!) but what I mostly remember is cooking, seeing many stores/factories/restaurants and remembering how beautiful everything was. Maybe some day I will be able to go back.....
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Quiet weekend, really. Janell and I went to the McQueen Craft Fair Saturday with one of her friends. I haven't been in years! I did manage to pick up a couple of presents there. The food was provided by the students: Tri-tip, hamburgers, hotdogs, pulled pork, chili (from a can!), mega-cinnamon rolls, cupcakes, soda and water. The students seem to have more of a presence there than I remember, but it's good to get them involved and it acts as a fund raiser.
Afterwards, I worked on organizing my finances. It may not be much money, but it makes me feel better to know what money has come in and where it has gone. And of course, it will be useful at tax time (:-(.
Jordan left for San Diego this morning. There is a geo-thermal conference he is attending. He just called me tonight to say he was stuck about an hour or so out of San Diego-all the tires on his rental car are loose and the brakes weren't working properly. Good thing he was paying attention!! Don't want any accidents happening! He was waiting for a tow truck at 8pm. Poor guy!
I spent most of the day looking at recipes. I needed to come up with a Holiday dinner for Standards of Excellence (December 7). I guess they like to get that pre-approved through Corporate in a timely fashion. I have a dinner on Wednesday this week with them. My first one! I find out on Monday how many I will be cooking for. Between cooking and clinics, I have something going on everyday this week, which is a good thing financially!
I am also doing some research for Jordan's students. USC has been tasked with figuring out what hospitals there are around LA County, how old they are, how many beds, when they were built, how big a campus they have. A lot of this can be found on websites, but it isn't always easy information to find. And it will provide some income for me, so that is much appreciated. I rather enjoy it, too.
Crazy Mary, our new cat, is no nearer getting used to Ah Choo and she still hisses. But I noticed she is putting on weight, which is good. I did put an ad on Craigslist to see if I could find her a good home. Still not sure what's going to happen with her.
Afterwards, I worked on organizing my finances. It may not be much money, but it makes me feel better to know what money has come in and where it has gone. And of course, it will be useful at tax time (:-(.
Jordan left for San Diego this morning. There is a geo-thermal conference he is attending. He just called me tonight to say he was stuck about an hour or so out of San Diego-all the tires on his rental car are loose and the brakes weren't working properly. Good thing he was paying attention!! Don't want any accidents happening! He was waiting for a tow truck at 8pm. Poor guy!
I spent most of the day looking at recipes. I needed to come up with a Holiday dinner for Standards of Excellence (December 7). I guess they like to get that pre-approved through Corporate in a timely fashion. I have a dinner on Wednesday this week with them. My first one! I find out on Monday how many I will be cooking for. Between cooking and clinics, I have something going on everyday this week, which is a good thing financially!
I am also doing some research for Jordan's students. USC has been tasked with figuring out what hospitals there are around LA County, how old they are, how many beds, when they were built, how big a campus they have. A lot of this can be found on websites, but it isn't always easy information to find. And it will provide some income for me, so that is much appreciated. I rather enjoy it, too.
Crazy Mary, our new cat, is no nearer getting used to Ah Choo and she still hisses. But I noticed she is putting on weight, which is good. I did put an ad on Craigslist to see if I could find her a good home. Still not sure what's going to happen with her.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
PT first thing this morning, trying to work out all my kinks. Ran two errands, then Janell came and picked me up for our drive around the Lake. What a beautiful day for a drive! It's such a short drive up as compared to some day trips and Tahoe is quite beautiful. We had lunch at one of the restaurants in the Marina on the Lake in Tahoe City. Simple sandwiches, salads and hotdogs (!). But it was hard to beat the view! We stopped in Emerald Bay for a short walk and to look around. Lots of people there, doing what we were doing. Lots of crickets/grasshoppers also, hanging out and jumping all over the place! Seems like there was an equal ratio of people to bugs!
No baking today. Chris came and cleaned the house. What joy to have someone do that for you! She does such a good job. Hope to get my office desk cleared off this weekend, do some book keeping and visit the McQueen High School craft fair tomorrow with Janell and friends.
No baking today. Chris came and cleaned the house. What joy to have someone do that for you! She does such a good job. Hope to get my office desk cleared off this weekend, do some book keeping and visit the McQueen High School craft fair tomorrow with Janell and friends.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
I was up early to work at a Mollen Immunization Clinic giving flu shots at one of the Walmart's in Carson City. I only gave 18 shots today! Enough said.
This evening Jordan and I went to Rapscallion's to listen to a sale pitch to invest in "Hard Rock", a natural gas company. They drill for, pipe out and sell the natural gas found in the shale layers in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Sounds like a winning situation if you have the money. I had no idea the United States was the leading producer of natural gas in the world! Did you? Also in attendance were Dr David Barry and Dr Mel Bacchus, who were interested in hearing about my culinary adventures (I used to work with Dr Barry at SCOR). I gave them both a card, so we'll see what happens! The meal provided for this talk was excellent, I must say. I had a butter lettuce salad with vinaigrette and candied walnuts, Tiger shrimp and Scallop Fettuccine (Jordan doesn't eat seafood so I only get seafood when I go out) and for dessert-Chocolate Truffle Cake. Yum! They had a nice wine to go with the meal, although I never got a chance to read a label as the talk started almost as soon as we sat down. The talk was interesting (and I think Jordan is going to invest), the food excellent (which has not always been the case at Rapscallion's) and I made some more business contacts. What more could a girl ask for? Well maybe a million dollars might help, but I don't think that's going to happen, lol.
PT tomorrow morning, then a banking chore, then off to drive around the Lake with Janell. It's suppose to be a nice day tomorrow. Yeah!
Our second cat, Crazy Mary, is starting to come out from under the bed when we go into the room, but she shows no signs of wanting anything to do with Ah Choo and hisses when she hear shim on the other side of the door. She wants to be petted but only sometimes and still acts kind of crazy (hence the name), so I don't think we'll be able to keep her-she can't live in a room all by herself, she needs to come out and be part of the family, so to speak. Time will tell......
This evening Jordan and I went to Rapscallion's to listen to a sale pitch to invest in "Hard Rock", a natural gas company. They drill for, pipe out and sell the natural gas found in the shale layers in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Sounds like a winning situation if you have the money. I had no idea the United States was the leading producer of natural gas in the world! Did you? Also in attendance were Dr David Barry and Dr Mel Bacchus, who were interested in hearing about my culinary adventures (I used to work with Dr Barry at SCOR). I gave them both a card, so we'll see what happens! The meal provided for this talk was excellent, I must say. I had a butter lettuce salad with vinaigrette and candied walnuts, Tiger shrimp and Scallop Fettuccine (Jordan doesn't eat seafood so I only get seafood when I go out) and for dessert-Chocolate Truffle Cake. Yum! They had a nice wine to go with the meal, although I never got a chance to read a label as the talk started almost as soon as we sat down. The talk was interesting (and I think Jordan is going to invest), the food excellent (which has not always been the case at Rapscallion's) and I made some more business contacts. What more could a girl ask for? Well maybe a million dollars might help, but I don't think that's going to happen, lol.
PT tomorrow morning, then a banking chore, then off to drive around the Lake with Janell. It's suppose to be a nice day tomorrow. Yeah!
Our second cat, Crazy Mary, is starting to come out from under the bed when we go into the room, but she shows no signs of wanting anything to do with Ah Choo and hisses when she hear shim on the other side of the door. She wants to be petted but only sometimes and still acts kind of crazy (hence the name), so I don't think we'll be able to keep her-she can't live in a room all by herself, she needs to come out and be part of the family, so to speak. Time will tell......
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Monday started out slow, but then I ran errands, shopped for my personal chef client, then baked in the afternoon. I made Parkerhouse rolls (Bobby Flay's recipe from a "Throwdown" episode), mini pumpkin pies and a Limoncello Icebox Cake (that looked more like a trifle than a cake since they suggested putting it in a trifle dish-looks pretty though!). Busy afternoon! I also used double stick tape to keep the "April Bakes" insert in my new pamphlet. All 250!
Tuesday they cancelled my PT appt, but that still did not give me a timely start that morning. I don't know why it is so, but printing off packaging labels is not as easy as it should be. Avery has free templates online and you can design whatever you want online but there always seems to be an issue. My MAC, for instance, does not print off labels as easily as my older HP laptop. Go figure! I had a dozen packs of Molasses Ginger Cookies to drop off to Karen at Hillbilly Hotdogs. I didn't want to make two trips, so took the time to get everything together as well as packing up the car to go to my personal chef gig after I dropped off cookies. That made me slightly late, but Karen didn't seem to mind.
After I dropped off her order, I went to my clients house to cook. I made a full Thanksgiving dinner for him (he'll be out of town for Thanksgiving but wanted turkey!). It's hard finding a turkey before November 1! I ended up getting a big turkey breast and two turkey legs. I roasted the turkey using a herbed butter. You mix butter, thyme, lemon zest and parsley together, then rub half od it under the turkey skin and the other half on the outside of the turkey. Mashed potatoes, glazed carrots with an orange-ginger sauce, simple stuffing, and Parkerhouse rolls. But before all that, I made Orange Teriyaki Beef, Prawns in Green Chili, roasted pork with Orange-Pomogranite Glaze, and roasted harvest vegetables. Busy day! I just added picture of the Thanksgiving dinner I made, as well as the Limoncello Icebox Cake (which looks like more of a triffle!).
Wednesday, today, had me up early so I could run errands. I checked out the cookware situation at Standards of Excellence, closed my last bank account at Nevada State bank then went to deposit that money into my account at Great Basin (why does banking have to be so difficult?). I stopped and had a bowl of soup at Backstubbe, bought cat food then went home. I gathered up some of my pamphlets and hand delivered them to the medical offices at 343 Elm Street and St Mary's Center for Wellness. Some people even recognized who I was! Very cool!
Late dinner with Jordan (because he teaches from 7-8pm) and now bed. My hands are really dry from all that hand washing and dishwashing. I had to give them a break today!
Walmart flu clinic in Carson all day tomorrow! It's money, so I can't complain too loud.
L
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Friday was spent running errands (Chocolate Chocolate Chunk Cookies to Karen of Hillbilly Hotdogs, Cinnamon Palmiers to Bill Glaser, who has a hair salon-he hung up the card Michael gave him and I ended up getting a referral from that, then delivered Grilled Asparagus with Orange Wasabi Sauce to my personal chef client-I didn't quite get everything done on Tuesday).
I otherwise spent the day on the computer doing recipe research, something I could do all day every day. Looking at recipes, coming up with ideas, putting dishes together for an entire meal. Great fun and relaxing (what can I say?)!
Friday evening Jordan and I went to Fine Vines for their upscale wine tasting. For $16 you get a flight of wines to try (in this case all reds) and a cheese platter for two for $12 (they also sell cheese and a limited charcuterie-yum!). We had a nice time and we spent some time with Tom, the owner, and I was able to tell him how much people enjoyed his wine at the farm to table. He was happy about that. Hopefully we will be able to work together again sometime.
Saturday and Sunday were pretty much the same, with the addition of housecleaning duties and laundry. I did have lunch with Janell at Sushi Rose on Saturday, talked to my sister, Michele and spent a little time with Crazy Mary (who at least will come out from under the bed now!).
Jordan and I went for a walk at Doroskar Park on Mayberry off 4th Street. It was a beautiful afternoon. I also baked Molasses Cookies for Karen (Hillbilly Hotdogs) to be delivered Tuesday morning. I need to get them packaged and a header put on the bags so she can hang them up with the potato chips.
I will have a lot of baking to do tomorrow as I am going to prepare a Thanksgiving dinner for my personal chef client Tuesday. He'll be out of town for Thanksgiving so wanted to make sure he got a Thanksgiving meal, lol. Works for me! I love a good turkey dinner! I'll be making mini pumpkin pies tomorrow as well as Limoncella Icebox Cake and dinner rolls tomorrow. Should be fun!
I otherwise spent the day on the computer doing recipe research, something I could do all day every day. Looking at recipes, coming up with ideas, putting dishes together for an entire meal. Great fun and relaxing (what can I say?)!
Friday evening Jordan and I went to Fine Vines for their upscale wine tasting. For $16 you get a flight of wines to try (in this case all reds) and a cheese platter for two for $12 (they also sell cheese and a limited charcuterie-yum!). We had a nice time and we spent some time with Tom, the owner, and I was able to tell him how much people enjoyed his wine at the farm to table. He was happy about that. Hopefully we will be able to work together again sometime.
Saturday and Sunday were pretty much the same, with the addition of housecleaning duties and laundry. I did have lunch with Janell at Sushi Rose on Saturday, talked to my sister, Michele and spent a little time with Crazy Mary (who at least will come out from under the bed now!).
Jordan and I went for a walk at Doroskar Park on Mayberry off 4th Street. It was a beautiful afternoon. I also baked Molasses Cookies for Karen (Hillbilly Hotdogs) to be delivered Tuesday morning. I need to get them packaged and a header put on the bags so she can hang them up with the potato chips.
I will have a lot of baking to do tomorrow as I am going to prepare a Thanksgiving dinner for my personal chef client Tuesday. He'll be out of town for Thanksgiving so wanted to make sure he got a Thanksgiving meal, lol. Works for me! I love a good turkey dinner! I'll be making mini pumpkin pies tomorrow as well as Limoncella Icebox Cake and dinner rolls tomorrow. Should be fun!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Tuesday was my personal chef job day, although I started the day off with physical therapy. Yep, still going, but only once a week now.
Tuesday I cooked roast lamb chops with a pinot noir sauce, Israeli couscous (a large grain, not small) with roasted eggplant and a cumin vinaigrette, Butter roasted chicken with roasted root vegetables, chicken Tangine, Hangar steak with Cherry-Shallot sauce, Pomme de Terre Au Bougourie, chocolate mousse, Sautéed Cabbage, sausage-apple crossovers made with puff pastry, black bean hummus and ribollita soup. Long day, but well worth it. I had a lamb dinner with Michael along with a glass of 2006 Chateau nuf de Pape. Quite nice!
Wednesday and Thursday were Wellness Clinics, one in Carson, the other in Sparks. Let me tell you...4:30am comes awfully early nowadays!! I had to be at the clinics by 6am (!). They both went well, though and I've enjoyed the new people I have met.
I got a call from Karen of Hillbilly Hotdogs, telling me people were asking for my cookies by name, lol. So she ordered half a dozen for tomorrow and a dozen more packages for next Tuesday. Guess we'll see what happens (as always). So for tomorrow I made Chocolate Chocolate chunk cookies. Very chocolaty!
Tonight for dinner I made Butter roasted chicken legs with herbs along with roasted vegetables. Very tasty indeed! But now I am tired and it's time for bed. Ciao!
Tuesday I cooked roast lamb chops with a pinot noir sauce, Israeli couscous (a large grain, not small) with roasted eggplant and a cumin vinaigrette, Butter roasted chicken with roasted root vegetables, chicken Tangine, Hangar steak with Cherry-Shallot sauce, Pomme de Terre Au Bougourie, chocolate mousse, Sautéed Cabbage, sausage-apple crossovers made with puff pastry, black bean hummus and ribollita soup. Long day, but well worth it. I had a lamb dinner with Michael along with a glass of 2006 Chateau nuf de Pape. Quite nice!
Wednesday and Thursday were Wellness Clinics, one in Carson, the other in Sparks. Let me tell you...4:30am comes awfully early nowadays!! I had to be at the clinics by 6am (!). They both went well, though and I've enjoyed the new people I have met.
I got a call from Karen of Hillbilly Hotdogs, telling me people were asking for my cookies by name, lol. So she ordered half a dozen for tomorrow and a dozen more packages for next Tuesday. Guess we'll see what happens (as always). So for tomorrow I made Chocolate Chocolate chunk cookies. Very chocolaty!
Tonight for dinner I made Butter roasted chicken legs with herbs along with roasted vegetables. Very tasty indeed! But now I am tired and it's time for bed. Ciao!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
A pretty quiet weekend. Did some baking. I made some cookies that tasted like pecan sandies but had two ingredients in them I was surprised at. They used raspberry vinegar and rum extract (besides the usual butter, sugar, etc).
Sunday Jordan and I went to Jan and Jim Loverin's to go over the finances from the farm to table dinner. We lost money on that even (although it seemed quite successful) but gained experience, so everyone seemed ok with that. If we do it again next hear, we will have to raise the price though. We need to at least break even and obviously the goal is to make some money. We had a nice dinner though! And it was Jim's birthday so Jan made Prune Cake. Quite tasty!
Today, Monday, I thought I would be working on the computer, running a couple of errands, but ended up having lunch with Ric (can we all say-Arlington Gardens?) and getting a last minute dinner request for today! One of the nurses I used to work with in the NICU at St Mary's, emailed me and said she knew it was last minute, but she saw my card at Bill Glaser's shop, and wondered if I could make a pot roast dinner for her 13th anniversary. Since I was off, I called her and said yes! It was nice catching up with her. I made pot roast with gravy, buttery egg noodles, roasted root vegetables and plum tarts for dessert. Hopefully they liked it!
Tomorrow is PT in the morning, then cooking for my personal chef client. Wednesday and Thursday are wellness clinics for Summit, when I go back to wearing my nurse's hat.
Sunday Jordan and I went to Jan and Jim Loverin's to go over the finances from the farm to table dinner. We lost money on that even (although it seemed quite successful) but gained experience, so everyone seemed ok with that. If we do it again next hear, we will have to raise the price though. We need to at least break even and obviously the goal is to make some money. We had a nice dinner though! And it was Jim's birthday so Jan made Prune Cake. Quite tasty!
Today, Monday, I thought I would be working on the computer, running a couple of errands, but ended up having lunch with Ric (can we all say-Arlington Gardens?) and getting a last minute dinner request for today! One of the nurses I used to work with in the NICU at St Mary's, emailed me and said she knew it was last minute, but she saw my card at Bill Glaser's shop, and wondered if I could make a pot roast dinner for her 13th anniversary. Since I was off, I called her and said yes! It was nice catching up with her. I made pot roast with gravy, buttery egg noodles, roasted root vegetables and plum tarts for dessert. Hopefully they liked it!
Tomorrow is PT in the morning, then cooking for my personal chef client. Wednesday and Thursday are wellness clinics for Summit, when I go back to wearing my nurse's hat.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Friday, October 7, 2011
Thursday morning was spent doing culinary business and running errands. Almost always something to do when you work for yourself!
Thursday afternoon I drove out past Carson City to the Home Depot on Jacks Valley Rd. What a difference a day makes. The manager I was suppose to deal with took the day off and told me I would be assisted by Shauna. I think I saw Shauna twice in the four hours I was there and got more help from the staff that my "assistant". Oh, well, it was still a nice afternoon, although I only gave 28 flu shots (I guess each store needs to have a minimum number of people or they can't have an in-house clinic. At least I drove ho e in better weather than I had on the drive out there!
I stopped by Trader Joes to get a few groceries on my way home, then came home to wait for Jordan to finish his class.
At 8pm, we went over to Kasia and Gary's house for dinner. We had a sauerkraut dish, two types of sausages, boiled potatoes, broccoli and bread. Very nice meal. There is a gentleman that Jordan knows visiting from California, so they got to visit. I was tired so we didn't stay late. I went home and went to bed, lol!
Today I was off but had quite a few errands to do. Janell and I went to lunch (she was laid off Thursday afternoon) and ran errands together. We got a lot done! (Although I still need to laundry and get Ah Choo and bing him home.)
One of the other personal chef's in town had an open house, so I attended that. The "party" was held at The Koffee Shoppe on Vassar. I've never been. Nice decor. Good food. I didn't stay long but it was nice to finally meet Rachel K.
Now it's bedtime-lots of routine here, lol.
Thursday afternoon I drove out past Carson City to the Home Depot on Jacks Valley Rd. What a difference a day makes. The manager I was suppose to deal with took the day off and told me I would be assisted by Shauna. I think I saw Shauna twice in the four hours I was there and got more help from the staff that my "assistant". Oh, well, it was still a nice afternoon, although I only gave 28 flu shots (I guess each store needs to have a minimum number of people or they can't have an in-house clinic. At least I drove ho e in better weather than I had on the drive out there!
I stopped by Trader Joes to get a few groceries on my way home, then came home to wait for Jordan to finish his class.
At 8pm, we went over to Kasia and Gary's house for dinner. We had a sauerkraut dish, two types of sausages, boiled potatoes, broccoli and bread. Very nice meal. There is a gentleman that Jordan knows visiting from California, so they got to visit. I was tired so we didn't stay late. I went home and went to bed, lol!
Today I was off but had quite a few errands to do. Janell and I went to lunch (she was laid off Thursday afternoon) and ran errands together. We got a lot done! (Although I still need to laundry and get Ah Choo and bing him home.)
One of the other personal chef's in town had an open house, so I attended that. The "party" was held at The Koffee Shoppe on Vassar. I've never been. Nice decor. Good food. I didn't stay long but it was nice to finally meet Rachel K.
Now it's bedtime-lots of routine here, lol.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Tuesday was my personal chef day, although I didn't get a very early start! Working in the new kitchen at my client's new house has been great! Lots of room to work, an oven (!), and a beautiful house to boot! I made Fresh Lemon Mousse, French Chicken in a Pot with Mashed Potatoes, Broiled Salmon with a Mustard Crust, Green Beans with Creme Fraiche, Shrimp with Vanilla Buerre Blanc over Coconut Cardamom Rice, Mostaccoli (now that brings back memories of the Midwest!), Mixed Green Salad with Blackberry Vinaigrette, Mini Zucchini and Goat Cheese Tarts, and Pork Loin Chops Milanese. Lots of fun! The butcher at Whole Foods said to me, " Looks like you have a specific meal in mind for all this". I told him I was a personal chef and was making lots of meals today. He seems suitably impressed, lol. Hope that gets me better service! It did take me all afternoon to get things done, but the time seems to have gone quickly.
Today (Wednesday), it was computer business in the morning, then a flu shot clinic in the afternoon at Home Depot. The clinic went well, I think. Nice people there all wanting a flu shot, no soliciting on my part, like at Walmart. I have another clinic Thursday afternoon, in Carson City. Hope that also goes well!
Jordan and I had dinner with Michael at La Vecchia. Guess the restaurant in moving, October 22, up to Skyline Drive. The city or RTC has bought a lot of land around S. Virginia and Moana so they can widen the road! The food was fantastic! The chef there is from Italy and does a great job! I had Pumpkin Ravioli in a Sage-Brown Butter Sauce (I've always wanted to try to make these but have yet to do it) with Italian Sausage (homemade sausage, not the usual run of the mill Italian sausage!). Yum! Michael had Ravioli with a Boglonese and Jordan had Carpacio. Everyone seemed pleased with their food!
Today (Wednesday), it was computer business in the morning, then a flu shot clinic in the afternoon at Home Depot. The clinic went well, I think. Nice people there all wanting a flu shot, no soliciting on my part, like at Walmart. I have another clinic Thursday afternoon, in Carson City. Hope that also goes well!
Jordan and I had dinner with Michael at La Vecchia. Guess the restaurant in moving, October 22, up to Skyline Drive. The city or RTC has bought a lot of land around S. Virginia and Moana so they can widen the road! The food was fantastic! The chef there is from Italy and does a great job! I had Pumpkin Ravioli in a Sage-Brown Butter Sauce (I've always wanted to try to make these but have yet to do it) with Italian Sausage (homemade sausage, not the usual run of the mill Italian sausage!). Yum! Michael had Ravioli with a Boglonese and Jordan had Carpacio. Everyone seemed pleased with their food!
Monday, October 3, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
Spent the weekend resting between bouts of cleaning, grocery shopping and checking out recipes. I never ceased to be amazed at the number of recipes there are online. I made one of the oatmeal recipes called "Oatmeal Claflouti". It really is a breakfast bar but comes out a little creamier than most and freezes well. The original recipe comes from Quaker Oats, but I got it off the website "Chocolate&Zucchini.com, written by a French woman. I also enjoy looking at www.cookingchanneltv.com, www.foodnetwork.com, www.epicurious.com, www.bonappetit.com, www.joyofbaking.com and believe it or not, www.coffeehousemysteries.com (a mystery writer who hands out some great recipes!). Jordan and I did manage to go out for lunch Sunday at Burger Me-not too impressed.
Today was filled with a PT appointment then off to work at the Walmart in Carson City most of the day. I also dropped off cookies for Thunderbird Lodge, probably for the last time as their tours are winding down. Chocolate Chip Cookies, no nuts! I chatted with Mindy for a bit (from the Thunderbird office) and she says they may use me for other projects/events. We'll see! This particular job has taught me a lot about packaging and presentation, so I don't mind that I did not make a lot of money baking cookies for Thunderbird.
Tomorrow is my personal chef day, so better rest up! No elaborate dessert this week, lol, just Fresh Lemon Mousse.
ZM, alias Crazy Mary (from an old Thin Man movie-William Powell/Myrna Loy) alias Tigger is still twitchy, still hisses for no good reason, but right this minute is sitting so close to me I can't move, lol. Go figure! Night all!
Today was filled with a PT appointment then off to work at the Walmart in Carson City most of the day. I also dropped off cookies for Thunderbird Lodge, probably for the last time as their tours are winding down. Chocolate Chip Cookies, no nuts! I chatted with Mindy for a bit (from the Thunderbird office) and she says they may use me for other projects/events. We'll see! This particular job has taught me a lot about packaging and presentation, so I don't mind that I did not make a lot of money baking cookies for Thunderbird.
Tomorrow is my personal chef day, so better rest up! No elaborate dessert this week, lol, just Fresh Lemon Mousse.
ZM, alias Crazy Mary (from an old Thin Man movie-William Powell/Myrna Loy) alias Tigger is still twitchy, still hisses for no good reason, but right this minute is sitting so close to me I can't move, lol. Go figure! Night all!
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