I came home from Denver on Monday, November 5. I ended up by having a wonderful time. Although it is hard to visit friends when they are working their regular jobs and you are free and wanting to see them. It worked out though. I had some great food, too, eating at restaurants like Potager, Parallel 17, Parks, and Cru. And I will go back again soon (I hope).
My mom flew into Reno on Tuesday, November 6. She told me her plane got in at 11:30am, so I was at home cleaning away when she called me at 10:30am to say her plane had already landed!! Yikes!! Kick it into high gear, finish what I am cleaning, jump in the car and go pick her up. It was great having her fly here for a six week visit. She does not get around as much as she has in the past. She can pretty much only walk with a walker, but that's ok, she is still mobile.
My mom and I went out to lunch at Arlington Gardens (I know, I know, Ric's favorite restaurant!) then came home. My sister, Janell, came over after she finished work (she worked for three weeks with the school district as a teacher's aide).
I worked Wednesday and Thursday as a nurse, but had to fit my personal chef cooking in those days as well. Busy, busy!!
The dessert my client asked for this week was a French Apple Cake-yummy! It sounded so good, I made two, lol. One for him, one for us! The recipe came from Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, "Around My French Table". She says she got this recipe from a friend of hers (after trying to watch her friend make it, as the French woman never wrote down any recipes!). Simple but SO worth it!
At some point (Saturday, actually, November 10) it snowed here in Reno. My Mom and I decided it was best just to stay indoors, although it did not last more than a day or so. Mom was so excited by the snow, we took a picture of the deck with snow on it (some of you will likely say, "Snow?! that's all?!").
My sister is moving to LA to look for a job and was to be out of her apartment by November 15. That didn't work out as planned. She had so much "stuff", it took an extra two days to get everything moved out!! Most of her furniture is in a storage unit, but there are a few things in our garage. It was a crazy time!
Jordan and I were suppose to attend "Napa Flavor!", a big food celebration hosted by the CIA in St Helena, CA. (Culinary Institute of America, NOT the Central Intelligence Association, lol) but because of weather and needing to get my sister moved out, we didn't make it. Apparently it was not meant to be. Perhaps next year!
Did I mention I received an email inviting me to apply for the Next Food Network Star? How cool is that?! I need to fill out the online application, send in two pictures of myself and a three minute video about my self as well as cook something in same said video. I missed open casting in LA on November 12. In looking back, I should have just gone! It would have been much easier, lol. We'll see what happens!
There was a potluck at one of the GI centers and they asked me to bring a birthday cake as they were celebrating a birthday and a fairwell. I made a chocolate cake with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting. I ran short of powdered sugar and did not want to run out to the store to get some, so tried the shortcut I read about online about making your own powdered sugar by wooshing it around in a blender or food processor. Well, I am here to say it did not work in my food processor, so my frosting was a tad bit "grainy" due to the granulated sugar I used. Interestingly enough, people asked what the "secret" was to my buttercream frosting, lol! Who'd have thought? It was a pretty cake, though.
Monday, November 19, I spent cooking for a personal chef client. On the menu was Poached Salmon, Apple and Potato Salad; Spinach and Cheese Puff (more a souffle than a "puff"); Stuffed Chicken Divan with a Sherry Dijon Sauce; Panko-Crusted Chicken Bites with Apricot Mustard Sauce and Glazed Squash; Crisp Tuna Cabbage Salad; Tomato-Pepper Soup with Ham Arugula Wraps and Pumpkin Mousse for dessert. My client also asked for Bittersweet-Orange Truffles to give to his sister as a gift (nice man!).
Last Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, my Mom, Jordan and I drove down to LA to spend Thanksgiving with my sister, Michele and her son, Dylan. The trip down Hwy 395 was lovely-no ontoward weather for a change! Thanksgiving Day we watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade then cooked turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, glazed carrots, bacon and Brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce, and rolls. My sisters bought dessert-Banana Cream Pie (?!) and Pumpkin Pie. OK by me to buy some things during a busy holiday rather than make everything from scratch!
The Friday after Thanksgiving, Jordan drove down to San Diego to visit his daughter and her family while I stayed with Michele et al. In a crazy accident, my Mom lost her balance and fell backwards, breaking both bones in her lower left leg!! Poor thing-it looked awfull and was quite painful. My sisters and I spent the day in Providence Holy Cross Hospital ER with my Mom. She did get admitted to the hospital and had surgery to fix the fracture on Saturday morning. I felt so bad for my Mom, she is rather an orthopedic disaster. We teased her some because the label on her ER bed read "ER DISASTER"!
Surgery on Saturday morning went well. She has good doctors there, so Saturday afternoon, Jordan and I drove home alone, leaving my Mom with my sisters, Janell and Michele, to watch over her. Mom will be in the hospital for about a week, then in Rehab for about 2 months as she cannot bear any weight on her left leg until it heals (in about 2-3 months!!). Poor Mom! At least she is not alone.
I have a catering job tomorrow for my old surgery center. The menu is New York Roast with Madiera Pan Sauce, Duchess Potatoes, Garlicky Green Beans and an Apple-Cranberry Galette (a "free-form" tart). I shopped today for supplies and will make dessert in the morning and worry about the rest of the meal in the afternoon. Sounds like a tasty menu, does it not? I will take pictures for you-I must get better about doing that!
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are nurse days. I can't complain about having a job, or rather two jobs! And there will be another trip down to LA to see my Mom and move some of Janell's, "stuff" down there to her.
