I wrote another article today for Examiner.com on omelets and although they published it, they said it did not count as local because it had no local references. Oh, well, a learning experience, I guess.
I had lunch with Kasia at the Sushi Rose, a new sushi restaurant behind the Walmart on McCarran. Very fresh, very good sushi! After lunch Janell called and asked me to do some shopping with her. We went to The Home Depot and Bed, Bath and Beyond. While we were shopping, Anne, the SCOR administrator, called to say she could no longer offer me a per diem nursing job. Things had changed over the last 2-3 weeks and they had already hired three per diem nurses and she couldn't hire anyone else. So I am back to no job. Not sure what I will do, but I do need to find a job. All things work out for a reason (not to say my feelings weren't hurt over this).
I made lasagna for dinner. It turned out well, I think. A little time on the computer, then to bed. Tomorrow is another day, as Miss Scarlet said in "Gone With the Wind".
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Today is Jordan's birthday! He was somewhat excited about it and insisted he was 52 years young (not really but it makes us all feel better to pretend to be younger than we really are).
I went out to start my car this morning but it would not start. Jordan tried to give me a jump but my car just did not want to start. It has been sitting in the garage all winter and didn't get start once. That happens. I had to buy a new battery ($113!) and then it was right as rain. I baked again today. I seem determined to try recipes and improve them if need be. I baked carrot mini-bunt cakes with cream cheese drizzle for Jordan's birthday. They are his favorite. I also baked strawberry shortcake bars. I still am not sure how I feel about the way they turned out. They were hard to get out of the pan, despite the pan having been lined with foil and buttered. The flavor is good. Guess I'll think on it a bit. I wrote another article for Examiner.com on "easy supper soups". I will try another article tomorrow. Maybe I can get ahead a little on my writing so it doesn't get too overwhelming.
I did a little shopping with my sister Janell, a little reading, then Jordan and I went out to Outback Steakhouse (his choice, lol) for his birthday dinner. Not bad-we shared a "Bloomin' Onion" and then a Ribeye steak. Then home. He liked the carrot cake, which is good. "Good texture, good flavor", is what he said.
Not an exciting day, but not everyday can be exciting now, can it? Although with all that is going on with my friend, Betty, I am very thankful for each day.
I went out to start my car this morning but it would not start. Jordan tried to give me a jump but my car just did not want to start. It has been sitting in the garage all winter and didn't get start once. That happens. I had to buy a new battery ($113!) and then it was right as rain. I baked again today. I seem determined to try recipes and improve them if need be. I baked carrot mini-bunt cakes with cream cheese drizzle for Jordan's birthday. They are his favorite. I also baked strawberry shortcake bars. I still am not sure how I feel about the way they turned out. They were hard to get out of the pan, despite the pan having been lined with foil and buttered. The flavor is good. Guess I'll think on it a bit. I wrote another article for Examiner.com on "easy supper soups". I will try another article tomorrow. Maybe I can get ahead a little on my writing so it doesn't get too overwhelming.
I did a little shopping with my sister Janell, a little reading, then Jordan and I went out to Outback Steakhouse (his choice, lol) for his birthday dinner. Not bad-we shared a "Bloomin' Onion" and then a Ribeye steak. Then home. He liked the carrot cake, which is good. "Good texture, good flavor", is what he said.
Not an exciting day, but not everyday can be exciting now, can it? Although with all that is going on with my friend, Betty, I am very thankful for each day.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Saturday morning Jordan and I had lunch with our friends, Kasia and Gary, at a fairly new restaurant in Reno called Krumbles. It is behind Renown Medical Center on 2nd Street. It was started by two of the pastry chefs that were working at the Siena when it closed last year. They have a great pastry display case, with desserts (tiramisu, panne cotta, eclairs, cream puffs) as well regular pastries such as croissants, almond croissants, cinnamon rolls, etc. I had Strawberries and Cream French toast, Jordan has a huge cinnamon roll, Gary had the Meat Lover's Omelet and Kasia had two poached eggs and an almond croissant. Everyone seem pleased with their meal. Saturday afternoon I spent waiting for the Direct TV installer, who came earlier than I thought he might. Installation went well and it seems to work well. And it's cheaper than cable!
Saturday evening I made a soup of one package of sun-dried tomato chicken sausage by Adelle, 2 cloves of sliced garlic, 1 can of canellini beans, 1 can of diced Italian style tomatoes, 2 cups of chicken stock and 1 bunch of kale, torn into small pieces. it went together quickly and was done in about 30 minutes. It turned out quite well, if I do say so myself! I served it with slices of ciabatta bread. After dinner we watched the movie, 'The English Patient', on DVD. Jordan didn't like it much and I had seen it when it first came out, but not since then. Kind of a depressing movie.
Sunday we got up late (daylight savings time-spring forward, so we lost an hour). At least I feel like I am catching up on my sleep! A cloudy day, but we decided to drive up to Tahoe and Donner Lake anyway. Jordan wanted to check out the B&B in Donner we looked at last fall. It's still for sale, but there is so much snow up there, neither Jordan or myself would enjoy living up there year round. We took a driving tour of Truckee and found a small boutique winery called (surprise!) Truckee Winery. We did a red wine tasting, had some cheese (a minolette and a goat cheese), and bought two bottles of their Zinfadel, a 2006 and 2007. Both light and mellow, kind of a surprise for a Zinfadel. Their Merlot and Pinot Noir were someone sharp. After that, it was off to Cottonwood Restaurant for a light dinner. The menu was surprisingly innovative! We had an appetizer each. Jordan had roasted brussels sprouts with Parmesan cheese, I had oysters with sausage and fennel in a stout broth. They had bread from Truckee Sourdough Baking Co, always good! By the time we left it was snowing! The drive back to Reno was ok, as we were heading away from the storm. Back in Reno, we had a quiet evening. Jordan spent an hour or so with one of his USC students using Skype. She (the student) is in the military over in the Middle East. Amazing what you can do on the computer!!
I had tried to start my car this morning, but the battery is dead! It has not, unfortunately, been started since last November, so needs to get a jump or a new battery, one or the other. Guess that's one thing I will have to take care of tomorrow. Tomorrow is also Jordan's birthday, so I am making him little carrot cake made in mini-bundt pans. The mini-bundt pans are so cute! I am also atttempting to perfect a number of cookie recipes I have in anticipation of those being one of the items I will have available for sale. At least I have lots of volunteer taste testers, lol!
Friday, March 11, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
Well, it's official! I'm published on Examiner.com. I have attached a part of my email from Kirsten Verhaar at Examiner.com:
"Dear April,
Great job on your first article. I’m happy to inform you that you are now live on Examiner.com. You can find your page here: http://www.examiner.com/cooking-168-in-reno/april-woodward
Remember, you are a part of the Food & Drink channel and the Food & Recipes sub-channel. This reflects how users will navigate to and discover your content on Examiner.com."
Cool, huh?! Hope you'll check out my articles and "subscribe" to me on Examiner.com.
Jordan and I had dinner last night at Zozo's Italian Restaurant. They had a wine and food pairing, which they do twice a month. Small portion items off their menu paired with red and white wines they carry. All for $35, which includes tax and tip. They do a nice job. I also talked to Sid and Judy, the owners (who have been to Bolongo so we did some note comparisons) about the possibility of making their desserts for them. They have been buying some of them because the chef they hired to make desserts for them has been inconsistent in his results. And being consistent in quality and quantity is what helps restaurants to well and stay open. We'll see if the three of us can work something out. I would need a commercial kitchen first. Judy suggested a church kitchen. She knows a Reno chef that used the downtown Reno church on Second Street. I'll have to check it out!
I am getting a haircut today. I have not had a haircut in four months! My hairdresser cut my hair quite short in November so I wouldn't have to worry about it for a while. Now I can't wait to have a hairstyle again, lol! Still trying to catch up on my sleep, but I think it will take some time to re-acclimate to the PST zone. I have unpacked all the boxes sitting here for me and gone through my mail, but now need to go through the magazines and catalogs Jordan saved for me. Whew! There's a lot!
Sandy, my neighbor came over for a glass of wine and we spent two hours catching up on six months of news. It's nice to see my Reno friends again! Afterwards, Janell and I wet out for Chinese. Very good food! Then home to catch up with Jordan. He's been very busy these last three months, working at UNR, teaching online for USC and programming. Early to bed, still not caught up on my sleep!
"Dear April,
Great job on your first article. I’m happy to inform you that you are now live on Examiner.com. You can find your page here: http://www.examiner.com/cooking-168-in-reno/april-woodward
Remember, you are a part of the Food & Drink channel and the Food & Recipes sub-channel. This reflects how users will navigate to and discover your content on Examiner.com."
Cool, huh?! Hope you'll check out my articles and "subscribe" to me on Examiner.com.
Jordan and I had dinner last night at Zozo's Italian Restaurant. They had a wine and food pairing, which they do twice a month. Small portion items off their menu paired with red and white wines they carry. All for $35, which includes tax and tip. They do a nice job. I also talked to Sid and Judy, the owners (who have been to Bolongo so we did some note comparisons) about the possibility of making their desserts for them. They have been buying some of them because the chef they hired to make desserts for them has been inconsistent in his results. And being consistent in quality and quantity is what helps restaurants to well and stay open. We'll see if the three of us can work something out. I would need a commercial kitchen first. Judy suggested a church kitchen. She knows a Reno chef that used the downtown Reno church on Second Street. I'll have to check it out!
I am getting a haircut today. I have not had a haircut in four months! My hairdresser cut my hair quite short in November so I wouldn't have to worry about it for a while. Now I can't wait to have a hairstyle again, lol! Still trying to catch up on my sleep, but I think it will take some time to re-acclimate to the PST zone. I have unpacked all the boxes sitting here for me and gone through my mail, but now need to go through the magazines and catalogs Jordan saved for me. Whew! There's a lot!
Sandy, my neighbor came over for a glass of wine and we spent two hours catching up on six months of news. It's nice to see my Reno friends again! Afterwards, Janell and I wet out for Chinese. Very good food! Then home to catch up with Jordan. He's been very busy these last three months, working at UNR, teaching online for USC and programming. Early to bed, still not caught up on my sleep!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Well, I'm back in Reno, trying to get used to PST. My internal clock is still off so I can't seem to catch up with my sleep!
It was nice to see Betty for a week. I did some cooking and baking and managed to give Don a cooking lesson as he is doing a lot of the cooking now. He catches on pretty fast. He thought I should offer cooking lessons for people like him, who didn't know anything but wanted to learn. It's an idea! Betty is such a jewel, with such a good attitude about things! Makes me never want to complain about anything again, cause I've had it pretty good by comparison to a lot of people!
I am unpacked, washing clothes as I write (still multi-tasking) and getting used to being back home. Feels like I have been gone forever! And I have been gone almost four months. It is good to be back with Jordan, as busy as he is with UNR and teaching for USC. I have my kitty back, Ah Choo, and boy has he grown! He's a big guy now. I'll attach a picture of him.
I also started writing for an online company called Examiner.com. My official title is "Reno Cooking Examiner". I will be writing 2-3 articles a week about food and recipes and relating it locally to what is happening and available in Reno. It pays a little so maybe I'll get spending money out of this, lol! It will also be good experience for me. I just wrote my first article for them this morning but because I am new to Examiner.com, it must be reviewed by the editorial staff before it can be published. After that, I guess, I can publish at will. Having a blog apparently was a plus with them (who'd of thought?). I'll let you know when you can check me out!
I am slowly catching up with people, letting them know I am back in Reno. And now comes the hard part of life, trying to decide what to do with all this education and experience! Should I start a cookie business (which Jordan and I have talked about for over a year now)? Should I see if anyone will take me on as an apprentice baker to learn more about baking? Should I check and see if any of the personal chef companies or catering companies are hiring anyone? Should I see if some of the local restaurants would be willing to let me make desserts for them (a great many restaurants apparently buy their desserts because they do not want to hire a baker/pastry chef full time)? I am looking at the ACF job board online where they have jobs posted across the country. Should I try and contact Eric Ernest, the new executive chef at USC to see if he would let me participate in his plans to open a bakery on campus? Should I look up Dr Kressler, who told me to contact him when I get out of school (as he was thinking about getting out of medicine) and see what if anything he has in mind? Lots of choices. And I am sure there are a lot more out there that I have yet to think of! I am still planning on taking the Per Diem nursing job in pre-admit at SCOR. That will certainly help pay the bills while I look at all my options.
In the meantime, I will continue to blog, using it as a journal but perhaps also turning it into something useful to friends and family (and anyone else reading) for helpful cooking and baking tips as well as a source for tried and true recipes. If anyone wants to let me know of something you'd like to see added to the blog or questions you may have-let me know!
It was nice to see Betty for a week. I did some cooking and baking and managed to give Don a cooking lesson as he is doing a lot of the cooking now. He catches on pretty fast. He thought I should offer cooking lessons for people like him, who didn't know anything but wanted to learn. It's an idea! Betty is such a jewel, with such a good attitude about things! Makes me never want to complain about anything again, cause I've had it pretty good by comparison to a lot of people!
I am unpacked, washing clothes as I write (still multi-tasking) and getting used to being back home. Feels like I have been gone forever! And I have been gone almost four months. It is good to be back with Jordan, as busy as he is with UNR and teaching for USC. I have my kitty back, Ah Choo, and boy has he grown! He's a big guy now. I'll attach a picture of him.
I also started writing for an online company called Examiner.com. My official title is "Reno Cooking Examiner". I will be writing 2-3 articles a week about food and recipes and relating it locally to what is happening and available in Reno. It pays a little so maybe I'll get spending money out of this, lol! It will also be good experience for me. I just wrote my first article for them this morning but because I am new to Examiner.com, it must be reviewed by the editorial staff before it can be published. After that, I guess, I can publish at will. Having a blog apparently was a plus with them (who'd of thought?). I'll let you know when you can check me out!
I am slowly catching up with people, letting them know I am back in Reno. And now comes the hard part of life, trying to decide what to do with all this education and experience! Should I start a cookie business (which Jordan and I have talked about for over a year now)? Should I see if anyone will take me on as an apprentice baker to learn more about baking? Should I check and see if any of the personal chef companies or catering companies are hiring anyone? Should I see if some of the local restaurants would be willing to let me make desserts for them (a great many restaurants apparently buy their desserts because they do not want to hire a baker/pastry chef full time)? I am looking at the ACF job board online where they have jobs posted across the country. Should I try and contact Eric Ernest, the new executive chef at USC to see if he would let me participate in his plans to open a bakery on campus? Should I look up Dr Kressler, who told me to contact him when I get out of school (as he was thinking about getting out of medicine) and see what if anything he has in mind? Lots of choices. And I am sure there are a lot more out there that I have yet to think of! I am still planning on taking the Per Diem nursing job in pre-admit at SCOR. That will certainly help pay the bills while I look at all my options.
In the meantime, I will continue to blog, using it as a journal but perhaps also turning it into something useful to friends and family (and anyone else reading) for helpful cooking and baking tips as well as a source for tried and true recipes. If anyone wants to let me know of something you'd like to see added to the blog or questions you may have-let me know!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Vicki left today. It was so nice to see her and I'm glad she came even if only for a few days.
Yesterday we had a late breakfast (oatmeal, Betty's favorite!), then Vicki and I set off to do a little shopping. We wanted to pick up a few groceries and I wanted to get a couple of long sleeved shirts or sweaters. It did get up over 50 yesterday but the weather is not tropical, lol. Betty called us and told us to go out to lunch before we came back so we went to the "Golden China" restaurant. Vicki wanted Chinese food and they have a lunch buffet. Not bad and I have not had Chinese for months! Vicki says she doesn't get Chinese much because her husband doesn't like it. We got back to the house and tried our hand at a puzzle, or rather Vicki and Betty did. I made Peanut Butter Cookies (the 1 cup of chunky peanut butter, 3/4 cup fo white sugar and 1 egg). They were a hit, and they were cookies Vicki could eat. She's trying to stay away from wheat and dairy products because of her asthma. Betty's mom, Beatrix-Trixie, came to visit. She knew us girls were visiting. She looks good for 83! While Trixie was here we went for a walk. Betty was feeling good and wanted to get out. It was a beautiful, sunny day. I made dinner with Vicki. We made Ina Garten's recipe Mac and Cheese, steamed broccoli and pork chops with a Marsala reduction. It's great to be cooking again on a personal level and in a beautiful kitchen. :-)
We watched "Legally Blonde" after dinner, at least us girls did, Don sat that one out, lol. Then bed for everyone.
Thursday: Today I made an Apple Pancake for breakfast, one of my favorite recipes! Yummy! Then we did a lot of nothing: talked, Betty did some watercolor painting, Vicki read a book, I made an Almond Cardamom Cake. Then we ate lunch (Chinese Chicken Salad) and then it was time for Don and Vicki to drive to the airport. Since Don's Dad likes close to the airport, Don is going to see him after he drops Vicki off. So the rest of the day and evening, it's just me and Betty. We took a walk again. Sunny today but not as warm as yesterday, lol, only 43! Betty and I worked on her puzzle some more, but she is a better woman than I am, I got frustrated because the puzzle pieces are odd shaped and don't all snap together. So I went back to reading. Betty is still working on the puzzle. It will be a quiet night. OK by me!
Yesterday we had a late breakfast (oatmeal, Betty's favorite!), then Vicki and I set off to do a little shopping. We wanted to pick up a few groceries and I wanted to get a couple of long sleeved shirts or sweaters. It did get up over 50 yesterday but the weather is not tropical, lol. Betty called us and told us to go out to lunch before we came back so we went to the "Golden China" restaurant. Vicki wanted Chinese food and they have a lunch buffet. Not bad and I have not had Chinese for months! Vicki says she doesn't get Chinese much because her husband doesn't like it. We got back to the house and tried our hand at a puzzle, or rather Vicki and Betty did. I made Peanut Butter Cookies (the 1 cup of chunky peanut butter, 3/4 cup fo white sugar and 1 egg). They were a hit, and they were cookies Vicki could eat. She's trying to stay away from wheat and dairy products because of her asthma. Betty's mom, Beatrix-Trixie, came to visit. She knew us girls were visiting. She looks good for 83! While Trixie was here we went for a walk. Betty was feeling good and wanted to get out. It was a beautiful, sunny day. I made dinner with Vicki. We made Ina Garten's recipe Mac and Cheese, steamed broccoli and pork chops with a Marsala reduction. It's great to be cooking again on a personal level and in a beautiful kitchen. :-)
We watched "Legally Blonde" after dinner, at least us girls did, Don sat that one out, lol. Then bed for everyone.
Thursday: Today I made an Apple Pancake for breakfast, one of my favorite recipes! Yummy! Then we did a lot of nothing: talked, Betty did some watercolor painting, Vicki read a book, I made an Almond Cardamom Cake. Then we ate lunch (Chinese Chicken Salad) and then it was time for Don and Vicki to drive to the airport. Since Don's Dad likes close to the airport, Don is going to see him after he drops Vicki off. So the rest of the day and evening, it's just me and Betty. We took a walk again. Sunny today but not as warm as yesterday, lol, only 43! Betty and I worked on her puzzle some more, but she is a better woman than I am, I got frustrated because the puzzle pieces are odd shaped and don't all snap together. So I went back to reading. Betty is still working on the puzzle. It will be a quiet night. OK by me!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
I was up at 5:30am. Oneal, the taxi driver, is taking me to the airport. He says he'll be there between 6-6:30a and when he says we go, we go. Taxis are definitely not the same here as in the States. They run taxis here more like the mafia, lol. I came out at 6:15a, O'Neal was at the front desk, but he said we were waiting for another couple, who finally showed up around 6:40a. Guess they didn't get the memo! Turns out the couple were the friends visiting Janee this last week. They are from Colorado and have known Janee for years. They opened a restaurant in Salinas, CO seven months ago with great success. Sounds like their timing was perfect! While I was waiting, Millie came up and gave me a good-bye hug, as did Gloria (Glaa-ree-a) and Miss Viola. My last good-byes, no one else is there that early.
Once I got to the airport, I got checked in, then had to take my bags with me to take through customs, filled out a customs form, went through customs (they still don't know what a culinary intern is, lol), dropped my bags off in x-ray, then went on through security. Very interesting. I did not get breakfast so bought a Johnnycake with cheese at the airport. My last opportunity for Johnnycakes, lol. Don't know if you remember, but Johnnycakes are a slightly sweet dough that can have several shapes (small round or large and flat) and then get deep fried. A little is good, a whole one would give me a stomach ache! Our plane to San Juan was a puddle jumper prop plane. It was not full but it was small enough that no one was allowed a carry-on (with the exception of purses, briefcases and small backpacks). The plane from San Juan to Dulles (Washington, DC) was much larger. I ended up with an exit row seat. Tons of leg room, a nice surprise! It's a 30 minute flight from St Thomas to San Juan, Puerto Rico and a four hour flight from San Juan to Washington. Both flights were uneventful. My flight, however was half an hour late getting in. Vicki was at the gate to greet me. She looks the same! It was great to see her! It took a while to get my luggage, It's funny--I had the checked bags and Vicki only had a carry on. Usually it's the other way around!
Don was waiting in the cell phone lot to pick us up. Because it was late, and rush hour, he took the back roads instead of the beltway because of traffic. Beautiful country, even in winter. Lots of trees and rolling hills. We stopped and got dinner at a restaurant called Bravo. Pretty good Italian food. It was nice to catch up. When we got back to Betty and Don's house, Betty had already gone to bed, but got up to see us. She looks ok tonight. She had just taken a shower and felt better. We'll see how tomorrow goes. It's so nice she has Don to take care of her.
I was thinking on the flight back to the mainland, that I was pretty relaxed about the trip (even when it took forever to board and deplane on the San Juan to Dulles portion, lots of older people needing wheelchairs) and my future and was hoping the laid back island mentality lasts for a bit. Don't want to be lazy, but do not want to take things too seriously. Time will tell, lol.
Time for bed, boys and girls. It's good to be with close friends again.
Once I got to the airport, I got checked in, then had to take my bags with me to take through customs, filled out a customs form, went through customs (they still don't know what a culinary intern is, lol), dropped my bags off in x-ray, then went on through security. Very interesting. I did not get breakfast so bought a Johnnycake with cheese at the airport. My last opportunity for Johnnycakes, lol. Don't know if you remember, but Johnnycakes are a slightly sweet dough that can have several shapes (small round or large and flat) and then get deep fried. A little is good, a whole one would give me a stomach ache! Our plane to San Juan was a puddle jumper prop plane. It was not full but it was small enough that no one was allowed a carry-on (with the exception of purses, briefcases and small backpacks). The plane from San Juan to Dulles (Washington, DC) was much larger. I ended up with an exit row seat. Tons of leg room, a nice surprise! It's a 30 minute flight from St Thomas to San Juan, Puerto Rico and a four hour flight from San Juan to Washington. Both flights were uneventful. My flight, however was half an hour late getting in. Vicki was at the gate to greet me. She looks the same! It was great to see her! It took a while to get my luggage, It's funny--I had the checked bags and Vicki only had a carry on. Usually it's the other way around!
Don was waiting in the cell phone lot to pick us up. Because it was late, and rush hour, he took the back roads instead of the beltway because of traffic. Beautiful country, even in winter. Lots of trees and rolling hills. We stopped and got dinner at a restaurant called Bravo. Pretty good Italian food. It was nice to catch up. When we got back to Betty and Don's house, Betty had already gone to bed, but got up to see us. She looks ok tonight. She had just taken a shower and felt better. We'll see how tomorrow goes. It's so nice she has Don to take care of her.
I was thinking on the flight back to the mainland, that I was pretty relaxed about the trip (even when it took forever to board and deplane on the San Juan to Dulles portion, lots of older people needing wheelchairs) and my future and was hoping the laid back island mentality lasts for a bit. Don't want to be lazy, but do not want to take things too seriously. Time will tell, lol.
Time for bed, boys and girls. It's good to be with close friends again.
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