A beautiful sunny day today. "This is the day that the Lord hath made, rejoice and be glad in it.". Good words!
I made chocolate chip pecan cookies this morning, then delivered the Italian Almond Cake with Wine-poached Apricots to Michael's so he can take it into work with him in the morning. Hope Maria likes the cake! I worked on recipes for the fencing benefit Friday evening (it's going to be kinda busy this week!), printed out what I needed for Tuesday (always good to make sure some part of the recipe doesn't any overnight prep!) and gathered more recipes into Shop'n Cook. I did hear back from Laurie at the appliance store. They still want to meet with me Wednesday so we'll see what happens!
Jordan made it home about 11am. He had a good time at his daughter's house. Apparently she and her husband are moving to southern California and buying a business (type to be determined). Best wishes in that regard. It was his grandson's birthday and as part of his birthday party, they took the kids to a trampoline place (I don't know what you'd call a place like that!). Sounds fun. $10 for an hour's time, not bad. He came home and worked on his USC class for a few hours.
Then we took a ride out to Verdi and we took a short hike. Lovely day! Dinner was leftover chicken, rice, broccoli and a salad. After dinner, it was more reading, some looking at recipes, etc. Good thing I enjoy food! And now it's time for bed.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Jordan is off to Sacramento this morning to see his daughter and grand kids. He'll be back tonight. Other than baking my cake (an Italian almond cake), I am going to try and do as little food related business as possible today. Take a break so to speak. Lately it's been all about food-certainly not a bad thing, but you need to break out once in a while!
True to my word, I read my book, cleaned, planted the geraniums I bought the other day, brought out some more deck furniture and moved some things around. Then Janell and I went out to lunch at BJ's over in Sparks. Afterwards, being the big spenders we are, we stopped in Target to look around. I've been having problems with my iPhone lately, being slow and not always doing what it's suppose to so I've been looking to upgrade with AT&T (which you can often do for free when your contract has run out). And I ended up with a new phone AND got a $100 for turning in my old iPhone! Who'd have thought?
I came home and put up the curtains I had gotten a week ago to block out the afternoon sun in my office. When it gets to a certain point in the day, it shines right on my desk and I can't see! Jordan doesn't want regular blinds because he likes looking out the window and seeing Peavine. He can sit at his chair at the dining table and see it. So curtains were the compromise for now, lol.
I made an almond cake that was commissioned for someone's birthday. I'll deliver that tomorrow. Jordan isn't coming back from Sacramento until tomorrow, so guess I'm on my own tonight!
True to my word, I read my book, cleaned, planted the geraniums I bought the other day, brought out some more deck furniture and moved some things around. Then Janell and I went out to lunch at BJ's over in Sparks. Afterwards, being the big spenders we are, we stopped in Target to look around. I've been having problems with my iPhone lately, being slow and not always doing what it's suppose to so I've been looking to upgrade with AT&T (which you can often do for free when your contract has run out). And I ended up with a new phone AND got a $100 for turning in my old iPhone! Who'd have thought?
I came home and put up the curtains I had gotten a week ago to block out the afternoon sun in my office. When it gets to a certain point in the day, it shines right on my desk and I can't see! Jordan doesn't want regular blinds because he likes looking out the window and seeing Peavine. He can sit at his chair at the dining table and see it. So curtains were the compromise for now, lol.
I made an almond cake that was commissioned for someone's birthday. I'll deliver that tomorrow. Jordan isn't coming back from Sacramento until tomorrow, so guess I'm on my own tonight!
Friday, June 10, 2011
Thursday morning was spent (again) on my computer, working with Shop'n Cook, the menu computer program I have now bought to run on the Mac computer Jordan bought. I had lunch with Ric at, yes, Arlington Gardens. He does eat at other restaurants but not much, lol. At 2:30pm Jordan came home from work and we drove up to Lake Tahoe. I am acting as a quasi-event coordinator for him while he is organizing his "My Plan Wildfire Workshop". He is coordinating it between the states of California and Nevada to get one plan or at least a joint plan together for fight wildfires since both states share such large borders areas.
First we checked out Tahoe House, a bakery, deli, gourmet store in Tahoe City, Ca, one of the small villages in Lake Tahoe. They supply the cookies and desserts for the Cal-Neva. The Cal-Neva charges $3 a cookie for snacks in their banquet area so Jordan wanted to see what a $3 cookie looked like, lol. They are large! They weight 5-oz and only cost $1.75 at the Tahoe House.
Next we circled back around the Lake to the Cal-Neva to meet with their Special Events manager, Jim. Seems like a nice man. He's only been in this job 10 days! We talked about what Jordan was looking for in a meeting space, took a look at the guest rooms, the meeting space and talked about food during the meetings. Using the menu options Jim sent Jordan, I had come up with a Thursday morning snack package (the meetings are suppose to start at 10am), a hot lunch at 1pm with two options, Friday breakfast of a small buffet, a box lunch for Friday noon and a Friday afternoon snack. Not only does the Cal-Neva not have a pastry chef (hence the use of Tahoe House for their desserts), they do not have an Executive Chef either. A part of downsizing and economizing in poor economic times. The Director of Food and Beverage runs the kitchen. And the majority of staff at the Cal-Neva has been there for years. Interestingly enough, other than a few slot machines, the Cal-Neva has removed all of it's gaming tables. No explaination as to why. There is a Lake view from all the guest rooms-nice!
After the Cal-Neva, we went over to the Soule Domaine restaurant (not exactly where I remember it being, lol, but they hadn't moved, just my bad memory!). We met with Charlie, the chef/owner about using their restaurant for a Thursday evening dinner for the seminar. We talked to him in the kitchen. Charlie has owned the restaurant for 21 years! It started off as a French restaurant, but has undergone several culinary changes over the years. He was very charming, albeit somewhat distracted by dinner prep. Yes, we could either bring our group of 40 in at 5pm or 8:30pm for a choice off the menu, or we could rent the entire restaurant (a buy out they call it) for about $2300 and he would come up with a special menu for us within that price. I think Jordan wants to offer his workshop people something other than Cal-Neva food during their stay. A smart move, I think. Since the workshop is not until September, we have some time. We did end up eating dinner at the Soule Domaine. The people are very nice, very friendly and the food was excellent! I had a three scallop Appetizer. Jordan had a salad. We both had a little cup of curried carrot soup, then we shared the salmon entree. Like I said, everything was good. The restaurant serves hummus instead of butter or olive oil with their bread, interesting... (I'm pretty much a butter girl, lol).
The day was beautiful up at the Lake and the drive back to Reno uneventful.
Friday morning I was looking at recipes (I have a cake commission to do this weekend) when I got a call from Dr Lynch! He wants me to cater lunch for 35 at his Sparks office. Hooray! Another job! I called Debbie, his office manager, and she already knew what she wanted, lol. Beef kabobs. So that's what they will get: Beef Kabobs, Orzo with tomatoes and Parmesan, a Mixed Greens Salad with Blackberry Vinaigrette and "Outrageous Brownies". It is scheduled for next Friday, June 17. Of course that is the same day as the Reno Silver Blades
Charity but the charity is in the evening, so I should be ok. Besides, for RSB I will be rounding out the menu, so I don't have to worry about entrees. Guess I should decide soon, what I am going to do for them!
I ran errands in the afternoon, then had Ric and Andy over for dinner. We had Asian Flavored Beef Skewers, Goat Cheese and Herb Mashed Potatoes, Sesame Roasted Asparagus and Chocolate Mousse with shortbread cookies for dessert. Jordan made cocktails and for an appetizer I made Savory Palmiers filled with ricotta cheese, parsley, Parmesan cheese and prosciutto. Everyone seemed pleased, I got to try some new recipes and we all had a good time.
First we checked out Tahoe House, a bakery, deli, gourmet store in Tahoe City, Ca, one of the small villages in Lake Tahoe. They supply the cookies and desserts for the Cal-Neva. The Cal-Neva charges $3 a cookie for snacks in their banquet area so Jordan wanted to see what a $3 cookie looked like, lol. They are large! They weight 5-oz and only cost $1.75 at the Tahoe House.
Next we circled back around the Lake to the Cal-Neva to meet with their Special Events manager, Jim. Seems like a nice man. He's only been in this job 10 days! We talked about what Jordan was looking for in a meeting space, took a look at the guest rooms, the meeting space and talked about food during the meetings. Using the menu options Jim sent Jordan, I had come up with a Thursday morning snack package (the meetings are suppose to start at 10am), a hot lunch at 1pm with two options, Friday breakfast of a small buffet, a box lunch for Friday noon and a Friday afternoon snack. Not only does the Cal-Neva not have a pastry chef (hence the use of Tahoe House for their desserts), they do not have an Executive Chef either. A part of downsizing and economizing in poor economic times. The Director of Food and Beverage runs the kitchen. And the majority of staff at the Cal-Neva has been there for years. Interestingly enough, other than a few slot machines, the Cal-Neva has removed all of it's gaming tables. No explaination as to why. There is a Lake view from all the guest rooms-nice!
After the Cal-Neva, we went over to the Soule Domaine restaurant (not exactly where I remember it being, lol, but they hadn't moved, just my bad memory!). We met with Charlie, the chef/owner about using their restaurant for a Thursday evening dinner for the seminar. We talked to him in the kitchen. Charlie has owned the restaurant for 21 years! It started off as a French restaurant, but has undergone several culinary changes over the years. He was very charming, albeit somewhat distracted by dinner prep. Yes, we could either bring our group of 40 in at 5pm or 8:30pm for a choice off the menu, or we could rent the entire restaurant (a buy out they call it) for about $2300 and he would come up with a special menu for us within that price. I think Jordan wants to offer his workshop people something other than Cal-Neva food during their stay. A smart move, I think. Since the workshop is not until September, we have some time. We did end up eating dinner at the Soule Domaine. The people are very nice, very friendly and the food was excellent! I had a three scallop Appetizer. Jordan had a salad. We both had a little cup of curried carrot soup, then we shared the salmon entree. Like I said, everything was good. The restaurant serves hummus instead of butter or olive oil with their bread, interesting... (I'm pretty much a butter girl, lol).
The day was beautiful up at the Lake and the drive back to Reno uneventful.
Friday morning I was looking at recipes (I have a cake commission to do this weekend) when I got a call from Dr Lynch! He wants me to cater lunch for 35 at his Sparks office. Hooray! Another job! I called Debbie, his office manager, and she already knew what she wanted, lol. Beef kabobs. So that's what they will get: Beef Kabobs, Orzo with tomatoes and Parmesan, a Mixed Greens Salad with Blackberry Vinaigrette and "Outrageous Brownies". It is scheduled for next Friday, June 17. Of course that is the same day as the Reno Silver Blades
Charity but the charity is in the evening, so I should be ok. Besides, for RSB I will be rounding out the menu, so I don't have to worry about entrees. Guess I should decide soon, what I am going to do for them!
I ran errands in the afternoon, then had Ric and Andy over for dinner. We had Asian Flavored Beef Skewers, Goat Cheese and Herb Mashed Potatoes, Sesame Roasted Asparagus and Chocolate Mousse with shortbread cookies for dessert. Jordan made cocktails and for an appetizer I made Savory Palmiers filled with ricotta cheese, parsley, Parmesan cheese and prosciutto. Everyone seemed pleased, I got to try some new recipes and we all had a good time.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Wednesday, June 7, 2011
Tuesday was my all day cheffing job. I tried calling go daddy.com before I left, but the gentleman I needed to talk to did not get in until 10am. Guess that will wait until Wednesday!
I set out for Whole Foods to shop, then headed over to my client's house. It is getting easier to do prep and pack up the car, although there sure is a lot of stuff to pack up! Things like olive oil, vinegar, spices, etc are all things you buy as the "cost of running a business" so all need to packed up for every job. I bought a shopping cart (the old fashioned kind you see little old ladies in Europe dragging/pushing around. Hopefully that will save me a few trips back and forth!
I made the giaudedda first because it was the most time consuming. That is an Italian dish with artichokes, fava beans and potatoes. The potatoes get boil whole, then peeled and sliced into rounds after they cool. The fava beans grow in pods, so those must first be "shucked", then the beans blanched so you can peel off the outer shell portion that is inedible. Then the beans are ready to do what you want with them. The artichokes are also a lot of work. They start to discolor soon after they are cut if they are raw. So you have to trim the artichokes, then cut them in half and dig out the choke. The artichokes then get cut into about one inch wedges. Then they get soaked in lemon or vinegar water to keep them from discoloring. I don't think I took off enough of the outer leaves because there were still some tough leaves in the finished dish. Lots of prep! You then take pancetta that has been cubed and fey it in a big pan. To that you add sliced onions and sauté until soft and starting to turn a golden color. Then add the cut artichokes, cover the skillet and cook for at least 15-20 minutes to soften them. After that you add the sliced potatoes and fava beans and keep sautéing. Tasty, but am lot of work! Next came the Spring Salmon with Pasta Primavera. Easy enough, nice sauce (can't go wrong with a little cream!). Then the Chicken Marsala and Black &White Crusted Tuna with Wasabi Aioli, which is a mayonnaise flavored with garlic and Wasabi paste. I made the Aioli from scratch and listened to Chef Pete instead of Chef Dale. There was a small debate about whether you should make Aioli with raw garlic (Chef Pete) or roasted garlic (Chef Dale). I ended up using Chef Pete's approach. It certainly makes for a stronger tasting Aioli! I had made the Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake Monday, so I made it home about 4:30-5:00pm.
Jordan and I had the Chicken Marsala for dinner, served over pasta. Then pie for dessert. Would you believe I mixed up the fillign for the Strawberry-Rhubarb pie and forgot to add in sugar?! What a dope! So I lifted the lid and added the chicken after the fact, lol. Not very chef-like!
Wednesday morning it was hard to get up! Just tired I guess. I answered emails in the morning then dealt with Tomas at go daddy.com and I think, hat my webpage fixed. I had to go through hundreds of images to figure out which ones to use. But I did find some that will work. Hopefully my website (www.April poker night.com) will be finished soon. It took most of the day, however.
I am helping Jordan coordinate a workshop he wants to do in September. I am helping coordinate menus, etc. So tomorrow we are going up to the Cal-Neva to check out their facilities. We will also look at a restaurant called "The Soule Domain" as a possible dinner place. At least the weather has finally turned nice!
I set out for Whole Foods to shop, then headed over to my client's house. It is getting easier to do prep and pack up the car, although there sure is a lot of stuff to pack up! Things like olive oil, vinegar, spices, etc are all things you buy as the "cost of running a business" so all need to packed up for every job. I bought a shopping cart (the old fashioned kind you see little old ladies in Europe dragging/pushing around. Hopefully that will save me a few trips back and forth!
I made the giaudedda first because it was the most time consuming. That is an Italian dish with artichokes, fava beans and potatoes. The potatoes get boil whole, then peeled and sliced into rounds after they cool. The fava beans grow in pods, so those must first be "shucked", then the beans blanched so you can peel off the outer shell portion that is inedible. Then the beans are ready to do what you want with them. The artichokes are also a lot of work. They start to discolor soon after they are cut if they are raw. So you have to trim the artichokes, then cut them in half and dig out the choke. The artichokes then get cut into about one inch wedges. Then they get soaked in lemon or vinegar water to keep them from discoloring. I don't think I took off enough of the outer leaves because there were still some tough leaves in the finished dish. Lots of prep! You then take pancetta that has been cubed and fey it in a big pan. To that you add sliced onions and sauté until soft and starting to turn a golden color. Then add the cut artichokes, cover the skillet and cook for at least 15-20 minutes to soften them. After that you add the sliced potatoes and fava beans and keep sautéing. Tasty, but am lot of work! Next came the Spring Salmon with Pasta Primavera. Easy enough, nice sauce (can't go wrong with a little cream!). Then the Chicken Marsala and Black &White Crusted Tuna with Wasabi Aioli, which is a mayonnaise flavored with garlic and Wasabi paste. I made the Aioli from scratch and listened to Chef Pete instead of Chef Dale. There was a small debate about whether you should make Aioli with raw garlic (Chef Pete) or roasted garlic (Chef Dale). I ended up using Chef Pete's approach. It certainly makes for a stronger tasting Aioli! I had made the Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake Monday, so I made it home about 4:30-5:00pm.
Jordan and I had the Chicken Marsala for dinner, served over pasta. Then pie for dessert. Would you believe I mixed up the fillign for the Strawberry-Rhubarb pie and forgot to add in sugar?! What a dope! So I lifted the lid and added the chicken after the fact, lol. Not very chef-like!
Wednesday morning it was hard to get up! Just tired I guess. I answered emails in the morning then dealt with Tomas at go daddy.com and I think, hat my webpage fixed. I had to go through hundreds of images to figure out which ones to use. But I did find some that will work. Hopefully my website (www.April poker night.com) will be finished soon. It took most of the day, however.
I am helping Jordan coordinate a workshop he wants to do in September. I am helping coordinate menus, etc. So tomorrow we are going up to the Cal-Neva to check out their facilities. We will also look at a restaurant called "The Soule Domain" as a possible dinner place. At least the weather has finally turned nice!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
When we went to sleep it was raining, when we woke up it was raining.... All in all a dreary day until about mid-afternoon. One of my friends sent me an email about trying to start the summer program on a computer and it stalled, like our weather! Lol.
A good day, however, to bake. I made three small pies, two strawberry-rhubarb, one strawberry-mango. Hope they taste good! They are cute. I also made Michael's Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake. Holy cow! Very rich! Very pretty cake. We'll see if Michael likes it, lol. I had some fresh pineapple so I made a pineapple coconut cake. Not sure how that cake will taste so we'll see. It was a recipe off the Internet, one of those "dump" cakes. And I am in the process of making Strawberry Jam! (Can't let all those strawberries I bought go to waste!) I have to say though, I'm kinda sugared out after today!
Guess I also need to decide about whether or not the Mac is going to work. Since most of the menu programs were written for PC's, it's harder to find a computer program similar to what I have on my HP computer. Bummer... We'll see what Jordan can do for me as far as the computer goes. He's going to work on it tonight.
Tomorrow is my personal chef day. Good menu coming up: Salmon primavera, Chicken Marsala, Giaudedda (an Italian three vegetable dish), and Black & White Crusted Tuna with Wasabi Aioli. All sounds good!
A good day, however, to bake. I made three small pies, two strawberry-rhubarb, one strawberry-mango. Hope they taste good! They are cute. I also made Michael's Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake. Holy cow! Very rich! Very pretty cake. We'll see if Michael likes it, lol. I had some fresh pineapple so I made a pineapple coconut cake. Not sure how that cake will taste so we'll see. It was a recipe off the Internet, one of those "dump" cakes. And I am in the process of making Strawberry Jam! (Can't let all those strawberries I bought go to waste!) I have to say though, I'm kinda sugared out after today!
Guess I also need to decide about whether or not the Mac is going to work. Since most of the menu programs were written for PC's, it's harder to find a computer program similar to what I have on my HP computer. Bummer... We'll see what Jordan can do for me as far as the computer goes. He's going to work on it tonight.
Tomorrow is my personal chef day. Good menu coming up: Salmon primavera, Chicken Marsala, Giaudedda (an Italian three vegetable dish), and Black & White Crusted Tuna with Wasabi Aioli. All sounds good!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Sunday already! When you work from home and are not very busy, it's hard to keep track of your days! My last entry was Thursday, so I will attempt to catch up on my blog.
I made ravioli Thursday evening. It goes quickly when you use won ton wrappers. I made a basic spinach/ricotta filling: take 2 garlic cloves and one 10-oz package of frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed dry) and put them in a food processor. Pulse until both are finely chopped. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 tbsp of olive oil, add the spinach-garlic mixture and sauté, seasoning with salt and pepper and nutmeg to taste, until the liquid evaporates. About 1-2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl, stir in 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese and 2 tbsp of Parmesan cheese. Adjust the seasonings as needed. Stir in one large egg into the warm filling. Lay six won ton wrappers on a clean counter, place a scant tablespoon of the filling in the middle of the wrapper. Wet the edges around the filling with your finger, which you dipped in water (have a small bowl of water standing by), then top with another won ton wrapper. Set them aside on a wire rack while you make the rest. This is enough filling for 24 ravioli and takes an entire 12-oz package of won ton wrappers. Bring water to boil in a large sauté pan (this is easier than using a sauce pan when it comes to getting the ravioli out of the pan). When the water reaches a boil, turn the heat down so as to keep the water at a slow simmer, not a rolling boil or your pasta will break apart. Cook the pasta 3-4 minutes or until the pasta becomes translucent. Remove the ravioli with a solid spoon so you get a little of the pasta water with your ravioli as you put them on a plate or in a bowl. At this point, you can simply drizzle the raviioli with a portion of olive oil or butter, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and pepper. Serve immediately. Or you can add the sauce of your choice. Yum!
Friday I made Oatmeal Raisin Pecan Cookies. I tried a new recipe from Ina Garten from the Food Network. They turned out well: nice
flavor, chewy, not too sweet (that's what I like anyway). Friday afternoon, I met my friend Andy Carey for coffee at Walden's Coffeehouse.
He introduced me to the new owners, which was nice. I wonder where they get their pastries, lol?
Friday dinner was we barbequed steak on the grill, had roasted potatoes and asparagus. Yum!
Saturday I spent on the computer. It rained and was generally a dreary day. I picked out a few recipes to try. Jordan wants a pie, he says I never make pie and he loves pie. So I am going to make Grandma's Strawberry Rhubarb Pie (not my grandma, someone else's grandma!)
and trying Ina Garten's Shortbread cookies. But not on Saturday, I need to buy a few baking supplies. And Janell says Walmart has 16-oz
packages of strawberries for $1! I'll do my shopping Sunday. Leftovers for dinner Saturday. That's ok, makes me think about new ways to
prepare what I've already done!
Sunday we woke up to rain, again! Jordan made breakfast, then I worked on the computer some more. Janell and I went to Target so I could return some blinds, then we checked out Pier One-it's back in town and no longer a franchaise. Then we had lunch at Red Robin-which always makes me think of my nephew, Dylan. He LOVES their Mac&Cheese. I did make the shortbread cookies. They taste good, but as Ric would say, "Lorna Dunn's are better" (or in my case, Walker's). I am trying to come up with a cookie business that will help supplement my income. I still enjoy baking the best!
I did go to Walmart (Janell went home, she had a headache) and sure enough, they had beautiful strawberries for $1!! I bought the rest of my supplies and headed back home. I am making ribollita for dinner. Soup sounded good on a mostly rainy day. Today is Michael's birthday-Happy birthday, my friend! I am making a Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake for him. We both had the same recipe from YEARS ago but didn't realize it until he gave me a copy, saying this was the birthday cake he wanted. The base of the cake is suppose to be a chocolate genoise or sponge cake, but when I looked at the recipe, there was no chocolate in the genoise ingredients!! Imagine my surprise, cause I looked at this recipe several times and this was the first time I had noticed this faux pax! I did, however, find a chocolate genoise recipe that was exactly the same but the new recipe had cocoa powder in it. That saved the day! I'll make the pie tonight and the cake tomorrow. It's suppose to rain again tomorrow. A good day to bake I guess!
I made ravioli Thursday evening. It goes quickly when you use won ton wrappers. I made a basic spinach/ricotta filling: take 2 garlic cloves and one 10-oz package of frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed dry) and put them in a food processor. Pulse until both are finely chopped. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 tbsp of olive oil, add the spinach-garlic mixture and sauté, seasoning with salt and pepper and nutmeg to taste, until the liquid evaporates. About 1-2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl, stir in 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese and 2 tbsp of Parmesan cheese. Adjust the seasonings as needed. Stir in one large egg into the warm filling. Lay six won ton wrappers on a clean counter, place a scant tablespoon of the filling in the middle of the wrapper. Wet the edges around the filling with your finger, which you dipped in water (have a small bowl of water standing by), then top with another won ton wrapper. Set them aside on a wire rack while you make the rest. This is enough filling for 24 ravioli and takes an entire 12-oz package of won ton wrappers. Bring water to boil in a large sauté pan (this is easier than using a sauce pan when it comes to getting the ravioli out of the pan). When the water reaches a boil, turn the heat down so as to keep the water at a slow simmer, not a rolling boil or your pasta will break apart. Cook the pasta 3-4 minutes or until the pasta becomes translucent. Remove the ravioli with a solid spoon so you get a little of the pasta water with your ravioli as you put them on a plate or in a bowl. At this point, you can simply drizzle the raviioli with a portion of olive oil or butter, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and pepper. Serve immediately. Or you can add the sauce of your choice. Yum!
Friday I made Oatmeal Raisin Pecan Cookies. I tried a new recipe from Ina Garten from the Food Network. They turned out well: nice
flavor, chewy, not too sweet (that's what I like anyway). Friday afternoon, I met my friend Andy Carey for coffee at Walden's Coffeehouse.
He introduced me to the new owners, which was nice. I wonder where they get their pastries, lol?
Friday dinner was we barbequed steak on the grill, had roasted potatoes and asparagus. Yum!
Saturday I spent on the computer. It rained and was generally a dreary day. I picked out a few recipes to try. Jordan wants a pie, he says I never make pie and he loves pie. So I am going to make Grandma's Strawberry Rhubarb Pie (not my grandma, someone else's grandma!)
and trying Ina Garten's Shortbread cookies. But not on Saturday, I need to buy a few baking supplies. And Janell says Walmart has 16-oz
packages of strawberries for $1! I'll do my shopping Sunday. Leftovers for dinner Saturday. That's ok, makes me think about new ways to
prepare what I've already done!
Sunday we woke up to rain, again! Jordan made breakfast, then I worked on the computer some more. Janell and I went to Target so I could return some blinds, then we checked out Pier One-it's back in town and no longer a franchaise. Then we had lunch at Red Robin-which always makes me think of my nephew, Dylan. He LOVES their Mac&Cheese. I did make the shortbread cookies. They taste good, but as Ric would say, "Lorna Dunn's are better" (or in my case, Walker's). I am trying to come up with a cookie business that will help supplement my income. I still enjoy baking the best!
I did go to Walmart (Janell went home, she had a headache) and sure enough, they had beautiful strawberries for $1!! I bought the rest of my supplies and headed back home. I am making ribollita for dinner. Soup sounded good on a mostly rainy day. Today is Michael's birthday-Happy birthday, my friend! I am making a Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake for him. We both had the same recipe from YEARS ago but didn't realize it until he gave me a copy, saying this was the birthday cake he wanted. The base of the cake is suppose to be a chocolate genoise or sponge cake, but when I looked at the recipe, there was no chocolate in the genoise ingredients!! Imagine my surprise, cause I looked at this recipe several times and this was the first time I had noticed this faux pax! I did, however, find a chocolate genoise recipe that was exactly the same but the new recipe had cocoa powder in it. That saved the day! I'll make the pie tonight and the cake tomorrow. It's suppose to rain again tomorrow. A good day to bake I guess!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Wednesday morning I had an interview for a chef position at Standards of Excellence Appliance Store. I would be doing a cooking demo every other month for now although they would like to go back to once a month. I think the woman I interviewed with, Laurie, wants to hire me but I need to meet the corporate chef June 15 for a final interview. I would be paid by corporate also, so I guess I need final approval. After the interview I went to Trader Joe's to pick up a few things. They really do have good prices on things, I need to remember that!
On my way home, I got a text from my friend, Eric, saying he was free for lunch so I met him at India Kabob for their lunch buffet (he said he was REALLY hungry, lol. They have good food there. We talked a lot about fencing, guess Eric had a lot to get off his chest!
After lunch I ran a few more errands and then headed home to make raviolis. They are easy to make using won ton wrappers. I made a ricotta spinach filling, plopped a tablespoon of the filling on a won ton wrapper, dipped my fingers in water and ran them around the edges of the wrapper, then placed another won ton wrappers over the filling. Easy! I made a simple tomato sauce to go over it. Tasty!
Today was a lazy day. I cleaned, worked on the computer (still trying to get my Mac to do what I want it to for my chef business) and took an afternoon nap with the cat (Jordan calls it a catnap). Nothing too exciting, lol. Dinner was pork tenderloin from one of the meals I made for my client. Nice sauce basted on the pork then served with a three fruit salsa. Yum! After dinner I still worked on the computer, trying this and that. Not a total techie yet!
On my way home, I got a text from my friend, Eric, saying he was free for lunch so I met him at India Kabob for their lunch buffet (he said he was REALLY hungry, lol. They have good food there. We talked a lot about fencing, guess Eric had a lot to get off his chest!
After lunch I ran a few more errands and then headed home to make raviolis. They are easy to make using won ton wrappers. I made a ricotta spinach filling, plopped a tablespoon of the filling on a won ton wrapper, dipped my fingers in water and ran them around the edges of the wrapper, then placed another won ton wrappers over the filling. Easy! I made a simple tomato sauce to go over it. Tasty!
Today was a lazy day. I cleaned, worked on the computer (still trying to get my Mac to do what I want it to for my chef business) and took an afternoon nap with the cat (Jordan calls it a catnap). Nothing too exciting, lol. Dinner was pork tenderloin from one of the meals I made for my client. Nice sauce basted on the pork then served with a three fruit salsa. Yum! After dinner I still worked on the computer, trying this and that. Not a total techie yet!
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