Janell and I are back in Reno. We took my mom down to LA as she will be staying with my sister for the next few months (kind of a snowbird). The weather was gorgeous, no snow (unfortunately no snow even in the Mammoth area), and smooth sailing on the drive to and from LA. I did do four meals for the freezer for my sister and her family, so I hope they like them. Otherwise, we did a little shopping, watched a movie, went out for dinner once and out to lunch once. But it's good to be home!
More to come in the upcoming days!
Monday, January 9, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2011
All in all, a quiet couple of days. I have been working online, wrote an article for examiner.com, looking for work, took down the Christmas decorations (I did NOT want to face that job after I got back from LA), mailed a package, ran some errands, had lunch with Ric Wednesday (Ric has called me twice and both times I was out of town!) at Arlington Gardens, paid bills, went to the bank, cleaned two bathrooms, vacuumed the downstairs, answered an email from "Hireachef.com"-a woman wanting to know how much a private chef costs in Reno, and took a friend to the airport at 5:15am this morning. No wonder I'm tired!
I have not had any culinary work for over a week but must admit I have not pursued anything (other than SCOR to check when their next meetings and marketing are going to take place). I return to Maui January 22 for a month, so won't be available really, until after I come back February 21. I do have a job interview next week for a nursing position. I need to build up a savings again. It would be part time so I could still do all my usual culinary work (plus more, I hope!). We'll see....
I've been looking online and reading to see what the food trends are for 2012. According to Inc.com, the best industries for starting a business right now are in candy, iPhone apps, education, alternative energy and technology. Interesting combinations, lol. They claim candy is recession proof. Maybe I need to start making candy! Janell thought I should start with Fleur de Sel Caramels, lol. As I said earlier, it's time to make a living, not just make money. Still looking for my exact niche.
I have not had any culinary work for over a week but must admit I have not pursued anything (other than SCOR to check when their next meetings and marketing are going to take place). I return to Maui January 22 for a month, so won't be available really, until after I come back February 21. I do have a job interview next week for a nursing position. I need to build up a savings again. It would be part time so I could still do all my usual culinary work (plus more, I hope!). We'll see....
I've been looking online and reading to see what the food trends are for 2012. According to Inc.com, the best industries for starting a business right now are in candy, iPhone apps, education, alternative energy and technology. Interesting combinations, lol. They claim candy is recession proof. Maybe I need to start making candy! Janell thought I should start with Fleur de Sel Caramels, lol. As I said earlier, it's time to make a living, not just make money. Still looking for my exact niche.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2011
Other than lunch with my sister and mom, Monday was uneventful. It was technically the New Year's holiday so everything but retail vendors were closed. We had lunch at Chili's (dessert was the best part, lol, a warm red velvet Bundt cake with warm cream cheese frosting topped with chocolate and ice cream), then went to Barnes and Nobles for a look around. I found a cookbook from the San Francisco bakery called Miette, the name of the book being the same as the name of the bakery. Beautiful book, beautiful pictures and great looking recipes.
For dinner Monday, I tried a pasta dish I had made for one of my clients, with tomatoes and basil and mozzarella cheese. I added sausage, however, as an extra protein boost. Turned out well, Jordan was pleased. We still had some cheesecake left over, so had a piece of that for dessert.
Tuesday I did some banking, called the BBB, looked at cookie recipes (I was in the mood to bake) and went grocery shopping. My mom and Janell came over for dinner. I was finally able to use the beef shanks I received from the woman we bought our beef from for the farm to table diner in September. I decided to make Osso Bucco. After lunch I baked a Blackberry Cobbler, then mixed up cookie dough for Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies. I had to wait to bake them as I did not have any chocolate chips-I almost always have chocolate chips! Janell brought some over when she came. I started the Osso Bucco-it takes several hours. You sear the meat in olive oil and butter, remove them from the pan, toss in some diced onions, carrots, garlic and celery, add two bay leaves, deglaze the pan with Marsala wine, but the meat back in the pan, add chicken broth and tomatoes and let it bubble away for two hours. I served it with Saffron Rissoto and Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta. It turned out well! Everyone seemed pleased. The only one who did not like the dessert (Blackberry Cobbler) was Jordan. He thought it was too sweet. I always listen to everyone's complaints/compliments. After dinner we watched the results of the Iowa caucus. Interesting listening....
Friday we take my mom down to LA. Hope the weather holds out!
For dinner Monday, I tried a pasta dish I had made for one of my clients, with tomatoes and basil and mozzarella cheese. I added sausage, however, as an extra protein boost. Turned out well, Jordan was pleased. We still had some cheesecake left over, so had a piece of that for dessert.
Tuesday I did some banking, called the BBB, looked at cookie recipes (I was in the mood to bake) and went grocery shopping. My mom and Janell came over for dinner. I was finally able to use the beef shanks I received from the woman we bought our beef from for the farm to table diner in September. I decided to make Osso Bucco. After lunch I baked a Blackberry Cobbler, then mixed up cookie dough for Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies. I had to wait to bake them as I did not have any chocolate chips-I almost always have chocolate chips! Janell brought some over when she came. I started the Osso Bucco-it takes several hours. You sear the meat in olive oil and butter, remove them from the pan, toss in some diced onions, carrots, garlic and celery, add two bay leaves, deglaze the pan with Marsala wine, but the meat back in the pan, add chicken broth and tomatoes and let it bubble away for two hours. I served it with Saffron Rissoto and Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta. It turned out well! Everyone seemed pleased. The only one who did not like the dessert (Blackberry Cobbler) was Jordan. He thought it was too sweet. I always listen to everyone's complaints/compliments. After dinner we watched the results of the Iowa caucus. Interesting listening....
Friday we take my mom down to LA. Hope the weather holds out!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Sunday, January 1, 2012
2012! Happy New Year! One of my goals this year is to not just make money, but to earn a living as a chef. I just need to figure out exactly how to do that. Lots to think about in the coming days.
It was a lazy day today. Slept in late, had breakfast at Hobey's, picked up Ah Choo from Janell's house, read some and watched a couple cooking shows I had taped. Tomorrow I'll do some work.
It was a lazy day today. Slept in late, had breakfast at Hobey's, picked up Ah Choo from Janell's house, read some and watched a couple cooking shows I had taped. Tomorrow I'll do some work.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Saturday morning was sunny but windy in Denver. Kind of nice to be off the mountain and back in civilization as it were. Breakfast was a Cherry "Braid", a frozen rope of puff pastry she bought from one of her friends, whose child was seeking them as a fundraiser. Not bad, really. And of course, Kim and Dave and I spent a lot of time talking about life, professional goals, moving to Denver, going into business together. Kim has turned out to be a great friend.
We had lunch at Clark & Co on 17th Avenue (17th is kind of restaurant row). Burgers, sandwiches and brunch on the weekends. I ordered a Monte Cristo sandwich, which I haven't had in years. It's essentially French toast filled with ham and cheese that is fried, then served with strawberry jam. Yum! Kim had California Eggs Benedict (avocado and tomato added to classic Eggs Benedict). Then Kim dropped me off at the airport.
The flight from Denver to Las Vegas was uneventful and I met up with Jordan in Vegas and we flew back to Reno. He surprised me with dinner reservations at Zozo's restaurant. We haven't been in a while for a variety of reasons, but Jordan thought we'd go tonight for their special New Year's Eve menu. We came home, changed, then went out to dinner. And how disappointing it was. The first course was a choice of Shrimp Cocktail or an antipasti plate. Only the plate turned out to be a bowl filled with vinaigrette drenched lettuce, cubed cheddar cheese, cubed salami, peppericini and olives. Not what we were expecting. The next course was soup or salad. We both ordered the Pear, Walnut Salad with Taspberry Vinaigrette. The pears were canned, although that in itself wasn't so bad, but that plus a really sweet raspberry vinaigrette was too much. When the entrees came, the food was cold. I couldn't eat mine and Jordan ate only a small amount. The dessert of strawberry tiramisu was surprisingly tasteless. Jordan said something to the waitress and we ended up not being charged for dinner. Jordan left a big tip for our waitress and we left.
We ended up going to Charlie Palmer's at the Grand Sierra and had wine and appetizers at the bar. We danced a little and hung out until midnight, then came home.
Happy New Year!
We had lunch at Clark & Co on 17th Avenue (17th is kind of restaurant row). Burgers, sandwiches and brunch on the weekends. I ordered a Monte Cristo sandwich, which I haven't had in years. It's essentially French toast filled with ham and cheese that is fried, then served with strawberry jam. Yum! Kim had California Eggs Benedict (avocado and tomato added to classic Eggs Benedict). Then Kim dropped me off at the airport.
The flight from Denver to Las Vegas was uneventful and I met up with Jordan in Vegas and we flew back to Reno. He surprised me with dinner reservations at Zozo's restaurant. We haven't been in a while for a variety of reasons, but Jordan thought we'd go tonight for their special New Year's Eve menu. We came home, changed, then went out to dinner. And how disappointing it was. The first course was a choice of Shrimp Cocktail or an antipasti plate. Only the plate turned out to be a bowl filled with vinaigrette drenched lettuce, cubed cheddar cheese, cubed salami, peppericini and olives. Not what we were expecting. The next course was soup or salad. We both ordered the Pear, Walnut Salad with Taspberry Vinaigrette. The pears were canned, although that in itself wasn't so bad, but that plus a really sweet raspberry vinaigrette was too much. When the entrees came, the food was cold. I couldn't eat mine and Jordan ate only a small amount. The dessert of strawberry tiramisu was surprisingly tasteless. Jordan said something to the waitress and we ended up not being charged for dinner. Jordan left a big tip for our waitress and we left.
We ended up going to Charlie Palmer's at the Grand Sierra and had wine and appetizers at the bar. We danced a little and hung out until midnight, then came home.
Happy New Year!
Friday, December 30, 2011
Thursday-Friday, December 29 & 30, 2011
Thursday Cris and I were up and back to mixing, cooking and baking for the big party. We must have assembled hundreds of little appetizers! He had quite a variety of food.
The party was suppose to start at 3pm, so shortly before we stopped work and changed into casual party clothes. The first guests, however, did not start arriving until after 4pm. Ten people in all showed up, out of the 35-40 invited, most of whom said they would come. I felt bad for Cris! Those of us at the party, however, ate very well and had some great wines! So it was their loss.. The last people left about 11pm. Once the guests were gone, off we went to bed. Clean up can wait!
Friday morning, no one got up early, lol. I was the first one up, so I reheated some coffee from the evening before and had a couple cookies. The others got up about an hour later and after coffee all around, we did finally clean up the dining room-kitchen area. We ended up throwing the rest of the food away. It had been sitting out too long. And as Cris pointed out, there was no place for it in the refrigerator. :-(
After we cleaned up, Cris drove me into town and we had lunch at "Wahoo", a local Denver restaurant. Pretty good actually. A fresh Tex-Mex type of place. After lunch, we went over to Kim's house. That's where I'm spending the night tonight. Cris, Kim, Dave (Kim's husband) and I talked about Cris and Kim's new business. They want to open a bakery and cafe. They have a building picked out, now all they need to find is financing and finish work on their business plan. A big undertaking for these two! After Crish left, Kim and I ran to the store for a few things, then came back to the house and made marshmallows. For New Year's Eve, Kim is making deep fried s'mores. She made her own marshmallows today and tomorrow she'll stuff them with chocolate, roll them into a ball, dip them in eggs, then roll them in crushed graham crackers. At that point these little confections get deep-fried. Sounds good to me!
We went out to dinner tonight. We were hoping to eat at Potager's but they were closed. Instead, we had dinner at Parallel 17. Kind of a French-Asian restaurant on 17th Street. The food was excellent! As was the company (Kim and Dave). We've spent the evening and almost until midnight talking about cooking and businesses. I've missed both Kim. And Cris!
Kim has three cats, and they decided at midnight, it was time for us to go to bed. The cats are pretty funny! I return to Reno tomorrow and meet up with Jordan in Las Vegas (he's returning from Phoenix, AZ). It's New Year's Eve tomorrow!
The party was suppose to start at 3pm, so shortly before we stopped work and changed into casual party clothes. The first guests, however, did not start arriving until after 4pm. Ten people in all showed up, out of the 35-40 invited, most of whom said they would come. I felt bad for Cris! Those of us at the party, however, ate very well and had some great wines! So it was their loss.. The last people left about 11pm. Once the guests were gone, off we went to bed. Clean up can wait!
Friday morning, no one got up early, lol. I was the first one up, so I reheated some coffee from the evening before and had a couple cookies. The others got up about an hour later and after coffee all around, we did finally clean up the dining room-kitchen area. We ended up throwing the rest of the food away. It had been sitting out too long. And as Cris pointed out, there was no place for it in the refrigerator. :-(
After we cleaned up, Cris drove me into town and we had lunch at "Wahoo", a local Denver restaurant. Pretty good actually. A fresh Tex-Mex type of place. After lunch, we went over to Kim's house. That's where I'm spending the night tonight. Cris, Kim, Dave (Kim's husband) and I talked about Cris and Kim's new business. They want to open a bakery and cafe. They have a building picked out, now all they need to find is financing and finish work on their business plan. A big undertaking for these two! After Crish left, Kim and I ran to the store for a few things, then came back to the house and made marshmallows. For New Year's Eve, Kim is making deep fried s'mores. She made her own marshmallows today and tomorrow she'll stuff them with chocolate, roll them into a ball, dip them in eggs, then roll them in crushed graham crackers. At that point these little confections get deep-fried. Sounds good to me!
We went out to dinner tonight. We were hoping to eat at Potager's but they were closed. Instead, we had dinner at Parallel 17. Kind of a French-Asian restaurant on 17th Street. The food was excellent! As was the company (Kim and Dave). We've spent the evening and almost until midnight talking about cooking and businesses. I've missed both Kim. And Cris!
Kim has three cats, and they decided at midnight, it was time for us to go to bed. The cats are pretty funny! I return to Reno tomorrow and meet up with Jordan in Las Vegas (he's returning from Phoenix, AZ). It's New Year's Eve tomorrow!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
I was off to Denver early this morning. Smooth ride on Southwest. And what was the first thing I saw as we descended into Denver? Snow! Haven't seen that in a while. Guess they had a white Christmas. The weather was nice with temperatures in the 50's and sunny, clear skies.
My friend, Cris, picked me up at the airport (which is at least 20 miles outside of the Denver city limits). Cris and I went to culinary school together. It's so good to see him again! We stopped by his work (Lifestyles Catering) so he could pick up some extra trays for the party he and his partner are having tomorrow night. Then we had lunch (sushi) at Mt Fugi. After lunch we stopped by Capitol Hill Mansion B&B to see Carl and Bailey (Carl's daughter). I lived at Capitol Hill while I went to culinary school. Carl was so surprised. THings have changed at Capitol Hill. He has a new sous chef, Eric, who has not gone to culinary school but from the pictures Carl's been taking of the food-the guy seems to have a natural talent for not only cooking, but plating.
Next stop was the grocery store for a few last minute buys, then up the mountain (Cris lives in Golden, just outside the state park there). They have a great home, set in a wooded area (hence the state park, I guess, lol), slightly rustic with lots of artwork. Cris put me to work cooking the things that could be made ahead. I made Parmesan Crips, a cracker made with Parmesan cheese, flour, butter, egg yolks, salt and a pinch of mustard. They turned out well, albeit somewhat fragile. These crackers will be topped with herbed goat cheese (which I also mixed up-goat cheese, cream cheese, a little cream, fresh thyme, oregano and dried garlic) topped with a cranberry compote. My next task was making a crab salad (crab, mayo, sour cream, celery, green onions, salt, pepper). We'll put the crab salad on crackers and top with a sprinkle of parsley and an olive slice. Cris made a chorizo filling and a lamb filling for empanadas we'll make tomorrow. We also cooked up some bacon for Flamekucken, a pizza type dish topped with creamy onions and bacon. It's an Alsatian dish we learned to make in school. YUM!
Dinner was oven fried chicken, Fettucine Alfredo and Sautéed Italian veggies (zucchini, yellow squash, onions, tomatoes and herbs sautéed in olive oil). We watched a movie (now I can't remember what it was called, lol), then off to bed for everyone-long day. It's a little like staying in a house at Lake Tahoe. I forgot how cold it gets when you live in the mountains, lol!
My friend, Cris, picked me up at the airport (which is at least 20 miles outside of the Denver city limits). Cris and I went to culinary school together. It's so good to see him again! We stopped by his work (Lifestyles Catering) so he could pick up some extra trays for the party he and his partner are having tomorrow night. Then we had lunch (sushi) at Mt Fugi. After lunch we stopped by Capitol Hill Mansion B&B to see Carl and Bailey (Carl's daughter). I lived at Capitol Hill while I went to culinary school. Carl was so surprised. THings have changed at Capitol Hill. He has a new sous chef, Eric, who has not gone to culinary school but from the pictures Carl's been taking of the food-the guy seems to have a natural talent for not only cooking, but plating.
Next stop was the grocery store for a few last minute buys, then up the mountain (Cris lives in Golden, just outside the state park there). They have a great home, set in a wooded area (hence the state park, I guess, lol), slightly rustic with lots of artwork. Cris put me to work cooking the things that could be made ahead. I made Parmesan Crips, a cracker made with Parmesan cheese, flour, butter, egg yolks, salt and a pinch of mustard. They turned out well, albeit somewhat fragile. These crackers will be topped with herbed goat cheese (which I also mixed up-goat cheese, cream cheese, a little cream, fresh thyme, oregano and dried garlic) topped with a cranberry compote. My next task was making a crab salad (crab, mayo, sour cream, celery, green onions, salt, pepper). We'll put the crab salad on crackers and top with a sprinkle of parsley and an olive slice. Cris made a chorizo filling and a lamb filling for empanadas we'll make tomorrow. We also cooked up some bacon for Flamekucken, a pizza type dish topped with creamy onions and bacon. It's an Alsatian dish we learned to make in school. YUM!
Dinner was oven fried chicken, Fettucine Alfredo and Sautéed Italian veggies (zucchini, yellow squash, onions, tomatoes and herbs sautéed in olive oil). We watched a movie (now I can't remember what it was called, lol), then off to bed for everyone-long day. It's a little like staying in a house at Lake Tahoe. I forgot how cold it gets when you live in the mountains, lol!
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