Only 6 days away!!

I am getting SO pumped up for my vacation on Saturday! Today I did a little shopping to prep for my trip to Tunisia. I am going to wrap it up tomorrow and then the rest is packing, research, excursion booking and learning some key phrases in Tunisian Arabic such as: "More wine, please."

This is going to be an amazing experience, and I cannot wait to share photos when I get back! My mom was gracious enough to let me borrow her camera for the trip. My camera broke on my birthday last month, and I just can't afford to be spending money on a new one just yet. My BF has a camera, but every time I take a picture with it - they just don't look right. The lighting is off, or it's blurry, etc. I think it is because I am not used to using his brand of camera, it's just not a Canon.

I am slightly nervous that we don't have our itinerary all setup for the week yet. When I travel with my HLP, Jen, she always is so organized and the only thing I need to do is show up! So, this is totally awkward for me not having any plan yet and I am feeling slightly uneasy and borderline panicked. I tried explaining this to BF, but I am pretty sure he thinks I am crazy and uptight. *sigh* Well, I guess I will have to throw something together in the next couple of days, because it doesn't matter if we actually STICK to the schedule...but I feel much more comfortable having one to carry with me. It's like a paper security blanket.

There was a slight change in our flight schedule, so we now have 22 hours in Paris!! We are going to try and hit some of the famous spots, have a picnic dinner, and stay in town for the night. In the morning we can have cafe' au lait and a croissant, stroll around for a few hours, then head to the 'port. It's going to be a whirlwind romantic day (crossing fingers) and a great wrap up to our vacation.

With that being said....

Here's to vacations, may we enjoy many more in the future....

Time flies when you are having fun....cooking!

This will be my 4th week at my PT job at the restaurant! I am happy to report I am still loving it and learning SO much! I have also decided that "Boss Lady" needs a better name...it sounds too negative. What do you think about Lady Chef? Much better, isn't it? She may be a little feisty, but she is no Gordon Ramsey, that's for sure. She gives me such great advice for culinary school, and I am hoping that I remember it all!

Each night I work, I have a different job to do depending on what they are serving and what needs to be finished before our first reservation at 6pm. One night I peeled and cut carrots, another night I peeled and washed brussel sprouts, and the last night I worked...I got to work the cold station! Woo hoo!

Now, if you are not in the kitchen biz, as I am not, you may not know all the fancy terms. But a "cold station" pretty much tells it like it is: cold foods, ie, foods that don't need to be cooked. That night it was just Lady Chef and I in the kitchen and let me tell you, I was NERVOUS! Cold station means preparing salads and appetizers. As easy as this may sound to you, the pressure of making sure EVERY DISH LOOKS THE SAME AS THE LAST is actually nerve racking. BUT, I made sure to have Lady Chef look at everything and asked plenty of questions to be sure I had them right!

For the appetizers, I helped make the pate` plate by making a "mini greens" salad w our house dressing. Easy enough. The second was a tray with 4 square bowls that contained one of the following: Tuscan bean dip, stuffed grape leaves, a variety of olives, and home made crustini's. YUM! Anyhow, it's all about the presentation, so I added the garnish and she told me I did a great job. YAY for me!

Salads were next, so I watched Chef Lady prepare the first few as she described to me how they are presented and what to do. Since we mix the dressing with the salads before they go out, you need to taste it to be sure the correct amount of vinaigrette is on the salad. (BTW, "dressing" is not kitchen terminology...we call it vinaigrette.)

I also prepared 3 of the beet salads after watching Chef Lady create the first one. This was one of my favorites, because the presentation is just beautiful and colorful as well. Two types of beets: red and pickled, along with orange slices, salt and pepper, and garnished with candied orange peel.

Along with the responsibility of the cold station is to help garnish the main dishes. We use fresh edible flowers and herbs for all of our dishes and it just makes the presentation pop. My favorite main dish to garnish was the shrimp, because she plates it fancy with the tails up.

I am still learning some great lessons in the kitchen, and thought I would share them. In no particular order:

1. ALWAYS ask and don't assume: If you are asked to cut carrots, DO NOT assume they are cut the same way as the last time you cut them. We ended up salvaging the carrots I cut incorrectly, but it is important to know EXACTLY what the chef wants you to do with them.



2. Thoroughly wash your veggies: Celery can sometimes have a tight seam that you can't get to with simply rinsing. Either use a small brush such as a toothbrush, or slice in half lengthwise before washing.

3. Have a GOOD TIME! Working in the kitchen is not for everyone. Be prepared to do whatever it takes to make it a successful night. You are part of a team and also need to carry a positive relationship with the servers. If you are not having fun, then you are not in the right job. :) Fortunately, for me it's a blast!

4. If you think you are a good cook, think again. I consider myself, and have been told by others, I am a really good cook. That ALL goes out the window after working in a professional kitchen. I told Lady Chef from Day 1 to "assume I know nothing" about cooking and it was the best thing I could have done for myself. I am not saying that I am a bad cook, by any means, but just realize there is a bit of humility involved by stepping into someone else's kitchen.

5. Recipes, recipes. Everyone wants you to share them, but do you know why chef's do not share them? Recipes are like intellectual property, and if cooks went around telling their secrets, well then, why would people dine at their establishment when they could make it at home? OR who knows, the competition may start selling the same dish and their goes your unique restaurant. You must make sure that if you work in a kitchen, the chef's recipes are kept in the kitchen. I may talk about how individual ingredients are prepped, but I will NOT share any full recipes, so don't ask. :)

There is just so much more for me to learn, and I look forward to my new adventure every time I go into work! Tomorrow I get to go in early to make desserts!!

I also have good news on the PC front...I earned another $50 bonus (I have already received $100 of bonuses!) and I am hoping to earn a few more of them in the next month or so! Woo hoo! I had a great show last week, so I am really close to meeting my personal goals. I know that I have to work harder than I have been to get myself in the financial position I need to be in, so I am trying really hard to keep up with my daily to-do lists! I have to admit the P-Monster (procrastination) rears its ugly head from time to time, so my lists and goal tracking seem to keep him at bay!

Here's to another week of fulfilling my lust for life.....salute!

All photos courtesy of freefoto.com

Starches, suds, and snacks...oh my!

I am excited to report that my first day with my PT job was a success!! What an exciting and adventurous way to start out my new career path! I had so much fun and I have already learned a few tips from the chef, who I will refer to as 'Boss Lady' until I come up with something better.

I arrived at 4pm (actually about 10 min early. Yea, that shocks me too, lol.) and "punched in". After taking a small tour of the place, and a quick "lesson" on dish washing and sanitizing, I put on an apron and got to work. My first "job" was to peel and cut up potatoes. With this task, I learned that if you keep potatoes in water after peeling, and again after chopping up, they will not turn brown. The water also washes the starch off, which is great for non-sticky mashed potatoes.

After the potatoes, I made several little garlic butter dollops on baking sheets and placed them in the freezer for later use. The Boss Lady uses them while cooking, as they are the perfect size to saute one serving of veggies. The butter mixture was made previously in a Cuisinart, I loaded into a pastry bag, lined the baking sheets with parchment paper, and dolluped away. Lesson learned with this activity: use ALL of the contents of the Cuisinart bowl, even if you have to use your fingers. Boss Lady told me that there was too much left over in the container, and that I will definitely need to know this in school. I totally appreciated that tip!

Boss Lady showed me how to tell the "doneness" of a steak. There are parts of your hand that you can feel to compare to rare, med-mare, and medium. Of course, I can't show you on the blog, but on my hand the part below my thumb is rare, the part by my pinky is medium, and the parts between my fingers are med-rare. I actually learned what a rare steak feels like by actually touching one...and YES, my hands were clean. Interesting!

Garshing! Ok, I have to admit, this is one of my favorite things!! ;) To prep for the garnishing, Boss Lady had me pull off 40 geranium buds from the front of the restaurant and rinse them for garnishes. Then, I picked out the "good" cranberries to set aside for the dessert garnishes.

Speaking of desserts, I was SO excited to learn to plate desserts! This was by far the most fun thing of the whole night! I have to admit, I was nervous at first, my first night and I am plating?! I told Boss Lady to 'assume I know nothing' when it comes to cooking, but she obviously was confident in my skills. With the dessert plating, I felt like I had a real part in the customers experience. There were 3 different desserts, a mini apple cake, an apricot cake, and another pastry that was surrounded in icing and had caramel topping, 4 raspberries, and whipped cream. YUM. Each one was plated differently, but all of them had the geranium buds that I picked and a few mint leaves. Half-way through the night, I was given the name "Dessert Lady" by the servers. How cool. I learned that when you plate, you must make sure that every time to plate a specific dish, it MUST look the same as the last time. Consistancy is very important in the restaurant business, a customer expects the same service, and same product each time they come in. GREAT advice!

My main job throughout the night was to wash and sanitize dishes. This needs no description, but I learned the importance of sanitation in a kitchen. And here I thought I was OCD....as it turns out, I am probably not THAT sanitary at home and that kind of creeped me out.

My job is also to do whatever Boss Lady tells me to do. She's super cool and showed me some cool tips throughout the night and also let me taste some of her creations. The wild rice with cranberries, fish crusted with walnuts, rosemary, etc., and the little apple cake that was a "reject" since the ice cream melted before the server picked it up. Oops. Note to self: pick cold plate from the bottom of the stack for ice cream instead of the hot ones from the dishwasher. Oh, and some kind of tasty pepper, it was red but not a bell, a piece of cheese, and an awesome chocolate espresso cookie. lol. I guess I had several "mini snacks" throughout the night.

It was quite an adventure and the night flew by! Boss Lady must have liked me too, because she asked if I could work an additional night. Woo hoo! This week I will be working 3 nights, including a Friday which should be SUPER busy! The coolest part about Friday is that my cousin is working that night as well. No nepotism here, lol!!

Well, there you have it, Day 1. :)

Really??

I can't believe I let so much time lapse from my last post!! Whoa!

I officially start my kitchen job on Wednesday! I am super excited, but I have to admit I am a little nervous, but who wouldn't be....I am diving into not only a new job, but a completely new field! I can't wait to learn with the pros - in school and also at work. I am so blessed to have found something that totally excites me and fits me perfectly.

It's a short one today, because I smell popcorn. Yum. More later.

It's not picking up dog poo, but it ain't no circus either!

I was actually serious when I referenced the dog poo job last year when trying to leave "the circus". As a matter of fact, when looking into franchises, I found a few for dog poo pickup services that looked pretty lucrative. Really, who enjoys picking up after their dog? It's easier to have someone else do it. Had it not been for the large inital investment I didn't have, I was going to do it just for the irony.

I have found myself so enthusiastic about everything lately, and I am wondering if it is starting to rub off on people. Why do I say this, you ask? Yours truly, a former accounting/IT exec, recieved a phone call today with a job offer as kitchen staff at her favorite restaurant! Even with my lack of restaurant experience, I apparently made some type of impression on the owners when I went in yesterday. Ok, ok, I will admit, my cousin works there too. :)

Part time, 2 nights a week, I will be washing dishes, prepping, and expediting! I couldn't be more excited to be involved in a "kitchen of action"! It's a small, but BUSY restaurant that strives for customer satisfaction and perfection in it's dishes. What more could I possibly ask for? I have a feeling my OCD inspired personality will fit right in at the garnish line....

Any-who, (is that even a word?) I found something of humor the other day and wanted to share. In one of my prior posts, I had briefly referenced a "cooking show" and someone actually thought I meant on television, lol. No, I am not quite to the Next Food Network Star status, geez, I haven't even started school yet!! However, I will be making a living by demonstrating fabulous kitchenware in front of small crowds in homes.... ;)

What I am finding so truly amazing is that I never would have expected myself in this position, right here, right now. I decided to step outside of my comfort zone and ventured out to discover many things, meet incredible people, and travel more than any jobless person I know. I am truly grateful for every moment that passes me by, and look forward to each one that is coming my way, with genuine esperance.

More waves of excitement!

Just when you think you've tapped all the exciting news, more of it comes rolling in! As I was coming back from my vacation, I got a message that a Captain in our area needed some help on his yacht for a few days before putting into storage for the winter. Hm, you don't say! I immediately said, "YES!", and there is my next adventure...by way of water!

I spent 2 days with the Captain, assisting him with the trip from Bay Harbor to Northport, MI. I am not sure how much help I was....drinking all those rum and cokes and all. But, we made it to port and settled in with a nice steak dinner with mashed potatoes and asparagus. We also had sliced tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and black olives, and drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette. Then we proceeded to the local watering hole and filled up on a few more tasty beverages. Tough day, huh?

The next day we got up and ate breakfast at this cute place called The Treasure Chest. They sell antiques and also have a little restaurant. Donna treated us like family and it was an excellent meal! After breakfast we got to work: vaccuming, cleaning floors, defrosting refridgerators, covering up furniture and the like. Then we took a "break" and had a few Bloody Marys....yum!! Chatted about my upcoming culinary classes, and his extensive background as a Captain. Too much fun! Then we had to finish up some red wine, so we did that as we waited for my bf to show up so he could get a tour of the 70' vessel.

And the adventure does not stop there! Captain wants me to send my resume' to him, as he is interested in hiring me for other gigs in the future, including some chef work! He told me that he would be a reference ANYTIME and said he can tell I am going to be a great chef because I am so thorough. How cool is that?!!

THEN, yesterday I got a lead from my cousin that the restaurant where she works may be looking to hire kitchen help. Uh, yea, it's my FAVORITE restaurant up here!! So, she talked with one of the owners and I am going to meet with her next week!!! Everything seems to be coming together on my travels through the culinary seas! I haven't even started culinary school and already have 2 solid leads!! Amazing!

I could not have done all this without my AWESOME supportive friends who have not doubted me for a second! You rock!

What a whirlwind!

It's official! Yes, I received my acceptance letter and will be heading to culinary school in January! I love school. I love learning new things. But this, my friends, is completely different. I am used to taking BORING business and accounting classes, and now I am going to learn about something I LOVE to do! Somehow, this is all somewhat surreal to me, but also VERY exciting!

More fun news for this little foodie....

I am going on yet another vacation! In November, my bf and I are heading for Tunisia! We are going for a conference and making a vacation of it! The weather will be cool, but who cares! It's a beautiful Mediterranean country that I am excited to learn more about it's culture. AND on the way back, we stay one night in Paris!! How perfect!!

Ok, going to get back to my vacation, but just had to share!!