Asslama!

No, I am not calling you names, but greating you with a "good morning" in Tunisian Arabic!! :)

I had an amazing time in Tunisia and Paris! In fact, I have been so overwhelmed by the whole experience, I had to take some time to figure out how I was going to blog about all of it! We were in Tunisia for 8 days and in Paris for about 20 hours. I can't wait to go back to both places!

The main reason for our trip was to attend the JCI 2009 World Congress in Hammamet, Tunisia. My BF is on the BOD for JCI USA, so he wanted to "represent" his country - and what a great way to do it! Both of us have been involved in the JC's for about 6 years and neither of us anticipated what we were about to experience on this trip.

We arrived in Tunis, Tunisia on Sunday, November 15th after an overnight flight to Paris and a connecting flight to Tunis. This was my first overseas flight ever, so I was super excited and hoping I would not be too bored on the plane. I brought several books, magazines, cards, and of course I had my BF to talk to. Funny thing is, I didn't really read much and ended up chatting and sleeping basically the whole time.

Anyhow, we arrived in Tunis and were greeted by JCI Tunisia that had a refreshment stand setup for us with juice, water, and traditional Tunisian cookies. YUM! We then took a bus to the hotel we were staying in, the Diar Lemdina at the Medina (city center) of Yasmine-Hammamet. The medina was comprised of our hotel, a conference center, several cafes, shops, and souks. A souk is basically where the people sell their wares throughout the medina and other places around town. By the time we arrived at the hotel, after 24 hours of travel, we were wiped out so we took showers and met up with some other folks from the US for dinner at a restaurant in the Medina. In fact, we were so wiped out, we just didn't care about having separate beds. ;)

We went to a restaurant called The Viking, that featured Italian and Tunisian cuisine. Of course, I started right in on the Tunisian! They served bread before our meal with a variety of scrumptious goodies incluiding Harissa, which a standard North African ingredient which is made from chili peppers, garlic, and tomatoes. It is HOT! HOT! HOT! but, I LOVED it! You can tame it down with olive oil, which of course is super tasty anyway. They have olive oil at almost every restaurant table and it is better than anything I have EVER tasted. It was almost clear, super light, and too bad the Frenchies took the 5 bottles I bought!!

Anyhow, back to dinner. They also served brushetta, olives, yogurt sauce, and mini fried bread that looked like mini pitas. We had our first taste of Tunisian wine, Magnon, and it was SO good! it was SUPER cheap at the restaurant too. It cost us about 20 Tunisian Dinars which is about $15 in the US.

I had a chicken dish with red and green peppers with a tasty sauce that was excellent and BF and I split a brik (pronounced "breek") for an additional appetizer. A brik is a turnover that is made with phyllo type dough, filled with some type of meat (chicken, tuna, lamb) and also an egg. They are really good and we had plenty throughout the week, and even made some when we got home.

After we finished dinner, they served us a shot of some licorice tasting liquor that was clear. I forgot to write that one down or take it's picture, but once we get rolling on the trip, I get better at remembering to do that kind of thing!

The interesting thing about Tunisia, is that it is a Muslim country, so they don't sell alcohol in the stores. On RARE occasion you will find it. They do, however, produce plenty of wine and liquor to serve in restaurants to the tourists. Gambling is illegal in Tunisa, but they also have casinos set up for the tourists as well. It was such an intriguing country! You will notice that the women do not cover their faces, on occasion you will see a Tunisian women with her hair covered up - mainly in the smaller non-tourist cities and in the market places. Since I did my research beforehand, so I learned that women normally wear long pants, long or 3/4 sleeve shirts. I was very glad that I brought appropriate clothing to respect the culture of Tunisia, I just felt so comfortable there. Maybe that wasn't it, but the warm hospitality of the Tunisians.

I will post more pictures next week, and continue to tell you the Tale of Tunisia....but for now here is a peek behind the curtain. Bisslama!

Bon Jour!

I am back from Tunisia and Paris!! I had an AMAZING time and can't wait to share my experience with you!

I am hoping to get a post ready for the weekend, but if not, at least you know I am thinking about it. ;)

What do you want me to do with this and what IS it?

Yet another week of working in an awesome kitchen. Last night was a great learning night for me. After making ginger brownies, filling the caramel squeeze bottle, getting garnishes ready, and chopping potatoes, my next job was to deal with this:

I know you are saying to yourself, "What the heck is that?" because that is what MY question was! Actually, what I said was...

Me: "What would you like me to do with this? And what IS it?"

Lady Chef smiled and said, "Celeriac."

Me: "Cele-what?"

Lady Chef: "Celeriac. It's a root vegetable similar to celery."

She was so excited to show me about it and tell me that "you are going to be so ahead of your class" knowing about this. I actually felt like I was on an episode of Chopped for a minute, working with a mystery ingredient! Anyway, she told me how to cut the celeriac and had me taste one of the leaves. Blech! It tasted aweful and I spit it out. The weird part is, my mouth felt like I tasted a piece of celery! So, you don't actually use the greens, but the root itself. It almost has a potato consistancy to it, but takes slighty longer to cook. But, let me tell you the best part about it...the wonderful aroma that came from chopping up the root! Wow! It is so refreshing and addicting, I kept picking it up and smelling it while I was chopping it up.

I found a recipe for celeriac mash on epicurious.com that I would love to try with this "new found" veggie. You can also serve it raw and grate it, and add it to a salad or make into a slaw.

Another one of my new favorite ingredients are beets. Most people see them only as "pickled" on a Greek salad, but you need to open your mind when it comes to the way things are prepped and served. My first experience with a roasted beet was at my friend Liz's house. She made us a snack of sliced beets and cheese. YUM! They were fantastic! I asked her how she cooked them and what she added. Nothing! "You mean beets actually taste great alone?" YES, they do! No seasoning, additives, just roast your beets, slice, and eat!

We use beets at the restaurant, including pink beets, which are pink with thin white stripes when sliced. Not only do roasted beets taste yummy, they are great for plate presentation!

Onto desserts for the night.... we had a dessert called Figs on Fire. That was pretty fun because it is served with my favorite ice cream, Red Fire by Vosges. Mexican ancho & chipotle chillies + Ceylon cinnamon + dark chocolate ice cream=YUMMY GOODNESS!! I even had a few bites of it after lunch today....

Ok, back to figs. I found an interesting fig recipe in an Italian cookbook that my Aunt Coco has. Once I get back from vacation, I am going to borrow her book and try some of these quick, easy recipes, including the figs. In the mean time, I found a wonderful recipe for Figs and Toasted Almond Brie that I would love to try. I think this would make a great appetizer for a dinner party that would stand out in a crowd.

It's all about opening your mind and your palette to discover new tastes and combinations. My lesson learned this week is this: Do not let one ingredient stand out in your dish. All the ingredients should complement each other, and not overpower each other.

Here's to yet another successful week at the restaurant..... See you when I get back from Tunisia!!

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.