Short attention span

I should be working on my school project, but instead I finished reading my first Chelsea Handler book, surfed Facebook, and then called my sister to tell her about a big compliment BF gave us this morning at breakfast.

Let me flashback about 10 or so years ago. My sister was dating this guy who was slightly younger than I was and had just graduated college. He was nice enough, but his insecurity soon started to become a source of comedy for us as did many of her beaus. He always seemed quite jealous of the close relationship that my sister and I had and we thought it was hilarious. We were sisters and shared 2o something years together doing stupid and fun things, how could we not be close?

The last straw came when he accused us of speaking our own "language" in front of him to cover up the fact we were talking about him. He called it "sister speak". My sister and I found this completely amusing and the only response we found fitting was to roll in laughter on the floor. Seriously, he thought that making fun of him was a past time for us. Well, it sure wasn't until he brought up "sister speak". Needless to say, his insecurity got the best of him and he was soon history.

Back to present day time. BF and I were eating breakfast this morning discussing comedians and what we like/do not like about them. We basically have different tastes in many areas of life (shocking, isn't it??!!lol) and we soon discovered that our comedic planes are not flying out on the same runway, so to speak. He says he doesn't get the humor of people making fun of other people. Ok, he does have a point, but what we both agreed upon is that we don't like people who get up on stage and start ripping on themselves. It's not funny. If you don't like you, how can you expect other people to like you?

Anyhow, I told him that there are not many people who get my sense of humor, however, my sister is one person that I know will for SURE understand how funny I think I am. So then the following conversation ensues:

BF: I notice that when you talk with your sister on the phone, you sound different.

Me: Really?

BF: Yea. I can always tell when it's her because of the tone of your voice. You know how Beavis and Butthead talk? Like when Butthead says, "Uh -- gotta ask my mom's boyfriend. Huh--huh." That's what you two sound like.

Me: Erupts into laughter. That's awesome! I can't wait to tell my sister! Thanks, honey, that's a huge compliment!

After breakfast, I decide to call my sister to tell her the good news. First thing I told her was the initial "you sound different" thing...

Sis: (Laughing loudly) Oh, does he want So and So's number?

Me: No wait, it gets better. He says we sound like Beavis and Butthead!

Sis: Ha ha. That's awesome, that's a huge compliment!

Me: That's what I said!!

Needless to say, we were both feeling great from the Beavis and Butthead moment and reminisced a bit about the good ole days. The best part is that BF finds all of this very amusing. Smart guy. Somethings never change, some people never grow up, but that's perfectly fine by me.

This is no place for wimps

Last night BF and I were watching Chopped, after Lost was over of course, and I have to tell you I was seriously annoyed by this prick who kept flapping his mouth off. He was so cocky and annoying, we almost put it on mute to avoid hearing his whiny voice. Thankfully, he did not win -- we would have been outraged!!

The girl who won definitely deserved it, but I can't stand people who don't know when to shut up and just cook already! Cooking is not easy by any means, not everyone can pull together a great dish at a moments notice. I don't even admit being that talented, although I have become quite the Lady of "Left-Over Fusion" when it comes to creativity. Just ask my BF.

I am rounding off my 3rd month in culinary school and some of my classmates have already dropped out. This makes me wonder what the dropout rate is. With all the fanfare around Food Network, I am certain this is why enrollment is up -- what people don't realize is that being a chef isn't some fancy tv show. It is a TON of work. There are so many other aspects to the business besides knowing how to fry up a pound of bacon. Which, by the way, is one thing that I have mastered.

I have gained a lot of respect for those who have chosen the hospitality industry. I have toured at least 5 different hospitality businesses so far in my hospitality class, and each tour has opened my mind to where you can take your career after culinary school. You would be amazed at how these places operate up here. All winter they operate at a loss and depend on the summer tourist season to make it for the year.

My chosen course after certification is retail, however, one never knows where an opportunity will lead you. I won't close any doors at this point in my life -- the possibilities are endless. I just have to remember to keep my mouth shut and cook like a pro.

Speaking of pro, I am going to be working full time at the restaurant starting May 1st. I am elated to report that I will be doing ALL the dessert and mignardise making. **does a little dance** I will also be assisting at the garde manger station and also assisting Lady Chef with plating main course. It's going to be a fun and busy summer!!

Menu Plan Monday

This is my first week participating in Menu Plan Monday at orgjunkie.com. A friend of mine referred me to this blog several months ago, and I really have been impressed with the number of bloggers who post up their menus. I have found that the more planning I do, the less money is spent. No more "last minute" trips to the grocery store. Ok, well, less trips anyway.

My menu planning is for 2 adults and 3 children under 10 approximately 3x per week. I try to keep our meals balanced and healthy, which is sometimes a bigger challenge than it looks!

Monday: Pot Roast w Potatos & Green Beans (Pot roast will be made in DCB in microwave)

Tuesday: Mom's Enchiladas (Made w leftover pot roast)

Wednesday: Pork Tenderloin with Port & Cherry Sauce, Mashed Potatos, Peas, & Salad. (Little one is turning 3, so BF's parents will be over and we are going to have Chocolate Lava Cake for dessert.)

Thursday: Host Appreciation Party - I am trying an appetizer, main dish, and a dessert recipe from the new Season's Best Recipe Collection from PC.

Friday: Rotini w Ground Turkey (Turkey already cooked up and frozen)

Saturday: Pizza night

Tunisia: George Sebastian Villa

One of the first "tours" we went on in Tunisia was a "self-made" tour. We were determined to find the Sebastian House, knowing it was near or in Hammamet. After a taxi ride, a detour into the souk at Hammamet, a long walk and another taxi ride, we finally find ourselves at the George Sebastian Villa.

To give you a little history lesson, George Sebastian was a Romanian architect who traveled to Tunisia in the early 1900s. Sebastian liked Tunisia so much, he decided to build a home there in the 1920s. As you will see from the pictures, the architecture is just amazing. Open air areas throughout the house and large sprawling rooms. It was a great place for entertaining, they even had a "group bath" that could fit several people in it!

Not only was the Sebastian Villa a perfect venue for entertaining, there is quite a history inside those walls. Right before the Germans lost Africa in WWII, Erwin Romell made the Sebastian Villa his headquarters. Romell was the head of the German/African Core. In 1943 the Sebastian Villa was made headquarters again by Field Marshall Montgomery, the commanding officer of the British Army. This was right before the invasion of Sicily by the England and the US, and with Sicily being about 95 miles from the northernmost point of Tunisia, the location makes sense.

After the war, Winston Churchill, made the Sebastian Villa his home to write his memoirs. Many other dignitaries used the villa as there getaway throughout the years. The villa really is truly rich in history so you can see why we (especially BF) wanted to visit the home. My main attraction, of course, was the architecture.

Poof! I'm busy!

I find it pretty funny that only 6 short months ago I was itching for things to do. I was bored, I felt like I was getting nowhere, then "POOF!", epiphany beholds and now I am enthralled with so many things! I just love it! I love being busy, I love my jobs, I love my classes, and I love the fact that all these things are contributing to me living my dream.

I haven't been working on my DB10 project, and I am kind of bummed about it. I want to be able to continue working that project and all the other projects that suddenly appeared from no where. Why is it that when we have nothing to do, there is nothing to do. But when you have things going on, all kinds of things to do crop up? Anyway, I still keep it in place on my monthly goal list because I really don't want to forget about it altogether. Like this blog, it just isn't going anywhere. It's there waiting for me when I am ready.

What I have been doing is working on my restaurant project. It is a TON of work, but FUN work. We have our menu almost in place and we are now working on standardized recipes and cost cards. This part of the project is probably one of the most tedious of tasks. We have to make all our recipes into 10 servings as a standard and break things down to the oz. The cost cards break everything down by cost on invoice to cost per recipe item, it's pretty darn cool if you ask me. You can easily figure out the cost per plate of a dish and use that information to set your prices or to see how profitable a menu item actually is. I will say this: NOT DOING COST CARDS or MENU ANALYSIS are the main reasons restaurants fail. Without a doubt.

This is where having a BBA comes in handy. I have more business training than many, if not all, of my classmates. I've worked for family biz, helped run several other businesses, and I know how to figure out why companies are not profitable. Hmmm...maybe this can be a consulting side gig...

Ok, let's keep me focused!! My PC Director has set me up with an accountability partner and I am SO excited about it! I am really trying to make the most of my business, and I know it will help the both of us be successful! We are both participating in a program called Step Up Your Business that is full of trainings and exercises to help you increase your show bookings and grow your team. I have really enjoyed it so far and I am really excited to start implementing some great new things into my shows!

Off to dive into cost cards while I listen to my dog bark at a western flick the BF is watching on TV. Apparently he has a knack to pick out the bad guys...or maybe it's just the horses.

Lost in.....Lost

While my BF is lost in the TV show, Lost, I really can't talk to him. He gets all zombie like and his eyes glaze over when I try to engage in conversation. I never followed the show, but it seems interesting enough. But I have to pretend I am not interested just to be funny.

I digress. I really want to talk about tonight, so lend me your ear for a minute will you? Ok, your eyes and your time, but who is really at their computer right now? You all are probably watching Lost.

Tonight I went to my first ACF meeting, I just joined the organization as a student member a few weeks ago. I have to say, I was really impressed how friendly and welcoming everyone was. I met chefs from several different local restaurants, the hospital, and the local college. I also met a caterer, a nutritionist/chef and another staff member from school. Talk about networking, I think I hit the jackpot!

We start off the meeting with dinner and social time. The meeting was hosted by the chef at the hospital and he prepared us a great feast! To begin, we had quinoa atop mixed greens with oranges and chevre (my fav!). Our main course was lamp chops (bone in!) with a yummy mushroom sauce, brussel sprouts, and mashed red potatoes (skins on - yum!). For dessert, we had panna cotta with a raspberry sauce, a raspberry, a blackberry, a blueberry, and garnished with fresh mint.

We then discussed where our next 3 meetings are going to be held and the potential guest speakers. Next month we are going to a winery, woo hoo! In April, our meeting is about 6 blocks from my house and the speaker is going to talk about buying local produce and meats. Excellent topic! In my restaurant project at school, we are going to "buy" local ingredients whenever possible. It really is a growing trend for restaurants, as it should be here in Michigan since we are crop diversified. Finally, we wrap up in May for the summer at a yacht club and we are hoping to have Fustini's, a local vinegar and oil company, talk to us about balsamic vinegars.

After the official meeting is the education portion. Today, the nutritionist/chef from the hospital talked about the health benefits of chocolate and we had a little chocolate tasting. My favorite, of course, was the darkest chocolate at 85% cacao. We learned that the reason dark chocolate is better for you is that as the cacao percent goes down, it is replaced with hydrogenous fats to bring flavor to the chocolate. What is hydrogenous fats, you ask? Oh yes, ones that are chemically bombarded with hydrogen. And no, I am not kidding.

Flavors vary in cacao depending on which region they are from. For instance, the Green and Black's Organic 85% cacao bar that was my personal favorite, comes from Trinidad. Cacao from Trinidad tends to hav complex fruitiness plus appealing spices such as cinnamon. No wonder it was a winner, I love spicy and cinnamon.

Tips on using chocolate as a health benefit:

1. Choose dark chocolate
2. The first ingredient listed should be cocoa or chocolate liquor, NOT sugar
3. Limit yourself to a few ounces per day and cut calories elsewhere to keep your wieght in line

We also had some bonus information when she started talking about "low-fat" and "fat-free" diets. This was by far one of the most important parts of her presentation. She said that those diets are not healthy for you because you don't know what you are eating. Example would be the fake "butters" or margarines. She said it's better for you to have real butter in moderation than to use the chemically made substitutes. In fact, she says she cooks in 1/2 butter and 1/2 lard!!! Basically you want to stick to natural sources of fat, like what is found in meat and dairy. Other examples of fat you can consume is olive oil and fish oil. It's all about portion control, people, and I tell you what - I can't wait to bring back my stick of butter!! YAHOO!

Let's talk about high cholesterol for a minute. There is no proof that any one type of food can cause high cholesterol, so break out those eggs and make an omelette! It is recommended that you buy farm fresh eggs too. Yes, they are more expensive, but better for you! Causes of high cholesterol: smoking, not exercising, and too much hydrogenated oils. It's basically a lifestyle thing, not a food consumption thing. Interesting!!

After the meeting, I mingled for a bit and spoke with the chef from the hospital. He said to come by anytime and he will give me a tour. He also told me about a really cool event that they put on for their high-rolling donators in August that sounds fabulous. They also have opportunities for local chefs to be the "guest chef" for the day in the "innovation station". They service around 250 to 300 meals in an hour and a half!! WOW!

What a great night! I am so excited that I joined this organization. Friendly, down to earth folks that all have a love of food. It's like I'm in Foodie Heaven.

Quote of the Year

"I recognized that it doesn't matter if a guy is sexy, funny, smart, charismatic and rich if he doesn't make you feel safe to communicate openly, safe to trust his commitment and loyalty, or safe to be your fullest self. A relationship of shared virtue where each partner challenges and supports the other to bloom into their best possible selves."

~Karen Salmansohn

I read this today in my Oprah e-newsletter and thought it was a perfect description of an ideal relationship for me. I do have to admit, had I known this years ago, I may not have the best BF ever today. Timing is everything, and I think I timed it just right.