you give them something to eat...

Never Underestimate the Palate of the Dishwasher

2008-11-21T15:18:00.007-06:00

As the TOPCHEF junkie that I am...

- Excited that I now live where Bravo is carried by the local cable company.
- Thrilled that a new season has begun.
- Disappointed that the first quickfire challenge was and elimination round.
- Shocked at the lack of knife skills by some of the "chefs"
- Not surprised that the two "chefs" that made salads in the first episode have been eliminated. Did they miss what Tom said about salads not actually being "cooked" from a previous season.
- Not at all surprised that Eugene (the one that has worked his way up from dishwasher) was the among the top three "chefs" in the first elimination challenge. The Executive Chef of one of my former employers worked his way up from a teenager doing dishes. Cuyler was fantastic. The company thought so too. Sent him to culinary school, then gave him a restaurant.
Eugene probably ate many different things throughout his career that he developed the ability to recreate what he tastes. This might be why he was able to taste something at the Indian deli counter and recreate it. Classic Indian dish from someone that has never eaten Indian. That is a person that is able to breakdown flavor.
- Bothered with quickfire challenge from episode 2. Hot dogs are a fantastic canvas. Jill was the only one that used an actual HOT DOG. The "chefs" made all sorts of street cart foods, but none was a HOT DOG. And then there is Stefan...hello...street carts don't normally sell beer.
- Sorry Jill was sent home. Innovative to use ostrich egg for a quiche. Unfortunately, she did not present/defend herself well. I did not see her remaining much past the first handful of episodes, but Ariane should have been told "Please pack your knives and go." There should be a point that inedible loses to innovative.
- Disturbed about a "spherical olive". Fabio kicked ass and took names. But like I was about Marcel and Hung; don't mess with the chemical compound of food. Just serve me an olive. (In all fairness, I would pick off an olive. I don't eat them)
- Anticipating more catch phrases from this season. "I'm not your bitch, Bitch." "It is what it is." "I'm having a culinary boner" and what I imagine will become one of this season's "I will make you say my name and slap your mamma."

coming of age in the late 80's

2008-09-14T20:43:00.005-05:00

A friend and I were recently talking about those movies that define our life ('93 high school grads). Most of the list includes a performer with a connection to (think 6 degrees of separation) or was a member of the brat pack.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Better Off Dead, Can't Buy Me Love, Weird Science, Pretty in Pink, Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Say Anything, Gross Pointe Blank (although this was not made during the same time period, it has to do with what many of us associate with high school.)

Almost all of the movies have at least one quote that sticks out in the mind. Do you remember them? What are they? Add other movies and quotes in the comments.

Manners

2008-09-11T22:32:00.003-05:00

I openly admit one of my biggest pet peeves is table manners. My sister and I both have a problem with some of the judges we see on TOPCHEF and Iron Chef America. I am all for the European style of eating (no fork shifting), but we find that many are eating from muscle memory.

I know that I have my faults, and try my best to set a good example. It can be very difficult. Ella has been taught to hold her utensils correctly (no shoveling food at my table). She has been taught to sit facing forward, asked to be excused, etc. Most of the time I think she knows what she is doing wrong and chooses to do it anyway. As many times as I tell Ella "if there is food in your mouth, your mouth should be closed" I would hope she learned. Unfortunately, this is one of the things that I struggle with from time to time. She points out my faults, much to her pleasure, and my chagrin.

A couple of weeks ago she asked to be excused while I had my mouth full. I pointed to my mouth and shook my head. Which is when she said, "Mommy, finish your bite and say yes."

girls do funny things

2008-09-11T11:50:00.007-05:00

Ella and Emma have been friends since they were in utero. Emma is 8 weeks older, but she is more petite than Ella.

Given that the girls share everything, last night at church they decided to share shoes. They were wearing the same style of shoe, just different sizes. (Ella 9, Emma 7.5)

No one noticed. I wondered why Ella kept taking off her right shoe and saying her toes hurt. Turns out the girls did not share both shoes, just the right one.

menendez pond birthday benefit

2008-09-08T23:43:00.007-05:00

I love this family. They are good people and great friends.

Birthday Bash Benefit for Ronald McDonald House charities.
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/tournaments/news/story?page=b_BTL_3_05_08

we had a great time. congrats on being able to support a family for 35 days at the house. that is truly the big catch of the day.

thanks for the fun, food, and facial.

susan

finally a female wins

2008-06-23T23:54:00.009-05:00

I am a TOP CHEF fanatic. (I would give my eye tooth to spend a day watching Tom Colicchio in the kitchen.) I discovered the show during the first season while visiting my grandmother. Upon my return home, I learned that I would not see my new favorite show because COMCAST cable does not have BRAVOTV in the line up. How would I know who won? God bless my sister, who also quickly became addicted. She would DVR the show in Virginia, transfer it to VHS, and send me the tapes. She was not allowed to speak about anyone that heard "please pack your knives and go."

I believe that the title of chef belongs to a person that inspires and respects the people that work for/with them in the kitchen. "Chef" is someone that can humble themselves and realize that the front of the house personel or the dishwasher are just as important as the food on the plate.

Harold, from the beginning of season one, continued to impress me. I felt as though he would respect me, the former server, line cook (where he started), prep cook, dishwasher, bartender, etc. I was thrilled when he won.

Season two was fun to watch, but i was not inspired by any of the chefs. Bickering and back-stabbing don't do a kitchen staff any good. Ilan was the best choice (although Sam was the easiest on the eyes).

Season three's outcome did not please me. I was disappointed when Hung, who should have been eliminated due to lack of safety, became TOP CHEF. While all of the "chefs" run around to beat the clock, Hung was dangerous. At one point during the season he had a near miss with Casey's throat and a santuko knife.

Season four brought back all of the joy and anticipation of TOP CHEF. From the beginning I was thrilled with three "Chefs", Stephanie, Antonia, and Richard. All were respectful of others. All had great dishes throughout competition. I was set for a two female, one male finale. Unfortunately, Antonia had a bad day in Puerto Rico and was told to pack her knives. This left Stephanie, Richard, and Lisa (ugh!).

Rooting for Stephanie (1st) and Richard (2nd), I was disappointed when Richard fell flat in the final elimination challenge. Finally, a female would win, but who? Please not Lisa. I was on the edge of my seat. Stephanie had impressed Colicchio with the braised pistachios and olives, giving him something he had never before had. He was admittedly worried when the dish was served. But apparently, when you give Colicchio something new, you win. Yeah, Stephanie!!!!!

I look forward to season five, which is rumored to be a mini-season with tweens & teens. I am all for inspiring youth to cook, but is it the best idea to give a hormonal 14 year old girl a chef's knife?

P.S. Thanks to Donna, who TIVO'd season four and let me invade her house to watch weekly.

politics

2008-03-23T12:10:00.004-05:00

if ever there is a question of why i support barack, follow the link and read or watch the speech he gave last week. http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/hisownwords

three!!!

2007-10-01T23:21:00.002-05:00

ella turned three today. i have been told that three is much more challenging than two. it is as if she woke this morning knowing (so she thought) that she could get away with anything. not the case. she soon found out that rules must be followed, even on her birthday. it was crazy! her noise level increased tenfold. her brain must have some malfunction that made her think that turning three meant turning up the volume that comes out. i am sure that it is not the case, but it seems that all i said today is "ella, you can talk, just don't be so loud." if today was any indication of what three has in store, she won't see four; make that she won't see november.

Just call her "Hammy"

2007-08-01T14:24:00.004-05:00

Ella has had a cough for the last week. I took her to the doctor when it became a “smoker’s cough”. We were told she has bronchitis. The doctor prescribed the normal stuff; an antibiotic for the infection and albuterol for the wheezy breathing.

I give Ella her medicine and proceed to watch Hammy (the squirrel) from Over the Hedge take over my child’s body. Not just Hammy as he was through most of the movie; Hammy on caffeine. I could not help, but laugh as Ella ran thru the house for about 45 minutes. Attempting to calm her was futile. We tried all of the calm, sitting still activities we have in the house. None worked. (Duct tape might have been successful, but I think child advocacy groups frown on it.)

After 2 doses I decide to ask Aunt Lala (the nurse) about albuterol. Seems that this is a NORMAL reaction. Upon further research (google is a powerful thing), I find that the side effects of albuterol are similar to those of caffeine. I do my best to avoid giving Ella caffeine. Unfortunately, I cannot avoid giving her the medicine makes it easier for her to breathe.

Too bad the rat terrier that chases squirrels in the yard is not into chasing “Hammy” around the house. Ella would love it if Wrigley chased her for once.

I will be glad when Ella is feeling better. We will be able to go outside again to play and she can unleash “Hammy” on the outside world.

i needed a good laugh

2007-07-07T22:52:00.007-05:00

my sweetie has been away on an international mission trip for a little over a week. the time he has been gone has not been easy. ella has been more of a challenge than normal without daddy. my sister has been with me most of the time, but it is not the same as dad.

tonight my sister and i went to see a bill engvall show. i needed to laugh. as usual, he did not disappoint. we laughed for a little over an hour straight. he did bits that i have not yet heard. included in this was about people calling the doctor about "cell phone elbow." which was followed by him stating that he had "road rage finger." another favorite of the night was about fried, breaded, and carb loaded foods. of which his favorite is hush puppies. which is just "breaded, fried, bread." mmmm, hush puppies.

at the end of the show we had a special treat. the lighting designer for the night is a church member that i have worked with during Immanuel's living pictures production. we had some good laughs working together. i knew that he was working shows at harrah's, but did not think about it tonight (bill engvall on the brain and all). while we were catching up, i asked if he was going to take me back to meet bill engvall. the response was stick around a couple of minutes. so we did. i was given an all access pass and we were taken to the green room. we met bill engvall. had a short conversation with him and have a picture to prove it. it was so cool.

we topped off the evening with dinner at my favorite place, tribeca, with a cheesecake burrito for dessert. fried cheesecake. how can that be bad? next time, i will take a piece to mr. engvall.

shut up, i'm eating

2007-06-25T23:22:00.002-05:00

it is not often in life when there is a food item that i will ask one of my friends to make. cookie & pops' (as ella calls them) strawberry pie is the exception. a couple of weeks ago i asked cookie & pops for a pie for my birthday sweet.

after a particularly long day with ella, i was really looking forward to dinner at my new favorite tex-mex place, (tribeca). unfortunately, they are not open on mondays. go figure. so i chose somewhere else. ella was difficult when we picked her up at chris' parents. go figure. we stop to get a gallon of milk for breakfast in the morning. chris chooses the short line. the person in front had check issues. go figure. (get a debit card woman!) just like any normal monday, but birthdays should be easier and more fun.

when my phone rang and it was cookie, the pie did not cross my mind. i thought that she was trying to reach chris. (chris is leaving thursday before the butt-crack of dawn for mission trip to russia. cookie & pops' daughter is one of the students going.) it is not unheard of for people to dial the wrong number (only our last digit is different) when trying to reach chris. last minute questions for trips are normal. i expect them.

but the call was for me. cookie was trying to find me to tell me she had a goodie for me. a huge smile smeared across my face. we went by their house and picked up my pie. it was gorgeous. yummy strawberries in a luscious red glaze with a golden crust sticking up around the sides. my mouth is still watering. i could not begin to thank her. honestly, i don't think blogging does the thanks justice, but alas, i try.

{when getting out of the car at home with the pie, i thought what if i drop it? i determined that this pie was so good, i would just bring a fork and the cool whip outside and eat it off the ground. (sad, but true). thankfully the pie made it to the kitchen safely.}

i was nice enough to share a strawberry with ella before her shower. she loved it a asked for more. we will enjoy it tomorrow when it is cool, i tell her, fully intending on waiting. that pie with the bright red berries in the handmade crust called my name from inside the fridge. i had to have a piece. stuffed from dinner or not, it is my birthday, and i am going to eat this pie. (maybe not the whole thing...)

i cut a small sliver, put it in a bowl, topped it with the cool whip, and sat down for the best darn strawberry pie around. the berries were perfectly ripe. with just the slightest crunch, the juice of the berries filled my mouth. the soft smooth glaze added the perfect amount of sweetness to the tart berries. then, after i had savored the flavor of the filling, i moved to the crust. (the crust of any pastry has always been my favorite part). i scooped up a generous amount of cool whip and laid the crust in my mouth. it was as perfect as a crust could be. buttery, flaky, crisp, with just the right amount of sugar. if i thought it would not make me burst, i would go back for more.

the ultimate complement i have ever received when feeding someone is "shut up, i'm eating." so to cookie - shut up, i'm eating and thanks for the outstanding birthday treat.

bribery doesn't work

2007-06-25T12:43:00.002-05:00

We have mastered the potty. Our next challenge with Ella is thumb sucking. She never liked pacifiers. The benefits of a thumb sucker are great; no getting up in the middle of the night to find a paci caught in the bedding, no losing the paci while out, no other children using her paci, or her trying to use others paci’s.

Unfortunately, the one big draw back to thumb sucking is what makes pacis so great. I cannot cut off her thumb and tell it is broken, I cannot throw it away, the paci fairy cannot come and exchange it for a special present. So the bribery begins.

Saturday night before bed I told Ella that when she stopped sucking her thumb she could pick anything she wanted (mom and dad approved) and we would get it for her. She has been on a trampoline before and loved it. I thought that might be a good bribe. We had her going for a couple of minutes. She responded to the words “big special treat” with wide eyes and a big smile. Then I repeated that she could have her big special treat when she stopped sucking her thumb. Her reply was:

“I don’t want a big special treat, I want to still suck my thumb.”

For those of you that know Callie, this reminded me of her “they’re not my friends anymore” when her daddy told her all of her friends had stopped using a paci and were wearing big girl panties.

It sucks being out-smarted by a nearly 3-year-old.

ella in the kitchen

2007-02-18T20:39:00.003-06:00

when she not yet two, i would sometimes come home to find ella and her father watching foodtv, which he HATES (chris, unlike me eats to live, instead of lives to eat). i am especially fond of rachael ray & alton brown. they are both a bit off and quirky, that entertains me. i also enjoy rachael's fast-paced cooking; alton, because of the science he brings to food. (i am not a scientist. biology grossed me out, i failed chemistry, and did not attempt physics.)

in the mind of alton brown, i, and millions like me, am a baking cheat. (too much chemistry involved.) i do the box thing when baking cakes and muffins. ella is thrilled by this. it means that she gets to help in the kitchen. she is allowed to sit on the counter and get dirty. not just watch me at the stove from a safe distance. it means cracking eggs, stirring batter, and most of all, licking the beaters.

yesterday, she graduated to power buttons on small kitchen appliances. the first was the blender. we were making a poppy seed vinaigrette. (she loved the sound and watching the dressing spray up the sides of the pitcher.) while we are putting things in the blender i explain to her what we are doing. her teachers will be very surprised to hear her playing in the "housekeeping" center at school and using the word emulsion. big word for a two year old. i find out next time we make dressing if she remembers what it means.

the other small appliance that she discovered was the kitchenaid stand mixer. we dumped the cake mix into the bowl, added an instant pudding pack, then the wet ingredients. (totally the wrong order, but...) she turned the mixer on, played with the speeds and helped me scrape the bowl sides, asking the entire time, "lick it?" who among us has not loved licking the beater? good thing it was bath night.

my proudest moment of our day in the kitchen together was when she patted the mixer and said "alton has dis". either she is overly observant or she is watching entirely too much foodtv. my husband would claim the latter.

bedtime rituals

2007-02-05T15:33:00.002-06:00

ella's bedtime ritual consists of a bath, running thru the house to find dad in a towel, getting dried, putting on the star pull-up (ella reminds us that "stars are for night"), putting on pj's, combing hair, cleaning ears, putting on the sleep sack, kissing us good night, and climbing into bed.

several nights ago i forgot step seven, cleaning ears. - which i wouldn't have known were it not for the two year old with an outstanding memory - while ella went into the bathroom with dad for the q-tips, i put my face on the floor to wait. upon ella's return she said "get up mommy," thrusts the q-tips into to my face and says, "mommy, kean out my ears."

shame on us when we forget a step.

my child, the dog

2007-02-03T19:11:00.002-06:00

ella has always enjoyed wrigley's (our rat terrier) kennel. (wrigley's house is one of the airplane approved plastic kennels.) she has crawled in and closed the door behind her. we have always figured that this was not an issue with child protective services; our thoughts being that locking the door would constitute abuse, but her getting in was acceptable play & investigation for a toddler.

while at our friend erin's house today, ella decided to go for a "test drive" in shiloh's(the 20 week black lab puppy) kennel.

after closing the gate behind her ella looks up at erin and says "lock me in". (refusal by the adults in the room produced a sound only dogs are supposed to be able to hear.) ella just continued to whine and beg to be locked inside the crate. we locked the gate, knowing that when she asked to be let out, we would comply immediately. after several minutes, erin goes to unlock the gate, ella was not at all happy. she stayed in the kennel for about 30 minutes before she finally let us unlock the door. she did not want out, she wanted shiloh with her. at least she has learned to share:)

good laughs

2007-02-03T18:22:00.002-06:00

in the process of trying to teach manners, we all make "mistakes" that end up being rather funny. in our house we don't use the term poop. mom never let my sister and i say anything other then "i dirtied" and when it was the dog , it was she "made a mess". so i guess it is rather fitting that we also do not use those terms in our home. ella has a bootie not a butt. as the process of potty training and manners come along, i have tried to teach ella that you need to say "excuse me" when you fart. continuing with the using better(?) words than what most people say; i don't say fart around her. so after being asked many times what she needs to say when the before mentioned takes place, my dear sweet child says: "ohh, my bootie made noise."

while at aunt cathryn's house over the holiday, we continued the potty training thing, so when ella says "i hafta go potty" one of us jumps. on this occasion, i was cooking dinner, so cathryn had to take her. ella is on the toilet when she farts and says "my bootie made noise". next phrase is "my done". cathryn takes her off the potty and the entire thing starts over again at the part; moves to "i hafta go potty" & "oh, my bootie made noise"; then "my done". when this has happens for the 3rd time without ever leaving the bathroom, cathryn says and ella repeats; "oh lord" for the rest of the night that was about all she said.

long overdue update

2007-02-03T18:19:00.002-06:00

it's been a couple of months. helped my sister move into a new house, did the christmas thing several times with different members & sides of the family, went thru granny's house with the rest of the family to sort what goes into the sale pile and what we (individually) keep. ella has done many fun things over the time i have not been blogging

so here is the quick update. potty training has been going better with a couple of dry days. ella has started back to preschool and playschool 3 days weekly, total. i am also considering putting her in a toddler tumbing class to help her use all of her extra energy. we are also going to be doing the mommy & me swimming classes in the late spring to prepare for the summer swimming season. ella is as much of a water bug as i was. for that matter, she likes the tumbling like i did too. i have no aspirations of her being an olympian in either sport, but want her to have the fun of tumbling, and the safety of a swimming class.

i hope to keep this up a little better than in the past. i was never really good at the regular journal thing, but know that i need to keep better track of funny ella moments.

give me sugar!!!

2006-12-04T11:34:00.002-06:00

my sweetie keeps dum dum suckers and super bubble gum in his office for the kids in the church. ella knows about all of the goodies dad keeps in his office. dad is a push-over for his little girls sweet tooth. all she has to do is look into his eyes and say "i want sucker." sometimes she will even use the word please.

yesterday, after the service, chris was holding ella and talking to another staff member when ella grabbed his face (think home alone), turned his head to be face to face with her, stared directly into his eyes and said "i want sucker".

we had great laugh. kid just not know how cute she is.

smarty pants #1

2006-12-01T16:36:00.002-06:00

me: ella if you are good today, we will go see the christmas lights later.
ella: i go see lights now.
me: we have to wait until it is dark outside.
ella: okay.
(five minutes pass and another conversation later)
ella: when is it going to be dark?

>i kid you not. my 26 month old completed the above sentence as it is written. i am continually amazed by her grasp of the english language. soon, she will be correcting my grammar like my mom.

traveling with toddlers

2006-11-15T00:39:00.004-06:00

is it Murphy's law that the adults in the car don't have to pee until the kid is asleep?. it seems that every time i travel with ella, the minute she falls asleep my bladder begins to fill. within seconds -it seems- my bladder is going to explode. i must stop!

so i begin to weigh the options of a cranky toddler and a car detailing bill. i decide that the cranky toddler is far less irritating in the long run than the $200 tab for someone else to clean the explosion.

i stop. she wakes screeching "out, out, i out". i get her out, tell her that we have stopped because mommy has to potty. "ella potty!!!" so we go in search of what she deems to be THE POTTY. (steering her in the direction of the largest stall does not always work). ella proceeds to put paper down on the toilet seat (something that has sunk in so well that the first time her daddy took her potty away from home she would not go until the paper was on the seat. dad was bit confused, but now has learned the steps), the paper falls into the toilet and we start the process over. (at this point having to bend over to help her is making my impending explosion that much closer) i put her on the seat and begin my job, encouragement; which all of the people waiting behind us can hear. ella dribbles a second or so before the thunder mug auto flushes. huge problem. ella freaked, stream stopped, encouragement becomes consoling, in my arms, as i squat realizing that i must pee or i am going to be able to put out forest fires in California. i ask ella if she is done. no, so she starts the process over, this time with only a couple more dribbles.

finally is is my turn; ahhh; sweet relief. i finish my business, we wash our hands, start walking back to the car. ella is telling everyone the entire way back "i go potty"; which i thought was bad until she began telling people "mommy went potty too". because the total strangers need to know my toilet habits.

so we get back into the car, i strap her into her seat, get back on the road and what is that wonderful odor? why, it is my daughter that had the chance to "shooey" in the potty, but did not.

oh the joy of traveling with a toddler