Pics of life in the past few weeks...

Finally, I am uploading some pics of what I've been up to the past couple of months...  Almost all of my life is devoted to food, cooking it, serving it, cleaning up after it... and just a tiny bit of eating it... LOL

Miles of Biscotti have been in my past... catering has REALLY gotten busy...

AS you can see... it's a family affair... this is our offsite kitchen we cook in...

I told Bill he looks mad here... but he says he wasn't... just ready to lift a heavy pot... and he thought I should have been doing more work and less picture taking... "Hey... who's the boss here... buddy!"

I was actually able to cook for myself once in a while... this was lunch... yummyyyyy!

Then, the following week was filled with teenaged Football players and their voracious appetites...

This, of course, was the salad course...

Many hand make light work...

French Dip sandwiches... on homemade Artisan Bread... I made 99 loaves that week...it was a BLAST!!!

Part of my classroom... just before serving up Tacos, Enchiladas, Fresh Guacamole, Fresh Salsa and a TON of other food... all made by our hands...

Dining area of my classroom.  I used sheets at tablecloths, and painted ACA Eagles on them...

Ready for the men... each meal, we place big bowls of fresh fruit all over so they could graze and hydrate with great food...no processed junk...

And after all the Football Mayhem was over... I was able to concentrate on becoming a

TEACHER...

My first official scribblings on my whiteboard as an International Cuisine teacher...

What a blessing!

I'M SOOOOO EXCITED!!!!

I got called into the principals office again today...  He offered me a great opportunity.....  

He asked me if I would be willing to open up my classroom from 2:45 ish to 4:00 ish to SELL MY FOOD to the students, teachers and parents that hang out after school...

I almost jumped out of my seat... the BEST PART... All the money I make... IS MINE!!!  Basically, instead of them paying me to open up the classroom and just be there to watch kids do their homework... he gave me an open ended opportunity to make as much money as I want to, depending on how hard I want to work... WHAT A BLESSING!!! It's like handing me a restaurant... without all the over head!!!!  Of course I will be paying for the ingredients out of my own pocket... but my income can be limitless depending on how I feed my customers!!!   YAHHHHOOOOOOOOO!!!!

I know, to all of you that HATE to cook, this sounds like the WORST job in the world... but to someone like me... IT'S SHEER HEAVEN!!!

I can't wait!!!

To those of you who live near by and want to grub on my food... stop  by ACA after school Mon-Thurs and come and eat!!!!  I'll post my menu after I make it up!!!

I LOVE MY JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!          

International Cuisine, yeah... that's what I teach...uh huh!!!

I am officially a teacher... again.   I cried yesterday (NO...NOT in front of them, I'd NEVER let them see me sweat), because I thought I was boring the students... Leave it to twenty 17 year olds to send me back 25 years of self confidence.  LOL

Actually, they've been so sweet.  So accomodating.  They know I'm new, and they are being very patient.

Already, on my third day, I know what I'm going to do differently next week.  I'm sure by my third week, I'll have it all down to a science and some sort of routine... right now... even though I've written down my lesson plans for the next month... I'm still kinda winging it, because 20 post pubescent teens can be a little bit unpredictable.

Fortunately, my kids attend private schools, and these students don't have the same type of "edge" as a mix of other kids would.  Yikes... that sound really uppity, and I don't mean it to be... it just is what it is.

I have 16 girls and 3 boys, and today, they made baguettes of bread.  I stayed after class and baked them all for them, and they came in at break and picked them all up and ate them... it was very satisfying seeing them so excited about the bread... it made me giddy.  

Tomorrow, we make personal pizzas, but not the traditional way, with sauce and pepperoni and cheese... nope... they can have that any time.

My class is called International Cuisine for a reason, so I cut up some fresh red onion, roasted some bell peppers, cubed some fresh mozzarella, and made up a batch of fresh basil pesto... and THAT'S what they are going to make their pizzas with.  Typical ingredients you'd find in any home in Italy to top a pizza... YUM!!!

If any of them turn their noses up at the ingredients...I'll make 'em wash every dish in the class..twice... LOL!!!

Next week, they are making rich doughs, and cinnamon rolls, fougasse and a starter...

So excited!!! 

So far, so good...We'll see what next week brings...

OMG... I start teaching tomorrow morning!!!

Tomorrow is the big day.  It's been 16 years since I have had a "BOSS".  Normally, everytime I looked into the mirror, I saw my boss, and really like her.

Now, I answer to a Department Head and a Superintendent.

My classroom is done, my syllabus is written and turned into my dept. head, and now all I have to do, is pick out my clothes for tomorrow, find some sensible shoes, and breathe in and out, and try not to get nervous.

I mean, what the heck am I so nervous about?  I've taught thousands of people to cook over the past 16 years... this is no different, right???  Then why are there a flock of butterflies swirling around my stomach???

There's so much hype coming from the staff, and the teachers about the class, that I feel like I have to live up to the hype. I know what I know.  I'm not a fancy cook.  I cook with simple ingredients and clean flavors.  I don't do foams and I only bake bread... not sweets... I hope they are okay with that...

  My hope and wish is to completely take over the school lunch program at the school, so the kids will be eating good, healthy, freshly prepared food.  I'd need to hire a big staff, but it's completely doable... so we will see what the future holds. It a very small school, only about 500 students total.

I cooked for the football team all week long, and the teachers and staff came in to sample the leftovers and were just so complimentary and so grateful for fresh food.    We made, Chicken Parmigiana, Pasta and meatballs, BBQ Beef sandwiches, Taco's and BBQ chicken.  I get to repeat them all again for team meals on Thursday night all season long.

Oy Vay...I HAVE A JOB!!!!!
When did that happen????

Wish me luck!!!

Old drug problems...

(I read this a long time ago... I don't know who wrote it... I sure wish I had... I raise my kids the exact same way as this passage... and I am sooo glad I do...)

The other day, someone at a store read that a

methamphetamine lab had been found in an old farm

house in the adjoining county and he asked me a

rhetorical question. "Why didn't we have a drug

problem when you and I were growing up?"

I responded that we did have a drug problem when we

were kids growing up on the farm or in the city. I had

a drug problem when I was young: I was drug to church

on Sunday morning. I was drug to church for weddings

and funerals. I was drug to family reunions and

community socials no matter the weather. I was drug by

my ears when I was disrespectful to adults. I was also

drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told

a lie, brought home a bad report card, did not speak

with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the

preacher. Or if I didn't put forth my best effort in

everything that was asked of me. I was drug to the

kitchen sink if I uttered a profane four letter word.

(I do know what soap tastes like.) I was drug out to

pull weeds in mom's garden and flower beds and

cockleburs out of dad's fields. I was drug to the

homes of family, friends, and neighbors to help out

some poor soul who had no one, to mow the yard, repair

the clothesline or chop some fire wood, and if my

mother had ever known that I took a single dime as a

tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to

the wood shed.

Those drugs are still in my veins and they affect my

behavior in everything I do, say and think. They are

stronger than cocaine,crack or heroin, and if today's

children had this kind of drug problem, America might

be a better place today.

Update

So I did some catering today.  Mom and I cooked and served over 100 ladies today for our local
Women's Club.  It was a lovely luncheon, and I was honored to feed those lovely ladies... they were all so nice and complimentary.

I also made lunch for all the secretaries that work in Bill office... they feasted on Focaccia sandwiches, salad, and biscotti and cream puffs. Needless to say... I'M POOPED!!!

I have to do it all over again on Sunday, when we cater a friend of a friends funeral. 

School days are fast approaching, and I'm getting more and more nervous about teaching my class.  Excited and nervous... two feelings that keep me on my toes.

William got his schedule today, and he, sadly, doesn't have me as a teacher this semester.  He signed up for my class... that sweet kid.  The Superintendent called me the other day to inquire about whether or not I would be interested in also teaching a middle school cooking class.... I was like... YEAH!!!!  So we'll see... they aren't sure the class will happen yet... but soooo cool that they want me for more... and I haven't even taught one class yet!!!!

I haven't been able to write too much on here for a while... I've been working hard on my book, promising myself to write everyday now that I have a new laptop and don't have to be stuck in my super hot, no air anywhere, tiny office space... and the words have just been pouring out of me...
My poor husband has to hear each page I write, and he's a real trooper about not rolling his eyes at me.

I'm also simutaneously writing a cookbook, that I think I will change direction and write one about teaching High School Culinary Arts, with the recipes we make, and the antics the kids try to pull and some of things done and said...Of course, all names will be changed, and I'd never write about terrible things... but I think I'm in for some funny days ahead of me, and I'd love to remember it in a book.  Hopefully, if and when I ever finish, I can get it sold and others will enjoy it too.  I just love the idea about journaling my days... I forget about the small stuff so much.

The kids are great, winding down the summer with a visit up to their Grandpa's place for a few days... and while they are gone, I'll be going through their old clothes and purging, purging, purging, to make room for all the new clothes I am going to buy them.  I am soooo sick of seeing their clothes over and over... it's time for some new stuff...

That's about it for us... Bill loves his new job, (same industry, just now in the corporate part of it) no more jeans, t shirts and hardhats... now it's slacks, nice shirts and suits from time to time... I love the jeans and t shirts, but the new duds are growing on me...

I'll have a lot more to write as the new job for me gets closer and closer...

Happy 14th Bday Alex!

Alex's 14th Bday was July 27th...

So we went to the RainForest Cafe with my inlaws, and THIS was his dessert...

As you can see... Johnny is VERY excited to have chocolate in front of him...

Yes, he ALWAYS wants to blow other peoples candles out... ALWAYS...

Such a killjoy!!! LOL

Then... on his actual Birth Day... we went to Outback SteakHouse...

We are DONE with eating out this year...

You know us... we just don't eat out... except for Birthdays...

I'd rather cook our meals...

I know... I'm crazy...

Happy 14th Alex!!!

I love you!

Food Pics

Warning... this post is NOT intended for the NON foodies...

The following pictures are NOT safe for untrained eyes...

LOL...

I bring you... Sandra'a Bread Fetish Post...

(Oh how I wish I still ate bread) (sometimes)

This loaf is an Oatmeal Bread loaf, that JOHNNY, my son, actually mixed and made...

I did the shaping, baking and slicing, but he measured and added the ingredients and stirred it all up.

I sliced this by hand today, and made a bunch of Nutella finger sandwiches for a friends toddlers coming by tonight, and some turkey/provolone sandwiches for my men for lunch...

This was made on Monday... I had NO food in the house except for a few cherry tomatoes from the garden and a small ball of fresh mozzarella cheese and some fresh basil...

So this is what my boys had for lunch before we went to the "$500 store" (Costco) to buy more food.

Then I found a 1/2 a bag of coleslaw mix, and whipped up a quick slaw for them to top on the sandwich...

I ALWAYS have dough ready to make pizza or bread with... so this is the beginning of a Margarita Pizza with homegrown tomatoes and basil...

And After it's all topped with cheese a ready to bake...

So then I made some Challah (pronounced Khallah) pretzels...

This was my lunch for a couple of days...

Hollowed out cukes, with a lovely Salmon Salad with fresh green onions, cranberries, celery, onion and sweet pickle relish...

YUM!!!

I didn't miss the bread at all!!!!

And yes... for those of you that live in my city... I can and will make you these things for lunch for dinner too... Just call me...

I deliver!!!

Writer's Workshop 7-14-10

It happened on Facebook…write about a funny or awkward conversation you saw unfold on Facebook...

That's the prompt I chose for this weeks WRITER'S WORKSHOP at MamaKat's...

I HAD to write on this one.. because it's just sooo absurd... and since my blog posts on Facebook too, I thought I'd rehash a bad memory about it.. LOL...

I love Facebook.

I love how it has gotten me in contact with so many people I knew in High School, and all my family that live in Canada, New York, Pennsylvania and Italy...

I love all the funny banter and witty comments.

I love that messages of love and concern can be sent for all the world to see...

It's fun.

I have to be careful not to spend too much time on it though, because it can be a bit addicting...

I literally set a timer, and only allow myself 10 minutes at a time... and I make a deal with myself that I

will do 10 minutes of laundry, scrubbing, writing or exercise to counteract the sedentary 10 minutes at my computer terminal or Ipod or cell phone...

All that is well and good...

THEN....

THEN!!!!!

I got BOMBARDED to the NTH DEGREE with Farmville, Petville, Ihearts, my donkey is missing, my Cafe needs spoons, my Mafia is this, my Score is that... CRUD!!!

HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS at a time!!!

It took me sooo long to see anything of substance anyone else was writing...

so I put a (what I thought was) a benign little blurb on my FB status about how I joined a group called...

"I don't care about your farm, fish, mafia, animals or anything else on FB"

HOLY COW...

You'd have thought I shot someone's Mama in cold blood.

The backlash...

The downright HATRED I recieved was HILARIOUS!!!

One person, whom I have NEVER had bad words with, whom I assumed was a friend, we'd spoken a little over the years, and she was a Host of mine when I did Pampered Chef, got SOOOOO bent out of shape about my joining that group on FB... that she posted a NASTY message on my wall

about what HYPOCRITE I was, and how I need to be more understanding about other

people's hobbies and how "you of all people should understand how much the games on FB are important to some people's lives, because you write a blog and it posts of FB, and we are forced to read it!" then she did the unthinkable!!!  SHE UNFRIENDED ME!!! LOL... which is the same as slapping someone in the face, I understand... so I really got it handed to me... huh?

LOL

For REAL... people... she truly WROTE THAT ON MY WALL!

Last time I checked... I wasn't forcefeeding ANYONE to read my blog... but... hmmm... it doesn't sound like a bad idea now... I'll have to revisit that and see how that all works... Mwaahahahha!

I got so much hate mail about how I should just "block" or "hide" the incoming game crud...

but really... I just joined a benign group that hated the incoming junk as much as I did...

I mean Holy Smokes...

Have you seen all the stuff that gets posted on FB?

People are actually praying for the Presidents DEATH, talking about how the Holocaust never happened... and my joining an Anti Gamer Group is the WORST thing that can happen????

Yikes...

It's completely absurd...

But... it doesn't stop me from clicking on my beloved FB tab... almost everyday... and posting stupid stuff about what I'm doing at that very second...

I love me some FB...

But.. alas... because of my lack of tastes for FB games... I got virtually slapped in the face...

Game on, chick that UNfriended me...

Game on...

LOL!!!!

I got the Job!!!

I really and truly thought I was going to be a stay at home Mama until Johnny was in college... It's always been the plan...

Then... William's course selection paperwork showed up in the mail, and I noticed "International Cuisine" as a new course being offered, and he signed up for the course...

He showed me the paper, and said... 'Hey Mom, look at this... they must have hired someone to teach this new elective."

I looked at it... said... "Huh... yeah... cool!  Cooking class is important in the teen years, especially so teens can learn how to feed themselves while in college... not to mention... it's fun too and they'll get to eat the results... and the tests..."

I thought nothing more about it... until I went to a Football Meeting, where a good friend of mine at the school took me aside and said... "Hey... just so you know... a few of us put your name in to teach that cooking class here."

I said... "WHAT?????"  What cooking class!!!  Me? For real?"  I was sooooo elated inside... mentally making my syllabus in my head... already making menus, and designing aprons for each student...

She said... "Yep... you are perfect for the job, you HAVE to apply!"

So I did. Way back in May.  After I put my app in, I kinda just forgot about it.  I felt completely at peace about it... if they wanted me, they'd give me an interview and offer me the job... if they didn't... they wouldn't.  It was as simple as that.  Going back to work was about 8 years away...

Yesterday was my interview.  It was great.  My first interview in 22 years, for my first job in 16 years, for someone else besides myself as the boss of my own company.  I was nervous, but not so much as to let it show... and I didn't interrupt or speak to quickly or ramble on...

I GOT THE JOB!  I am now the proud teacher of one class of "International Cuisine" one hour each morning from 8-9 a.m.  Great hours HUH???

I will teach two semesters, to 20 students, and I am SOOOOO EXCITED!  The Superintendent of our school gave me a tour of my HUMONGOUS classroom, complete with every amenity available... it even has red and white checkerboard curtains like a restaurant...

He gave me CARTE BLANCHE to paint, purge, decorate, move furniture etc... sooooo exciting!!! I HAVE A CLASSROOM... and it's AWESOME!!!

I'm going in on Monday, when I drop William off at Football, to begin the organization.

I am sooo thankful that I'll be able to come home and continue to run my other businesses and be able to cook for busy families and organizations...

I just hope the kids like the class, and really learn from it, and want be there.  I want it to be a very successful class, where maybe some students will find a hidden passion for cooking and want to pursue it in more depth.  I hope to inspire the students to live graciously, and to view hospitality as an asset and something to be proud of.

Soooo... I am now a Culinary Arts Teacher... and I am soooo PROUD!!!