Fav Christmas Quotes

Think you might be over doing it, dad?
- Russ, when was the last time I over did anything

Worse? How could they get any worse? Take a look around you Ellen, we're at the threshold of hell!

Can I refill your eggnog for ya? Get you something to eat? Drive out to the middle of nowhere and leave you for dead?

The little lights aren't twinkling.
- I know Art, and thanks for noticing.

Where do you think you're gonna put a tree that big?
- Bend over and I'll show ya.
You got alot of nerve talkin to me like that Griswold.
- I wasn't talking to you.

(so many to choose from)

Fa Ra Ra
You'll shoot your eye out.
Oh fudge.
I triple dog dare ya.
But the bell rang.
Fragiilleeee, it must be Italian.
My kid brother had not eaten voluntarily in over 3 years.
Daddy's gonna kill Ralphie!
Of course, Santa, the big man, the head honcho.
I hate the smell of tapioca.
The ole man could replace a fuse quicker than a jack rabbit on a date, bought em by the gross.
You look like a deranged Easter bunny.
Oh my God I shot my eye out!
Few things brought such swift and terrible retribution on a kid as a pair of busted glasses.
Pulverized.
Oh life is like that.....whenever everything is right with the world, the most unthinkable
disasters descend upon us.
Its smiling at me.

It came without ribbons.
It came without tags.
It came without packages, boxes, or bags.

Cheez anyone?

I spent the night in the dorms last night with a few of my culinary friends, found it somewhat ironic to find ourselves eating squeeze cheese, considering it goes against everything we've been taught for the past year. Maybe thats why we enjoyed it so much...good times.

Comin To Town

Dee and an overly enthusiastic santa! (that was a sarcastic comment in case anyone was confused)

Narnia

I'm not exactly sure what to say about the movie, I really enjoyed it. But...typically when there is a book you really love and they make it into a movie, you are bound to be disappointed. That said, I think they did good on it. The scenery was beautiful, ( I swear I saw Legolas walking on the mountain top once, just kidding), and music was perfect. I didn't care too much for the White Witch, think she could have pulled it off a little better than that, but thats ok. Liam Neeson was perfect as the voice for Aslan I thought. My problem is that I've been spoiled lately with high budget films like LOTR and Harry Potter, so the effects just seemed a little shabby. Me and mom drove over to OKC to see it with K and J on Thursday night, was really fun. Got to see some old friends from Guthrie, and an entire theater got to see me walk in a few minutes late. Oh well, good times.

One more week!!!!

Chicken Noodle Soup. I got compliments on this, but personally feel that some things are just better out of a can.

Southwest Bean and Corn relish with roasted tomatillos, avocado, lime, and cilantro. (thought of you caleb)

Tarragon potato salad with capers.

Fruit salad with cranberries, cantaloupe, and pears poached in a simple syrup with ginger, lime juice, honey, and star anise (my fav).

3 Cold soups: Canteloupe, Gazpacho, and Vichyssoise.

Behold the power of Cheese

Cheese Tray with Brie, Swiss, Cheddar, Gouda, and Dried Apricots (thought of you Linds)

Grilled Sweet Potato Salad (reminded me of the street vendors in Spain, miss the smell)

Roasted Asian Duck Ballotine (learned how to remove all of the bones from a bird with a single incision and alot of patience, was interesting)

Pasta Salad with Feta Cheese

Blackened Salmon and Sea Scallops with a Red Wine Butter Sauce

Crab Cakes (after frying off a large quantity of these babies, don't think I'll be craving them anytime soon)

Veges with Lemon Thyme

Roasted Chicken

Mom's Birthday

Mom's birthday is in a few days, so tonight me and kels are taking her out to dinner at the restaurant I work at, then to see Pride and Prejudice. I'm pretty stoked, we never get to go out for an all out girls night like this. Wish we had the 'other sister' (jk linds) here, but its ok. Maybe I should say I wish we were all in Barcelona having a girls night, but its ok. Yeah, definitely think thats a better way of putting it.

Pate en Croute

Well they say there is a first for everything, and tonight I saw a movie with Yul Brenner, but I'll admit I didn't recognize him til he spoke for the mere fact that he had.......hair. Me and mom argued about it because she thought it was The Ten Commandments at first, but I knew right off it wasn't. Then she claimed it was Yul Brenner and I didn't believe it, but she was right. He had a full had of hair, and a mustache to boot. Crazy. Turned out to be a movie about Solomon I'd never seen before. "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. What profit has a man from all his labor in which he toils under the sun? One generation passes away, and another generation comes, but the earth abides forever....and there is nothing new under the sun."

Did anyone else see that Steve Martin won the Mark Twain Award? They showed it on OETA (yeah I know, I'm getting old when I admit to watching public television and getting excited), was really cool because they showed a bunch of his old clips and had people telling stories about him. Almost like a roast, but not that in depth I guess. Made me laugh out loud when they showed him as Ruprect in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. "Excuse me, may I go to the bathroom? Thank you."

Best of the Best

This week I got to attend a dinner honoring Oklahoma restaurant employees who are nominated by their employer as being the 'best of the best'. Was really fun to get dressed up for an evening, doesn't happen very often. Between school and work, I feel like I'm always wearing a hat. These are my friends I work with, and some of my school buddies were there too because it is the night of the year where they help raise money for scholarships to my school through silent auctions......so all of the people that had recieved that scholarship got to come, with my 2 favorite teachers. Shouldn't say that, I'll probably get in trouble. It was at the Petroleum Club in OKC, the 35th floor of one of the downtown buildings, and started with a Champagne reception, followed by a 4 - course meal. Very honored to have the opportunity to participate. I look really short compared to the others, but thats ok. No shame in being short, right? No really, I'm asking. Right?

Quick shot before there could be any protest of my friend Jeremy, broke his leg in 2 places walking across campus. Out of school for 6 - 8 weeks, really sad.

Strawberries with sugar and Balsamic Vinegar

St. Andrews Terrine (french classic, not so good according to my tastebuds, guess i'm not quite refined enough for it)

Busy Week

Southwestern Chicken Salad in Profiteroles

Blue Mousse in Bouchees

Scallop Ceviche in Cucumber Cup

Red Pepper Mousse in a Belgian Endive Leaf

Basque Style Pepper Salad

Autumn

The other day one of my friends who works at Starbucks brought me a latte at work, which totally made my day. Thought this quote was rather interesting from the side of the cup:

The Way I See It #49

"Baking may be regarded as a science, but it's chemistry between the ingredients and the cook that gives desserts life. Baking is done out of love, to share with family and friends, to see them smile."

--Anna Olson

Gypsy Kings

I've recently been introduced to a new way of thinking. Perhaps I shouldn't say new, because I'd like to think that I've always been this way, but that part of my brain just hadn't been truly tapped yet. The thought that you can listen to any good , or well done music, and be able to relate to what the composer or artist is trying to convey. No matter what language it is in, or if it is purely instrumental, you can benefit from the beauty of it. My friend at work who is from Morocco recently made me a CD of music from Morocco, India, Tunisia, Egypt, Spain, Greece, France...and I can't stop listening to it. Especially when I'm cooking, because most of it has a sweet rythm to it, I get into this mode and its so much fun! I've always enjoyed music and tried to be open minded, but sometimes when you don't understand the words its hard to really get into it. And I'm one of those people who likes anything I can sing along with, so it threw me off a bit at first not being able to follow. So we've been listening to it at work sometimes when its just me and him working at night and its so fun. He's really taught me alot, and he likes to ask me questions about stuff too, so it makes for some interesting conversations when there are only 10 reservations on the books for a Sunday night (our slowest night).

Slide Life Away

Pizzarama

Nothing like knocking out a few pies on your day off for a bit of excitement. Pizza is one of my favorite things to make, for one simple reason: anything goes. You can make it different every time and never run out of ideas. Good times.

It was the best of times...

Lyrics

Are you disappointed?
Is this world a letdown
With your head in the clouds its time to get down
Head on collision crushed by dreams
So we leave our hearts at the accident scene
Shattered, pieces scattered
Who told us it was ok
To allow our thoughts to be flattered
And entertain with ideas that can't sustain
A future once so confidentaly proclaimed
So where do you go from here
When it all disappears
After he dries your tears til you don't care
Or you live and die occupied with disclaimers and
Reasons as to why
Realize: Life isn't lived in fantasies
No matter how much planning or strategy
Joy comes along with tragedy
I own them all glady sayin' now

I'm alright, I'm okay
I kinda like doin' things this way
All I have is what God gives
And thats all the life that I was meant to live

We're not taught trial and error
We're not taught nor are we prepared
So we fail against everyday opponents
All the while we're still living for glorious moments
And the media feeds the youth a false reality
Of what it takes to make yourself happy
Since they got about a 1 in billion shot
Why try to make 'em think that its something that its not
This ain't a movie this is real life
The spotlight don't shine quite as bright as some might like
But thats alright cause the starlight at night
Is more of a highlight than the highlife
The air I consume from the breath of creation
Renews my soul everyday I awaken
Ah man tell me who knew that
Simply being content was the dream come true.

- J. Reuben

"All I Have"

(The Boy vs. The Cynic)

Old Acquaintances

After deciding to take the summer semester off from school, I set a few small goals to fill my newly acquired "free time". One of these goals was to renew a relationship with an old friend I'd been neglecting; my piano. It was quite disturbing for me to realize that I could barely stumble through the same songs I had played with ease when I was barely a teenager. One specific song that was the hardest blow to my ego was Rich Mullins: 78 Eatonwood Green (Liturgy, Legacy, and a Ragamuffin Band/ personally my fav album of his). There I was clumsily falling over the keys, unable to control my fingers or produce anything near the stamina I used to exert, and finally gave up almost in tears. Could it be that I had perhaps lost what God-given talent I'd had as a child? I remember playing songs over and over until I finally felt that I had mastered them; it truly was one of my favorite pastimes growing up. Upon hearing my struggles through my favorite Rich song, even mom had to admit that I wasn't quite up to par, I'd become lazy and my hands just weren't as strong as they used to be. I guess I just hadn't noticed because I've played off and on over the past 5 years, but nothing challenging. Just Disney songs with Linds, or some J. Knapp from time to time. And it not only bothered me that I had let "real life" occupy so much of my time that I forgot about the things that used to be sooo important to me, but it made me wonder what other simple pleasures I had forgotten. As they say (even though I'm still not sure who "they" are) 'you have to start somewhere'. So I've been working at it, although I must be getting old because my back starts to hurt after a couple of hours. But I think I've come a long way over the summer. I can honestly and humbly say that even though I'm still not quite as fast and acccurate as I used to be, it is a work in progress.

2 Seconds Please....

My weekly show for the past few months had its finale last night, and the chef I liked from the very beginning won! If anyone has watched Hells Kitchen on Fox, you know who I'm talking about. Ralph was too much of a car salesman/smoothtalker/annoying guy for me. Michael was da bomb, I'm so happy he won. It cracked me up because Chef Ramsey would always say 2 seconds please, even at the very end to the crowd that was cheering Michael. Funny guy. My favorite was John Phillipe, or was it John Pierre?

The Royal Chef

Here is a man who has not only had experience cooking for royalty and Heads of State, but devotes a large amount of his time and efforts to charity. Chef Darren McGrady, The Royal Chef, was one of numerous chefs to the royal family in Britain for many years. After "the divorce", he served as personal chef to Princess Di at Kensington Palace. Following Diana's accident, he turned down an offer from Prince Charles to remain in their service and decided to head for the states, Dallas, Tx to be exact. I've been truly impressed by the time and effort this man commits to simply helping people. Tonight he hosted "The Royal Feast", a charity banquet with all procedes going to support Dayspring Villa Women's Shelter. By some miraculous turn of events and only a few hours notice, me and mom were able to attend. It was so exciting to be a part of not only a culinary event, but one that supports the shelter mom has worked for the last 2 years. Chef McGrady planned the menu and personally prepared the dessert course. I managed to meet the Chef and talk to him about school and how ministry plays a big part in my future plans. It was very encouraging for me to reinforce what I already knew but sometimes doubt, "you are starting out the right way: by going to school. So many people think they can just be a good cook and make it big, but an education plays a huge role." He wished me luck, and that was that. But to say I've met him, is an exciting event I will never forget. I learned something tonight perhaps maybe even more interesting than the fact that the past few years haven't been a waste: did you know that in Buckingham Palace the kitchen is 1.5 miles aways from the Royal Dining Room? Isn't that crazy? Here is the menu and a link to his website. If you really look you will find a newsclipping of a previous visit to the shelter and also a link to the shelter itself.

Poached Merlot Pear Salad

with mesclum greens, Chili Pecans, Bleu Cheese and Radicchio

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Steak Diane

Fresh Market Vegetables

Carrot, Asparagus, Zucchini and Yellow Pepper

Garnished with a grilled Tomato

Creme Brulee Cheesecake

with a Strawberry and Rhubarb Compote

in a Jasmine Syrup

www.theroyalchef.com

Confessions of a PI-lovin Mind

So in addition to working, catching up with old friends, and getting to spend some much needed time with family, I've learned something about myself. I still have the ability and desire to sit and watch Magnum PI without feeling ashamed of one of my first girlhood crushes. Honestly, he lives in Hawaii, drives a ferrari ( I think) , has a friend who owns a helicopter, whats not to love. Even Higgins, the crotchety old english-man who is always trying to bring some culture and refinement to it all but is still lovable in his own way, adds another element to the show. T.C. was my favorite when I was little because we had similar names, thus creating a special bond between us, in my mind anyway. Rick, nothing personal, but he was probably me least favorite. Sorry man. What is it about this silly 80's tv show that is so endearing? A few mornings ago me and mom were both home and having a coffee, our morning ritual, and watching a bit. As soon as it started we realized that Carol Burnett was guest starring, and both remembered basically the entire episode. They get locked in a bank vault and end up setting off sprinklers.....anyway. It was interesting that we still remembered it from when we would watch it faithfully growing up in Amarillo, so many years ago. And I think that is why I like it, because it reminds me of simpler times. Mom and I would watch that and Woody Woodpecker every day when I got home from school before K and L got out of school. Funny that the simple act of renewing a ritual that I held as a kid, still makes me feel like I'm home. Maybe even though we all grow up eventually, some things really do never change. Its a comforting thought.