Yesterday as I was walking into work (with my black pants and chef's coat mind you). I was thinking what a nice day it was, not too warm, really nice. Then I found out that it was 97! So, so sad. Yep I have been living here way too long!
I'm taking my camera into work tonight to snap shots of the summer desserts. So my next post will contain all sorts of yummyness.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
What I have been up to lately
I love the idea of canning but I am quite the novice. So when my sister in-law that lives here called me up and asked me if I wanted to come over and do some applesauce and pie filling I jumped right on it. Here's what I took home, isn't it a beautiful sight?!
I am never at a loss for projects around here. While I'm watching TV or a movie I always have to be doing something with my hands and it's usually crocheting.
I am never at a loss for projects around here. While I'm watching TV or a movie I always have to be doing something with my hands and it's usually crocheting. There seems to be a lot of people I know having babies lately so here is the little pile of burp cloths I have going.
Not that many boys, just girls seem to be being born lately.
My latest quilt, a small lap sized one. My favorite color is blue for as long as I can remember it has been. One of my favorite combinations with it is brown. And I have to admit I was almost disappointed when it became so popular as a color combination, only because it will look out dated very soon.
I love the fabrics in this quilt!
And another shot, I am just tickled "blue" at the way it turned out!
I am such a suck for Americana themed things. I love the month of July my heart just fills with pride and joy for this great country that we live in. So here is a wall hanging that I finally finished. I don't know why but this one sat on my table unfinished FOREVER!
Not that many boys, just girls seem to be being born lately.
My latest quilt, a small lap sized one. My favorite color is blue for as long as I can remember it has been. One of my favorite combinations with it is brown. And I have to admit I was almost disappointed when it became so popular as a color combination, only because it will look out dated very soon.
I love the fabrics in this quilt!
And another shot, I am just tickled "blue" at the way it turned out!
I am such a suck for Americana themed things. I love the month of July my heart just fills with pride and joy for this great country that we live in. So here is a wall hanging that I finally finished. I don't know why but this one sat on my table unfinished FOREVER!
This last month I finally gave a quilt away that has been sitting in my sewing room for years. I couldn't take any pictures of it because it was a surprise for my new niece Marisol. I wanted it to be one of the first things that she, and she alone owned. Something that she didn't have to share with a dozen other kids in an orphanage. Years ago I asked my sister what her favorite color was and with the color purple in mind I went to work. And then it sat and sat collecting dust, 2 years later she was wrapped up in it. And guess what I forgot to take a picture of it so I'll have to have my sister take a picture of Marisol with the quilt and sent it to me.
Monday, July 26, 2010
This was written back in April, I totally forgot about it but didn't want it to go to waste
Yes is has been quite a while and now looking back I’m trying to recall what all has happened in the last 2 ½ months…….
*My younger sister finally came home from Mexico with her 2 beautiful children! What should have only been a 2 week trip turned into almost a full month. Unbelievable! It seemed that anything that could have gone wrong did. But now it’s all done and in years to come they will have funny stories to tell. I can’t wait to meet them and let them know that I am their favorite aunt. J
*My husband and I were able to take advantage of living here in Vegas (we don’t smoke, drink or gamble so naturally we live here. J ) this doesn’t happen often so when it does we jump on it. We were given tickets to the show ‘Jersey Boys’ by one of his clients who is actually in the show. It was fabulous! We loved it! After the show ended at midnight we went out to dinner at our favorite little spot and a local favorite. Vegas is just coming alive at 1am so it was really fun.
*I had surgery for the first time. I was very nervous not knowing what to expect but I had a wonderful nurse that walked me through and explained everything. Everything went perfectly and I now have a clean bill of health. Apparently when I was in the recovery room coming out of anesthesia I was so worried and kept asking the nurse if I snored, no not how well did everything go, was it better or worse than they expected but did I snore. And I guess that I was so worried about it I asked several different times.
*We (well mostly my husband) planted our first garden here in Vegas. I know your all thinking what in the world can grow in Vegas, the answer just about anything. You just have to plant in off seasons. All of the plants are doing well but the peas have really taken off. My husband has such a green thumb and he has been itching to get his hands in the dirt forever. He already has plans on what he will do to for next year.
*I’d like to think that I am a very graceful person but in reality I’m totally not. I should have realized this when I was 7 and in a body cast, but no I still picture myself as elegant as Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn. In the kitchen I’m pretty good but recently I have the proof that I am not as graceful and coordinated as I once thought and unfortunately I have the burns to prove it. My forearm looks like a war zone and I fear that my arm modeling days are over. But I learned a new and very helpful trick. Directly after you burn yourself don’t run for the ice go to your fridge and cut open a lemon, yes a lemon. Rub the lemon directly onto the burn and the burning will go away instantly-no joke! You will need to continue to rub it on as the juice dries but it is like magic!
*Work has been crazy busy. We changed out our winter menu for our spring one (delicious!!), that in its self is a task. But then on top of that my boss was asked by Food Network to do a “Challenge”. She accepted and we all went to work in helping with the design, testing and then making different pieces of the display. You can take 50% with you already made. The theme was a Christmas Store Front Window. So we immediately went to work on making sugar snowflakes, she wanted 200 to hang from the ceiling so we got to work on 100 of them. They turned out beautiful and I wish that I could show you pictures but that was the one strict rule they had- no pictures can be released until it airs which won’t be until December. But I can tell you that all of the long hours we put in paid off she won!! Wahoo!
*It’s a little pricey to eat at my restaurant, about $200 per person and that’s even the cheaper menu without the wine pairing. So this will make you feel a little better and make that $200 look like nothing. We had a private party a little bit ago where they had a custom menu and they paid $1,000 a person. Cha-ching. Crazy!
*My younger sister finally came home from Mexico with her 2 beautiful children! What should have only been a 2 week trip turned into almost a full month. Unbelievable! It seemed that anything that could have gone wrong did. But now it’s all done and in years to come they will have funny stories to tell. I can’t wait to meet them and let them know that I am their favorite aunt. J
*My husband and I were able to take advantage of living here in Vegas (we don’t smoke, drink or gamble so naturally we live here. J ) this doesn’t happen often so when it does we jump on it. We were given tickets to the show ‘Jersey Boys’ by one of his clients who is actually in the show. It was fabulous! We loved it! After the show ended at midnight we went out to dinner at our favorite little spot and a local favorite. Vegas is just coming alive at 1am so it was really fun.
*I had surgery for the first time. I was very nervous not knowing what to expect but I had a wonderful nurse that walked me through and explained everything. Everything went perfectly and I now have a clean bill of health. Apparently when I was in the recovery room coming out of anesthesia I was so worried and kept asking the nurse if I snored, no not how well did everything go, was it better or worse than they expected but did I snore. And I guess that I was so worried about it I asked several different times.
*We (well mostly my husband) planted our first garden here in Vegas. I know your all thinking what in the world can grow in Vegas, the answer just about anything. You just have to plant in off seasons. All of the plants are doing well but the peas have really taken off. My husband has such a green thumb and he has been itching to get his hands in the dirt forever. He already has plans on what he will do to for next year.
*I’d like to think that I am a very graceful person but in reality I’m totally not. I should have realized this when I was 7 and in a body cast, but no I still picture myself as elegant as Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn. In the kitchen I’m pretty good but recently I have the proof that I am not as graceful and coordinated as I once thought and unfortunately I have the burns to prove it. My forearm looks like a war zone and I fear that my arm modeling days are over. But I learned a new and very helpful trick. Directly after you burn yourself don’t run for the ice go to your fridge and cut open a lemon, yes a lemon. Rub the lemon directly onto the burn and the burning will go away instantly-no joke! You will need to continue to rub it on as the juice dries but it is like magic!
*Work has been crazy busy. We changed out our winter menu for our spring one (delicious!!), that in its self is a task. But then on top of that my boss was asked by Food Network to do a “Challenge”. She accepted and we all went to work in helping with the design, testing and then making different pieces of the display. You can take 50% with you already made. The theme was a Christmas Store Front Window. So we immediately went to work on making sugar snowflakes, she wanted 200 to hang from the ceiling so we got to work on 100 of them. They turned out beautiful and I wish that I could show you pictures but that was the one strict rule they had- no pictures can be released until it airs which won’t be until December. But I can tell you that all of the long hours we put in paid off she won!! Wahoo!
*It’s a little pricey to eat at my restaurant, about $200 per person and that’s even the cheaper menu without the wine pairing. So this will make you feel a little better and make that $200 look like nothing. We had a private party a little bit ago where they had a custom menu and they paid $1,000 a person. Cha-ching. Crazy!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
I am shouting it from the roof tops. It’s the best news of the century, and almost 3 years in the making. Today my sister and brother in-law are finally flying down to Mexico to pick up Omar (now 7) and Marisol (now 6). They will probably be down there for 2 weeks signing everything and then they will be home. Hurray!
Friday, February 12, 2010
Getting Tired
I am on another 12 day straight run, so no time to do anything but sleep and work. We opened up a day early (on Tuesday) for a private party, I am continually amazed at the money people have! In order to buy out the restaurant its $40,000 and then your food in on top of that, I know crazy. Sunday is Valentine's Day which we are normally closed on Sundays but because it is Valentine's we are open and actually sold out. We are running a special menu that day its only $300 per person, any takers? Then Monday and Tuesday are Chinese New Year and since we have a large Asian clientele (I know its very odd-French restaurant, Asian clientele...go figure) we are open for that as well. I'll try and post some pictures in my next post, now its time for breakfast (at 11:30) and then to work immediately after. Hopefully I'll be home and in bed before 3am only to start it all over again, only 8 more days. Good thing I have a massage scheduled in 10 days!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Work has been utterly crazy I feel like I am just getting back on track from the insane holidays. I worked way too much that I felt like I completely missed Christmas. Which in a way I guess that I did. I was so upset by all of this that yesterday, yes the 18th of January I finally took down my Christmas tree. My sweet husband knew that I didn't want to take it down because I missed practically everything so he patiently waited until I said it was time. I don't know what our neighbors thought when they looked out the window this morning and saw our tree on the curb, ready for pick up.
This weekend was the first full weekend I've had off since before Thanksgiving, and I took full advantage of it. (My restaurant is closed Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday-not the normal weekend.) I got a much needed massage yesterday and decided that I need to treat myself to that every month and my husband said the same thing-wahoo! Since it was a rainy day (Super rare here in Vegas so I fully take advantage of it) we ordered in dinner and watched a couple of movies that we got for Christmas, like I said just getting on track and catching up with everything.
Have you seen Julie & Julia? My parents gave it to me knowing that I would love it and I did. I laughed and cried-a lot. There is a scene in the movie where her younger sister writes her a letter to tell her that she is going to have a baby, she is thrilled and devastated at the same time-she was never able to have children. That scene touched me so deeply; I loved the movie and recommend it to any foodie out there. Meryl Streep is amazing in it!
Here is a quilt top I finished in October. I'm a sucker for civil war replica fabrics, so I used several in this quilt.
Trying it out on my bed
Dessert photos. Here is our Hazelnut dessert, sorry these aren't the professional ones. Ok, starting on the left side of the plate. Gold dust that has been brushed on. Then the triangle, on the bottom: chopped hazelnuts, then a frangelico (a hazelnut liqueur) caramel, a hazelnut shortbread cookie, and then caramel mousse piped on top. Next we have chopped up candied hazelnuts as a base, two brandy snap tuiles and a scoop of cajeta ice cream (caramel made with goats milk)
This is our smore dessert. A chocolate sauce line is drawn across the plate. Then the half moon shape is made of a rich chocolate fudgie base (this is the "sinful" that many of you have tried) and then a toasted marshmallow-yes we make marshmallow from scratch. I get that question a lot, I don't know why? The 2 round spheres are a graham tuile. Graham cracker crust is then a base for a scoop of Godiva ice cream.
This is our new apple dessert. The base is made up of chopped, sauteed apples. Then brioche that was soaked in calvados (apple brandy) custard and then baked-its like a delicious french toast. Topped with a scoop of maple ice cream and then a sugar garnish.
This weekend was the first full weekend I've had off since before Thanksgiving, and I took full advantage of it. (My restaurant is closed Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday-not the normal weekend.) I got a much needed massage yesterday and decided that I need to treat myself to that every month and my husband said the same thing-wahoo! Since it was a rainy day (Super rare here in Vegas so I fully take advantage of it) we ordered in dinner and watched a couple of movies that we got for Christmas, like I said just getting on track and catching up with everything.
Have you seen Julie & Julia? My parents gave it to me knowing that I would love it and I did. I laughed and cried-a lot. There is a scene in the movie where her younger sister writes her a letter to tell her that she is going to have a baby, she is thrilled and devastated at the same time-she was never able to have children. That scene touched me so deeply; I loved the movie and recommend it to any foodie out there. Meryl Streep is amazing in it!
Here is a quilt top I finished in October. I'm a sucker for civil war replica fabrics, so I used several in this quilt.
Trying it out on my bed
Dessert photos. Here is our Hazelnut dessert, sorry these aren't the professional ones. Ok, starting on the left side of the plate. Gold dust that has been brushed on. Then the triangle, on the bottom: chopped hazelnuts, then a frangelico (a hazelnut liqueur) caramel, a hazelnut shortbread cookie, and then caramel mousse piped on top. Next we have chopped up candied hazelnuts as a base, two brandy snap tuiles and a scoop of cajeta ice cream (caramel made with goats milk)
This is our smore dessert. A chocolate sauce line is drawn across the plate. Then the half moon shape is made of a rich chocolate fudgie base (this is the "sinful" that many of you have tried) and then a toasted marshmallow-yes we make marshmallow from scratch. I get that question a lot, I don't know why? The 2 round spheres are a graham tuile. Graham cracker crust is then a base for a scoop of Godiva ice cream. 
This is our new apple dessert. The base is made up of chopped, sauteed apples. Then brioche that was soaked in calvados (apple brandy) custard and then baked-its like a delicious french toast. Topped with a scoop of maple ice cream and then a sugar garnish.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
I work in a french restaurant and therefore the two main ingredients we use are cream and butter. Now being in the pastry world we use a lot, so just out of curiosity I thought that I would keep track of just what I used in one week. Roughly multiply this by 6 and you get the idea how much our little pastry department uses in one week.
Eggs: 206
Yolks: 263
Whole Milk: 20 qts
Heavy Cream: 32qts-must have been a slower week, I though that there would be more
Butter: 20 1/2 #
Chocolate: 21#
Sugar: 45#-holy cow!
Here are a couple of picture of what I make every day. We may only have 6 desserts on our menu at a time but each dessert has about 6 components to them, so a lot goes into them.
Our chocolate dessert: on the left there are chocolate tubes fill with 3 different kinds on chocolate cream, dark white and the milk. The center of each tube is filled with out own version of a broken up "crunch" candy bar. The chocolate tubes are set upon squares of a flour-less chocolate cake-better than fudge! On the right the 3 coordinating flavors of chocolate ice cream are set upon dollops of glacage and more "crunch bar" bits. Topped off with a thinly rolled chocolate stick "a chocolate cigarette".
The Pear Dessert: Starting at the bottom grounding the dessert there are two lines of pear caramel. A toffee and candied ginger nougat is centered between two gingerbread tuile's. A warm, butter, spiced poached pear is sliced and then placed on top. Last but not least pear sorbet and a sugar garnish.Saturday, October 10, 2009
How it all began
My mother was a "glue gunner". So when I wanted to learn how to cross stitch and sew I was kind of on my own. I took classes that were available in school and the community but they didn't scratch that itch. It wasn't until I was 17, just about ready to graduate from high school when I went to a weekly church youth activity. There I was introduced to quilting by my young women leaders, Lisa Garlick and Jill Mortensen. It was love at first sight. I fell in love with the fabrics, the patterns, the antique feel as well as the home-made aspect of it all.
I am a pro at beginning new project and not finishing old ones. I just get so excited when I walk into a quilt shop and see new patterns or fabrics that I immediately purchase things for a new project and then sadly all the other projects get forgotten. Hopefully this blog will give me the encouragement needed to finish projects.
My wonderful husband and I finally purchased our first home, I still can't believe that I live in Vegas (I really hate the heat, I'm more of an Eskimo) but in this home I have an entire room to myself. I've never had a sewing room to myself, so now it needs to be put to good use.
I am a pro at beginning new project and not finishing old ones. I just get so excited when I walk into a quilt shop and see new patterns or fabrics that I immediately purchase things for a new project and then sadly all the other projects get forgotten. Hopefully this blog will give me the encouragement needed to finish projects.
My wonderful husband and I finally purchased our first home, I still can't believe that I live in Vegas (I really hate the heat, I'm more of an Eskimo) but in this home I have an entire room to myself. I've never had a sewing room to myself, so now it needs to be put to good use.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
