Things are going well at work. I cook hot side at lunch nearly every day now and I am feeling pretty confidant about most of the dishes. Recently I have cooked shrimp al ajillo, pork cheeks in spanish onion soup and grits, a variety to steaks, turkey burgers, lamb kefte, cod wrapped in serrano ham, flounder fillet sandwiches and more. I've picked up a few nights as well, generally one a week. I find that dinner is often easier than lunch since it is more typical garde-manger material. The number of items smaller and more streamlined, only appetizers, salads and desserts.
Speaking of desserts, tres leches ice cream with passion fruit curd. That is all I have to say about that. Amazing. Ok that's all....nom. Well, that too! Ok seriously, just go eat some.
The biggest news of the moment is that I ended my over two year employment at my other job. I miss it but it has given me the opportunity to really focus on what I am doing in my current position, not to mention that it is much easier to schedule one job than two. I hope that everyone realizes that I probably wouldn't have made it in this town without them and I will be forever thankful to them for being there with me through these past two years. I've hung out with a few people since leaving and that's reassuring to know that I hopefully won't lose touch entirely. Who knows, perhaps someday all of our late night, post-work planning and dreaming of a place of our own will materialize. Travis and I used to joke about a hibachi grill style place but that you could call ahead and order anything you wanted the chefs would cook it in front of you, like your own personal cooking show. Manny and I planned "Phillies" over many a beer, a quick, window-front operation that would make us all enough money to go do whatever it is we really wanted to do. Will and I just watched "RuPaul's Drag Race" and kidded about a restaurant populated entirely by drag queen rejects from the show. In honor of my time there I'll leave you with some things I learned.
1) How to make custard from scratch
2) How to make awesome squash casserole and macaroni and cheese
3) How NOT to cut lettuce or bring down the temp of the grill (these were what you might call "trial and error learning" with emphasis on the error, both involved trips to the hospital)
4) That homemade whipped cream is approximately 1 million times better than store bought
5) How to properly organize a walk-in cooler
6) BBQ is good, even on pizza
7) New Belgium beers, MGMT, Bell's Grocery store, Cine movie theatre, the margaritas at Taqueria del Sol, Daily Grocery, and spicy Blenheim's ginger ale are all really good things.
8) I HATE UGA gamedays
9) Cornhole is a game best played in a front yard with good friends a nice breeze and beer in hand
10) That I actually have some aptitude and a lot of love for cooking, a path which began with a slow shift, an empty wallet and a lesson in making banana pudding.
Thanks guys!
