V is for Vendetta

It started last Friday. What was a nice relaxing Friday went to hell in a fast car. Two people called out sick. The big boss lady who hates us came to visit and found plenty to gripe about. Everyone ran around like crazed chickens trying to sort things out to please her. To no avail...
Then I went to Atlanta, where the allergies which had been irritating me decided to try to eat my face. I saw much yarn in ATL and everything I liked was too expensive. Figures.
I came back to work this week and it has been a long string of bummers, culminating in my car's deciding to go totally Sybil on me. So now I am sitting at the dealer. I'm exhausted and hungry and annoyed. I think karma might be out to get me. And there's still two more days left...

"You may be paranoid, but only because they are out to get you..."

I Dreamed a Dream

Maybe you've seen it on youtube or somewhere...Susan Boyle of Britain on Britain's Got Talent. She's about 50, short, plump, out-of-work...she went on this show because she wants to be a singer. Everyone was rolling their eyes and laughing as she told them she would sing "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables. They were laughing, until she began to sing.
She was amazing. Crystal-clear and pitch-perfect.
Talent does not always reside in the obvious places. It pays to try to see greatness, even in the most humble.

Rock on Susan. Because once in a while, we all dream a dream.

"But there are dreams that cannot be, there are storms we cannot weather..."

I Can Haz Noo Shoes?

Lookit! This is why we always buy the best possible shoes for the dollar. My old pair, which were purchased in May of last year, the right shoe lost it's sole. Or sold it to the Devil for 40 pieces of silver, whichever. The result was mayhem. Everyone said, "Just go to Wal Mart and get a pair of shoes..." But me and my dad held out. So I took them to the Red Wing store. The nice man looked at them and said, "Um, that shouldn't have happened to this shoe. Unless you stepped on a land mine." Since I still have both legs, that wasn't the case. They gave me a new pair of shoes, not one penny paid.
There are companies out there who still believe in their product and in customer service. That's why when I need to purchase new shoes, I'm going straight back to that Red Wing store.

I finally caught a break.

Oh Snap!

Be wary of calling in sick if you work in a kitchen. If you feel your ears burning all day, it's because we're talking smack about you. Really. All day long.

Freakin' Snow

Winter is not over yet. Not even a little bit. Looks like the groundhog was right.

Shuffle. Cut. Deal.

Well friends, I can tell you one thing. The worst day in the kitchen is better than the best day in the office. There is nothing that I have loved, hated, sweat for, bled for, or cursed, like cooking. That being said though, cooking, like crime, doesn't pay. Or it doesn't pay well and as I look at my bills piling up and my student loans looming large, I begin to realize that my job may just not cut it. I love it and I don't want to leave this industry that I've worked so hard to get into, but it may mean the difference between getting by and getting ahead.
Nothing is definite yet, and I'll never stop blogging. Just like I'll never stop cooking. I just may not be doing it for a living. But I know this much is true, working in kitchens is like working in a circus. Sometimes you're in with the lions, sometimes in the clown car, always working without a net. But it's still the greatest show on earth...

Baby It's Cold Outside

It is snowing today and I have an unexpected day off. I have a fire in my fireplace and a nice cuppa, not to mention some wool socks. I vow and declare that next year, they will be wool socks of my own creation. Since I'm home today, and I have a chicken in the fridge, there shall be some chicken and noodle made. Since it has been awhile since I gave ya'll a recipe, here you go. Make some when the weather is frightful.

Chicken and Noodle

1 rotisserie chicken

celery, chopped

carrots, chopped

rosemary, 2 tsp

thyme, 1 tsp

white wine, 1/2 cup

chicken stock, 1 carton

Now, this is not soup. It is a graceful melange of chicken and noodle-y goodness.

1. Pull the chicken off the bones. Save the bones and make stock. (what, you have somewhere to be in the snow?)

2. Pour the white wine and stock into a soup pot and add the chicken, veggies and spices. Cook until the veggies are al dente.

3. In a seperate pot, cook a 12 oz. package of egg noodles. I like the yolk-free because I have to watch my cholesterol.

4. Once the noodles are slightly less than al dente, drain them and add the to the pot with the chicken, veggies and stock.

5. Simmer all this together, stirring to mix occaisonally.

6. Salt and pepper to taste.

7. Spoon into bowls and serve with wine or a hot toddy.

So there you have it. Passed down to me by my mom who now has the silly thought that my chicken and noodle is better than hers. Fiddle dee dee is what I say.

Don't worry Mom, I'll never beat your mac and cheese.