May the road rise to meet you...

With St. Patrick's day just around the corner, Val asked me for my Shepherd's Pie recipe. It's something I make every week for work and I'm very proud of it (it's also the first menu item that I got added at the Lodge upstairs). So, I typed up my scaled down recipe for her and thought that I'd share it here.

I warn you, this is not a healthy recipe. It is full of fat and butter and potatoes and deliciousness. But the way I see it, you've got to splurge now and then. And what better day to splurge than the day that we celebrate the patron saint of Ireland by being drunken bafoons and wearing green body paint and sitting in the bushes eating ravioli?

Wait....you don't do that? That's just me?

Well shoot.

Anyway! Moving forward, Shepherd's Pie is a pretty traditional Irish dish. You can use ground lamb, ground beef or stew meat...I love it with ground lamb but realistically, that's kind of expensive. Unless you've just got a lamb shoulder laying around that you can grind and put in a pie. But if you're like me and most of us, ground beef will work just fine. At work, I use scraps that our butcher has leftover from cutting our filet, so what I use is more like stew meat. If you do that, extend your cooking time before you add the flour because you'll want your meat to cook a bit longer to get tender.

Alright, on to the good stuff...

What you'll need:
- 1.5 pounds ground beef
- 1/2 pound carrots (sliced or cubed, however you like it. Adjust the amount of carrots if you want more or less veggies in it. I use three pounds of carrots, but I make a giant batch, I'm just kind of guessing for a single casserole dish)
- 1 can sweet peas or a bag of frozen english peas if you can find them
- 1 medium onion diced
- 5 or 6 cloves of garlic minced
- 1/2 small can of tomato paste
- AP flour (not much, maybe a 1/4 of a cup)
- 2 stalks of celery (slice the stalk in half lengthwise, then chop. I like kind of big pieces of celery)
- 1 TBSP each minced rosemary and thyme (you can use dried if you want, but I prefer fresh. Up to you.)
- 1-2 cups of beef broth
-1/2 a stick of butter (keep the rest of the stick handy, just in case)
-1 TBSP of olive oil

Melt the butter in a big pan or skillet. Once the butter is melted, pour in the olive oil. Add your carrots and celery first. Just cook them for about five minutes over medium high heat until they just start to get tender. Add in your onion and garlic and stir around, cooking until the onion starts to get transparent. Crumble up your ground beef and add it straight to the pan with all the vegetables. You want the butter and fat from the beef in the pan, so just start stirring it around.

Add your herbs at this point.

Once your ground beef is cooked and your vegetables are tender turn the heat down to medium or medium low and cook for ten minutes or so. You really just want the flavors to kind of marry at this point. You don't want the liquid to cook off, so keep the heat on the lower side and keep an eye on it. If you lose your liquid, throw the other half of the stick of butter in with everything and let it melt.

Now, after it's cooked for a little bit, sprinkle flour over the whole mixture and stir. Do this a little at a time until all the liquid is absorbed. If you need more or less flour, that's okay. You just want no more liquid in the pan. Everything will start to stick together and look weird, that's okay. Keep the whole mass of things moving for a few minutes to cook out a little of the flour taste. Add in your tomato paste and keep stirring. It all might start sticking to the bottom of the pan at this point and that's okay too. You want to get some of the bitterness of the tomato paste out, so I'd say cook it like this over medium/low heat for five minutes or so.

Now, I'd throw my potatoes in the water at the very beginning so while your mixture is cooking right now, you can prepare the mash. Melting the butter and warming your heavy cream is key in good mashed potatoes, but I'm sure you know that. I just make very very buttery mashed potatoes and season only with salt and pepper but make them the way you like them best. If you put a lot of butter in them, they'll get wonderful and golden and say moist when you bake them.

Okay, back to your filling. It's going to be thick and weird and all stuck together, so now you throw in your beef stock. Just a little bit at a time. You want to make a gravy with the stock so stir while you add. Scrape the goodies off the bottom of the pan and stir until your filling is thinned out, but not too thin. You want it to be like a thick stew. At this point, add in your drained can of peas and then salt and pepper to taste. It's going to need a good amount of salt to get the flavors out, so don't be shy. Use kosher salt if you have it.

Put the filling in a baking dish and cover with potatoes. I spoon them on and then spread them out with the back of the spoon or your hand. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or so. The top will get nice golden brown. I'd let it sit for ten minutes or so before serving. At work, I garnish with fresh chopped chives.

Some people like to sprinkle paprika on top or even pipe out the potatoes to make it look all fancy. And that's nice too, but I like the rustic look of just spooning and spreading the potatoes. And, nothing against grandmas, but it looks like something someone's grandma would do in the 80's (again...nothing against the 80's either). That's just my personal opinion. No need to make the top look all fancy when you're just going to stick your face in it.

I keep meaning to write here more and share more recipes, but I just can't seem to pull it together. I say that I'll try but I won't make any promises. Life as a Disney cook is amazing, but very busy. The Mouse never sleeps, you know.

All in all, I don't think I've ever been happier. This summer is proving to be the most exciting one I've ever had. I'll be sure to give more updates on that when it all gets closer. Work is amazing, my roommates are amazing and Florida is pretty awesome. As I said, I'm a very happy girl. 

That's it for now, I'll come up with some more fun recipes to share soon. In the meantime, if there's anything that any of you would like to have a recipe for please let me know. If I know one or have any good ideas, I'd love for some prompting. I'm going to enjoy my one day off and try not to put on real pants all day.

'For each petal on the shamrock this brings a wish your way. Good health, good luck, and happiness for today and every day.' - Irish Blessing

Happy eating,
Lauren

I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore...

Well happy Tuesday to you all.

I'm finding myself a bit restless on this day after Monday, which happens to be my Saturday...which in turn makes this Tuesday my Sunday.

Confused yet? Good, I'm glad you're with me. And while we may not be in Kansas (namely, Texas), Florida isn't quite Oz, but it is a pretty great place to be. Replace Emerald City with Disney and I find that I'm riding the yellow brick road to work five days a week and still enjoy it immensely. I was trained on a new station on Sunday and seemed to do pretty well. I will admit openly that I was glad it wasn't a very busy night, but I also look forward to getting more comfortable behind the grill. I'm not sure why it intimidated me so much...and still does if we're being frank. I suppose all of this still feels rather new to me. I'll not be able to use that excuse for too much longer. I can't believe that I've been working in this industry for nine months already.

I can't say I'm exactly where I thought I'd be when I started going to school. I'm not really sure what I thought I'd do when I got out of school. I was just kind of focusing on taking one thing at a time. If I tried to look at the big picture back then, it might have overwhelmed me completely. Step one: go to school, get good grades. Step two: swallow pride and move home. Step three: come to Florida to get some experience and get in to Disney World for free...

Past that, I think I was just going to see what happened. I think it ended up working in my favor, though Dijon is still trying to get me back to Texas. I do have to say, it is tempting. To be close to home and all the people and things I know and am familiar with. This place is still very foreign sometimes. And even though I have my own place with roommates I love more and more every day and I'm much more established at work....there are days that it still feels temporary. Maybe it just hasn't fully set in. Who knows?

I love my work and I am developing some really stellar relationships here. My mom has always told me she could drop me anywhere in the world and I'd make friends, I suppose I just thought that she thought that because she's my mom. And, let's face it, I have a ton of close friends back home. Friends that will never go away or be replaced...even if I wanted them to. I don't know what I'd have done if I came out here and didn't have people to lean on. Especially on the hard days.

What have I learned? On days when I miss Texas, it's best to make Mexican food or BBQ. Or even chili. When I want to shut myself in my room and wish myself home with everything I have, I drag my roommates to a karaoke night. Karaoke nights here are generally filled with an older crowd, so they don't have quite the same reaction to my version of The Humpty Dance...but I usually have my own little cheering squad, so it still works. And on the very hardest days, I talk to Val and my mom as much as possible and pretend they're just around the corner.

I think that I wanted to talk food here, but this blog has turned into a mix of my cooking adventures and a place for me to just talk about what it's like to move far away from home for the first time later in life. It's strange. And spooky. And exciting. And difficult. And thrilling. So many things that I don't think I could ever put into words.

So, to end my little rant for the day, thank you for reading. Listening. Being my support both in Florida and in Texas (and the other random states where I have wonderful friends). BB is at home cooking, I think, while I borrow internet from my favorite place in Orlando (yes, it's Devenney's).

At the end of the day, I think that I am just happy that I have people who love me enough to be my backbone when I feel mine slipping.

"A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others."
-Wizard of Oz

Happy adventures,
Lauren

Over the hill and through the woods...

So, I suppose I could very easily blame not having internet for the last two weeks on not posting...but that leaves a blank the space time continuum that I just can't explain, so I'm just going to whistle a tune you may not recognize and walk away slowly...

The good news is, I'm back and we have internet (though it is so slow, Fluffy insisted that it might be dial up). The bad news is....I have no bad news. I have to say that life is on the ups and doesn't seem to be slowing down lately. I've had my moments of homesickness (which have included driving around listening to Sarah McLaughlin and crying on the phone to Val) and I've had some rough days where I've wondered if I've done the right thing...but today is not one of those days.

Yes, I miss my family. Of course, I miss my friends. These two groups of people make up some of the most wonderful, weird, funny, crazy, unique and amazing people anyone could ever know. But then I look at the friendships I have growing here and the wonderful house I share with two pretty kick-butt roommates...yeah, I can't complain about Florida. Especially not when I come home from work and Fluff has made homemade lasagna and I eat so much I basically just pass out as soon as my plate hits the sink.

Okay, okay...I know what you're thinking. 'I thought this was a food blog, Lauren.' I got it...I'll stop gushing about how happy I am and just get to the point. Though, if truth be told...the point today is going to just be about other food things that make me happy.

If anyone from Texas reads this, and you ever want to visit me...be sure we will go to one of the restaurants listed below. If you are one of my Orlando peeps and I haven't pulled you around to my favorite spots...first you should kick me the next time you see me and then we should go eat at one of these places together. That being said...here we go.

1. My absolute, without a doubt, most favorite...est (yeah, I said it) place since moving to Orlando is downtown and it's called The Rusty Spoon. It's a gastropub and their menu changes weekly based on what produce is in season and they can get. All the produce they use is local, all the meat they use is hormone free and wonderful. I've never had a bad meal here...in fact I'd venture to say I've never even had a mediocre meal here. It just gets better every time I go.

2. VietThai is a close second, but it's also kind of tied for second with the one I'll list next. We managed to find this place our second or third night in Orlando and I've been back a lot. It's this teeny, hole in the wall place that is family owned and melt in your mouth good. Fresh, homemade Pho? Yes please. Korean BBQ? Don't mind if I do. Vietnamese iced coffee? I'll have three please and be awake for a week straight. My favorite thing about this place is they aren't afraid to suggest things for you if you can't make up your mind and it's never a disappointment. My only complaint is they're closed on Mondays and I always seem to forget.

3. The third on my list is here almost as much for the atmosphere as it is for the food. Devenney's Irish Pub is very near to my house and I really just discovered it about a week ago...but man do I love this place. The fried green beans and Scotch eggs are killer, but the Shepherd's Pie takes the cake. And to top of the wonderful, traditional food they have here (I haven't tried the Corned Beef and Cabbage yet...but it's on my to-do list) the general feel of the place is just amazing. Thanks to the fact that I talk to strangers and me and my roommates make friends everywhere we go, we've met and hung out with the owners of the place and they are wonderful and about 70 percent of the reason we'll be going back time and time again.

Okay...so there's my top three. There are many many more that I love and maybe I'll bore you with stories about other culinary adventures later on...but for now, I smell food cooking so I might venture out of my super comfortable bed and see what's going on downstairs. I want to leave you with a recipe....but for once I'm at a little bit of a loss. What would I make right now if I could....

Mmmm, yes. Here we go. I actually don't have to cook it because I have a giant Tupperware of it downstairs from last week when I got in the mood for Tex Mex. Lauren's homemade, super easy, medium salsa. If you have a blender or food processor, you're good to go. And while I type this, my tummy is already rumbling so I'm glad I've got this one memorized.

You will need:
-4-5 Tomatoes. I like to use...any tomato. *evil laugh* Honestly, when I'm making salsa, I just pick whatever is on sale. You're going to add a bit of flavor to this, so don't be a tomato snob.
-1 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped roughly (I like big chunks of cilantro in my salsa. It's fresh and delicious and makes for a better time when you can make fun of someone for getting it stuck in their teeth.)
-4-5 limes, depending on ripeness. You want some nice juicy limes.
-1/2 red onion
-5 cloves of garlic
-1 poblano pepper (just for the record, my spell check tried to correct poblano to 'pointblank'. What the what? Anywho, moving on.)
-2 jalapeno peppers
-2 or 3 tablespoons of olive oil
-salt to taste

See? Easy breezy. First, preheat your oven to 350 and core your tomatoes. Place all the veggies on a baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil (cilantro excluded of course, that would just be weird). Pop these suckers in the oven and go paint your toenails or something. After about 10 minutes, you'll notice the skin pulling away from the tomatoes, so pull those out and pop them in an ice water bath or stick them in the freezer to stop the cooking process.

Then...walk the dog. Do some Zumba. Get out a round brush and practice for karaoke night for about another ten minutes until your garlic and peppers are finished roasting. Wrap the peppers in clear wrap while you peel your tomatoes. The skin should come right off, but if there's a little left, it won't hurt you. Once you peel the tomatoes, get a knife and rub the back of it on the peppers (after you've unwrapped them, of course) and get a good part of the skin off. Again...if you don't get it all it won't kill you.

Here's where you can take some liberty. I get the ribs and seeds out of one jalapeno and the poblano, rough chop them and throw them in the food processor. I leave the seeds and ribs in the second jalapeno for heat. It's good. it'll put hair on your chest...but not in a creepy way. In a 'yeah, I just ate that jalapeno...be impressed' kind of way. Do whatever makes your heart and tummy happy though. Now comes the real hard part.

Throw everything in the food processor or blender. I give it all a rough chop and just toss it in. Blend away. Squeeze your limes into the mix and then taste it. Needs salt? Add some more. Needs more acidity? Do it. More cilantro? By all means, turn the darn stuff green if you want to. Then, pour it in a bowl, get some tortilla chips and go to town. And by go to town, I mean eat until you think you might be in a coma. Then call me and thank me for changing your life and making you never want to buy store made salsa again. The roasted garlic and cilantro are what makes this recipe, for sure.

Okay, now that I've rambled on for a million and a half years...I'm starving. I think I'll go eat some of said salsa and maybe some of Fluff's leftover lasagna. I hope you're all having a fabulous Saturday and are enjoying some of your own culinary adventures.

"So long as you have food in your mouth, you have solved all questions for the time being." - Franz Kafka

Happy Eating,
Lauren

New year, new beginnings.

Every year, I swear up and down that I'm not going to make any resolutions. They always end up as broken promises to yourself that just make you feel crappy about making them in the first place. The only promise I'd like to make to myself this year is that I will update here more often (at least once a week) and maybe even start making some cooking videos to add to the site. To be comfortable doing that, I know what I need to do....and that is where the resolution side of it comes in.

Time to start eating healthier, Lauren. Well.....hell. I was doing so good before Thanksgiving, I even lost about 15 pounds....and then I gave myself a break over the holidays. Nobody likes to be on a diet at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but the little cheats I gave myself here and there turned into full on soda drinking, fast food stopping, ramen noodle eating Lauren. *insert audible sigh*

For someone who knows how to cook food that tastes wonderful and is good for you....and who actually enjoys eating well, I sure do love some crappy food. Sometimes, there's just nothing better than a big, greasy burger from Steak n' Shake. I'm not even going to lie....that place calls to me in my sleep sometimes. What I need to decide is, do I want to still be having this struggle at 32? No. Of course not. I'd love to hit some kind of goal in the next couple of months even....but where the struggle comes in is money. Money is always at the root of it (well...not always. But it sure doesn't help). No matter how you spin it, eating healthy isn't always cheap and right now...cheap is important.

Rambling...I'm rambling. The whole point of this blog was to tell you all some very exciting news in case you didn't know already. I'm moving this week! I will be living with one of my coworkers (and good friends), Jose. But you might as well just get to know him as Fluffy because that's what I (and everyone else) calls him. Generally, I only call him Jose when he's in trouble. We found an older townhome to rent that's three bedroom, two bath and pretty big. It has a washer and dryer and isn't too far from work so I'm super excited.

Now, I just have to buy a bed. And a few other household essentials. We really have nothing. I mean, Fluffy has his bedroom stuff and we both have a few random kitchen essentials, but other than that I think all we have is a TV and a plethora of video game systems. Which we'll be able to play sitting on lawn chairs in the living room.

The only weird part about it all is that I think this means I'm actually a resident of Florida now. I am still being stubborn and not changing my Driver's License....but I think it's just a matter of time. One of my coworkers still has his Jersey plates and License after like four years, so here's hoping I can hold out that long if it comes to that.

Hope this rambling update finds you all well. I will be better and try to use Sundays as my update days.

Happy eating,
Lauren

Have yourself a merry little something...

So here I am, once again a bad blogger. We sit here at December fifth...remembering this year for whatever it was to each one of us. All our blessings, and all of our faults, are laid out behind us to reflect upon and remember with a bit of love and grimacing no matter what we've been through. This time last year, if you told me I'd be living in Florida I probably would have laughed in your face. But here I sit, this random Sunday night (slash Monday morning) at the beginning of December reflecting on the year that has past and looking forward to the year to come.

If I had to pick one significant thing to talk about from this year past, it would naturally be my move to Orlando. I've never done anything like this in my life and, if you want to delve into the depths of my brain, really never thought I'd do anything like this....ever. But here I sit, thousands of miles away from all that is familiar, still up to my old games. Staying up way too late, for no apparent reason, spending my nights playing video games and reading books and trying every day to be as splendidly happy as possible.

I can check the first few things off my list, for sure. I have a super comfortable bed (thanks to Renee and Robert, no thanks to Vista Way), plenty of food, and enough extra money that I can't decide if I want to spend my extra cash this pay check on Christmas gifts or a massage for myself (I'm very much a one-for-them, one-for-me kind of Christmas shopper). I have more than enough to be thankful for, but it's hard to remember why I'm here some days when all I want in this world is to be in Val and Jeff's living room watching Elf and laughing with my best friend about all the years we've gone Christmas shopping together and make jerks of ourselves.

There I go again, pulling a Lauren and getting choked up. Awell, I suppose it's bound to happen my first year away from home. But I digress....

I'm doing very well at work, you might be happy to discover. My Chef and Sous Chefs seem to have a lot of faith in me and that means a lot. Saying it means a lot might not even do it justice when in reality I am grateful (and a little surprised) more than I can even put into words. It's nice to know that a major life change at 30 has paid off (or is starting to, if you want to get technical). I'm very happy and feel more blessed than you can ever know. It really helps that I have amazing co-workers (who are some of my closest friends) that make every day worth going to work for.

Long story short (Fluffy and Renee might get a kick out of that), life is good. I am constantly thinking of different ways to make myself better all while trying to enjoy Florida and my new life to the fullest.

It's hard. I'm sad a lot more days than I'd like to admit. I miss my mom and Willow and my Dad and sister and all my friends more than I can ever, ever say. I know in my heart I'm doing the right thing by staying here...and I am happy. I really am...but especially knowing that Christmas is coming and feeling what it felt like to miss Thanksgiving at Granny and Popa's...I'd be lying if I told you that it didn't bother me. In the end, it will get easier. I will be a better person and a better Chef because of all of this, and for that I am eternally grateful. I am fully aware of how lucky I am to be where I'm at...I just wish I were made of stone sometimes so I didn't have these hard days.

Of course, if I were made of stone...I probably wouldn't be who I am to begin with. That being said, I wouldn't trade my life for all the lives in all the world. I am the luckiest Texan transplanted to Florida that ever lived.

And for that, I am truly grateful.

Happy eating,
Lauren

"Food is our common ground, a universal experience." - James Beard

Hello again, hello...

Okay, so I've been a very bad blogger the last few weeks. I blame two things. The first is that work was insane for a bit as we started the free dining program. The second reason is because I've gotten back into playing WoW and it is one of my favorite ways to spend free time. I know, I know....people hear that I play World of Warcraft and immediately think 'NEEEEEEEEERD!' in their head. It's okay, I figure everyone that really knows me and loves me already is well aware that I'm a super nerd...so I embrace it. But! That's not why we're here. We are here because I have some updates and I want to share them.

The first new thing in my life is Dijon, Alyssa and I have a plan to start eating healthy. We've all lost a little bit of weight since coming to Florida just from being so active at work (something none of us former desk jockeys are used to) but then the late night meals started. When you get off work at eleven at night, it's easy to come home and sit around eating Taco Bell with your roommates. With two months left in our regular externship program, I think we'd all like to take advantage of the good influence we have on each other.

We went to our new favorite little grocery store and bought a ton of produce and chicken and ground turkey and started making plans to have better meals. When one of us is off, we'll cook for the others anyway so now we just have healthier options in the house so maybe that will encourage us to make good meals. And there is something pretty great about getting enough food to last all three of us a week (at the very least) and splitting the cost so in the end we each only spent about $26. Our last hurrah was stopping on the way there for breakfast at Einstein's for lox bagels and sugary coffee drinks.

So that's pretty exciting. I love eating a bunch of junk, but I really love eating great. You just feel better about yourself and your whole day. We've commandeered the bottom shelf in our fridge and are already planning meals.

Another new development in my life is that I've talked with my head Chef at Artist Point and am currently waiting to hear back from casting about extending my college program. This doesn't mean I'll be out here permanently, but it does mean that I'll be here for another three months. I'm not 100 percent sure it will be approved yet, but lets say I'm 99.99999 percent sure.

I love my job and I really like Florida. I miss my family and my friends and my Willow very much, but I really want to see where this road takes me and I don't think that can be discovered in only four months. If I extend my college program, that means that I'll be able to stay in college housing, which is really cheap, and see if it's just a fleeing 'OMG I LOVE IT HERE' kind of feeling or if this is where I really want to be. A couple of weeks ago, Chef Marco told me that they want me to extend at Artist Point, which was really the biggest reason I decided to stay for a little longer. It's such an ideal place to learn and I feel so very blessed to have ended up there for this part of my journey.

I'll keep you all posted.

The most exciting thing that has happened lately is that they've started cross training me. After two months on pantry, they put me on the fish station to shadow for like an hour a couple of weeks ago. Then, a few days later, they had me work fish station halfway through service until we closed. Last night when I showed up, Chef Matt (not to be confused with Chef Matthew) told me I'd be over there solo all night. He called it trial by fire. Surprisingly, I wasn't very nervous. Only four dishes come off that station and Melissa was next to me on the line and I adore her. She is one of those people that is so helpful and I know she likes me and really wants me to succeed.

To make a long story short, I had a great night. I had no idea what to do for prep, but got help and advice from people and the station was, luckily, in pretty good shape from the night before. We were slow, so it was a perfect night to start over there and I did very well. I didn't have any recooks or missed tickets and we got out of work on time (for like, the second time since I've been there). It's great to feel like they have a bit of faith in me even though I don't have any experience in this field. I know I still have so much room to grow, but I'm holding my own so far and that is worth every sore muscle and swollen joint and cut and injury I've gotten so far.

I really felt like calling in yesterday because I was so tired and I'm glad I didn't because I might have missed a chance to prove myself even further. I just hope they keep putting me over there now and then so I can get better and faster and learn even more. I watch middle a lot when I'm there and I'm learning how to make those dishes too so hopefully if they put me there eventually, it wont' be such a stark learning curve.

So things are great here. I am not looking forward to the beginning of November when my girls might all be leaving and I might be staying here alone. It'll be another test to see if I really do love it here or if I just love the whole experience of having Dijon and Alyssa and Chelsey to share it with. But at the end of the day, I'm having the time of my life and I'm happier than I can even put into words.

Oh! And mom and Aunt Pat are coming to visit me at the end of this month!!!! I'm so thrilled, I can't wait to see them. It will be fun to get to show off my restaurant to my family and get to hug my momma's neck. I can't wait.

And even if I do stay out here until February or so, I'll be home for my graduation from Le Cordon Bleu in January, so I'll be planning a night out. I'll keep you all posted, I would love to see everyone.

I'll end it there. I will post a recipe the next time I write, I had too much to update so I don't want to keep blabbering on now. I love you and I'll talk to you soon!

"I always cook with wine. Sometimes I even add it to the food."- W.C. Fields

Happy eating!
Lauren

Easy like every morning..

Good Saturday everyone!

My mornings are definitely my sanctuary and my quiet time. All of us night time girls usually sit around and talk, have breakfast and take naps before work. Sometimes it's just me and Dijon, but I really like the mornings that Alyssa and Chelsey are here too. It's different time spent together than the after work hours where we're all kind of wound up and still going a hundred miles an hour from dinner service.

I meant to write this week when I had days off, but we kept ourselves kind of busy so I never got around to it. We went to the parks for the first time (well, the first time for me since I've been here) and had a blast. It was so fun to go with people that had never experienced it before, I felt like a parent and kept pulling out the map planning where we should go next. It was amazingly fun.

The last couple weeks at work have been wonderful. It still surprises me that I enjoy going to work every day. I'm still on pantry, but I still feel like I learn a little every day and I still really love my job. It's a pretty surreal feeling sometimes, but one that I'm very happy to get used to. My co-workers make me smile daily and getting to know them has been one of the most rewarding parts of my job.

Last night after service, one of my Sous Chefs pulled me aside and told me I'm on the A-list with the front of the house because four different people talked with him about me and how good I'm doing last night. There are nights when you just need to hear things like that and even though I've been having great nights, I've been super sore and it was a really nice encouragement. It's great to get confirmation almost every day that I've chosen the right thing to do with my life.

Oh! Two nights ago he wanted me to make an amuse bouche (it's like a tiny course of a meal that is literally one or two bites and are usually given out as a compliment of the Chef) for a table that was a miniature version of our tomato salad. He told me to 'own it' and I was kind of scared. I mean, I make the tomato salad every day but he wanted me to make it different and make it my own and give him four identical plates. He liked it so much that he took a photo of it and said he is going to put it on our slideshow that runs on a TV in our kitchen. I took a picture with my phone, but it's not the best picture ever....but here you go.


So, as proud moments go, that was a good one.

All in all things have been wonderful. I'm extra sore from my nine hours of walking around the parks on Wednesday, but I'm looking forward to two days off again coming on Monday and Tuesday.

Oh! Wonderful news! My friend Greg is coming to visit me at the end of the month and I couldn't be more thrilled. I can't wait to see him and take him around Florida a little bit.

Anywho, I'll post a recipe this week on my days off. I can't decide if I want to tell you how to make homemade tomato sauce or maybe something else Italian. We'll just see how I feel on Monday. I hope you all enjoy your weekend and I will see you in a couple days!

Fish, to taste right, must swim three times – in water, in butter and in wine. —Polish proverb

Happy eating,
Lauren