Friend of a Foodie!

I always thought being friends with a chef would be so exciting...boy did I have a lot to learn! Oh there's lots of excitement in the chef's kitchen, but it's not all ooh la las and lip smacking over haute de yum yum.

It starts out with shopping, then there's the schlepping....loading and unloading, etc. By the time we got back to her shop from Chicago it was pretty late. Diane had a big party to cater the next day, so needless to say, there wasn't any time to spare and she dove right in...and it was 11pm. So, I offered to help since it didn't seem right to stand around and watch. Really, how hard could it be... I'm a decent cook and my friends like my dishes, right? But, seeing as how I'm a commercial kitchen neophyte, it probably wasn't my wisest choice.

Diane says, "fine, here's some asparagus. I need them all trimmed the same length so they look great on the plate." I swear she gave me a whole bale of asparagus to cut. I have never seen that many rubber banded asparagi in one bundle in my life.

Okay, given my analytical approach to things, I figured I'd use a sharp knife and trim 'em right up. HAH! You try getting 127 spears of asparagus cut in one whack while they're all trying to escape the rubber band! Frankly, I was lucky they didn't all end up on the floor...maybe even luckier that I still have all my fingers. Hmmm, maybe I needed a sharper knife? "Hey, Diane, do you have a knife sharpener?"

Next, she put me in charge of the couscous. Now in my little world, the box shakes out a manageable little 2 cupper.....I had to pull out a calculator to adapt the amounts for this giant saucepan. Okay, I can do this...no problem. Well, so far it's looking good and I'm feeling a little more accomplished; now for a taste. Hmm, I think it needs a little something; salt, mint? "Hey Diane, will you taste this?" I turn to put the spoon in the pot to grab a little taste for her and she screams, "NO!!!! CODE!!!" Oh, my god! I threw my hands up in the air and dropped the spoon on the floor...what the heck did I know? "Geesh, you scared me!" What the hell?? My friends never complained about my germs.

Anyway, that was the beginning of my baptism by fire in the Dinner's Ready kitchen.
I'm getting quite a few lessons hanging around with Diane. And, though I don't think I'll ever be as creative or as good a cook as she is, I'm not hanging up my apron just yet.

Dinner is perfect... when you get home from the emergency room

The rain kept us away from the campground for most of the day. We came home just in time to see the clouds part and make dinner.
Gayle started her amazing five spice chicken stew. It didn’t start out as a stew but wow was it wonderful! While she trimmed the chicken pieces and mixed her spices, I went to gather kindling. She looked up in surprise as I ran towards her chanting, “bar soap and sugar”, repeatedly. After cramming anti-histamines in my mouth, she pounded soap and mixed in sugar to make a paste and draw the 8 stingers out. Yes, as you guessed by now, I am allergic to bee stings. Gayle demanded we abandon dinner and go to the emergency room now, since the campground does not have an emergency EpiPen. I demand that we get the Dutch oven filled with her beautiful assortment of bone-in chicken pieces and vegetables going in the hot coals and then we can go. Yes, Gayle’s dish slow cooks to a tender and buttery conclusion. Ready when you get home from the emergency room. We were ravenous and heartily ate our fabulous meal with chunks of cornbread.

Jane and Jane go camping

So the Jane and Jane team strike again. A camping we go...Diane and Gayle set out for one of those joyous, laid back, easy going camping trips. Yeah right.
We borrow my neighbor's pop up trailer. This is going to be a piece of cake. Well you know that old saying, never say "piece of cake". It only means trouble.
After a 3 hour tutorial, yes 3 hours. Let me tell you, there was a lot to learn and we used every minute of those 3 hours. Thank you Bill & Kathy!
We struggled on location, even with the best directions. Finally 2 men that were sitting with their families enjoying the entertainment during dinner came across the campground and saved the day. We would have figured it out, I'm sure.
The first night dinner was delish. We started with mojitos...aaah. My house rubbed rib eye steaks were amazing... as always! It's really all about the rub. Dinner was made square by a bountiful salad with tons of veggies and mango salad dressing. Yes, that was made scratch as well. Dessert...who had room. The night finished with a roaring fire, even through a consistent drizzle of rain. We kept warm by keeping our chairs snuggled up close to the heat.

In the begining

The company that I work for focuses on service, just as strongly as our gourmet, in-house created products. Things get interesting when you combine high quality goods & services with small business.
Yes, we do a lot of catering on location. A lot of stories come from this diverse arena of work spaces. Hot tiny kitchens, late guests, too many guests, no linens…and many more. These stories make exception cocktail hour entertainment... just ask Gayle! She had an induction by fire!
So I have decided to go full Monty, (if you will) and add my personal stories as well. Topics like, MacGyver moments when camping...the challenging experience of sourcing, cooking and converting in the U.K., and don’t forget my food lovin burglars.
There are many more stories and experiments to come. In fact, the stories get more plentiful every day.