Back in 2007 when I moved here to start a life on land instead of living on a boat, I had no idea what a wonderful place I would move to. I have lived all over the country, and being a young man from the Deep South I have soaked up every kind of personality you can imagine.
Well another busy week is in the books. I have started a new job in Ontario and planning my cooking time has been a bit of a struggle. I was able to make a little mafa chicken and fulfilled a request for a Hawaiian plate lunch as a test for a wonderful young lady who wants this for her graduation party later in May.
Sunday was a full day of cooking. I went to work on the cheesecake. It was just one of those pictures you see, where people are commenting on it, but I wanted to make it.
This past weekend we invited our neighbors over for dinner. Introducing yourself as a cook or chef sometimes has implications on guests coming over for dinner. I am not a person that puts on a show or one that likes a lot of attention on myself. I love cooking for others and hope that I can leave a smile on their face and a good memory of time spent with Sharon and I.
A couple of weeks ago I was trying to help out a local business with ideas for a food to help create a little excitement during the stay at home order.
One afternoon Sharon and I had to go to Nampa to pickup an item. While we were there we called in an order for Hawaiian food from a restaurant located next to Lowes. This gave me the brainchild of maybe reproducing that locally for a restaurant caught up in this crisis.
I often ask myself, am I doing enough to make my life fulfilling? This past weekend I was able to help a friend and someone I had never met before. I helped Carlos at Legends on Main do a fundraiser helping an employee going through a tough medical journey.
I have heard a lot of amazing stories about this lady and how she puts everyone else’s needs ahead of her own. The turnout was great with the help of a very generous donation by John and Trish of Sears Hometown in Ontario.
Last week I was approached about doing meal prep for a friend. I thought why not, I know my way around a kitchen and in a professional kitchen prep is the name of the game.
My sister was on one of those weight loss programs and lost about 85 pounds in a year. She told me the secret is food prep. Prepping your meals for the week so you are not tempted to just surrender to whatever is convenient when you get home from work.
I don’t know about everyone else in the area, but how many seasons does Idaho have in a week? I haven’t really had the bug to cook a whole lot. I called my sister who reminded me that it is Mardi Gras season back home in Louisiana. She was making gumbo this past weekend for the season.
I decided to make the traditional bread for the season on Sunday. I planned on making one of these for the Crab Feed coming up in April as a dessert to be auctioned off, so I thought I should give it a test run.
With a sunny, beautiful weekend under our belts you can feel the first inklings of spring in the air. I noticed I had a couple of my bulbs starting to sprout in the yard and felt the warm sun on my face in the afternoon on Sunday.
Sharon and I took off to Memorial Park to do some training with Groot, my 9-month-old puppy. The wind was a little chilly but we enjoyed the afternoon.
When we got home that evening, I felt like a nice light pasta dish would do the trick for dinner. Now if you have never made pasta from scratch you are in for treat.