Teaching and Serving

I started teaching at North Seattle Community College on January 4th, and my life has taken off! I am teaching a basic health course to 35 college students! Yah, somebody thinks I know something about basic health and thinks I can give advice to college kids. It's a great opportunity, and it takes lots of my time!

I ride the bus from downtown Seattle to NSCC each day, and I really have been enjoying the ride. I don't have to worry about merging traffic, accidents or crazy pedestrians. I just jump on the bus and get off 45 minutes later. Now, do note that it does take 30-45 minutes, depending on the passengers and number of stops, so it takes planning. The same drive, which is only 6 miles, takes about 15 minutes if I were to drive. However, since we live downtown, we park our car in a lot that's not very close to our house -- about 8 minutes away. Then, parking takes another 5 minutes, if you're lucky. I won't pay for a quarter-long parking permit, so I try to park further from campus. It takes about 5 minutes to walk from one of the parking spots on the street across from the campus. So, all said, it takes about 24 minutes to drive myself to campus. It's worth riding a bus and getting a front-row drop off. I've thought a few times how funny (and so inconvenient) it would be if I were to drive to NSCC and then get on the bus later, leaving my car at campus.

Because the position opened up at NSCC, at least for the quarter, I do not work at Seastar Restaurant and Bar, the seafood restaurant I was at. I had been learning quite a bit from them, but one thing I learned for sure is that I don't care for losing out on all my weekend nights. I also have learned how essential each position is in the restaurant, regardless of how glamours or lowly. Truly. the serving assistants, the ladies and guys who clear tables, drop off plates, and deliver bread and butter, are the busiest people in the house. Okay, if you're a server, you'll probably disagree with me. But can you imagine trying to do all of this alone?

I have learned some good lessons from working in a restaurant. Here they are. Of course, if you're in the industry, then you'll probably have some suggestions. Feel free to comment.

1. Tip well, especially if the serving staff deserved it. They are often paid minimum wage and expect to make up the difference in tips. If the server is really biffing on the job, talk to a manager privately. He or she could make it right.
2. Make a reservation. It really doesn't matter if you think it will be busy tonight -- make one anyway.
3. Give your hostess information, like if you're celebrating something special, so she can take care of your table (sometimes a dessert can be given to you -wink wink)
4. Make eye contact with staff, the serving staff, the bar staff, the assistance, and the bussers - it's basic human respect. Even though they're members of the service industry, they're not servants.
5. Don't close the restaurant -- don't be the last table that hangs out one to two hours past the last seating. The servers, while they're glad you decided to dine there, do not want to stay for an extra two hours while you and your friends enjoy themselves. They still have to clean up the restaurant and all.
6. Be sure the restaurant is appropriate for the guests - if you want to dine at a nice restaurant, then leave the kids with the grandparents. Or, if you have kids, then go to a restaurant where the other guests won't be disturbed by kids. Restaurants want all diners to have a good experience, and sometimes other guests can ruin the experience for them. Don't be that guest.
7. If you do bring kid, bring food for them, because they'll probably get incredibly hungry before the food comes out. And clean up the food that falls on the floor (if it's food you brought with for the kids). There's nothing worse than cleaning up crushed Cheerios, and it's even worse when it's at your restaurant after the patrons have left.
8. If you have food allergies, let the chef know. He or she can probably whip up a great dish for you with some advance notice. When you make the reservation, see if you can plan that in.
9. Tip well, even if the servers don't deserve it. Okay, not 25%, but at least 10%. Many restaurants split the tips with the rest of the staff, so the whole team feels the effects.

The thing about being busy is that I don't have time to cook and prepare meals the same way that I have in the past. When we were in Pueblo, we had joined Country Roots Farm, a CSA, and I did a lot of cooking and preparation from scratch. But now, I usually get home in the late afternoon, and sometimes Josh is at work. The inspiration to make dinner is almost absent when he's absent. I have been eating a lot cereal lately.

Fortunately, Day by Day Gourmet makes simple meals that come together quite quickly. So, when we are home together, and I am not in the mood to go all out for dinner (or I lack the groceries), I can thaw one of those meals or cook one from frozen. Specific items were created that can be prepared from frozen if you didn't think of thawing a meal 24 hours in advance. I made Milano Risotto last night. It was easy to make, thank goodness! The great thing about the meals - and I'm biased here - is that the meals are nutritionally balanced. They are created to be around 500 calories, have 2-3 servings of vegetables, restrict sodium, and control fat. So, at least I can give my husband a decent meal that is good for him and that tastes good.



Now that I don't have the restaurant, our schedules line up a little better. There are still nights that he works, and I resort to eating cereal again. But...I am cooking a little more. We wandered down to the Market and picked up some salmon the other day. I had been thinking of a roasted salmon filet with a balsamic vinegar reduction. So, Josh loyally trekked to the Pike Market with me and helped me pick up a salmon filet at Jack's Fish Spot.

I found a good recipe online, and I made some modifications. Check the next post for the recipe.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Laura Hunter who won the drawing for the Paula Deen Cookware! Laura, your baking pan is on its way!

Merry Christmas!

Pear Bars in Paula Deen Cookware

If you are a little tired of pumpkin pies, and it's not even Christmas, then consider this nice little treat. It is still nice and wintry, but it won't make you resent the pumpkin! I've also heard that pumpkin is in short supply, so relieve the shippers and switch to another in-season product. Its unique moisture and flavor will make it a hit!

Bake the bars in a 9" square stoneware baker (which you can win! see below) or double the recipe and put it into a 9x13" baking pan.

Pear Bars

¼ cup Butter, melted (1/2 stick)

½ c Sugar

1 Egg, beaten

½ t Vanilla extract

½ c Pear Puree baby food

1/2 cup Milk, 1% or almond milk

2 cups Pamela’s Gluten-Free Baking Mix (has baking soda) (or use 2 cups favorite gluten-free flour mix and 1 1/2 tsp baking powder)

scant ¼ tsp Salt

1 cup Butterscotch pieces

1 Bartlett Pear

1/2 cup Lemon-lime soda pop

1 bottle Caramel sauce, warmed slightly (one with a squeeze top is convenient)

Using a stand mixer and flat beater attachement, beat the sugar and butter together until creamy. Stir in the pear puree, milk, egg, vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in the flour and salt thoroughly. Dough will be stiff. Fold in the butterscotch pieces. Pour into a 9" greased stoneware baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Cool before cutting.

Thinly slice the pear, and dip slices into soda pop to prevent from browning.

Place one bar on a dessert plate. Lay three slices of pear next to it. Drizzle caramel sauce over the top for a sweet garnish.

Merry Christmas, my friends!

~~~

Stoneware is one of the easiest items to bake in, and a 9" stoneware baking pan is a versatile item that easily fits into even well-stocked kitchens. The Paula Deen Cookware collection is both functional and beautiful, and the stoneware is especially handy. The benefit of cooking with stoneware is that the browning of the crust is more even, because heat is distributed throughout the surface of the pan.

Reader, you have the unique opportunity to win this stoneware pan for Christmas! You can also check out other great Paula Deen Cookware items by clicking on the picture below.

Cookware.com has allowed me to offer the stoneware pan to one of my readers! The winner will be chosen at random, based on those who comment on this post. Let me know what your favorite baked Christmas dessert is, and I will select a random reader from the response.

Happy Holidays!

Food has Moved!

New Blog site! I am starting a new food blog, so we can have our family food experience and my professional food experience in two places. Check it out! Click on the title.

www.peasonmoss.blogspot.com

What's with Peas on Moss? You'll have to read my other blog page!!

Thanksgiving in the Northwest

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and I am just getting to write my recipes down. I had posted in the beginning of the month, but the post landed below the post about the state fair (technology...)

This year, we gathered at Joshua's parents' home with his brother, Matt, and wife, Brittany; Brittany's brother and kids; Aunt Marilyn, and Grandpa Owen. We all contributed different dishes, but I forgot to photograph those, so you just have to look at mine.

I discovered a well-stocked grocery store in Mill Creek called Central Market. There are only a few locations for this store, and Kassi, my coworker, got me hooked on this one. They have a multi-aisle Asian Food section, including a sushi bar, a wine and sparkling drinks section, a large bulk bin section, and a large self-serve deli that even has Indian items. They even sell Paneer cheese, which is an Indian cheese that is cooked into a spinach dish. They also have a demonstration kitchen in the center of the market, near the fish and meat counters, and they were featuring holiday recipes, including gluten-free pies, gluten-free gravy, and gluten-free wild rice stuffing. Naturally, I picked up all of those recipes.

So this year, I used the Central Market recipes to inspire my creations. I have been getting adjusted to my mini-stove (really, I think it's 4 inches skinnier than "normal" stoves), and I bought a smaller sized Pampered Chef Stoneware Bar Pan (Thanks Diana!) that fits perfectly in the oven.

I volunteered to make the dressing/stuffing because Joshua is gluten-free, and it gives me the opportunity to experiment with different recipes. When we lived in Texas, I was introduced to cornbread dressing by the Longhorn Dining Facility's kitchen staff, and I haven't looked back. But I have changed it every year. It's quite easy to make a gluten-free cornbread using Pamela's Baking Mix (sold in bulk at Manna Mills, a natural food store off N. 220th). The recipe can be found on Pamela's website (www.pamelasproducts.com). I essentially make a sweet cornbread two days in advance and cut it into 1/2 inch squares and pile it on a baking sheet and leave it in my oven to dry out. Then I put the dressing together in the morning on Thursday. It came together quickly, because I had done my shopping and chopping (hey that rhymes!) earlier and spaced it out over several days for less than an hour per day, usually alongside something I was cutting for dinner anyway. You'll notice that there is chicken sausage in the dressing to give it a meatier flavor, but it can be omitted.

Cornbread Dressing

2 tablespoons butter

4 stalks of celery (1 cup), chopped finely

1 medium yellow onion (1 1/2 cup), diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 pound chicken sausage, browned and diced

1/2 cup sauteed mushroom pieces

1 tablespoon dried sage, rubbed or ground

8 cups day-old cornbread cubes

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups chicken stock

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

1 granny smith apple, diced finely

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 2 9x13 inch baking pans (or use 1 oven-safe slow-cooker pot and one baking pan). Saute the celery, onion, carrots, sausage, and mushrooms in the butter over medium high heat in an extra large pot. Stir and continue sauteeing until onions are translucent and slightly sweet. Stir in the cornbread cubes. Combine the eggs, salt, pepper, and chicken stock. Pour over dressing. Stir in pecans and apple. Divide evenly into the prepared pans. Bake for 40 minutes or until cooked through (internal temperature of 165 degrees). Moisten with additional chicken stock, if needed.

On Black Friday, I had the chance to go downtown (which is 5 blocks from us) and watch the Downtown Parade. I also wandered into Nordstrom and a few other stores; there were only a few people scooping up the great deals (see pictures of streaming people). Sadly, Joshua had to work and missed the shopping. After his work, we went to the Westlake Center and watched the tree lighting, Macy's star lighting and fireworks. The Men's Chorale, Women's Chorale, and Girl's Chorale performed some pieces, and two other groups - Straight No Chasers and the cast from White Christmas - performed some signature songs as well. Then we had Jacalyn and Brandon over for dinner. Such fun. And, to answer your question, we had Spaghetti Bolognese, not turkey.

One thing that I find to be an especially Northwestern habit is the consumption of coffee. I definitely enjoy my coffee as often as I can, and I find there's a constant thought repeating in my head, whispering, "You feel like a Pumpkin Spice Latte." The cravings are almost daily.

Whenever I'm walking around downtown I count the paper coffee cups around. I would bet that every 5th person I walk past is carrying a latter, and it's almost always Starbucks. I also read with interest the articles written about finding the best coffee in town. There are dozens and dozens of "good" coffee shops, not including the ones whose coffee didn't get rated. We're not even scratching the surface of the numbers of different, independent coffee shops around.

The parade was no different; coffee business did well that day. I noticed this family man bringing much-needed necessities to his family at the parade. After the parade finished, I noticed that the trash bins also had a dose of coffee (cups) to keep them warm on the cold but sunny and dry winter day. I promise you, this picture is exactly how the trash bin looked.

Happy Thanksgiving friends! Looking forward to a great Christmas holiday season!