Earning my keep

I'm in Key West, Florida for the second annual Food & Wine Festival. My friend Judy and I are here for a glorious 6 nights, escaping what I believe to be the coldest winter in North Carolina history. Judy will be reporting her adventure on the Port City Foodies blog. Her first post was about the dinner, check it out by clicking this link.

Last night we arrived at 5pm and by 7pm I was serving the first of course of a delicious vegan tapas party for the owners and some employees of Bone Island Vacation Rentals. I had prepped the night before and converted my Heys suitcase into a mobile refrigerator. How? With soft sided coolers and LOTS of ice packs. The good thing about vegan ingredients is they travel well...vegetables, cous cous, tempehcans of coconut milk, herbs, etc... You can see my bag in the first picture.

Ken, Connie, John, Amy and HB all enjoyed the meal. Judy and I nibbled in the kitchen as well. The comments ranged from, "It was so much more than I had expected," to "I can't tell you which I like more, they were all so good!" The whole rental team has gone vegan as their new year's resolution. I decided to give them a taste of what vegans should really be eating, instead of plain old rice and vegetables. I also brought a treat from NC, Catdaddy Moonshine. I made daiquiris with mango, lime, ice and the moonshine...finishing them off with some mint...they were a great way to start the party off, and they went really well with the first two courses;)

Here is the Vegan Menu

Course 1

Thai Spring Rolls with Sweet Chili Sauce

(carrots, cucumber, green onion, baby bok choy and Thai basil leaves)

Course 2

Coconut Soup
(straw mushrooms, baby baby bok eggplant, galangal, kaffir lime, Thai basil and cilantro)

After the second course, most of the folks switched to prosecco which went well with...

Course 3

Spinach Salad with Herb Vinaigrette

(tempeh bacon, shaved fennel, red onion and roasted beets)

Course 4

Mediterranean Cous Cous Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

(carrots, onion, zucchini, garlic, cumin, mint and some other seasonings)

Course 5

Tempeh Marinara Sandwiches (simple marinara with fresh oregano and enoki mushrooms on toasted bread)

To finish the meal I made my first vegan 'pastry' if that is what you want to call it. The night before I was pureeing dates and almond paste, struggling to get a balance of flavor and texture. I added tofu, cinnamon, nutmeg and other flavors and the final result was really very satisfying.

Course 6

Date & Almond Tarts

(pureed dates and almond paste with tofu, vanilla and maple syrup in a graham cracker crust, topped with slivered almonds and marshmallow sauce)


The dinner ended with Judy and I sitting down with everyone...chatting about cooking shows, cooking for celebrities, how I transported all of the ingredients in a refrigerated suitcase. The house-adorable, the kitchen-lacked much counterspace, but it was still a great space. I especially liked the cutting board table and the perfectly white dinnerware...makes for a clean blank canvis for the food. Sometimes the energy of a kitchen makes up for it's lack of counter space and a ceramic top range.

I'd say the meal was worth it for everyone. I say this because Ken and Connie, the owners of the rental company were thrilled with their meal...and Judy and I are thrilled with our trade...accommodations. I just love a win-win situation. Yes, that's right, we are staying here for 6 nights in exchange for that delicious meal. How's that for a good deal!

In the end, I think I may be onto something...cooking a meal in exchange for a place to stay. I could take this show on the road for sure. Grilled lamb in Greece, puttanesca in Campania...

Julie & Julia

I'm watching my oh so beloved movie Julie & Julia...and of course, I've shortened the length of the movie considerably by watching the Julia parts only. Tonight I watched all of the extra bonus features before starting the movie and shed a tear once again during the heartfelt moment Julia's neice talks about her last day...to be that loved.

Julia Child inspired me to cook before I even knew who she really was...I had no idea as a preschooler the woman I was impersonating (while playing with my play-doh) a woman who the entire world knew. I only knew her from a PBS show we could capture with our rooftop antenna. Sitting alone in front of the tv, in our living room, I was mesmerized by her size, her voice, her zest for life, the strange foods she fondled, carved, sauteed, peeled, sliced and diced. It was such a revelation...and I couldn't even read a cookbook, yet.

Around the age of 12 my mother announced she was in possession of a cassette tape I had made in my bedroom, on one of those little rectangle single cassette recorders with the record button you had to press along with 'play' to get it to record. Well, it was of me, when I was 4 or 5, playing with play-doh and impersonating Julia Child. As a young girl I was terrified this tape would cause hours of humiliation, so I taped over it...to this day it is one of the biggest mistakes I think I've ever made. Not that it was worth money, but the idea I could hear myself, as a little girl, full of gumption and a talent for impersonating people, trying to emulate a woman who still is such a source of inspiration...anyway, it makes me miss Julia even more when I watch the movie...it inevitably leads me to think of that recording. It reminds me of how long she has been in my life.

Thanks Julia for opening my eyes to the world of food, thank you for teaching me, entertaining me, keeping me company and telling me to be fearless in the face of uncertainty. You may ask,"did she really do all of that?" My answer, "ask anyone who has seen me cook."

The Gears for Grooving on Drumset - by Bill Stuhlly Brennenstuhl - 22184 | Mel Bay Publications, Inc.

Wanna learn drums from one of the best? Have a kid who needs some direction? This is a great book to help you learn! Check it out:)

The Gears for Grooving on Drumset - by Bill Stuhlly Brennenstuhl - 22184 Mel Bay Publications, Inc.

Walmart and Anger Management

Okay people, I have a gripe. Not even so much a gripe, I need to vent, rant, whatever you call getting this off my chest so I can go back to being as zen as possible. After all, I paid good money to a shrink a few years back to help me with my anger management skills and I am trying to put them to good use.

I must have taken 10-40 deep breaths while I was standing in line at Wally World this afternoon. Let me break it down into detailed gripes so you can all appreciate the shear annoyance I was feeling....

Gripe #1. The screaming kid. Many parents don't seem to think is their problem. Somehow they manage to zone out their kids and expect the rest of the world to just understand their kid is having a bad moment. I can give you a moment, but 15 minutes?! I found myself trapped between a slow loader (you know the person who makes a career out of putting their crap on the counter) and the woman who clearly has 'tuning out' down to a science. Her little girl cried, sobbed and screamed at the top of her lungs for the 15 minutes of torture I experienced in the 20 Items or Less aisle.

Gripe #2. The budger. I was called by a cashier who was opening her lane (hoorah!) to "come over her baby, I gotcha" and as I was backing my cart from the aisle (thinking it was my lucky day) a man with a cart load of soda and canned ravioli whizzed by, cut me off and jumped into the pole position. Smile gone from my face, I frown and I think to myself "Ah hem, excuse e moi." I don't say anything because I felt a little guilty for not yanking my cart from one aisle and announcing to anyone nearby who eyed 'my' spot that I was headed that way, because lets face it, that is what you have to do in Walmart to stay alive.

Gripe #3. Twenty items is 20 items. Here is what the guy had in his cart; (or buggy as Southerners say) 3 cases of soda, 10 liters of soda and 18 cans of Chef Boyardee products. Now, I understand slipping the few extra items onto the counter, cuz who hasn't done that, but dude, seriously we're passed 31 items and just because a few of them are cases doesn't make it okay. Even worse, he knew the cashier and they had some business to talk about...which of course, anyone who knows me should laugh right now because you know I am doing some AUDIBLE deep breathing and exhaling to give these two people a friggin' clue. I don't care if you know each other, 20 items IS 20 items.

Gripe #4. Glacial Bagger. Ahhh, my favorite. If the screaming child in the next row over isn't enough, the guy with the 31 items (and yes of course he had to pay with half cash and then put the other half on a credit card) is having a conversation with the cashier about so and so having so and so and blah blah blah...now it's time for the cashier to bag all of those cans...three per plastic bag of course. While they continue to discuss so and so she clearly cannot multi-task and has to pause to look at the guy and talk, then she can drop a can into a bag. Round and round the carousel goes and there stands Mr. budge in line-faux diamond bluetooth wearing-two payments to complete the transaction-oblivious to anyone behind him. He takes his sweet old time filling his cart with all of these bags, says his goodbyes to the cashier and shoves off.

Finally, I check out with my 19 items (in 7 bags of course) and cross towards the door when the lady with the screaming kid cuts me off. I smile at her and the look on my face says it all, "You tried to break me and you all failed!" I feel a sudden sense of empowerment, I didn't totally lose my mind, I managed to remain polite to the cashier and I didn't scowl and the lady with the kid.

Now I have written all of this, I'm no longer angry or annoyed...I've had my say, it's off my chest and now I'm ready for a glass of wine;)

Eek, has it been that long?!

I'm back. It's hard to explain my absense, other than, I just got distracted....maybe it was my bustling cafeworld activity on facebook or maybe the fact I had the busiest year so far with my personal chef business. Hmmm, maybe I just figured people aren't reading so why waste my time...Well, no longer. I started a facebook fan page for my personal chef business Eaton at Home and now I've been pushed by several people to just start writing about my experiences. I love to tell stories, but that just means the people who are in the room with me get to have the laugh, why not share it with friends, family and fans all over the world?

Okay, there is the humble side of me that says, "no one really cares about your life Lori." Then I think, my stories are generally about the people I meet and the places I've been, I'm just the witness who gets to share the experience with everyone I know. So, there you have it...let the stories begin and the good times roll....

Help bring Trader Joe's to Wilmington, NC

I just created a petition and hope everyone in Pender, New Hanover and Brunswick counties will sign it and support a Trader Joe's to Wilmington, NC.

My single voice isn't enough, but if I get a lot of other people to shout with me, maybe we can get their attention and bug them enough to consider us as a location! There have been many rumors a store may open here, but I cannot get them to confirm or deny at the corporate level...

So, let's give this petition a try! Petition to bring Trader Joe's to Wilmington, NC

Thanks,
Lori

Grilled+Steak+with+Balsamic+Teriyaki+Sauce+%7C+Good+Bite

Grilled+Steak+with+Balsamic+Teriyaki+Sauce+%7C+Good+Bite