Summer time, and the living is Easy...

Hi Folks! Hope your summer is off to a great start. I know it is not "officially" summer quite yet, but let's face it. Summer Really officially starts once school is out and vacationing for millions begins. School is in session for me and no vacation in sight, but hopefully, I will feel the sand between my toes in August when the summer school session ends.

Beach baby from day one!

It has been way too long since I had my feet in the ocean and the sea breeze in my face. It has been part of my soul since I was very small, as you can see in the photo above. Right at home! For the next couple of months, the focus is on school, catering, my fur babies, and hopefully building the catering business. My friend, Josh, and I love working together on events, and we do a pretty amazing job! Please keep us in mind for any events, large or small, that you or your friends might have coming up!

International Cuisine Class!!! Wow. We are having the most fabulous time and creating some delicious and beautiful dishes. Who would have guessed that Ethiopian food could be so full of flavor and fun to eat! I have always loved eating with my fingers!

Injera - The bread, the spoon, and the fork

Injera covered with Delicious, Ethiopian Food!

We have also made Greek food, Indian food, and Thai dishes. Who would Not love this?

Spanakopita

Mulligatawny Soup

This is just a sampling of what I am doing with my summer so far! I am happy to share any of these recipes with any of you! Just post a comment and a request! I am planning on posting some soon, but for now, it is time for me and the menagerie to turn in! Happy Weekend to all of you! Thanks for checking in!

Cooking, Catering, and Certification

Friends, it has been busy around here! It has been 6 months since I last sat down to share some of the happenings and goings on around here. I cannot believe how much time has passed and how much has happened in the past few months. If you have a few moments, I will try to touch on some highlights and share a few photos. So glad to have you back with Muffin and me! We have been busy!

Folks, I am finally certified in Culinary Arts! After wanting to do this since I was 19, I cannot believe I am finally on my way. First year all over and done, and if I may humbly toot my own horn to say that making the Dean's List both of those first semesters makes me giddy and proud. I guess this old brain works sometimes after all. No way can I do this by myself, so let me please thank God, all of my awesome friends, family and the amazing staff of Chef's at Nashville State Community College, for nudging me and challenging me. It has been an amazing ride and it is far from being over yet!

At Generous Helpings Event for Second Harvest Food Bank (yes...these events make me happy)

Interning with the Culinary Program and following Chef Tom around campus and Nashville on shopping trips and errands for the program was great fun! The only frustration with it would be that I love to browse in "foodie" places and that was hard to do. He is a Very fast shopper. Me? Not so much. My eyes will zoom in on something new or yummy and I go into a "zone". The reality of the wallet full of butterflies brings me quickly back to reality fairly quickly, but a girl can dream, right? There is a marvelous new place in Nashville called, Restaurant Depot. The first time a foodie or enthusiastic culinary student like myself walks through those doors, it is a jaw dropping experience. Happy, happy, place! I could write an entire blog about the joys of Depot shopping, but I will resist the temptation. 

I was surprised and blessed by an article about my culinary journey being published in The Tennessean, our newspaper. How about that? Of course, the fact that I had to get old to have this recognition is not lost on me. But that does not take away from the gratitude for it all. It was pretty cool!


http://www.tennessean.com/print/article/20120513/WILLIAMSON01/305130016/Culinary-school-lays-path-second-career


Catering opportunities are coming up here and there over the summer and so are internships. With the cupboard being bare and the wallet being empty, this is a Good thing! One internship was a short-lived one at a Vegan kitchen and now a new one at a fabulous local bread kitchen, Purebread Bakery. The latter is more up my alley, so things do work out as they should. As focused as I am on trying to eat as healthy as I can as often as I can and eating organic as much as possible, I do love making decadent treats and tasty starches and proteins. I am happy to have learned about a new cuisine, but now I am back to the stuff that makes hungry people Oooh and Ahhh! It is going to be an interesting and busy summer! I had the opportunity to cater a private dinner at an amazing home last weekend and fly solo. I was very nervous, but had a fabulous time. When you are working for fabulously nice people in a setting that takes your breath away, how can it can wrong? Well, it certainly could have if the food didn't turn out, but I think it was all pretty good. It was awesome! Take a look at this view!

Now take a look at the Lime Mousse Cake and the Hungarian Cherry Soup. I was happy to see them get eaten up!

I guess it is time to get some sleep. Meeting my study buddy and amazing "Chef To Be" friend, Joshua Christmas, tomorrow morning at The Depot to shop for amazing food for an event I am assisting him with. Remember "The Roasted Lime". This is Josh's business and he is rocking this deal! Until next time, Eat some tasty food and please keep reading. You folks make it all worthwhile and keep me going! TGIF!