Crazy few days....

It's been a whirlwind of a few days..

• Served our Italian feast to 79 guests - 49 on Friday night and 30 on Saturday. Very fun - went off without a hitch!
• In between baking 22 baguettes, and 9 chocolate cakes, and 8 huge trays of lasagna for the dinners, I was also trying to clean up my workshop for an expose on my crafting. YEP. Same weekend.
• Saturday after the final meal, we celebrated our friend,s birthday - which meant no cleanup time until Sunday.
• Sunday started out with the highly emotional final service from our Pastor, who has left to take another call. Then washing all the dishes from Saturday's catering, and THEN the photographer for the expose came over to photo me in my craft workshop.
• Today was the interview for the expose, so I finished putting away all of the catering supplies and got my house back to normal before she showed up.

So in four days - I've cooked for and served 79 people, had a photo shoot and interview, and said goodbye to an amazing couple who I will miss dearly.

I think I'm going to make a pot of coffee, put my feet up, and read. 

Yeah - that sounds like a good way to spend a Monday!

Dinner theater night one = SUCCESS!

A sit down Italian Feast for 52 wonderful patrons was a SUCCESS! Plenty of food, hot where it needed to be hot - cold where it needed to be cold - and many, many, many compliments and requests for recipes!

It's been a whirlwind week doing this. Something I've not done before. But I wouldn't think twice about doing it again, if I'm asked. Too much fun, planning, shopping, baking, baking, cooking, baking, baking.... you get the idea.

Jotted down a couple of notes for tomorrow night's dinner, will gather my notes tonight, write up a shopping list, and plan for tomorrow. Need to bake a few batches of baguettes, three cakes, and of course three pans of lasagna.

All in all, an extremely successful day. Had GREAT help from a dear friend, who offered out of nowhere. Couldn't have done it without her. And we had SO much fun. Need to think of some fun way to thank her!

So the thought of a commercial kitchen is still in my head. This was a good taste. Actually had someone state they'd keep me in mind if they are having a big party! It would be amazing to be able to turn this into a career. Doing something I LOVE. mmm. there is a thought!

Well, it's late, and I've got a LOT to do tomorrow. Sunday will be a welcome rest. But tonight, I go to bed, with dreams of our Italian dinner tonight. A good, good night.

My Under the Tuscan Sun moment....

I am a hopeless romantic....

Under The Tuscan Sun is one of my all time movies. The main character is a writer. After a sudden divorce, her friends send her on a long vacation to Tuscany. While there, she falls hopelessly in love with a dilapidated Tuscan estate, and buys it. She hires a Polish family to fix up the house, who becomes like family to her. Additionally, she befriends her real estate agent and family, as well as an eccentric American woman who teaches her to embrace life.

My favorite scene in the movie is a dinner scene. After living in the home, through all of the renovations, there comes a time when she hosts a big family dinner for all of her Tuscan friends, filling her big, empty home, with the sounds of family. I love that scene.

Last night I had an amazing group of ladies from my church over, for an Italian feast, as we bid farewell to our Pastor's wife, moving to with Pastor to his new calling. These ladies are all like sisters and mothers to me, and I love them so dearly. So I cooked all day - preparing homemade baguettes, poppyseed brocolli salad, lasagna, and chocolate cake. I set the table with linens, got down the wine glasses, and let the night begin.

For hours, we sat and laughed, shared stories, and cried. It was the perfect night.

I realized that there are few things I enjoy more than cooking for, and enjoying a wonderful dinner with, good friends and family. What a wonderful Blessing to surround yourself with people you love, and who love you,

I think that another of my resolutions for 2013 is to have many, many more Under the Tuscan Sun moments....

CRAZY cooking....

So I cannot say no.
All of my family and friends know this. And yell at me about it.

but I just cannot say no

especially for a good cause...

So when I was approached to make the meal for our high school's dinner theater, what ELSE could be my answer?

So in two days I will be cooking a sit-down Italian dinner consisting of homemade baguette, house salad, lasagna, and buttermilk chocolate cake. On Friday - for approximately 55, and some also on Saturday (not nearly as many as Friday).

YEAH.

It hit me yesterday - just how many pans of lasagna, baguettes, and pans of cake this means. WOWZA.

Today is my dry run - a test run - that I am treating to the guinea pigs otherwise known as my family and Bible Study group.

While I only made 2 baguettes and one cake and salad, I did decide to brown all of the meat today (18 lbs!).

What does it take to make an Italian feast for say... 65? let's start with....
10 pounds of ground beef
8 pounds of pork sausage
15 pounds of marinara
10 boxes of lasagna noodles
80 cups of mozzarella cheese
8 lbs of cottage cheese
3 dozen eggs
5 lbs of flour
4 lbs of sugar
1 lb. of cocoa
4 lbs. of powdered sugar
a LOT of lettuce
6 bottles of dressing
2 jars of pepperocini
2 cans of olives
5 bags of croutons
plates, silverware, napkins, cups
12 aluminum pans

And I do have more to buy. But this is the bulk of it.

I'm taking pictures of course - there will be a final blog of this whole amazing process. It's been a BLAST so far. But the next two days are gonna be CRAZY cooking days..... bon appetit!

writing...writing...writing

So inspired this week. I've had so many little God moments that are putting my goals, hopes, and aspirations, into my mind. It's been over a year since my life change - and certainly I've not done anything amazing. But in the last year I've begun to listen to my heart, and to who I am. I am continuing to mold and develop my goals and hopes. So don't give up on me yet!

One of the "dreams" on my heart involves my writing. And I've seen opportunities for using it. And my heart continues to grow. And I'm dedicating time to it.

So here's my pitch.

Just throwing out a little note. Don't ever give up on yourself.

A ho-hum life? I love it!

I'm not one of those people who "dreams" big, for the most part. I didn't grow up as a little girl dreaming of her wedding. I didn't go to college dreaming of a fantastic career. My life has been a crooked path, but one that has led me to the most beautiful place....

I guess I'm more of a person who lives in the moment. Taking what life throws at you, and making the best of it. Maybe that's just my Faith showing through. Knowing that God is in control.

Today has been a wonderful day...a "normal" day, one we don't often see around our household. After church and Sunday school, I was able to do some laundry, change the bedding, clean out the fireplace, put away dishes, and watch a little football.

I've got some chicken thawing for lunch.. planning on making rice pilaf, roasted sweet potatoes, and baked cauliflower poppers. Ken won't be home until 3:30 from work, so I'll make an early dinner around 5.

Got to chat with Allie - off away at college - online today. And I love that she sent me a link to a chocolate cake that I can possibly use for a dinner I'm catering on Friday and Saturday. It's always fun to have such adult conversations with her.

I finished knittng her a scarf this week, so I'll prepare a box of goodies to send to her too - to start off her new semester. I love that she appreciates when I can do something like knit her a scarf. There is just something about being able to provide for your family.

So while my ho-hum life may not be the dream for some, it is the most amazing life to me. I am so Blessed by everything around me.

Goals

Hefty title, yes?

GOALS.

goals.

per Wikipedia: A goal is a desired result an animal or a system envisions, plans, and commits to achieve.

We all have them. Call them what you will.

bucket list, goals, resolutions....

Some are small, attainable goals. Goals to live the life we should already be living. Eating better, drinking enough water, exercising, etc. Periodically we take time to reassess our lives, and refresh.

Others are maybe unspoken. Goals in our hearts. Personal goals that the world doesn't need to know. Goals that push us every day in our actions, and in our choices.

But the thing with goals, at least for me, is that I need them in front of me. Not hidden, but visible. everywhere. or I forget. Tonight a dear friend gave me a nudge on my writing. That I hadn't been writing. Not even knowing that writing daily is a personal goal I set for myself. And the problem is, it's a personal goal I've not shared with a lot of people. It's not on a list of resolutions. So out of site, out of mind.

So whatever your goals, resolutions, or bucket list....

Take time every day.  Do something for yourself. We set goals to better ourselves. We owe it to ourselves.