Unexpected Generosity

The holiday season brings some of the oddest situations and guests, and the cheapest and the most generous tippers to the restaurant. Last year, on Christmas Eve, I had a woman tell me she was ready to kill herself or her entire family because they were driving her crazy. She said this in front of her family. It was awkward, to say the least. Then, we served raw chicken fingers to her kids. *sigh*

That's the other thing about the holiday season. The restaurant undergoes such a huge influx of customers, usually all at the same time in big waves, that it definitely puts strain on the kitchen. I would say that they do a great job 99% of the time during the entirety of the year, but during the holidays, things start to fall through the cracks. Trust me, they still to a great job, but you start to see about 4% more issues.

The other day these two poor ladies got steak that was rare when they asked for medium and a meatball that was cold. The first time, they were upset, the second time they were just about livid.

ACTUALLY, A VERY NICE LADY: Look, I know you're busy and have all of these big groups come in, but to have a raw steak and a cold meatball is just ridiculous!
ME: You're right, that's unacceptable.
LADY: Now, I can take this meatball home and re-heat it, but...
ME: No, ma'am, please, can I take it back to the kitchen so the chef can see it? He really should know when something isn't right, and I'll have them bring you something better.

The very nice lady continues to huff and puff, and in about two minutes I bring her two piping hot meatballs. Luckily, these are much better and she's pleased that she gets an extra one to take home. Our executive chef brought out the steak himself and apologized profusely. The ladies were charmed. We took off the meatballs and the steak and the very nice lady who had done all that huffing and puffing actually left me $30. On a bill that was only about $30.

On Friday, I was stuck in a shit section for lunch. Four tables (no booths) in an area nobody wants to sit in. Every other server had 5+ tables.... for some reason, I got screwed. Normally, I get great sections, but... c'est la vie. On top of this, I had three of my tables reserved for a party that was due to come in at 12:30 PM. So I spent the first hour of my shift twiddling my thumbs, folding napkins, and helping other servers. For my entire seven and a half hour shift, I only had one party of 13 and a 3 top. That's it. Once the party was done at 3:30 PM, management would not let me leave! Even though the entire restaurant completely died, I was held prisoner until the dinner crew came on. Here's what I accomplished:

• folded 250 napkins
• swept the entire restaurant
• refilled all of the oil and vinegar containers
• lit all the candles
• restocked/zoned just about every area of the place. 

Why they complain about labor costs and then do things like that is beyond me.

On the bright side, for having only two tables, I did leave the restaurant with $85, some chocolate, and a hand-blown glass sea turtle ornament. One of the guys at my party was showing his co-worker a gorgeous glass sea turtle ornament he had made. I commented on how pretty it was, how impressed I was that he had made it, and that I sort of had a "thing" for turtles. At the end of their meal, our maitre^d came up to me and said "Merry Christmas." The guy gave me the ornament! Luckily, he was still there, so I was able to thank him profusely, and he told me about the gallery he represents. The group also left me a little wrapped chocolate because "I probably don't get 'treated' very often."

*sniffle*

Excuse me while I wipe away a couple tears, alright?

French Happy Hours and Decorating

Last night, I spoiled myself. I went to The Grove and finished my Christmas shopping. Since I had a package at the UPS warehouse that I couldn't pick up until 8:30 PM, I killed time at Monsieur Marcel (a little Frenchophile shop and bistro). It's the neatest/cutest little place in the middle of the Farmers Market and I was lucky enough to discover their Happy Hour with 1/2 off wines and cheap-o appetizers. I had some mozzarella/ricotta croquettes and a bowl of lentil soup. The soup sort of broke my rule of not eating things at restaurants that I can easily make at home, but it was really, really good.

My favorite part, though, were the free olives given with the bread. Yum. I'm sure I had about 20x the normal amount of saturated fat one should eat in a day.

At home, I finished putting up the lights and ornaments. LP says I like to decorate like a Who from Whoville and when he gets back from San Francisco, he'll probably re-do it. But I'm OK with it just the way it is!

Do I mind the mixing of white lights on our garland with the colored lights on the window? ABSOLUTELY NOT! We also have a poinsettia and a mini fake tree with photos of LP's family on the ornaments. It's very cute and so sweet. Oh, and that's Bruce the Penguin. He hangs out year round in the living room. He just puts his hood up for the holidays.  

Our tree is a real one! I'm loving the smell. We might get a fake one some day, but the only decent ones were way too huge for our place. Since the tree is only about 3.5 feet tall, I put it on top of a big cardboard box. More room for presents! :-)

Sorry, Obama, you'll have to hang out behind the tree this Christmas. And if you're wondering who that is hanging out at the base of the tree, that's Puck. He's LP's love child, created for our indie production that's currently in post. We found Puck a tiny little wicker chair at IKEA this summer so he can hang out in the living room with us.

I'm really enjoying making the apartment a bit more homey this season.  Even if it's in our own tacky little way. Someday, I'll figure out how to use my mom's old camera better so I can use something other than my cell phone!

Tonight, I baby-sat my niece so that my brother and SIL could enjoy a night out. Watching an 8 month old is pretty easy when they go to bed so early. Read a few stories, give her a change, and nighty-night! She was SO CUTE! Also cute? Her "brother" Spike who was all curled up in his bed!

Working 8 days a week

I was so cozy at intelligentsia, I didn't want to leave!

Well, that's what it feels like during the holiday season at the restaurant. Last week I worked 9 days straight. By the seventh day I was desperately trying to give my shifts away. I had just enough time before my shift to grab coffee with a friend, and I was having such a nice time I was sorely tempted to call in sick. By Sunday, I was a Grumps Meister Deluxe. I didn't even care about making money at that point, I just wanted to run errands and spend money! I felt pretty bad, I was snapping at everyone. I just can't wait tables that many days in a row!

Besides work, I've been getting Christmas presents for the family and buying lights to make our apartment a little more festive. My mom sent me a box of my old ornaments-- I'm so excited to put them up on the little tree LP and I bought. Sadly, he's out of town for a couple days for work, so I'm going to finish putting everything up by myself. We're total procrastinators, but better late than never, right? Since we're in agreement that holiday decorations can stay up until at least January 5th, we aren't fretting about getting this done so late. I'll post pictures when it's done!


I also had an audition on Monday that I think went pretty well. It was for a short film, and at the very least, I had a good time at the audition and the guys running the thing were incredibly nice. So, whether or not I get the part or even a callback, we'll call it a success.

Since I still haven't had much time for grocery shopping and I'm not at home to eat or cook much anyway, I've been making some really random meals (supplemented by "stealing" some of the groceries LP has bought). That's a fried egg with salsa and cheddar on a corn tortilla with fresh tomatoes, avocado, and creme fraiche (I still haven't used it all)... I put a little white balsamic vinegar on the "salad" with some salt and pepper.

I'm really relishing having today off. Going to finish up my Christmas shopping, do some laundry, and finish decorating. You know you've been working too much when you look forward to doing laundry!

Holiday Treats and Hodgepodge Meals!

 I had an absolutely lovely day with my friend Amy yesterday! We went to Sprinkles for the sole purpose of getting some Peppermint Chocolate cupcakes! Amy truly understands and supports my cupcake obsession! Neither of us ever has to feel guilty when we get cupcakes together! After some coffee and cupcakes, we went to The Grove to enjoy some window shopping and pretty lights! Even though I work at The Grove, my restaurant is on the outskirts, so I don't get to enjoy the pretty displays.

While we were hanging out in the Farmer's Market, this really crazy looking lady approached us and asked if we were actors. After a moment's awkward silence, I asked why she wanted to know. She then went on rambling about some kind of acting studio and how great it was. She gave us cards and when I tried to brush her off with a "sounds good, I'll look it up" she asked me if I wanted to go in for a reading right then and there. It was so bizarre. After looking the place up, it definitely looks like one of those places that offers some classes, but is mostly a money making machine designed to get you to pay for their headshots and helps you make a "reel." Obviously, this lady got something for getting others to sign up.

My lunch before meeting Amy was another one of those hodgepodge meals... Leftover brown rice with kidney beans (seasoned with a leftover taco packet!), spinach, tomatoes, and creme fraiche with lots of pepper and fresh lime juice! This was actually pretty tasty! Although similar, it was way better than the last thrown together meal. We're running so low on groceries that I just got a Subway sandwich tonight. I'm also tired of dishes. It was a long lunch shift. The holiday season is definitely upon us! I worked from 10 AM and didn't leave work until 7:30 PM!!! But the money is good, so I can't complain.

Healthy Food and Houseplants

The LP is back from visiting family for Thanksgiving. I picked him up from LAX late Saturday night/ early Sunday morning. It's almost silly how much I missed him. It was only a week, but LP vowed that we would never again spend our holidays apart. Time with the family is nice, but we're a family too, so no matter where we go to celebrate a holiday, we should spend that time together. 

I had to work yesterday lunch, but I got out at a decent time and we went out for pizza, beer, and gelato for one last splurge before we spend the rest of the month eating healthy and frugal. I don't really get the idea behind pigging out all through December, only to beat yourself up after the New Year. Now is the time for better eating. Although... I may make some exceptions for cupcakes. :-)

No work today, so I slept in. Here's today's healthy lunch:

Homemade hummus with rice/nut crackers and a Spinach and Radicchio Salad. I tossed in some dried cranberries, toasted pecans, and bleu cheese. It's very similar to what I made for Thanksgiving, except that I didn't have any Asian pears. I sauteed some red onions in olive oil before adding them to the salad to help wilt the spinach a little bit. The dressing is my own concoction of apple cider vinegar, oil, and pepper. So good!

As I took pictures of my lunch by the window, I couldn't help myself and took some of our houseplants, too! We don't have the greenest thumbs, but we try.  We've got a couple of avocado trees growing that we started ourselves from pits. LP has been trying this for years and there's been some losses along the way. But these current guys seem to be doing pretty well. My pride and joy is my Philodendron. These are about the easiest plants to grow because they are nearly impossible to kill. I've had this one (middle) for about 3 or 4 years and it's just exploded recently. Philly sits on top of a speaker and its tendrils nearly reach the floor! The last plant... I call it a Polka Dot plant. It used to be a lot taller, but it got sort of weedy looking and couldn't support itself. After some research, I discovered that these plants have to be cut back. So I chopped the whole thing down to little nubs and it's really thriving now! I'm just glad I didn't kill it!

I realize that plant talk may be about the most boring subject in the world for some people, so I apologize. But we don't have any pets aside from my sad little goldfish, so we really obsess over our plants instead. We really need a dog.

The Few Thanksgiving Photos

Since I didn't end up taking any pictures on Thanksgiving, I had to steal these from my baby niece's blog. Thanks SIL for taking the initiative! We had a really nice crowd gathered. You can see me in the back next to my two brothers and the baby. Everyone else is a friend of my oldest brother and sister-in-law. 

It was a really great Thanksgiving and one that I'll always remember. First one in the new house, first one with Baby Z... It was really wonderful. That first photo is the most you'll get of my soup! Everyone really liked it, though!

Even Baby Z, who has just started eating real food. She normally rejects everything, but she really liked my squash soup. Just goes to show that she has a sophisticated palate! All she wanted was seasoning, DUH!

 

Even though I'm not religious in any way, I really do love the holiday season! It's so joyful! :-) It's about time to put up those twinkle lights, I think!!!!

Oof.

Stuffed. To. The. Brim. 

I rarely eat until I'm full. I usually save something for later or eat multiple little meals throughout the day. Today, I am crammed. This morning I just nibbled on little bits of this or that while I was cooking. From the moment I reached my brother's place at 2:30 PM until 12:30 AM it was non-stop eating. I'm so uncomfortable right now and all of the wine didn't help either. I don't think I drank any water today. Just wine, coffee, and Bailey's. 

I have to say that I am fairly embarrassed because I FORGOT TO TAKE PICTURES! All of that work... undocumented. *sigh* When I got to my brother's, I immediately started setting up the food I brought, then kept my niece entertained, and then started to help serve food. It would have been pretty rude to stop and take photos. So... :-( Lots of other people took pictures though, so maybe my food is hiding in some of them. I hope.

The soup was a major hit. I roasted the squash for 35 minutes along with two peeled and sliced Granny Smiths. Then I caramelized two sliced leeks (white parts only) in olive oil in a big Dutch Oven, then added two cloves of garlic and a 1/2 cup of white wine. After I cooked that down, I added the squash flesh and cooked apples, 6 cups veggie broth, and 1 bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes. Then I let the soup cool overnight and blended it in the morning, then cooked it for 15 more minutes in the slow cooker on low. We served the soup with Creme Fraiche (whipped with apple cider) and sliced leeks. EVERYONE loved it. Well, except for one lonely squash hater in the group, but there's no pleasing everyone. This was waaaaaaaaay better than when I made it the last time with butternut squash. Too sweet.

I also made a Wilted Spinach Salad tossed with frisée, radicchio, toasted pecans, thinly sliced Asian pear, cranberries, and bleu cheese. I also finely chopped one shallot, blanched it for 20 seconds, then mixed it with 2 Tbs of apple cider vinegar for a dressing. Then, right before serving, I heated up some olive oil and poured it over the salad. That went over really well, too, but since it was just salad, no one seemed to go crazy over it.

The Autumn Rice Rissoles were just OK. I felt like they were a little dry and a bit too herb-y for my liking. I felt like all I could taste was the sage. Next time I would probably cut that down a tad and maybe use hot cooked rice instead of room temperature. Maybe that would add a bit more moisture. I also felt like the recipe's suggestion of serving it with cranberry sauce was just too sweet. I would make a vegetarian gravy instead. I'm a bit bummed that I forgot to grab those leftovers to take home because I know the bro and SIL won't eat them. 

I have to be at work early tomorrow. Is it wrong that I'm kind of frightened of that Black Friday shopping crowd? I'm going to be sluggish. Wish me luck!

3 AM Thanksgiving Prep

Last year, I was training for my current job. I spent the entire holiday following another server around, getting bread, water, and drinks for his tables. Since we have a completely different menu for Thanksgiving day, this training was almost completely pointless. I was stuck at the restaurant for the entire day and didn't get out until 10:30 PM. I missed it. "Upset" doesn't begin to describe how I felt. I called my brother as I was getting out of work, and everyone was already packing up and going to bed. I cried. It was thoroughly depressing.

But not this year!!!

My usual grocery bill for two weeks! Eek!

My restaurant demands that employees work 5 out of 7 mandatory holiday shifts. This year, my big pick to get off was Thanksgiving. Although I miss LP (visiting fam in Michigan), I'm still really excited for the holiday. We have a 5 year strong tradition of my oldest brother and his wife hosting the dinner for the siblings and their L.A. friends who don't have family nearby.

Since I had to close tonight, I didn't get home until after 11 PM and immediately got to work. I am the SLOWEST cook in the world, so prep is very important for me. I'm the only vegetarian in the family, so I usually bring a little extra to make sure it still feels like a feast to me. Never know if the person responsible for the green bean casserole is going to throw in some bacon grease. 

THE MENU: 
Autumn Rice Rissoles
Wilted Spinach Salad
Winter Squash Soup

After much debate, I settled on these three after pouring over a year's subscription of Vegetarian Times. Tonight, I formed the Rissoles patties (currently chilling in the fridge) and got started on the soup.  The "Autumn Rice Rissoles" are just fancy veggie patties. I'm not cooking them up until tomorrow, so we'll see how they turn out. I don't often have luck with this kind of thing. 

The recipe calls for 1 cup each of cooked wild rice and brown/basmati rice. Thank goodness for Trader Joe's! These fully cooked packages cost the same or less than their raw counterparts! I'm so glad I didn't have to waste 45 minutes ruining rice this evening. And no, I don't have a rice cooker! Some day we'll have the extra cabinet space, and THEN I'll get one!

If the Rissoles turn out, I think the secret will have been to chilling them for several hours AND... uniformity!

I used our beloved Alton Brown measuring plunger to dole out the prescribed 1/4 cup and then smooshed the rice mixture on to a parchment lined baking sheet while still in the plunger. Definitely easier than trying to make them with my bare hands, anyway! The real test will be when I try to cook them on the skillet! I love the flavor combination, so even if they fall apart, it could still be a tasty casserole! They have Wild and Brown rice, toasted pecans, cranberries, marinated artichoke hearts, fresh sage, rosemary, and thyme, and red onion. My one twist on the recipe was using Pecan Rice Crackers instead of plain or saltines.

This is what Red Kuri squash looks like!!!

The Winter Squash soup features Granny Smith apples and leeks. I actually found the recommended squash, red kuri, at Whole Foods! Last time, I made this with butternut. It was OK, but a tiny bit bland. I also bought actual Creme Fraiche this time to use as a garnish.

My big problem with squash is its de-assemblage. This time, like last time, I cooked it for too long. The flesh and the skin just fell apart and while the rind was soft enough to eat, it probably would have added bitterness to the soup. But even taking out the stringy bits and seeds is difficult.

My recommendation? See item #17, on the left. It's a grapefruit spoon. I'm sure you can find them at any kitchy kitchen store. However, I received my pair from my grandma. Not only are they extremely useful for eating grapefruit, they are the IDEAL tool for scooping out squash goo.

Roommates will also use them to eat cereal when no regular spoons are left clean. It baffles the mind, people. Right now, I'm letting the soup cool for several hours so I can put it in the blender (WHY didn't I buy an immersion one, WHY?!) before reheating it in the slow cooker.

TIME FOR BED! I'll let you know how it all turns out

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!