Tax season is in full swing and I'm up to my ears in it so there's no time to cook. I would much rather be cooking or writing about food but Uncle Sam calls. He's such a buzz-killer!
Last week I bought a book called "Cooking for Fifty". You're probably all asking WHY? HELLO? Fact is, I would love to cater and that book has been sitting on the shelf calling my name ever since it came through the door. I sneak moments away from taxes to look through it just like it was a smutty novel!
For some reason I seem to gravitate toward anyone planning an event. I want to be involved...I need to be involved...I will help even if you want to do it yourself...no, you cannot get it away from me! I'm that pitiful! The planning, creativity, shopping, timing, pace, making people happy and camaraderie that goes on behind the scenes seems to suit my personality. Don't get me wrong...it is never a beautiful flow of creative bliss, but more like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. I've had abject despair...aka the "Superbowl Kitchen Aid Pro Disaster"...which brought me to my knees and which I'll write about later (still too ugly to dwell on). But overall there's nothing I would rather do.
I've weaseled my way into a number of event preparations. One was a wedding my Mom and I cooked for in the confines of the "shack" kitchen. For those of you who don't know; my husband, son and I lived in a 750 SF house we dubbed "The Shack" (for painfully obvious reasons) for five years when we first bought "The Farm". During that time we churned out some meals that I marvel at now because we only had 18" of counter space in the entire kitchen and no dishwasher! Seriously. Add to that I had a raging cold I had to hide from my mother (serious cold phobia...she'd have flown back to Maine in a heartbeat and I needed her help). All that aside, we had a ball, laughed 'til we nearly cried and the food turned out great.
Another group experience was a 100+ person, 4th of July party a few years back at our house. Lots of opportunity for ptomaine but we pulled through with only one casualty...my husband ate much of the bacon off the venison quarter as it was smoking. It was basically raw bacon, and that's never a good idea. I proudly say that I had nothing whatsoever to do with the smoking of that hind quarter or the bacon...that was someone else's baby and you know who you are!
That brings us to another event in the Fall of '07. We hosted a day long event for the Springer Spaniel Field Trials here at the farm. Part of that responsibility was catering lunch and dinner. Sometimes I ask myself what is wrong with me? Am I a glutton for punishment as well as good food?!
For that event I enlisted dear friends to help me. One even flew down from Maine. I couldn't have done it without them all. We organized, cooked, "made pretty", and packaged meals for a lot of folks (I've lost count of the number but I know it was quite a large group).
It's just a wee bit challenging combining people, AKA registered champion dogs, "rules", iffy weather, guns and food (not to mention quail, chukar,and our own four cats and six dogs). Something not quite right with that picture, but though a bit nerve wracking, it was a success. Honestly, the fact that we did it at all is success in itself. There were a few cold beers and sighs of relief when that event was over.
More recently I've been fortunate enough to be able to lend a hand at the community dinners at church. Advent Episcopal in Cynthiana, KY puts on a popular and worthy community dinner every month on the last Thursday. We've done chili, spaghetti, pork bbq, fried chicken, beans and cornbread, coleslaw, salads, cakes, cookies, bars and much more. We typically serve about 70-80 and then send some meals home as well. Making total meals about 100 or so. Working in the kitchen with all those folks is a ball and the experience alone is priceless.
There have been lots of wedding showers and receptions, Christmas parties, birthday parties, anniversary parties, Superbowl parties, group vacations , and cookouts to plan and cook for and I love doing it. What I notice most is that it takes an orchestration of many giving folks to make the events work. Things don't always turn out perfectly, and often don't. But even then, we can usually find some wicked thing to find humor in and lots of good memories. Thanks to all of you who have allowed me to interfere, and to those who have helped me to interfere...just wish I had time to do it again right now!
Last week I bought a book called "Cooking for Fifty". You're probably all asking WHY? HELLO? Fact is, I would love to cater and that book has been sitting on the shelf calling my name ever since it came through the door. I sneak moments away from taxes to look through it just like it was a smutty novel!
For some reason I seem to gravitate toward anyone planning an event. I want to be involved...I need to be involved...I will help even if you want to do it yourself...no, you cannot get it away from me! I'm that pitiful! The planning, creativity, shopping, timing, pace, making people happy and camaraderie that goes on behind the scenes seems to suit my personality. Don't get me wrong...it is never a beautiful flow of creative bliss, but more like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. I've had abject despair...aka the "Superbowl Kitchen Aid Pro Disaster"...which brought me to my knees and which I'll write about later (still too ugly to dwell on). But overall there's nothing I would rather do.
I've weaseled my way into a number of event preparations. One was a wedding my Mom and I cooked for in the confines of the "shack" kitchen. For those of you who don't know; my husband, son and I lived in a 750 SF house we dubbed "The Shack" (for painfully obvious reasons) for five years when we first bought "The Farm". During that time we churned out some meals that I marvel at now because we only had 18" of counter space in the entire kitchen and no dishwasher! Seriously. Add to that I had a raging cold I had to hide from my mother (serious cold phobia...she'd have flown back to Maine in a heartbeat and I needed her help). All that aside, we had a ball, laughed 'til we nearly cried and the food turned out great.
Another group experience was a 100+ person, 4th of July party a few years back at our house. Lots of opportunity for ptomaine but we pulled through with only one casualty...my husband ate much of the bacon off the venison quarter as it was smoking. It was basically raw bacon, and that's never a good idea. I proudly say that I had nothing whatsoever to do with the smoking of that hind quarter or the bacon...that was someone else's baby and you know who you are!
That brings us to another event in the Fall of '07. We hosted a day long event for the Springer Spaniel Field Trials here at the farm. Part of that responsibility was catering lunch and dinner. Sometimes I ask myself what is wrong with me? Am I a glutton for punishment as well as good food?!
For that event I enlisted dear friends to help me. One even flew down from Maine. I couldn't have done it without them all. We organized, cooked, "made pretty", and packaged meals for a lot of folks (I've lost count of the number but I know it was quite a large group).
It's just a wee bit challenging combining people, AKA registered champion dogs, "rules", iffy weather, guns and food (not to mention quail, chukar,and our own four cats and six dogs). Something not quite right with that picture, but though a bit nerve wracking, it was a success. Honestly, the fact that we did it at all is success in itself. There were a few cold beers and sighs of relief when that event was over.
More recently I've been fortunate enough to be able to lend a hand at the community dinners at church. Advent Episcopal in Cynthiana, KY puts on a popular and worthy community dinner every month on the last Thursday. We've done chili, spaghetti, pork bbq, fried chicken, beans and cornbread, coleslaw, salads, cakes, cookies, bars and much more. We typically serve about 70-80 and then send some meals home as well. Making total meals about 100 or so. Working in the kitchen with all those folks is a ball and the experience alone is priceless.
There have been lots of wedding showers and receptions, Christmas parties, birthday parties, anniversary parties, Superbowl parties, group vacations , and cookouts to plan and cook for and I love doing it. What I notice most is that it takes an orchestration of many giving folks to make the events work. Things don't always turn out perfectly, and often don't. But even then, we can usually find some wicked thing to find humor in and lots of good memories. Thanks to all of you who have allowed me to interfere, and to those who have helped me to interfere...just wish I had time to do it again right now!
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