Some Much Anticipated Down Time

Life has been a whirlwind lately. How did my life come to this? I'm not complaining, just wondering. Not even a moment to blog lately.

My dinner for 200 last Saturday was knocked down to 120, then back up to 130. But that was just fine, 130 is do-able. And it was, dinner went just fine. Better than fine actually, I got a round of whooping applause towards the end of the evening. Actually I was quite embarrased, but pleased. They actually seemed suprised by how good it was. Maybe I should be insulted? I worked my ass off all day. Starting at 7:30 a.m. Baking fresh rolls. White rolls with poppy seeds, whole wheat bran rolls, and onion cheddar rolls. I carefully planned out my schedule Thursday night, and was anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes behind the entire day on Saturday. Which really isn't bad, but it stressed me out just the same. The rolls took longer to prepare than I had scheduled, but I still ended up getting to the function site on time. Of course with the help of my wonderful husband. He really came through. Shaping 12 dozen rolls takes quite the toll on the upper arms. He plowed through them like a breeze. I guess those daily pull-ups do come in handy. So the pork was roasted, and the scalloped potatoes were baked, the green beans were sauteed. Salad dressing was made, walnuts for the salad were candied, and the creme brulees were waiting to be "bruleed" from the day before. Everything was ready to be finished at the site. Just a note, 140 (always have extra) creme brulees don't take 30 minutes to torch. More like 60 minutes. I had to pass the torch, literally, to Karen, my friend/assistant because my elbow was cramping. My only complaint could be from the little old lady who wandered into the kitchen in the midst of it all, asking me how I prepared the roast. I was quite complemented, until she then proceeded to tell me how she prepares pork roast. And she not only told me, but then went on, and on, and on about it. "Gee, that's great, uh huh, melts in your mouth, great. Yea, I've got to get back to plating 130 dinners, if you don't mind. It's not like I'm busy or anything, but I've just finished plating 130 salads, and am now in the middle of 130 dinners, and it's just me and one assistant, so if you wouldn't mind. Don't mean to be rude or anything." Of course I would have loved to say, "Get the hell out of my kitchen!", but I'd never do that. What is wrong with people anyway? Don't mind all the chaos going on around you, maybe now is not the time to be swapping recipes. Geez.

So Sunday was some much needed recouperation time. After Mass and serving donuts, I don't think I left the couch much that day. Monday I got to shop and prepare for lunch for 20 on Tuesday. I also baked two batches of mini pecan tarts and chocolate chip banana bread for St. Mary's PTG meeting that night. At Sophia's school we have PTG meetings, not PTA meetings. PTG stands for Parents-Teachers-God. I guess it's a Catholic school thing. Anyway, Tuesday was Cobb Salad for 20. Cobb Salad, fresh baked whole wheat bran rolls (hey, I was on a roll - no pun intended), and mini pecan tarts for dessert. On Wednesday our church hosted the San Diego Deanery meeting, which I think was for about 130 people. Now I was asked to cater this back when I was still pregnant with Annamaria, but I thankfully declined. So my friend Sue got roped into co-chairing it, she asked if I would bake some scones for the continental breakfast. So Tuesday night I got to bake 5 dozen candied ginger scones. All that baking and none for me. Unfair. Wednesday was back to shopping/prepping for Thursdays lunch for 20. Thursdays lunch was Old-Fashioned Meat Loaf, Mashed Potatoes, and Carrots & Peas. Friday (today)found me preparing Chicken Enchiladas, Salsa Fresca, Salsa Verde, Spanish Rice, Avocado Ranch Salad Dressing, and Snickerdoodles. Not for us, to be delivered. On a Friday. At 3:00 p.m. Thankfully traffic wasn't too horrible. Only took 45 minutes to get back home. Actually, I'm happy to do it. So I'm off to finish preparing my dinner. Roasted acorn squash risotto with pan seared scallops. Are you hungry yet?

O-kay, did I ramble enough? Ugh, I just had to get all that off my chest. Thanks for listening. Who needs a therapist when you can blog?