Cha-Ching, Food-Style

Even though I was just kidding about my lottery comment yesterday, I truly feel like I hit the jackpot today! My sister has a friend who does catering on the side. This friend is moving and wanted to down-size her arsenal of kitchen and catering equipment. T'liese might now be my favorite sister for tipping me off, because I totally scored tons of goodies (at a killer price, mind you) for my future catering business!

What? A catering business? Did she just say that?

Yes, that's right, my friends. I want to start a small business on the side that allows me to cater two or three events a month (or as many as I want...that's the nice thing about being the boss). I would love to focus on bite-size treats and goodies for events like weddings, showers, holidays, work celebrations, and family events. I know I need to start with smaller groups and work my way up. The gal I purchased things from today just did a wedding this past weekend that fed 400 people! That might be a little intimidating for my first attempt. But with these recent additions to my kitchen collection, I feel closer to being ready for making it happen! Bring it on!

My husband is all for the idea. I told him if he buys me two convection ovens, I will do the rest! Working with a solitary gas oven is a nightmare making dinner for just us, let alone cooking for an entire catering event! I imagine my future home possessing a kitchen mimicking one from the Food Network, including two convection ovens that can bake up a storm for any parties I have in the works! Someday...

So, if you need some good grub for something coming up, let me know! Eek!

My Wildlife Encounter with Cows and Lions

Today will forever be remembered as my first photography gig! Thanks to my sister-in-law, Heather, who asked me to take pictures of her little munchkin, Kathryn, in her two adorable Halloween costumes. I am always looking for excuses to use my camera. Oddly enough, I felt nervous and inadequate as the day drew closer. What if the pictures don't turn out (out of 143 shots taken, I threw away 80 of them)? What if my battery dies (it did)? What if Kathryn just thinks I am a lunatic the entire time (she did, but she is only 20 months old, so I won using the seniority card). What if Heather never speaks to me again because I ruined Halloween 2009? OK, so only most of those genuine concerns came true...

We were going to head to a local pumpkin patch until we found out how much was charged for an entrance fee. I didn't think sweet-talking would work in this case, since everyone is "just trying to take a few pictures!" So we found some nice backdrops in our own yards and neighborhood. Depsite not getting Kathryn to smile once, the pictures still turned out well. I am tickled! She was a good sport but grew progressively more tired of her crazy aunt following her around with a point-and-shoot camera. Aren't her eyes beautiful? And her outfits hilarious?! I felt like I had stumbled upon a miniature petting zoo! And she got some looks from the neighbors, who no doubt are now scrambling to find outfits that can compete in cuteness for the big, spooky evening next week.

Luckily for me, my husband doesn't read my blog. So he can't use these photos as proof that I don't need a Canon Digital Rebel 12.2 MP XSi EOS SLR Camera (as seen on my wish list at Amazon). I am pretty sure it is a need at this point. Now if that lottery ticket would finally cash out! The lottery is one of those no-purchase-necessary games, right?! My fingers have been crossed for months!

Heather, thanks so much for this fun and educational opportunity. Kathryn, you can stop shaking your head at my insanity now. Micah, buy the stupid camera already!

How To Make A Woman Happy

This was only my second attempt at making a Pioneer Woman recipe. The Potato Packets were a success a few months ago, so I figure she might be on to something! I love that gal and love her food! It donned on me one beautiful morning (yesterday) that I should make her recent Chicken Parmesan recipe, and it was literally perfection on a plate. John slurped it up. I slurped it up. It made all the feel-good chemicals in my brain come to life! I think we could consider it a huge success.

For our family, I will change a few things next time I make it. First, I hate parsley since it always tastes like a garnish to me. I will omit the parsley and simply mix in a dash of oregano. The other thing I will change is the amount of parmesan cheese. It didn't melt very well and is slightly bitter, so I will use less and mix it with some mozzarella cheese. Other than those two additions from my picky palette, the dish was simply divine!

Family Night Out

It isn't a successful evening unless at least one picture of my sister comes out with her eyes closed. Mission accomplished tonight! We met T'liese and her husband, Joe, along with my brother, Jeff, and his wife, Megan, at valley-famous Oregano's Italian Restaurant on Camelback. Each of the six Oregano's establishments is known for great food, long waits, and their cookie pie ice cream sundae. I am almost embarrassed to admit John and I had never been to any of their restaurants prior to this evening. John got the all-you-can-eat pasta bowl with gigantic sausage, and I got a ravioli dish that was stuffed with four cheeses and smothered with marinara and cheese before being broiled. My selection was good, but I think I will try something else next time I go. T'liese and Joe get the same thing every time they visit, sharing The Big Rig with Chicken pasta dish and then dessert. Megan got a bowl of angel hair pasta with meaty marinara sauce, while Jeff got his favorite plate, loaded with chicken, pasta, and alfredo sauce. It was a yummy meal, and the conversation was lovely as well!

It was fun to see Megan after almost a month. She is showing big-time and will have a beautiful little girl this coming January. T'liese is four weeks behind with a boy, due in February. I took the obligatory "belly" picture to show their pregnancy progress. Aren't they cute?! It still doesn't make me baby-hungry, and I am fine with that! Eventually, I know we will think about it!

After we finished dinner, we went to Wal-Mart to try to find Hot Shots, Part Deux on DVD to watch at Jeff's house. Can you believe they don't have a $5 bin any more but have organized shelves? It completely threw me off, and we were unable to find the movie we wanted. So we decided to watch Twilight on Blu-ray, which was wonderful. I hadn't seen it since the three of us gals waited on the first day it was released in theatres (first in line, baby!). We were in shock that the boys agreed to watch the sappy movie about vampires, so we hurriedly put it in the machine before they could change their minds! It was better than the first time we saw it, where annoying teenagers laughed through the entire movie! All things are better with family.