Speak Up

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

This Wife Can Cook

With Erik gone in Charlotte, I've been left to my own devices. I'm totally capable of cleaning, paying bills, feeding cats, and maintaining hygiene. But at the beginning of the month I was nervous for my own health that I'd end up polishing off a box of corn dogs or buried under salt and vinegar chips. As it turns out, I'm not half bad at cooking. I never gave myself a chance to cook because Erik always made a large meal or two at the beginning of the week. Not only that, but I grew up on mid-western semi-poor people food and I'm not above eating vegetables from a can or making mashed potatoes from a box. Erik on the other hand, doesn't really like having that stuff around. Well Erik ain't here now.

I'm no "king of the kitchen" but I can certainly hold my own enough to keep me fed and satisfied. Erik comes home Sunday and I'm curious to see how the chef reacts to another cook in his kitchen. I won't be taking over or anything but there will be a few new rules around here.

1. Vegetables-fresh or canned- will be served with every meal.

2. More chicken, less ground beef.

This shouldn't be too much of a change so I think the chef will be able to deal.

Food is Love,
Hilary

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Blog, Already!

I'm an awful blogger! I haven't been keeping up with the Desperate Chefs' Wives, but it certainly isn't because I don't love all of you! I wish I had more energy to write more often and bigger brain for brilliant writing ideas. Overall, things are going well sans the chef husband. He comes back in 7 days and let me tell you that can't come soon enough. The autumn leaves are turning, the air is crisp and I can't stand my favorite season without my chef. We were married in the fall, October 25, and way back fall of freshman year high school we started dating. We were planning on going to Per Se for our 4 year wedding anniversary but in the end we decided not to. As much as I want to try Chef Keller's food, there is no way I'm paying $275 per person for them to modify the menu for pregnant me. If I go to Per Se I want the full Per Se experience, raw fish, rare meat and all. So we are still up in the air about the big anniversary dinner. So that's the skinny on things-which I'm totally not anymore. (yay!)


Food is Love,
Hilary

Friday, September 18, 2009

Kanye, No Way


Occasionally various writers from TMZ send me stories related to food, chefs and celebrities. I've never posted anything because the stories are usually petty and just don't fit the mood and style of this blog. But I got something interesting in my inbox today and I thought I'd pass it along.

Kanye -- The Unkindest Cut of All

Wolfgang Puck has a P.R. problem -- one Kanye West ... and he's screwing with the menu.


CUT -- Wolfgang's Bev Hills restaurant -- has menus with pics of various celebs on the cover, including Kanye West, President Barack Obama, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Angelina Jolie.

Last night, several tables got dealt Kanye menus and complained to the server, who obliged by trading up.

We spoke with the manager of CUT, who confessed people were handing back Kanye menus even before his hateful VMA stunt last Sunday. We think you know his record.

But truth be told, the manager says people have also turned back menus featuring Obama and Arnold.

The restaurant will boldly continue to deal in Kanye.


I had a couple reactions to this news.
#1- Way to go to all those diners who thought they deserved a less offensive menu. I would certainly chose an Obama or Arnold trading card-I mean menu over Kanye. Even before he was a major jerk hole to my kid sisters' idol Taylor Swift, I don't think he belongs on a menu with the likes of Obama.

#2- Why does Wolfgang even have celebs on his menu?? What do celebrities have to do with food? Or politicians for that matter? I was raised in Los Angeles, California for 17 years before I moved to New York/New Jersey 5 year ago. Looking west to LA I'd say Wolfgang is sooo Hollywood. I don't see pop culture celebs and politicians lasting a NY minute on any menus around here.

Going along with the needless yet occasionally addicting non-information TMZ lends, I have a drop of juice on the Austrian chef. He was in the process of being approved by the Board of Trustees at the Bel-Air Country Club but he was DENIED because of his then wife and business partner, Barbara Lazaroff. The club didn't like her and didn't want her around. I don't know if he ever re-applied, we had left LA by then and I haven't been to the club since. And really, who cares anyway?

Food is Love,
Hilary

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Oh, My Achin' Head!

Since last Thursday I've had a dull, aching headache and I'm going a little bonkers from it. I have to say that on a pain scale it's only about a 4-6, depending. But, it just won't go away. Normally, I let the headache ride for about a day before taking any meds. Sometimes they go away on their own and I'd like to avoid pills as much as I can. I've taken two Tylenol since last Friday-and neither worked. I really don't want to take too many, considering the bump I'm growing is really a HUMAN inside of me. (Still freaking out about that.) I have tried the pressure point thing between my pointer and thumb-nothing. I have done some IMT on myself. IMT is Integrated Manual Therapy, a holistic approach to treating pain-among other things. If you place one hand on your back and one on the pain, then usually it goes away. The contact activates the kidneys to filter out the "bad stuff". That worked great-but only when I'm doing it. I can't exactly walk around looking like I'm mid-hokey pokey.



HELP!

Food is Love,
Hilary

Oh, and Erik has only been gone for 8 days and it feels like 8 weeks. Is it October 4th yet?

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Pressure Cooker on TV!

I've been spreading the news about the documentary movie Pressure Cooker and now you can all see it! I tried so many times to get to the theatre when it was playing in NYC, but I could never work out my schedule. Well, lucky for me and you the movie will be on BET this Saturday, September 12 at 6:30 PM. This is not a movie you want to miss so set the TIVO or DVR if you won't be in at that time. Since its debut in May, Rotten Tomatoes has rated this authentic documentary at 89%!


Jennifer Grausman, daughter of C-CAP founder Richard Grausman, is very excited to share her documentary Pressure Cooker. This touching film follows three seniors at Philadelphia’s Frankford High School, who find an unlikely champion in Culinary Arts teacher Wilma Stephenson. A legend in the school system, Mrs. Stephenson’s hilariously blunt boot-camp method is validated by years of scholarship success that’s taken countless students from the city’s working-class neighborhoods to the top culinary schools in the country. And under her fierce direction, the usual distractions of high school are swept aside as Erica, Dudley and Fatoumata prepare to achieve beyond what anyone else expects from them.


Again, the trailer for Pressure Cooker:


Facebook fanatic? Become a fan of Pressure Cooker.


It will be my first time seeing the movie on Saturday as well and I'd love to hear what you have to say about it so come back and comment.

Food is Love,
Hilary

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

26 Days and Counting

Erik left this morning for Charlotte, NC for FOUR WEEKS! He's part of the opening team for a new restaurant there and he's gone until October 4. I'll be busy with doctor appointments, school stuff, a bridal shower, and visiting others. My brother goes to school in Boston now so he'll probably drive down one weekend. My step sister just moved to Reading, PA and that's only about an hour and a half away from here so I plan to visit and help her unpack.

Of course on top of all that, and more importantly too, I'm 11 weeks pregnant. I wish Erik were around, but I can survive these next four weeks without him. He just better plant himself in NYC in March so he doesn't miss the birth!

But no matter how busy I try to make myself, I'm still going to go crazy for Erik, especially on Sundays. I'm used to Saturdays and weekdays alone, but Sundays-they'll be rough. Traveling is a new aspect to Erik's job that we never had before. I'm wondering if there are others out there who have techniques or ideas to deal. I do have iChat on my mac to Erik and I can at least "see" each other that way.

Food is Love,
Hilary