Mistakes

I make a lot of them. Just ask Kevin. However, I learn from every one. Yesterday was a perfect example.

I was making Russian Tea Cakes (in Louisiana, we called them Mexican Wedding Cookies, but since we can see Russia from here…). The recipe called for three cups of chopped nuts. I got out the bag of sliced almonds and started chopping them, handful by handful, on the bakery bench with a Sudoku knife. Three cups is a lot of nuts to chop. Finally, as I was chopping the last of them, Kevin walked in and said, over his shoulder, “I would have used the Cuisinart.”

Sigh. Duh! I’m used to making family recipes that call for a one cup chopped nuts and I have always chopped them by hand because it’s not enough to dirty up my food processor. However, three cups would have been a breeze in the food processor.

An hour later, the Tea Cakes were out of the oven and ready to roll in powdered sugar. I got a small bowl, just like I do at home, and began to painstakingly roll each one in the powdered sugar. Kevin walked into the bakery and laughed out loud this time, wishing he had a camera.

“Kathy! Get a big bowl and fill it with powdered sugar and dump all of the cookies in there at once to toss them.”

Sigh. Duh!

He tells me he’s going to break me of all of my homecooking habits, my Suzie Homemake habits, my Marth Stewart habits. I’m used to cooking for 2-10, not 40-100. There’s a big difference and a huge learning curve!

My muffins aren’t high enough. My lattes don’t have enough foam. I forgot the shredded cheese in the spinach pinwheels. My cookies aren’t flat enough. The baker’s knife is missing. I didn’t get the menus printed out for the front of the house early enough. I filled the soup bowl too full. My Lemon Cream Cheese Bars didn’t set well in the middle because the pan is too big. My Oatmeal Cookies are burned. The smoothie was supposed to be Peach, not Raspberry. The schedules aren’t made. We’re out of biscuits. I sprinkled yeast instead of Cinnamon Sugar on the Danish. I was supposed to order Take-Out Menus two days ago.

Overwhelmed? Yes. Mistakes? Yes.

Determined? Absolutely!

As a side note, you should know that Kevin and Donna Maltz are the wonderful folks from whom I'm buying the restaurant. They’ve owned it for 30 years and Kevin is spending this summer mentoring/training me on how to run the business. Thank goodness for their unending patience and belief in me!

Take a Number

With the opening of The Fresh Sourdough Express Bakery & Café happening in less than 60 hours, people are constantly asking me, “How do you feel? Are you scared? Are you excited?...”

“Yes.”

I feel scared, excited, nervous, joyous, overwhelmed, and hopeful all at the same time, every minute of the day.

Last Thursday was my last day at the Homer News and my boss, Lori, called me into her office for my exit interview. She asked me that question and I gave her that answer. Then, I paused as I tried to explain what I was truly feeling to a person who has become my mentor, cheerleader, and truly an angel in my life these past 14 months.

It feels like I’ve been waiting all my life for this moment. It’s like when I go to the DMV and have to take a number, 45, and sit in one of the 20 chairs lined up in the waiting area. I know I’m going to be there a while. I knew it before I came so I brought a book. I patiently wait, shifting in the hard, plastic chair as I see the glowing, red numbers slowly tick by on the black counter on the wall every time the tired lady in the window calls a number.

“15.”

My first “real” job was as a waitress at the Wannigan Pancake House in Hayward, Wisconsin. Through the years, I also waited tables at Karibalis Restaurant and served up ice cream in homemade waffle cones at the mini-mall on Main Street in that same small town. Again, I waited tables at Cuco’s Mexican Restaurant in Ruston, Louisiana, while going to school for my Master’s degree.

“24.”

Married with a newborn and a meager income, I began to experiment with cooking. My mother gave me a couple of recipes that were my favorite meals that my grandmother made – Mexican Casserole was my runaway favorite. A simple mixture of canned foods and ground beef, it quickly became a staple in our household.

“30.”

I remember making my first Thanksgiving dinner when we lived in Idaho. It was shortly after that wonderful meal that I discovered FoodTV. I already had a good start on a recipe book collection, but that channel devoted to food opened a whole new world to me.

“33.”

I catered a couple of small events, 12-20 people at a business meeting. I was really getting into this whole cooking thing. I even began working a side job as a Pampered Chef Consultant. I did that on and off for 10 years, across three states. I loved teaching people about cooking and using the wonderful, restaurant-grade cooking tools that the company offered.

“38.”

I submitted a recipe for Cheesy Clam Manicotti to Quick Cooking magazine and they published it! Then, they chose it as one of their best recipes of the year to publish in their Taste of Home 2005 Annual Cookbook. Cooking and experimenting with new recipes was my all-consuming hobby. I loved having friends over for elaborate dinners or throwing theme parties for my girls. The April Fool’s party was the best – cookie sandwiches that looked like hamburgers and a cheesecake that was actually a huge layered sandwich. The hand-shaped ice in the Halloween punch was a big hit, too.

“40.”

Constantly experimenting with recipes, particularly baked goods, I was always taking overflow Mocha Chip Muffins, Toffee Scones, and cookies of all types to the break room at work to share with co-workers. The only magazine subscriptions I’ve had for years have been cooking magazines. I love to sit around and read recipes! Add to that the fact that baking is like therapy for me, and you can see that I’m always making more than my two daughters and I can possibly eat. I also started teaching cooking classes at the middle and high schools and there was always a waiting list.

“44.”

It’s almost time. My number is next.
Invited to teach cooking classes for teens at our local Rec Room in Homer, I was flattered, to say the least. Just last summer, I experimented with a variety of brownie recipes and made an attempt to sell them through a local eatery. That idea was quickly kaput after I found out that I had to cook them in a DEC approved kitchen in order to sell them to the public. I even looked into setting up a baked goods booth at the Farmer’s Market, but ran into the same problem. I just really felt that I belonged in the food industry. I came up with a solution…-

“45.”

Really?! They’ve finally called my number! I feel like I’ve been waiting a lifetime for this (actually, I have been waiting a lifetime). My solution is that I bought a restaurant. My very own DEC kitchen and the staff to go with it! Throw in an incredible bakery and I’ve got a dream come true!

“That’s what it feels like.” I told Lori, “It feels like my number has finally been called.”