The idea just hit me as I was walking through the grocery store.
Finished with a late afternoon appointment, I was trying to figure out what to fix for dinner. My husband had gone to DC for some work, and I wasn’t sure what time he’d be home.
I wanted to cook something that would still be good if he got in late.
As I checked out the frozen foods aisle, I spied some deep dish pie crust.
Aha! I could make a quiche!
I remembered the various leftovers I had in the refrigerator I could throw in. All I needed was the pie crust and some half and half.
If you don’t have time to buy or make pie crust, you could just turn it all into a frittata as well.
Both are awesome.
And yes, my husband is a real man, and, he likes quiche (for those of you who remember that phrase in the 80s “Real men don’t eat quiche”).
A few tips…
Try to use a deep dish pie crust. It holds more and can hopefully prevent messy overflow.
In the case of possible overflow, put the quiche on a baking sheet when placing in oven to cook.
I’ve included a basic recipe for quiche. Then you’re free to use whatever ingredients you desire. The list is endless. Quiches and frittatas are definitely great dishes when you want to get rid of leftovers.
I ended up making mine with diced ham, bacon, broccoli, mushrooms, and swiss cheese.
Have fun and ENJOY!
Ingredients:
1 (9 inch) deep dish frozen pie crust
4 eggs, slightly beaten
Ham, Bacon, Mushroom Broccoli Quiche
1 cup half and half
salt and pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In medium bowl, pour eggs and half and half, mixing slightly with fork.
Put any meat in the bottom of pie shell, then vegetables, followed by cheese. Season with dash of salt and pepper, and any other spices you might like.
Pour liquid over fillings.
Place quiche on baking sheet and into oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then lower temp to 350 degrees. Cook for at least 35 more minutes or til center is done.
If you’ve ever worked in any kind of restaurant, fast-food or full-service, you’ve most likely experienced this at least once.
That dreaded moment when you’re so overwhelmed with customers, you just want to run into the walk-in cooler and hide.
If you’re a server, you suddenly get way too many tables, way too fast (usually happens when the restaurant is short-handed – a frequent occurrence in the biz).
As a cook or chef, it’s when you’re staring at a rack full of order tickets, and there seems to be no end in sight.
I’ve been in both of those positions, and they both SUCK.
Many servers (or the ones who don’t care about giving good service) look forward to these situations. They think about all the money they’re going to make, all those extra tables mean more tips. But, not always. Because they’re dealing with so many customers, they probably don’t give as good service, so they end up making out worse than if it wasn’t busy.
I was the opposite. I liked being busy, but if it was a “manageable” busy. One of the things I enjoyed about being a server was meeting the new customers, and being able to spend some time talking with them.
When you’re slammed, there’s no time for that. You’re too busy running around like a fool, trying to catch up.
When I worked at the café in St. Michaels, during the week, I was often the only server on duty (except in the summer). Sometimes I was the hostess/cashier as well, also the bus-girl.
There were days when I’d suddenly get a rush, every table was filled, and I really just wanted to start crying.
The only thing I could do was take care of the customers. I had to have a system, where I’d seat them and try to get their drinks, before moving on to the next.
When I had a lot of energy and my timing was good, things would go smoothly. As long as I acknowledged everyone, so they knew I was aware they were there, and was very courteous and apologetic for any delays. Hopefully, they’d see I was the only one on the floor, and they’d understand. That didn’t always happen, and I had to deal with mean people and complaints, but you do what you can do.
At least I got my exercise in on those days!
When I was a breakfast cook at Harbourtowne, same thing. I was often by myself in the kitchen, until a certain time. Then maybe, I’d get more assistance, usually from my boss, Lisa, or my pal, Suzy. They saved my butt plenty of times.
One good thing about being in the weeds in the kitchen, as opposed to in the dining room – in the kitchen you can start crying, and the customers won’t see you (except for the open kitchen places)!
I would usually get hit hard on the weekends at Harbourtowne, especially when there was a wedding going on. The tickets would keep coming back, and I’d start to panic. There were a few times when I griped at the servers, but then I’d feel bad about it. I’d been in their shoes plenty of times, so I’d try to apologize to them later.
I learned all about handling the rushes in my early years, when I worked at my dad’s Popeye’s Chicken restaurants.
There were so many days and nights we’d be short-handed. I’d end up being a cashier, order filler, biscuit maker, chicken batterer, and prep cook, all in one shift.
Those were the times I learned how to multitask and “remain calm in a stressful situation.”
Again, it was a balancing and timing act.
I’d leave work covered in flour and grease, hair frazzled, but at least I knew I’d done my best to handle the chaos.
As a restaurant worker, when you find yourself sinking in the weeds, and you just want to throw your hands up and run off… do the best you can to keep going. Don’t worry about the mess, just focus, find your own system, communicate with the customers, be as nice as you can, and, just get through the shift.
Know that it will eventually be over, and you can run into the pantry or bathroom and cry then.
There were a few moments during my Popeye’s career when I ran into the freezer and kicked a box of French fries, recomposed myself, and then came out to deal with everything.
Also, when you’re on the other side, as a customer dining out, and you see your server in in “the weeds,” put yourself in her position. Know what she (or he) is probably feeling. Try to be patient and understanding. And, still try to give a decent tip.
That is, unless, they did a horrible job and couldn’t care about giving good service – but… that’s a whole other blog post!
Daily to-do lists, shopping lists, finish this month lists, and so on…
When I worked in the Harbourtowne kitchen, I made even more lists.
Hanging on the wall were clipboards, one for each day of the week, where the daily schedule was listed. It would show how many guests were staying at the hotel, and what group (if any) was there, and their schedule. Say, what time they’d be having the breakfast buffet, their break time (one in the morning and another in the afternoon), then lunch time, dinner, what they were having for lunch and dinner, etc.
Every morning, I’d check the board for that day and see what needed to be done. Then I’d go about making my list.
It may have looked something like this:
Me and my kitchen boss, Lisa, with the daily boards behind us
Figure out employee meal – put in warmer
Put soup on stove for lunch buffet
Bake scones for morning break
Make fruit bowl for morning break
Make lettuce bowl for lunch buffet
Finish salad bar prep for lunch, garnish
Bake cookies for afternoon break
Pan up bacon for next day’s breakfast
Pan up French toast for breakfast
Make mixed fruit bowl for breakfast
Season cod for lunch buffet, put in oven 11:15 am
Make brownie platter for lunch, garnish
Stock up ala carte breakfast prep
Start on prep for next day’s lunch buffet
And so on…
And this was not including cooking breakfast that morning, and probably doing some dishes.
Making my daily list at work kept me on top of things and organized, especially during a busy week.
During the holidays, lists are needed more than ever.
They can really help when you’re feeling overwhelmed with work, family, shopping, cooking, wrapping presents, and more, and you don’t know how you’ll take care of everything.
It’s best to start as early as possible, at least when you have an idea of what your plans are.
For your gift lists – start writing down ideas as soon as you get them. Usually, I’ll make a list of my family and friends who I’m shopping for. As I know more and more what I want to get for them, I write it down. Then, I check things off as the items are purchased.
If you’re going to be doing a big holiday dinner or party, start on that list as soon as possible. Don’t wait til the last week. With everything else going on in your life, you’ll just drive yourself crazy.
Start planning your menu. Figure out how much you’ll need, depending on the amount of people you’ll be feeding. Write down each food item and the ingredients. Always get more than you originally estimate. You never know if you’ll get a few more unexpected guests, or for those people who eat a lot(!).
If you can buy certain ingredients ahead of time, go for it. Things you can freeze or store in your pantry… this will save you extra time later.
Then, as you get closer to party time, decide when to do the rest of your food shopping and make that list.
Plan a time (or times) you can spend wrapping your presents. You never realize how long it takes to wrap things (nicely), especially when you have a lot of gifts.
I learned this one year when I waited til the day before Christmas to wrap presents. I ended up staying up all night to get it all done. Never again!
For your prepping/cook list – look at your menu and plan out when you can start prepping the food. The more you can get done ahead of time, the more you’ll be able to relax and actually enjoy the holiday.
Do you have a turkey or some type of meat to be defrosted? Be sure to allow enough time for that, and, if you need to let it marinate in something.
Chop up vegetables or grate cheese a few days before, then store in containers or plastic bags. Get the tedious chores out of the way (or, delegate some tasks to kids or other family members).
Measure out sugar, flour, and other ingredients for baking – have it all together so when you’re ready to bake, you can just throw it all together.
See what else you might need for entertaining – make a list. Do you need napkins, cups, decorations…?
Plan a time to get these and when to set everything up.
Then, on the big day, have a game plan list… what’s for breakfast, what do you still need to prep, when to start cooking things for dinner, etc.
You don’t need to be as much of a “list fanatic” as I am, but the idea is to make things as easy and stress-free as possible.
Most cooks and chefs have their special collection of kitchen utensils and accessories – plenty of knives, spatulas, spoons, whisks, peelers, graters, etc., etc.
This post talks about another set of tools, what I call a “Kitchen Survival Kit.” This can work in your home kitchen, as well as the restaurant.
The idea came to me while thinking of the many boo-boos I’ve gotten while on the job, along with my former boss, and especially, my husband, Kevin. He’s the King of freak accidents. In fact, he contributed to most of the information listed here.
My “kit” contains the obvious first-aid necessities, but also, those little knick-knacks that you may not think about (until you need them right away). Then, of course, they’re nowhere to be found.
You probably have a drawer or two dedicated to such things, or, you may want to get a special box to keep them all together in one spot. However you see fit, I just thought these might come in handy for you sometime.
For Kitchen First-Aid
Different sized Band-Aids: always good to have a variety of sizes on hand
Super-Glue, or Liquid Skin: my hubby swears by this, as well as my former kitchen manager. This works great when you get a nasty cut, but have to keep working.
If it’s a small cut, clean off any blood and apply 1 or 2 drops, then let it dry. This will create a seal over the cut and keep it from bleeding.
If it’s a deep cut, wrap it with gauze or paper towel, and hold your wounded area up above the heart to elevate it (assuming the cut is on your finger or arm). This will keep it from bleeding more, allowing it to clot.
If it’s a bad cut and you’re scared, try to get someone to assist you (a good time to do some deep breathing exercises to relax! Review my previous post on this).
When the breathing is under control, then you can apply the Super-Glue.
This happened to me one day at work. I didn’t realize the knives had recently been sharpened, and I got a deep cut on my finger. That’s when my boss introduced me to “instant band-aid” in a bottle. After that, I made sure to be more careful.
Another thing to be aware of: if you cut yourself and blood gets on anything in the restaurant kitchen, be sure to follow the proper steps for sanitizing the area. Most places should have a list somewhere, preferably hanging on a wall within sight.
Some favorite items in my kitchen survival kit
Plastic Gloves: some kitchens are stricter on having to wear plastic gloves when handling food. I used them a lot when I prepped, especially when I had the unpleasant task of working with seafood (I’m not a fan), and when I had to wash dishes.
Used for sanitary purposes, but also to keep your hands from getting too smelly or slimy. They are good to wear when you have a cut on your hand and want to protect it.
Waterproof Medical Tape: helps when you need to bandage a wound.
Roll of Self-Adhesive Gauze: works even better on cuts.
Finger Cots: little “finger gloves” that are good to use to cover your fingers that have cuts on them.
Antibacterial Wipes: good to have anyplace, really.
Burn Cream: I could have used this during a busy month when I seemed to be getting a new burn on my arm every day. I was cooking a lot of bacon, and we always used big sheet pans to lay out the strips on. Almost every time I pulled a pan out of the oven, I managed to burn myself.
At one point I had so many burns on my arm I looked like a heroin addict!
Lavender and Tea Tree Essential Oils: Sounds kind of strange, but these are like “liquid medicine.” The lavender oil is great for burns. You should first ice the burn, then apply a few drops of the oil straight on the burn. It will help it to heal faster.
Lavender oil is also great for stress. Just put 1 or 2 drops in the palm of your hand, rub them together, and hold them up to your face and take some deep breaths.
I used to make soaps and bath products for a side business, and one of my items was a lavender massage oil. I brought a little bottle of it in for my boss. She had eczema, and this also helps with that. I told her that the lavender helps to de-stress as well. One evening I went into her office and found her and two other kitchen employees sitting around, sniffing the lavender oil! It had been an extremely hectic week, so better they were sniffing that than something else!
The tea tree oil is great for scrapes and insect bites. Also, for its antibacterial properties. If you have a cut, bite, or sting that starts to get infected, it helps to put a drop or 2 on the bandage, then right over the cut. It will help fight the infection.
Miscellaneous Extras
Sharpie Marker Pens: handy to have to write labels on prepped items. They seem to disappear quickly (at least, where I worked), so you may want to have a couple in your pocket.
Reading Glasses: (if needed) I’ve never worn glasses, but, a few years ago I had to get a few pairs of these. It became harder to read the fine print on things, so I always made sure I had some with me at work, in case I had trouble reading an order ticket.
Needle-nose Pliers: according to my husband, these work well for pulling bones out of meat and seafood. Also good for taking the membrane off ribs. They may come in handy too, if you need to do a quick fix on something.
Pocket Thermometer: always good to have a few (make sure they actually work) in your pocket or within reach. Especially if the dreaded health inspector pays a visit.
Health Inspection List/Regulations: you want several of these posted in the kitchen and do the best you can to follow it. You never know when you might get that surprise visit, so you want to be good and ready. You may also want to have $50, to bribe the guy or gal (that part was added by my husband, Kevin – just kidding).
Measurement Equivalent Chart: (preferably laminated) this came in handy at work different times, when having to figure out certain measurements.
Ball of String or Twine: Kevin likes this for wrapping meats (but hopefully not to have to use for a tourniquet).
Scissors: to cut the string, and, whatever else.
You can probably come up with your own additions, but hopefully, these were some helpful suggestions for your survival kit.
Happy cooking, and, beware of the freshly sharpened knives!
The holiday season is upon us, which means plenty of baking – cakes, pies, cookies, breads, etc.
I bake a lot of cookies, mostly chocolate chip, sometimes with added goodies, like M&Ms or peanut butter chips. Everyone seems to love them, but, each batch comes out looking different. Some are a little too doughy, some are really flat and gooey (how I like them). But, they’re never the same. What’s up with that?!
Curious, I decided to do some research to get some answers to my cookies’ inconsistencies.
To Sift or Not To Sift
I’ve always been confused about sifting flour. Is it that important? When should I do it? Why should I do it? Would my cookies come out better if I did do it?
According to craftsy.com, sifting flour helps get out the clumps and make it lighter. It can make a big difference in how your cakes and cookies turn out.
I do recall The Barefoot Contessa saying that you shouldn’t “pack” the flour down in the measuring cup. You just want to add scoops of flour and then use a knife, or similar, to scrape the excess off.
If you sift, claims craftsy, it should give you more even measurement.
Also, when you’re in areas with a hotter climate, the flour can tend to pack more densely, so that’s definitely a good time to sift.
Where sifting makes the biggest difference is with lighter, more delicate baked goods, such as angel food cake. So, another time it’s important to sift. Of course, also in recipes that specifically call for sifted flour.
I finally got around to comparing sift vs. no sift with my cookies, and what do you know… they came out better! Much lighter and the dough spread out nicely. Hmmm….
I didn’t feel like purchasing a fancy sifter, but instead used a big sieve, and that worked fine.
Basics
Know your oven, where the “hot spots” are – you may need to rotate the pan halfway through
Be sure to read the recipe completely before you start on it, do not to try to rush the baking process – make a game plan and have all your ingredients measured and ready to go
Leave refrigerated ingredients (such as eggs, butter, milk, etc.) out ahead of time to get to room temperature before baking
It is critical to be exact with the measurements when baking, also weighing the ingredients
Be sure to follow the recipe exactly, in the order of the steps, temperatures, and baking times
Don’t be afraid to use salt – it helps all the ingredients “come together”
If recipes call for baking powder, but you’re out, do not use baking soda – make your own baking powder: use 1/4 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp cream of tartar to make 1 tsp of baking powder (but, I guess that doesn’t help if you’re also out of cream of tartar!)
For Cookies
Use all purpose or pastry flour, unless recipe calls for another
Use unsalted butter over margarine if possible – butter gives a richer flavor and the cookies spread out more (this may be my problem… I’m guilty of always using margarine for my cookies… maybe time for a change)
Use real vanilla over imitation (oops, guilty of this one too… what can I say? I’m cheap!)
Use sea salt over kosher salt
Replace hardened brown sugar with fresh, soft brown sugar
Good to put the cookie dough in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before baking
Don’t over-mix the cookie dough, and use low speed on mixer
For chewy cookies: Nuke the butter about 15 seconds, or til softened, before adding it to the sugar. Try using brown sugar without white sugar. Also, take the cookies out of the oven before they’re completely done, then let them cool on the pan for 3-5 minutes before removing
For crispy cookies: Use butter instead margarine, and egg yolks instead of whole eggs, and, let cool on the pan for 1 minute before removal
For flatter cookies: Use butter, all-purpose flour, add more sugar, or add some water to the dough
For puffy cookies: Use margarine, cake or pastry flour, use less sugar, and baking powder instead of soda
For baking sheets: Thin ones can be less expensive, but they can cause the cookie bottoms to brown too fast – insulated sheet pans can cost more, but they help the cookies bake more evenly
Use small ice cream scoop to speed up process of putting cookie dough on pan, it also helps them to come out the same size
Parchment paper (not wax – it can burn) can help prevent cookies from sticking to pan, as well for easy clean-up
Even better, if you want to spend the money on a silicone “baking mat” to put on the sheet pan, it will help with easy removal
For Cakes
Generously butter (grease) and flour the pan
Make sure you use the correct size pan or tin
Try to get as much air into the cake as possible by sifting the ingredients together, then gently use a “balloon whisk” to fold
Put the pans into the oven as soon as the batter is poured
Make sure you preheat the oven (with correct temperature) before putting the pans in
Best to place the cake pans on the middle shelf of oven for easy baking
Avoid opening the oven door, at least til the cake is almost done (cake may collapse if cold air gets into oven)
Close the oven door as soon as possible after putting pans in
Cake is done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean
Let cake cool completely before icing
I hope some of these tips are helpful to you. I already knew about a few, but some were a big surprise. I had always used aluminum foil on my baking sheets for cookies. When I worked at Harbourtowne, we used parchment paper for everything we baked, so I tried it at home. It was a big difference – the cookies came off the pan much easier. See for yourself.
