WednesdayGirl

Hooray! Good luck on your tests! When does your externship begin? Rochelle rulez!

Is anyone here familiar with Nick Stellino, and his show, Cucina Amore? I don't see it that much anymore; I don't even know if new ones are being taped. It's on PBS, though, and definitely my favorite cooking show. One of Nick's books was my first cookbook purchase! Amy

Good job on the trailing. Don't worry about the flood; I'm sure you've noticed by now that restaurants are breeding grounds for those types of accidents. If I had a nickel for every mess I made in the kitchen, the dining area, or even on a customer while I was in food service, I wouldn't have had to go to law school. If you had your choice right now of where you'd do your externship, where would you choose? Upon what kinds of criteria would you base your decision? Amy

Tuman's Alcohol Abuse Center in Chicago, Illinois. Total dive, but my favorite bar in the city. You can get tanked on a $20 bill there (think $2.50 pints of Guinness). It's tucked away in the Ukranian Village - one time I tried to take a cab there, and the cabbie insisted several times that "there's nothing out there, miss!" The place always smells like a dirty ashtray, but after a few minutes, you get used to it. It has a jukebox that plays only old jazz or thrash metal. There's an Old Style neon sign in the window, and another neon sign hanging on an inside wall with a note attached to the pullcord that says "Do not Touch!" There's a beat-up pool table near the back of the bar. More graffitti than I've ever seen in my life on the walls of the women's bathroom. An enormous painting of a naked, reclining woman centered over the bar. There are a few mismatched tables, with a few broken cafeteria type chairs, and a few empty kegs to sit on as well. I think I'll head over there tomorrow night!

My favorite thing about carving pumpkins is roasting and eating the seeds. I'd be interested to hear about the different ways in which people prepare them. I usually just stick 'em in the oven for a few hours on low heat after rinsing and sprinkling with some salt. I'd like to try something different this year. Any ideas/recipies?

Thanks for the information, all! Cleaning the pan after using the skillet method doesn't really bother me; I usually do dishes at night, whereas I'm usually trying to save time in the morning before I head to work. Another issue is that I'm often not hungry when I first rise and leave for the office (around 7:00 am, usually) but I get hungry around 9. I think perhaps I'll use the skillet method at home on mornings where I have a few extra minutes, or I'm hungry before leaving, and take some eggs to work for when I need to use the micro instead. I appreciate everyone's input. Amy

I like scrambled eggs for breakfast, especially since I started following a low-carb eating plan. I don't always have time to make them in the morning before work, however. Is it possible to prepare scrambled eggs in the microwave? I should probably just try it myself and see, but I'd like to know if anyone else has tried it, and if so, whether it worked. Thanks, Amy

Hey girl! Great post. I'm looking forward to hearing what your classmates have to say about your diary, once they've had a chance to read it. Glad to hear that your midterm went well, and that you feel good about it. SO sorry, though, to hear about your burn. I hope your hand heals quickly. Drop me a line when you get a chance and fill me on what's going on in your non-school life. Amy

Thanks so much for the suggestions! I think I like the cheese/salami plate suggestion of Soba's the best so far, simply because I'll be so pressed for time that evening. I'll be venturing out to the market either today or tomorrow, so maybe I'll be inspired there! Amy

I'm hosting the next gathering of my book club, and part of my job is to provide snacky-type finger foods for the attendees (not a dinner). There will only be six of us, so I don't have to prepare a ton of food. However, I will probably only have a couple of hours max between getting home from work and the start of the meeting. Any suggestions? Stuff that can be bought and served right away, or things that can be frozen/refrigerated and then heated if necessary are best. I'm not looking for anything too fancy -- the last hostess served a cheese/veggie tray, hummus, and lemon squares, all of which were very popular. TIA, Amy

Right ON girl! I'm so proud of you. You're the shiznit. Amy

Most of the cures already posted sound pretty effective. I'd like to add that for me, any food I don't have to prepare myself is a good cure. When suffering from a hangover, I sometimes have difficulty just operating the coffee maker.

Way to go girl! I'm really proud of you. Your entries make cooking school sound just as hard as law school - you'd have made a great lawyer I'm sure! I'm glad that you're doing something you truly enjoy. Amy

I've been to the Chophouse, and to Gibsons, and others, but the best steaks I've gotten in Chicago have come from two places -- Sullivan's (just north of Harry Caray's on Dearborn) and Joe's Stone Crab and Steakhouse. Amy

Hey girl -- great diary! Hope you have time to cook for me next time I'm in your neck of the woods. Keep up the good work.