#i might make it into Mexican street corn that shit is fire

[rahleeyah]

Since I got home from work I have made:

Air fryer kielbasa

Roasted broccoli

Roasted bell peppers onion and zucchini

Roasted potatoes

Mashed potatoes (I had a lot of potatoes)

A whole chicken

I have peeled chopped and boiled my jicama, about to make fries

I have chopped more onions and peppers about to whack them in the oven

I've got ground beef defrosting for burgers

[ecotone99]

[AA] Cadillac

Cadillac

by Chuck Corson

Brick stepped through the broken glass façade of a Wawa convenience store, shotgun in hand, looking for food. Beau Castles got the nickname Brick after staring off his amateur boxing career nine and zero with nine knockouts, a career that was abruptly ended by the war. When the attacks began, Brick’s Philadelphia home was destroyed with the rest of the city. The militia was starving, Brick took this food gathering mission upon himself, not wanting to put any of the others at risk as he was the only one with enough strength left to fight.

Everything that could spoil did long ago, only canned goods and foods packaged and full of preservatives remained. Bottled water was a necessity, all fresh water was contaminated with anthrax or pathogens from the bodies. The store was burnt-out and picked over. Carefully stepping around the shards of glass and overturned shelves, Brick scanned the ground like a hawk. A three sided counter still stood in the middle of the store, a good foxhole should one be needed. Brick went behind it, where cashiers once stood, ringing up hoagies, iced tea and Tastykakes.

The racks above the counter were empty, as were the first two cabinets beneath the counter. In the third and final counter, Brick saw something that brought him more joy than he had felt since the first Human Liberation Guerilla bomb went off four years ago. One lonely carton of Newport cigarettes, still wrapped in cellophane, sat waiting to be found.

The trademark seafoam green packaging reminded Brick of the satisfaction of having a smoke. Creature comforts were an exceedingly rare commodity, and the one that Brick cherished more than any other was before him, like a Christmas gift sitting under a tree with his name on the tag.

Brick snatched the carton and squatted down, hiding himself from any passers-by. The Hu-Li-Gu’s, as the Militia took to calling them, patrolled this desolate area and they were not in the habit of taking prisoners. Brick closed his eyes, held the carton up to his lips and kissed it. He wanted to whisper sweet nothings into its ear, take it out for dinner, romance it, then bring it home and make love to it.

Snapping out of his fantasy, Brick looked about cautiously. He rose and inspected the countertop, the place where lighters were kept available for sale to unprepared smokers. Nothing. Anything that could start a fire was treasured, so Brick wasn’t surprised. He would have to wait until he got to camp before he could consume the delicious menthol flavored ecstasy.

When he started boxing, his trainer admonished him daily for his filthy habit. He would even go as far as taking Brick’s clothes from his locker and throw them out into the street, telling him that the smell of smoke was not welcome in the Joe Frazier Boxing Gym. Still, Brick could not give them up. He limited his cigarette intake as much as possible during the weeks leading up to a fight, but he could not leave them alone for good.

Two years passed since Brick had his last smoke. The Hu-Li-Gu’s destroyed tobacco products when they found them, their utopian vision didn’t include addictive substances. A bunch of fucking wet blankets as far as Brick was concerned.

Seeing no one out on the street, Brick made his way out of the store, leading with the barrel of his 12-gauge. He crept along, staying close to the storefronts that lined East Erie Avenue. The bounty recovered from the Wawa was tucked in the waist of his pants against the small of his back. Traveling during the day was dangerous, but it was impossible at night. Having lived his life in the city, Brick had never seen absolute darkness until there was no electricity. Carrying a torch outside the camp was a death sentence.

Crunch. Brick stiffened, his head went up like a sleeping dog hearing a car door slam. Crunch. Someone was near, walking slowly, deliberately. This was bad. Any noise- a scream, a whistle, the explosion of a shotgun shell, and the Hu-Li-Gu’s would be on him. Not being able to smoke at least one of the Cadillacs stuffed into his jeans would be a fate worse than death, he had to get moving fast.

Cadillacs is what Reece, his training buddy from the gym called Newports. In prison, Reece told him, they call Newports Cadillacs because they are the best of the best and commanded the highest price. Reece was a smoker too, that’s how he and Brick initially bonded. Walking home from the gym Reece would always say “Ayo Brick, lemme get a ‘Lac yo.” Brick always told him to buy his own, then would hand him one. It was as routine as their training regimen.

Moving swiftly, Brick minded his surrounds, praying he didn’t see someone. For the love of Christ, he thought. Please just let me get back to camp. Allow me this so I can smoke these damn cigarettes and I swear, if you want me dead tomorrow you can take me. Just please let me have this one thing. I’ve earned it after all the miserable shit I’ve dealt with over the last four years. Don’t you take this away from me you motherfucker, don’t you dare.

“Stop right there,” the voice said evenly. “Drop the shotgun, put your hands over your head and turn around slow or I am gonna air you the fuck out.”

Brick rolled his eyes. Well played.

“You got one second,” the voice said. Brick dropped the gun, raised his arms and turned. He wasn’t a Hu-Li-Gu. That was good, but he was holding a rifle.

“What you have?” The man asked.

“Nothing worth taking. Just the clothes I’m wearing and the gun I just put down.”

“You sure about that? You didn’t find nothin’ in that Wawa? I saw you lurkin’ around in there. What you got?”

“Does it look like I got anything? You think I was in there shoving cans of corn up my ass? I don’t have shit.”

“Bullshit. Take your shirt off.”

“This ain’t Chippendales pal.”

“Keep talking,” the stranger said. “See what I do.”

“What, you gonna shoot me? Go ahead stupid, the Terrorists will be on your ass before you cross the street.”

Brick took a step towards the stranger, keeping eye contact, still holding his hands up over his head.

“Stop walking. Stop right now or I will shoot you. They wanna come they can come. I might make it, guartunee you won’t.”

Brick stood, no more than twenty feet away from this guy. He has the typical survivor look. Dirty mismatched clothes, overgrown beard, messy rat’s nest of hair.

“Listen to me.” Brick took another step forward.

“I got no beef with you and I got nothing for you to steal. You want my shotgun? Fine, be a thief and take it, I’m not going to chase you. You got the drop on me, so I guess that’s your prerogative if you want it, but I ain’t stripping for you, because I ain’t hiding anything. And if you don’t hurry this up, someone is going to see us out here and interrupt this little Mexican Standoff with an RPG. So what do you want to do?”

The man appeared stunned. He stared, unresponsive.

“Didn’t think this through did you bud?” Brick took another step forward. “Let me help you out, I’m not your enemy. You need a place to stay? I can take you somewhere.” Another step.

“I don’t got much for you there. A little water, I can get you cleaned up, but buddy, you gotta stop pointing that gun at me.” Brick took another step forward.

“You just stop right there.” He sounded unsure of himself. “You don’t take another Goddamn step or I will shoot you. Now back up and take your fucking shirt off and show me that you ain’t got nothin’ or else I’m gonna-“

Brick stepped forward. “Shoot me?” Brick hit the stranger on the jaw with lightning speed. The stranger’s ass went back and his top half crumpled forward, toward Brick, going down on top of his gun which he pointed up trying to hold onto it while putting his hands straight out toward the ground to brace his fall, his right index finger stuck in the trigger guard, the butt of the rifle hit the ground, causing the rifle to go off with the barrel pointed under his chin, blowing his face off.

“Holy fuck!” Brick screamed, his heart literally feeling like it skipped a beat. He turned without hesitation and ran, scooped up his shotgun and took off down East Erie at a full sprint.

Motorcycles came speeding down the avenue towards the gun shot. Brick looked over his shoulder and could see them in the distance. He cut through the parking lot of the old Erie Lanes bowling alley. The wall had been blown out where the front entrance used to be. He dipped inside. Bowling balls were scattered around the floor, shook loose from their racks. Outside the reach of the sunlight coming through the missing entrance, it was pitch black.

Bikes pulled up, stopping in the street. Brick listened carefully as the Hu-Li-Gu’s surveyed the strip mall parking lot where the faceless stranger lay dead. Hopefully they didn’t see me. People off themselves all the time, maybe they will think he got tired of not finding food in bombed-out Wawas and decided to snack on a bullet.

“Where is the other one?” One of them asked.

“How do you know there is another one?” “Because you don’t scream after you’ve been shot in the head. Someone else screamed and I want him found now.”

Well shit, Brick thought. There goes that. Brick went down to his hands and knees and crawled through the bowling alley. He couldn’t see his hand in front of his face and rolling his ankle on a bowling ball guartuneed that he would be found. He could hear them getting closer to the entrance. Just as he felt the end of the rental counter to his left, he saw beams from flashlights enter the building.

He got behind the counter and took the Newports out of his pants so he could sit with his back to the wall. He focused on keeping his breath to a minimum. Two Hu-Li-Gu’s stepped inside, searching with flashlights on their assault rifles.

“Hurry up,” a voice yelled from outside.

Economy of energy, his boxing trainer Bernard always said. Economy of energy, meaning save it when you don’t need it, use it when you do. You don’t need energy before a fight- panicking wastes it, nerves waste it, so don’t worry, don’t panic, don’t even think if you don’t have to. The fight was near and it wouldn’t end in a knockout.

Brick closed his eyes. He placed the carton of cigarettes on his lap and as gently as possible he peeled away the wrapper. He fingered open the cardboard box and slid out a pack. He traced the outline of the pack with his thumbs and pulled the cellophane from the top. He opened the pack and pulled away the foil, then brushed his thumb across the top of the filters. He pinched one, pulled it out and placed it in his lips. Brick opened his eyes seeing the flashlights moving methodically in his direction.

The memory of his first cigarette, given to him by a sixteen year old girl in Love Park when he was thirteen came to mind. Brick reached up feeling a shelf under the counter. Between a metal canister and a rosin bag was an open box full of paper matchbooks. He took one and held it for a beat as the flashlight beams went across the countertop. He folded back the front flap and tore off a match. Smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em, he thought, striking the match, a wisp of sulfur stinging his nostrils. He put the flame to the cigarette hanging from his lips. The pop from lighting the match and the faint orange glow it gave off got the Hu-Li-Gu’s attention. Brick racked his shotgun as he stood, inhaling smoke deep into his lungs.

Gunfire. The cherry of the cigarette extinguished as it touched the blood pooling up on Brick’s chest. They continued shooting into Brick’s body as he lay on a pile of old bowling shoes.

Chuck Corson chuckcorson.wordpress.com IG: Chuck.corson

submitted by /u/chuckcorson [link] [comments] via Blogger https://ift.tt/2vh6Nif

[thefearlessgastronomist]

23 FACTS ABOUT YOURS TRULY

1. The Basics: My name is Rachel, 27 years young [when this was posted in 2017], posting from my parent’s home in the suburbs of Minneapolis/St. Paul, brown hair (though it’s usually dyed a different color), blue eyes, sassy as hell 😏  Also, for reference, I’m of Italian, Irish, German, and Swedish heritage. My last name is super Italian and I eat a lot of pasta. 

2. I did not go to culinary school. I did go to college for five and a half years, but not for anything remotely related to culinary arts. My entire thing is: Graphic Communications Management with an emphasis in Layout/Design and minors in Photography and Journalism. At least the writing and photography parts makes sense, right? They’re useful.

3. I would, however, love to go to culinary school. Since late 2016, I have thought really hard about this. We’ll see how that pans out. I have taught myself a lot of things in the kitchen, but I would really like to have that base knowledge that all chefs have – like knife skills, certain techniques, basic food staples, etc. 

4. The food I could eat every day for the rest of my life? Lasagna. How stereotypical Italian of me to say this, but I really love lasagna. Not the homemade kind that involves ricotta, but *gasp* the store bought frozen kind.  I do have a lot of favorite foods, mind you. But I could eat a whole pan of Stouffer’s Lasagna with Meat Sauce by myself if given the opportunity. I’ll admit that I ate a lot of the smaller personal-sized ones in college.

5. I watch a lot – and I mean A LOT – of Food Network and Cooking Channel. My usual program of choice is ‘Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives’ (FN/CC), but I also love ‘Dinner at Tiffani’s’ (CC), ‘Chopped’ (FN), ‘Beat Bobby Flay’ (FN/CC), ‘Burgers Brew and ‘Que’’ (CC), ‘Cooks vs. Cons,’ and ‘Bakers vs. Fakers’ (FN). I would love to try the restaurants that Guy Fieri has visited here in Minnesota on Triple D. And I get a lot of hosting ideas from Tiffani. 

6. Speaking of Guy Fieri and Food Network, I got to eat at both Guy’s and Giada de Laurentiis’s restaurants when I was in Las Vegas (in September 2016). And I loved every minute of it. I’m bummed I didn’t have a chance to go to any other celebrity chef’s restaurants while I was there. So here’s a short wishlist for next time: Buddy V’s Ristorante (though I did get a dessert from his Carlo’s bakery across the way from the restaurant); Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill and/or Bobby’s Burger Palace; Nobu (I must figure out what the Kardashian’s love about it so much); Emeril Lagasse's New Orleans Fish House; Mario Batali’s OTTO Pizzeria; and Wahlburgers. 

7. I love White Castle! Whenever I am close to one, I typically demand whoever I am with to stop there. It’s a sickness really, but I love the sliders so much. And the onion chips. 

8. I have an obsession with seafood. Including sushi. I’m not exactly sure where this stemmed from – possibly from eating calamari on a boardwalk in Florida during a family vacation years ago – but given the option, I will often opt for seafood in dishes (i.e. shrimp fettuccine alfredo).

9. I am the person that eats strange foods for the sake of trying them. And I usually end up liking it. I am the Andrew Zimmern in my family 😆  I’ll try bizarre foods that make people squirm. 

10. I enjoy the smell of garlic and onion. 

11. I prefer a more globally-influenced dinner time. Americans notoriously eat dinner early compared to the rest of the world (around 5 or 6pm); other countries are more around 8-to-10pm. I tend to side with those people. Probably because I’m such a night owl. 

12.  Starbucks is my coffee place of choice. My go-to drink depends on my mood, but I’m currently loving the Sweet Cream Cold Brew ☕️   and the Berry Sangria herbal tea. 

13. I’m on a mission . . . a BEER mission. As a Minnesotan, beer drinking is almost a necessity, to go along with our fishing and our bonfires lol. The truth is that I like the idea of beer drinking, but hate the hoppy taste (meaning IPA’s aren’t my favorite). So I’ve set myself on a quest to find brews I actually enjoy drinking; this so far has included Negra Modelo (the one that started this whole thing), some pale ales, lagers, and plenty of hard ciders. Take a look at those I’ve tried HERE. I also like to actively try new wines and cheeses. 

14. The key to my heart? Chinese food. More accurately, Chinese buffets. But seriously, even Panda Express or Little Chopstix. Feast on Chinese food with me and I’ll probably love you forever. 

15. I am one of those people that pays just as close attention to plate and table presentation as I do cooking the meal itself. It doesn’t always get the appreciation it deserves, but I like to do it anyways. I also like to do the little extra things that make a meal an experience – such as sending someone a mailed invitation, setting up a “design your own name tag” station for drinking glass name tags, or parting gifts (I sent my family home with blackberry jam once). Just to list a few. I like to get crafty and creative.

16. I kind of have food sensitivities. I’m incredibly stubborn, so I refuse to stop eating things, but that’s also because my reactions to certain foods changes daily. Some days it effects me, some days it doesn’t. I just eat the food, deal with it, and move on. 

17. While I love all forms of cooking, I especially enjoy grilling. Charred parts and grill lines on foods 🙌  SO GOOD. I may or may not have ruined our glass stovetop with my double-burner-sized grill pan. 

18. I hardly ever go (because I can be such a late sleeper), but I love farmer’s markets. I really would love to go to more of them this summer, straw tote bag and all (after I find a good one I like). I’m totally getting into fresh produce and herbs lately, so now more than ever I would like to go. 

19. Speaking of farmer’s markets, the last time I was there was to get a bushel of cucumbers – to make my own sweet pickles. It’s something my mom used to do, but a year or two ago, I decided i wanted to give it a try myself. It’s a 14-day soaking and boiling process that makes the house reek of cider vinegar and pickling spices. But they are pretty much the only pickles I like to eat. 

20. I refuse to diet. I don’t understand how anyone could ever consciously decide to not eat what they like (especially with all the amazing foods out there!), nor have I ever understood the obsession over being skinny (my only thought about about being skinny is that it’s easier to find clothes to fit you). And funny enough, other than being overweight per the BMI (which I also believe is a crock of shit), my cholesterol and all my numbers are fine. So 😝  .

21. I possibly want to open up my own food establishment someday. But I think I would have the hardest time deciding what kind of place it would be (restaurant, cafe, food truck), what to name it, and what type of foods to serve. Like, it would probably be the most random conglomeration of foods ever. 

22. There is a list of foods I use to determine how much I like a restaurant and/or if I would go back. Obviously it depends on the type of restaurant and it’s not the only determining factor, but I always have to try the following if they have it on their menu – fettuccine alfredo, nachos, and club sandwiches. If they have a good version of these, I’d probably eat there again. 

23. I recently became a kitchen assistant for a cooking school! It’s a retail store technically, but some of its locations have a space for cooking classes. And sure, it’s a lot of washing dishes, but you also get to do the mise en place (a.k.a. recipe prep, like measuring out or cutting ingredients), as well as assisting the chef and the class participants in the kitchen. Probably one of the best moves I’ve made professionally. And part of the reason why I started this blog!

SIX FOOD THINGS I AM CURRENTLY OBSESSED WITH

Cilantro

Making my own sauces rather than using store bought (i.e. barbecue sauce)

Taco-ing foods 

Baking, especially breads and soft pretzels

Mexican Street Style Corn on the Cob / Elote (corn brushed with mayonnaise, then sprinkled with chili/cayenne powder and cotija cheese)

Caramelized or sauteed onions

RAPID FIRE ROUND

The hardest dish/meal I’ve ever made was . . .   Chicken Tikka Masala; it was so involved. There’s marinading the chicken, caramelizing onions, then simmering the sauce, grilling the meat, then putting it all together and letting it simmer some more. 

When I’m not cooking, you’ll find me . . . Eating 😂  But also reading, watching television/Netflix, spending time with my friends (which almost always involves going out to eat), writing and blogging. 

My ultimate destination getaway is . . .   Italy! I would love to spend an extended period of time (think like Eat Pray Love-style) in Italy so I could travel to all of the great cities – Rome, Florence, Milan, Venice, Naples, Capri; areas like Sicily, Tuscany, the Amalfi Coast. 😚👌 

My favorite dessert is . . .   Strawberry bananas they have at buffets! I also do my own version of it at home, with strawberry sauce and sliced bananas on top of ice cream. Furthermore, I’ve discovered a fabulous strawberry-rhubarb pie from Sam’s Club. 

My favorite ice cream flavor . . . Chocolate chip cookie dough. Preferably as a blizzard from Dairy Queen 😉  

Cake or pie? . . . Such a blasphemous question since they’re both so good, but I think I’m leaning more towards pie. 

My LEAST favorite thing about cooking is . . . Deciding what recipe to pursue with certain limited ingredients I might not always have access to; when I’m cooking for people who have picky palates and don’t like when I put “grass” (spices) on things; when I’m missing one ingredient/one utensil to make a recipe work. 

My favorite celebrity chef is . . . Alex Guarnaschelli, Guy Fieri, Michael Symon, Andrew Zimmern, Geoffrey Zakarian (for his ability to cook with wine in hand or the way he takes random espresso breaks mid-cooking), Scott Conant (he’s just reaaaaally nice to look at), Mario Batali (for his ability to wear Crocs and yet be a serious chef), and Gordon Ramsey (’cause he swears like a sailor, just like me). Also, if we’re including celebrities who happen to cook, Tiffani Thiessen. 

If I were stranded on a desert island and only had 3 kitchen appliances with me, they would be . . . A fridge/freezer combo? That magically need not require battery nor electricity to function (as with all these items, I suppose). I probably wouldn’t mind be stranded on an island, I’d just want a way to keep my food items (like all the fish I’m sure I’ll catch haha) from spoiling. And it’ll have a fresh water thing built into the door so I don’t die of dehydration. Maybe a blender? I’m thinking island fruit smoothies with my ice from my freezer, and this particular island would have a potential Pirates of the Caribbean-esque hidden underground rum-running loot so I can mix boozy drinks 😉 Plus my island has edible plants, so blender would be useful to make like a pesto. Aaaaand... hmmm... I probably wouldn’t mind a stand mixer with all the attachments. Just in case. I’m sure I’d want it at some point or another.  

My favorite Minnesota State Fair food is . . . Not that I could ever really choose, but TOP FIVE THAT I ATE LAST YEAR (2016): Corn dogs (plural), cheese curds, deep fried fruit on a stick with chocolate sauce, deep fried alligator bites, and Luigi fries (cheesy breadsticks). 

Last year, I also had some new items worth noting: french toast bites with a berry sauce/whipped cream/Pop Rocks, Grain Belt BLU (Blueberry Lager), lefse with bacon and brown sugar filling, ostrich meatballs with three different sauces (orange, soy, and teriyaki), and Schell’s Beer Red Sangria Lager.

The best restaurant I’ve ever eaten at was . . . is impossible to choose! 

However, My top 5 restaurants are . . . Great Moon Buffet, Tucci Bennuch, Piada Italian Street Food, Green Mill (only the ones that still have the Alamo Nachos), and Pizza Hut. 

My favorite family recipe is . . . Maybe “mock chow mein.” It’s really more of a beef+pork meat and rice casserole with green pepper, onion, celery, mushroom pieces, and water chestnuts cooked in, alongside some condensed soups and other ingredients for flavor. Not really “chow mein” in the traditional Chinese food sense, but it’s delicious. A 9x13″ pan doesn’t last long at our house. 

Also, my maternal grandmother’s potato salad. Unlike so many of the store bought deli ones, her’s isn’t mustard-heavy. And the texture of it is just so much better. I’m not sure how to best explain it, but I have since taken on making it myself. 

Funny enough, I really disliked both these dishes when I was younger. Which probably means I need to go back through the family recipes and try some things again with my more advanced palate. 

My choice pizza topping is . . . Probably Hawaiian. That’s right, I’m a pineapple-on-pizza believer! I also like plain sausage pizza. But really I just love pizza in general, especially now that I’ve started doing my own homemade dough and gourmet-style toppings (i.e. BBQ chicken with my own homemade barbecue sauce and cilantro; a chicken alfredo with the addition of either sauteed mushrooms or black beans with basil or parsley; a chicken-bacon-ranch rendition I made for my brother). As with so many other foods, my topping choice simply depends on my mood.

My favorite breakfast . . . Either a ham-and-cheese omelette from some “greasy spoon” diner, or french toast. I’ve also started making this sort of “spicy Eggs Benedict” thing on my breakfast sandwich maker that I could (and do) honestly eat all the time for a quick meal. It’s half an English muffin, slice of Canadian bacon, slice of provolone cheese, an egg cooked to a poached consistency (I’ve fallen in love with creamy runny yolks), and topped with sriracha mayo. 

I take my coffee . . . With as much stuff to make it not taste so strongly like coffee. If not a specialty drink, then definitely with lots of cream and sugar. Usually some sort of flavoring (like caramel). Typically I go with a latte because that’s the one that’s more frothy milk than coffee. I also really like those “Steamers” from Kwik Trip that probably aren’t even coffee at all.

Soup or salad? . . . Ugh, this should be soup AND salad. All the food! But I’ve gone both ways with this, so it really just depends. I will say I almost always do soup at Olive Garden.

Favorite food movie . . . Eat Pray Love, Ratatouille, Chef, Julie & Julia. I want to talk about these some more, so I’ve a whole post dedicated to this coming up.

Favorite cocktails . . . Mojitos, Captain & Coke, Mimosas, I usually lean towards those fruity mixed drinks at restaurants (I had a really good Mai Tai in Downtown Las Vegas); also recently discovered Moscow Mules and now have a need for copper drinkware. 

Favorite sandwich . . .  Club sandwiches! But also, I crave “Sherri’s Chicken Sandwich” (a fried coconut chicken sandwich with honey mustard and avocado) from Craft Beer & Kitchen all the time. As well as my own homemade version of the Grilled Chicken Club I had at Pinstripes once – it’s grilled chicken, with bacon strips, a slice of provolone, avocado, and then instead of shallot mayo I make a cranberry mayo, and I use a ciabatta bun that I toast.

Cooking at home or going out for dinner? . . . It’s all about balance! And, once again, my choice really just depends on my mood. I love cooking things myself, but sometimes you just can’t beat getting a meal somewhere else. Especially when you’re looking for that more authentic experience or atmosphere. 

Food bucket list . . . This is a fantastic concept. I’m going to use a whole separate post to answer it. Keep your eyes peeled! 

Something I’m really proud of . . . Honestly? My ambitions, adventurousness, and fearlessness in the kitchen. And with that, the meals I’ve planned and executed with more effort than normal – so far a St. Patrick’s Day Dinner, Cooking a la Giada, Easter Brunch, Cinco de Mayo Tacos 3 Ways, Mother’s Day Build Your Own Pizza Party. Also, my courage to make a career change in my life by starting a culinary-based job.

One food you could never bring yourself to eat? Funny enough, olives. I don’t mind black olives on a supreme pizza because there are so many other things you don’t even notice them, but plain black or green olives... Just not my thing. I can’t even remember if I’ve officially tried any type of olive on its own or not.

The one food I’ve always wanted to try but haven’t yet is . . .   My namesake sandwich. The Rachel (or even the Reuben). I just haven’t had the nerve to try it at a restaurant yet.