Heat Of The Kitchen

Just because im losing does'nt mean im lost

2009-10-16T04:25:00.000-07:00

first and foremost sorry everyone for the lack of updates, way to much has been happening, and i feel as though i neglected the blog first and foremost, which i should'nt have done since it was my outlet for everything, but where iam now feels though this may not even help me.

There's so much running thru my mind every minute of everyday. I can't just shut it off, I want to find the off switch but there is no such thing, my sleep is currently like wires criss crossing one another each one running at full capacity. I can't lock down on one emotion because im feeling so many. I just hope I can find answers. I know staying awake for days and days doesnt solve anything, if it did we'd all be Nocturnal and look like Vampires, pale white, giant black bag's beneth our blood shot eyes, craving to feed.

I'm still human, I know that much because I still have feelings and I have raw emotions but un sure how to channel them or use them, and I don't want to make the wrong move or I'm to paranoid to make the right move. Time will show me answers, and if its wrong then oh well back up and try again, I've never given up my entire life. I've always been a fighter ever since I was born, i've always been battling something physically or mentally ever since I can remember.

I realize this is not a food update but i dont have much to update you on the food side of the fence other then we have new menu items at work which are well just alright. They have flavour but they have some kind of lack luster about them! I dunno maybe its the fact alot of people at work don't cook from there heart like I do, who knows. I know where I cook from and how I cook and thats all i should worry about.

anyways until next time.

take care everyone.

Props

2009-08-23T00:08:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to say thank you to all those who've made this apart of there life and are simpling enjoying what im doing with this. I thanked a few people who've helped me form this blog into something ever so great, and i always love hearing input from everyone of you.

"Shocking" Day

2009-08-20T00:44:00.000-07:00

sooo picture this its its about 1pm in the afternoon and you get a bill for 3 desserts, you reach for the cooler and ZAP! yes i got a big bolt of electricity or something zap thru my body, nothing on the appies cooler was safe from the ladels to the mint. It was like playing operation but a worse jolt of electricity, it got to the point were it penetrated the towel and im still tingly its not fun at all!

Oooh yes and Monday was just a total gong show thanks to Lil Wayne cancelling his concert we were understaffed and extremely busy, got out at a decent time but still Insanely busy, video will be posted later once I do some editing and such! A big shout out to my girl Melissa for being a trooper she slipped on a piece of glass and dropped a lot of plates and cut her leg open pretty good but said just give me bandaids and i'll keep working :)! thats just simply awesome! thank you girl for being so fricken awesome. Thank you to all the patient staff for there long bills but getting out and showing the customers it was worth wait, and my boys in the back helluva a job boys!

CoCoLo

2009-08-13T23:08:00.000-07:00

this place is a must try, the presentation of food is as good as it looks, I would have never known about it if it was not for the girl handing out an advertisement for 10 dollar pitches of Sapporo beer, and im a sucker for Sapporo! Kazu & Kingyo you know that better then anyone! Great atmosphere, nice view of west 4th from atop the 2nd floor. It is located by Fuel and right across the street from the gym and las Maragritas! and wonderful service!

go and experience this place

Truffles Chocolate Ones, not the expensive ones pigs find!

2009-08-10T14:50:00.000-07:00

so its come to my understanding that I have a insanely large sweet tooth! What better way to satisfy that craving on a rainy Monday morning after watching many delicous meals being made ever so well on Food Network, I decided to hop into my kitchen stadium and get cracking. The frozen sweets that lay dormant in my freezer werent enough tonight so I decided to hope into my baking book and pull out a simple but classic favourite, The Chocolate Truffle, always a winner everytime i've done a dinner party, simple but I make it look complex, they are time consuming but worth it!

here is the procedure how to make pretty damn good truffles!

STEP 1. chop up your chocolate 250 grams worth

STEP 2. place in bowl and set a side

STEP 3. ADD 1/2 CUP CREAM 1/2 TSP VANILLA TO ANOTHER BOWL

STEP 4 PLACE OVER VERY LOW HEAT AND BRING TO JUST BARELY A SIMMER!

STEP 5. PLACE CREAM AND VANILLA MIXTURE OVER CHOCOLATE AND LET SIT FOR 30 SECONDS THEN STIR TILL SMOOTH

STEP 5. gradually add 1tbsp butter when stirring smooth.

after smooth place in shallow baking dish and place in fridge and allow to harden. after chocolate has hardened roll use tablespoon or teaspoon to create lil choclate balls of goodness. I strongly suggest using gloves when rolling out, your hands will get chocolately.

Enjoy

2009-08-04T04:27:00.000-07:00

WOW! ALL I CAN SAY IS WOW!!!!

so pretty F***en mad right now, Just walked in the door, its late, im tired, wet, and really really cranky!

I'm not even going to get into it!

Drinks, Who Does That.........Not Us!

2009-07-31T14:55:00.000-07:00

So went out with a few of the boys the other night and we hit up the town! Kaz and Me kinda like to be everyones bad influences! sometimes but we really enjoy watching and making others suffer, but since it was there first time around with us we were some what gentle!

this Vodka is made from Potatoes and is soooo smooth! finished this off in with Kaz in about ooh i think half an hour or so!

PRETTY COLOURS!

i don't remember exactly what is what but all i can say was they were tasty!

but come August im just going to be drinking water and relaxing and rest my liver at least for awhile or until Christmas time were i can pound back martinis and rum and egg nog!

So one thing i've gotta say is if your going to smoke weed before work make sure your not overbaked and super slow like seriously, its fucken annoying because during a rush you can't be like mellow, try to hide it or something because when your munching out online, i get in shiet! anyways thas all i gotta say. and tip of the day hmm " don't cook bacon naked"

2009-07-27T18:00:00.000-07:00

Whas Goin On Errbody!

Hey sorry its been a day or two! but I've just been unable to get certain things uploaded so i just gave my computer a rest for a week or so, now im back in full effect!

Did you guys see the crazy night sky the other night absolutely nutty bright flippin orange absolutely simply insane!

so my favourite dish washer "Frenchy" Felix has left work to head to go off to the East coast of the USA then down to Florida and then just go where ever life takes him, what an interesting way of seeing and experiencing life, i would love to do that one day, just take me and some clothes and my knives and create stories, but that wont be for awhile but A man can dream!

The other night was out with my home boy Angelo LaChance! fricken wicked kid, up and coming dj, breaker and cook! look out world this kid is going to make his mark in this city in more ways then one!

so here's a few lil videos from the other night after one to many drinks!

Spice Pairings! part deux (basil)

2009-07-10T14:43:00.000-07:00

Hey Ladies and Gents!

its been awhile since the last blog but many many things have stopped me from blogging for example when i was sick i was out for a good week and also my right wrist is pretty damaged which kinda bites the dust but its all good it could be much much worse if im not careful so i got a fun lil brace that protects me!

but enough bout my aches and pains, this is a food blog not a sympathy forum!

as suggested by Mr.Johnny Awesome before i was sick, what spices go with what!

also certain spices are good with each other and other ones not so much, here's what goes good with what and what should not be together. Spices are similar to us, some of them have great relationships, others have relationshits!

Flavour Pals!

Basil

cilantro, garlic, mint, olive oil, oregano, parsley (both kinds), saffron, thyme

BASIL!

Artichokes, Bass, Green Beans, Beef (why do you think Pho is so good), Blue Fish, Calves Liver, Carrots, Chicken, Corn, Soft Shell Crabs, Crayfish, Cucumbers, Duck, Eggplant, Frogs Legs, Halibut, Ham, John Dory (fish), Lamb, Lamb Chops, Lobster, Melon, Mushrooms, Mussles, Octopus (up that Takoyaki to new heights), Okra, Oranges, Pasta, Peaches, Potatoes, Quail, Rabbit, Red Snapper, White Rice, Salmon, Scallops, Sea Bass, Shrimp, Snails, Dover Sole, Squab, Squash ( summer), Squid, Steak, Strawberries, Swordfish, Tomatoes, Veal, Veal Chops, Zuccini,

i hope this all helps you guys and there will be more soon, as i get time!

until then keep cooking and if you cant take the heat get out of the kitchen!

Always Close With A Dishwasher, Jason Earthy Turned 16, & A Night Out With My Extended Famliy =D!!!

2009-06-30T04:30:00.000-07:00

Well sorry ladies and gentlemen its been a lil while since my last update but i was sick for 3 days with a fever of 103 degrees F! not Celsius! ya know the other one that I can't spell but not alot of people can but y'all know what i mean! and I got a mild sprain / tendonitis in my right hand.............and no its not from that its from working pans and all the tossing and such! s'all good It will heal in time.

So tonight was slow and steady up until about 9:50-10 pm when we got a party of 15 who thought he lets order some sushi! so they order not one roll but 5, and im not going to lie, its kind of a bit of pain in the ass to make especially for 4 reasons.

1. I have one hand to work with.
2. My Co Worker Is a Stoner
3. Top End is Equally Busy with Cajun Sandwhichs
4. They Have To Be Rolled Nicely

Anyhow after that it was just a barrage of bills after that but like always we got thru them! After that lil fun it was bascially start to give a good clean wipe down over everything! Which then I realized I was running 40 minutes on Alena's sushi..............whoopsie!

So about 10 minutes before close my dishwasher comes up to me and ask's me hey so were going to be done at 12:15am right?! I wanted to be like are you serious? Are you like Aqua Dish Man?! Are You Related To Mr.Clean!? but i said none of these things I smiled and kindly said
" probably not my friend, we might not be out of here till 1:30am"
he was like " ooooh thas noooo goood for me i need to live right at 12:15" keep in mind at this time its 11:45pm, um Houston we have a mutha fucken problem! Soooo Yea 2 guys now closing line and dish instead of the usual 3 or 4! Actually if you really want to get technically with number we had 1 and 3/4 of a guy since im in capable of using my right hand to much! :P!

Anyhow me and Ray Ray powered thru it, which honestly feels really good knowing we achieved something that awesome! We got out of there just a lil after 1:45am! which honestly made me feel good but now I had to bolt on over to go see my buddie the 16 year old Birthday boy Jason Earthy and the other birthday boy the "25" year old Dj Kelz! and Johnny Awesome! the pretty cool thing was ran into two other people I did not expect to see at all! Colin York soon to be Daddy Colin York ( Congrats Colin) & but who other then Mr. Alex Z! ooh all i gotta say is epic just simply Epic, had a drink or two at Tonic then hit up the Roxy for the very very First time! All I gotta say is...............interesting, I could go back but only with these guys! Then after all that after mass contemplation between Roxy Burger & Pizza we just went with our gut instinct or our animal instinct and just ate what ever our heart desired!

This 2nd Video Is Johnny's Thank You's and Suggestions for an updated version of what he'd like to see regarding spices!

Then after a nice talk outside for a good while it was a rule we had to sing every song in Eddie Vedder's voice {Pearl Jam's Lead Singer} and we also wanted to sabotage the Jonas brothers van, but we might just wait till tommorow but we don't know just yet :P!

anyhow guys & gals see y'all soon.

I'm A SYN' er on Mondays

2009-06-22T02:29:00.000-07:00

Today was a causal day off and just chilled out and then went down to Tonic at

around 9 to check out this event called Original Syn Mondays! really fun and wicked, i usually never go out on monday but s'all good it was my Friday/Saturday so might as well! Good Beats, Cheap Drinks and very fun people in the club!

anyhow im tired and exhausted! talk to y'all soon

OOh and im pretty sure i've sprained my wrist!

Hump Wings Day!

2009-06-18T04:11:00.000-07:00

Ackward title i know but its the middle of the week and well its wing wednesday! probably went thru about 65 lbs of wings tonight! 1. thats alot of sauce. 2. alot of celery 3. a lot of chicken slaughtered for the greater good!

anyhow moving on a very good technique y'all should learn is breading, and i have this great video step by step by my boy Stephan aka Devastator back once again but this time on camera explaining the breading process

oooh the other day I forgot to tell you guys I tried Falafel for the first time in a long time! I forgot how good it was and for the portion size i got its sooo worth i think i spent like $ 5.50 or $6.00! it was pretty damn good very filling on a nice light fluffy pita bread! actually its located just past the library, it didnt look to good from outside but just decided hey, i always walk by this place late at night i might as well try it for lunch, and boy i was shocked at the flavours and how good it actually was! As I was sitting outside I saw the best ice cream truck ever!

Anyhow close tonight was pretty rough we had to do back wall! which is absolutely motherfuckening disgusting! but anyways i'll let the video some what explain.

What Spices & Flavours Are Complimentary ---------Part 1

2009-06-16T15:27:00.000-07:00

So things that are complimentary to Beef are as follows.

basil
beer
bearnaise sauce
bordelaise sauce
Burgundy
carrots
chilies
chives
corn
hazelnuts
horseradish
maderia
marrow
mushrooms
mustard
onions
orange
parsley
black pepper
peppers
potatoes
prunes
scallions
shallots
soy
vinegar, balsamic
wine ( especially red)

methods of cooking

boil, braise, grill, marinate, pot-roast, roast, spit-roast, stew

Late Night Park Pizza

2009-06-12T02:55:00.000-07:00

So about 5hrs ago I got a message from an old friend on Facebook from a gentleman by the name of Jordan Gray who asked what I was doing this evening and well originally I was going to sit and chill at home drink my scotch and write out recipes, when he said he'd be doing the same but kinda wanted to go out but then he presented the idea of simply grabbing some pizza from Flying Wedge and grab some drinks from the CLB and just going to go chill and talk bout life.....which well we did!

We sat at the park and talk about everything possible it was honestly pretty epic, he told me about this band Girl Talk, which honestly is actually pretty insane! He saw them at Sasquatch Fest which by the sounds of it was simply more then my words can describe for a concert! I'll go next year.........I sure as hell hope so! i'm just on youtube right now and checking it out, honestly pretty sick. He was telling me bout stories behind the camera and behind the scenes and his photography, he's one talented individual and has done very well for himself and continue to do so! He knew since Highschool that this is what he wanted to do which is pretty awesome because most people either find themselves during or after highschool or they never really find themselves at all, But If anyone ever needs a great man with a camera, let me know and I'll hook up his information! Sometimes the most simple things bring the biggest joy's to your life and well tonight was for me one of those nights were I truly can say I enjoyed myself and can just be myself. Hearing about also how music videos are insane projects and how musicans spend a redonkalious amount of money on them just for 3 minutes like holy jeeeeeebuz! anyways I'm sure there will be more on Mr.Gray in the near future, I hope to sit down with him again and talk bout life and such because he's lived the kitchen life and he's also a server so he's be on both sides of the spectrum and he knows what its all about more then most servers i've ever worked with which for me I admire. When a server pays his dues in the kitchen and sweats, burns and cuts himself he's truly a true man and as a kitchen boy, that for me is instant respect. anyhow I'm off to bed, back to work tommorow!

What a great day off !! always expect the unexpected, and live life to the fullest!

2009-06-09T02:18:00.000-07:00

So tonight was well an interesting night to say the least! some how bills were running plus 20, which I really don't know how they did but well they did! =P

The other night the was well fun minus the fact I crushed my toe in such a fun way it was just a blasty blast! but oh well welcome to the life of a kitchen were anything can become an instant hazard!

hmm ooh yes pairing of spices, keep your eyes peeled this week, there will be some posts on what goes with what! Mostly going to focus on proteins i.e. Chicken, Beef, Fish, Lamb! if any suggestions just drop me a line.

Granville Island / Fixxation Fridays

2009-06-06T14:50:00.000-07:00

Granville Island Market is one of those places you must explore top to bottom every nook and and crany! The things you will find will just blow you away, and everything is so fresh its just wanting to be gobbled up right then and there! The prices are very good compared to you big chain of grocery stores and its got a wider selection then most grocery stores and it has more then one meat, fish, cheese, and produce and even a bakery or 2,

The colours of the market are soo vibrant and the smells are something that just smells amazing no matter what the weather does it still looks the same and smells the same. I love coming here on my days off and trying new things or finding that ingredient that will make mouths water, not just mine but who ever I cook for!

So I went to the one place i always go to see if they had anything new, and sure enough they did! so gave it a try!

Snake fruit and Sapodilla! absolutely amazing taste! simply more then words can describe! i enjoyed it so much it was great!

After I spent a good couple hours at the market i decided it would be good to make my way downtown. But the best was yet to come!

I headed to the Yote For Fixxtion Fridays and its never a dull moment! I simply love going there and relaxing my ass and having a drink or two, and seeing my friends showcasing there talents either bartending, dancing or dj'ing! I wanted to just give big shout out to everyone who was in the house last night just having fun like we always do.

DJ. Kelz & Johnny Awesome! these two guys are a deadly combination, i'm not going to say how but all im going to say is go experience it!

Johnny Awesome!

Some guys skulls & Jason

What A High Note For A Final Close...........for 2 days

2009-06-04T03:46:00.000-07:00

WOW First and foremost wanted to thank my team of closers tonight! Courtney, J-Money, Alendro, and Brett for putting up with our wild and craziness!

closing dish is always such a hassle and nobody wants 2 do it! but when your laughing and making it fun, its always a blast especially tonight after one hell of night! it felt great to laugh and share it with these guys! otherwise it would have been way to serious and boring!! Love ya guys

We put out some a class food tonight as well which im happy with "Devastator" Stefan G! for 17 and standing in at 6'2 and some dangerous body checks and flying elbows, he's a great asset to the App's line! glad he's on my team!

8th Day Closing / Summer Fun Just Beginning

2009-06-03T03:37:00.000-07:00

So tonight we had to stay about an hour and half extra cleaning and such but it got done and thats what matters! tonight was my 8th straight close! i got one more and then im done for 2 days off and hopefully i'll be able to go out and enjoy my days off instead of sleeping in!

On a positive note! the other day i hung out with fellow cook William ( he's like practically like my brother, well one of 3 brothers I would say I have) and his girlfriend Victoria, we went swimming and chilled out listening to Jack Johnson and Sublime before i went to work, it for sure did'nt make me want to work but it was an awesome day!

Battle Scar #1 / Video 1

2009-05-30T03:49:00.000-07:00

Battle Scar # 1

Guess How?!

I'll give a sharp hint! some people a very dull and people are very sharp ;)!

its going to be a good while till this fucking thing heals but till then band aid's and finger condoms!

Watch the video for the answer!

Project Complete

2009-05-28T03:22:00.000-07:00

So it's 3:30am after a long night of work and stressfull bills! I let loose for a little bit at Tunnel, saw alot of friends had my first drink in 5 weeks! and my goodness it tasted good! nothing like triples to do the body good!

anyhow got home and just finished the painting i've been working on for quite awhile!

now its time to go to bed and bust my booty for the next 8 days straight! I ain't going to complain because working hard is what i do best and I love what I do!