So, it's Friday now, last I wrote, we were on our way to see Stomp--it was an amazing show. If you have never seen it, put it on your to-do list, it really was fantastic. Almost as fantastic as the reception put on by the incomparable Jina of Jina Yoo's. She did almost as well as us--no modesty on my part, I think our receptions are the best, but she may be a close second! Short ribs, noodles, tasty sushi, a very yummu spicy chicken salad sandwich, almost as great as the food in-house. We always tell our customers that Columbia's Kitchen can save you from having to eat out every night so that when you do, you can go to great places and Jina Yoo's is one of our favorites.
Yesterday I worked so that Lauren could compete in MU's Iron Chef competition--she won last year and was not going to be allowed to compete, but they had a team drop out at the last minute, so she was able to participate--I will let you know next time how she did, I forgot to ask today as I ran out of the store. But while I worked my kids had BBQ meatloaf and macaroni and cheese. We all love the mac n' cheese from Columbia's Kitchen and we usually have it once a week. If eaten in moderation it's not all that bad for you, and you can't beat it for comfort food. I also like that it reheats better than any other commercial product I have ever tried! Oh, and while they were eating meatloaf, I had a Chicken Gyro from my Cherry Hill neighbor Kostaki's. I am not sure why they won't put them on the menu, but the great staff will make you one if you ask, then tell them you and Lisa think it should be on the menu! I am not a fan of lamb, but I love everything else about a gyro, and Kostaki's does it well!
Today, Bo had ANOTHER day off from school, so Lauren came in for me and we went out for lunch, but unfortunately I can't tell you where as we did NOT enjoy it. I will tell you all the good things I can about all the places we go, but I won't write a bad thing, and I won't even give you a hint. After all, we all have different palates and I know that many people enjoy this place, so the fact that we didn't means little except that I don't have anything to recommend. When Jay gets home, I'll go back to work, but I am not sure what my boys will eat tonight--maybe I'll have Lauren keep out one of those salmon dishes since they all like it and salmon is not my favorite fish...
Then we have to get ready for a crazy weekend. Basketball, fiddle, haircuts, a sleep over, and Pierce is going to True/False Bootcamp! Over ten hours, 12 kids will produce a 20-minute documentary, and on Sunday Columbia's Kitchen will feed them spaghetti and meatballs to help them through the editing process! Everyone try to catch a movie or two this weekend, we are lucky to have the festival and it's a shame if we all don't at least try to take advantage of it! Talk to you soon, Lisa
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Fat Tuesday Fiasco
So, I forgot it was Mardi Gras, it never even occurred to me that we were selling a lot of shrimp etoufee and jambalaya last week. When you own a business you are forced to always be thinking at least three months ahead, so when the actual events occur, it is difficult to remember that THAT was what all the planning was for... Well, fortunately I had creole catfish thawing, and I cooked the cornish hens on Monday while we watched Hancock on Bo's day off from school. So between the orthodontist appointment, parent/teacher conference and basketball, I made a lovely creole catfish--which has, horror of horrors, too many vegetables for Bo! So I had a lovely New Orleans dinner, everyone else had bits and pieces of cornish hen and cheesy potato bake (Made especially for Pierce who was in a significant amount of discomfort due to some weird lumps of cement on his teeth to further correct his bite. Just another ingenious torture device compliments of Dr. Twaddle who really is a wonderful orthodontist. I just often wonder who comes up with the strange appliances and methods used to torture preteens and their parents in the name of dental science...), creole catfish and rice with hot sauce. Oh, and of course, since we were at the basketball game there is a mandatory consumption rule, right that's what my guys always tell me... So the kids had to have nachos, a soda and dippin dots--to dull the pain, of course... So, $12.50 for junk that costs almost as much as one of our entrees...
However, I do have to tell you that in our constant search for convenient and decent breakfast fare, I bought some of those Jimmy Dean D'Lites, or whatever they're called... It's a supposedly whole grain muffin with egg white patty, cheese, that is surprisingly not ALL oil, and a turkey sausage patty. While Columbia's Kitchen makes great sausage burritos and breakfast casseroles, change is good, and these muffins are not bad. You can buy a dozen of them at Sam's for just under a $1 a piece, and 2.5 minutes in the microwave, and a piece of fruit gets you a decent breakfast you can eat in the car.
So, tonight we get to see Stomp, I'll probably feed the kids the rest of the leftovers before we head over to Jesse and check out the reception. Have a heart healthy day, February is almost over, and we'll touch base again soon. Truly, Lisa
However, I do have to tell you that in our constant search for convenient and decent breakfast fare, I bought some of those Jimmy Dean D'Lites, or whatever they're called... It's a supposedly whole grain muffin with egg white patty, cheese, that is surprisingly not ALL oil, and a turkey sausage patty. While Columbia's Kitchen makes great sausage burritos and breakfast casseroles, change is good, and these muffins are not bad. You can buy a dozen of them at Sam's for just under a $1 a piece, and 2.5 minutes in the microwave, and a piece of fruit gets you a decent breakfast you can eat in the car.
So, tonight we get to see Stomp, I'll probably feed the kids the rest of the leftovers before we head over to Jesse and check out the reception. Have a heart healthy day, February is almost over, and we'll touch base again soon. Truly, Lisa
Monday, February 23, 2009
A real food blog!
The most difficult thing for most people is change--change of any kind. So often we are just flying by the seat of our pants that any change in our fragile routine will put us in a tailspin. And so goes the difficulty of marketing our service. In order to incorporate Columbia's Kitchen into your life, you have to go to a new place--that may be out of the way for some people--buy new food that you or others may not like, cook it in a way that may not be familiar to you, and actually be there to eat it! Believe me, I live that life and know the insanity. With two working parents, two kids with various and sundry activities and two dogs and fish that need attention, we are no different than most of our customers, and I admit, sometimes I can't figure out how to use our services!
But, what I do know is that when I do, my life is so much saner and so much happier. I know I will not be nominated for parent of the year anytime soon, so I will confess that we are not one of those perfect families that sits down to dinner every night to enjoy a sane, healthy meal with constructive conversation. No, not at all... At least two nights every week, our meals are fast food--from who knows where, or leftovers out of the refrigerator eaten standing up at the kitchen counter... However, from now on, I am going to share what we do, how Columbia's Kitchen makes our lives better, and maybe some of you can chime in on works or doesn't work and we can help grow some sanity in our increasingly chaotic world.
Given my job, weekends is when my life is most sane, so that's when I do the most cooking, and sometimes I still cook my own recipes from scratch, but since my time is so precious, I rely on Columbia's Kitchen a lot on the weekends. This Saturday we had a couple kid friends over--one is a vegetarian who won't eat mushrooms, so we had: potato crusted tilapia with garbanzo bean casserole and macaroni and cheese. I love the potato tilapia, it's like bbq potato chips on fish, a little chili powder, a little parmesan, well, Jay and I love it, the kids are not so fond of it, so they ate macaroni and cheese, garbanzo beans and mangoes--then brewed tea from mango pits--another topic for another day! So yesterday and today I had leftover fish and mac n cheese for breakfast--I know I'm weird but it's so much more satisfying than anything else I could whip up AND eat in under two minutes. And Jay is having garbanzo bean casserole for lunch today.
On Sunday Bo had a noon basketball game, so I made lunch of Santa Fe soft tacos at 10:30. We all ate lunch and have some leftovers in the fridge that the boys can eat for dinner tonight before they rush off to violin lessons. We were going to have cornish game hens for dinner, but we decided at the last minute to meet friends at the Outback, where our final $55 bill would have bought a whole week's worth of food at Columbia's Kitchen, but every now and then a splurge is good... So the hens will now thaw an extra day and be saved for dinner on Tuesday (with the rest of the cheesy potato bake from Friday night). And I have creole catfish in the fridge for dinner on Wednesday!
And today in the store, we will be making king ranch chicken, chicken green chile enchiladas, creamy chicken and noodles and beef--slow cooker bbq, sesame ginger, carne rojas, meatloaves, and steaks. And since Bo doesn't have school today, he will be making corn and black bean salad and cranberry bbq meatballs for his teachers to eat tomorrow while they have conferences! So, I better go get started, Lisa
But, what I do know is that when I do, my life is so much saner and so much happier. I know I will not be nominated for parent of the year anytime soon, so I will confess that we are not one of those perfect families that sits down to dinner every night to enjoy a sane, healthy meal with constructive conversation. No, not at all... At least two nights every week, our meals are fast food--from who knows where, or leftovers out of the refrigerator eaten standing up at the kitchen counter... However, from now on, I am going to share what we do, how Columbia's Kitchen makes our lives better, and maybe some of you can chime in on works or doesn't work and we can help grow some sanity in our increasingly chaotic world.
Given my job, weekends is when my life is most sane, so that's when I do the most cooking, and sometimes I still cook my own recipes from scratch, but since my time is so precious, I rely on Columbia's Kitchen a lot on the weekends. This Saturday we had a couple kid friends over--one is a vegetarian who won't eat mushrooms, so we had: potato crusted tilapia with garbanzo bean casserole and macaroni and cheese. I love the potato tilapia, it's like bbq potato chips on fish, a little chili powder, a little parmesan, well, Jay and I love it, the kids are not so fond of it, so they ate macaroni and cheese, garbanzo beans and mangoes--then brewed tea from mango pits--another topic for another day! So yesterday and today I had leftover fish and mac n cheese for breakfast--I know I'm weird but it's so much more satisfying than anything else I could whip up AND eat in under two minutes. And Jay is having garbanzo bean casserole for lunch today.
On Sunday Bo had a noon basketball game, so I made lunch of Santa Fe soft tacos at 10:30. We all ate lunch and have some leftovers in the fridge that the boys can eat for dinner tonight before they rush off to violin lessons. We were going to have cornish game hens for dinner, but we decided at the last minute to meet friends at the Outback, where our final $55 bill would have bought a whole week's worth of food at Columbia's Kitchen, but every now and then a splurge is good... So the hens will now thaw an extra day and be saved for dinner on Tuesday (with the rest of the cheesy potato bake from Friday night). And I have creole catfish in the fridge for dinner on Wednesday!
And today in the store, we will be making king ranch chicken, chicken green chile enchiladas, creamy chicken and noodles and beef--slow cooker bbq, sesame ginger, carne rojas, meatloaves, and steaks. And since Bo doesn't have school today, he will be making corn and black bean salad and cranberry bbq meatballs for his teachers to eat tomorrow while they have conferences! So, I better go get started, Lisa
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