Sur la Table

My friend Andrea won a free cooking class from Yahoo's freecycle website and invited me to be one of her 5 guests. Andrea sent me an email with the menu and I was a little worried that I wouldn't like any of the food we prepared and I'd be forced to go home and make another meal. We sampled babaganoosh, cheese and crackers, and vanilla bean lemonade while waiting for all of the chefs-in-training to arrive.
Chef Scott made a chilled tomato soup and then we split into groups of 2 and each group was in charge of one recipe. I was partnered with Lisa and we made corn and tarragon bites. I chose this recipe because it seemed to be the easiest one and fail proof. The bites were delicious.
Andrea and Hilary were in charge of the vegetable cobbler. I don't like cobbler so the idea of a vegetable cobbler made me want to throw up. Chef Scott felt the same way and he described the veggie dish as a pot pie of sorts. I started to feel much better at this point and the color returned to my face. Andrea asked about the K-9 pepper and I was so confused until I realized she was asking about cayenne pepper. We obviously cook a lot.
Curtis and Kari were in charge of the pork chops. We all nominated Curtis to cook the meat and Andrea kindly pushed Kari to be Curtis' partner in the hope that they would find love while stuffing pork chops with a bacon and onion mixture.
We laughed a lot while cooking and I had a good time meeting new people and learning the cooking skills of a master. I even got Chef Scott to give me the recipes from his cookies and ice cream class. That's two classes for the price of none.

Hit me with your best shot

I received an IM from Pseu and a message from Rachelle telling me that Pat Benatar and her husband Neil aka Spider are coming to Salt Lake in July and I may have screamed. I quickly went to The Depot website for more information and started to spread the word to others who love Pat. Many people have a list of things they want to do or see before they die, and seeing Pat in concert is on my list. I check her website frequently to find out where she is touring and was planning to travel out of state if necessary but instead, Pat is coming to see me in Utah.
I bought my ticket for the concert today and now I am counting down the days until July 23rd. I might have to leave work early on the 23rd to get to The Depot so my friends and I can be as close to Pat as possible, but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

Cutting Out Cancer

I took a drive to Idaho for the weekend and participated in the Relay for Life which raises awareness and money for the American Cancer Society. The relay lasted from 7p Friday night until 7a Saturday morning with at least one team member walking around the track at all times. My sister was the team captain and our team consisted of The Villa salon and day spa girls, myself, our dad, and our Aunt Joyce. We loaded up on the free stuff which included band-aids, pedometers, fans, and sunscreen. There was a problem with the lights around the track so much of the night was spent walking in darkness. Around 3a, I became very tired and didn't know if I would make it the whole night, but I did.
My aunt Jacquie participated in the survivor walk and then my dad walked with her for the caregiver lap. My dad transported his sister to and from appointments, handled insurance issues, and was an amazing support while Jacquie was going through radiation and chemotherapy and continues to help as needed.
The Villa girls participated in a potato relay race and won. The prize? Idaho Spud candy bars. We also sang Straight Up by Paula Abdul and the crowd loved us. Everyone knew The Villa girls by the end of the night because of the hoodies we were wearing that said The Villa and because we sang, danced, and talked to other relay for lifers while walking. We had so much fun raising money for cancer that we are already planning for next years Relay for Life.

Father Rufus

Happy Father's Day

I was on the phone with Lucy and I heard Avry Shae ask you to fix her hair and it reminded me of the times you fixed my hair in the morning. You played basketball or racquetball, came home and fixed us breakfast and then drove us to school. I like going to the store with you because you know everyone and you genuinely care for people and want to know about their lives and people feel that. You are accepting and look for the good in others and help them to see it within themselves. You have a great sense of humor. You notice where you can be of service and you don't hesitate to shovel someone's walk, build a fence, or drop everything to give someone a blessing. You are the best listener. You ask questions and allow me to come to my own conclusions rather than telling me what to do. You are the one I call if the fridge is broken, I have a flat tire, or something is wrong with the vacuum. And yes, I am aware that there is little you can do hundreds of miles away but you are still the first one I think to call in those situations. I'll never forget gathering around your hospital bed and hearing you offer the family prayer for the first time after you had heart surgery. I love you dad.

Sharmane is now what? Baptized!

I met Sharmane when she moved in with my friend Rachelle. Sharmane is amazing, funny, friendly, a great dancer, and strong inside and out. She started attending church, took the missionary discussions and was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on Friday the 6th of June. Rachelle gave a talk on baptism and I spoke on the Holy Ghost. I'm so happy for Sharmane and it's wonderful to see the change in her life and countenance since she was baptized. After the baptism Sharmane made us dinner. Yes, you read correctly. Sharmane made her friends dinner after her own baptism. Did I complain? No way. Sharmane is attending culinary arts school and can cook for me anytime.