Life is not always a bowl of cherries

I have been working at the same job for nearly a year ( I am normally at jobs for multiple years), not my dream job, however a place I have dreamt to be a part of for some time. The job is not the position I would want, frankly I feel under esteemed and unhappy. I only make $10 per hour in this position. I have been justifying working there because I felt like it was moving me closer to my dream. Today, I realized it isn't moving me closer to my dream. It is moving me closer into debt. I can make $10 an hour in my sleep. One thing I have always been good at is making money. I had an interaction there today I didn't care for, and realized I leave there unhappy more then I leave happy. I have another job that I make three times more money and never come home and complain. I do suppose when you care about some thing it is more difficult. But today I believe is the end of my road there! I am greatly disappointed because I thought this would be my fun side job, where I would learn a lot. It has occupied my time and made my finances go farther into the shitter! I am sorry I am being so vague, I am still trying to hold a leave of respect. This situation breaks my heart, but I think it is time to say good bye!

Pacific Mercantile Company

Have you ever desired to learn how to make Asian food? If you have, I am sure your experience was much like my first experience, daunting! The process looks a bit like this, you find a recipe that sounds so lovely, however you have no idea what the ingredients are and where to purchase them. If you have found this to be true, I suggest you pop your head into your local Asain grocery store. I am sure you will find the experience overwhemling, but in time your curiousity will trump your anxiety. There happens to be an entire isle dedicated to different types of seaweed! I also appreciate shopping in the same isle with adorable elderly women. Their culinary wisdom gleams.

This afternoon Cal and I went to the Pacific Mercantile Company for two reasons: one, to find "Ting Ting Jaho", and two, find some beautiful sauce dishes for her birthday party. Ting Ting Jaho are delicious gummy Ginger candies! They are so good, I just about ate the whole bag on the way home (we live about a mile from the store)! If for no other reason, stop in to window shop! I guarantee a cultural adventure in downtown Denver.

Pacific Mercantile Company

Besos,

Poppy

Why do I love cooking?

We shot my audition video for MasterChef mid-November, shortly before Thanksgiving (please take the time to watch it). In my video I compare the culinary arts to playing music: you can play a note a thousands different ways, in a different riff or different code structure, and that is how I feel about food. I love that you can cook an egg a thousand different ways.

For Christmas I received Harold McGee's book: Keys to Good Cooking: A Guide to Making the Best of Foods and Recipes.

He says, "Food aromas are always mixtures of aromas chemicals. Like chords in music, food aromas are an integrated combination of several individual chemical notes. Coriander seed and ginger share a lemony note in their spiciness; ripe banana has a note of clove."


Reading things like this make me understand I am on the right path! I am not going to give up! This path will be laid with golden bricks. It will be divine!

Besos,
Poppy

Audition for MasterChef

Thanks for watching!

First and second course.

Brie cheese topped with caramelized onions, bruised blackberries, chopped basil and toasted, seasoned sliced almonds served with table water crackers and your choice of dried sausage.

Multi-colored roasted beets, candied walnuts and Gorgonzola crumble over a bed of red tipped lettuce.