The Day Off

We all love a good day off, whether it be a day off from school, work, or being stressed out about life. There's something about not having anything to do or really worry about for a day that's refreshing and rejuvenating. A few things that I like to on my day off include

• Being horizontal for as long as possible. You don't necessarily have to be laying down but sitting and relaxing is key.
• Munchies. Hang out with your favorite snack and/or beverage while being horizontal. 
• Cooking. This is a personal one. I love to cook when I'm at home hanging out. Usually Brooke is working when I have a day off so it's nice to cook something good for her to come home to.
• Watch something good. It's been awesome to catch up on my shows and hang out with a good movie.

Here's a couple links to some old school disney cartoons about days off for your enjoyment : )

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78_3VBST-4w This one is a goofy cartoon and is the exact opposite of what I enjoy doing on my day off. In fact it's a nightmare day off but entertaining none the less.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdEwNOz-P50 A classic donald duck cartoon. Gotta love it!

Well this is a short post. I mean, it is my day off  : ) Take it easy everybody!

Culinary Chronicles #3

Well, another week has gone by and life in culinary school is as good as ever! We are learning the basic cooking methods like roast, braise, fry, grill, saute, poach. We did some great recipes that I'll post on damnthelemonade so you can check them out. They were super easy and delicious! I'm still in my safety and sanitation class and it's going good. We finished parasites so here's a link to a video we watched about cryptosporidium. It was pretty gnarly to see how tough some bugs are! We also learned about cockroaches and other creepy crawlies that can infect a kitchen and how to get rid of them. Pretty mellow week, and culinary foundations 1 is almost over! Then a 3 week break and I start foundations 2 where we actually get to start doing some cooking! Sorry this post is so short. NOW this up coming week is going to be a little crazy! I have almost nothing but tests everyday! Thank goodness it's on knife cuts, recipes, herbs, spices, and who wrote the first cookbook instead of useless imaginary math questions. Thank goodness for easy math questions in the form of cooking measurements! We learned a bit about lobsters this week when we made lobster bisque and I thought this clip of Julia Child talking about lobsters was kinda funny but actually really informative.
Here's the link Julia Child and Lobster! Have a good week everybody!

sick!

So once again I have a cold...I'm in Florida and I have a cold...it's crazy. So this post is going to be about what I like to do when I'm sick.

#1. Do as little as possible- It's never fun to do a lot while you're sick! I wasn't going to go to school today but I really like school so I guess I'll suffer through it. On the other hand, I don't want to go into work today so I'm praying they call me and say that I don't have to come in.

#2. Drink lots of tea!- As a matter of fact I have a thermos of tea right next to me at this very moment. It's a tension relief tea with peppermint, lemon and ginger that my dear sweet wife bought for me! And I spiked it with a good glob of honey and a few drops of fresh lemon juice. Sure feels great!

#3. Eat something hearty and flavorful- For a lot of people, I don't think eating is on their list. Eating wouldn't be on my list if I was nauseous of course but when I have a cold I'm always looking for a real hearty satisfying meal. Oh yeah, and it needs to be packed with flavor! Why? Because one major cold symptom of a cold is congestion, and you won't be able to taste anything if the food doesn't have loads of delicious flavors.

#4. Watch movies, and catch up on favorite T.V. shows- It's always good to be entertained when you're sick. Nothing better than hanging on the comfortable couch with a snack and getting your mind off how crappy you feel.

#5. Sleep- Last but not least, sleep is great. It's nice to take some awesome cold medicine and crash in a comfy bed. Plus, everyone knows that sleep is one of the best things for you to do while your sick. It's nice to take the day and just relax.

Well, that's my list. It's pretty basic but it's nice to do this stuff to make you feel better! If anyone does anything else that is interesting or "fun" (when I mean fun, I mean it in a make you feel a little less like dying kind of way) leave a comment. And here's some cartoons about being sick I thought were awesome. ENJOY!

Cartoon courtesy of toothpastefordinner.com

Cartoon courtesy of toothpastefordinner.com

Cartoon courtesy  of toothpastefordinner.com

Culinary Chronicles #2

So a couple weeks have gone by in my classes and I've already learned a ton! Right now I'm in Culinary Foundations 1 and Food Safety & Sanitation. The classes alternate every day and it's a lot of info coming really fast. So far in my sanitation class we're learning about the proper handling of food along with proper holding temperatures, receiving and processing of food, and preparation.  It's a good time and I've learned some crazy facts about things like botulism and other food borne illness. Here's a link to a clip we watched in class about ice and how dirty it can be in restaurants. Just click the link Dirty Ice. In Culinary Foundations, we've learned basics like vinaigrette and homemade mayo, as well as how to make "mother sauces" and stocks. We've worked on knife skills with various vegetables and the specific cuts that can accompany a dish. I'll actually be posting recipes on Damnthelemonade if anyone is interested and they'll be stuff that I learn in school as well as random recipes that I try on my own. Well, that's it for this week but there will be much more to come! Here's a little comic that I thought was kinda funny courtesy of toothpastefordinner.com.

Holidays!

Well this post is a couple days late but thanksgiving is really a great holiday if it's done properly. I was worried this year that thanksgiving wouldn't be worth much because me and my wife moved to the opposite side of the country and away from our families. I was worried that I would be home sick and really miss everyone back at home but the truth is I had a wonderful thanksgiving here in Orlando Florida with just me my beautiful wife and our little dog. We went to Disney World for part of the day then went home and made dinner. We had ham, mashed potatoes with jalapeños,bacon, and cheddar cheese, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and gravy. Oh I can't forget pie!!! My wonderful wife made two pumpkin and one pear pie (one of my favorites). We chowed down then went and saw the movie "Tower Heist" with a friend. Later, I went home while my wife went "Black Friday" shopping while I went home and went to bed. What a day! Now it's the holidays and Christmas is coming up quick I'm super excited for all the holiday happenings and I'll Try to post what's going on in the river rats life. Happy holidays everybody!

Culinary chronicles #1

Those of you that read this blog on occasion and that know me personally already know that I just recently moved to sunny Florida with my beautiful wife and our little dog to go to culinary school. It's been a wild ride so far but school has started and it's turning out to be better than I expected! I rafted all summer and wrote about my river adventures. Now I would like to share some of my culinary adventures with all of my friends and family and other curious and more than welcome readers. As for exactly what I'm going to share here opposed to my other blog Damn the lemonade I'm still deciding. I think I'll post recipes on damn the lemonade and talk about things I've learned and what's going on with life at school and the stuff I'm gonna be doing there. This could possibly change based on mood and all the normal random stuff that could happen to change my mind. but either way I hope to share some cool stuff with anyone who reads.

River Chronicles #11



Well this is it. The last trip of the season. This post has taken forever to get done because I moved to Florida and had a little bit of a bumpy time. This last post will be a little different than my others. I'm gonna do the post the post journal style instead of just giving a brief summary at the end and see which one I like the best.



pretty picture

Tuesday September 20th 2011

Well it's day three of our trip already. We've pulled into Nankoweep for a half over because the hike is good, the beach is shady and we rowed a lot our first two days. It feels good to finally row the Grand Canyon. It's already given me a new perspectuve and a renewed respect and appreciation for the power of the river and a greater love for the canyon. I feel like I've done well so far but even as I write that I know I haven't done anything really difficult. There's a lot more to come. The people are great. They relax when it's time to relax and they play when it's time to play. The crew is great too! Kevin is TL with Butch and his wife, Nancy. Then there's Mark, my dad Bryan, Joe, and me. OH, I can't forget Ron my bailer. So far it's been great and I can't wait for whats next.

Thursday September 22nd 2011 

It's day five. I've already cooked for the second time cause we're doing cook crews and switching off. I have the night off and we're camped at Rattlesnake Camp and we only came a few miles today. We hiked to Hill Top Ruin, wandered around the Unkar Delta and saw Ancestral Puebloan foundations and pottery shards. We got to camp early and Mark and Kevin took a few people on a hike to a large mesa called the tabernacle, while my dad, joe and ron cooked lasagna  : ).....as for me....I'm just hanging out. That's another thing that is amazing about this place, the sound of the river, the usually perfect temperature in the evening, and the scenery make Grand Canyon a great place to just enjoy life. There's no cell phones or other distractions, it's just relax. I love this place! It's a great place to just think and love life. As for enjoying life, we go into the gorge tomorrow.. BIG WATER!!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Saturday 24th 2011

Wow! Today we ran granite, hermit, crystal and the gems. Granite was interesting. I had a good line but I felt out of control. I went through and hit the big stuff head on and made it through with no real issue other than my boat was FULL of water. Hermit was a different story. I've never screamed in excitement so much in my entire life. The waves were HUGE in a row boat! I always thought the ride was big in a motor boat, but it's just nuts in a row boat. I liked my run. I hit everything straight on and we made it through safe and sound. That last ride in was definitely a highlight of the summer! Crystal.....my run pretty much sucked and I feel like I got pretty lucky. It all started with me going sideways through the right shoulder of the hole....I'm happy I didn't flip. Then, as I think I'm out of the through, I'm heading down the right channel and end up going over a rock sideways.....I'm stuck, we high side, and start bouncing on the boat to shake it loose and I'm screaming every four letter word in the book.....not one of my proudest moments. We came off a few seconds later and I scream "GET ME OUTTA HERE" as I grab the oars and start to push out of the rapid. We made it through alive and upright so that's a big plus. It wasn't pretty getting through there but it could have been a lot worse. Me and Mark cooked some sweet salmon for the folks and life is good. The trip is going great and everyone seems happy. We still have a long way to go but oh boy am I glad crystal is behind me!

Ron punching through a killer wave in Hermit, what a ride!!

Thursday 29th 2011

Today was CRAZY! It started like any other river day. Wake up, eat breakfast, load the boats, stop at Fern Glen for a hike, row to Lava Falls, stop and scout.....we get set to run. Kevin Jo is the first in line with me next, then my dad, Butch, Joe, and Mark running sweep. We all scouted together and we all knew the run that we wanted. There was tension in the air but everyone was confident...I personally thought I was gonna have a heart attack and die, but I kept my cool : ) We got in the boats, and pulled away from the shore. Kevin Jo was first with me second, my dad third followed by Butch, Joe, and Mark Jo. Kevin got set up, went down the slot and dissapeared out of sight. Three seconds later I saw kevins boat upside down spinning in the ledge hole, I yelled "KEVIN IS OVER! KEVIN IS OVER!" to the other boats and I panicked a little, completely forgetting what was going on and started to freak out I yelled "WHAT SHOULD I DO!!" Which looking back is ridiculous cause I was literally just about to enter the rapid at this point. I couldn't hear it, but my dad was screaming "JUST GO!!!" but what snapped me out of it was my bailer Ron, He yelled "PICK A SPOT AND GO!" I snapped out of it and hit the slot, went past the hole and made it through ok!! We were soaked and full of water but we were freaking upright!!! Now that we were through it was time to start looking for people and keep the trip going. We were headed down stream and we heard that Butch got thrown out of his boat, and that his wife Nancy came floating by by herself with their boat. Then Joe came floating by on top his boat with both of his frames hanging off either side of the boat with no people in it.....We headed down stream and began helping Joe put his boat back together while Mark got Kevin's boat back together. We had a bunch of help from two other companies A.Z.R.A, and C.R.A.T.E they picked up one of our passengers, and helped get Kevin and Joe's boats over to shore. The rest of the group came down a little after, and we had lunch on the beach. We made it through without anything serious, Kevin and Butch were cut up a bit but nothing too serious, and others had some bumps and bruises. We didn't lose anything that we couldn't really stand to lose and some straps and oars broke. It was by far the most carnage that I've seen on the river and I hope I don't see that much again! But that was it! My last trip for the season!! We made it through ok, and it was a trip to remember! To finish up, I just wanna say to anyone who went on the trip that has read this, that if anyone has more info about any of what went on during the trip feel free to add it in the comment section. : ) So that's it for this season I loved every minute of it and I can't wait till the next season!



All my passengers after the flips in Lava