just peachy!

"It's just another manic Monday
I wish it was Sunday
'Cause that's my funday
An I-don't-have-to-run day
It's just another manic Monday" - The Bangles

Surprisingly today wasn't as horrible as most of my Mondays are. I got to sleep in a little bit and then I headed to work. A slow day at work means I get to try new recipes. Today I made an Almond Peach Tart filled with creme de patisserie, a pistachio nougat and peach ice cream. It seemed to go over well and I thought it was delicious (I'm my own worst critic). So now after only an 8 hour day at work I am home again and relaxing to reruns of Ally McBeal. Life is good, and Monday is coming to an end.

A fiesta for Natalie

After much anticipation we finally celebrated Natalie aka Nat Doggs birthday. We all arrived at her really cute townhouse where we drank awesome margaritas, snacked on her delicious home made guacamole, and dined on steak and chicken fajitas. The spread was amazing. Queso, salsa, chips, corn salsa, and a lot of alcohol. Natalie has the cutest home ever, in the midst of Buckhead it has a mix of eclectic furniture and one of a kind art work. I loved everything about her home, warm colors, glittery paint and fun knickknacks. After we ate all gathered in her living room for presents and Lauren's incessant picture taking. A great night of fun! Happy Birthday Natalie:)

First Chef Impressions

Its that time again. Most people look forward to a new season of their favorite sports team. But me .. I look forward to a new season of Top Chef. You may remember last year I posted a blog about last season. A blog where I predicted who would win Top Chef after seeing only the first episode. So now its a new season and time to make my predictions for who will make it to the finale.

So here we go..
Lets start with talking about the first episode. The first quickfire challenge was a relay race to see which team of contestants could first shuck 15 clams, peal 30 prawns, clean 5 lobsters and then butcher 2 chops from a prime rib. The first team to finish all 4 legs of the race would win. So the teams all start and it is just embarrassing to watch as 2 contestants can't open a clam to save their lives. One girl cuts the crap out of her hand while another girl can't even get past 6 clams. Her team didn't get to go anything since she couldn't get the clams shucked. I must say I am highly surprised that her team wasn't screaming obscenities at her.

Next the winning team gets to take their ingredients they just cleaned and each must make a dish. The winner wins $15,000 dollars. NICE!

Jenn makes a clam ceviche with a citron vinegar. In my opinion visually is didn't look that great but... She has worked for/with Chef Eric Ripert so my instincts tell me she is better than most are thinking.
Mattin- the cute French, neckerchief wearing chef makes a poached lobster with bay leaf and star anise. It looks beautiful.. but apparently the flavor fell short.
Jesse makes a lovely looking shrimp and grits.
Last but not least Bryan produced a rib eye with caramelized celery, which seems pretty decent from where I sit.

The winner....Jenn with her ceviche. Girl Power. I like Jenn because A.) shes a woman cooking hot food and just schooled a room full of guys. B.) because on the first day of the meet and greet other chefs kept asking her if she was a pastry chef. Which if you aren't a pastry chef is a huge diss.. People often think girls can only cook pastry and not Hot Food.

Now its elimination challenge time.

All the chefs have to do is cook whatever they want and try to link it to a vice the chef has...ie.. Drinking too much is my vice...i'm making a drunken pork tenderloin.

So here are some things that go down... man puts steak in a deep fryer:( girl works with mysterious gluten vegan substance and makes a awkward chili relleno, and a lot of overcooked seafood.

Top 4 - Kevin from Woodfire Grill (down the street from where I work), Ron (aka the Hatian), Michael Isabelle the hottie,and Jenn ..Again.:) ..So Kevin takes the win.

Here are the predictions of whom will make it to the grand finale...

Final Three - Jennifer Carroll, Kevin Gillespie and Bryan Voltaggio
But not to dismiss his younger brother Michael and Mattin (moi amie fracais).

My prediction of cocky hottie - drum roll please- Michael Isabelle (he reminds me of Stefan). And I love it.

All in all a great start to the seasons and it looks to me like there is a lot of talent. Will my predictions hold.. we will see.

So tell me, who do you think will take the title of top chef?

Top Chef 10pm Bravo tv. tune it.

Won't you be my Cupcake?

At work today we made cupcakes. Yum Yum Yum. Its funny how you start out making 80+ cupcakes and when your finally finished decorating all of them you are left with about 60. I started out making the cupcakes like always and then people see and people want. I'm pretty sure 1/2 the servers at my restaurant and some of the chefs in the kitchen all had one, or two. Cupcakes are great I especially love the over sized, jumbo cupcakes we make at work. They remind me of something the Mad Hatter would serve to Alice in a very merry unbirthday tea party. To me their is something so beautiful about seeing them all lined up in perfect rows.
We made coconut cream cheese cupcakes. We made raspberry white chocolate cupcakes, Mocha Buttercream topped with chocolate covered coffee beans. We made Vanilla Buttercream Cakes topped with candied cherries. We made orange dreamsicle buttercream. We even made a delicious chocolate hazelnut cupcake. To be honest my favorite will always be coconut. I think they just look so classic and fluffy. YUMMMMMM! What is your favorite cupcake flavor?







So in the words of Julia Child..."bon appetit!"

Wishes

"I must depend on a wish and a star" - Marion

For anyone who knows me they know that I make wishes all day long, on anything I can find any significance in. Constantly hoping and desiring for my wish to be granted. Before I left to work in Paris my mom told me that every time you go in a new church you get 3 wishes. Well there are many churches in Paris and believe me every time I entered one I was ready with my wishes. Weather it's blowing out candles on a birthday cake, cutting the first slice of cake, wishing on a shooting star, or throwing pennies in a fountain, I'm always ready. I even go as far as to ask the chefs in the restaurant in which I work to save all the wishbones from the turkeys during Christmas and Thanksgiving.

So that brings me to the point of this topic. The other day I was driving to my friend Chris' house. The road to her house is quite and suburban. I was stopped at a stop sign when a red bird (not sure what kind) flew next to me and then landed right beside my car. It just seemed strangely odd. I stayed at the stop sign for a full 2 minutes just to see what this bird would do, it did nothing although I swear it was looking at me. I slowly pressed the gas pedal to drive away and as I looked in my rear view mirror the bird had turned around (facing the same direction I was traveling) and kept sitting there.

When I got home, being the eternal optimist that I am, I researched what it meant to see a red bird and here is what I came up with.

If a red bird flies in front of you, make a wish.

When you see a red bird, quickly spit three times. If the bird has not disappeared from sight by the third spit, you can make a wish.

If you hear a bird singing in the rain, make a wish.

If two birds fly toward you in unison, quickly make a wish. If you finish your wish before they change direction or pass you, it will come true.

If three birds perch together on one wire, make a wish. If you finish your wish before any of them fly away, it will come true.

If you see a flock of birds, cross your legs and make a wish.
(England)

If a flock of birds you didn't know was there suddenly rises from a field and flies over your head, quickly make a wish so the birds can take it with them.

If you find an empty bird's nest, you get a wish.

If it has part of an eggshell in it, you get two wishes.
Courtesy of my friends at www.predictions.astrology.com

So all in all maybe I'm a little cooky and take wishing a little too far at times. Maybe wishes do only come true in Fairy Stories, but until they come true I suppose I will still keep wishing.

Doodle While You Work!

I have meetings at work 4 days a week. To be honest only about 30% of the meeting actually applies to me and I am a great multitask-er. So while the others in the meetings are fighting about floor-plans and cocktail service times, I like to doodle. Behold I give you my first doodle....MONKEY ISLAND!



Doodles make great gifts for friends and all mine are available for sale. So if you would like to own an original Amanda Parker doodle. Please contact. Prices start relatively cheap.

Grease is the word!!!!!

"Why, this car is Auto-matic. Its System-matic. Its Hyyyyydro-matic. Why, its Greased Lightning! " - Danny Zuko

Last night Lauren and I decided to take a trip to the Fox Theater for a showing of GREASE! We starting out the night by eating at Noodle, a cute little Chinese restaurant across from the Vortex. We then hand-jived our way to the Fox theater, and on the playbill for the evening, cast as the Teen Angel..none other than every one's favorite American Idol...TAYLOR HICKS!!!!!!!!!!!

The show was wonderful and Taylor Hicks was tremendous! As soon as he appeared on the stage (actually he was probably more like 15 feet above the stage) the crowd went nuts! Him singing Beauty School Dropout was the funniest most awesome thing I've seen all year. He even played a little harmonica to add in his own style. I like to think of it as if he was playing the harmonica for all the members of the "soul patrol" , which I have been since day one. Just sayin'. After the show he stayed to sing some songs from him new album and then signed autographs in the lobby.

It was a wonderful show and I smiled through every minute of it. Two thumbs up from this girl.