Friday, April 10, 2020

10th week of work, 4th week of covid alternate kitchen

Alternate kitchen for the record means I am not preparing food in a commercial kitchen. I control a section of our pre-covid dining room, sanitizing it before I begin, following all the covid handling rules- explaining and re-explaining how to be sanitary while dealing with the food/social distancing/hand washing and gloves/temperature checks/masks. Guy helping me today asked if it was required to wear the gloves and face mask. I said yes. It is a daily battle to keep us safe because some people feel this is just a normal flu and think the rest of us following directions are over-reacting. Very frustrating but I never give up explaining and giving facts. Our Organization boss is fantastic- she got a portable sink for our guests to use before and after eating, pretty sure no one else in town is doing that. I love my boss, and my co-workers, and my diners. They may not be making too many requests, but I still consider myself their personal chef. I am lucky to be able to learn this job so thoroughly, every day is a new learning experience and lesson learned. I love my job, my town, and I do not mind being an essential worker right now. I have love, our diners deserve the love and respect.

Tuesday

Chick (pea) A la King 40 servings, served with bread and tangerines or crushed pineapple

Sidenote-Don't cook egg noodles in the sauce like spaghetti bakes. I knew this in the back of my head, but did it anyways, by the time they cooked, they then broke down and melted into the sauce.

Otherwise, start by sautéing in about 1/2 cup oil:
2 large diced onions, 2 ribs of celery, 2 sweet bell peppers(not green), 4 large diced carrots, seasoning (1 tbsp salt, 2 tsp pepper, 3 tbsp other seasonings you have and like (1 tbsp 2 tsp garlic, 1 1/2  tbsp paprika, 1tsp sage)
once transparent, toasted and cooked, add flour for the sauce, about 1/2 cup, stir and let cook about 3-5 minutes, then add:
4 diced and precooked potatoes
6-7 cans chick peas with juice-add juice if needed
2 cans peas- add rice if needed
2 cans yellow corn- add juice if needed
Taste test and add more seasoning, or broth if needed, and even more veggies, then serve on cooked noodles, with bread and sorbet on the side!

About two loaves of normal sandwich bread.


Wednesday

White Turkey Chili, served with sorbet and slice of bread or 5-8 crackers

Also donated was our meat, so since this thing has started, all I bought was a tiny bit of bread, and fresh vegetables to sautéed. The rest of the canned veggies and mea all donated, I just try to find fun ways to stretch it and not repeat meals too much. Still putting nutriplenty rice packets to use, cook 2-3 bags and use that at the bottom of the chili bowl as well

the turkey chili

the meat off a roasted turkey (8-11 lbs give or take)
sautée
2 diced onions, 2 yellow bell peppers, 4 celery ribs, diced, add seasoning, then roux the flour a minute, I didn't have cumin but I had a seasoning blend with cumin and paprika, added 2 large cans of tomatillos, 1 large can of green chiles, 2 lbs cooked white beans, 2-5 potatoes precooked and diced, and the turkey meat. make to your consistency by adding or not adding broth, stretch it by adding hominy or corn or garbanzos, and another can of green chile!

The Sorbet

Frozen fruit and prune juice donated, the sugar and lemon juice were bought items/
it was about 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 3 tbsp prune juice - per cup of fruit. Mixed in a Vitamix blender that we just so happened to be in our storage pantry (much of our other equipment, seasonings, are still locked up in the professional kitchen that is on lockdown).
SO we had blueberry sorbet, raspberry, and peach versions. Did three batches, about 5 cups of each fruit- smallish servings, about 30.
Have a lot more fruit left, looking forward to doing these at least twice more, still have strawberry to try as well!

Thursday

Biscuit Pot Pie 40 servings, about 30 given out, with one being large portion, no fruit, extra biscuit

More roasted turkey

another base like the a la king and white chili, add mixed veggies like lots of carrot, pea, cauliflower, onion, bell pepper, celery, potatoes, green beans. add the turkey and make sure it is seasoned throughout. Serve with biscuits and pineapple.

Checked in with everyone I normally text anyways, but some, it had been a month, so that was fun. made masks last weekend; been tending to potatoes and onions growing, everything else got taken by pests; the home freezer was mostly socked last few weekends with homemade vegan meats like sausage links for the fire pit, breakfast sausage patties, burgers, meatballs, soon he'll make soy milk, we'll then have pulp (okra) to make fake fish and chicken!

There were many people not practicing precaution, but we at the store do, and when I ran errands in the next city over that does have it, they were mostly following precautions.

We are hopeful that we have learned enough from this, and we have all noticed people not taking it seriously. It's just like everything else we do in life that requires integrity- we do the best we can. I hope everyone remains safe and healthy

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