New Direction...and more focus.

Alas, my blogging was more frequent and intense years ago...but now it goes in spurts.

I have been procrastinating because I have a couple of big changes coming up in my life.  Another baby boy, Ezra, will be coming in July and another change I can not announce until I complete some previous commitments and give notice in June. (but if you email me on Facebook I will tell you)  Some of your already know (close friends and family).

So at that time, possibly August, I will start posting the changes and/or switch to a Facebook page to post more frequent but smaller doses.  Between now and then will be seldom...but come catch me on my personal Facebook page if you haven't already. http://www.facebook.com/tyronebcookin

Leadership Appreciation Dinner

First I must confess...I need to get better at remembering to take pictures, or at least acquire some that others took so I can show you examples of the menu's or food I post here.  I don't always do that, or have the pictures to do it!

Our church usually has an appreciation dinner for the different leaders of this and that like sunday school, children's church, small groups...things of that nature.  I cooked the main food for it the weekend of November the 13th.

It was heavy hor' dourves this time.  Estimated about 70 people. Menu as follows:

What's cookin' lately!

When I came back to Alabama I needed a job.  So when my other options fell thru and time was running out I went to work for a company I had worked for before.  The pay is OK,  the hours are long but only Monday thru Friday, and they were happy to hire me back because of my integrity and good work ethic from before...But it's not been enough.

Culinarily this job possesses nothing for me (pause to feel the emptiness).

Lately, I have been connecting with other like-minded people and really scoping the job opportunities ( which are few and far between) to get back to what I love.  The word 'networking' comes to mind...

When Life Gives You Limes...

While working in Puerta Plata, Dominican Republic on the M/V Caribbean Mercy we had some locals working on board.  Samuel was a young guy (15) who was brought on in the galley (kitchen) because he came to work with his mom who worked in housekeeping and we could use the help and they could use the extra income.

Samuel's English was limited and so was my Spanish (although it was a lot better then than it is now) but we got along fine finding him tasks to do in the galley.

One day we got these tiny limes locally grown that were only about as round and big as golf balls, with many of them smaller in size.  About 100 or more came to us and I definitely wanted to use them but was concerned with the amount of time it was going to take to squeeze or 'juice' them.