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Weird parental food preparation
My mom, the woman of true comfort food! She taught me how to cook. Luckily she didn't learn anything from my Grandmother. In fact she went to "cooking school" before she got married (missed the last class cause she was on her honeymoon). I have that cookbook from the 1940's. She made the best meatloaf (a recipe I follow to this day) that is awesome. Strange cooking - I thought I invented peanut butter and butter sandwiches. You should have seen my mom's face the day I asked her to make it for me. Mom always asked what we wanted for lunch (back in the day when we went home for lunch during school). I also ate Peanut butter and lettuce sandwiches (I had a weird palette). Peanut butter and bacon was a staple in our house. To this day one of my favorite sandwiches. The weirdest thing I ever took to school for lunch (which was a rare occasion) was cold baked beans. The kids ribbed me all afternoon about it but I loved every morsel. My mom made baked beans from scratch, soaked the beans over night (always on the back porch in her "special" baked bean pot). She used a leftover ham bone and I really don't know what else. Sad to say a recipe I never learned from her. Not much was ever written down just passed on.
Stuff I hated - sausage and peppers. She cooked it to death and the peppers were slimy. Not really a weird preperation my dad loved it. It really wasn't Italian either.
Leftovers were usually really good. Mom could make a meal for 6 out of a whole lot of nothing. Typical question when I got home from school was "What's for dinner?". And the reply was "food". I would ask "what kind of food?". She would say "good food.". All leftovers had a name like Slumgullion or her version of Choy Mein (a can of LaChoy veggies and what ever was leftover) with chinese noodles on top. Then there was always Worchestershire sauce, it went into everything.
She was Irish and Dad Italian but she was taught Italian food from my aunt. Fantastic sauce, lasagna, meatballs, manicotti, and every Tuesday (except in the summer when it was too hot) we had "macaroni" for dinner. Before anyone called it pasta and Mom made gravy (not sauce). Try this one - seriously sear pork chops (boneless or bone in) in the pot with some olive oil, remove and then start your tomato sauce. Add chops and simmer till thickened and pork chops are tender. That's my favorite sauce and meat.
Oh, gotta go and make a shopping list, I want that sauce and pork chops with rigatoni.
Food Network... Let's give them a hand!
No one seems to remember "How To Boil Water"! He was funny but they really cooked stuff. I am an accomplished cook and I have learned some great techniques from Alton and I respect his knowledge but this schtick on the "New" Iron Chef is grating. Yes, yes, yes, repeat the original Iron
Chef. Believe me that show saved me from complete meltdown at 1AM on a Saturday night after closing my restaurant, coming home completely amped up and the comic relief was just what I needed (with a soothing glass or two of wine). Sarah Moulton always an education, Two Fat Ladies pure pleasure. I'm tired of these wannabes. I agree that if they really need to search for a new "Network" star they should go to the top restaurants. Michael LaMonaco was another educator and they really need more of the ethnic touch, food from all over the world. Teach me how!
Foods We Loved as Kids, Maybe Not as Adults
Snowballs (yeah the pink things), Candy Corn, those stupid orange peanut shaped marshmellow things (what were they supposed to taste like anyway?), anything marshmellow including Mallow Mars, But for some strange reason I like a smores (only made over an outside fire) maybe once a year.
I always hated bologna, didn't like hotdogs (unless drowning in ketchup) until I was a teenager (and discovered really good mustard, not that yucky yellow stuff) and now I only eat them at the "game" or grilled crispy from The Blarney Stone. Guilty pleasure - and then I am sorry, Big Mac, Chocolate Shake and fries (only once a year) considering you can get a sublime burger with MacDonalds quality fries in so many places in NYC. Must be that special sauce. Always hated any cold cereal and still eat oatmeal (from scratch) the way my mom made it with milk, butter, sugar and cinnamon - a true comfort food on a crisp cold winter morning.
Love:
Snickers
Reeses Peanut Butter Cups
but Lindt Chocolate is the adult thing, oh those truffles!
Boo on who said Girl Scout Cookies, support a good cause, eat the thin mints and tagalongs (another guilty pleasure that I insist on sharing with my entire family).
I am a New York food snob and a former restaurant professional so I crave the stuff I can't make myself. Never got into frosting in a can or brownies from a mix. I can make it faster and better.
DISTROY ALL PEEPS! Must try blowing them up in the microwave, thanks for the idea.
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po0pie what are you smoking? I was considered a lifer, in the biz 20 years in management. Those rules (non rules) apply to everyone except the GM and the owner. Sick, what's that? Waiters making $150K a year, pipe dream even in NYC (perhaps staff makes that at Per Se but I doubt that). I still live and work in NYC but in a different industry and I get weekends, holidays, sick days, personal days and yes vacations - time off, how glorious. When floor staff is out everyone pitches in if you can't bribe, cajole or guilt someone into working a double or changing their one day off per week plans. Try getting 2 days off per week and get them together, rare but I was lucky in a few establishments. Restaurant is tough, especially in the US where staff are treated less then dirt by a majority of management and by many customers. In Europe people go to school to become waiters. They are certified, get health benefits, and generous time off and don't forget the TIP is included on the check. It is a true profession there. Here it is your back up to what your real agenda is - actor - dancer - singer - writer - musician - artist - etc. in a majority of the NYC restaurants (high end establishments usually have what is termed as professional staff). No one has yet address what a waiter gets paid, outside the tip, per hour. When I left the industry in 2002 waiters were making $2.15 per hour. I know it has gone up because the minimum wage has gone up but wait staff NEVER makes minimum wage. The difference is supposed to be made up by the tip. You do the math...........
I was always well liked by my staff where ever I worked. My management philosophy was satisfy the customer and that meant helping out on the floor where ever I was needed. I was never above my staff, I was a working participant.