THANKFUL: Day 10

I'm thankful for home-cooked meals!  I'm thankful to be married to a man that can cook!  The kitchen might be in a constant state of disarray, but I'm thankful for the smells wafting through the apartment.  I'm thankful for the delicious meals.  Tonight was fried chicken with mashed potatoes and carrots.  Some nights it's stir fry.  Other nights it's pork chops.  Pasta, homemade brownies, waffles or Buffalo wings.  Fresh guacamole.  Pumpkin soup.  You name it, he'll make it.  I'm thankful that we can afford groceries.  I'm thankful we can borrow from his mother's pantry at times.  Or his father's garden.  I'm thankful that I can contribute by at least washing the dishes.  I'm thankful that I've never gone hungry in my life.  I'm thankful for comfort food.  I'm thankful for comfort.

THANKFUL: Day 3

I'm thankful for delicious treats, especially macarons!  Earlier this year, Brian made macarons at his job with Culinary Crafts which sparked an interest in the highly-fussy and high-end French delicacy.  He began to make them at home, trying recipe after recipe.  Months later he had perfected them and I couldn't be any prouder of all his hard work.  His expertise has inspired a business, and I love working with him towards that goal.  Going on a business venture with my husband has been extremely gratifying.  Not only do we get to do something together, but we each get to shine in our individual talents.  Brian's amazing in the kitchen and his product is tasty and beautiful.  I'm good with the visuals, taking pictures, playing with fonts, etc.  I get to populate our social media outlets with photos and promotions.  I get to design our packaging and our business cards.  I do the fun stuff.  But when people say that they love our cookies, I just smile and say, "It's all Brian."  

Wedding Photos: Cake

From some of those involved in putting everything together:
 
"I am so happy for you!  Thanks for letting me be a part of your special day!  I love you both very much.  Take care of each other.  I wish you nothing but happiness!" -Michelle, unofficial wedding planner

"I'm glad I've been able to meet you both and be your friend.  You guys are amazing!  May many happy years follow.  I love you guys." -Wes, guy who did the grunt work

"Congratulations.  I'm so excited for you guys.  I feel so lucky to know both of you." -Jocelyn, wedding cake baker and caterer

Brian's Pumpkin Soup

Brian's sister Amy has started to come over one night a week to cook with him.  They get to have a little brother/sister bonding moment and Amy gets to learn a thing or two about cooking.  Oh, and I get to eat delicious home-cooked meals so really it's a win-win for all.

The first thing the duo prepared was a delicious pumpkin soup which really put me in the fall mood.  I've been so kind as to relay Brian's recipe here for you all to try and enjoy.  If you're too lazy to make it yourself, just knock on our door sometime and have Brian whip some up for you.

Brian's Pumpkin Soup
Yields enough for 2-4 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 bundle of thyme
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 2 star anise
• pinch of nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons of flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 can of pumpkin puree
• salt
• pepper
• cream
• Golden Delicious apple (optional)
• dried cranberries (optional)

Directions:

1.  Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add vegetables and all the herbs and spices.  Cook for five to seven minutes until onions are translucent and slightly brown.

2.  Add the flour.  Cook for two minutes, stirring constantly.

3.  Whisk in the milk and chicken stock.  Turn the heat to high and, whisking frequently, allow it to come to a boil.  Once it reaches a boil, turn it to medium heat and let it cook for five minutes until thickened.

4.  Pull out the rosemary, thyme and star anise and discard.

5.  Remove from heat and puree the soup with an immersion blender or an electric stand blender.

6.  Return to heat and whisk in the pumpkin puree, cooking for five minutes over medium heat.

7.  Remove from heat and blend the soup again until very smooth.

8.  Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with a dollop of cream.  For an additional garnish, add dried cranberries and chopped apple.

Chuck E. Cheese

Sylvia and Stasha on a ride at Chuck E. Cheese's.

When I was a kid, Chuck E. Cheese's was the coolest place ever.  It was where a kid could be a kid.  I remember a massive stage where Chuck and his pals would sing and dance.  It was so awesome!  Then Chuck himself would run around and say "hi" to all of us; high-fiving my friends and me as we stuffed our faces with pizza and played arcade games.  Finally, with fistfuls of won tickets I would select my prize and go home happy.  Chuck E. Cheese was so cool, he made Mickey look like some boring mouse.

That, of course, was years ago.  Many, many years ago.  All of my memories of Chuck E. Cheese's are from California and my family moved to Colorado when I was seven.  So we're talking a long time here.  Brian and I went to the Chuck E. Cheese's in Orem, Utah yesterday for a birthday party.  My little cousin Stasha turned four years old and I'm sure to her the place still had charm.  But for me, it was kind of a letdown.  What happened to my totally rad pal named Chuck?

You know those guys who were studs in high school but somehow never seem to amount to anything afterward?  They stay and "hang out" with all the high school kids and talk about how awesome they used to be and yadda yadda yadda... constantly living in the past.  Well, that's what Chuck E. Cheese reminded me of.  That guy.  You go in, and it's like you've stepped back into the late 80s/early 90s when Chuck used to be cool.  He's got really cheesy-looking photos up of his glory days.  There's Chuck posing with two little girls with side pony-tails and scrunchies! There he is kicking a soccer ball!

And he doesn't even look cool anymore.  He came to our table to greet the birthday girl and he just looked shabby.  He even had a handprint embedded in the fur on the back of his head... poor guy.  Somebody should tell him.  And it's crazy to me how I was once fooled by his costume.  It's so unappealing.  And the animatronics show?  Wow.  Horrible.  I'm pretty sure the singing chicken's mouth movements were still set to whatever Madonna song she had originally been singing, they just play Taylor Swift's "Love Story" over it.  That's about the extent of the upgrades.  There's also a dance performed to LMFAO's "I'm Sexy and I Know It" (sans lyrics obviously... a chicken and a mouse can't be sexy).

Although, there was a vaguely sexual animal documentary that played on the TVs for a good ten minutes or so.  It was a series of animal photos with captions played to weird porn music.  The captions said things like "Check out that goat over there" or "You're smooth, Mr. Moose" or "Oh yeah, eat that grass."  When that ended it turned into an 80s pop music video with flashing, strobe-like images of kids in neckties playing the guitar and singing "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" by Wang Chung.  That was followed by a skit with puppets teaching kids the importance of proper ventilation while painting indoors.

I couldn't handle the entertainment anymore so I just focused on the pizza... which is probably the worst pizza ever.  I've microwaved pizza rolls more delicious than that stuff.  And the pizza is freaking expensive!  My Uncle Greg spent an arm and a leg buying pizza and drinks for ten people when I know he could have baked a much better one at home with his own ingredients.  Oh well.  The games were still fun and Stasha and her little sister Sylvia had a good time winning tickets and riding rides.  Brian and I did the noble thing and gave our tickets to the girls.  We could have cashed them in for a star-shaped eraser or something, but we figured the girls would put them to better use.

Not like Stasha needed more prizes.  You should have seen all the presents she got!  Brian and I got her a stuffed Ty teddy bear which made her face light up.  I was surprised actually.  She just squeezed it close to her with this big cheesy grin, even bigger and cheesier than the ever-smiling Chuck E. Cheese who came over and frightened little Sylvia into tears before he scampered away to his aging electronic friends and the pizza that only the Teenage Mutant Turtles could appreciate.

Halloween Treats!

Halloween was lots of fun yesterday.  Brian and I spent the day making sweet treats and then gorged ourselves on them all through the night!  Our delicacies were very simple and definitely delicious.

Homemade Orange Marshmallows

For this treat, bloom gelatin in cold water for ten minutes.  Meanwhile, make a syrup with sugar and evaporated milk.  Once the syrup registers 240 degrees (you'll need a candy thermometer for this) add it to the gelatin and beat it for ten minutes with a hand mixer until it is very thick and fluffy.  At this point we added vanilla and orange zest to give our marshmallows a fun flavor!  In a square or rectangular baking dish (buttered and dusted with powdered sugar) pour the marshmallow mixture and let it rest for two hours or so.  We covered ours in orange sugar to give it a more fitting Halloween appearance, cut it into squares, and stuck them with lollipop sticks!

Caramel Apples

A quintessential autumn favorite!  First make some caramel by cooking sugar with a little bit of water until dark brown.  Off the heat, add some heavy cream and butter.  Once the butter has melted, dip your washed apples into your homemade caramel sauce.  We died our caramel red (although the photo makes it seem brown) and covered them with some Halloween sprinkles.  The caramel apple sticks and the lollipop sticks from the previous recipe were hard to find, but we eventually located them at a kitchen supply store called Bosch.

Chocolate Truffles

You can't have a celebration without chocolate!  Brian and I made these truffles by first making a ganache, which is just chocolate that's been emulsified with heavy cream.  We used white chocolate and died it orange for Halloween.  You then put the ganache into the fridge to firm up, and in the mean time you make tempered chocolate by melting half a bar of dark chocolate and then stirring in the rest of the bar and letting it melt from the residual heat.  This will cool down the temperature of the chocolate and allow it to harden once again.  With a melon baller, scoop out small portions of the ganache and roll into balls.  Using a skewer, dip the balls into the melted chocolate and roll into any toppings such as hazelnuts or coconut.  We placed ours into white paper cups and let them sit at room temperature until the chocolate coating hardened (if the chocolate wasn't properly tempered you might have to put them into the fridge to harden).  It's a happy little surprise to bite into the truffle and discover the fun orange color inside!

Chocolate-Dipped Bacon

If you are unfamiliar with the amazing sweet-and-salty combination of bacon and chocolate then you are severely missing out on one of life's greatest joys!  Simply cook up some bacon as you would normally, then follow the directions above for making tempered dark chocolate.  Dip one end of the bacon strip into the chocolate, throw on some Halloween sprinkles, and allow the chocolate to harden.  I probably ate about six of these last night!

25 Days of Jack: Day Twenty-Five Continued

Last night's birthday party was just the beginning.  Tonight Brian surprised me with a delicious Chilean meal that really brought back a lot of good memories.  For dinner he treated me and his family to Pastel de Choclo which is the national dish of Chile.  It's very similar to a Shepard's Pie, except the meats are covered in a puree of corn instead of mashed potatoes.  He really did a great job with it!

For dessert we had Torta de Mil Hojas, which is my very favorite thing ever!!  It's layers of crispy pastry stacked high with a caramel sauce and nuts between each layer.  The recipe called for walnuts but Brian used almonds because we had them on hand.  I loved it!  It's super rich and super sweet.

I'm very grateful for the hard work Brian put into creating my special birthday dinner.  He really does spoil me.

25 Days of Jack: Day Twenty-Five

Today is my 25th birthday!

My sister called today and said, "Happy birthday, you old freakin fart!"

Oh, it's so true!

Last night I celebrated early with a simple little birthday party.  I invited some friends over and we played some games, opened presents and ate cake and ice cream.  My friend Michelle made the cake and it was delicious!  I asked for the most chocolatey cake in the world and boy did she deliver!  It was two layers of chocolate cake with a caramel whipped cream in the middle and toffee bits on top... so so so so good.

While opening presents I saw that my mom had gotten me the first season of Modern Family, which is a television comedy that I love!  Everybody else seemed to love it too, so we watched a few episodes together to end the night.  It was fun!

I'd like to thank everyone who was able to make it!

LEFT:  Brian and me
TOP RIGHT:  Gabe, me, John and LoriAnn
BOTTOM RIGHT:  Sydney, me, Raeane and Michelle
(Not pictured:  Amy, James, Caleb and Trevor)

And here is a video of everyone singing "Happy Birthday" to me!  I almost didn't blow out that second candle... but I got it!

 

25 Days of Jack: Day Eight

I read somewhere that a balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.  I would have to agree.  I don't know why, but I've always been a cookie-lover.  Perhaps it's because my father has an insatiable sweet tooth and I've inherited it from him.  Or maybe because my mother used to bake delectable cookies all the time and it's really the only food group I grew up on.  Whoever is to blame, I will forever be a sucker for a freshly baked cookie.

Brian's job with Vivint was only for the summer, so he needed to find a new job.  He heard about a catering company called Culinary Crafts who was looking for a pastry chef.  He isn't exactly an experienced pastry chef, but he wrote up a winning cover letter and a résumé that played up to his strengths and was called back an hour later!  He’s doing a week-long trial run and I pray they can recognize his talent and potential enough to offer him the full-time job.

Yesterday was his first day and he spent thirteen hours working under the head pastry chef baking bread, muffins and… cookies!  Brian brought me home the most decadent chocolate cookies!  They were made with both dark chocolate and white chocolate and toasted macadamia nuts.  So so so so good!

Email me your favorite cookie recipe (jjgarcia3@live.com) and you could win a Joaquin the Chihuahua button AND sticker!

Wes of Utah won yesterday’s sticker.  Congratulations!

25 Days of Jack: Day Three

I think the first time I ever went to the Olive Garden was when I was fourteen years old.  I could be wrong, of course, seeing as the human memory is not an infallible thing.  Especially mine.  I was just there yesterday and I can't even remember what it was I ordered.  Carbonara something... no, Ravioli Chicken something...  maybe a taco?  Who knows.  I did eat a lot of breadsticks, got good and fat, and enjoyed the conversation with Michelle.

I paid seventeen dollars including the tip.  That I remember.

But yes, I think I was fourteen because that was how old you had to be to go to Church dances.  Every year we would drive a couple of hours in the Mayhoffers' Suburban to Colorado Springs, Colorado (from our tiny ward in La Junta) and go to a tri-stake youth activity called The Best of Especially for Youth.  It was what the Mormons refer to as a "devotional", and if you aren't or have never been LDS this is probably a lot of confusing gobbledygook.  I apologize.  Just know that all the teens would get together, listen to motivational speakers, and then afterwards we would have a big dance!

It really was a lot of fun.  But the best part was going to Olive Garden.  My family didn't go out to eat much, let alone a "fancy" place like Olive Garden.  But the Mayhoffer family, who tended to be our chaperones to a lot of these events, were quite fond of the place so it soon became a tradition.  We would always eat at Olive Garden between the devotional and the dance.  I ordered a lot of Fettuccine Alfredo back then.  Now I order things like the Chicken Ravioli Taco Something with a side of Guacamole.  I think.  Gosh, what in the world did I order?

It was freaking delicious whatever it was.

Moving on, yesterday's button went out to a coworker and friend named Wes.  This is my 36th move!  Yikes!  Today's opportunity to win a 1-inch Joaquin the Chihuahua button is by posting a funny joke in the comments below.  If it makes me laugh, you will win!

Popcorn Poetry 2: Kazoozles

Today one of my managers wrote some cool little poems about various foods from Cinemark.  I followed her example and wrote one of my own.  It's inspired by the Wonka candy Kazoozles which my friend Michelle and I tried for the first time the other night.  We weren't so impressed with them...

Kazoozles
a poem by Jack Garcia

Listen, Kazoozles
I feel so bamboozled
Hate to say it, but I'm really mad
You charge a high price
Which isn't so nice
And the truth is, you taste so bad!

Your outside is sticky
Your inside is icky
All sour with the texture of toothpaste
I feel sick to my tummy
Oh, why weren't you yummy!?
All my money has just gone to waste!

Jack of the Month: Jack in the Box

My mom’s birthday is this month, and in honor of her, I decided that the Jack of the Month for July would be the fast-food chain Jack in the Box.  Why?  Because my mom is obsessed with it!  She goes there all the time for their super cheap tacos.  Maybe it’s her California roots…

The chain began in San Diego, California in 1941 and was known as Topsy’s Drive-In.  The owner, Robert O. Peterson, changed the name to Oscar’s and by the end of the 40’s he had several locations in California.  In 1951 he built a restaurant in Long Beach with the name Jack in the Box.  The restaurant featured a giant clown on top and boasted the first ever two-way intercom system.  Eliminating carhops, the location was able to serve people in a much faster way leading to its immense popularity.  Soon all of the Oscar’s restaurants were equipped with the new drive-thru system and renamed Jack in the Box.  Pretty cool, huh?

Jack from the
Jack in the Box
commercials.

Over the years Jack in the Box has had some struggles as far as business is concerned.  In the 80s they were failing to compete with big chains like McDonald’s, so they tried to mature their image.  They changed up their menu, restaurant décor, and for a year they even changed the name to Monterey Jack’s.  Then there was a horrible discovery that a lot of their beef was actually horse or kangaroo meat, and then there was a huge E-coli outbreak in the 90s resulting in the death of four children.  Jack in the Box lost a lot of money from these incidents, but through the use of a revamped marketing campaign they were able to distance themselves from the scandals and find success in the western U.S. 

The marketing involved a character named Jack who is the CEO of Jack in the Box.  In the commercials, he came back to take over the company and do things the right way.  The character still remains prominent today, with his big ping-pong ball head and pointy black nose.  Today Jack in the Box has 2,200 locations in 19 states and employs over 40,000 people.

Source:  Wikipedia

Chihuahua Comics: American Cheese

Does this not bother anyone else?  No?  Nobody?  Okay... well, this is awkward.  We hope you all can enjoy your 4th of July.  Brian and I will just be working, but don't worry about us.  Enjoy your fireworks and your family and your Kraft Singles!  GO AMERICA!!

Chihuahua Comics: Nachos

For those of you who don't know basic Spanish, the first panel reads, "Hi!  My name is Ignacio, but my friends call me Nacho."  The second panel reads, "Nice to meet you... I'm Jack."  The third panel reads, "How nice!"  But really none of that matters... all you need to know is that I'm gonna eat those there nachos!  Smiley face or not.

Good Friends, Gourmet Food, and Fun Gifts

"Welcome Home" gifts from our friend Kelsey!

As I mentioned before, my friend Kelsey has been desperate to see us since we've been home.  We had made plans to have dinner last Saturday night, but because of a work schedule mishap we had to reschedule.  So just a few nights ago on Wednesday, we met up at The Copper Onion in downtown Salt Lake City to once again enjoy each other's company!

Immediately upon approaching the restaurant Kelsey came bounding out the door like a crazed lunatic and swooped us both up in a huge bear hug.  Her husband Robert just stood there laughing at her.  I'm sure he was just as happy to see us, he's just not the huggy type...  Kelsey, however, would not let us go!  It wasn't until Brian's face started turning blue that she got the hint she was suffocating us with her love and affection.

The four of us were seated and once Kelsey ordered for us all, we were able to eat to our hearts content!  I'm sure the meal undid all of the exercising I've been doing lately, but it was so worth it.  Sometimes you have to let your hair down a little, you know?  We started off with cured meat and cheese appetizers on crostini, then moved onto our entrees.  I ordered pasta carbonara again (we ate there for Brian's birthday in October), Brian ordered the risotto, Kelsey ordered ricotta dumplings, and Robert ordered The Copper Onion Burger.  Of course we couldn't help it if our forks drifted over onto other people's plates; good food is meant to be shared!

We ended our fun meal by splitting some tiramisu, and then Kelsey and Robert were kind enough to get the check.  They sure do know how to spoil us!  And the generosity didn't end there.  We went over to their apartment after dinner to watch a movie, and Kelsey brought out the greatest surprises of all:  our "Welcome Home" gifts.  That's right, that crazy girl bought us dinner and presents!  I got an "Angry Birds" stuffed toy that laughs when I squeeze it and Brian got The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook which is full of fun recipes and food facts.  Toys and cookbooks... does she know us or what?

Indian Food, Miscommunication, and Cancelled Plans

Although Brian's sister Jenny has been living in her current apartment for almost six months now, Brian and I have never seen it.  So last night when we drove up to Bountiful to visit her, she gave us the grand tour including Lou's bedroom (the laundry room) complete with chewed up dog bones.  It's a cute little place in an area she likes, but unfortunately because of a rough breakup there are some unwanted memories in the apartment.  She's been looking for a new abode in a new town, but it's a bit harder to find an apartment when you have a large dog.

We decided she needed a fun little distraction, so we came up to eat and talk and basically just hang out a little bit.  We ordered food from a restaurant called Taste of India in Layton which was pretty delicious.  I hadn't ever had Indian food before, so I went off of Jenny's recommendation and ordered the Chicken Coconut Korma.  She knew what she was talking about, because it was very tasty.  I really loved the sweetness of the coconut, with the cashews and raisins and the rice... oh, so good!  And the naan bread puts Mexican tortillas to shame.

Jenny's a middle school history teacher so we talked a lot about education and history and politics, but we also talked about movies (Brian's biggest passion) and other random subjects.  We ended up gabbing past midnight before we realized the time.  I had work in the morning (or so I thought) so we said our goodbyes and headed home.

The reason I say "or so I thought" is because I went to work this morning only to be turned away.  I had previously been given a sheet of paper with my first week's schedule on it.  According to that little slip of parchment I had orientation Thursday night and my first actual shift was said to be Saturday 10am to 5pm.  However, turns out a mistake was made, because the schedule the managers had posted in the office stated that I was working from 6pm to midnight.  I was asked to go home and return in the evening...

Which really wouldn't have been a big deal if Brian and I hadn't made plans to eat tonight with our friend Kelsey in Salt Lake City!  She missed us greatly while we were away in California, and she's been trying to get together with us ever since we've been back in Utah.  She wanted to treat us to appetizers at one of our favorite places The Copper Onion.  Luckily she didn't make reservations (because they charge you an obscene amount of money for cancellations) and the new plan is to get together Wednesday night, which I think I'm not working.

But now I feel like I can never be absolutely sure...

Chum Chat: Kevin and Success at Grandview Terrace

My friend Kevin Bright wanted to do an interview today because it is his birthday!  He was also really adamant that he talk about good management and recognition in the workplace, and the birthday boy gets what he wants!  As a young man managing many, his experiences and insight are very valuable.

JOAQUIN:  First off, “Happy Birthday, Kevin!”  How old are you today?

KEVIN:  Today I am 23 years old.  It’s not exciting.  I’m too young for an insurance discount and I’m not at senior citizen discounts yet either.  It’s all downhill after 21….kidding. 

J:  Speaking of senior citizens, that’s sort of your specialty, now isn’t it?  Where is it you are working?

K:  I currently work at Grandview Terrace Retirement Community.  It is a luxury life care facility.  

J:  And how long have you been there?

K:  I have worked there for almost two years and just recently celebrated my one-year in management. 

J:  So what is your position there?

K:  My position is Dining Room Manager. 

J:  Look at you!  What does the Dining Room Manager do?

K:  I currently manage the six different dining rooms that we have.  Each dining room has a different theme:  New Orleans, Santa Fe, Napa Valley, Victorian Tea Room, Hawaiian, and The Club.  The Club is our newest addition and it serves as a casual dining room in the evening.  All our other dining rooms have a dress code that is enforced by our residents’ council.

J:  Wow!  I’m floored at how fancy that retirement home is!  You weren’t kidding when you said “luxury.”  Sorry to interrupt.  Back to your duties, sir…

K:  I manage the front of the house staff entirely for dining services.  This includes hostesses, servers, food runners, coffee/water servers, catering, etc.  Currently I have about 32 staff members.

J:  You’re 23 years old and already managing 32 staff members!  Amazing!

K:  Since I have taken the position, I have completely revolutionized the way we plan our catering events by using company tools to the fullest.  I have created electronic files, turned around an entire staff to enjoying their jobs, and taken on as many extra assignments as I possibly can.  In my spare time I have been teaching a basic class on computers… anything from how to google to how to copy/paste.  I love our residents and have had a blast working with them! 

J:  You are a busy bee!  So it’s safe to say you like your job, huh? 

K:  I absolutely love my job.  I can think of no other place I would rather be most of my day.  This is in part due to the fact that I have an amazing boss who challenges me to go outside of my comfort zone daily, but who also understands that I am here to do the same for her on occasion.  It’s nice to have a mentor that you know you can trust one hundred percent.

J:  She sounds like a great manager, which I know is what you wanted to talk about here—management.  So what position did you start out in?

K:  I started out in the company as a food runner.  I worked my way to server, and to working many catering events, and finally to Dining Room Manager in less than a year.  I must say though, that luck was definitely a big player in my success.  However, I also must say that I am a big proponent of showing dedication; and that combined with patience and an attitude of gratitude allowed me to achieve the position.

J:  Do you think your boss played a part in getting to where you are now?

K:  My boss challenged me by throwing me in new positions all the time and by giving me opportunities to make something a success.  I was able to work at the facility I now staff with servers and run it the way I wanted without a title or an increase.  It was fun.  I took on as much responsibility as I could and the titles and pay came later. 

J:  So now that you are the manager, what are you doing to ensure your employees have the same opportunities?

K:  The answer to this question is recognition and actively challenging your staff.  With some coaching from my mentor and boss, I learned that a paycheck is not enough satisfaction for a person.  We are all human and we all have the desire to contribute to a greater good naturally.  We also have that craving for recognition naturally too.

 J:  You are absolutely right!  A paycheck isn’t enough to make you happy.

K:  The key to it all is remembering that your employees are human.  A happy employee will give you a greater return.  Their work ethic will be greater, and their contagious attitude is absolutely worth the hard work.  This being said, recognition cannot be a blanket type for your entire staff.  Everyone is an individual human and his or her recognition needs to be tailored to his or her personality type.  If you hated movies, I really couldn’t get you motivated by giving you movie tickets now could I? 

J:  Ha ha!  Feel free to give me movie tickets any day, Kevin!  But I see what you mean.

K:  Instead my goal was to get to know my employees so I could reward them appropriately for their successes.  I showed appreciation for going above and beyond the job description.  And as I did these things, morale was strengthened, more people enjoyed their jobs, and teamwork began to blossom. 

J:  So I’m guessing your staff gets along pretty well with each other.

K:  Yes!  I have created a compliment board for my staff to write out compliments to each other, and we currently have a program where employees vote for another employee to receive a Bravo Award at our quarterly meetings.  I also have a hero board where I have my staff pick their hero, tell me some attributes of their hero, and how they can relate those attributes in their job.  I also took the time to make a staff video that introduced my staff as a team to our residents.  It all seems really simple, but commitment to the process will yield the results a manager is seeking. 

J:  That doesn’t sound simple at all!  You’re so creative and crafty!  Going to all the trouble of making cute boards and a movie even… I’m impressed.

K:  Thanks, Jack.  I even have staff wanting me to come up with more outside-of- work functions.  That right there really spelled it out for me.  I have created an environment that some don’t even want to leave.  They want to bring it into their personal time.  That says a lot to me.

J:  That’s awesome, Kevin.  Seriously, I’m proud of you.

K:   I am extremely proud of my staff and how much they have grown as I have grown.  No one person can do it alone!  I secretly hope that they always think back at their job at Grandview and think, “That was an awesome job, I really felt valuable, I was lucky to have a great start there.”  If I can do that, I have done my job well. 

Nickel Diner

We were in downtown Los Angeles this morning, returning some DVDs to the public library which we were never able to watch because our DVD player won't connect to the hotel's television set.  Totally depressing, right?  And since we were downtown, I decided that we should treat ourselves to lunch.  Why?  Well, I've recently signed up with Central Casting like Brian, and I figured we should both celebrate our new careers as background actors! 

Just an excuse, I know, but we really needed to eat something delicious, so we headed over to Nickel Diner on 5th and Main.  We first heard about this place on the Food Network show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.  One of the things they featured on the episode was their Maple Bacon Donut, and that is what I was really itching to try!

And it was delicious!  Two things that I love rolled into one:  bacon and donuts.  You all seriously need to try it...

We didn't just eat sweets though.  Brian ordered the Lowrider, which is a hamburger with poblano chilis, pepperjack cheese, red onions, lettuce, and tomatoes.  Sounds delicious, doesn't it?  I ordered the Big Time Cheddar which is basically a jazzed up grilled cheese sandwich!  It was cheddar cheese, tomato, and bacon with a Dijon sauce on white bread.  Really good!  I had mine with a side salad and Brian had his with french fries.

Check out the episode on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives below!

I'm Sorry for Hating You, In-N-Out Burger

Californians are obsessed with In-N-Out Burger and I never really understood it.  I have a friend named Jason (a native Californian) who was my roommate at Brigham Young University who almost had a heart attack when I told him that I didn't much care for the franchise.

"What?!?  Have you ever eaten there?"

"Well, yeah," I said, "and I was a little disappointed.  I went on  a road trip with a friend of mine a few years ago, and we went to one.  Everybody who had ever been before always raved about it.  I guess it was so hyped up that I just expected... more.  I just didn't think it was that good."

Scandalized he replied, "Fresh isn't good?  Everything is fresh!"

I didn't know what to say to that, so I just said, "I don't know...  and they only have like 3 things on the menu."

Then he smiled.  "Well, there's a secret menu for those who know."

I'm sorry, but the idea of a secret menu that I didn't know about just gave me another thing to dislike about In-N-Out Burger.  Exclusivity is not my cup of tea.  So from then on I just stayed quiet whenever people talked about it.  And then not long ago Utah started getting In-N-Out Burgers and I just rolled my eyes.  They were a huge hit and the drive-thrus would have lines a mile long.  I confessed my hate for In-N-Out to Brian, and luckily he didn't care much for it either.

However, I feel like an apology is due.  You see, Brian's mom recently mailed us a gift card to In-N-Out Burger, and even though I wouldn't normally eat there, it's hard to not take advantage of free food.  As the saying goes, "beggars can't be choosers."  So today Brian and I went, and I gotta say, it was better than I remembered.

We both ordered the Double-Double and it was actually a really good burger!  The beef patties were moist and delicious, the cheese was nice and melted, the tomatoes and lettuce were fresh and crisp, and the bun was just perfect.  I was shocked.  I remembered it being blah, and here I was enjoying the very restaurant that I supposedly hated.  I felt like such a fool.

So I want to say that I'm sorry.  It was mean of me to hate In-N-Out Burger so much.

However, I'm still not a fan of those fries.  They are flavorless!  I'd much rather have Brian's homemade fries any day.  But the burger has earned my respect.

Octopus

Octopus Japanese Restaurant: 729 W 7th St, Los Angeles, CA

Although I am not a fan, I couldn't deny Brian the happiness I knew it would bring him when our friends Jordon and Laurel suggested we go out for some sushi in downtown Los Angeles.  We had met up with Laurel for lunch about a month back, but we hadn't gotten together with Jordon yet at all, so we definitely needed to do something.  Both Jordon and Laurel are people we knew from Utah.  Laurel has directed Brian in various shows throughout his teenage years and Jordon is a fellow actor.

It was realized yesterday that none of us had any plans for our Saturday night, so we figured we should go out on the town.  "Paint the town red!" as Laurel joked.  Or maybe just go out for sushi at eleven o'clock at night.  That works too!  Jordon picked the spot, which was a swanky sushi place called Octopus.  We came at the right time, because all of the prices were drastically slashed for what they call "Reverse Happy Hour." 

I wasn't very hungry and, like I said, not a fan of sushi so I just ordered some Tempura Red Bean Ice Cream which was so delicious!  Seriously, there is nothing more beautiful than a man's relationship with his deep-fried ice cream.  Brian ordered a California Roll, Rainbow Roll, and Sashimi.  He liked them all very much, but his favorite was probably the roll Jordon ordered which had Jalapeños in it.  It was like two of Brian's favorite things in one.

We have decided that the four of us should get together more often.  Laurel and I are thinking we need to start a game night.  I'm just happy for anything that doesn't involve sushi or the use of chopsticks... that's a game in itself for me!