So March 3rd was the big day and another first in the wonderful world of AHOP. I had the pleasure of cooking dinner for 25+ law enforcement officers -- the most ever at one time! I initially thought dinner would be for 12 ABC Unit detectives (Alcohol Beverage Control) with the CMPD, but then the list grew to 22, then to 25-ish, to include ALE special agents (Alcohol Law Enforcement), and two from the Charlotte Fire Department. All were assisting with the CIAA and, once again, I have no pictures to show for my monumental dinner!
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| My ONLY photo....a boring picture of two EMPTY pans. |
As if making lasagna isn't a big enough production (and anyone who has made lasagna knows what I'm talking about), there were major kitchen snafus where, at one point during the day, I thought I would lose my mind...really! But I managed to pull everything off. My cook-top is going out and each pot of water I put on to boil for the noodles, took a minimum of 30 minutes to even resemble a slow boil. It was very stressful. The afternoon was ticking away and I had to be out the door at a certain time. I have the utmost respect for anyone in the catering profession. But these guys are very sweet to me. Even when they come to my home for a meal, they know not to ring the door bell early. I can get a lot done in two minutes and sometimes it's down to the last minute. I am not a professional cook by any means and I learn something new every time I host a dinner.
Like this....
Did you know that if you put plastic wrap over your cooked lasagna before adding the tin foil (if you need to transport it or keep it warm), the cheese won't stick? Seems logical, doesn't it, like it would be something you would think of on your own, but I never thought of this! I learned this helpful tip from Chef's Catering. They have catered a few events for my work, and a few weeks ago one of the cooks actually delivered the meal himself, so don't you know I was asking a bunch of questions! That's when I learned about the plastic wrap. I have transported lasagna several times to three different CMPD divisions (Metro, South, and Steele Creek) and never thought about this before, not to mention how many times I have kept lasagna warm on my own stove, only to have all the cheese stick to the foil. You can also spray PAM cooking spray to the foil, but I like the plastic wrap tip the best.
One of the highlights of the entire evening (for me) was that I got to stay for roll call. One detective invited me to do a ride-along with them one night which I thought was very sweet. Comments like that make me feel accepted into a big family that's not so easy to get into unless you work there. I will have to complete all the necessary paperwork to do the ride-along, but I am already looking forward to it.
A big thank you to my neighbor, Sheilah, who cleared one shelf in her refrigerator to store my banana pudding. It was a huge help and she even delivered it back to me. You can find this delicious recipe here in a previous post.
And another thank you to Chef's Catering, who gave me an unbelievable deal on tablecloth rentals. We ended up not using them after all, but I appreciated their kindness and support of what I do.
Three things I know for sure before another officer sits at my table for a meal is 1) my 25-year-old cook-top is on its last leg and I'll have to replace it, and 2) a second refrigerator for the garage is a must-have, and 3) I will designate a picture-taker!
The day following this big meal was Sunday, and the old girl rested. It was a wonderful weekend!
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| FOP Lodge #9 (notice the Thin Blue Line across the door - I love that!) |
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