What she's eating now...

I have to admit that before I met Chad, my diet was...for lack of better words... BORING AS HELL.  Being on a somewhat modified Atkins diet for the last five plus years... my life revolved around protein.  ALL things protein....things I knew, things I was comfortable with.  Although I was practically stuck to the Food Network for the better part of this last decade, I didn't really ever experiment with anything fun and exciting, I just watched.  Then one day, Chad came along and busted down the culinary chains that were holding me down in my ever boring diet.  I've tried things I would've never TOUCHED before... or even thought to TRY.  It's amazing but..Look at me NOW!!

The Ayumi Roll at one of the best sushi restaurants in Dallas...

Seriously??  RAW beef??

I'm still not convinced a light sear qualifies as "cooked beef" as Chad tried to convince me of...

It was good though I must admit. 

This has to be the most surprising thing Chad has gotten me to eat. 

COMPLETELY RAW yellowtail sashimi.... if you know me at all, you probably wouldn't believe it unless you actually SAW me eat it...lol.  We've had it twice now!

Tastings - Part Deux

It's always just a matter of time after the maid comes until the complete destruction of our kitchen... but this week, a mere TWO days after the house was seemly spotless, Chad marked his territory in preparation of the restaurants second set of tastings.  Becoming a tazmanian devil once he gets going, it wasn't until the dust cloud settled behind him that the shear magnitude of the MESS was evident.  Luckily for me, I was able to play taste tester....making the mess that much easier to handle.  :) 

A few snaps from my camera phone...

Goody goody gum drops... :)  I love my chef!

HOLY MOLY! 

There was FOOD EVERYWHERE!!

Tomatoes in a olive oil, rosemary and garlic concoction...

February 09, 2010

The following day Chad prepared his selections for the bosses as he had done a few weeks before.... this time actually taking some time for some snaps!  Yeah!

A tower of protein lovin'..

 

Chicken Pot Pie... done up!

What he's drinking now...

(Rambling's of a Mad Chef by Chad Kelley).... Since I began my culinary career over 10 years ago I have been studying wine. We all know that Food & Wine is the classic combination. What about beer? Since I started developing my restaurant with the guys that created The Flying Saucer I have totally given up wine and have enrolled myself in a crash course in BIER!  I've been trying on average about 2 different beers a week. Each one I have selected, sorry ladies.. not for its name or cute label, but for its style. Starting tonight I will be featuring a new "What I'm Drinking Now" status update. 

What I'm Drinkin' Now - Big Sky IPA. crystal clear light copper beer with good carbonation. This IPA has a nice citrus bitterness with mild aromatics. When it comes to IPA's they can feel, for lack of a better term, unbalanced. This one has a great hoppy flavor without being obtrusive and is very well balanced between the bitterness and the aromatics. Not the biggest kid on the block but very tasty. 

What I'm Drinkin' Now - Old Rasputin Russian Imerpial Stout from North Coast Brewing. Dark Malts, bitter chocolate, roasted coffee, mild oatmeal and at 9% ABV doesnt have any heat. It warms on the finish but you don't taste the alcohol. If it wasn't for the 9% this would be a very sessionable brew. One of my favorite Stouts so far.


For more updates on anything and everything BEER, visit Captain Keith's Beer Blog, one of many Flying Saucer website attractions.  Not only does it cover all things beer, but Keith's also been updating the world on the status of the new restaurant, the Moth, opening soon. 

Visit soon and often...
Keith's Beerknurd blog

Happy 2nd Birthday Mackenzie!

Birthday girl Mackenzie  :) 

(Chad's sister Christy's little one)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET GIRL! 

Your Aunt Yvette and Uncle Chad MISS YOU!! 

Worth the Wait... :)

It's finally HERE...and we couldn't be happier with the results! Studio 54 did a FABULOUS job with our wedding video...we can't say enough good things about them. :) Enjoy!



Chad & Yvette's Wedding Movie from Studio 84 on Vimeo.

Just like a box of Crayons...

There really are no words.  I have no idea what these people were thinking.  Turns out the people who owned our house before us had a strong affection for EVERY SINGLE COLOR in the crayola box.  Not one... no...not two... hell not even three or four... but.....SEVEN, yes, count them SEVEN layers of color on our cabinets.  Who knew any of these colors were ever cool?!  Looks like Chad and I got ourselves in WAAAAAAAAAAYYY over our heads when we decided to strip our cabinets down to their bare bones.  What the hell were WE thinking?!  Guess we are just as twisted as our color lovin' friends.  Stay tuned for the AFTER pictures, coming oh...I'd say... in about two MONTHS!!  Damn! 

BEFORE:  Holy hell...yuck.

They MUST have been on some kind of drug.... WHO DOES THIS?!

DURING:

Green, black, magenta, baby blue, light pink, gold and white... seriously?

And you're just going to have to wait for the AFTER.  Hopefully it won't take too long... Wish us luck!

Last minute surprise...

To my delight, my brother surprised Chad and I with a last minute visit to Dallas to watch what would be the last Cowboy game of the season. Luckily for me, little miss Addison came along for the ride!

About dang time... :)

Being that it's been a while since my last post, I thought I would take you back (to an unposted, and UNFINISHED blog) I started on January 13, 2010
_____________________________________________________________

I wish I could speak more candidly about what’s been going on in Chad’s world as he prepares for his restaurant to open in March….but I must admit that he’s been quieter and more focused than I’ve seen him in a long time. These last two weeks alone have been particularly stressful as he began doing menu tastings for the bosses. Big boss #1, boss #2 and the general manager, all in one room, all waiting to be served, all ready to give their critiques. I can’t even fully imagine the anxiety he must go through every day as he presents his creations one by one to his iron chef-like judges. Overcoming obstacles beyond his control, he faced the first day with half the product he anticipated…. doing the majority of the grunt work at home the day before after an afternoon of scouring the local grocery stores for all his specialty products.

Central Market Run before the first day of his tastings...

Made his list... now he's checking it twice...

A sea of goodies....

Well only a REAL chef would find a way to make chicken livers good... yuck!  :)

The following day, he won them over, dish by dish, with tasty bits of heaven that would soon be available on HIS menu for the rest of the world to try. I’m so proud.

---(here's where I had hoped to insert his tasting selections.... HOWEVER my dear husband has yet to provide me with that information...) When I get it, I'll post them as a different blog... hang tight.  :)

After having successfully completed and happily satisfied the bellies of his “judges”, Chad faced the second day much as he had done the day before. Scrambling for product and cashing in all his favors from vendor friends, he once again pleased the boss men with his flavorful dishes.

---Yet another place for his menu items for day 2 but again, it will have to wait... lol... (don't let this stop you though from letting your imagination run wild while salivating profusely... )  :) 

Day by day, Chad did his thing while calming the nerves (a bit) of his bossmen who had yet, until the week before, tasted any of Chad's developing menu items.  He secured his place in the growing company, even getting a " Damn Chad, we are going to be FAMOUS with this restaurant!" from one of his bosses.  How can you get any better than THAT?!

Wedding Video Teaser

As part of our video package, our awesome videographers (Studio 84) prepared a short one minute "Kelley Wedding Day Trailer".... or a tease if you will, of what is to come in our full length video.  We love their style and can't wait to see how the other videos turn out!  We will post them as we get them...until then, enjoy!



Chad & Yvette's Wedding Movie Trailer from Studio 84 on Vimeo.

New Years Eve Fun

Although this was probably going to be the one and only New Years Eve Chad would have off... for a LONG, LONG time, we decided to have a quiet evening at home.  Not really being party people in the first place, this slow evening was right up our alley.  After dinner and a movie, we headed back to the house to watch the ball drop while making a traditional mexican treat.... BUNUELOS!!

A tasty fried tortilla of goodness, topped with cinnamon and sugar.... OH YEAH!