Saturday rituals...

Today is Saturday which means I go through my usual pre game night rituals before attending school. Later this afternoon I will head downtown on the subway to the French Culinary Institute for a night of srvice. Now that I am in the last two levels of school (out of six) we are working and learning in the kitchen of the school's restaurant, L'Ecole. I love when I am in that kitchen under the direction of Chef Jason. I am all over this Chef. He is tough but smart, talented and the fact that he laughs at my jokes also works in his favor. Plus he really knows his food. I heard him talking about a meal he had last week and although I hardly remember the ingredients, something a little frightening like bone marrow and a tail were involved, I remember his detailed and passionate description. It was as if he was talking about a long lost love, how good she was. I love hearing Chefs talk about food! That is one of the things I enjoy most. For me though, it's the getting to school that is the tough part. Its hard to leave the comfort of my apartment and my sweet husband Dan that is difficult. Dan, Danny as I usually call him, does make my Saturday a little nicer by making me lunch, a farewell of sorts. Lately its been a tasty sandwich which I refer to as my New Jersey Italian sub. That's because the only other place I ate such a concoction was when we lived in New Jersey with an overflowing Italian deli literally across the street. It doesnt get much better than that, or does it? For us, fortunately it has, in the form of Rosario's Italian shop in Astoria, Queens. Savory cheeses, succulent cuts of mortadella, prosciutto de parma, salami and bread with a crunchy crust and a soft chewy inside. Every Saturday, to ease my separation anxiety before I leave our apartment, Danny makes me a sandwich from his shopping excursion to Rosario's. Its always a variation of the above mentioned goods and it is always delicious. Believe me, when the clock says 9:30pm and I have only stolen small tastes of the various dishes we are preparing that night at L'Ecole, I am thankful for the Italian sandwich which has kept my stomach from growling too loudly. I always look forward to thanking my husband later that night when I see him at Leahy's Irish Pub with the usual neighborhood suspects...another Saturday ritual I have come to enjoy...