I am honestly terrible at goodbyes so I want this post to be more of a hello and welcome to 2023 rather than a goodbye to 2022.
2022 was a year of many starts for me and one final bow. This was the year I learned to stand up for myself. The year I spent the most time cooking and the most time willingly unemployed. (I have never felt so free or gone on so many hikes.) This was the year I got a promotion! The year I started writing! A year full of personal growth and career changes.
I started “From the Trenches” to write about my experience working in restaurants from front of the house to back of the house, because I had a lot I wanted to say. It was quite therapeutic to write about both my frustrations and my friends. However, I did quit the industry this year and I have found that “From the Trenches” has come to a close for now. If you do not know the story about what finally drove me to quit, you can read my post here and frustrated newsletter here. I have run out of quality things to say specifically about working in the industry [for now] since I am no longer in it. I am adjacent since I am still around all my restaurant peeps and I will take a cooking gig here and there, but it is not the same as being in the trenches day in and day out.
Don’t worry, I have not said goodbye to the cooking world by any means! I will be returning in the new year with a new season and new topics. “From the Trenches” was always meant to be the first season of A Little Bit of Everything.
I originally intended to end the season with a big speech about why I left the kitchen, but I feel as though it has already been said. I am trying to not dwell on the past. Besides cooking, kitchen life taught me how to think quick on my feet and be resourceful. I gained a great work ethic always working quickly and planning steps ahead. I learned people skills from working with some of the ~most interesting~ people and most importantly, I learned how to stand up for myself and ask for appropriate pay.
Since this grand finale is not as grand as I once intended, I will leave you with a recipe. (Maybe this is a preview of what’s to come)
This is my Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookie recipe, which was adapted from Alicia Kennedy’s Chocolate Chip Cookie and I have been meaning to post it on my website. You get the first look.
Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies
~36 cookies
Measure out into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment:
230 g cold butter
200 g dark brown sugar
150 g cane sugar
¼ tsp vanilla extract (I prefer Mexican Vanilla)
Measure, set aside:
355 g all-purpose flour
39 g unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt
Measure, set aside:
2 eggs
90 g dark chocolate chunks
90 g chopped raw walnuts (optional)
Cream the butter, sugars, and vanilla extract in a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment until no chunks of butter remain.
Pour in the dry ingredient bowl, in parts, until each is well incorporated. Once all incorporated, add in the eggs.
Once a dough is formed, add in the chocolate chunks and walnuts and mix on low until well distributed. (For the chocolate chunks, I usually chop a bar of Ghirardelli dark chocolate into ¼ inch chunks)
Chill the dough in the fridge for at least an hour before spooning out onto parchment-lined baking sheets in balls the size of ~2 tablespoons.
Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes. They will harden as they cool, so trust the time and don’t bake longer than 15 minutes.
While still hot from the oven, sprinkle the cookies with sea salt.
Weekly Round Up
Music
I mean….all things considered, I feel like this is the best end of the year song as well as a great post breakup song. Thank You 2022, on to 2023!
Cooking
I have cooked quite a bit actually this holiday season. I am the grandma who delivers homemade cookies to all the neighbors and friends. I made the cookies above as well as the Christmas classic, Mexican Wedding Cookies. I promise to post more on Instagram in the new year!
Shopping
After the wild Christmas shopping craze, I am keeping this section short. Shout out to Bijou Candles for coming in clutch this Christmas season. I also discovered a new small business through my friend, Wild and Woman perfume oils! They really lock in the scent longer than regular perfume in my opinion. Definitely worth a try.
See you next year! ;)