A chefs tale and other nibbles.

Moving Ah La Lou to Virginia, Goodbye Dallas!

2010-07-08T18:19:00.002-05:00

As of July 1, 2010, Ah La Lou Personal Chef Service is closing it's doors for a little while and relocating to Virginia Beach, Va. I will keep you updated on my move there but for now, it's been a great run in Dallas. More to come in VA. Taking the business in different direction so stay tuned.

Judging. I am guilty too.

2009-08-16T11:36:00.006-05:00

I recently had a conversation with my daughter about judging that prompted me to PAY ATTENTION to that very act. I am very guilty of doing just that. Even in simple things. One recent act comes to mind. I recently attended the funeral of a friend of mine's husband. Throughout the years, I would see their teen aged daughter's boyfriend always hanging out at their house and as she became an adult he was still around often at times my friend was at work and her husband being very sick would not know the young man was there. Yes, I went there. I immediately thought no good as going on in that house. Well, at the funeral I found out that both of these young people abandoned their dreams of college to stay and take care of my friends husband. The young man was not up to no good he was being selfless and taking care of his girlfriend’s father. I felt very small once I found this out. This kid was so broken up at the funeral. I am so conscience of judging now. God gave me the visual I needed to show me His word in action Isn't that wonderful how he does that?

I thought I had the judging thing handled years ago but I guess I really did not. I had the pleasure of going on a field trip years ago when my son was in high school with his Arts Magnet class. The kids going had hair that was not their natural color and piercing here and there. Yes, they were truly different. I knew I was in for an experience, little did I know I was truly taught something. Once boarded on the bus to the field trip journey I began to listen to these kids. Wow the intelligence of the conversation and the amount of talent in one spot blew me away. I truly learned the meaning of not judging the book by its cover. The next time you feel yourself judging, think of this, you do not know the circumstance of that persons situation. You are not the judge, God does a great job of that and he does not need a sous chef helping him.

The bible says, "Judge not to judge so that your will not be judged. For the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standards of measure, it will be measured to you. Matthew 7: 1-2. Whose standards would you like to be judged by?

Working on something new!

2009-06-10T20:32:00.004-05:00

A few of my fellow personal chefs have started doing their chef business out of commercial kitchens, taking orders, and delivering the product. From their experience I have learned that they are working only an equivalent of 2, 8 hr days each week and reaping the same benefits, or more of working 5 days a week. What a concept. I am working the equivalent of part time hours lately due to client cancellations and such so this concept appeals to me a lot. There are folks that are more open to having meals delivered instead of having a chef in their kitchen. I have found a couple of commercial kitchens for rent in the Dallas area and one of my clients currently is a delivery client and so far, it is working out very well. I will keep you posted on how this is working out.

Light summer foods!

2009-05-25T19:38:00.003-05:00

With summer in full swing, who likes to have a heavy dinner on a hot day? Eating hearty salads or grilled meals is so on tap for this summer.

Try a pasta salad:

colored spiral pasta

carrots

onions

bell pepper

celery

cheese

cooked shrimp or grilled chicken

tossed with a vinegarette.

Cut carrots, onions, bell pepper, celery into small pieces.

Boil pasta until done.

place vegetables in bowl

Toss with vinegarette and you have a meal

Or how about grilled salmon with grilled vegetables? Try having your heaviest meal in the afternoon so that your evening meal is cool and light.

Eat light, stay on the healthy side and have a great summer!

A fond memory!

2009-04-24T22:49:00.004-05:00

I was recently researching how to make crawfish bisque and came upon a recipe that sounded like the visual I had of my grandmother making this when I was young...does that make sense? What I mean is in reading the ingredients and the instructions, I could almost see Big Mama chop the ingredients, mix them all together and stuff the heads of the crawfish before it joins the tasty bisque. I remember what her hands looked like as she used the spoon to scoop the stuffing concoction into the crawfish heads and lay them out one by one. What a fond memory!

What is your fond memory of food?

Giving credit where it is due.

2009-04-10T07:28:00.003-05:00

I am so excited! I just reconnected with a very dear friend of mine Erika Jane. Now think back to the 60's (if you are old enough) and remember the Mary Tyler Moore show's theme song, "She can turn the world on with her smile"? Well, that is Erika except it is her personality! Oh my goodness, you cannot not like Erika! Smart, Funny, Beautiful with that personality wow. Well quite a few years ago, we lost touch for one reason or another but recently, I connected with her daughter and sought her out. Oh my goodness, it was as if no time had passed. We caught up with the many years of kid stories, she has an empty nest, mine is almost there. But, the reason this is on my blog is not because I am excited about Erika Jane but about what Erika Jane did for me food wise. We worked for an Insurance company and on some nights before we would leave or through out the day, we would play "what are you cooking for dinner tonight"?Now back then I was not as experienced with the types of food I cooked and with my little ones at that time, selection was limited. But Erika, well she would cook it up. No fast food for us, home cooked meals each night for our families. When I think about all the influences I have had that have brought me to the point I am as a personal chef, I add Erika Jane to that list. I still make her Crawfish casserole and Potato soup. I am a better cook because she stretched me all those years ago. I am happy to have reconnected with her again.

Spring has sprung!

2009-04-05T08:07:00.002-05:00

Although you cannot tell all over the country, Spring is Here! One of the things I love to do in the spring going into the summer is to not only make my world more colorful with flowers and plants but make my food just as colorful. Why not add the red and yellow bell peppers to a dish and not just the green. Add raw squash to your salads to give it color beyond the lettuce and tomatoes or better yet, use those yellow tomatoes you are not use to. Take a chance, Color your World!

Happy Spring!

Need a change?

2009-03-24T20:19:00.002-05:00

One of the reasons I became a personal chef is because I have always had a passion for cooking. Cooking has always been something I knew I could go to when I felt anxious or blue. I would alway say if you come over and all 4 burners are going and I am cooking Sunday dinner on Wednesday, I have had a bad day. I use to be in the IT world and cooking would calm me.

Do you need a change? Or do you need to reaffirm what you already do? I have an idea you may want to look at. A friend of mind is a career coach. She can help you with your career identity or a career change. What better time then now to find out what your real destiny is?

go to www.designyourwork.com and check Coach Tanya out. Take the online assessment. What have you got to loose?

Comfort food!

2009-03-13T18:16:00.002-05:00

My comfort food is a very simple dish. Nothing fancy. Nothing sweet. Just simple simple, mac and cheese. Not the box kind. My mom's kind. Now, this mac and cheese I have had all my life. Once I moved away from home, there was one thing that was consistent, when I needed comfort, I made mac and cheese.

I use elbow macaroni, grated Colby cheese, egg, salt and pepper, and milk. Now some folks use a variety of cheeses some plain and some fancy but I just like to do the old fashion Louise Downey way. Boil the macaroni, beat the egg and milk together in a bowl, once the macaroni is cooked, drain and put in the bowl with the egg and milk stirring together then and only then add the cheese and salt and pepper and then pour in a buttered baking dish and cook for 30minutes covered and there you have it....ah la lou....

What is your comfort food?

Happy Fat Tuesday!

2009-02-24T19:58:00.003-06:00

I know it is almost over but I have been saying Happy Fat Tuesday all day long and I have gotten some crazy stares here in Richardson, TX. But you know what, I do not care! I think it should be a Happy Fat Tuesday! Even if you do not partake in the festivities where you are, you can go somewhere and toast with a bowl of gumbo, a shrimp po boy, a big ole creamy praline, or a hot cup of chicory coffee. Man, I am making myself very hungry!

As a child I remember going to Mardi Gras often. I remember the parades and the beads. That was the thing, getting the mother load. I still have a box of beads in one of my closets that seems to multiply every time I rediscover it. My mom who was born and raised in New Orleans, use to go to Mardi Gras every year and would bring back beads to the granddaughters so year after year of beads add up. When I worked in corporate america, I would bring beads from that same box to the office and throw them on desks. For my daughter's 16th birthday, she wanted a Mardi Gras theme so again, I took beads from the box and used them as decorations and party favors (she is now 23!) So I think they multiply in the dark, hey I'm just saying....Mardi Gras is magical! Maybe next year we all can go and support New Orleans and attend the parades and ask them to throw you some beads but I may actually bring some and throw them back. :-)

Interesting web site

2009-02-14T19:50:00.003-06:00

Ok so I have been doing a lot with facebook and twitter lately and come across a lot of foodie type of web sites and here is one I found that was interesting : foodess.com

Check it out. Good visuals.

Cook on!

Meeting at the chamber!

2009-02-12T06:42:00.003-06:00

About a month ago, I joined our local chamber of commerce. I have been really trying to market my business in many different ways so one of the ways mentioned in my studies at the Culinary Business Academy was to look into joining the local chamber. So today there is an orientation and lunch. I am not sure what to expect but I am going to walk in there with a positive outlook and lots of business cards.

Besides joining the chamber, I have sent out postcards advertising my business to local neighborhoods, and tomorrow will be the first time my ad will run in the Dallas Morning News insert called Neighborhood Go.

Do you have any unique marketing ideas....pass them on.

Cook on!

Do we teach our kids to cook anymore?

2009-02-11T06:21:00.004-06:00

I remember growing up a lot of years ago and watching my mother cut up stuff and stir stuff and boil stuff and put stuff in the oven and then when all that was done, a delicious meal was set before me. Back then, fast food was the exception instead of the rule. I remember growing up in San Antonio on special occasions, we would go to a restaurant called Earl Able and the food was always so good. But the food never could compare to my mom's cooking. During my younger years we would sometimes stay over at my cousin's house and there were 8 kids in that family, the oldest daughter Yolanda, would just make the most wonderful simple dishes and the next oldest daughter MarShiela baked the most wonderful cakes and pies as well as made a mean dinner anytime of the week. But they came by it honestly because their mom Helen to me made the most wonderful enchilada's. Then in the summer, we would spend time at my grandmother's house in New Orleans and that was a whole new type of cooking lesson. The things that came out of that kitchen were so good. I guess I have always been surrounded by good cooks which only cultivated my love for cooking more.

But I guess my question is, don't we teach our kids to cook anymore? With the 99 cent drive through meals sometimes it is easier to feed them that type of food but what if, just what if we taught them how to make a few simple dishes well so they could be self sufficient. Now, don't get me wrong, as much as I would like to say my two oldest children went off to college making shrimp creole and smothered chicken, that did not happen. Honestly, I taught both of them to cook pretty much over the phone. They would call with a taste for something and I would guide them through with phone instructions and e-mail recipes. I must say in my defense they did know how to cook simple things, survivable things, I will not go hungry in my dorm things.

I cannot tell you how many young women have come up to me asking me to teach them how to cook. This was not something their parents did when they lived at home or like my kids, they were busy with other things and did not have the time to learn. I feel pretty bad for those right now who do not know how because with the economy the way it is, the most cost effective way to eat is to prepare meals at home.

Teaching young people to cook can start with simple pre cut cookies on a cookie sheet. Then graduate to making them from scratch. Teach kitchen safety along the way. Then graduate them to their favorite meal. At the least before your child goes off to school, they should know how to scramble an egg, make taco's, or make spaghetti. Obesity can be fought with knowing what is being prepared and what is in what you eat. Did you know if you eat breakfast or dinner out on a regular basis, your chances of becoming obese are doubled? Just a little foodimentary for thought.

Cook on.......

If you are in the Dallas area and are interested in cooking classes, contact me at ahlalou.com

What would you like to learn how to cook?

2009-02-08T22:09:00.004-06:00

Is there a dish that you remember from childhood, or a meal you have had that you really want to learn how to cook? What do you want to learn how to cook. Let me know....just curious.

What is beurre blanc?

2009-02-08T21:36:00.001-06:00

Beurre blanc is a hot butter sauce made with a vinegar and shallot reduction to which butter is added (lemon juice is sometimes used).

Tibits from foodimentary

2009-02-06T16:44:00.003-06:00

I started following foodimentary on twitter and this gentleman sends out tweets on a regular basis. He is awesome. You get unknown facts like: the pasta and seasoning mix "hamburger helper" was introduced in 1970. It was created during a meat shortage.

Check it out. If you have twitter ( http://twitter.com/Foodimentary ) or facebook, he is on both. Go to foodimentary.com (coming soon) but it will take you to facebook and twitter.

If you do not have either, I will be updating his tidbits on this blog. He is just a guy with a lot of time on his hand who tweets about food stuff. How neat.

Cook on!

The Inauguration.

2009-01-22T19:33:00.002-06:00

Ok, not food related but equally amazing. I attended the inauguration on the 20th and I must say this is an event I will never forget. I stood in the midst of over a million people and must say I did not expect the peacefulness we experienced. I was so glad I was able to share this with my girls. This was a great day...

THE Resolution!

2009-01-07T09:09:00.002-06:00

The number 1 new years resolution is a vow to lose weight. One major component of this is eating habits. Eating healthy is key to losing weight along with exercise. Eating healthier is not all about low fat and no taste, it is about the right choices and correct portions. I think this is very important to a healthier and happier you. Now if you know me you look at me and say what does she know about losing weight, she is thin. Well I am here to tell you it is not about size it is about your health. Yes, one should be concerned about weight but more about being healthier and that can be at a size 4 or 12. It is all about health. So, vow not only to lose weight if that is what you want to do but eat healthier.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-04T17:14:00.002-06:00

2008 is officially gone and new and exciting things for 2009 are ahead. Although 2008 was not a total disaster, I am looking forward to the new things to come that this new year will bring. I am looking forward to getting really creative with my business in light of the way the economy is. Although everyone has to eat people are tightening their belts and a personal chef, may seem like a nice to have expense. I would like to bring home cooked meals to homes that would normally eat out and spend unnecessary money on unhealthy fast food. I can cook or I can teach to cook but either way, the families are getting a healthy home cooked meal. Nevertheless, I am going to charge into 2009 with good thoughts and the same faith that started me on this cooking journey. Also, look for ahlalou.com 2.0 version sometime this quarter.

ah la lou Merry Christmas

2008-12-16T17:50:00.002-06:00

I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May your 2009 be filled with joy.

Feed it forward!

2008-12-05T17:06:00.003-06:00

I was listening to the news today and there is a thing that restaurant.com is doing called feed it forward. This site is giving away millions of dollars in $10 gift certificates. Go to the site scroll down to the bottom right of the screen and sign up for feed it forward. Once you sign up, you can send the certificates to 3 persons per day up until Dec 25th. If you know someone who could use a little help (and the is no wonderful personal chef around :-), send them one of these certificates.

Gumbo time!

2008-12-04T09:57:00.004-06:00

Well it is that time of the year, yes it is cold, yes it is the holiday season but better yet, wait for it, wait for it, wait for it, IT IS GUMBO TIME!

Yep, cold weather and gumbo are such a wonderful marriage. I truly believe besides miso soup, gumbo is a cure all. Really I am serious. I would rather grab some gumbo from my freezer and give it to one of my kids (warm it of course) when that were sick then chicken soup.

Being in Texas, cold weather = chili and that is all good but being a creole texan, that can only mean GUMBO :-)

check out my web site ahlalou.com in the next couple of days and get the low down on how ya'll in the DFW area can get authentic New Orleans gumbo for your holiday table.

I was about to burst! In a good way....

2008-11-21T09:13:00.003-06:00

I am part of the Dallas Chapter of the United States Personal Chef Association and this is my first year as a member so apparently each end of the year the chapter goes to a local restaurant to do a food tasting. Wow, I did not know what to expect but I can tell you this, I have never eaten so much food at one sitting in my life!

Ok so we went to Charlie Palmer on Main and Ackard in downtown Dallas. So here we go with the rundown of the food and I am sure I will miss something but trust me, it was all good in it's own way.

lobster corny dog with three mustard cream

surf and swine: carmeized scallops, crisp pork belly with a cassis redcution

sauteed hudson valley foie gras: peach tarte tatin, chili blueberry compote with basil

seared halibut: halibut with melted sweet onion and mushroom soy

grilled squab or sauteed texas quail (there were 8 of us so 4 got one and 4 got the other and we shared*)

dry aged ny sirloin or filet mignon with a blue cheese crust (*)

Sides were: spinach, steak fries, polenta (YUMMY!), fingerling potatoes, trumpet royale mushrooms in toasted garlic, cremini mushrooms with oxtail ragout.

Ok then they brought a pre dessert, chocolate lollypops, dark chocolate rolled in rasberry dust, a choc type rice crispy, a nutty thing, and a choc powder thingy (technical terms I know!) Then we had a peanut butter layer cream cake (YUCKY PB) an apple cheesecake, assorted ice creams and sorbet, candied rasberries and I think that is it...oh we all walked away with a bag of ginger snaps.

Now one thing that was so neat about this all was the chef would come in before each course and tell us chefs what he made for us. He was a great guy. The pastry chef did the same when it was dessert time. One other big thing was there was wine paring. Brandon, our Sommelier came in and talked wine and I was so impressed. I did not do the wine tasting part but was in awe of his knowledge.

This was a great experience good food, good company and this is something I would not have done on my own I don't think. I am grateful for the experience to expand my pallet and foodie knowledge.

Cleaning tip

2008-11-12T11:31:00.000-06:00

Ok, so last night for dinner I made baked chicken wings, chicken flavored rice, and choyote squash (mirliton, if you are creole!) Dinner was delicious but the clean up was no fun. The pan that I cooked the chicken wings in was crusted and not very easy to clean. I knew I needed to soak it. I remembered a trick perhaps you already know to get on that caked on stuff from pots, a dryer sheet. Yep, a dryer sheet, soak the pot in hot water and put a dryer sheet in over night and the "stuff" that is stuck will come right out. Ok, that does sound like Martha Stewart but that is not where I got it from....

What ya cooking tonight?

ahlalou.com is UP!

2008-11-08T06:54:00.001-06:00

My website is up! I am so pleased with the way it turned out. Thanks to Van Sneed III at joygazmmm.com He did a wonderful job!

One thing you may notice is that the splash page (first page you see) is advertising a service I am offering called "Everything but the bird". This is a Thanksgiving special to help with the side dishes and sweets for that big bird day. Keep an eye out because gumbo is coming real soon....

ahlalou.com

chefalyssa@ahlalou.com

214.227.2055

I am breaking my own rule! I'm doing something Martha.

2008-11-04T09:42:00.000-06:00

Ok so I am a chef right? Well I have a confession to make, I am NOT a Martha Stewart fan. Never really liked the lady. Although, she does good things in the kitchen. I never watch her show, do not buy her mags, nothing, until now. Martha Stewart has a book out called Martha Stewart, Cooking Class. It is good and I must confess I am buying it. Breaking my own rule to swearing off all things Martha. Not sure this will get me to watch the show or read the mags but I will support this book.

Saigon Mall

2008-11-03T16:00:00.000-06:00

There is this new asian market place down the street from my house called Saigon Mall. Now immediately I got pictures in my head of hanging ducks and those sort of thing and don't get me wrong, it was all that. Parts of animals I would not think of eating but it is so much more. There are items that I discovered living in Japan that I can get there and that made my day. Also what really made my day was the live blue crabs that they have...and you know why, because it is time for GUMBO! Well by the time I got there, no more live crabs, they had taken the shell off of them and froze them but nevertheless, whole blue crabs in my famous gumbo saves me the boiling time :-). Real excited about that.

Reminder....Nov 4th is TOMORROW

2008-11-03T15:59:00.001-06:00

Don't forget to vote. I will be working at the polls from 11-3 tomorrow. Can't wait.

So out of my norm....and again, not about cooking....

2008-10-25T21:36:00.001-05:00

Ok, so today after the Lance Armstrong Foundation cancer walk, I had a bit more energy so with Austin's motto being Keep Austin Weird, they held the thrill the world simultaneous thriller dance for the world record. I found out about this a few days ago and looked up the site and started learning the 8 lessons to be able to do this dance, well life got in the way and I only learned to lesson 3. But I have a over zealous 16 year old who really really wanted to do this so after the 5K walk, we learned to the best of our ability the 8 parts to this dance and along with 779 other Austin folks, set the world record for the most folks doing this dance at the same time....take a look.... www.vimeo.com/2065295 We are in there somewhere....I will post pics when I download them from the camera.

Not about food at all.....

2008-10-25T21:30:00.001-05:00

Ok so today was the Lance Armstrong Foundation walk In Austin, Texas. We had a team, Lou's Crew in honor of my mom Louise Downey. Our team raised $2000. The walk was great.We ended up with 6 walkers for Lou's Crew, my sister Vanessa, brother in law Bernie, My girl Dana, my daughter Madelyn, and my husband Ed. Vanessa and Madelyn did the walk in 48 minutes and some change, Bernie and Ed were probably more like 55 minutes and Dana and I were 59 minutes and 02 seconds (we casually walked and talked). I want to thank all my peeps for donating to this worthy cause. Next year Lou's Crew will have more members, raise more money and sport team shirts...I have a dream that one day, there will be a cure for cancer....

The Web The Web The Web is up! (doing the happy dance)

2008-10-23T07:33:00.000-05:00

My web site is up, ahlalou.com ..well it is still posted as "coming soon" but there is a web site. Right now it will take you to my blog (this one) and my e-mail site, chefalyssa@ahlalou.com, which I am in the process of being able to retrieve messages from.

And, I just got a booking for a baby shower, ok normally I do not do catering but it is for a friend, and sometimes I bend the rules for them :-). Just to be clear, I do personal chef home cooking, cooking classes, intimate dinner parties, and interactive cooking parties (the whole Food Network in your kitchen deal) .

Early voting!

2008-10-19T08:11:00.001-05:00

Early voting begins on October 20th. Why not cast your vote early and beat the November 4th rush? My thing is this, if by now you do not know who you are voting for, you will be no closer on Nov 4th. If you are undecided, replay back all the debates, read more past news on the internet and look at the hard facts, not the negative campaigning, the facts. And vote for who you feel will lead us through these hard times we are going through. This may be the most important decision you have made EVER! Remember, there was a time when women and people of color could not vote. We all have that right now to be able to change our country for the better.

New banner page. See the image above.

2008-10-11T09:44:00.000-05:00

My artist son, created the banner page for me. I should have the web site up soon. I am very excited about the direction my site and branding is going in. Ah la lou, ah la lou, ah la lou :-)

My logo!

2008-10-08T13:29:00.000-05:00

What do you think about my logo? The logo color is actually maroon but blogger is limited to just the color blue :-) So use your imagination (lol). Weigh in and tell me what you think.

Chef Alyssa Tips October 2008

2008-10-08T12:49:00.000-05:00

I found this wonderful breading for pork, chicken, and seafood from zatarians called Bake and Crisp. This is like shake n bake but with a kick:-) The breading is more like japanese panko bread crumbs then regular bread crumbs. Yum!

Clean your chicken (the breading is seasoned so you do not need to season the chicken)

dredge in egg

roll in bake and crisp

spray baking sheet with oil

bake at 425 for amount of time on box (port, chicken and seafood have same temp, different times)

Enjoy!

One thing I also want to mention, when I cooked my yummy chicken last night, it browned wonderfully but some of the breading stuck to the pan. A quick tip for getting that cooked on stuff off of pans is to soak the pan with a dryer sheet and the stuck on food will come right off!

Register to vote

2008-10-02T10:04:00.001-05:00

Texas folks! You have until Monday October 6th to register to vote. This includes changing your address if you have moved. For all others, please remember to exercise your right to vote!

A unique gift idea!

2008-10-02T09:56:00.000-05:00

I was reminded that my friend Rachel Shields has a wonderful candy wrapping business. If you need a unique party favor, advertising or holiday decoration, consider candy over wrapping. I have ordered personalized chocolate candy wrapping from her for my nieces wedding and personalized lollypops for the announcement of the birth of her son. Great idea!

Check her out at:

MyJazz Candies

MyJazzCandies@Yahoo.com

Personalized overwrap for any event

It's getting closer!

2008-10-02T08:56:00.000-05:00

Well it is getting closer to show time! The site is just about done. The logo is complete and so awesome and I have ordered a bunch of chef "stuff" to get me started. I will hang out my shingle soon and I am looking at good things happening. The economy is in the toilet so I am going to explore more teaching how to cook as opposed to cooking for folks. Some of that will happen but I will teach those to "fish" so that they can be self sufficient and for those who just can't handle the pole, I will "fish" for them. This is going to be exciting! Stay tuned.

Putting it all together

2008-09-01T14:10:00.002-05:00

Well today is Sept 1st. My goal was to start on this date to pair down my recipes and have a catalog of offerings for the personal chef side of the business. Today I will put the final touches on the verbiage for my web site. I plan on passing it on to my adopted daughter (daughter from another mother :-), Jenee who is a columnist for the KC Star to tweak it where it needs tweaking It is kind of nice to have an art department (my oldest and youngest child) a marketing department (my middle child is graduating from UNT in Dec with a degree in marketing, and my niece who is working in the public relations field in ATL), editor and publisher (my daughter from another mother Jenee) and a project manager (my niece who lives here in Texas). I also have a top notch cheering committee in my sister and brother in law. My sister is my confidant and the one who I bounce ideas off of on a regular basis. And of course my everything, my wonderful husband Ed who is all else and then some. So today, I guess I officially am open for business.

Waiting on the good stuff so I can get rolling.

2008-08-30T14:00:00.000-05:00

I am waiting on my terrific son (graphic designer extraordinaire) to complete my logo and finish my web site in order for me to roll out my business. I am still pumped up about it. I have been busy working on our home so it is not that I am out looking for business but just that I am antsy about getting started. Ah La Lou is going to be fabulous!

A dream realized!

2008-08-22T22:17:00.000-05:00

Finally, a dream realized. For as long as I can remember, I have loved and I mean absolutely loved to cook. I learned as I like to say, at my mothers knee. I would watch her with wonder as she tied up a roast, stuffed a pork loin or made gumbo. I would take mental notes to remember how to do what ever wonderful thing I witnessed her doing. She was the ultimate personal chef, she would cook on Sunday for the week. Being a single mom and working a full time job with three kids to feed, this worked best for her. Who knew I would eventually use that same method to make a living at something I loved doing? I named my company Ah La Lou after my mom who lost a courageous battle with cancer in May of 2007. As an adult, when we would cook together and when she would "doctor" up a recipe, she would say Ah La Lou (mom's name is Louise :-) So today, I am Chef Alyssa all because mom took the time to cultivate my love for cooking at her knee. I am so blessed to have her as a mom and mentor.