He Cooks: BBQ from the Russavages

The Russavages are my Mom and Step Dad. I've had quite a while to grow up in my teenage years with 'Russavage' bbq, though my Mom claims she had a lot to do with starting it. Whatever case, it's hard to beat Russavage Tri-tip and Pork Ribs. So I'll write them here for safe keeping.

- Butter on a bit over cooked

Pork Spare Rips:

Pork Rib needs to be cooked VERY different than Beef Rib. Beef is all about the slow, and locking in the flavor. Pork meat is already salty, and the ribs are very thin So Pork ribs are about speed.

Preheat to 350. Sear underside like Beef Ribs but for maybe 5 minutes. Then 10 minutes each side.

      Dry Rub:

Garlic Salt, Pepper, Onion Powder in abundance!

      Wet Rub:

Use a more flavorful sauce. My first attempt I used Dickey's Vinegar based sauce and it wasn't as flavorful. Still salt, pepper and onion powder, but doesn't have to be as much.

TriTip

Tritip, sliced raw garlic

Black Pepper, Garlic Salt, Onion Power

Pork Loin (dark red, not pink) or chicken thighs

- Apple cider vingear, 20 min marniade.
Balsamic Vinegar, Olive Oil, Chopped Fresh Rosemary, Chopper Fresh Basil, Salt and Pepper, Garlic (?) - Basting Sauce

He cooks: BASICS: Breading

I plan on adding a couple of breading ideas here as I experiment with them. There are quite a few ways.


From Rachel, in reference to her Southern deep fried chicken

2 Mixes

Mix

3 Eggs
1/2 cup milk
table spoon of melted butter


3 cups flour (Try Bread crumbs?)
seasons
    (Garlic Salt, Onion Powder, Pepper, Parmesan Cheese)
    ( Frank's Hot Sauce)

Directions:

Dip chicken into the first mix, then into the second, then place directly into hot pan.

He Cooks: BASICS: A collection of Marinades

We've had quite a bit of success with various marinades over the years, since they are pretty easy to do. We buy our chicken in bulk and it sometimes has to sit in the freezer for a while. So a handy thing to do is to separate the chicken into ziplock bags and premarinate in the freezer and then pull them out and throw them on the skillet or BBQ for a quick and tasty dinner. This is a place to quickly store Marinade recipes we like for reference later.

Chicken:

Balsalmic Chicken Marinade:

Ingredients:

Balsalmic Vingarette
Line Juice
Salt
Minced Garlic

Italian Chicken Marinade:

Ingredients: 

Olive Oil

Italian Parsley

Basil

Salt

Red Pepper

Teriayki Chicken Marinade:

Ingredients: 

Teriayki Marinade (NOT GLAZE)

Adventures in Customer Service

My tenure in Plaid (Disneyland Guest Relations) proffered many valuable life lessons. One of the biggest is that I know what exemplary customer service is, and what is not. In addition, I have learned that if you do not get what you pay for, SAY SOMETHING. Every single business that I have ever worked for or interacted with wants, at the very least, to ensure that the customer gets what they pay for. Most consumers never say anything (like my husband). I remember in school learning something about how only the top and bottom 5% ever give any feedback voluntarily. How is a company ever supposed to know how the other 90% feel? This is why I always say something, but especially when service (and/or goods) either exceed or fall short of my expectations.

Much to Todd's chagrin, this includes when fast-food items are left out of my order or are incorrect or are in any way unsatisfactory (cold, taste off, etc.). No establishment has been exempt yet. We are human, and people mess up. I get it. But when I don't get what I have paid for, I call back. They are always willing to make up for it. Sure I have to go back, but they always let me go at my convenience.

Let me say something else here. Just because your good or service is inadequate, this NEVER gives allowance to abuse the poor individual who is fielding your concern. Even when I have been treated so poorly I was reduced down to tears (that may be mostly because I am pregnant right now), I did not then take it out on the supervisor who was legitimately trying to help me. I even apologized for being upset and said I know it wasn't them and that it's not their fault. You can successfully voice your concern (even when you are upset) without making the receiver feel attacked.

I'm also NOT saying that you should accept abuse either. Ever. There is no excuse for an employee to do so and when it happens (because it does), ask to speak to a supervisor or a manager. You may need to go to corporate to get it resolved.

My story today involves our local McDonald's. This is not an abuse story (sorry if I built that up), but one of miscommunication and frustration. Here is the email I sent to corporate more than two weeks after the initial incident:

"We ordered two Happy Meals and did not receive the apple juices with either one of them. We noticed this once we got home, so we called the number on the receipt and spoke with a Nicole. She was very polite and offered to give us two complete new Happy Meals since we would have to drive all the way back to the restaurant. She asked for our names and told us we did not need to keep the receipt or show it when we went back. She said she would notify them of the situation and give them our names. Two days later when we did so, the supervisor on duty (Mayra? Mariah?) told us, "We don't do that anymore. I don't know why she told you that. Do you have the receipt?" We explained the situation to her which she didn't appear to believe, so she only offered to get our information and "send us something in the mail." It's now been over two weeks and we have yet to see anything. We are very frustrated and disappointed with this lack of communication between your staff and the runaround we've gotten. I've tried calling Nicole again (twice) and she has not answered the phone nor has she responded to the message I left. Unacceptable!"

They responded within 24 hours (props for that) with this:

"Hello Jena:

I want to thank you for taking the time to share your recent experience at the McDonald's in Murray, UT with me. Your feedback is very important to us as it allows us to better understand how we can improve our service to you.

I am sorry for the unsatisfactory experience during your recent visit. Please be assured that we want to provide you with an exceptional experience every time you visit us. From your email, it is clear we did not meet your expectations. Again, I am truly sorry we disappointed you.

I want you to know that I have already taken action on your feedback. After reading your email, I immediately shared the information you brought to our attention with the local franchise owner of the restaurant you visited. Additionally, customer feedback is reviewed with our regional McDonald's consultants as part of our ongoing commitment to improving our restaurants' operations.

Again, Jena, thank you for sharing your feedback. We appreciate your business and we hope to have the pleasure of serving you soon.

Karen 
McDonald's Customer Response Center"

I had to read through it twice just to make sure I hadn't missed something. They listened to my concern, apologized for what happened, and thanked me for the feedback. What the email does NOT say, is what they are going to do to rectify the situation (aside from notifying the appropriate parties that needed to know). I still had paid for something that I never got. What was being done about that? 

I called the corporate number so I wouldn't get another form letter, and the gal that answered repeated what the email stated. I asked here what was going to be done about the missing items, and she said, "Oh, well that's for the local owner handle." This still wasn't enough of an answer for me so I asked, "Are they going to contact me then or something?" She said, "Yes. That's what the email states." I grimaced and said, "No, the email says nothing about being contacted, but if that's what they're going to do then that's just fine."

A few hours later I got a call from somebody local asking about what happened. I explained the situation, including why I called corporate after already receiving a response email, and she said, "It sounds like this is just a miscommunication between the supervisors and their staff. I'm sure it must be frustrating though." I thought we were getting somewhere finally because I said all I really wanted was the apple juice, but things took another twist when she said, "Well, I already sent out some coupons because of the email complaint that I got just yesterday, and then I got another complaint about the same thing from the 1-800 number today. It takes an extra day or two to get things processed, they don't happen immediately, it takes some time." She then proceeded to inform me on the inner-workings of how the local franchises interact with the corporate office when it comes to handling complaints. She even ended with, "Does that make sense as to how things get processed?" I found myself again explaining why I called back today. She could only respond with, "Well, if somebody else contacts you, make sure you tell them that it's already been taken care of. That way they don't do something twice." She then asked to me to give them another chance as a patron and ended the call politely.

I sat there baffled for a minute. Another valuable tidbit I learned is that IF the customer wants to know about policy and procedure, they will ask. It usually comes in the form of, "Why did this happen?" or "Why is this taking so long?" It NEVER comes in the form of, "Hey, I just want the apple juice that I paid for."

Oh, Baby!

This new little one seems bound and determined to give us some scares.

I wrote previously that we had two scares with spotting. Fortunately those have been our only episodes of that. We're not done yet though!

We went in for our anatomy ultrasound on March 4th and got to see how much baby had grown. We stuck to our guns and did not find out the gender. We did get some cute (albeit fuzzy) pics of baby.

Profile shot, right hand in a fist above the eyes.

 

 left leg

 This is as if you were looking down at the baby lying on it's back with the head (not seen) on the right. The left arm and hand are most visible, the right arm is just above, and both legs are to the left of each respective arm.

The ultrasound tech was not very nice (she yelled at Evan and was rude to us) and we had to ask someone else to print out the pictures for us. She also told us that since the baby was sitting so low, they couldn't get a good enough visual on the heart and the spine. She was so matter of fact about it, I wanted to punch her. We didn't even get a, "It's probably nothing to worry about." from her. All we got was, "We can't get a clear enough image to see if all four chambers are there or if the spine is intact." Like I said. I wanted to punch her.

Fortunately, I later got a call from my awesome Midwife saying that they weren't too concerned, and that if I wanted to go back in just for reassurance then I could. So we did.

We had to wait three weeks (I'm guessing so the baby would be bigger and more developed), so I went back on March 28th. They got a great view of the heart and spine this time and everything checked out just fine. My Mom went with me this time and she reeeeally wanted to know the gender. I told her the only way was if she could keep it a secret and not give it away at all. She couldn't buy clothes or toys or blankets. She agreed and asked as I was walking out of the room. I swear what I heard the tech (a different one and MUCH nicer this time) say was, "It's a guh...ey." So I still don't know.

Another profile shot.

Head on the left, fist in the middle.

A few weeks later I got another call from the Midwife saying my amniotic fluid level was slightly low and that the baby was measuring small. Great. Don't EVER look up on the internet what "might" be wrong with certain indicators during pregnancy. She wasn't too concerned again, but wanted me to go back in another three weeks to measure the fluid level again and baby's growth.

At first I thought we just had another small baby like Rylin. I told the Midwife (who also doesn't know the gender) that we might just make small girls. We decided that if the baby was still measuring small at the next appointment, that we would find out the gender. If it's a girl, that means we just make small girls. If it's a boy, then we would have more to be worried about. It turns out though that only the head was measuring behind, everything else was on point. This was a completely new scenario.

So I upped my water and protein intake, and I also got better about taking my nasty omega-3 supplements. Yech.

I headed back in for ultrasound number 5 today, April 22nd. Fluid levels are now within normal range and the baby's head moved from the 5th to the 20th percentile. Yay!! It is still measuring a week behind me, and two weeks behind the rest of the body, but they said it's still considered normal and they're happy that the baby (and head) is growing. 

Left arm and hand are stretched out right on top of left leg and foot.

Left foot, the toes are the long lines.

This one is a little harder, but the baby is looking straight ahead at the camera and the nose in is the middle of the pic.

 Baby's belly is on the left, right leg and foot are stretched out near the bottom and left leg is stretched out just above it. I can't tell if that's the umbilical cord or something else just to the right of the belly.

I still don't know the gender, but I'm pretty sure it's a boy with a small head. Todd thinks it's a boy too. Rylin insists that it's a girl and that her name is Olivia. Evan has no clue how much his world is about to change.

And no, we still don't have any names picked out or even narrowed down. I'm only slightly anxious about it because our process with naming Evan was so painful. I've looked at every name in every book in every language. Nothing matters without Todd's input though. I keep telling him to pick out some names and he keeps putting it off. He's really liking old English (think OLD OLD English) names right now. Any suggestions?

Chicken and Biscuits

This has been a favorite here at Monkeys & Peaches for quite some time now. I'm just barely getting around to posting about it... At any rate, enjoy! :)

What you need:

1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp butter
2 large chicken breasts, sliced in thinner halves
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 cup sour cream (plain Greek yogurt is a GREAT alternative!)
1/2 cup milk
1-2 cups frozen corn
1 can (8 count) refrigerated flaky biscuits
Cheddar and/or pepper jack cheese

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom and sides of 11x7 baking dish.

2. Saute the onion in the butter until tender. Add chicken breasts and cook thoroughly, seasoning to your liking (we used garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes). Remove chicken and shred.

3. Combine onion, chicken, soup, sour cream, milk, and corn in a large bowl. Stir until well-blended.

4. Pour into prepared baking dish and bake for 15 minutes.

5. Pull out dish and arrange biscuits on top of the baked mixture in three rows lengthwise. We put three in the first row, two in the second, and three in the third so that they are "windowed" if that makes sense?

6. Add cheese until the top is nice and coated. It can be grated or sliced, it doesn't really matter. The pepper jack adds a nice little kick that makes the dish even better.

7. Return to oven and bake until golden brown and the sauce is bubbling (about 20 minutes).


Enjoy!! This can be served with rice, but we felt the biscuits already added enough starch. We served it with steamed broccoli which went really, really well together!!

Everything You Need to Plan Your Visit to Disneyland!

I apologize in advance for any snarkiness that may come out while I am writing this. It's not that I don't love you, or the job I held for almost seven years (that ended in 2008, btw), I am just tired of answering the same questions over and over and over again. If you feel singled out, please don't! I have lost count as to how many times this pops up in my message box or as a text or even email (who are you people?). :) This is why I figured the best thing to do is write it all down in one place so that I can simply refer people here instead of typing everything out. Again. Again again. These are just some of the many messages I have received:

Hey. We're thinking about going to Disneyland for (fill in the blank: birthday, holiday, vacation, summer, etc.). Do you know any good deals or inside tricks?
 
What is the very best time of year to go as far as good weather and no crowds?

Got a good friend heading to Disney LA in Dec...any advice on cheaper tix?

We found the iPhone app for finding the princesses. Any other gems you know of for a toddler?

We wanted to buy tickets today but I was wondering if you knew of the cheapest place to buy them at? We heard Costco down there? Is there a place online? What do you think?

Is it crazy busy during Christmas? Would we be crazy to go that time of year?

We have never been with a toddler. Any advice as to how to make the adventure successful? What is there to do with her? Should we get Disneyland only tickets? If you know of any advice, that would be great!

Any input you can share would be great!

I thought I would ask you if you had any good tips for me!

Hey, we are planning a family trip to Disneyland the end of September. Do you know any cheap ways to get a couple of park hopper passes? I would need three of them, probably just two day passes. Or do you know anyone who could get them for free?!!!

Can you still get me in for free?

I know you're not doing this to me on purpose, and I get that I would know the answers to your questions, but this is how I feel every. single. time.

 

SO. I am writing this post to be helpful. I don't have to repeat myself so much, and you get your answers.

Everyone wins. :)

****

I will say this a few times:

THE BEST PLACE TO GO FOR CURRENT AND RELEVANT INFORMATION IS

Disneyland.com

Here you will find park hours, ticket prices, what to do, places to stay, vacation packages (through the Walt Disney Travel Company which has some pretty sweet deals), entertainment schedules, etc. 

Most (if not ALL) of your questions can be found here. :) I have been gone for over five years and things have changed!!! I haven't seen let alone even know the name of the current parades and shows.

****

Though I hated the sites when I worked there because most of the posters are Disney know-it-alls, check out these unofficial Disney fan boards. They have a TON of information because they go to the parks all. the. time. Like daily. Seriously. They have inside sources into the company too somehow. They knew things way before I ever did. Remember, these are UNOFFICIAL, so you can't hold the poor Disney people accountable for anything you find on these boards.

http://micechat.com/miceage-wp/

http://www.mouseplanet.com/

****

I do realize that there are some unusual questions that you can't readily find on the official page, so here are the most FAQs I answer. Remember, my answers are FIVE YEARS OLD. They might be relevant still, maybe not.

When is the best time to go for crowds/weather?

This all depends on what you want to see and do. The longer the operating hours, the more crowds they expect so the more entertainment options they offer. Fireworks are not held Mon-Thu during the off season (10-8 operating hours). Don't care about fireworks, parades, shows, etc.? Go during the week.

After Labor Day through about mid-October it's not as busy but it can be hot and dry thanks to the Santa Ana winds. Jan and Feb are great for low crowds but you might get rain. Some attractions close for the rain. Check Disneyland.com for this. 

Also check the website for any attraction refurbishment schedules. They have a rotating schedule EVERY YEAR for attractions to be closed down. They post this well in advance on the website so you don't get all the way there just to find out Space Mountain is closed for three months. Keep in mind, attractions can also go down throughout the day spontaneously for any number of reasons. They will probably open again later. THEY DON'T KNOW WHEN/IF THAT WILL HAPPEN SO DON'T ASK. 

The best time to visit might be after all the Spring Breaks are over but before all the schools get out, so May through mid-June but not Memorial Day weekend.

Check out Disneyland.com and look at the operating hours for when you plan to be there. 10-8 is a projected low attendance day. Anything outside of that (including weekends), they're expecting crowds.

How about discounted tickets?

The best deals were always through travel company packages or City Pass. One day deals don't exist. They just don't. Well, I guess if you count saving $2 per person a deal, then sure. That was the discount for one-day tickets at ALL Costcos nationwide, the local hotels, etc. Again, this information is from when I worked there. It might have changed since then.

I'd do something with a travel company. You get some extra perks like going in early. I think Fun Sun Vacations was a really popular one. Even the Walt Disney Travel Company has some sweet deals.  

Any advice on going with young children?
Best general advice is go when it first opens, take a break during the middle/hottest/busiest time of the day. That way they get their naps still, and you don't get worn out either. Trust me on this.

Come back later in the afternoon.

Stay until after the fireworks if possible. The biggest mass exodus happens immediately after the parades and shows. Hang out on a bench eating a churro until the crowds thin out. You'd just be waiting to exit, waiting to get on the tram, waiting to exit the property, etc.  

Have a plan of the things you want to do, but allow for alternatives and options. You won't be able to do it all! Prioritize!! 

Minimize walking 1,000 miles by going in a circle around the park as you go about your day. Don't go back and forth. Plan your route.

You can bring food/snacks in, just no meals and no glass bottles/jars. There aren't any microwaves to heat up the baby food, so bring the kinds that don't need to be heated. I highly recommend the pouches that can easily be found in the baby food aisles. No spoons, no fuss.
 
I have heard that there are awesome new apps to make your visit even easier with regards to wait times, character findings, etc. I have NO idea what they are or how they work. Check out any of the fan boards for info on those.
 
Can you still get me in for free?

I have a hard enough time trying to get my own little family in. Someone has to take time out of their day (usually their day off) to come down, park, meet us, and then sign us in. I don't know too many people that still work there. I hate asking for myself, let alone any extension of mine. Please don't ask me.

****

All that being said, HAVE FUN. If you have any other questions that you'd like me to address in here, let me know!!