An inside of look at a Firehall meal

Many of you already know that my husband is a volunteer firefighter. Because the company is volunteer, we get to volunteer some time in helping with fund raising efforts. One way that the fire hall raises money is by serving meals. I actually enjoy helping out the kitchen. Last night the Fire Police had their oyster supper. I thought I would give you an inside peek at what goes on behind the scenes.

The food preparation is started quite a bit in advance. Yesterday morning the men starting breading oysters at 8:30 am. All food was ready to go, with the exception of the oysters that they were frying when I arrived at 5:30. Tables and chairs were set up along with place settings. Tickets were sold in advance to know how many to plan for. The menu consisted of fried oysters, ham, scalloped potatoes and corn. Many times if you serve they also want you to bring a cake. I got off the hook on this one this time around. They also have cups of ice cream that they serve with the cake.

The job of a server is be assigned a table. You make sure they have plenty to drink and make sure their food bowls stay full. (they usually serve the meals family style) However last night we did a buffet. We had 2 lines. I did not want to be in charge of the oysters. This is what folks are coming to eat and they can get a little possessive about the amount that you give them. Especially when the fryer in the kitchen can't keep up with the demand. My station was scalloped potatoes. It was a safe place.

The meals are always all you can eat. Now I suppose most folks who attend these functions are hefty eaters. They look like hefty eaters. They probably aren't aware of the food serving sizes that the food pyramid suggests, like more vegetables than starches or that serving a meat is the size of a deck of cards. Did I mention there were rolls on the tables too? And when they came back for seconds it was for the fried oysters.

After everyone is finished eating it is time to clean up. If the meal is served family style the guests eat on real plates. They did use paper plates and cups last night, but we still had the silverware, water pitchers, punch pitchers, coffee pitchers and all the trays from the buffet to wash up. You go through and clear the tables. Each table is set with cream, sugar, butter, pickles, rolls, salt and pepper and applesauce. You take everything back to the kitchen and put away the condiments and stack the dirty dishes. There is a very large sink for washing the dishes. I have seen some of the fasted dishwashers at the fire hall. One washer and 3 driers drying and putting away until everything is cleaned up.

Often they will send the helpers home with some food for helping. It is good food even if they do serve to many carbs and not enough veggies. I munched on some yummy rolls with butter and pickles. My boys had ham, applesauce and cake. Yes we brought the boys along. We want them to get involved in a early age with volunteering and also realizing that you have to work for some things. They tend to stay close to me or Jim while we are hustling and bustling.

Then well all the dishes are done and the food divided up you go home and crash because you are so tired from being on your feet all night.

Is this what it is like to wait tables?

My part time job

In 2005, before I was a Mom I worked at Keystone Payroll. It was a good job for me. The pay was good, I had a good boss, I liked my co-workers that I worked with and I enjoyed my work most of the time. I resigned my position to become a stay at home mom. Well I still keep in touch and I go in during their busy times. I am already trained and it is ok to "lay me off" after the busy period.

Jim (the name of my old boss) called me with an opportunity to work during the month of October. As it turned out the local competitor Updegraff & Updegraff run by a father and son team needed some help. The younger Updegraff was sick in the hospital and it was not looking good. They only have an administrative assistant, so there is no back up plan for a vacations or if someone gets sick. However people still need to get paid and employers still need to pay their taxes. Employers must file their taxes on a quarterly basis, January, April, July and October. These were always busy times for me before. The normal work needed to be completed plus submitting reports to the IRS, State, State Unemployment and local agencies.

While I was working we found Wendy. Wendy went to South Hills Business School and studied accounting. Keystone hired to Wendy to help out during the busy times. I would often save some of the easier stuff for Wendy to do. Now I am doing Wendy's job. I wonder what happened to her. She was a good helper. I get the benefit of using a different part of my mind for a few hours a week without the stress of the deadlines. Because someone else has to worry about getting it done on time. I am just the helper.

This time around I am actually filling out the reports. I was so excited after my first day of work. In the past I have just counted forms or stuffed envelopes. I love working with numbers and I actually like filling out forms. I know many of you are probably thinking I am nuts for liking paper work or taxes, but this is what makes the world go round. Each of us likes something different.

Plus in talking to other moms I have discovered there is something satisfying in doing something that can be "checked off" the list and it is done. It doesn't start over again like dishes or laundry which I am always doing. It won't get dirty shortly after it has been cleaned.

I am sure you are wondering when am I doing this work and what I am doing with the boys. Well I found a 12 year girl who was available to babysit. Her name is Joanna and she watches the boys after she gets home from school and Jim picks them up on his way home from work. I work a few evenings during the week.

It is kind of crazy taking on a part time job on top of my full time mom job. The laundry and dishes are still waiting for me after using my brain for a few hours. The boys are a little more clingy because I have less time to spend with them and it has interrupted their schedule. I try to take my time to spend with them and this leaves even less time to do those household chores. I am glad it is only for one month.

In the mean time it has been fun to wear some nicer clothes, converse with my co-worker Linda and use a different part of my brain, plus my list of companies that I can check off when I have completed their forms.

In November I can go back to focusing more on my family and house until January, when they will call me again to help them out.

Canning jars

This past week I tried canning pears for the first time. I was a little intimidated. My Mom had always thought they were a lot of work, so I never took the opportunity to try for myself. My friend Lori canned pears and when she explained her process it didn't sound too labor intensive, so I bought a half bushel from the Amish and gave it a try.

Anyway this post is more about the canning jars than the canning process. The pears went well in case you were wondering. I got 19 quarts from a half bushel. We had 2 jars not seal and one of the boys saw the pears and wanted them, so we even ate some of the warm unsealed ones. They were so good.

As I was filling the jars I was noticing the designs on some of my jars. I wondered how they came up with the designs on these jars. I wondered what would be the trademark design for 2009. I wondered just how old some of my jars were. And isn't it a neat concept to think how many times these jars have been reused?

Did you know that there was a big push for canning around World War 2? People were encouraged to grow a garden and can the excess and then eat that food in the winter so that food canned commercially could be sent to feed the troops.

So Designs. I have a jar with the liberty bell on it. It commemorates the bicentennial celebration of America (1776-1976). This jar was probably manufactured in 1976, the year I was born. I like to joke that I was a bicentennial baby. They also made special quarters that year. I recently received a special set of salt and pepper shakers with the bicentennial theme on them. Who knows what else had the bicentennial imprint.

I have another jar with a grid on it. It is the only one that I have. that is kind of cool.

Some jars are kind of square, others are perfectly round with no logo on at all. Most of them have "Ball" or Kerr" or "Mason" imprinted on them, the name of the company that manufactures them.

My Mom has a jar that has no neck. It is just straight. She likes to keep that one in her collection. Sometimes the canning jars switch homes as I can some of my food at her house. If I were to give someone a jar of my canned goods if they can themselves they are likely to keep the jar, which is fine. If not, then they usually return it.

My jars are a collection from my mom, Grandma, yard sales and people giving away because they no longer can. It is neat to think that some of my ancestors canned in the same jars that I am using today. A few I bought brand new as I couldn't find any used ones when I needed them.

The jelly jars sometimes have a quilted pattern on them, which makes the jams look real pretty inside.

I tried to google jar designs, but didn't really come up with much, so I only have my own thoughts to write about.

What would be the theme for 2009? A picture of Obama? A picture of a "clunker car"? Did they make one in 2001 of the twin towers?

I did not take pictures of my cool grid jar. It is already on the shelf with my pears in it, but perhaps as I use my food I will take pictures of my cool jars in my collection. For now you will have to be pleased with a picture of my pears.


At this point my jars are full. My family has grown as well our eating needs, so I am keeping my eyes open at yard sales, good will and free cycle for some more jars to add my collection.