Mandarin Festival Madness

Mandarin Festival 2015

Through the years, you all know how much the Partak family loves the Mandarin Festival. My first festival was with Mason in 2003 who was just one month old. Dave was training to deploy to Iraq so he was in Fort Lewis, WA. Through the years, because of the relationships we've made with the people at the festival, Mason and I were able to do live cooking demos, I got to run the cooking stage for a number of years while the woman who had done it had to be home with her family, and of course, we have all had so much fun participating in and sometimes winning the recipe contest. I can't be sure off the top of my head, but Dave, Mason and I have all won 3rd, 2nd, and 1st places in all categories, Mason, Dave, and I have all won the Snow's Citrus Court Award, and Dave has won the Best in Show Grand Prize as well. The last two years between running the cooking stage and life getting so busy with Mason becoming a teenager, I've been less plugged in to the time it takes to develop and create winning recipes. So much of my process to develop a recipe happens in my head. I process ingredients, techniques, and how it may look on the plate over and over before I ever try to make it. I've been doing this for the Mountain Mandarin Festival recipe contest since 2009, that's 10 years! Granted, I did not participate one of the two years I ran the cooking stage, but Dave and Mason did. With all of that said, I think we have a cookbook worth of mandarin recipes!

Mandarin Brown Sugar Ham w/Ham Sauce

Here we are in 2018, the 25th anniversary of the festival and the 10th year the Partak's have been participating in the recipe contest and I’m still in shock. This year the recipe that I developed in my head was a brown sugar mandarin ham with “ham sauce." Have you ever heard of "ham sauce"? Me neither. Sunday morning when I got up to get  things together for my ham, I decided at the last minute to make a mandarin upside down cake. I had thought about it, and I was enamored with how pretty I thought it would be. I had time and thought what the heck. I entered the ham and the cake and I won second place and $50 in the main dish category with my ham, but I won Best in Show and the Grand Prize with my cake! I seriously could not believe it. My take-away from winning the big prize is that I need to recognize that I do better when I don't over think things and when I don't try so hard. Seriously, I thought it was pretty and just whipped it up looking forward to how pretty it would be. I'm just over the moon, I have so much to be thankful for and I can't wait to be with all of our friends for Thanksgiving. 

Grand Prize Mandarin Upside Down Cake

2016 Mandarin Festival is a Wrap!

Another Mandarin festival is in the books! Thank you Gary Gilligan for all the hard work you put into this event and for including me as part of your team. I am honored to run the cooking stage and work with amazing home cooks and professional chefs side-by-side teaching people, having fun, entertaining, and most of all making good food. So many people make this happen, there's no way to thank you all. But just let me say, I'm just so honored to be a part of this event and the group of people who make it happen. It’s interesting to me as I travel the country with Mason as a kid cook, how many people don’t know about live cooking demos. Oh sure, they know Food Network and the celebrity aspect of a culinary show, but it seems that live cooking demos at fairs and festivals is not the norm. I think we are so lucky to be able to do what we do on cooking stages and the more I travel, the more I realize we really do create unique and special culinary experiences for foodies, both novice and professional, and the audiences who sit and watch us.

One more thought on this years festival, I want to congratulate Rachel Griffith for sweeping the recipe contest today at the Mountain Mandarin Festival. For those of you who know, the Griffiths and the Partaks have an ongoing rivalry to see who can win more with the recipes. It's been fun through the years and I could justify that Dave and Mason did not win anything today because I work the cooking stage and Mason mans a booth. However, if I were to do that it would be a complete copout. Rachel also mans a booth at the festival and I'm here to say that it is a challenge beyond belief to prepare a recipe, or two, or three to have at the festival before it opens when they're not due until noon. Rachel did that today and swept the contest winning three awards. Yes, three awards! I believe she won a first, a second, and the Snow's Citrus Court award. Rachel, correct me if I'm wrong. I just want to tell you that I'm so proud of you, you worked really hard, you earned it today and I'm so happy to call you friend. You go girl! Check her out at Polkadot Dinners.

Mason Appeared on The Steve Harvey Show

It's been an exciting week, not only did Dave and I celebrate 15 years happily married, but Mason made his first national network television debut on the Steve Harvey Show. He did a great job and when I posted the link on his social media sites, so many of our friends and his fans commented about what a natural he is on camera. I agree, he certainly has that thing, some call it, "it" but I'm here to tell you, for all the natural ability one may have, the more they practice, the more natural ability they appear to have. Mason has been making videos since he was 9 years old (just turned 9) and here he is having just turned 13. He has 137 videos on his Youtube channel, he's done dozens of live television appearances, 52 live cooking demonstrations (not including the ones he's done on TV), competed in many recipe contests and cooking competitions. He has quite the resume and most of it before he turned 13. I took several years of acting classes, mostly commercial classes and John Swain told us again and again, "If it were easy, everyone would be doing it. Keep doing it, and make it look easy." Mason makes it look easy!  Here's his spot if you didn't get to see it air on last Wednesday.



Be sure to follow him on social media, on Facebook he is Mason Made (facebook.com/masonmadeit), and on Youtube, Instagram and twitter he is Mason Partak. There are some new things coming in 2017 so follow along, it will be entertaining to be sure!

In other news, Dave has a new job with the Guard. I'm not sure what his title is but he is heading up a group to advocate for soldiers who have bonus issues. Now keep in mind, Dave has been doing this for years and is only now being recognized for all he knows. He has saved the deal for so many men and women, he deserves a Real Hero award. I know he won't be holding his breath to see anything from the Guard, but I'm here to say, the work he does makes a difference. If you could speak to those he's advocated for, they would tell you as well.

The Mandarin Festival is this coming weekend and Mason will have a booth in addition to two cooking demos. He has a limited number of bottles that he has signed and we have packaged for gift giving. They are just $1 more than normal price, but they are really pretty, ready to deliver to your host or hostess for Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas. I'm running the cooking stage and all three of us Partaks have recipes for the festival recipe contest. I'll let you know how that all pans out next week. Have a great week and practice love, it feels better than the other things people are practicing right now.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

What a wild, crazy week it's been. So much has happened this week and if nothing else, it has sure made me reflect and realize how truly important it is to be grateful for each and every moment, not just one day a year. I know, we all know this and I bet we are pretty good at recognizing the little blessings in our lives, but I would also bet we could all pause more.

 

This week I was faced with the grim reality that a very long time friend, one of my best friends has decided that in an effort to simplify his life, he is cutting communication with not only me and my family, but (it appears) our entire circle of friends. I suppose if we were alcoholics or drug users and he wanted to disconnect so he could get clean, I could understand the reasoning - clearly, this is not the case. I don't really know what is going on or why, but I do know that when someone is unwilling to communicate it leaves those of us left behind only to speculate...and hurt. Interestingly enough, someone did this to him a number of years back and I can remember how devastated he was to not know why the friendship was being terminated...maybe he doesn't remember that. In any case, I know you will all assure me not all relationships last forever and even family (yes, I think of him as my family) leave sometimes, but this shakes me to my core and makes me wonder, who's next? I know that is no way to live, but that is how I feel right now...so very sad. Ultimately, I know this is not about me and if these actions in his life bring him happiness, then that is what I want, too...I'm crying for me.

 

On a much brighter note, Mason did his cooking demo at the Mandarin Festival this weekend and again, he rocked it! He and I did the hour long presentation making a beef mandarin slider and a mandarin no-bake cheesecake with an Oreo cookie crust. It amazes me how easily at nine years old he talks to and engages a crowd all while chopping, slicing, and dicing. If his interest in cooking and public speaking continues , I can only imagine what he will be doing at 12, 15, 18 and as an adult. There is a 4 minute video of the demo on Facebook if you are interested, or click here to see it on YouTube.

 

After the cooking demo, Dave, Mason and I all pulled together our recipes for the contest on Sunday and you guessed it, it was a Partak Family sweep! Mason won the Snow's Citrus Court award for best use of a Snow's product ($50.00 and a cookbook), and 2nd place ($50) overall in the main dish category for his beef mandarin slider. Dave took 2nd place ($50) in the side dish category with his bacon wrapped scallop, mandarin, and green onion, and I took 1st place ($100) with Mason in the main dish category with my nutty mandarin chicken salad lettuce wraps! Mason got some public kudos as he was the only kid in the competition (no kid category) and took two cash prizes. Certainly it's fun to win, but let me make this note; the time we spend together creating our recipes, developing them in the kitchen, tweaking and tasting together as a family is worth more than any cash prize - this time is priceless.

 

So now we head into the grand holiday of Thanksgiving with so much to be thankful for! We are off to Utah to be with my family and looking forward to seeing every one. My mom is not doing well so this will be an extra special visit. I hope you have plans to be with people you love, make sure to laugh a lot and try not to worry about the other "stuff," it really isn't what's important anyway. Love to you and yours!

Truckee in the Fall

Happy Fall!

 

Oh yes, fall is in full swing and it feels wonderful. I had the good fortune to spend the weekend in truckee with Lisa A. and Kristy P. We caught the aspens in full color, walked along the river, enjoyed some time at The River Inn, went to Tahoe City, tootled old town, enjoyed lazy mornings drinking coffee and inspiring each other with the dreams and goals we are all working on achieving. It was the rejuvenation that I have been longing for and now I'm ready to wrap up this semester at school (just 5 more weeks) and enjoy the coming holiday season. You can see the photo I took with my iPhone while we walked along the river, pretty, huh?

 

Last evening when I got home, Mason started asking questions about the Monday Motivator. We were looking at some pictures on my computer and one of him several years ago got us reminiscing about where and when. I told him I had the whole story written down in the MM and he looked surprised. We looked it up and that story led to another, that led to another until we were laughing out loud. Mason said, "So you just write about us and our stories? That's cool mom." Yeah, much like Seinfeld, I write about nothing or what seems like nothing at the time, when in fact, the everyday goings on in our life are the very things that we treasure later. Mason, at the ripe old age of 9 is connecting the dots and realizing what a gift this silly weekly blog will be for him when his mom is old and gray with no memory left. Can you imagine if you had something like this to reference back to your childhood and even before? What would you learn about your mom if you could read her writings as a teen, young woman, newlywed, and new mother? Today's nothings are tomorrows special memories and as long as you have today, you can start journaling and documenting your journey. I started writing this column (for lack of a better word) as a weekly e-mail back in early 1999 and I sincerely wish I had all of the early entries. I don't, unless one of you computer geeks kept those e-mails from 1999-2002, but I'm grateful for the ones I do have and I'm even more grateful that they are on line, I know they are safe and in the event of a disaster, Mason will always have a way to have our stories.

 

The Mandarin Festival is coming, just two short weeks away and Mason is doing a cooking demo. If you are interested in a really fun day trip, let me know and I will get you tickets. Enjoy the fall colors, warm days and cool nights, and take a moment each day to find things to be grateful for...there really is so much good all around each of us - focus on it, it just feels so darn good! Have a great week!

"The Date"

Happy Halloween!

 

I love, love, love this time of year. Pumpkins that make me feel like they are the gateway to the holidays; Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and then the New Year celebration. Our family has seen some big changes this year and it feels so good to be in a new home making new dreams come true.

Dave and I celebrated our 11th anniversary a little bit early this year enjoying a lovely New England Prix-Fixe dinner at a local restaurant. We talked about a dinner we had in 2001in Mariposa. We had just started dating and spent a fun day tootling the little shops, buying unique gifts (some snowflake Christmas ornaments that we still have), and just being in love with each other. We went to Charles Street Dinner House for dinner an we talked about the day we just spent together, making plans for the coming weeks and months, and it became very clear during dinner that we were planning our lives together, not just dating, but married life. I can't say for sure what we looked like to the other diners in the restaurant, but here's what makes this story so significant; everyone in the restaurant came and went while we sat engrossed in our new love and the restaurant literally closed around us. As we looked at our check and mentally came back to the real world, all the staff working that night were sitting together at a table looking our way. We immediately hurried and apologized for keeping them and we were told with smiles that they didn't want to disturb us and they all chose to stay and wait as seeing two people so in love was magical. We giggled about it as we left holding hands, but 11 years later, it's amazing that a handful of people didn't rush us out so they could go home and let us live in that magic for who knows how long. We decided last week that this would forever be referred to as "the date" because it really was a prelude to the happiness we still feel together. Our anniversary isn't until November 9, but the fact of the matter is, we celebrate our marriage and family most every day.

Mason went to a Halloween Sweet Treats cooking class this weekend and made caramel for apples, and popcorn balls, well, the recipe is popcorn balls, but Mason made popcorn animals! He is also working on his recipes for the Mandarin Festival. He has one and is still deciding on a second one. His criteria is that it has to be something a kids would like, have mandarins in it, and have several skills he can show. My criteria is that is has to be relatively simple because as the sous chef, I have to do ALL the prep work, keep him working smoothly, have samples prepared and ready, and clean up. Ultimately, I love that he is so interested in cooking and baking, it's fun for all of us. For those of you who want to come see him do his cooking demo on 11/17, let me know and I will give you tickets.

Do you have a story that is epic for you like "the date" is for us? I would love to hear it. What an amazing gift those people gave us that night...all these years later, it still brings us so much joy. Enjoy all the little ghouls and goblins on Wednesday and Happy Monday!

Busy Bees We Are!

Happy Monday!

Is there ever a week in the Partak household that is uneventful? Not usually! This week was no exception. Mason is winding down his first season of football and has it ever been fun. To be perfectly honest, I was not thrilled about daily practices and games every Saturday, but it might be safe to say I enjoyed watching him play football more than anybody. The first few games were comical, the kids were physically being picked up and put into position by coaches and referees, much like life-size chess pieces. Here we are just 8 weeks later and these young men are calling plays, motivating each other, and really playing football! The last game is this Saturday and it is also Mason's birthday. It will be a treat that the last game is a night game as all of the other games have been first thing in the morning. This works out famously for us to have Mason's birthday party Saturday morning. Yep, another jam packed weekend is coming up.

Last weekend, right after the football game, Mason and I drove to Lockeford to meet the newest Garcia, Jacob. Greg, Heather, and Josh welcomed Jacob in early September. He is a doll and our time with friends was wonderful. Dave was in San Diego Friday and Saturday and had training all day Sunday - his weekend pretty much sucked.

We're still getting settled in the new house but it's coming along...well, coming along. I like the smaller house but I don't like trying to make the puzzle pieces fit as to what will go where. Just when I think I have a system, a new something comes into play from a stack of boxes in the garage. UGH! It's maddening.Ultimately, I'm finding that I'm more inclined to just get rid of stuff than get creative to try to find a home for it.

Mason has been cooking up a storm. Yesterday he made Firehouse Chili from scratch - blanched the tomatoes, chopped the peppers, and braised the beef for slow cooking. It really turned out great, but who knew one little tiny jalapeno (no seeds) would create so much heat? Whooo-Wheee! We also created a video for an upcoming contest with Buitoni pasta, he's quite the little showman. For those of you who missed it, Mason has been invited to do another cooking demo, this time at the Mandarin Festival in November (17th). If you have any interest in coming to spend a fun, fall day in Auburn, I am happy to get you tickets. I'm not telling what he is making, but I can tell you he is developing the recipes himself. Enough of me bragging on my kid (though I am pretty proud), I hope you are having as lovely a fall as we are, a nice mix of warm and cool and our colors are just starting to show. Have a great week and I'll have plenty to share next week as we say farewell to football and my baby will officially be a 9 year old!