Didn't You Use to Be Queenie B? Quotes

“He'd gotten his polenta into a bowl and was chopping the dill while Regina spooned the shrimp and kielbasa pooling like buttery, spicy magic on top of the grits.”
― Terri-Lynne DeFino, Didn't You Use to Be Queenie B?

“Regina had prepared "light hors d'oeuvres" Queenie B style. Crispy prosciutto-wrapped figs, stuffed with goat cheese and drizzled with honey; smoked trout and garlic cream on rye toasts; spears of endive with lobster, avocado, and grapefruit; skewers of tomato, basil, and mozzarella with a light drizzle of olive oil”
― Terri-Lynne DeFino, Didn't You Use to Be Queenie B?

“Involtini: Meat, seafood, or veg wrapped around a filling like cheese, cured meats, or nuts.”
― Terri-Lynne DeFino, Didn't You Use to Be Queenie B?

“Queenie preps for the morning, simple enough. Two huge Crock-Pots of oatmeal, jars of jam, honey, and brown sugar. She cuts up fruit. In the morning, she'll scramble several dozen eggs and toast several loaves of bread. Baking it from scratch crosses her mind--- she's always loved the meditation of kneading dough--- but only momentarily. She has no way of knowing how many will show. Simple is best until she gets the hang of things.
Lunch prep is even simpler. Sandwiches, PB&J, turkey, ham and cheese. She goes light on the mayo. It's hard to use jarred mayo, and even harder not to doctor it up with pesto or cranberry preserves. No arugula. No brie or caramelized onions. Simple, simple, simple.
Between breakfast and lunch, she plans to put up a pot of vegetable soup, so she gets to work on the mise en place for that. Store-bought stock, at least for now. Again, until she gets the hang of things. Dinner is lasagna, easy enough to put together and prebake; lasagna is always better for being allowed to sit overnight in the fridge. She hopes she's made enough of everything; sending people home hungry doesn't just go against her mission statement, it goes against every chef nerve in her body.
Not a chef. In this kitchen, never. She's a cook now. A soup kitchen cook making nutritious food for people in need. Her mission statement. Her balance.”
― Terri-Lynne DeFino, Didn't You Use to Be Queenie B?

“The waitstaff serving the grilled peaches, and Tahitian vanilla and ginger ice cream--- the only thing not made on the grill---”
― Terri-Lynne DeFino, Didn't You Use to Be Queenie B?

“Soigne: Pronounced swan-yay, it is French for "elegant."
It is/was used to describe an exceptionally sexy, well-presented dish, but quickly devolved from trendy to dated and pretentious.”
― Terri-Lynne DeFino, Didn't You Use to Be Queenie B?