Pete Rheller

When you are into cooking, and even if you’re not, you should know that fresh ingredients are always better. It gives more flavor, aroma and taste that just can’t compare if you use commercially made products.

Spices are very important to any cuisine as it is what gives food that oomph. Since fresh is always better you may need to get yourself your very own spice grinder. There are so many different ones to choose from and if you are really not sure what to look for, you should check online sources. Spice grinder ratings and even reviews are usually available on their website. It gives you information regarding how they are used and how other consumers find them.

After finding out what is the best in the market, you can then choose sin you know how much you will use it, your budget, and even how much space it will occupy in your kitchen counter. Granted it doesn’t really take so much space, a simple yet effective one maybe suitable for you. If you are into cooking then perhaps you can go ahead and buy the electric ones that gives you more features and allow you to be more flexible with your recipes.

As a fashion designer one of the major responsibilities that I have when it comes to creating innovation and leading trends in fashion for the company I work for is coming up with fresh and edgy looks and materials. I’m a bag designer so for my job having to come up with new combination of materials and bag looks can be difficult because there are virtually hundreds of competition that may have thought of the exact look that you just sketched. Two years ago! The biggest challenge I ever faced happened last year when I reached a creative block a month before fashion week.

I couldn’t come up with the right combination of fabrics to use for my designs so I looked to my old scrapbook of memories for inspiration. I hit pay dirt when I decided to create a rustic theme for the bags so I went on the phone and told my secretary to find the best cowhides San Antonio Texas had to offer. When I got the leather that I needed I treated it in a special solution to dye it a very chic shade and used it for my bag design. The crowd absolutely loved it and critics hailed it as a breath of fresh air. My only challenge now is how I can top that this coming fashion week!

For my summer job my father got me a stint at the Asphalt Plant where he was working as a supervisor. I was surprised at how interesting working in the plant was because I was originally dreading the idea of working in a construction place. I worked as my father’s secretary because his was on maternity leave. At first I found the job challenging because I knew nothing about construction terms and had to take care of the orders and dealing with different suppliers in placing our orders and maintaining the equipment.

My father told me that I was useful to him but I didn’t really believe him until the middle of summer when we encountered a problem with our Asphalt Plant Equipment supplier. Apparently they were out a certain machine that my Dad needed to get a contracting job and they notified us three days before the job was to start. Thankfully with my internet savvy and inborn negotiation skills I was able to find a replacement rental that they used until the suppliers were able to furnish us with the equipment that we ordered. Next year I don’t think I have any plans of finding a different summer job, this is something that I think I am good at and enjoy doing.. that is of course if the secretary gets pregnant again!

When my family moved to Dallas, Texas from Fresno California the first thing that my mom did to the backyard was to “californiafy” it if there is such a word. What it basically means is to add more color and lush to a boring backyard to make it feel more exciting and that California way. So we looked for a phonebook and tried to locate a Dallas Plant Nursery to get some seeds and flowers to use for my Mom’s landscaping plans.

After two phone calls we were able to settle on one that had the roses and begonias that my mom wanted to line the central walkway of the backyard with. The drive took exactly 30 minutes but the guy, Joey was kind enough to prepare our order in advance and even gave my Mom some tips on how to grow begonias in the Dallas weather. I was so happy we went on the trip because up until that moment I was missing the warmth and perky attitude of people from California. Talking to Joey made me realize that there are helpful and sunny people anywhere we go and that Dallas isn’t a boring or gloomy place to move into.

My best friend is absolutely obsessed with my hair. She would rave about my hair is indestructible or how the manikin at the mall has nothing compared to my straight and really fine blond locks. But she is right, I guess I am a bit lucky that I was born with exceptionally shiny and beautiful straight hair but it isn’t without maintenance and nightly preparation that I wake up with this gorgeous head of locks! I normally use curlers to make sure that my hair doesn’t get static before going to bed and they don’t stray or curl to a weird angle.

When my best friend was about to have her 18th birthday I asked her what she wanted for a gift and she jokingly told me “your hair silly!” . I got a great idea from that so I went to the mall to get her present and on her birthday both of us laughed so hard when she opened her present- a couple of pink hair irons to straighten her wavy hair and make it look shiny and straight like mine! I am happy to say that she uses the iron most of the time and even though her hair doesn’t look as nice as mine, I am relieved that she doesn’t obsess about my hair as much.

Opening your own restaurant for the very first time with little experience in the food and beverage industry can be a real killer. Trust me, I experienced all the ups and lows of running and owning my very own joint and I can still remember how difficult yet rewarding it was building my restaurant from the ground up. In this business you will never know what kind of blessings you will get from the most unexpected of ways. When I was just a rookie I didn’t have enough money to properly store all the liquor so I would normally chill the wine in the refrigerator storage where the vegetables were. One time a gentleman ordered the finest cabernet we had available so I took out our most expensive Sauvignon Blanc and served him the bottle.

To my embarrassment there was a small lettuce leaf on the side of the bottle and when the guy noticed he chuckled! He said “ its ok I used to be a restaurateur as well”. I was so embarrassed that I gave him the bottle compliments of the house. I didn’t really think it would pay off as well as it did because the next day a delivery of a wine storage refrigerator came to the restaurant courtesy of the gentleman. Turns out he now manufactured these wine cooling storage units, talk about a funny irony!

When I decided to move to the suburbs and purchase a home for my family I was more sure about something than ever before; I wanted to have my own personal space where I could relax and just do the thing that I wanted to do like host barbeques or roast marshmallows and watch the stars. I was lucky enough to find a modest home with a big enough back yard where I could build a reception patio where we could entertain guests and use it as an extension of the family room. The most important aspect of the construction took place when we decided which of the outdoor brick fireplace plans we had considered would work for the dimensions of the backyard.

The contractor and I settled on a semi circular brick and marble inspired outdoor fireplace that could double as a roast. It was like magic after that because looking for the right materials to set the flooring didn’t take long and furniture to accentuate the aesthetic was also a breeze. After two weeks of construction I know had a beautiful backyard which served as a guest hosting and family activity area. We decided to put it to a test by hosting a neighborhood barbeque to get to know the neighbors. Let’s just say that it worked its magic because now we almost have people over every week.

Moving to a new neighborhood meant doing a lot of renovation on the new house we had just purchased and saved from foreclosure. I wish I could say that it was a modest home, but it really wasn’t. A grand Victorian manor that belonged to some elite family who had to give up the home because of recession troubles, I was happy I got the deal when the bank called and asked if we were interested to take over the mortgage. When we got there we were so pleased with the neighborhood, it was as if we had stepped into a stepford paradise, of manicured lawns and beautifully maintained homes.

The only thing I felt disappointed about was the fact the bank forgot to mention the little detail of an unfinished common bathroom in the second floor. But no worries I knew what I had to do. The first thing I did was to find elegant bathroom vanities for sale that I could choose from to match the marble setting in the bath. I found a beautiful Italian inspired vanity made from lavish mahogany, it was perfect. From there on out it was like clockwork from the vintage chandelier to the rugs and furniture everything fell into place, it was as if I was meant to finish the bathroom.

I was watching a delightful episode of “Nigela Feasts”, where she was making a chocolate decadent cake and the first thing I noticed was how well and moist her cake was. I remembered something I had learned in cooking school about how cake pans can make all the difference in the cooking time and moisture retained in baking. The next day I was set on finding the perfect set of cake pans to improve my baking skills and come up with a chocolate cake that was as decadent as what I had seen on the television.

I was lucky to find a pair of silicone cake pans designed to distribute heat evenly and cook the cake in a moisture retaining manner. At first I was a total skeptic but when I tried it for myself, I had the biggest surprise! The cake was absolutely moist as if I had used sour cream to make it! I then got inspired and tried to whip my own version of decadence fudge with a combination of dark chocolate and truffles with a bit of brandy to make it interesting. When my husband got home and asked if we had anything to eat, I got him a slice of my experimental cake and boy was I delighted to see the big smile on his face followed by a grinning “hmm nice” reaction. Now, I make the cake every occasion I can!

When I received news that my son had married a beautiful Japanese native I was thrilled. I got even more excited when I found out that they had plans to spend their summer vacation in our home in New Jersey to get to know my husband and I. I was thrilled about the prospect of welcoming a new addition into our family; I only have one son so you can imagine how big a deal it is for me for her wife to have a good impression of us. I thought of a great idea to make her welcome in our home, I did a little bit of research and decided to redo our living patio, Japanese style to make her feel welcome and so she doesn’t get home sick.

The first thing I bought was glass mosaic tiles and made sure they were the shade and color that resembled cherry tree leaves. I then created a mural on the patio floor that was Japanese inspired and furbished furniture that are handcrafted of Japanese design to accent it even further. My son was so delighted to see what an effort I made to make his new wife welcome in our home when they arrived. I think even she appreciated the gesture and was even teary eyed when we told her we did the patio just for her.