for every shit, there are twelve good people.

so two things need to be said tonight and then i'll let you get back to your must see tv.

the first? for every shit, there are twelve good people. after leaving the town hall yesterday i walked out into the sunshine and stood for a moment trying to figure out my options. $519 for a water bill that wasn't mine. i could be angry and bitter, play the victim and just pay the damn bill i wasn't responsible for, or i could ask for what i need. 

i picked up the phone and dialed the previous owner's number wondering how poor my odds were of this working out in my favor. he picked up on the first ring. suffice is to say, there are classy people in this world who step up to the plate and own up to their responsibilities and their are shits. this man was not a shit. hours later i got a call confirming my water had not been turned off because the bill had been paid in full. i asked for my need and my need was met. for today, life is good.

and the second thing? in the four short weeks since announcing we are opening our storefront, we have systematically broken every single previous week's record in food sales. last week we sold 272 dinners, soups & salads - 36 more than the week before. we are closing in on that record already tonight.

you wanna be a part of something cool? order up. because beef brisket isn't something i can make more of tomorrow at 10:30 when orders start rolling in. that baby is going in the oven at 5:30am and when it's sold out, it's sold out. 

order now, we have loaves of pumpkin bread (freeze it for thanksgiving!), creamy tomato & orzo or italian wedding, autumn salad or kale & quinoa. too many choices to name so just keep reading and order now. every dollar bill is going right into that shiny new storefront
 

shut the front door. SHUT IT.

there is so much to discuss i seriously don't know where to start. 
* mom's night off! menu for this thursday night (it's so FRICKIN' good you won't be able to decide)
* thanksgiving. (YES!?! we are offering thanksgiving goodies like soups, sides, appetizers & breads oh, & the sickest desserts you've ever tasted)
* "catchy." our new cafe opening in LITERALLY 22 days (that's three weeks from TUESDAY people!!). 

shut the front door. SHUT IT.

 so all i have been doing is obsessing about food the past two weeks. takeaway a week of mom's night off! and i become like a caged animal. i need to feed people. and i need to feed them soon. we have been working around the clock (and i mean AROUND the clock - who knew how dark the backyard of my rental is at 4am when i am staring at it and pacing my living room?). we've got our cafe menus going to print this week, thanksgiving menus for all you wise folk not wanting to put themselves through the trouble of whipping your own potatoes or baking your own pumpkin breads and in the rest of our free time we've been dreaming up new appetizers for your holiday parties (can you say port wine figs & goat cheese in phyllo?). i literally can not WAIT until those doors swing open on "catchy." and we can serve you up the freshest baja chicken salad EVER. 

but in the meantime, enjoy these 22 days. use them wisely. workout. save your money. ignore your friends. because once december 1st rolls around, you & your girlfriends are gonna have FULL access to our freshest, crispest salads, our crunchiest buffalo chicken fingers dripping with honey bbq buffalo sauce and sandwiches the likes of which you won't be able to turn away (um, what? tarragon chicken salad with crunchy red grapes & toasted walnuts? yup, we did). 

so save those calories. you're gonna need them. because when you pop into "catchy." and grab a few salads & quarts of soup from our takeout case for the night (ANY & EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK) and maybe a few bags of pretzel bark & a loaf of pumpkin bread for good measure, know that you deserve all those special treats, after all, it's the holiday season. 
 order up for thursday. last mom's night off! was record breaking and i'm not down with disappointment.
 

my kids are so disappointed in me...

so halloween is coming this way on saturday and if you are anything like me, you have left everything, and i mean, everything to the last minute. costumes for the kiddos? um, noooo. candy for the witch bucket we ply with full size kit kats? that's a hard negative. decorations? jack'o lanterns? ghosting? nix, nay & nient. i am just a bag of funlessness crap this year. 

my kids are so disappointed in me. not only do i bark no at them every time they ask if we can go buy some Drac fangs at five below to ghost their buddies (because er, we have completely run out of money building this house), but add that to the fact that i'm so tuckered out trying to get this new storefront up and running, that i have just fallen of the face of the map in planning our typical halloween ghoulishness. no money plus no time equals absolutely no fun at ALL. something needs to change.

i like to tell myself that i'm a good mom. that i have been such an all-in, hands-on, attentive momma all their lives that it's okay if i'm a bucket of sh*t for a few months. i've been in the trenches. i breastfed. i walked the hallways at 3am when they were babes. i have wiped more ass & boogers than two or three moms put together (my kids are irrationally bad and cleaning their noses and butt cheeks). so i'm going with the "good enough" principle temporarily while i the whole new work-life situation balanced. 

maybe i'm just making myself feel better (who wouldn't? did you know i had my 13 year old buy my 5 year old's halloween costumes and evidently my kindergartner will be wearing a trench coat, sunglasses and stick-on mustache as a secret agent...what 5 year old doesn't want to be elsa or anna? a secret-friggin' agent? weirdo). but this whole "good enough" theory is a big one. i can't pick up my kids every single day of their lives. i can't make it to every soccer, field hockey & football game. i don't feed my kids organic everything (anything, oops! shut up, i give them organic milk), but what's wrong with a little help from friends? carpools. luna bars. a sleepover every once in a while so i can sleep in for a morning. nothing wrong with that.
so don't bake your own pumpkin bread. don't simmer your own soup or sunday gravy or meatballs. don't make your own chili for all those halloween folks you think will be popping by this saturday night. just order *ssloads of food this thursday from us so you spend your thursday night racing to party city for the last minute face paint you (i) forgot to get for billy's special ops costume. and thank you mrs. o'grady for dropping off the little native american girl's costume for frankie and making my life a living JOY for a night. this week is on me. order up some soup so i can save you a day at the stove!

houston, we have a storefront...

the dream has finally come true...

houston, we have a  storefront!

after ten years in the catering business, The Catch-y Caterer has ourselves a storefront in hohokus! this past thursday we were approved to take over the space formally known as Kevin's Thyme Cafe on 614 Maple Avenue. right in the heart of hohokus! wahoooo! party time!

if all goes according to plan (which we all know in my life never happens), we will be launching catchy. (name changer/game changer. all lower case. period at the end. short and sweet, we dig.) and attempting to open in early december. the newly named storefront will be a sit-down cafe with loads and loads of takeout (a la mom's night off! style...but just EVERY NIGHT) while simultaneously doing as much catering as physically possible by my rock-star, kick *ss new team of seven full time chefs. seven. can you dig it? i can, haven't been able to sleep for the past three weeks out of sheer exhilaration and excitement.  

while my builders get in there to tear up floors, install new lighting and slap some newly painted bead board all over the joint, we will be booking all the parties you can send our way (have to afford this place somehow, right?). we will use the next six or seven week to gear up for what will be the sickest, my most mind-blowing lunch menu you can possibly imagine (can we say sandwiches like our veal & ricotta meatballs with homemade ricotta & sunday sauce? the baja chicken salad with roasted corn WHENEVER YOU WANT TO ORDER IT? or our buffalo chicken finger wrap with homemade blue cheese dressing and grated carrots...I mean REALLY? get in early people, because we will only have six tables).

what's the plan for catchy.?? our plan is to have lunch for the ladies (and your hubbies on your days off) from 11:30-3pm and at 3pm, watch out! we will be open for your kids to buzz on over after school on their bikes, drop some baskets of chicken fingers and (as long as they behave themselves) give the a place to unwind and chill out. mom's gotta come pick them up by closing time at 5pm and while you're there, grab your takeout quarts of soup, fresh salads & dinners - we will have CURBSIDE PICK UP all day. will be needing your cell phone numbers & credit cards on file to make your lives EASY. 'cause really, that's what catchy. is all about. making your lives as simple and seamless as possible.

so keep it in mind and in the meantime, check out this week's menu. it's sick. it's killer. and if last week was any indication (our biggest selling week EVERRRR), it won't be around long.

I'm LOVIN' this weather…

I am LOVIN' this weather. Crisp, blue-skied, sunny days, cool, dry evenings making sleep ever so much harder to shake from (for me and my cranky, non-morning-people kids...apple doesn't fall far from the tree); why can't we stay in this delightful limbo?? Why, oh why did we all settle in New Jersey where within a few short months we will be padded over with down jackets & fleece, tromping through slushy puddles of melting snow. Oh how I love Autumn...oh how I detest Winter.
So I'm not gonna even think of that. Won't even entertain the notion of the Future. Will keep my constantly whirling head where my overly, animated feet are and just be PRESENT. Oh please, that's just utter crap. Do you know how hard that is for me? I mean really, it's even hard for me to write, let alone try and live by. I just have so many exciting things PINGING through my brain! MNO Menus and Holiday parties, subway tiles orders and reclaimed wood installations...to say nothing of kids Halloween costume requests, Bake Sales for their CCD requirements and requests for new sneakers
'cause their old ones had a blow out. There is just too much to think about and plan. Too much sh*t to get done and not enough brain power for us all to figure out how we are going to get Alfie to chess practice (what a nerd that Alfie), Maisy to gymnastics and in between whip up a healthy, fresh and thoughtful meal for my kids (let alone try and get them all together to eat it). 
So I'm gonna cross one thing off that list. I got dinner covered. Parmesan Crusted Chicken Cutlets over Penne Marinara. Citrus Shrimp & Pesto Pasta with veggies. Italian Wedding Soup. Buffalo Chicken Fingers. Veal & Ricotta Meatballs. 
STOP. THE. MADNESS. That's like lunch and dinner for three days YO. That's right. And that's why The Catch-y Caterer is blowing up like your Aunt Edna's ass at Thanksgiving after eating all that pumpkin bread...and on that note, PUMPKIN BREAD comes BACK TO TOWN next week at MNO!!!
Who loves you?? That's right. I do.
 

SHAZAM. It was just one of those weekends...

SHA-ZAM it was just one of those weekends. 
Sunny, crisp, Fall mornings. Watched my little buggers dart around the soccer fields laying a smack down on their opponents while alternatively scoring goals (Frankie) and saving them (Billy) - wa-mother-freakin hoooo! Got my dull, sad, massively neglected hair highlighted by my KICK *SS colorist Matthew (who is now working at HARU, book your appointment ASAP people to look as blond and cheery as I do, he is awesome sauce). Enjoyed the most fun, fabulous night with friends on Saturday before launching HEAD LONG into the picnic of ALL picnics, HHK UnPlugged where we served up spec-TACULAR treats to the masses whilst they turned off their phones, tuned into their kiddos and enjoyed a Chicken Sammie with Pepper Jack and some Chocolate Pudding Cake (well done Dana Koenig for planning it!!). It was as damn near perfect a weekend as there is one. 
Do you ever have those? Times when after stringing together a few days or complete and utter sh*t, the Big Man decides, "you know what, I'm gonna toss this kid a bone and grant her every wish." Yup. That was my weekend. Don't be a hater. I paid for it last week.
So to Pay It Forward and pass it on, I'm gonna tell you what we have in store for you this week. 
First off, a shout out to the woman who makes me look fabulous by dressing me in ALL the right duds - KRISTIN DAHL is having her Opening Night Party on Thursday (just hours after MNO pick up, perfect timing) at her new store in Midland Park!! Starts at 7pm and I will be serving up some tasty CANDY BACON (stop it), spicy Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Salsa & Deep Fried Macaroni & Cheese Bites (shut. the. front. door). Come one. COME ALL! All are welcome! Google the address (it's on Godwin Ave) and get on over there with a friend. Her clothes are off theHizzay...
Second, actually, chronologically it's first but whatever, you get the gist. Our menu this week will blow your MINDDDDD....
Check it out. Order it right the FREAK up. And let us deliver the b*tch to your doorstep so you have one less thing to worry about Thursday. Read down...and be ready to have your mind blown...
 

Hi, my name is Erin, and I'm a Bitchaholic.

I'm sorry. I need to apologize. It feels like all I ever do is bitch. But that's just my life right now. And there is no two ways around it. 
Hi, my name is Erin, and I am a Bitchaholic.
So glad we got that out of the way. Now that I'm up front with you all, I can be free to share. I am so F*CKING overwhelmed I seriously don't know where to sh*t or wind my watch (sorry, that was one of my Dad's old sayings and it just feels so appropo right now). 
Life right now feels like I'm trying to run up ten flights of stairs with four dead horses attached to my ankles...while talking on the phone to an AT&T Customer Service agent trying to teach me how to reset my modem. LIKE SO NOT GOING TO HAPPEN LADY.
Does life every feel like that to you? No? Okay, if you answered 'No' you should just delete and move on to your next email because we aren't gonna get along. Why does it take so much for my dense little blob of grey matter to remember that September is the world's most RIDICULOUS month?? Half days for Back to School Night. Jewish holidays. Seventeen new kid's activities (which of course means seventeen new carpools, #suckit). Catering. House building. Life, Life, $&@#$%* LIFE. Oye. I nearly just burst into tears at the gas station when the man told me he was out of regular...it's okay Er, pony up and pay the extra $.13/gallon, you won't go bankrupt. 
So feeling overwhelmed always sends my brain not to my Zen Meditation app, Headspace, to chill myself down (which it total should but still doesn't), but instead to food and how can I make my life better by cooking some of it. So we are bringing you some doozies. 
Lemon Chicken with Creamy Corn Pudding - say WHAT?!? My corn Pudding is the Bomb.Com. Drunken Flank Steak with Sea Salt Potato Wedges. Stop it. Stop it right now. To say nothing of the Waldorf "I wish I could eat this every day" Chicken Salad & my personal favorite, the Cape Cod Chopped with its bacon and gorgonzola ('hold it' if you don't like it people) and dried cranberries/fresh apples schwinggggg. And that's just the beginning. 
So if you are like me, quit your bitchin' and do something nice for yourself so you have something to look forward to. That's what I just did. Ordered me up a passle of Buffalo Fingers and ain't no one gonna tell me I can't eat the whole stinkin' order on Thursday night.
Oh, and we'll DELIVER it right to you. Anything else we can do to improve your day you just let us know. I'm in the business of making people happy...
Text your order now.
917.721.9217
1) DRUNKEN FLANK STEAK WITH SEA SALT POTATO WEDGES & STEAMED GREEN BEANS ($14.50/DINNER PLUS TAX)
2) TUSCAN LEMON CHICKEN WITH SAGAPONACK CORN PUDDING AND STEAMED GREEN BEANS ($14.50/DINNER PLUS TAX)
3) CATCHY'S BURRITO BOWL WITH ROASTED CORN, BLACK BEANS, BROWN RICE, SAUTEED PEPPERS, QUESO FRESCA & CREAMY GUACAMOLE ($12.50/SALAD PLUS TAX)
4) WALDORF CHICKEN SALAD WITH RED GRAPES, PEARS, CRUMBLED GOAT CHEESE & CANDIED PECANS ($12.50/SALAD PLUS TAX)
5) CAPE COD CHOPPED CHICKEN SALAD WITH BACON, GORGONZOLA, TOASTED WALNUTS, FUJI APPLES, DRIED CRANBERRIES IN A MAPLE ORANGE VINAIGRETTE ($12.50/salad PLUS TAX)
6) PALEO SALAD WITH THAI SHRIMP, NAPA CABBAGE, CHOPPED SNOW PEAS, GRATED CARROT IN AN HERBY LIME VINIAGRETTE $12.50/salad PLUS TAX) 
7) MOMMA'S CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP WITH MINI EGG NOODLES ($11/quart PLUS TAX)
7) VEAL & RICOTTA MEATBALLS ($12/order PLUS TAX)
8) SLOW SIMMERED SUNDAY SAUCE ($11/quart PLUS TAX)
8) CRISPY PANKO CRUSTED CHICKEN FINGERS WITH HOMEMADE HONEY MUSTARD ($9/1/2lb order PLUS TAX)
9) BUFFALO STYLE PANKO CRUSTED CHICKEN FINGERS ($9/1/2lb order PLUS TAX)
10) CRUNCHIFIEDS OR WHITE CHOCOLATE PRETZEL BARK ($4/bag PLUS TAX)
Order Now. PICK UP at THE COMMUNITY CHURCH OF HOHOKUS (enter through the blue doors by the playground)
12pm-3:30pm
ORDER NOW!
 

I hate to sound heartless, I really do, but I don't think I will miss them.

Whoa Nellie. Hold Up.

I’m gonna make this one short & sweet because I think you have heard me drone on enough about my excitement over getting back to Reality over the past week. But I just gotta mention it one more time because…THIRTY-SIX HOURS FROM NOW MY KIDS WILL BE IN SCHOOL!!!

I hate to sound heartless. I do. But I really don’t think I’ll miss them. Take this morning, my oldest was still sleeping and my other three and I were having a little Arts & Crafts Action with some sharp colored pencils & crisp drawing paper, sipping smoothies and nibbling on cinnamon toast. It was totally chill & relaxing. Playing the uber-annoying, but somehow addictively enjoyable game of, Would You Rather (Would You Rather eat a bowl of snot or lick poop off your shoe?? Seriously, my five year old is going to be LIVING in the Principle’s office with not a single Kindergarten Mom calling for playdates). Even then, my mind kept returning to the fact that a mere two days from now I would be sitting in a quiet, tidy KID-FREE ZONE. KID. FREE. Motha f*ckaaaa. Sorry, I need to keep the language G-rated until then.

I’m just SILLY with excitement. Orders flooding in for Flank Steak Caesars & Chicken Fingers, “Can I get the Guacamole on the side with my Baja??”…sure thing lady, you can have the moon if you wish, my kids are in school for 6 hours today.

We’ve got people calling, booking their Progressive Dinners for their clubs in October, their 50th Birthday parties for their spouses next weekend because they have been moving their kids in to college and it just makes. My. Heart. Sing. to have my head filled with menus of Coconut Shrimp & Tamarind Ginger Sauce, Candy Bacon & the tastiest of tasty Maine Lobster Salad on some crunchy Endive. Yum. It. Up.

So I’m just gonna say it once and then I won’t repeat it because I know you don’t want to get left shopping and cooking on Thursday. ORDER NOW. Just do it. Don’t wait. Zip off the damn email snagging yourself a Paleo Greek Salad, some Roasted Chipotle Shrimp with Black Bean & Roasted Corn Salad and a Chinese Chopped. Reserve your three orders of freshly crisped Panko Crusted Chicken Fingers so your kids aren’t looking at you with disdain when you pull out those freezer burned Trader Joe’s numbers. Because there ain’t NOTHING like my freshly cut, breaded and flash fried Chicken Fingers and not many salads in town that can compare to our Shredded Kale & Quinoa with Crunchy Grapes & Grated Parm.

So pull the trigger. We got you covered.

WE DELIVER.