i'm struggling tonight.

i'm struggling tonight.

it's taken me an extra two days to sit down to this blog because, while typically, i tend to be a fairly upbeat human being who focuses on the humorous things in life, lately, stuff just don't seem very funny to me. i know i am going through my own personal drams, as we all are, but it just seems the state of the world has just tilted so far off it's normally swervy axis that i struggle to get my bearings and understand how to right myself in this confuddled environment. and sister, if I can't figure it out, as a (relatively) intelligent, educated 45 year old woman, how do i hope my kids will understand what is going on??

i won't even touch on the actual topic in this blog. the specifics of the issue isn't really what matters, though it's a topic that both so heartbreaking and close to my heart that i have difficulty separating myself from it at times. what i will say is people's responses to the topic are what have me wondering where the humanity has gone in our world? when did people decide that skulking around behind their keyboards, viciously attacking others for their opinions was the way of the world. what happened to the golden rule people? where has civility and acceptance gone?

i have taught my kids two critical guideposts all their lives. since they were old enough to understand the english language i've stressed two simple values above all: kindness and inclusion. it's that simple. if you are kind and you include people, you can almost never go wrong. do we always want to invite the quirky kid in the dora explorer shoes to sit at our table? no, not always. sometimes we just want to sit and laugh with our best friends and not have to work to bring a stranger up to speed about the jokes we tell. but walk a morning in that kid's dora shoes, the one over there who doesn't have anyone saving her a seat or being their partner at four square or asking her over to their house after school and you will understand why making sure you forfeit an extra 10 inches of picnic table real estate isn't asking too much. it's just not that hard to be kind and show humanity to someone who is brave enough to put one foot in front of the other and show up for themselves.

so what can we do about it? think global, act local. so a little story for you: i ran out of gas yesterday morning after dropping my high schooler to highlands. i had left my other three to get ready and when my car sputtered to a stop, i suddenly thought: holy CRAP what the hell am i going to do now?? when out of nowhere, a tall, kind-faced man walked his dog towards me and asked what happened. i told him and within minutes, he had run home and returned to the scene of my stupidity with a plastic gas tank. he filled me up using all his gas for his lawnmower (he told me i was saving him the effort) and when the car started after a half dozen attempts, he started whooping and hollering and laid a fat high five on me. i couldn't believe it. what a rock star. what did i do to deserve this?? having no money to give him in appreciation, i told him i would be sure and pay it forward to anyone i could before thanking him profusely. it made a deep impact on my recent skepticism and negativity. the littlest things can restore us to believing in the good of people.

i believe the way i can effect even just the smallest amount of change is to pay kindness, acceptance and understanding forward. do what you can: hold a door. walk your elderly neighbor's newspaper up to his doorstep. ask the new kid over to play. wave at the annoying woman who you can't stand (come on, we all know one). be kind. you never know when it's going to make a difference to someone in need.

on that note, catchy. is partnering with the hohokus school and the afsp (american foundation for suicide prevention) next week on october 2nd to raise funds for suicide awareness and prevention. mention the AFSP in the notes section when ordering online or on the phone when you call in your order (or in person) and 15% of the cost of the meal will be donated to the AFSP. another way to stand in the light of kindness and understanding.

go forth and be kind people. the world needs more of it.

i may as well start day drinking...

i literally have no idea where the days go. i'm cruising through my week, getting sh*t done, we make it to the weekend and suddenly both days whiz by and it's monday night and i've totally lost my bearings. is this old age or does everyone else feel like this at the beginning of the school year? how is it wednesday already? this jewish holiday just completely throws me off my game and i feel like it's either saturday night or i'm back on summer vacation these kids are home so much. i may as well start day drinking...uh, i guess i just did.

i don't get september. why is it the month kids go back to school if we are just going to have them home 30% of the time each week?? i mean, wtf? are in you school or not?? you start them on the 6th (a thursday) and then it's the weekend. then you throw a little rosh hashanah at us to make it a three day weekend. today we've got yom kippur and then we walk right into back to school night tomorrow where, of course, they dismiss the kids at 12:45pm so the teachers can prepare. you know what i'm going to prepare for? an early demise if you don't keep my freakin' kids in school for more than 48 hours in a row. come on!

i just want to get into a routine. would just love to hit a consistent two days at the gym or maybe a yoga class or even more exciting, some food shopping without having my crew home searching for something "fun" to do (read: anywhere they can spend $100 to bounce on a trampoline, throw 32 gutter balls or shoot paint guns at one another). i'm over it. i have events to plan, autumn flowers to plant, kids summer clothes to purge and i can't string more than two hours together before they are home again looking to eat (that's a whole other story) and tell me everything that happened in their day. does anyone care what happened in my day? (did they ever?)

the only upsides to this week are we're already at thursday (sorry again for the late blog, my bad) and we made you crispy cornflake crusted chicken with homemade bbq sauce and a corn muffin FROM SCRATCH. that's right, i'm not playin' ya. CORNFLAKE CRUSTED. yeah, yeah i know. i love you too. order your lunches/dinners by phone at 201.445.6400

there isn't much i don't love about my job...

there's nothing like a wedding celebration to make me realize why i do what i do.  

there isn't much i don't love about my job. developing new recipes. creating special memories for people trying to surprise a husband on his 50th or throw a holiday cocktail party with every one in town invited. talking to people who flood into my store, getting to hear snippets of their daily lives and brings me back to the reality that life is just made better when you share your story, even briefly, with others. 

but my favorite thing is the TEAMWORK i get to experience at catchy. i played goalie for my lacrosse team in college and while it was demanding, often grueling, and both emotionally and physically challenging more often than it was fun (holy timed miles i never want to think of again), there were days when you found yourself laughing through the pain of a brutal practice or a tough loss with this collection of crazy personalities. we weren't the brightest superstars in the league, in fact, we were more of a motley, rag tag group of scrappy, but hard working, overachievers. yet somehow we managed to patch together a winning season that took us to the final four my sophomore year and brought home the national championship. there was a feeling of teamwork i felt through every single practice and game on the field that year that was something i wish i could bottle. it was so comforting and right. i have, somehow, had the most wonderful good fortune to have found it again at catchy. my chefs. my managers. my servers and bartenders. every person who works at my cafe and on these events with me makes me smile, has my back, gives me everything they have for sometimes over 12 hours in a row without pause and it brings back that comforting feeling of knowing i have found my tribe. there is no greater feeling to me than knowing someone has your back and the wedding this past weekend, with this team, was just another reminder of why i am so lucky to do what i do. i'm not solving world hunger (well, i am feeding people?) or reinventing the wheel, but it feels good to make people's special celebrations just a little easier by taking care of every last request, stress or concern. 

summer is over. hoo-freakin-ray.

o.m.g. summer is OVER. hoo-freakin-ray.

i know some of you (possibly most of you) find that utterly depressing. and while there is a sliver of me that is saddened that the days are growing shorter, the sand and waves are but a fond memory for the next ten months and the unstructured time with my kids is dwindling to almost none; the anticipation of fall always hold such excitement for me. the crisp autumn air, NY Giants football on the T.V. (whoooo! go Eli!!) and talk of apple picking in my car just this morning made me smile with delight. one of my favorite things about living in new jersey is that we get to experience all four seasons. and though i love summer like nobody's business, i always look forward to getting back work after the lazy summer schedule and bringing you ridiculous new salad ideas i discovered at the hottest little cafes in southampton, incredible apps for your holiday festivities and piping hot dinners that will knock your socks off while simultaneously giving you a break as you settle into your nutty fall carpool schedule (calgon, take. me. AWAY. this year).

it's a bacon jam grilled cheese kind of day...

see that picture above? yeah. it's a bacon jam grilled cheese kind of day in my book. 

rain, rain GO-A-FREAKIN-WAY already. three days of 65 degree weather and pouring rain has got me tired of the weather gods already. just when i think i'm done with summer and can't wait for the crisp fall temps, i am faced with the chilly spell of weather, am forced to turn off my AC and click on the heat and it makes me BITTERRRR. or maybe it's just the rain that gets me down. either way, i've had enough of the puddles and wet floors (or maybe it's this new puppy i'm tired of who keep traipsing through my clean kitchen with her wet, dirty, mud filled paws??) and am deciding i am going to eat myself into a happy place to try and combat these rainy day blues. 

you want to join me? i say go right ahead. i am all about inclusion. check out our piping hot dinners for the week. my chefs and i brainstormed last week and came up with some of the tastiest ideas you could possibly imagine. can you say BUFFALO CHICKEN MACARONI & CHEESE?? yes, yes we can. read on, and then go to our website at www.thecatchycaterer.com and click on the ORDER button to schedule your dinner delivery tonight for whatever time you would like to have them sitting on your table piping hot and crunchified...

time flies when you're having fun...

every time i turn around, a month has gone by and i'm not quite sure where it disappeared to. they say time flies when you're having fun, but i think my clock is in broken and it hasn't mattered whether it was joyful, a shit show or just plain haywire, those hours seemed to tick off the clock faster than i could keep up. 

 one of my favorite times of the week: late, late sunday night, when the clock is nearing midnight, when everyone has gone to bed and i am savoring the quiet of a tidied up house, four sleeping children and a docket of work that has been completed; i look forward to downloading my 1500+ friends/blog followers on the ups & downs of restaurant ownership. but lately, it's all i can do to keep my eyes open through madam secretary at 9pm. each day has felt like a marathon: so much good, a nice chunk of frustrating, but more than anything else, just plain exhausting. 

and i know all you folks out there get it. june brings end of the year celebrations, teachers gifts, travel sports gearing up and the inevitable rush to line up camps for my kids i didn't take the time to set up in march. add to that for me, three of four kids celebrating birthdays (what caterer doesn't love planning another three parties??) and the addition of an eight week old puppy (who isn't, and may never be, trained), and i just about want to punch myself in the face for biting off more than i can chew. toss in some last minute swim team commitments and more summertime catering than ever before and most days i can't remember whether to sh*t or wind my watch. somebody throw me a life preserver because i'm drowning over here!!

so rather than play monday morning quarterback on myself and point out all the ways i could have said no, fortified my boundaries, i'm looking forward to the next five days we are open to get all my ducks in a row and then plan to kick my feet up and relax for a TWO WEEK VACATION!! yes, you heard me. get me to the beach please!! 

catchy. will be closed from july 28th through august 12th so i can figure out how the hell to make my kids like me again. but before that happens, you have five days and nights to treat yourself to some catchy. lunch and dinner before we start our vacation!!

there is SO. MUCH. GOING. ON.

there is SO. MUCH. GOING. ON.

we've got your spring catering pouring in. we've got our cafe lunches flying out the door to all those health-conscious ladies who know they will be forced to wear a bathing suit & chase their little Stillwell Angel around the pool all june in the less than 6 weeks (yes, i said SIX - can you flipping believe that - even if spring temps haven't yet hit a solid mid-50's all season). 

and...we've got our hot dinner game SO STRONG that we have decided on MAY 1ST (whooooo!) we will be keeping out doors open later (8pm?? who said that) and offering apps for sale like our roasted corn guacamole & homemade tortilla chips with our new catchy.lime salt, our mouth-watering crispy deep fried macaroni & cheese bites and a bevy of other appetizers and new dinners (ummm, like this mexicali burger below with pepper jack cheese, avocado, pico & the creamiest,zippiest chipotle lime crema you will ever wipe off your chin) available to eat on our patio with a frosty CORONA LIGHT that you bring on over from chuck russo down the block - can i get a WHAT?!?!

catchy. has never been hooking you up so good. i mean it. you ask, we answer. you beg. we bow. our dinner rush has gotten so hectic we decided to capitalize on the demand and keep the doors open later just for you. come after your kids lacrosse/baseball games. meet your hubby with a bottle of rose and bring the stroller with your little lamb chop strapped in inside so you can enjoy some of best items from our catering menu AT. OUR. CAFE. who came up with this idea?!?!? yes, it's true. the genius was...not me. but whatever, i digress.

in the meantime, while we wait for the thermometer to rise and our chefs to get versed in these delectable additions to our menu, enjoy our usual suspects on the in the meantime. to get your fresh, delicious lunches or piping hot dinners you can walk in, call our cafe line 201.445.6400 or order ONLINE at www.thecatchycaterer.come. 

and if you need catering for your spring or summer event, i don't know what in the hell you are waiting for because we are already booked up chock full for april and have a dozen events for may. go get on that stick baby!!  we have your favorite's right below so take a gander and order up!

yep, that just about sums it up...

yep, that just about sums it up...

that little snapshot up above (a frosty cocktail) pretty much paints a picture of my saving grace each night at around 5:30pm when we had left the roller coasters, over-priced carnival games and turkey legs behind at the theme parks and had graduated to the hotel pool for a little R&R before starting it all over again after dinner. did we really need to cover two parks a day for five days? i think not. but  i am married to a kid and he had an agenda and on it was every ride from the hulk to the seven dwarves mine train and we travelled no less than 25,000 steps every day to check them each off our list. if no one has ever told you disney is "the most wonderful place on earth," i'm here to tell you that while i may agree, i think "the most tiring place on earth" is a little more accurate. for. the. love. that was no vacation. 

but while my veiled sarcasm may paint a picture that was less than idyllic, in the interest of honesty and full disclosure, our vacation. was. AWESOME. like my husband, i have a little 11 year old in me that screams for speed, exhilaration as well as the need for finding every single disney pin ever sold on the property for my lanyard. born in the lake placid olympics generation when we collected pins on for our ski hats like they were playing cards, my kids and i raced from one park employee to the next chomping at the bit to see which pins we could trade in between racing through the fast pass lines and downing cups of butter beer. there are no places more addictive and compulsive than disney & universal, the parks filled with places to spend money, test your limits of bravery (georgia failed misery...she does not take after me or my husband) and gorge yourself on every type of culinary indulgence. but hey, it's orlando, wasn't that what we were there for??

but my takeaway wasn't excitement over finally getting to ride rip it rocket or seeing the fireworks overhead at 9pm. in truth, it the opportunity to spend 9 consecutive days with my  husband, four kids and my son's best friend in a place where you can do and be pretty much whatever you want. watching them laugh, buoy one another up when one was a little fearful, hold each other's hands, be kind to strangers and respectful to any number of waiters, ticket takers and fellow park goers afforded me the time to see our hard work in action. all the times we tell them "be kind to your sister," "let someone else have a chance," "listen to your brother's story without  interrupting," have paid off. watching these five kids joke around, share pins with one another, give someone a boost onto a ride they couldn't manage solo made my heart sing. i am so lucky to have been blessed with these kids in my life, but also have the means to take them to a place as (f&*%ing) fun (freakin' loud) & crazy  (and exhausting) and act like a kid again. don't get me wrong, plenty of moments i wanted to string one of them up by their necks (wow, that sounded a little harsh...if accurate), but the overall takeaway: best. trip. ever.

now i need another vacation because i'm exhausted. 

back to work this week and we are READY. TO. GO. spring sports have begun, plays and activities are nearing their show times, and you moms & dads are taxed and overwrought from a long week with no school. and i know no one came home from vacation and whipped up a week's worth of healthy meals yesterday in anticipation of the busyness (well, except me...insert self-deprecating smile, but that's because i ate my weight in dairy products & french fries. don't judge me). we have your favorite's right below so take a gander and order up straight from the website: www.thecatchycaterer.com and remember, we deliver to your doorstep, couldn't be any easier than that.