Sweet Tooth: Mini Bailey's Chocolate Cheesecakes

Cheesecakes come off as one of those desserts that cost an arm and a leg in a restaurant - but there's really not much to them if you wanted to make them at home!

And of course - there's absolutely nothing wrong with eating a few of these MINI portions!

What's the secret? A muffin pan to bake these - there's the portion control bit...now whether or not you actually stick to eating only one is a whole other story!

I love making mini cheesecakes and have created a variety of different flavours (I'll post them at the bottom) and am always experimenting when given the chance to bake these little delights!

I CAN'T FREAKING ROTATE IT!

So why Bailey's and chocolate? It was a date night treat.
And why the heck not?!

What you need (makes about 14):

• Muffin tin
• Muffin tin liners (silicone are more environmentally friendly but if you're going to a potluck or a bake-sale with these - paper might be more ideal!)
• Room temperature package of cream cheese
• NOTE: I did NOT need vanilla extract because I used vanilla flavoured cream cheese!
• Oreo cookies or similar
• 1/4 Cup of sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 heaping tablespoon of cocoa powder
• Hefty splash of Bailey's
• Flour (possibly you'll need it to thicken the batter if you put too much Bailey's!)
• A couple squares of dark chocolate (melted)
• Optional:
• whipped cream
• strawberries or other fruit for decoration
• crushed almonds

What to do:

1. Pre-heat oven to 175*C.
2. Line muffin tin with 1 muffin liner and 1 Oreo cookie in each spot
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar and egg.
4. Add vanilla extract, cocoa powder and Bailey's.
1. There is no measurement for Bailey's.  I'm sorry.  I go based on smell and I try to not make it too boozy-smelling. 
5. If you put too much Bailey's - sprinkle some flour in there so it's thicker and not too wet of a batter.
6. Pour batter into each lined cup of the muffin tin - filling them about 3/4 of the way.
1. They'll puff up a bit when they bake and sink as they cool down.
7. Once cooled down - remove from the pan and chill in the fridge.
8. Let them chill a bit first in the fridge then drizzle the tops with melted chocolate and refrigerate again.
9. Decorate even more before serving with nuts, fruit and whipped cream!
10. Remove wrapper before eating.
11. Enjoy responsibly.

Some other varieties you can try:

• Peanut butter and jelly (put the jelly in the center or directly on your Oreo and then a peanut butter mixture on top!)
• Rocky Road: make a vanilla-based cheesecake flavour and top with mini marshmallows, peanuts, candied cherries and drizzle melted chocolate when they've cooled
• Triple chocolate
• Chocolate mint - use a peppermint liquer or peppermint extract
• Orange chocolate - use an orange liquer or orange extract
• Nutella
• "Reese's PB Cups" - mix up chocolate and peanut butter
• Berries (whatever is in season!)
• Fresh Lemon - use a lemon to get the juice and make sure to remove any seeds!
• Vanilla
• Chocolate
• Other liquer

Experiment and have fun!

Happy Foodie Adventures!
Dominique

Thrifty Finds: Cast Iron Pizza Pan

I don't know about you but I love shopping second-hand and quite often I get a tingly feeling whenever I think about going and know I will find something good!

Last week was no exception.
I have found so many useful things (and many not-so-useful things) at the second-hand store and last week I had this "gut instinct" to go to the second-hand store.
I had to go anyway because I am in the process of purging stuff in the possible preparation of moving for work - and because I have too much crap.

My neighbour and I took the kids and a ton of stuff to the second-hand store and after I loaded my table I cruised around and came across this beautiful gem....

A BRAND NEW CAST IRON PIZZA PAN!

Good lord I was over the moon because guess what? It was new - the cardboard cut-out still on it and I don't think it had even been seasoned at all - just a light coating of dust.
AND it was only 5€!!
We checked it out online afterward and discovered that it was worth a heck of a lot more! A similar model yet different brand and slightly bigger was worth 90€ and the same branded one was between 40-60€ depending where you shopped and if you included shipping.

I was a very happy little foodie indeed!

I cook pizza about once a week at home - I love that I can top it with anything I want and my kids only want cheese on theirs.  Maybe a couple leaves of spinach if they're feeling gracious or some prosciutto or pepperoni on other days.  

But for me - there is nothing like homemade pizza.  It takes time and effort but it feeds a lot, they all love pizza and it is much cheaper for me to make pizza than to order one to be delivered.

And no offence to those that are buyers of the frozen-section variety - because you do what you gotta do! (especially as a parent) - but it's so nice being able to control what goes in/on your pizza and also homemade usually is much tastier!

And it's awesome to cook pizza with the kids - they really love helping to roll the dough out, spread the sauce and put the toppings on it too!

And for us adults - it's an awesome date night idea.  Make a pizza together, chat and have wine and cuddle on the sofa after with a blanket and a good movie!

Anyway! I know the words "cast iron" tend to scare a lot of people!  I for one have had horrible experiences with cast iron and that is due to lack of research.

So this time - I knew I got a real piece of treasure from the shop and had to cherish it like my newly birthed 4th child.
I read the instructions that it came with.

And here are the basics:

1. Don't use soap - major no no.
2. Only use hot water for washing it.
3. Don't use anything abrasive aka scratchy and rough on the pan.
4. Season it well with oil and some paper towel - do this regularly. 
1. I use a silicone pastry brush. 
5. After serving your pizza from it, let it soak for a few minutes in hot water to loosen up any cheese or crumbs. Then rinse again in hot water and dry it with paper towel.  Then I season it with a light coating of oil because I don't and won't use this pan daily.  
1. This ensures it is taken care of and looks brand spanking new every time you use it.
6. Love your cast ironware!

Cast iron can last you much longer than your typical 20$ non-stick Teflon pan any day.

I also read how to use it and here are the basics on that:

1. Pre-heat your pan - they recommend to heat it up in your oven once that is hot enough (maximum temperature).
1. I opted for something online that told me that I can heat it up on the stove burner instead and then pop it in my pre-heated oven to cook my pizza.
2. Spray or lightly oil your pan before putting pizza dough in it.
3. Put it in a pre-heated oven - use thick oven mittens or silicone and move fast so it doesn't burn your hands through them! 
1. Cast-iron is super hot and super heavy.
4. Remove, serve your food and enjoy and don't forget to soak/rinse right after.

Now, I have made pizza twice in this pan (technically 3 times) and my first attempt was so fascinating and I f*cked up my pizza.  I burnt the center bottom of it and this is how...

Attempt #1

AKA How to NOT make pizza in your cast-iron pan:

1. I turned my oven on maximum heat (300*C) and heated my pan on the stove top burner at maximum.
2. I lightly oiled my pan and spread the oil evenly with a silicone pastry brush.
3. I sprinkled a bit of flour before putting the pizza dough
1. This is where I went wrong....but it said so in the booklet!
4. I put my pizza dough, sauce and toppings and then put it in the oven for 7-10 minutes on maximum.

Results: Crispy crust edge and bottom but blackened center underneath.

While I may have been a sad panda - I was also an excited one! I love experimenting and I did eat the pizza - except the blackened part and I just ate the toppings because they were not burnt.

I also didn't have amazing experience cooking with cast iron - so the fact it was not a complete failure - was promising for me!

So I had to try this pan again and the results were perfect.

I had my neighbour over for "Juhannus" which in Finnish means "Mid Summer" and while traditionally you go to a cottage, grill food, get completely wasted and watch a bonfire - we opted to stay in at my place, drink a bit and make pizzas once my kiddos were asleep and just hang out.

This is what I did to make 2 amazing pizzas in my cast-iron pan:

1. Pre-heat my oven to 225*C - this is my normal temperature for cooking pizza.
2. Pre-heat my pan on the burner on maximum - while I was rolling out the dough*.
3. A few drops of olive oil to the pan and spread it with the pastry brush.
4. Put dough and immediately put sauce and toppings.
5. Bake as per normal (7-10 minutes).

The booklet recommended I put the dough and bake it partially then put the sauce and toppings and back in the oven.  This seemed like a waste of time for me because I had split my dough batch into two (my neighbour is a vegetarian) and the crust was quite thinly rolled out.

Also it was quite dangerous because the pan is so hot and got even heavier with our heavily topped pizzas - so I didn't want to risk dropping it on my foot (I am a magnet for accidents!).

* I make my pizza dough in my bread machine using this recipe "Easy Peezy Pizza Dough" by "Genius Kitchen.com".  I would link it for you but apparently it's no longer available in my country I reside in. (*MAJOR EYE ROLL GOING ON HERE...)

I could've definitely put a bit more cheese and baked it a smidge longer - but she was happy with hers!

I skipped the sprinkling of flour - because I believe that is what started the blackened center trend of my first attempt at a cast-iron baked pizza and kept my oven at my regular temperature for baking a pizza and both of us were super pleased with our pizzas! And there weren't any burnt parts at all!

So - is it worth getting a cast-iron pan? HELL YES.  Especially if you can get one in great shape second-hand!

My guess is someone got it, got scared of how much "effort" it takes to use one and maintain it after that they just sold it for a pocketful of change.

And obviously it's way cheaper than installing an Italian style brick oven in your home!

Does it work better than a pizza stone? I had one in Canada and it's been over ten years - so I don't remember how my pizzas turned out back then (I also didn't make pizza as often either!) - but I think so yes. However, if I do come across an equally cheap and well-conditioned pizza stone - I would definitely consider getting one just for the sake of trying! (Or if any of my friends have one I could borrow because I am trying to purge stuff and not collect more!)

Does it work better than a pizza pan with holes all along the bottom? YES.  A million times yes.  Because you really do get that crispy bottom I have dreamed about with pizzas! Usually I just line my baking sheet with parchment paper and make my pizzas that way as it's a large pan and square - so it'll feed my kids easily.  But the bottom was never crispy.  The crusts (aka pizza handles) sure were - but it's not the same!

So I hope this overly lengthy post helps you and doesn't make the idea of using a cast-iron ANYTHING seem too scary or too time consuming at all! Because it wasn't!

And my neighbour also suggested that I could make crepes on the stove top with this pan, a paella and who knows what else! I don't have to restrict myself to just pizza! But I think I will for now... :D

Enjoy your tasty adventures!
Dominique

Classics: Chicken Noodle Soup (aka The Man Flu Meal aka the Most Expensive Soup I have EVER made!)

Before leaving to go out of town (aka go to the boyfriend "J" while job hunting online and visit my dog Loki) - my oldest kiddo had a cough.  And because he has no idea of basic manners with covering his mouth or coughing into his elbow - he naturally coughed all over me. 
(He has autism and you can read about that in my other blog!))
I am waiting for it to hit me like a ton of bricks. 
So I washed my hands a lot, I showered sometimes twice a day, I ate healthy (as I usually try to) and when I got to J's town - it turned out he is sick too.
I am currently on the sofa wrapped in a blanket after having gone out for a walk with Loki and then promptly filling myself with a bowl of warm soup.

And soup always tastes better the next day doesn't it?!  What is that magical thing that happens overnight in the fridge? The blending of flavours...and of course, soup is good fresh too. 
But the next day = magic.

So - do you want to make a batch of The Man Flu Meal? The "meal" part being you can serve this soup as a meal itself but I also whipped up some basic dinner rolls to go with the soup.
AKA the Most Expensive Soup I have EVER made - well, scroll to the bottom for THAT story...

First thing to note: I own a slow cooker and if I had it here with me - I would have used it.  Tossed everything in and leave it on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
But I didn't...I used a regular pot on the stove.  And you can too.

Second thing to note: you can save your veggie peelings and end bits and put them in a freezer safe ziploc bag and use them for your future veggie soup broth stock!

As usual (aka third thing to note) - there's no official measurements and portions are dependent on your dishware size and starve-o-meter!
If you're running low on the broth part - add more water, a bit more salt and spices and warm it up again! That's what I do!

So let's do it!

What do you need:

• Chicken - whether it be cheap cuts (I used drumsticks) or a whole chicken - go with your budget, whatever is in your freezer or handy enough for you to carry from the shop!
• I used 4 drumsticks but I was also working with a small pot!
• Carrots peeled and chopped - x3 medium
• Potatoes peeled and cubed - x3 medium
• Celery chopped - as much as you like it
  
• Garlic cloves peeled and chopped - x5-10 depending on size
• Ginger peeled and chopped in chunks (you know - so nobody goes insane from the spice or maybe they like it that way...) - depends on preference but I put in a 2-inches long chunk roughly chopped in large pieces 
• Red onion peeled and chopped- x1 medium
• Whole wheat pasta - any shape!  - see how healthy I am trying to be? I used the spiral kind of pasta.
• You can use regular pasta, coloured pasta, whatever you want essentially! There are gluten-free options out there but if they're too pricey - skip the noodles and use wild rice, regular rice or brown rice!
• Spices all to personal preference:
• The usual suspects: salt and pepper - to taste
• You can also use whole pepper kernels - I just grind them
• Dried bay leaves - x4
• Dried parlsey
• Dried oregano
• Dried chives
• Dried herb mix
• Dried rosemary
• aka whatever is in your spice cupboard that would go well in a soup!
• The magic ingredient: WHITE WINE! - a very hefty splash or two.
• Yes children, pregnant/breast-feeding mamas or alcohol sensitive people can eat this soup! Once boiled - the alcohol component boils away - so you won't go walking about drunk afterward...assuming you're just putting a hefty splash or two and not a whole bottle and no water for the main broth part! 😉

If you have a slow cooker - toss it all in (except pasta or rice) including water, cover and cook on low for 8 hours.  Add the rice or pasta the last 15 minutes before serving. Discard the bones.

What to do if you don't have a slow cooker:

1. Fill a large pot with water about 2/3 of the way and put on the stove burner about medium-high heat.
2. Once the water starts to boil - add in your ginger, garlic, onions and meat.
3. Add root veggies, spices and wine - continue to boil until meat is cooked and veggies are tender.
4. Remove bones and if the meat hasn't fallen off on their own - remove pieces of chicken and scrape meat off with a couple of forks and put the meat and bones back into the pot.
5. Reduce heat and let simmer 20-30 minutes on low stirring on occasion.
6. 15-minutes before serving - bring to a boil again and add your rice or pasta.
7. Before serving - remove bones.
8. Enjoy with a slice of bread and butter, or a dinner roll, a sandwich or a salad!

No I didn't eat 6 dinner rolls alone! Or did I....?

Now, a funny story to go with this soup...the reason why this is the "Most expensive soup I have EVER made" is because I was cooking in J's kitchen - as I usually do when I am here.  His cooking skills are limited and I like variety. 
SO! I cook.

I was making the soup and once he got home from work - I put the soup to boil again to prep the soup for the pasta. The stove hood (fan thingy above the stove) decided to clunk out on me.  I thought it was fine - I had it on maximum because there was a lot of steam from the soup boiling but when J saw it and I had it decreased down to medium circulation - he tried to push it on max and the button got super stuck and it wouldn't work.

In the end - it was determined that there was a short circuit in the wiring because the house is fairly old and it was just crap luck that I touched the fan buttons maybe twice that day and it broke.

After him humming and hawing over it and trying to figure out what's wrong - he comforted me with the fact that he wasn't mad that I "broke it" - it just was coincidence.

We discussed that it would cost an estimate of 500€ to replace and repair the wiring and he said:

"But it was really good soup and dinner rolls...just very expensive soup and dinner rolls..."

After telling a friend this - he said, "Those are Michelin star prices!"

😂

Ciao for now!
Dominique

Classics: Homemade Salsa & Guacamole

I had to tie these two together because it is so rare for me to have one and not the other.  Especially when making tortillas/fajitas/tacos (take your pick?).

So last night I made tortillas for my boyfriend's lunch and tonight we are having them again because the salsa should be even better - having stunk up the fridge (no lid for the bowl) and having "cooked" in the fridge for a solid 24 hours.

So - let's start with salsa!
I promise this is way better than the mushy red stuff in the jars in the stores!

What you need:
MAKE THIS THE DAY BEFORE YOU PLAN TO DEVOUR IT!

The shop I am close to didn't have lime or fresh cilantro!

• 4 large tomatoes 
• ½ medium red onion (peeled and diced)
• 5-8 large cloves of garlic (peeled and minced)
• 1 can of ready to use kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
• 1 can of ready to use black beans (rinsed and drained)
• 1 lime juiced
• 2-4 fresh chili peppers chopped (stems removed and seeds too if you don't want it too hot)
• Handful of fresh cilantro chopped
• salt and pepper
• sugar
• cayenne pepper
• smoked paprika powder
• chili powder
• chili flakes

What to do:

1. Wash tomatoes and cut away the bit where the stem was attached.  
1. Chop tomatoes up
2. Mix everything together except spices.
3. Add spices according to preference of strength.  For me - I added a sprinkle of salt, lots of pepper, a sprinkle of sugar and a lot of the other spices - but not too much because I wanted the fresh ingredients flavours to shine through most!
1. Stir well and add more ingredients or spices according to your preference.  
1. I do a sniff and taste test 😀
4. Put in a fridge-safe container with a lid (or else your fridge is going to stink!) and leave it for overnight at least - 24 hours is optimal!
5. Enjoy it with tacos, nachos, enchiladas/tortillas/burritos/fajitas, on meat or fish - whatever floats your boat!

Next is guacamole!

What you need:

• 2 large ripe avocados
• 3-5 garlic cloves (peeled and minced)
• garlic powder
• ½ large lemon squeezed (or a whole small lime)
• chili flakes
• 1 tomato chopped and seeded (optional - I personally don't add this)

What to do:

1. Remove the seed from the avocado and scoop avocado flesh into a bowl
2. Add remaining ingredients to taste and mash until smooth
3. Cover with plastic wrap (if not using immediately) and by "cover with plastic" I mean press it down so there's next to no air to brown your guacamole prematurely!  The lime or lemon juice prevents the browning but the lack of air definitely helps.
1. Another option is to put a layer of plastic wrap touching the guacamole then put a lid on your container.
4. Enjoy with everything delicious.  Especially on toast with a fried egg or without the egg if you're a vegan!

Enjoy responsibly!

Hope this helps you conquer your possible fears over how to make salsa and guacamole!!
Enjoy!
XO,
Dominique

Classics: Flour Tortillas

Like I said on Facebook - I am out of town currently and thought I would take advantage of this week to mentally recuperate from having my kids (and walking over 100km last week) and dealing with next to no sleep.  My daughter is going through this PERMANENT phase of waking up in the middle of the night - sooooo I was a wee bit grumpy when I arrived to my destination.

Something I have been meaning to try for years was my own flour tortillas.  I recall being in a restaurant in Halifax (name has escaped me) and you could see the waitresses making the tortillas and they had a fancy press and everything...

But I tucked that thought in the back of my head until the boyfriend made me promise healthy food this week.
I cheated and brought some banana bread with dark chocolate chips in it...and we may have split a kebab roll last night too...ANYWAY!

Then the thought hit me and once I get a food idea in my head - I cannot let it go.

So I went to the store and got everything I needed.

I used this recipe and had some mild screw ups.

First of all - I'm staying in a countryside place and there was NO cooking spray in the local corner store.
I survived using a couple drops of olive oil and a brush and spreading it around evenly.  Then I only used the brush between new tortillas being placed in the pan!

Second of all - he has a frying pan with tall sides and a small wok.  So I may have rolled them out too large and they were thick in some parts and thin in others.
I survived by not caring!

Third? Because third time's a charm - I may have cooked them a wee bit too long.  Not that they were burnt but because they quickly turned into a tortilla chip!
I survived yet again by not caring and eating it anyway!

So now I know for next time.  Cook them on a lower heat or for shorter on a hotter temperature!

Otherwise - I am happy with my first attempt and despite eating half a kebab roll - I couldn't resist it and opted to make a tiny tortilla filled with homemade guacamole and salsa and spiced chicken for myself - you know, for testing purposes.

AND I DIED AND WENT TO HEAVEN.

It was soft and fluffy and warm and way tastier than the paper thin ones from the grocery store - yes even better than the herb and garlic ones (oooh I should try that next!) - which of course would've been a hell of a lot more convenient but y'know - for Instagram and blogging purposes - I just HAD to try this.  And because I know my kids won't eat these with any fillings in them - I probably won't make them in the future any time soon unless for friends or when I am visiting the boyfriend!

I shall make a new post about the fillings at another time because the gym is screaming my name...it's been far too long!  The kids had a summer holiday last week (aka no day-care or school) and will do so again next week when they're with me - so I am trying to crank out the workouts with them via walking crazy long distances and gym time when I am not with them.

Thanks for reading and happy foodie adventures!
XO,
Dominique

Flexible Dish: Chicken & Pesto Pasta

I may as well permanently apologize for all my future delayed posts because I am like that.  I just get caught up with the kids and LIFE...but will try to be more active and not just sharing pics of food via Instagram!

I don't know why but I didn't taste pesto until I was a mom.  A mom of 3...and even then it wasn't something I chose to try.  Let's just say that pesto wasn't in my household growing up either...

But anyway I absolutely freaking love it.

It's basil-y and garlic-y and so green and healthy and delicious.

I have made my own once and it was tasty too but pine nuts are crazy expensive - so I now opt for the no-name/generic store brand named stuff and am just as happy...my wallet is happier too.

My neighbour is a vegetarian and she keeps sending me snap chat pics (or is it just called "snaps"?) of her "pesto pasta" and I thought - it cannot be that hard.

So one night I felt like pasta and this is obviously a dish my kids will not eat - so I made sure to enjoy it at night while they slept.  And it was glorious.

It might change your life.

It's kind of like when I discovered how easy (although time consuming!) making fresh pasta was - and I was addicted.

Well, have no fear - I used store bought whatever shape is in your cupboard pasta.  So that'll save you a crap load of time.

Unlike my vegetarian buddy - I added some cooked chicken pieces, shredded prosciutto, some sliced veggies and a lot of chili flakes - and I have 0 regrets.

And you know what else is freaking awesome?!  You can eat this as a main dish, a side dish, a guilty pleasure dish, hot or cold...or when you need to fend off someone with your stellar pesto-y breath...don't limit yourself.  The skies are the limit.
Hence the "Flexible Dish" section of the blog I just added today.

As always - measurements are guess-timates.

What you need (portioned for 2 very hungry people):

• 3 cooked and lightly seasoned (salt and pepper with minced garlic) chicken breasts
• 4 strips of prosciutto shredded with your fingers
• 1/2 medium red onion peeled and chopped
• 5 large white mushrooms washed and sliced
• 1/2 red pepper washed, seeded and diced
• Pasta in fun shapes (I used heart-shaped ones)
• oil
• salt
• Ready-made pesto
• Cream cheese (plain)
• Milk or cream
• chili flakes

What to do:

• Boil water and add a bit of oil and a pinch of salt
• Add pasta and cook according to directions
• Drain the pasta but save a bit of the water (maybe a tablespoon's worth!) - remove from heat!
• In a separate pan or sauce pan - put some oil and fry the veggies a bit on high heat
• Add a couple heaping tablespoons of pesto into the pot with the pasta, the chicken and veggies
• Add a monster sized blob (aka a massive heaping tablespoon of cream cheese) and stir while on low heat
• Or just shut off the heat - your burner will be warm enough to keep cooking the "sauce" part of this recipe. Just make sure you're constantly stirring and keeping an eye on it so it doesn't burn!
• Add a bit of milk (or cream) to your pasta pot, stirring regularly so the cheese melts and the pesto is well blended in too
• Stir in shredded prosciutto and chili flakes according to taste and serve hot!
  
  
  or
• Let it cool and chill it in the fridge and serve it as a cold pasta salad

I had some that night and the next day straight out of the fridge and it was delicious both ways!

I genuinely love my neighbour and hate her at the same time (lovingly) for introducing me to such a SIMPLE meal that I made a bit extra with protein and veggies.

Confession time...I had some pesto pasta tonight - without the protein or veggies - because I walked 15km today and was feeling a bit lazy...
Isn't that awesome though? Not the 15 km part but how freaking flexible this meal is.

And it's fairly CHEAP!  You can of course adjust what veggies you want in there - the veggies I listed were merely suggestions as they were what I had on hand.

Enjoy this dish in your nicest pair of yoga pants/sweats and please don't hate me for loving this dish...
Blame my neighbour.

XO,
Dominique

Real Talk: Working in a Restaurant

Alright folks - let's get to the nitty gritty.

Working in a restaurant.

Sounds busy and it can be.  And it SHOULD be.  Being bored for 8 hours and you're not allowed to use your phone in the kitchen is very frustrating indeed.

Once upon a time I was 19 and a waitress for my aunt for a summer and it was one of the most exciting and exhausting jobs I have ever done (other than motherhood - which is a forever-long gig) so now that I have some experience and have witnessed what the owners have done as well and can perhaps give you some insight on what it's like to work in a restaurant.
Bear in mind - these are based on my personal experiences and every restaurant and person is different.

Waitress

Things you (may/most likely) have to handle or deal with:

• Cleaning the restaurant 
• Washing windows
• Cleaning tables 
• Clearing off tables
• Vacuuming and mopping floors
• Cleaning the bathrooms
• Doing dishes
• Cleaning up accidents (i.e. spilled food, broken dishes, vomit -hopefully not)
• Refilling condiments 
• Salt and pepper shakers
• ketchup or other sauces in little bowls perhaps
• filling a salad bar or buffet
• Customer service
• As a host(ess) finding seating for your customers
• Accommodating customers needs and demands
• Taking their orders
• Serving their food and beverages in a timely manner
• Handling customer complaints
• Packing take-away orders or leftovers
• Handling customer reservations and inquiries on the phone/e-mail
• Processing payments (cash, bank/credit cards, gift cards, coupons and discount vouchers)
• So much math....splitting bills for example and calculating tips if need be.
• Other
• Planning schedules for other staff and handling reservations
• Long hours and on your feet for most of it
• Organizing catering services (includes setting up the location and food perhaps)
• Dealing with extremely flirtatious customers that might not accept "no" for an answer.
• Dealing with alcoholic or troubled customers that may exhaust you mentally and possibly try to hurt you physically if you deny them services.
• Dealing with customers smearing you publicly and privately - for example by word of mouth or describing you on the restaurant's public social media pages.
• AKA bullying

Cooking

Things you may/most likely have to deal with in the kitchen:

• Running out of ingredients
• Naturally this is prime time that customers want that particular meal or dish with those missing ingredients! :)
• Equipment breaking or missing
• It's why it's crucial to know where everything goes and to put things back once you're done!
• Yelling - you're yelling, serving staff yelling, your boss yelling - everyone yells...
• Usually depends on the size of the kitchen!
• Lack of space  - counter space can be limited and you may be bumping elbows with that coworker you can't stand more often than not.
• Also when it comes to unloading a lot of ingredients and stock/supply - it can get pretty cramped!
• Service staff dropping food and having to re-do a dish from scratch.
• Pain
• burning yourself
• cutting yourself
• losing a finger (tip or whole) or other body part *I personally haven't done this or witnessed this - but I've heard stories!)
• bumping yourself by walking into or tripping over something
• dropping heavy things on yourself
• heavy lifting
• Long hours on your feet
• dry skin from excessively washing and disinfecting your hands
• Bear in mind I live in a dry part of Finland.
• Stress
• Customers complaining and returning food
• Large groups of customers ordering at once (or several customers ordering at once)
• Customers changing their orders last moment - usually once their food is about to be served.
• Not having enough staff to assist
• Messing up dishes or plating
• memorizing the menu - especially if it's a large one or changes regularly
• Cleaning
• doing dishes and putting everything away
• emptying the deep fryer and cleaning the grill
• cleaning the gas stove
• cleaning floors
• washing some dishes by hand
• cleaning dishes with hard stuck-on food (this is why rule #1 is to SOAK it all!)
• emptying the food traps in the industrial dishwashers or in the floor (they smell rotten and like death and only the brave can handle it without vomiting all over themselves)
• doing a massive deep clean a few times a year 

Owner/Management

• Planning schedules for catering and staff
• Taking orders via e-mail and phone calls for reservations, dinner parties and catering services requests
• Handling social media accounts and television/radio interviews for promotional purposes
• Handling customer/staff complaints and conflict
• Creating new menus and specials
• Dealing with repair and regular maintenance/check-ups for all equipment and the building itself
• Taxes (ugh)
• Processing everyone's pay
• Interviewing and hiring new staff
• Ensuring they are properly trained for the work environment
• Ensuring there's enough food per shipment and ordering regularly
• Budgeting
• Firing staff
• Handling inquiries within staff (i.e. if someone is stealing tips or possibly stealing from the restaurant)
• Ensuring all bills are paid on time
• Ordering new equipment and dishes/supplies
• Deal with busier times and not so demanding times from customers (ie Christmas time is usually quite busy but after the new year - not so much).
• Little sleep (depending on the hours of the restaurant - you might work from morning to close!)
• Little personal time off or vacation time

I am sure there are a lot of things I am missing and some might not apply to you!

But perhaps this will give you a glimpse into the life of a restaurant worker and show you how difficult it can be.

It is partially why I do not want to have my own place.  I used to think it would be a great way to live but now that I have children - I don't think I could do it until they perhaps were independent and moved out.

It's also why I strongly believe that those who work in a restaurant are super strong mentally - because they have to do and remember so many things and work together as a team to get through the day.
A cook or head chef is no better than a waitress and vice verca.  Both are very demanding jobs and should be respected equally.

XO,
Dominique