After boarding, our pilots give us a little sheet to read that announces our destination, flight deck names, flying altitude, flying time, and weather conditions. One of my favorite captains enjoys writing in different names for us to read! Hannah Anderson got to fly with him as he put down Star Wars names on her page! (Hannah is one of my favorites to fly with and likes to have fun. I met her going to London, and she even brought extra Christmas tree hairbands to wear as we flew for Christmas. I loved it!!!)  One of the names he put down for me was Captain Obvious and First Officer Awesome, and he changes the names on each leg! 🙂

Speaking of “awesome….” I found this amazing recipe for sourdough pancakes off Pinterest!!! I’m going to have to try it in the waffle maker!!! I have one of those sourdough bread starters as I make bread on a weekly basis. I’ll see if I can later post how to create a starter, but in the meantime, if you have your own starter or would like to get some from me, you must try these:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sourdough starter
1 cup milk
1 2/3 cups plain flour
2 eggs
4 Tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar

Directions:
Combine milk & sourdough starter in a medium bowl using a fork. Stir in flour, salt, sugar and baking soda. Add eggs, mixing well. Fold in melted butter. Cook on ungreased griddle at 350 or ungreased coated pan on medium heat. Cook until bubbles begin to appear, flip and cook other side until lightly browned. Serve with butter and syrup or fresh fruit!

This amount may produce about 18 pancakes, so divide in half if you have fewer people. I cannot believe how delicious this is…. 🙂

I love the phrase “awesome sauce,” but I actually did find a recipe for awesome fish taco sauce! When I worked a trip to San Diego, my captain and I walked to a nearby Mexican restaurant where I tried fish tacos the first time and fell in love with them! Ever since, I’ve been trying to recreate this treasure, and what I came up with is truly yummy! I found the cilantro cream sauce online through simply-gourmet.com but I put the tacos together myself.

Cilantro Cream Sauce Ingredients:
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 tsp lime juice
1 jalapeno pepper
1 handful of cilantro
1 tsp onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until creamy. Make & set in fridge for at least 1 hour before serving. Now, for my fish taco ingredients (yields all 24):

1 pack of corn tortillas (24)
1 pack coleslaw salad
1 block of white mexican cheese (fresco)
Cilantro
6 tilapia filets
Seafood seasoning
Panko bread crumbs

Rinse fish filets in water and pat dry. Sprinkle both sides with seafood seasoning then cut into small strips. Coat with bread crumbs which will be sparse but adds a nice crunch. Cook both sides in a pan with a little oil for a couple minutes on each side. Set all aside. In the same pan, or another, add enough oil to coat the bottom. Place corn tortilla in oil and cook for a few seconds on each side. The best way to drain the grease is getting a stack of square napkins and alternating napkin with tortilla. The 4-ply napkins really absorb the oil! Otherwise, you may feel too nauseated from the grease. I learned the hard way… ha ha!

Let’s put them together! One corn tortilla, spread a little “awesome sauce” down the middle. Top with 2 – 3 fish strips, add some coleslaw salad, sprinkle a few sprigs of cilantro, then top with crumbled fresco cheese. Roll like a burrito, or fold in half. Since I made so many, I placed the rolled tacos in foil and set in the fridge. It reheats very well and fits perfectly in my lunchbox! Leave a small opening when heating it in the toaster oven to add a little crunch. Enjoy!!

Now, I’ve been asked about what it’s like being a Flight Attendant. I LOVE IT!!! It’s a completely unique industry and lifestyle. The best way to learn is to google it to read about it. There are 4 types of flight attendants: mainline (me, major carrier), regional (contract carriers to the majors and are the smaller planes), charter, and corporate. I’ll go over these later, but in the meantime, go to the following website to see who’s hiring, and come fly with me!!

http://www.flightattendantcareer.com/hiring_info.htm

I always enjoy flying on major holidays because the loads are typically light as most people are already with family and usually don’t fly on the holiday itself. Some hotels even provide a Thanksgiving meal for flight crew in a reserved banquet room. One year, I happen to see a fellow classmate in the banquet room of the same hotel!

This year, I’m injured (tore my ACL and had knee reconstructive surgery) and got to spend time with my family and loved ones. You know how some family members are known for a particular dish? Well, my corn casserole is always highly requested, so here is the recipe!

 Ingredients:
3 large cans of sweet corn (drained) or 4 ears of fresh corn (kernels cut into a bowl)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup mayo
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1 sleeve Ritz crackers

Directions:
Mix corn, cheese, and mayo and pour into 9 x 9 casserole dish. In a separate bowl, melt butter, then crush Ritz crackers and mix together. Spread Ritz & butter mixture over the corn mixture. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Happy Thanksgiving!

Halloween is always the last day of the Be Pink campaign as October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and we get to wear pink accessories. Last year, I found a pink wig and put on a cute headband with bats for the occasion. I also gave out candy to my pax!

This year, I’m out on medical leave due to knee surgery, and my sweet second cousin, Victoria Sharp, brought me a basket of Halloween sweets. She’s quite an amazing cook at the young age of 19, and she’s been cooking from scratch for many years already! She even individually wrapped each delicious cookie in fun plastic. This is the mother cookie comprised of all cookies – peanut butter, chocolate chip, and oatmeal all rolled into one! She found these Monster Cookies on LoveGrowsWild.com and I have to share this! Warning: highly addictive!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup M&M candies

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and peanut butter with a hand or stand mixer until light & fluffy, about 3 – 4 minutes. Mix in the egg & vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. In a separate bowl, add the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt and whisk to combine. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips, and M&M candies by hand. Measure out 1/4 cup balls of dough and place them on the baking sheets. Bake the cookies for 11 – 13 minutes until the edges are just starting to brown and the top still looks slightly undercooked. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.

I went to my family reunion on my father’s side, which was a potluck, and boy, do they know how to cook! My cousin made some delicious mac and cheese, my second cousin made some delicious Mexican cornbread and homemade vegetable soup. While I’m waiting for these recipes, let me share what my other precious second cousin (Victoria Sharp) made: Chocolate Crinkle Cookies! These are found on allrecipes.com, and I savored every delicious chocolatey bite as I’m a true chocoholic!

Ingredients:
1 cup unsweetend cocoa powder
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, mix together cocoa, white sugar, and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the cocoa mixture. Cover dough, and chill for at least 4 hours. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough into one inch balls. Coat each ball in confectioner’s sugar before placing onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake in preheated oven for 10 – 12 minutes. Let stand on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to wire racks to cool.

If that’s not exciting enough, I attended my husband’s family reunion on his mother’s side. I met many of his family members I haven’t met before, and they’re all such wonderful people. I married into a great family! I met his second cousin Corey Smith and his beautiful fiancé, Nichole Christian. While we were talking, Corey kept saying I looked familiar, and he did to me, too. Then, he remembered! I was his flight attendant from PHX to CLT! I remember he was in my exit row because he was in his military uniform! What a small world! I was transporting my own family member and didn’t realize it at the time! Thank you, Corey, for serving…

I was #27 for a 4-day, so I put in 8 choices for trips. My first choice was a 3-day with a short RIC (Richmond, VA) overnight and a long MSY (New Orleans, LA) overnight. My best friend from high school in Seoul, South Korea is in Richmond, so I call my BFF!!
Me: Rosie! I’m coming to Richmond to see you! I got a trip there!
Rose: Kim! I’m in Colorado, but my family would love to see you!

I surprised her by getting a trip to see her, and she surprised me by not being there… 🙂 That’s OK because I love her family, and her mother was visiting, so I got to see them. She was seeing her son in Colorado who got accepted in the United States Air Force Academy! I love seeing my friends and family on overnights. It makes my trips rather surreal, and I forget that I’m working. I can’t believe I get paid to see friends!

Not only did I get to see my BFF’s family, I got to fly with good friends – Araceli Jasso and Wendy Wylie! When I saw the crew, it was definitely more incentive to choose this trip. We had some great moments such as meeting a very sweet man from the Grand Cayman whom we spoiled on the flight and getting off the plane in Grand Cayman to buy gifts. Another memorable moment was when Wendy and I came up the aisle, and a lady tried to get out of our way and not only slid into a row of seats, but she sat on a guy’s head who was sleeping! I have no idea how she did not see him at all… I couldn’t believe it!

 In New Orleans, some crew members wanted to rest and go out later, so Captain Chris and I immediately went out as we were starving. We headed to the French Quarter and looked at restaurant menus along the way when we finally agreed to eat at Pierre Maspero’s. Well, just about everything on the menu looked delicious (and reasonably priced), and I was torn between the Shrimp and Grits (gulf shrimp lightly sautéed in white wine and butter with heirloom tomatoes, shallots, fresh herbs and Chisesi’s ham served over out creamy cheese grits) or the Blackened Redfish Alfredo Pasta (fettucine pasta tossed in creamy alfredo sauce topped with fresh Louisiana redfish, blackened with Cajun spices). I ended up trying the shrimp and grits which were magnificently divine!!! I savored every flavorful bite and got a “to go” box, so I can save money and have it for lunch the next day. I have to return and try the pasta…

If you are in New Orleans’ French Quarter area, go to 440 Chartres Street. You’ll get to experience the local flavor and won’t be disappointed! Ah-yiiiiiiiiii!

http://www.originalpierremasperos.com/menu

I got tagged by daily: 3-day red eye to PHX. Yay! I saw a dear friend who transferred from CLT to PHX, AND I got to visit with a couple I haven’t seen since moving away from ABQ in 2007! They are now both flight attendants with Southwest Airlines and live in PHX! I love being able to visit old and new friends on my layovers!

I was the extra (K) position, and flew with great crews. I always introduce myself to the flight deck (pilots which are the Captain and First Officer), and one FO said, “Oh, the loser position!” 🙂 OK, good one – as we are without a crew, have our own pairings going from plane to plane, and go to and from hotels by ourselves. I even had great pax, one of which gave us a pack of delicious chocolate truffles, and upon deplaning, a man told me to make sure the FA in the back hands out his special chapstick to all the FAs and to “not shirk us on our gifts!” 🙂

One leg was a 45-minute flight. This means 5 minutes to 10,000 feet. 2 dings signal it’s safe to get up and perform our duties. 20 minutes are needed for landing preparation. This leaves 20 minutes to serve an entire coach cabin of 171, and we start from the beginning at row 5.

Me: Would you like something to drink?
Pax: What do you have?
(Please understand that there are 160+ pax behind you with only 18 minutes left. I don’t have time to go over the entire beverage selection.)
Me: “NOT A LOT OF TIME!” (Of course I didn’t say it, but was thinking it… However, I was smiling and being positive!) What are you in the mood for? Chances are we’ve got it!
Pax: Root beer?
Me: I’m sorry, how about a Dr. Pepper?
Pax: No, Mello Yellow?
Me: Sierra Mist?? I can add a splash of orange juice!
Pax: No, pineapple juice?
(Seriously?! STRIKE THREE!)
Me: Well, my pax have always gotten what they wanted on the first or second try. I said that chances are we’ve got it, but I didn’t say the chances were high…

Everybody laughed as he enjoyed his Coke!

I clearly did not have time to eat on the plane, and I always pack various containers just in case. I usually include one aluminum, one glass, and one plastic container. Glass is incredibly easy to clean and is microwavable without melting, unlike plastic. Here is one of my favorite spaghetti recipes. Be sure and cut the noodles with scissors into bite-sized pieces as it’s MUCH easier to eat while traveling and not as messy.

Ingredients:
1 large jar of Prego traditional sauce
2 packs of Italian sausage (one mild, one hot)
1 box angel hair pasta
6 cloves minced garlic
Various herbs from garden – about 5 stems, trim leaves for cooking

Directions:
Cook pasta in boiling water. While the pasta cooks, cut the coating off the sausages and cook them in a large skillet until very browned. Add the garlic and herbs and cook additional 2 minutes. Add the sauce and stir until heated. I don’t drain the juice from the sausage because I think the grease helps it taste better upon reheating.

This quantity will produce 10 meals in various containers. Divide the noodles into all containers, then top with sauce. Upon cooling down, top with lids and use heavy aluminum foil on the mini loaf-pans. Be sure to label your meals before storing them in the freezer. Use the meals as ice blocks to help keep your lunchbox items cold until thawed enough to cook. Bon appetit at 35,000 feet!

I got another trip as the extra (K) position. I fly with different crews from different bases, and I always make a game of who the best crew is. On my last leg, I did have a captain buy a box of fancy scones for the crew, so I’d say he got the Best Captain award!

Not only do I get to fly with various crews, but we also have various types of pax, of course. On one of my legs, we had a lovely young teenage girl who was traveling with her family. She was granted her wish through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. This wonderful organization grants wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses from the ages of 2.5 to 18. My former crash pad roommate and a close friend got to transport a sweet little 5-year old and her family to meet Taylor Swift and attend her concert. Also on her flight was a U.S. Marine going home to see his 3-year old daughter he hadn’t seen in 8 months! She said his eyes were lit up with pure joy and excitement!

While she was having all these wonderful moments on her trip, I was busy getting my shins bruised and beat up from everybody’s feet in the aisle, getting coughed and sneezed on numerous times by the same sick pax, and dealing with an unruly pax who was throwing a temper tantrum in the exit row. Come to find out, this same pax went “bananas” at the gate and caused a scene before coming on! My friend kept saying she had a great day, and you know what? I did, too! Even though we deal with the not-so-glamourous parts of our job, I’m very blessed to be a flight attendant. I absolutely love my job, and we are truly the lucky ones!

Speaking of “bananas,” here’s a delicious recipe from The Chew. I love that TV show, and there’s a lot of recipes I’d like to try from their website. I left out the bananas flambé because I was just too lazy. The picture just shows the pancakes which were absolutely divine!

Pancake ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 pinch salt
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 cups whole milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp unsalted butter (melted)
3 Tbsp light brown sugar

Bananas flambe ingredients:
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cinnamon stick
2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch salt
4 bananas cut into 1” pieces
1/4 cup dark rum

Directions:
Put a nonstick pan on the stove over medium heat. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt and granulated sugar together. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the milk. Add vanilla extract and melted butter, then whisk some more. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in thirds, and whisk. Make sure to get all the lumps out of the batter. When you are done whisking the batter, crumble 2 Tbsp of the brown sugar on top and stir them in. Take some butter and heat in the pan to melt. Cook pancakes in batches. Pour the batter onto the pan in a ladleful at a time. Flip the pancakes when bubbles form on top. Cook until golden brown on both sides. Sprinkle the remaining Tbsp of brown sugar over the top. Set aside.

For the banana flambé, melt butter over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add the brown sugar, spices, and vanilla and cook until caramelized, stirring occasionally. Toss in the bananas and coat with the sauce. Add the rum and flambé until flames extinguish. Serve pancakes with flambeed bananas.

http://www.Wish.org

I lived in Albuquerque, NM for several years, and it’s truly the most beautiful place I’ve ever lived! Not only do I love the beauty of the land, but I fell in love with its culture, art, and food. I’ve always loved Mexican food – then I discovered NEW Mexican food…. I even have fond memories of working in the film industry and playing volleyball where I met some great friends, one of which became a best friend. ABQ = Friends, food, film industry, and fun volleyball. In June, we picked up CLT-ABQ, and I finally got this trip!

I flew with a fantastic crew who always buddy bids this ABQ trip. They bid for the same trip, so they can fly together. One of them was from ABQ, and his parents live in Santa Fe. Basically, he gets paid to work trips to “home!” Too bad we don’t fly into my home airport… Not only is this an easy and great trip, but the people going to and from ABQ are so laid back. Even the lady was nice and apologetic about my asking her to please take her baby to the lav. The tray table is not a baby changing station….People eat off there, and now I’ll bet you’ll bring anti-bacterial spray when traveling!

 I met up with some friends from the film industry! Jim DeMente, Bill DeMente, and Alex Sanchez met me for lunch as we reminisced about working on various movies together! It was so fun catching up with each other and talking about the “good ole’ days!” I also got to see my best friend, Nayana Cohenour, her family, and meet her son’s new family!

New Mexican food has its own flavor. They use more yellow cheeses, and the dishes are all bursting with flavor and a kick! You order either red or green chile, and neither come in a Tobasco bottle! We’ll talk more about their food next time I go there.

 When Nayana picked me up, I told her I needed to see the Candy Lady, Debbie, to tell her my love story. Years ago, when I was divorced and was working in the film industry, our production office was downtown. I used to walk to get “Brownies” (my favorite chocolate candy) from the Candy Lady. I was having a hard time finding direction in my life, and Debbie always gave me good advice. One thing she said was, “Make a list of everything you want in a man – all the qualities. Every time you go out with a guy, compare him to the list.” Well, it was actually a very good idea as I love to write. It was enlightening and thought-provoking. My list included shallow and deep qualities, and I stopped at 60. Would you believe my husband has every single quality?? I had to tell her about that list! She actually remembered me, and I’ll be sending her a small package that includes my list and a poem I wrote about my husband being my list!

 When you visit Albuquerque, go see beautiful Old Town. Not only do they have tasty restaurants, but visit Debbie, the Candy Lady. She’s a real sweetie – no pun intended! 🙂

http://www.CandyLady.com

It’s summer; it’s July, and it’s HOT! Go make this delicious salad, then have a seat a read all about buddy passes! You know you want a buddy pass, but mine are reserved for my family (the ones NOT on my flight benefits), and to very close friends in “emergency” situations.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup fresh tangerine juice
1 jalapeno
1 small shallot, finely chopped
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 avocados, sliced
4 tangerines or clementines, peeled, sliced into rounds
6 cups purslane, arugula, or watercress, thick stems trimmed
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
2 ounces feta, crumbled (about 1/3 cup)

Directions:
Simmer tangerine juice in a small saucepan until syrupy and reduced to about 2 Tbsp. 5 – 8 minutes. Let cool. Heat a small heavy skillet over medium – high heat. Cook jalapeño, turning occasionally, until blistered and charred all over, about 8 minutes. Let cool; remove stem, skin, and seeds, then finely chop. Whisk shallot, vinegar, reduced tangerine juice, and half of jalapeño in a medium bow; season with salt and pepper. Whisk in vegetable oil, then olive oil. Add remaining jalapeño, if desired. Set vinaigrette aside. Toss avocados, tangerines, purslane, mint, and vinaigrette in a large bowl; top with feta. (Vinaigrette can be made 1 day ahead; cover and chill.)

This salad is extremely refreshing and unusually tasty! The sweetness of the tangerines go so well with the avocado and the hint of mint – not to the mention the slight kick of the jalapeño vinaigrette! All the combined flavors are truly amazing and addicting! Even my “steak & potatoes” husband ate the entire leftover salad in one sitting. Made made me so proud! 🙂 Thank you to Anika Gordon who shared this recipe online from BonAppetit.com. She’s a fellow foodie, and I always look forward to trying delicious recipes from my peeps!

My flight benefits include my husband (marry me, fly for free) and my parents, and any dependents until the age of 24. That’s why my passes are for my sister’s family and my husband’s family, etc. I receive 16 flight segments per year which means 8 round trip tickets. Before you get excited, they are NOT free…. I can look up how much a buddy pass will cost, and it’s also based on which airport you fly through. For example, a pass that connects through CLT (Charlotte) I can be cheaper than a connection through DCA (Washington’s Reagan National).

Buddy passes are more expensive than you think and they are standby. This means you are not guaranteed a seat. After everybody boards, the gate agent will look at the number of leftover seats. Here’s who gets on:
Active employees – ME! 🙂
Retirees
Parents
Buddy (guest) passes go last

Keep in mind that “active employees” include not only our specific airline but employees from all major carriers – especially if they are commuters going to and from work. This includes all the regional carriers, too, and we’ll go over regional vs. mainline later.

Many times, you can pay a little more money and be guaranteed a seat. Here’s an example: Our buddy pass to Hawaii was around $540. The cheapest regular ticket was under $575. Which would you choose? That “should” be a no-brainer! Lol! Also, prices will vary just like regular ticket prices vary. The savings can be up to 50% off, but that’s rare. It’s usually more like 25% off. I have to enter in your credit card and personal information, and you do not get charged unless you get on.

If you’re on standby and you don’t get on, you can get rolled over to the next flight. Again, the employees, retirees, and parents will get on over you on the next flight. What if you have a connection? If you get on your first leg, there’s a chance you’ll be waiting all day at the airport. You WILL be charged for the segment you flew. Then, you have to pay to fly back home or spend the night somewhere and hope to get to your destination the next day.

Now let’s talk about buddy pass etiquette… Do not ask for special favors from us when you get on the plane. Be on your best behavior, and please dress nicely. You are a reflection of the sweet flight attendant who gave you the buddy pass as their job and reputation are on the line. The company CAN revoke our pass privileges, and we can even get fired if you misbehave, are disrespectful, and/or are unruly. Yes, I had one character tell me, “Hey! Do I get free drinks and snacks? I’m on a buddy pass!” He thought he was really funny, but I thought otherwise – probably because that was followed by him demanding I upgrade him to first class.

“Ladies and gentlemen: A BUDDY PASS DOES NOT MEAN FIRST CLASS. You are lucky to get on and even luckier that I did not boot you off. Thank you for your attention, and enjoy your pass!”