Gobble It Up

Gobble! Like a turkey! And like eating food! Because it's Thanksgiving! Get it?
I know. It's pretty cheesy. Whatever.

If you didn't catch this already, I love being in the kitchen. And Thanksgiving is a pretty perfect time for that. I already started my prep last night. I spent almost three hours (not even counting bake time, mind you) preparing a couple of apple-berry pies. Before you roll your eyes at me taking so long prepping two pies, remember that this is my passion. And my work may not be worth it to all those people who just scarf down any food they can grab with their grubby little fingers, but I'm sure it's worth it to someone. I hope... If not, oh well. I know that I will end up doing these things even if I'm the only admirer.

The three hours was not me just putzing around. And I wasn't even dancing, either. Did you know that peeling, coring, and slicing apples takes a long flippin' time? I was unaware of this fact until last night. Now I know not to start peeling after 9:00 at night when I want to actually have slept come the next day. But I have an idea to solve this. Since I know I have so many diligent readers/followers/fans/whatever-it-is-that-people-who-read-blogs-are-called out there, I know one of you will gladly send me a device that prepares my apples for me. I don't really know what it's called. But when I find it on my doorstep, I'll have you over for pie. That's a fantastic deal if you ask me. I mean, who wouldn't want to eat pie with me? Every time I eat pie, it's with me. And it's rather enjoyable. So take that into consideration.

Once I got past the apples, the rest went pretty fast. Until I reached the crust, that is. I couldn't just do a normal crust. I had to go and cut the crust into the shape of leaves so that it would be unique or something like that. It looks cool, but I probably should have saved that for a pie that wasn't being finished at midnight. I stuck the finished products in the fridge with the hope they'd still look good when I baked them in the next two days. But now I can see that at least my first one looks decent, so here's hoping they taste scrum-diddly-umptious! Ha ha, just kidding. I don't want my pie tasting like a Disney film.

Along with my pie, I'm making my cinnamon rolls for Thanksgiving breakfast! I'm a little nervous 'cause I've only made them once. They were delicious the first time, so I kinda need them to be great all the time to keep my reputation strong. I'm also taking a recipe from my school book for baked acorn squash with pear and cherry compote. Even if you don't like squash, this recipe is to die for. It might not be a "traditional" Thanksgiving dish, but gosh-darn it, I'll make it one.

Remember, don't be a vegetarian just because you think animals are treated cruelly. That turkey's gonna be on the table for the rest of your family anyway, so you may as well not waste food.

Uniform

There are so many reasons why that word is going to drive me crazy.

Let's start off with my physical unform, since I've already talked about that one to you.  I mean, who thought that an elastic drawstring waistband would make for comfortable pants? They were very, very wrong. Also, it is just me, or are those pants getting a little tighter? I think it's time to chill on the snacking. But being in cooking school makes that out to be a rather difficult task. Plus, they changed things around, so now I will be unable to take anything that I make home! Sad day! And since I won't be eating it at home, let the in-class face stuffing commence. And we have a special exchange program going on with the baking class next door. Some pretty great stuff is produced in those ovens. I guess that doesn't help the tight-pants problem. Oh well. You only live once. Once you get past the pants, there's the hat. I hadn't had to wear it until today because I hadn't worked in the labs yet, so I didn't know how obnoxious it is. It's hot, it totally screws up my hair, and it makes me look bald. I realize that two of those reasons are vanity issues, but the baldy look is not a look I would care to embrace.

Alright.  The second kind of uniform that shall drive me batty (Get it? Batty? 'Cause Halloween's coming?) is, as Webster says, “having always the same form, manner, or degree”. Uh... That sucks. I'm not the most consistent person on earth. I need variety! I need originality, people! Too bad my instructors didn't take my “originality” rant in relation to my varying sizes of diced onion. I guess I'll have to practice my conforming-to-the-world tactics before midterms roll around.  On a happier note, my carrot slicing rocks. I mean, look at this picture below and just try to tell me that those 1/16th of an inch, or “Fine Julienne”, carrot slices that I made with that massive knife aren't impressive. Actually, don't try to see if they're unimpressive. Because you don't want to hurt my feelings. Thanks.

If you ever need carrots sliced into strips or cubes that are 1/16th of an inch, I'm your woman. Not because I like slicing food, but because I can direct you to a store that sells sliced carrots. 'Cause who ever needs to know how to slice carrots that small?

Bumps In The Road

Picture this: You're sitting in your room doing homework. Or you're doing something of equal value - like teaching English to poverty-stricken children in Madagascar or potty-training your baby emu - for those of you who have graduated or are simply "too cool for school". Suddenly, your stomach lets out a low rumble. You jump and look around. No, it wasn't the emu growling because you stepped on his foot, it was your stomach. You're starving.

That feeling of "starvation" is one that many people experience. Of course, as Americans, we can do something about that. We can walk right into the kitchen and grab whatever our grubby, little hands can reach. Unfortunately, this exact experience happened to me (But it was the lame one with the homework - my emu's already potty-trained.). As a BIT (Baker-in-Training), I can't just grab whatever I find in the kitchen. I had to make cookies!

I wasn't going to get too fancy. All I did was follow the recipe on the back of the Nestle Toll House chocolate chip bag. Because those things are amazing. But I did run into my very first bump in the road when I realized that we didn't have any chocolate chips lying around the house. That was a simple fix - I used dark chocolate M&Ms instead! Those are much prettier. I'm such a sucker for bright colors. But that was that - so I thought. Then I pulled out the brown sugar container to find it completely empty. Crazy, right? Who would do such a thing? I couldn't give up on my cookies now. That's when my mom piped in. She told me about something that changed my life forever. Do you want me to tell you what she told me? Are you sitting down? 'Cause you need to brace yourself for this.

You can make your own brown sugar.

Say what? Huge. I know.

I'm even going to go as far as to tell you the super-secret recipe that I clearly didn't just hop on the internet and look up... It's kinda difficult, so down beat yourself up if it doesn't work out the first few times you try it. Just take a deep breath and believe in yourself. Ready?

• 1 Cup Sugar
• 1-2 Tbsp. Molasses

Blend both ingredients together with a hand mixer or a fork.

Like I said, don't be hard on yourself if it doesn't turn out right. Those two ingredients can be tricky to combine. But if you're a master chef and can make this two-ingredient recipe, then you're in business. Put it into your cookies! I cannot believe the taste difference it made. These cookies were better than Chick-fil-A's fries. And that's saying something. I kinda plan to never use store-bought brown sugar again.

I really wish I still had some cookies left. But alas, they didn't last long. No food ever does in my family.

In The Kitchen At Last!

Yesterday, I was in the mood to cook! Luckily, my day was cleared out and I could do whatever I wanted. That's what normal college students do with their free time, right? I went through two of my mom's cookbooks, and picked out a few recipes that sounded good. I went to the store, bought my ingredients (with my mom's credit card, of course!), and spent hours in the kitchen cooking. Quick side notes: If you're going to be spending hours in the kitchen, you need floors that aren't going to kill your feet and back. People say that it would help if I wore shoes while cooking, but we all know that's not gonna happen... Also, if you live with your dad, you should get a CD player or speakers in the kitchen. 'Cause if you use the ones in the other room and blast them at loud volumes, it'll really tick him off.

Getting back to the point – here's two of my recipes that I used for dinner last night! I made them for the guys' Bible study that meets at my house on Saturday nights, and they seemed to like it. Well, either that or they were just happy to get free food. They are guys, after all. Either one works for me!

Bruschetta Chicken

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 10 breasts) *Tip – When buying your chicken, be willing to spend a few extra dollars on the more expensive kind. It makes all the difference in taste!
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 6 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 6 tablespoons minced fresh basil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Place flour and eggs in separate shallow bowls. Dip chicken in flour, then in eggs; place in 2 greased 13” x 9” baking dishes. Combine the Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, and butter; sprinkle over chicken. Loosely cover baking dish with foil.

2. Bake at 375º for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until top is browned.

3. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Spoon over the chicken. Return to the oven for 5 minutes or until tomato mixture is heated through.

This should make about 12 servings. Could be more or less depending on how much people eat.

Spinach Parmesan Linguine

• 1 package (16 ounces) linguine
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons cream cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Cook linguine according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring broth to a boil. Add onion and garlic. Reduce heat; cook uncovered for 5 minutes. Stir in spinach; cook for 2 minutes.

2. Add the milk, cream cheese, salt, and pepper; stir until cheese is melted. Drain linguine and place in a serving bowl. Add sauce and toss to coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses; toss to coat.

One last note: I didn't measure everything perfectly, so a few of these numbers were guesses of what I did. Happy eating!

Tying Ties

I have done things in these past few days that I never thought I'd do. I've learned to tie a tie (well, a neckerchief, but it's the same knot), and I found the highway from downtown without getting lost first. Two extremely large feats for me!

Before yesterday, I had never found the highway from downtown without a GPS or some sort of map. However, I don't have to say that anymore! Leaving school for the first time on Thursday, I knew I was going to spend a few minutes - or hours - maneuvering my car around the one-way streets of Denver trying to find the entrance to I-25. But I had my Panic! at the Disco CD and was ready for a little quality time with downtown. The time came to leave campus. And of course that time was rush hour. I walked out to my car ready to face the adventure that lie ahead. I stuck the key into the ignition and revved up the car. I even put on my squinty eyes (not to be confused with Mr. Potato Head's angry eyes), ready to take on any competition that came my way. A car pulled out in front of me, and I quickly followed. We darted through the city streets. We took on the one-way signs with ease. Suddenly, a sign appeared. It was those glorious blue and white colors that announce the highway. I did it. Well, the random stranger I was following did it... Close enough.

Okay, I admit it. Even though I've already been through two days of class, there isn't much going on. I'm just trying to make me sound awesome, but obviously I'm failing. I don't get to start cooking in class until the beginning of October, so the only things I'm learning are how to communicate with people and run a business, where to sit so you don't have to breathe in the cigarette smoke of your classmate, and how to keep sweat off my neck using that tight, hot neckerchief. All very important things, yes, but I want to cook!

Actually, I've had a lot of fun in this first week of class! I've learned a lot, made some friends, had some fun, and even eaten food from another class. Although, if anyone from that class is reading this, your omelets could use more salt.

Soon. I will cook soon! Maybe I'll even stick some amateur recipe up here for you guys to try out tomorrow. Get hungry!

Let The Fun Begin!

Culinary school is a go! I start in just two weeks at The Art Institute of Colorado. Of course, I probably won't be in their kitchen until October, so don't go begging for my gourmet food just yet.

The school looks amazing. Even my mom was getting excited! However, I think she was more excited for the fact that I'll be cooking dinner a lot more for her...

Apparently, whenever I make something in class, I get to take it home. Gosh, I'm gonna get so fat. And that's not a joke. I really like eating food. ← That's probably why I'm becoming a chef.

I get an awesome chef's outfit to wear everyday! Actually, I get three. Because I'm messy. With this outfit, I can't wear jewelry, I can't paint my nails, my hair has to be completely hidden, it has to be cleaned and pressed every day, and I can't wear goth makeup (That last one's obviously going to be the hardest one for me). The outfit consists of a heavy-weight white jacket, some unisex, drawstring, checkered pants, a traditional chef's hat, and the world's ugliest shoes. Well, scratch that, I don't have to wear Toms. I guess my shoes are the world's second ugliest shoes.

I feel like I should go exercise right now in preparation for everything I'm going to be eating. Treadmill, here I come! Oh, who am I kidding; I have episodes of Psych I need to catch up on. Why waste a sunny summer day exercising?