Surviving The "Real" First Week of School:

BAKING CLASS

Our first try at Biscuits- something happened with our flour measurement we think. The one on the left is ours- the one on the right is what they were supposed to look like. This is how we learn. (smile)

It is official. I am no longer able to eat dinner on Tuesday and Thursday nights with my family. This is a new development in my continuing endeavors as a culinary student that has completely proven I have no will power, especially now that I am in Intro to Baking Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. You see, the reason I have no appetite for dinner is because of the excessive taste testing I submit myself to once we have completed our baking tasks for the class period. With eight groups of two students each, our kitchen lab production yields tray upon tray of various oven baked delights. The breaking down of my willpower truly starts from the moment the recipe is handed to me. After I am familiar with the components of the formula I will be using, it is time to go and seek out each item on the ingredients list, which is not that easy when starting out in a new kitchen. (I'm still trying to get my bearings in the Bakery Classroom since this is my first semester to work in it) So I start out by collecting my room temperature butter that is just begging to be creamed, along with the scoop of pure white sugar I discovered in the large bins called Cambros under our work benches. Oh and today we are grating an entire orange for it zest, we have to fold into our batter the fresh blueberries, these I found in the walk in cooler, and then we will fill the muffin cups up to 2/3rds. No more- no less, which is not as easy as it sounds.

Dried Cherry Scones with a course sugar glaze

In the classroom I find it very hard not to lick the batter from my hands. I am sorry if that sounds gross, but I think we all can admit to dipping a finger into the bowl to taste the batter. I don't do it of course, there are too many other people here that might catch me. Besides, Chef Fred has made numerous little jokes about the fact that the beauty of baking is with such high temperatures in the ovens there isn't much chance a bacteria has of surviving, but nonetheless it is still important to practice safety and sanitation. It would just be plain rude to not play it safe any how, I am not at home.

All this being said, once the final product of our kitchen labors comes out of the oven.....

I just can't help myself!

The funny part is that I do all my little taste tests in the class as Chef goes over what went right and what needs some work. I am OK for all of that. It is once I get in my car that I am in trouble. You see we are able to take home all of our goodies and there is so much that even taking three or four bags, there is still oven baked goodness that is left in the classroom at the end of the day. So I noticed this car eating problem on Tuesday and I thought on Thursday if I double knotted the bags and told myself how much of a mess the crumbs would make in my car that I would then leave the muffins alone. Uh- huh. Sure. That line of thinking did not work, since by the time I got to the kids daycare to pick them up I had eaten half a loaf of bread, one morning glory muffin, a lemon poppy seed muffin and a bite of a cranberry oatmeal muffin. By the time I got to the cranberry I had come out of my trance and realized what i had done. So now you see why I did not eat dinner on Tuesday or Thursday this past week. There was no room for it!

MUFFINS!!!!

Here is my game plan for this week- a few ideas to possibly keep me from going overboard with the baked goods:

1. Brush my teeth right after class! Nobody likes the taste of food right after a good teeth brushing, right?

2. We can't chew gum in class, but immediately following- if I don't have time to brush then a nice minty fresh piece of gum may work.

3. Put the baked goods in the trunk of my car- Not the front seat!

4. Tell my friends and family ahead of time I am bringing them goodies- and then drop them off on my way home. Any one want me to add you to the rotation?

5. And lastly, I will think about how expensive it will be to have to buy all new chef's clothing- especially the pants- "Everything in Moderation" I will tell myself. I would much rather buy a new pair of heels than a new pair of checkered pants, especially if the ones I have fit me in the beginning of the school year.

I am already learning so much from all of my classes. This is truly going to be a great semester- I can already tell! Oh and to my baking class partner Rye.... It is so on buddy, I'll show you how the "Real" baking gets done. Lets have some fun! Lets be the best team in class!!

Tuesday's Top Ten: Favorite Kitchen Tools

I have to admit it is quite difficult for me to ONLY choose ten items for this list since I totally adore many of the kitchen tools that I now own. It is important for you to know that these ten are in no particular ranking or order, just my ten most favorite right now. What I felt was the best criteria for this display of affections came down to the items overall amount of times that I use it and how it has changed my ability to create my food faster, healthier, even smarter! You will see a trend on the brand that i typically go for- this is on purpose. I do have a favorite! Fortunately I have discovered the best because of an amazingly detailed husband when it comes to picking out the best of the best. His philosophy is that you shouldn't waste your time or money on "second best." Needless to say I have never argued this point and have benefited nicely from his choices since many of these tools have been Birthday, Mother's day and Christmas gifts. Or should I say my family has enjoyed the delicious results from what these tools help me deliver to the breakfast, lunch and dinner table.

1. The KitchenAid Blender

With 5 speeds, and lots of POWER- this blender has made some amazing smoothies in its 4 years that we have owned it. I am sure there are even stronger models out there now but this baby has never let me down yet!

2. My Julienne Peeler from Pampered Chef-

Who has time for those fine cuts with a knife when the family is starving! I just love this little tool for when I want to make a nice carrot and cucumber shred for my salads. It is so quick and simple to use- my kids even like to use it.

3. The JUICE MASTER

Just look at this Bad Boy- My Juicer makes me Carrot Apple Ginger Cocktails, Orange Pineapple Cranberry Coolers, and Green Lemonades made with Kale. Maybe juicing isn't your thing, but I love it and this model makes the process so easy because it collects the juice on one side and the pulp on the other. I use the pulp in soups and smoothies and get a two for one deal out of the whole thing- its amazing!

4. Who likes Hummus, Who likes Pesto? This is your Dream Machine- Introducing The KitchenAid Food Processor

This model has two different bowl sizes to choose from depending on the size of ingredients you are using and two separate blades. It also has a slicer, and grater option that is pretty cool too. I have saved so much time with tis processor and it makes really great almond butter by the way too!

5. It keeps you Rolling- A Bamboo Sushi Mat that is!

I took a sushi rolling class a year ago and now I can't stop rolling- its so much fun and I love the creativity involved in choosing your ingredients for your rolls. I taught my first sushi rolling class a few weeks ago and I am ready to start offering more classes- if you are interested, lets set a date!!!!

6. Every Veggie Girl Loves her Boos Butcher Block Cutting Board

Owning a Solid Wood Butcher Block is easy and carefree when you don't ever cook with Meat. I oil this beautiful block with Walnut Oil to keep her youthful and make sure to clean her carefully after use, but I never worry about the dreaded bacteria that you have to beware with meats. I love the beauty of a butcher block and the Boos company is the Chef's top choice on the market.

7. Having Good Pots and Pans really does Matter-Calphalon is doing the

Job for Me :)

So they aren't AllClad- So what- I love them! My whole set of them, and they haven't failed me yet!

8. A Chef's Knife - The Hardest Working Hand Tool with My Guidance

It wasn't until I enrolled in a Knife skills class last spring and then went on to start culinary school that I realized how truly important it is to have a reliable and SHARP chef's knife. Granted you can easily lose digits this way if you are not practiced and careful, but I have seen my onion cutting abilities go from non-existent to well established in the past year and all of this was completely possible due to having a great knife that I trust!

9. Creating Cookie Batter is a Breeze, My KitchenAid Mixer never lets me down.

I have owned this mixer for almost 6 years and its just a work horse. The attachments that work with it are great too! We recently added the ice cream maker bowl to the options and it is great! Now that we can make our own ice cream we have really done some exploring or flavors and ways to make it unique and milk-free too!

10. The Hand Blender- If you don't have one already, you are definitely missing out on all the fun!

How in the world did I ever make blended soups before I owned this Baby! I even heard they make great smoothies too. I have only used this for soups so far, but I am excited to learn what else it can do. The power in this thing is UNREAL, so be careful- but I whipped up a Roasted Tomato Basil Soup in 20 minutes tonight that was super tasty and wonderfully easy with this hand blender.

So there they are- my top ten Kitchen Tools- so far....... I am so thankful for all of these modern wonders- They surely aid in one Stellar of an experience in my kitchen and I know they would provide the same help for you too!

Monday's Plate- A tour of France and classic Ratatouille

This is truly a beautiful vegetable preparation if I do say so myself- not necessarily this exact one that I prepared in class today but the actual concept. This dish is meant to be made in the peak of a summer garden's bounty- not mid January when the veggies have all traveled thousands of miles from far away lands, trucked to Northern Michigan's wintery landscape. I guess for the sake of Culinary school this will have to do for now.

The french preparation of Ratatouille is really quite involved but it yields a deliciously wonderful marriage of all its ingredients. Onion, bell peppers and tomatoes make up the saucy foundation with the addition of zucchini and eggplant, each of which is separately sauteed before being added to the tomato mixture. Everything is cooked over low heat and then seasoned with a light pinch of salt and fresh thyme. For class we shaped the finished product with a circular mold and it made for a nice appearance.

I can't wait for late August and the harvest that will bear Aubergine's (eggplant) tomato, zucchini, onion and peppers. It is a special dish that will be worth waiting for!

Tuesday's Top Ten

Today I was thinking about all the wonderful new foods that I discovered just over the past year. As my passion has grown deeper for foods on every level, my adventurous spirit has helped me to find and try some new taste sensations. A few of these items were completely unknown to me at first but have now become a very familiar friend in my fridge and pantry. A couple I have been aware of my whole life but never truly had any appreciation for them. Actually I just thought I didn't like them, but come to find out they really aren't that bad after all. To round out the list are a couple of recipe based qualifiers, actual dishes that are composed of a variety of ingredients, that together created a flavor profile I had never been acquainted with until now.

Here is my Top Ten List of Newly Discovered Tastes from 2009

1. Celeriac- It is a the vegetable world's "Ugly Duckling" for underneath its root like appearance is the most flavorful and wonderful treat. A cousin to carrots and turnips this is very tasty roasted, pureed and even in sautes or soups. Don't let its appearance intimidate you. I got my very first introduction to this tasty wonder from my CSA share his summer. We will be culinary friends for a long time! "picture courtesy of NPR.org

2. Tempeh- This is a product that is made from cooked ad slightly fermented soybeans but don't let that scare you. Normally known for being apart of a vegetarian's diet it is great in sandwiches, salads, stirfry's and more. I had it for the first time on a sandwich from our local Natural Foods store- Oryana- It is a great alternative to processed meats and the tempeh bacon that I made at home for the family was a huge hit! (pic courtesy of delicioustv.com)

3. Risotto- A dish made with arborio rice and broth that is added only a half a cup at a time- usually there is a wine component and then whatever flavors you want to add in. Saffron is traditionally a beautiful addition to what I now refer to as a culinary masterpiece! So one evening I went to my friend Kristin's house for a girls get together evening. Kristin decided to make a risotto and even took the time to show me how it was made. Up until that point I had no idea what went into making this rice dish. Though it takes some time and attention, all the stirring and stirring- the payoff is definitely there when you deliver the finished product- OM GOODNESS. I am hooked on this stuff and find it very hard to even share when I make it for my family. I would be content to sit on my couch with the whole pot and eat it up into an oblivion of satiety.

4. Cumin- This seed that is typically found as a ground spice in your local market has become a mainstay in my cooking artillery. It takes Hummus to a whole new level. It adds layers of flavor in my chili and tastes amazing in just about any thing I use it in. I believe everyone should have Cumin in their spice rack- its simply an amazing spice!

5. Mango- I have been aware of the mangoes existence for some time now but never really paid attention to buying it ever. That is until my son Riley asked me if we could buy some one day while we were out shopping at Sams. Now we all know there is no buying "one" thing at Sams club so we ended up with an entire box of these fruits. I got online, did my research on how to slice a mango and dice it- easy to do once you try it on a few. Now we have learned Mangoes only seem to be good during certain times of year- mid to late spring is best, but they freeze really well so we have bought up many when they are at their best, freeze them up and they make the best smoothies! Trust me on this one!

6. Persimmons- Ok so I got sucked in to buying a few at Meijers one day because they were on sale and I thought how I had never really ever had one. I brought them home and cut them up to try and fell in LOVE! I made the best salad dressing with persimmons- they really are a unique fruit to play with. Here is a link to that recipe if you want to try:

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=523416

7. Baklava- This is a dessert that is very traditional to my cultural heritage as an Armenian and I have always heard my Grandma and Mom talk about it but never really cared to try it. Then I stopped at a local Mediterranean themed deli one summer afternoon and my whole life changed. They had Pistachio Baklava in their bakery case and I thought "Well lets just see what the big deal really is with this stuff" WOW was I instantly amazed. If you haven't tried this stuff in your life, get over to The Silver Swan this instant and buy a piece or find a local pastry chef who has the patience to make it in the traditional style- I hope you receive the same experience too! The layers and layers, sweet crispiness, rich honey dipping goodness is sometimes more than I can handle! (Picture courtesy of ocdeals.freedomblogging.com)

8. Olives- Never liked olives EVER in my life and then I had an olive plate set in front of me at a very nice Italian restaurant in Manhattan so I said "What the Heck, might as well give them another try." That "try" was a very pleasant surprise, a flavor I have found hard to duplicate, but when I do it is very delicious. Kalamata olives are apparently the variety that I like. (photo courtesy of blisstree.com)

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9. Tomatillas- These green tomato-like fruits are truly lovely. You might recognize them in the green sauce you see at your local mexican restaurant. What is so great about my new experience with them is that I decided to grow tomatillas this year in my garden and the variety I ended up with produced a purple fruit!! It made the most wonderful salsa ever. I made two different kinds- one was a very special recipe from my friend Matt who shared it with me after seeing my pictures of roasted Tomatillas during the summer. I can't share that recipe because it is very special but I will share another one I tried that was equally as nice.

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/tomatillo_salsa_verde/

10. Ginger- Ginger tea, Ginger snaps, Ginger, Ginger, Ginger!!!! I love this root that has so much zest and zing. It has been one of the most flavorful additions to my cooking repertoire in the past year and I am always looking for new ways to incorporate it into my dishes. My friend Rachael recently showed me how you can just slice it up fresh and put it into hot water and steep in a tea pot. It is great to help with digestion and over all adds a real zip to anything you decide to use it within. I LOVE IT!!! Especially in cookies too. I have decided that it may not be wise for me to learn how to make gingerbread cookies since I would probably eat the whole batch right out of the oven. We made gingerbread pancakes one morning that were out of this world- if you get a chance check this recipe out! (Photo courtesy of seshdotcom.wordpress.com)

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Gingerbread-Pancakes/Detail.aspx

Something to be Passionate About

I love Grissini!!!!

And specifically I love the Grissini from Pleasanton Bakery- a local brick oven bakery near my home that makes the most amazing breads. I try to find all different reasons to reward myself with these yummy creations from my bakery friends. I will even drive by on Sundays when I know they aren't really open with the hope that maybe I will be able to have a grissini anyways. My friends at Pleasanton know by now that this is my favorite treat from them since they will usually greet me- one hand waving, the other reaching into the baked goods display to grab one of each flavor that they offer. It has really become a favorite food of mine more recently and I am well aware of when the Grissini will be at its finest- especially since they only make Grissini on their baking days which are now Monday- Wednesday and Fridays- it is even still warm if I show up to the bakery around noon! My kids love when I have a Grissini craving, especially Lauren since she likes Grissini too. Riley always gets one of their delicious Chocolate Chippers cookies instead.

Pleasanton Bakery offers two flavors currently of their Grissini- Cranberry pecan and an Herb Parmesan flavor. I can't decide which one I like more since each one represents a different flavor profile. One is sweet, the other savory. Both are so wonderful! My passion for this Grissini is much like my passion for Culinary Arts. I think about it all the time. I think about when I will have Grissini all the time, in the case of cooking its always "When will I get to be in my kitchen next and what will I make?" It is a good feeling to know what I like and to be able to go for it. In the case of Grissini I know when it is available and I can make that work into my cravings. With Culinary School I finally feel like I have arrived into a focus that will give me the ability to help other people as I have always felt I was born to do. Starting the new semester today has given me a new excitement, new challenges and an assurance that I am stepping closer and closer to my goals. I can accomplish everything I have set out to do! Oh to have passion, to have love in my heart- feeling so fulfilled- its wonderful!

Here are some links about Pleasanton, and Grissini too if you want to learn more! Enjoy!

http://www.pleasantonbakery.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grissini

The Black Box- Pro Cookery Final

Old fashioned Vegetable Beef Barley Soup

Roast Rack of Lamb with Corn and Tomato Risotto, roasted Zucchini and Beurre Blanc Sauce

If you watch Food Network (As far as I am concerned it is the only channel that exists, except for when Heroes or Grey's Anatomy is on) -then you are familiar with the show "Chopped" by chance. For those of you unfamiliar with this show I will give you a quick recap. Four different chefs complete for $10,000 by being presented with a black box- In the #1 round they find 3-5 mystery ingredients inside the box that they have 20 minutes to make an appetizer out of to be judged. Four chefs get Chopped down to three and Round #2 presents a second black box with another set of mystery ingredients and 30 minutes to create an entree to be judged. Once again a chef is chopped if their dish doesn't compare to the other competitors. Finally, the Final two chefs compete in a dessert round- 30 minutes- new Black Box and then they are judged to determine a winner based on all three of their dishes from the competition. Its a really fun show- my whole family loves it!

So in Professional Cookery we have a Lab practical that has a similar idea, except there is only one judge "The Chef Instructor" and you have a total of three hours to present a plated soup and entree from your mystery tray -"Black Box" The menu we have to create from all the tray ingredients must be presented to the Chef in the first 30 minutes after start time, so he can know what to expect. Then the soup must be presented two hours after the start time, and the entree an hour later. You can expect to have two different proteins (I was hopeful for Tofu or tempeh, but no luck) various vegetables, a starch, and things like butter, or a list with vinegar or white wine on it. The Chef has a certain expectation of what you might make with these ingredients but you are not deducted in points if you come up with something totally different. The major criteria is that you have a soup properly plated and garnished, and an entree that includes a protein, starch, vegetable and sauce properly and pleasingly plated.

Make sense???

So In my Black Box I had :
-Flank Steak
- Rack of Lamb
-Carrots
-peppers
-sweet corn fresh
-zucchini
-onion,
-a leek
-tomato
-barley
-garlic
-a pound of butter
-arborio rice
-white vinegar and white wine.

What I made was:
~~ A Old Fashioned Vegetable Beef with Barley Soup with the Flank Steak

~~ A Thyme and Cumin Crusted Roast Rack of Lamb with a Fresh Corn and Tomato Parmesan Risotto, Roasted Zucchini Moons and a Red Pepper Beurre Blanc (Butter) Sauce.

Whew- that was the fasted and most focused three hours in that kitchen all semester. Everything I did came together on time, and with the help of my classmates (who already did their black boxes on Monday) as food runners, I was able to successfully create the dishes that made sense to me with those ingredients for that moment. When I presented to the Chef, there were some good points to my dishes and some constructive criticism too- he acknowledged some of the timing issues with cooking the flank steak long enough to draw out maximum flavor which I struggled with for my soup. The Rack of Lamb dish came out pretty nice, though he said I may have overloaded the plate a little too much and added too much sauce- I knew he would say that- but he also said some restaurants do their plates like that and the clients love it- more bang for the buck for the customer, but as a chef you have to watch food cost and portion control. Good learning lessons.

The best part of the whole experience was that overall the Chef was very pleased with my work and it made me cry! No worries- it was a Happy, Relieved cry. It may have been all the emotion of not feeling well the day before and just being so worked up about doing well for this test, either way I am just happy to have made it through this first semester in Culinary school successfully. It is such a life blessing to know I am exactly where I should be right now. The shoe fits beautifully and I thank God and my family and friends daily for all your love and support. I couldn't do this without it. The daily encouragements, the hugs from my kids, Tod asking me about my day at school- all of it just energizes me and pushes me to do the best that I can. Yesterday worked out because of all these connections and the love and friendship in my life. Thanks again to everyone who sent encouragements yesterday, the phone calls and the hugs and love from my family.

Bring on the next Black Box- I am not afraid- and I am ready for the next challenge!!!

The FoodLover's Dream come True!

Culinary School? I have secretly hoped for this opportunity for a long time, but wondered if it was too indulgent and if I could make a career out of it. Now I know with certainty that this is what I was born to do!

Perfect Fit? - Absolutely!

Confident? -Totally!

Challenging?- Hopefully!

Inspiring?- Daily!

Steph will be a Chef! So if you know me well enough this will come as no surprise. Simply put, my love and passion for Food and every last detail that surrounds its origins, nutritional aspects and creative preparation is what I live and breathe daily. This has been the case my whole life. From the time I was old enough to make my own plate at the dinner table I have been in love with the thought of choosing my Food and questioning its role in my life. How does the Food I choose affect my daily ability to have energy and live? Where does my food come from? How do we make it taste so good! Some of you may know that I initially set out to achieve a degree in Dietetics, and I have not abandoned this approach, its just currently on hold for the moment due to logistics. Besides, nutrition will always be extremely important to me and at the core of my approach to creating delicious cuisine, but as I set forth on my path to greater knowledge I found myself being led towards the fundamentals of how to create "Good Food" and ultimately ended up at the Great Lakes Culinary Institute. Now I have the wonderful opportunity and pleasure of spending my time in the classroom kitchen, actively achieving the skills that will allow me to have the credibility and knowledge to use Food to make a difference in the world. Becoming a Chef is my dream come true, and I have known for a while that it is truly the career I have wanted to pursue, yet somehow until now I had pushed that dream down- I think since I had committed to the Dietetics degree initially I thought I needed to see it through, but I truly believe that the desires God placed so strongly in my heart were realized when that plan didn't go exactly as I had hoped, and my acceptance to EMU didn't take place this year (I had the top spot on a waiting list, but it didn't open up)

Now I am exploring my options once I obtain my degree in Culinary Arts. I am interested in teaching, and in creating a community approach to discovering Food through its origins in Agriculture, its effects nutritionally, and how to prepare it all once you bring it home. I truly believe that a lot of these concepts would be a great benefit to all ages and most especially to children. If a child has the opportunity to learn "now" at an early age how to make Good healthy food choices they will be able to carry this knowledge with them for the rest of their lives as a foundation for a sustainable and vibrant future.

So now I invite you to join with me as I embark on a new journey and as I embrace the opportunity to learn and grow as an eager and excited Culinary Student. I can't wait to share with you all the details and what it takes to reach my goal- I have a smile on my face, I know I am exactly where I am supposed to be and I will be Successful!

A Stellar Life begins when we recognize this:

SWEET ACCEPTANCE- because today brings me by and by ever closer to my ultimate finale- (which is very hopefully decades beyond this day) So I plan to embrace my God given opportunity to LIVE, to SHARE, and to LOVE~ because I have FAITH that by being TRUE to my youthful ambitions, the world will notice a life can be wealthy with HAPPINESS~ You see my expectation is that every moment- even the tough ones- is a wonderful gift to be cherished. By God's WILL and GRACE I except my MISSION to live, and I will stay FOCUSED and THANKFUL on my life's journey- A new Day has arrived and with a happy heart and a smile I say "Welcome, now lets get going my friends!"