Monday's Plate - Together At The Family Table

I didn't have enough time beforehand to study my dictionary.  Apparently that was not necessary since I have been doing enough Thesaurus work with my blog that my vocabulary is up to speed.   I honestly can't tell you what my final score was.  I didn't win, but I didn't lose either.  Thanks to my Mom I did get a great game changing score in the middle of the game.  Dad wasn't very happy about it since it was his turn after me.  Its all about laying out a brilliant word on some part of the prime real estate on the Scabble board.  By the end of the game I was exhausted, partly from eating too much, and partly from working all day in the kitchen making food for a long time friend's baby shower and also for my Mom's Birthday Game Night/Family Dinner party which ended up being back to back that day.  

I did my pear plate x2 for both parties and tried something new- Candied Pecans- they a very yummy new addition with the dried cherries and goat cheese too.

It was my Mom's birthday weekend, and our newly formed "Family Game Night" was a perfect fit for the whole family to get together and celebrate.  My sister Jen and I decided to handle the food for this one so that Mom could take a break and enjoy.  I had two parties to attend in the afternoon and so I got to work right away Saturday morning- turning my kitchen into a beautiful disaster!  Obviously I totally enjoyed prepping all the food I was responsible for.  Jen told us that she worked in her kitchen all day too and to everyone's delighted surprise she offered us some very delicious dishes for all her hard work!  Mom couldn't help not making something too.  She made her favorite cake in the whole world- "Mississippi Mud Pie!"  

Here is a photo tour of some of our food:

The birthday girl and her "Mud Pie"

Jen's Taco Salad in Tortilla Bowls- they were so creative and scrumptious!

I chose to make my "Thai Corn Cakes" with fresh sweet corn from my  Mom's favorite corn farmers and she loved them.  They are so easy!

Jen's "Artichoke Mushroom Bruschetta with Pesto"  These were AWESOME and so different than anything I had seen before- Good job girl!

My "Triple Mushroom Soup"  

Jen's Dessert Platter- A Cream Cheese Pecan and Chocolate Dip and cinnamon sugar graham crackers.  This was really cool too, very different, fun and delicious!

The gorgeous birthday girl enjoying the goodies!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Thanks for sharing your Birthday with us 

and letting us put together a dinner for you!

We love you!

"Mom's Girls"- Me and my Sister Jen

The Break Up ~

March 7, 2010


This is my goodbye to you my dear sweet love.
I just love you so much that it is taking over everything.
I lose my mind when you are around.
I find that I can't control myself around you.
I am not used to having such a lack of willpower.
I feel like you are starting to affect my health, and that is where I draw the line.


I am not saying that we can't ever see each other again, but I think for now it is best if we take a break.  I need some to time to figure out who I am.  Your distractions are taking me down a path that is starting to be very costly.  If we are ever going to have a chance to be together again then I think this time away will be best for us both.  


I believe I will appreciate you more after our time away.  I am truly sorry that I can't be with you right now, but if we are meant to be- then we will be united again someday very soon.  I will never forget how happy you made me feel during the good times.  I will look forward to those times that will be awaiting us in the future.  


I will love you always and in all your forms: Sugar, Chocolate, Ice Cream, cookies, cake, and certain candies.  Please forgive me that I can't be with you until I can learn to control myself. 


Love always,
Stephie


-Due to my complete love for all things food I have had some issues lately with the majority of the clothes in my closet not fitting me comfortably.  This is something new to me and I think it is because I have lost the balance between calories in/calories out.  Up until recently I had fortunately been able to eat whatever I wanted to my hearts content.  Since my full time schedule started for culinary school this semester I have not made the time to workout like I usually would.  Yet I kept on eating, and especially my baking classes have really added to my complete loss of willpower.  It is all just so wonderfully tasty and I don't know when to stop eating the cookies!  I just need some time to get the control back and then I think I will be able to happily return to my enjoyment of all things sweet.  I'm not sure how it will all work out, but thankfully I am in love with veggies and fruits too so I think I won't feel too lonely during this break-up.  That is one benefit of being a foodlover of all things food, there are always options!


To start I am going to have a green smoothie for breakfast:





Its a recipe I made up and posted to SparkPeople.com.  Let me know if you try it!
Be-Bok Berry Smoothie

If the Personality Fits- Wear it Proudly

I am going to describe something I have noticed lately about myself in my development towards being officially recognized as a chef.  As I gaze into the mirror I can easily see past one thing I am already familiar with and that I have accepted about who I am:  "I am a people pleaser."  I came to terms with that trait a few years ago and happily found a nice balance between being agreeable and just saying no when appropriate.  OK, I do still load it up, but trust me when I say I am doing everything I want and love to do.

A large part of being a Chef in my opinion is being a people pleaser in the sense that your creation is served with an expectation that the consumer will actually enjoy it, discover intense pleasure, and possibly have their socks knocked off.  This can be whether you are the executive chef of a large restaurant, a school lunch provider, or a homemaker preparing a meal for the whole family.  A chef wants each meal to invoke something extraordinary in the sensation of the taster.  We want to hear what you think.  We want to see you close your eyes and say "Mmmmm."  We simply want you to be pleased by what we have prepared for you.

My friend Ray- Look at that focus!

It is when I  look beyond the "people pleaser" I am suddenly aware this new transformation of my focus and drive.  My commitment level is brimming and I am standing on my very tip toes, fully immersed in an flood of opportunities that are the result of this manifestation of my passion.  My vigor comes from the feedback I am receiving and the encouragements from the people who matter most in my life.  I find myself wanting to push outside the boundaries I have safely resided in.  I feel like the stakes have been raised now and the challenges are no longer just obstacles, but strengthening exercises.  All of this is to prepare me for the even larger rewards that are just ahead.

Staying focused while working with Chef Steve 

I have also felt my competitive tendencies rise up again too.  This is nothing new either since I have always tackled anything goal-oriented with a winning mentality.  So far in my lifetime it has served me well as long as I am careful and respectful in my approach.  In culinary school I can see where it is important to have some of this attitude with a certain healthy limitation.  What I mean to say is that we should never let a competitive edge cut into the more important teamwork factor that we all need in order to successfully complete this program.  As students, we need each other, plain and simple.

Last semester- Pro Cook Team

What is the proverbial gold medal for the students working in the kitchen lab?  I promise that it does exist, whether we work together for it or not.

Everyone wants to put out "The Best" dish at show time.  (**Showtime is what happens after all of the dishes we have been working hard on all through class are ready to be critiqued and tasted)  There is no better feeling than when the Chef Instructor points out a particular dish in the landscape of plated foods and it just happens to be your own.  It gets even better when your classmates try it out too and say things like "Oh that is so good" or "Wow, that is great!"  A triple bonus would be when other chef instructors show up and are instructed to "Try that one right there, its amazing!"  All of these positive remarks can really gratify a students need for a response to their own individualized technique.  It really is special to hear that what you created is "Good!"

Taking some pride in our bread creations in Baking Class

I am really embracing this culinary school experience and in return it is giving me the opportunities to become the person I have been practicing to become for my whole life.  It is such an amazing feeling to be training with so many other people who feel the same way I do about food.  I can talk about recipes all day long with my culinary buddies and we just understand one another.  The culinary world gives me the environment to be myself- a people pleasing, driven, people-loving, happy-go-lucky, passionate, competitive when appropriate, girlie who just wants to cook and create good food that other people want to eat. Oh and have fun while I am doing it too.

Having fun at my Sushi Rolling Class I taught with the girls- This is the fun I am talking about!

Tuesday's Top Ten: For the Love of Food and People

Have you ever wondered how it came to be that we use food words or flavor descriptions as terms of endearment for the ones we love.  Could it be as simple as the food that sustains our health and ability to thrive is equal to the love we need in order to accomplish complete vitality?  Therefore we use the adjectives and proper names of the foods that satisfy our hunger to also stamp the same feelings of fulfillment on the living beings we love too.

I personally love the idea that these two ideas correlate.  I myself have used a number of these many times towards my family and friends, and especially my kids.  These terms just seem to fit.  Being the food lover that I am this association is really fun and it has become a great game for the dinner table with my husband and kids trying to think of all the food names we use for love.  So here is the top ten that we came up with.  You will have to share with me some of your own or any that I may have missed.  As always these are in no particular order- they were just my favorites!  Some of these you can combine too, to make a real lovey combo!!

1.  Little Bean


 2.  Pumpkin Head

3.  Peanut

4.Sweet Pea


5. Baby Cake


6.Pork Chop


7. Dumpling

8.  Love muffin


9.  Sweetie Pie


10.  Honey or Sugar

Monday's Plate- Fill It Up!!

A full day's work in the World Cuisine class kitchen with lots of dishes to test and try

There is literally no "white space" left on the plate that represents my life.  This is truly nothing new for me.  I find the majority of my best work manifests from the times when my daily calender has no room left at the inn.  I really like the faster pace and once again in school the pace had been kicked up another notch.  We successfully completed our mission for the Tasters Guild and spent almost an hour of this mornings World Cuisine class recapping the event.  We discussed the overall pros and cons and had an opportunity to tell our stories.  It was a great way to start the morning, everything felt so easy going.

 I couldn't help but feel like I didn't stretch out enough though when we jumped into the kitchen by 9:30.   It was full speed ahead into our mandatory kitchen testing of the 6 courses we will be serving at our Class dinner on March 19th- this is a little under 3 weeks away.  Once I caught my breathe and found my pace the class time went fine- just like it always does.  Staying focused and watching the clock, my partner Ryan and I went to work on some really fun and flashy dishes that all fit within the dinner theme "Italy".  Ryan had brought the majority of the recipes for us to work on and so we split them up and went to work.

Everything was going smoothly.  Even during the final 20 minute push we continued to work through the production with determination.  The only thing that may have suffered a little was the work station which got a little bit more cluttered that I usually like.  Our food went out for observation and taste testing on time with everyone else's stuff.  The products of our crafting were all very nice.  Everyone actually did a pretty nice job today.  The hard part was trying to pick out which dishes were the best fit for our class dinner.  I am not sure if we really made the right choices today, and so I plan to lobby for a specific dish during the next class time that I don't think got enough attention.  This is our chance to shine, and once again and I think it is really important as a class that we give our guests an experience that is unparalleled.  This food should be something that they can't get enough of.  We have the opportunity to implant a food memory, a chance to really show up and show off what we can do!

So I am really excited about our new shift in focus.  I am excited to work with my classmates once again on an event that will bring us that much closer to our goals on this culinary school journey.  Yes, in metaphorically speaking terms I have added another heaping scoop to my plate.  My waistband may be feeling a little tight- Oh wait that is not so much a metaphor, but I am back to the gym working that one out. :)  I have never turned down an opportunity to try something new, and I am just so excited to be apart of all of this.  I know we will serve up a really great evening on March 19th's Italian dinner- I can't wait for it to be here!!

Here are only a few of the plates- i didn't have enough time to get all the pictures before people started eating and judging:

This pic doesn't do this salad any justice- It is called a Panzanella and the recipe comes from the CIA.  I seriously could have eaten the whole huge bowl of it I made.  

Ryan's Mushroom Sup with a chive sauce and Ray's Tomato Basil- Double Yum!

Eggplant Rollatinis revisited by Leah- I still like the Vegetarian option of this- the sauce is really nice.

Matt's Stuffed Pizza Rolls

I honestly don't know what the pasta is but the Mushroom risotto next door turned out lovely by Brandon

An experimental cheese platter.

Bruschetta revisited too- but there were holes in the bread so it got a little messy

Globe Trotting Made Easy

How would you like the opportunity to travel the world?  What if I told you that we can send you on a globe trotting adventure that consists of up to 16 very unique destinations all in one evening.  We plan to have your senses tingling from all the pleasures you will experience.  The plan is You will see each culture's beauty,  discover tempting aromas, taste and drink in their flavors, and feel like their most honored guest.  

Chef Bob's Ice carving- COOL!

Welcome to Tasters Guild 2010 brought to you by the Great Lakes Culinary Institute and also with an abundant amount of support from the local community and businesses.  Prepare to experience an evening filled with delicious food fare from all over the world prepared by the culinary students, a luscious wine selection from 12 different local vintners, and a chance to enter your name in favorite silent auction items or place an exciting bid during the live auction too.  It is our hope that you have a fabulous evening while you are with us and that you will truly feel like you have experienced an authentic journey through some of the worlds most celebrated cuisines.

A picture of the main lobby floor and some of the teams- mine is to the left top corner

This is where I invested a large amount of my energies the past few weeks.  Into an event that has given me, as a culinary student a first hand opportunity to practice critical skills that are very important to the industry I will be apart of very soon.  It all began with choosing our country that we would like to represent- I choose India!!  Thankfully I had the ability to work with two of my wonderful friends from last semester, Ray and Mike!  The first day of school we learned about this event and I specifically remember looking at Ray and telling him in all seriousness "We are going to Win this thing. just trust me!"  By "Win" I was referring to the First place prize that would be given to the booth that puts on the most authentic display of their country and their cuisine.  First prize is an honorary Chef's coat with "Tasters Guild 2010" embroidered on the arm.  You could also receive a coat if you were one of the top ten donation getter's for the silent auction too. (I am still waiting to find out if I am one, I did pretty well with bringing in donations)

Prepping in the kitchen- me and the boys!

Together the three of us developed a plan to really show off what we were capable of doing.  Ray kept saying he really wanted to "amaze people with the flavors."  So when we went to the kitchen to test our recipes we paid very close attention to getting exactly what we wanted with our food.  We did our research on the country and all the intricate details that would help us have an edge on the day of the event.  We left no detail undone.  We paid very close attention to how the booth needed to be set-up and on the day of the event we felt very confident about what we were doing.

Team India's Booth before we set up the food

 It needs to be said that the guidance and direction from our teachers, Chef Coburn and Chef Fred was a very big part of our success too.  The help from classmates when it came to putting together our samosas was extremely helpful too.  Overall the teamwork among all the students was amazing.  Up until the end, all that mattered is that together as a school we could deliver an amazing and  memorable event for our guests.  Truly, we would have been happy for whatever team won, since we know everyone worked so hard.

My team member Mike- the grill master!

Ray- working hard to make sure those skewers were perfect!

Me and my Samosas are deep fried and ready to go!

When the judges came to our booth we were so excited.  This is what we had prepared for- once they came to see us we went right into action-  We very enthusiastically answered all of their questions about our food and the country we were representing.  Overall after they left we felt like we did well, but there wasn't much time to lament about it since 15 minutes later the first guest arrived.

Our booth from an elevated perspective

"Welcome to India and the darjeeling Market!!"  We never slowed down ever!  For over an hour and a half we served our food to the our guests "The world travelers" until we were completely out of Samosas and almost out of the rest of our tasting items too.  It was amazingly fun and everyone who visited us seemed very pleased- we even had people who came back for seconds!  Here is what we served:

Vegetable Samosas

Grilled Naan Bread with a Chutney Trio "

-Podina Chatni- a spicy mint based chutney

-Sweet Mango Ginger Chutney

-Savory Onion Chutney

Coconut Basmati Rice with Dried Fruit and Pine Nuts

Chicken Tikka Masala with a lime spritz

Then all the students were asked to enter the main ballroom for a program that began with the College president speaking and then Chef Fred Laughlin (GLCI director) took the stage to address everyone and hand out over $32,000 dollars  of scholarships.  It was a little nerve racking waiting to see if he would call my name too- since so many of my friends and classmates were recipients already.  I actually started to realize he was calling the names out in alphabetical order so that when he got to Schmidt, I knew the next name had to me if it ever was meant to be.

When Chef Fred called my name I wanted to cry, I felt so honored to be apart of the group on the stage.  It is the first scholarship I have ever been awarded- It is a huge blessing!

Me and Chef Fred Laughlin- The Culinary School director

To top off the entire incredible night we were having, next Mickey Cannon addressed the audience from the podium to give the awards away to the top three booths for the night.  Cajun Creole received third place honors- this was my friends Kelsi and Geoff's team and I was so excited for them!  Coming in at second, one of the advanced baking classes took the prize.  This left 1st place the final team to be announced.  I had seen all the booths that evening and so many of them were worthy of this spot, I really didn't know if we had done enough, and then Mickey started to talk about the enthusiasm that the top team had and how it takes this kind of mentality to be in the business like he is...  I have to admit that when he announced "Team India" as the winning team I went into a daze.  All that hard work and planning paid off, we had done it!!  What a proud moment, and one that I will never forget.

Celebrating with Ray and Kelsi- my original team in first semester Pro Cook class.  We each received a scholarship!  

My Husband Tod, my Mom, Dad and Sister, and my best friend Ranae and her husband Bob were all there to support me that night and I am so thankful for each of their support.  The majority of my thankfulness has to go to Ray and Mike though.  Together we worked to do our best, we accomplished what we intended to do- WE DID IT!

Tasters Guild 2010 ~ Team INDIA ~ One AMAZING night for ALL

I am exactly where I am supposed to be and loving it!

I Got Schooled :)

She was completely insistent that she was in charge of plating the food.  "Keep your hands off and don't tell me how to do it" -she bellowed at me as I watched her narrow her focus to the first plate in the row.  As I watched her create her masterpiece, it was all I could do to keep my mouth shut and my hands off the one plate that was not within her peripheral vision.  "This is normally my job", I was thinking, and as much as I am a subscriber to equal opportunity, my instincts kept pushing me to butt in, make a suggestion, tell her to just go sit down and let me finish.... but this time I would not.

My girl Lauren Abigail

I mean, what kind of Mother am I?  I should be proud of my sweet baby girl taking the initiative to apply herself in a craft that she has witnessed me practice for all 8 years of her life.  The fact is that for all that I stated above, I was actually beaming with pride on the outside.  It was these maternal instincts that were fiercely pushing me to want to lend a hand, help my baby with the concept-  She actually produced something so totally fun and surprising that I am glad I kept my hands to myself after all.  It is moments like this that I find myself being the student, my daughter schooling me in accepting the inevitable fact that she is growing up.  I finally can see the full circle now- like when I used to think that my own Mom didn't know anything relevant to the "Real World".  When we become parents we get so used to leading the way for our children that we forget sometimes to just take a step back and watch these beautiful beings express themselves and blossom into the amazing individuals they were born to be!  Good job Miss Lauren- I loved my Plate tonight! xoxo

Love Always,  Your Mama

Pancake Faces made with Raspberries by Lauren A. Sheffer :)