Hey guys! It's good to be back. I'm so sorry, this semester has been totally insane. It's been like a big beast, that grabs me by my hair and throws me around. Seriously, this semester has been...crazy. Not bad, just crazy. I have an online history class which has been the insane part of it. It's partially my own fault. I'm a great procrastinator, I'm the best. My teacher, though, isn't really great at talking to us. In the beginning he just said "Everything is due at the end of the semester, I don't record grades until the end and you have a paper to write that's due November 25th". So, I have no structure. I'm a wife, mom, I work and have other classes. I NEED structure. So, needless to say, I've been neglecting my history class. Until now, of course ;) .

 

So, what's everyone making for Thanksgiving? The other day in the store, my husband and I saw a goose! He/she was in the freezer section, in a bag. Probably with no feathers, or head for that matter. So, not a live goose. I was really interested to see how Thanksgiving would be with a goose. We aren't going to do one, but I'm hoping at this time next year we'll be in a house. We can have everyone over at OUR house and we can have a goose then. That'd be so effing awesome if I could get my hands on from frois gras. So awesome. Anyway, this year, we're doing Thanksgiving with my in-laws because my brother who went off to the Navy is coming home for Christmas and I'd like to be with him. So what I'd like to make is a butternut-squash hazelnut soup, with creme Fraiche and terragon. Doesn' t that just SOUND good?! I want it now!

 

Well, I hope to remember to keep coming here. I've been forgetting. I've been unhappy with Blogger because it changes sometimes, rarely, and I don't usually like the changes. This time, I really don't like them. So I'm trying to find a blog site that I actually like. So far, this one has been okay. I really want some followers and don't get that Blogger. Hopefully I can find something like that here.

 

K, everyone have a fantastic day, and if I don't get on here before Thanksgiving, Happy Thanksgiving!

This semester really isn't a whole lot more different than the last 2. But I am SO tired these days. This morning, I actually woke up and didn't really want to wake up. I wanted to stay under the covers, not go to work, not go to school butt-ass early tomorrow and I didn't want to work tomorrow night. My days off from  are sunday and Monday, but even then, I spend the days reading my school stuff or doing math homework. I'm just exhausted. But it's not like I can just quit. Well, not quit, I'd love to take a semester off and focus on work, but that's not doable. Plus, I don't want to extend the amount of time I have to spend in school. I'm just SO TIRED!!!!!

 

However, in some other news, I've inspired one of my coworkers to start Culinary School! He doesn't know when he's going to start cause he's got some plans to move, but when he moves, he wants to start then. He's got such great imagination, and he knows his stuff, he just wants to learn how to put things together. That's awesome! I can't wait until he starts and he tells me all the things he's learned.

Speaking of things learned: I love my saucier class! The only thing bad about it is there's a guy in my class that, regardless of how great he is in the kichen, he acts like a total asshole. My group is next to his and so when they see us struggle or maybe question ourselves, they all look over but he's the only one that shakes his head. He never gives his opinion. I would much rather hear his opinion on something that just act like we're a bunch of degenerates. Another person in that same group does the same thing, he's an older guy, but not as rude as the younger one. I had some potatoes roasting in the oven and he pulled them out and yelled "Whose potatoes are these?" and I called to him they were mine and he said "Well, if I'm eating them I don't want them burned". Like dude, don't be an asshoile, you don't have to talk to people like that. Just simply say they're done and they smell good and go about your day. I'm so tired of people treating me and my group like this. I'm about to start treating people how I'm treated. And I'd really like to point out to them that we're ALL in school to LEARN this shit. If they're such know-it-alls, then why aren't they the Executive Chefs they say they want to be??

 

I'm kind of done bitching about this. I guess that helped me feel a bit better. This is why I blog, because I can say whatever I want(within reason) and it does make me feel better. Sometimes I forget to look at the BIG PICTURE. I'm taking all these classes with sometimes annoying people because I want to be an Executive chef. I want to learn more and soak it in. Even if it's History(which I BOMBED the test last night...no bueno), I like History so I need to focus on my reading more and not just guess the entire test. Maybe even take notes while reading. It may help me to understand the material. I say all this stuff that I want to do to be better, but I find that I either don't have the time or the energy. Maybe Sunday and Mondays I can do my chapter readings and Tuesdays take my tests. I also have a big paper to write for this class. I don't even know what it's supposed to be about. Ha.

 

Okay, well I am feeling crappy today. I need more coffee to help me feel better. Have a good day folks.

So yesterday was our cooking day in Saucier class. I was so scared. I was scared more because we were all eating each other's dishes, so being judged is a big thing. I know I shouldn't let it get to me, but who likes being judged??

 

We had to get all of our mise en place and figuring out the kitchen for the first time was a little overwhelming. But we got through it. I pan seared the chicken, which was a bad idea. I should have grilled it, cause it took a lot longer than it should have. We made 12 chicken breasts, I think we could have gotten away with making just 10 or maybe even 9. We cut each breast into 3 pieces, everyone got like 2 or 3 pieces so we had alot left over. My group worked really well together and I was thankful!!

 

I think we put a bit too much butter in our sauce, but it was our first time and we doubled it, so it was okay. This Thursday we're making Herb Sauce. A little easier, but we'll get more complicated as we move along. It'll be good, too. We're making chicken again, but this time either in the oven or grilled(personally, I think we should grill it), with some fingerling potatoes(or red potatoes) and some fresh spinach. I have an idea for the spinach but I totally forgot to ask my teacher to write down bacon on the grocery list, so I'm hoping I can come up with something. I need to be doing some research. I go to work tonight, so I can get some ideas then. But once again, I'm freaking out, secretly, inside my head. I just don't want to mess up, I want my group to succeed and make good food. I don't know how many people liked our sauce. It was pretty sweet, we should have made the chicken a bit spicey.

 

All I'm saying, I'm very excited about next semester. I know this one just started, so I need to stay focused on what I need to get done now, but I have a good feeling about me passing my classes. I'm still crossing my fingers for the my math class. Ugh....don't even get me started right now. Just know, when I left last Saturday from my first class there, my brain felt like it was going to explode. That reminds me...I need to do some homework. I'll take it to work tonight and work on it there.

 

Alrighty, I need to do some history reading. I have alot to do for that class! Wish me luck!!!

Until today I was a believer that anything store bought or buying something that someone made by hand from the store is easier than actually making it yourself. All of that changed today when we decided to make homemade lasagna. First off, homemade lasagna is the bomb. Homemade anything beats store bought any day(I have made homemade lasagna before, we never buy that from the store!)!

On to this Ricotta.

 

To get one cup of ricotta cheese, here's what you need:

--4 cups whole milk

--1 teaspoon of salt

--*about* 2 tablespoons vinegar.

 

To make the ricotta you can either use the stove or the microwave. If you use the stove, either be prepared to try and scrub your pot to remove the protein from the milk OR use a pot you don't really care about. We used the microwave method. It took a bit, maybe about 10 minutes, but only because we kept checking it. If you put it in the microwave, you could probably get it done between 4 and 6 minutes, depending on microwave strength. But if after that time it's not curdled really well, keep going in the microwave but at 30 second intervals, just to be sure.

 

Anyway, once you get done with it and it's all separated, get a strainer(we put a few paper towels at the bottom of a colander cause we didn't have a strainer you can hold in your hand made of mesh and it still worked perfectly) and just pour it out, separating the ricotta cheese from the liquid. And Voila! You've just made ricotta cheese! You may want to use a slotted spoon to spoon in into the colander.

 

I had a lot of fun making this because it was my first time and there's SO much you can do with ricotta cheese these days. My husband helped me, we both liked this recipe. We had found some using lemon juice, but we were too worried it was cause the the ricotta to taste like lemons. Obviously not a whole whole lot, but since we'd never made it, we didn't know what it'd taste like. It was very very creamy, salty enough because of the salt you put in it to heat it up. Perfect for even to put on crackers with some thin slivers of salmon with some capers on top(can you tell I already know what I want to do next time we make ricotta?!).

 

Alright fellow Foodies!! Go forth and make Ricotta cheese!

 

Actually, I don't have any recipes for sides. The sides I know are boring green beans, corn, mashed potatoes.

Does anyone have an super great, healthy sides?

One of my most favorite things to make is ratatouille. LOVE it. It's healthy, it's vegetarian and so filling. My husband, the meat eater(I am too, so no worries), wanted nothing to do with this recipe. So it was all mine. Anyway, it took all of 20-30 minutes to make. Everyone these days are so pressed for time; I'm in culinary school, I work and I also have to come home and be Super Mom(cause I am). It's hard trying to be everything at once and try to juggle everything, keeping life balanced. It's these easy, healthy recipes that really keep life balanced. There's nothing worse than having 5 things on your place already and then because you ate fast food, you now have to make several trips to the bathroom. Yeah, it sucks. So, here's a recipe for Ratatouille:

1 large eggplant
4 medium tomatoes
1 red bell pepper
2 red onions
3 yellow squash
1/4 olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon chopped basil(I used dried)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley(I used dried)
1/2 teaspoon thyme(I used dried)
salt and pepper

(all the colors are so pretty!!!)


What you do:
You don't want the tomato skins in there, so to easily get them off is get some water in a pot boiling. Place the tomatoes in the boiling water for 30 seconds to a minute. You'll know when they're ready because when you pull them out the skin is already peeling back. You don't want to cook the tomatoes just yet, so be sure not to put them in there for too long. Peel the skins off the tomatoes, chop all of your other veggies to the size you'd like. Bite size is perfect, most likely ;)

Heat the olive oil and put in the onion and garlic, cook until tender. Place the eggplant in and cook for 5 minutes, until eggplant is partially cooked. Add the red bell peppers and squash and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the tomatoes, basil, parsley and salt and pepper and cook that for 5 minutes. Serve hot. I used Parmesan cheese to finish it off, but that's a personal preference for some.

One of the best things I like about this recipe is there's no water or stock used. The vegetables use their own liquids to cook. So you go to the store and buy some vegetables and you're set. Talk about easy!!!


I hope this recipe works out for ya, if you try it. I typed it up from memory so if you need to add  something or take something away, by all means, do so! I'm thinking of making myself this dish, it'll last for a long time since I'll be the only one eating it!!