Category Archives: Personal Notes

My Mama Makes Better Chicken Noodle Soup Than Yours Does

Posted on by
1

DSC01280

Inevitably, I came down with a cold once the weather shifted. Autumn breezes turned into winter gusts of wind, often accompanied by slushy half-frozen rain. The days became shorter and darkness fell sooner than I was ready for. In fact, I am not yet ready at all for the coming months of frigid slush and wind tunnels, but I am optimistic enough to keep in mind that I have many things to look forward to as well.

One of the many comforts of winter is the arrival of soup season! Even though I make soup all year round, I much prefer the heartier varieties that I get to make come wintertime. I always experiment with new combinations, but when the time calls for it I always fall back on the classic favorite of soups- chicken noodle. My mom makes the absolute best chicken noodle soup and I don’t care who says otherwise. Feel free to challenge her because you will lose. I like her technique not only because it is very flavorful, but also because she always makes it in a “made-to-order” fashion. Every time we have rotisserie chicken for dinner, I know that within the next few days my mom will throw all of the saved up bones into a pot of water with other seasonings and let it boil down for hours. I can’t think of anything that makes me feel more nostalgic than tasting this soup and remembering back to how our family members could be in any room of the house and still smell the aroma of chicken broth wafting out from the kitchen. Once the broth was ready, my mom would lay out big pots of pasta, peas, and chicken pieces. We would then all go down the line and add as much of each ingredient that we wanted into our own bowls. I loved this because everyone likes their soup a little different. Me- I like it full of goods- lots of pasta and peas to accompany the flavorful, herb-infused broth. Throw in a dash of Maggi at the end and its perfect.

People really don’t realize how lucky they are to have someone take care of them when they’re ill as children. Now that I am in college, I have a routine for when I get sick. No matter how horrible or fatigued I feel, I throw on my onsie pajamas and devote the few hours necessary to cook up my moms chicken noodle soup recipe, no short-cuts allowed. I curl up on the couch with a steaming bowl of soup and pop When Harry Met Sally into the DVD player. Who needs medication when I have that foolproof cure?

P.S. sorry but the recipe is top secret!

Hurricane Sandy

Posted on by
1

Today, we anticipate the arrival of hurricane Sandy. School has been canceled, work has been shut down, and the city has all but completely shut down. No trains, no planes, no automobiles.  No bridges, no restaurants, no stock exchange. You know what that means? Its boeuf bourguignon time! I am fully stocked on two pounds of chuck meat, a double bottle of wine, and more onions and garlic than my roommates are comfortable with smelling. What else am I supposed to do with all of this time on my hands besides to lovingly make a delicious creation over the span of five hours?

Back In The Zone

Posted on by
Reply

A few months ago I promised myself that I wouldn’t become too busy or distracted this summer to keep up with the yum project. However, lo and behold, of course I never had a moment to spare and I now find myself enjoying the first beautiful autumn day with a camera full of appetizing photos that have not  yet made their debut on the worldwide web.  I am so frustrated with myself! I have stories and pictures from as long ago as memorial weekend. It is a daunting task to think about how much updating I have to do but I promise that I will get it done in the months ahead! I am feeling dedicated and productive now that I am getting into the groove of my new routine. It is a new school year with new endeavors, adventures, and meals to make!

A lot has happened in the last few months. I will have to touch more on it later but one of the big events of the summer was an experiment that I embarked upon. Since I have been interested in food studies, I have come across information time and time again on people who claim to have cured themselves of terminal illnesses by a change in their diet. I myself have had a mysterious kidney condition for the last six years and have tried just about every wacky treatment that multiple doctors have forced on me only to find my situation unchanged. This spring I finally decided to dedicate myself to this theory that food alone can allow the body to heal itself. I went into my experiment with low expectations and the thought that if this diet actually worked, illnesses such as cancer or cardiovascular disease would not be so prevalent. Nevertheless, for two months I cut out almost all land animal by-products, (with the exception of chicken stock, low-fat Greek yogurt, the occasional hard boiled egg or a sprinkle of feta/parmesan)  all processed foods, and most grains. My diet consisted largely of fruits, vegetables, nuts and fish. Breakfast was often a large plate of mixed fruit with a side of Greek yogurt for protein, a glass of water, a cup of herbal tea, and a fresh squeezed orange/grapefruit juice. Lunch would consist of as many vegetables as I could eat. During the day I snacked on nuts and dinner was often fish, more vegetables, and a homemade soup. I have a portion control problem but I did really well with these foods because I could virtually eat as many vegetables as I wanted. Additionally, water was crucial. I drank water all day long and cut out every other beverage besides herbal tea. To compliment my healthy meals I also picked up daily yoga and biked most places in lieu of driving. Before long I realized that my insomnia issues were not nearly as bad yet I felt energized all day. When I ate I would feel satisfied instead of heavy or bloated. Even my cravings changed. A banana became the ultimate luxuriously sweet treat, while lemon was the perfect flavoring as opposed to butter. I remember one day I was hungry at work and all they had was bread and butter. Even though I only ate one bite, I could not get the greasy taste of animal fat out of my mouth for hours afterward. One night I had steak for dinner and was shocked that I felt heavy, exhausted, and sluggish for three whole days afterwards.

ImageFinally it was the day to run blood work with my kidney specialist. It was the moment when I would find out if all my research, dedication and hard work had actually impacted my health. To both my doctor and my complete astonishment, my condition was almost completely gone in just two months. For six years of my life I had unchanging statistics, but I almost completely healed myself in sixty days.

I can speak more on health later. After that day I retuned to New York City for the rest of the summer and got a job bartending by Columbia University. I had a wonderful month working hard and exploring the city on my own. I felt very independent and really enjoyed settling into my first apartment. Two weeks ago I began classes and I am especially excited to be taking both molecular gastronomy as well as a “food and film” course. The last big development in my life happened just this last week when I got a phone call offering me an editorial internship at The Food Network! I cannot put into words how utterly excited I am to begin this internship next week. I am so thankful for the opportunity. I have dreamed about this for my entire life and I cannot believe that I am getting that much closer to making my ambitions a reality!

It is now time to conclude this long rant that still hardly begins to describe my summer. From now on I will alternate between uploading experiences and meals that I create in the present and meals that I had this summer. Since I have been in New York again I have been slacking on the healthy eating but I am working hard at getting back in the zone! I look forward to what is promising to be the most exciting year of my life yet and I hope that you enjoy following me on my journey.

Another Year At Its End

Posted on by
1

After a very busy last month I am finally back! Though I have been busy all semester, the last month of my life reached such hectic proportions that I couldn’t even find a spare moment to yum blog! Many things happened all at once. In addition to all the fun end of year festivities such as “Spring Weekend” at Fordham University and Devon’s spring production, “Cabaret”, I also went through the process of renting my very first apartment! A few friends and I found a beautiful pre-war building uptown with a four bedroom gut renovated apartment for much cheaper than a studio in Manhattan. I suppose we sacrificed location a little bit for space, but after my experience this semester living the Manhattan lifestyle, that is a choice I will gladly make any day! For anyone who didn’t know, my room last semester was so small that Devon and I could hold hands while lying in our beds and if we both walked between them at once our butts would rub together…there was also no living room, dining room, or entry way, merely a small kitchen in between the bedroom doors of a small apartment that housed SIX people. It got very claustrophobic but whenever I wanted to escape I would leave and immediately be accosted by the hustle and bustle of the concrete city. It got overwhelming so I was very lucky to find an apartment on riverside drive. There is even greenery there! Grasses, trees and shrubs oh my. The things people take for granted….one of the best parts of this new apartment is that it happens to have a gigantic beautiful kitchen with plenty of storage space, something that is virtually unheard of in New York City. Devon and I had a little housewarming brunch to see all of our friends one last time before summer and it went really well! We liked playing hostess and I’m excited to do more in the future.

Let’s not forget the most important and stressful part of the last month. It was finals time! All of the sudden the school year was ending, a surprise to me since it felt like the year rushed past so quickly. I cannot believe that as I sit here now I am already halfway done with college! Yikes. Anyway, finals at The New School was quite a different experience than taking exams at other schools. I had no idea what to expect. My days were filled with preparations for final projects and large papers. For example, my writing class required that I submit a portfolio of my work, fifty pages of writing that I had to repeatedly edit to “perfection”.  In another class I was put into a group and was tasked with creating an entire business plan outlining how a specific company can cut losses and maximize profits for future growth. I had a great time in my Intro To Food Studies class because part of my final was that I had to make a dish from my heritage and present it on the last day of class. Every person brought in a food item and we educated one another on the personal significance of the food as well as any stories we have about it. We then had a pot luck and got to try everything! That was the day I tried deep fried oreos for the first time….i was skeptical but oh my gosh you haven’t lived until you try one! They were delicious. For my dish, I brought in ghormeh sabzi, a Persian herb stew made with lamb that is considered quite difficult to make. Throughout my childhood I grew up with Madi (my grandmother) telling me countless times about the difficulty of the dish and how special it was when created right. I decided to take this opportunity to attempt cooking ghormeh sabzi successfully. The mission was a success! It was the very first meal I cooked in my new apartment and the whole place smelled like savory herbs for at least a week afterwards. I was very proud of how the meal turned out. I’m even more so proud of my final exam results. With a GPA of 3.75, I received almost all A’s. Even in high school I didn’t get such good grades so now I am finally sure that I have chosen the right topic of study! For once in my life school is actually interesting to me, I feel like I am learning things that I will actually use later in life and I enjoy doing assignments. Before I had to force myself to focus and merely went through the motions of completing my schoolwork. The difference shows in my grades.

Now I am home in Minneapolis for the summer and have already planned many adventures! My main goal of the summer is to lead an active and healthy lifestyle. This goal forces creativity and innovation in my recipes because I usually cook comfort food, however this summer I am going to try my hardest to use only healthy ingredients. No butter, no juice or soda, lots of fruits and vegetables, and minimal meat. So far it has been great! In only a few days I already feel much healthier and I have created some pretty delicious meals. I have been trying excessively hard to eat right these last few days, mostly because in the last two weeks of my semester I ran out of money and for the first time experienced the stereotypical college student diet of ramen and McDonalds every day. In addition to a change in diet, I plan to enroll in kickboxing and mixed martial arts. I’m so excited because not only will this kick me into shape, (no pun intended) but it will also teach me how to take care of myself. I’ve experienced a lot in the last few months and I think that a little self defense would be a great thing for a girl living in New York City.

In fact, I feel as though I have changed and grown up a lot in just a few months. I never would have imagined that I could change so much in just one semester of living in Manhattan, yet I am finding it excruciatingly hard to adapt back to the Minnesotan way of life. I’ve noticed that I’m almost overly alert of all the strangers around me, I’m much more independent, I move at a much faster pace, I’m interested in different pastimes, and I’m way more goal oriented instead of go with the flow. Within two days of getting home I already started back up at my old summer job at Mill Valley Kitchen, in which I was acutely aware of the strong Midwestern accents. It’s still nice to be home though, I’ve just been spending a ton of time with family and cooking up yummy food! Right now I am really behind with everything I prepared in the last month so I’m going to have to spend a lot of time updating and adding to the blog in the next few weeks.

Here’s to a great summer and all that it may hold! It is a mystery to me but from looking back on everything I did in the last four months, I have faith that many good things are in store.

Slow Food

Posted on by
Reply

Lately in school I have been learning a lot about the slow food movement. I think it is so interesting! The movement originated in Italy when many Italians rebelled against a McDonalds going up right next to the Spanish steps. There is a lot behind the group but in basic terms the supporters advocate for good, clean and fair food. Good refers to enjoyment of food. Food should taste great and be savored slowly, enjoying every bite. Clean refers to quality. Food should be local and organic, thus ensuring that it is fresh and free of chemicals. Finally, fair refers to methods of production. Food should be raised or grown by workers who are treated humanely. I agree with all of these ideals. Living in New York City has shown me the pitfalls of living in a fast-food society. For example, it is very hard to buy fruits and vegetables in a grocery store, especially berries. Just last week I bought strawberries and the next day they were already moldy. It wasn’t the grocery store’s fault, it’s that the berries had to travel across the country to get to me. In effect, by the time the fruit reached my plate it was no longer fresh, nor did it taste good. I also find myself among many who, in a rush to get somewhere, grab a meal on the go and eat it while I walk. Yesterday morning on my way to work, I had to stop myself as I raced down the street while chomping on a pre-made, microwaved spinach feta wrap. Was I even enjoying what I ate? Besides that the meal was very low quality, I was completely distracted in my rush and did not even savor the food I was putting into my body. It is ridiculous that I am trying to restrict what I eat in an effort to get healthier, yet I don’t even enjoy what I do eat. This is just plain stupid. If I don’t indulge in the foods I do eat, I will be even more dissatisfied and will most likely end up overeating anyways. I value quality, healthy foods and I, as well as many others in this city, country and world, need to take the time to enjoy the foods we are lucky enough to have access to.

This first short video is surprisingly just an ad for the Mexican “fast food” restaurant, Chipotle. I have to applaud whoever was in charge of this campaign because they did a fantastic job! This little clip puts some of the issues caused by fast food into elementary terms. It’s well done, I love it.

The second video is a TED talk by Dan Barber that relates to the slow food movement. Specifically, Barber talks about Foie Gras and a man who has figured out how to create the delicacy without subjecting ducks to the inhumane treatment of force feeding them in order to expand their livers. The man, named Eduardo, created an environment for his animals that led the ducks to eat more on their own. Eduardo let the ducks have free reign of his land and provided them with unlimited amounts of high quality food, free for grazing. In fact the ducks were so happy on his property, that not only did they stay for the winter instead of migrating to more favorable lands, but other wild ducks and geese migrated to his land and made it their home. Eduardo has a very sustainable operation. His practices are humane, easy on the earth, and produce excellent, high quality Foie Gras.

A Weekend Of Celebration, Complete With Beef Stir Fry And Turkey Potstickers

Posted on by
Reply

Over Easter break I got to go home to celebrate many different events! Besides enjoying all of the holiday festivities, I also went back to Minnesota for my step-dad’s 50th birthday party! He’ll hate me for outing him online but the point is that we had to do this birthday up big! The food was delicious, the 80’s music was bumpin, and all the socializing occurred throughout the Russian Museum of art, which happened to be our venue of choice. Everything was catered to my dad’s preferences, from the availability of sliders in lieu of his love for hamburgers, to the creation of a signature “Neapolitan martini” that emulated his favorite flavor of ice cream. The party was on Friday night and though I woke up at four am to take the red eye from New York, I did not get a chance to sleep until about the same time Saturday morning. This was due in part to the fact that the party lasted way longer than we expected, but also because we had a movie night afterwards.

It was a great weekend full of family bonding. On Saturday night my Step-sister Emily and I cooked dinner for everyone else. We rarely get to see each other so it was a great chance to catch up on our lives! Emily loves Asian food so we decided to be ambitious and planned to make beef stir fry along and homemade potstickers with a peanut dipping sauce. The food tasted delicious but we definitely ran into a few obstacles along the way.

I encountered the first problem in the grocery store. There was no ground pork! It was astonishing to me that such a large grocery store was lacking something so crucial. I improvised by buying ground turkey, which I like equally as much anyways. I left the supermarket with the meat, an assortment of vegetables, a few varieties of sauce, and some wonton wrappers. I had never attempted to make potstickers from scratch before. This was going to be an interesting night.

Ingredients

Stir Fry

  • Carrots
  • Broccoli
  • Snap Peas
  • Baby Corn
  • Water Chestnuts
  • Beef Strips
  • Onions
  • Garlic
  • Soy Sauce
  • Chili Sauce
  • Hoisin Sauce
  • Pepper
  • Chopped Scallions
  • Minced Ginger

Potstickers

  • Floured Wonton Wraps
  • Ground Turkey
  • Minced Ginger
  • Chopped Scallions
  • Chopped Water Chestnuts
  • Chopped Cabbage
  • Minced Garlic
  • Pepper
  • Soy Sauce
  • One Egg
  • Chicken Broth

Peanut Sauce

  • Creamy Peanut Butter
  • Minced Ginger
  • Minced Garlic
  • Coconut Milk
  • Lime Juice
  • Chili Sauce
  • Chili Pepper Flakes
  • Soy Sauce

Luckily, it turned out that Emily has actually made potstickers before, so I got a little guidance on what to do. We laid out all of our vegetables and got to chopping! I put the meat in a zip lock bag with some ginger, garlic, and soy sauce as a marinade, then began with the cabbage because it requires some weird tricks. Apparently, since cabbage has such a high water content, it is considered best to let the vegetable sit in some salt. The salt draws out the water and then you have to wring the cabbage out. While the cabbage dehydrated in a corner I finished chopping the rest of the ingredients needed for the potstickers while Emily prepped vegetables for the stir fry. I thought the hardest part would be stuffing the wonton wrappers but it turned out to be pretty fun and relatively easy. We simply put a dollop of the meat mixture on a wonton wrapper, then wet the edges, folded the wrapper in half, and squeezed the sides to create a seal. We tried to make the edges look beautiful but quickly gave up on that idea. We ended up with so many dumplings that we froze half and continued on to cook our batch by frying it and then subsequently steaming it in chicken broth. This is where I made my mistake. I accidently poured too much chicken broth. The result was that the wonton wrappers became rather soggy and some would rip apart with the slightest touch. However, even though the presentation was somewhat sloppy, the dumplings tasted amazing! The meat was extremely flavorful from the different onions and soy sauce. In turn the peanut sauce was complimentary to the potstickers with its smooth taste and tang from the lime juice. We heaped generous portions over white rice and enjoyed a long family meal by candlelight. Now it will be just one more month before I am done with school for the year and will be back home again!

Volunteering In NYC Public Schools

Posted on by
Reply

Last week I was lucky enough to be able to volunteer through the organization Wellness In The Schools. I recently obtained an internship at the non-profit organization and I am very excited to learn as much as I can from the people who work there! Wellness In The Schools is a great organization, it is a small group of dedicated women who work alongside chefs, counselors and teachers to develop and teach nutrition programs to children attending New York City public schools. Chefs and volunteers also do cooking demonstrations with classes across the city. I really stand behind this program because I believe that the best way to reverse the current health crisis in America is to begin with young children. I think that the younger people are educated, the easier it is to make a change. I think everyone can agree that it is easier to develop healthy habits when a person is young rather than breaking a habit at an older age.

 Every Tuesday I travel to the upper west side where Wellness In The Schools is located. So far I have been able to do everything from research for an upcoming benefit to writing blurbs for a newsletter and even putting together kits for cooking demonstrations. This brings me to the exciting part. Last Wednesday I was able to take part in one of the cooking demonstrations at a school in Chelsea! One of the volunteers was unable to make it so I took the spot. I woke up at the crack of dawn in order to navigate my way through the unfamiliar subway route to this school. I did get lost in the end, much as I expected that I would. However, all was fine because I wasn’t too late for the job. I had such a great time! First I met the resident chef, a woman named Cynthia who has worked kitchens in Chelsea but who now chooses to work for the school. There was also another volunteer chef, who I worked alongside and chatted with for a good two hours before I found out that she is a judge on the Food Network show Chopped! I was so excited, I don’t think I did a very good job hiding my enthusiasm. On our down time between classes I got to speak to the two chefs about their life experiences and got the opportunity to ask them for some advice. I even managed to slip some of my food show ideas into conversation with Amanda. (The Chopped judge)

Anyway, getting back to Wellness In The Schools, I just wanted to explain how wonderful it was to see their work implemented in real life. Each cooking lesson has a theme, and that day was potato day! Specifically, we showed the children how to make roasted potatoes, a healthy alternative to French fries. Before each class came we laid out cutting boards with plastic knives as well as a few potatoes with bowls of salt and rosemary. Once the children arrived we explained the recipe and taught them how to cut the potatoes. I thought it was a cute trick to have the kids pretend to make a “bear claw” with their hand to do the proper technique for cutting food while protecting themselves. As the potatoes roasted up we explained nutrition and fun facts about the vegetable. We then wrapped up the demonstration by giving each child a sample of the finished product. The results were amazing! Every single person tried the potatoes and almost everyone loved them. This was a feat because most of the kids were very apprehensive about trying rosemary. It was really fulfilling to hear children talking to one another as they left about how they wanted to make the potatoes at home with their families. This was the exact result we had hoped for. I also loved being able to work with the little kids. They were all adorable, if a little bit mischievous, and they knew some things that even I did not know! I left the class with enough potatoes to feed me for a week and an intensely maternal feeling, forcibly reminding myself that I’m not ready to be a mom for at least another five years. My hope is that Wellness In The Schools and other educational programs can continue to expand and teach new ways for children to eat fruits and vegetables.

When I Am A Food Network Star….

Posted on by
2

I am a person who truly believes in signs. So that being said, today has been the most interesting and inspiring day! The chain of events which brings me to this reflection begins with me securing an internship this morning at a bar and restaurant that just opened in Brooklyn. More on that later but this was only the first of many great happenings in the day. From my interview I happily bounced through the streets of union square, dancing and lip synching to feel good tunes as I made my way towards school. And then I saw her. I watched an extremely tan woman get out of a car on the corner of the street I was standing on. I glanced her direction for only a moment as she walked towards me and contemplated how she curiously resembled Rachel Ray. You know Rachel Ray? She is a wonderful woman, a self-proclaimed cook, not a chef. What she meant by this was that she got her training from experience rather than at a culinary school learning specific technique. I have always greatly admired her for becoming so successful without having formal training. I looked up to her since I was a very little girl and I really identified with her. Her hometown was in upstate New York, the same area I have grown up visiting with my family. She is also incredibly loud and expressive, which I always identified with. Her and I are both story-tellers. While some people criticize her expressive story-telling, I find it endearing. Who wouldn’t want to know background information? Food is identity and I loved that she told her viewers why the foods she prepared were special to her. I thought her first Food Network show, 30 Minute Meals, was not only extremely entertaining but also appealing to the masses because of how much she simplifies cooking. I watched her on TV all through my childhood and dreamed of how I wanted to be just like her when I grew up. I even wrote a college application essay on how I would choose her if I could dine out with any New Yorker, alive or dead. The way I saw it, Rachel Ray came from a similar background to me and had similar training, so if she could succeed then I could too.  I dreamed of one day having my own cooking show.

Within a split second of thinking how the woman on the corner looked like Rachel Ray, all of those thoughts went through my head. I remembered my ambitions and briefly thought about how crazy it was that I really did act on making my dreams a reality. I mean, here I was, walking through New York City on my way to food studies courses after having secured a marketing internship at a restaurant! However, I must say that my revelation was interrupted by my second glance at the woman who was now walking alongside me, at which point I noticed that I was indeed standing right next to Rachel Ray.  I cannot begin to describe how difficult it was for me to hold my reaction inside myself instead of literally exploding right there on 13th street and 6th avenue. My biggest regret in my entire life occurred today when I thought better of speaking to her. I sought out eye contact and was about to open my mouth when I noticed a glimmer in her eyes. It was as though she was requesting privacy with a glance that stated: “yes, you recognize me but please let me continue on with my life.”  I said nothing and instead proceeded to call my Mom the moment we parted ways. Regardless of whether or not I spilled my soul, told her of the impact she has had on my life’s decisions, how much I adore her and how I had dreamed and even written about the moment I would meet her, I wish I had at least said hello. I will have to content myself with the thought that it is only her loss that she will not have the happiness of knowing how much she has affected someone’s life.

Anyways, immediately following this encounter I proceeded to go to my Intro to Food Studies class. I decided to hold in the last few minutes of my life as a secret. This resolve lasted for about ten minutes and ended abruptly when my professor pulled up a large photo of Rachel Ray on the projector screen. Coincidence? I immediately raised my hand and shared my excitement with the class. The reason my professor had brought up Rachel Ray was because we spent a portion of the class analyzing the historical development and popularization of cooking on television.  More coincidences? I had only just been thinking about my own ambitions to have a food show. The discussion was so interesting! We went through the decades and talked about each person who played a pivotal role in the popularization of cooking as entertainment. We eventually began to discuss about how and why there is a dearth of nutritional information on these television shows. By the time we were talking about how there are no shows with a focus on healthy living, I was in a full-fledged (internal) panic. There was just way too many coincidences in my day.

While many people in this food studies course had only just realized that nutrition is an avoided topic on food TV, I have been aware all along. In fact, the class was unknowingly outlining my pitch right then and there. I have had my ideas ready for quite some time. People need a show to watch that teaches them how healthy food can be delicious! Not only that, but people need to learn how to truly cook. Even though every food television show claims to have its own hook, they are all extremely similar in that they consist of a person standing in front of a camera, teaching an audience how to prepare a specific recipe. It’s all well and good to show someone how to make honey glazed ham with herb roasted potatoes, but it has not actually taught anything. People who watch cooking shows will forever be slaves to cookbooks and measuring tools, unable to harness the creativity of their minds in conjunction with the cravings of their taste buds. What people need is someone to show them how to cook! Instead of, “this is my recipe for honey glazed ham”, people should learn “this is how you make a glaze for meat”. Instead of “this is how I make herb roasted potatoes”, it should be “this is how you roast vegetables, these are the vegetables that are perfect for roasting and these are the herbs that bring out the right flavors”. I want to be the person to teach a nation how to cook! Everyone can cook, and nobody should have to rely on books and measurements. Everyone possesses the skills necessary to cook. You need brain power to think about what you want to eat, taste buds to recognize what flavors you like, and the creativity to recreate the food you envision and taste using what you have available. Everyone knows that they like to eat, all they need to learn is the specific techniques to make it happen.  I want to be the person who stands in front of a camera at a farmer’s market telling an audience that the natural harvest time of asparagus is in the spring, that you can prepare it using x y and z methods, and these other flavors compliment the vegetable. So on and so forth.

I want to teach people the following:

  • Methods and techniques of cooking (e.g. this is how you broil, this is how you roast, this is how you chop)
  • Basic ideas on how to cook (e.g. this is how you make a sauce, this is how you make a soup, this is how to make gravy thick)
  • What flavors go well with one another ( everyone knows what foods and flavors they like, if they know which foods go well together people can create endless combinations by mixing foods they like)
  • Health and nutritional education
  • Natural growing periods when the freshest and most flavorful versions of each food are available (and all of the things you can do with each of those foods)
  • How to fix cooking mistakes (too bland? Add this. Too salty? Here is this trick)

I want to have an interactive show where I get out and educate people. I want to banish the days of recipes and utensils by helping people realize that cooking is fun and experimental! Cooking does not need to be exact and it is much more fun to create a completely unique dish by using the random ingredients and tools you have available to you, taste testing as you go. I swear it can be done, even though it has not been done before. And I better be the person to do it. I want to use a television set as my soap box and change the way people view, prepare and taste food.

I have dreams. I have ambition. I have passion. And I have perseverance.

I also believe in signs. Could it be a coincidence that so many related events occurred within one hour? Or was this something bigger?

The Last Supper

Posted on by
Reply

Today is the day. Americans all across the country have been looking forward to this day for weeks, it is finally the day of the super bowl! I must confess however, that I have ulterior  motives for my excitement about the super bowl. To me this is not so much a day to watch football or celebrate the national holiday of beer drinking as it is a day to completely binge on every single delicious and unhealthy food known to man! I have fond memories of every past super bowl experience i have had. While every year has been great, this year is a little different. The super bowl feast is even more important to me this year than it has ever been in the past! I not only have been excited for today, but I have also been dreading it.

This is because My roommate Devon and I have come to the excruciating decision to completely change our diet. We feel as though we have been living a very unhealthy lifestyle. We have not been sleeping enough, exercising enough, and we are not feeding our bodies the nutritious foods that they need and deserve. We have decided to do an experiment for the next month to see if we notice a change in our well-being. This experiment is not about weight loss at all as the goal. We are more concerned about feeling healthy! By the end of this month I am hoping to have more energy, a better immune system, and a positive mental outlook. I also want to glow. Healthy people have this look about them, their skin looks great, their hair shines and they radiate something inexplicably vibrant. Devon and I will be eating an essentially vegan diet. Staple foods will be a variety of fruits and vegetables, nuts, beans, lentils and whole grains. However, we are also allowing ourselves to eat as much fish as we want and one meal a week that contains meat. We are completely cutting out dairy, processed foods and most sugars (with the exception of natural sugars in fruits as well as honey) I know this will be very hard to stick with, but I am confident and driven to succeed. I will be so proud of myself when I accomplish this! I like that we are only doing this for a month, it is a short term goal and therefore is not as daunting as a total life change and overhaul. Spring break is also in a month so we have even more encouragement to stick with it! I just plan on getting very creative with my cooking. We will have gigantic meals every day to minimize cravings and maximize the unique flavors of nutritious foods. Eating healthy can still taste great!

This brings me back to today. Devon and I decided to start this “diet” on Monday, the 5th of February. We intentionally made this the start date because the super bowl is the sunday before. We are having an all out feast today as a final supper before the change! Let me tell you, we are fully prepared to max out on any and every unhealthy food we can get in our grasps! Some friends of ours are having a super bowl party and we have been preparing food all day. This is our fare: Five pizzas, 60 chicken wings, curly fries, two trays of ultimate nachos (tortilla chips, onions, jalepenos, tomatoes, black beans, taco meat, cheese and salsa) two trays of fabulous hot melty dip, (cream cheese, shredded chicken, hot sauce, bleu cheese, shredded cheese) vegetable trays with ranch, countless bags of pretzels and chips, two liters of soda, ice tea, and bud with lime. Tonight will be a four hour affair of continuous eating with great friends and an epic game of football. Bring it on! I am so ready to dominate this meal. After the game, Devon and I are heading back to our apartment in the city and will fall asleep in bed while watching the show friends and eating a Papa Johns pepperoni pizza with that delicious garlic sauce they give every time. Yes, we are going all out, and it’s going to be great. Let the madness commence!

French Roast In The Rain

Posted on by
Reply

This cappuccino looked so pretty that I had to take a photo! I had the pleasure of sipping this with my Mom on one of the last days she visited me to help settle me into school. We sipped coffe while sitting by the window in a cute french cafe on a rainy day. The place was called The French Roast Cafe and it provided the perfect shelter from the freezing rain that was blowing at us as we walked around outside. I hope to have many cozy cafes in my near future, especially as I continually explore the west village. I was (un)lucky enough to get lost in the west village yesterday on my way to class. I speed-walked through countless beautiful windy streets covered in cobblestone and filled with quaint colonial brownstones as well as– cafes. There were so many cute, charming, unique restaurants that I vowed I must go back to explore as soon as I actually have the time to wander. At that time I had only ten minutes to find my way before my “Growing A Small Business” class began, so I was in too much of a hurry to truly observe the quirky, character filled neighborhood of the West Village. I will return soon and next time with purpose!