Skip to main content

Plans, plans and more plans...

I realize that I am only in my 2nd quarter of culinary school and I have plenty of things to plan for right now, but I can't stop thinking about my 5th quarter Chef of the Day (COD) project! It doesn't really affect me for at least 2 more quarters, so I need to work on staying in the moment.

For instance, next week is my "Student Entree" week. I am required to cook two dishes of my choosing, one protein one vegetarian, 15 portions of each. On Tuesday I'll be serving up some whole grains to the other students, Acorn Squash filled with millet "stuffing". It will have onions, herbs and bell pepper mixed in and topped off with honey. Then, Thursday I will be roasting 5 lbs of pork butt to make delicious tacos with two sauces...tomato salsa and avocado butter (yes, butter!). I think this one is going to be really delicious! I'm hoping to go off of this recipe from Tyler Florence on Food Network that looks amazing! Hopefully I'll take a picture of what I make.

For my COD I'm doing a dairy and gluten free menu and putting together recipe ideas. I want it to be as local and seasonal as possible...for February anyway! Leeks are apparently 1 thing I should focus on. Maybe these steamed greens with carmelized leeks? Hmm....
-l.v.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The End is Near

On January 4 th I will begin my 5 th & final quarter of culinary school. It's been 15 months of 5 am alarms, full-time student/part time worker budget & a whole lot of stress. But it has also been rewarding and a great deal of fun. I have made some life-long friends and countless connections I hope to carry me through to where I want to be. The problem now is to figure out where that is. How do you decide where to direct your focus in life? When does the sign show up, telling you where to go, what to do, who to be? I've done this once, graduated from college, took a job, worked a 9-5...and was quite successful at it. So, what's the hold up now?? The uncertainty I feel regarding my next career move is enough to cause shortness of breath, nervous actions and mental blocking to keep myself from over thinking about the decisions I have to make. Today I'm going to spiff up my resume and apply for some jobs. Or, at least make some connections, since there aren'...
Post a Comment
Read more

New Cookbooks=Inspiration

I am the proud new owner of 4, yes 4, shiny new cookbooks. Each is signed by the author, which I love. I have a small obsession with signed cookbooks, can hardly resist a purchase when the author is near to place their personal message to me on the title page. It's enough instant excitement to cause nervous chatter or lack thereof on my part. As I sit at the kitchen table tonight, trying to nail down a great dessert recipe for my C.O.D. (final culinary school project) I'm reading snippets from " The Gluten-Free Girl and The Chef ", loving the personal stories she shares. Love "grocery shopping as foreplay"...as I have to agreee...picking out the evening's dinner is fabulously fun and romantic for food minded people. While I love going alone because I can peruse the aisles for hours (as I often do), shopping with another person you're going to cook for brings the excitement to a different level. It's fun to see what people notice and be influenced...
Post a Comment
Read more

True Appreciation

When eating, do you think about where you food comes from? Where it was produced, raised or grown? More importantly, do you think about who brought you the wonderful ingredients you're about to consume. I was eating an apple the other day and I thought, at some point someone hand picked this single piece of fruit off of a tree, in an orchard somewhere in Washington State (or at least I hope that's right?!). I like to think they are earning a good wage, one that supports their family and helps them enjoy a pleasant lifestyle. And, I hope the farm or orchard is doing well, sustaining themselves economically as well as environmentally. As a culture, we are so far from our food's original source and the original form of the product, that we no longer "connect" with our food. We forget to thank the farmer who planted the seed, tended to the crops and eventually harvested them. We don't appreciate the chicken who gave it's life so we could enjoy a del...
1 comment
Read more