9/8 Stress and 10 fingers

I am sure it was just first day jitters but today really sent me for a loop.  After being in almost two decades of a typical academic setting the kitchen was something both familiar and foreign. I kept having the sense that everything should come naturally to me after so many years cooking for myself and others. It was very hard for me to adjust my way of thinking, holding a knife and managing having someone looking over my shoulder all the time.

I am proud of keeping all 10 fingers in tact.

I should work on sharpening my knife better.

Take a ways

·      Sharpening your knife almost daily is key to success

·      I must remember to keep my knife perpendicular to the cutting board.

·      Remember to tidy as I go- it really does help.

Unfortunately I have very few pictures from the beginning of class because I was panicking a little bit so please enjoy pictures of my dog. 

The Start of Something New

In my senior year of college I started to panic. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and I was a mess. I flew home to recoup with my family and at breakfast my father asked me what I loved to do. I told him, I love to cook, I love to quilt, and I love to knit. From there the idea of Home Economics was born. It was to be my baby but with a vast amount of help from everyone I love. I wanted a space to show off the amazing talents of the people in my life. I wanted to provide a space for learning, for loving and a home outside of the home. On the flight home from that trip I fell asleep on the plane and had a vivid dream where I saw myself in a kitchen in chef whites. I knew I needed to go to culinary school to give me some credentials for this endeavor. 

There are so many paths to culinary school and so many schools to choose from. I called around and got accepted to some of the best programs in the country. I was so excited but something just wasn't right until I found the Masters of Liberal Arts with a concentration in Gastronomy from Boston University. It was perfect for me. I felt like I could carry on my academic (aka super nerdy) study from Vanderbilt and would also be able to have a short culinary school experience in addition to regular school work. 

I have made it through one whole year of my masters program so far. Time has flown and my lack of writing is mainly due to the copious amount of papers I have to write for my various classes. This semester I took the plunge and with 10 other wonderful students, I started the Culinary Lab. As part of the program I was asked to journal my experience which I will share here. Some of it sadly won't make sense to those not in the program but it is a nice way for me to chronicle, remember and share on my terms. 

Home Made Cheese-It's and Gardening

In attempts to eat better I have tried to cut out processed foods with ingredients that I can't pronounce. Unfortunately that has left me without something salty and crunchy until I found a recipe to make these wonderful little Cheese-Its! I love that I know what is going in my food and am not going to lie, I feel a little smug knowing that I made them. Feel free to make these delicious crackers into any shape you would like! This would be perfect for a homemade goldfish! 

Skill Level: Moderate

Feeds: Me! Snacking for several days... 

Ingredients: 

8 oz sharp cheddar, cubed 

4 tbs cold butter, cubed 

1 c flour 

1 tsp salt 

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp paprika 

2 tbs cold water 

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Unfortunately I have a small food processor mostly fit for chopping up an onion if I am feeling lazy so, I had to make this in two batches. Place the cheese in the food processor and blend until it is a fine crumble. 

 2. Add in the flour, spices and butter to the food processor and blend until incorporated. When the mixture looks the same throughout add the water and give it just a few spins so to not overwork the dough.

 3. Place the dough in cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes until firm.

 4. I recommend taking half the dough and cutting it half so it is easier to roll out. Roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is about a quarter of an inch thick. Cut it into any shape you like!

 5. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Check on them frequently towards the end because they have a tendency to burn. I sprinkled salt on them when they came out for an extra little crunch

Spring is in the air!!! I am so excited that fresh produce is going to be coming back into my life. I am so tired of sad greenhouse tomatoes so I decided to plant my own. Because I live in an apartment my gardening was a bit limited to a few pots but I still enjoyed myself. Evie was...... well lets just say she was far from helpful. She was really excited that I was playing with dirt and wanted to get as close as she could to the action.

 This is the little stinky pretending to be helpful...

My lovely garden! I was able to plant a large tomato plant, cherry tomatoes, basil, mint, thyme and parsley!

Mind-blowng Mediterranean Meatloaf

Sometimes a craving for something just hits me. I was watching The Kitchen on the food network one morning while they were making some of their favorite recipes.  In the middle of a tofu stir fry and a grapefruit margarita was a hidden gem of a recipe that I just had to make. 

It is an amazingly minty, fresh and easy recipe is a perfect combo of textures and flavors. I highly recommend it with some sautéed spinach. 

Skill Level: Moderate

Feeds: 6

Based off: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jeff-and-geoffreys-ultimate-meatloaf.html

Ingredients: 

1 lbs ground beef* 

1 lbs ground pork* (I am not going to lie, I used 1 lbs mild italian sausage) 

1/2 c putted kalamata olives, finely copped 

1 small white onion, diced 

8 crushed saltine crackers** 

1/2 c 2% greek yogurt 

2 tbs. finely minced fresh mint 

2 tbs. finely minced fresh oregano or 1 tbs. dried oregano 

1 tsp. ground cumin

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 large egg 

1 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp pepper 

1/2 c crumbled feta 

Mint Tzatziki: 

1 English cucumber, seeds removed 

salt

1 c 2% Greek yogurt 

1 minced garlic clove 

3 tbs minced fresh mint 

* My grocery store never has even pounds of meat so I got the closest to a pound- usually around 1.2-1.4lbs. 

** place the saltine crackers in a ziplock bag and smooth the crackers into a crumb with a rolling pin or can. 

Directions:
 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
 2. Line a roasting pan or a cookie sheet with a lip with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
 3. Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bow. Wash your hands. Using your hands, mix the meat together until it is incorporated but not overworked. If you over mix, the meatloaf will be tough. 
4. Shape the meat into a log shape and place it on the pan. 
5. Bake the meatloaf 45 minutes to an hour until a meat thermometer reads 155 in the center. Because you are working with pork you really need to make sure that the meatloaf is cooked all the way through. 
6. Let the meatloaf rest for 15 or so minutes and make the tzatziki sauce. 
7. Dice the cucumber and liberally cover in salt (1-2 tbs.). I like having my cucumbers a little larger than what was recommended which was grading, I find it adds a nice textural difference to the meal. Place the slated cucumber in a strainer over a bowl. The salt will bring out the excess moisture in the cucumbers so your sauce won't get too runny. Let the cucumber sit for 10-15 minutes.
8. In the meantime mix the remaining ingredients for the sauce together. When you just can't take it any more and you are so hungry you just don't care add in the cucumbers and spoon it over a slice of your meatloaf. Enjoy! 

Honey Soy Slow Cooker Chicken

• Feeds: 4-6 
• Skill Level: Beginner
• There is nothing nicer than dumping everything in a pot, walking away and coming back to a delicious meal that is so versatile! 
• Ingredients 





• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 1 Tblsp smooth dijon mustard
• 1 Tblsp sesame oil
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 small onion, chopped finely
• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, chopped into 3 inch chunks
• sesame seeds and chopped scallions for garnish (optional)







• 1. Put honey, soy sauce, hoisin, mustard, sesame oil, wine, ginger, pepper flakes, garlic, and onion in a crockpot. Mix well.
• 2. Add chicken pieces and arrange evenly in the liquid.
• 3. Cook on LOW for 5 hours.
• 4. Use tongs or a fork to remove chicken to a serving platter and shred roughly with 2 forks. Then add it back in the pot with the sauce until you are ready to serve. 
• 6. Garnish chicken with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and scallions and serve immediately.
• 
  
• This is amazing over rice with some broccoli (as pictured) or with a cabbage leaf as an Asian taco. 

Tardis and Baby Quilts.

Well, this is down right embarrassing. I am sorry to say that it has been almost a month since my last post. So much has gone on that I have definitely been slacking on blogging. This week I have finally made a list of things to conquer and I made sure Evie would hold me accountable if I don't accomplish most of it.

You may ask yourself, what on earth does this chick do when she is not cooking, working or taking her dog on a walk! Well, I am an avid quilter/ sewer/ crafter who has been prepping my stock for my Etsy store. I made my first quilt when I was 6 with my Grandmother and have never looked back. I have made everything from baby blankets to a California King size quilt and this last month has been no exception. My goal is to make quilts that people will actually want and use. I love the idea of someone wrapping themselves up with a good cup of coffee and a book in one of my quilts. In the last month alone I have finished 4 (soon to be 5) quilts!


                       


This first is a Tardis quilt inspired by Dr. Who. I am a huge fan of the show and know many other  Whovians so I created a pattern and went for it. It is not quite finished and still needs the "Police Call Box" text that will sit at the top. It turns out that I had almost all the fabric I needed for this quilt from a previous quilt so... I kind of went nuts and MADE THREE TARDIS QUILTS. Yes, I am crazy. Yes, they took me about two weeks to finish. And yes, I never want to see navy batik fabric again in my lifetime.

Other than the all consuming Tardis quilts I took a mental brake and made this adorable baby quilt  that has bright, happy non batik colors!
         

As always, Evie was ready to be a big help.

Next on the agenda is a Sherlock inspired quilt that will look like the 221B Baker Street door from the show. 

If you are interested in any of the quilts above let me know and I will hold one for you! Sadly, they still need to be quilted so it may be another month or so until they are done.

Puppy snuggles and quilting

Today I will just start with the good stuff.