Soup...It's Just Liquid with Stuff In It!

This was sauces and soups week in class.  Chef reminded us SEVERAL times that soup is really only liquid with stuff in it.  It's not complicated, it's nothing to be scared of, and can be one of the easiest things to throw together at the last second.  The book tries to make the whole process really difficult, using many different pots, doing everything separately and throwing it all together at the last second.  Thank goodness for Chef's outlook on making soup!  I LOVE soup!  I could eat it almost everyday.  I also have a daughter who LOVES soup.  But I'm a busy mom.  I don't have time to do twenty different steps in five different pots.  That's time I don't have and dishes I don't want to clean.  Not to mention what little miss princess might get into while I'm slaving away.  So, today I offer you the soup I made in class.  It's SUPER easy, uses one pot, takes 10-15 minutes to throw together...and then you leave it alone for 30 minutes or so (and hey, it probably takes at least that long to get everyone wrangled for dinner anyway!)  Oh...and I apologize in advance for the picture not being the best.  I do what I can with harsh overhead florescent lighting in the school kitchen!  ENJOY!!

Bean and Potato Soup
Serves 4-6

2 bacon strips; cut into thin slices
1/2 c dried beans; rinsed and soaked
1/2 c onion; diced
1/4 c carrot; diced
1/4 c celery; diced
1 c potato; diced
1 bay leaf
T dried thyme
1 garlic clove; minced
2 qts ham or beef stock (I used ham stock and added some of the meat from the ham hock into the soup)
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the bacon strips in a pot on the stove over medium until the fat is rendered (2-3 minutes).  Add onion, celery and carrot to pot.  Sweat the vegetables in the bacon grease for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add all other ingredients (except salt and pepper.)  Stir well.  Bring the mixture to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer the soup for 30-45 minutes (or until the beans are cooked through).  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve!

We also made "croutons" to go with the soup.  Thinly slice French bread, top with Gruyere cheese, put on a cooking sheet in the oven at 400 degrees until golden brown.  YUMMY!

Dill Pickle French Fries

I have decided that dinners in our household from here on out must match one of the following two requirements:
1.  Must have something in them that I need to practice for school. 
OR
2.  Must be a test for something to go in my mom's jelly cookbook.  (Side note - My mom makes jelly from wine.  We are collaborating to put out a cookbook where all of the recipes use one of her jellies as an ingredient.  Stay tuned...and go here to see her yummy wine!)

Tonight it was practice for culinary school night.  Thursday in class we practiced julienne potatoes.  I am not the best at this very fine matchstick cut.  Mine usually end up pretty uniformed, but to thick to really be considered a julienne.  Knowing I needed the practice, I figured I would get some potatoes and make french fries using my deep fryer I got for Christmas.  However, I wanted more than ordinary french fries, so I got the idea to try to make dill pickle french fries instead.  They turned out pretty good!  I love dill pickles and I love french fries, so this was the perfect combination.  I didn't get as much dill pickle flavor to come through as I wanted, so I have some adjustments to make for next time.  This is a good starting point though!

Dill Pickle French Fries
Makes 4-6 servings (depending on how many you eat...no judgement here...I think I ate 2 servings myself!)

3 potatoes (normal brown potatoes, nothing fancy)
fresh dill
3 T white vinegar
vegetable oil for frying
sea salt

1.  Peel your potatoes.  A neat trick I've learned in school is to cover your cutting board with plastic wrap whenever your peeling so clean up is really easy.  Why didn't I ever think of that, right?

2.  Slice your potatoes the size you want your fries to be.  I hand sliced julienne potatoes since that's what I needed to practice for class.  Normally, I wouldn't cut fries this small, or if I did I would use my trusty mandolin (the slicer, not the instrument...haha).  But if you want to give it a whirl be warned that slicing potatoes this way by hand does take some time, so plan for that.  As you slice the potatoes, put them in a bowl filled with cold water so that they are covered.  This will prevent them from turning brown (and you need the water later anyway).

3.  Next it's time to chop the dill.  Remove the dill from the stems and run your knife through a few times until the dill is chopped.  It doesn't need to be a fine chop, just smaller than what you started with.  For this run, I used dill from three stems.  Next time I'm going to double that to get more dill flavor.  Up to your taste what you want to go for here.

4.  Dump out the water that your potatoes have been soaking in and replace it with clean, cold water.  Add to the water the vinegar and dill.  Toss well to make sure all the potatoes are even coated.  Leave this to soak for 1-2 hours (toss ever 30 minutes or so).  I didn't have this kind of time, so I only soaked mine for about 30 minutes...another change I will make next time to get more dill flavor to soak into the potatoes.

5.  Heat your vegetable oil to 375.  If you have a deep fryer, GREAT!  It makes this process very easy.  If not, don't worry...just fry in smaller batches in a deep skillet or pot on the stove.

6.  Drain the potatoes and fry in batches for 3-5 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your fries.  Thicker cut fries will need a little more fry time, thinner fries will need a little less.

7.  Season with sea salt and ENJOY!!

OH YEAH...and since I didn't want my family eating only french fries for dinner (why not right?), I made these fabulous Buffalo Chicken Sliders with Blue Cheese Slaw to go along with them.  I only made a few changes to the original recipe.  I used 1/4 c Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Sauce and 1/4 c Frank's Red Hot Sweet Chili Sauce in place of 1/2 c hot sauce so it wasn't too spicy for my little one.  I also just used shredded cabbage for the slaw.  I'm all about simple slaw and didn't want the carrots.  It was all a big hit!  Pair that with a nice cold Yuengling and you've got a winning dinner!!  Everyone in the family approved...even my 1 year old daughter.  Try it out on your family and tell me how it goes!

Super Yummy Salmon Salad!

On December 10th, I hosted a wine dinner for friends and family.  Of the six courses I served that night, this one got the highest reviews.  It's super yummy, incredible easy, and (overall) pretty good for you too!  Of course, if you were looking for a very healthy alternative, I would swap out the tarragon dressing (which is oh so good and worth the extra calories in my opinion) for a light vinaigrette.  I found this recipe in a cookbook I got from Biltmore Estates.  Of course, I've tweaked it a bit to my liking (because I almost NEVER go straight from a recipe), but it gave me a good starting point to go from.  The whole book is pretty fabulous, actually.  If you are a cookbook fan or somewhat obsessive collector like myself, it would definitely be worth adding to the shelf!

I paired this dish with a 2009 Chardonnay from Little River.  Little River is a winery located in Mt. Gilead, NC (an hour or so east of Charlotte).  I love this Chardonnay!  No oak, buttery flavor here.  The nice, crisp finish balances out the creaminess of the dressing on the salad perfectly.  So, if you were going to change up the dressing, I would probably change up the wine too.  A vinaigrette with this may make the wine taste sour. 

So give this a whirl and tell me what you think!  ENJOY!!

Simple Salmon Salad with Tarragon Dressing
Makes: 8 salad servings; 2 1/2 cups of dressing

For salmon:
8  8oz salmon fillets
1/2 c soy sauce
1/4 c lemon juice
3 garlic gloves, minced
4 tsp Dijon mustard
1/6 c vegetable oil
12 c mixed baby greens

1. To marinate the fish, you are going to need a shallow, glass dish (I like to use my rectangular glass Pyrex dish).  Make sure to marinate in a dish and not a Ziploc bag for this one.  Fish is delicate and very likely to break on you if marinating in a Ziploc bag, so doing the extra dish is worth it this time!
2.  Combine soy sauce and next 5 ingredients in the dish and stir well.  Place the salmon in the dish and turn several times to coat with the marinade. 
3.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3-5 hours.  Turn the fish each hour to insure even marinating.
4.  Remove fish from marinade and discard.  If you wanted to serve the fish by itself without the salad, I would reserve the marinade, heat it in a sauce pan over medium heat until boiling and serve over the fish...yum!
5.  Heat a grill pan on the stove over medium heat.  To test if the pan is ready to go, place a small corner of the fish onto the pan.  If it starts to sizzle immediately, your ready to roll.  Alternatively, you can use a grill heated to 350 degrees.
6.  Grill the fish about 4-5 minutes per side, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.  If you salmon still has the skin, start the grilling process with the skin side down.
7.  Serve fish over mixed baby greens and top with tarragon dressing.

For dressing:
2 c Dukes mayo
1/3 c buttermilk
3 T fresh tarragon, very finely chopped
2 T fresh parsley, very finely chopped
1/4 tsp onion powder
2 T tarragon vinegar
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp Sriracha hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Combine all ingredients (except salt and pepper) and stir well with a wire whisk.  Once dressing combines, season with salt and pepper as desired.  For more of a kick to your dressing, add more Sriracha sauce (but be careful...this stuff is HOT!)
2.  Cover and chill until ready to serve.

One Week Down...and so are the Decorations!

It's official!  I have successfully survived my first week of culinary school.  I would have thought that a sense of calm would have swept over me and I would have been doing back flips to have made it through the week (thankfully uncut, unburned, and unhurt...so far).  But it's really made me take a big GULP!  Yep, I am officially back in school, which comes with...homework.  A LOT of homework!  I would guess about...oh...3-4 hours a week per class...if I were being nice.  Times that by 3 classes and, well, there goes all my "free" time (as if I had any of that before!)  Now I have to find a way to change loads of laundry between reading chapters, somehow entertain my little one while sprucing up my resume, and cook dinner while writing out recipe cards for class.  Good thing I've got a good handle on the multi-tasking thing or I would have really pulled my hair out by now.  The good news is...it doesn't last forever...it's an incredible opportunity...and I better make the most out of it while I can.  So, now I'm going to shut up, suck it up, and constantly remind myself of the end goal I have in mind here.

On the actual class side of things, I'm pretty siked about how things are going so far.  With the things that I learned in only three days of class, it's pretty awesome to imagine how much I'm going to know at the end of all this.  I find myself reviewing things for class as I'm playing with my daughter...multi-tasking...see?  My husband thinks it's funny that I use her to help me study.  But, hey, every one year old needs to know the correct procedure for making a stock...right?

It has been quite a shock to me to see how many students in my class don't seem to want to be there.  Not all by any means, but there are a few in each one that appear as if they would rather watch paint dry than be in a kitchen.  I don't get it.  The school is not cheap, by ANY stretch of the imagination, and what else can you really do with a culinary degree but cook?  I'm not saying that I'm going to be running to class every day all bright eyed, eager, and smiley...but if you're not at least excited on your very first week...what are you here for?  Sure, getting out of class at midnight two nights a week is not the most ideal thing in the world, but hey...we're cooking...you should like what your doing...quit your whining and let's do it! 

Monday classes were out for MLK, and I got the chance to get in the kitchen with the director of the department and two other culinary students to cook for an open house.  From listening to the other students, those complainers in my classes aren't going to last long anyway, which is good for me.  It was nice to be in a kitchen with people who are enthusiastic about what they do.  That's what I'm here for!

On a completely different note, the Christmas decorations are finally down...well...most of them.  The only ones left are the ones in the spare bedrooms, which we never go in anyways, which makes it very easy to just pretend they just don't exist.  I'm sure I'll get them down eventually.  Perhaps by the time this quarter is over...or the next time we have overnight guests.  Which ever comes first!

One Degree of Dean McDermott

I will be the first to admit that I am a reality TV show junkie.  It started way back in the 90s with the ORIGINAL Real World...and has pretty much spiraled out of control since then.  I justify it by telling myself that 90% of TV today is reality based anyway, so if I'm going to have shows I like to watch...well, you do the math. 

One show I rather enjoy is Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood.  She's quirky and cute, not to mention an awesome mom and doer of most everything, and then there's her husband Dean.  I never really paid much attention to him until this season.  Why?  Well, Mr. McDermott and I are now linked by one degree of separation.  He is also a student at The Art Institute in the culinary program.  No, he does not go to the same campus that I attend, but it's the same school, and that's close enough.  I find myself watching now to try and get a heads up of what I'm going to be doing in class.  So far it's been a neat thing to see. 

I can't tell you how excited and nervous I am that tonight is my first official night in the kitchen.  I hope all goes well!  At least, I hope that I am able to get through the class without slicing through my hand like he did.  Maybe my past experiences with a knife, garbage disposal and my thumb will give me a clean pass through.  Here's hoping at least!

New Year...New Adventure

Every year, I set some sort of resolution.  Along with much of the rest of the people on this planet, it usually doesn't take me until the end of January for it to be broken (that is if I can even make it a week!)  My problem has usually been that it's just not realistic...or as it has been the past couple of years, not really measurable and completely up to my opinion whether I accomplish it or not.  This year things are going to start off a little differently.  There are a lot of things I want to do this year.  Many things I want to learn, get better at, or change.  However, I've decided I have to back up and take one thing at a time.  After all, I do have a pretty big thing to hold my attention.

This year, starting a week from today in fact, I'm going back to school...oh yeah, again...and for the third time.  I'm hoping the the saying, third times a charm works out to be true in the situation.  My choices in the department haven't always been the clearest of sorts. 

The first time I went to college, I majored in elementary education...and I was good at it.  I've taught elementary school in several different places and know I was good at what I did.  But I couldn't do it anymore.  So much of education today is not what I signed up for.  After all, I didn't pay good professors to teach me how to be a good teacher just to be handed a booklet of information that I then had to read to a group of students like a trained monkey.  Crazy parents, too much politics, no "real" teaching, and very little respect...let alone money...time to move on.

The second time I went to college, I finished my theatre degree...and I was good at that too.  I still ended up in the classroom after I was done, but if I'm being honest...I went back to school then because I had just gone through a lot of changes in my life and I didn't know what in the world I wanted to do or where I wanted to go.  Guess I figured if I was in school people wouldn't ask to many questions.  Crazy logic huh?

Now I am one week away from beginning lucky degree #3.  I'm going to culinary school.  I've always loved to cook...and think I'm pretty good at it too.  (Gee...from reading this you would really have no idea that I don't have a whole lot of confidence in myself would you?)  I would love to do something in the culinary field, preferably private parties and catering.  I've done some for friends, families, and friends of the family...but really think this is what is going to give me the boost I need to get going.  It's something I've been debating for a few years now and the time has finally come.  So there's my resolution focus for the year...overcome my fears to move forward with new path in life.  I know it's not going to be easy, but I'm excited about what's to come.  Thankfully this time I have the support of my husband to keep me in line.  If it wasn't for him, I don't think I'd even be brave enough to do this in the first place.

So in honor of this new year and new adventure, I'm starting this new blog.  My "goal" is to write at least once a week about the experiences I will be having this year.  Should make for some yummy talk!  So stay tuned for all the "courses" to come.  Now off to work on dinner...bacon cheeseburgers and homemade onion rings...must break in my new fryer that hubby got me for Christmas.  Don't see a lot of healthy meals in my future this week!  More like visions of fried pickles, pork chops and wings.  Oh my!