It Was Food All Along

I've always been the person who wanted to know and do everything. I set myself up as a Jack of All Trades and I was a complete hoarder, with both tangible items and information. I do have a horrible memory. One of my greatest fears is that I will learn something and subsequently forget it. To retain information I have to practice over and over again until it becomes second nature.

In my early years, I've done everything from cheerleading and dance to Michigan Youth in Government and academic games. I juggled both DECA and volleyball competitions. I never nailed down my true calling because I was always interested in EVERYTHING and I always changed my mind and I always needed everything to be particular. But… usually in stories, no matter how chaotic, there's always a central theme. Maybe even a few. I can look back on a ton of things I've done in my life… some of the earliest things I've loved was reading and writing, but even those weren't surrounding my everyday life. It's weird that I didn't think of this before, but it was always food that everything connected to. Let me explain.

I used to keep a daily journal. Like I said, I loved to write all the time. I loved composition books and those flimsy tan journals the most… in fact I kept tons of them. I loved fresh notebooks and interactive or lockable diaries. Each day I would write down mundane things… but I always made sure to write what I ate. My favorite times to write was during a holiday because I could write down the exact things that my mother made and what I would eat later. My favorite thing to do on those mornings was watch the food channels to see what the celebrities cooked.

In reading, I used to read the Baby Sitter's Little Sister series often. I ventured to the Narnia and the Harry Potter books as well, but what were my favorite parts? What they ate and what they cooked. Karen's Turkey Day had to be my favorite because of the food they prepared and I got a new recipe to melt sliced cheese on top of saltine crackers in the microwave (the book had them do that to Fritos). I chose later books based on the titles (Karen's Pizza Party), and still remember that Karen's favorite food was Hamburgers with Mashed Potatoes. In The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, there is an eating scene with Mr. Tumnus that I used to reread and the same with the beaver family. I didn't know what Turkish Delight was, but it sounded delicious! I lived for Harry Potter's feasts at Hogwarts and loved the various new foods of the magical world. Another secret? I never read the Boxcar children series… I skimmed through them to find the inevitable scene where they would find something to eat and prepare a meal.

If there's nothing to watch, I switch to the Food Network. One of my favorite shows growing up was Iron Chef. I used to love to receive fake food for my dolls. My mom had a subscription to a recipe card service and I used to separate them by category and decide which ones I wanted to cook. There are still stains all over some of them. Light reading was a food magazine or a cookbook. With all this, I don't understand how on earth going to school for Culinary Arts or Hospitality Business was not my first choice! Food brings people together and food attached to a memory helps me remember that memory.

All my life I wanted to cook a large meal for my family and friends and I would cross my fingers in hopes that they would like it. I took pictures of food. I kept a little review book for restaurants I attended. I think going to Culinary School will be a large step for me mentally because it is pure and concentrated joy for me. When I see fresh ingredients, I can't contain my excitement. When I step into a place full of cookware, I'm in ecstasy. My best Christmas was the year I got a stand mixer and a food processor. My graduation gift was a set of bakeware, my birthday gift a cast-iron pizza stone, and Christmas of 2013 featured my cake turntable, a flour sifter, and a Couture Chocolate cookbook. My craziest dreams included a batch of truffles and milk-chocolate leaves.

It might sound gluttonous and I may be obsessed, but it is what it is. Everyone knows the risks of following their dreams. Everyone always believes that they will be the exception. I still want to do everything and know everything. I still want ten kids who will look up to me and I still want to build my own dream house. People say don't hold on fast to dreams because not everything is realistic. All I can say is, technically, everything is realistic if you just do it. If you make sacrifices to get it done, it’s never too late. I know for a fact that I'm still procrastinating, but in the end, unless I die prematurely, I'm going to get it done.

Catch me if you can.

Finding the Perfect Homemade Yellow Cake

In my culinary journey- in fact I feel like in almost everyone's culinary journey, we have been searching for the Holy Grail of homemade yellow cake recipes. Some of us own businesses or is the 'baking queen/king' in the family and gets everything down to a perfect science… except that darn yellow cake. So we doctor up Betty Crocker mixes and go along with that because most non-bakers can't taste the chemicals! Well I'm here to let you know that the search for you just MIGHT be over. I say might because I, like you I'm sure, have been told this over and over again with the same fails.

Looks pretty right? Too bad it tasted like nothing.

Really nice texture and very fluffy - no flavor!

The cake is too flat, it rises perfect but tastes bland, it came out more like cornbread or a muffin, it's too dense, it's dry, it's okay but I wouldn't eat it without the frosting… we've all been there. Today, just try this recipe out. If it doesn't work for you, I'm sorry for the wasted ingredients and time. I really hope it does because I've found the best cake for me. If it doesn't work, I say try it ONE more time. Then that's it… if it sucks, you can continue your search.

Weird crumb cake concoction that was the result of a failed yellow cake recipe. Tasty... but tasted like muffins. The second layer completely fell apart...

We want everything like a box-mix cake minus the chemicals. We want flavor, rise, moistness, perfection almost every time- but we want to be able to say we made this with our own fresh ingredients and our own loving hands. Before I move on, I'm going to link to where I got the recipe and add a thank you to this kind soul who posted it:

http://www.cheftalk.com/t/45372/finally-that-perfect-homemade-yellow-cake

I believe it's a combination of two recipes that came out great!

Delicious, moist, fluffy... excuse the mess!

I had to take pictures before it disappeared!

This was delicious, moist, and was definitely able to hold a good amount of frosting. In fact, the layers would have been perfect if I didn't rush the process and try to take the cakes out of the pan while still hot… good thing frosting covers everything!

So as I said, try this out this weekend. I'm going to try them as cupcakes and follow up, but this is the one that I will pass down to my children and their children!

With Love,

Cookie

Perfect Yellow Cake Recipe

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (do not sift the flour)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups milk
Vegetable oil
1 stick butter (not margarine), softened
1-tablespoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350°

Cut wax paper to fit the bottom of (3) 9 x 1 1/2-inch round pans. Spray the pans with cooking spray, place the wax paper in the pans and spray the paper.

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt, mixing well.

Measure the 1-1/4 cups of milk in a 2 cup measuring cup….then add enough vegetable oil to bring the liquid up to 1-1/3 cups.

Add the milk/vegetable oil mixture, butter and vanilla to the flour mixture and beat with an electric mixer on medium to medium-high speed for 2 minutes, scraping sides of bowl as needed.

Add the eggs and continue beating an additional 2 minutes. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted near center of cake comes out clean, or until cake springs back when touched lightly in the center.

Cool cakes on wire racks for 15 minutes; remove from pans and cool completely.

Frost as desired.

Note: It rises well, but I only made two out of the three rounds... I had to cook it for longer but it still came out great.

The Final Test: This Is IT

DISCLAIMER: Today was the only day there were no pictures. I hope my words can paint a vivid image of my experience and my nerves… Enjoy!

Seven weeks went by so fast.

Chopping, slicing, dicing, simmering, tasting, laughing, smelling… all of that culminated into one final showdown. The Final Practical.

Homework quizzes have been done and graded. Whatever you got on that was what you got, what you didn't finish was a plain zero. The end arrived. You either studied or you didn't. You either got those knife cuts and the smell of Old Bay down to a T or you didn't. You either passed this exam or you didn't get into the Culinary Arts Program. If this is scaring even you, imagine how the class felt.

I walked in twenty minutes early. L was already there and we went around smelling spices and checking out large equipment. Surprise! Some spices were those we have never heard of. We scrambled to figure out what it was and what it smelled like before we had to return to the demo kitchen. Once Chef Gabriel and Loving arrived, everything was put away. At that point, it was time to prove our worthiness.

We set up our station first. Mise en place. Then we sat back in the demo kitchen and began our written exam.

What is a demi-glace? I know that it's half veal stock and half espagnole reduced. While taking the written exam, I completely forgot. What are the five grading criteria for stock? Clarity, Flavor, Body, Aroma and… No fat? That is what I marked. The last answer was color.

Once I turned that exam in, that was it. I couldn't dwell on it. Either I passed or I didn't. Don't worry, the other millions of questions I was sure I answered correctly, but I am not without mistakes.

Knife cut time. This was the most nerve-wracking. I barely finished last time and that was a few cuts. Here were the cuts we were given:

Medium and large dice of potato

Batonnet of potato.

Small and julienne of carrot

Short julienne of onion

Roast a pepper, slice it, deseed it

Chop parsley

Mince garlic

Perform two of tomato concassé

Perform oblique cut of carrot

Perform weird cut of carrot we don't remember learning

All this in 1 hour 15 minutes.

Ready…. Set… GO!

I have been more scared in my life, but most scares are artificial. This was real. I nicked myself with my knife and kept going. I peeled, diced, julienned, evened out… but soon there was only five minutes left.

I still had to chop garlic, do my tomato concasse, perform the last two carrot cuts, chop parsley, and julienne onion.

I julienned the onion. I minced the garlic. I started the parsley with thirty seconds to go because at least I could have SOMETHING.

11:15 came. I threw my hands up in exasperation… 11:15 went… the buzzer didn't stop.

1 hour and 15 minutes meant 11:30… not 11:15.

Chef Loving came over and calmed me down. He let me know I still had 15 minutes. It was the scariest thirty seconds of that day, but with relief, tears poured out of my eyes. I let out a humorless chuckle as he placed a hand on my should. It wasn't the time for a meltdown. He said now wasn't the time to mess up, helped me figure out what to clean up, and said to keep going. I did. I finished my cuts. My parsley was not perfect, but I finished with time to clean my station.

They scored in front of us. Each cut was out of five (the tomatoes and extra carrot cuts were not on there) I got 5/5 on both the medium cut of potato and the batonnet, 4/5 on all of the other cuts, but a 3/5 on the parsley because it was rough. I didn't care… that was an awesome score to me!

Next we warmed our stock from the week prior and let the chefs taste it.

5/5 Taste and Body, 4/5 Aroma, Color, and Clarity. PASSED.

We made a roux with clarified butter and flour. I used half of my stock and a little roux to start my Velouté. It immediately started to reduce when I suddenly got an idea. My girls around me had a thicker sauce, but L said you can't base anything off of anyone else's because they might be wrong. I added more stock and put in more roux so that it looked like Velouté instead of adding roux little by little until it simmered into a Velouté look. With that method, my sauce stopped reducing. It sloshed around, it had good nappé (coating consistency), so I place it in a little cup and waited.

M- too thick, L- too thick, A- too thick… mine?

"Not bad!" he goes. I sighed in contentment. This was happening. I was passing.

After the clean up, it was time for the Identifications. We were split into two groups. I was ready. I knew most of the items, so instead of wasting time, I went as fast as possible. My group started with small equipment. I waltzed around the room, writing down everything I knew, guessing what I didn't (only two pots looking things and I think my guess was pretty good). After that, I sat in a small area and wrote down the uses. I did the same for Large Equipment.

Imagine walking around a room and seeing the things you either used at home or have used while working on campus in a cafeteria. You have to treat this like this is what you want to do. It's not 'studying', it's knowing what you're using. That has to be your mindset in this program. You can't 'memorize' that this is a buffalo chopper and you can use it for chopping carrots. You need to know first hand in the back of your mind- I want to chop my carrots or mince my garlic quickly- I'm getting out the Buffalo Chopper. It soon becomes second nature.

The herbs and spices were my favorite. It was challenging, but I ran around the room inhaling and tasting spices. That can't be paprika because it's burning my tongue something awful… it must be cayenne! Mace smells like nutmeg, ground mustard tastes like crap! This sage stuff is what I can use to make stuffing! For the herbs, I broke those leafs apart and inhaled. That saved me so much because the basil and the mint looked alike. I broke it open- one smelled of Italy, the other like fresh chewed gum. What would I use this mint for?? CRAP! Oh… I can make Mint Julep!

That's how it went. No lunch break, no bathroom break, nothing from 8am-3pm. I finished that and turned in all of my papers. I didn't get to say goodbye to anyone, but I knew it wasn't good bye… it was see you when we're in the program, crying on each other's shoulders.

I stepped outside and there was my future hubby, in the same clothes I left him in, but well-rested and looking like love and promise. I was exhausted, I was shaken, I was almost defeated, but I smiled at him. First thing I say? "I need a drink!"

Bahama Breeze, Top Shelf Long Island Iced Tea… thanks.

Is Culinary School Right For You?

Here is a chronicle of my beginnings as culinary student- one of my lifelong dreams coming to fruition.

I'm not your average culinary student either… well, for starters, I'm freshly (sort of) graduated from MSU with my Bachelor of Art's in Apparel and Textiles with a cognate in Interior Design (whatever the hell job that gets me). How many people out there go get their Bachelor's and then an Associate's degree? Someone who figured out they can be whatever the hell they want to be a little too late. I'm not going to bore you with details, you can check that out on my personal blog:
www.thechocolatetease.blogspot.com.

I've searched high and low for years for the answer to the question 'Is Culinary School Right For You?' or 'Is Culinary School Worth It?' I've seen and heard a lot of answer which included it being an expensive waste of time, you eventually start out with low pay, you can just learn to cook on YouTube. My first day of class last Saturday came my real answer: Anything you aspire to do is right for you. Anything that gives you another step towards your goal and you love it is totally worth it. There's no quiz, no magazine article, no hater on that haterade that can analyze whether or not something is your forte. Only you can figure that out when you experience it.

My dreams are to own a bakery/café, an event planning business, a restaurant, a nightclub, and eventually a hotel. I want to be a Master Chef and cook the best damn food you and your friends have ever tasted. After these two years I want my Master's in Hospitality business, that's just what I want to do. I don't care about becoming famous, I care about hordes of people gathering in one place because my food is delicious and my businesses are freaking awesome. Your goals may be similar or different- either way, you need to decide. Will a bunch of articles and quizzes shape your future or will you?

I'm also not rich, don't have rich parents, don't have any scholarships. MSU wiped me out in financial aid. Schoolcraft College is much cheaper, but it still costs money, and I'm investing in myself. I'm not making big money either, I just put myself on a monthly payment plan and budget it out. I've sacrificed a few things to start my journey. Five credits ran me over $800. When I move to twelve credits, I'm afraid to find out what the price will be but that's not stopping me. I bought my $40 checkered pants, my $60 personalized chef coat, my $249 chef hat (kidding! There was a misunderstanding over the phone. It was a cheap $2.49 hat), my $40 book (thanks Amazon!), $60 non-slip shoes, and about $60 in supplies including two quality knives. Money is absolutely an issue, but somehow I'm doing it. I'm worried like all hell, but I'm staying positive for now.

After that major issue, there are other things you need to think about. Location is one. I'm banking on my boyfriend to drop me off and pick me up from class because I don't have a car, and some genius decided a bus line shouldn't run past this school. Next is time. One you're past the initial Basic Skills and Techniques class (which I'm in) to get into the school, the actual program is intense in terms of schedule. I take three classes a semester one at a time, each for about five weeks. The problem is that they have times like Tu-F 6:30am - 10:20am… I'm really going to have to be nice to my boyfriend if I want to keep my job. I need the money so I can't just quit my full time. It's going to be hard, but I already knew that. Try to make a plan for yourself. Unfortunately, my job is a 9-5 desk job type thing, so there's only so many hours I can get in each day. The next thing I try to factor in is my passion. Do I want this enough that I'm going to come to class four days of the week at 6:30am? Hell yes. I'm paying the money. I want to get this done. Another thing is, what will I learn that I can't learn on YouTube or some website? You get better instruction, experience, and you get graded. Everyone needs to be critiqued, and not just by Momma. YouTube can be a great supplement, but it can't take away the value of true education. Also, getting your degrees and certificates will help you to earn more. Make sure your school is accredited and all that. Schoolcraft College's reputation is amazing. When I walked into that building, I saw that everything was true. You don't have to go to Le Cordon Bleu, but make sure you're getting the excellence from the teachers that you deserve. Eventually, people think about the money and what the future will hold. I'm thinking the food industry will never die. People will always like to eat. Of course I Google'd the salary like you probably did. On average, a professional chef apparently makes 44,000 something, and that's before moving up the ranks. Personal chefs $200-500 a day, private chefs up to $80,000 a year. You can make serious money in this industry, you just have to work for it. With any job, you can't get too hyped up by the glamour because the ones that really want it know the hours are going to be hell for the pay but that's where passion > trials and tribulations.

That's it for my intro post… sorry for the length, but you needed to know what this blog was all about. I'm going to write about my time at culinary school and anything related to my culinary goals. I've been looking for a blog that would show me what it's like, and this is my gift to you. Even if you have no intentions of ever becoming a chef and just thought it was interesting to see what happens in culinary school, I hope you enjoy this and find it useful. To aspiring chefs, you can decide if culinary school the right choice for you by living vicariously through someone if that's what you want. Or, you can go out there and get it yourself. I dare you.

Links to check out:

www.acfchefs.org

http://www.schoolcraft.edu/academics/majors/culinary-arts-pathway/culinary

http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/culinaryschools/a/5culischooltips.htm

www.culinaryschools.com