Culinary School Adventures, Part 3

Today is about the hardest parts of Culinary Foundations II. Tests and injuries. After we finished soups and sauces, our days consisted of creating meals. We were responsible for cooking a protein, starch, vegetable, sauce, and garnish. It was fun to see a complete meal from start to finish. It was always a different combination of components so there were a lot of things to learn. I will talk about some of those combinations another day.

On test days, we were required to create two complete plates of food. There were 2 proteins, 2 starches,  2 vegetable sides, 2 sauces, and 2 garnishes. It was timed. We had to have enough time at the end of class to clean up. Talk about intense. For those days, I had to make a list of things to do in order to get the timing right for both dishes. It consisted of things like start boiling potatoes, cleaning the protein, starting to cook the vegetable, getting the potatoes out of the boiling water.... you get the point. I had everything planned out perfectly to present the first dish halfway through class and the second dish just before time was up.

One of my most memorable tests included making duchesse potatoes. They are delicious and rich. You add egg yolks to mashed potatoes, put them into a pastry bag and pipe them onto a sheet pan, then you brown them in a 400 degree oven. Well, time was running out and the only things I was waiting on were the potatoes I had in the oven. We had to share the ovens so other students were opening and closing them, and cooling it down every time. So I cranked the heat to 500 degrees and prayed they would brown enough. Time was almost out and I had to get them out of the oven so I could finish plating. So I raced over (used my hand towel to get them out of the oven because that's what we used) and as I was pulling them out, my hand slipped too far to the side and touched the inside of the 500 degree oven. Without time to stop and cry and worry about it, I plated my food and got an A on my test. I took pictures to document my first injury of culinary school. Look and see how pretty.

This was the day of.

This one is three days later.

It hurt like no one's business. Luckily, the scar faded and you can barely tell it happened. Next. This one happened during our next test. I was in a hurry and a girl turned the burner on over the handle of my saucepan and didn't bother moving it out of the way. So this is the result of using my hand towel to move the saucepan, but the end touched my arm. I was moving it from the stove to my station, so I couldn't just let go. I let it burn me until I set it down. This one is pretty gross. Plus it hurt. This was taken the day of. I don't have a follow up picture. You can't even tell it happened now. 

So I may not have cut myself with a knife in culinary school, but those burns were pretty solid. My dad used to joke that I needed to wear welding gloves to school. My parents thought it would be funny to buy me an Ove' Glove for Christmas. I still use it.

The next story is my favorite. I was in the middle of a test. I was finishing my second dish. It was grilled pork chops. We served mashed potatoes and a gherkin sauce with parsley as a garnish. I had everything finished, I was going to get my pork chop off the grill and between the grill and my station, the pork chop fell on the floor. It was like time stopped - I watched the main part of my dish fall to the floor. Everyone was watching with their mouths dropped open. I panicked in my head and may have started tearing up for just a minute. I ran to get a new one and there weren't any pork chops left. I had to open a box in the walk in, tie it, grill it, keep my sauce from dying, and keep my mashed potatoes hot. I didn't stop running around until the test was over. After I turned in my last plate (got an A, by the way), I had classmates and a chef come over and ask what had happened because they saw it fall or saw me starting over. It was pretty rough. My dropped pork chop fiasco happened the day before I burned my arm on the saucepan. 

These times weren't my favorite, but I can laugh about them now. Join me. 

My Kitchen Hates Me

I don't know what happened this weekend. It was like my kitchen was cursed. First, I made one of my favorite soups from culinary school, and it didn't turn out. I mean, it tasted good, but it wasn't pretty and wasn't what I expected. Don't you hate it when that happens? I had such high hopes. Oh well. I am going to forget it happened and try another day. (Or I will just keep the memory alive from when I made it in school and never recreate it ever again. After this attempt, I don't have a desire to make it again for a while. I'll pick another one to teach you about.)

Ok, so I wasn't happy with a recipe. It happens. I am the first to admit that not everything works out perfectly in the kitchen. There are so many variables and if you lose your cool every time everything is less than perfect, you are going to be scared away from the kitchen. That was the easiest challenge this weekend. You'll see. 

Next... One of my favorite meals is a loaded salad. I cut up a million different vegetables, add bacon, beans, cheese, and a homemade vinaigrette... Sounds delicious, doesn't it? They are filling and good for you and YUM. My mouth is watering just writing about it. It is one of the ways I get my husband to ASK for vegetables. That's right. He asks for them. (My husband has a specific philosophy when it comes to food. He will eat cows, pigs, and chickens until they are gone. Then he will work on the sea creatures. After they are gone, he will start eating vegetables. So for him to jump ahead and ask for vegetables, it's kind of a big deal.) Anyway, back to the salad. I got a salad spinner years ago as a present. I love it. It's so nice to get the extra moisture off of vegetables. Well, after the first spin, it died. It didn't just get stuck. It died. I couldn't fix it. My husband couldn't fix it. I almost cried when it went into the garbage. (I knew it was close to dying. It has been put to good use for years now. It was just sad to see it go.) Worst part was that I had to eat a wet salad. Good news? I get to buy a new salad spinner. 

Finally. The worst part of my culinary catastrophes. Technically, I wasn't involved in this one, but it definitely affects me. So, we made an unspoken deal when we got married. I cook and my husband cleans the kitchen and does dishes afterward. (Sometimes he will clean as I cook so it is all done by the time we eat. It is delightful.) Well, he was finishing dishes on Saturday and had the disposal on. (Can you already see where I am going?) He was drying my favorite (and most used) chef's knife. Yeah, the one I got in culinary school and have used millions of times. It fell out of his hand and into the disposal. I was oblivious in the living room, and he started freaking out. He started to apologize over and over. He told me my knife dropped. (Not a big deal - it's sturdy enough to take it.) I walked over, telling him it is okay, and that is when he told me it fell blade first into the disposal. Well, it's bent. I don't know if it can be fixed. I don't think so. What do you think? 

He felt so bad. He was ready to run out and buy me a new one. It was sweet. I am so surprised that it wasn't damaged more. He reacted quickly to turn off the disposal and take the knife out. Either way, I'm shopping for a new one. What a fun game! I am still going to look into getting this one fixed. It has a lot of memories. I broke down my first chicken, duck, and rabbit with this knife. It has cut fish, lamb, veal, turkey, beef, fruits and vegetables of all kinds. It's almost like we're friends now. 

So that should explain why I haven't been posting yummy recipes, telling funny stories from culinary school, or talking about my awesomeness. I am mostly recovered and should be back tomorrow. As Walt Whitman said, "Keep your face always toward the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you." So here's to focusing on the sunshine and losing the shadows that threatened over the weekend.

Culinary School Adventures, Part Two

There will probably be about a million parts to this adventure. That way you can experience culinary school without paying the fees and dealing with the stress of it. Yes, there was stress. Most of the students were there to get a job in a kitchen somewhere. (Makes sense, I guess.) That wasn't my goal. I wanted to learn so I could cook for my family, teach my family, use it as a persuasive tool to find a husband (It isn't by chance that I met my husband by first cooking for him...), and teaching my kids someday. Later I realized I wanted to blog about my experiences so others would learn the things that I did. It is almost like my tuition paid for all of my sisters, friends, parents, husband, and future kids to attend Le Cordon Bleu. (LCB from now on, it sounds less formal and more like me.) That makes it more worthwhile for me.

That being said, we're moving into Culinary Foundations II. This was the class that stretched me the most. It was hard. This is the class that taught me that there is crying at culinary school (not in baseball though). I relearned that lesson in most of my classes, by the way. Other things I learned as this class began was that we were all responsible for our own prep, cooking, and cleanup. There was one dishwasher and one three-compartment sink to share. It was chaotic as we cleaned up for the day. We were assigned duties of taking trash out, cleaning the chef's dishes, prepping for the next class's chef, sweeping, mopping, cleaning tables, and other random jobs. It took about an hour when we first started. I did t ever take the garbage out. I didn't remember where it was and my peers used that as a smoke break. It seemed to work out for everyone.

That leads me to the next important lesson. Everything was done with a sense of urgency. The chefs reminded us of this over and over again. So you had to be fast walking, prepping food and cleaning at the speed of light, and never taking it easy. You were always exhausted at the end of class, but it meant we got a lot done. That lessons helps when I need it today. (Shopping or cleaning quickly makes it less painful.)

The head chef in this class was one of my favorites. He was a butcher for years before he became a chef and then an instructor. He was extremely patient and helpful. He also joked around with the group at my table (probably because we were the funniest). That balanced the difficulty level for me. I needed it. I don't know how many times he had to go over veal cutlets with me before I got it down. (Yeah, cried that day. I guess I should tell you that I am not a baby. I don't just cry for fun. I am just a perfectionist that was outside of comfort zone and in an industrial size kitchen being graded on things she'd never experienced before. It was stressful.)

Since we learned so much in this class, I am going to break it up into several sections. The first weeks was all about stocks, sauces, and soups. It started nice and slow the first two days. We worked as a class to make stocks. (I called and told my sister all about making beef stock with cow hooves. She took it a couple of steps further for me and reminded me that cows walk in the same place they go to the bathroom. According to her logic, because I used those same hooves, we weren't making stock, we made poop soup. I know. Super mature. Hilarious to think about in class though. Please note that we used thoroughly cleaned hooves. There was no cow waste in our stock.)

After the first two leisurely days, we were all pushed to our limits. In the next three days, between 4 and 6 sauces were lectured on, demonstrated, and we got to make them. (So many dirty dishes...) my favorite sauces were tomato, remoulade (think crazy good tartar sauce), beurre blanc (white butter sauce), mornay (cheese sauce), velouté, and hollandaise. I'd never even tasted hollandaise before making it. First time around, I had scrambled eggs instead of sauce. Not my only failure, by the way. That was the best part of class: messing up so the chef could teach you to either fix it or try again.

One you have sauces down, soups are pretty easy to master. It is like a sauce with delicious vegetables and proteins. I can't wait to share some my favorite soups: consommé, French onion soup, clam chowder, dubarry (cream of cauliflower), shrimp bisque, caldo verde, and gazpacho. It was a little hard to make soups in school because the lowest temperature was around 80 degrees. Not quite what I call soup weather, but they were still delightful.

Two of my best friends at culinary school came from this class. We were at the same table and laughed so much. We helped each other stay relatively sane and focused. I still talk to them every once in a while. They will be mentioned again, so it is good to know a little about what I love about them. Anita is 4'11" and is such a loving person. She has two daughters and her life is centered around her family. (The way it should be.) She helped me SO much in school. We had amazing conversations and good times. Rachael was so focused and talented. She has amazing things in store for her career. She was one of the kindest people in class and always worked so hard. These girls were one of the reasons I was supposed to go to culinary school when I did. I would never have made it through without them.

Ok, last lesson for today. Mirepoix is the basis for just about every stock which is the basis for most sauces and soups. So, when you are trying add flavor, don't always rely on spices and herbs. Go back to the basics of celery, onion, and carrots. In a classic mirepoix, you would use 50% onion, and 25% carrots and celery. Also, cut them to about the same size so they infuse flavors at the same rate. When a soup recipe calls for stock, I usually use part water and add carrots, onion, and celery to the soup for additional flavor and fewer calories.

I think I like the format of telling you about part of class and following up with a recipe. I am going to stick with it for now. So the next time I post about culinary school, it will be a recipe I learned from this section of class. As always, if there is something I mentioned in here that you want me to elaborate on, just ask. I'm nice enough to tell you. I promise.

Mayonnaise

After reminiscing yesterday about my first month at culinary school, I couldn't resist making mayonnaise today. I am a little sad to say I am out of practice.

One of the timed tests in Culinary Foundations 1 was making mayonnaise. We prepared our stations (cutting board, mixing bowl, whisk, squeeze bottle, sanitizer bucket and towel) and when the Chef said "Go!" we gathered our ingredients from the back table and went back to our station and mde mayonnaise. I don't remember how much time we had, but I do remember that it took me 4 minutes to gather ingredients and make mayonnaise by hand. It took me more than twice that tonight. I made it by hand tonight, but it is easier to use a stand mixer. (8+ minutes constantly and vigorously whisking gets tiring. Just saying...)

Before we can make a mayonnaise, we need to learn about emulsions. Mayonnaise is essentially a mixture of oil and vinegar, but the two liquids do not separate. The oil is broken down into tiny droplets that are suspended in the vinegar. Egg yolks have molecules called lecithin in them. The lecithin surrounds the oil droplet and thereby places a barrier between all of the oil droplets so they cannot recombine. Make sense? I hope so because here we go!

Mayonnaise
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dry mustard
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 cup canola oil
1 1/4 tsp lemon juice

Step 1. Assemble your ingredients. I put my oil in a squeeze bottle because it is easier to work with. If you don't have one, you can use a measuring cup, you'll just have to be careful.

Step 2. Crack an egg and put the yolk into your mixing bowl. (It doesn't have to be a green bowl. Use your favorite.) You can save and use the white part, just put it in a container with a lid and toss it in the fridge.

Step 3. Whisk your yolk until it starts to lighten in color. This is an important step because it helps strengthen your emulsion.

Step 4. Add vinegar, salt, cayenne, and dry mustard. (The acid in the vinegar helps form the emulsion easier because it prevents the curdling of the egg yolk proteins.)

Step 5. Beat in the seasonings really well.

Step 6. Gradually add the oil (start with drops) while you whisk it into the egg yolk and vinegar. Once you've added about 1/5th of the oil it will start to emulsify and look like this.

Step 7. You can add the drops of oil in a fine stream at this point, but you have to keep whisking quickly to incorporate it. If it starts to get too thick, add a couple of drops of the lemon juice. (You can even add a couple of drops of water to thin it back out.) If it has too much oil, stop adding the oil and whisk faster until it is incorporated.  I didn't get a picture of that point, because I was busy whisking like a mad woman. I added a couple of drops of water to my mayonnaise because it started to stick in my whisk. That is a sign that it is too thick.

Step 8. After you have added all of the oil, add the lemon juice and whisk it together.

The mayonnaise should hold its shape at this point. If it is too thin, whisk more oil into it. If it is too thick for you, add a couple of drops of vinegar, lemon juice, or water. Feel free to taste it. It will be pretty bland because mayonnaise is used as a base for other sauces. If you just want to use it as mayonnaise, feel free to add a little salt, more cayenne, or lemon juice for flavor (Feel free to convince your loved ones that you just made frosting and they get to lick the whisk clean. Ha! What a surprise they'll have! Don't worry, after expecting frosting, no one will want to eat that much mayonnaise.)

If you want to make a fancy mayonnaise, crush garlic with the salt before adding it to the egg yolk. You can even substitute olive oil for part of the canola oil.

You can make tartar sauce by adding chopped dill pickles, onions, and capers. (You'll want to squeeze out all extra liquid before adding it to your prepared mayonnaise.) Finish it with some fresh chopped parsley.

You can also make thousand island dressing, blue cheese dressing, ranch dressing, and fry sauce with this mayonnaise. (Thank you, Utah, for this special french fry sauce. Fries are just too good for regular ketchup. You were right.) If you want any of these recipes, let me know! I'd be happy to share them.

Culinary School Adventures, Part 1

I made enough soup yesterday to feed a small army. Okay, maybe not that much, but it will last until tomorrow. Since I didn't have to cook today, I have been thinking very hard about what I should talk about. Lightbulb. Welcome to part one of Kylee's Culinary School Adventures.

I thought about attending culinary school in 2006, right after I finished college. It seemed like a pretty good idea. I'd always loved food and cooking. It was crazy expensive (and I had a degree so I couldn't justify spending that much just for fun) so I decided to wait a while and earn some money first. Fast forward 4 years, 2 jobs, and 8 moves (Don't get me started. I can't cook or live in a dirty house. Single girls are gross.) and I was ready for change. Long story short, I decided I wanted to attend Le Cordon Bleu in Scottsdale, AZ and called on July 17 to ask them some questions. Within an hour, I had applied and was in the process of figuring out financial aid. I moved three short months later. I had no job. I found my roommate on Craigslist. I didn't know anyone in Arizona. It was just what I needed.

I packed everything I wanted to take into my little Toyota Camry and drove the 9 hours to Chandler with my dad. I think we stopped twice on the way down. I was so excited to get there that we just drove. Yes, I'm sure Arizona is a gorgeous state. Most of what I saw was on the 101 on the way to and from school. I haven't been to the Grand Canyon or seen... anything. Sorry I don't have anything to say about your state. I will tell you that it is hot. I moved in September and it was still in the triple digits. I hid from the sun... a lot. Plus, I never learned which direction was north, south, east, or west: Everything looked the same. One last lesson learned in AZ, I didn't like the way the water tasted. I went through more bottled waters in that 8 months than most people do in their entire lives.

Back to the story... As we followed the ominous GPS voice (Dad named her Myrtle) into the neighborhood I was supposed to live in,  we both started to panic. It was behind target and parts of that neighborhood seemed a bit rough. Luckily, the condo I stayed in was in the safe(ish) part. It took about 2 trips to unload my car. (I love that my vacuum made the list, but the only thing I brought to cook with was a 10" cast iron pan.) I bought a twin size mattress and my little bedroom was complete. Okay, the room was actually huge. I had a hallway with a closet that connected my bedroom to my own bathroom. I had so much space and not so much stuff. It was a perfect little home. My dad flew home two days later. We cried. Don't judge. I'd never gone more than about 3 weeks without seeing my parents. Plus, I was all alone in a state I'd never even visited before.

I was only in Arizona a couple of days before school started. I went to orientation and got my uniforms. Oh, the uniform. This deserves at least a couple of sentences. Black checkered pants. White chef's coats. Steel-toed shoes. Handkerchief to tie around your neck to maintain body temperature in the super hot kitchens. (I scoffed when they told me this. It had to be folded and ironed about 9 times. It worked. It helped keep my body temperature steady even though it was hot in AZ and even hotter in the kitchens.) Terrible chef hat. (The little one that is useful and not attractive at all...) Aprons. All of these things needed to be ironed before you could attend class (Some people were not as obsessed with this as I was, but I still have all of my uniforms and you can't tell all of them were stained when I left school every day. I am proud of that.) I will spare you pictures at this point. You're welcome.

The first day of class proved to be terrifying.  I have always been a quiet person in new situations. I like listening and learning about people before I open up. Since this was such a new experience, I decided to be more outgoing than I normally am and started talking to two girls waiting to go to class. They seemed nice and I felt pretty good about myself for doing something that is normally super intimidating for me. We got to class and found out that they were in the wrong class. Really!? I start making friends with the only two girls that read the room number wrong? Everyone introduced themselves and talked about the experience they had in professional kitchens. I was so nervous. I helped my mom and dad in our kitchen. That was my "professional" experience. I was already leaps and bounds behind. That didn't bode well because I am a perfectionist. (Remember the uniforms that I spent HOURS ironing and cleaning every week? Yeah, that was just my clothes. Grades had to be even better. I don't know why.)

My first classes were Safety & Sanitation and Culinary Foundations I. There are only a couple of things you need to know about Safety & Sanitation. First is that one of our "lessons" included food borne illness charades. Most food borne illnesses include vomiting and diarrhea. I'll let you picture how good that class was. Second is that the chef in charge of this class paced back and forth super awkwardly. I played music in my head so it was like she was dancing instead of pacing. That helped.

Culinary Foundations 1 was a great way to start culinary school. We got our knife set in this class. I was so excited for that day! They talked all about what happens if someone cuts themselves. They have first aid kits and you had to tell the chef. If he thought it was bad enough, they had cab service to the nearest hospital for stitches. Pretty sure they tried scaring us into doing a good job because they said that like 3 times before we even got to look at our knives. I was scared into cutting slowly. (Since our cuts had to be consistent. That was the whole point, you know.) The more we cut things, the faster I got. I am happy to announce that I never cut myself. I can't say the same about my peers. Every day someone new sliced a finger off. Ha! Just checking to see if you were really reading. No one cut their fingers off. They just cut themselves enough to need a band aid. No one needed to use the cab service. Not going to lie, I was a little disappointed.

We had 2 chefs in this class and in our class of 19 students (who I was with the entire 8 months), we cut hundreds of pounds of turnips, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, and other random vegetables. My fingers blistered after the first couple of days until they were used to using a knife as much as I did. The chefs lectured about terminology, standards, and kitchen organization. We learned about flavors, stocks, and sauces. Some days of lecture were a little boring. (Especially the ones that didn't involve the chefs demonstrating some kind of food. Let's be honest, part of the reason I went to culinary school was to eat.)

One of the chefs gave me a nickname in this class. It was Champ. I got pretty good at making tourne' cuts. It was usually the hardest for students to learn, but it was the easiest for me for some reason. A tourne' is a two inch, oblong cut with 7 equal sides. (Think little footballs.) They are time consuming, but they make vegetables look pretty. It is easiest to make out of round vegetables (like potatoes or turnips) because you just have to trim it down. The other chef would come over and make blocks out of my vegetables to make it more challenging. I loved it.

After the class stopped cutting themselves all day long, we moved on to mayonnaise. It was so cool to say that I could make mayonnaise. It got a little less cool as people realized how easy it actually is. Either way, this class helped me feel like I was doing the right thing. I was learning things every day and I was happy.

I am going to break up these posts into classes and things that I learned and cooked in each of them. Otherwise, I think these posts are going to become too long for you to stay interested. So, stay with me and I'll share recipes and funny stories. (PS If I mention something in a blog post that I don't elaborate on and you want to learn more about it, let me know. I'd be happy to go into details on things you want to learn about!)

Potato Chowder

I had my husband go through my massive text book from school and pick out recipes of things he wants to try. Tonight I made the first thing on his list: Potato Chowder.

Chowders are chunky soups. They are most often cream soups that don't get puréed. The good part about this chowder is it can be adapted to your tastes. My husband gave it a 9 out of 10. (He took a point away because there was a lot of celery in it. Celery isn't his favorite vegetable. I like celery and thought it was delightful. Agree to disagree.) My tip for the day is to season every layer of food. Each step should taste good on its own.

Potato Chowder

8 oz ground pork
2 oz olive oil
1 medium onion, medium dice
3 celery stalks, medium dice
2 oz flour
5 cups of chicken stock
1 lb potatoes, medium dice
1/3 c heavy cream, hot
2 c milk, hot
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Parsley

Step 1. Brown the sausage in the pot you want to make your chowder in. Season with salt, pepper, parsley, and garlic powder. Once it is cooked through, remove from the pot and set aside.

Step 2. Cut up the onion and celery. Sauté in olive oil in the pot you used to cook the sausage. Sauté until the onions and celery are nearly tender, don't brown them.

Step 3. Cut up potatoes while the celery and onions sauté.



Step 4. Add flour to onion and celery, stir to coat. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Don't let it brown.



Step 5. Stir chicken stock into the pot, bring it to a boil. Add the potatoes. Reduce to simmer.



Step 6. Heat the milk and cream in a separate pot and season it with parsley.



Step 7. Once the potatoes are tender, add the cream mixture. Add the sausage back into the pot.Taste for seasoning.



Step 8. Enjoy!

Okay, now let's talk about substitutions. Don't want the added calories of cream? Just add regular milk. It will still be delicious. Not a fan of sausage? Use a little bacon, finely diced or leave it out completely. Want different veggies? Add carrots, bell peppers, corn, kale, or mushrooms. I actually decreased the amount of chicken stock and used some water. It was just as good.

I will definitely make this again, but I'll decrease the celery so I can get a 10.

Scenes From the Scriptures... From My Perspective

I was encouraged to read the scriptures every day from the time I was able to read. If I am being honest, I would admit that I didn't always listen. I would read really well for a couple of weeks and would "get too busy" and stop for a couple of weeks. This went on for years. Even now, I will go a couple of days without reading and studying like I should. If you were to ask me why, I'd have to tell you that I just didn't make time. I know, it's lame. Beyond lame, in fact.

I know that we are supposed to read and study the scriptures to learn how we can reach our potential as children of God. It's been said that, "when we want to speak to God, we pray. And when we want Him to speak to us, we search the scriptures;" That only says that I am not always listening as much as I am talking. Bad move for someone who wants and needs direction and instruction every day. (Okay, now that you remember that I am imperfect and have a lot of work to do, we can move on.)

The best part about reading scriptures is that you learn something new every time you open the pages. Life experiences and education help us to understand things differently. We can read and reread the scriptures, and somehow, it is like we are reading them for the first time. That means that as I mature spiritually, mentally, and emotionally, the lessons I learn from the scriptures will always meet my needs. I will never outgrow them.

Lately, I've been reading the New Testament. This time through, I've been thinking about the people in a different way. I'm going to tell you about one man that caught my attention. He's mentioned in both Mark and Luke. When I read about him years ago, all I could tell you was that he was healed. There's so much more to his story.

This is what we know about him from Mark 5.
*He lived among the tombs
*He had an unclean spirit
*He couldn't be bound with anything, even chains - he would break them into pieces
*He couldn't be tamed
*He was in the mountains and tombs every day and night
*He would cry and cut himself with rocks

From Luke 8, we also learn that
*He had devils a long time
*He isn't wearing clothes
*He was driven into the wilderness by the devil

They called this man Legion because of the many spirits that entered into him. It doesn't tell about his story before Jesus heals him. (What happened that caused him to be inhabited by unclean spirits, who is family and friends are, how long it had been since he'd seen his family, etc.) His story breaks my heart. Imagine his days and nights. He has been consumed by unclean spirits that have driven him to the wilderness. He is alone, naked, and not in his right mind. He cries and hurts himself physically. People are trying to bind him with chains and tame him.

After the Savior heals him, this man asks if he can remain with the Savior. (Note: His first thought isn't that he gets another chance at life or that he gets to see his family and friends again. He wants to follow the Savior. I understand that part of this could be worry or fear, we don't know what happened when Legion left to live among the tombs. We don't know how his family and friends will react or treat him. He knows he is safe with the Savior though.)

The Savior knew better (of course), and sent him home. He was instructed to tell his friends and family the great things the Lord did for him - for the compassion shown to him. All we know is that he did what he was told: he told people his story. Those people heard his story and waited for the Savior to  return to their city so they could be healed by Him. That is all we know about this man. He's not mentioned again. We don't get to know how his story ends.

Ok, now to apply this to our day. I don't live among tombs. I have clothes. People aren't trying to "tame" me or chain me up. I don't have an unclean spirit. I am in my right mind. I don't cry (unnecessarily) or cut myself. So how can this teach me anything? Well, I am going to start by being more grateful for my blessings. After realizing that all of my blessings come from a loving Heavenly Father, I need to remember to thank Him... all of the time. I need to act in a way that shows I'm grateful. I need to be as willing as this man was to follow the Savior. He should be my first priority. I need to be better at not judging people based on their outward appearance. This man had it pretty rough and was left alone when he needed someone the most. I don't want to have to come up with a reason for leaving someone when they needed me most. This story is a great reminder that nothing is too much for the Savior. He can and will help, as we ask.

This has been a reminder to me that these are real people we read about in the scriptures. They aren't just fictional anecdotes written to make us feel good or encourage us to be better. This man really went through the things we read about. He was healed by the Savior. Even though we may not have the same tests or trials as this man, we can have the same results. The Savior can and will heal us.

The Kraken's Been Unleashed!

I'd like to start this post out by saying I love being a woman. I believe that men and women are equal. I also believe that equality doesn't mean that we are the same. People get caught up in trying to make sure men and women are the same: having the same responsibilities and doing the same things. That's not the way we were created. We are supposed to be different. To read more, go here. Our gender-specific strengths and weaknesses work in harmony to create balance in our lives.

As most women will attest, something that can throw off that balance is the emotional roller coaster ride that is also known as PMS. Let's be honest. It's a pretty rough part of being a woman. I can't speak for the rest of you, but let me paint a picture of what it is like for me. My face breaks out; I get cramps in my stomach, back, and legs; I cry over nothing; I crave sugary and salty foods (So I eat them. A lot of them. Guess what that means? Weight gain.); Some months I get sick; And every month I am irrational. Sounds fun, right? Ok, it isn't my favorite, but it is the only way my body can prepare to fulfill one of the most important roles as a woman: becoming a mother.

I should take a moment to acknowledge that this week isn't fun for men either. Unfortunately, I think you may take the brunt of the moodiness. Please keep being patient with us. We still love you, and like you, we want our normal selves back too. Just remember, it doesn't last forever.

My husband has lovingly nicknamed PMS "the Kraken." For those of you who don't know, the Kraken is a legendary sea monster of giant proportion. It is known for its size and fearsome appearance. Some traits of Kraken resemble undersea volcanic activity occurring in the Iceland region, including bubbles of water; sudden, dangerous currents; and appearance of new islets. (Thanks to Wikipedia for those tidbits of information. I would recommend reading some of the other stuff they have listed and think of it as PMS instead of the sea creature. It will make you laugh so hard!)



Go ahead and tell me there aren't days you feel just like that...

When my husband refers to me as the Kraken, it makes me laugh. He is SO good during this time. Now that we've been married for a year and a half, he's been through this week enough to know that I get moody and tired and I always seem to have the munchies. He is constantly asking me what the Kraken wants to eat for dinner or if the Kraken needs a snack. He reminds me to take medicine when the pain gets too bad and lets me sleep all day if I need to. He definitely picks up the slack, especially on the really bad days.

So for those of us fighting with the Kraken each month, realize that you are not alone. Find things to make you laugh, indulge in your favorite snack on occasion, and don't be too hard on yourself. Those of you dealing with those of us who deal with the Kraken, just be you and realize that we are going to be a little different than normal. Maybe instead of asking us why we are crying, just give us a hug and a bag of peanut butter M&Ms. (Unless she's allergic to peanut butter... don't try to kill the Kraken. It won't work.) Maybe instead of saying something about the simple dinner she made, take notice that she fought the Kraken down long enough to give you sustenance. And finally, instead of complaining about the skin break outs or extra pounds we always seem to find that time of the month, focus on the fact that we have pretty eyes or that we aren't wearing pajamas all day (Note: If she is in pajamas, DO NOT mention that. Let her be comfortable.) Simply put, turn the niceness up to 11 during that week and there will be minimal damages to all parties involved.

Salsa Verde

I really like Mexican food. A lot. I'm lucky I married a guy who served a mission in Mexico. We will happily eat Mexican food together forever. The end. *Sigh* I just love happy endings. Oh wait, we are not at the end of the post yet. My bad.

I like making salsas because I get to control the heat level, and I know the ingredients are good quality. One of my favorites is green salsa. (Or Salsa Verde for those of us semi-fluent in Spanish. I know my colors and numbers. I'm well on my way!) I use a super simple, delicious recipe. I'm going to share it with you because I like you.

Salsa Verde
5 small tomatillos
1 small onion
Jalapeños to taste (I like it spicy. I added 3 whole jalapeños. It was perfect. If you don't like it spicy, cut the jalapeños in half and throw away the insides or just use 1 or 2.)
Cilantro (This is one of my favorite fresh herbs. I used half a bunch. Again, this is a personal preference.)
1/2 lime (Use the zest and the juice.)
Salt and cumin to taste

Step 1. Boil the tomatillos, jalapeños, and onion until the onion starts to soften. Only 5 minutes or so.



Step 1b. As the ingredients boil, use your food processor to chop your cilantro finely. Put it in a bowl. Add lime zest and juice.



Step 2. Put the tomatillos, jalapeños, and onion in the food processor. Purée them and add it to the cilantro and lime. Season to taste.



Step 3. Eat the salsa verde with tortilla chips (homemade or not), top enchiladas with it, add it to tacos or rice. The possibilities are endless and delicious. You're welcome.

Quinoa Bell Pepper Salad

Is it tomorrow yet? I vaguely remember telling you that there would be a delicious, healthy post a couple of days ago. Lesson learned. Life happens. No more teasers. The good news is I am here today, and I am more than ready to share this recipe. You're welcome.



Quinoa Bell Pepper Salad
1 1/2 c quinoa
3 c water
1 tsp lemon juice
1 small red bell pepper, cut into small dice
1 small green bell pepper, cut into small dice
1 scallion, cut finely
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into small dice
4 pieces dried apricot, cut into small dice (or mango because that is what I had... Still delicious)

Dressing
1 oz white wine vinegar
1 oz lemon juice
3 oz olive oil
1 tsp garlic (or garlic salt)
1 tsp oregano
Salt & pepper to taste

Start by making the dressing. You want to give it time for the flavors to develop. I make it right in a measuring cup so I know how much of everything I need to add.

Start with the vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, and a pinch of pepper.



Whisk in the olive oil a little at a time until it comes together and looks pretty like this. Taste it. Does it need salt? Add some.



Now that the dressing is finished, start your quinoa. Boil the water, lemon juice, and some salt. Once it starts boiling, add the quinoa. Reduce it to a simmer, cover it, and set the timer for 15 minutes.



While it simmers, cut up your bell peppers, cucumbers, and scallion. Something like this.







Your quinoa should be ready at this point. Put it on a cookie sheet to allow it to cool down. Then realize that this picture kind of looks like rice crispy treats. Doesn't taste like them at all. Don't worry, it's not supposed to.



While it cools down, cut up your apricot. This is usually the ingredient that gets me that look that says something like this, "She's lost her mind..." Just trust me. I don't eat gross food. I don't expect you to either.





Throw the peppers, scallion, cucumbers and apricot into a bowl and mix them all up.



Add the quinoa once it is cooled. Then you can add the dressing. I don't like wet salads, so I don't add very much. Add as much as you want. Taste it. Does it need salt? Add some. Refrigerate until you are ready to eat it. This salad tastes great on day one, two, and three. Don't know about beyond that. It never lasts that long.

Cookie Monster

I spent the morning making cookies. A lot of them. I like making big batches of cookies and then freezing them. If you walked into a house inhabited by one of my family members and opened their freezer, you'd probably find frozen candy (Snickers, M&Ms, etc) and/or frozen cookies or cookie dough. I don't remember when it all started, but we are a freezing snack kind of family. (I should take a minute and thank my dad for passing down his rock solid teeth. It makes liking frozen snacks possible.)

So, cookies. I made chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, and oatmeal cookies with cornflakes, butterscotch and chocolate chips. I scooped so many that I broke the ice cream scoop I use to scoop cookies. (Broke my heart just a little.) Don't worry, I happen to have two of those just in case that very thing happened. Also, I've never made cookies with cornflakes before. They were delightful. Loved the crunchy texture.

I am not posting recipes today. I think talking about the foundation of cookies is much more important. Don't worry, I'll be around for years, we have plenty of time for recipes and less-than-stellar photos. For today, let me just take this moment to make your mouth water just a little. These cookies turned out perfectly today.




Creaming Method of Making Cookies

The most important part of making cookies is creaming the fat with sugars. This starts to build your dough. You want to make sure that the fat and the sugar are evenly mixed throughout the cookies. Keep it mind that the longer you cream the butter and sugar, the crispier your cookie will be. Even if you want a soft cookie, make sure you cream them long enough that you can't tell the difference between the sugars and the fat.

I always use butter for cookies. It makes the texture, taste and mouth feel better than using oils, shortening, or margarine. Next, I usually use brown and granulated sugar, either with equal parts or more brown sugar than white. I like the added depth from the molasses in the brown sugar. It also enhances the color and softens the cookies.

After you've creamed the sugar and butter, you will just be mixing to incorporate the ingredients. Add the flavoring (vanilla extract, almond extract, salt, etc...) and leavening (baking soda and powder) and mix. Then you can add the eggs. Finally, the flour can bring it all together. Obviously this will be a little different depending on the kind of cookie you're making.


Tips for Specific Cookies

Peanut butter cookies- cream the peanut butter with the butter and sugar before adding your other ingredients.

Oatmeal- add the oatmeal after the flour. Don't over mix. Please. I can only say that so many times.

Chocolate, peanut butter, butterscotch, or other add ins- add at the very end.


What Went Wrong?!?

Now. You've put your first batch in the oven and have already eaten about 14 cookies worth of cookie dough. You are pretty excited about finally eating a baked cookie. Then they come out flat or too crisp or too soft. Nothing is worse. (Ok, lots of things are worse, but this is a bummer!) Here are some of the reasons why. Read over them and use this new-found knowledge to fix the dough! That's right. You can fix it. Your second batch should be better. (My mom taught me this by having me bake a test cookie or two first. That way I didn't waste 12 of them if the dough was wrong.)

Crispness is caused by high sugar and fat content, high temperatures or long baking time, low proportion of liquid in the mix. One way to fix this? Store in an airtight container. Add a slice of bread and let the cookies retain the moisture from the bread.

Softness is caused by high proportion of liquid in he mix, low sugar and fat, molasses in formula, underbaking, and large or thick shape. Keep them in an airtight container to keep them soft.

Chewiness is caused by high sugar and liquid content, but low fat content, or a high proportion of eggs. It can also be caused by the gluten developed during mixing. Don't over mix.

Spread is caused by high sugar content, high leavening content, low oven temperature, high liquid content, strong flour, or heavily greased pans. Watch the recipe, especially if you are doubling it. Make sure you are following it exactly.


I know this was an educational post, but I want to share with you how I learned in school. I would read over the processes and recipes for each lesson before school, then we would get a demonstration before we got to try it in the kitchen. It helped me build a strong foundation for learning and understanding. I'll try to keep these lessons entertaining and short for your benefit. (You just learned an entire chapter from my 1088 page textbook, by the way.) Eat it up. Good stuff is coming tomorrow. One of my favorite recipes! (Hint: It's healthy and my meat-loving husband loved it. He even asked for more. No, he wouldn't do that to be nice. He knows that would drive me crazy.)

Butter Dips!

Snow is falling all around... Ok, it isn't really snowing today, but it was yesterday! I love waking up to snow. It made my day. Not everyone feels that way. I don't know why. It's so pretty and cold and peaceful. My thoughtful husband left early and came home with a surprise for me. (He calls them Tuesday presents. It's super cute.) This week it was a new book by one of my favorite authors: Traci Hunter Abramson. The book is Deep Cover and is really good. Since I just finished reading it, I can start posting again. Don't worry, Tuesday presents aren't always books that keep me away from you.

Since I was so warm and comfy reading my book yesterday and today, I decided to write about one of my favorite comfort foods. This recipe comes from when I was little. My mom used to make these magical breadsticks in twenty minutes. That was incredible because at that point, it seemed to take all day to make bread or rolls. I know now that it was only a couple of hours, but twenty minutes is still faster. My mom was gracious enough to let me help in the kitchen, and I'm sure I made a mess with this recipe.

Let me paint a delicious picture for you. The breadstick dough is mixed, rolled out, cut and dipped in butter before being baked. The butter helps hold garlic salt, parsley, and cheese to the dough as it bakes. Yum. They are super easy and delicious. Plus they are called butter dips. What could be better? Oh yeah, the fact that it only takes 20 minutes and can be bake while you make pasta and sauce to go with them.



Butter Dips
1/4 c butter*
1 1/4 c flour
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2/3 c milk
2 tsp baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 450* F. Mix flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and milk. Stir until mixture forms a ball.

2. Knead on floured board until the dough is smooth and not sticky. I usually add a little more flour than it calls for to make it easier to roll out.



3. Roll out dough to about 1/4"



and cut the dough into strips using a pizza cutter.



4. Melt butter on a cookie sheet. It only takes a couple of minutes in the preheated oven.

5. Dip strips into butter and leave on the sheet. Sprinkle with garlic salt and/or parsley. (Sometimes I make this easier and add garlic and parsley to the dough before I roll it out.)



6. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes. (If you want to add parmesan cheese, let it bake for 7 or 8 minutes, then add the cheese so it will melt and not burn.



*If you are trying to cut out some calories, feel free to make the healthier version. You just spray your cookie sheet with non-stick spray and then brush the tops of the breadsticks with butter. Almost the same concept, but you only use a couple of tablespoons of butter instead of a whole stick of it. You're welcome, skinny people.

I Want to Quit the Gym!

That is one of my favorite quotes from Friends. Since it is Monday, and I have to keep resolving to be healthier each week, I am going to share my thoughts on being healthy. I am a firm believer of moderation in all things. It's not about doing whatever it takes to reach a goal weight or eating gross health food. It's all about becoming a better version of yourself every day.



First thing you should know is I don't like going to the gym. I have a gym membership that has been on hold for almost three years. I paid for it up front along with a trainer. Best thing about having a trainer was baking her cookies to get out of doing squats. We used this machine that adds weight to your shoulders. It felt like I was being squished like a bug. So not worth it. Don't get me wrong, I like losing unwanted weight, but I'd rather just find a way to wish it away. Isn't that what we all want?

There is an epidemic racing through the world: running. I did not get infected by this bug. In fact, I am positive I am immune to it. I've spent enough time on treadmills to know that it isn't for me. I get that some people tolerate it to lose weight, but I'm not one of those people. I don't want to tolerate exercise. I have to enjoy it or I won't do it. Hence, my having to resolve over and over again to do a better job.

Don't worry, I don't hate all exercises. (Just most of them... Haha!) For instance, I LOVE swimming. I always have. When I was little, my dad used to throw me into swimming pools, and I would always start swimming before I hit the water. (Yes, these pools were always full of water. Don't worry.) I am counting down the days until the weather is warm enough to hit the pool 5 days a week. It is such a peaceful exercise. I also don't mind biking. Beyond that, exercise is mostly a drudgery for me. But I am still trying. I get points for that.

I think we should all be active in ways that make us happy. If you don't have a type of exercise that makes you happy, keep looking! Also, keep in mind that sometimes, exercises that make us happy are the ones that give us results. I find that exercising with my husband keeps me motivated and pushes me harder. However, exercising with friends doesn't have the same effect. Unless I am swimming, I have to listen to music while I exercise. It keeps my energy up and makes me happier to exercise. This is different for everyone so figure these things out for yourself. Just remember to have moderation in your exercise: don't push yourself too hard. Don't let exercise become a higher priority than things that have eternal importance.

Next aspect about being healthy is eating habits. I love food. I make most of the food in our house from scratch. That means it is only as unhealthy as I make it. I like having that control. Plus it usually tastes better than the pre-packaged stuff. One of my problems is portion sizes. If a food is good, that means eating a lot of it will be better, right? I'm afraid to admit that sometimes the answer to that question is yes. Two cookies are always better than one. Large orders of french fries somehow taste better than medium orders. I have been eating smaller portions several times a day and it keeps me from getting hungry enough to eat junk food.

I am guilty of going on diets. I've done body cleanses and bought Weight Watchers books that gave me anxiety to read. I am happy to say that they don't work for me. I am convinced that my lifestyle choices just need to be better (like getting the medium fries instead of the large.) Every good choice is a victory for me, and I keep making more, so it works. Meat, vegetables, fruits, grains, and dairy products all have their own health benefits, and I think they should be eaten in moderation. Plus that means I still get ice cream and chocolate every once in a while.

Until I can snap my fingers and have the body I'd like to have, I get to choose to like the one I've been blessed with. I may not be at my ideal weight, and I may not be at athletic as I'd like, but my body is priceless. It moves the way I tell it to and gets me to where I want to be. It is a temple and worthy of being taken care of. So even if it takes me recommitting every Monday, I'm going to keep trying harder and being better. Wish me luck!

Building a Foundation... for Perfect Rice

Before culinary school, I couldn't make rice. I even struggled with instant rice most of the time. The rice touching the pan was always stuck to the pan and turning different shades of brown or black. The rest of it was either hard as a rock or mushy. It tasted just as good as you think it did. Now that I have a fool-proof way of making it, I absolutely love making rice!

I usually make long grain rice, but I flavor it a million different ways. Today, I will teach you my method. (Another day, I will teach you to make different kinds like coconut rice, Spanish rice, fried rice, cilantro-lime rice, and a citrus rice that goes really well with curry. Yum. Anyone else want Thai and/or Indian food right now? Me too.)

You only need to know a few things about this method. The ratio for rice:water or stock is 1:1.5. (Unless you use brown rice. Then you should use a 1:2 ratio. Also, you will need to increase the cooking time to about 45 minutes.) The only other thing I should mention, please use a saucepan that is oven-proof. You will probably regret it otherwise.

List of ingredients:

About 1 tsp of fat (you can use butter or any kind of oil- you need just enough to coat the rice)
1 c of your favorite long grain rice
1 1/2 c of stock (I usually pick the one that compliments the protein I am making for dinner)
Herbs and spices to taste

Instructions:

Step 1. Gather your ingredients and preheat the oven to 350*F.

Step 2. Melt the fat in a saucepan. You'll want this saucepan to have a lid, or you can just make sure you have some tin foil handy.

Step 3. Add the rice. Stir to coat the rice. Let the rice toast over medium heat for a couple of minutes. You don't want it to brown, but it will start turning white.



Step 4. Add the stock and any spices you are going to use.



Step 5. Increase the temperature so the stock boils. Stirring it occasionally.



Step 6. Cover and place saucepan in the oven for 20 minutes.

Step 7. Remove saucepan from the oven and fluff the rice.



Step 8. Serve.

While the rice is cooking, you are free to worry about getting the rest of dinner ready. It is nice to throw it in the oven and let the heat surround it evenly and cook it perfectly. Plus, this rice is great the next day if you have extras!

If you are having a hard time cooking rice like I did, or if you are using instant rice, give this method a try. It is easy and regular long grain rice is usually cheaper than instant rice. (Read: If you can save money in the kitchen, you can have more money to buy cute shoes.)