Wednesday

Good evening everyone.  Not too much to report to you this evening.  

Today in the kitchen was Thailand food.  Sorry I have no pictures to show you.

Today we went to the Great Lakes Crossing Mall and went to the Sweet Shop and bought some cobble stone candy for our Lighthouse that we are building.  The candy is very expensive so we could only get a little (a little over a pound) so we will have to build up the rest with ginger bread pebbles that we will have to make.  This is getting exciting now and pretty soon we will see this beautiful lighthouse standing in front of us and be in aww ... wondering how we ever did it and got it finished in time.  Next Thursday is the day that it has to be at the OHCC at 4:30PM.  Boy or boy ... I sure hope we make it.

Tomorrow in the kitchen is Indian food ... hummmm ... I don't think that I care of Indian food but I guess that we will see.

So for now it will be good bye from 1HappyChef.  Take care everyone and have a good night ... :)

Monday

Esther with beginning of our BARN

Good Monday evening to everyone.  Hope that everyone had a wonderful day today.

Today as you can see we finally started making some headway with the Ginger Bread things that we are making for the auction next Thursday.   Today Esther, Angie and myself finally got it together enough to see a little progress.

Phase 1 of the Lighthouse

Esther rolled out all of the dough and made the parts for the Barn and then about 4PM her and I started putting it together but we had already put in a full day and

we were getting very tired so we wrapped it up for today and we will start again tomorrow at 1PM.  By tomorrow we should really see some progress with both of the projects that we are doing.  The picture on the right is the beginning of the Lighthouse.  We are not sure yet what we are going to do with the sides ... we were thinking cobble stones or shingles or ... any ideas out there?

Other than that there is not too much to report today.  Today was just a bookwork day ... math and the price costing book.  I am understanding it a little better but I am sure that I will never use this information again in my life time.

Tomorrow we will be in the kitchen doing Japan/Korea on our trip around the world.  I am just praying that my hip holds up ... not so good today but i am just thinking that if I can make it until Friday when I have a Dr.'s appointment that all will be good.  I am hoping that he can get me on some more meds. to help me get through the next couple of months so I can graduate.  I just need to graduate ... that is all I want.

So for now from 1HappyChef I will say good night.  I will have some more pictures tomorrow to show you how the project is looking ... oh and I will have pictures of the Japan/Koren food too.  Take care everyone ... :)

Monday morning very early

Good morning everyone.  I hope that everyone is getting a good night sleep ... I am not.  I am not sure why I can't sleep other than I never sleep on Sunday nights but for some reason it is getting worse ... I can't stop thinking about the Ginger Bread Lighthouse that we are making for the OHCC.  It has to be done next Thursday and in my mind I just don't see how that will be possible.  I am thinking that maybe the structure is built then it will be only decorating ... could this really happen?

I just can't shut off my mind and I have my hip working on me too.  I need to get through this week and then on Friday at 9AM I have a Dr.'s appointment and I am hoping that he will come up with some better pain relief until I am out of school.  It seems that since I was at the emergency room that it is getting worse and worse.  I don't think that it helps that I drive a car with a stick shift so I think that is aggravating it as well, but I have babied it all weekend and it is still bad so I am not sure what to do ... I will be in the kitchen 3 days this week and then several hours each day working on the Ginger Bread Houses so I am sure that will not help it.  Anyhow enough about my aching hip.

 

So, here it is almost 3AM and I am still wide awake ... I think that when I finish this that I will try to lay down for a couple of hours and see if I can get just a little sleep.  I always get very tired when the alarm goes off and it is time to get up ... and today we have bookwork so it will not be too bad. I usually can stay awake for that but on Monday night I go to bed very early as by 5 or so when it gets dark I am very tired.

Hope that everyone has a really great week ahead and I will take some pictures of the Ginger Bread Houses as they progress so you can see how we are doing.  I also will try and get some pictures of the food this week as it should be pretty interesting ... Japan/Korea, Thailand and India.  Boy, we only have a few weeks until Christmas and then we start our ex tern-ships ... wow, time is really flying by.

So for now have a really great day and don't work too hard.  I will say good bye for now from 1HappyChef and I will check in tonight if I have some news that I think that you would want to hear about.  Take care everyone  :)

Sunday

Good Sunday afternoon to everyone.  Hope that everyone enjoyed their weekend and the Holiday.

For me it is back to school tomorrow.  I was just looking at what is coming up this coming week and it looks like we will be very busy with 4 new countries.  It looks like we will be doing Japan/Korea on Tuesday and then Thailand on Wednesday and then on Thursday it will be India ... D'Andre will be doing India so I would not be surprised if he has invited his family to come and join him on that day.

Tomorrow we have to really get down with the "Ginger Bread" project ... we are running out of time.  We are expected to have 5 Ginger Bread Houses to the OHCC on 12/8 at 4:30 PM in the afternoon and right now where I am sitting I don't see how we are going to be able to pull it off.  Last week was the first week that we started working on them after school ... none of this can be done on school time so it is all after school.  We (Esther, Tammy and Angie and myself) picked out a barn ginger bread house and it looked like it was going to be pretty easy so me being an over achiever emailed Chef Abbey and asked him to help us also do a lighthouse ginger bread house and I have to tell you ... I am not so sure at this point.  I know that Chef Abbey has a vision as to how this is going to be but right now I am not so sure that I get it or understand it.  I do know that we backed 12 assorted size cakes for the base of it and that it will end up being about 3 feet tall when it is finished with a real light in it and real water mist ... wow, can this really be possible?  I don't know but what I do know is the last two night instead of sleeping all I thought about was this lighthouse.  I am hoping that we make Chef Abbey proud and that it turns out specular ... wish us luck.

So, until I have more to report I will be saying good night from 1HappyChef.  Have a really great evening and get plenty of rest for the up coming week ahead.  Good night .. :)



Happy Thanksgiving + 1

Good afternoon everyone.  Happy Thanksgiving + 1 ... hope that everyone is enjoying their weekend.

As for me I am just taking it easy and trying to get my hip feeling a little better.  It seems if I stay off of it or not it just doesn't matter ... it is not getting any more comfortable.  Last night when I finally got home and called it a day ... it was really hurting and it kept me up most of the night.  I was tempted to go back to the emergency room to see what was the next plan for it.  I however am still home trying to talk myself out of going ... I am not sure how long I will be able to put it off ... I guess the pain will tell me that.

So, I am hoping that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family, friends and loved ones.  I had a very nice day ... first I went to my sister Heidi's for dinner and I got to see my mom and sister Gretchen who were also there and then I came home and touched base with my very best friend in NJ to see how she and her husband were doing and then I went and spent several hours with my best gal-pal Karen.  I ate dinner all over again at her house and we visited and did some much needed catching up.  I really enjoy her company but with our schedule's we never get to spend any time together ... so yesterday was the day for that.

Not much else to report today.  Not too much happening around here.  I am just waiting for the mail and something good to come on TV.  I hope that you all have a really great day and I will check in again very soon.  Take care from 1HappyChef.  :)

China/Chinese

Hello again from 1HappyChef.  

Happy Happy Thanksgiving to one and to all!  Hope that everyone has a wonderful day with loved ones.

Renee', Denise and Darcy

Darcy and Denise

As for me after the past two weeks in school I am ready for some American food ... turkey, stuffing and all of the trimmings.  I will be spending part of my day with my sister Heidi and her family and my mother and my sister Gretchen.  I hardly ever get a chance to visit with them so that will be very nice ... yes, it will be very nice.  And then later in the day I will be spending   some time with my best gal-pal Karen.  Her and I hardly ever get any together time either because of our schedules so it will also be very nice to catch up with her later today.  I am looking forward to the entire day ... it will indeed be a good one!

Yesterday was my day at school.  It finally happened ... China/Chinese.  All of the weeks that I was moaning and groaning ... it finally happened.

It turned out very good ... only 5 other students besides myself showed up to help cook the menu that I had worked on and picked out but we all pitched in and everyone did one hell of a good job.  I want to thank each and everyone one of them for all of the effort that they made to make this happen for me and my guests.  So a big shout goes out to Angie, Molly, Dray, Kyi Kyi, and Esther and maybe Vlad was there for part of the time.  Anyhow, it couldn't have been done without any of you ... thank you!

On the Chinese menu was:  Drunken Chicken, Jian Bing, Dumplings w/Dip, Spicy Hot and Sour Soup, Lion's Head Soup, Chinese Chicken Salad, Cold Pasta Salad, Pork Tenderloin, Green Beans and Asian Noodles, Pot Roast, Braised Zucchini and Sesame Rice, Happy family, Hot/Sour Eggplant and Steamed Rice, almond Cookies and Sticky Rice Cake.

I do have to report the the "Chinese Dessert" is not like our desserts.  Theirs had very little sugar in them ... it did not even taste like you were eating a dessert at all ... more like eating a roll or biscuit.  I think that I will just stick to America desserts to satisfy my sweet tooth .. much better I think.

Also, most things Chinese are very spicy ... so, if you are not into the spicy things then authentic Chinese food would not be for you.  It was all very good but most of it had a "kick" to it.

Well, I need to get moving so I can get to Heidi's and help her with the things that she is preparing for us this Thanksgiving day.  So, I will be saying good bye for now from 1HappyChef.  Everyone enjoy your day and thank you again to everyone who helped me yesterday ... you are the best!  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone ... until next time .... :)

German/Russian

Sauerbraten

Hello to all of my wonderful readers.  I forgot to post on Tuesday with what we made so today I have to do two posts for you ... with pictures.

On Tuesday we did German and Russian food and it was quite the challenge in the time frame that we have to work with but as you can see the food looks pretty darn good and I am here to tell you that it was very good.

German Potato Salad

On the menu we had Soft Pretzels with assorted Mustard's, Kartoffel-Kloesse (Potato Dumplings), Cabbage-Beet Borscht, Pikanter Moehrensahat (Spicy Carrot Salad), Cucumber Dill, German Potato Salad, Pierogi with Kilbasa and Kapusta, Red Wine Vinegar Beets, Stuffed Cabbage, Braised Kohalrabi, Sauerbraten, Purne Bread Pudding and Kuchen.  And on the Russian menu we had:  Wild Mushroom Caviar, Moldavian Marinated Peppers, Zest Eggplant Slices, Black Bread, Russian Cabbage, Byelo Russian Wild Mushroom and Noodle, Tomato and Garlic Salad, Cucumbers in Sour Cream, Uzbek Lamb Stew, Beef Stroganoff, Haddock and Scalloped Potatoes, Lavish Chocolate Meringue Cake, Apple Baba, Spicy Carrots with Cumin, Potato Pancakes, Pelmeni, Fried Cucumbers, Chicken Stewed in Sour Cream and Cheese and Noodle Casserole.  Wow, see what I mean about the time limit thing?

I will report that we did get it done in time ... maybe we were 5 or so minutes late but we did it and with a lot of help from Chef Abbey we got out plating done and it was all very pretty and presentable and pleasing to the eye.  No one like the Sauerbraten .... I guess either you like it or you don't like it ... most in the school on Tuesday did not like it.  I had made it before at home and my was in the form of a roast and I thought that it turned out very good but because of time we had to make this like a stew so it would be cooked all the way through.

So, I will let you go for now and tell you in another post about the Chinese menu from yesterday and the visit from my sisters to enjoy it with me.  Signing off for now from 1HappyChef.  :)

Poland/Polish

Country Style Pork Ribs

Good afternoon everyone on this lovely Saturday.  Hope that this post finds everyone well.

Thursday was Polish day in the kitchen and boy or boy was it ever good ... as you can see by the pictures.

Sausage Cheese Bites

One the menu was:  Caramelized Onion Tart-lets, Marinated Olives, Sausage Cheese Bites, Green and White Salad, Cucumber Salad, Sauerkraut Soup w/Buttermilk Rye Bread, Split Pea and Sausage Soup, Pickle Soup, Old-Fashioned Cabbage Rolls, Tender Cabbage and a host of other ingredients simmered together for a hearty meal, Country-Style Pork Ribs, Beef Roulade, Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary, Green Beans with Sliced Almonds and Garlic Butter Sauce, Carrots with Garlic Sauce, Peach Mazurka and last of all Coffee Cake. 

Table 1, team 1 was responsible for the things in the pictures to the right of this ... everything except the stuffed Cabbage Rolls, that was another teams job.

Pickle Soup

Angie is the one who picked this menu for the class to cook on Thursday and she got to invite her family to share in our lunch.  We are short some students now so even Chef Abbey pinched  in and made all of the soup for us.

It all turned out very nice and I think that Angie's family enjoyed what they got to eat.

Old-Fashioned Cabbage Rolls

My week "China" is this coming week.  I think on Tuesday we will be doing more Polish/German food ... Chef Abbey has picked that and then on Wed. it is time for me to serve my China lunch to Darcy, Renee' and maybe her husband Roger.  I hope that I can make it very special for them.  Should I make them eat with chop sticks?  That would be really mean ... wouldn't it?

As for the rest of the weekend I am just taking it easy as my hip and leg are really bothering me.  I was going to go and get a couple of groceries and I can't even walk around the store the way that it feels right now.  I took a couple of pills and I am hoping that it feels better in a short time so I can take care of a few things.  No worries on Monday as that is our bookwork class all day ... so, only two days on my feet this week because of Thanksgiving.

Sauerkraut Soup

So, for me for now I think that I will say good bye.  I hope that you all have a really great day and weekend.  Good bye from 1HappyChef.  :)

Italy/Italian

Good evening everyone.  Hope that this post finds every one well and good tonight.

Today was "Italian".  Sorry I did not get to take any pictures today ... way too busy and at the end when it was crunch time there wasn't time to take any.

Italian ...

Rooted back to the 4th Century BC, Italian cuisine changed over the decades with the influence of many social and political changes with the giggest change occurred with the discovery of the New World.  Top Quality and Seasonal ingredients of the freshest nature are a mantra of the Italian culture.

Their major foods are Wine, Cheese, Coffee, Pasta, Seafood, Fresh water fish, Lamb and Pork.

Generally meals consist of no fewer that 3-4 courses.  They are considered time to be spent with the family.  The first course is generally the most filling consisting of a pasta or risotto.

Butter and Dairy products are more often seen i the North, Different styles and types of pasta are seen depending on the region, Coffee and Espresso are a huge part of the cuisine, Germanic and Roman Culture are seen in the North and Arabic and Mediterranean cultures influence the southern parts of Italy.

On the menu today was  Applesauce, Wedding Soup,  Little ears and Broccoli Rabe, Bisocotti,  Tiramisu, Risotto Al Pepe Verde, Stracciatella, Insalata di Lattuga al Proschiutto, Trotelle al Balsamico, Cosciotto D'Agnello Farcito and Zabaglione with Strawberries.   All of these dishes would make for a wonderful Italian menu.  Team 1 is down to only two people now and working very hard to keep up ... but, still sort of doing it.  We did forget one thing today and I never even realized it until about 20 minutes ago when I was re-reading what we did ... I realized that it was team 1 that forgot the Baked Tomatoes with Herbs ... I hate when that happens.  When Chef Abbey said that ... "someone forgot the baked tomatoes" ... I really didn't have a clue that he was talking to us.  I am sorry Chef Abbey ... we will try to do better tomorrow.

Tomorrow we are moving on to Poland/Polish.  It is Angie's day to shine with her menu that we will all cook and put out for her family members.  She said that Polish food is easy to cook but that remains to be seen.  We will see how easy it is with a team made of only 2 people.  I will try to take pictures tomorrow so you can see how we did.

Have a great night everyone and take care.  Good night from 1HappyChef.  :)

France/French

Good evening everyone.  Hope that everyone is well tonight.

Today at school we did "French" cooking.

Based on an ever evolving history, French food derived from political and social change.  The classics were codified in the 20th century by Escoffier.  Regional Cuisine is a large influence in the types of food eaten and the style of cuisine.

The major foods in France are Wine, Cheese, Herbs, Seafood, Fresh water fish and Meats.   Lunch would be their big meal of the day .. it could take up to at least 2 hours to eat this meal.

France consists of 22 regions.  It has a huge culture of Wine consumption.  It is very rich in culinary history, its Regional Cuisine characterized by its extreme diversity and style and the Brigade system was invented in France.

So, there is a little bit about France.

 

Today, table 1 or team 1 was responsible for the appetizers and the Boeuf a la Gordienne (Provencal Braised Beef) with Dauphinouse Potatoes.

The picture in the middle has all of our appetizers that we made ... we even made the baguettes for the appetizers. The 3 that we made are Anchoiade (Anchovy Spread), Tapenade (Olive Spread) and Cervelle De Canut (Herbed Cheese Spread) w/2 baguettes to spread the spreads on.

 

The top picture is a picture of "French" fish ... no, I am just kidding.  It is Loup Au Fenouil (Grilled Bass with Fennel and Boignets De Legumes (Vegetable Fritters).  And the picture of the Lobster is stuffed lobster.  I did not try it but the people who did eat it said that both the fish and the lobster were excellent.

Tomorrow we are moving on to Italian.  It is Molly's turn to impress with all of her Italian dishes that she has picked out for us to make.  Molly is on my team so it will be fun helping her with her dishes.  Can't wait!  You go Molly ... I am sure that it will be delish!

Today I made it through the entire day without much pain until the very end.  After school I went and picked up my new glasses (and now I can really see) and then I came home to do recommended exercises and then I took to the couch to get off of it for the rest of the night.  I hope that it can just hang in there for a little while longer so I can finish school.

For now it will be good night from 1HappyChef.  I will have more for you tomorrow about the Italian way of cooking and a little history and some more pictures.  Have a really great night everyone.  Take care :)

Monday

Good evening to everyone out there.  Hope that everyone is having a really great Monday.  I am not so happy with this weather but I guess that it could be worse ... like snow ... ick!

Not too much to report about school today.  We were in the classroom doing math and working on our RP.  Tomorrow we start cooking the different countries.  This week we will be doing ... French tomorrow and then Italian on Wednesday and on Thursday it will be German/Polish.  I am hoping that I will have some really great pictures for you to see what we did.

Next week on Tuesday  will be Polish/Russian and then on Wednesday will be my turn to shine with the menu from China and then we are off for the rest of the week for Thanksgiving.

Today was not too bad for me and my hip pain but tomorrow will be proof of how much better I really am when we are in the kitchen on our feet for 4 hours.  I am hoping that I have got this licked and that I will be OK so I can get through this.

Also in the next two weeks we will be doing Restaurant Inventory Costing, and Sales and Food Costs and Scheduling and Labor Costs for our individual Restaurants.  This is a bunch of math stuff that I don't care about but just to get a better understanding of it I will attend the special credit class this Friday as it is all about Culinary Math.  I am thinking that "something" has to stick in my thick brain if I keep taking the class, right?

Well, everyone have a really great night.  I have one more thing of homework to do and then I am going to watch some TV and take a break.  I will catch you up tomorrow with our first country cooking ...French and hopefully with some great pictures.

Take care everyone and have a really great evening.  Good bye for now from 1HappyChef.  :)

Saturday

Good morning everyone.  Hope that everyone out there is well and enjoying their weekend.

For me ... not so much.  I have not had a very good week at all and I am not sure what to do about it yet or in the end if I will have many choices.

On Tuesday right from school I dragged my self into the Emergency room at SJH because my entire right side was not working.  After many many hours of waiting around I finally saw a Doctor and he told me that I have something called "Lumbar Radiculopathy, Sciatica".  In other words sciatic arthritis.  All of the problems are coming from my spinal cord caused from a herniated or slipped disc.  I do have to tell you that this is very painful ... I did however think that once I got the medication that I was proscribed in my system that I would be feeling better.  I am in "not so much pain" but it is still very painful and the medicine is keeping me very tired all of the time. 

I had a long talk with the Doctor in the emergency room and he tried to assure me that he could get me comfortable enough to get through school and graduate.  That is a very good thing.  He also said that if anything changes I need to go right back to the emergency room and they will need to operate ... he said that they should operate now but since I am in school and want more than anything to finish that he would try and keep it under control for the time being. This entire weekend I have been doing as I was told, going from heat to cold pressed on the hip area, taking the pills, doing the exercises and more than anything keeping off of it and giving it a rest ... but, I have to report that I am not much more comfortable than I was during the week.  

I only have 6 more weeks in the kitchen at school so I am hoping that I can work through this.  Now that school knows that I have a "real problem" I am hoping that they will work with me.  If I could go in there and do the cooking and avoid lifting and bending ... that would really help.  That is when it hurts and gets really bad is when I am standing on my feet for 4 hours and then all of the lifting and bending getting ready for the next day.  Also, the running back and forth to get the mise en place ready from the dry storage and the walk in cooler ... neither very close to our kitchen.

There is no way that I want special treatment but I need to take it easy or this isn't going to work for the next 6 weeks.  I want more than anything to finish school and graduate and get some sort of job in the culinary world.  Maybe it wasn't/isn't meant to be ... I don't know the answer to that.  I do know that I have worked very hard so far to do as well as I have and I am not willing to just give it up because of a hip problem ... at least not yet.

Starting this Tuesday we are going to start cooking our assigned Countries for our families that we invited to to lunch on our assigned day.  You all know that my assigned country is China and I will be cooking for Darcy, Renee' and Roger on the day before Thanksgiving.  We are all very excited for this day ...

So, for now I will stay positive and believe that I can do anything and one of those things will be to finish this and graduate.  

Take care and I will write again when I have more to report ... about school ... after all this is a cooking blog, right?  Have a really great day ... good bye for now from 1HappyChef.  :)

Monday and all is good ...

Good Monday afternoon to everyone out there.  Hope all is well with your world and you are enjoying your day.

Today we took our CA107 mid-term and we found out our grade before we left for the day and ..... I passed!  Yea team!  Just one more written exam for CA108 and then the Practicals.  The practicals will be a surprise as I think it will be something like a "mystery basket" and we have to use all of the ingredients in the basket.  I would like to think that I am pretty good when it comes to making surprises with something strange but I guess that only the test will tell.  I will keep you updated on that one ... maybe even with pictures and all.

In March of 1999 I was working at the then Standard Federal Bank in Troy, MI.  After I was there for a short time it became ABM AMBRO and now it is Bank of America.  Anyhow when I worked there I was also taking in side printing job and when the bank found out they had me start putting out a News Letter.  James Sands was in charge then ... a very nice man I remember to work for.  The first week that I worked there I was so scared that I broke out in all of this awful, runny, water hives and I ended up going to the hospital and taking the first week, as sick leave, at Standard Federal Bank off to recover from being scared to death.  It did get better though and after a while it wasn't that scary at all.  Where I am going with this is that I found one of the News Letters that I published for the Bank and when I was reading it I came across an article that I wrote for the letter about "Celery".

It is so strange ... even way back then did I know that I was going to be doing something in the field of food?  Here is what the article said:

Celery - Food Of The Month

It's the star of hors d'oeuvres, the dieter's delight, and a stew's best friend.  Celery is particularly prized for its crunch and for what it doesn't have:  calories.  There are only seven calories in the entire stock.

So much for its traditional profile, but there's big news today about this formerly common veggie.  Researchers have discovered that a compound in celery helps to keep blood pressure in check.  Scientists at the University of Chicago have shown that 3-n-butylphthalide can lower blood pressure by 12 - 14 percent.  They contend that eating four stocks a day can lower blood cholesterol by as much as 14 percent.  

How's that good news?  Bring a few stalks of celery to work for break time or lunch, and you can lower your blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels.

Anti-cancer properties.

Celery has other important traits.  It boasts a group of anti-cancer compounds that defuse carcinogens, especially those in cigarette smoke.  Researchers say a diet that includes plenty of raw celery may also protest against stomach cancer.

Lots of high protein spreads (like peanut butter) taste great on celery.  Try this great chicken mixture:  Blend ground almonds and cooked chicken, vinegar, a bit of olive oil and garlic powder.

For special luncheon, mix salmon, cream cheese, lemon juice, horseradish, paprika and pecans.  Spread it on celery.

For an herb liver spread, mix chicken livers with onions, garlic, savory and thyme together with a little olive oil and a hard cooked egg.

So, I guess that this was a trip back in time ... wow. 

I hope that this information was helpful ... it did make me think about what I have been thinking about for all of these years ... mostly the same thing.  I guess in one way or another I always wanted to be in the cooking field and now here I am ... dreams do come true.

Have a really great afternoon and I will check in again tomorrow with news on the continuing mid-terms and how I am doing.  Take care for now 1HappyChef.  :)

 

Good Sunday morning to everyone.  Today is the Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time .. Nov. 6. 2011.  Time is flying by ... almost another year is over and I will be graduating ... at least that is the plan.  

Not so much to report today.  I just thought that I would check in and wish everyone well.  As for me I am just getting ready to go back to school tomorrow doing the usual things that I got in the habit of doing back in April when I started school.  It is funny ... these things probably could be done faster or easier but I still do them the same way since the beginning.  Every Sunday I run everything in my knife kit through the dishwasher and get the last weeks grime and food off of everything and I was my uniform so I look clean and crisp on Monday morning.  I always do what I am going to do with my hair the night before so I don't have to mess with it.  It used to be really really short and there was nothing to do with it but now it is getting quite long again so I have to mess with it a little.  It is so curly and there is so much of it ... I can't wait to get another buzz cut.  

I will be happy to report that I am not fretting tomorrow at all ... I am at least 2 weeks ahead on the "China Project" so for me there is nothing to sweat.  I have the final draft of the menu and the order for food to turn in tomorrow and then we have mid-terms the rest of the week so I am not sure what I will write about ... I don't think that there will be many pictures either but I will try and keep you posted.  Maybe this time if my mid-term plate is really a great one I will remember to take a picture of it?  For the finals last time I put out a beautiful plate but forgot to take the picture ... darn.  

My wish is for everyone to have a really great day today.  Good bye for now from 1HappyChef.  :)   

Good morning

Good morning everyone ... hope all is well with you today.

As for me I have been up the entire night working on the Restaurant Project and I think that I have it licked now for the next couple of weeks so I will not have to worry about it during mid-terms next week. I will not have anything to do for it for at least 2 weeks ... that will be a very nice break!

Yesterday I went to special credit class at school.  I was glad that I went as it was very informative and I enjoyed it so very much.  It was a class about what to do and not do in an interview.   I am sure that I learned enough to get me through an interview with hopefully the least of problems or surprises.  I will let you know how it went as soon as it happens ... could be in the next couple of weeks because I am looking for places to serve my externship.  I would like to be close to home and I think that I got the perfect lead ... Inn @ Cass Lake.  I will keep you updated.

As for today I am not sure yet what will be happening.  There will for sure be some sort of sports on TV to watch and since I have been up all night I may need a short nap ... and who knows ... maybe prince charming will come knocking at my door ..

Chef Tom, volevo solo dirvi che mi sono divertito la classe che hai insegnato ieri molto. Ho imparato molte cose dalla volontà di voi e io li prendono tutti con me nella mia intervista. Grazie!

For now I will encourage you all to have a really wonderful day and have some fun and laugh a lot ... it makes the day so much better.  Take care everyone and until I post again ... good bye from 1HappyChef.  :)

"Whether we like it or not, we're all connected, & it is unthinkable to be happy all by oneself" ~

 

What a great day at school!

Scallops/Butternut Squash-Apple Risotto

Good evening to everyone out there tonight.  I hope that everyone is doing very well.

Today was a day to remember.  Dorsey Cafe ... wow, at times during this day I didn't want to go on.  It seemed today as if our team was not on their whole game today. 

Tomato Basil Tart/Balsamic Reduction

Grilled Tenderloin/Rutabaga Puree & Sauce Charon

I was sure that I did everything that I could to get us ready for the day but there were a few glitches and tempers were high today for some reason.  Is there a full moon out or something?

Anyhow in the end it all worked out and it only took us almost an extra hour to get the kitchen cleaned after we served 40 people.

The dishes on this post are the dishes that my team ... team 1 put out.  The top one is Scallops with Butternut Squash-Apple Risotto, "melted" leeks and a demi-glaze.  It was to perfection if I don't say so myself.  The next picture is of the appetizer that we made.  It was a Tomato Basil Tart with a Balsamic Reduction and everyone loved it and the presentation and said that it was so good that it could have been the whole meal.  Then the bottom picture is of our Grilled Tenderloin with Rutabaga Puree, Green beans with mushrooms and Sauce Charon.

All and all I think that it was a very good day.  We missed you Chef Abbey and I think that I ask so many questions (or sometimes I am just talking to myself) and Chef Darren thought that I was asking him questions that he was probably glad that he was only a substitute.  That is how I learn ... asking lots and lots of questions.

Hard to believe that next week is Mid-terms already and then we only have 6 weeks left in this mod and then it is on to our externship.  Wow, time flies when you are having fun and enjoying what you are doing.  School has been an overall great experience for me.  Thanks you Dorsey Culinary Academy!

I will be going for now as I need to get a little sleep so I can go to the extra credit class tomorrow at school.  You get 5 extra points and I will learn about how is the right way to go into and handle an interview.  I bet that is has really changed since the last time I was interviewed?

Have a really great evening and I will post more tomorrow.  Good night from 1HappyChef.  ")

Dorsey Cafe'

A very good afternoon to all of you out there reading my blog.  Hope that you are all doing well today.

What a day today at school, I have not been this excited in a while now ... wow ... I don't know where to start.

We are having a Cafe style lunch tomorrow and I guess that there will be many people invited to this thing.  Each team has to put out 10 plates some with sides, desserts and or appetizers.  We all did not have to do it all for each plate ... I mean like Chef divided up the appetizers, desserts and salads.  

I have come home for the second day in a row smelling like a giant fish.  I have scaling and fileting fish down ... until he asks us to do it again anyways. I know now for sure that I want to go into the world of "baking" and skip all of the strange stuff ... or shall I say smelly stuff?

So, where the X's are on the menu is what Team 1 is responsible for to make for the Cafe tomorrow.  This will be a menu that is handed out and someone will take an order and then the team with the food ordered will cook the food to order and then plate it for service.  It sounds like a lot of fun and knowledge but I don't think that it will be that easy at all.  I think that the food that is cooked as ordered will be just fine but I think that it is going to be hard to keep the sides and vegetables warm so they all are hot at the same time.  However it goes I am up for the challenge and I will take some pictures for you to see how we did and plated our food items.

Również Mam coś do przyjmowania... Chef Abbey okazała się być jednym z nicest, najbardziej wykwalifikowani nauczyciele, które mają miałem dotąd. He makes me pchania mojego własnego do granicy oraz myślenia poza polem i I 'm naprawdę wyjściowych cieszyć się że. Po got over strach i ule i osiedlili się I 'm naprawdę korzystających to i przepraszam, że istnieją tylko 6 więcej tygodni po lewej. Myślę, że mogę należy zarejestrować ponownie po raz drugi wokół.

 
I guess that sometimes the teaches do know best ... or at least have a better idea of what is going to happen that you do.  I tend to like things in order and know where I am going and what I am doing and when it seemed like that wasn't happening it through me off course but I waited it out and went with the flow and here I am really enjoying school again.  Thank you to all of the Chefs at Dorsey Culinary Academy!
 
So for now I will be signing off.  I have a lot of homework to get ready for the Cafe tomorrow.  Myself being the organized person that I am have a lot of prep work to type out so I team can "shine" tomorrow.  We will not be left at the back of the class ... 

Have a wonderful day and evening ... another post to come tomorrow.  Good bye from 1HappyChef.  :) 

	Hola Frank....: