Sunday and back to school tomorrow.

Good day everyone.  Hope that everyone is enjoying their weekend.

I have been getting ready to go back to school tomorrow.  We have been off now for the past 10 days and I am very ready to go back.

I just wanted to check in and say HI so you all did not think that I have quit posting.  It will start out regular again tomorrow with the pictures of what we are doing day to day.

This new MOD that we are starting tomorrow is going to be 12 weeks of a different Country every week so this could be very interesting and make for some really great pictures.

So, please come back and read more starting tomorrow and let me know if you have any comments or want to see something different ... or even read about anything different.

Have a really great rest of the weekend ... Bye for now from 1HappyChef. :)

Luncheon

5 PM Channel 7 News today

Good evening everyone out there.  Hope that everyone had as good as day as I did.  

I was a speaker at the "Second Annual Esteemed Women of Michigan Luncheon" and what a great opportunity it was.   I can't even tell you how much sleep I lost and how scared I really was to get up in front of 310 very influential people. It was all just  blurry and I really don't remember much after the speech as it was such a relief to be done with it that everything just went blank.

The Luncheon was at the Royal Park Hotel in Rochester and that is a really nice place and the food that they put out was outstanding.  That is all that I can say about it ... they went way beyond to make sure that we were comfortable and had everything that we needed.  Thank you Jay and the Royal Park Hotel!  Good Job! 

As for me, I got several good leads as to where I would have an opportunity to work or do my ex-tern ship at and I have to tell you that the possibilities are endless.  With some very hard work on my part I am going to be all right from now on ... I feel that my life has turned on a different course today.

There were many pictures taken but they are not available as of yet but I am sure tomorrow I will be able to post some of them for you to see how nice it was.

I am very tired after this very long week that I have just had so I just wanted to drop you a little line to fill you in a little but I will post a lot more tomorrow you all to see.  

Have a very good night and take care.  Good night for now from 1HappyChef.  :)

 

Resting today

Ann Thornton

Good morning fellow readers.  Hope that everyone is having a wonderful weekend.

I am so sorry that I have not posted a note to you in the past couple of days but it has been an unreal past few days. 

Ann and I

First we had finals all week last week and then on Thursday and Friday for 7 hours each day we made 3,000 moon pies to sell at the "What's Cooking Detroit" event.  And then yesterday (Saturday) I worked at the actual event.  I was one of the main prep people for the Food Network star Ann Thornton.  Chef David and myself worked like crazy to make sure that everything was just right for her when she got on stage to give her presentation.  What a thrill it was to work so close with a real star.

Chef David and I work very well together.  I like his teaching methods very much ... he teaches with kindness.  We have worked several times together now and I can learn anything from him.  I think that I am going into the Pastry field when this is all over with.  I have 6 months to go and it is only going to get harder for here on out but I am sure that I can do it ... and I hope that I can carry the grades that I have a present but that remains to be seen.

Anyhow back to Ann Thornton.  She is a star ... very people friendly and had a great stage presence.  It was so great watching her do her thing.  The recipes that we had to prepare for her were Spicy Smoky S'mores Bars and Fudgy Salty Peanut Butter Brownies. 

Since this was just like a Food Network show you had to have it ready like they do on TV so we had to bake a final product for her to pull out of the oven and then we had to make a particle one and then we had to get all of the ingredients ready like she was doing it her self and set it all up on her stage for her and we had to cut the final one and place it on the platters and then the clean up of the stage for the next star and then that clean up and set up again for Ann.  It was a very long exciting day.

Tomorrow will be another first for me.  I am going to be a speaker for the Gary Bernstein Free Clinic.   I am very afraid but I know that I can do it ... they are counting on me.  I have been getting help from the Clinic now for about 1 1/2 years and I so appreciate all that they have done for me so this is the least that I can do to show my appreciation.  I hope that I made it through this speech without too much trouble.  I just rewrote it and it doesn't sound too bad to be so I think that I will quit worrying about it and just go with it.  So, I will have another exciting day to write about tomorrow night and then it will be sort of dull for writing the rest of the week as we are on a break until Monday, October 3rd.

I will keep you update throughout the week with any news.

Have a really great Sunday and catch up with you all later ... 1HappyChef.  :)

"What's Cooking Detroit"

Hi everyone.  This will just be a very short message to tell you that I will be cooking with Ann Thornton today at the Palace of Auburn Hills.  This will be really exciting to be cooking with a real Food Network star.  I can't wait!

Hope that everyone has a nice day and I will post later with some pictures from today.

Thank you for being patient  with me last week for not posting too much.  It was a very long stressful week with finals and all but I am back on track now and will get to posting everyday again.

Signing off for now from 1HappyChef.  :)

Good evening everyone ...

Evening everyone.  Hope this finds you all well tonight.

Diving off limits!

Today was a practice day before the finals start.  I was very confused today but after about an hour I got it together and tried to figure out what I was going to do to make it better.  The way I understood it last week we could pick either chicken for fish for our meat dish .. and me not liking fish at all picked the chicken.  Boy was I ever surprised when Chef David told us today that we had to do both ... it was the first time that I was hearing this and was not prepared at all ... but, like I said I got over it and got it together.

Tomorrow we will do the chicken dish with a starch and vegetable and then take a test for CA105 and then on Wednesday we will make the fish dish with the bread, starch, vegetable and dessert.  This is what I was preparing to do so nothing has changed that much except I will have to work with the fish ... ick!  Also, tomorrow we will have a knife skills test too ... I have to tell you that my knife stills have drastically improved in the past 12 weeks.  I even hold my knife like they want us to now ... in the beginning I had a very hard time with that as I was very used to doing it my way.  And I have NOT cut my self once in the past 12 weeks ... and that is a very good thing!

So, for now I will get going.  I did not sleep very good last night so I am hoping that I am tired enough to get some sleep tonight so I can get through tomorrow and do a very good job ... I am trying very hard to be the best that I can be ... sometimes that is not so easy, ya know?

I will check in again tomorrow when I get home and maybe with a picture or two of the dishes that I made that I will be graded on.  I hope that they are picture worthy and I hope that you enjoy them.

Have a really great evening and good night from 1HappyChef.  :)

Good morning, America!

Good morning, America!  I hope that everyone has a really great day.

As for me it will be a day to take it easy and get myself ready for the coming week.  Finals are always nerve racking and this will be NO different.

Culinary of the day word:  radish

I do however think that I am ready ... at least for the "practical" part of the exam.  I worked on my menu and presentation all day yesterday and what I didn't think of I keep adding with sticky notes as I think of them.

I am going to have the Sauerkraut Rye made into rolls, I am making Risotto, steamed peas and carrots, chocolate moose and for the meat I am going with poached chicken in a "some kind" of cream sauce for the finish.  Not only does it have to be done well and the right way it has to be presented on the plate as if you were serving it to a customer.   So, when you poach chicken it can remain quit white and sick looking so I was thinking to make it look better I would get some grill marks on it before I poached it.  I also was going to present it on the plate sliced thin and put it in a fan shape.  For the rice I thought that I would put it in some sort of mold to plate it and I am not too sure yet about the peas and carrots other that we will also be judged on our knife skills so dicing the carrots in 1/2" cubes will only help my score.  The rolls will be beautiful just as they are ... and the chocolate moose I thought that I would just garnish with a fresh mint leaf and maybe a couple of fresh raspberries.  Also on my main plate I will have some garnish (green leaves) and I will make a tomato rose for the "pop" effect.

And so that is what I am going for.  I found that I can make it and arrange it in my head all day but when it comes right down to doing it ... well, lets just say that you never know what will go wrong.  Maybe like not having the right ingredients and having to use something else .. something that you can't even visualize in your dish.  Happens all the time ... I will however get through it and I am going to do the best job that I know how.

I am more concerned about the 3 written parts of the finals.  I know that I know the stuff ... I have been living it for the past 12 weeks but it is still hard when you sit there and have to do it.  I will not let myself get all bent out of shape over this ... it will be what it is and I can't change that so I refuse to loose sleep ... well, maybe just a little.

Culinary word of the day meaning:  A member of the mustard family grown for it root (Raphanus sativus); generally, the crisp white flesh has a mild to peppery flavor and is usually eaten raw.

So, you all have a wonderful day and "Go Detroit Lion's"!  Take care from 1HappyChef.  :)

 

Creamy Cucumber Soup

Hi all of my fellow readers.  I am posting this very quick today because there really isn't much new here but I was asked if I knew of any "Cucumber Soup recipes" ... so real quick this is what I came up with:

Creamy Cucumber Soup

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, diced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

4 cups peeled, seeded and thinly sliced cucumbers, divided

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth, or reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon salt

1//4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 avocado, diced

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish

1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt

Preparation:

1.  Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 1-4 minutes.  Add lemon juice  and cook for 1 minute.  Add 3 3/4 cups cucumber slices, broth, salt, pepper and cayenne; bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat and cook at a gentle simmer until the cucumbers are soft, 6-8 minutes.

2.  Transfer the soup to a blender.  Add avocado and parsley; blend on low speed until smooth.  (use caution when pureeing hot liquids.)  Pour into a serving bowl and stir in yogurt.  Chop the remaining 1/4 cup cucumber slices.  Serve the soup warm or refrigerate and serve it chilled.  Just before serving, garnish with the chopped cucumber and more chopped parsley, if desired.

Nutrition:

Per serving:  173 Calories; 12g Fat; 2 g Sat; 8 g Mono; 2 mg Cholesterol; 15 g Carbohydrates; 4 g Protein; 5 g Fiber; 494 mg Sodium; 544 mg Potassium

1 Carbohydrate per serving

Exchanges:  1 vegetable, 2 fat

I do have to admit ... this sounds really good.   EatingWell.com gets the credit for this recipe.

For me the rest of the day folks will be just watching all of the good teams in MI play ball.  Maybe we will have another winning weekend like last weekend.  Go Tiger's ... such a good job!  Good bye for now from 1HappyChef.  :) Have a really great weekend.