80 posts tagged Personal

I’ve been feeling a little bit like I’m in a cooking rut. First, I Brian moved out—a huge source of my inspiration (Love you, Bri!). Then, I was without a refrigerator for about a month. Then for about a month I had no pots or pans. With my busy schedule I was practically living on granola bars and sandwiches. 

Now, I have all the things I need! But I needed a little inspiration back. When I saw a couple of black bananas in my fruit bowl, I decided to go back to my roots. Baking.

Before I came to culinary school I thought I wanted to be a baker. I spent several months teaching myself to bake before my dad suggested the idea of switching to a culinary degree. I was an awesome baker though! I would bake all day back home. 

I feel like part of my talent may have come from my grandmother—Mamaw. She was a champion baker. She died from cancer when I was young, but to this day we still have her white KitchenAid mixer.

Last week I decided to get a KitchenAid of my own. I was browsing them, deciding on features and colors before I realized that I wanted hers. A white, standard KitchenAid mixer. Today I felt my Mamaw baking with me in my kitchen. Everything went perfectly as planned. Her spirit gave me the inspiration I asked for. Miss you Mamaw! Love you. Think about you every day! Keep your spirit with me always. 

Spiced Dark Chocolate Banana Bread (yield: 3 baby loaf pans or 1 loaf pan)

Dries:

• 1 3/4c all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 c granulated sugar
• 1/2t salt
• 1t ground cinnamon
• 1/4t ground clove
• 1/4t ground nutmeg
• 1t baking powder
• 1/4c chopped walnuts
• 1/4c chopped dark chocolate

Wets:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/3c buttermilk
• 1/2c vegetable oil
• 1/2c brown sugar
• 1t vanilla extract
• 1c mashed overripe bananas

Recipe:

1. Preheat your oven to 325F. Fifteen minutes into baking I turned mine down to 300F (my oven is sensitive so pay attention to yours, too!)
2. Sift together the dries (notice I put the brown sugar in the ‘wets’ because you can’t sift it so just add it with the wets!). Some ingredients (like the kosher salt) may not go through so just add it!
3. In your KitchenAid (or by hand), beat the eggs. Do this first because you never know when egg shell bits will fall in. Then add the other wet ingredients, including the brown sugar but NOT the mashed banana (make sure to shake the buttermilk carton first before measuring).
4. Chop the walnuts and chocolate if you didn’t buy chopped. I used Lindt 70% dark chocolate. What a heavenly chocolate it is. I recommend it highly! Also I didn’t use the full 1/4c. I added until I saw fit and then ate the rest. 
5. Mash your bananas before you measure them. Measure 1c then add to the batter. Mix well. 
6. Please! DOUBLE CHECK that you included every ingredient. Also—taste the batter! Sometimes you can tell when something is wrong, but it’s also good to see if you like it. I nommed on batter until the bowl was clean. It was just TOO good. 
7. Spray your pans! Nothing is worse than a stuck baked good. So disappointing! 
8. Mine baked for about 45mins, but like I said before it all depends on your oven! A helpful tip—rotate the pan/pans for even cooking. Towards the end check FREQUENTLY so you don’t burn it.The bread is ready when a toothpick comes out clean. Let the bread cool on a wire rack for 15mins, remove from the pan, then cool completely.
9. This bread is great with a little spread of butter. Mmm.
10. Eat entire loaf. No sharing. :D

I hope you enjoy! 

Rachel

Thank you all so much for all of the love and support that you’ve given over the last two years. Some of you have been with me since the very beginning, when I JUST decided to go to culinary school on a whim.

New followers? Hi! I’m Rachel. 22 years old and from Minnesota (<3 my Minnesota!). Began my culinary journey in January of 2010 after starting having dreams about food. It was obviously a good choice! (Story here: http://shesalty.tumblr.com/post/13560021090/a-perfect-soup-and-a-personal-story)

I am not in my kitchen today so I won’t be cooking, but I’ll be answering food and/or personal questions so feel free to chat, ask me to make something/how-to, send me a picture of something you cooked that you’re proud of, anything! 

My last night at Ninety Acres (as a CIA extern). I was hazed! Buckets of spoiled lemon curd were dumped on my head. I smelled wonderful after :-p

Just me on a normal day at my apartment!

So again, thank you to all—new followers and old! Let’s talk!

Rachel

Here’s a recipe for quick and easy pancakes that will make you stomp your stupid box of Bisquick right into your kitchen floor. 

Although, if you like bland, cardboard tasting pancakes, be my guest. 

If you’re ready to upgrade to crispy, buttery, fluffy pancakes full of life and wonder, read on. You deserve it. 

Crispy Buttermilk Pancakes (yield: 5 portions)

• 2c flour
• 2T sugar
• 4t baking powder
• 1t baking soda
• 1t salt
• 4T melted butter (plus more on the griddle)
• 2c buttermilk
• 1.5t vanilla extract
• 2 eggs

• Maple syrup (pure maple is the best!)

These might make a good Easter brunch next week!

Enjoy!

Rachel

p.s. I have a refrigerator again so I’ll be cooking!

Happy Holidays to all!!! I hope everyone is having a safe and wonderful break. It’s very busy over at my house. We have my mom, dad, three sisters, brother, brother-in-law, two nieces and two nephews at the house. Tomorrow night I am cooking an incredible Italian Christmas dinner!

Here’s a sneak peek at the menu: 

• Caprese Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes
• Antipasti Plate - Prosciutto, Salami, Parmigiano Reggiano, Sicilian Olives, Braised Artichokes, Roasted Red Peppers with Garlic and Herb-Roasted Mushrooms.
• Garlic Soaked Baguette
• My Incredible Meat Sauce with Fettucini. I simmer the meat sauce all day long. My Mom requests it every time I’m home! 

Tonight I am doing a little prep work. I started with roasting the red peppers. I used an open flame to char every side of the pepper, then transferred them to a bowl and covered them with plastic wrap for a half hour. The plastic traps the steam, which helps the peppers cook completely and will help loosen the skin from the pepper. Meanwhile I made a garlic olive oil to store the peppers in. I slowly simmered 15 smashed garlic cloves in olive oil until the garlic began to caramelize. I let it cool while the peppers were cooling. Then I removed the skins from the peppers, sliced them, and combined them with the oil. Pretty easy and fun little snack! They are pretty orgasmic—like candy. Try it out sometime! Great in salads, on sandwiches, pizza, pasta, or on their own! Here’s a couple pictures!

Soon I will be making big, soft, chewy gingerbread cookies with my nieces and nephews. But for now I am off to enjoy my mom’s pork roast with gravy! 

Merry Christmas to those celebrating!! 

Happy Holidays to everyone! Be safe but have fun!

Rachel

This whole last month has been the end of my teachings at The Culinary Institute of America. I graduate on December 21st, and after that I get to spend a week with my family in Minnesota. I wasn’t going to decorate my apartment, since I was going to be leaving before Christmas. But I really just couldn’t help myself. I love the scent of pine needles. I love candy dishes around the house. I love seeing lights at night. I really wanted the spirit this year.

Last year I was on my externship in New Jersey. I spent Christmas alone. Completely alone. And though it was a bummer, I still made myself Christmas. So I decided that since my roommate has graduated and left for now, I might as well make it happen!

So, welcome to my apartment. A.k.a. My Baby Christmas Wonderland…

Yep!—My tree is almost as funky cool as me. Gingerbread cookie post soon (also, Chicken Marsala that I actually messed up?!)!!!! I hope you can handle it. 

Rachel

A lot of you ask me why I came to the CIA. Where does my passion come from? How do I know so much now? As I end my first journey at the CIA (btw thanks for following!), I thought that I should tell you all my story. I know this is kind of lengthy, but a fun story nonetheless! 

In just three weeks I will get my first diploma from the Culinary Institute of America. Some of you have been following me since the very beginning. What a mess I was, right? I decided to go to the CIA with no prior cooking experience and thought I could handle it. At first I felt very discouraged. Everyone was faster than me, better than me, and smarter than me. 

When I came here, I didn’t even know IF cooking was right for me. As a lot of you know, I come from Minnesota. I am currently 22 years old and I went to the University of Minnesota - Mankato right after high school for one year because I had no idea what the hell I wanted to do. In every single class—even art class (!) I had no motivation at all. I flunked out. Towards the end of my year there I was feeling really stressed and worried about my future. I had many passions, but nothing that clicked with me. 

During that time I started having dreams…about food! I started seeing myself in my own kitchen cooking. Sometimes I would dream up recipes, too. I would wake up in the middle of the night and write them down. Several times I actually got myself up, even at 3am just to go to the 24-hour grocery store to test my recipe or cook whatever I was dreaming about. After about a month of that I started reading a lot of books about food and started teaching myself to cook every day. Then I started looking at culinary schools and had a friend who went to the CIA and recommended it to me. So I came here and…everything just worked. The motivation that I was looking for in college was instant at the CIA. And my dedication has always stuck with me. My passion has only grown, even with all the hard work and crappy days I had here and there. I strive to become the absolute best I can.

And you’re probably wondering how this is all connected to a bowl of soup. 

My very first Chef at the CIA was Chef Corky Clark in Fish & Seafood Identification and Fabrication. I remember one day specifically when he said,

“You can’t cook unless you can make a perfect soup.”

Soup was one of the first things we learned how to make in Skills One. I remember that my lentil soup could have been seasoned more, and my cream of broccoli soup could have been silkier. Skills class is the very backbone of my education. My only experience beforehand was in a pizza shop back home. 

So I thought about that quote the other day and thought about how absolutely little I knew then compared to what I know now. That’s when I decided that I needed to make a perfect soup. 

Without a recipe. Without a plan. Just me, some basic skills, some basic knowledge, and a little soul. 

I picked up about two and a half pounds of plum tomatoes. Roasting seemed like the best option. It infused the flavor of the herbs perfectly. I just halved the tomatoes, seeded them, drizzled them with olive oil, a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper, and chopped basil and thyme. I roasted them at 450F until they looked like this—

Beautiful, aromatic, and caramelized. Cooked completely through with the skins barely holding on.

I took skin off the tomatoes and added them to a pot of onions.

I sweated them until translucent and added the roasted tomatoes. I let that cook down for a few minutes before putting everything in a blender and blended until absolutely smooth—like silk (unlike my rookie attempt at cream of broccoli). Then I added some chicken broth and salt to taste. Everything was perfect, the tomato flavor was there, I added a little tomato paste for color, the seasoning was there, I added a little more basil, but it needed something else. Everything was right there, but it needed a little…life. After a brief ponder I spotted a lemon in our fruit basket and Ah-ha! It needed acid. So I squeezed a whole lemon’s worth in and there it was. A symphony of flavor. A harmony of herbs. Crescendo!!! That single balancing note—the tomatoes—the smell of roasted tomatoes brings me back to childhood, it reminds me of my mother, of comfort, of peace and contentedness. I couldn’t wait to enjoy. 

At first I was going to make grilled cheese with it. But then, I remembered—this was supposed to be a PERFECT SOUP. A grilled cheese would almost make that the star, but it wasn’t. I still made my roommate Brian (www.brianthony.tumblr.com) one because he loves them. But for me I made some cast iron toasted rye bread with a little sprinkle of salt. 

And this is the result. As we were eating we sat mostly in silence at first. Then Brian told me that it was absolutely amazing and I felt accomplished…maybe even serene.

We spent the rest of the meal marveling over this basic soup and how something can be so simple, yet I worked so hard to get there.

Again, I can’t thank you guys (my readers) enough for sticking with me these past 2 years. Can you believe it? I will have 20,000 followers before I graduate. And I’m graduating as a whole new person. An adult, a hard worker, a passionate person, and a girl that can make herself a beautiful soup—even when she is sick as a dog (I am by the way!) I really appreciate that so many of you message me with questions and comments. It’s an amazing thing to hear that I’ve inspired so many people about cooking. Keep those questions coming! I am loving it.

Also, I still have food dreams almost every night. Sometimes I wake up in the morning thinking I just spent 12 hours in the kitchen!

I hope you enjoyed my story! Three weeks until graduation!

Sincerely,

Rachel

This morning I woke up ravenously hungry. I opened the fridge door hoping to find eggs for an omelette. I realized that I had nothing to add to the eggs, and saw that nothing else was in the fridge. Like the lazy person I am I hopped on the computer and was going to attempt to pass the time until lunch. 

My stomach wouldn’t stop growling. A bag of leftover challah that was just chilling on top of the fridge caught my eye and I thought, 

“Oh shit! I know what I’m gonna dooooo.”

Make some challah french toast. I added some lavender, which has a delicate aroma and seemed perfect this morning. To the eggs I added some cream, vanilla, cinnamon, and rubbed lavender buds.

For a hint of sweetness I dipped quartered strawberries in sugar. 

My-oh-my, am I lucky to have the knowledge, skills, and passion to just throw shit together like a champ. 

Happy Sunday!

I hope you don’t have to spend your entire Sunday writing a 3-page paper on pairing wines AND memorizing practically everything there is to know about French and Italian wines…because that’s what I have to do, hah!

Rachel

It has been awhile, I know. I’m sorry, sorry, sorry! I’ve been on vacation the last month. Now I’m back at school in Cuisines of the Mediterranean with Chef Perillo, so I’ve been busy in the kitchen all day every day. Some pictures will come soon, but for now here’s a burger I made on one of our first nights in San Diego. It’s a juicy Angus beef patty with grilled jalapeno, cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, an onion ring, mashed avocado, mayo, mustard, ketchup and sour cream. YUP.

Miss you all!

R

,

Last week we made a stuffed chicken breast with feta, leeks, red onion, orange supremes, and rosemary. We served it with chipotle buttered corn on the cob, prosciutto wrapped asparagus, and skillet cornbread soaked in honey butter. 

Check out Brian’s blog! www.brianthony.tumblr.com

: ) R

Deep Fried Ricotta Zeppoles Rolled in Cinnamon Sugar with Cherry Preserves and Half-Melted Pistachio Ice Cream.