Real Food= Yum!

Well since I have started my Bachelor;s program here at the Culinary,
I've had to resort to dorm life once again. Lucky for me, I know of a place
off campus that has an actual up-to-date kitchen to cook in!

Let me tell you, there is nothing better than eating "Midnight Pasta" as my
Italian Chef use to call it on a rainy Saturday night.
I chopped up some mushrooms, green beans, sausage and garlic. All of
which were sauteed and then tossed with crushed red pepper, butter, olive oil
and Angel Hair pasta. DELICIOUS! And here's a nice cooking tip- I reserved
some of the sausage and mushrooms to make eggs the next morning. A great
breakfast. Also, cook off any meat before vegetables so you can use that
fat to saute them in (yes folks, fat=goodness).

As far as school goes, classes are going well. My favorite one so far is Beverage
Management. The school is hoping to create a program where a Bachelor student
can graduate and specialize in Beverage. I really hope it happens come my
big day.
Happy eating =)

Summer Wrap UP

Sorry I haven't been around for a bit! Between working doubles and trying to get some Jersey shore time in, this summer has gone by so fast! In a week and a half, I shall return to the infamous CIA and complete my Bachelor's Degree. Here's a few things that I've learned this summer about the food industry:

1). Respect your employees and they'll want to come into work for you. I spent a twelve hour shift one day this summer on my feet because my boss was upset at sales and kept all servers until close. Not a fun experience.

2). There are a BAZILLION options out there in this career field. Between food writing and cooking, I thought I knew what I wanted to do. But now after volunteering at a few events and catering here and there, I'm back in that spot of "what do I want to do when I grow up?"

3). Bartending is not as easy as it seems. Yet, people shouldn't shy away from it either. Worst case scenario, you ask the customer what's in the drink if you suddenly forget.

4). Seasonal ingredients make the best meals. I used so many garden vegetables this summer in my cooking and it made each dish shine! Try to savor each ingredient and dry out herbs so that they last throughout the fall and winter!

5). Don't rely on anybody. In order to make it through strong (especially in the kitchen), stay focused and remember, it's not about making friends.

I'll keep you all posted on school through my blog! Wish me luck, here come's round deux :/

Chefs Night for Elijah's Promise Culinary School

So, I had the best time last night. I haven't been so happy in this profession in a while. Not because I don't love what I do, but this was a chance to give back. It was enjoyable, fun and I made a lot of connections and met some wonderful people. Chefs Night at The Palace in Somerset, NJ is surely THE event to attend each summer. Around $130 a ticket, all proceeds go to Promise Culinary, part of Elijah's Soup Kitchen in New Brunswick, NJ.
I volunteered to help with the restaurant Via 45 in Red Bank, NJ. I got to help plate watermelon salad with feta and red onions, quinoa and arugula salad with blueberries and grilled shark and monkfish with capers and sundried tomatoes. The crowd was ongoing and it was a steady pace throughout the night. I worked with a student, Jim, in his 30's who is at the Promise Culinary school in New Brunswick. He absolutely LOVES it and told me about his past passion for mechanics. It was so nice to see his talent and relate to his career path.
I also walked around and met some chefs of New Brunswick restaurants. The Frog and The Peach, Clydz, Tula, Harvest Moon, George Street Ale House and Sophie's Bistro to name only a few. The food was incredible, I had kangaroo meatballs from Clydz! Sounds strange, but they weren't dry or gamey at all. There were alot of sliders out too, pulled pork, rabit, chipotle sauces, fennel salads etc etc. I can go on forever.
The great part was, there were some CIA alumni there as well and we connected since I wore my alumna jacket (it did get messy from cutting brownies unfortunately. Yes my friends CHOCOALTE CARAMEL SEA SALT BROWNIES= amazing).

<----Love the Paella Pan!

Overall, a GREAT night. I encourage you ALL to at least look into volunteering or attending in the future. It's for a great cause and I'd love to teach at this culinary school someday. These are the events that I realize I absolutely love this industry. Next time I hear "So, you sure you really want to be a Chef for the rest of your life" I will not hesitate and scream YES for crying out loud, I am POSITIVE. Let's see what they have to say to that! Ha!

Dining Out vs. Home Cooking

So I was very dissapointed today :(
My friend Claudia and I went into New Brunswick
around 10:30am thinking that we would find a nice, cute,
quaint little place for breakfast/lunch or "brunch".
Little did we know, NOTHING opens up in New Brunswick
until 11:30ish. Unless you want starbucks or dunkin donuts
or a street deli for a meal. I just find it SO bizarre,
such a foodie town and no breakfast places to eat along the streets.
The CREPE restaurant we wanted to go to opened up at noon!
Crepes people, they usually are served for breakfast!
The good news today? I made a bangin' dinner for my family.
Steak Au Poive with summer veggies and yams with marshmellows.
Random menu, I know, but for the people who know me, I LOVE
coming up with recipes from what's leftover in my fridge and pantry.
Seriously, if you look through yours and find vegetables and items
about to go bad, you'd want to preserve them too!
My boyfriend and I were going to make Pork au Poive the other day but
gotta love the classic peppercorn steak with brandy cream sauce YUM!

For the Steak:
Dredge with cracked peppercorns. Sear on medium heat on stovetop until golden brown on each side (this is the maillard reaction my friends, the good stuff!). Pop in the oven for about 5 minutes DO NOT OVERCOOK (it ruins the poor meat!). Remove steak to rest (don't ever serve meat right after it comes off of the heat, the juices need to seal in so that they don't run over the plate). Deglaze drippings with brandy, add some heavy cream and BON APPETITE!

For the Salad:
Small-Medium dice of Zucchini, Avocado, Cucumber, Watermelon
Grilled Corn
Lemon Juice and Salt

For the Candied Yams:
Slice Yams with Skin-on (Fiber my dear friends, you need this nutrition!)
Roast with Salt/Pepper/Olive Oil at 350F for about a half hour. Then, broil marshmellows ontop!!!

Good Eats =)

Surprise Services

So, yesterday at my job, service was going REALLY slow. I mean,
you could hear crickets in the dining room (yep, that bad). Me and my
friend were both cut around 2pm since there really was no lunch crowd.
All of a sudden, in walks three graduation parties consisting of
14 people, then 11 people, then 9 people, along with 4 tops and 2 tops.
Let's do the math here. 2 serves on the schedule at this point, 1 certified cook and
1 manager. It was not going to happen. So me and my buddy stayed on shift
to take the parties. The kitchen though? A hectic frustration is best to describe it.
Servers were taking turns to cook for the parties with the one pizza cook and
one manager. It was histerical to say the least. Not so funny though when
customers become so demanding it's almost impossible to satisfy EVERY need.
When I go into a restaurant and see them struggling, I like to be as polite as possible
because I know that it can't be easy. These situations only make us stronger though, right?
Today my manager was talking to me about odd tables and awkward situations.
Here's a poll. Would you rather wait on a table that:

1) The guy is breaking up with the girl
2) A girl is histerically crying over a story being told
3) A family is praying for their food when drinks are brought out

Truth in Menu

So it's father's day today (HAPPY FATHERS DAY BABBO!)
My family met up at this country club for lunch and let me tell you,
not the best dining experience.
First of all, the waitress didn't have a pen to take orders down with (strike one).
Secondly, the menu had errors ALL over it!
Take for example, their "Winter Salad" of goat cheese, cranberries and arugula
(last time I checked, it was June 19th, days before summer).
Also, I had ordered the "Turkey Burger" that was supposed to be on a brioche bun with
pickled onions. What did I receive? A ciabatta roll with no onions at all. Talk about
false advertising! Not to mention that the turkey burger was dry as a bone. Yes, I complained.
And I have to admit, I do feel like a snob sometimes when my family sits there saying , "So
Ms. Food Editor, why don't you like the food?"
The problem 99.9% of the time is either that the FOOD I order is wrong, doesn't match the
description, is undercooked or not cared for at all and overcooked. So, I'm not picky, I just expect decent, edible,truthful food. Is that so hard to ask?!?!
If you ever become a server, KNOW what is in each item. Note the obvious.

--> The only thing they had going for them was the mini fryer basket of sweet potato fries.

For example, if there is a chowder for the day, is it cream-based or Manhattan-style? I asked my server.
Her answer was: "Um... I think it's creamy since it's a chowder".
What did I receive? A broth consisting of tomatoes and vegetables.
So my friends, when it comes to serving and creating a menu, be true to yourself. Update
the descriptions for crying out loud, make it read and seem logical. And it's not a bad idea
to quiz your servers once in a while so that you know that THEY know your food.
These things are crucial, and such tidbits can make or break a restaurant. Don't run the risk
of getting in trouble one day with the "truth-in-menu" law featuring and item that doesn't match
its' description or title. And yet so many restaurants get away with it, I'll never understand.

The Start of this Culinary Journey

So, my best friend recommended that I start my own blog.
Days and nights writing in a journal through culinary school,
I'd be too tired to pick up a pen at the end of a hard day
in the kitchen. This is my attempt and hopefully, success in
documenting all of my foodie experiences starting right now
during the summer 2011 throughout my Bachelors program at the CIA.

(Cheers to some garden fresh strawberries out of my own backyard!)

My own "online diary" if you will. Enjoy, comment, relate and Bon Appetite!