Trends

Trends class was all about identifying trends in the Culinary Field. We looked over the recent trends over the last few years. For example: Locally grown produce, Locally sourced meats & Seafood, Nutritionally balanced childrens dishes, Gluten- free, Locally produced Wine & Beer, Ethic inspired breakfast items, and Culinary Cocktails. Chef bought us top of the line produce, breads, meat & seafood and he wanted us to use those to make fine-dining quality plates. We had to draw five pieces of paper with a trend on it and make a dish for atleast four of the trends. I must have been feeling it today because Chef said this was the best food he has sen me come up with & I got all five dishes in on time.

Seafood Breakfast
Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict
Toasted Artisan Bread, Smoked Salmon, a poached egg, drizzled with  a honey lemon thyme Hollandaise sauce.

Southeastern Asian Cuisine
Green Curry, Basil, & Coconut Sauce with Rice Noodles topped with a Juicy Grilled Tiger Shrimp, with Fresh Mango & Basil.

Power Fruit
Pistacio Crusted Hallibut glazed with a Pineapple Gogi Berry sauce over a bed of Fresh Greens and Berries.

Kids Salad
Kids Caprese Salad
A stack of Locally Grown Tomatoes, Local & Organic Mozzerella, and Carrot and Celery Sticks drizzled with Homemade Ranch Dressing.

Pickling
Pickled Garlic & Jalapenos
Artisan Ciabatta Bread & Provolone Cheese toasted and topped with a pickled jalapeno & Garlic Spread, Garnished with a pickled Jalapeno.

Mystery Dish!

In Timed Cooking Class we were assigned a Mystery food with a specific dish. We had an Amouse Bouche, Appetizer, Salad/Sandwich, Entree, and Dessert.  Every dish had to be in 20 minutes from the time we got the mystery food. I think it was my favorite class so far.

Amouse Bouche
Mussles
A Steamed Mussle over a small bed of lemon risotto, with a white wine lemon chive sauce. The Amouse Bouche was served inside of the mussle shell over a pool of beautiful sauce.

Appetizer
Ground Pork
Meatballs & Applesauce
Meatballs with garlic, apples, jalapeno, Paprika, and Cayenne, garnished with sauted apples on a bed of Savory Apple Sauce.

Salad
Salmon
Sweet & Spicy Grilled Salmon over a warm bed of Grilled Red Bell Peppers, Squash, & Zuchinni. Drizzled with a Smooth Balsamic Reduction & fresh grated Parmesan.

Entree
Scallops
Perfectly Pan Seared Scallops, White Wine & Lemon Rissotto, Garnished with Fresh Strawberries, lemon zest, and Balasmic Reduction.

Dessert
Thyme
Mangos, Apples, Pears, & Thyme rolled in an Egg Roll drizzled with a honey lemon thyme Sauce topped with a honey thyme Whipped Cream.

Veal Meatballs with Carmelized Onion Red Wine Sauce and Spaghetti Squash

So I was thinking about classic dishes that I need to master. I'm usually not impressed with most restaurants Italian Meatballs or chicken parmesan. I Love my chicken parmesan, but i honestly haven't given meatballs a try. I wanted to do something different and healthy. My parents and I spent about 3 hours in Central Market the other day, and I saw that they had ground Veal. Why not! We wanted to go low carbs for dinner, so what better would do with the dish than spaghetti squash. I checked out a few recipes that inspired me and this is what I came up with...

Veal Meatballs with a Carmelized Onion Red Wine Sauce

Meatballs:
1 cup Italian Bread Crumbs
1 cup diced Baguette soaked in Buttermilk and drained (You can also put 2 cups of either   instead of both bread crumbs)
1 cup fresh parmigian cheese
1 cup low fat milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten
4 cloves minced garlic
2 T Italian Parsley 1 T Dried Oregano
1 T EVOO
1 T salt
1 T fresh cracked black pepper
1 t Red Pepper flakes
1 1/2 t freshly grated lemon zest
1 lb ground veal

Sauce:
2 T EVOO
1/2 large onion sliced thin
1/2 c Red Wine
1 T brown Sugar
Salt and Pepper
If you want it a tomato sauce add:
1 can Tomato Sauce

1 can diced Tomato

1 T crushed Red Pepper

1 T Italian Seasoning

Salt & Pepper

Squash:

2 T EVOO

1 Spaghetti Squash cut in half

Salt & pepper

Meatballs:

1. Preheat oven 350 Degrees.

2. Oil Baking Pan.

3. In a large bowl mix together drained bread, parmesan, milk, eggs, garlic, 1 T parsley, oregano, EVOO, salt, pepper, and red pepper, and lemon zest. 

4. Add ground Veal to the bowl and mix. 

5. Add the Italian breadcrumbs and mix until it gets to the consistancy that you want (easy to mold and holds together).

6. Round out Meatballs and arrange them leaving space between each in the baking pan. (It comes out to 24-28 meatballs).

7. Bake for about 20 minutes or until they are cooked through.

Sauce: 

1. Oil medium Saucepan.

2. Add onions, salt & pepper and caramelize.

3. Once Caramelized, add red wine and brown sugar. Reduce until most of the Wine is gone. (These onions taste unbelievable and would be great on top of Meatballs alone).

4. To make tomato sauce: add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, red pepper, Italian seasoning, and salt & pepper. 

5. Simmer and reduce down until thick. Use an emersion blender to blend the sauce if preferred (I did because Jo wouldn't eat it if he knew it had onions and whole tomatoes in it haha).

Spaghetti Squash:

1. Oil Baking pan.

2. Place Squash cut side down and fill up pan with water about 1 cm.

3. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until cooked.

4. Scrape out seeds and discard.

5. Scrape out squash and season with salt and pepper.

Plating: 

Place Meatballs over the bed of Squash and pour sauce over top meatballs. Garish with the rest of the chopped Italian Parsley. We also ate this with a mixed salad with balsamic, and baguette. The wine I paired with our meal was Villa Puccini, Twelve months oak aged Tuscan Red Wine, 90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot. Perfect.

My family LOVED this meal. The Veal had such a unique, bright flavor with the lemon zest, red pepper, and Parsley. The sauce was very rich, full and paired well with our Wine. Also, the Squash in place of the spaghetti was a healthy, low carb choice.  As I said earlier, I am usually not impressed with most Spaghetti and Meatballs, but I would order this anyday :)

Cowtown 10K & Hot Yoga

I forget the feeling after a great play or your fastest time on a sprint, when you think back and realise hat you gave it your all and still dont know how you did it. The farthest I have ran lately was probably 4 miles and I know it wasn't at a fast pace. I normally challenge myself with hills and short sprints, and with crosstraining. The day before the rest I had been up from 5:15 AM- 12:30 PM working. One of my biggest concerns was that I wasn't going to be rested and my body would hurt from being on my feet all day the day before.

5:15 came very early Saturday morning, but I was ready to go. I had my peanut butter banana sandwich and my Advocare ARGENINE when I woke up and I felt great. It was a chilly morning, but there was so much energy around me that I forgot how cold I was.  The adrenaline was getting to me. I ran into a few people from the gym, and ended up practically running with them and keeping their pace. It was great being surrounded by so many active, and happy people. I forgot how competitive I am, but I was reminded very quickly when I would see someone trying to pass me. The weather was great, the course was pretty running through White Settlement and seeing Downtown Fort Worth in the distance. Each mile came quicker than the one before, and suprisingly my body wasn't hurting too bad. It was so encouraging seeing people on the sides of the road cheering you on, and the kids handing out water at every 1 1/2 miles. The last mile and a half seemed to last forever because people were starting to pick up there pace and finish the race. My thought was I have made it this far without stopping, why stop now, so I decided to crank it up a knotch and kick my own butt. The last stretch was the greatest feeling, lengthening my stride and passing anyone getting in my way. Once I passed the finished line I slowed down and instantly I felt like I was going to pass out.  Thats when I realized how hard I pushed myself and how far my adrenaline took me. I ended up 22nd out of 229 in my gender and age group.

I felt good getting in the car, but when I got out my legs were as stiff as a board. I went to the Hot Yoga class at The Yoga Project to get a full stretch and relaxation. I have never sweat that much in my life, and my legs were on fire but I felt amazing. Right when I got home I took some Advocare REHYDRATE and put my feet up. My parents and I saw 'The Grace Card' that afternoon. Cheesy acting at times, but incredible message. I cried.

It was such a rewarding feeling, I can not wait to run my next races. Im pretty sure i'm doing the Oklahoma Memorial Half Marathon May 1st, and I am running the Susan G Komen 5K April 9th. I started a Team Texas to raise money in honor of my Aunt, who has been fighting cancer the last year and a half. She is such an amazing woman, and she has been so strong during her fight. Micci is driving from Ohio to join us for the 5K, along with other family members and friends. I would love for you to join me by running with our family and friends, or my donating to the cause. Please check out My Personal Page to find out more.

Bananas Foster Cupcakes!

The day before a big run you are supposed to hydrate, eat some carbs, and rest. If you know me at all, my resting consists of cooking, or watching a movie. I had a few hours between training and working at Nonna Tata, and I wasn't tried enough to nap. Since I needed to get some carbs in, I decided I should bake (Yes I know thats the worst type of carb to eat.. but just go with it). The fusion class the day before got my wheels turning on new things to create. I wanted to take on of my favorite desserts and put it into one small baked bite. Light Bulb! Bananas Foster Cupcakes!

4 T butter
1/2 c dark brown sugar
1/2 t ground allspics
1 t ground nutmeg
1 T water
4 bananas, sliced lengthwise
1/2 c rum

Bananas Foster:
1. Melt Butter in a skillet
2. Add dry ingredients into butter and stir until dissolved
3. Add water and Simmer
4. Add bananas and cook on each side until soft
5. Carefully add rum
6. Ignite Rum and cook until the flame goes out.
7. Remove bananas from skillet and mash, keep sauce


1/2 c butter
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
Mashed Bananas from Bananas Foster (from recipe above)
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 c flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 c buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Beat Butter and both Sugars together until creamed (light and fluffy)
3. Beat in Bananas and eggs, one at a time.
4. Add vanilla
5. Stir together dry ingredients
6. Alternately add dry ingredients and buttermilk to mixture
7. Beat until blended- do not over beat
8. Divide batter into muffin tins.
9. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
10. Let Cool

2 c confectioners sugar
1 c butter
1 t vanilla
Sauce from Bananas Foster (from recipe above)

1. Whisk together sugar and butter
2. Once Blended, beat longer until creamed
3. Add Sauce and vanilla and beat until consistancy wanted
4. Frost cupcakes and top with choice of coconut, cinnamon, or allspice

This recipe came together perfectly. The cake tasted like the perfect spiced banana bread, and the icing tasted just like Bananas Foster with Ice Cream. The only thing i wish i had was a pastry bag to ice the cupcakes, and a bigger stomach.

Fusion.. not to be mixed with Confusion!

I would like to thank Peter Gordon, the 'Father of Fusion Cuisine,' for one of the most interesting classes yet so far. 
Fusion: A culinary style that integrates various regional flavors and cooking techniques in order to create innovative new tastes. 

"Without Fusion, the Italians wouldn't be serving polenta. Corn and maize are from the New World as it was once called – the Americas. Thai's wouldn't have chillies or peanuts – more staples from the New World. Thailand also wouldn't have coriander, which is a Mediterranean herb. The Spanish couldn't serve their delicious grilled toast rubbed with garlic, olive oil and tomatoes (tomatoes are from the New World) and the Brits have Peru to thank for the potato and India and China for their tea. In New Zealand we think of feijoa and tamarillo (tree tomatoes) as being part of our lives - but they are both South American. And where would a pavlova be in the Antipodes without a slathering of fresh passionfruit pulp (South American) or some sliced kiwifruit (Chinese). If we trace back all of the classic ingredients from each cuisine - we'd be very surprised at what we'd find." - Peter Gordon

Yesterday was International Fusion Class. Chef Kurimas twisted mind came up with a fun game to practice Fusion. There were three bowls with pieces of folded paper in them. Two bowls consisted of India, China, Japan, Caribbean, Middle East, France, Italy, Southern US, Southwestern US, and Mediterranean. The other bowl consisted of Amuse Bouch, Appetizer, Soup, Salad, Entree, and Dessert. We had to draw one paper from each and combine them into one dish. We had twenty minutes for the dish, then we would be judged, and onto the next Fusion. To say the least, I think some students would call this class Confusion, rather than Fusion. My Fusions were:


Southwestern- Asia- Amuse Bouch
Asian Nacho- A bite size nacho with an asian twist. Fried Wonton Crisp, topped with Cilantro lime black beans and rice, and Grilled Shrimp, with a Siracha Hoisin Sauce drizzled over the plate.


Italy- India- Appetizer
Puttanesca Chutney- I used italian ingredients to make a dish somewhat like chutney and raan. Capers, Garlic, and Olives combined to make a rhobust tomato sauce with Italian Bread to dip into the savory sauce.


China- Mediteranian- Soup
Mediteranian Miso Soup- My vision was to take the idea of miso soup and use Mediteranian ingredients to make a balanced and classic soup. Finely diced sundried tomatoes, capers, oregano, and mint and simmered in a clear stock. It was very simple with a great classic mediteranian kick. 


Southern US- Middle East- Salad
Garlic Lemon Hummus Salad- When I think of Southern Salads I think of Chicken Salad with Ranch Dressing. Hummus is very popular in the middle east and I wanted to use the same Presentation as a typical Chicken Salad. Garlic lemon hummus on a bed of cucumbers, greens, and brunoise carrots with a garlic lemon and basil yogurt dressing.


France- Caribbean-  Entree
When I think France, I think of classic buttery dishes. Baked Jerk Chicken on a bed of cilantro cocunut lime rice on top of a tropical fruit salad.


Europe- Japan- Dessert
Raspberry, Orange, Green Tea Parfait. An orange green tea sauce glazed over raspberries, with a light cream and twisted orange on top.


What a Stressful class! I would say Eustress because I truly felt like a gained a lot through that experience. Afterwards, I felt very motivated to come up with some Original Fusions of my own. My first thought was that Fusion isn't just different Regions mixed in one dish, but is there a way to turn a classic flavor into another dish. Which leads to my next Blog... Bananas Foster Cupcakes :)

Wednesay: Fabulous Legs & Frittatas

As you might know, I am doing my first 10K this weekend. So i'm testing out what to do the week of my race. After training this morning, I decided to get a good leg workout in and then go on a short run.

Lunges (pulse six times each leg) 3*3
Jump Squats 10 lbs 3*15
Leg Curls
30 lbs *30
40 lbs *25
50 lbs*20
Single Leg Glute raises 3*15
Leg Extension
40 lbs 3*20
Glute Machine
30 lbs 3*12

Once I could feel my legs, I ran an 8 minute mile (only bc I had a client at that time, but I ran 3 more miles later with Roxie). I think that will be my last run until the big Cowtown Race.

Once I got home I decided I was going to make dinner for my parents. I decided to make a Frittata, an Italian omelet.


Rosemary Spinach & Potato Frittata

Olive Oil
2 medium Potatoes (small diced)
1/2 medium Onion (small diced)
1 clove of Garlic (minced)
1 handful of Rosemary (rough chopped)
1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
2 cups Fresh Spinach
10 eggs
1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)
s & p
1 tomato sliced thinly
1/2 cup shredded parmesean


Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Coat a medium Saute pan with Olive oil. At medium heat sweat Garlic. Add the onions, potatoes, Rosemary, Crushed Red Pepper and S&P. Saute until the potatos have softened.

While the Onions and Potatoes are cooking, whisk together the eggs and milk.

When the Potatoes are ready, add the spinach and cook until it wilts.

Pour the eggs into the pan. Stir the eggs around so that they evenly coat the bottom of the pan. Top with tomatoes, and put the pan in the oven for 10 minutes, or until it is set.

Add parmesean on top, turn off the oven, and let the Frittata sit in the oven for 2 minutes.

Take out of the oven and serve.

This was very simple to make and delicious! Its a low carb, savory dish full of bright vegetables and spices. If you never have time to cook in the morning, you can even make this ahead of time and heat it up for breakfast.