Something Delicious

TheMerryFairy · 03-15-2013, 03:39 PM

What is everyone firing up on a friday night?

I am going to thank chef lynn crawford for my meal idea tonight lol

A paprika chicken breast (okay well 4 but I can eat leftovers) with a cream tomato and red pepper sauce, potato dumplings and a big salad with rye croutons.

Sun · 03-15-2013, 11:17 PM

Greetings Delicious people..how are you all doing?

I have not seen some of our regulars here in a while. Wonder where everyone is?

This evening I made dinner for friends. Kind of an odd mix but I went with what looked good at market. A guacamole and chips with salsa verde, consumed with Corona on ice, poolside.

Later we had a spelt and quinoa pasta with red swiss chard, sauteed in garlic and olive oil with a squeeze of fresh lemon. I grilled up some vegetables that had been bathed in minded fresh garlic and olive oil. Zucchini, Sweet Onions, Passila peppers, Yellow bell, shitake mushrooms, plum tomatoes. Simple, fresh, local, mostly organic.

I am never in the mood to cook at home anymore, not sure what got into me.

Sun · 03-15-2013, 11:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMerryFairy

What is everyone firing up on a friday night?

I am going to thank chef lynn crawford for my meal idea tonight lol

A paprika chicken breast (okay well 4 but I can eat leftovers) with a cream tomato and red pepper sauce, potato dumplings and a big salad with rye croutons.

Friday night chilling out, early day at work tomorrow or I would be out at a party tonight. Finishing up my Chef whites for the week...lots of work to keep the uniforms and equipment in good condition. Really..I destroy the white Chef coats. Stains, burns..what a hot mess But really I am a bit of a clean freak so I am 100% sharp and well groomed when I walk in the door, its what happens when I am in there that is in fact, somewhat...tragic.

Nadeest · 03-16-2013, 05:15 AM

My Chef Jackets get screwed up too, trust me. Especially as we are tempering chocolate a lot, in class. Plus, I seem to have 'warm hands', which complicates things, in pastry classes.

Sun · 03-16-2013, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nadeest

My Chef Jackets get screwed up too, trust me. Especially as we are tempering chocolate a lot, in class. Plus, I seem to have 'warm hands', which complicates things, in pastry classes.

Seriously I could do a commercial for a stain remover, I have no idea how I wind up with so much on my uniforms. Do you have a chilled surface for the pastry?

That helps a lot.

Sun · 03-16-2013, 09:32 PM

Today was one of those days at work that everyone should experience before deciding to become a Chef. We were hammered all day long. Personally I enjoy the energy rush and work with a great time. However, slamming food out is not my thing, I like to take my time and get into the artistry of the entire aesthetic experience, the careful execution of every aspect of the dish, the plating, any design work that goes into the production and so on. Busy days on a line in a kitchen require that we almost go on "auto pilot", During down time, I like to get my hands into some of the prep work.

Today as I was grating Parmesan, cutting fresh Basil, chopping fresh Rosemary, and squeezing fresh lemons, I was drifting off into the natural realm where I often find myself inhaling the gifts of nature. I was thinking of my Italian ancestry and how for centuries they were likely working with these same ingredients, preparing dishes for the family and for the public. When I have a ball of dough in my hands I feel a connection to my great grandfather who came here from Italy and opened a bakery in Queens NY.

When I saute' garlic and olive oil I am transported back to my Nana's kitchen and I can almost hear the back door open as my grandfather brought in fresh plum tomato's from his garden, so proud of his hard work. They were a lovely, charming couple, so in sync with the relationship between good food and family. My grandparents modeled sweet romantic love. They were so very loving.

We had amazing family dinners every Sunday and talked for hours about everything under the sun including our ancestry and the labor that went into preparing amazing meals.

I never forget how hard they all worked to make a life for us, and how I now carry that responsibility and family name forward. Often I wonder what I will pass on to my own children...will they love to be in the kitchen as much as I do? Will the scent of garlic sauteing in olive oil or the aroma of fresh basil remind them of home too?

It is a symphonic harmonizing of culture and generations that opens up in the kitchen, the sound of the pots and pans signal the start, the fire and knives play the melody, the cook is the composer and the ingredients are the music. It is an amazing journey for sure. As I wrap up my day, my heart begins to ache a little bit each day, as I long for a family to come home to. To be able to be who I am with my own family, to cook with a partner, to talk about our day, to share a meal...these are my riches in this lifetime. There is nothing elese that I could accomplish or have that could possibly top this wish for my future. It is a bittersweet moment, as the feeling sinks into my soul..and it is one that I carry with me always.

Nadeest · 03-16-2013, 10:36 PM

No, we don't have a chilled surface, unfortunately. We do have stainless steel tables, however, and two wooden tables in our pastry kitchen. That is ok, I will manage, and learn how to do things under less then ideal conditions, instead. That is how I make bread at home, anyhow. I just mix the dough up in a big bowl with a wooden spoon. :P

Sun · 03-17-2013, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nadeest

No, we don't have a chilled surface, unfortunately. We do have stainless steel tables, however, and two wooden tables in our pastry kitchen. That is ok, I will manage, and learn how to do things under less then ideal conditions, instead. That is how I make bread at home, anyhow. I just mix the dough up in a big bowl with a wooden spoon. :P

Warm hands warm heart

In the future you might try getting a marble slab and putting it in the freezer for a while before working with pastry. That is a quick fix that works pretty well.

Rarely do I work with puff pastry but I know that the high butter content renders it fragile to heat.

Lately I am really getting into pizza dough as we have a world class pizza oven at the restaurant. It is so much fun to play with. What I really need to accomplish however is to create a good gluten free pizza dough. We are not there yet. Recently I made a green chili, pizza with 3 kinds of chili's and Monterey Jack. That works well in the southwest. It can be topped with any protein at all. I offered carne asada or black beans.

Back to the grind soon, have a great day everyone!

TheMerryFairy · 03-17-2013, 10:56 AM

I think I am going through one of those periods where I just cannot seem to have inspiration come to me. Maybe I am not taking the time to let it find me? I always feel a connection with what I am cooking with but my senses haven't been transformed by food in weeks. I love to cook but emotionally there have been many shifts in this last month and I feel as though I cannot dedicate the time to feel the soul satisfaction when making my meals. Every now and then, at least once a week it does come back to me.

This too shall pass.

03-15-2013, 11:17 PM	#2
Sun Senior Member How Do You Identify?: Trans Preferred Pronoun?: He, him, his Relationship Status: Single Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: N/A Posts: 1,775 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 4,557 Thanked 5,551 Times in 1,456 Posts Rep Power: 21474853	Greetings Delicious people..how are you all doing? I have not seen some of our regulars here in a while. Wonder where everyone is? This evening I made dinner for friends. Kind of an odd mix but I went with what looked good at market. A guacamole and chips with salsa verde, consumed with Corona on ice, poolside. Later we had a spelt and quinoa pasta with red swiss chard, sauteed in garlic and olive oil with a squeeze of fresh lemon. I grilled up some vegetables that had been bathed in minded fresh garlic and olive oil. Zucchini, Sweet Onions, Passila peppers, Yellow bell, shitake mushrooms, plum tomatoes. Simple, fresh, local, mostly organic. I am never in the mood to cook at home anymore, not sure what got into me. __________________ “Lovers don't finally meet somewhere. They're in each other all along.” ― Rumi

03-16-2013, 09:32 PM	#6
Sun Senior Member How Do You Identify?: Trans Preferred Pronoun?: He, him, his Relationship Status: Single Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: N/A Posts: 1,775 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 4,557 Thanked 5,551 Times in 1,456 Posts Rep Power: 21474853	Reflecting Today was one of those days at work that everyone should experience before deciding to become a Chef. We were hammered all day long. Personally I enjoy the energy rush and work with a great time. However, slamming food out is not my thing, I like to take my time and get into the artistry of the entire aesthetic experience, the careful execution of every aspect of the dish, the plating, any design work that goes into the production and so on. Busy days on a line in a kitchen require that we almost go on "auto pilot", During down time, I like to get my hands into some of the prep work. Today as I was grating Parmesan, cutting fresh Basil, chopping fresh Rosemary, and squeezing fresh lemons, I was drifting off into the natural realm where I often find myself inhaling the gifts of nature. I was thinking of my Italian ancestry and how for centuries they were likely working with these same ingredients, preparing dishes for the family and for the public. When I have a ball of dough in my hands I feel a connection to my great grandfather who came here from Italy and opened a bakery in Queens NY. When I saute' garlic and olive oil I am transported back to my Nana's kitchen and I can almost hear the back door open as my grandfather brought in fresh plum tomato's from his garden, so proud of his hard work. They were a lovely, charming couple, so in sync with the relationship between good food and family. My grandparents modeled sweet romantic love. They were so very loving. We had amazing family dinners every Sunday and talked for hours about everything under the sun including our ancestry and the labor that went into preparing amazing meals. I never forget how hard they all worked to make a life for us, and how I now carry that responsibility and family name forward. Often I wonder what I will pass on to my own children...will they love to be in the kitchen as much as I do? Will the scent of garlic sauteing in olive oil or the aroma of fresh basil remind them of home too? It is a symphonic harmonizing of culture and generations that opens up in the kitchen, the sound of the pots and pans signal the start, the fire and knives play the melody, the cook is the composer and the ingredients are the music. It is an amazing journey for sure. As I wrap up my day, my heart begins to ache a little bit each day, as I long for a family to come home to. To be able to be who I am with my own family, to cook with a partner, to talk about our day, to share a meal...these are my riches in this lifetime. There is nothing elese that I could accomplish or have that could possibly top this wish for my future. It is a bittersweet moment, as the feeling sinks into my soul..and it is one that I carry with me always. __________________ “Lovers don't finally meet somewhere. They're in each other all along.” ― Rumi

03-15-2013, 03:39 PM	#1
TheMerryFairy Senior Member How Do You Identify?: Pansexual/Sapiosexual femmey dyke who likes to crossdress now and then Preferred Pronoun?: She/her OR ze if I'm crossdressing Relationship Status: Floating and walking My path, happy in life. Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: On my Merry Fairy way! , Canada Posts: 3,630 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 8,727 Thanked 8,694 Times in 2,987 Posts Rep Power: 21474852	What is everyone firing up on a friday night? I am going to thank chef lynn crawford for my meal idea tonight lol A paprika chicken breast (okay well 4 but I can eat leftovers) with a cream tomato and red pepper sauce, potato dumplings and a big salad with rye croutons.

03-16-2013, 05:15 AM	#4
Nadeest Member How Do You Identify?: as myself Preferred Pronoun?: She Relationship Status: Single Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Leesburg, FL Posts: 595 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 2,876 Thanked 2,118 Times in 501 Posts Rep Power: 17077997	My Chef Jackets get screwed up too, trust me. Especially as we are tempering chocolate a lot, in class. Plus, I seem to have 'warm hands', which complicates things, in pastry classes.

03-16-2013, 10:36 PM	#7
Nadeest Member How Do You Identify?: as myself Preferred Pronoun?: She Relationship Status: Single Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Leesburg, FL Posts: 595 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 2,876 Thanked 2,118 Times in 501 Posts Rep Power: 17077997	No, we don't have a chilled surface, unfortunately. We do have stainless steel tables, however, and two wooden tables in our pastry kitchen. That is ok, I will manage, and learn how to do things under less then ideal conditions, instead. That is how I make bread at home, anyhow. I just mix the dough up in a big bowl with a wooden spoon. :P

03-17-2013, 10:56 AM	#9
TheMerryFairy Senior Member How Do You Identify?: Pansexual/Sapiosexual femmey dyke who likes to crossdress now and then Preferred Pronoun?: She/her OR ze if I'm crossdressing Relationship Status: Floating and walking My path, happy in life. Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: On my Merry Fairy way! , Canada Posts: 3,630 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 8,727 Thanked 8,694 Times in 2,987 Posts Rep Power: 21474852	I think I am going through one of those periods where I just cannot seem to have inspiration come to me. Maybe I am not taking the time to let it find me? I always feel a connection with what I am cooking with but my senses haven't been transformed by food in weeks. I love to cook but emotionally there have been many shifts in this last month and I feel as though I cannot dedicate the time to feel the soul satisfaction when making my meals. Every now and then, at least once a week it does come back to me. This too shall pass.