New Whole Foods employee....

Yes, I accepted a position with Whole Foods in the seafood department. I am so exited. Everyone I met has been awesome so far and I am looking forward to it. I have heard nothing but great things about the company. I will keep everyone posted.

And these are the kids

That are always underfoot, waiting for pieces of food to fall from the cutting board. This would be them after getting a big snack of something I made. And yes, I usually make a little extra for them, just the healthy stuff....none of the fried or heavy creamed goodness.

And here is what you can do with the excess filling for the chicken pies...

I took the excess filling, added 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 3 cups chicken stock and let simmer on the stove for an hour. And here is the chicken soup that came out.....



This was the perfect remedy for my partners cold.

It is a chicken pie day.....

So last night I had a dream I was eating chicken pie.....so of course that gave me a craving for today. So after reading some recipes online, I took a couple and modified them a bit and this is what I came up with.

It is now in the oven for 1/2 hours.....finished product will soon be posted.

And here it is after 2 hours.....took a little longer to cook than I thought it would.

Here is a cut out of the pie.....yummy
Now here is the recipe:

2 large russett potatoes peeled and diced
1 large yellow onion medium diced
1 leek, julliened
1 red bell pepper
Fresh rosemary, minced
fresh sage, minced
fresh parsley, minced
1 medium bag mixed vegetables
2 chicken thighs and legs, boneless and cubed. (I use dark meat over white meat for my pies due to the higher flavor they impart)

1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed into 4 tablespoons chicken stock

2 tablespoon sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Saute the onions, leeks, and bell pepper until they are translucent. In a seperate pan, fry the potatoes until tender in 1 tablespoon oil. Remove the potatoes from the pan and set aside along with the onions, leeks and peppers. Flour the chicken, and mix in the fresh rosemary, sage and parsley, then place in fry pan with oil, lightly browning. Mix chicken in with the other ingredients and set aside to cool.

Now, this is the easy part. I would usually make my own puff pastry, but with time in short today, I went with the pre made frozen dough. make sure it is pliable and not frozen. Line the pie pan, and use a fork to make holes in the bottom. Fill the pan with the filling and even it out. Place the top of the pastry on and use a fork to pinch the edges. Use a knife to place small slits in the top to vent the pie while cooking. Brush with a beaten egg and place in the oven 350F for 30-45 minutes (until crust is golden on top).

Remove and let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

If you have any questions let me know.

Bon Apetit

1st challenge.....

So here is my first posting for my first challenge with the Daring Bakers. It was a lot of fun making the potato bread, I will be trying this recipe again soon.



Here are some photos, the loaf came out REALLY big because I couldn't find my loaf pans! Oh well. It still came out really well.

PS, I will post the recipe and everything tomorrow.....I have a 5 page report due for class in the morning on Sicilian and Sardinian Cuisine influences on modern day cuisine.....yeah, fun stuff. Wish me luck.

Just a little update.

Really, not a lot to say. I am working on a report for my Euro Cuisine class. It is a lot of work and a ton of research. It is over the influence from Greece and Sicily. It should be interesting. I'll keep you posted on it's outcome.

ok, rethinking the externship....

So, with a lot of thought now going into where I really want to go, and live, and after much discussion with my boyfriend, we are rethinking it. The externship will probably take place here in San Francisco. Since I am looking for a position here, it would only make sense to do my externship here too. But we shall see.
On another note. I made this amazing breakfast this morning. I forgot how homemade gravy with bacon and eggs can taste. yummmm.

End of Week 2

This was the end of week 2 in wine class. I think I am actually tired of wine, having to taste 5 or 6 per day. I have learned a lot, and now appreciate the different styles much more. Not that I am turning into a wine snob or anything. lol.

Besides that, I am just focusing on finding a prep/pantry/line cook position. So if anyone has any information in the San Francisco area, let me know.

Other that this, not a whole lot new going on. I am looking forward to getting the next week over with and back to actually cooking. We go into European Cuisine, then American, and finally Asian. So YAY.....cooking, cooking, cooking...I am so ready to get back into the kitchen.



Until later,

Ciao'.......
(and the pic below isn't my creation, but I am looking forward to reproducing it, I think it is a totally sexy Bostini Cream Pie)