half way.

So, i am already half way through with my Cooking Skills Development class! That is so crazy.

Right now in class we are learning different cooking techniques such as roasting, grilling, sauteing, frying, searing etc etc. 

today in class i made a butternut squash and wild mushroom risotto. it was DELISH. partly because i slightly overdid it on the cheese, and it normally is just fab.

i didn't use a recipe, but if anyone would like it i would be more than happy to give it to them!

in addition to the risotto i roasted a whole chicken. i started out by stuffing the chicken with lots of onions, lemon,  garlic, and rosemary sprigs. i then trussed it to make sure it cooked evenly and to retain moisture. once all that was done, i seared it to give color and extra flavor and stuck it in the oven for about 25-30 minutes. this too was really really tasty! and you can create whatever flavor you like by stuffing it with different things. 

tomorrow i have a practical--again. i am supposed to make a bechemel sauce, saute a protein, grill some vegetables, and make rice pilaf. oh and knife skills. joyyyy. NAHT. 

SKEWL.

breakfast foods. omletes, french toast, pancakes, all styles of eggs. yuuuuumm. (this is morgan making an omelete.)

 soups! here we have cream of mushroom (my favee)

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 Chicken Curry. deelish.

 the soup i made. Corn Chowder. soooo yumo. we used  corn in 3 different ways. we used the cobs to infuse flavor to the milk and cream, we put whole corn kernals into the soup and for extra flavor and color we sauteed and pureed corn! it was very very tasty.

 we also had a catering event! i was in charge of meat. Pork Tenderloin was made. and it was also so yum.

then while butchering my like 20th chicken of the week-- i STABBED myself. not sliced, stabbed. it killed and i almost cried. but didn't and instead bled through 7 bandaids in a few hours! total i have used 11 bandaids and i think it's now infected :( i also burned myself on the pilot light on the stove, which left a burn mark and singed a lot of arm hair. 

but i am happy to report that these are my first true injuries from school so far! and hopesfully the lasst. 

i have no clue what we are doing in school this week--

but i think Emily and I are going to make so Gnocchi so i will let you know how that goes :)

lobster.

i just about cried today at school.

not even kidding.

today chef john killed a lobster. 

one minute i was holding the lobster-- the next he stuck a knife right through him and he was dead. i have no problem butchering a chicken but killing a LIVE LOBSTER really did something to me. i was the only person who literally screamed when he was killed. 

i have never felt this way before. i have no problem with other meats. but this really got to me.

anyways, apparently just cutting up the lobster is the most humane way of killing him. 

it just mostly creeped me out when he was already but into 3 pieces, we were holding his brains, AND he legs were still moving.

but the worst part? eating the lobster. i just felt really weird about it. 

i just hope i will not have to kill one myself anytime soon :(

salmon & avocado salsa.

so right now i am totes in MOAB.

just staying with my aunt. and i told her i would make her dinner! so after a long day of ATVing it up, Jennica and I made Salmon with Avocado Salsa!

and it was so SO delish. and totes easy to make! i seriously didn't even look at the recipe for amounts. i just threw whatever amount of the vegetables for the salsa i wanted to in! if you would like the recipe HERE. make it. and love it.

snack attack.

favorite snacks of the week?

asparagus wrapped in prosciutto.

VANILLA YOGURT. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN MY WHOLE LIFE.

school this week.

sorry about it. i have been terrible about blogging, but this week at school was KILLER. but now i am off for spring break, and hopefully i will have more to blog about :) but this week i had a PRACTICAL. i had 3 hours to butcher 2 chickens, make chicken stock, mayonnaise, potato salad, tomato sauce, and demonstrate all my classical knife cuts. it was super hard, but i managed to do it! anyways, here are just a few pictures from the week! enjoy.

strawberry and mousse dessert with spong and tuile cookies. SO AMAZING.

beef tenderloin & potatoes i made for the catering event.

hi, doesn't this look amazing?! it was. nothing else to it.

redeemed fails.

okKkkk. So i don't have school on monday's so at 1pm when i pull myself away from my womancave/doing homework i am trying to figure out lunch. NOTHING SOUNDED GOOD. But i finally settled with making a breakfast burrito. 

i want to cry. and i am admitting.. it was g.ross.

i just sauteed some mushrooms, and onions then added eggs pepper and garlic salt in a homemade tortilla and homemade ranch dressing.

that doesn't sound bad, right? well it was. one of the most bland thing tasting things that has ever touched my palette. i only ate maybe 1/2 of it.

i was really disappointed in myself for failing at something so easy.

but tonight i redeemed myself. my mom made nachos for a family snack, and quickly needed some guacamole.

i have never made it before, but i whipped out some divine guac.

1 avocado, couple spoonfuls of sour cream, lemon juice, garlic salt and pepper. 

i was proud of myself--so easy. and i just whipped it out of my head. 

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

They were so good.

i found the recipe when i found the red velv. cookies recipe.

i'm deffff a fan of mint and chocolate and these are quite scrumptious. 

Be sure to not over mix the dough, because you will get run out. I did on a few of mine (sorry chefff al)

and the dough WILL be very sticky and wet. i just put a glob in my hands and some how quickly made a ball. whatever will work though!

I just wouldn't put quite as many chocolate chunks in as they say... i put about half and there was plenty o chocolate to go around. 

and you can't tell from the picture.. but they are totally green. LUH IT.

they took me about 30 minutes to mix AND bake. easy easy easy.

HERE'S THE RECIPE!

item of the week.

to own this, would be a dream come true. i literally think i would CRY.

chop.

These first few days in COoking Skills have been pretty low key. (boring) But i have been able to learn and practice some classic knife skills. 

this is what i did today:

Tomoato concasse, medium diced onion, obliques, rondelle, brunoise, paysanne, batonette and julienne cuts. 

it looks pretty boring, but i think i am actually kind of enjoying it! annnd i haven't sliced a finger yet :)