Wednesday, December 30, 2009

little bit of everything

hello.



...well almost, but close enough.

first: 
it's been about a week since i've taken my diet to high raw and a few things ive noticed:
 .i had a blister on my ankle from july that is lightening.
.my digestive system is working better, not as many upset stomachs.
.my energy level is at least the same if not more then when i was drinking coffee.
 .my skin is softer.
.i just feel better.

second: 
this is ridiculous.
 .
its an article about an "anti-energy drink" that filled with melatonin, Valerian root, and rose hip.
i suppose i could have seen this coming. why not add something to the market to make you calm down? after consuming all that caffeine from soda, coffee, and regular energy drinks one would need another chemically processed drink to calm down to normal mode.
logical. 

third: 
 charles and i have fun

 


 


today was laundry day, meaning we have clean clothes!!!


fourth:

has anyone seen the movie Avatar? 
i've heard it was good. i'm just not convinced yet.


any other good holiday movies out there?


what are you doing for new years eve?


fifth:



raw blueberry chocolate coconut cookies

- they need work = not posting recipe (yet).





Sunday, December 27, 2009

when the husbands away, the wife will make smoothies

lovely.

this tastes like chocolate and looks like grass.

i feel like im indulging.



contents:

vanilla coconut milk
spinach
a packet of sun crystals
tahini
ice
dehydrated banana


yes please!

and in other news:




 

maximus says hello.


Saturday, December 26, 2009

missing you dearest

charles is gone for the weekend hunting in south carolina.  :(

i am alone.

i am sad.

he has been gone for no more then 2 hours and i am sick - i feel like i am going to cry. pathetic, maybe.

and so i come home from work, eat, and sip my tea while i watch juile and julia thinking of my love and what he must be doing, what he must be thinking.

so heres to you charlie: 



 

 

 

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

a fresh start.

this morning i start a challenge for myself:

eating more raw food and being consistent.  


so the question is posed: why not blog about it? I mean isn't this blog called "Organic Life?"

Why not document what I am doing, pictures, recipes, etc? exactly.

and so it begins - my transition into RAW.

breakfast:

     smoothie:  banana - vanilla coconut milk - avocado - pineapple - pineapple juice - sweetener (sun crystals) - ice

      pear

      cottage cheese (this is not technically "raw" but I am working on it)
   
      tea

energy level = good. I am awake, alert, and ready to start my day. (its only one pm, hahaha)



so then lets take it to lunch time.

SUSHI BABY

first time making a raw sushi.

I started with a sheet of dried seaweed.


and made a paste that comprised of:

    cauliflower - avocado - lemon juice - salt - Cajun seasoning - water - carrot - butternut squash - Dulce powder - soy sauce - rice vinegar - agave nectar.




 * note! - when making a sushi paste, keep it simple. i went too far with adding ingredients and trying to correct what i did.

   carrots

   cucumber

   spinach

   my moms homemade dill relish




 

 
 

it was great.

granted, it could have used a little fresh ginger and wasabi, but considering this was a first attempt, I cant complain.

and the husband decided to have this for lunch:

 



ill leave him to his pizza.



Tuesday, December 22, 2009

weekend trip

this weekend Charlie and I went to Florida for a wedding.






 
 




 

lots of laughs, fish, and chili arms. heh

it was nice to see family and celebrate Christmas with them.

:)

currently:

I am making Sourdough bread.

I am watching an ABC Family Christmas movie: Snow.

I am enjoying Christmas break.

I finished class with a dessert platter assignment:

MENU:



.White Chocolate & Cranberry Florentines.

.Peppermint & White Chocolate Financers.

.Fig, Nut, & Dark Chocolate Spiced Bar Gateau.

.Red & White Chocolate Macaroons.

.Jam-Filled Linzer Cookies.






unfortunately my camera died right after this shot.  blah.

anyway - this the season.

CHRISTMAS IS 2 DAYS AWAY!!!

Friday, December 18, 2009

Epic Friday

Good Morning, its EPIC FRIDAY.

this day marks several events:
 - last day of school (Winter break)
 - last day of work (for the weekend)
 - last day in Georgia (for the weekend)

However I am relieved to be taking a break - I feel as if I have been running non stop. The payoff has proved to be worth it though.

Lets talk about school:
  Today is final day of the class, which means why not end it with a two-day practical? We are assigned a dessert platter consisting of five different types of petit fours. Its up to us to present our platter any way we want. My theme: Christmas. I finish today = pictures later (dont want to give too much away now)

 Moreover we had another practical earlier in the week on Opera Cake:
     I think I did better on the writing on this cake and worse on the cutting (not enough time to set up), however my grade was still satisfactory (92).

Opera Cake Round Two:

Opera Cake Square

Opera Cake Round

Opera Cake Layers

Opera Cake Triangle


I had left over ganache and thought, "hmm..what can I do with this?"
Behold -
UGLY TRUFFLES:







 They aren't pretty, but the taste seems to be pretty good. :)


Buche de Noel.
Its a classic Christmas dessert that comes from the France in the late 1700s. Families would burn a yule log to cook Christmas diner and it was believed that the ashes from this log would keep away evil spirits, diseases, etc.
Other traditions were started when the construction of homes without fireplaces was prevalent. The presence of a cake that looked like a yule log served as the replacement for the actual yule log.
There are many different version of this cake, many different styles. The important thing behind this cake is the theme that is presents: Being with family during the holidays, community.

Here is mine:
Buche de Noel


Have you ever had an Applepear?
They are super juicy and really tasty. I ate one for breakfast.
Along with butternut squash sprinkled lightly with sea salt and chives.
mmhmm

Im turning into more of a tea drinker, not that I dont jump at a chance to drink coffee, but I find tea more soothing, not as harsh. Kinda like a bubble bath at the end of a hard day.

And so im offering a simple phrase to kids from one to ninety two.
although its been said many times many ways.....
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU!

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Thanks Jeremy

A friend Jeremy Schuh took this picture of me while we were shoot about six months back:



thanks. :)

Saturday, December 12, 2009

confessions.

Being married to a pastry chef is not all its cracked up to be. Yes, there is the daily gourmet pastry item that is openly waiting to be eaten however these tasty treats do come with a couple clauses.

Among these:

    Not every meal is full bore sit down, white napkin dining. Most of the time, Charlie does not eat what I eat. To be honest at the end of the day, returning from culinary school, I do not feel like eating a braised, seared, or smoked anything. Often times all I desire is a simple bowl of soup, laden with vegetables (of course lots of squash). Simple food is best. :)

    There is a constant need to bake something new, try a new recipe, combine new ingredients, which means supplying at least 3 different types of flour, 4 different types of sugar, plus an array of other things that I may need or ask for. The result must be tasted from someone other then the baker and that means (you got it), Charlie......

     I often dream about food. I dream about that I am going to make for breakfast in the morning, prep steps I need to take for class, or perhaps the construction of a new dish that I heard about. Sometimes I am forced out of bed at ridiculous hours by this need to learn and discover what is out there. I read, eat, listen, and watch food.

     And there is the bizarre requests for special food items, in addition to the standard flour and sugar. Oh the crazy looks i've gotten and the times that i've also received that "you've got to be kidding, im not paying that much for that." But we work through it.

      I like my food hot. When it's ready to be eaten I like to eat it, not wait until it loses its charm. When I make something, I like it to be eaten when I set it down. And adequate feed back.

     When asked to "help" make a dish, the real translation is "cut this" "peel that" or "keep the sink clear".  Im not going to lie, being married to a chef is demanding. Its hard work but for those who stick it out, good things await.   :)


  I have two practicals coming up next week. One of which is solely Opera Cake and the other a petit four dessert platter featuring 5 different types of petit fours (sec, demi-sec, deguise, glaceau, amandes, frais) I have my work cut out for me thats for sure. 

 On another note -
     
Feuille d'Automne Cake.

Literally Means: "Autumn Leaf"

Layered Almond Meringue Cake
Chocolate Mousse
Hand Shaved Chocolate
Powered Sugar

Feuille d'Automne 1

Feuille d'Automne 2

& a mini:

Mini Feuille d'Automne 1

Mini Feuille d'Automne 2


As the holiday season approaches I am reminded that God has blessed me beyond belief. I am alive, breathing the air that God has given me, I am married to a wonderful man that loves and adores me (& puts up with all my crazy shenanigans), I have friends who care, I have family who would give me their right arm if I asked them, and I am loved.


Thursday, December 10, 2009

opera cake pictures

the chocolate writing needs work, but the taste is GOLDEN:

Opera Cake

Triangle Opera Cake

Opera Cake Layers

oh baby.

good morning.

at my house I am the first to awake. I bounce out of bed, into the kitchen, and start the coffee - warm. fresh coffee. Charlie emerges around nine.
I like the mornings - I feel alert, energized. Its my time to hang out with myself, catch up on a good book, finish an enticing movie, or just get a head start on learning about the interworkings of pastry arts.

I was born to be a baker - I arise before the sun, am stable until around 10 (need to nap), and then ready to go again until 10 PM. Such as life.

Good Morning.
 seeding trees after rain

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

the phantom of the opera....

no, not really. just opera cake!!!

today I embarked on a two day event known as the phantom of the opera cake!

its a lovely cake - 7 beautiful layers!

and its one inch high.

talk about miniature dessert.

I started making the cake today and assembled up until the sixth layer.

pictures tomorrow when complete!

Tuesday was a huge turnaround from Monday - I went into class with a new attitude and a new ambition.

Results:

Langues Du Chat:
literally "cats tongue"

five langues du chat

langues du chat

Milano Cookies:
langues du chat with orange chocolate in between.

stacked milano

Pate a Choux Swans:
filled with vanilla bean pastry cream & creme chantilly.

pate a choux swans

pate a choux swan line up

So tonight, Charles and I made Gumbo!!
Fantastic Gumbo!

this was pre 6 hour simmer.


chicken - sausage - venison - okra - tomato - green pepper - onion
and the perfect blend of spice


and to end a short post:

joy

merry christmas