To Thine Own Self, Be Food

This culinary school thing will, by far, be the most challenging thing I've ever done. Truly, I'm about to have my mettle tested.  You know, see the stuff I'm made of.  Find out my quality.  And all those other heroistic cliches you've seen in pop culture. Yesterday, the head of our program brought in foie gras for us to try (no apologies, animal rights activists).  He said he wanted us to expand our palates, try new things, expand our horizons. And frankly, it was delicious.  Rich and savory, I was still tasting it ten minutes later. Which brings me to my own, limited food experience.  I don't really mean eating-wise...I mean, I'll try anything new any day of the week.  But I'm beginning to understand that I am definitely lacking culture... and that I must have it in my life to feel whole.  And by culture, I don't mean Lays potato chips dipped in cottage cheese (which is that example that one student used to support his claim that "I love...

I slept poorly. I left my house, only to return five minutes because I'd forgotten important parts of my uniform. I've been wandering about campus since nine, attending various orientations, checking out various clubs, eating a free lunch, and whiling away the hours until my two o'clock class. And all I can keep thinking right now is can class please, pretty please, just start?   And I sure don't remember thinking that on my first day of classes at Iowa State, way back in the good ol' fall of 1993.  In fact, I don't really remember paying for my tuition at ISU (which of course I must have, how else would they have given me a degree?)...but I certainly know I am paying that bill now. And that will make all the difference, I suspect. Not that I didn't appreciate my college education back then.  I did.  Sort of.  It got me a job.  The job got me money.  The money allowed me to start a family, buy a house, etc.  But one day, I dunno, the mon...

A little bit of a departure today from food.  Quelle surprise, I know, but with my culinary arts classes starting next week...I figure from here on out, you'll be hearing more than you want about food and whatnot. So, today...something different.  My kitchen (and maybe even your kitchen too).   My kitchen equals my happy place. However, after my kids leave for school in the morning, that happy place looks something like this: Not a happy place Breakfast detritus Not that my kitchen is filthy , but it's distressing.  It looks messier and more cluttered than it really is.  The number of open cabinet doors (not to mention the lazy susan in the corner) are appalling, because the jumble of colors, shapes, and features of the items inside cuts up the neat streamline of the brown wood's continuity.  Likewise with the neutral countertops - chaos explodes all over the place as items that Don't Belong are strewn all along the beige Formica landsca...

If she were still alive today, she'd be 100 years old. Happy Birthday, Julia Child! As I begin (in less than two weeks) this journey into the Culinary Arts, I've named her my inspiration.  Because...I did some research and found out that she attended cooking school in Paris sometime in 1949 or 1950...which places her... ...right around the age of 37 or 38. Holy vache.  I myself am around that same age.  She did exactly what I am doing now.  And look at what she did! Also, she's famously quoted, and a couple of them strike at the heart of the matter. “The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude.”  and  I know now who my hero is.

Bento.  Not Barbie. We are in our ninth year of school-starting preparations here.  School clothes and supply shopping, setting alarm clocks, resetting normal schedules...you know, all that jazz. But, here's what different.  The kiddos aren't the only ones heading back to school.  Their mama's going too...back to college!  And she's had to do her own fair bit of school supply shopping herself. And that includes a new lunchbox.  While I am quite partial to the classic metal lunch box, I decided to go with something a bit cuter and more...well, portioned. Enter Bento Box.  (mine purchased at www.laptoplunches.com )  Bento is traditionally Japanese, and is usually a single-portion home-made meal carefully allocated into neat little serving sizes.  This pic, courtesy of Wikipedia, shows a typical bento.   Depending on who you ask, obesity is either a.) out of hand,  b.) all the school's fault, c.) all the parents' fault, d.)...