Here we are 2nd week of classes.I have discovered an awesome fresh market, unfortunately it will prolly be closed by the end of October. Close down season is Nov.1st-March 1st. I bought some really tasty paella. Also me and one of my roomates were down at the port on sunday and low and behold all these cute little shops were open. I bought some adorably cute clothing for very reasonable prices. I was pleasantly surprised! This weekend we all went down to the port to celebrate on of my school mates birthdays, and I saw something very interesting....Pregnant women...two of them...at least 5 months along in the club, bopping around. Oh and one of them was smoking! Can you believe that. Well apparently that's normal. My voice teacher who used to live in France told me thats perfectly normal. So without further adieu here are last weeks highlights.
Oke doke so I do.not.like.sardines. Do you? Well last week I gutted about 9 of them! Eek, perfect nastiness.In between being grossed out I'm learning alot.
The picture is smaller than I'd like it to be, but what we have here is a yeast corn pancake beneath a sardine stuffed with herbed coat cheese and roasted onions. I don't like goat cheese either, but this was ok. No, I'll never cook it or order it, but I can say I tried it.
This was soooo amazingly good. Prawn on top of a fried potato, with carrot soup. This may was really good, I wish we could've had more prawn.
We made a really tasty risotta on friday but I cant find those pics, but it was the best thing we made, thus far.
Have a good week bloggers & bloggettes!
Sooo I made it threw the first week of class and I really enjoyed it! Even the french class, the teachers here really know their stuff, and I feel like I've already learned alot. This weekend I went to Montpeiller and did some much needed shopping. They have a huge semi outdoor mall there, its called the shopping odesseum. It rained horrible off and on yesterday more on than off, which was unfortunate for us because we missed the last bus coming back to Agde and had to wait 20 mins for a train. I've not yet gotten into this whole being European thing yet and I dont think I will;but I intend to get all I can from this experience. Here are some highlights from this week.
Hyper - U is a popular...hmmm its like Target if they sold fresh seafood and was twice its size. Yea that was one of the highlights of this week!
This is a mixture of peppers, carrots, onions and a few other veges all cooked together with cream annddd the egg on top was cooked for 2 hrs in water, how cool??
This is a mackeral that I gutted myself! De-boning it was hellish but I got it done. It's served on beet root skin boiled like pasta with carmelized onions and a pear garnsh. It was pretty good.
So thats that, now its time for week 2! Have a blessed week.
Here I am in the South of France at International Culinary Academy.
Do I seem happy? Well I'm not really... There are so many things that have gone on here that are really completely out of order. Way too many hidden fees and I really could go on and on. Tomorrow is the very first day of class so I'm going to try to keep opinions to myself until I can really accurately tell yall how I feel. Just know that alot of things aren't as they should be. All in all I got my chefs jacket, shoes and pants so I'm excited about what tomorrow brings. I'll also be taking a french class in the afternoon. This town is really really small. Tomorrow we're going to Agde to do some shopping. Everything around here closes around 8ish. Yea I dunno how this is gonna work!
Sooo who listened to Tone Loc in the 90's?? Wait has he made any music since then? Anyway today I bring you a rather humorous rap song. You might remember The Funky Cold Medina, well have you ever listened to the lyrics....yea its rather raunchy and quite funny...to me anyway.
Yes I know I haven't blogged in a while. I've been so busy with getting my student visa and buying my ticket and loads of other stuff! Even though I'm only going to be gone for 7 mos, their is sooo much to do. Whew, anyway I need to get it done because I'm leaving in a little over a month.
I wrote a book! and its on amazon.com. It's a really fun and informative modern day book on etiquette. Here is the link if you like to buy or preview it. It is not yet in print so you must have either a kindle or the kindle app. It's only $5.99 and I'm super excited about it, I put alot of myself into this book and I can't wait to hear what you think about it!!
I've never been a huge Beyonce fan but Signs
has got to be one of her best tunes. She doesn't do a ton of screaming or crazy adlibbing, it's totally laid back and hott!
Remember when I went to New Orleans a few weeks ago and I bought that box of beignet mix from Cafe Du Monde? Well I finally got to use it. This sunday and and the boyfriend got a chance to make some tasty beignets...also known as french donuts! There are directions on the box, but you know we didn't follow those.All you really need is water and powdered sugar.
It starts with a box
2 cups of mix makes about 20 mid sized beignets.
You add water,we also added 2 pinches cinnamon and 2 tblspns sugar.
almost ready
Now we are ready to fry. Allow the oil to heat on med for about 8 mins. You only need about 2 inches of oil.
turn them only after they have browned and puffed on one side.
Finished product. It's just like a donut ball, and the powdered sugar is the perfect finishing touch. These are super easy to make and perfect for in bulk if your having company.
Ya'll know I'm not really into rap, but when I like somethin; I like something. Dear Mama is a really great Eminem song. Not great in the typical sense, but you know.. it tells a great and relatable story about life.
Earlier this week I had the pleasure of visiting the Original House Of Pancakes,located in Kenwood;previously located in Hyde Park. As soon as you walk in there is a sign telling you that they will not seat you unless your whole party is there. I appreciate that notice. We got there around 1130am and only had to wait about 12 mins. We sat at a table that was waaayyy to close to everyone else. I don't like that, however the food was good!
Nah I never got around to having any pancakes. The waffle was good but it literally had a whole can of peaches on it.... Not good. The waffle was super soggy, I love a good crisp waffle, don't you? Absolutely no complaints about the sausage tho.
Now for the age old question: Am I going back?? Yep but I will request a booth. I simply can not sit the close to random people.
I LOOOOOVVVEEE this song. El Debarge did it on his album Second Chance, and he did a slightly different version for the movie Jumping the broom. Here
is what he did for the movie. This rendition has less instruments and background and more pure El, and I love it. It is a great choice for a wedding song.
I went to visit the Big Easy last weekend!! Thats right I was in New Orleans, saw a little bit of the Essence Music Fest and ate alot of great food. The weather down there is CRAZY. 3 times that weekend it rained like a torrential downpour, than minutes later it was perfectly sunny. I did not like that at all. In spite of that I had a really great time, I even got up and sang at a jazz club! Do you believe it? Here's my weekend in pictures:
We Went on a boat cruise,(in the pouring rain) and saw some of the more popular New Orleans sights. The bottom picture is me and my sister, I'm not going to New Orleans alone!
Saturday night we visited Maison Bourbon Jazz club, this is where I sang at. Bourbon street, was even more crowded than I thought, fuuulll of ppl, oh we had a hurricaine to, and it was awesome.
Have I ever talked to you about my love for beignets?? well I love them. This picture was taken at cafe DuMonde a very popular spot in N'awlins. They weren't to greasy but perfectly delicious.
Of course we had to visit the epic restaurant Mothers. It did not dissapoint. I had a salty but strong bloody mary and the fried catfish po'boy. We did have to wait outside for about 10mins but it was worth it.
This is a banans foster bread pudding and damn! it was sooo good. Me and my sister split it and neither of us had ever encountered a bananas foster with a crust but it was tasty!
Isn't this amazing? I didn't buy this but I bought two of the artists paintings. I met the artists as he sells the paintings himself, I can't wait to hang them.
Well that was my weekend, a great little city full of culture and scrumptious food.
I'm sitting here watching City SLickers Pt 2. and I wanted something really festive and western for ya'll. What better than Howdown By Aaron CoplandWe performed this in high school and it was such an awesome song to perform. Slightly difficult to pull together but completely worth it.
Finally I have pictures from my birthday which was june 24th. I catered the event myself and boy was I tired. No, I'm not catering another birthday party in 88 degree weather, anyhoo, here are the pictures!
The caprese bruschetta, the name explains it all.
You know I always have to do something in the crockpot, makes life sooo much easier. This is crockpot sesame chicken. Here is the recipe.
Coconut lime cupcakes, they were alot more dense than a cupcake, more like a muffin, but tasty none the less.
My sister came all the way from DC!
Fresh flowers are always a good centerpeice, no matter what time of year it is.
Have ya'll noticed that I like taking pictures by the tables I design??
Mushroom and onion tart= Sauteed mushroom and onions in a pie crust topped with parmesan cheese and warmed just before serving.
....I made a pasta salad but those pictures seemed to have dissapeared..
Well thats me on the first day of my late 20's. It was a pretty great party.
You have got to remember this song,Hit Em up style.
Everybody was singing this song the summer it came out. I'm still kinda singing it.
Sooo we're do for a quick update. Yesss you read that right in september I will be going to France for a 7 month culinary program here! I am quite excited. Sooo I've moved in with my boyfriend because my lease was up and I'm still getting settled in here. My bday was last sunday I had an awesome beach party,pics will be posted shorlty!! Sooo much is going on, anyway that was my quick update, hopefully I'll be able to post again in a few days!
Who remembers Maroon 5's breakout song, This Love
that used to be your jam right? Yea well I'm still jamming to it.Was it supposed to be a dance song? I dunno I always dance to it. You know I was born with boogie fever right?
I have for you today a tofu salad. Featuring that tofu bought from the farmers market, oh and the broccoli to! Here's what you need:
Any sweet chili sauce will do and I could have used less tofu, pictured above is almost enough for 2 salads.
1. Heat pan on med heat and pour in enough olive oil to coat. Then in go the broccoli and carrots, then green onions and tofu. Pour in a tad bit more olive oil, the broccoli will absorb a fair amount of what you poured down first.
2. Season with about 1.5 tblspns soy sauce,2 pinches salt and about 1.5 tblspn sweet chili sauce.
3. Just when the tofu begins to brown turn the pan off. Put this in another bowl and let cool for at least 2 hrs.
When your ready to eat toss this with some spring mix and enjoy!
Oh shit, I forgot to mention the carrots! Whoops they are definitely optional but add a nice crunch to the salad.
Soo this sunday is my bday, feel free to wish me a happy day and ask for my address if youd like to send a gift, haha!
Sooo with it being Friday I thought this tune would be very appropriate. Livin for the weekend
is the ultimate weekend summer jam isn't it? It's cool, laid back and everybody can relate to it. It's a classic and it's never getting old.
Of course the Glenwood Farmers Market is back! Yes I love it. There were alot ot the same vendors from last year but I dont mind because they always bring great stuff! Here are some of the highlights:
Yea things are a bit on the expensive side, but its fresh, homemade and some of it organic. In my opinion its worth it! I purchased some of the extra firm tofu and made a salad of it, come back next week for all the delish deets!!
I love Me some Him has got to be one of my top favorite Toni Braxton songs. Ohhh I love it. By the way this was on like the best album ever Secrets. Anyhoo no one sings anything like Toni does..ever.
*This meal was inspired by a 90 degree day where I did not feel like slaving over the stove for a long time.
I had a yummy croissant in the fridge, I was hungry and it was hot, so here's how it all went down!
I grabbed rosemary,olive oil,salt & crushed red pepper. I tossed them in a bowl and stirred them together.
I pounded out a chicken breast, and tossed it in to marinate for about 2 hrs.
Grab some herbed butter and a spot of olive oil and turn a med sized pan on med heat.After the meat has marinated sufficiently put the chicken in the pan and begin to cook.
First it will look like this, then after you cook it for about 9 mins it will look like this:
Ta- da it will be tender and delicious. Right about when the chicken is done put a few pieces of cheddar cheese upon the meat, turn the heat off and let the cheese melt.
The sandwich will then magically look like this. Do you know I could not eat this whole thing? I ate about %70 of it and saved the rest for breakfast. I cut the tail end of the the meat as well.When its hot I just don't eat like I normally do.Happy sandwiching!
Sooo I guess this song is by a group called Fun... I love We Are Young
I've been hearing it for months and I've never known who did this song. It's a really cool tune tho, listen to it!
Today I have kind of a repeat blog, well not really. As it gets hot in the summer I like to stay further and further away from the stove, which leaves me with salads. I have a list and a few suggestions for some of my favorite salads. By no means do you have to do the salad just like this, these are just my healthy and fast suggestions:
1. Grilled Corn & mango salad- this is made alot like a salsa, but theres lettuces in it. Grill the corn as you usually would season lightly with salt & peppa. When its done get every juicy morsel of corn off that cob, mix with spring mix 1/4 c of mango diced up well, season with crushed red chili pepper, lime juice and salt. If you have any left over go ahead and put it on a taco.
2. Green bean salad- I always have some frozen green beans in the freezer, look waaay in the back of your freezer, you probably do to. Perfect go to for a salad. Sit them in warm water for 7 mins then drain. You could even steam them. Season with lemon juice, salt and garlic pepper. Let this sit in the fridge for about 15 mins before you serve.
3.Orzo w/cubed feta- This one takes a bit more prep time. You've got to chop the cucumbers,feta and olives and of course cook the orzo. Go light on the seasoning, the feta and olves bring a fair amount of salt. Use a little olive oil, Goya adobo seasoning and black pepper. You'll wanna pop this in the freezer before you serve this as well.
Feel free to share any of your favorite quick and healthy salads!
Today I bring you my favorite Beyonce song.Deja Vu
is.... is just it, plain and simple.
Remember many moon ago when I stumbled upon this great little spot in Evanston, and they had that french toast covered in cornflakes?? Well I done done it!! Not really I used oates to cover mine in. Total yummers! Wanna see it? Here it go! Here's what you'll need:
You don't have to use whole grain, challah or egg bread will do just fine. Also if you don't like rum extract use vanilla.
1) Measure out a cup of oates, now with a good knife give them an efficient but rough chop. Dont measure out the whole cup at once you'll have oates everywhere. Sprinkle in 2 dashs of allspice into the oates.
2) Get the griddle out, get it hot. Melt about 2 tblpspns butter on the griddle. While thats coming together mix together the eggs, a dash of rum extract,1 tspn nutmeg and half a tspn of cinnamon. Whisk very well, its time to dip!
3)Dip the bread into the egg mix then coat very well in the oates, then onto the gridle. I had my gridle on high, but I should have had it on med...learn from my mistakes. The bread should cook on each side for about 4-5 mins.
Do this with all 3 pcs of bread, and you'll have this:
Sprinkle with confectionery sugar and gooble up!
