I like many things, food is one of them, and another is science. But I usually think of them as completely separate things. So I was really surprised when I walked into my chemistry class one day and saw food ingredients. For as long as I’ve been in school, food has always been kept separate from science, we’d do labs in the classroom and then go to the cafeteria for food. The first rule of lab safety is “no food allowed” because of the possibility of accidentally ingesting harmful chemicals. So I was really confused when I looked up at the whiteboard and saw a recipe. The ingredients were pretty typical: milk, heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla, but the process was ridiculous. We combined all of the ingredients in small ziplock plastic bags, then we took larger bags and filled them with ice and rock salt. This is where the chemistry comes in. The water from the ice and the salt combine to form a solution, and we took advantage of the colligative properties of solutions. The colligative property that we took advantage of is that as a solution increases in concentration, its freezing point decreases. So by adding a lot of salt to ice, we created a super cold solution that, according to Mr. Carley, would be cold enough to freeze the milk cream and sugar mixture into ice cream. I wasn’t convinced, so I skeptically followed the recipie. I combined the ingredients in a smaller bag, sealed it, put it into the larger bag with ice and rock salt, and then I shook it for a while. After about 10 minutes I saw the result, inside the smaller bag was a velvety, silky frozen treat. I took a spoonful and it was smooth and delicious. Chemistry had never tasted so good.

Vikram M

This weekend, our family had our grandparents over. We cooked a feast.  We ate a pork shoulder, that we marinated it in ketchup, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. We were in the mood for a big hunk of meat.

To accompany the pork, we made some corn muffins with cheddar and jalapeno. That was surprisingly easy, too. It was delicious, since we never eat southern food at all.

For a salad, we made an apple fennel slaw. We got the recipe from Paula Deen. My beautiful mother took charge of grating the apple and fennel, since i'm not really used to cooking all this type of food, and I was simply to lazy to go through all that work. After that, we made a vinaigrette of grainy mustard, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice. This salad is so fresh and delicious, it makes the perfect accompaniment to a rich pulled pork dish. And the best part is that you can throw it together in less than ten minutes.... or at least my mom can.

There is really nothing better then  sharing food with the people you love. Plus if you mess up they understand, and won't judge you! I feel grateful that my grandparents love coming to my house and eating my ... and my mom's food. Food is a bonding unit in our family, and I am so happy because of that

  Hamburgers have always been one of my favorite foods and we have them almost weekly at my house. Whenever I go out to eat with anyone I can't help but get a hamburger no matter where we go. There have even been times when I've ordered burgers at steak house, an action that is heinous to many avid carnivores. However, I just don't think anything can beat a slice of ground meat on a fresh roll. As you can imagine, over my life of eating hamburgers religiously I have tried multiple different varieties of burgers. There's always the classic hamburger with nothing on it but ketchup, but I've always found that boring. I like my food to be full of flavor and that just didn't cut it for me. The cheeseburger isn't much better in this regard either. As you can tell, I'm a guy who doesn't really like change, but after a few years of these two rather boring variations I decided to try something new. The first really different variation of hamburger I ever tried was a mushroom and swiss burger and I absolutely loved it. It opened up my mind to all new toppings for burgers and I started to experiment with different variations even more. I tried everything from sliders to a cheeseburger with two grilled cheese sandwiches in place of buns, but I still felt the burger had more potential. Just a few months ago I found one hamburger that met all of my possible hamburger needs. It was in a small restaurant called Aroma in Wethersfield, MA. It was a hamburger topped with cheese, more assorted classical toppings, and then a fried egg on top. Given that the time of day was roughly between breakfast and lunch it was the ideal for me and I have never enjoyed a burger as thoroughly as I enjoyed that one. If ever you are passing through Wethersfield I would highly recommend you swing by Aroma and get this burger.

                                                              Pat R. 

            My long weekend consisted of a trip to Maryland for the Patomac Memorial Day Soccer Tournament. I left Friday after school, and from then on I encountered both good and bad food experiences. On Saturday night the entire team went to the Macaroni Grill. My dad reminded me of how we would always go there when I was very young. As well, he told me of all of how the waiters and waitresses all would sing. This time around, we didn’t see many singing servers. Instead, we had to twist one waitresses arm into singing. Most of the current waiters and waitresses are hired for their ability to work, not their singing ability, but a few still are able to keep a tune. Ordering was a mess as we had 16 kids ordering drinks and entrees as well as all of the parents and their coach. Altogether, we had a party of around 30 people, all snacking on their delicious bread and asking for refills on drinks. When we finally ordered all of our meals, I decided on getting the Ricotta Meatballs and Spaghetti Bolognese. It was a good meal, but nothing I would consider exceptional. I remember making a Bolognese sauce in the first semester that used the ricotta cheese and a few other meats like veal, beef, and I think bacon. The meal I made seemed to be better than what I ordered, but still I couldn’t complain with my trip to the Macaroni Grill. It was still a fun eating experience.

            The Monday I was set to head home I had breakfast at my cousins’ house. We had scrambled eggs with crescent rolls and sausage. What was interesting was how my cousins ate their eggs. On nearly everything they eat they add hot sauce. Their house is always stocked with a variety of flavors and heats of hot sauce. They never shy away from a chance to use the sauce and the same holds true for when they ate their eggs. They added ketchup and a variety of hot sauces and even persuaded me to try it. It was a new experience for me and I thought it tasted pretty good. It gave a different flavor to the eggs and had a nice spicy kick. I am sure I will try it again on my own. Before, I had never thought to add anything like hot sauce to scrambled eggs, but new food experiences like that can really expand my pallet and help me stay open to new ideas. Keeping an open mind can be very important when dealing with all new types of food.

~Wesley M.

Last week, I learned that one of my favorite restaurants in Newtown, Asia Pacific, has closed.  I had gone there to eat dinner with my family only to find scaffolding inside and a sign out front reading “Fusion 2.0, coming soon”.  Now, not only did I feel this restaurant had some of the best sushi to offer in Fairfield County, but I also felt that they served some of the best Asian fusion around.  It was the very first place that I ordered a three course meal because I couldn’t decide what to get! Their kani salad was always presented beautifully in a large, Asian bowl, while their pan fried dumplings, as well as the sauce they came with, were to die for.  I had had the Teriyaki chicken once, and that too was delicious.  The sauce was light and sweet, and the chicken and vegetables blended together perfectly. However, my favorite dish there had to be the butterfly sushi roll.  It was a California style roll, topped with some sort of battered fish and filled to the brim with avocado, eel, tuna, and cucumbers.  It was topped with some sort of eel sauce, as well as a spicy mustard based sauce, and the contradicting flavors always turned out wonderful.  The presentation was astonishing too, since their sushi chef never presented it the same way.  Sometimes he drew a giant butterfly on the plate out of eel sauce, and sometimes he arranged the rolls in a circle with eel sauce hearts around the outside. It was honestly never the same, and it amazed me every time!  It’s a shame they’ve gone out of business, and I’ll definitely miss their food.  Hopefully Fusion 2.0 will be able to either meet or beat my expectations!

 Frankie B

With summer coming up on us so soon, I am looking forward to all of the fresh summer foods I will be eating all season. Obviously, summer is the time when families crack out the BBQ and grill up some tasty, savory meats. For example every Fourth of July, our family invites over a group of friends, neighbors, and family and enjoy the classic summer meal of hotdogs, hamburgers, coleslaw, potato salad, etc. All of it is just so delicious!

As soon as I taste certain foods, memories just flow back to me from summers past. Every summer, I spend at least a week at my grandparents’ house on Long Island. My grandparents have a boat, so everyday we go down to the water or the beach to spend the day and relax. At the club where the boats are kept, there is a cute little, very family-style restaurant where we always eat. Every time I go to the club, I am sure to order any kind of fish. Just being close to the beach and the boat puts me in the mood for seafood. And no one prepares the crispy fish with a light lemony sauce better than this club.

Another thing my family and I love to eat is grilled vegetables such as peppers and onions, shrimp, even pineapple, put onto wooden skewers. When we sit out on the deck, with the sun setting, a breeze breaking up the day’s heat, and ice cold drinks in hand, eating these fresh summer foods make me feel so relaxed and refreshed. It really is the best time of the year!

Colleen F.  

Occasionally when my family feels up to it we have pizza night. My mom buys the fresh dough from the store and we wait around and talk while it gets to room temperature and then stretch it little by little. My dad gets really into it when he starts trying to flip it around in the air like they do in pizza restaurants. He is pretty good but when I try it is never successful. We spread the dough across the tray and then stick it in the over. The pizza can be round, square, or any other form depending on whose making it. The cool thing about pizza is that you can pretty much put anything on it and it will taste good. When my mom is the only parent home, we usually make our pizza with lots of vegetables, such as spinach, mushrooms, peppers, and of course cheese and sauce. On the other hand, when my dad is home, the pizza is filled with different types of meats. He likes to add little pieces of sausage or bacon and sometimes chicken. Making pizza is also a good way to get rid of the leftovers because we can put anything that’s in the refrigerator on top and it seems to go well with the pizza. Everyone likes pizza and it is a fun and easy activity to do for dinner. I also feel like it is not as greasy or big as the ones you buy at the store. Although, I am not a huge fan of take-out pizza, my favorite in Newtown has got to be Franco’s pizza Bruschetta. It has no tomato sauce but it topped with stringy, cheese, grilled chicken, fresh tomatoes, onions and basil. I strongly suggest it.

Another fun thing that we tend to do in the summer with pizza is at our friend’s house. They have a nice outdoor patio with a brick oven on it. They fire it up when we’re eating dinner outside and it takes no time at all to make a pizza. It tastes so good like that. Sometimes they let everyone make a pizza for themselves with all different topping of their preference. I honestly think that I will invest in a brick oven like theirs when I am older and have my own house because it is so fun and a crowd pleaser. -LJ

I feel that the second I got my license, my cullinary skills, are on a whole other level. Normally, I love to cook dinner for my family. LIke I've said before, my dad is a health nut, who loves to hear about teh new latest and greatest "super food." My mom loves eating, so anything I make, I am sure that she will finish. Now that I have my license I have the ability to go to the store, and get my own groceries, and test out different recipes that I normallly wouldn't be able too. Also tomorrow I am going to Middlebury, to watch a Raw Vegan chef, cook food and talk to us abuot her career. That is something that intrests me very much. Eating as close to the earth as possible. My goal in life is to go to school, either in Colorodo or Vermont. I want to move down to Coloroado after I'm done with school, and my dream would be to open either a vegan, vegetarian, or just a healthy food, fully organic, resturant. Much easier said then done. I know that the resturant buisness is brutal, adn I'm not too sure if my personality would be able to handle all of the pressure and stress, of running such a huge business like that. Maybe I will just go into agriculture, and have my own farm. Even if my career, doesn't have a cullinary aspect in it. I know that food will always be a big part of my life. Last week I went to an Earth Day Celebration down in Woodbury. I tried some things I've had before. One new thing I tried was maple butter. Instead of Maple Syrup, they took the sap from the tree and formed it into a butter. I thought it was absoloutley delicious. Another risky thing I decided to do was buy a bottle of curry, after trying some curry cashews. So far I have made, a curry vegetable sautee. Curried Caulifllower, and I sprinkled some on my eggs. One thing I want to improve/learn is how to use spices, which spices go good with eachother. I have never been big on spices, but I know if I were to ever go into vegan or vegetarian cooking, spices would be just as importent, as the other ingredients. I would love it if Hoagland taught us a lesson, on spices. Or if she opened a resturant with me. 

Over break I went to many good places in Florida that I would deffinatlly suggest for anyone who us visiting the sarasota area. The first place that I went to was square one burgers. They are very pertucular about their meat. They make sure there beef is humanlly raised and only feed grain and beer, hormone and antibiotic free and has their meat massaged so its tender. I ordered onion rings with ranch chipotle sauce, they where so crispy and the seasoning in the batter had a little kick that i liked. As my main course I had a juicy Lucy. this is a burger with the cheese inside, which is hard to find at many places. It was cooked to perfection and they had execelent service. I also went to a carabbas, my favorite thing there was their fresh cooked bread with olive oil and sicilian seasoning. Lastly I went to a long horn steak house and as a drink I ordered a blackberry peach ice tea which they brew themselves and I've been wanting to go back just to have that ever since.

Italian Food

            I love Italian food. I am Italian so that would probably be why. It is just my favorite type of food. There are so many types of Italian food that you could go crazy trying to find one that you would want to try. Italian food is one of the most popular types of food in the world. There are Italian restaurants all around the world and in just about every state and town. Some restaurants are better than others however. Some are real Italian food and others want to be Italian. The quality in the food is not the same and the decor of the restaurant is not the same. Also the workers in the restaurant always make the restaurant Italian or not. There is an Italian restaurant in New Milford called Italia-Mia. This is the real deal when it comes to Italian food and atmosphere. This place is always very clean all the time and the food is fantastic. The service is good and it is the type of restaurant that makes you want to come back another day. They have very authentic food is just delicious. I would definitely recommend this restaurant if you are in the mood for great Italian food.

A great culinary experience I had recently was in Boston, Massachusetts. I went to a Tapas restaurant on Newbury Street called Tapeo. Tapas restaurants are known for unique Hispanic foods served in small portions, so customers are meant to order a lot of small plates of food. Everything on the menu sounded delicious… I didn’t even know where to start! Almost every dish had some kind of meat with a special sauce or vegetable on the side. I was eating only with my sister, so we decided to order two things each from the menu and split all of our dishes. I decided to order the Spanish chiorizo (sausage) which was grilled so it was slightly crispy but still tender on the inside. The meat was rich in flavor and had a little kick to it because a spicy sauce was served over it. Also, I ordered the chicken empanadas. I had tried empanadas in the past, but none were as good as these. The flaky dough outside split open easily to reveal a steaming blend of moist chicken and delicious black beans. After that, we ordered the sizzling garlic shrimp which was a little simpler but still had an excellent flavor! Finally, we ordered the cured Spanish ham, which had a great glaze and a hearty texture. Everything was so tasty, I will definitely go back to Tapeo sometime soon. Colleen F.

When we heard the results of the class cupcake war, I was surprised to hear that our cupcakes received second place. My assumption was that we’d wind up pretty low in the standings. The presentation was good, but when I tried them, I was not as pleased with the results as I thought I would be. We made two cupcakes that were delicious in theory and while they both ended up tasting pretty good, I had higher expectations. Our recipes were a brownie cupcake with peanut butter frosting, and the recipe we created was a chocolate and vanilla swirl cupcake with a chocolate cupcake. Our brownie-peanut butter cupcakes were my favorite of the two. I thought everything was done right and that they came out well. The only thing I would change was that the brownie was a little too hard. It was a little tough to bite into and despite being told that the brownie would be denser than the regular cake batter, I think the entire group thought they would be a little softer to bite into. In our other brownies, I take full credit as to why they weren’t as great. I completely messed up the frosting. Instead of using the confectioner’s sugar as I should have, I went and got granulated sugar. As a result, the frosting turned out a little gritty. Without a doubt I will have this memory in mind to learn from it the next time I go to make frosting. However, even though I had a lot of doubts about our finished product, I was relieved and surprised to hear that they placed second for the class. While I normally bring my own lunch to school, I couldn’t pass up on a chance to join Paladar. As I expected, on my first day eating from it, the food was delicious. The menu had so many delicious-sounding choices, but I could only pick one and went with the buffalo chicken mac ‘n cheese. I have never had anything like it before and it was fantastic. The cheese sauce of the macaroni was mixed with the spicy buffalo sauce giving everything a delicious taste. As I ate, I was disappointed to see the cup’s contents slowly lower. It was a great lunch and a delightful change of pace from my usual bag lunch. Now, I can’t wait until the next chance I get to purchase another great meal from Paladar. Wesley M.

Patrick R. Peanut Butter and Jelly Peanut butter and Jelly sandwiches are a timeless creation that helps kids these days who are “picky eaters” survive. The salty and sweet flavors combine to make a treat that you don’t have to feel guilty about eating. This treat hasn’t been around for all that long though. Although bread and jelly have been around for endless years, peanut butter spread was only first invented in 1890 and soon started to get noticed around 1904. Then between 1920 and 1930, the first commercial peanut butters were created, starting with Skippy and Peter Pan. With the creation of these an obsession over this sticky substance was born and it soon became a necessity in houses. By the 1940’s peanut butter had become so popular that it was put in soldiers rations, along with jelly and bread. Speculation puts around this time as the birth of the “PB&J.” Rumors say that a man by the name of Theodore Saltos invented the Peanut Butter and Jelly while serving as GI. This invention spread throughout America and many other parts of the world and it soon became one of the most popular meals. I believe that the reason the U.S. won World War II was because of a nationwide love for peanut butter and jelly that united America and revived the patriotism that it had not seen since the revolution. Similar to other things such as wine, cheese, and EA sports’ Madden NFL; the peanut butter and jelly sandwich got better over time. Other companies started creating new brands of both peanut butter and jelly that created a rivalry and a competitive atmosphere that forced the companies to put their best effort into their products. Better products were being put out and the companies were looking for an item to help them separate from the rest of the pack. In the 1970s Smuckers came out with an item that gave them that separation. It was a product called Goober Grape Peanut Butter & Jelly. Goober Grape Peanut Butter and Jelly is a jar that looks like it has zebra stripes inside because it has peanut butter AND jelly in it. This was so simple, yet so ingenious that it gave Smuckers the edge in peanut and jelly manufacturing because this idea was so appealing to Americans. Opening jars is hard, time- consuming, and sometimes lethal if you REALLY do it wrong. With this invention you only have to use one jar and one knife, a feat worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize if you ask me. However, people often overlook one of the biggest advantages of this fantastic creation. Because the peanut butter and jelly are administered at the same time, one side isn’t overloaded with one. Not only does this help the taste become more cohesive and tastier, but it keeps the jelly from soaking through the bread on one side. With the release of the Goober Grape Peanut Butter and Jelly, Smuckers had taken a commanding lead in the peanut butter and jelly industry, but the biggest question was would it last? The answer is absolutely. No company was able to even come close to matching the convenience and swagger that the Goober Grape combo literally brought to the table. However, Smuckers was able to put a dagger into the heart of any remaining competition with a new item called Uncrustables. Uncrustables are a sealed crust less sandwich that was created around 2006. Uncrustables are perfect for on the go eating because you don’t have to worry about the peanut butter or jelly leaking out and they fit perfectly in anyone’s hand. Once again; simple yet so brilliant. So, over the last about one hundred years, peanut butter and jelly has been embraced by all around the world and in return peanut butter and jelly has embraced us back. I believe that peanut butter and jelly is the universal language because all can relate to it and it brings a smile to everyone, particularly me.

            Food is easily the most important thing in society today. Not only is it critical for our nourishment and survival, but it is also critical for nearly all interpersonal interactions. Most things that we do involve food. We celebrate holidays with food, we use food to meet other people, and we use food to help us get to know each other better. As human beings we have very special needs that no other animal has. People can eat a tremendous variety of foods that come from tons of different places and climates. And finally we are the only animal that cooks its food.  This sounds like a disadvantage when you consider how much work cooking is, but in reality it may have allowed mankind to become so intelligent and powerful.

            Cooking today is a largely social experience. Families often cook together to bond, and as we all know how awesome cooking in groups in culinary class is. Cooking is basically group problem solving. A group has an objective, which is to cook the food, and they must use the tools around them to complete that objective. The social part of this requires good communication skills to effectively communicate with others, and the problem solving part is actually figuring out how to cook the food properly. So cooking requires excellent communication skills, as well as good problem solving skills. Now let’s look at the main things that separate us from animals: We have great communication skills that allow us to talk to each other in dozens of different languages, as well as unspoken body language. This communication has allowed us to form tribes, clans, and eventually civilizations and countries. Also, people have a very developed brain that allows for higher thinking and problem solving. This allowed us to create civilizations with laws and to defend ourselves from our enemies. So communication and problem solving were the skills that allowed mankind to create civilization, and those also happen to be the same skills required to cook in a group. Hmm interesting. So essentially cooking helped our monkey ancestors learn to speak and it helped them evolve bigger, smarter brains. And with these new brains and languages they continued to cook and while they were at it they decided to start creating civilizations and building pyramids. So essentially cooking is the reason why people are the dominant species on earth. Cooking is the most important thing that people have ever done. Cooking made us great, and as long as we keep cooking we will become even better.

Vikram M.

The other day in Culinary, as you all may know, we started the Cheese unit. On the first day we were suggested to try sixteen different types of cheeses, describe their tastes, and pick three of our favorites that would work to make the perfect homemade mac and cheese. Before this, I could honestly tell you that I could probably name about four different types of cheeses. This lesson opened my eyes to all of the foods that are out there that I could have no idea about. I proudly tasted everyone of the sixteen cheeses and can say that although some of them were very good, others could have been the worst thing that I have ever had, leaving a putrid taste in my mouth. I am a big fan of cheese and I thought that tasting all of these different types was extremely interesting. I think that it is cool that cheese is mostly made out of the same ingredients, but aging and storing it differently creates a whole new texture and or taste than the original. Tasting the different types of cheese also brought out many cultures. We tried cheeses from many different places around the world such as France, Holland, Italy, Mexico, and many more. In these different places, different types of cheeses are used for different things. For example, mozzarella and ricotta are used in many Italian dishes such as baked ziti and stuffed shells while pepper jack and cheddar are used in many Mexican plates such as quesadillas and enchiladas. When we tried the cheese one of my favorites that I had never heard of before was Camembert which is similar to Brie cheese with its smooth texture but doesn’t leave a big ammonium taste in your mouth afterwards. Also, doing this unit made me realize how big a part of my life cheese really is. Cheese can also work with any meal of the day. You can put cheese on omelets for breakfast or on your turkey sandwich like me for lunch. You could have a cheese stick for a small snack during the day and then finish off with lasagna for dinner. One of my all time favorite things with cheese in it is nachos. I eat them so often and they are so simple to make. The warm, stringy texture laid upon the salty chips is the perfect combination and just melts in my mouth, flawless. Nachos are pretty much the easiest thing to make, but without cheese they would not be nachos. They could be served as a small snack or appetizer or piled with other ingredients on top and serve as a proper meal, shown at many Mexican restaurants all around the world. Cheese is a lot of people’s favorite addition to almost any meal. You don’t notice how much it’s in your life until you eliminate it. My mom is lactose intolerant and cannot eat anything with cheese in it. This is hard when we make dinner because we always have to make an option for her that does not have cheese. The only downfall of cheese for many people is its fat content and price. The fancier the cheese the more expensive it is. I always wondered what makes one cheese more expensive than another since they all use similar materials. No matter the price, cheese is a staple in my diet.

Lindsey J

I know that last blog I also wrote about the traditional foods of my background, being Italian, so I thought that this time I should do the other side of the family. Food is obviously a big part of our lives. Although my mom is Italian, my dad is Czech and Irish. Because Easter was coming up, I thought that I would share my Easter traditions. One of the biggest and longest traditions that has been going on in my family is on Good Friday we make a special Easter bread called Paska. Paska is different than other breads because it has a sweeter taste. Usually my sisters come home from college for their break and since I am off school on that Friday we spend all day as a family making this special bread. We make about 6 loaves of it and then over the weekend we bring it everywhere we go. My mom freezes it and we bring it out on other occasions as well. Making Paska is a long process but it is worth it in the end. We use the ingredients like most breads of flour, sugar, salt, yeast, milk, eggs and butter. We combine all of the dry ingredients together first and then scoop out a hole in the middle. Then in a separate bowl we dissolve the yeast in water and pour that water into the hole of the dry ingredients. We then let that sit in a warm oven for about fifteen minutes. When the yeast bubbles, we mix in the wet ingredients. This gets mixed together with a dough hook and kneaded together until it is not sticky. After the dough rests for two hours, it becomes three to four times its original size and this means that it is time to form the loaves of bread. To do this, you break the dough up into however many loaves you are willing to make and then break that into three pieces each. You have to braid each of the three smaller pieces together and then place them in circular baking bowls. It is funny when my sisters and I do this because we all of different techniques and each get our own loaf. After they are done we have competitions of whose Paska is the best. Although making Paska takes a lot of time and keeps us in all day, it is more than just making bread. The process of making this special Easter bread is a bonding experience for all of us and a family activity that helps us get ready for Easter. All of my cousins and aunts and uncles as well as my grandparents on my dad’s side of the family make Paska for Easter. I cannot wait until next week when we make Paska. During the two hours that we wait for the Paska to sit and rest we usually color eggs. We set up as many colors as we can and dip eggs in different patterns. There is also a prank that goes around my family every couple years that one of the eggs is not hard boiled. On Easter this gets put with all of the other eggs and it’s a disaster when someone gets it.

I think that it is very interesting how foods can bring people and cultures together. Easter is a universal holiday, yet there are so many different traditions that people do. Paska is a tradition that has been passed down for many years and it makes my grandmother so happy to see all of us continue it down from generation to generation. I really enjoy taking culinary because it expands my view on foods and cultures. Sharing my traditions with others will open it up for them to share theirs with me. 

Lindsey J.

Food can come from many different places. It can come from Italy (pasta), Spain (Spanish rice), America (Hot Dogs), and New Zeland (Kiwi). As you can see there is no limit on where food can come from. Every place has some kind of different food. There can be many different varieties of food. Some can be spicy, some can be sweet, some can be salty, and some can be juicy. Some people have different tastes in a lot of different foods. Some people can eat really spicy things; some people can eat sweet things and so on. Me, personally I can’t eat spicy things and cant eats some sweet things. I am a very picky eater. I don’t like things like gummy bears, peppers, veal, and even yogurt. I have tried these things many times but I can’t seem to bring myself to like them. I don’t like gummy bears because of how chewy they are. I don’t like peppers because the taste that they can leave in our mouth is so gross to me. I don’t like veal just because it has a very unique type of taste and I always refuse to eat it. And last I don’t really like yogurt because well I don’t like the taste of it. As you can see I can’t seem to like the way that anything tastes. But just because I don’t like the way that things taste doesn’t mean I don’t like to cook it. I have loved to cook food ever since I was about 5-6 years old. Food has so many different textures. Some food can have a texture of being really hard, really soft, chewy, and crunchy. Some food textures can be mixed to make other creations of food. It is complete amazing how you can take a bunch of ingredients and put them into a bowl or on the stove to cook it and to make it something completely different but still very good.
Jessica D.

Over the weekend I visited Dartmouth, and around lunchtime, I asked the local students where they recommended I go to eat, and they gave me some pretty typical answers. They suggested small restaurants that gave you as much food as possible, and since I was on a budget, that was pretty appealing to me. I chose to go to a pretty popular place. The restaurant was a small burrito place called Boloco, it was pretty similar to a Chipotle, and from what I had heard it was just as good if not better. I walked into the store expecting a pretty standard lunch, kind of like a taco bell or something. When I walked in and looked at the menu I was pleasantly surprised.
Some of the options were traditional like their classic Mexican burrito with beans rice, salsa and chicken, but there were tons of options from barbecue to Asian teriyaki to Mediterranean. I scanned the menu wanting to get something interesting, I considered the Cajun with cajun chicken, salsa, black beans, rice, and sour cream. I pondered the possibility of enjoying the tikka masala burrito with brown rice, and authentic chicken tikka masala, but finally I settled on the most unique sounding option, the Bangkok Thai, juicy chicken, with Asian slaw, cucumbers, brown rice, and a Thai peanut sauce. It sounded adventurous. It sounded delicious.
Even the soda there was unique, instead of a regular soda machine, it had a touch screen. You could choose from like 10 different drinks and then choose a flavor to add to it. I saw this as another opportunity. I sampled fruit punch and lime Fanta, both of which were gross, and I tried cherry vanilla coke which wasn’t so bad, but I ended up doing what I always did before. Mixing. I got a half a cup of grape sprite and a half a cup of raspberry Fanta, a delicious reddish purple cup of creativity. I guess you can be adventurous with food no matter where you decide to go.
http://boloco.com/
Vikram M

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Growing up in my house, there are a lot of traditions involving food around Easter time. My family always eats either lamb or ham as the main course, lasagna on the side, and a variety of green vegetables and roasted potatoes to compliment the Easter feast. But, there are always also a bunch of delicious desserts to enjoy altogether as a family. One of my favorites is a recipe my mom likes to call “Knot Cookies”.
My mom learned to make these cookies from her own grandma, so they’ve been in the family for a long time. The cookies are plain, soft, and doughy folded in a similar shape to a pretzel. But after they bake and cool off, we always frost the cookies with a watery confectioner’s sugar glaze and top off each cookie with rainbow colored sprinkles to make them look festive.
Each year, a few days before Easter, my mom, older sister, and I put a whole afternoon aside to create these cookies with care. It is a fairly long process, because the dough needs to be mixed and then let rise for about an hour, then each cookie needs to be tied individually to match in size. Next, the cookies have to bake for about fifteen minutes before cooling off and getting frosted. This may not seem like a lot, but that is not the end of our whole afternoon: we make about six batches of the Knot Cookies so we can divide them among friends and family members while still enjoying a plate to ourselves.
The cookies are a quick but yummy snack. I can eat them for a light breakfast, or bring them to school to share as a unique snack that all my friends love. I always look forward to this tradition around Easter time, in my mind it makes the season more fun and gets spring off to a good start!
Colleen F.

I would have to say that cullinary is my favorite class. I feel that cooking food is something that I've always enjoyed, but never really been good at. I love eating healthy food. Deserts is an acception though. Coming into cullinary I had the cooking skills of a high school student. Popcorn, pb and j sandwiches, and microwavable dinners. Ever since my first day of cullinary class, a whole new world opened up for me, and I am so happy. Last night I made cranberry orange muffins, with flax seeds, and chia seeds. Since I enjoy healthy eating, I enjoy healthy cooking. I made them without butter, whole wheat flour, and organic turbinado sugar. I also made almond butter cups since they are my dads favorite deserts. The newest thing I tried out was Mac and Cheese with a rue, and cheddar cheese, and a Avacado milkshake with raw caoca powder, and agave nectar. I have also been trying out with different ingredients, such as bak choy, and watercress. I made homemade edamame hummus which was to die for. I will always look up recipes online, and cook for my neighbors. I will literally have people drive over to my house to eat the food I am making. My favorite thing to eat that I make is my homemade rasberry oat bars. They are delicious. I also make homemade granola, and am known for my cupcakes. I don't know if I want to make cullinary a profession, but cooking is something that I absoloutley love to do, and don't see myself slowing down, or getting sick of it anytime soon. I love being able to make other people happy with the food I present. I also love cooking healthy, since my whole family is constantlly eating healthy. I feel that through this cullinary program in the school we are learning more then how to make "oatmeal, or sandwiches" we are making crepes, pasta dishes, and burgers. I am so happy that I am apart of this, and I want to take advance next year.

In February i didnt really have any experiences with food. but i baked cupcakes and cinnamon biscuits. i made cupcakes which were for my boyfriends birthday. they were yellow cake with chocolate frosting on top. the biscuits that i made. i made with my dad. they were my favorite ever since i was little. i used to make them all the time with my grandma when i was young and slept at her house in norwalk. now my dad will make them every few weeks on sunday morning. i love waking up to the smell of them
Kelly B

A couple weeks ago, my Dad and I decided to take a day trip down to New Haven to try out Louis’ Lunch, the birthplace of the hamburger. The restaurant is basically a little 15x10 foot shack with a pair behind-the-counter vertical grills, packed to the teeth with people. We had to wait an hour just to get inside, and another half hour just to make it to the counter. It was almost impossible to maneuver through the sea of people who were waiting around for their orders to be filled. The minute you got out of your seat, somebody else took it. Anyway, after an hour and a half of waiting we finally got to put our order in. You could order some potato salad in a cup to hold you over until your burger was done, and that was pretty much it. Your choices for toppings were cheese, tomato, or onion, and you could choose from a small collection of sodas to drink from. After we ordered, we sat around for another good hour or so until our burgers were done, and they were worth the wait. I had never had a burger cooked medium rare before, but I decided to stray away from my usual well-done burger. I figured since there were no condiments available (the owners of the establishment view the use of condiments as a mortal sin), a well done burger would be extremely dry, and I’m glad I ordered it a little undercooked. It was probably the best burger I had ever eaten. I don’t know if it was a placebo affect that had me raving about it or if it was actually that good, but it was the tastiest, simplest burger I had ever eaten. I recommend everybody go there at least once in their life to experience the original hamburger, despite the grueling waiting time.

Frankie B.

I would have to say that my favorite food to eat is pizza, which is my go to food. No matter what time of day I can always go for a slice of pizza. But It has to be warm, I can not eat cold pizza, some people can but I cant. That just isn’t me. My favorite types of pizza would have to be cheese, pepperoni or sausage pizza. Those are all great choices to have but there is one more type of pizza that I would occasionally have is bacon pizza. Very good but gets old really fast. My favorite pizza place I would have to say would be Papa Al’s off exit 9. Very nice pizza thin crust pizza which isn’t my favorite but it gets the job done. My favorite type of pizza is thick crust with some cheese in the bread. Might sound nasty but it is good, don’t knock it till you try it. I would say I have pizza one to two times a week each time different. But my favorite food easily is pizza. Easily
Jack C

I love how this year in culinary I have expanded my horizons and cooked things using different ingredients in every food group that I had never combined before. Before I took Culinary I and II this year, I found myself always returning to the same few go-to snacks or meals when I had to prepare something for myself. In the past, I had always prepared either a simple cheese omelet, wrap, or one of a few soups from a can. After taking Culinary, I realized how quick and efficient some snacks can be while still tasting unique and delicious. For example, I really enjoyed when our groups prepared light, fluffy-yet-crispy crepes with a little jelly filling. Also, our groups prepared buttermik bisquits that, although a little more involved and time-consuming, can be made pretty spur of the moment. With these short but amazing recipes at hand, I have increased my variety of snacks and options when I am bored of the same old foods.

Speaking of stepping out of my food-comfort-zone, even at restaurants I find myself being more adventourous when ordering off the menu. One time where I tried something I was unsure of but wound up LOVING was Duck Con’fit in Fire Island. The tender, juicy dark meat with melt-in-your-mouth breadcrumb crust was so good that I could not wait to order it every time I saw it on any menu. Overall, Culinary has opened my eyes to trying new things that in the past may have sounded gross or a strange combination. You never know… this new food item may turn out to be your favorite meal of all time!
Colleen F

I had a bit of trouble writing this entry for the culinary blog because I had never done this before. Finally I came up with the idea to do an entry on holiday food since my mom’s side of the family is so Italian; we have a lot of traditions. For example, on Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, and many general family meals we always have artichokes and lasagna. The artichokes are a big thing in my family because when my grandmother makes them they taste so good and are rare because they take so much effort and a lot of time to make. When my mom makes them, they are a special treat. First off, she has to find good ones at the store and they are not always available. When she finds them she then has to wash them and pull apart the leaves. After this she puts a lot of bread crumbs, spices, and other things deeps down in the leaves, like filling the crevices of a layered flower. She then puts them in a round, deep pan with oil and water and they have to cook for around three or more hours. They sit and simmer in the liquid and every now and then we have to baste them to keep them moist. Everyone in my family says that the best part of the artichoke is the “heart”. At the very end after you pull off all of the leaves; there is a mushy, moist middle. Now, this does not sound too appetizing right now, but if you tried it, you would know why my family fights over the extras. It is funny when my mom occasionally makes them for dinner, like on my birthday, and my friends have never seen them and don’t know what to do with them. My family has to teach them how to bite the leaves and pull off the stuffing and at the end which parts you are allowed to eat and which parts are sharp and you shouldn’t eat.

Another thing that we make along with artichokes that my mom always loves to make is her lasagna. She makes it thick with a lot of sauce and cheese. First she makes a mixture of ricotta cheese, eggs, mozzarella cheese, and a little bit of parmesan cheese. Next, she puts a thin layer of sauce along the bottom of a baking pan and then she tops it with one layer of lasagna noodles and then the cheese mixture and the sauce on top of this. She then repeats this for at least three times. After the last layer of sauce, she tops it with the remaining mozzarella cheese and sprinkles it with parmesan and oregano. My mom covers the top with tinfoil and bakes it in the oven for about 45 minutes, then takes the top off and lets it bake for another 15- 20 minutes, until it melts in your mouth. Although, it is a simple recipe, this is a common recipe in my household and it made very often and for all of the holidays with my mom’s side of the family.

Lindsey J.

I have always had trouble finding foods to eat for breakfast. Generally when I wake up every morning I don't have all that much time until I have to go out and catch my bus. This left me with little time to make breakfast so I normally ate cereal which is altogether ubiquitous in my household. This may not seem a problem, but in my house we really only have cereals that are packed with sugar, and my problem is that I eat a lot. So, about three or four years ago I decided I wanted to begin to transition into eating healthy in order to be in better shape. This transition started with me requesting that we start to stock healthier cereals in my house such as special K. This method lasted me a few years and I did indeed get into better shape, but after a couple years of only eating cereal you start to get sick of it.

About this time is when my cousin, Alex, introduced me to bagels. Of course I had had bagels before, but few and far apart. After I was reintroduced to them I began to eat them frequently because they were quick and easy and they tasted good. Just like cereal, this only lasted me a couple years before I exhausted my compassion for bagels. After this I transitioned into Bacon, Egg, and Cheese's. This had always been my breakfast food of choice, but it was quite a hassle to run out and buy one or to make one because bacon takes so long to cook. However, I was not to be kept away from Bacon, Egg, and Cheese's this Summer. Often times I would wake up and spend the next couple hours making these delicacies for everyone in my household. Another way I would ensure that I got a Bacon, Egg, and Cheese was by running a half a mile to and from the general store in the morning in order to buy two of these for $2.66 if you get them before 11 in the morning.

However, I am always looking to find more ways to have a filling and tasty breakfast in the morning by experimenting different food combinations. One of these combinations is a bagel with cheese, hash browns, and egg on top which is good, but I would like some more meat on it.

Pat R.