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.