Hello World

Now who starts a blog and then disappears. i so apologize for my abrupt departure. I will be posting here, BUT I do have another weekly post on another website now. Make sure that you all check me out every Friday at www.thehisandhershow.com my site section is called Choppin It Up, and clearly I will be doing a lot of talking about food and everything else. I apologize for alerting you all about my newest venture, but be sure to check it out, cause it is an advise column, as well as me throwing recipes out there for you all to try.

Please continue to follow me, and I hope you all enjoy all that I have in store. Play Wit It.

xoxo,

Steph Sa`Ja

Zucchini Casserole

A few weeks back in class, one of my fellow Culinarians made a Zucchini Casserole. When I say it was good, I was beyond shocked at how good it was. I have never been a fan of Zucchini, but after tasting that dish I was pleased, and made an up-beat personal version. 

Ingredients:

1 C Mayo

1 Carrot (Julienned )

1 Onion (diced)

3 Medium Zucchini (medium sliced)
1 C Cheddar cheese

1/2 C Mozzarella cheese

1/2 C Muenster cheese

1/3 C Parmesan cheese

1 Egg

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 Cup bread Crumbs

1 Tsp Salt

1 Tsp Pepper

1 Garlic Clove Minced

Directions:

Mix breadcrumbs and Parmesan separately, and set aside. Hand mix all other ingredients in a large bowl, and transfer to a greased baking dish. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over casserole, and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

The final product is not only a delicious concoction of cheesy goodness, but all of the flavors of the vegetables equally shine though. The side can be pared with anything from fried chicken, to baby back ribs. It can also be served as a meal for those vegetable lovers.  

I will be posting more recipes for those that love to try new things, and if there are any suggestions, and or requests for recipes, feel free to let me know.

"Haute Cuisine," & "Haute Fashion"

Just the title alone raises eyebrows. "Haute" or high, describes the food or fashion being of quality. Quite ironic how where ever their is fashion, there is food, but all of the models are skinny as ... (I'm attempting to keep the blog PG-13 Please excuse me if I slip up on occasion. LOL!) Fashion and food go hand in hand, and that is proven its self prevalent throughout the ages. Just think back to when The United States was "THE NEW WORLD," and all of the cattle, and new staples were brought here. The Native Americans used cattle not only for food, but for the clothes on their back. I am sitting here laughing to my self because clearly women in those days wanted to look sexy for their men, and the first thing that pop's into my head is cattle hide lingerie. Moving forward to the middle ages when sheep were eaten more widely, and their wool was used for clothing, insulation, protection... Not only was the food prepared in manners fit for nobility, but the use of its wool, provided not only warmth, but allowed people to look good, with its ability to be colored, and shaped in any way.

Not seen as visible as it was back then, but the two still go hand in hand. Actually - I take that back - they may be more extreme now then ever. One can turn on the discovery channel, or tlc, and watch models walking down freezing cold runways covered in chocolate, sugar etc. Even crazier is how the models walking down the runways probably have no clue the history behind what they are wearing, and how that simple item (chocolate), and its introduction to explorers from the old world completely changed the face of history.

Be it food, or fashion, Haute is Haute! And despite disputing opinion's, they do mirror each other in many ways, people like to eat good, and like to look good too... "PLAY WIT IT™"

Fresh, Frozen, and Preserved!

Convenience has become a way of life in American cuisine and culture. From fast food to homemade, shortcuts have been the way to go for years now. As I stated in my introduction, I am a culinary student, and I get to bring home lots of free fresh food. From fresh herbs, to fresh quality meats, and vegetables. My Master Chef does not like to waste anything, so to my refrigerator it all goes, then ceremoniously prepared, and in my mouth. LOL!


Prior to attending culinary school, my mindset was "how can I get this done in the quickest, cheapest way, and it still taste good; clearly that meant, at that time, that everything was frozen - and microwaveable- or preserved for quick preparation. Now-a-days I think more along the lines of nutrition facts - sodium intake, carbs, protein etc. Frozen foods are OK sometimes, but I much prefer to get fresh items as I need them; not only does it prevent waste, but fresh wholesome foods just taste so much better. In freezing you have to be concerned about freezer burn, and don't think just because the food is not sitting in the freezer for eons that it wont freezer burn, because it can. I must confess, I do at times find myself cheating on my love affair with fresh foods with the new steam-able vegetable packs. YES I do cheat LOL, but only when I'm short of time. I am not saying that all frozen foods are bad, but buying meat in bulk and freezing it is not the way to go. Just think how old the meat already is once you put it in your cart. Then count the time that its going to sit in your freezer before you cook it. That goes for fruits and vegetables. Apples for instance, are they fresh? Research proves NOPE they aren't. We are actually eating last years apples this year. How ironic. Fresh apples a year later.


Almost everything that we eat is pumped with preservatives to make them last longer, and  crazy chemicals to make them grow larger. Now natural preservatives, are one thing, but these chemical additives that keep food looking the same exact way they look when purchased FIVE YEARS LATER is a bit insane to me. Sad thing is, the FDA approves all of these harmful things that we ingest, knowing good and well that they are not good for us. "Go Organic," is what some may say, though in The United States, there is no full 100% organic product. You can let the cows graze on grass, but what about the water they drink? I'm rambling... (Something that you will get use to :) ) All in all, Fresh is best in my opinion.

Who WOulda ThUNK???

SOoooooo, going back to college after the age of 25 is not a game. Since returning I have been carrying an 18 credit course load each quarter, due to my REFUSAL to be in college for a full 4 years. I SIMPLY JUST CANT DO IT! I love Love LOVE being in Culinary School, but who would have ever Thunk it would be so darn hard! The culinary part of it all is the easy part, but the management of a hospitality/restaurant/catering establishment is the kicker. Focus is my motivating word when I awake every morning to drive 20 miles into the city, to sit in these 4 hour classes, that honestly are completely redundant.

This quarter I'm in Garde' Manger (basically a class that teaches us mass production in a banquet type setting), Gastronomy (The study of food and culture), Quality Service Management, and Legal issues and Ethics for Culinarians. Surprisingly out of all of the classes, the classes (to me at least) that have the most boring names are the most interesting - Gastronomy, and the Legal class. I am a very vocal person, and my voice MUST be heard at all times, so being able to share experiences, opinions, and thoughts on an amalgam of topics lights my dry 18 hour days up tremendously.

Some of my fellow Culinarians and I.

My 6th quarter at The Art Institute of Washington is coming close to an end - in 5 weeks anyway, and I am in dire need of a break. I (thanks to my continual academic excellence, and staying on the presidents honor roll) I get to register early for classes, and have already made my choices. Since I have been doing 18 credits a quarter I have decided to up it, so that my graduation date will be closer; I have decided to (despite constant opposition) take 24 credits. No no no, I will not be in class all day long, two of them are on the weekend, and actually split; one the first half of the quarter, and the other the second. There is my drive right there! I want to do so many things, so since I did not do it early in life I have to do it NOW! :)

My Introduction

Well, well, well, I'm ...  and this is my first blog. I have never really done anything like this before, outside of having a Facebook page, but that was more updates on my life to the world than anything. Sooooo, a little about me; I am a 28 year old culinary student at the Art Institute of Washington, majoring in Culinary Management. My life has been a world wind of smiles, laughs, disappointments, love, frowns, and clearly the list can go on. I have come to a place in my life where I feel that I am focused, and driven, and able to love myself beyond all knowing.  

I would like to say that this blog will be solely about me following my dreams (cooking), but it is not; it will be about me. My Life. My experiences, pitfalls and all. Just opening up thus far has been interesting. I could go on and on, but I have forever to blog your minds so I will leave it at that for now. I hope you all enjoy my posts, and I always welcome feedback, good and bad; man with tough skin here. :)