End of the Year Update (2011): Culinary School, Jobs, and the Blog

You may want to get a snack or a drink before you sit down and start reading this, because there's a lot to catch you up on. A lot...

The weekend before Christmas, I spent three-and-a-half glorious days with my boyfriend and friends in Greenville, SC—we ate, drank, roamed around downtown, and attended a beautiful wedding and reception for two college friends (she was in my sorority and he was in John's fraternity—fun connection to have!).

Me and John at the wedding

It was the perfect way to help close out the year, except for the fact that I left for home on that Monday with a cold. I got through two days of work and last minute Christmas shopping before heading out of town to visit my grandmothers and family for Christmas. Ever since I was a little girl, we've always spent Christmas Eve with my paternal grandmother, and Christmas day with my maternal grandmother and the handful of aunts, uncles, and cousins I have on that side of the family. This year was a little different, though still a lot of fun, but, unfortunately for me, my cold transformed into a severe sinus infection, which I'm still battling now.

 

There were no hours available for me to pick up at Macy's this week, so I had grand plans of using this week to buckle down on my job search, cook a ton of new dinners, and try out my brand new creme brulee torch, but I can't really focus on anything for more than a few minutes and I have absolutely no sense of taste (as a lover of food and cooking, this is absolutely killing me right now!), so all of those options are out. Sitting here now in my extremely muddled up bed (I haven't really been sleeping well—I can't breathe at all through my nose), my nose red and raw and my lips dry and cracked, I figured now would be a good time to write an update post, since I'm not really able to do much else and the blog is in dire need of an update, so here we go...

On Culinary School...
Back in October, I spent a long weekend in Greenville, SC, back for my first college Homecoming. I hung out at the football game (we won, against Wofford, so that was pretty cool), dined out with friends, did a little bar-hopping, and caught up with former classmates. I planned my visit so that I'd have that following Monday and Tuesday to drive up through North Carolina and visit the two Art Institutes I've been researching and considering applying to for the culinary arts program. One school is located in Charlotte, a city I'm totally smitten with since returning home from my visit, and the other is located in Durham, a city a little further away from friends and family than I'd like but that still has some interesting sites to see and activities to do. Each school was housed in a nice building, with clean, light-filled (they had windows!) kitchens, good facilities, and an array of students. The Art Institute of Charlotte is located back in a wooded, beautifully landscaped business park, built next to a small pond and fountain and surrounded by trees. The kitchens looked a little smaller than the kitchens I take classes in now, but they had big windows that faced out onto trees and greenery, and they had viewing windows that allow people in the hallway inside to look in at what's going on in the kitchens (I got to see a chef demonstrating how to make a variety of sushi rolls and sashimi in the main kitchen, and watched students work on making apple pies in the bake shop). The Art Institute of Raleigh-Durham (located in Durham) was similarly set up, but had a very unique building space—it, along with many other businesses, design firms, and restaurants, is located inside a renovated tobacco factory/warehouse, creating a really unique class space that's fresh and new (the renovations took place just a few years ago). Both schools had a lot to offer, but having been unemployed up until just a week or so before this trip (I got hired as a part time, contingent sales associate in the women's shoe department at my local Macy's at the beginning of October), and having lived at home with my parents for many months, my views on culinary school had been changing. I absolutely loved my culinary classes at my local community college—in fact, I'm taking a baking class there this spring—and I love to work with food. Food and cooking are incredibly important to me, but I've really had to rethink how I want and need to incorporate them into my life. When I first started thinking about culinary school, I think I was attracted to the idea of escaping the real world for a little longer and of having a reason to get of my parent's house (yes, a job would do this too, but I wasn't thinking about that then). I knew I would love it, and as I worked through my culinary classes, I realized that I would more than likely be pretty good at it too...in fact, I still believe that—I believe I would love culinary school and excel at it—but when I gave it real thought and considered my reasons for going or not going as well as the pros and cons, I realized that I don't want to go to culinary school, and I don't need culinary school for what I want to do. I want to be a freelance food writer, but I don't want to do that full time. I want to cook and bake as much as I can, but I don't need to go to culinary school to do that. I've taken culinary classes, so I know I'll never look back and regret not going to culinary school, because I did, even if only for a few semesters, and I loved it. I want to get a job. I want to move. I want to cook and bake in my very own apartment. I don't need to go to culinary school to do any of these things. So, that is perhaps the biggest update and the most important: I am not going to apply or attend culinary school, beyond taking classes at the community college while I'm still living at home.

On Getting a "Real" Job...
While I do want to do some freelance work as a food writer, that's all it would be: freelance. Not full time, not stable. I want to do it for fun and this blog is a good place to start. To be honest, my dream job would be to work on a food magazine, but I'd be happy simply working on almost any sort of small publication (preferably not newspapers though—not a fan of that style of writing). I'm also interested in publishing (it would be great to get involved with book publishing—it's changing so much now!) and I'm considering other options, like PR and Advertising, and I'm researching beyond even those possibilities. Being an English major is hard, because it doesn't lead you toward a particular career, but it's great because it gives you options because of the skills you learn for that degree. My biggest hang up with this whole job thing was deciding where to go—my boyfriend, John, is in law school in Memphis, but I wasn't too excited about living there on my own; I love Greenville, where I went to school, but there aren't a lot of jobs opportunities relating to what I want to do there; and really, all I knew was that I wanted to be down South. After a lot of thought, and discussion with John and friends and family, I've decided to look primarily at Charlotte, NC and look a little bit at Charleston, SC and Greenville (hey, something may just pop up there...who knows.). I was really impressed with the Charlotte area when I visited in October—there are a lot of job opportunities there, it's close to friends and not too terribly far from family, and I think it would be a great place to start off. I've been to Charleston many times and love it (except for that intense humid heat in the summertime)—I know a ton of people there, it's a great city, and John and I have both talked about living there someday when we're married because it has so much to offer, but I'm thinking Charleston will come later in life. So, this is what I know: I want to focus my job search on Charlotte (and check out Charleston and Greenville too; I'm also open to other places if I find a great opportunity) and I'm primarily looking at jobs in the publishing industry and jobs involving small publications.

On Updating the Blog...
When I first started this blog, I envisioned it as a place for me to share recipes, restaurant reviews, and cooking tips, with room to grow and incorporate the "reading" and "writing" in the title by possibly including book reviews and the occasional literary-themed post. What it turned into was a collection of recipes and a few random non-recipe posts, and looking back on that, it makes me feel a little disappointed. Yes, my readership has grown and I've gotten positive feedback, but I want to give my readers more. I've been busy with work and class, but not so busy that I can't find time to update more than once a week and add in some new posting topics. My new goal is to start branching out and posting more often and about more things. I want to have at least one, maybe two, "theme" days that will hold me accountable and ensure that I post every week, even during the weeks when I have no time or energy to cook. I love the idea of a "Techniques Tuesday," a post with cooking tips and techniques that would go up every Tuesday. Recipes are great, but if you don't know how to properly handle food and employ common cooking techniques, you're going to have a hard time recreating recipes and creating your own. I continue to educate myself in the kitchen each time I cook or bake and I think it's important to educate my readers. I also want to share a little more about my life. I don't want my blog to be "me, me, me" because, frankly, I don't like blogs like that, and I don't really need my readers to know every little thing about me, but I do want to share personal anecdotes a little more often—just a short post here and there to break the monotony of recipe after recipe (though you should still check out the recipes!). I also kind of like the idea of incorporating in some sort of book reviews or something like that to tie into the rest of my blog title, but I'm still working through what I want to do, if anything—review food blogs? Or food-related books and magazines? Or any sort of book that I read? I'll figure it out. So, you, the reader, should expect more updates in this new year and more variety in my posts. It's going to take some time to make the change, but I really want to improve my blog, and in turn, improve my writing and my cooking skills.

Well, I've written entirely too much and, during the time I've taken to write this, my nose has decided to accept that it really needs to drain, so now I've got this great runny-stuffy nose thing going on, and I think a bubble bath might be just the thing I need right now. I'm not sure when I'll be over this sinus infection and able to cook again, but you can bet there's going to be a slew of new recipe posts in the next few weeks after I'm better. Be on the lookout for more baking recipes, because I'll be learning a lot in my Bake 1 class, and stay tuned for those "Technique Tuesday" posts and maybe another themed post. Thanks for all of the support and please feel free to Like my Facebook page or add yourself as a follower directly on the blog.

Recipe: Honey Sesame Chicken with Steamed Vegetables and Rice

Finally!—A night that I don't have work and my parents are both home, and thus a chance to make dinner! I looked through my "Recipes to Try" pinboard on Pinterest earlier today to find a recipe for tonight's dinner and this quick and simple honey sesame chicken recipe was the winner. It was easy to change to suit my needs and it gave me a chance to use up some carrots and snow peas that have been slowly aging in our fridge. Most of the ingredients are things you probably have in your pantry or fridge already—sesame seeds, soy sauce, honey, cornstarch—so you shouldn't have to do too much shopping to make this meal.

Please ignore the Christmas-themed plate. :D Working on getting some plain white plates soon.

Serves: 4
Prep. time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• 3 tbsp. honey
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce (I use low-sodium)
• 2 tbsp. sesame seeds
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1-2 tsp. sesame oil, plus a little to add to the pan 
• 1-2 tbsp. vegetable/canola oil (or enough to lightly coat the bottom of a pan)
• 3-4 green onions/scallions, thinly sliced
• Approx. 1/2 - 1 cup carrots, peeled and cut into rounds or cut into 1/2 inch-thick slices (if you use baby carrots, cut them in half lengthwise)
• Approx. 1/2 - 1 cup snow peas, cleaned (there's a little stringy bit on the straight side of the pea that should be peeled off)
• Approx. 1 - 1&1/2 cups dry white rice (or enough to make 3-4 cups cooked)

Directions
In a deep, medium-sized pot, bring lightly salted water to a boil for the rice, and cook the rice according to package instructions (the rice I used was just a basic white rice that cooks in 20 minutes). In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg and corn starch until well-blended, then place the pieces of chicken in the bowl and stir to coat. In a separate bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, sesame seeds, sesame oil, and garlic until well-blended—this will be the sauce for the dish. In a large pan, heat the vegetable oil and a splash of sesame oil over medium-high heat, then add the chicken, being careful not to get too much of the egg-and-corn starch mixture in the pan. As the chicken cooks, any excess mixture will thicken and add a sort of coating to the chicken—this is okay. Cook the chicken until just about cooked through (about 7-10 minutes) and golden brown all over, then add in the green onions and pour the sauce over the mixture. In the meantime, place the carrots and just a few drops of water in a microwaveable dish with a lid and steam in the microwave for 3 minutes. Add the snow peas in and cook for another minute. DO NOT overcook the veggies—steaming them for too long WILL make them mushy. When the veggies are cooked, add them into the chicken mixture. Add a little cornstarch-and-water mixture to the pan if you want to thicken up the sauce a bit, and feel free to add in a little more honey and/or soy sauce to create more sauce. Serve the chicken and vegetables over the white rice.

This dish, like many I've shared on my blog, is quick and easy to pull together and it's so delicious. The sauce is sweet, but savory and the cornstarch-and-egg coating adds a little texture to the chicken. The vegetables add great color to the mix and the white rice is the perfect neutral background for the dish.

Recipe: "Date Night" Chocolate Cakes

Two things led me to these delicious, quick-bake, mini chocolate cakes: 1) The desire to recreate the fantastic little warm, gooey chocolate cake that my friends and I enjoyed on our 2011 spring break cruise (pretty sure I ordered it four nights in a row) and 2) the continual pop-up of Nigella Lawson's "Chocohotopots" recipe online when I'd search for quick-bake chocolate cake recipes (seriously, I think her "chocohotopots" thing is a big deal in the food world because I've seen the recipe everywhere and everyone always raves about how good it is). I worked late last night and all I wanted to do when I got home was curl up on the big, comfy leather couch in the basement and watch a movie on the big screen. I had a major craving for chocolate and thought, "What the hell? Why not try to make those "chocohotopot" things? Who cares if it's 10:30PM and I'm not actually having a date night"...so I made them, and I'm so glad I did. The original recipe makes 4 servings, and it's a little hard to halve because you have to kind of guess on measurements a bit (which you're really not supposed to do with baked goods), but I halved it anyway, and ended up with two perfectly cooked, warm, chocolate cakes (which meant I got to eat one after lunch today). They have this amazing quality of being both gooey and soft on the inside, and chewy around the edges like a freshly-baked brownie, and they are absolutely amazing with a drizzle of caramel or fresh strawberry slices. I call them "Date Night" chocolate cakes because they're the perfect dessert for two, but you could easily double the recipe (i.e. make the original) and serve them as a regular dessert after dinner. And yes, I realize I did not have my own date night last night, but who cares—they're delicious! :) All together, these cakes take just 30 minutes to make, and they require only a handful of ingredients, so they're perfect when you need a really nice dessert but don't have the time to pull something fancy together, if you're a beginner in the kitchen, or if you just want to curl up with a nice dessert and a good movie.

 
Serves: 2
Prep. time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Special equipment: Small (about 1 cup size), ovensafe dishes (ceramic ramekins, like the Corningware brand dish pictured above, are perfect)

Ingredients

• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, plus about 1 tbsp. to butter the ramekins
• 2-2.5 oz. semisweet chocolate chips (I highly recommend Ghirardelli brand)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup plus half of a 1/4 cup granulated sugar (fill up a 1/4 cup, then fill it up again only halfway—I know it's not precise, but just watch carefully and you'll be fine)
• 1 tbsp. of plus 1/2 tbsp. all-purpose flour (do that same thing as above: fill up a tbsp., then fill a tbsp. halfway)
• Caramel, powdered sugar, or sliced strawberries for garnish, if desired

Directions
Place a small baking sheet in the oven and preheat the oven to 400*F. Butter the ramekins (rub a pat of butter around inside the ramekins) with the 1 tbsp. butter. In a microwave, gently melt the chocolate and butter together in a bowl (heat in 25-30 second increments, stirring after each time, until the mixture is melted but not burnt). Set aside to cool. In another bowl, whisk together the egg, sugar, and flour, then add in the cooled butter and chocolate mixture and mix until thoroughly blended. Divide the mixture between the two buttered ramekins. Bake for approx. 20 minutes, until the tops are slightly cracked and the chocolate cake is moist-looking inside. The ramekins and cake will be very hot, so let them cool slightly, and serve the ramekins on a plate, so you don't burn yourself on them. Garnish with a drizzle of caramel sauce, a dusting of powdered sugar, or some slices of strawberries.

Perfect

These cakes are so easy and quick to pull together and, for the little amount of effort and ingredients involved, they turn out incredibly well. Using semisweet chocolate makes them rich and decadent, but their small size makes you feel a little less guilty when you dive in. They are the kind of thing you can make any time of day, whether you just want a little cake with your afternoon tea or you want an easy dessert to serve after dinner. They're gooey, chewy, warm, melty, and oh-so-chocolatey and they're quite possibly my new favorite dessert. You can eat them as is or dress them up with fancy garnishes and you can easily double the recipe or quadruple it to serve more people.

Recipe: Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage and Baby Broccoli Florets

This is one of the first Giada De Laurentiis recipes that I tried (from her Everyday Italian cookbook; I've made a few changes to it) and my boyfriend, John, and I quickly put it on our favorites list, frequently making it on weeknights when we were in college. John would peel the casings off of the sausage while I minced garlic and brought water to a boil for the pasta and broccoli, then he and I would work to pull the sausages apart into bite size pieces and toss them into a saute pan of hot olive oil. The whole meal pulls together in about 20 or 30 minutes and it reheats really well, which was always good for John and I, because that meant we always had lunch the next day. :)

Serves: 4-6
Prep. time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 1, 36 oz. (or close to that amount) bag frozen baby broccoli florets, slightly thawed
• 1 lb. orecchiette ("little hats") pasta, or medium conchiglie/shells
• A few tbsp. olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of a saute pan and then a little more to drizzle over the finished pasta)
• 1 package (about 5 links) hot Italian sausage, casings removed, with the meat pulled into bite-sized pieces
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• A few tbsp. butter or margarine (to mix in with the finished pasta)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Italian cheese, to taste

Directions
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions (about 12 minutes). When the timer for the pasta gets down to 4 or 5 minutes, add in the broccoli and cook it with the pasta. When done, drain the pasta and broccoli mixture, then return it to the pot. Add butter and olive oil to taste—enough to coat everything and create a very light "sauce."

In the meantime, heat olive oil in a large saute pan, then add the pieces of sausage and cook, stirring them around occasionally to make sure they cook evenly on all sides. Add the garlic in after a few minutes, and season the mixture with salt and pepper. Cook the sausage until it is all cooked through and slightly browned (about 10-15 minutes). Toss the sausage and all of the juices from the pan in with the pasta and broccoli mixture and stir to combine. Serve topped with Italian cheese.


This meal is so easy to make and it's packed with flavor. The hot Italian sausage adds spiciness and texture to the dish, and the broccoli adds color and a fresh flavor. Shell-shaped pasta like orecchiette or conchiglie are the perfect shape pasta for this dish—they're about the same size as the sausage pieces and broccoli, so you can easily get all three in a single mouthful. As I said in the intro, this dish reheats wonderfully, so it's great to make on a busy weeknight and even better to take to work or school the next day for lunch.