I used to just eat whatever was available. I used to eat at fast food places and go out to eat at franchise places. In going to culinary school and in changing my diet to a more whole foods healthy approach the tastebuds changed. Along the way I became a picky eater. Not so much picky about the veggies and fruits and meats and breads and grains and such but maybe a more sophisticated pallet has emerged. I don't eat out anymore. I just am really picky about the "junk food". As a matter of fact I rarely eat any junk food unless I make it at home my way. About the only thing I stop for anymore is a green chili burger but I don't get the fries and soda anymore. I get an iced tea instead. LOL We make almost everything at home now. We grill our own burgers now and make our own oven fries and we eat TONS of fruits and veggies every day. The smell of a fast food joint turns my stomach because my body has had better. It is so hard to eat at church dinners unless the cook has prepared it themselves and to eat at events and camps that I attend because it is just not good to me anymore.
I know, I am a food snob now. BUT I don't eat lobster and caviar. I eat affordable food that anyone can buy. It is how it is cooked or not cooked that matters to me now. I don't fry much anymore. We don't eat a lot of white flour products and we have acquired the taste for whole grains. They are DELICIOUS!!!
I have also become like my Daddy. I prefer my own cooking to just about anyone else's cooking. Not that other people cannot cook... that is not true but I have a way of knowing how I love it and that is how I cook it and then I truly enjoy what I eat that way. I guarantee if I eat something that is wonderful from someone else I certainly let them know. If I don't say anything some assume, and probably rightly so, that I did not love what they made but I will NEVER say it if they are kind enough to offer it. I don't want to be ugly. I merely want to show how I have changed. My pallet has changed and my tastes have changed and my cooking has changed.
There are lots of things that are even made at the culinary school by other students that is truly surprising, and not in a good way. I am amazed at how "in the box" they all think. Many menus planned by the students are limited to what they eat and what they grew up with. They do not branch out and use their skills to try to make new things. Am I perfect? Certainly not but I am willing to try and the results here at home have been quite favorable as I have branched out with our family's menus. I offer so many new things to them all the time. I love to find new foods and ingredients and try them all out on my family. Not everyone always likes what I make but I have yet to find a food my husband will not at least try. LOL He is a good man and typically loves everything I put in front of him. I know he is not just being nice because he wants seconds and then takes the leftovers to work without any prodding. He ASKS to take them! ;)
There are still things I have not cooked on my own. Seafood is one of those things we have not really learned much about at school so every time I make anything seafood in nature it is a grand experiment. I wish they had a fish class but they do not offer such a class now. It is an associates degree, after all, and they are limited. The culinary experience, for me, has just awakened something inside. I cannot get enough of learning more about food and nutrition. I cannot get enough of scouting out new ingredients, herbs and spices and ways of preparing them all. I have become a foodie, yes, but more than that.... a food connoisseur of sorts. I am on a lifelong quest for the perfect way to make a pie or to find the recipe for the best macaroni and cheese you have ever put in your mouth. I love food... food is life.... food is a part of everything we do. Food is how we celebrate and grieve and it is an intricate part of every single culture on the planet. Food sustains our very life and nourishes both body and soul.
One of my favorite things about food is it's amazing ability to bring up a memory. Memories from my childhood keep me eating certain foods such as a peanut butter and plum jelly sandwich with a small bag of Fritos and a Coca Cola. I remember eating that at my Meemaw's when I was a very little child and loving that she would set out a little TV tray with my plate, napkin and a little 6 ounce bottle of Coke. I can even remember the texture of the tray and the daily news we would watch together and then the soap opera she watched every day before going to work. (As the World Turns) I also remember the black eyed peas she made for every occasion. She made them because we loved them. It was just recently that I hit on the right formula for my own that, my husband SWEARS, tastes just like her's did. He was blessed enough to have had a few bowls before she passed away. I remember the birthday cakes that my Mom would have for me. I was born very close to Christmas but she always made sure I had a special cake and presents wrapped in birthday paper instead of Christmas paper. Over the years I had cakes like Holly Hobby and Garfield just to name two of my favorites. I remember the venison chili my Daddy made for us and the beef stews and homemade hamburgers. He was the most amazing cook and he did not even have a culinary degree. He can still cook circles around many of the students at school at 73 years old. Food memories are some of my MOST favorite memories!
So, along the way... I became sentimental about food and obsessive about food and in love with food and all because I took the time to start paying attention to what I was eating. I took the time to stop and really taste it... smell the smells and savor the amazing diversity of it all. Our family stopped to sit down for family meals as I was growing up and now we do that with our children. We eat more slowly and enjoy the fellowship about the table. Food does that.... it changes us if we let it. In good ways if we let it and in bad ways if we abuse it. I am changed.... and I love what I am becoming... and soon... I will be a chef and that makes me very happy. :)
What is your story???
Tell me if you blog about this. I would love to read your food story. :)
Showing posts with label Autobiography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Autobiography. Show all posts
August 26, 2010
January 03, 2007
A shared quote...
A while back Jenny shared this great quote with me...
"One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating." ~Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, Pavarotti, My Own Story
I have been wanting to write about this so I did not respond and I am sorry it has been so long.
Anyway, this quote is something that I have been contemplating in my life for years without even knowing it. For many women we spend the majority of our adult lives trying to eat right or lose weight or both. We beat ourselves up over bad food choices and resolve to starve or exercise ourselves to death to look like those horid emaciated women in those magazines. When I was in college (the first time) 20 years ago I realized I could no longer eat like I was 13 so food became the enemy. I counted calories and dieted and lost and gained. It was such an awful vicious cycle. There was one point in my life that I survived on about 800 calories a day and taught myself to ignore my stomach growling and the signals that I was starving. It took a very wonderful fiance/husband to pull me out of that.
It took me many years to realize that food was not the enemy but dieting was. We were not designed to ignore food or skip eating. We need to be refueled and nourished. I have read in other countries that meals are made for family and they are lingered over together. In America we are so guilty of rushing through our meals if we stop to eat them at all. When we do eat I am not sure we are even tasting it before it is "down the hatch". Our mentality about food could use some revamping.
I recently read a book called the Sonoma Diet. I do not usually read diet books but my MIL said this one was very different and she was right. It is a magnificent book on eating healthy great tasting food and sitting and savoring and lingering over a meal. The book encourages one to savor your food - really taste it. To stop and slow down and enjoy each bite is important. It is good for us to slow down. The world is rushing forward too fast and we need to take time to jump off and rest. Slowing down to eat is one of the ways we take time out. There would not be as much heart disease and stress disorders if people would just take time to slow down a bit. God designed us to work but He also designed us to sit and eat and sleep. Work is not all there is to life.
There are other reasons that food is important and I believe that people lose these things when they do not take the time to prepare, eat and share great food. Our family has some very important ties to mealtimes. Besides the fact that I am in culinary school to become a caterer we take time to cook together in our home. We prepare every meal and very rarely go out to eat. We have family meals and do take time to linger over that last bite together while we talk about the day. Some of my most valuable memories of family members that are no longer with us are based around food. There is a rich heritage in many families centered around food. For me, much of the joy of food is in the process of preparing it. I believe that is a lost art in America today. People are too busy to enjoy the process of anything much less make a home cooked meal. I know cooking is not for everyone (or at least they think it is not) but there is some catharsis in it for me that just calms me.
In contemplating diets and weight I don't think the food is the problem. I think using food as a drug is the problem. I did it for years. I have an addictive personality and I know that. Being aware of that has helped me to make better decisions. When I stopped medicating myself with food I no longer continued to gain weight. It is about moderation. It is about eating what your body needs - and sometimes it needs chocolate. ;) Many illnesses could be halted by simply eating the good for you stuff and the not so good for you stuff in moderation. I learned I did not need a whole box of ice cream but merely a few bites to satisfy that craving. So, stop when you are satisfied. Learn to recognize when you are full or almost full. Don't stuff yourselves. These are things I live by and I enjoy eating so much more now.
Food is not the enemy - it is a tool. It is a tool for nutrition, health, family fellowship, and in my case many church fellowships, slowing down to rest, building memories and family traditions that build relationships and something that we are meant to enjoy. Finding joy in a bite of cheesecake is not a sin. Eating the whole cheesecake is. LOL So...
"Stop whatever it is you are doing and devote your attention to eating." You will be surprised how much better you will feel if you do. :)
"One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating." ~Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, Pavarotti, My Own Story
I have been wanting to write about this so I did not respond and I am sorry it has been so long.
Anyway, this quote is something that I have been contemplating in my life for years without even knowing it. For many women we spend the majority of our adult lives trying to eat right or lose weight or both. We beat ourselves up over bad food choices and resolve to starve or exercise ourselves to death to look like those horid emaciated women in those magazines. When I was in college (the first time) 20 years ago I realized I could no longer eat like I was 13 so food became the enemy. I counted calories and dieted and lost and gained. It was such an awful vicious cycle. There was one point in my life that I survived on about 800 calories a day and taught myself to ignore my stomach growling and the signals that I was starving. It took a very wonderful fiance/husband to pull me out of that.
It took me many years to realize that food was not the enemy but dieting was. We were not designed to ignore food or skip eating. We need to be refueled and nourished. I have read in other countries that meals are made for family and they are lingered over together. In America we are so guilty of rushing through our meals if we stop to eat them at all. When we do eat I am not sure we are even tasting it before it is "down the hatch". Our mentality about food could use some revamping.
I recently read a book called the Sonoma Diet. I do not usually read diet books but my MIL said this one was very different and she was right. It is a magnificent book on eating healthy great tasting food and sitting and savoring and lingering over a meal. The book encourages one to savor your food - really taste it. To stop and slow down and enjoy each bite is important. It is good for us to slow down. The world is rushing forward too fast and we need to take time to jump off and rest. Slowing down to eat is one of the ways we take time out. There would not be as much heart disease and stress disorders if people would just take time to slow down a bit. God designed us to work but He also designed us to sit and eat and sleep. Work is not all there is to life.
There are other reasons that food is important and I believe that people lose these things when they do not take the time to prepare, eat and share great food. Our family has some very important ties to mealtimes. Besides the fact that I am in culinary school to become a caterer we take time to cook together in our home. We prepare every meal and very rarely go out to eat. We have family meals and do take time to linger over that last bite together while we talk about the day. Some of my most valuable memories of family members that are no longer with us are based around food. There is a rich heritage in many families centered around food. For me, much of the joy of food is in the process of preparing it. I believe that is a lost art in America today. People are too busy to enjoy the process of anything much less make a home cooked meal. I know cooking is not for everyone (or at least they think it is not) but there is some catharsis in it for me that just calms me.
In contemplating diets and weight I don't think the food is the problem. I think using food as a drug is the problem. I did it for years. I have an addictive personality and I know that. Being aware of that has helped me to make better decisions. When I stopped medicating myself with food I no longer continued to gain weight. It is about moderation. It is about eating what your body needs - and sometimes it needs chocolate. ;) Many illnesses could be halted by simply eating the good for you stuff and the not so good for you stuff in moderation. I learned I did not need a whole box of ice cream but merely a few bites to satisfy that craving. So, stop when you are satisfied. Learn to recognize when you are full or almost full. Don't stuff yourselves. These are things I live by and I enjoy eating so much more now.
Food is not the enemy - it is a tool. It is a tool for nutrition, health, family fellowship, and in my case many church fellowships, slowing down to rest, building memories and family traditions that build relationships and something that we are meant to enjoy. Finding joy in a bite of cheesecake is not a sin. Eating the whole cheesecake is. LOL So...
"Stop whatever it is you are doing and devote your attention to eating." You will be surprised how much better you will feel if you do. :)
September 17, 2006
Putting it all on paper...
Some experiences in food and some goals for school and business...
Goals for the Culinary program
- to learn to be a better more efficient cook
- to build my confidence in what I do in the kitchen
- to be able to work any station in the kitchen where there is a need – including basic chef education and pastry chef education – and if a catering program comes open I will do that, too.
- to be able to lead a team in the kitchen (like at our church or in a small business)
- to learn how to run a small home-based business effectively
- to build a business plan for my own catering, personal chef and HMR business
- to be as effective and professional in what I do as possible and to build a good reputation for myself in the community as one that can be trusted to provide an excellent quality product and service.
Goals for my own business
- To provide a way for families to eat healthy and eat at home more often in a busy world
- To provide home meal alternatives to older people and couples that cannot or won’t cook for themselves in a healthy way
- To provide meals that meet dietary needs and special diets for those who are on restricted diets (like my husband who has severe hypertension, my dad and father-in-law who have both had heart attacks and heart disease and my mom who has diabetes). I want to work with my clients to build a menu plan for good health.
- To be able to teach what I learn to others – especially to moms like me and women who want to learn to cook for their own families in a healthy way – good food kids WILL eat and NOT junk food! It can be achieved!!!
- To fight the epidemic of obesity in
- To bring back the family dinner time for families so that they can have a more rich family life and they do not have to go OUT to eat all the time.
- To build a small affairs catering service that can reach out to families, small businesses and churches in our community with great food at a reasonable cost for breakfasts, brunches, lunches, dinners and other events.
- To possibly provide a food service to private schools in our area that will keep them from feeding our children fast food for lack of kitchen facilities.
- Would love to write cookbooks on any or all of these things
Life experiences that can help me along the way…
My food service experience includes…
* working for McDonalds for one summer in high school. I worked mostly drive through and customer service. I also did cleanup tasks at every shift. Have you guys seen the 30 day experiment documentary called "Super Size Me" - eeeeeeewwwwwww... ;)
* I also worked in a pizza shop and did banquets with the food service providers at our university for two years. I mostly served, refilled drink glasses and coffee and bussed tables. In the pizza shop I took orders, chopped ingredients, made dough, and sauces, made pizzas to order and salads and bussed tables, washed dishes and assisted in nightly clean up tasks.
* Since I have been married I have prepared food for my family. I take that very seriously and build menus that will meet the nutritional needs of my family – especially my husband who is on a very restricted diet. Over the years I have gotten away from boxed mixes and canned goods and now prepare full meals from scratch every single day.
* I have cooked for our church and run the kitchen for anything that is needed for the past three and a half years.
* I am also in charge of maintaining supplies and shopping for what they are out of or need.
Life experiences and training...
* I have been a public school teacher. I taught special education and have an undergrad degree in elementary education and music with a master’s degree in special education and reading specialist.
* I have taught aerobics as a licensed aerobics instructor and personal trainer. I have experience building nutrition plans for people who are trying to lose weight and eat healthier.
* I am the manager of my family – every task, calendared item, appointment, practice… that would be me!
* I also run our home from daily chores to big cleaning and maintenance tasks.
* I have assisted my husband in the renovation of our home – including painting, tiling, minor electric and plumbing tasks and extensive yard work.
* I am the menu planner and personal chef to my family and have been for over 17 years. I have had to meet dietary requirements for my family and others when cooking for them.
* I am the mother of four children. I have nursed all four and have over 8 years experience in pregnant and nursing moms dietary needs and menu planning. I made baby food for all the kiddos and did not buy the store baby food jar stuff.
* I have studied and applied nutrition for children and use that to plan menus for my own children.
* I have experience writing my own recipes and adjusting recipes for special diets and needs.
* I am a homeschooler and have been for over 7 years. I have taught everything from English and math to music and domestic arts to my children.
* I am very computer literate and maintain two weblogs – one for homeschooling and one for culinary interests.
* I am a very experienced musician with voice training and performance, praise team experience, piano training and was in band for over 12 years. (played flute and some oboe)
* I am a seamstress and have made my own clothes as well as clothing for my children, home decorating accessories, quilting and other sewn items.
* I am a gardener and have grown herbs, vegetables and fruits for my own home cooking purposes without pesticides and chemicals. I do flowers and shrubs, too.
* I have been baking my own bread for over 4 years. I mill the grain myself and bake only whole wheat products in my home. I am familiar with a whole variety of grains and their purposes and uses in the daily diet.
* I also make my own yogurt and yogurt cheeses.
* I have taken some courses in cake decorating and have done cakes for my own children over the years.
* I am an avid reader and use that skill to find out about things I am interested in. I read cookbooks like they are novels. I LOVE cookbooks!!!
The next task is to see what all this experience will do for helping me with my home-based business ideas...August 31, 2006
Thursday Thoughts - Just exhausted...
We turned the television off for the month of August with the exception of Netflix movies. It is a good thing because I have NO time to watch television anymore. My brain will thank me for that later, I am sure. ;) Here is what a typical day looks like in my home the past two weeks...
6:00am - drag self out of bed to start the day after baby has
been in the bed with us kicking us since 2:00am.
6:15am - no exercise because I am just too tired from lack of sleep
so I am getting up and reading my Bible pretty quickly so I can get started on all the chores like
* laundry
* unloading the dishwasher
* starting breakfast
* getting kids to do their chores
* doing a bit of straightening
* taking a shower and getting self dressed for the day
* checking e-mail and making self turn the computer off
7:00am - breakfast for all and Bible reading with kiddos
7:30am - clean up kitchen after breakfast and start reloading the dishwasher
8:00am - what's for dinner? ...get that started...
8:30am - start bread process for family loaves and for a friend who is buying bread twice this week.
9:00am - start school with kids
school, school, school, and more school...
12:00pm - LUNCHTIME!!!
12:30pm - clean up after lunch and load more dishes
1:00pm - kids nap and I study
study, nap, study, nap, study, study, study...
3:00pm - start getting ready for class (sometimes getting kids to piano lesson before class and sometimes just getting ready for sitter to come and stay until Dan gets home) or if this is a late class day then I study until about...
4:00pm - and then start dinner
5:00pm - class or dinner
6:00pm - clean kitchen if I am home and then get ready for late class
6:30pm - come home from early class and put supper on the table
7:00pm - getting settled for bedtime process until 8:30pm and then all kids in bed
8:30pm - Dan or study time depending on the day and what is due next. My poor hubby is such a trooper in all of this!!!!!
10:15 ish... bedtime for an exhausted mommy and daddy of four and part time students (Dan is working on his doctorate, too)...
So, this is my life in a nutshell. I am feeling guilty for even taking the time to post this today because I have more reading to do and clothes to launder before class tonight.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday are pretty much clean house and study days except for the time we are at church on Sunday. This is so much harder than when I was 20 something working on a master's degree with no kids. I soooooo.... need some sleep!!!!!
6:00am - drag self out of bed to start the day after baby has
been in the bed with us kicking us since 2:00am.
6:15am - no exercise because I am just too tired from lack of sleep
so I am getting up and reading my Bible pretty quickly so I can get started on all the chores like
* laundry
* unloading the dishwasher
* starting breakfast
* getting kids to do their chores
* doing a bit of straightening
* taking a shower and getting self dressed for the day
* checking e-mail and making self turn the computer off
7:00am - breakfast for all and Bible reading with kiddos
7:30am - clean up kitchen after breakfast and start reloading the dishwasher
8:00am - what's for dinner? ...get that started...
8:30am - start bread process for family loaves and for a friend who is buying bread twice this week.
9:00am - start school with kids
school, school, school, and more school...
12:00pm - LUNCHTIME!!!
12:30pm - clean up after lunch and load more dishes
1:00pm - kids nap and I study
study, nap, study, nap, study, study, study...
3:00pm - start getting ready for class (sometimes getting kids to piano lesson before class and sometimes just getting ready for sitter to come and stay until Dan gets home) or if this is a late class day then I study until about...
4:00pm - and then start dinner
5:00pm - class or dinner
6:00pm - clean kitchen if I am home and then get ready for late class
6:30pm - come home from early class and put supper on the table
7:00pm - getting settled for bedtime process until 8:30pm and then all kids in bed
8:30pm - Dan or study time depending on the day and what is due next. My poor hubby is such a trooper in all of this!!!!!
10:15 ish... bedtime for an exhausted mommy and daddy of four and part time students (Dan is working on his doctorate, too)...
So, this is my life in a nutshell. I am feeling guilty for even taking the time to post this today because I have more reading to do and clothes to launder before class tonight.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday are pretty much clean house and study days except for the time we are at church on Sunday. This is so much harder than when I was 20 something working on a master's degree with no kids. I soooooo.... need some sleep!!!!!
August 17, 2006
Thursday Thoughts: My Personal Food History
My life with food started in the average way with being born and needing to eat an all. ;) I began to develop a real love for food, though, when I would go to my Meemaw's home to stay periodically. You see, I am a southern girl and I like my southern food. I know what black eyed peas really are and they aren't for cows! LOL My Meemaw could make them better than anyone on the planet. I also grew up with the wonder of buttermilk biscuits and homemade plum jelly. She could cook a chicken like nobody's business!
I was born in Louisiana and raised in Texas. I have a real stomach for the cajun and seafood things in life. I am also a spicy kinda gal with my cravings during pregnancies for the spicier things like Pico de Gallo and jalapenos in my food and a great deal of salsa poured over my plate. I grow things in my garden like peppers and tomatoes so I can have a fresh supply of it all summer long.
Back to my history...
I must admit that my mom was lacking in the gift of culinary arts. My Father and Meemaw, on the other hand, were fabulous cooks. I would spend weeks at a time at my Meemaw's house and would be allowed to hang out with her in the kitchen enjoying those smells and tastes that only she could bring to life. My Dad would cook that down home full bodied style of food on weekends when he was home. While I was growing up we had lots of things like homemade stews and soups, biscuits, cornbread, pot roast, meatloaf and other comfort type treats.
So, maybe I did not grow up eating super healthy but I did learn to love brussel sprouts, carrots, and broccoli. I enjoyed salads and chicken and fish. There were some healtier things in my childhood. Not all of it was cholesterol, sugar and fat - but lots of it was.
In my adult years I have had to learn several things. I have learned how to cook. I have learned how to eat healthier. I have learned how to feed my family differently than I ate so that they won't have to struggle with losing weight or health issues. My parents did the best they knew at the time and they eat differently now, too.
When I was in college I ate in the cafeteria at school. I did not have to think much about cooking. I had classes to attend and studying. I gained the typical freshman 15 when I started school and a late night pizza was all the rage during study session. I explored my freedom to eat whatever I wanted and I paid for it. ;)
I got that degree and lost 20 pounds for my wedding. I starved myself for about 8 months to do it but I made it into that size 6 dress.
After I married I had to finally buckle down and learn to cook. I had no idea what I was doing in the kitchen outside the realm of boxed mixes, macaroni and cheese and Hamburger Helper. My precious husband was so patient with me. He even ate burned Spam without a word of criticism.
I buckled down and finally got out some of those cookbooks that were given to us for wedding gifts and discovered that I could really cook some things without a box and packets. I began to try out new things on my hubby and by the time our oldest was born I was getting pretty good. I had enough skills that I could make something for church dinners that would actually get compliments. I was also discovering that I really enjoyed cooking and baking. When our oldest was finally ready for solid foods I found myself making choices to make his baby food myself instead of buying those little jars. It is amazing how much more you pay attention to what is in something if you are putting it into your little ones. I wanted pure and wholesome stuff for them and had already chosen to breastfeed so this was a natural step for me. I read books on making my own baby food and gleaned tips from a variety of sources. My babies ate it like it was ice cream. Natural carrots, peas, green beans, spinach, sweet potatoes, avocado, fruits of all varieties (except citrus) were so easy to make with a steamer and a little food processor.
Little did I know that the journey had begun that would bring me to the place I am today. During this time my Dad started a small catering business and did Barbeques for organizations and such. That was of great interest to me and I started picking his brain on how he did such things. When I had a culinary question I would get on the phone to get instructions and recipes from him. I learned to make those roasts and meatloaf. I started making briskets and chicken and a variety of other things that I thought were impossible at one point in my life.
I actually did finish college and got a master's degree in Special Education. I taught a few years before I had my first baby. We started contemplating homeschooling and my desire to ever teach again in the public schools had changed. I began to look at other things I was interested in and contemplating going back to school to do something else at some point.
Through the last 13 years of being home with my children my cooking skills have grown. I have taken on the task of running our church kitchen. I am the go to girl for everything kitchen oriented in our little church. I shared on that here...
Almost 3 years ago I began to investigate the idea of milling and baking my own bread for my family. We had experienced some allergies and health issues and this would be a very healthy and wise choice for us. I started playing with my bread machine, Kitchen Aid and some recipes and made some rather dense and heavy brick-like loaves. LOL I realized that the yeast I was using was not consistent so I began looking for better yeast. That made a difference but I still did not like how the loaves turned out from the bread machine. I found a local bread maker and teacher and began taking classes. I purchased my first grain mill and bag of grain, chunked the bread machine and I was on my way.
Since that time, I have broken the Kitchen Aid and purchased a Bosch mixer instead. The Kitchen Aid could not take the daily use I was giving it (but I would like to eventually get another one for other purposes). I bought a Whisper Mill, too and now I purchase a year's worth of grain at one time from Wheat Montana and a local cooperative as I need other things. I have been schooled on the kinds of grain and their purposes. My family eats ONLY homemade bread (except when we visit someone else's home). I make all my bread and grain products from freshly milled flour. That means everything from muffins, waffles, pancakes to cakes, tortillas and breakfast cereals and granola. One thing led to another and in January 2006 someone offered to pay me for bread and I was in business.
I am a Christian and decisions are made through prayer in my life. I felt God leading me to learn more about all of this - cooking and business and such - so I am now headed back to school to start a new career at the age of 39. Culinary school starts for me on Monday August 21st. I am a part time student working on an Associates in Culinary Arts at a local college. It is not a fast track program and it will take me 2 to 3 years to complete it all. That is ok with me, though, because I have a husband of 17 years and four children and they still need me. I am not in a hurry. I want to learn all I can and be as effective as I can in my job to feed others and do ministry. It is, afterall, a service industry. I have never been more excited about the prospect of school and working as I am now.
I think about cooking and meal preparation most of my day. I spend time pouring over cooking magazines and kitchen remodeling information. I am always bugging friends to show me how they made something. I will ask to watch them cook so I can learn what they are doing with certain dishes. My family LOVES being the guinea pig for all my experiments. I even started this blog outside of my main blog because I needed a place for a personal passion that would not overtake the rest of my life. Oh, and those few cookbooks I started with... have grown to over 200 books and I read those like other people read novels. LOL
What do I want to do with my degree? I want to be a home-based business. I want to be able to remodel my kitchen and work from home as much as possible (not the cooking but the business part with scheduling, menu planning and working on a cookbook or two of my own). I do have the church kitchen to use as my commercial kitchen when I need to do that. Right now I want to continue to sell bread and baked goods to friends and family. I want to do some small affairs catering and I would LOVE to teach others how to cook and do some personal chef work. Healthy whole foods for families is my focus. It is all in the Lord's hands and we shall see where He takes me in all of this...
Thanks for reading!
I was born in Louisiana and raised in Texas. I have a real stomach for the cajun and seafood things in life. I am also a spicy kinda gal with my cravings during pregnancies for the spicier things like Pico de Gallo and jalapenos in my food and a great deal of salsa poured over my plate. I grow things in my garden like peppers and tomatoes so I can have a fresh supply of it all summer long.
Back to my history...
I must admit that my mom was lacking in the gift of culinary arts. My Father and Meemaw, on the other hand, were fabulous cooks. I would spend weeks at a time at my Meemaw's house and would be allowed to hang out with her in the kitchen enjoying those smells and tastes that only she could bring to life. My Dad would cook that down home full bodied style of food on weekends when he was home. While I was growing up we had lots of things like homemade stews and soups, biscuits, cornbread, pot roast, meatloaf and other comfort type treats.
So, maybe I did not grow up eating super healthy but I did learn to love brussel sprouts, carrots, and broccoli. I enjoyed salads and chicken and fish. There were some healtier things in my childhood. Not all of it was cholesterol, sugar and fat - but lots of it was.
In my adult years I have had to learn several things. I have learned how to cook. I have learned how to eat healthier. I have learned how to feed my family differently than I ate so that they won't have to struggle with losing weight or health issues. My parents did the best they knew at the time and they eat differently now, too.
When I was in college I ate in the cafeteria at school. I did not have to think much about cooking. I had classes to attend and studying. I gained the typical freshman 15 when I started school and a late night pizza was all the rage during study session. I explored my freedom to eat whatever I wanted and I paid for it. ;)
I got that degree and lost 20 pounds for my wedding. I starved myself for about 8 months to do it but I made it into that size 6 dress.
After I married I had to finally buckle down and learn to cook. I had no idea what I was doing in the kitchen outside the realm of boxed mixes, macaroni and cheese and Hamburger Helper. My precious husband was so patient with me. He even ate burned Spam without a word of criticism.
I buckled down and finally got out some of those cookbooks that were given to us for wedding gifts and discovered that I could really cook some things without a box and packets. I began to try out new things on my hubby and by the time our oldest was born I was getting pretty good. I had enough skills that I could make something for church dinners that would actually get compliments. I was also discovering that I really enjoyed cooking and baking. When our oldest was finally ready for solid foods I found myself making choices to make his baby food myself instead of buying those little jars. It is amazing how much more you pay attention to what is in something if you are putting it into your little ones. I wanted pure and wholesome stuff for them and had already chosen to breastfeed so this was a natural step for me. I read books on making my own baby food and gleaned tips from a variety of sources. My babies ate it like it was ice cream. Natural carrots, peas, green beans, spinach, sweet potatoes, avocado, fruits of all varieties (except citrus) were so easy to make with a steamer and a little food processor.
Little did I know that the journey had begun that would bring me to the place I am today. During this time my Dad started a small catering business and did Barbeques for organizations and such. That was of great interest to me and I started picking his brain on how he did such things. When I had a culinary question I would get on the phone to get instructions and recipes from him. I learned to make those roasts and meatloaf. I started making briskets and chicken and a variety of other things that I thought were impossible at one point in my life.
I actually did finish college and got a master's degree in Special Education. I taught a few years before I had my first baby. We started contemplating homeschooling and my desire to ever teach again in the public schools had changed. I began to look at other things I was interested in and contemplating going back to school to do something else at some point.
Through the last 13 years of being home with my children my cooking skills have grown. I have taken on the task of running our church kitchen. I am the go to girl for everything kitchen oriented in our little church. I shared on that here...
Almost 3 years ago I began to investigate the idea of milling and baking my own bread for my family. We had experienced some allergies and health issues and this would be a very healthy and wise choice for us. I started playing with my bread machine, Kitchen Aid and some recipes and made some rather dense and heavy brick-like loaves. LOL I realized that the yeast I was using was not consistent so I began looking for better yeast. That made a difference but I still did not like how the loaves turned out from the bread machine. I found a local bread maker and teacher and began taking classes. I purchased my first grain mill and bag of grain, chunked the bread machine and I was on my way.
Since that time, I have broken the Kitchen Aid and purchased a Bosch mixer instead. The Kitchen Aid could not take the daily use I was giving it (but I would like to eventually get another one for other purposes). I bought a Whisper Mill, too and now I purchase a year's worth of grain at one time from Wheat Montana and a local cooperative as I need other things. I have been schooled on the kinds of grain and their purposes. My family eats ONLY homemade bread (except when we visit someone else's home). I make all my bread and grain products from freshly milled flour. That means everything from muffins, waffles, pancakes to cakes, tortillas and breakfast cereals and granola. One thing led to another and in January 2006 someone offered to pay me for bread and I was in business.
I am a Christian and decisions are made through prayer in my life. I felt God leading me to learn more about all of this - cooking and business and such - so I am now headed back to school to start a new career at the age of 39. Culinary school starts for me on Monday August 21st. I am a part time student working on an Associates in Culinary Arts at a local college. It is not a fast track program and it will take me 2 to 3 years to complete it all. That is ok with me, though, because I have a husband of 17 years and four children and they still need me. I am not in a hurry. I want to learn all I can and be as effective as I can in my job to feed others and do ministry. It is, afterall, a service industry. I have never been more excited about the prospect of school and working as I am now.
I think about cooking and meal preparation most of my day. I spend time pouring over cooking magazines and kitchen remodeling information. I am always bugging friends to show me how they made something. I will ask to watch them cook so I can learn what they are doing with certain dishes. My family LOVES being the guinea pig for all my experiments. I even started this blog outside of my main blog because I needed a place for a personal passion that would not overtake the rest of my life. Oh, and those few cookbooks I started with... have grown to over 200 books and I read those like other people read novels. LOL
What do I want to do with my degree? I want to be a home-based business. I want to be able to remodel my kitchen and work from home as much as possible (not the cooking but the business part with scheduling, menu planning and working on a cookbook or two of my own). I do have the church kitchen to use as my commercial kitchen when I need to do that. Right now I want to continue to sell bread and baked goods to friends and family. I want to do some small affairs catering and I would LOVE to teach others how to cook and do some personal chef work. Healthy whole foods for families is my focus. It is all in the Lord's hands and we shall see where He takes me in all of this...
Thanks for reading!
July 05, 2006
Who am I...
Who am I...
as a cook? I absolutely love cooking! I love being in the kitchen. One of the best things someone could get me for Christmas would have to be a cookbook or a kitchen gadget. I think I love kitchen tools as much as my husband loves his power tools. I collect cookbooks of all kinds. I use them on a daily basis, too. I think every cookbook I own has at least one recipe that I use regularly. I am always looking for new recipes to try for my family. I love going to a restaurant and ordering something and trying to figure out what is in so that I can go home and try to replicate it. The most recent thing I am working on replicating is a corn chowder with green chilis and a chili relleno quiche. |
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