I admit...I'm a foodie.

I just stumbled upon this blog that mentioned a little survey created by another blogger. The blog is called Very Good Taste. (You should check it out, the link's below.)

The rules are stated below, but I thought it looked fun and could add to my Bake-It List. :)

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here atwww.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

So looks like I have some catching up to do, but I don't think I'll ever knock out this entire list. Especially if it requires keeping the "food" down. Definitely have to try some of it, though. Especially the coffee! Yum :)

Beignets, Fancy French Doughnuts

Since we had oil left from the Cristos, my mom insisted on making beignets that night, too. Healthiest dinner ever, obviously.
We made them from a mix up north, but she wanted to try the recipe from the dessert cookbook which is pretty much from scratch.
My first beignet experience was on a trip with one of my best friends and his mom. We went to Disneyland before he left for the Navy.  His mom had us try these decadent desserts at the Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney. They came in a paper bag, piping hot with a cup of powdered sugar dumped inside. These doughnuts were pure proof that the French always know what they're doing when it comes to food. Hate to say it, but way better than any American doughnut I've tried (sorry Krispy Kreme, you're up there!)
First we mixed the dough using a dough hook. Then let it rise.

 Next we cut it into hearts. We were supposed to use a Mickey cookie cutter, but we didn't have one. I'm pretty embarrassed by this. We consider ourselves some of the biggest Disney fans on the planet. We even have a Mickey pancake mold and a Minnie toast press. :/ Birthday present?

 Let it rise some more. We were up pretty late.

 Finally it's time to fry. "Until golden brown on each side."

 Then dust with powdered sugar.

 You really must eat these as soon as they're out of the skillet. They don't taste half as good once they're cooled.

 Belle laid on her bowl and pouted because we were baking and not sharing.

 Look at those eyes.

 Mom gave in, she got to try one.

98 Left!

Deep Frying = True Love

The weekend was finally here, and by finally I mean: Here already? Wow!

For Christmas I gave my mom these cookbooks from Disneyland that she had been wanting badly. One is a dessert recipe book and the other one is all types of meals. Both of them consist of recipes compiled from all the Disney restaurants throughout their parks. My mom and I haven't even been able to put these books away yet, because we look through them so often and drool over the culinary masterpieces.

Friday we decided to knock some of the recipes out, which were conveniently on my Bake-It list as well. Mom even had to go purchase a skillet to fry these babies since we never fry things in the house (something about an early argument between my parents concerning the correct way to fry chicken.)

First recipe: the famous Monte Cristo.

I actually tried my first Monte Cristo at the Blue Bayou in Disneyland. When I ordered it, I thought it was merely a turkey, ham, and cheese sandwich. Little did I know it would tower my plate as a grilled cheese/cordon bleu/doughnut dusted with powdered sugar and accompanied with blackberry preserves. It was a taste I would never forget. Friday I was able to relive this taste of heaven as my mother and I got to tackle the art of deep frying.

First step was sliced challah bread. You definitely need a sweet moist bread if you want that doughnut taste.

 My mom kind of failed and bought chicken instead of turkey. Of course my dad had the "hilarious" idea that the sandwich should be renamed the "Monte Chicken-o"...oh Dad. She still bought the good stuff, though.

 So it goes: bread, turkey(chicken), Swiss cheese, ham, bread.

 Then you dunk it in the batter.

 Set it in the oil for about three minutes on each side.

 And here's the finished product. Cut diagonally and dust with powdered sugar. Serve with blackberry preserves. It was even better than I had remembered. "Melt in your mouth" status.

My dad, also known as the fastest eater on the planet (and my friends think I'm fast) got to be the guinea pig. Of course he dove into the Cristo right after we pulled it out of the oil. As he bit it he burned his mouth, which caused him to cough, creating a cloud of powdered sugar in front of him. I wish I could've captured it on camera. Unlike his joke, it was actually hilarious.

One down, 99 to go. :)

The Bake-it List

Last night after a jog at the gym my lovely roommate and I had a long conversation about college experiences, boys(of course), and the modern-day lack of knowledge when it comes to basic home-making. We decided that we were somewhat robbed of our basic Susie skills due to the fact that by the time we were in high school they didn't offer Home EC or anything of that sort. Gender roles are taken way too seriously now-a-days. What's so wrong with being taught how to sew, bake, cook, clean, fix things, etc? I don't mind embracing the fact that yes, I am a female and I do enjoy spending most of my time in the kitchen (making sandwiches....jk :p )

When I was home last week I was going through my mother's Disney Cookbook and trying to decide which ones I wanted to try and make. I started asking her, "Have you ever made a soufflé?" So and so forth. She answered yes to all of the recipes. The source of her cooking skills: 4-H in a small Nebraskan town. She had even baked the majority of these recipes before she graduated high school.

Not fair. Being a city girl born and raised living in today's world, I feel hopeless.

I decided that like a Bucket List, I'm going to keep a "Bake-it List." I will add to it every time I come across a recipe that seems to be difficult, unique, a basic staple in the kitchen, or one of my favorite foods I want to master and eventually attempt it. I suppose I should set a deadline, but I'll worry about that once the list is more substantial.

1. Soufflé
2. Purple Ribbon Carrot Cake
3. Grandma Carson's Yellow Frosting Cake
4. Beignets
5. Grandma Bonnie's Cinnamon Rolls
6. Monte Cristo
7. Authentic Italian Spaghetti and Meatballs
8. Sourdough Bread
9. Entire Thanksgiving Dinner
10. Tamales
11. Tiramisu
12. Pie from Scratch (crust and all)...maybe Lemon or Strawberry Rhubarb?
13. Bread Pudding
14. Chicken Noodle Soup from Scratch
15. Chicken Pot Pie from Scratch
16. Baked Brie
17. Crepes
18. Authentic French Onion Soup
19. Barbecue Ribs
20. Cherry Mash
21. Lobster
22. Fried Chicken
23. Scones
24. Lemon Almond Poppy Seed Loaf
25. Angel Food Cake
26. Tournedo
27. Peanut Soup
28. Chocolate Lava Cake
29. Mexican Lasagna
30. Jan's Raspberry Bars
31. Pumpkin Cookies
32. Schnitzel with Noodles
33. Biscuits and Gravy
34. Trifle
35. Mac & Cheese
36. Red Hot Cinnamon Pickles
37. Jam, Jelly, or Preserves
38. Meatloaf
39. Stuffed Chicken Breast or Pork Loin
40. Pizza from Scratch
41. Pot Roast
42. Fritatta or Quiche
43. Cheesecake
44. Fruit Upside Down Cake
45. Runza
46. Cannoli
47. Ebelskivers
48. Baked Alaska
49. Ravioli
50. Empanadas
51. Peanut Butter & Jelly Milkshake
52. Brownies from Scratch (or Blondies)
53. Fudge
54. Honeyed Pears in Puff Pastry
55. Macarons
56. Tart
57. Chocolate Lava Cake
58. Biscotti
59. Baklava
60. Chicken Parmigiana
61. Grandma Bonnie's Brownie Pudding
62. Banana Foster's
63. Coconut Shrimp
64. Homemade Ice Cream
65. Trout Almondine
66. Bake It in a Cake Cupcake
    
67. Salt Water Taffy
68. Croissants
69. Mexican Cornbread Skillet
70. Tonga Toast
71. Ice Cream Other Than Vanilla Bean
72. Corned Beef and Cabbage
73. 
    

Tijuana Torpedo

Okay so I have many weaknesses when it comes to food, if you hadn't noticed. If I still had the same metabolism  as I did in high school I would never stop eating. One of my MANY weaknesses are green chili burgers. The good kind of green chili, thick sliced. I believe they're called Hatch Chilies.

Today my good friend Taylor and I decided to meet up for lunch after class at famous local burger joint called The Chuckbox. If you're ever in Tempe you must stop by. It is sacrilegious if you don't indulge in one of these mouthwatering juicy patties.
Normally every time I go I'll get a Little One with pepper jack. I might even go for a Big One bacon cheeseburger style. The menu isn't very big, but they have something for everyone.
Whenever I am in there, my curiosity always leads me to a menu item named the Tijuana Torpedo. I had never seen one before, but I knew it had green chilies on it and it must be good because it's the second most expensive item on the menu.
Today I decided would be the day to find out what exactly a Tijuana Torpedo is.

Here you go. First hand (or second hand, I'm not quite sure since it's not my personal picture.)
Yes, I ate this behemoth of a burger, minus the bacon. It consisted of LOTS of beef, maybe a 1/2 lb, and looked like there may have been green chilies ground into the beef itself. The burger was topped with two full roasted green peppers, a slice of pepper jack, and I added a couple tomato slices and jalapeño.
It was as amazing as it sounds. I considered saving half of it to enjoy later, since it was so gigantic, but I didn't want to risk the decrease in quality and lack of flavor from it sitting in a fridge.
Definitely tops the chili burger list along with the Wineburger, which I'll have to write about later.

Ambition

So I'm back in school.
Of course break wasn't nearly long enough and it's only the end of the first week. I feel like I have been back for months, going through the ups and downs. "Why can't I just ski for the rest of my life and never go back into work or school?" as well as, "Wow, my classes actually seem somewhat fun! This could be the best semester yet!"
Well since I've been back at the apartment with my roommates and back to "the real world" things have been a heck of a lot better than expected. The roomies are helping me make trips to the gym, my mom and I are taking a Zumba class, and I'm taking a country-western dance class through the university with a close friend. Things are looking up overall. The weather is also starting to warm up which gets me all giddy (I despise the cold.)
Since Lady Luck seems to be looking out for me again I decided that it's time to become motivated and stay that way. Aka AMBITION. :)
Resolution, Schmesolution(?)...this is the start of a new life. If I can stay exercising and eating well for this long, I can do it for the rest of my life. Organization is key. When I was in high school I loathed organization. My room was always trashed, I procrastinated nonstop. Now I'm somewhat obsessed with it. I found myself cleaning the kitchen at my parents' house when I had time to kill there. I went through all the cabinets in the cabin up north with my mom and we made them more functional. Is there a career out there that includes baking/cooking, organization, and socializing? The closest thing I could come up with is owning my own coffee shop (I'm OBSESSED with coffee, too.)
My mother, sister, and I like to visit this little coffee shop up in the White Mountains called The White Chair/ Snowflake Coffee Co.
It's a quiant little place on the main street filled with antiques and unique clothes (which I'm not too fond of) that also serves their own coffee creations. Big comfy couches and old wood furniture painted over white fills the cafe area, while the menu consists of the large framed chalkboard on the back wall.
I'm telling you, this place is adorable. My mom and I can only dream of one day owning a place like it: Individually decorated as well as homemade cakes and pastries sold with our cups of warm espresso drinks. This would be my dream job.

Anyway, if you all are ever in the White Mountains, you must visit The White Chair/Snowflake Coffee Co. and try the Meximocha. I hear their lemon bars are to die for, too!