Still Walking on Sunshine!

[frahulettaes]

Addendum to earlier EPIC FLAIL.

I've been saying for a while now that I'd love to cook for Jared Padalecki.

o.0

I got what I asked for.

Now I'm modifying my request:

I think it would be really fun to be Jared Padalecki's personal chef.

Side Bar with Nuts: Today, my hands were shaking so hard, I could barely wrap his sandwiches. Yes, plural.

In conclusion: JARED PADALECKI.

Comments

[allthelivesofme.livejournal.com]

You are my new role model. I think if that happened to me I'd probably pass out from sheer surprise or something equally nerdy. ;-)

I always thought it'd be cool to do the whole personal-chef thing, too (okay, baker, since I'm better with pastry and stuff) but due to the Crazy Factor, I know if I sent off a box of cookies to the SPN set security would probably toss them. LOL

[frahulettaes.livejournal.com]

You know what's funny? I actually worked in craft services for a year and have literally NO problem working with celebs when I know them and I'm not wildly writing slash about them or their show.

The difference seems to be that if I don't have anything invested in that particular celeb, I have no problems just being in their presence.

It's the investment that seems to make me all woobly. So, there you go.

Also, I LOVE personal chefing. I'm sure I'd get over my weirdness in like, SECONDS, if I just hung out and talked to Jared for a while. He certainly seemed nice enough. It was my freak out that kept me from just enjoying the moment with him and maybe bantering or just saying 'hey hai I know and love you billionty bbq', y'know?

[allthelivesofme.livejournal.com]

That makes perfect sense-- I know there are a bunch of celebrities I could meet and be all, "Hi, how're you doing?" and of course it's the ones I actually like and care about making a good impression on that I'd be, "Hi, meet to nice you, my Stephanie is name".

Personal chefing sounds awesome. I have so much fun combing through recipes and trying new things out. :-)

[frahulettaes.livejournal.com]

It's amazing how many wonderful chefs I meet who are just like you. People who love food and just make it sheerly out of passion. You're probably awesome.

I have this fantasy about creating a cheffing community of people who just passionately love food and good eating and making a cooking collective out of it. How much fun would we have creating eating events?

[allthelivesofme.livejournal.com]

Eating events and stuff sound fantastic. :-) One of the best days I had was getting to go to a market day in Vermont where there were at least fifty to sixty booths, most with different kinds of food. My checkbook was terrified that day. lol

I'm just starting to really get into cooking-- baking is what I've done for years, so I got very much into the whole "follow the recipe exactly and measure carefully" thing, so getting into a different mindset of "dash of this and see what else it might need" is weird sometimes. :-) My husband's a lot better at it than I am . . . he can just open the fridge and cupboards and throw together something yummy for dinner; meanwhile I'm scouring through Taste of Home cookbooks. Together, we fight crime fix dinner. ;-)

[frahulettaes.livejournal.com]

Heee! Well, if it helps, the thing to remember about cooking is it's about techniques. Once you master the five basic techniques? It's all about food combining. I say, try stuff out! And let you tastebuds be the guide. As Julia Child says, "Don't be afraid!"

I love the farmer's markets. I don't go that often cause I live on a very strict budget and my eyes are bigger than my wallet and I end up throwing food away which is a cardinal sin for me. So, I only go when I know I'm cooking for others.

Here's a little recipe I did for my mom and her roommate with some farmer's market food:

Buy:
A bunch of baby beets, one of each color. Three colors are best.
A fennel bulb.
Some baby spinach or spring mix.
A baby red onion.
Feta cheese: I like the milder flavored ones.
Some champaigne vinegar, the best you can afford.
Safflower oil.

Technique:

Top and steam the beets. Leave the tails and the area near the leaves in tact. When you finish cooking them, when they are fork tender, (tip: keep testing. each batch will have a different cooking time), remove them from the hot water and put them in a collander. With a clean towel in one hand, run the beets one at a time under cool water and gently use the towel to remove tough outer skin. Hopefully, the tails and tops will remain. They look cool in the salad. Put them all in a bowl and in the fridge.

While they're chillin:
Remove the outer layers of the fennel and then slice the fennel super paper thin. Then lay the slices flat and julien them into long strings that are like angel hair.
Do the same with the baby onion.

Chop the feta into little half inch cubes. Put in fridge.

In a bowl:
Mix a quarter cup of the oil with a couple table spoons of the vinegar. Add a pinch of salt and a tiny sprinkle of pepper. I also like a little fresh herb: Savory or Margoram are nice. Chop them very very fine tho and only add a little sprinkle. Use a whisk to beat the dressing for a sec. It will emulsify slightly.

Remove the beats and quarter them long ways, that means putting the knife from the top where the greens were along the middle and bisecting the tail. And then again on each half.

Set your cold plates out.

Toss the spinach in the dressing with your hand, gently and make a little mound on each plate.

Toss the beets in the dressing and then put a couple of each color on each plate, nicely, around the edge.

Toss the fennel and onion in the dressing, there won't be much left but it doesn't matter, you're really just moistening them and make a little tower on each plate on top of the spinach.

Sprinkle the feta around the edge with the beets.

Serve!

[frahulettaes.livejournal.com]

Edited to add:

Don't use all the fennel. Just a few strings for each salad. Otherwise it tastes all fennely.

:)