I first heard the saying mise en place -- French for "everything in its place" a few years ago. Although I have a horrendous memory, there are a few random days I do actually remember. You know, those days that existed in between the extremely sad/happy memories we all have? It was on one of those in between days that I heard mise en place. And it most likely stuck in my mind because I love all things French.
To celebrate her 55th birthday, my mom hired a local personal chef to come to my parents' home and give us a cooking lesson. The chef told us the first basic skill every chef learns on their first day at culinary school -- besides how to make a white sauce -- is to have everything ready to go before getting started. The saying stuck with me, however I am still working on the follow through. I still saute the onions a little too long, can't seem to wait for the pie crust dough to chill enough, and forget to preheat the oven properly.
I never said *I* went to culinary school ... not sure if I ever will. But I heart food. I think about it all the time. Food blogs are my new passion! Will I take pictures of gorgeous raspberry tarts and scrumptious looking slices of zucchini bread? Maybe? I hope? We shall see. For now, I'll be pleased if I can get three blog posts published this spring. Baby steps.
Today's recipe: Spicy Sweet Potato and Coconut soup, from Real Simple magazine. I didn't have any fresh ginger and it's almost 80 degrees out, yet I HAD to make this soup for lunch. Sometimes you just need some curry, right? Speaking of, I used only 1 tsp of red curry and that was enough to make my nose run. The dash of sesame oil at the end is a must.
To celebrate her 55th birthday, my mom hired a local personal chef to come to my parents' home and give us a cooking lesson. The chef told us the first basic skill every chef learns on their first day at culinary school -- besides how to make a white sauce -- is to have everything ready to go before getting started. The saying stuck with me, however I am still working on the follow through. I still saute the onions a little too long, can't seem to wait for the pie crust dough to chill enough, and forget to preheat the oven properly.
I never said *I* went to culinary school ... not sure if I ever will. But I heart food. I think about it all the time. Food blogs are my new passion! Will I take pictures of gorgeous raspberry tarts and scrumptious looking slices of zucchini bread? Maybe? I hope? We shall see. For now, I'll be pleased if I can get three blog posts published this spring. Baby steps.
Today's recipe: Spicy Sweet Potato and Coconut soup, from Real Simple magazine. I didn't have any fresh ginger and it's almost 80 degrees out, yet I HAD to make this soup for lunch. Sometimes you just need some curry, right? Speaking of, I used only 1 tsp of red curry and that was enough to make my nose run. The dash of sesame oil at the end is a must.
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