Year End Reflection

Posted on by Gabriella

This course has been super fun because I got to make a whole bunch of different food and meet a many new people. Foods 11 has helped me learn and improve on skills that I can use to become better cook now and in the future. I loved the variety of breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes that we did because I got to make and try food that I have never had before.

I would definitely suggest this class anyone who is interested because you get to cook, bake, and eat which is way better than doing a academic class in the morning. I would also suggest that if you are going to be taking foods, get to know the people in your class and in your group because developing a relationship with them will help you communicate better and will also help you succeed in doing your labs.

I have never used Edu blogs to display my work before so it was kind of confusing at first but I got used to it. I don’t know how others may feel, but I would rather use power point instead because I feel like it is simpler and easier to use.

Overall, I thought that this experience was great and I would 10/10 recommend this class to upcoming students.

Sushi

Posted on by Gabriella

My Reflection

This was my first time making sushi and I thought that I did a pretty good job. In my sushi I put carrots, cucumbers and “crab”. When spreading the rice on the nori sheets, it kept sticking together and sticking on my hands which was annoying. I had to finely slice the carrots and cucumbers so that they would fit in the roll. I thought that the sushi tasted didn’t really have a lot of flavour so I probably could have added a few more ingredients. I was proud of my rolling job because the sushi didn’t fall apart after I cut it into slices. I want to make sushi again but I would add different ingredients in it next time. I would definitely recommend making sushi to anyone who wants to because it is really fun.

Dinner Home Lab

Posted on by Gabriella

My Reflection

For my dinner home lab, I made a salad for my appetizer, a lasagna for my main dish and apple crumble for the dessert. I would say that this lab challenged me quite a bit because I had to plan out when I was going to buy all the ingredients I needed and when I was going to make and cook everything. The lasagna took the longest to make because I had to make meat sauce and a ricotta filling for the layers in the lasagna and then it had to bake for an hour. I have always watched and helped my nonna make a lasagna but I have never made one by myself before. The lasagna was probably the thing I was most proud of. All my food turned out great because everything was flavourful and well cooked. I got to practice my knife skills when cutting the apples into cubes and thinly slicing the onions and peppers for the salad. My family enjoyed the recipes that I made so that was a bonus. I absolutely would make these again because I loved how they all tasted and turned out.

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Pecan Snowball Cookies

Posted on by Gabriella

My Reflection

For this Lab, we had to make Greek style cookies so we made these. The recipe didn’t have a lot of ingredients and steps so it made it easy to make and follow. I have never made this type of cookies before but I really enjoyed it. For this recipe, I got to practice the cookie method and the creaming method. I thought that the cookies would taste a lot like almonds and walnuts but they didn’t. Instead they tasted sweet and were soft and chewy. When the cookies were done, we let them cool a bit and the rolled them in powdered sugar. I thought that the powdered sugar was going to make them really sweet but it didn’t. I would definitely make these again because they were a perfect size cookies and tasted amazing.

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Fruit Skillet Cake

Posted on by Gabriella

My Reflection

The day we got back from winter break, we got to do this lab. For this lab, we used the flour mixture, quick bread, and cake mixture methods. I got to practice my knife skills by cutting the apple into thin slices to put on the top of the cake. My partner and I worked well together to complete this lab because we were organized and figured out who was responsible for what before we began cooking. I really enjoyed this lab because there were few ingredients and steps which made it very simple. The fruit skillet cake turned out really well because it’s was fully cooked, flavourful, fluffy and moist. I enjoyed having the fruit on top because it added more flavor and texture. I would definitely make this recipe again.

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Burrito

Posted on by Gabriella

My Reflection

For this lab, we made a Spanish rice to put in the tortilla shell for our burritos. In the Spanish rice, there were beans, corn, spices, brown rice, peppers, onions, tomatoes and a couple other things. The rice was super flavourful and tasted amazing. We had the option to add in meat which I did to give it more flavor. I got to practice my wrapping and sautéing skills in this lab. I would definitely make this recipe again.

Whatever Floats Your Boat Brownies

Posted on by Gabriella

My Reflection

After we made our chili and corn bread, we had to make brownies. We had a lot of time to make these so we weren’t rushed. These brownies were quite simple and easy to make because the steps were easy to follow and they didn’t have a lot of ingredients in them. The brownie turned out well because it was moist, fluffy and fully cooked. I could have improved on putting the parchment paper better in the pan because it didn’t cover the sides which made the brownie stick a bit and the brownie collapsed in the middle. Overall, the taste was excellent but it wasn’t that visually appealing. I would make this recipe again and also add a few things into my brownies.

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Christmas Chicken Dinner

Posted on by Gabriella

My Reflection

Mashed Potatoes: I thought that our mashed potatoes turned out well because they were light, fluffy and they were well seasoned. We used a masher to mash the potatoes which left a few little clumps in it which I didn’t really like. I think that if I made potatoes again I would use an electric mixer because it is really easy to use and I think it would get all the clumps out.

Stuffing: Our stuffing tasted good but I think that it could have used a little more salt and pepper. I think that the amount of bread and onions we used was perfect because one didn’t over power the other. The only thing that I could have improved on is making the stuffing more dry because it was little soggy.

Maple Glazed Carrots: I really enjoyed how these carrots tasted because they were sweet and a little salty at the same time. I think that I cut them into the perfect size. The only thing that I could have improved on is cooking the carrots a little longer because they were crunchy instead of being soft.

Chicken Breast: For the chicken we put butter, and a herb blend underneath the skin and seasoned it with pepper and salt to make the chicken more flavorful. I think that the chicken tasted really good but it was a bit dry. I wish we could have made gravy or something to put on the chicken.

This lab was kind of overwhelming because we had to make a lot of food but it was really fun and the food tasted good. In this lab, I got to practice my knife skills and learn new methods. I would make these recipes again but maybe tweak them a bit.

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Handmade Ravioli

Posted on by Gabriella

My Reflection

For this lab, we made a handmade ravioli and spinach ricotta filling. The first day we made our dough and filling. The second day we made a brown butter sauce which was made with oil, butter, chili flakes, and garlic. I really enjoyed doing this lab because I have never made a stuffed pasta before. I think that the most challenging part was putting the filling on the dough and folding it to shut it because if I put too much filling then it would squeeze out and if I put too little, then there would be air pockets that could have effected the pasta when it was cooking. My partner and I worked well together because we used our time efficiently and we communicated which helped the pasta turn out well because it was al dente. In this lab, I practiced the flour mixture method and the handmade pasta method. The only thing I would change is chopping the spinach that was in the filling into smaller pieces because they were too big. I would eat this again but try a different sauce.

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Handmade Pasta

Posted on by Gabriella

My Reflection

For this lab, we made handmade spaghetti and carbonara sauce. The first day we had to make the pasta because it took a long time to make so we decided to just freeze it and cook it the next day. I didn’t find the pasta too hard to make because I have made it before but when I was cutting it, it stuck together a bit which took a while to separate. For the pasta, I learned how to cut the pasta, knead and stretch it as well as using the flour mixture method and the handmade pasta method. With the pasta, we made a carbonara sauce. The sauce consisted of bacon, garlic, eggs, parmesan, and pasta water. I also added in broccoli but I wouldn’t next time because I didn’t really like them in the sauce and I could’ve cut them into smaller pieces. I would say the most challenging part about making the sauce was pouring the eggs and cheese into the pan because we had to mix it quickly so we didn’t scramble the eggs. I thought the pasta ended up turning out really well because it was al dente and the sauce was flavorful and creamy. I would definitely eat this again.

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