For my last cooking at home assignment, I decided to make steak as my main dish, sweet potato fries for my side, and banana bread for dessert. 

My goals for my steak was to look brown on the outside and pink in the inside. I wanted it to smell and taste seasoned, and for it to feel and taste soft and juicy. I aimed to get timing correct to make sure my pan was warm enough but not overheated to burn the butter. I mainly reached my standards however my steak was overcooked. When I cut open the steak the insides were brown which meant that the texture of the steak would be chewy. However, my steak was well seasoned and cooked. It wasn’t as soft as I desired but it was still juicy. I got the timing for the pan perfect because my butter didn’t burn however the pan was hot enough to make a sizzling noise. Next time I will remove the steak from the pan earlier to get the pink inside and the soft steak. Overall, I think I did fairly well for my first time.  

My strengths for this dish was planning. As I mentioned earlier, I completed lots of research to learn how to make steak. I planned all the ingredients I needed beforehand and asked my mom to grab them for me. The steak shows my adventurous personality because making steak is a hard and it was a daunting task. My caring personality is shown because I put in lots of time and effort to plan and create this dish for my family. I took the time to research the correct methods, ingredients and equipment I needed to perform my best. My hard work represents my sedulous side. My positive and happy character was shown by the result of the steak. I stayed positive about my results even though my steak didn’t turn out the way I envisioned. 

My vision for my sweet potato fries were for them to look the same size, straight and without uneven cuts. I wanted them to look golden brown and feel crispy on the outside and soft in the inside. I wanted it to taste and smell sweet and a bit salty. My fries were a success. The fries were mainly the same size and they were straight, crispy, seasoned and baked until golden brown. It was warm and soft in the inside and crisp on the outside. I think my fries were the highlight of this meal. The sweat potato fries were everything I thought of and more. I wouldn’t change anything about the way I made them. I’m proud of this dish because my knife skills improved. I was able to cut the sweet potato into even shapes. I found it difficult at first however I quickly learned. The sweet potato fries are meant to show a part of my cultural identity and my past. I was born and raised in South Korea until I came to Canada. I used to have a lot of sweet potatoes in Korea and I made fries because I love poutine. I wanted to express both cultures through this dish. 

My main goal for my banana bread was to get golden brown shade. I aimed for them to smell sweet and like baked bananas, to taste warm, soft and flavourful. The banana bread should also be spongy. I easily achieved these standards. It was baked until golden brown, it smelled sweet, and the texture was soft and spongy. The taste wasn’t as flavourful as I would have liked it to be because I used coconut oil instead of butter. If I were to make this dish again, I would definitely use butter instead of coconut oil. My greatest strengths in this dish was mise en place. I got out all the ingredients and measured it before I started mixing them together. The banana bread mainly shows what is important to me. My family and I care a lot about our health, so I decided to make a healthy dessert that included fruits. I decided to bake because it is one of my hobbies and hobbies mean a lot to me.  

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