Most Successful Foods Lab: Vegetable Pot Pie

My most successful lab I feel was my Vegetable Pot Pie because we finished it in a good time period, it tasted really good and also looked really pretty. It smelled like a biscuit, tasted like veggies and a flakey crust, looked colourful, and felt creamy. I choose this as my most successful lab because it tasted so good and flavorful, looked really pretty and was simple to make. We defiantly made the product standards with the biscuit being flakey and the vegetables being packed with flavour. There were no challenges we had to overcome that I remember. My greatest success with the Vegetable Pot Pie was the presentation and taste. I am most proud of trying something new because I’ve never had this before but really enjoyed it. I used my knife skills and flour method to help create this dish.

Most Challenging Lab: Thin Crust Skillet Pizza

I think my most challenging foods lab was the Thin Crust Skillet Pizza because, we were running behind, and our presentation was clearly not the best. It tasted like caramelized onion and peppers, smelled a little overcooked, looked somewhat unappetizing and felt like a lot of different textures in my mouth. There is nothing crazy that made this the most challenging lab other then we were running behind and I was not in love with the final product. We met the product standards but there was just something off about it. The only challenge we really had to over come was the onions not cooking fast enough. That made us work slower because we had more time which ended up making us be behind. We did have success though because it did taste good but all the original flavours blended together which was different. I am still proud of our final product, yeah it may not look the prettiest and the flavour is not quite there. However, if I had an opportunity to do it again I would know what to do differently.

Favourite Foods Lab: Fancy Grilled Cheese

The fancy grilled cheese was my favourite lab because it was a simple concept that I would have never come up with. In the “fancy” grilled cheese I added tomato, zucchini, white onion, cheddar and havarti cheese. It smelled like tomato, felt soft, gooey and buttery, tasted like vegetables and cheese and looked colourful and tasty. I choose this as my favourite lab because my partner and I had a lot of fun cooking, it looks really pretty and it tasted really good. There was not many challenges that I had to overcome for this lab other than my veggies taking longer to cook than expected but that just meant we had to wait longer. The greatest success about this dish was the final product and how good it actually tasted. The thing I’m most proud of from this lab was getting to try something new.

Breakfast Home Lab: Breakfast Burritos

For my Breakfast Home Lab I decided to make breakfast burritos with a ton of different ingredients. I added potato, egg, turkey bacon, spinach, cheese, onion, peppers, cherry tomato’s, fresh garlic and siracha on a whole wheat tortilla. It smelled like sautéed onions and garlic, tasted like egg, siracha, and veggies, felt soft and looked really tasty. I choose to make breakfast burritos over pancakes, a breakfast sandwich or something potato because I love breakfast burritos. I think they are so cool because of all the different flavors and ingredients you can add to them. One challenge I had to overcome was that my microwave was broken so, I had to boil the potatoes instead of put them in the microwave. I cook breakfast for my mom all the time so this was nothing super surprising for her but she always loves and appreciates my cooking. I am most proud of my presentation and being able to blend multiple different flavors together. 🙂

Safety and Sanitation – #3

Omelet made Friday October 3rd

On Friday we walked into class washed our hands and sat down in our seats. Washing your hands as soon as you enter helps to keep any outside germs out, which is great especially in the foods room. We went over our recipe, watched a demo and got right to work. Before we start cooking we have to do 6 things first, they are as follows: put your phone away, put on an apron, tie up your hair, get recipe out, roll up sleeves and wash hands last once that is all done. We do those things to ensure we are being as clean and safe as possible before starting. When making omelets you have to make sure you cook your egg all the way through as well as your toppings to prevent illnesses. My partner Niya and I made sure that our eggs were completely cooked before adding toppings to the pan. Doing that ensures there is no risk of disease or sickness. Those are just a few reasons as to why I think Safety and Sanitation are important in the kitchen.

Communication – #4

Breakfast Hash made Tuesday October 6th

Yesterday my partner Niya and I made Breakfast Hash to conclude our breakfast unit (see photo above). I have had 3 different partners this unit but I think I worked best with Niya because, we both get along really well and help each other out. We both communicate what we want and who does what job so there is no confusion during the lab on who should be doing what. Niya and I shared cutting jobs, she grated the cheese and cracked the eggs while I was cooking the bacon and microwaving the potato. The reason I remember this is because we communicated prior to starting so that everything would be organized. It is important to have communication especially in the kitchen when there is so much happening at once. If your partner/group and you don’t communicate you could spill things, drop food, be rushed and so many other things that you just want want to have happen. The reason our food looked and tasted so good was because my partner and I talked so nothing was burnt, overcooked, undercooked, raw which gave us the best outcome. These are just a few examples of why I think communicating in the kitchen is super important.

My Most Memorable Food Experience:

Easter Dinner 2020

My most memorable food experience or memory is making Easter dinner this year. It is my most memorable experience because it was so different and weird for my family and I. Easter was in the middle of quarantine so we could not be with the rest of our family. Instead of doing nothing for Easter, my parents and I made a nice dinner. We would normally go to my grandparent’s house and my grandma would make the dinner, so this was actually really fun for us to do it ourselves. We made turkey, brussels sprouts, stuffing, gravy, veggie casserole and mashed potatoes. I was in charge of the mashed potatoes and brussels sprouts but helped out with everything. Not only did everything look really good, but it smelled and tasted even better.