Jamie's Home Cooking Skills

I've always been a fan of Jamie Oliver--world renowned, british, hunky food man who's out to change the face of school lunches as we know it. And who can blame him? If you've ever seen his food TV show, Jamie's School Dinners which exposes the tragic state of school lunches in the UK, or if you have ever been a 12 year old in a cafeteria, you can understand why he is so determined. He knows what kid's want for lunch: flavor, crunch, salty, sweet, yummy. And he wants to give it to them, minus the deep fried chips.

Enter Jamie's Home Cooking Skills.

To continue with his work (which has been spreading across the UK), there is a new website which teachers and students can check out to bring food education into the classroom. The website assists them along the way by providing curriculum and easy to follow recipes. For food like this (YUM!):

Ideally, by teaching kids to eat well while they are young, he believes it is setting them up for success. I agree.

Well done, Jamie.

LOL

For those of you who don't know what LOL means, first, I love you for being so darn cute, second, you are not alone (my Dad thought it meant Lot's of Love--Sending LOL your way Dad!), and third...it means 'Laugh out Loud.'

Technically I am steeping the stereotypes of my generation by even using the short form, but oh well. We all know that people are lazy when it comes to msn talk, but we live in a busy world which is getting busier. That's what we should be worried about! (Not about u n me writin' n ltrs--haha itz all jks anywz<3).

But I digress.

I laughed out loud because of sheer coincidence. Last night, I was watching this great cooking video on Rouxbe, (read about it here) where they cooked pan fried chicken. They emphasized the point that when you cook at a proper temperature, you can make pan sauce out of the little bits of meat left at the bottom of the pan.

Now I thought to myself, I really need to learn how to make a pan sauce! I searched the website, and couldn't find a lesson on how, and I was really set on learning! So I guess one could say I was bummed.

But tonight, low and behold, I found that their free feature video on (drum roll)... pan sauce :)

Made me pretty happy.

So okay, maybe you wouldn't find this to be to be so humorous that you would LOL, but I bet you would chuckle.

You can learn about pan sauces too, at Rouxbe's online cooking school. If you missed the pan sauce video but are still interested in learning more, here is a great link to the 411 on pan sauces.

Photo is courtesy of http://img.timeinc.net/recipes/i/recipes/ck/04/03/salmon-sauce-ck-592310-l.jpg

Rouxbe Online Cooking School

Why, hello and good eeeevening. Welcome to cooking with Julia. The part of the program where Julia comes out and teaches you about the marvels of food and what you can do with it.

Nat! (Not now anyway--next post.)

Today I will actually be referring you to another cooking program: Rouxbe. Rouxbe is an online cooking school! I know, crazy. (Crazy fun!) And it's almost free! You can pay ($99+) to get a membership for it's premium lessons, but I don't have money for that so I use their, still amazing, free videos, along with the complimentary daily cooking lesson. (Some, usually only available to those with memberships.)

Today I learned how to properly pan fry! Who knew that it was such a science! Did you know that you can figure out exactly when your pan is hot enough, by waiting for the perfect water droplet formation? But don't take my word for it, go check it out tonight! Click here.

If you missed the pan frying lesson, not to fret. There are lots more lessons where that comes from.

The sexy music and narration give a whole new meaning to cooking school. In fact, not too long ago I was considering cooking school (for a hobby.) Now, I think I can learn the most crucial information to cook well at home from my bedroom/basement/office/kitchen. Where ever my laptop will take me!

Check it out! And let me know what lessons you found particularly inspiring :)

Photo courtesy of http://wwff.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/rouxbe-pic.jpg

Copper Pots: A Review of Julie and Julia

The movie Julie and Julia has been out for a few weeks now, and there I was not watching it; apparently too consumed with more important matters. (Family Vacation to Ireland).

Priorities!

I promise I will be more on top of things the next time a movie like this one comes out, okay?

What more can I say about the film now besides, I absolutely loved it! Not a shocker there really... you probably could have stuck me in front of a video of people making cake batter and I would have enjoyed it. (Is that sad.......???)

So this film which is full of copper pots, fully stocked kitchens, local grocers, a 2 floor walk-up, Parisian scenery , blogs, cooking schools, and food you can almost taste, was pretty much a food lovers dream movie.

It was based on two true stories. First is the one of a kind Julia Child, who's husband has just been transferred to Paris, and who begins to pursue her love for food at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school. And then we meet Julie Powell, a writer struggling to stay afloat and motivated from New York City, who decides to cook her way through Julia Child's cook book in 365 days and blog about her progress.

Mainly, I was so encouraged by the movie. I got to see two really cool women take their passion for food and just run with it. For me, food isn't about trying to get rich and "make it." It is really about discovering my full potential and passion. I want to see how much I can do, and if my talent turns out to take me as far as Julie and Julia, then great! If not, then I had so much fun doing what I love to do. Even if no one knows about me. I thought that both Julie and Julia were kind of like that too. They had a desire for success, yes. But they were fueled by their desire to make the world a better place, and to have fun while doing it.


We can all take a lesson from the amazing attitude that Julia displays throughout the film. She is such a tough girl, eh? (If you have seen the film then you know what I mean.) Tough, yet kind and so sweet. Meryl Streep did a fantastic job playing her. I'm sure Julia would have laughed with delight at Streep's portrayal.

If you haven't seen it yet, please do. And I hope that inspires you in the same way that it did me. Or maybe it will just make you want to invest in some really nice copper pots, as it also did me.

Bon Appetit!

Reminder: Julie & Julia

Just for those of you who may have fallen asleep and/or didn't count down days on your calender,

Julie & Julia is now playing!!

Look foreword to a review in the near future...

Would You Walk 100 Miles?

In honor of the first 100 hits on my blog, I decided to commemorate the event with a post about the 100-Mile Diet. This diet has proved cost effective, environmentally friendly, and delicious for centuries but only recently, has become somewhat of a fad. Something actually cool and in style. In an attempt to understand more about its benefits and the diet itself, let's explore a bit, shall we?

History:

In 2005, Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon:
began a one-year experiment in local eating. Their 100-Mile Diet struck a deeper chord than anyone could have predicted, inspiring thousands of individuals, and even whole communities, to change the way they eat. Locally raised and produced food has been called “the new organic" — better tasting, better for the environment, better for local economies, and better for your health. From reviving the family farm to reconnecting with the seasons, the local foods movement is turning good eating into a revolution.

My Take:

I was introduced to the whole "100 mile-diet/challenge" a while back, and recently watched the first episode of the TV series on Food TV. (The series follows 6 families for 100 days while they try their very best to eat completely locally). I think that the idea is brilliant, but I can't help but wonder, what are these guys going to eat during the winter? There is so much more that we could be doing to help the planet and our bodies, and if it takes a challenge like this one to get people motivated, then great!

I think that sometimes we think, I don't eat locally often, so why bother making an attempt at doing it a lot? That would be too hard. It would be hard! But can you imagine how creative and resourceful you would become if you knew the ins and outs of your local markets? You would know, say, that on Monday nights flour at the mill is half price. Or that the local butcher's beef is certified organic, and only travels a few miles from pasture to plate. What interesting information you could acquire!

I was personally inspired by the challenge because it forces a family to work together, think creatively, and work towards a similar goal. If children are raised to understand that things like the 100-mile diet are important, and that it is possible to live by it, who knows the impact it would have!

I feel as though I am getting excited over this diet just by writing about it. You should try it too! Talk about it, share the idea, see what others think. Maybe there are a few people who live near you who would be willing to pitch in for a local milk delivery.

Read the 100-Mile's local eating tips here.

Images courtesy of http://image.radio-france.fr/franceinter/_media/diff/395033857.jpg and http://images.theage.com.au/ftage/ffximage/2008/06/27/diet_narrowweb__300x481,0.jpg

Julia is Proud to Introduce: Julie & Julia

Now, I don't know about you but when I see a title like that I get pretty excited.

August 7th, 2009 is the release of this book turned film titled: Julie & Julia. Meryl Streep and Amy Adams star in this food-friendly film which asks:

Passion. Ambition. Butter. Do You Have What It Takes?

I do I do!

Maybe it's just the namesake that draws me to this film, but I doubt it. The combination of powerful women reaching for the stars (in an apron) from a tiny apartment kitchen... it sounds marvelous if you ask me.

Check out the trailer @ http://www.julieandjulia.com/

Images courtesy of myspill.com and movies.apunkachoice.com