Potato Soup

In my previous post, I demonstrated how to make julienne potatoes. The problem with julienne potatoes is that they leave a lot of excess potato, and there's no sense letting it go to waste, right? Rather than toss it out, I put the excess potato to good use in a creamy, cheesy, potato soup. It was my first time making soup from scratch, and it's not an especially difficult recipe either, so follow along and you'll have yourself some delicious soup in no time.

Parmesan Julienne Potatoes

A Julienne cut is defined as being 1/8 inch x 1/8 inch x 2 inches. It's a very specific measurement, and only one of a staggering number of ways to cut a potato (or pretty much any vegetable for that matter). How to properly julienne a potato is one of the first things I learned at culinary school, but don't let that fool you into thinking it's easy. To julienne by hand is a pretty laborious process, but the resulting matchstick fries, as they are more commonly called, are crispy and delicious.

In this post, I'll walk you through how to properly julienne a potato, and in my next post, I'll be detailing a creamy potato soup that I made using the left over potato trimmings. So stay tuned!

Strawberry Hand Pies

The first time I attempted to make a pie, the results were a little mixed. As good as the berry pie tasted, the filling came out a bit runny and the crust was not at all flaky. But with company coming for dinner, I decided to give pie another shot, but with a twist this time. Rather than make one large pie, I opted for more conveniently sized strawberry hand pies, with a nutella cream dipping sauce on the side.

This time, things turned out very differently than my first pie attempt. These came out perfectly crispy and flaky, and the strawberry filling was sufficiently thick rather than runny. You can practically SEE how flaky they are just by looking at them! I won't lie to you, though, this perfect flakiness comes at a cost - this is not an easy recipe to prepare, with many steps to perform and long periods of waiting for things to freeze or chill. Of course, I'll walk you through it step by step as always, but just know that it isn't for the lazy or faint of heart. They are, however, well worth the effort, and I consider them one of my most resounding dessert success stories to date.

Brown Butter Cinnamon Breakfast Muffins

These days, my days start bright and early. Well, not really bright, since the sun is not out yet when I wake up at 4:15 am to start getting ready for school every day. My point is, I never have the time to sit and eat breakfast on weekdays, so I needed something I could make in advance and simply take with me. These muffins were just the ticket! They're very simple to make, and you really can't go wrong with the sweet, delicious combination of brown butter and cinnamon sugar.

Beef Milanese

Milanese style is one of my favorite ways to prepare meat. I've loved the turkey version of this breaded and fried entree for many years, but this time, I decided to give it a shot with beef instead. It's a relatively easy, if somewhat labor intensive, means to prepare meat, but it is well worth the effort. Serve with garlic fettuccine and a vegetable of your choice for a complete, and completely delicious dinner.

Chocolate Pavlova

And now for something completely different! That picturesque beauty you see above is a Pavlova, a dessert created in either New Zealand or Australia (there has been some debate as to the actual country of origin) in honor of the Russian ballet dancer, Anna Pavolva. It's a meringue-based cake with a crispy shell and a soft, airy interior, and I topped mine with homemade whipped cream, nectarine puree, strawberry, kiwi, and mini chocolate chips.

If you're going to attempt this recipe, you absolutely MUST have a stand mixer, otherwise whipping up meringue could take an exceedingly long time. It also turns out that I'm a bit on the clumsy side when it comes to separating egg whites from their yolk, and I wasted more than a few eggs in failed attempts here. What I'm saying is, make sure you've got some spare eggs available just in case.

As a side note, I've been having some computer issues lately, so I'm posting this from my tablet. There could be some formatting issues, so just bear with me while I get it all ironed out.

Chocolate Chip S’mores Brownies

If the mention of s’mores doesn’t conjure up fond memories of campfires and roasted marshmallows, well, you’ve led a more sheltered life than most. But it’s never too late to create new memories, and let me tell you, you’ll never forget these s’mores brownies. They’re adapted from a fudge-like brownie recipe that’s been in my family for longer than I’ve been alive, and what better way to preserve their legacy than to share them with the world so that everyone can love them as much as I do? They’re quick, they’re moist, they’re easy, they’ll change your freakin’ life.

Baked Jalapeño Popper Chicken

Is there anything more delicious than meat which has been stuffed with more meat? Of course not, don't be silly. With that simple philosophy in mind, I set out to find a stuffed chicken recipe that would be sure to blow my mind. Well, I found one. Just imagine the makings of a jalapeno popper stuffed inside a chicken breast - jalapenos, cream cheese, cheddar, green onions, and ground sausage, all wrapped inside. It tastes just as great as it looks and sounds, so get ready for one spicy dinner!

On a side note, I’ve begun working a new job, and next week I’ll be starting classes at Le Cordon Bleu to earn my culinary arts diploma. As exciting as all of this is for me, it means I probably won’t have the time to update the blog quite as often anymore. But don’t despair, I’ll still be making updates as often as possible!