Tuesday, May 31, 2011
The verdict
My mom just called to inform me what people thought of my food for the first party I catered. The verdict: great success! She said the ham and cheese in puff pastry was the talk and my strawberry champagne cupcakes were the biggest hit. Makes me feel good and increased my confidence to keep moving forward!
Now to the present...
Ok, enough about the past- it's too long and boring to write about. Here's what I've been doing recently in the food world: being an out of work teacher, I had to rethink of what I'm going to do with my life. What are my passions? What do I love? When am I happiest? Those answers were easy- food! I'm happiest on Saturday or Sunday mornings when I'm baking or when I'm researching dinner for the next week. So, I started looking around for intro foodie jobs that a non chef could get. I found one at a local speciality food store that was the assistant to the chef during cooking classes. One email and one interview later, I was hired! I don't start until July, but super excited and nervous.....more on that when I actually start.
The other things that have kept me busy- catering. My mom loves to throw parties and she loves to serve non traditional food at her parties (non traditional according to the small town she lives in- that means anything other than hotdogs, texas sheet cake, and ranch dip). So, yesterday I spent all morning cooking and decorating her yard for a small cocktail party she had. The menu was, of course, all Ina's recipes: chicken skewers with satay dip, roasted shrimp and cocktail sauce, ham and cheese in puff pastry, sun dried tomato dip, green herb dip, and various veggies and crackers. Dessert was the most fun though- mini chocolate ganache cupcakes with edible silver and a recipe all of my own- champagne and strawberry cupcakes. Basically, I make a pretty traditional white cake recipe (cake flour though, not all purpose) and substitute champagne instead of milk into the cake batter. Then I fill the cooled cupcakes with a homemade strawberry sauce (slice fresh strawberries and put them into a pot with sugar and water and cook until the strawberries are soft. Then, put a jar of strawberry jam into the mixture and puree. Taste for sweetness, cool, and you've got strawberry sauce!), and top each cupcake with white frosting made with, yep you guessed it, champagne! The frosting was giving me fits though because since I used champagne instead of milk or cream, it was really loose and kept melting quickly. I'm going to have to work on this to perfect it, but overall, not a bad recipe. It's gotten rave reviews thus far, so I think I have a winner.
Easy menu, but also elegant at the same time. I haven't heard the verdict yet, but I'm hoping it was successful....more to come on that.
I'm prepping for the next party that will occur on June 11. So far, the menu is olives, crackers, and cheeses to start, arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette and shavings of fresh Parmesan, paella, and individual chocolate chip cookie icebox cakes. Gee, guess what, all of those recipes are Ina's too (well, with my own twist on them :) Thank you Ina!
The other things that have kept me busy- catering. My mom loves to throw parties and she loves to serve non traditional food at her parties (non traditional according to the small town she lives in- that means anything other than hotdogs, texas sheet cake, and ranch dip). So, yesterday I spent all morning cooking and decorating her yard for a small cocktail party she had. The menu was, of course, all Ina's recipes: chicken skewers with satay dip, roasted shrimp and cocktail sauce, ham and cheese in puff pastry, sun dried tomato dip, green herb dip, and various veggies and crackers. Dessert was the most fun though- mini chocolate ganache cupcakes with edible silver and a recipe all of my own- champagne and strawberry cupcakes. Basically, I make a pretty traditional white cake recipe (cake flour though, not all purpose) and substitute champagne instead of milk into the cake batter. Then I fill the cooled cupcakes with a homemade strawberry sauce (slice fresh strawberries and put them into a pot with sugar and water and cook until the strawberries are soft. Then, put a jar of strawberry jam into the mixture and puree. Taste for sweetness, cool, and you've got strawberry sauce!), and top each cupcake with white frosting made with, yep you guessed it, champagne! The frosting was giving me fits though because since I used champagne instead of milk or cream, it was really loose and kept melting quickly. I'm going to have to work on this to perfect it, but overall, not a bad recipe. It's gotten rave reviews thus far, so I think I have a winner.
Easy menu, but also elegant at the same time. I haven't heard the verdict yet, but I'm hoping it was successful....more to come on that.
I'm prepping for the next party that will occur on June 11. So far, the menu is olives, crackers, and cheeses to start, arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette and shavings of fresh Parmesan, paella, and individual chocolate chip cookie icebox cakes. Gee, guess what, all of those recipes are Ina's too (well, with my own twist on them :) Thank you Ina!
Safe and Not Safe Foods
I never stopped cooking even though eating was hit and miss. Would chicken send me into another flare? Could I eat raw veggies or fruits ever again? Foods are considered "safe" or "not safe" for people with Crohn's disease. Typically, safe foods are plain proteins, potatoes, rice, pasta, and basically anything boring with no flavor and no fiber. Not safe foods are raw fruits and veggies, spicy foods, leafy greens, fried foods, butter, baked goods, high fiber foods, dairy, oils, and anything else that tastes good. This was not going to sit with me- out of necessity when I was really sick, I ate boring foods with no flavor. Now that I was feeling better, I wanted more. I learned simple swaps- use applesauce, yogurt, or pumpkin in place of butter and oil in baking, cook your veggies, and don't deep fry. I had some horrible days while my body was getting used to new foods again, but eventually, I got used to them.
I felt like I was back. I was cooking every night again and my body was doing pretty well. I call my guts "guts of steel" because Remicade was doing a fabulous job protecting me and keeping me in remission. I was recipe testing again, trying new ingredients, and improving my techniques. Crohn's was not going to keep me down- I'm going to continue to cook and love food- just like a person with a normal colon.
I felt like I was back. I was cooking every night again and my body was doing pretty well. I call my guts "guts of steel" because Remicade was doing a fabulous job protecting me and keeping me in remission. I was recipe testing again, trying new ingredients, and improving my techniques. Crohn's was not going to keep me down- I'm going to continue to cook and love food- just like a person with a normal colon.
Setbacks
So, I'm into the world of cooking. I was trying new recipes, creating my own, and experimenting with techniques and ingredients. I also started becoming thinner and weaker. I ignored it at first and thought I was just tired from work, school, and my new hobby. I was also running a lot and weight lifting, so that was blamed for my weight loss. This went on for a couple of years and people thought that I had an eating disorder, throwing up, over exercising, or not eating. None of this was true. Then the pain started. Lower stomach/gut pain that always occurred on my lower right side. Doctors told me it was cramps, dehydration, or nothing at all. I ignored it the best that I could and dismissed it as nothing. However, other symptoms kept appearing- night sweats, fevers, body rashes, diarrhea (we're talking 20 or more trips to the bathroom daily), throwing up, intolerance to food, severe pain, and weight loss. I was lying flat on the couch for days (except when I had to run to the bathroom) and honestly thought "this is what it feels like to die"
Finally, my symptoms were taken seriously and I was scheduled to have a colonoscopy. Nice, I'm 29 years old and I'm having my first colonoscopy. Everyone (including the doctor who performed it) was certain that I had nothing and this was a horrible case of IBS. The results showed otherwise: severe Crohn's Disease.
Huh??? What in the world is Crohn's disease??? I've never heard of it and how can I get rid of it???
WHAT??? You mean I can't get rid of it and there's no cure????
After the initial shock, I was referred to a GI doctor who explained what it is and how we can treat and suppress it. In short, Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease that can occur anywhere from your mouth to your anus and anywhere in between. Mine is concentrated in my large intestine (colon) and my ileum (remember the lower right side pain I mentioned? That's where your ileum is). I was put on medication after medication and nothing worked. 2 more colonoscopies later, I had no choice except to be put on an IV med called Remicade. Remicade is extremely expensive and a pain to get- I have to spend about 3-4 hours at the hospital every 6 weeks getting my infusion. However, since being diagnosed 2 years ago, I'm in remission! Thank you Remicade!
This is the very very shortened version of my journey with Crohn's disease so far. Even though it's in remission, I still have symptoms and since it's a disease that's concentrated in my digestive tract, my cooking had to change.
Finally, my symptoms were taken seriously and I was scheduled to have a colonoscopy. Nice, I'm 29 years old and I'm having my first colonoscopy. Everyone (including the doctor who performed it) was certain that I had nothing and this was a horrible case of IBS. The results showed otherwise: severe Crohn's Disease.
Huh??? What in the world is Crohn's disease??? I've never heard of it and how can I get rid of it???
WHAT??? You mean I can't get rid of it and there's no cure????
After the initial shock, I was referred to a GI doctor who explained what it is and how we can treat and suppress it. In short, Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease that can occur anywhere from your mouth to your anus and anywhere in between. Mine is concentrated in my large intestine (colon) and my ileum (remember the lower right side pain I mentioned? That's where your ileum is). I was put on medication after medication and nothing worked. 2 more colonoscopies later, I had no choice except to be put on an IV med called Remicade. Remicade is extremely expensive and a pain to get- I have to spend about 3-4 hours at the hospital every 6 weeks getting my infusion. However, since being diagnosed 2 years ago, I'm in remission! Thank you Remicade!
This is the very very shortened version of my journey with Crohn's disease so far. Even though it's in remission, I still have symptoms and since it's a disease that's concentrated in my digestive tract, my cooking had to change.
About the title
Why name this blog Aspiring Ina....well, first of all, I love to cook, bake, shop, and be around food. I've been seriously cooking for about 7 years and would like to think that I've gotten better, more adventurous, and daring. I have no fear when it comes to cooking or ingredients. I'll try it all and if it doesn't work, it doesn't work.
I'll admit that Food Network was the reason that I started cooking. I was in graduate school and exhausted one afternoon from endless writing. I turned on the TV and switched the channel to the Food Network. I guess that their afternoon cooking shows were on and I watched them all. At that time, "Semi Homemade Cooking" with Sandra Lee was first. I hated it right away. Not sure if it was the host, the use of awful ingredients, or the decor, but I didn't like it. Next, was "Everyday Italian" with Giada. I was also not fond of the host (she still drives me crazy), but her recipes seemed good. Next, "Barefoot Contessa" with Ina Garten came on. I was in love. I'm not sure what drew me to her- I'm a very hyper person always moving from task to task and Ina was pretty dull with a monotone voice and very very calm. I was drawn to her immediately and her recipes seemed flawless and incredible. I called my mom right away to ask if she had ever heard of Ina Garten (my mom is a huge Martha Stewart fan and a great cook) and she screamed, "of course I have!" She also informed me that she has made a lot of Ina's recipes that I told her were awful. hmmmmmm....
The next day, I bought Ina's cookbooks (I think there were about 3 or 4 out at that time) and started studying them. I marked recipes, wrote down ingredients I needed, and went shopping. For the next couple of weeks, I practiced her recipes. I would make them over and over, trying new things, substituting ingredients I couldn't find or ones I didn't like. Basically, I dove head first into the world of Ina and cooking. I fell in love fast.
I'll admit that Food Network was the reason that I started cooking. I was in graduate school and exhausted one afternoon from endless writing. I turned on the TV and switched the channel to the Food Network. I guess that their afternoon cooking shows were on and I watched them all. At that time, "Semi Homemade Cooking" with Sandra Lee was first. I hated it right away. Not sure if it was the host, the use of awful ingredients, or the decor, but I didn't like it. Next, was "Everyday Italian" with Giada. I was also not fond of the host (she still drives me crazy), but her recipes seemed good. Next, "Barefoot Contessa" with Ina Garten came on. I was in love. I'm not sure what drew me to her- I'm a very hyper person always moving from task to task and Ina was pretty dull with a monotone voice and very very calm. I was drawn to her immediately and her recipes seemed flawless and incredible. I called my mom right away to ask if she had ever heard of Ina Garten (my mom is a huge Martha Stewart fan and a great cook) and she screamed, "of course I have!" She also informed me that she has made a lot of Ina's recipes that I told her were awful. hmmmmmm....
The next day, I bought Ina's cookbooks (I think there were about 3 or 4 out at that time) and started studying them. I marked recipes, wrote down ingredients I needed, and went shopping. For the next couple of weeks, I practiced her recipes. I would make them over and over, trying new things, substituting ingredients I couldn't find or ones I didn't like. Basically, I dove head first into the world of Ina and cooking. I fell in love fast.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)