Tools Of The Trade

About a week ago, I posted about starting a new project inspired by Chef Gordon Ramsay. In the subsequent days that followed I've been getting really excited about it! Even when I stumbled upon someone trying the exact same idea as me, I still didn't let it get me down. I actually find it quite funny! I've even acquired a brand new knife set! Granted it was a free set that my grandmother was about to sell at a flea market and  had never opened before but...it's a start right? The knives are still super sharp!

Starting to get serious over here...

It's important to note that I've never been 100% sure why there are so many different kinds of knives. If they're sharp they'll do the job, right? Apparently not! I know that the tiny paring knife at the bottom is used for peeling ( I actually prefer it to a standard carrot//potato peeler). I can't wait to learn what each knife is best used for and hopefully not lose any fingertips in the process! I also need to invest in a good case for these new shinies! Right now I have them wrapped in a towel and in a cloth shopping bag. I know. Safe, right? Instead of just throwing them in the drawer with the rest of the knives, I want to keep them separate, embrace them (figuratively, not literally), and treat them like a real chef would!

I'm also trying to get my hands on a copy of Gordon's Ultimate Cookery Course book! It's not easy to come by! It seems most copies are currently in the UK and will take over two weeks to get here! I guess I could start with another book of his while I wait? I wish it didn't have to be that way but I'm chomping at the bit and really want to get started soon! 

Over the week, Yeti and I discovered another one of Chef Gordon's shows based strictly in the UK called "Gordon Behind Bars". I must say, if you haven't given Gordon a chance outside of "Hell's Kitchen" and "Kitchen Nightmares", type Gordon Behind Bars into YouTube and check it out. It's all about the Chef's attempt to teach convicts in HM Brixton Prison how to cook/bake and run a business, which not only provides them with some useful skills when they are eventually released, but also allows them to make money and give back to the prison while serving their sentences. Their operation was named simply: The Bad Boys Bakery. I can't help but applaud such an honorable idea. As someone who watched a loved one go through the prison/rehab process, this hits particularly close to home for me. 

Now i'm not talking about the child molesters, rapists and murderers. They can rot, as they are a danger to our society. I'm talking about those who commit victim-less crimes. Crimes that could be avoided if these people were given a decent chance to try and change their ways. Yes I do know someone who went through the system. I watched as he screwed up over and over again. Every time it would end with the same result: a jail sentence. The ultimate "time-out" to sit and think about what they've done. We thought that all hope was lost for this person. It wasn't until one judge sent him to a rehab facility that we started to see real change. A place were he had to earn privileges by being an upstanding member of the program and attend regular counseling sessions. It was a long, hard, road but eventually I got my brother back. Does he still have his ups and downs now? Of course he does. But he's far better off now then he was. He's not the only person that has come out of the program for the better either, I know a few more who have. All have re-acclimated themselves to the outside world and have become fully function and respectable member of society.

You could tell just by watching this show that Gordon really cares for these men he recruits for the program. His drive to help them learn and actually feel good about DOING SOMETHING for themselves is extraordinary. Even knowing the dangers that can come with working inside of a locked kitchen, he still went in and did it. It's nothing short of inspiring. If he feels that even these people, the ones that society has forgotten, can learn to cook and successfully run a business, then why can't I? Granted I don't have the same stigma attached to me that these inmates do, but it still gives me hope that I CAN do this. I've never been more motivated!

Kudos to you, Chef Ramsay! Kudos to you for inspiring the down-trodden to be better than they are. Even if they aren't up to your standards in the kitchen, that doesn't mean they aren't willing to learn and BECOME great. Everyone has that potential in them. They just need to be given the chance.

The Strangest Idea I've Ever Had (That just Might Work)!!

I've posted on here before about my affinity for baking. It's something I really enjoy doing and I seem to have at least some form of talent for it. But what I haven't gone into much detail about is my relatively new passion for cooking in general! I always thought cooking was fun, but never really took it too seriously. To be honest, I was an extremely picky eater up until just recently. 

Over the past two years or so, however, I'm very proud to say that I've expanded my limited palate. Gone are the days of buying pre-packaged, pre-made foods! For example, one of my favorite things to do is make my own pasta sauce! I can make a giant pot of it and have the confidence of knowing what exactly went INTO that sauce is fresh, free of sodium and preservatives, and most importantly tastes great. This newfound love for food is mostly thanks to my wonderful Yeti. He's even gotten me to try a bunch of different kinds of seafood which I used to LOATHE only a few short years ago. But I also feel like I need to give some credit to another gentleman. A gentleman who has, in fact, inspired the strangest idea I've ever had. And that man is none other than Chef Gordon Ramsay.

Yes, that's right. Gordon Ramsay. Most people here in the states know Gordon as the hot-headed, foul-mouthed Chef from "Hell's Kitchen" and "Kitchen Nightmares". On the surface he seems abrasive, pompous. and just plain angry. However, in my own opinion, what we see on his American television programs are almost the exact opposite of what is shown in the UK. Take for example his show Cookalong Live!:

The Gordon we see here is happy. SMILING (shocking, right) and enthusiastic! He not only cooks live in the studio with a guest, but fans tune in from around the country via webcam and cook right along with him! His excitement and passion for food shines through! "The F Word" (another UK only show) spotlights Mr. Ramsay's outstanding devotion to his craft. Even on the UK version of "Kitchen Nightmares", the emphasis seems to be more on teaching the chefs and owners how to run a restaurant rather than the makeshift family counselor role Gordon takes on on the Fox version.

But what does any of this have to do with my strangest idea ever, you ask? In my on-going efforts to make myself a better writer, a healthier individual and expand upon my own abilities in the kitchen, I've decided to challenge myself in a way that may seem a bit silly but I think it might just work.One of the observations i've made about Gordon's cooking style is this: simple, fresh and easy. Sometimes the simpler the recipe, the better the quality of meal you'll have. With that said, I've decided that it might be fun to try a "Julie and Julia"-style experiment. Not being a trained chef in any way, shape or form, I plan on using Gordon's amazing cookbook "Ultimate Cookery Course" and trying to make as many of the recipes in it as I can. I fully plan on documenting each attempt and sharing each dish with family and friends! Yes that's right. You will all be my culinary guinea pigs!! I can only hope and wish that my food will come out half as good as the world-renowned Chef who created the recipes, and hopefully not get sued in the process! And who knows? Gordon may actually LIKE the idea ;).

I'm still trying to come up with a title for this ambitious project. Yeti threw out the name "LAMB SAUCE!" because, well, it's hilarious and so very Gordon (any fan of "Hell's Kitchen" will get the reference).  My instinct, however, is to keep it simple. That is the point after all, right? Something along the lines of "Average Jo" which is pretty straightforward and true. Because really that's what I am. I'm not a "Master Chef" and i'm nowhere near ready for "Hells Kitchen". I'm just your average Jo. Literally. 

So get ready, Chef Ramsay. I can't guarantee that the meals will be stellar every time (please don't yell at me!!) but this girl is gonna try really hard to make you proud! 

Finally...a moment to write!

Wow!

I'm not at the gym. I'm not baking something. I'm not even at WORK. I'm just sitting down and relaxing. This is RIDICULOUS and I don't even what to do with myself. I guess i'll use this time wisely and, I dunno, maybe write something for you all! :).

It feels like forever since i've had some down time to just sit and put some thoughts down/finish some of my short stories. That makes me sad. This is what happens when I can't let go of my "go-go-go" mentality where I need to be doing SOMETHING or else I feel lazy. One day I will realize that sitting down to write actually counts as doing something. I may not be burning physical calories by being up and moving (i.e. working, doing dishes, doing other household chores, baking up a storm, exercising, etc) but I know that I'm at least giving my brain a good workout and exercising my thought process.

So what have I been up to since my last post ? Well for starters this happened:

Yeti and George R.R. Martin look strangely alike. I think George was confused.

Just in case you don't know that is Yeti meeting one of his favorite authors (and one of the best fantasy writers in the world currently), George R. R. Martin.  George is the author of the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series. But you may recognize it by what its more commonly known these days: "Game of Thrones" because of some silly show on HBO or something ;). Two of my favorite authors are dead. I will never get the chance to hear Lovecraft talk about his own stories, and I'll never get the chance to ask Poe for an autograph, so it was important to me that Yeti take advantage of these amazing events with George. It was truly an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to meet him and hear him speak! He read a few chapters of the next book in the series, answered fan questions and offered sound advice to aspiring writers in the crowd. He even took part in a talk and Q&A session with "Star Trek:TNG"writer and his long-time friend, Melinda Snodgrass. It was so much fun hearing and watching them talk together and banter back and forth about what they have learned in the business. It was an educational and eye-opening experience to be a part of. Hopefully now George will get back to work writing the next ASOIAF book so we don't have to wait 6 years for the next installment! Write like the wind, George!!

I also signed up for a cake decorating class while I was away! The Jo-Stess Bakery is really starting to step up it's game now! I'm really good at the baking part of things but when it comes to decorating, I'm  miles away from matching my grandmother and father, and LIGHT YEARS away from modern decorating techniques (i.e. gum paste, fondant). This is basically the extent of my decorating skills:

Princess cookies made for Ms. Ellie's birthday :)

T.A.R.D.I.S. cake that could use some improvement

Yeah, so frosting things and basic line work. That's all I got. I'm hoping that with some formal training and a lot of practice, I will be churning out fantastic cakes and pastries by the end of spring. I've decided that the main focus of the Jo-Stess Bakery will be (drum-roll please)......nerdy cookies and cakes! I may be looking way too far in the future but I'm looking forward to trying my hand at another bigger and better T.A.R.D.I.S. cake like the one I made for my husband last year. Maybe I can even make an edible Enterprise for my parents! The possibilities are endless! 

I'm hoping that over this next week i'll be able to sit down and actually FINISH at least one of the stories I'm working on. My week is filling up really fast but I am resolved to at least dedicating a few hours at a time to conclude a few projects before I start new ones. "The Job" is getting down to the wire with only one part to go and "Amenhotep The Black" is coming together nicely too! "The Lovecraft Paradox" has been sitting in limbo for so long that I think my main character is beginning to give up on me! I really need to get Aloysius Baxter Cunningham moving again! I kinda miss him!

So I before I lose this new found creative momentum, I'm going to stop here for now and concentrate on some of my fiction! My new goal is to post at LEAST once a week rather than everyday since I don't seem to have that kind of time anymore! Keep your eyes peeled for more new content and story updates in the coming weeks! Bear with me! I'm slowly but surely getting back into the swing of things over here :).