baked potatoes and creamy potato soup

We are almost out of fresh food, but we do have a bag of potatoes. Remembering some of the food pins I pinned on pinterst. I had these baked potatoes at a restaurant and they tasted fabulous. I looked up how to make the roasted/bake potato and I was feeling for some creamy soup. This is my first time ever making something like this and I say it turned out great!! The soup was thick and had that potato flour taste, it was good, what I was looking for. The baked good was a bit dry; next time I think I would cover it with aluminum.

I followed theses recipes, but I was limited in ingredients so I had it improvise a bit.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cheesy-chicken-chowder
I only used 2 rib of celery, 4 potatoes, handful of broccoli, I had string cheese but other than that I had all the other items for sauce (flour) mixture. I had this for lunch and off i go to class. When I came home it became really thick as it cooled. My mum told just add more liquid to thin it out. I reheat it and slowly add some water and stirred until it's the consistency I wanted. I also added a bit of salt too because the taste would have diluted.

http://www.marthastewart.com/332662/roasted-red-potatoes
I only had Russet potatoes and didn't have dill so used italian seasoning.

Creamy Pasta Chowder

I don't know what's the deal with me this week but I began studying and then I side track into cooking food. It happen this monday too, where I made the bake potato and creamy potato chowder.

Early this morning 8:30am, class start at 9, so I went on pintrest and looked at my pins. This one pin caught my attention because it was similar to what I made on monday but with pasta. So I had an idea what I want to make

http://chefrecipesmagazine.com/broccoli-shells-n-cheese/

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cheesy-chicken-chowder

I start following the first recipe on butter, onion, flour and milk, cheese but I didn't like doing it this way, made my hand tired, but then again I was using a wooden spoon. Next time I make this kind of step again, I will be using a whisk on the butter, flour and milk. And how, I went to the grocery today, so this time I have most of the ingredients. and I also roughly measured my amounts.

one medium onion, diced
1 carrot roundly sliced
1 rib of celery
handful of broccoli
1-2 potato, diced
over 3 cups of water
1 or more cheese string, sliced (I only had cheese strings)
1 tsp salt
over 1/2 tsp chicken bullion granules
1 tsp black pepper
scoop of butter (I had margarine)
1/2 cup flour
over 1 cup milk/cream
pasta, cooked as instructed and set aside

In a pot, bring water to boil add the potato, celery, carrot, onion, salt and pepper
let it cook until potato tender (I had it on high heat). Have a taste if need more seasoning.

While thats cooking make the flour mixture. In another pot, on high, melt the butter than whisk together the flour (looks clumpy) and stir around a few minutes, don't want to burn can turn on medium heat. Then add milk little bit at a time, whisk, milk, whisk... until the flour mixture looks smooth with no clumps. Then add the cheese. and mix until melted.

When the veggies are tender add the flour mixture into the veggie pot, and stir around until dissolves. Then I add the broccoli and cook a few minute and then add the pasta into pot. Fold it for pasta to be coated with sauce. Have a taste if need more seasoning.

LeeSSang(리쌍) _ Someday (Feat. Yoon Do Hyun of YB)

Korean Makeup vs American Makeup 한국 메이크업과 미국 메이크업의 다른점! :)

Like spicy food = masochist

We had a substitute profe in AP1 once. I remember clearly about her joke about taste buds. We recognize 5 taste: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami, through the gustatory nerve.

She joked about liking to call people who love spicy food as masochist because spicy sensation stimulates pain receptors in the mouth. harhar.

I remember this because I thought it was in interesting fact.

Japanese cuisine blogs

I'm looking through these blogs the chef want us to look at and I like them already, even though, I have only read the recent post of each blog.

http://www.japanesefoodreport.com/
http://www.humblebeanblog.com/
http://tokyostation-yukari.blogspot.com/

Anatomy and Physiology II

I took AP1 last semester and didn't really learn anything. But this semester with a different professor, I'm learning lots a snipped of facts. I like to share and note for my purpose. I could post fact of the day. Well I have AP2 class on Mondays and Wednesday at 8am. I'm not a morning person so the last past weeks been tiring. I'm taking naps which I hardly ever do, only if I'm sick.  Another fact about me, I get even more quieter when I'm sick too. lol.

An interesting fact I learned past few months is that you CAN get sunburn on a cloudy day. Why? If I remember correctly you get sunburn from UV light not because it's sunny out and the clouds don't shield the UV from passing through. Makes sense?

The past 4 weeks in AP2 lecture, we've been learning about the circulatory system and beginning lecturing on the lymphatic system today. Anyways, I;ll try to remember the snipped of fact about the circulatory system the profe mention. When heart doctors mention the heart, the left ventricle is really consider "the heart," is the most important because it pumps blood throughout the body.

The payphone booth is the worst place to be when you faint because you can't lay down. When you faint you fall to the ground, being parallel to the ground. makes the blood easier to circulate throughout body. Something about gravity preventing the blood flow back to heart or brain.

Profe told us about a guy ride on a long airplane ride like 18hr ride across the globe and he get off the airplane and just suddenly dies there. It was because sitting for a long time with out moving. Something about the blood flow being constricted in the legs. Muscle contraction and breathing helps push blood back to the heart. He also mention something about the hight altitude and pressure and less oxygen available that I don't remember what. A student ask what can we do to prevent this. Just get up once in awhile, like potty break, walk around, or elevate your legs for the blood moving.

Skoshbox!

For my international cooking we have to write short response to the weekly websites. Our next place is japanese food! Other than sushi, onigari, and miso soup that is as wide my recipe of knowing to make. So I'm excited to what we'll make.

I check out this blog:http://www.humblebeanblog.com/2013/07/skoshbox/

 and the recent post was about the Skoshbox. I think the whole idea of Skoshbox is a amazing marketing plan or enterprise whatever you called it. But the challenge would be getting their name out. I would totally subscribe to a Chinese version of Skoshbox. 

Fact of the day: Geographically, business manufacture snacks distributed in China are less sweet and maybe salty than in the USA. Personally, I don't like USA snacks/junk food its either too sweet, salty or plain. 

Back to topic, I think the price seems reasonable good, $12/month, that I was considering to do the 6 month subscription as a birthday gift but I have already prepared a gift. maybe next time.

Dark Wolf (Dark Series Book 25) by Christine Feehan

I just finish the 24th book a few weeks ago. I have been anticipating for a story on skyler ever since we know who her mate is!!! And reading the sneak peak rallied me up to look to see if there is a free online read. Checked it today and found one.

http://www.readbookfree.com/Christine_Feehan/Dark_Wolf.html

Red Wine Vinaigrette

In cooking class. We had extra ingredients from his other class because of the class cancelation of the cold weather. We made a vinaigrette dressing for our salad. He said that for any vinaigrette main ingredients are oil and vinegar. So you can mix any kind of vinegar with oil, just get the ratio right that there is more oil than vinegar.

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/red-wine-vinaigrette-00100000081477/index.html

Ingredients
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
kosher salt and black pepper
(optional can add minced garlic, shallot, onion when done blending)
(optional can add berry puree like strawberry or raspberry into bender)

Directions
In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

Smooth Mashed Potatoes

In cooking class, week 2 french cuisine. The chef made this smooth mashed potato to go with our chicken basque. It was the best mashed potato I have ever tasted. It tasted devine. I found a recipe similar to what the chef used. I saw him using a electric hand mixer to smooth out the lumps. I'm thinking once the potato is boiled you can use the mixer to mash the potato and add in other ingredients and mix until smooth.

Ingredients
1 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper (or white pepper)
1/4 cup olive oil, optional

Directions
Warm the cream with the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts; set aside.

Put the potatoes in a medium saucepan with cold water to cover. Bring to boil then add 1 teaspoon of salt and reduce the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are very tender. Drain. Pass the potatoes through a food mill or a ricer into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the warm cream and butter mixture until the cream is absorbed and the mixture is smooth. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper and finish them off by stirring in 1/4 cup olive oil.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/velvety-mashed-potatoes-recipe.html

Peppermoon (페퍼문) - 쁘아쁘 (Peu A Peu) [I Need Romance 3 OST]