Clearing my head for a new journey

No, no, I haven’t dropped out of blogging before I’ve barely gotten started. I have been taking just a little time to clear some clutter out of my head after making what I would call a pretty big life decision. A little over a week ago, I quit my pharmaceutical sales job to pursue my culinary aspirations full time. Taking this leap is something I have wanted to do for quite some time but had to build the courage to do so. And even though it's only been a bit longer than week since making this decision, looking back I am amazed at how long I traveled dutifully on the road of keeping a job/career that I really did not enjoy – 11 years to be exact – because of the monetary stability it offered. Don’t get me wrong, monetary stability is a very valuable and important reason to keep a job, especially considering our uncertain world and economy. But at what cost?

I can certainly say from experience that staying in a job/career that does not bring any measure of joy or fulfillment ultimately drained my ability to experience joy and fulfillment in the other parts of my life. There was always this nagging voice of discomfort clouding my ability to see clearly at times and often tainting my everyday life as I struggled to make myself fit a job and persona that was not innately me. So the cost to me became greater and greater – a clouded and uncomfortable present existence and resentment that I was not doing something I enjoyed and longing for the opportunity to do so. Add to that a heaping supply of guilt: guilt that I didn’t want to keep the job when so many people are unemployed, guilt that my husband had to listen to me complain, guilt that I was letting my job unhappiness steal the joy from the beautiful life I have and share with my husband, and the guilt list goes on and on.

But I don’t want to dwell there, because I am starting a new chapter and looking forward to all of the possibilities that lie ahead. This fall I'll attend culinary school full time to achieve both culinary and pastry arts degrees. This new journey toward culinary school actually began with a seed planted in the fall of 2009. As the years have gone by, my love for cooking, baking and sharing my food with others has continued to grow; steadily demanding more of the space in my life. I knew I wanted to learn more, but cookbooks and cooking magazines were just not quenching my thirst for more in-depth knowledge and the yearning to make my culinary passion more than just a hobby.

Well, knowledge is certainly power and learning that the local community college had a culinary program proved to be the fuel that powered my path (and watered that early seed) to where I am today. I would never have even known that the community college here in Houston offers both a culinary and pastry arts degree had I not had a chance encounter with a woman who sold me my first cast iron pot. I met her the first time at Williams-Sonoma then ran into her again at the Le Creuset outlet many months later, in the summer of 2009. It was there she told me she was attending culinary school. I assumed, however, it was one of the two culinary programs I knew about but to my surprise and delight, I had not heard of the community college program and, a very important detail here - that they offer evening classes.

As soon as I returned home I sent an email to Bobby eagerly telling him about my discovery and immediately after, I began to search the college’s website for information. Within the next few days I was registered for my first semester of culinary school in four evening classes. It would prove to be a grueling 16 weeks, working full time and spending my evenings in class – but it was invigorating, quenching and enlightening all the same…that small seed that was planted already received a good boost of growth and quite a bit of joy was growing as well. Although I have only taken a few classes since that first semester, due to a job that threatened to keep me from nurturing that new found hope, my desire to pursue culinary and pastry full time kept swirling around in my head, getting steadily louder and more unwavering to my attempts to say, “maybe in a few years.” After two years of internal struggle, finally, I have allowed my dream to have a full voice that will not be hushed by guilt or fear.

I am so excited about what the future holds, with all of it’s uncertainty and unknowns. And I am incredibly fortunate to have this wonderful opportunity at this point in my life. At 41 years old, I am both too old and too young, to wait a second longer to pursue my culinary aspirations. It has been an uncomfortable couple of years getting to this point, but well worth the journey. I’ve had to take a very close look at what is important to me and not let what society might think I should be or do, deter me. And I have realized to an even greater depth, the wonderful, loving and encouraging husband to whom I am married.

Making this decision was by no means easy. I gave up quite a bit. But what I have already gained emotionally, psychologically and spiritually, have already proven to me that is was most definitely the right decision. I am relieved, unburdened, excited and full of joy. And I am eternally thankful and blessed to have so many family and friends cheering me on. Now I guess it's time for me to get myself back in the kitchen!

Maple Oatmeal Sandwich Bread

Toasted Maple Oatmeal Sandwich Bread with fig jam

 I think I’ve gotten a little bread crazed of late.  Although this is another sandwich bread recipe, I’ve actually been baking all sorts of bread deliciousness  - from crusty artisan bread to homemade buttermilk dinner rolls… I really cannot overstate the goodness and comfort of homemade bread. Because you cannot get any fresher bread than the bread that comes from your own oven. I’ve made this particular bread on Sunday for the last three weeks (make that four weeks since I had to make another loaf to photograph for the blog) and now I cannot bring myself to buy a loaf of sandwich bread at the store. Yes, this bread is that good and that easy.  And the maple smell that will waft through your house as it’s baking will make you a believer too…

This bread is fantastically delicious toasted, with butter as it’s only adornment. However, I have been known to enjoy it with peanut butter, or goat cheese that’s been softened and then topped with fig jam. It elevates a simple ham and cheese to greatness. And I can only imagine how ridiculous bread pudding would be made with a loaf of this bread. How about some French toast…well, let’s not even go there…

Finding this recipe was more a stroke of luck than anything else – lucky, because I didn’t throw the recipe away before giving it a try! In addition to the 40 plus cookbooks I have, I also keep a notebook for other recipes that are shared with me or those that I have torn from a magazine and promised myself I’ll try at some point. In the notebook I've used tabs to divide the recipes into categories and every now and then I sit down and flip through what I've saved and discard the recipes that have been hanging around for too long that I have never attempted to make. This bread recipe was one that was heading for the discard pile because I’m pretty sure it’s been in that notebook for close to three years…just waiting.  So with my current obsession for homemade bread in full force and the fact that it has maple syrup in it…well, I couldn’t let the opportunity to try a new sandwich bread recipe pass me by. This bread is worth making for your family on a weekly basis...I think I've officially decided to stop buying sandwich bread at the store because of this recipe. I hope you'll give it a try. 

Maple Oatmeal Sandwich Bread
from Bon Appetit Magazine

** If you don’t have maple syrup or maple extract on hand, omit both of those ingredients and sub in ¼ cup of honey – this substitution also makes a great bread**

You will need:

A stand mixer

9x5 bread pan

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of water (heated to 105-115 degrees)
1 egg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

¼ cup maple syrup (grade B) - I have used regular Grade A, the maple flavor is a little lighter

1/2 teaspoon maple extract

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup old fashioned oats (I use Quaker Oats – not the Instant)

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons active yeast

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, add all of the ingredients in the order they are listed.  Mix on low until the ingredients begin to come together and then knead on medium for 8 minutes.

Remove the dough from the dough hook and leave dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then a towel. Allow to rise at warm room temperature about 2 hours or until doubled in size.

Butter the 9x5 bread pan all the way up the sides and set aside. Turn dough out on a floured surface and knead for 1-2 minutes.  Shape the dough, with any seam side down, into an 8 x 3 inch loaf – so that the ends almost touch the inside ends of the bread pan. Place loaf in buttered bread pan and cover with plastic wrap that has been buttered to prevent it sticking to the bread.

Allow bread to rise for approximately 45 minutes or until it has risen 1 1/2 inches above the top lip of the pan.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a rack in the bottom third of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the temperature is 180 degrees.

All ingredients in mixing bowl, added to bowl in order listed

After being mixed/kneaded on medium speed for 8 minutes

Dough, after first rise

Dough ready to be kneaded by hand for 1 minute

Stretch dough enough to be able to fold in half

Dough folded in half...

Use heal of hand to apply pressure and push away from you

Turn dough 1/4 turn, seam will be on the right, stretch dough again enough to fold in half

Repeat this process, folding, then using heal of hand to apply pressure and push dough away from you, 1/4 turn, etc., for 1-2 minutes

Dough is ready to shape for pan

Use both hands to squeeze the dough into a loaf shape, long enough for ends to touch inside ends of pan

Bread shaped to fit in 9x5 bread pan

Bread dough in pan for 2nd rise (approx. 45 minutes to an hour)

2nd rise complete, ready for baking

Baked bread cooling, after 15 minutes initial cooling in pan

Ice Cream!! Make some! Because it's hot outside! (and it's really easy)

 

An ice cream machine is one of those kitchen appliances I thought I'd never buy because I thought I wouldn't use it enough to justify the purchase. Not that they are overly expensive, but it would still be wasted money if I bought it and then only used it once or twice. Well, a few summers ago, I don't know if it was the Houston heat or the savvy Williams-Sonoma marketing, but I gave in and I'm glad I did. I don't use it all year round but I do use it regularly during the sticky and steamy summer months here, which are more than just the calendar months of summer. If you have kids, I think this is something fun you could do during the summer months using different kinds of mix-ins when making vanilla ice cream, like crushed Oreos, caramel, brownie chunks - I'm sure the kiddos will dream up all sorts of stuff to swirl into the ice cream in it's final minutes of churning!

The recipe for the ice cream pictured is a simple non-custard based recipe, which means there are no egg yolks to be whisked and then tempered with the cream mixture. Custard based recipes are very good but sometimes you just don't want to go through all that trouble. This recipe is very simple and super yummy. It's like eating a strawberry milkshake but with lovely chunks of strawberries throughout. 

I've read in several different magazines and books that non-custard based recipes tend to get icy once you freeze the finished product completely - that has not been my experience. The only thing I have found is that once you have the fully frozen product, you'll need to allow five to ten minutes for it to soften a bit for scooping, so just take it out a little ahead of when you want to eat it. (I am including a recipe for Vanilla Ice Cream at the bottom of this post).

**I did not eat the entire bowl of strawberry ice cream pictured...in one sitting...**

Strawberry Ice Cream

from Gourmet Magazine

1 pound strawberries, trimmed of stems and quartered

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups (16 ounces) heavy cream (or carton will be labeled heavy whipping cream)

**Important note: make sure you have frozen the insert to your ice cream machine for 24 hours.**

Place strawberries in a bowl with the sugar, lemon juice and salt. Mix well and mash strawberries. Let the strawberries sit for 10 minutes, occasionally mashing a little more.

Put half of the mashed strawberries mixture in a blender with the 2 cups of cream. Blend until smooth. Pour the pureed mixture back into the bowl with the remaining strawberries and mix well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 3-6 hours. (this batch chilled for 3 hours and it was fine but the chillier the better).

Put the strawberries and cream mixture in the insert of the ice cream machine and churn for 20 minutes, may be a little longer or shorter depending on your machine. Enjoy immediately as a soft-serve style ice cream or put in a freezer safe container to become a little more solid. Ice cream keeps for 1 week.

Beautiful fresh strawberries

Stawberries with sugar, lemon juice and salt

Strawberries, after being mashed/mixed with sugar, lemon juice and salt

Final strawberries and cream mixture, ready to be chilled and then churned

 

Vanilla Ice Cream

3 cups heavy cream

2/3 cups sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean

Heat the cream, sugar, vanilla, and vanilla seeds in a small saucepan only until the sugar is dissolved. Make sure all the sugar is dissolved so there is no longer in grittiness from the sugar. Strain into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight. Freeze the mixture in an ice cream machine for approximately 20 minutes. May be a little shorter or longer depending on your machine and how chilled your cream mixture is. Enjoy as a soft-serve style ice cream immediately, or spoon into a freezer container for more firm ice cream. Once completely frozen, allow to soften before serving.