Success

I would define success as being happy with what you have accomplished. 
I've achieved many success' in my life, just as anyone. I've learned to ride a bike, I've been on the honor roll, I've read a book, I've got two jobs, I've made friends, just little things in life like that. 

I'd say I achieved any success by just being myself and doing things I wanted or needed. 

"Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.

Bruce Lee"

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_success.html#kX3kqz2V7TMzXzPy.99

I would define failure as giving up. The only explanation for failure is when you stop trying. 

Times I failed myself is when I didn't get an A in a class or on a paper when I knew I could, letting a bad mood ruin a good day, not trying out for a team cause  I was scared. I failed because I didn't have the courage or I just didn't give my all. If you want something really bad, you have to go out and get it, it can't just be handed to you. 

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."

Thomas A. Edison

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/t/thomasaed109004.html#Ts0PykAUYEX055qg.99

Success can motivate you to do more like when you run a mile, you ran so well you might as well run another. 
When you fail it can encourage you to just try harder. If you can't beat a level on a video game you don't stop trying, you keep playing over and over until you finally get it. 
I become more motivated from any success or failure. To just try harder. With success I try to set the bar higher making it easier to be motivated by success rather than failure. I already know I accomplished one thing making me just wanting to try harder and do better than before. 

For my genius hour, I've accomplished cooking well and spending time with my family and friends. I should have gone above and beyond for this project and been involved with it more in school, but I did a lot with my family. We've made sunday dinner and breakfast every weekend! I'd tell my boyfriend we had to set aside days to make dinner together or snacks. It was something to do and now I love cooking. At first my goal was to be able to cook gourmet food, which I did in some areas; but my outcome was spending more time with my family and friends. I know I achieved success with this project because it's made me happy and given me bonding time and much more than just cooking.

Cleansing

Starting now, for 2 weeks, I'm starting a new diet cleanse. 

I start the morning with a hot cup of water with half a lemon squeezed into it. After that I have the required breakfast smoothie....

 2 tbsp rice protein powder 

2 tbsp ground flaxseeds 

1/2 cup frozen berries 

1/2 banana

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Green tea: Preferably organic
Protein: One 6-oz serving of meat (chicken, turkey or fish) per day 
Carbs: 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice a day (otherwise no carbs/starches)
Fats: Good fats in moderation (e.g. olive oil and avocado)
Dairy: 1 cup of 2% plain Greek yogurt per day (otherwise no dairy)
Vegetables: Unlimited low-glycemic vegetables and Detox Broth
Snacks: Hummus, pickles, a couple handfuls of nuts

What not to do!

• No wheat (except 1/2 cup brown rice)
• No artificial sweeteners (this includes all diet soda)
• No white sugar
• No alcohol
• No caffeine (only green tea)
• No dairy (except Greek yogurt)
• No additional exercise
• No meals between 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.

Other things to do...

• Take probiotic in the morning.
• Take a multivitamin (preferably 1/2 in the morning and 1/2 at night). 
• Take a detox bath every night (soak with 2 cups Epsom salt & 1 cup baking soda).

http://www.doctoroz.com/slideshow/dr-ozs-2-week-rapid-weight-loss-plan-instructions?gallery=true&page=6

I got all my info from Dr.Oz. The idea of the cleanse was brought up by my mother. We thought since we were both trying to eat clean and become healthy this could jumpstart the process and help us out. 

Italian night

Stuffed Shells

I began by boiling the big shells first and while they were cooking I made the cheese mixture.

 Heres the mixture at first, it's egg and ricotta cheese. It was thick but really smooth.

 Then I added lots of Parmesan and mozzarella. Then I added oregano, basil, and salt and pepper for taste!

Then I stuffed the shells with a spoonful of cheese.

Once they were all stuffed I filled a pan with spaghetti sauce till it was about an inch thick. Then laid the stuffed shells and baked them at 400 degrees for roughly 30 minutes.

And this is the outcome! They were pretty good and we ate them with a side salad. 

Sunday Dinner

Sunday Dinner with my dad has become a tradition. Typically we grill out every Sunday now. Whether its Salmon, Tuna, Steak, Ribs, Chicken, Wings, anything!

This is baked mashed potatoes, but it's mixed with light cheese and cauliflower. Sounds kinda weird or gross, but it was pretty good! While my dad boiled the potatoes we put a tray over the pot and the cauliflower rested on top making them soft and mushy which made them easy to mash with the potatoes. 

Truffles!

Oreo Truffles

I made these truffles with my boyfriend, Zac. At first, I was making the birthday cake truffles, but he likes peanut butter so we decided on the peanut butter truffles! They came out a little rich, but the birthday cake ones were perfect.

 First we started  by putting the Oreos in the blender to make them turn into a crumble or powder.

Like thiss!!

One the left is the birthday cake while the right is the peanut butter. For each mix add 8oz of cream cheese (softened). Adding the cream cheese makes it very thick and easy to create little balls like in the picture below.

Heres making the balls and on the back burners is chocolate being melted to smother the truffles

This last picture is of Zac covering the truffles with chocolate. Once they're covered they can look pretty by putting sprinkles on them.

Sadly, I didn't take a picture of the final results because they didn't look very pretty. The mixture kinda looks like poop and I burned the chocolate so we had to use bakers chocolate and I didn't realize it was unsweetened so the peanut butter ones came out pretty rich. but Zac still liked them! So it all worked out in the end.

Desserts

Today after school 

I'll learn to make this pie with my mom and post pictures later!

FOR PIE

• Pastry dough
• 5 large egg yolks
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons

FOR MERINGUE

• 5 large egg whites, at room temperature 30 minutes
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup superfine granulated sugar

MAKE PIE SHELL:

• Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.
• Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 13-inch round, then fit into a 9-inch pie plate (4-cup capacity). Trim edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then crimp decoratively. Lightly prick shell all over with a fork, then chill 30 minutes.
• Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights or raw rice. Bake until side is set and edge is pale golden, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove weights and foil and bake shell until bottom and side are golden, about 20 minutes more. Remove from oven and reduce temperature to 350°F.

MAKE FILLING:

• Whisk together yolks in a small bowl.
• Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a heavy medium saucepan. Gradually add water and milk, whisking until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking frequently as mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and gradually whisk about 1 cup milk mixture into yolks, then whisk yolk mixture into remaining milk mixture. Add lemon zest and juice and simmer, whisking constantly, 3 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in butter until incorporated. Cover surface with wax paper to keep hot.

MAKE MERINGUE:

• Beat whites with cream of tartar and salt using an electric mixer at medium speed until they hold soft peaks. Increase speed to high and add superfine sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until meringue just holds stiff, glossy peaks.

ASSEMBLE AND BAKE PIE:

• Pour hot filling into warm pie shell and gently shake to smooth top. Spread meringue decoratively over hot filling, covering filling completely.
• Immediately bake until meringue is golden-brown, about 15 minutes. Cool completely on a rack, 2 to 3 hours. Cut with a serrated knife dipped in cold water.

  

Valentines Day Weekend

This past Friday, being Valentines day, I made all kinds of baked goods. Over the course of the weekend I made dinner Saturday night and Monday night. I've began to make dinner on my own for my family and friends. It's something I've really picked up on doing casually now and I've come to really enjoy it.

I've gone from attempting to make gourmet food to just making dinner casually and just random different recipes. Over this weekend I've made, lasagna, cookies, homemade salad dressing, a skillet breakfast, and homemade pizza.
I made the cookies from scratch, the dressing, and skillet and the pizza. I had bought noodles for the lasagna, but I plan to learn how to make homemade noodles. My mom and I made the spaghetti sauce from scratch and used that for the pizza as well. With both entrees, we had salads and used our homemade dressing.

Everything homemade always taste better rather than store bought meals. It takes time, but its worth it. Cooking and baking has really become a new thing to do. I have cooked with my parents and my boyfriend. Living in Jackson can be boring with nothing to do, but cooking at home has replaced going out to eat.
I like looking up new recipes and this is the next one I want to try:http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/2007/06/grilledhaloumi
http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/2008/10/souffleed-macaroni-and-cheese

Mid- Progress

So Far....

With my progress with being a gourmet chef, I've started to just learn recipes that are more wholesome than gourmet. 

I have yet to cook with Evan, but I've been cooking more with my dad and learning how to cook and season different meats such as preparing steaks, chicken, and a variety of fish. 

As many Americans would know, yesterday was Superbowl Sunday and I cooked a variety of appetizers and the main course alongside with my dad. Our appetizers included teriyaki wings, a polish sauerkraut dip with rye bread, and bean dip. The main course was steaks, twice baked potatos, and salad. 

Cooking the steaks with my dads, I learned the basics( rare, medium, and well done). Overall cooking with my dad is always fun and he's a really great cook. 

To be continued....

Progress so far....

So far in learning to be a gourmet chef, I've learned a few select recipes. I did try to be a vegetarian but, I did not succeed. Over christmas break a few recipes from my Aunt while I was in Florida.

The First Recipe I Learned

Chicken Marbella

The recipe is chicken marinated in a sweet mixture of garlic, peeled and finely puréed, dried oregano, salt and freshly ground pepper, red wine vinegar, olive oil, pitted prunes, pitted Spanish green olives capers with a bit of juice, bay leaves, brown sugar, white wine, and fresh Italian parsley finely chopped.

Yesterday, I made the recipe with my dad for my mom. Cooking with my dad gave us a chance to hangout and talk about the fun we had in Florida. My dads always been a really good cook so he showed me a few extra things while cooking with him. The chicken came out really good and this has became a recipe I really like.

Second Recipe I Learned

VeraCruz

This recipe is snapper fish covered in a olive and tomato topping. The recipe includes: Salt and freshly ground pepper, olive oil, large onion, finely slice garlic finely chopped, dry white wine, tomatoes chopped, green olives pitted and chopped capers, drained serrano pepper finely chopped, sugar, and bay leaves. The following is sauteed in a pan then sereved over snapper.

Next Sunday, my dad and I will make this recipe together and hangout.

I plan to learn many more recipes and make dinner for my family.