Emily's Cooking Blog

Prep Time: 25 Min Cook Time: 10 Min Ready In: 1 Hr 35 Min

Servings: 10

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened

• 3/4 cup white sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

• 1/2 cup white sugar

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and 3/4 cup sugar until smooth. Mix in egg.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended.

4. Press dough into an ungreased pizza pan.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool.

6. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla until light. Spread on cooled crust.

7. Arrange desired fruit on top of filling, glaze and chill.

GLAZE:

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

• 1/4 cup unsweetened pineapple juice

• 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch.

2. Stir in pineapple juice and lemon juice until smooth.

3. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

4. Cool slightly. Drizzle over fruit. Refrigerate until chilled.

Source: AllRecipes.com

Last Wednesday my commercial cooking class made fruit pizza as our first lab in the fruits and vegetables unit. I was really looking forward to making it because I like most fruits and I love fruit pizza. This was a challenge to make because it was a layered pizza, meaning the first layer had to be complete before the second could be started. This presented a challenge when only having an hour to complete the entire pizza. Something that went well was each layer being completed in a timely manner so we could progress quickly. One thing that definitely could have been better was the arrangement of the fruit on the pizza, it was not symmetrical at all and was not pleasing to the eye. Something that I learned in class was how important it was that the oven begins preheating at the beginning of class. This way the dough could be put in as soon as it was done. If I were to do something different I would make sure that planning was done regarding how the pizza was to be decorated so that it as pleasing to the eye. I think I will make this recipe at home just for fun because it was really tasty and fun to make.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound ground beef

1 tbsp. oil

3/4 c. chopped onion

3/4 c. shredded carrots

3/4 c. diced celery

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dried parsley flakes

3 c. chicken broth

4 c. peeled and diced potatoes

1/4 c. butter

1/4 c. all purpose flour

2 cups grated cheese

1 1/2 c. milk

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 c. sour cream

Directions:

1. Brown the ground beef in a 3 quart saucepan. Drain and set aside.

2. In the same saucepan, add 1 T. oil and add onion, shredded carrots, parsley flakes, basil and celery. Saute until tender.

3. Add the broth, potatoes and beef and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 - 12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

4. In small skillet melt butter and add the flour. Cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Add to the soup and bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low.

5. Stir in the cheese, milk, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat and blend in sour cream.

Yield: 8 servings

Source: Kim's Krazyness

 The last soup we made in class was cheeseburger soup. This one was one of the more difficult soups to make and finish on time. This is the soup I am planning on making for my family, it has many ingredients to prepare and will be a fun challenge to cook on my own. I was not at school the day before we made this soup, so any planning that was done I was not a part of. Something that did not go well was that my group began to concentrate too much on cleaning before all of the other ingredients were prepped and ready to go, this caused us to fall behind again. If I were to make this recipe again I would make sure jobs are clearly planned ahead of time and that the whole group is fully aware of who is doing what and what order it has to be done in. something I learned from class that was very beneficial to this recipe was to be sure there are no lumps left in the roux before adding it to the soup, this helped because all of the flour was properly blended when we added to the soup. This soup was fun to make and I look forward to doing it again.

Prep Time: 20 Min Cook Time: 45 Min Ready In: 1 Hr 5 Min

Ingredients

1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons butter

1/2 onion, chopped

2 large carrots, chopped

1/2 clove garlic, chopped

2 cups water

2 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder

1/2 pound (3 c.) fresh broccoli florets

1 cup half-and-half cream

1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons ice water

1-1/2 teaspoons soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Directions

Melt butter in a fryingpan over medium heat; add chopped onions, carrots, and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened.

In a medium-sized cooking pot, add 2 cups water and chicken bouillon granules and bring to boil.

Add precooked onion mixture to soup pot.

Add broccoli florets, reserving a few pieces to be added near the end of cooking time.

Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes or until broccoli is just tender.

In a blender or food processor, puree soup in batches and return to pot.

Reheat soup.

Stir in half and half cream and remaining broccoli florets.

In a cup, mix flour with cold water to form a thin liquid.

Bring soup to boil; add flour mixture slowly, stirring constantly to thicken soup as desired.

Add soy sauce, black pepper, and stir well.

Garnish with chopped parsley (or carrot curls) when serving. Serve soup hot or cold. NutritionalInformation Amount Per Serving Calories: 247 | Total Fat: 16.3g | Cholesterol: 48mg

Source: Allrecipes.com

This past week my Commercial Cooking class also made Creamed Broccoli Soup. This soup involved three methods of thickening. One thing that went well was that this soup gave our small group of only three lots to do, no one was left standing around waiting for something to be finished. Something that did not go well was that our group seemed really unorganized compared with the other lab days. We were all over the place trying to complete everything without being late for our next class. If I were to make this recipe again I would trade roles with another group member and let them be the one to puree the vegetables, and I would work on preparing the other ingredients. I tend to work a bit faster than the other members in my group and I think this change would have made it so the timing of certain aspects of the recipe coming together would all happen correctly without any waiting in between. Something that we learned in class that was helpful in making this recipe was that it was important that the roux was opposite in temperature from the soup to prevent clumps from forming. Although I did not enjoy the smell, this soup was fun to make.

Usually eaten hot, it’s also surprisingly delicious eaten fridge-cold on a summer’s day with a squeeze of lemon juice and a dollop of natural yoghurt.

Ingredients

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

2 sticks celery, sliced

2 medium onions, peeled and roughly chopped

400 g leeks

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

400 g potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 cm dice.

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. Chicken base

7 c. boiling water

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Cut the ends off the leeks, quarter them lengthways. Wash them under running water and cut them into 1 cm slices.

2. Place a large pan on high heat and add 2 tbsp. of olive oil.

3. Add all your chopped and sliced ingredients and mix together with a wooden spoon.

4. Cook for around 10 minutes with the lid askew, until the carrots have softened, but are still holding their shape, and the onion and leeks are lightly golden.

5. Put the chicken base into a pan and pour in 7 c. boiling water from the kettle. Stir until the base is dissolved, then add to the vegetables.

6. Add your potatoes. Give the soup a good stir and bring to the boil.

7. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minute with the lid on.

8. Remove the pan from the heat. Season with salt and pepper.

9. Serve like this or pulse until smooth using a hand blender.

Source: jamieoliver.com

On Tuesday, March 28th, my Commercial Cooking class made leek and potato soup. This was the second soup we made and there was much more stuff to be done compared to the previous soup. On Monday, March 27th, some ingredients for the soup were prepared ahead of time, I was not there this day so I cannot say whether or not that went well. Something that went well was all of our vegetables were relatively evenly cut and therefore evenly cooked. This gave the soup a nice texture. One thing that could have been improved was the colour of our soup. The bottom of our pot had a dark, charred bottom and my group did not recognize that it was food residue till our soup was complete. One thing that I learned in class that was crucial to the recipe was how to recognize when the vegetables were properly cooked so the broth could be added. I thoroughly enjoyed making this soup.

1/4 c. butter

4 c. thinly sliced onion

1 lt beef broth

1/4 tsp. salt

6 slices French bread, 1 inch thick

2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

2 pkgs. (1 oz. size) process Gruyere cheese, grated

1. In hot butter in large kettle, saute onion until golden, about 8 minutes.

2. Add beef broth and salt; bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, toast bread on both sides in broiler. Sprinkle one side with Parmesan and Gruyere cheese; broil just until cheese is bubbly, about 1 minute.

4. To serve: Pour soup into individual soup bowls. Float toast, cheese side up, on soup.

Makes 6 servings.

Source: Miller Cafeteria

On Friday we made French onion soup. This was our first soup as well as our first lab that we did together as a group, so we were presented with quite a challenge. A good part of the experience was that everyone in my group got along and worked well together while making the soup. Roles were divided evenly and for the most part everyone knew what they were doing. Something that did not go quite as well was the clean-up at the end. It took long enough that I was almost late to my next class. If I were to do things differently I would make sure that everything gets properly cleaned, dried and put away as soon as it’s finished being used. Something I learned in class that was very important to the recipe was that the onions must be sliced to same size so they are cooked evenly. This was useful to know because had it not been mentioned, chances are we would have had varying sizes and ended up with some overcooked and undercooked onions. I enjoyed making this soup, but I think I would have liked the taste a bit better had we got to also try it with the cheese and bread that is listed in the recipe.

Puffed Wheat Cake

Ingredients

8 c. Puffed Wheat

1 c. Brown Sugar

1/2 c. Corn Syrup

1/2 c. Margarine

1/4 c. Cocoa

Instructions

1. Grease 9 x 13 pan

2. Measure 8 c. of puffed wheat into a large bowl.

3. Combine brown sugar, corn syrup, margarine and cocoa in medium pot.

4. Heat on medium ("5" on stove) until boiling.

5. Boil for 20 seconds

6. Remove from heat

7. Pour mixture over puffed wheat - in a circular motion

8. Place into 9 x 13 greased pan.

9. Let cool. Cut into 12 squares.

Source: Miller Cafeteria