It’s been a fast year, and so many things have happened in the last twelve months. I completed an Honors research project and presented as several conferences, placed well in the Fresno Fair Home Arts building with crafts and baking entries, had successful live cooking demonstrations with the Fresno County Library, and joined the Food Science & Culinology Club on campus. I am a few semesters away from completing the degree, so the end is in sight. What’s new for 2024?
On January 1st, tune into my YouTube channel for the first episode of Food Groupie Cinema. I’ll cover different things each episode – recipes, food history or trivia, mystery basket ingredients, trying new food or beverages, or whatever sounds interesting that week (food related, of course). It will be fun, informative, and a different mix of things each time. There will be a new episode every 2-3 weeks to start with, and I’ll be adding new cooking videos in between. There are a few new cookbooks in my collection that I want to feature with delightful and easy recipes.
As I write this, we are one month from Christmas. One month. Did you do any shopping on Black Friday or the following weekend? We did not. Too many people, and we really don’t need anything that won’t go on sale again by the middle of December. I worked on homework and things around the house. This semester has been hectic even though I only have one class this fall. With 2024 around the corner, it’s time to start planning video ideas for the library and start creating content for my YouTube channel. There are only a few weeks left for the fall semester, so December will be a good time to tune in.
If you have any ideas for videos or recipes you’d like to see, drop a comment below.
It is almost the middle of July, and we’re in for a hot time for the next week or so. We’re used to seeing hot (100+) temps June through September, but the first few runs are brutal. One of the challenges in the hot weather is figuring out what to eat. I have just the solution you need for several meals: roasted corn, poblano, and chicken salad, chicken lettuce cups, and an easy chicken Waldorf panini. The video and recipes will be up in a few days, so make sure to try them out and let me know what you think.
There are times in your life that you need to grab for the brass ring, though they aren’t always obvious. I’ve had that happen once or twice – both grabbing for and missing a unique opportunity. The Favorite Chef contest with Carla Hall is a chance at a brass ring, albeit it is about popularity votes and being judged on plating skills instead of someone actually tasting what I fix. As the first round of elimination winds up (it ends 7pm PDT on 6/22) I have to have faith that the wide range of dishes I fix will hold weight down the road.
You see, I love to cook and bake. It doesn’t matter what time of year or what is in season. I can pull random things together to make a delicious meal. As my number one taste tester can vouch, he gets very good food at home. Several times a week he’s eating on china or a fun bowl or plate, while I’m totally over it after plating his and just land my food on an appropriate dish. I work in an office during the day, and cook or bake at night, so being a chef is not my primary job.
I decided to enter the competition to show that home cooks can make as delicious a dish as a trained chef. I have never had an actual cooking class, but I do talk about food with everyone. I would love to win the $25,000, a trip to New York, the two-page article in Taste of Home, and a cooking experience with Carla. I survived three times on stage with Alton Brown, I think I can keep my composure around Carla. Well, after the first few seconds of “is this really happening?!?”. If you follow HFWT on any of the social platforms, I hope that you decide to vote for me. As of the writing of this post, I’ve been moving between 7th-10th place out of around 85 in our group. The next round starts tomorrow night and goes for a week, at which time they cut it down to the top 15 per group. I’m including the link for my entry page, and I hope you vote for me. Let’s help this little food groupie make it to the top on this one.
You can vote once a day for free and purchase additional votes to use on one or more contestants. The tax-deductible donation will go towards helping the James Beard Foundation celebrate, support, and elevate the people behind it. Since 1986, the Foundation has been working to create a more equitable and sustainable future in the restaurant industry through annual awards, industry and community-focused initiatives and programs, advocacy, partnerships, and national events.
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