Julie and Julia

The way Julie, in a modern way, resurfaces the life of Julia Childs helps one better understand the successes of Julia Childs.  Although Julie's successes aren't as remarkable or historical as Julia Child's, it shows how she went from being not very well known to being famous.  Julia made a name for herself through dedicating years to getting her book published.  At the time, she was a very remarkable woman because she accomplished what other woman didn't even think about doing.  The professional cooking lifestyle wasn't one that was thought of for woman.  All professional cooks during Julia Childs's upbringing and adulthood were men.  Julia Childs was a breakthrough and a historical figure due to the fact that she was one of the first well respected professional female cooks.  Although Julie wasn't "professional", she did in fact cook delicious, visually appetizing meals.  Julie and Julia both rose to fame through their writing.

Why Babette Spent 10,000 frances

What was Babette's job?  She took care of the sisters after their father died.  Thats not all she did though. Babette changed the way the people of the sisters' community thought.  They have never felt emotions from the food they ate.  After eating the dinner Babette prepared, the people began to think differently and recall the good times they had.  Babette accepted the goal of preparing a meal that would change the way the community went about their day.  Before the feast they have never had such strong and such elegant food.  The food was so delicious that they could not help but show their happiness as they ate the foods.  Babette did not want to spend the 10,000 frances she won from the lottery on the meal as a token of appreciation, but rather to please the people of the community in a way they have never been pleased before, in a way that would allow each member to appreciate the pleasures of eating rich foods that are made with love.

What Defines an Artist?

            Google defines an artist as a person who practices any of the various creative arts, such as a sculptor, novelist, poet, or filmmaker.  An artist creates a piece of work that inclines people to think, feel, or act a certain way.  For a sculptor, they may use different methods of carving to incline people’s eyes to move a certain direction or they might create a simplistic piece that inclines people to react differently to it. 

            A chef tries to receive a reaction from the people he is cooking for.  Not only does the way the food taste influence a reaction, but the presentation of the food, also influences the reaction.  Different cooks throw their own style to each of their recipes, as well as the way the food is served.  Food and eating cause certain reactions from more senses than when looking at a picture.  Not only is the food visually appealing, but it also smells great and brings you joy when eating it.  There are many more areas of reaction from the senses when eating than there are when looking at a photograph.  Chefs, indeed, are artists just as much, if not more than, painters.  

My Encounter with Earthlings at Rutgers Preparatory School

When I first landed on the Rutgers Prep school location, I noticed many people walking towards a machine, at which, they would slide in a green paper material and retrieve different things they put in their faces.  This was around, what earthlings call, “10:30”.  Then later that day at “12:45”, these earthlings lined up, grabbed round discs and covered them with stuff to put in their faces.  Oftentimes, there was a variety of different kinds of substances on the disc.  I guess these different substances served different purposes to the earthlings body.  Once they covered their disc, they proceeded to a table where they would sit with other people that they would talk to.  This seemed to be an enjoyed period of time based on the laughter, smiles, and communication.  It was apparent that this was a very critical part of the earthlings day.  

My Comfort Food

My comfort food is the typical, classic, chicken noodle soup.  Chicken noodle soup provides a good amount of nutrition.  It is a very simple food that is easy to digest and keeps a sick person hydrated and gives them a warm fuzzy feeling inside.  When your throat hurts, chicken noodle soup is soothing for the throat.  The chicken and vegetables in the soup gives sick people the nutrition they need to get healthier.  

Making Shepherd's Pie

I decided to make Shepherd’s Pie because it is something my mom enjoys making and it is a meal that everybody in my family loves.  My grandma always used to make it for my mom when she was growing up and my aunt and mom continued making it.  Shepherd’s is a just a combination of a lot of my favorite foods and the mixture just goes so well together. 

Cooking the dish with the help of my mom was pretty interesting because I have never even seen how Shepherd’s Pie was made.  Anyone who knows what Shepherd’s Pie is could guess how to make it and not be far off.  You pretty much mix ground meat, corn, string beans, and Ragu traditional tomato sauce (or ketchup if preferred) together in a bowl, put a decent layer of it on the bottom of a large pan, and spread another layer of mashed potatoes on top of the mix in the tray.  Then top it all off with some shredded cheese and put it in the oven set to 350 for about an hour or until it begins to bubble on the top.  My family loves to cook and we always tend to make healthy meals.  Shepherd’s Pie is a nutritious meal that is a good change up from the usual cooked pieces of meat with pasta or a potato and a vegetable or salad.  It’s a simple recipe and tastes awesome so I’m glad I finally learned how to make it.  I hope everybody likes the Shepherd’s Pie as much as I do. 

brown 4 lbs of ground beef in pan on stove

drain the meat using a strainer

put the meat in a large bowl

add two 15 oz can of corn after it is drained

add two 14 oz cans of French style green beans after draining

add one and a half jars of 1 pound 8 ounces of traditional ragu tomato pasta sauce

placed mixture in aluminum tray and fill about half way up

instant mashed potatoes

water

butter

salt

milk

potatoe buds

follow instructions for 8-10 servings

plop mashed potatoes over the mixture in the tray

put potatoes almost all the way to the top edge of the tray and sprinkle preferred shredded cheese over the potatoes

cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for about an hour or till bubbling