The Christmas Spirit Shines Through

Tonight's episode of Top Chef may have been filmed months ago, but it's nice to know that the Christmas spirit is never out of season.
On tonight's whirlwind edition of Top Chef, Martha Stewart stopped by for a one-pot holiday wonder Quickfire Challenge. Hosea, Ariane, and Jamie made the best impressions, with Ariane's cauliflower puree taking the prize. There was something else on the plate, but Martha certainly didn't seem to notice. She seemed to be taken away by the fact that Ariane fooled her with cream rather than butter in the cauliflower.

Keeping in the holiday theme, the cheftestants had to cater a large benefit event for amFAR, where each dish was to be inspired by one of the twelve days of Christmas (though I did notice that the Four Calling Birds were missing). But alas, one of the fridges was left open overnight! And Radhika's and Hosea's main ingredients were essentially ruined. Luckily, with the Christmas spirit hanging thickly in the way-before-Christmas air, the cheftestants gathered 'round the prep tables to help each other. Now that's the spirit of giving. Or, as one of the lovely, non-egotistical guy suggested, having everyone on an even playing field would only make his victory more sweet. Classy. very nice.

At judges table, Radhika's duck leg, Jeff's 'island leaping' plate, Steffan's chicken pot pie and Hosea's pork lion fared the best. ...way to go Radhika and Hosea for coming back from a severe disadvantage! And Hosea took it all! He won the judge's choice, as well as, it appears, ladies' choice at the event (guests gave red ribbons to their favorites, and let's just say these strapping young men had an advantage stronger than just their culinary skills).

Jamie's scallop mess, Mel's overpowering blue cheese, and Gene's ceviche fared the worst.
And then Tom walks in for a heart-to-heart, and an encouraging talk about doing your best and stepping up their game. And then, surprise: NO ONE IS GOING HOME!! "a holiday gift" from the judges. That was a bit of a let down, but I guess understandable.

And as for stepping it up, I agree. I've been a bit disappointed, not only in the lack of amazing food, but in the lack of a likability factor from ANY of the cheftestants.

so, for next week: there are no limits, in an effort to get these kids to REALLY impress the judges. But wait, there will inevitably be more drama. Jamie uses scallops again, and Fabio reminds her this isn't "Top Scallop cooker" its Top Chef. And... there's a new judge, and no one seems to happy with that.

Meanwhile, 15 minutes after the episode ought to over, I am headed back to cramming for my final exams!
Until next time, happy eating!

Thanksgiving Daily Updates!

Dinner is still hours away, and I have already burned my tongue. Burned it real bad, on fresh fudge- at about 200 degrees. whoops.

So the day started off with some eggs benedict, a holiday staple in my house. Shortly thereafter, we began the food preparation.

Dessert 1: Peanut Butter Pie with a layer of Chocolate Fudge.
Do you see where this is going?
So we made the fudge no problem, it was pretty easy. Then we made a a graham cracker pie crust, and poured the chocolate fudge on top to form the bottom layer. Carrying the pot and thermometer over to the sink, I could see a big glob a yummy shiny sticky fudge about to fall to the floor. To save some extra mess from the kitchen floor, I caught the fudge on my finger. Looking at it, I thought to myself, "Oh, Chocolate!" As I lifted my finger to my mouth, I realized, the thermometer still read over 200 degrees. Too late. oops. Words of wisdom... don't do what I just did!
Minutes later, my sister did the same thing. Sometimes, we aren't the sharpest tools in the shed.

So, then we whipped up the peanut butter filling... and let me just tell you, it's like eating peanut butter on a fluffy cloud in heaven. Yes, that good.

Still in the works:
Watergate salad resting in the fridge. (which is seriously one of the weirdest Thanksgiving dishes ever. But, my sister really loves making it, so... yeah)
Cornbread stuffing with sausage, currently in progress.
Brisket is smoking, turkey waiting to be fried.

Next up:
Pumpkin spice cake. yum.

Let The Games Begin!

The NEW Top Chef starts in just over an hour. Who is excited? Um... that would be me.
And even more exciting, there are two 'locals' on the show this year: Jill Snyder from Baltimore, and Carla Hall from Washington, DC. Two local women vying for the title. Maybe they can pull off another win like Stephanie's last season! There was actually an article in the campus paper about the show today. Glad to see a validation of my obsession!

In other news, I have begun my Keystone Project on women an food: "feminist food studies" you might say. My first chapter will be a historical background of women and food. Keep a lookout, I may update every once in awhile about my project. That is, if I can keep up with this blogging, which has proved rather difficult recently. We shall see...

Don't forget to watch TOP CHEF!!!!

THE MOST EXCITING THING EVER!

Even though I haven't updated in... a few decades... I have a very special announcement!

I AM GOING TO GREECE!!!

That's right, you heard me. I am spending next semester in Greece. Specifically I will be studying in Rhodes, but I am hoping to travel all over the place: throughout Europe, maybe to Egypt, and maybe I will just swim to Turkey since I'll be so close. I might be able to see Turkey from my house! 

So, obviously I am excited to go abroad. I'm Greek, so I can't wait to get in touch with those roots, and I can't wait to travel and meet new people. But really, what I am most excited about is the food. Really, did you have any doubt about that? I cannot wait for the food. I am also hoping to learn how to cook Greek food, which would be awesome. I would come back home and whip up some moussaka to share. Yum...

Back at School... with a Pretend Kitchen

Maryland Wall of Victory!

I'm back at school! And actually have been for over a month now. 

I figure its about time to start work on my blog again, if only for a procrastination tool against the massive stack of reading piling on my desk.

So, in brief, this year's living situation is a step up from last year's. It's bigger, to begin with- a 6 person suite with a massive common room. I lucked out with a single, too, which is fantastic. 

Food-wise, though, there are way more opportunities to avoid eating at the dining hall. We have snuck in a number of appliances, which I guess we aren't really supposed to have. Between the common room and the 4 bedrooms, we have: 5 refrigerators, 2 microwaves, 1 toaster oven, 1 toaster,  1 hot pot, 1 rice cooker, and 1 unopened and untouched hot plate. Don't 

tell anyone!

My storage area for plates/ tupperware/ dish towels, etc. 

My pantry area. In my closet, food takes precedence over clothing. Sad, isn't it?

The fridge covered and packed with food. 

The kitchen area of the common room.