Peruvian food

Quinoa
Ingredients:
-1/2 cup of quinoa
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 medium sized tomatoes
- 2 red potatoes
- pinch of salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 red onion
- 4 tablespoons of Avocado oil (can be any oil)
- 3 cups of water
Directions:
1) In a small pot put the oil. Chop the garlic and the onions and fry the in the pot together.
2) Then chop the tomatoes and add them to the pan.
3) Let it cook for about five minutes
4) Then add the 1/2 cup of quinoa to the pot where you fried the garlic, onion, and tomatoes.
5) Cut the potatoes into square pieces then add to the pot
6) Add the 3 cups of water
7) Cover the pot
8) Let it cook at a low temperature for about ten minutes
9) Every few minutes stir the quinoa so it won't stick to the pot

Fried Plantain
Ingredients:
- Oil (can be any kind)
- plantains
Directions:
1) Cut the plantains in kind of a thick way and slanted
2) In a pan put some oil in and fry the plantains.

Empanadas
Ingredients:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3 cups shortening
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup cold water
-powdered sugar (optional on top)
Meat filling
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium onions , finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 2 lbs ground beef
- Aji Colorado Chile pod paste or one small can of tomato paste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil, parsley or oregano
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of cumin.
Aji Colorado paste
- 10 dry California red chili pods
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- 1/2 cup of water

To make the pastry: In a large bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, curry, and salt. Cut or add in the butter and shortening until the mix resembles fine crumbs. Pour water in and make a soft dough. Gather the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic. Chill for 1 hour.

To make the filling: In a large pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Cook the onions and garlic until soft. Place in a small bowl and set aside. Increase the heat to high. In the same pan, cook the beef until it is no longer pink. Drain the fat and stir in the onion mix, red chili pod paste, salt, oregano, black peppers. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes.

Divide pastry in half and roll 2 long sausage shapes. Slice each roll crosswise into roughly 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece out into a 6" circle. Spoon some filling into the circle. Wet the edges of the circle with a little egg yolk and fold in half, making sure the edges meet. Trim into a neat half moon shape and imprint the edges with fork prongs.


Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 28 minutes or until the pastry is lightly brown. You can also rub egg yolk on top of each empanada before the go in the oven to make it more toasted.

Interview part 2

I decided to interview my mom (because she is a chef) after I tried to get in contact with a restaurant and they didn't respond back. Below are some questions that I asked her and her responses are posted below.

1. How long has it taken you to become a chef?

2. When did you know that you wanted to be a chef?

3. Are there any role models in your life? Why?

4. Did you have any struggles along the way?

5. If you never became a chef, what would you want to be?

6. What is your favorite dish?

1. It has took me about three years to become a chef.

2. I knew when I was 18 I wanted to be a chef.

3. My father, because he used to always cook (very good) in the house when I was younger.

4. Yes, because as an immigrant to the United States I was not too familiar with the language and had little money which set me back.

5. I would have liked to continue my career as a kindergarten teacher since I was preparing myself and became one after high school.

6. My favorite dish to make are omelets because you don't have to follow any recipes, you just have to think of how you want it to be made by yourself.

Comments from the Mexican food

- I have never really gave guacamole a chance  but yours was amazing. The chicken wrap thing were amazing as well. I put the lettuce and the tomato/ onion thing on top of the wrap and it was delicious.
- The salsa for the chips went perfect. It was delicious.
- Wow Naomi! Guac. always give me a belly ache, but yours didn't. Amazing!
- The guacamole had a nice soft texture and great flavor.
- Everything was really good, the only down, was that there were no more chips when I got my guacamole.
- Amazing food, Mexican food is one of my favorites.
- It was very enjoyable, as always, I did not eat the chicken thing because of my diet, but your chips and dips were very good! I am not a huge fan of pico de galllo, but I enjoyed it very much the way you made it. Thanks for filling us with food!
- I loved the "rolls" with chicken, especially after I added cheese and sour cream to it. The coconut dessert I have made with my grandmother before, they were a little more soft everything tasted really well.
- Your food was great! I loved the variety of dips was great and I loved how original the coconut sweet was. The only thing would say is that just like you mentioned in the beginning the burrito wasn't very crispy and it got soggy really quick, but otherwise, nice job!
- I don't really like cilantro but I thought you're guacamole and salsa were heavenly.
- This is the best guacamole I've ever had, and I've been to several gourmet Mexican restaurants.
- The food was really good. It tasted like the food that you would get at some restaurants, I have never tried those types of cookies before.
- I enjoyed the Mexican food today! I had never tried guacamole before today, it was different, but I liked it. The chicken wraps weren't my favorite, I thought they were a little dry. I really liked the coconut candy things, I thought  they were REALLY good.
- I've had everytrhing that I had I ate before. It was really good.

Irish...wait...Mexican Food

So I originally planned to make Irish food. However, for certain reasons I decided to change course and make Mexican food. Here is a picture below:

I am going to skip the comments for now however will post them on the next post since I will not be cooking next week due to the fact that I am cooking the last week of genius hour. So here are the recipes for flautas, cocadas, and guacamole.

Recipes:
Flautas:
-any toppings that you desire because this is like a plain taquito.
-chicken
-tortillas
-frying oil

1) First you would cook your chicken and once that is done, start to tear the chicken apart into medium sized pieces.
2) You will then begin to place chicken on the tortilla. If the tortilla starts to break then try to heat it up on a pan then wrap it.
3) Once you finish wrap the number of tacos desired, you begin frying the flautas. Put enough oil in a frying pan so that it will end up being the height of half a flauta. Fry one side until golden then flip.
4) Now you can place any toppings that you wish.

Cocadas:
-5 cups of sweet shredded coconut
-1/2 cup of dulce de leche

1)Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

2)In a large bowl, mix together shredded sweetened coconuts with dulce de leche until well combined.

3)Use your hands to make little balls out of the combined mixture and place then on a pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are nicely browned. Cool completely before removing from the pan.

Guacamole:
-3(or as many as you please) avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
-1 lemon juiced
-1/2 teaspoon of salt
-1/2 medium sized red onion, diced
- 2(or less if you don't like tomatoes) sliced and diced
-1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro
-1 clove of garlic

1) Place all the ingredients in a blender and mix till thick.

Background of Ireland

As of 2011, the President of Ireland is Michael D. Higgins. In terms of agriculture, Ireland exports goods such as turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat, dairy, and beef. They also export machinery and equipment, computers, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; live animals, and animal products. With geography, Ireland is situated in the Atlantic Ocean and separated from Great Britain by the Irish Sea. Half the size of Arkansas, it occupies the entire island except for the six counties that make up Northern Ireland. Ireland resembles a basin—a central plain rimmed with mountains, except in the Dublin region. The mountains are low, with the highest peak, Carrantuohill in County Kerry, rising to 3,415 feet. Ireland is also home to many castles such as the one below from Dublin.

Vegan brownies

Recipe for vegan brownies:

- 2 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 cups of white sugar
- 3/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 cup of water
- 1 cup of vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Pour in water, vegetable oil and vanilla then mix until well blended. Spread evenly in a 9x13 inch baking pan.
3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top is no longer shiny. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into squares.

Feedback and recipes of France

Feedback: I made French macaroons and crepes for my class. The feedback came from a google form sheet so excuse the copy and paste.
- IGN rating 100 out of 10    
- It was really good! I loved both the crepes and macaroons.     
- Your food was good. It was sweet for me. The crepe was my favorite. I like that you can customize it with the toppings and fillings you like.    
- Great food, unsure about the crepes thought, really liked it, but it was my first time having them and it was really good    
- My single macaroon and whipped cream was pretty good    
- I didn't have a crepe but the macaroons were amazing.               
- It's not that the food was bad it's just that I don't like the foods.               
- Your crapes were so amazing!!!!! I didn't love that cookies but I don't like raspberry so that is why, but otherwise your food was really good!!!              
- Ign rates 10/10. Really good.              
- I thought it was so GOOD I ABSOLUTELY LOVED. The macaroon i had was a little hard to bite but someone gave me theirs which was a lot easier to bite. THE CREPES WERE INSANELY GOOD THEY WERE FLAWLESS              
- I always enjoy your food each week. My favorite was the steak we had a few weeks ago. But I only didn't enjoy two foods. The dumplings I am not a fan of, but I don't really like Chinese food. This week I didn't really like the food though. I just didn't enjoy it. Ever other week though was a 10/10, keep up the amazing work.              
- It was amazing especially because you happened to do my two favorite foods. I was fortunate enough to get both foods and they both were really great! Even though the macaroons didn't feel the way a macaroons normally do but it still tasted wonderful and I still enjoyed the texture!              
- My experience with your food was really good!  I would just recommend next time you use a little less cream.
- I really like your food. I think that as this project goes on you are progressing. I think that there is a specific way to fold crepes. If there was I wish that you would've shared that with us because mine was a little bit sloppy. Otherwise it was very delicious. I don't understand why you were so worried about the macaroons because they turned out AMAZING! I've had a few macaroons before and I think that yours was one of the best ones, honestly. It had really good flavor. The only thing I would have changed is that I would make the filling a bit more creamy. Overall today was one of your most successful food presentations in my opinion. Keep up the good work!            

Recipes:

French Macaroons:

- 3 egg whites at room temperature

- 1/4 cup of white sugar

- 2 cups of confectioners sugar

- 1 cup of almond flour

- pinch of slat

Buttercream filling:

- 1/4 cup of salted butter

- 3/4 cup of powered sugar

- 1 cup of fresh raspberries, worked through a sieve to extract 3 tablespoons of juice

1) Preheat oven to 300F degrees 

2) Beat egg whites until foamy, then add salt and white sugar for about for 8-10 minutes. Make sure that the eggs are at room temperature. Whip until they form a peak that's upright. 

3) Then add food coloring and be try to make it a shade darker as it tends to fade.

4) Sift the almond flour and powered sugar together in a separate bowl and discard the extra chunks left behind. 

5) Fold the flour/ sugar mixture in with the egg white mixture. Careful when you are mixing because they can be either under mixed or overmixed. If you under mix, your macaroons will be lumpy, cracked and when baked, will be flat with no feet.
6) Transfer the batter to the pastry bag. (If you don't have a pastry bag or a piping bag, you can use a Ziploc bag and cut a hole to the size of what you need)
7) Pipe out 1 inch rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Don't spray anything on the parchment paper.
8) Tap the pan hard for at least 2-3 times. This will help air bubbles come out of the macaroons and when they bake won't be cracked.
9) Let them sit out for at least 20-30 minutes or until when you place your finger on the macaroon, it won't feel sticky.
10) Bake for 20 minutes. Please do not under bake. They may look ready but trust me their not. If you take them out early, they will stick to the parchment paper instead of coming off easily.
11) Meanwhile mix the buttercream filing. Whip the butter until it is light and fluffy with an electric mixer. Then slowly add sugar. Work raspberries through a sieve with a spatula until you get 3 tablespoons of juice then add to the butter and sugar mixture.
12) Whip until it combined. Transfer to a piping bag (or Ziploc bag) and cut out a small hole.
13) Reverse the cookie shells on their backs and pipe a small amount of filling. Place another cookie on top and you have yourself a macaroon.
14) If your not eating it right away then keep them refrigerated.

Crepes

- 2 eggs
- 1 cup of milk
- pinch of salt
- 2/3 cups of all- purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1) In a blender combine the eggs, milk, flour, salt, and oil.
2) Heat a skillet and butter lightly before placing 1/4 cup of batter inside. Cook for 2-5 minutes or until golden then flip over. You can use a variety of things as toppings with the crepes such as strawberries, chocolate syrup, mangos, whipped cream, any fruit really.

Feedback and Recipes of England

Today I made the classic fish and chips and British pound cake. Here is a picture below:

Here's some feedback:
- I enjoyed the pound cake a lot. I would recommend next time you makes the chips, less rosemary. And the fish was very good for how it was supposed to be made.
- Naomi, the food was all delicious. I had never had fish before but your fish was amazing. Good job with the pound cake! I like the sugar on top and the potato wedge was well seasoned and very good.
-The food was pretty bomb. The fish was amazing and so was the cake.
- Fish: Has a very nice light flavor and a nice texture. Cake- the cake isn't too sweet which makes it soo delicious. The potato was also seasoned very well and had a good texture.
- Everything was amazing. The fish was cooked really well and the fries were seasoned really good. The pound cake was perfect too.
- The cake was very good and I loved the chips and and fish. Over all it was very delicious!
- Despite the fish not being crunchy I still thought it was really good. I liked that you chose a fish that didn't have to strong of a taste. I liked how the pound cake wasn't overly sweet. I always love potatoes so of course they were amazing lol.
- The fries were perfectly baked. The fish was delicious, but some pieces were saltier than others. If the pound cake was supposed to have lemon, I didn't really taste it. Otherwise, it was delicious.
- The food this week was amazing! I don't have fish a lot but I thought it was great. And of course the cake was very good too! Nice job!
- I didn't get any seconds :( but the pound cake and fries were good.
- The food was 10 out of 10. The English pound cake was my favorite and the french fries were just as good. I would have eaten the fish if I wasn't allergic haha (I personally, the author, am a tad mad because whoever this is didn't tell me in the beginning of the year that. It's cool though) I will definitely pay to find English pound cake in the stores.
- The fish and chips were amazing! I loved the spices you used. The pound cake was my favorite, I was in love with the clash of flavors between the butter in the cake and the powered sugar on top! Good job!
- The fish was perfectly cooked. The potato was good, but my mom makes me them with a little garlic salt. The pound cake was perfect, very buttery.
- The food was exceptional once again- really liked the fish, haven't had good fish and chips in a while, thanks for a great meal once again.
- I loved the food today!! I thought it was perfect, Although I didn't try the fish the chips and pound cake were amazing!
- The potato wedges were delightful. I enjoyed the Rosemary spice as well, it adds a great touch of flavor.
- You're really good at making food! I think my favorite food today was the pound cake. It was really tasty and had a great texture! The French fries were really great as well (I sadly only had one) but I enjoyed every bite. The fish delicious too!
- Naomi, I really enjoyed this weeks food... as always. The potato wedges were my favorite, I've always loved them. I also really like the pound cake. The only thing I would recommend would be to make the outside crust softer. I also only like tuna generally, but the tilapia was good.


Recipes
English pound cake
- 3 cups of sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 cup of butter
- 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
- 3 cups of white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1 cup of sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon of orange extract
- 6 eggs

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2) Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt then set it aside.
3) In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition

4)Stir in vanilla, orange and almond extracts. Blend in the flour mixture, alternating with the sour cream, until fully incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan.

5)Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 70 minutes. Allow cake to cool on rack before removing from pan to cool completely.

Fish and Chips:

- 1 1/2 pounds fresh tilapia fillets

- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

- 1/2 tablespoon baking powder

- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

- 1/2 cup water

- 1 extra-large egg

- Vegetable oil, for frying

- 2 large baking potatoes, unpeeled

- 2 tablespoons good olive oil

- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

- 1/3 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

- 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

- 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves

1)Lay the tilapia fillets on a cutting board. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Cut the fillets in 1 1/2 by 3-inch pieces.
2) In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, lemon zest, cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Whisk in 1/2 cup of water and then the egg.
3)Pour 1/2-inch of oil into a large (12-inch) frying pan and heat it to about 360 degrees F.
4)Dip each fillet into the batter, allowing the excess to drip back into the bowl. Place it very carefully into the hot oil. Don't crowd the pieces. Adjust the heat as needed to keep the oil between 360 and 400 degrees F. Cook the fish on each side for 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly browned and cooked through. Remove to a plate lined with a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the "chips."
Baked "Chips"
1)Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2)Scrub the potatoes, cut them in half lengthwise, then cut each half in thirds lengthwise. You'll have 6 long wedges from each potato. Place the potatoes on a sheet pan with the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and rosemary. With clean hands, toss all the ingredients together, making sure the potatoes are covered with oil. Spread the potatoes in a single layer with 1 cut side down.
3)Bake the potatoes for 30 to 35 minutes, turning to the other cut side after 20 minutes. Bake until they are lightly browned, crisp outside, and tender inside. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.

Interviews

I am writing interview questions for my topic and with have a sample email to send to a chef and schedule an appointment.

1. How long has it taken you to become a chef?

2. When did you know that you wanted to be a chef?

3. Are there any role models in your life? Why?

4. Did you have any struggles along the way?

5. If you never became a chef, what would you want to be?

6. What is your favorite dish?

Hello, my name is Naomi and I am a student of a middle school in Middletown. We are working on this project in Language Arts called genius hour. Genius Hour is where people or students donate 20 percent of their time learning more about something they are passionate about. In my school we are currently doing that and my topic is around the world and around the plate. My topic involves cooking and for me to embrace different types of food and cultures. Every other Friday, I make food for my class from different countries each time. I know you must have a busy schedule but I would appreciate if I could interview a chef from your restaurant and learn how it is done in a professional kitchen with an experienced chef.

Background of France

     Did you know that France makes 400 kinds of cheese? Hello cholesterol and happiness, goodbye healthy living. Did you also know that the Eiffel Tower weighs about 10,000 tons? Anyway let's get down to the history of France. France is about 80 percent of Texas, if that helps with a visual, and is the largest nation in western Europe. In France with its summers are warm, its cool, rainy winters, and 90 percent of land fertile, makes France one of the world's leading farming nation.
     France did not immediately succeed in establishing a democracy due to the fact that Napoleon became emperor of France in 1799. Prior to that, France was under the control of the Romans for 500 years, starting in 58 B.C. Hard Rock life for them but eventually they obtain a democratic government and rights as citizens.
     France can also be known as a place where there were individual achievements. For example, as Marie Curie discovered Radium in a French lab and she became the first women to win a Nobel Prize.

Background of China

Dynasties aren't the only thing that determines China's history, geography plays a role too. China is composed of different climates with different features in different regions of the country. Natural products are largely dependent on rainfall. Some of its exports include wheat, barley, rice, textiles, silk, an a variety of teas. During the Stone Age there was a lot of cultural change such as how people began living together in settled places. They also cultivated land, domesticated animals, and made polished stone tools. Also a 4,000 year old writing system enabled the Chinese people to communicate with each other and maintain a cultural identity.

Can you think of any Disney princess who is Chinese? Congratulations if you guessed Mulan, and if not I don't think you know your Disney princesses that well. In the 1988 animated film, the main character Fa Mulan takes her father's place in a current war against the Huns. She goes to the training camp and pretends to be a guy there (no one suspected a thing. You'd think someone would notice.) and trains to fight. Well the inspiration came from a legend called The Ballad of Mulan, where there is the same plot as the movie except for the fact that the main characters name in the legend is Hua Mulan.

Feedback and Recipes of China

Today I made dumplings and chicken fried rice from China in honor of Lunar New Year. Here's the feedback and posted below is the recipes for the dishes.
- The food was AMAZING! Maybe try and make food for the vegetarians.
- I'm not really a dumplings person but the rice was great. It had incredible flavor, and I think the peppers made it. 9/10
- I only had the chicken fried rice but it was really good. It tasted like ti was from hibachi.
- Your food was great. I only had the rice, yet it was a 10/10 meal for me. Each of your cooking has benn amazing and gives me more of a reason to enjoy Fridays.
- I really liked the rice and dumplings. They had a good combination off flavors.
- Perfectly executed! Bring more portions!
- AMAZING JOB! The dumplings wee great and the rice was absolutely amazing!
- I loved your chicken fried rice. It was a good combination of flavors and had a good texture.
- I really like the chicken fried rice! At first when I had the dumpling I thought it was plain but then I put the soy sauce on it and it was very good! Nice job!
- I thought the rice was perfectly evened out in terms of the ingredients. I especially liked the bit of chicken. The dumplings were a little too doughy in my opinion but they were still good.
- I really enjoyed your dish today and was happy to eat one of my favorite meals. The dumplings were really good, although my second one had a bigger dough ratio than meat. The rice followed by soy sauce was great.
- I thought your food was amazing! I absolutely loved the dumplings and they tasted even better with the soy sauce! I loved the rice too. I can't wait for the next time.
- The rice was very good and I was cooked perfectly and I don't know what other things you put in there but it worked! Oh, I usually don't like peppers but I liked that.
-Rice- amazing; maybe add a little more spicy.

The dumplings were not my best presentation but everything came out good so I guess that's what counts; the flavor (not my personal motto as I will try to do better next time) Here's a picture of how they turned out.

Recipes

Dumplings:

- Ginger root (fresh, 2in x 1/2 in) shredded

- 1 pound of ground pork

- 1 tablespoon of rice wine

- 1/4 cup of scallions

- 1/4 cup of celery

For the dumpling wrapper, use 3 cups of flour and 1 1/4 cups of water and mix to create a dough.

Knead it and let it sit for five minutes then knead for three minutes again. Let it sit until you are done with the pork preparations.

1) Add the minced (cut as very small cubes/ cut thinly) of scallions, celery and the shredded ginger to the meat and mix it.

2) Once the dough is ready, make circles and place some meat inside. Seal the dough so that the meat can stay inside.

3) Place in a pan with water that doesn't exceed the height of the dumpling and steam for about 25 minutes. To check, take a dumpling and open it and taste it to check if the pork is cooked properly. You could buy dipping sauce specialized for Chinese dumplings.

Chicken Fried Rice:

- 1/2 tablespoon of red pepper (diced)

- 1/2 tablespoon of scallions (thinly sliced)

- Depending on how many people you are cooking for determines the amount of white rice you used. Make it a day before because it is better when it is cold. Let it cool out.

- 1/2 tablespoon of garlic

- 1/2 tablespoon of ginger

- 1 cup of fried chicken cut how you like it.

- 1/2 cup of soy sauce.

1) Pan fry the red pepper, garlic, ginger, scallions, and chicken. Then in a separate pan fry the rice with the soy sauce.

Recipes and Feedback (Greece)

 Feedback: On Friday I made a classic Greek salad and Tzatziki Sauce.
-I really liked the olives, they were a good balance to the salad. The dip was a little to garlic-y for me but nonetheless it was still good.
-I really enjoyed the pita bread and the sauce. The salad was the bomb. Good job.
-All delicious. I didn't eat the dip but only cause I don't like sour cream.
-Tastes very good. I like the salad and how it was different than what I usually eat. The pita bread and dip reminded me of something I had before and was very.
-The dressing to the salad was delicious and reminded me a lot of Italian dressing. Personally, I am not a fan of feta cheese but I think it would match well with this salad. The dip was very good as well and I really liked the consistency. (Although there was a bit too much of garlic)
-I liked the salad a lot and the dressing and the cheese tasted really good with it. The chips were a little hard to bite into but they were still rally good. I liked the dip a lot.
-I think that your food was a really good combination of flavors. I like the bread and the dip together. You did a really good job and I think everything as very tasty together.
-The food was, as usual, very good. I usually am not a huge garlic fan, but this is done well so it's not so overpowering. The salad was great (I love salad), since the dressing compliments it well.
-Very good once again! Loved everything as usual! thanks for the yummy food!


Recipes:
Classic Greek Salad
- Depending on the amount of people, one-two bundles of lettuce, cut about an inch
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 (6 ounce) can of pitted black olives
- 1 green bell pepper thinly sliced
- 2 tomatoes chopped
- 1 cucumber sliced
- 1 cup of crumbled feta cheese (optional to preference)
- 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
     In large bowl combine the ingredients and add your preferred dressing on top.


Tzatziki Sauce
- 1 large English cucumber, peeled and grated
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 4 cloves of garlic minced (could be less if you are not a fan of garlic)
- a teaspoon of lemon juice
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 cups of sour cream

     1) Sprinkle the cucumber and salt in a bowl and let it sit for about 10-15 minutes. This will help take out the juice from the cucumber.
     2) Place the sour cream in a separate bowl. Dump the cucumber and its juice onto sturdy, dry paper or cloth towel and squeeze as much moisture as possible from the cucumber. Add the cucumber into the sour cream and mix together with the garlic. Season it with salt and pepper to preference.
     3) Cover with plastic wrap and stick it in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours or overnight.

Greece's background

     Greek customs are a very important aspect of Greece and its culture and also its traditions. In America, most people believe Christmas is the most important holiday however in Greece they treasure Easter more than Christmas. On Good Thursday and Good Saturday, women dye eggs red and bake buns. On Good Friday, the day of mourning, they decorated Epitaphios, the tomb of Christ with his icon, in flowers and carry it around the village then return back to the church where the believers would kiss the image of Christ. They also believe in superstitions as well. For example, instead of Friday the 13th they believe in Tuesday the 13th with the same things applying.  They also celebrate a festive called Carnival (In Greece it is called Apokries) where they feast for two weeks. Everyone is dressed up and parties take place in the streets and bars, throwing confetti to each other.  Right across Turkey is Greece. It is surrounded by water on three sides and is slowly going underwater economically and geologically.

Recipes and feedback of food

Feedback: Today I made Alfahores Argentinian style and made Chimichurri Argentinian sauce with some steak on the side. Here is most of the feedback comments from my class:
- I really liked the Argentinian food! You did so good making it! The steak really good and the sauce added an extra flavorful taste to it. The cookie was good too! I'm not a fan of coconut but it tasted good with the other flavors. Can't wait till you bring in other great foods!!
- I need those recipes! Great food can't wait to have some more!
- Incredible! The taste was awesome. Very creative. I loved it!
- Naomi, your sauce and steak was amazing!!! I've made sauce like that before with my family. Because of my Spanish and Brazilian/ Portuguese backgrounds the taste was very appealing. I enjoyed your cookies as well. Thanks for the seconds! Keep cooking :)
- I liked the food a lot! I think if the steak was a little warmer it would give a better taste, but I still enjoyed it. Maybe also try to find a way to get  the dip less spicy, but otherwise I really enjoyed it. The cookies were also really really good!
- IGN rates 10/10! Tastes amazing. The food was legend wait for it, legendary.
- It was really good! I liked the steak a lot. Especially the sauce. Also the cookies were really good.
-The sauce was really good. The kick of the red pepper flakes are nicely balanced so it doesn't overpower the herbs. I do not like coconut(sorry) but the cookie was really good and the caramel was at a great consistency.



Recipes:
Chimichurri Sauce:
- 1/2 cup of olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic, chopped or more to taste
- 3 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
- 1/2 a teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1/2 a cup of fresh cilantro leaves
- 1/4 cup of fresh oregano
- 1 bunch of flat leaf Italian parsley, stems removed
     Combine all ingredients in a blender and continue blending until it is like a sauce.


Alfajores Argentinean Style
- 1 2/3 cups of unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups of cornstarch (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1 cup of unsalted butter, salted
- 3/4 cup of white sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla rum
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract
- 2 teaspoons of lemon zest
- 1 (ll.5 ounce) jar of dulce de leche (if you cannot find it you can buy condensed milk, take of the paper around it and boil it in a pot for 3-4 hours when it will be brown)
- 1/2 cup of unsweetened (or sweetened) shredded coconut
 
     1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.(You can preheat the oven when your dough is chilled and you are cutting out your cookies from the dough. Step 3) Whisk together in a separate bowl the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and baking powder and set it aside.
     2) In a large bowl beat the sugar and butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add each egg yolk one at a time, allowing each yolk to blend in the butter mixture before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla rum, vanilla extract, lemon extract, and lemon zest along with the last egg yolk. Gently fold the flour mixture in the butter mixture with a spoon, making a dough. When the dough becomes cohesive enough, roll it into a ball with your hands and wrap it in plastic. Chill from 30 minutes to an hour.
     3) Roll out the dough using only as much flour as you need, about a 1/4 thick. The dough might have an unusual consistency. Cut with a small round cookie cutter. Continue pressing he dough and rolling it out until you have used it all. Place the cookies 1/2 an inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
     4) Bake in the oven until set not brown, about 7-10 minutes. Remove the cookies to cool.
     5) Spread the dulce de leche on top then add the coconut.
     6) Enjoy!

Argentina's Background

     The next country I plan on doing is Argentina. The capital city of Argentina is Buenos Aires and the country itself is surrounded by the countries Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, Bolivia, and Chile. It has a population of about 36 million and about half of the population lives in Buenos Aires. The official language is Spanish and the currency is Peso.  Some of the things that they produce are leather goods, woven and knitted garments, silverware and wine. Due to the fact that Argentina is in the Southern hemisphere they have winter in the opposite months in which we have summer and with a vast land range, there is always someplace to be at any time of year. Between 1870s and 1920s Argentina boosted up economically. The sheep industry flourished giving landowner's a fortune through the export of wool and meat. Through the 1920s Argentina was know as "the breadbasket of the world" and was the sixth richest nation. Everything changed when the Crash of 1929 came. In 1976, 30,000 people were killed and or disappeared during the "Dirty War". The country was left with its economy in ruins in the 1980s.

This is Argentina's flag. The blue white and blue colors represent the blue sky parting to reveal white clouds.

Italy part 2

Feedback:
Today I served food to the class and asked for feed back from all of my classmates so that I can improve my cooking skills (one part of my essential question). I asked everyone to put on index card what they thought of the two dishes I prepared of which were traditional meatballs and some Italian cookies. I will type some of the comments below:
1. The meatball was very good and remind(ed) me of my Grandma's cooking, I had seconds. The cookie was really good too it reminded me of something I couldn't figure out.
2.The food was very good. 9.8 out of 10 for meatball, 9.1 cookie.
3. Your meatballs were delectable(.)I hate beef but they tasted amazing. The sauce and flavors together were great. The cookies also had a great texture and was sweet but not to sweet. Great job!
4.Amazing meatballs and cookies! Reminds me of what my family makes! Delicious!
5. Cookie- bit dry but understandable since it is not fresh out of the oven.
Meatballs- I recommend marinating the meat, the sauce was good (very creamy) but a bit to oily.      3 1/4   stars.

     The hardest thing in the cooking portion I would say is the timing on the cookies. When I was baking the first batch of cookies they came out good however the top was the normal color o the cookies whereas the bottom was a very dark brown and did not have the same texture as the rest of the cookie. The second and third batch I made after that I decided to flip the cookies when the bottom turned golden so that both sides would be golden brown as opposed to a deep brown on one side with a different feel than the rest of the cookie.