Kitchen Bootcamp Coming Soon…
Do you wish you could improve your skills in the kitchen but aren’t ready to make the jump and enroll in culinary school? If so, I’m right there with you!
I have never been to cullinary school, and I am pretty much self-taught in the kitchen. I do pretty well on my own, but I am always eager to learn more. That’s why I am starting a new monthly Kitchen Bootcamp series! I am going to be working through The Professional Chef from the Culinary Institute of America. It is packed with great information and recipes, and I can’t wait to get started!
I know a lot of you are also interested in The Professional Chef and I think that it will be a lot of fun if we all do it together. I will be picking a chapter/topic from the book each month, and I will announce it here on my blog with a basic post on the topic. Then, you’ll have all month to explore and learn on your own. By the end of the month, simply write a post about what you learned or a dish you made, with a link back to the announcement post (I will also have a way for you to link up here on my site). At the end of the month, I will post a round up of everyone’s kitchen bootcamp posts from the month!
I want this to be a fun way for everyone to learn together, so I’m leaving it pretty open. I don’t expect you to commit to participating every month. I know how hard it can be to keep up with weekly or monthly blogging commitments, and I don’t want this to become yet another source of blogging stress. Whenever you have time, feel free to join in… I’ll be here learning cooking with you!
I will announce the first topic in the first few days of May… So, go grab your copy of The Professional Chef so that you’re ready to join in the fun!
(PS… For those of you inclined to tweet, I will be using the #kitchenbootcamp hashtag. And, you’re free to grab the image above for your blog, if you like!)
On to the Friday Favorites…
Now, let’s talk about my Friday Favorites this week! Last week I was so busy with the bake sale that I totally forgot to pick my favorite posts. Sorry about that. Now that the bake sale is over, I have had my fill of sweets. So, I decided to pick out some savory recipes this time… I bet you didn’t see that one coming!
- Chili peppers are one of the few things that I have grown successfully in my garden. Last year I had far more than I knew what to do with. So, this year, I will definitely be making some of this Fresh Chili Oil from The Wright Recipes. I can’t wait!
- You already know that I love to make fresh pasta… So, I can’t wait to give this Spinach Goat Cheese Lasagna from La Fuji Mama a try. It looks lovely!
- I always enjoy dips, and one of my favorites is hummus. My hubby is also a big fan of spinach artichoke dip. So, I think I must make this Spinach Artichoke Hummus from Gimme Some Oven. I am thinking that it will be a new favorite for both of us!
- I adore Mexican food, almost as much as Italian food… So, when you combine the two, I am quite happy! I can’t wait to try this Salsa Verde Lasagna from Closet Cooking with some of my homemade, fresh lasagna noodles!
I got my copy of The Professional Chef in the mail the other day, so I am ready for the challenge! I’m completely self-taught — and really still learning lots of the basics. This will be a fantastic way to learn new skills. Nothing like a little peer pressure to get things moving, right? :)
That is such a great idea. I am always eager to learn new things. I am currently going through the ratio book right now. I going to start testing some of the theories this weekend.
Sweet!!! That’s definitely a cool announcement!! I’ll be looking forward to them :) It’s be good to learn new skills and techniques in the kitchen. I’m self taught myself.
Sounds like a great idea! Look forward to your posts.
Carmen
I love the idea Jen! I don’t actually own the book, but I’m going to see if I can borrow it from my library and jump in from time to time.
What a great idea for us “self taught” cooks! Any lasagna recipe catches my eye – but I’m lazy and rarely make it.
How FUN, Jen!!!
I am so in for this Jen! Thank you for instigating it! Need to try to find a second hand copy of the book tho – it’s $$$!
I’m going to head to my library to see if they have a copy of this. Such a great idea and I’d love to participate!
I just ordered my copy of the book and it will be here sometime this week! Not only am I excited to have the book, but I think this is a fabulous idea. Thanks for the shout out–I think you’ll love that lasagna!
I’m so glad that everyone is excited about the challenge! Even if you can’t get a copy of the book (or don’t have the same version/edition), feel free to join in! I’ll be using the book as a guide to select and discuss culinary techniques/topics, but you are free to use whatever resource you have available and find the most useful! I hope you’ll all join in from time to time!
I need to get this book! Great idea!
What a wonderful idea! Work is insane and with the amount of travel I have going right now, I am afraid I will only get to read all the fabulousness. Looking forward to it!
What a great idea – I think a lot of us are good home cooks – but you can never learn too much! I’ll check out the Professional Chef.
Hope you are having a great weekend!
Jen, I love the idea and hope to participate… your such a smart cookie :-)
-Natasha
Jen-I took this book out of the library last summer and loved it so much that I kept checking it out until they gave me the evil eye-then I had my hubby check it out. Reckon, it is time to buy one and join in the fun here!