Gordon Ramsay Chez Moi - Pour Ma Famille

In celebration of Mother's Day and my dear Daddy's birthday...

I successfully brought my dear family the Ramsay experience!

 

All the prep work and rushing around the kitchen really did pay off though, my family seemed to have a wonderful time, tasting dishes that are not traditionally served elsewhere in Taiwan.

Even my brother, thought everything was quite tasty, he being probably the hardest to please.

The menu for the night!

Pan-seared Scallops with Crunchy Apple Salad

A fairly simple salad with chopped romaine and apple shreds. The lemon vinaigrette gives it a very light and fresh flavor while the apple really brings everything to a higher level.


Cream of Broccoli Topped with Walnuts & Parmesan Cheese

Gordon's amazing cream of broccoli recipe, which always gets so many compliments. The soup itself is so flavorful one would think that it contains several ingredients giving it several layers of flavor. Topped with walnuts and cheese, it gives the entire soup a different texture and taste.


Pork Chops with Sweet and Sour Peppers

Best pork chops I've made! This is my third try at Ramsay's signature pork chops. The secret this time is having the help from my experienced mother to choose the cuts wisely. Again, the peppers are to die for, such a play on your taste buds that even my mother, who's seldom fazed by anything was quite amazed. I threw the entree together by adding some lemon garlic beans and rosemary rice.


Cinnamon Banana Icecream

Okay, so this wasn't one of Gordon's recipes. Originally I was going to end with yet again, his lemon basil granita, however, I thought about my brother for the dessert. Therefore, I quickly whipped together a fast homemade frozen dessert, adding just a little bit of peanut butter for a nice kick.


Being able to present this 4 course menu was really a test to my abilities, prep, cook, and eventually get it onto a plate! I had so much fun and I'm not going to lie pressure while creating this menu and ultimately presenting it on the table. Hooray to my first Gordon Ramsay Chez Moi. There will definitely be more to come ;)

#14 Chili con carne

I've always loved the idea of chili since I absolutely adore tomato based sauce and baked beans... Mmmmm just the idea of leaves my mouth watering.

Grilled some leftover asparagus and carrots, threw together a quick mint corn salad...voila a delightful meal in minutes!

Loving the beautiful aroma coming out of my kitchen today :)


# 14 Chili con carne

Ingredients.

Minced Beef ......................32NT

1/2 Onion, garlic ................10NT

2 Tomatoes .......................13NT

Tomato paste ....................20NT

Kidney Beans ....................65NT

Vegetable stock

Chili powder, bay leaf, cinnamon, salt & pepper, italian spice

TOTAL: 150NT (for 4-5 meals)

My favorite way to eat Chili is obviously with rice, they just taste so damn good together. However, I decided to quickly make it into a "sloppy joe" for breakfast with corn salad. 

Still, I ended up with WAY more chili than I could handle, so I decided to feed both my roommate and one of my colleagues, great inexpensive way to give your friends a treat that they'll adore.

#13 Fillet of Beef with Gremolata

Tonight I have invited two of my dear colleagues over for dinner. That's right, more guinea pigs! Check out what's on tonight's three course menu:

Since are guests are not salad-lovers, I've decided to start out with a soup instead, going with yesterday's broccoli soup with a twist.

The total cost of this broccoli soup comes down to 92NT.


Greek Yogurt (the easy way)
2 cups of milk ................................38NT
1 cup of yogurt .............................27NT
TOTAL: 65NT


Give the milk a little heat, I usually blast it in the microwave for 30-60 seconds. Be careful not to overheat it though. Then simply pour the yogurt into your milk and mix gently. Place in your electric rice cooker/steamer and cover. Have the setting on "preserve heat" and just let your mixture sit in there for about 2 hours before pulling the plug. Then simply let it rest overnight or up to 8 hours. Remember not to take the lid off during all this time. Finally, your yogurt should be quite firm. You may eat directly or store in the fridge for later (I would recommend to finish the yogurt in 2-3 days).

I think the best time to make yogurt would be right after dinner. With everything timed right, I would be able to pull the plug, go to bed, put it in the fridge in the morning, and come home to freshly made yogurt!


#13 Fillets of Beef with Gremolata

Ingredients.
4 Fillets of Beef ................................272NT
Thyme, rosemary, garlic .................3NT
Parsley, lemon, capers ....................20NT
Vegetable stock .............................20NT
Potato wedges ...............................33NT

Asparagus with Mint Yogurt
Asparagus ......................................65NT
1 cup Greek yogurt ........................65NT
Fresh Mint leaves
Salt & Pepper

Lemon juice

TOTAL: 570NT (feeds four)

#12 Broccoli Soup

I wanted to experiment and learn how to make a tasty "western" soup in order to complete a "set menu" should I ever want to invite guests over or make a full blown 3-5 course meal for my family. Since I'm on a Ramsay craze, I thought I might as well make a Ramsay inspired soup. In Ramsay's original soup, he finishes it off with walnuts and goat cheese, which instantly makes the soup look ridiculous expensive. Where am I to buy big slices of goat cheese without spending a fortune? And the last time I checked, I did NOT enjoy goat milk or it's products. So I'm going to opt for a friendly choice and top it off with sauteed wild mushrooms and bacon.

#12 Broccoli Soup

Ingredients.
1 Broccoli .............................................13NT
Mushrooms ..........................................10NT
Bacon
Water
Salt & Pepper
Olive oil
TOTAL: 23NT

On the second thought, I'm going to try another variation since I have a piece of mozzarella and some walnuts, might as well experiment.

Doesn't it look beautiful? A dupe of Ramsay's gorgeous goat cheese serving.
The broccoli soup is absolutely delicious! It DOES taste like there's 20 different ingredients in it but in fact it's full on broccoli on broccoli. Never going to have trouble coming up with a western soup again! And surprisingly the cheese and walnuts blend in perfectly, although I've gotten good compliments for the mushroom and bacon combination as well. I think the broccoli soup base really invites many many different combinations and interpretations, well done Ramsay! Simple but delivered to perfection.

#11 Flatbreads with Lemon Thyme and Ricotta

For the longest time, I've been hearing about the health benefits of "cottage" and "ricotta" cheese as great sources of protein, easy to go snacks, and possible accelerator for weight loss.

However, for the life of me I have NEVER seen cottage cheese, this legendary super-cheese ANYWHERE in Taiwan. (And as for ricotta, it's insanely expensive and one can only find it at those fancy supermarkets at 101. As with most things that I cannot find, I began my quest of making it myself...To my great discovery...IT'S EASY!
Cottage Cheese 

Ingredients.
2 cups of Milk ..........................38NT
1 lemon (juice) ..........................9NT
Salt to taste
TOTAL: 47NT

Heat milk up to 50-60 degrees, turn off the heat before the milk boils!
Stir in the lemon juice and just let the pot sit for 30+minutes.

Place your cheese cloth over a large bowl. Pour the contents in your pot over your cheese cloth and squeeze squeeze squeeze! Soon you will be left with liquid whey and a ball of crumbly delicious cottage cheese!

Doesn't it look like a snowball? Mmmmmmmmmmmmm beautiful.

Ricotta Cheese

Ingredients.
Leftover whey

Boil and strain.

As a Taiwanese, how could we NOT love Scallion Pancakes?!
Chewy, flaky, and savory. One of my all-time favorite guilty pleasure. Served both in classy Chinese restaurant or simply in one of those food stalls right on the street - a classic night markets treat.

However, scallion pancakes are dubbed one of the most high-calorie snacks in Taiwan. Not only does the pastry itself contain a high amount of lard (to retain it's chewy flaky texture), more oil is used while frying, enhancing it's flavor and making it smell absolutely delightful, but quite detrimental to our health.

So when I came across Ramsay's leek flatbreads... I couldn't wait to try it. This recipe seems to be the IDEAL compromise. A much MUCH healthier version of our traditional snack.


#11 Quick Flatbreads with Lemon Thyme and Ricotta

Ingredients.
Green onions ..........................................20NT
All purpose multi-grain flour ....................10NT
Butter, olive oil ........................................5NT
Ricotta cheese ........................................24NT
1/2 Lemon  .............................................10NT
Warm Water
Thyme
TOTAL: 69NT

#10 Steak Tacos

Ramsay's daring twist on this Mexican street food. Japanese inspired with miso marinate, pickled veggies, and a mean wasabi sauce.

#10 Steak Tacos

Ingredients.
1 Sirloin Steak .........................30NT
2 Tortillas .................................10NT
Miso paste, rice vinegar ............3NT
Salt, pepper, chili. .....................3NT
Carrot, lettuce ..........................5NT
Sesame oil .................................1NT
TOTAL: 52NT

Below is the put together taco along with some quickly baked and grilled potato wedges.

At first when I tasted my sauce and marinade... I was quite skeptical of how all of it would taste together. But amazingly they work in a way I couldn't have imagined.

Since tortilla/taco shells are not something easily accessible in Taiwan I had to try to make my own. Except I got myself into a rather sticky situation and I didn't know what to do except to keep adding flour and kneading. Either I had too much flour or I over-kneaded my dough...my homemade multigrain tortillas turned out to be a bit harder than I wanted it. Got to look to Gordon as mentor again on making dough. It'll be better with experience I'm sure!

#9 Lemon Basil Granita

Made a batch of these summer treats two nights ago. Unbelievably easy but delightful. With the right container and garnish it looks much more expensive than it really is! Using limes instead of lemons definitely made it more sour. Mmmmmmm! Can't wait to try different combinations for granitas!!


#9 Lemon Basil Granita

Ingredients.
3 Limes ..........................25NT
Sugar, water ...................2NT
Basil ................................8NT
TOTAL: 35NT (legit batch)

#8 Fish Fillet with Sweet Chili Sauce

For the last three days, I took a trip down to southern Taiwan, hence the lack of cooking. It's been real fun hiking and just overall enjoying nature. While I was there, I took the opportunity to buy some kitchen utensils made out of some of the best woodwork in Taiwan, including a pair of well-carved chopsticks and a wooden spoon especially for spooning rice.

As I'm cooking through Gordon's recipes... it dawned on me that we live in VASTLY different parts of the world, hence not only do we not speak the same language but we encounter VERY different ingredients from spices to cuts of meat and sea food. Many ingredients that are readily accessible to Ramsay are unheard of in my little island. Therefore, I'm constantly tweaking his recipes, trying to find suitable alternatives. However, with my lack of knowledge in the culinary world, I am in deep trouble. Looks like I will be doing a LOT of research and experimenting.

But like Gordon says "Cooking is about being adventurous. Be a little more daring"
Since I will be having two friends over for dinner today, I decided to test out Gordon's Red Mullet recipe with two common fish fillets (dory & tilapia) easily accessible in most supermarkets in Taiwan. Three taste-buds to judge which fish goes better with the chili sauce!

#8 Fish Fillet with Sweet Chili Sauce

Ingredients.

1 Dory fish fillet ...................................69NT

1 Tilapia fillet ........................................45NT

1 Chilli ..................................................5NT

2 Garlic cloves ......................................2NT

Salt, sugar, 2 tbs fish sauce.....................5NT

1 tbs Rice wine vinegar, 3 tbs olive oil ....5NT

Spring onions .........................................5NT

Coriander ...........................................11NT

Lime ....................................................5NT

Peanuts ..............................................15NT

Coriander

2 eggs & fish sauce .............................10NT

TOTAL: 172 NT (for three)

I had to "create" my own pestle mortar to crush my spices and peanuts! Quite successful I would say, although it would be fun to have a real one!

End Results:
The dory fish has a very creamy texture while the tilapia is much more firm. I believe the sweet chili sauce goes well with both! Very complex flavor and texture.

Next time you can't find an ingredient, try a substitute!
So remember cooking is flexible, versatile, filled with imagination. Be Adventurous!

#7 Smokey Pork Sliders

Lesson four. Be excited! 

Food always turned out better when you're cooking with positive energy. I'm excited today because I've been dying to satisfy a huge burger craving.

Don't be fooled by my healthy fresh eating habits, my ultimate favorite foods are PIZZA and a good JUICY BURGER!

#7 Smokey Pork Sliders

Ingredients.
Bacon .........................................2NT
Minced Pork ...............................20NT
Salt + Pepper, Olive oil, chilli.........2NT
Cheese .....................................10NT
Romaine lettuce ........................17NT
Tomato .....................................5NT
2 Buns ......................................10NT
TOTAL: 66NT

The original calls for a BBQ sauce, which I made but decided not to add, making it a lot lighter.
I cannot tell you how much better this is than McDonalds, you gotta try it yourself.
Next time I have a burger craving THIS is what I will be making. Thank you again, Gordon Ramsay!

#6 Poached Salmon Miso Soup

When I first started watching Ramsay's Ultimate Cookery Course, I was immediately intrigued by his beautiful Poached Salmon Miso Soup, however, there was one ingredient in there that remains mysterious, the fish stock. From what I could recall from shopping at various supermarkets, there were only chicken stock on the shelves so where was I suppose to get FISH stock? In the video, Ramsay just pulls fish stock out of his fridge like it was the MOST common thing in the world, but after googling fish stock and even fish stock substitutes I ended up with one conclusion...there can be NO replacement, I have to start with fresh fish, slice up fish fillets, and use the bones to make my own basic fish stock.

Now let me tell you, as much as I love dry-fried whole fish...I am dreadfully fearful of any meat that retains it's original form... It's so scary to even TOUCH it let alone butcher it and carve out fillets. But great food comes with great challenge right? I realized in order to be a good cook I need to woMAN up and stop being afraid.

I went to the market and picked out a Seabass and told myself to start getting comfortable with it. Thank goodness the markets here already do a pretty good job in gutting and cleaning the fish so luckily I just have to do a little more knife work.

So here I'm thinking okay, just chop off the the head and carve out some fillets, shouldn't be too hard... But how WRONG am I... The seabass, not even a large fish, proves to have harder bones than I imagined. Since I have absolutely NO idea what I'm doing, being precise wasn't even an option! And I probably wasn't even using the right knife? ...knives?

After a lot of squealing and struggling, I finally managed to get MOST of the meat off and chopped the fishbone into several sections ready for boiling. 

Not the prettiest sight, but it was the best I could do at the time. For a first try...I don't think it's too bad. However, I feel bad for the fish...so sorry. As you probably guessed, the fish fillets were made into a beautiful Thai inspired, Lemon Steamed Fish, delicious fragrant. Lemon has become a "must" in my dishes these days.

Okay, so on with the stock!

To make a basic fish stock requires searing the vegetables and fish in a large pan then adding white wine, water, and fresh thyme to boil and simmer for 30-40mins.

Since I was running short on time, I decided to sear everything in a large pan with some olive oil and pour all the contents into the slow cooker so I don't have to keep watch, allowing me to attend to other chores.

Ingredients

1 fishbone (I used seabass)

1/2 tablespoon of olive oil

1 carrot, chopped

1/2 onion

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 garlic clove

1 teaspoon thyme

1/2 cup white wine

salt, pepper

4 cups of water

I pour two cups of water on the outer layer and soon you have steamy hot fish stock. I drained the soup to clear all the bits and pieces.

Volia! You may use immediately in your dishes, refridgerate, or freeze for later.

The only disappointment is... after all that hard work and time, I was left with barely a large bowl of stock.

FINALLY with the last of the ingredients for my Miso Soup is sitting right in the fridge. READY! I was so excited to see how the dish would come out. Today, I've invited my roommate and colleague as guinea pigs to try it out.

#6 Poached Salmon Miso Soup

Ingredients.

Salmon ............................197NT

Miso, Fish stock ................30NT

Kaffir leaf, Chilli, ginger ......5NT

Bok Choy ........................6NT

Mushrooms .....................16NT

TOTAL: 254NT (for three)

Several things went wrong here:

1. I had no idea how long I was suppose to poached the salmon, it's color changed quite quickly but the insides were still fairly raw. Then of course the thickness of the salmon was uneven, so even when most of it was cooked, there were a few thicker parts that were still a bit raw.

2. How did Ramsay managed to push the salmon slices off so effortlessly, creating beautiful neat slices... I gave up mid-way and just went with small shredded pieces of salmon.

But apart from the little bumps in the road mentioned above... the broth tasted amazing! Never had anything like it before!

All the flavors blend together beautifully, in fact, it didn't even taste like traditional miso soup, it's one of a kind.

I believe the fresh fish stocks really enhanced the flavor, bringing it up to a whole new level, which just proves that making things from scratch really DOES make a difference. HUGE difference.

It won't be long before I try to fillet a fish again and make some fish stock early in advance so I can pull out seafood dishes with amazing flavors on the go.

I swear, Ramsay continues to inspire and amaze me every single day. 

Can I marry this guy please?

Lesson 3: Get organized.

From organizing my actual cooking space, famailirizing, to preparing all the ingredients beforehand makes cooking a lot less hectic and even more enjoyable.

Soon, amazing dishes will be coming out of your kitchen everyday!

#5. Pan-seared Scallops with Crunchy Apple Salad

#5 Pan-seared Scallops + Crunchy Apple Salad

This is almost a no-brainer! Anyone can easily recreate this dish, however, the combination of all these fresh ingredients, really goes together. I love how the apples brings so much crunch and flavor to the salad that you barely need any dressing at all. A very healthy simple well-rounded dish that can be served beautifully to impress.

Ingredients.

9 scallops ......................................90NT

1 apple .........................................10NT

1/2 romaine ..................................23NT

lemon juice, salt, pepper, olive oil ....5NT

TOTAL: 128 (for three) 

This has quickly became one of my favorite dishes, so easy, but incredibly tasty. It took me quite a few tries to get the scallops done they way I wanted. My biggest mistake at the beginning was not allowing it to defrost COMPLETELY. This, I realize is very important, giving your protein enough time to defrost naturally at room temperature. This is the only way to guarantee the best flavor and texture.

I am guilty of whipping out this salad several times as a side dish when I have company.

#4 Sticky lemon chicken

I confess, I don't always stick to the recipes in his ultimate cookery course but also various other ones that I happen to stumble upon, everything he looks just looks so damn delicious and I can't wait to get my hands dirty to try them out.

#4 Sticky lemon chicken

Ingredients.
Drumsticks .....................75NT
Olive oil, soy sauce ..........1NT
1/2 lemon .......................2NT
honey, thyme, parsley ....6NT
Red wine vinegar, salt, pepper
Romaine lettuce ..............12NT
Watermelon ....................20NT
Eggplant .........................4NT
TOTAL: 120 (for two)

Ramsay's original recipe calls for chicken legs, which I realized would be even harder to cook thoroughly, so I decided that a fun replacement would be drumsticks and I think the recipe turned out just fabulous. So far I have NOT been disappointed by any of Ramsay's recipes.

However I was presented with two hurdles.

One, fresh herbs are almost impossible to find in Taiwan, herbs aren't wildly use in traditional Taiwanese cuisine, if a Taiwanese dish calls for herbs, it's usually dry. Luckily, many local gardeners do sell herbs...in little pots. I'm by far the worst person when it comes to plants, I just forget about them, clearly not the one with the green thumb of the family. But now my theory is: I will take care of you if I can eat you!

Took the liberty of a nice warm weekend to gather some fresh herb plants from a huge plant market. They sure come in handy not only flavoring my dishes but also adds a wonderful garnish to my plating.

Two. Taiwan does not have yellow lemons, we only have lime. Once introduced to the yellow lemon, I fell in love! The yellow ones give off this unique sweetness that the greens ones do not. My local wellcome used to import them but lately they're nowhere in sight! I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that they're just out of season and will be brought back again real soon.

Well, I guess the best I can do is just sub lemon with lime every time a Ramsay recipe calls for them until I can get my hands on some.

In terms of the final dish, which I paired with grilled eggplants and a watermelon salad. The chicken is delicious, fragrant, and not too sweet. However, I realized I still not very good at telling when the chicken is just well-done. I'm always afraid to dry it out and instead I end up under-cooking it...This is quite embarrassing if you're planning on serving this dish to someone else. Although strictly speaking, you can just pop it right back into the pan and cook it for several more minutes. Perfection will come with experience? I sure hope so.

#3 Chili beef lettuce wraps

Lately I've been enjoying cooking so much that I think I've become obsessed. I would spend hours and hours just thinking about my ingredients, visualizing my next meal before I even enter the kitchen to prep. I enter into my own culinary world and found it quite enjoyable to cook alone. Today, however, my roommate decided to join me on my next culinary adventure as we tackle yet another Ramsay recipe.

#3 Chili lettuce wraps

This beautiful show off centerpiece is surprisingly easy to make and ever so tasty, without knowing it you will keep reaching for more.

Ingredients
Minced beef .................................................25NT
Minced pork ................................................12NT
2 chillis ..........................................................2NT
Piece of ginger ..............................................2NT
1-3 garlic cloves ............................................1NT
1-2 stocks of spring onions ...........................5NT
1/2 lime (zest + juice) ...................................4NT
sesame oil, fish sauce, brown sugar ..............2NT
soy sauce ....................................................1NT
coriander ......................................................7NT
1 romaine lettuce ..........................................10NT
TOTAL: 71NT (portion for two)

Under Ramsay's guidance, I became my roommate mentor simply by reciting instructions. She gets credit for all the dicing and ultimately putting this entire dish together. The plate of minced meat looks stunning with all the beautiful specks of red, green, yellow... and oh so flavorful. The freshness of the lettuce really counters the bold flavors of the stir-fry. This is something that you can't help but reach for another serving. However, I really do need to brainstorm other dishes to serve with this wonderful centerpiece, more experimenting later!

It's time to take away another lesson from M. Ramsay! "Enjoy it", always always remember to have a little bit of fun along the way. Cooking with a friend, definitely makes it more adventurous ;)

#2 Fragrant fried rice

With my first go, I was hooked! The pork chops that I cooked the day before was an instant hit I couldn't wait to try another  dish from my mentor.

#2 Fragrant fried rice

So for a quick lunch, I cooked up another recipe from Ramsay. However, I put my own twist on it since this was a fried rice recipe... To me fried rice means anything goes. I see no reason to change some of it's ingredients to fit what I've already have in the cupboards. So I threw in some shrimps (for protein), water spinach and mushrooms.

 Ingredients.
1 chillis ..........................................................1NT
Piece of ginger ..............................................2NT
1 stock of spring onions ................................3NT
1/2 lime (zest + juice) ...................................4NT
sesame oil, fish sauce ....................................2NT
shrimp ........................................................30NT
mushrooms ................................................10NT
leftover rice ................................................10NT
Water spinach .............................................6NT
TOTAL: 66NT

The limes and spring onions really gives the standard Chinese fried rice an unique twist. Very enjoyable and versatile dish! Great for when you have a bunch of leftovers that aren't quite enough for a full  blown dish on it's own. 

#1 Pork chops with sweet and sour peppers

Like Gordon, my skillet/frying pan is probably my most trusted cooking equipment. A medium size nonstick pan not only reduces the amount of oil in your dishes but is actually vastly versatile. I swear by this awesome pan, if I could only buy one pan, this is the pan for me.

As a matter of fact, it's the only pan I invested on when I first started cooking at my new location.

Today I step up for my first challenge.

#1 Pork chops with sweet and sour peppers

Ingredients.
1 Pork Chop ..........................32NT
1/2 Bell Pepper .......................12NT
1/4 Onion ...............................4NT
Red Wine ................................8NT
White Vinegar .........................1NT
Thyme ....................................3NT
Salt & Pepper ..........................1NT
Basil ........................................13NT
TOTAL: 74NT

I was quite skeptical of the red wine vinaigrette partly because I've never seem to enjoy it at restaurants and also I didn't have easy access to red wine vinegar. This was problematic because I was hoping to learn how to cook without having to spend a fortune. Thus I began looking for a substitute. It seems simple red wine + vinegar = red wine vinegar. Duh.

But as I began browsing the vinegar section... There were rows and rows of different choices: apple, white, rice, wheat, barley, balsamic...the list goes on. Finally I opt for rice vinegar, mainly because it's a common vinegar used for Chinese cuisine and fairly versatile. Then I went in search for a bottle of red wine.

For cooking, I don't think you need a really expensive wine, any will do, although I would probably opt for one that's isn't so sweet next time.

 What really surprised me about watching Gordon cook is I can visualize everything when it's my turn to stand in front of the stove. It's like he's sounding next to me giving out instructions as I go. This really makes me feel from confident and I'm not left going back and forth between my pan and recipe, ultimately making cooking a lot less stressful.

Peppers. Amazing, I have been cutting them wrong all my life, struggling with all the seeds and white fibers inside. Life lessons: never fuss about cutting a pepper nor an orange anymore.

Finally, the final product and thoughts: the first taste of the red wine vinaigrette... My goodness, just amazing.

At the end of the day, the most important lesson I learned from Ramsay is: "Cook with confidence!" 

Girl meets culinary god. The backstory.

When life pushes you down you have to fight back ten times harder.

Coming down with the flu is probably by far one of the worst experiences I've encountered. One week of bed-rest, two weeks of sluggishness and a whole two months of recovery. 

People who know me will know that, prior to catching the flu, I was the girl who got up forty minutes earlier for a booty call. That right, a workout booty call. Sweating it out right out bed, hitting the showers, and treating myself to a healthy breakfast is one of the best morning routines. It left me filled with energy. And to counter my desk job, I try to hit the tracks, weights, pilates, yoga, interactive sports whenever I can after work. And at the same time sticking to a clean eating campaign, which results in me cooking most of my meals.

Imagine me confined to bed-rest, to wheezing and phlegm for an extended period. The flu was left me weaker than ever, I lost so much weight that I felt like a walking skeleton. I knew I had to eat, but every time I did, my stomach just wanted to hurl it right out. It was the first time in my life I needed to gain weight, the first time I couldn't simply enjoy food. I was miserable.  And I'm not ashamed to say I broke down several times afraid I'd never pick myself up again, everything that I worked for in the past (shaping up my body, getting stronger), gone. Just like that.

The funny thing is... when one door closes, another one opens. The BEST thing that has happened to me while I was confined to bed-rest with the flu was the discovery of Gordon Ramsay. 

Like most people my apartment is equipped with a TV. It's one of those "must-have" furniture that you could really do without, but somehow without one just doesn't seem complete. My roommate and I rarely turn on the darn thing, but since I was lacking the ability to do anymore than be a coach potato, I turned it on.

I think I first came across Gordon Ramsay in one of his TV series: Ramsay's Best Restaurants. Almost instantly I was hooked, followed by Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. Originally, I found Ramsay to be a bossy know it all perhaps even a little full of himself, one of those SOB teachers. But then, I realized, there was something charming about him and the more I watched, the more I fell in love with him. From two seasons of Masterchef USA to Gordon Ramsay's Home Cooking...I began to see the many different sides of him. There was a sweet side in this devil of a genius after all. And now, I was already in too deep. This guy, his passion and ability continues to amaze me...and I was dumbfounded when I found his Ultimate Cookery series. 

Like most people my apartment is equipped with a TV. It's one of those "must-have" furniture that you could really do without, but somehow without one just doesn't seem complete. My roommate and I rarely turn on the darn thing, but since I was lacking the ability to do anymore than be a coach potato, I turned it on.

I think I first came across Gordon Ramsay in one of his TV series: Ramsay's Best Restaurants. Almost instantly I was hooked, followed by Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. Originally, I found Ramsay to be a bossy know it all perhaps even a little full of himself, one of those SOB teachers. But then, I realized, there was something charming about him and the more I watched, the more I fell in love with him. From two seasons of Masterchef USA to Gordon Ramsay's Home Cooking...I began to see the many different sides of him. There was a sweet side in this devil of a genius after all. And now, I was already in too deep. This guy, his passion and ability continues to amaze me...and I was dumbfounded when I found his Ultimate Cookery series. 

THIS was a cookery course that I have set myself to commit to. I feel honored to enroll myself in the ultimate cookery course, learning from the culinary genius himself. My new hero.

Cheers to New toys. New Book. New cuisine.

So what are you waiting for? 
Follow me today on my journey towards culinary greatness!