Midwest

The Midwest is one of the world's most agriculturally productive regions. Midwesterners are fond of gatherings where food has a very important role. Also, the Midwest is traditionally a hospitable place, where potlucks are quite common. Most food is basic and good tasting, also somewhat ethnic.

The first dish I prepared was Porksteaks and Bratwursts. These were quite easy considering all that was required was to put the meat on the grill and eventually add the bbq sauce. They turned out quite well.

The second dish was Corn on the Cob. This dish is pretty easy as well, but it creates a meal with the Porksteaks and Brats which is why I chose it. Once the water is boiling, all you have to do is put in the corn and wait. pretty simple, pretty delicious.

South

The following unit is the South. In the South, corn, rice, pigs, and chickens are all staples in the diet. Many Southern dishes are high in fat. Also the South introduced Soul Food.

The first dish I made was Buttermilk Biscuits. They were extremely easy to make and also fun to make. I cut mine out in the shape of a heart, as you can see. These were a satisfying dish to have.

The second dish I made was Sweet Potato Pie. Using a pre-made pie shell, it was not a very difficult task. Just mix everything together, dump into the shell and bake! Plus the instant my family saw it, it was devoured. Very good.

Mid-Atlantic

The next part of the USA that I cooked from was the Mid-Atlantic region. This region was known mostly for farming, making it 'a major center for fresh fruit and vegetable production'. This area of the USA is now known for its melting pot of foods. With New York as a part of this region, foods come from all over the world. The Pennsylvania Dutch were also from this regionand were well known for their canning and pickling. They also made soup and liked to bake.

The first dish I made was a Basic Waldorf Salad. This shows the fresh fruits and veggies side of the Mid-Atlantic. It was a very easy dish to make and though I was at first skeptical, it did end up tasting surprisingly good.

The second dish I made was a drink, an Orange Julius. This was extremely easy to make and was very delicious. All it took was dumping everything in a blender and then drinking up the creamsicle-like drink.

New England

New Englanders ate food for nourishment rather than indulgence. They used the food that was available to them and adapted.

The first food that I made was Blueberry Muffins. they were very easy to make and tasted delicious. The muffins took little time to make and if other berries were available, they could be substituted in.



The second food I made was Johnny Cakes which are comparable to pancakes, only are made with cornmeal. The process of making them is quite difficult, but the end result is worth the work. They are extremely delicious.

Unit explanation

For the next unit we will be studying different regions of the USA. It includes New England, the Midwest, the South, and many more. The foods from these regions vary and depend on how the people viewed food and what they had to work with.

Sauces

Our first unit in Foods 2 is Sauces. There were several gourmet dishes as well as the basic sauces: hollandaise, white sauce, mornay sauce, and veloute sauce. For the gourmet dish I made Potatoes Au Gratin. This involves making a roux with onions and cheese in it, pouring that sauce over thinly sliced potatoes and baking in the oven. Once I understood how a roux worked, this was a fairly simple process. The roux mainly just takes patience. If there is anything I can give to any future roux-maker, it is to simply whisk and be patient, it takes time for the sauce to thicken. For the mornay sauce I made macaroni-n-cheese. The sauce was almost identical to the sauce made for the potatoes, except there were no onions. This time I was more confident with my roux making abilities and it went much quicker. My mother and brother enjoyed the mac-n-cheese quite thoroughly.