I love Fridays because I go to Bikram Yoga. Even though I go other nights, for some reason Friday afternoons are by far the best 2 hours of my week. I arrive to class 30 minutes early so I can lay down in the hot room and clear my head. All nonsense of the week, day, or month just seems like nothing. It's warm, comfy and I feel like I am somewhere tropical. Most days I fall asleep for a few minutes. Do you know how relaxing this must be for me? The girl whose brain just does not turn off?
It's the most intense workout I have ever done and I love it. I love the challenge. I love the feeling I get when I've made it through another session. I love watching myself improve in different positions every time I go. I love that I can go any day I want. I love that I am probably burning over 1000 calories. I love that I can't stop talking about it.
The instructors there are fabulous. I love how each of them have a unique personality and you learn something about yourself with each session. You listen to their words and thing of nothing but what your body is doing. Most of instructors talk about letting go, forgiveness, or even healing benefits of yoga. Yoga is not just physical workout, but a workout in clarity. Yoga has become a wonderful blessing in my life.
Alas, it is time for the hot room.... have a great weekend.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
What happens in my dream world, stays in my dream world
In my dream world, my seasonal job would pay me what I need to make for a year round job. Reality, well that's just not going to happen. Last night J and I went over some numbers and I was very disappointed when I found that my awesome baking job that I absolutely love is only going to make enough money this year to cover my expenses. Bummer. For some reason, I was thinking with all my overtime, I would make enough to sock some away for all these lavish vacations I want to take.
I have some decisions to make that I don't want to make. Fortunately, I am going to wait until next season to make them. I've committed to running the bakery this summer and I don't want to go back on my word. Plus, I think the experience will definitely be worth more on my resume than in my pocketbook. AND, I love, love, love working for these people!!!
Some how, some way, I will have to make enough money in my direct sales biz and my personal chef biz to cover more expenses (like gas and clothing) and also put away for vacations. I am tired of being left behind on all the cool trips and plus -- I really, really want to go on a honeymoon!!!
I have some decisions to make that I don't want to make. Fortunately, I am going to wait until next season to make them. I've committed to running the bakery this summer and I don't want to go back on my word. Plus, I think the experience will definitely be worth more on my resume than in my pocketbook. AND, I love, love, love working for these people!!!
Some how, some way, I will have to make enough money in my direct sales biz and my personal chef biz to cover more expenses (like gas and clothing) and also put away for vacations. I am tired of being left behind on all the cool trips and plus -- I really, really want to go on a honeymoon!!!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Where have I been the last year???
Hello friends! It's been far too long since we have spoken. This past year has been a wonderful whirlwind for me and I hope you can forgive my absence! I will explain everything....
Maybe you remember last year when I wrote a list of cool things I wanted to do in my life in 2011. I fortunately have managed to accomplish most of them!
1. Get married! Yes, it's #1 on my list because hey, I am marrying the love I've been waiting for my whole life! :) Check!! Yes, I was married on October 8, 2011 to my best friend who is refered to many by "J".
2. Get my dog back in shape and eating right (yea, I really mean me -- but if I bring the dog into it, it sounds much more exciting) Check!! My dog has lost almost 5 lbs (which is a lot for a pug!) and I personally have lost around the tune of 35 lbs and only have about 10 to go. I joined Weight Watchers in April of 2011 I started practicing Bikram Yoga in late October of 2011 and I LOVE it!! The both of us have much more energy than we had -- it's just been an amazing transformation!
3. Internship! I will be going on a summer internship somewhere in these United States -- probably North Carolina. Yay! :) Check!! Well, it was in actually in the fall amidst all the wedding chaos, but I actually got the job at a local farm market/bakery in August 2011. It's a seasonal position due to the nature of our climate here -- but I will be running the bakery when we re-open the market in May! YAY !!
4. Tasters Guild Dinner - my World Cuisine class helps put on the dinner that will fund scholarships for culinary students. I am also going to be applying for the scholarship! Check, check!! The Tasters Guild Dinner was an awesome experience and not only did I apply for a sholarship, I recieved one of the top two highest scholarships awarded. The other student who also won the top honor is a very talented young man who interned at Biltmore over the summer (lucky guy - one of my favorite places!).
5. Trip to LA - Hopefully this will be Memorial Day Weekend, but J and I are planning on visiting his brother so I can meet him. :) One of the few things we did not do this year due to finances, but I did meet his brother the day before our wedding! Ha!
6. Trip to San Antonio - A trip for my sis to celebrate her milestone bday w my cousins! Check!! Oh, what a fun trip we had -- so many great memories made!
7. My nephew and 2 of my cousins are starting their new lives in another state: CO, MT, and AZ!
I actually went to CO over Thanksgiving to visit my nephew -- SO much fun and I cannot wait to go back!
8. Get a job - Even though I really enjoy being a poor college student, J does not. LOL. Check!! See above! Also.... I am starting my own personal chef business featuring in-home prepared meals and private cooking lessons.
9. There are some babies in the near future for a few of my friends! MORE BABIES!! For my friends, of course!! ;)
10. ???? Whatever else comes my way!!! Wow, what DIDN'T come my way?
Now what? Well, I finished up all my culinary classes and I am wrapping my college career up with an algebra class this semester (long story, but let's just say I have learned many lessons this past year) By May, I will be done with school -- for good!
Right now I am not working full time (boo for my pocketbook!) and have plenty of time on my hands so I am focusing on writing up my business plan for the personal chef business and also polish up the business plan I wrote for my dream.... a food specialty shop! It's almost kind of scary realizing that I am back to being in the "real world" now that school is just about behind me! Yikes!
Maybe you remember last year when I wrote a list of cool things I wanted to do in my life in 2011. I fortunately have managed to accomplish most of them!
1. Get married! Yes, it's #1 on my list because hey, I am marrying the love I've been waiting for my whole life! :) Check!! Yes, I was married on October 8, 2011 to my best friend who is refered to many by "J".
2. Get my dog back in shape and eating right (yea, I really mean me -- but if I bring the dog into it, it sounds much more exciting) Check!! My dog has lost almost 5 lbs (which is a lot for a pug!) and I personally have lost around the tune of 35 lbs and only have about 10 to go. I joined Weight Watchers in April of 2011 I started practicing Bikram Yoga in late October of 2011 and I LOVE it!! The both of us have much more energy than we had -- it's just been an amazing transformation!
3. Internship! I will be going on a summer internship somewhere in these United States -- probably North Carolina. Yay! :) Check!! Well, it was in actually in the fall amidst all the wedding chaos, but I actually got the job at a local farm market/bakery in August 2011. It's a seasonal position due to the nature of our climate here -- but I will be running the bakery when we re-open the market in May! YAY !!
4. Tasters Guild Dinner - my World Cuisine class helps put on the dinner that will fund scholarships for culinary students. I am also going to be applying for the scholarship! Check, check!! The Tasters Guild Dinner was an awesome experience and not only did I apply for a sholarship, I recieved one of the top two highest scholarships awarded. The other student who also won the top honor is a very talented young man who interned at Biltmore over the summer (lucky guy - one of my favorite places!).
5. Trip to LA - Hopefully this will be Memorial Day Weekend, but J and I are planning on visiting his brother so I can meet him. :) One of the few things we did not do this year due to finances, but I did meet his brother the day before our wedding! Ha!
6. Trip to San Antonio - A trip for my sis to celebrate her milestone bday w my cousins! Check!! Oh, what a fun trip we had -- so many great memories made!
7. My nephew and 2 of my cousins are starting their new lives in another state: CO, MT, and AZ!
I actually went to CO over Thanksgiving to visit my nephew -- SO much fun and I cannot wait to go back!
8. Get a job - Even though I really enjoy being a poor college student, J does not. LOL. Check!! See above! Also.... I am starting my own personal chef business featuring in-home prepared meals and private cooking lessons.
9. There are some babies in the near future for a few of my friends! MORE BABIES!! For my friends, of course!! ;)
10. ???? Whatever else comes my way!!! Wow, what DIDN'T come my way?
Now what? Well, I finished up all my culinary classes and I am wrapping my college career up with an algebra class this semester (long story, but let's just say I have learned many lessons this past year) By May, I will be done with school -- for good!
Right now I am not working full time (boo for my pocketbook!) and have plenty of time on my hands so I am focusing on writing up my business plan for the personal chef business and also polish up the business plan I wrote for my dream.... a food specialty shop! It's almost kind of scary realizing that I am back to being in the "real world" now that school is just about behind me! Yikes!
Friday, February 18, 2011
From Spain to Mexico and onto the Middle East
My cooking has taken me vicariously through great countries of the world! After we wrapped up Spain, we quickly moved into Mexican cuisine. Cooking authentically is much more rewarding than I had anticipated. Mainly because we have to study the country we are working on, not just following a recipe. In fact, we didn't even use recipes yesterday.
Mexican cuisine is so much more than tacos and burritos. Yes, there are plenty of beans and rice dishes -- but nothing like we get in Ameri-Mex restaurants. I learned that flour tortillas are used in northern Mexico and corn tortillas in the south. "Smothered in cheese" is not a Mexican thing, that's the American way -- not surprising. I've learned the work it takes to make fresh tamales and I don't think I will ever eat one at a restaurant again -- unless, of course, I am in Mexico. I love the fresh ingredients that bring the dishes flavor - simple, yet multilayered sauces without adding oils or fats.
Yesterday we had a surprise "black box" to be worked on in a group. It was actually really fun because he challenged us to look through all these cookbooks he had, but try not to follow a recipe. He wants us to cook by technique and ingredients. YES! This is how I cook at home and finally I am able to be creative and show my stuff! I have to say, I could NOT have done this a year ago or even 6 months ago. I felt like I had to get things perfect and I'd read the recipe a million times -- but that totally slows me down. I finally realized that sometimes you have to go with what is in your soul. And my confidence rubbed off on my teammates. :)
We made chicken and chorizo tamales with mole verde sauce, arroz de Mexican (Mexican rice), chiles relanos, pan fried potatoes with mushrooms and green onions, and an AWESOME pinto bean salsa (pinto beans, tomatillos, onions, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, and lime juice) with blue tortilla chips. We all did a fantastic job -- and used only our technique and the ingredients we had available. It was awesome.
While we have been venturing in Mexico, our team is also working on cuisine from the Middle East for a special event coming up next week. We are having a huge fundraiser at the school that will be for scholarships for the culinary students -- and I have applied for one of the scholarships. Our class was assigned 4 countries and I chose the Middle East -- mainly because I wanted to learn more about this area, but also because it's close to Tunisian and North African cuisine. Of course there are a lot of differences, but I am so much more drawn to that part of the world since we visited there in 2009. Anyway, our jobs are to be authentic -- but we also need to appeal to a wide group. We chose to make vegetarian dolmas, fatayer sbanikh (spinach triangles), lamb kebobs and spiced almonds. We've tested all the recipes and we are good to go. Our event is one week from today -- I can't wait!! There will be 500-600 people in attendance, so we have to be on our "A" game!
Wish me luck!!
Mexican cuisine is so much more than tacos and burritos. Yes, there are plenty of beans and rice dishes -- but nothing like we get in Ameri-Mex restaurants. I learned that flour tortillas are used in northern Mexico and corn tortillas in the south. "Smothered in cheese" is not a Mexican thing, that's the American way -- not surprising. I've learned the work it takes to make fresh tamales and I don't think I will ever eat one at a restaurant again -- unless, of course, I am in Mexico. I love the fresh ingredients that bring the dishes flavor - simple, yet multilayered sauces without adding oils or fats.
Yesterday we had a surprise "black box" to be worked on in a group. It was actually really fun because he challenged us to look through all these cookbooks he had, but try not to follow a recipe. He wants us to cook by technique and ingredients. YES! This is how I cook at home and finally I am able to be creative and show my stuff! I have to say, I could NOT have done this a year ago or even 6 months ago. I felt like I had to get things perfect and I'd read the recipe a million times -- but that totally slows me down. I finally realized that sometimes you have to go with what is in your soul. And my confidence rubbed off on my teammates. :)
We made chicken and chorizo tamales with mole verde sauce, arroz de Mexican (Mexican rice), chiles relanos, pan fried potatoes with mushrooms and green onions, and an AWESOME pinto bean salsa (pinto beans, tomatillos, onions, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, and lime juice) with blue tortilla chips. We all did a fantastic job -- and used only our technique and the ingredients we had available. It was awesome.
While we have been venturing in Mexico, our team is also working on cuisine from the Middle East for a special event coming up next week. We are having a huge fundraiser at the school that will be for scholarships for the culinary students -- and I have applied for one of the scholarships. Our class was assigned 4 countries and I chose the Middle East -- mainly because I wanted to learn more about this area, but also because it's close to Tunisian and North African cuisine. Of course there are a lot of differences, but I am so much more drawn to that part of the world since we visited there in 2009. Anyway, our jobs are to be authentic -- but we also need to appeal to a wide group. We chose to make vegetarian dolmas, fatayer sbanikh (spinach triangles), lamb kebobs and spiced almonds. We've tested all the recipes and we are good to go. Our event is one week from today -- I can't wait!! There will be 500-600 people in attendance, so we have to be on our "A" game!
Wish me luck!!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Forgive me if I repeat myself...
But I am truly having a blast this semester -- 2nd year classes are proving to be much more of what I expected out of culinary school. Students take them a little more seriously, thank goodness, and the expectations of instructors are a little higher. Challenging, yes -- rewarding, YES!!
My first week of World Cuisine we started with French cuisine, which is has been the focus of our training style -- but not so much the cuisine. We learned the basic sauces, cooking methods (sauteing, braising, stewing, etc.), brigade system, and much more from the French basically because they have everything recorded in books. Most other countries do not have the documentation of their cooking methods, so this is why most cooking schools teach the French method.
My first contribution was the poulet saute a la hongroise -- sauteed chicken with onions, tomatoes, and cream. At first I thought it was pretty bland, but once the onions catch into the cream it tasted wonderful. My lab partners made celeriac remoulade and garlic and saffron soup. The remoulade was interesting yet tasty, I have not had celeriac raw before. I did not get a chance to try the garlic soup since I was so interested in the stuffed onions and French onion soup from one of the other groups!! The FOS was FANTASTIC and I can't wait to try this recipe at home!!
The next class I made a blue cheese souffle while my lab partners made coquilles St Jacques, and glazed parsnips. The souffle texture was fantastic -- I was very proud since I had never made a souffle before! The blue cheese we used was quite creamy and got lost in the eggs. Another group used a Spanish blue cheese and it tasted better. It was still too rich to eat more than two bites!! I love scallops, so of course I enjoyed the traditional coquilles St Jacques -- it is prepared with a heavy sauce with the French favorites: heavy cream, butter, egg yolks, mushrooms, etc. My lab partner, R, was not paying attention and burned the parsnips. She likes to socialize and it gets really annoying. I just want to cook, learn, and have good time. She just wants to talk about herself, lol, yea she's 18. Anyway, I also tried escargot with herbs and garlic butter and even though they look disgusting, they taste pretty good!
We are now working with Spanish cuisine! I am learning so much about the culture and the land -- it's amazing how much I really didn't know about these countries! BOTH of my lab partners were MIA on Thursday. I find that in poor taste, but I actually had more room to work and I made two dishes: squid with caramelized onions and veal casserole with broad beans. The squid was "ok" -- I have not worked with it before and I think I may have slightly overcooked it. Chef also told me that it was because the squid was so large (he said he wished we would have received smaller and more tender squid) and I do mean LARGE: the rings looked like Livestrong bracelets!!! The veal casserole was basically browned and stewed veal with onions, sherry and of course the beans. The sauce was excellent, but the veal needed to stew a bit longer. When you cook meat, the muscle contracts and gets tougher -- when stewing, the meat then begins to relax again making it more tender. We didn't have the time in class to get it to the proper tenderness, but Chef complimented me on the sauce.
I also tried romesco sauce, tortilla espanola (basically and egg and potato pancake), gazpacho soup and last but CERTAINLY not least, orange blossom beignets!! YUM!!
We are finishing up Spain tomorrow and can't wait to see what is in store for us! Next week we will be working on the country/region we are assigned to for our big dinner coming up at the end of February -- my group is featuring Middle Eastern cuisine, I can't wait!!
It's time to make the desserts!! Today we start working on items for the bakery case in our teaching restaurant -- I can't wait to start the fun!
Ciao!
My first week of World Cuisine we started with French cuisine, which is has been the focus of our training style -- but not so much the cuisine. We learned the basic sauces, cooking methods (sauteing, braising, stewing, etc.), brigade system, and much more from the French basically because they have everything recorded in books. Most other countries do not have the documentation of their cooking methods, so this is why most cooking schools teach the French method.
My first contribution was the poulet saute a la hongroise -- sauteed chicken with onions, tomatoes, and cream. At first I thought it was pretty bland, but once the onions catch into the cream it tasted wonderful. My lab partners made celeriac remoulade and garlic and saffron soup. The remoulade was interesting yet tasty, I have not had celeriac raw before. I did not get a chance to try the garlic soup since I was so interested in the stuffed onions and French onion soup from one of the other groups!! The FOS was FANTASTIC and I can't wait to try this recipe at home!!
The next class I made a blue cheese souffle while my lab partners made coquilles St Jacques, and glazed parsnips. The souffle texture was fantastic -- I was very proud since I had never made a souffle before! The blue cheese we used was quite creamy and got lost in the eggs. Another group used a Spanish blue cheese and it tasted better. It was still too rich to eat more than two bites!! I love scallops, so of course I enjoyed the traditional coquilles St Jacques -- it is prepared with a heavy sauce with the French favorites: heavy cream, butter, egg yolks, mushrooms, etc. My lab partner, R, was not paying attention and burned the parsnips. She likes to socialize and it gets really annoying. I just want to cook, learn, and have good time. She just wants to talk about herself, lol, yea she's 18. Anyway, I also tried escargot with herbs and garlic butter and even though they look disgusting, they taste pretty good!
We are now working with Spanish cuisine! I am learning so much about the culture and the land -- it's amazing how much I really didn't know about these countries! BOTH of my lab partners were MIA on Thursday. I find that in poor taste, but I actually had more room to work and I made two dishes: squid with caramelized onions and veal casserole with broad beans. The squid was "ok" -- I have not worked with it before and I think I may have slightly overcooked it. Chef also told me that it was because the squid was so large (he said he wished we would have received smaller and more tender squid) and I do mean LARGE: the rings looked like Livestrong bracelets!!! The veal casserole was basically browned and stewed veal with onions, sherry and of course the beans. The sauce was excellent, but the veal needed to stew a bit longer. When you cook meat, the muscle contracts and gets tougher -- when stewing, the meat then begins to relax again making it more tender. We didn't have the time in class to get it to the proper tenderness, but Chef complimented me on the sauce.
I also tried romesco sauce, tortilla espanola (basically and egg and potato pancake), gazpacho soup and last but CERTAINLY not least, orange blossom beignets!! YUM!!
We are finishing up Spain tomorrow and can't wait to see what is in store for us! Next week we will be working on the country/region we are assigned to for our big dinner coming up at the end of February -- my group is featuring Middle Eastern cuisine, I can't wait!!
It's time to make the desserts!! Today we start working on items for the bakery case in our teaching restaurant -- I can't wait to start the fun!
Ciao!
Monday, January 24, 2011
Time to make the chocolates!
I should be studying for my chocolate quiz today, but I thought I'd take a homework break this morning. Classes started last week and are going quite fantastic, which is not surprising to me at all.
Monday and Wednesdays I start at noon with Advanced Baking with Chef M, who likes to be called just "chef". In this class, we will be making all the breads, desserts, chocolates, and retail bakery items for our teaching restaurant. We are getting the opportunity to experience real production baking. Perfect! This class is exactly what I want to learn about and Chef is just the guy. He has been a pastry chef for years and then went into teaching. He gives us awesome advice on running a bakery -- from not wasting product to customer relations. Last week we made chocolates, oh darn, and they were fabulous! My group made orange flavored ganache made with grand marnier and oj concentrate. YUM!! Another group made peanut butter, but it had coconut oil in it -- yuk. I don't think those two flavors mesh well, but that is just my taste. We have 8 different ganache recipes to choose from and we will be making 6 of them throughout the semester -- our choice. I am most looking forward to the dulce de leche.....mmmmmm.
Monday nights I have Purchasing which is completely boring to me. Since I have worked with purchasing departments so closely, a lot of this is not new. I know that it is different for a food service operation, so I am still going to have to pay attention. The good thing is that the instructor is hilarious and laid back -- and he knows the topic is dry. He does all the purchasing for the culinary institute and the college -- from food to equipment to everything else!!
Last, but not least, is my World Cuisine class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I have Chef S again from my intro to professional cookery last semester. Talk about fun -- we have 2 big projects this semester that I am SUPER excited to participate in, and we get to learn about several countries and their cuisines. It's not just about the food, but understanding the regions, people, topography, and what is readily available to cook. We have these 4 page documents we have to fill out for each country we are studying, it really is thorough. Another fun thing about this class is the paper we will be writing. We will be writing about our own family heritage and what foods that our families traditionally cook. This will be pretty easy because most of my family is really into our heritage and we have been digging up old recipes that Grandma used to make.
I think the best part about this semester is that the expectations of us as students has increased. These are not introductory courses like last semester, and the chefs have said that many people are weeded out from those classes. I can already name a few students from last semester that are not back -- and not because they failed. They are not back because they have an attitude of thinking they already know everything and don't think they need school. Well, I tell you what -- if you don't humble yourself, you will not be wanted in a kitchen. You can't run your own kitchen until you work your way up to that privilege. It's just that simple.
If I could pick the one thing that I have done right so far in this adventure is to put all my pride and other experience aside. I walked into my first kitchen job and told the chef, "teach me as though I know nothing about cooking". I put myself in that position and have stayed there. I started classes with the mindset of a child who is just learning for the first time. I have appreciated every moment I have in those classes and value each and every exercise, even if it's just practicing knife cuts. It's been a very humbling and rewarding experience.
If you know that you are not the best at what you do and promise yourself to keep learning from those who know more -- you will have a more rewarding career than you ever thought you could.
Monday and Wednesdays I start at noon with Advanced Baking with Chef M, who likes to be called just "chef". In this class, we will be making all the breads, desserts, chocolates, and retail bakery items for our teaching restaurant. We are getting the opportunity to experience real production baking. Perfect! This class is exactly what I want to learn about and Chef is just the guy. He has been a pastry chef for years and then went into teaching. He gives us awesome advice on running a bakery -- from not wasting product to customer relations. Last week we made chocolates, oh darn, and they were fabulous! My group made orange flavored ganache made with grand marnier and oj concentrate. YUM!! Another group made peanut butter, but it had coconut oil in it -- yuk. I don't think those two flavors mesh well, but that is just my taste. We have 8 different ganache recipes to choose from and we will be making 6 of them throughout the semester -- our choice. I am most looking forward to the dulce de leche.....mmmmmm.
Monday nights I have Purchasing which is completely boring to me. Since I have worked with purchasing departments so closely, a lot of this is not new. I know that it is different for a food service operation, so I am still going to have to pay attention. The good thing is that the instructor is hilarious and laid back -- and he knows the topic is dry. He does all the purchasing for the culinary institute and the college -- from food to equipment to everything else!!
Last, but not least, is my World Cuisine class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I have Chef S again from my intro to professional cookery last semester. Talk about fun -- we have 2 big projects this semester that I am SUPER excited to participate in, and we get to learn about several countries and their cuisines. It's not just about the food, but understanding the regions, people, topography, and what is readily available to cook. We have these 4 page documents we have to fill out for each country we are studying, it really is thorough. Another fun thing about this class is the paper we will be writing. We will be writing about our own family heritage and what foods that our families traditionally cook. This will be pretty easy because most of my family is really into our heritage and we have been digging up old recipes that Grandma used to make.
I think the best part about this semester is that the expectations of us as students has increased. These are not introductory courses like last semester, and the chefs have said that many people are weeded out from those classes. I can already name a few students from last semester that are not back -- and not because they failed. They are not back because they have an attitude of thinking they already know everything and don't think they need school. Well, I tell you what -- if you don't humble yourself, you will not be wanted in a kitchen. You can't run your own kitchen until you work your way up to that privilege. It's just that simple.
If I could pick the one thing that I have done right so far in this adventure is to put all my pride and other experience aside. I walked into my first kitchen job and told the chef, "teach me as though I know nothing about cooking". I put myself in that position and have stayed there. I started classes with the mindset of a child who is just learning for the first time. I have appreciated every moment I have in those classes and value each and every exercise, even if it's just practicing knife cuts. It's been a very humbling and rewarding experience.
If you know that you are not the best at what you do and promise yourself to keep learning from those who know more -- you will have a more rewarding career than you ever thought you could.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
2011 is going to be awesome because...
I hereby announce that the year 2011 is going to be awesome for everyone (including you) and I will not take "no" for an answer!
After having a great holiday break, I am back in the swing of things trying to get my life in order (as we all are, lol, it's the new year!) I don't like to have resolutions, as many of you know, but I'd like to list the cool things I want to do this year and other fun stuff.
1. Get married! Yes, it's #1 on my list because hey, I am marrying the love I've been waiting for my whole life! :)
2. Get my dog back in shape and eating right (yea, I really mean me -- but if I bring the dog into it, it sounds much more exciting)
3. Internship! I will be going on a summer internship somewhere in these United States -- probably North Carolina. Yay! :)
4. Tasters Guild Dinner - my World Cuisine class helps put on the dinner that will fund scholarships for culinary students. I am also going to be applying for the scholarship!
5. Trip to LA - Hopefully this will be Memorial Day Weekend, but J and I are planning on visiting his brother so I can meet him. :)
6. Trip to San Antonio - A trip for my sis to celebrate her milestone bday w my cousins!
7. My nephew and 2 of my cousins are starting their new lives in another state: CO, MT, and AZ!
8. Get a job - Even though I really enjoy being a poor college student, J does not. LOL.
9. There are some babies in the near future for a few of my friends!
10. ???? Whatever else comes my way!!!
I also want to read more, cook more, paint more, sew more and drink more... lol. What I really meant was spend more time with my friends. :)
Here's to a fabulous new year!!
Ciao!
After having a great holiday break, I am back in the swing of things trying to get my life in order (as we all are, lol, it's the new year!) I don't like to have resolutions, as many of you know, but I'd like to list the cool things I want to do this year and other fun stuff.
1. Get married! Yes, it's #1 on my list because hey, I am marrying the love I've been waiting for my whole life! :)
2. Get my dog back in shape and eating right (yea, I really mean me -- but if I bring the dog into it, it sounds much more exciting)
3. Internship! I will be going on a summer internship somewhere in these United States -- probably North Carolina. Yay! :)
4. Tasters Guild Dinner - my World Cuisine class helps put on the dinner that will fund scholarships for culinary students. I am also going to be applying for the scholarship!
5. Trip to LA - Hopefully this will be Memorial Day Weekend, but J and I are planning on visiting his brother so I can meet him. :)
6. Trip to San Antonio - A trip for my sis to celebrate her milestone bday w my cousins!
7. My nephew and 2 of my cousins are starting their new lives in another state: CO, MT, and AZ!
8. Get a job - Even though I really enjoy being a poor college student, J does not. LOL.
9. There are some babies in the near future for a few of my friends!
10. ???? Whatever else comes my way!!!
I also want to read more, cook more, paint more, sew more and drink more... lol. What I really meant was spend more time with my friends. :)
Here's to a fabulous new year!!
Ciao!
Monday, December 20, 2010
Keep on, keepin on
Exams are finally over, so I can breathe easy now. It's been a tough couple of weeks trying to keep up with all the studying, the pressures of the practical exams and the butchering practical. I have to be honest, I didn't score where I wanted to be for some of the exams and I am somewhat disappointed. I made some mistakes in my cooking practical which cost me some points and an A. No, I am not fine with a B -- but I know where the mistakes were made and I have to be sure not make them again.
Our butchering practical was quick and easy -- so I thought! We had to draw out of a "hat" the protein we would fabricate. Our options were: round fish, flat fish, chicken or rabbit. Fortunately, the rabbit did not come in and that was taken out of the mix. I have only fabricated one rabbit, so I did not feel as confident as I do with the fish and chicken. So, of course, I drew chicken. I felt really good about it -- my boneless skinless breasts looked fantastic and I even deboned the thigh quite well. But I ran over on time -- by one measly minute!! Another "B" it is -- ah, bugger!! Chef also said I had a lot of meat on the top cuts of the wings -- I didn't think too much yield was a bad thing, but whatever. I thought it was perfect.
I did MUCH better on my baking practical with a 93!! I did slightly overcook my pumpkin muffins, and my danish dough was slightly dense, but my French apple tart and scones were perfect!! YAY!! Considering that was the first time I have made scones, that was fabulous! We work in groups at school, so I somehow managed to not be a part of the scone making. Not on purpose, of course, but I at least watched them be made and they are actually really easy. I made chocolate chip orange scones. They looked and tasted fabulous!
As for the written exams, my baking exam was super short -- only 25 questions! That was a nice surprise, but I am glad I still studied as much as I did. Next semester is going to be more advanced and we need to understand the science of baking on a different level. I am extremely excited to take this class -- and I hear the instructor is tough, but a great pastry chef.
My cooking exam was longer, but again, I studied enough and think I will get an A. Unfortunately, I need at 94 on the exam to get an A in the class and I am guessing I probably scored more along the lines of a 90. I am tempted to email Chef to find out, but then again, what can I do about it now? I know what I can do next semester -- and that is push myself to the next level. I know I am capable of it -- I just have to execute!
During break, which is about 4 weeks, I am going to practice. Practice, practice, practice. Chef says people aren't just born with the talent -- it takes practice. If you find that you are not good at something, keep doing it until you are good at it. So that is what I will do!
Bon Appetit!
Our butchering practical was quick and easy -- so I thought! We had to draw out of a "hat" the protein we would fabricate. Our options were: round fish, flat fish, chicken or rabbit. Fortunately, the rabbit did not come in and that was taken out of the mix. I have only fabricated one rabbit, so I did not feel as confident as I do with the fish and chicken. So, of course, I drew chicken. I felt really good about it -- my boneless skinless breasts looked fantastic and I even deboned the thigh quite well. But I ran over on time -- by one measly minute!! Another "B" it is -- ah, bugger!! Chef also said I had a lot of meat on the top cuts of the wings -- I didn't think too much yield was a bad thing, but whatever. I thought it was perfect.
I did MUCH better on my baking practical with a 93!! I did slightly overcook my pumpkin muffins, and my danish dough was slightly dense, but my French apple tart and scones were perfect!! YAY!! Considering that was the first time I have made scones, that was fabulous! We work in groups at school, so I somehow managed to not be a part of the scone making. Not on purpose, of course, but I at least watched them be made and they are actually really easy. I made chocolate chip orange scones. They looked and tasted fabulous!
As for the written exams, my baking exam was super short -- only 25 questions! That was a nice surprise, but I am glad I still studied as much as I did. Next semester is going to be more advanced and we need to understand the science of baking on a different level. I am extremely excited to take this class -- and I hear the instructor is tough, but a great pastry chef.
My cooking exam was longer, but again, I studied enough and think I will get an A. Unfortunately, I need at 94 on the exam to get an A in the class and I am guessing I probably scored more along the lines of a 90. I am tempted to email Chef to find out, but then again, what can I do about it now? I know what I can do next semester -- and that is push myself to the next level. I know I am capable of it -- I just have to execute!
During break, which is about 4 weeks, I am going to practice. Practice, practice, practice. Chef says people aren't just born with the talent -- it takes practice. If you find that you are not good at something, keep doing it until you are good at it. So that is what I will do!
Bon Appetit!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Whew!!!
I just got home from my black box practical exam and I am ready for a nap! Before I soak up some zzzzz's I have to tell you all about it -- yes, I know you've been anticipating this, right?
What is a black box you ask? Have you ever seen the show Chopped? It's very similar -- except there is no competition but yourself.
4 mystery ingredients
3 hours
2 bowls of soup
2 entree plates - protein with gravy, vegetable, and a starch
You MUST plate on time - no earlier, no later - you have a 60 second leeway either way.
We have 30 minutes to come up with a menu, on the 2nd hour we must have the soup plated, and the 3rd hour we plate the entree.
At 8:50 I started prepping my station: cutting board, sharpening knives, and cookbooks ready to go. At promptly 9:00 am, Chef comes to my station and pulls out my "black box"....
pork
leeks
zuccini
sweet potatos
Ok, I can do this. I started looking around in the reach-in and YES! there are apples! I decide to make the curried carrot apple soup we made for our buffet dinner. I've made it 3 times, so I should be great with this.
Now, for the rest. I decide to cut the pork into boneless chops and saute them. I will then make a pan gravy for my sauce out of the fond and incorporate the leeks. For the vegetable, I think sauteed zuccini and summer squash with some fresh herbs would be great. Starch -- well, yes I am a little crazy.........I decided to make sweet potato pierogi!
I started by getting the veggies cut up for the soup and then the sweet potatoes. I put some vegetable oil in a pan and sauteed the curry for a few minutes and added the carrots, apples, and onions with a little chicken stock. Then I boiled the sweet potatos and put them on an ice bath to cool. I gathered some basil and put it in vegetable oil for the pork to marinade in.
After the carrots and apples were cooked, I pureed them using an emursion blender. I then added the remaining chicken stock and moved it back to the stove. Once that was heated back up, I added some salt and pepper to taste.
I didn't want to start anything because I was about to plate the soup. I opted to get a few things ready to go, so that when I returned to my station I could quickly start working on the pierogi.
Soup bowls out of the oven, ladle the soup -- and I notice it has thickened up! UGH! Too late to do anything about that, so I proceeded to add the creme fraise for my garnish. Yea, well that melted right into the soup! Backup plan on hand -- I added some fresh chopped parsley.
I brought the soups over to the grading station, where Chef was waiting. Yes, he noticed that the soup was a bit thick, and also said my parsley was just under uniformly cut. I thought to myself -- "oh boy, he's going to be grading us pretty hard!"
Back to my station I proceed to get my mise en place in order for the pierogi. The dough doesn't take very long, but it is supposed to rest for 10 minutes. I don't think I let it go the whole time, my dough was slightly thick and I had a hard time rolling it with the wooden rolling pin. (I normally use a heavy marble one and I forgot to bring it with me!) I made smaller pierogi than normal because it was a starch -- not an entree portion.
Onto the pork chops. I grate the lemon peel and add it to the bread crumbs along with some parsley. I bread the chops and put them in the pan -- which was too hot -- and they browned too fast. UGH! Good thing I had 7 more chops cut from the pork! Now I am behind and I know it. I freaking out at this point, but I get the pierogi boiled and soaking in butter. I have the zuccini and squash chopped and ready to go. I decide I have to do everything at once or I won't make it to plate. So, I have the second set of chops, the veggies and the pierogi all going at the same time. I start plating the pierogi and the veggies. I set the pork on another plate and get moving on the pan gravy -- look at the clock and I have 5 minutes!! Oh no!! I grab some flower and make a roux with some of the clarified butter I have from the pierogi. I drained the oil from the pan, threw in some leeks, poured in some chicken stock, and last -- but not least the roux. I turned up the heat to reduce the sauce and it quickly thickened up. (THANK GOODNESS!!)
I honestly don't know if I was on time or not -- at that point I knew I only had about 1 minute. I put some gravy on the plates and placed the chops in the center and thought (screw the garnish-who has time?). It was so intense, but a big rush!!
It's time for Chef to critique: his piece of pork was a little tough (should have given him my piece!!) but he said the flavors of lemon and basil come through nicely. He thought the gravy was "ok" but I didn't blame him -- it was not what I intended to do. My zuccini were slightly over peppered, but uniformly cut, and my pierogi -- a little too doughy. (I thought they were FANTASTIC!!)
All my classmates were so impressed that I had made the pierogi and they all wanted to try them! Too bad our peers don't grade us, because they all liked them! They also liked my pork chops and gravy too! :) YAY! So happy!
Now it's time for a nap and then a glass of wine. I have earned it today......
Cheers!
What is a black box you ask? Have you ever seen the show Chopped? It's very similar -- except there is no competition but yourself.
4 mystery ingredients
3 hours
2 bowls of soup
2 entree plates - protein with gravy, vegetable, and a starch
You MUST plate on time - no earlier, no later - you have a 60 second leeway either way.
We have 30 minutes to come up with a menu, on the 2nd hour we must have the soup plated, and the 3rd hour we plate the entree.
At 8:50 I started prepping my station: cutting board, sharpening knives, and cookbooks ready to go. At promptly 9:00 am, Chef comes to my station and pulls out my "black box"....
pork
leeks
zuccini
sweet potatos
Ok, I can do this. I started looking around in the reach-in and YES! there are apples! I decide to make the curried carrot apple soup we made for our buffet dinner. I've made it 3 times, so I should be great with this.
Now, for the rest. I decide to cut the pork into boneless chops and saute them. I will then make a pan gravy for my sauce out of the fond and incorporate the leeks. For the vegetable, I think sauteed zuccini and summer squash with some fresh herbs would be great. Starch -- well, yes I am a little crazy.........I decided to make sweet potato pierogi!
I started by getting the veggies cut up for the soup and then the sweet potatoes. I put some vegetable oil in a pan and sauteed the curry for a few minutes and added the carrots, apples, and onions with a little chicken stock. Then I boiled the sweet potatos and put them on an ice bath to cool. I gathered some basil and put it in vegetable oil for the pork to marinade in.
After the carrots and apples were cooked, I pureed them using an emursion blender. I then added the remaining chicken stock and moved it back to the stove. Once that was heated back up, I added some salt and pepper to taste.
I didn't want to start anything because I was about to plate the soup. I opted to get a few things ready to go, so that when I returned to my station I could quickly start working on the pierogi.
Soup bowls out of the oven, ladle the soup -- and I notice it has thickened up! UGH! Too late to do anything about that, so I proceeded to add the creme fraise for my garnish. Yea, well that melted right into the soup! Backup plan on hand -- I added some fresh chopped parsley.
I brought the soups over to the grading station, where Chef was waiting. Yes, he noticed that the soup was a bit thick, and also said my parsley was just under uniformly cut. I thought to myself -- "oh boy, he's going to be grading us pretty hard!"
Back to my station I proceed to get my mise en place in order for the pierogi. The dough doesn't take very long, but it is supposed to rest for 10 minutes. I don't think I let it go the whole time, my dough was slightly thick and I had a hard time rolling it with the wooden rolling pin. (I normally use a heavy marble one and I forgot to bring it with me!) I made smaller pierogi than normal because it was a starch -- not an entree portion.
Onto the pork chops. I grate the lemon peel and add it to the bread crumbs along with some parsley. I bread the chops and put them in the pan -- which was too hot -- and they browned too fast. UGH! Good thing I had 7 more chops cut from the pork! Now I am behind and I know it. I freaking out at this point, but I get the pierogi boiled and soaking in butter. I have the zuccini and squash chopped and ready to go. I decide I have to do everything at once or I won't make it to plate. So, I have the second set of chops, the veggies and the pierogi all going at the same time. I start plating the pierogi and the veggies. I set the pork on another plate and get moving on the pan gravy -- look at the clock and I have 5 minutes!! Oh no!! I grab some flower and make a roux with some of the clarified butter I have from the pierogi. I drained the oil from the pan, threw in some leeks, poured in some chicken stock, and last -- but not least the roux. I turned up the heat to reduce the sauce and it quickly thickened up. (THANK GOODNESS!!)
I honestly don't know if I was on time or not -- at that point I knew I only had about 1 minute. I put some gravy on the plates and placed the chops in the center and thought (screw the garnish-who has time?). It was so intense, but a big rush!!
It's time for Chef to critique: his piece of pork was a little tough (should have given him my piece!!) but he said the flavors of lemon and basil come through nicely. He thought the gravy was "ok" but I didn't blame him -- it was not what I intended to do. My zuccini were slightly over peppered, but uniformly cut, and my pierogi -- a little too doughy. (I thought they were FANTASTIC!!)
All my classmates were so impressed that I had made the pierogi and they all wanted to try them! Too bad our peers don't grade us, because they all liked them! They also liked my pork chops and gravy too! :) YAY! So happy!
Now it's time for a nap and then a glass of wine. I have earned it today......
Cheers!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Eclair-ity
Today I am working on my final practical exam packet for my baking class. I am looking back on all the things I have learned this semester and thinking that I have really not posted enough to let everyone in on what I am doing. I haven't taken enough photos, told enough stories, or shared enough thoughts.I have to say that with 22 hours of school plus another 10 or so of homework -- not to mention the countless hours of cooking and baking at home -- gives me little time to share the excitement.
Now that things are winding down a bit -- we have no more reading assignments, yay! -- I can spend a few minutes sharing my thoughts. I will start with baking, since it's fresh on my mind.
A small list of what I learned about baking that I didn't know or thought I knew:
- Baking is a science -- measurements should be exact, substitutions should be made carefully
- Baking takes practice -- sometimes you don't get it right the first time and that's ok because that is how you learn
- Using a mixer - the whip attachment should mainly be used for whipping egg whites or whipping cream - it's used to incorporate air. Use the paddle attachment when making cookies, brownies, or cakes.
- Bake until done does not always mean the amount of time on the recipe you are using.
- All flour is not created equal: the amount of protein in flour can have a great impact on the product you are baking. Cake flour has a low protein percentage, where all-purpose has a high protein percentage.
- Regarding biscuits: don't twist the cutters, it inhibits rise; place close together on pan to have taller biscuits.
- Yeast breads are a lot of work, totally fun, and I wish I had my own proof box at home -- although I can always use my laundry room.
- The temperature of the water you use with yeast is more important than I thought; salt kills yeast
- I love puff pastry
- There is a reason you refrigerate cookie dough, so if the recipe calls for it - you probably should do it
- Apricot glaze is what makes a lot of pastries and tarts really shiny
- Eclairs are not donuts; eclairs are yummy; churros are deep fried eclair paste
- Baklava will always be my favorite application of phyllo dough
- Croissants can take several days to make because of the large content of butter that is rolled in; you literally have to refrigerate up to an hour between rolling to keep the butter the same temp as the dough.
- Heat your pans before putting the popover batter into them -- this will help them rise almost 2x the size without heating pans.
- Mise en place is essential -- measure out your ingredients first, be sure you have all the equipment you need handy, preheat your oven, have your fillings prepared beforehand.
And this is only a small part of my experience in baking! When I first started culinary school, I had a small vision of what I wanted to do with my career. Now that I have made it through my first semester, my vision starts to become clearer. I didn't realize how much I would enjoy baking! I must somehow incorporate this into my business plan.....
Tonight we will be taste testing the baklava I made on Monday, making chocolate mousse and chocolate pot de creme! Monday we start our individual practical exams where I will be making the following: French apple tart, danishes (probably apple), pumpkin muffins, and cream scones. It will take us 2 class sessions to complete our recipes and we are going to be graded on quality, presentation, and of course: taste. I can't wait!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Black Box
I can't believe Thanksgiving is here already! We only have about 4 weeks left in the semester, and our finals start the week after Thanksgiving break! I hardly have had time to blog about all the food we make - cooking and baking, let alone take any photos!
I do however, keep track of all the dishes we make for class -- I have logbooks for each lab class where we keep track of all the recipes, production sheets, class handouts, notes, etc. The purpose of these are so we have a collection of base recipes and a book organized enough that we can reference throughout our careers.
Today we wrapped up the beef chapter and healthy cooking chapter. I find that pretty hilarious we covered these in the same week. Today in class we finished up the short ribs (OMG - they are delish!) and I made saffron vegetable risotto. I was really thrilled that my risotto came out well -- many students have attempted risotto, but only a few have had success! I didn't think it was that hard, but I've had some really chewy risotto in the past few weeks!
One of my classmates (he's a total showoff and I can't stand him) caught the grill on fire today. Chef had to put it out with baking soda so the hood system wouldn't go off. I guess it was something in the marinade -- who knows -- but thank goodness I stopped wearing hairspray, I'd have been a mess! To top it off, his steak did not have that much flavor.
The cool thing about getting to taste everyones cooking (and my own) is that you get to know what is missing in a dish or also what is overpowering it. Chef encourages us to learn the technique -- and a few of us, he tells not to focus so much on the recipe -- but know the technique and the ingredients will come. One of the benefits of my experimental nature is that our practical exam is basically going to have to be dishes on the fly. They are called "black box" for a reason. We get a "box" of ingredients and have 3 hours to come up with a menu of a soup and an entree including: a protein with a sauce, a vegetable, and a starch. We have no idea what the ingredients are ahead of time, and we have a half hour to produce a menu, the 2nd hour we have to turn in the soup, and by hour 3 we have to turn in the entree. Chef will try the dish and grade us accordingly. I am a little nervous, but very excited!!
Just to be cute, I should make pierogi with my ingredients! :)
Ciao!
I do however, keep track of all the dishes we make for class -- I have logbooks for each lab class where we keep track of all the recipes, production sheets, class handouts, notes, etc. The purpose of these are so we have a collection of base recipes and a book organized enough that we can reference throughout our careers.
Today we wrapped up the beef chapter and healthy cooking chapter. I find that pretty hilarious we covered these in the same week. Today in class we finished up the short ribs (OMG - they are delish!) and I made saffron vegetable risotto. I was really thrilled that my risotto came out well -- many students have attempted risotto, but only a few have had success! I didn't think it was that hard, but I've had some really chewy risotto in the past few weeks!
One of my classmates (he's a total showoff and I can't stand him) caught the grill on fire today. Chef had to put it out with baking soda so the hood system wouldn't go off. I guess it was something in the marinade -- who knows -- but thank goodness I stopped wearing hairspray, I'd have been a mess! To top it off, his steak did not have that much flavor.
The cool thing about getting to taste everyones cooking (and my own) is that you get to know what is missing in a dish or also what is overpowering it. Chef encourages us to learn the technique -- and a few of us, he tells not to focus so much on the recipe -- but know the technique and the ingredients will come. One of the benefits of my experimental nature is that our practical exam is basically going to have to be dishes on the fly. They are called "black box" for a reason. We get a "box" of ingredients and have 3 hours to come up with a menu of a soup and an entree including: a protein with a sauce, a vegetable, and a starch. We have no idea what the ingredients are ahead of time, and we have a half hour to produce a menu, the 2nd hour we have to turn in the soup, and by hour 3 we have to turn in the entree. Chef will try the dish and grade us accordingly. I am a little nervous, but very excited!!
Just to be cute, I should make pierogi with my ingredients! :)
Ciao!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
What's This?!
Inspired by Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas, we created a scene from Christmas Town with Jack Skellington for our entry into the gingerbread competition!
We ended up taking 2nd place in the college category!!! I am so thrilled that we placed! I was just happy to be a part of the competition! The houses are going to be auctioned off for charity this weekend -- I hope it makes a great contribution!
The house itself is made of gingerbread, as is the sign and Jack's body. We had some challenges with the house mainly because using store bought candy would mark us down. My classmate that I entered the contest with made a ton of rock candy that we didn't end up using a whole lot of. We used it for the windows only. He also made some seafom, which is what we used under the piles of snow. I did the design, scaling and baking of the main house. I also did the decorating and assembly of the house, roof, Jack, sign, and the trees.
I learned a lot of lessons in the short time we had for assembly. I couldn't start assembly without the windows, and my partner didn't come over to my house until Friday at 9pm! We worked through the night until 5am. I got up at 8 am and finished the assembly, and had to redo Jack. The gumpaste Jack my partner made the night before was all dried out and crumbled. I didn't think we were going to make the 3pm deadline -- but we did and had only 5 minutes to spare!
The funny thing is that I have never made a gingerbread house before. I didn't even know what gum paste was. I am so excited from all the knowledge I have gained in the few weeks I worked on the house. It was thrilling to win an award -- and even more satisfying was when the head of our culinary program came up to us and complimented the roof, piping, and lettering. That totally made my day.
I have decided I can handle this myself next year, and already have a list of potential themes. The best part is there is an adult category, so once I finish school, I can still participate! I am very thrilled to have my very own annual holiday tradition!
We ended up taking 2nd place in the college category!!! I am so thrilled that we placed! I was just happy to be a part of the competition! The houses are going to be auctioned off for charity this weekend -- I hope it makes a great contribution!The house itself is made of gingerbread, as is the sign and Jack's body. We had some challenges with the house mainly because using store bought candy would mark us down. My classmate that I entered the contest with made a ton of rock candy that we didn't end up using a whole lot of. We used it for the windows only. He also made some seafom, which is what we used under the piles of snow. I did the design, scaling and baking of the main house. I also did the decorating and assembly of the house, roof, Jack, sign, and the trees.
I learned a lot of lessons in the short time we had for assembly. I couldn't start assembly without the windows, and my partner didn't come over to my house until Friday at 9pm! We worked through the night until 5am. I got up at 8 am and finished the assembly, and had to redo Jack. The gumpaste Jack my partner made the night before was all dried out and crumbled. I didn't think we were going to make the 3pm deadline -- but we did and had only 5 minutes to spare!
The funny thing is that I have never made a gingerbread house before. I didn't even know what gum paste was. I am so excited from all the knowledge I have gained in the few weeks I worked on the house. It was thrilling to win an award -- and even more satisfying was when the head of our culinary program came up to us and complimented the roof, piping, and lettering. That totally made my day.
I have decided I can handle this myself next year, and already have a list of potential themes. The best part is there is an adult category, so once I finish school, I can still participate! I am very thrilled to have my very own annual holiday tradition!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
While visions of sugar plums dance in my head....
I've been smelling gingerbread for days here in my kitchen, aka Gingerbread Central. I entered a gingerbread house contest at school with a class mate of mine -- our house will be turned in 3pm on Saturday for judging, and 5pm is the announcement of the winners.
I have to admit it was totally on a whim -- I have never made a gingerbread house before in my life! Good thing I picked someone who knows a bit about candy making, because the judges will mark you down for using store bought candy. So much for gumdrops and candy canes!
I will post pictures when we are finished, but I don't want to spoil the surprise -- or get you thinking we are some kind of ginger-sperts. Let's just say we consider ourselves novice.
In the past week I've made pounds of fondant, gum paste and royal frosting. I think I've used about 10 lbs of powdered sugar, no exaggeration what-so-ever! I can't wait to start the decorating!
I have to admit it was totally on a whim -- I have never made a gingerbread house before in my life! Good thing I picked someone who knows a bit about candy making, because the judges will mark you down for using store bought candy. So much for gumdrops and candy canes!
I will post pictures when we are finished, but I don't want to spoil the surprise -- or get you thinking we are some kind of ginger-sperts. Let's just say we consider ourselves novice.
In the past week I've made pounds of fondant, gum paste and royal frosting. I think I've used about 10 lbs of powdered sugar, no exaggeration what-so-ever! I can't wait to start the decorating!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Two Months In
I can hardly believe October is almost over -- which means I have 2 months of culinary school under my belt. It feels good to be deep into it. I am enjoying all of it. And I want more.Next weekend is our class dinner and we've been busy preparing, testing, and more preparing. The buffet dinner is a showcase to what we have learned so far in our classes, and also is an assignment of organization. It's not all about cooking. Anyone can be a "good cook", but when it comes down to it, a chef must endear many more qualities than just talent in the kitchen.
I love it. The challenge. One of the things I have learned is that many of my classmates do not have the attention to detail that I do. It is frustrating, but at the same time -- it will be what puts me in the next level of my career. I have found that we all have different levels of passion, dedication, and skill. And of course, there is the biggest differences: age and maturity.
Tonight, I am working the front of the house for another class dinner. A first for this girl -- I have never waited tables before. I am excited, slightly nervous, but mostly excited. The patrons who come to our restaurant are there because they know we are learning and love to hear about us, talk to us, and of course -- enjoy the food!
More updates to come -- I will have to tell you of all the fantastic things I am learning!
Ciao!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Orange
It's been way too long, my friends, way too long. I haven't posted, I haven't seen you, and I just plain miss you all.
Many of you already know that my Grammie Coral passed away on Sunday October 3rd after a tough battle with breast cancer. She was one tough cookie, make no mistake, but God decided it was her time to let go of all the pain. At 3:15 pm she was gone.
I can't help but tell you that October 3rd was my birthday, and I suppose it still is. Many people have said they are sorry, or feel bad that it was my birthday. But the way I look at it is that God answers prayers when you least expect it -- and God knew we all wanted her to be pain free. I am grateful I will always remember this day, it was a blessing for her more than anything. She waited until J and I arrived with Milton and passed away quietly as she slept.
It was a surreal week as I spent most of it with my family, reminiscing about the good ole days and all the values Grammie had taught us. Grammie Coral was a beautiful woman who was married to a debonaire Gino once upon a time. After Gmpa Gino passed away in 1979, she started spending much more time at her cottage. It was there in the 1980s that she was courted by Milton, who came to be my 2nd Grandpa. What a blessing to have 2 loves in her life!!
My memories of Grammie include spending time in her house in Detroit, imagining I was a movie star sitting at her vanity. I loved how big her bathroom was -- it just made me feel like a princess. When we would get there, my first mission would to be to find out what kind of candy she had in her glass jars in the kitchen. Sometimes butterscotch discs, sometimes peppermint candies, and even circus peanuts!
Grammie always let me play dress up with her clothes, one item I remember in particular was a pink frilly short robe that had velure swirls all over it. Years later, my cousin also played dress up with the same robe. I remember all the brightly colored robes, clothes and muu muus she had in her closet at the cottage. I loved how she used to like all the bright colors.
Memories of Grammie and those bright colors is what makes my favorite color orange. She is what inspired my 1970s colored decor at my old place. She is what is inspires me to keep living in color. She may be gone, but memories of her and her influence will last forever.
Every year on my birthday I will now light those candles on my cake (or pumpkin pie, actually) and think of Grammie. I love you, I miss you, I am glad you are whole once again.
Many of you already know that my Grammie Coral passed away on Sunday October 3rd after a tough battle with breast cancer. She was one tough cookie, make no mistake, but God decided it was her time to let go of all the pain. At 3:15 pm she was gone.
I can't help but tell you that October 3rd was my birthday, and I suppose it still is. Many people have said they are sorry, or feel bad that it was my birthday. But the way I look at it is that God answers prayers when you least expect it -- and God knew we all wanted her to be pain free. I am grateful I will always remember this day, it was a blessing for her more than anything. She waited until J and I arrived with Milton and passed away quietly as she slept.
It was a surreal week as I spent most of it with my family, reminiscing about the good ole days and all the values Grammie had taught us. Grammie Coral was a beautiful woman who was married to a debonaire Gino once upon a time. After Gmpa Gino passed away in 1979, she started spending much more time at her cottage. It was there in the 1980s that she was courted by Milton, who came to be my 2nd Grandpa. What a blessing to have 2 loves in her life!!
My memories of Grammie include spending time in her house in Detroit, imagining I was a movie star sitting at her vanity. I loved how big her bathroom was -- it just made me feel like a princess. When we would get there, my first mission would to be to find out what kind of candy she had in her glass jars in the kitchen. Sometimes butterscotch discs, sometimes peppermint candies, and even circus peanuts!
Grammie always let me play dress up with her clothes, one item I remember in particular was a pink frilly short robe that had velure swirls all over it. Years later, my cousin also played dress up with the same robe. I remember all the brightly colored robes, clothes and muu muus she had in her closet at the cottage. I loved how she used to like all the bright colors.
Memories of Grammie and those bright colors is what makes my favorite color orange. She is what inspired my 1970s colored decor at my old place. She is what is inspires me to keep living in color. She may be gone, but memories of her and her influence will last forever.
Every year on my birthday I will now light those candles on my cake (or pumpkin pie, actually) and think of Grammie. I love you, I miss you, I am glad you are whole once again.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Whirlwind
Whirlwind is the perfect word to describe the past few weeks. School started, my job ended, and I had family in town. A wonderful whirlwind it's been!
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE going to culinary school!! I am having a ball in the kitchen and learning new techniques, history, and the science of cooking. Each chapter I read (it's about 4 so far in each book - so about 8) I find something fascinating or find myself saying, "Oh, that's why!"
Last week was our first week cooking -- besides the play dough we made the first week of school. Yes, I made mine orange and it was to practice our knife cuts. I am a little ahead of the game since I learned some knife skills at the restaurant, but I tell you the larger the dice the harder it is for me. I guess I am into the small detailed work. We also practice on potatoes and carrots. Carrots are difficult to cut (people cut themselves on carrots quite a bit), but since I cut about 4 lbs of carrots into brunoise over the summer -- I am pretty much used to it.
Sandwiches are the first project we worked on because they may use many pieces of kitchen equipment such as the grill, stovetop, oven, mandoline, deepfryer, etc. My team made a Pan Bagnet sandwich that contained tunafish with capers and green onions -- topped with thinly sliced tomatoes, red onions, and roasted red and green pepper. It turned out really good -- which surprised me since I am not really a tuna fan right now. The next day my team made french fries -- they were super yummy!! Nothing like fresh french fries in fresh oil! Mmmmm...
In my Pro Cook class we have to have our meal prepped and ready to go for "family meal". Yes, we get to eat our classwork. :) Our teams talk about what we made and then enjoy! Cleanup time is next -- we all participate in this and my class is really good about keeping up with the work.
Baking is similar style -- we have to have our items baked off and ready to go for roundtable. Then we get a bag we can fill with baked goods to take home. Yes, BF is very excited about this part! Last week my teammate and I made Spicy Banana Bread, Morning Glory Muffins (with carrots, apples, raisins, pecans), and southwest Corn Muffins (with cheddar cheese and red peppers). Other groups made gingerbread, poppy seed bread, sour cream muffins, blueberry muffins, cheddar bacon muffins, and streusel topped muffins. All this in about 2 hours!!
I have 3 tests this week already and I am nervous! I know I will do ok, but I am not sure how the test styles are going to be. Once I get through the first one I should be good to go.
I will fill you in on more adventures later, but until then -- bon appetit!
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE going to culinary school!! I am having a ball in the kitchen and learning new techniques, history, and the science of cooking. Each chapter I read (it's about 4 so far in each book - so about 8) I find something fascinating or find myself saying, "Oh, that's why!"
Last week was our first week cooking -- besides the play dough we made the first week of school. Yes, I made mine orange and it was to practice our knife cuts. I am a little ahead of the game since I learned some knife skills at the restaurant, but I tell you the larger the dice the harder it is for me. I guess I am into the small detailed work. We also practice on potatoes and carrots. Carrots are difficult to cut (people cut themselves on carrots quite a bit), but since I cut about 4 lbs of carrots into brunoise over the summer -- I am pretty much used to it.
Sandwiches are the first project we worked on because they may use many pieces of kitchen equipment such as the grill, stovetop, oven, mandoline, deepfryer, etc. My team made a Pan Bagnet sandwich that contained tunafish with capers and green onions -- topped with thinly sliced tomatoes, red onions, and roasted red and green pepper. It turned out really good -- which surprised me since I am not really a tuna fan right now. The next day my team made french fries -- they were super yummy!! Nothing like fresh french fries in fresh oil! Mmmmm...
In my Pro Cook class we have to have our meal prepped and ready to go for "family meal". Yes, we get to eat our classwork. :) Our teams talk about what we made and then enjoy! Cleanup time is next -- we all participate in this and my class is really good about keeping up with the work.
Baking is similar style -- we have to have our items baked off and ready to go for roundtable. Then we get a bag we can fill with baked goods to take home. Yes, BF is very excited about this part! Last week my teammate and I made Spicy Banana Bread, Morning Glory Muffins (with carrots, apples, raisins, pecans), and southwest Corn Muffins (with cheddar cheese and red peppers). Other groups made gingerbread, poppy seed bread, sour cream muffins, blueberry muffins, cheddar bacon muffins, and streusel topped muffins. All this in about 2 hours!!
I have 3 tests this week already and I am nervous! I know I will do ok, but I am not sure how the test styles are going to be. Once I get through the first one I should be good to go.
I will fill you in on more adventures later, but until then -- bon appetit!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Our first wine dinner...
Last Friday we hosted our first wine dinner at the restaurant with a special guest speaker, a wine maker from France. It was a fantastic evening to say the least!
Team effort was the theme in the kitchen. We had 52 guests that needed to be fed and everything needed to go smoothly. We rearranged the kitchen so we could have an assembly line for plating. We sent out dishes in groups by table: two 10s, one 8 and two 12s.
The amuse-bouche was a deep fried won ton wrapper in the shape of a cone and filled with lavender delice and topped with fresh lavender.
We also made hors d'oeuvres for the event. We had mini wild rice pancakes topped with a small slice of lavender roasted duck breast, a dot of lavender jelly, and garnished with fresh parsley. Also available were poached shrimp with louie sauce in a mini phyllo cup and egg salad with truffle oil atop a crostini and garnished with a fresh truffle slice.
We started out the first course with a sea scallop on a bed of sauteed local veggies topped with ginger wasabi dressing in a scallop shell. The shell rested on a bed of kale and we placed 3 dots of roux on the plate. The second course was roasted quail with couscous salad along with a pheasant sausage, sauteed veggies, and lobster mushrooms.
Third course was mixed greens tossed in our house fig vinaigrette with 2 wedges of fresh figs, a slice of bermuda triangle and a slice of manchego. Last, but certainly not least was the dessert course: a mini blueberry cobbler with house made vanilla bean ice cream, a mini quatro de leche cake with caramel, whipped cream and a raspberry, and a mini chocolate cup with a dot of de leche caramel underneath the chocolate mousse, and topped with sea salt, whipped cream and a marcona almond.
YUM.
Yes, this all sounds delish -- and it was! Let's see....4 courses, 52 guests -- we put out over 200 plates of food that night! WOW!! When we were done plating, Lady Chef and all the kitchen staff were invited out to the restaurant to be introduced. The applause was overwhelming and I thought I was going to cry! It was an amazing and proud moment that I will remember for a lifetime. Lady Chef introduced everyone -- I was first and so nervous, but so proud! This was such a team effort for all of us -- we all made it happen and put on our best.
These kind of nights are the ones that will make me miss the crew. Only 2 more weeks.
Team effort was the theme in the kitchen. We had 52 guests that needed to be fed and everything needed to go smoothly. We rearranged the kitchen so we could have an assembly line for plating. We sent out dishes in groups by table: two 10s, one 8 and two 12s.
The amuse-bouche was a deep fried won ton wrapper in the shape of a cone and filled with lavender delice and topped with fresh lavender.
We also made hors d'oeuvres for the event. We had mini wild rice pancakes topped with a small slice of lavender roasted duck breast, a dot of lavender jelly, and garnished with fresh parsley. Also available were poached shrimp with louie sauce in a mini phyllo cup and egg salad with truffle oil atop a crostini and garnished with a fresh truffle slice.
We started out the first course with a sea scallop on a bed of sauteed local veggies topped with ginger wasabi dressing in a scallop shell. The shell rested on a bed of kale and we placed 3 dots of roux on the plate. The second course was roasted quail with couscous salad along with a pheasant sausage, sauteed veggies, and lobster mushrooms.
Third course was mixed greens tossed in our house fig vinaigrette with 2 wedges of fresh figs, a slice of bermuda triangle and a slice of manchego. Last, but certainly not least was the dessert course: a mini blueberry cobbler with house made vanilla bean ice cream, a mini quatro de leche cake with caramel, whipped cream and a raspberry, and a mini chocolate cup with a dot of de leche caramel underneath the chocolate mousse, and topped with sea salt, whipped cream and a marcona almond.
YUM.
Yes, this all sounds delish -- and it was! Let's see....4 courses, 52 guests -- we put out over 200 plates of food that night! WOW!! When we were done plating, Lady Chef and all the kitchen staff were invited out to the restaurant to be introduced. The applause was overwhelming and I thought I was going to cry! It was an amazing and proud moment that I will remember for a lifetime. Lady Chef introduced everyone -- I was first and so nervous, but so proud! This was such a team effort for all of us -- we all made it happen and put on our best.
These kind of nights are the ones that will make me miss the crew. Only 2 more weeks.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Mise en Place
Books -- check. Chef coats, pants, aprons and hats -- check. Knife and baking kit -- check. Excitement for my first lab classes that start on Monday -- CHECK, CHECK, CHECK!! WAHOO!!
Even though I officially started culinary school in January, it truly isn't real until you get your whites. I am excited, nervous, open-minded and thrilled to be starting my lab classes. This is where the fun begins!
Monday and Wednesday from 4:30 to 8:30 will be my Intro to Baking class. Chef Lucy is my instructor that I had last semester for Menu Planning. I didn't want to take night classes, but I wanted to take Chef Lucy's class. Sometimes you just have to sacrifice a little to get what you want. Just flipping through the text book gets me excited, and somewhat hungry, of course. Looks like there are a lot of breads, danishes, muffins, cookies, cakes, icings, (must I go on? ...ok I will), ganache, tarts, brownies, pies, ice cream, mousse, and petits fours I will need to make. Oh darn. Hee hee.
Professional Cookery is going to be on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 am to 2pm - I am so happy to have this as a day class! Pro Cook, as it is called on campus, will teach the basics of working in a professional kitchen from equipment to recipe writing to proper technique to plate presentation. I could go on for hours about what is in our text for this class, but I will tell you I am mostly excited about learning how to properly prep and cook meat, poultry and fish. This is one thing I wish I would have learned at the restaurant this summer -- things just got too busy for us for Lady Chef to teach me. But hey, that's what I am going to culinary school for!
Friday is my "boring but important" class - Safety and Sanitation. I took a mini test at work, so I am pretty familiar with it -- the class will just be more of the same. Since I am a clean freak, I think I will not have a problem with this class!
Can't wait!!!!
Even though I officially started culinary school in January, it truly isn't real until you get your whites. I am excited, nervous, open-minded and thrilled to be starting my lab classes. This is where the fun begins!
Monday and Wednesday from 4:30 to 8:30 will be my Intro to Baking class. Chef Lucy is my instructor that I had last semester for Menu Planning. I didn't want to take night classes, but I wanted to take Chef Lucy's class. Sometimes you just have to sacrifice a little to get what you want. Just flipping through the text book gets me excited, and somewhat hungry, of course. Looks like there are a lot of breads, danishes, muffins, cookies, cakes, icings, (must I go on? ...ok I will), ganache, tarts, brownies, pies, ice cream, mousse, and petits fours I will need to make. Oh darn. Hee hee.
Professional Cookery is going to be on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 am to 2pm - I am so happy to have this as a day class! Pro Cook, as it is called on campus, will teach the basics of working in a professional kitchen from equipment to recipe writing to proper technique to plate presentation. I could go on for hours about what is in our text for this class, but I will tell you I am mostly excited about learning how to properly prep and cook meat, poultry and fish. This is one thing I wish I would have learned at the restaurant this summer -- things just got too busy for us for Lady Chef to teach me. But hey, that's what I am going to culinary school for!
Friday is my "boring but important" class - Safety and Sanitation. I took a mini test at work, so I am pretty familiar with it -- the class will just be more of the same. Since I am a clean freak, I think I will not have a problem with this class!
Can't wait!!!!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
I love parties!
I love to plan parties, host parties, and cook for parties. Getting together for the simple reason of celebrating life is enough for me to start planning. So when Lady Chef asked me if I wanted to help her cater an event -- without hesitation, I said, "YES!".
Last night I participated in my first catering event and I loved it! Sometimes I can't believe I get paid to do what I do. Really. Truly. The event was a two hour fundraiser in a private home on Lake Michigan for about 40 people.
I arrived at the restaurant about 11:30 am to discover the store was really busy. I was afraid Lady Chef wasn't going to make our deadline it was so busy. I started by making cookie dough, (which we both knew should have been made ahead, but so be it) then onto making crostini, and even made mini twice baked new potatoes. YUM. Lady Chef worked on lamb chops, roasted duck and passionfruit mango slaw. Our newest cook (lets call her Protege') helped out with grating vegetables, baking brownies, and making phyllo cups.
We prepped all we could then, with the help of a few of the servers and dishwashers, we packed up the van and off we went! It was not a far drive, thank goodness, and I also found out we would be working in the basement - score! It was extremely hot and humid last night, I swear we would have melted on the main floor! Anyway, we had plenty of room to work with -- it was a full kitchen in the basement that was larger than our entire house! Lady Chef's husband (Winespert), our bartender, and one of our servers worked the party upstairs. They said it was really hot and they were wiped out by the end of the night! I suppose it was our little treat for the summer since we are used to working in a hot kitchen and they get the cool dining room. :)
Crunch time arrives! I started by working on assembling mini BLT's (YUM!), then cucumber and radish mini sandwiches (YUM!) then baked chocolate espresso cookies (YUM, YUM!). Lady Chef worked on the lamb, twice baked potatoes, shrimp, hummus and cheese plates. Protege' garnished the cheese filled phyllo cups, helped me with assembly of sandwiches and put all the brownies in cups. After each assembly we would arrange on trays and place a garnish in the center. Plating is one of my favorite things to do, so I was really enjoying myself. Protege' also did a great job and I am really grateful Lady Chef picked her to work with us. She kept telling us we had "attention to detail" and I joked and said, "you make it sound like a condition". Haha. She said "Well, it really is and a good one to have!"
As quickly as we started, we packed up, cleaned up and were out the door! We made sure to thank the hosts and headed back to the restaurant. After just a few minutes of unpacking we headed home.
Shower, feet up, glass of chilled wine. Ahhhhh.
Friday, August 6, 2010
I don't want to rush it, but.....
Summer. It flees by so quickly, doesn't it? I can't believe I only have 5 more weekends of work at the restaurant. I have mixed feelings about it, but I know it's what I need to do - more importantly - WANT to do. I love working there, but the 40 minute drive in the winter is really, really tough. Not to mention, BF and I haven't had any chances to have a full weekend to ourselves in almost a year. We've been fortunate to have the days we've had and it's been wonderful.Starting the last weekend in August, I will officially be a full time student. I haven't been there for YEARS, in fact, the only time I didn't work while going to school was my first year in college at the age of 17!! Because I like to do things different, the last time I went to school full time I was also working full time - NO social life, just work and school. But I loved it! (Yes, that's the nerd in me alright!)
Of course I need to shake it up a bit and be different again. Full time school and the only "job" I will have is my home based business, which I truly don't consider work. The only thing that I am not so thrilled with is that I have 1 class that is twice a week at night. The upside is (because that's the way I roll) -- I took it because I wanted to have Chef Lucy as an instructor. I really liked her class last semester and I am really hoping to learn more from her. She is so enthusiastic about teaching and it really makes it fun to come to class. Well, I suppose my enthusiasm for learning helps too.
I went up to school yesterday and tried on the chef's jacket and pants to pick out my sizes. Putting on that jacket really made me feel awesome and VERY excited to begin my classes!! I also have to buy a knife and baking kit which has basically every tool I will need for the 2 years of training. It's pretty pricey, but not really when you consider everything that is in it. I might swap out some of the items with my personal stash - but then again, I don't want anything to get "lifted" if you know what I mean.
Lady Chef was joking around the other day about wanting to see report cards too -- she really has taught me some valuable lessons about working in a kitchen. My confidence level in the kitchen has really gone up too, and especially since she started giving me more responsibilities. I basically work as a sous chef during my shift and also as a fill in where ever I am needed. I make lists for everyone before they come into work so they know exactly what they need to do when they get there. You would be surprised how much direction some people need, although maybe you wouldn't. I keep everyone on task (Lady Chef says I am really good at this) and make sure we are all ready to go and all the staff has eaten by 6pm when the first reservation arrives. It's a logistical challenge, but such a rush!
Speaking of rush, I had better get moving! I have a few errands to run on my way to work and I want to be sure to arrive in a timely manner - who knows what adventures are in store for me tonight!
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