Have we met?

I just figured out how to check my stats on here and I'm surprised.  So to all of those anonymous readers out there, (especially those in London and Alaska... wow) thanks. Not sure if we have met but feel free to say hi.  I hope you enjoy it and the fact that someone, anyone out there, is reading makes me want to continue to write. So thanks again.

Last week was our last official skills week of class.  Tapas for H&A and cake decorating for Baking.  All and all, a success.  I made a roasted red pepper hummus for the first time and it turned out wonderfully. I was surprised at how simple it was to make. It is so easy to think that different foods are difficult to make since they are unfamiliar, but in the end you need to realize that it's just food.  (If any after-school programs are looking for a life lesson writer, let me know.) So yes, hummus.  I also made some asparagus crostinis with tomato fresca. I was a bit disappointed with my presentation (check out the far right of the picture on the left,) however this was my secondary dish that I made because I was bored with just one dish. At least it tasted good.

Cake decorating in Baking class was an actual nightmare.  I haven't been a fan practically all quarter but this task stressed me out like no other.  We assembled a tri-layer strawberry shortcake and I felt so out of my element.  I like to think I am pretty comfortable in the kitchen and treat it a bit like my safety zone.  Well, not that night. I panicked with almost every step. Slicing the layers, remembering to coat the layers with simple syrup, lining the layers correctly when topping, etc. etc.  Non-stop stress. Once all assembled we were able to decorate which was actually quite fun. We used the techniques we learned in weeks past to make pretty rosettes which would be topped with strawberries.  I eventually brought home this (pictured below) and it was sooooo good.

One more test until break.  I'm still keeping super busy.  I'm brainstorming ideas to start working on my casting video. A good friend of mine is using his generous photography skills to help me make business cards.  I'm in my first wedding and planning the shower under some serious time constraints and yes, I'll be preparing most of the food which I am really excited about. I'm going out and becoming more social because, why not. I am participating in and rallying up some of my awesome friends for the International Coastal Cleanup (it's not too late to sign up... click the link!) to do some good.  I'm also looking to get involved with another volunteer group promoting shark conservation.  If you know me you know this is a little obsession of mine.  I'm (hoping not to jinx anything) trying out for my school's competitive culinary team. I'm trying to welcome fall while mourning my summer clothes and dusting off the ol' North Face body suit parka that keeps this sunny girl warm and "happy." I'm sure there is plenty more that I am forgetting and before I know it, fall quarter will be here and gone.  Then graduation. Then...who knows?  I have lots of ambitious ideas and some are pretty tangible.  Not sure where they will take me but the world is my oyster.

Happy Labor Day

Like I said.

So I didn't end up going to the casting call. I figured with my nerves I'd be better off sending in a video.  That way, I could give a better idea of who I am as opposed to being all bitter for standing in line for hours (which I did enough of this weekend, thanks Flugtag) and give a poor 30 second interview.  And let's be honest... I couldn't choose two photos I felt best represented myself.  So my video will be made and hopefully will get me to the top.  I'll post it on here when I'm finished.

School is coming to an end for the quarter and I'll be happy to have some time off.  Charcuterie and Intro to Pastry are scheduled for the fall quarter.  Currently I am working on my final project which will somewhat act as a stepping stone to the business I hope to start.  We have to build a catering company more or less.  From menu design to demographics, the only thing not covered is pricing and the address of my kitchen. I'm pretty happy with what I have so far. My 4 course, 3 option table d'hote menu is all based on Italian cuisine with the menu written in Italian to boot.  (Ciao tutti.)  Last week we made eclairs and puff pastries and I got to enjoy this guy to the lower right: chocolate mousse eclair with raspberries and shaved white chocolate. The last two weeks of Baking class we will be doing cake production and decorating.

I'm trying to enjoy the time I have left in school since it is flying by.  I've made some friends and met a lot of mentors.  My roommate told me to enjoy it when I started in January because it flies by.  She was right.  I need to keep my head on straight and focus on the positive and keep moving forward.  Good things are to come.

Things may get interesting and it could involve Bobby Flay.

So a friend sent me an email today with the subject "casting call." Knowing me and my friends this could have been for anything; a role in a zombie movie (they were only casting for victims. No thanks.) or in this case, for The Next Food Network Star. It seems like more and more, I should start believing in signs. As cheesy as it sounds, they keep coming.  First the restaurant decision and now this email.

Last night I laid in bed, not sleeping, tossing and turning and thinking about my possible catering business and how I am terrified of what is going to happen. While I love being busy I don't think I want the life of a restaurant chef. And so I lay and freak out about what do I want?  Do I want to work for someone else or do I want to call the shots?  Do I want to just take the first job that comes my way because it's a job and money or do I want to hold out for what will make me happy?  Isn't that why/how I got into this anyways?  I decided to take this culinary route because it is something that makes me happy.  I will pick cutting fat off of chicken thighs any day over trying to figure out a balance sheet. So this email comes along as soon as I'm wondering what I should be doing and where I should go next.  And let's admit it...  I could never pass by a mirror without looking so why not TV?  Seems like a good fit.  Maybe we will meet again Mr. Flay... maybe.

Change.

So as I mentioned in the post I lied about (sorry for never updating) lots of things are changing.  I went to Costa Rica and it was amazing.  A kind of place I could see living in.  It's interesting to go somewhere so different from what you see every day. We came home and purged our rooms of junk we've been hoarding.  So much "stuff."

Back to work at the restaurant and another week until school started and back to the grind. Same routine every day.  Same exhaustion.  Same stress.  Starting to catch up.  I chalked it up to post-vacation depression.

School started again: intro to baking and hors d'oeuvres and appetizers.  H&A was pretty much my job at the restaurant in class form so I was excited and knew it would be fairly easy.  Baking on the other hand is very much hurry up and wait... and I can't stand it.  I love sweet treats as much as the next person but I feel like baking is another world and it's not for me.  It feels boring to me.  Sorry if I am offending any bakers out there reading this but it's just my opinion. There's just something more exciting about adding this and that and fire and speed and seeing how it turns out.  Baking is more of a science and I've never been a science and math kind of girl.  On the bright side, I bring home lots of pies.  On the downside, I bring home lots of pies.

Work at the restaurant was going well.  I was getting better, faster at my tasks and prep work.  I've been going back and forth with the idea of leaving for a number of reasons: more time to spend with the family and friends I've been neglecting, more time to recover from the car accident I was in, more time to focus on school, more time in general.  The restaurant consumed practically every hour of every weekend and I knew it would be that way and I'm not complaining.  I chose this.  I felt as though it would be forever before I moved up since I'm only there twice a week and should come back when I could give 100%, so to speak.  After hours of sleepless nights, internal dialogue, lists and a talk with an instructor I decided to "suck it up" and stick with it.  I vowed that weekend that I was going to be better every day.  This was a great opportunity and I was going to be better.  Sunday rolled around and I was let go by the head sous chef since my availability is lacking.  Not to get all new-age, higher power-y but I guess this was the universe's way of letting me know I made the wrong decision.  I was told they needed people to be there and learn the stations and two days a week wasn't working for them.  He made it clear that in no way it was due to my performance so that softened the blow.  I worked the rest of the night and choked back the tears as I said goodbye and left my first job.

While I am enjoying this wonderful span of days called the weekend, I am torn. I enjoyed being in the kitchen.  I enjoy hanging out with friends and relaxing. I know it's probably for the best but it still sucks. Now I am planning and plotting some things of my own and we'll see how it goes.  Here's to signs.

Summertime and the living is... different.

Lots of new stuff going on and of course no time to write about it since I'm exhausted and my eyes are so bloodshot they actually hurt.

I promise I will write tomorrow.  And it's in writing so I can't break it.  Hold me accountable.

Here's a picture.

A post quarter update... on my birthday... from the emergency room.

Yeah.

So anyways, last night was my last class for the quarter. Nothing official yet but I think I have straight A's again. Hopefully at least.  This quarter has been much more challenging than last. I think it has been a combination of working 20+ hours on the weekends, 20 hours during the week, mucho projects and papers and more challenging hands-on work.

Every week was multiple reports, hours of dish research and brainstorming. On the bright side I can tell you anything you would want to know about being a food journalist, cooking on salt blocks, how asthma has a link to fatty, greasy foods, and Jose Garces.

This quarter also brought its down sides: failing my first quiz (well D, but still), totally bombing on fish cookery and the reason why I'm updating from the ER. Here are my lessons learned.

Lesson 1
Don't try and save money by purchasing a study guide instead of the actual book.  The study guide happened by accident but I was trying to save money.  I swear on my dog that the listing on half.com said nothing about a study guide. $20some and a week later, my nutrition study guide arrived on my doorstep.  I opened it up and thought "I could work with this." There were no pictures but pretty much all of the basics I needed to know.  A summary, really.  So guess what my quiz was on.  A diagram of the digestive system.  Why I need to be able to tell the jejunum from the ileum I'm not sure and since my study guide had zero pictures and half of the quiz was listing, from top to bottom, the digestive system I think you know how that went. Let's just say the only think I got right was anus.

Diagram courtesy of vitallywell.com. 

Wish I saw this three months ago.

Lesson 2

If you have no idea how to cook something, pay attention and practice.  As much as I have tried and want to, I hate the taste of fish. Some of it is tolerable but mostly, no thank you, so I never make it.  We needed to shallow poach fluke and cook red snapper en papillote. Everything about this class was foreign to me.  I forgot to add butter to my parchment paper for the shallow poach and my fish broke in half. For the en papillote I didn't raise the fish off of the paper, so it burned to the bottom. I don't have a funny anecdote about this.  It just sucked.  So if you don't eat something or cook it on the regular, study it and practice.  Otherwise you'll probably still suck at it.  Like me.

Lesson 3

Exercise caution during random acts of kindness.  Last Thursday, a classmate was rushing to the elevator. Being the sweetheart that I am (please hold your laughter) I put my arm out to stop the door from closing. At the same time, he kicked his foot out and got me square in the finger. It didn't hurt until Monday, probably from overworking it during my weekend shifts at the restaurant and here we are today in my comfy bed at the hospital.  Anytime I bend it it gets stuck and I have to either physically move it back to normal or pop it out; both extremely painful. In ER pain scale terms, it's an 8. This time next week I will be en route to Costa Rica where I will need this finger for holding on to ropes while I rappel down waterfalls (cue sympathy.)  I also need it for steering my car without turning on the wipers, writing things, and combing my hair. So for now, on my birthday I will sit and wait.  I hope they give me my xray as a gift.

I will try an get more updates out since I have been slacking and will post a link to my flickr page for pictures after the trip. And for any robbers reading this; we have a house sitter so don't even try it.

It's been awhile.

Hi strangers!  I know I have been absent for a while.  Life has been crazy.  Lots of new things have happened and I really couldn't be happier right now.  School is going well.  I ended last quarter with a 4.0 and have all A's at the half-way point of this quarter.    May 2nd I did the biggest thing physically I have ever done... completed the Broad Street run.  All 10 miles in the heat and with my best friend by my side.  It was a great day and I was super proud of myself and her.

It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows however.  Starting the day off, I had an incredibly nervous stomach so had to take many bathroom breaks.  I know, TMI.  I worried all morning: did I train enough?  Am I going to finish?  What if I get sick during the race?  What if I don't finish?  The starting time was getting closer and closer and it was time to push that all aside.  I was about to do something I had never thought possible. We approached the starting line and took off.  I told her it would be more fun if we finished together (that's what she said) and we would be able to motivate each other when things got tough. It was so nice to see the people along Broad Street cheering for us even though they had no idea who we were.  It was about 800 degrees so some of the fire hydrants were open along the course and, like a kid or a girl running 10 miles in sweltering heat, I ran through all of them.  We took walking breaks at the water stops and, in my case, up the hills.  All down hill... yeah right.   We passed Temple and it was nice to see some familiar territory.  Before I knew it we were at mile 5 and City Hall.  I'm not going to lie; this hurt.  After awhile, my body just kept going.  We knew our friends would be waiting for us at mile 8 so that definitely kept us looking forward.  After mile 8 it was two more miles to go.  We were passing the sports stadium and the Rocky theme was playing.  Girl Talk came on my ipod and kept playing "watch my feet, watch my feet."  Then I started singing it out loud.  We came up on bff's family and knew we were close to the finish.  That last .5 miles were so tough I think because we were so close.  The finish line got closer and closer and before I knew it we were crossing it.  It was an awesome feeling. My legs felt like jello and I had a lovely sunburn.  The outline of my ipod (as seen above) was burnt onto my arm and my hilarious friends asked me what gig I was wearing.  It took about two days to walk normally again and I spent plenty of time waddling around my office and house.

Now that it is over all I want to do is run more and more (which I plan on doing as soon as I hit publish.)  I really want to do the half marathon this coming November so that I have the time to train safely.  If I could do this, what can't I do?