Another post...finally!

I know, it's been forever! Between working full time and school I haven't had much free time, and the wear and tear on my mental state has certainly been noticeable!

But enough whining - there are enough people in this country alone who could never hope to have the amazing opportunity I've been given, so we carry on:

It's December already! And the middle of December at that! I know I'm not the only one who looked up and is surprised to notice this. Since I last posted I have completed another module and am halfway through the current one.

I'll start with the completion of PBK 121 - petit fours, cakes, etc. The continuation of our basics. Here are some pictures from my final:














If you want to see larger photos (or just more) I have them posted on my Facebook page. This was one of my favorite classes - I loved all the details and work involved to create these little dainty items. I didn't really LIKE many of them myself, but they sure were fun to make!

Now that I'm officially on Christmas Break from school for two weeks (ah, I forgot what that was like!) I'll be updating on what's been happening. Next up: the beginning of hell...I mean 131...and working with a new chef.

Update - my injury

My hands have healed very nicely; thanks for everyone who was asking about it! It took about three weeks, but the large burn on my left hand finally healed over into a shiny new scar. Proof that I worked hard in culinary school, I guess! No infections, no tetnus. So we're ready to go!

Panic Sets In

We have finally finished breads, and have moved back to pastries. I have learned a few things already:

1. Europeans like almonds. Almond macaroons, almond Florintines, almond baton Marceaux, almonds, almonds, almonds! They're in everything; even the lemon Madelines have almond meal.
2. My class is wont to bouts of panic. I haven't figured out if it's organizational issues or if that's just the way they handle the stress of multi-tasking, but there have been a lot of deer caught in the headlights of a large moving van lately.

Luckily my recent jobs have required me to work on may different projects at the same time, due to the "brilliant" structure of giving me multiple bosses/managers (who, nine times out of ten, are out to get each other). Class has been pretty straight-forward for me lately, simply because I'm used to multi-tasking. Where I get frustrated is having to wait on others to catch up. Whether this involves them working more slowly and putting everyone behind, or if they're in my way and I can't get my own stuff done. I finally snapped at a girl today who, while washing her dishes in the ONLY SINK, stopped to tell me something about a bowl she washed earlier that needed to have the sink water dumped out because it made a mess, blah blah blah. I'm sorry? Do I care? Not really, just shut up and wash your damn dishes so I can get to mine!

All in all this class is much more fun than the last. I will have pictures at the end - our final is to present a buffet of pastries we have created, so I will be sure to capture that and post.

Thanks for reading!

Always waiting...stupid bread

So this is the first post in a long time, just because there hasn't been much of interest going on. Well, I find it interesting, but you probably wouldn't, simply because it's the same thing, over and over and over and over. To be honest, even I'm a little bored, so I'm glad we're in the final now. I'm actually blogging from school, since I'm waiting for my bread to proof. That's what we're still working on: bread. And since there is essentially only one way to make bread, we've been doing that. Over and over and over and over. Aside from braiding or rolling or the general look of the bread, the procedure is the same.

Glad to be moving onto the next class on Wednesday. Off to check my bread and make sure it's still doing what it's supposed to. Hopefully I'll have a more interesting post soon!

Only a Flesh Wound

In a desperate attempt to save my falling bread, I seared both of my hands, only to have the entire sheet tray go crashing to the floor. Luckily it's a pretty sturdy bread, so no harm, no foul. And dammit if I wasn't going to have PERFECTLY baked bread after baking my hands, because I was going to make it WORTH the pain.

So if you're a little squemish, I apologize for the following picture. Here's the damage:


This doesn't show the blisters on the fingertips of my pinky, ring, and middle fingers on my right hand, which is making it a little difficult to type. But if you're going to do something, do it right, right?

Blisters and gaping wounds aside, it has been a successful class so far. 97% on my recent test, only because a couple of my pan au lait rolls came a bit unbraided during the proofing process.




Well, shorter blog today, simply because my hands are screaming in protest of this much movement and contact. I'll blog again once all my skin has reattached itself to the appropriate parts of my body.

Going to the grocery store

A quick post tonight, because pizza is on its way and I'm very hungry!

If you ever need an ego boost, go to the grocery store wearing chef's whites. Preferably a specialty store like Sprouts, World Market, or Fresh & Easy. Everyone you see wants to know "oh wow, what is she buying?" You get great questions like "wow, are you a chef?" and "what are you planning on making?" You are automatically the expert in the room, even if you say you're just in school.

It certainly feels good, and I've decided, after encountering this twice, that the perfect time to go shopping is after I get off of school on Saturday afternoons.

Support

Short blog tonight, but I wanted to thank my husband for being there for me. It's so strange to think that I came to the realization that I could be a chef so late in the game. I've always cooked, so it never seemed like anything different, or like it could be more than just for fun, or something you have to do to, well, not die. But before I even considered school Dave kept saying to me I could do these shows like Hell's Kitchen and Chopped and The Next Food Network Star. And when I finally saw that this is where my life was headed, he was, and still is, my biggest fan. He has fewer doubts than I do! It's reassuring that, no matter what, the person who is most important in my life thinks I can do this more than anyone. He's never had a single doubt. How many people can say that?