Saturday, May 26, 2007

Croquembouche 1

So I woke up at Kaili's house about 7, as usual, then went back to bed til 9 and woke up again and everyone started talking and Katie left to go to a hair appt. And I said I had a few more hours so I went back to bed til 11 when Lauren left to go to class. So I left to at like 11:15. I came home and I was SO productive. Laundry, MAJOR putting away of boxes in my room, made big lunch, showered, and got ready for school. I know...school on a saturday AND at 3:30! boo. So at 3:30 was part on of what Kaili calls a "Croque of shit" I agree. However...i had some fun! It was tedious...but pretty fun to me! from 3:30 to 6:30 i was pretty much playing with Nougatine. I'd show u the pictures of the base...but I'm not impressed yet and kinda embarrassed. And chef even said to me "that doesn't look pretty" I said...I know...i agree. I laughed. It's my first time...he can't tell me that. RUDE. oh well...i'm NEVER gonna make one of these in my life ever. But it would be pretty cool to have it at my wedding! Anyway...after school I went to Monoprix and bought TONS of stuff for a salad. I came home and made a salad with tomatoes, cucumber, artichokes, green olives with feta in marinade, baby shrimp, shredded crab meat, avocado, and this balsamic and lemon olive oil dressing i bought. GREAT salad. Just what I needed. Then I worked on labeling some pictures online. Then I worked on more italy stuff. It's so soon and I'm getting nervous!!!! I graduate so soon and I leave so soon. I'M NOT READY :) ok...nite all

May 25, 2007

Ok...so today wasn't a normal day for me. I slept in. I didn't go to the gym. I didn't go to my first class (which was my LAST practical in cuisine for the trimester) Ok...so my "senioritis" kicked in. It was the night of the party so I wanted to rest up! Oh well...so Trephene came over before school and I waxed her eyebrows then we walked to the post office then school. At 12:30 we had our LAST cuisine demo for this term. I can't even remember what we learned because it was SO boring. It was some beef stew stuff with bread on the top, fried veggies and a cheese and blackberry tart. None of which were that good. But on the last day they give you champage :) So fun! Then at 3:30 we had NOT our last demo for pastry. It was one of two demos on Croquembouche. It's a cake usually had a weddings, communions and other stuff like that. But it's not a cake. I can't explain it til you see it. Anyway...it was HORRIBLY boring. At first i thought maybe because it was the end of the trimester...but no...it WAS boring. EVERYONE in class must have left atleast once :) and some people actually left halfway through! Anyway...at 6ish when we finished there was a MAJOR downpour. So bad that i saw Bee sitting in the wintergarden and she didn't wanna leave til it stopped. i told her I had an umbrella. SO we waited for like 30 min and eventually left, but it was still raining badly. We stopped for chinese takeout on the way home. Came home and sat down with Bee and Liz for dinner. It was really nice. Then I forced myself to get dressed. I wanted to go to the party badly...but the weather was so crappy and NOT helping my cute outfit :) So I went to Kaili's at 9ish and then we went to the boat. From then on you can see the pics :) After the boat we went to the Highlander for a bit. (it's a bar...been there a few times...superbowl if you recall) The night was great! I talked to tons of people I don't normally talk to and Bee and I took a great picture :) And I definately had my fair share to drink!

Then at 3:30am Kaili, Katie, Lauren and I went back to Kaili's. I drunk dialed my mom and the birthday boy salt :) I ate my traditional PB and J :) Then we all went to bed in some sort of a bed like thing! Write more tomorrow :)

Thursday, May 24, 2007

May 24, 2007

Happy Birthday Mommy! Miss you :)

So once again...gym but after that no class :) Instead I went to the train station to book my italy tickets. You don't wanna hear the boring story, so I won't tell you. Anyway, go to school early and did some printing on the computer and then at 2 I took my cuisine final at which I probably didn't do too well at. But that's ok. it was only 10 percent of my entire grade. Everything i studied was NOT on it. Oh well. nuff said. Then after class I walked Katie to my hairdresser's so she could get her hair done ;) Then I went to Darty to buy and external hard drive so my computer doesn't die! Then I walked back to school to talk to a supervisor about somethings. Then I went home to drop off my stuff. Then I walked back towards school and met up with Bee and her mom for dinner :) We had a lovely dinner. After I walked home and ran an errand. I am now home organizing my life! And about to go set up my hard drive. However I am so tired I may plop. Either way...write more tomorrow :)

May 23, 2004

Same crap different day :) Gym, school at 12:30. I had a PD first and we learned bread. SO many diffrent kinds. And they gave us wine and cheese with it too. How nice! Then at 3:30 I had a CD. We learned a fish bouillabaisse, a calamari salad, and a lemon tart. All very tasty. Then at 6:30 I baked bread! I had such a blast. My fingers were so sticky...but i didn't care. I had the BIGGEST smile on my face the entire time. I think i love baking bread. I think that is my calling. Time to do reasearch on a job ;) Chef didn't say anything on anyone's bread...he gave us all 10s. So judge for yourself. The baguette tasted like crap...but what do you expect when you dont have 8 hours to let the dough rise! Also, chef was being stupid again and he told me not to put this on my blog, but i did it anyway! And Melissa wearing chef's hat holding her bread that she was SOOO proud of because she has never made bread!



At 9:30 I came home and crammed a bit more for my exam and then went to bed :)

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

May 22, 2007

And yet another long day, but not as bad. Gym in the morning as usual and as I came back I caught Liz in the door with her luggage! Perfect timing. I came in and got dressed and then we went to the bank to make an appt for tomorrow. Then I picked up a sandwich for school then took her to school to figure out her carte de sejour stuff. Then at 12:30 I had a CD. We learned some sea bass and shellfish salad, veal orloff, and a rasberry tart. The tart was good ;) ha! Chef, for the first time, got done at 2:30. I mean, this is the SLOW chef...so even HE was shocked! So i got to relax for a bit. Then at 3:30 we had CP. We made the veal orloff. It consisted of veal, soubise puree (nasty crap...that's what i say!), mushroom puree, potatoes, and mornay sauce. Well...besides the fact that i COMPLETELY forgot to season my mornay sauce and then chef told me to throw some salt on the top of it and i OVER salted...everything else seemed to be fine :) Good cook on everything and salted everything else well..and my sauce actually had good consistency! Finally man! I liked my plating as well ;)

We got out of class at 5:30 and I went with my friends to have a beer...but I was very dehydrated...so no beer for me! Then at 7 we had wine class. Last one before the test next week! SO many tests so little time! Then at 9 I came home and saw Liz waiting outside for me. She gets keys tomorrow :) I tried to help her with internet...we can't get it yet. She has windows vista and the french don't seem to like it :) anyway...gotta go study for a bit and then to bed! au revoir

Monday, May 21, 2007

Annonce

To those who were miserable that I left and now could care less if i came home-
To those who were miserable that I left and wish I would come home soon-
To those who wished I would have left sooner and now wish I was home-
To those who wished I would have left sooner and stayed forever-
And to the rest-

I am currently finishing up my intermediate of the Grand Diploma Program. After this I go onto Superior which is the final stage. I graduate from that August 29th. From that I WOULD have done an internship which would have brought me home in the beginning of Dec.

BUT...I am now announcing officially that I am staying in Paris til February. I will be taking the Professional course that they offer in school here. It will be in cuisine and pastry...however at seperate times. I will speak of this in further depth later. After that I will also be doing a pastry internship here, which will take me through January atleast. So...to those who miss me to death (which by the emails, myspace, facebook and blogspot comments, phone calls and letters i recieve...seem to be just my mom and dad!!!), I regret to mention I won't be home for a while!

I think of home more than any of you even know. And if I had your telephone numbers...i would shoot you a text or a Skype phone call...but I'm phone number less. But email is just as easy. So let me know how YOU are...because you all (if you read) know how I am. Hope all is well in your country. Love to all.

May 21, 2007

Ok...this morning as usual I went to the gym...came home got ready for school and then I was going to take Liz to the bank...but it was closed so we went for coffee instead. Then at 12:30 I went to school. I had a CP. We made the pike perch quenelles which taste like nasty stuff. I mean the sauce is great...the quenelles...not so good. However...chef liked my entire dish. I got frustrated cause he said he liked everything on my plate. So i said...there isn't ANYTHING wrong? and he said "you will know when I think something is shit" just like that. So i took it for what it's worth. So i guess i did ok today. To me...NASTY!

After class Katie and I walked to the daily monop and i got a dc and a sandwich. I knew I was at school all day so I didn't wanna starve myself. I only at half...but still...something is better than nothing! At 3:30 we had CD. We learned some salmon salad which chef didn't even make the right way...but was great anyhow, Quail stuffed with liver and grapes and Darphin potatoes with mushrooms, and a chestnut cake with caramel ice cream. Good tasting day. Then at 6:30 we made the Quail. But i guess the story goes that the fridge's broke down last nite so like 3000 euros worth of ingredients were ruined and they had to buy new product this morn when they got to school so our quails were pretty much rotten. We didn't even want to eat them....which we didn't. We had "bon travail" chef...so again...i did everything correct. Boo. SO annoying that we don't get criticism.

Then at 9 I walked home and did some homework. it's rather late now so I'm not sure if I'm gonna study or not. Yet another long day tomorrow.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

pluie

I woke up at 10 because it was raining all morning and I knew there would be nothing to do. All morning, I cleaned, did laundry, and talked to Madame and Monsieur. Eventually I ate lunch and then put on clothes. I picked up Liz at her hotel and we walked to WHSmith. I bought a book and a magazine. I am saving the book for italy. I wanted 3 books, but they didn't have the others! Then we walked back and I introduced her to Madame. She has decided to rent the other room when Bee leaves. So that's nice. Atleast I'll have a roomate right away. After that we walked back towards her hotel and grabbed something to eat. Then I came home, vacuumed, and am trying to study...but you know me and procrastinating! I'll get some done and then will eventually go to bed. 1 and 1/2 weeks left of class til i'm a superior student!!!!!!!

BEANO!

this website now gives NONE of you any excuses as to why you can't TRY and come visit ;)

http://www.beanoloveletters.com/splash.htm

If you want to see me badly enough...check it out and write the love letter! Heck...I'd even write the letter for you (well...if i wanna see YOU badly enough!)

Anyway, check it out...it may be worth it. Miss you.