Courtney's Adventures in cake, food and anything edible- Portland

Sunday's at the White House.....

2012-01-15T16:42:00.000-08:00

No I don't live in Washington and security isn't nearly as tight but, we are the only white house in what I believe to be an 8 block radius-ish...hence the kitchy title. This is where I spend my sundays in my kitchen. Most Sunday's lately I strive to cook a really great meal for myself as it's one of the 2 days a week that I get off and I feel I actually have the time to do it justice.

So today as I watched the snow fall sparsely from the sky, warm spicy thoughts filled the back of my brain and $4.06 for the pork shoulder I saw at the market sealed the deal. I decided to do a little braising in my slow cooker & bake a really great GF dessert.

It's a wonder I never tire of baking, but even on the bad days cooking and baking seem to be the only thing that truly soothes when hugs aren't to be had. Even as I stare at the aftermath of all this cooking my eyes gravitate to the dark chocolate & peanut butter chips that are screaming to be made into fudge...tomorrow perhaps.

... Until then here are the Recipes:

* Red Wine Pork Shoulder with Caramelized Onions *

Serves 2 (Light eaters, 1 really hungry person)

1 medium Red Onion (Julienned)

1 Large 1/4

thick Slice Pork Shoulder

4 c. Red Wine ( If you wouldn't drink it, don't use it. I used a Cabernet Syrah blend that I love.)

1/4 c. Red Wine... see above notation...

4 Cloves Garlic (Diced)

4 T EVOO

*Sauteed Spinach*

2 T Butter

1 Clove Garlic (Diced)

3 oz. Baby Spinach

Pork Preparation:

Salt & Pepper both sides, the courser the salt the better. Apply a Spice rub of your choosing, keeping in mind you're adding red wine to it. The one I like has Ancho chile powder, Tellicherry black pepper, cayenne, nutmeg, paprika, sage, crushed red pepper and basil. Put aside.

In a cold saute pan, warm the evoo over medium heat add julienned onion and coat them with the warm evoo. Saute 5-7 minutes & add 4 cloves garlic. Saute 2-3 more minutes & then add 1/4c Red wine slowly to the pan. (This will loosen up anything that has caramelized to the pan=more yummy flavor) Pour all of this into the slow cooker.

In the same pan, on high heat, sear both sides of the Pork Shoulder for 2-3 minutes each side. Place in slow cooker and top with 4 c. of Red Wine. Cook on High for 30-45 minutes and reduce to low for 2 hours, or until desired tenderness is reached.

Spinach:

Melt 2T butter in Sautee pan.

Add Spinach and Salt & Pepper.

Sautee until almost wilted & add garlic, Finish wilting spinach so it gets a nice dark green. Approximately 3-5 minutes.

Dessert Anyone?

*Boozy Apple Crisp ( GF style)*

Grease the bottom of the 9x13 pan and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350

4 Large Fuji apples; peeled, cored & sliced.

2 T Arrowroot sta

rch

1 T Vanilla

1.5 c. Dark Brown Sugar

1 t. salt

2 t. vietnamese cinnamon

1 t. ground ginger

1 t. nutmeg

2 eggs

1/4 c. bourbon whiskey

Whisk the eggs & toss all the ingredients together. Place in the bottom of the greased 9x13 pan.

Topping:

2c. GF Oats

2c. Almond Flour

1/2 c. grapeseed oil

1/2 c. Agave syrup

1/2 t. salt

1 t. cinnamon

1 T. Vanilla

Combine oats, almond flour, cinnamon & salt in a small bowl.

In a measuring cup combine grapeseed oil, agave, vanilla & egg until emulsified (really well mixed and nothing is separated.)

Add wet to dry and spread over the apples.

Bake covered with tinfoil 45 minutes, remove foil & bake 5-10 more or until golden brown.

I like this version but I'm going to work on a version with butter. Wouldn't Paula Deen be proud? However this version would be better for a diabetic... but not by much.

Next weekend I believe a cheesecake of sorts is in order... with a nice beef stew...

Happy Eating!

Courtney

2012!

2012-01-14T16:09:00.000-08:00

Blog writing seems to be one of those things that has completely stepped outside my mind this past year. While in the past I have promised to be better for my one and most avid reader my Auntie Krista.... I've come to new conclusions about just what this blog should be and this year I've decided that I'm going to post all the food pictures of dishes I cook and write about the articles I read in the hopes to not only let people know what I'm up to, but inspire them to eat more healthily, shop a little smarter and maybe even get a chuckle from my strange and spirited sense of humor.

With that said, I am currently sifting through one of my many magazines and in it there is an article about Cheaper cuts of meat. Some of the meats to make the cut were chicken legs (which make delicious stock), turkey thighs, pork ribs, lamb shanks, beef brisket & oxtail of all things. Some of my favorites that are equally delicious are skirt & ranch steak highly undervalued and make amazing taco's.

The fact that oxtail was on the list of cheaper cuts shocked me quite a bit as I recall my birthday dinner at Veritable Quandary where I had a very pricey and breathtaking Oso Bucco....but I digress. I now have a crock pot in which I have only made soup so far, but this article has me itching for a new challenge. What can I do with Oxtail? Lamb Shank? Beef Brisket??? The options seem endless between herbs and seasonings and brining liquids that my goal is to come up with a recipe for each of these meats over the course of the next 8 weeks or so before I'll become completely engrossed in packing up my apartment and moving again...unless I hit the lottery then I'll probably just buy a house. Ha.

Yours in Eating,

Courtney

2011 the year to move...twice.

2011-04-06T16:00:00.000-07:00

So after completing a move on January 1st I was very set to be done moving for a while and began to settle into my new place in SouthEast Portland....Life had other plans for me however when a friend had roomie & crowding issues and asked me to move in with her....I crazily said yes.

So here we are April 1st and we move into a lovely upper level duplex in North Portland :) it's a delicious space and almost 15 minutes closer to work...double bonus! Pictures soon to come! Now if I can finally get my address changed on my license and change my mailing address we'll be all set! I'm very much hoping my blog posts will resume with better frequency as I have a computer at my disposal as well as the internet in the new place! Stay Tuned!

All the Best in Sweets,

And the End is near.....

2010-09-11T12:27:00.001-07:00

I do apologize that this post will contain no photos for those who have been diligent and patient readers of this blog, my limited access to a computer along with a rather chaotic schedule has made my writing more deliquent than ever.

I have been at my externship at New Cascadia Traditional a completely gluten free bakery here in portland and I've done sooooooo many different things and come up with a few new ones not recieved in my fancy french culinary education. Coincidentally my externship ends on the eve of my birthday....it's kind of a big birthday--if you know me you know which one it is :) Today happens to be one of those days I'm not so ready for it...but tomorrow is another day and after that we'll see.

Once life has leveled out and things are on a more steady playing field I will try to make more frequent postings and catch up on all the crazy that's occured in the last 5 months. Graduation is October 23, 2010 if any of you are in the neighborhood and want to attend the ceremony I'll get you a seat :)

until then,
Happy Eating!

Hooray!!!!!!

2010-04-22T18:24:00.001-07:00

Silly as it may sound "I survived!" ....you're probably wondering, "what could possibly be so horrific?" worry no longer I will gladly regale you with a brief synopsis of the last 3 weeks of school. Unfortunately I have no amazing photos to accompany this post as there was no time. I have been putting in 15 hour days Monday through Friday in an attempt to be the over achiever I strive to be by taking 3 classes.
Instead of the usual, 1 - 5 hour class, I was scheduled for 1- 2.5 hour class....well this was just riddiculous in my opinion and I had.

What I was going to do with all that extra time???

I found something to do! I found 2 more classes that I needed that were offered in the afternoon! great right? Well in theory the plan was genius because I finished 3 weeks sooner, putting my extern start date at July 6 instead of July 23. It's a good thing I was in math because apparently things weren't adding up to 15 hour days to me....once it did I thought it's only 3 weeks right?

And I thank god for that! I honestly don't know if I could have done it another week without some sort of breakdown. Said breakdown was narrowly avoided earlier today but only a short spritz of waterworks and I was composed and refocused... I amaze myself sometimes just what I'm capable of and strive for so much more--I just hope I can get there.

I have my resume in to the St. Regis Hotel in Aspen, Colorado in the hopes that they will find me amazing and want me to come work for them. I am putting out calls to The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs and am also looking into one of the local gluten free bakeries here in Portland. Also in case anyone didn't know-- I went completely gluten free about 3 weeks ago. I was diagnosed in July with Hashimoto's disease and have been reading numerous books & articles about the subject since.

Many of them indicate that people who have removed gluten from their diets have had great success with alleviating their symptoms or eliminating them completely and about a month ago my symptoms felt completely out of control. My mental acuity and focus were frustrating me completely as well as being exhausted.

So when Spring break came I decided after that, No More Gluten for this girl. I have only had one bad slip up-- one of my co workers brought calamari that they'd made in class into the library and I didn't think twice about snapping it up and into my mouth... it was at that moment that I realized--it's breaded with panko--"shit!" (pardon the language but that's pretty much exactly what I said...) Oh world of breaded treats you elude me forever...or until I can come up with a yummy gluten free alternative.

There are lots of things that I haven't eaten in weeks simply because convenience foods are much harder to come by, though I have been reading that Trader Joe's has quite a few gluten free items and there is one 3 blocks from my house. So as soon as pay day gets here I'll be heading there to sample some things. Also since my schedule is returning to normal I plan to spend lots of lab time in the kitchen's working on my regular baking but I really want to work on some gluten free goodies too :) I've been craving chocolate chip cookies and am at a complete loss....Did I mention I've lost like 9 lbs in 3 weeks.....slightly crazy but I'm happy to say that I lost the extra 25 pounds I was carrying around when I moved here! yay! my pants fit again! When I had to break down and buy new pants it was slightly depressing but that's totally off subject now...

So that's all for now, my days will be returning to normal on Monday, meaning I'll be home by 4:30 instead of 8:30 Monday, Wednesday & Friday & by 6:30 on Tuesday & Thursday-- I never thought I'd miss that schedule but "baby I missed you" :)

until next time- happy eating & if you're having bread...eat some for me :)

My slacker ways....

2010-04-11T11:54:00.000-07:00

So to my dismay I have not held up my most earnest of promises (Sorry Aunt Kris!!! I know you're a diligent reader :) oxo) to keep up on my blog writting, but to be completely honest--it may be slight laziness but mostly it's I value sleep and homework time versus staring at the computer trying to come up with something great and unique to share with my viewing pool.

I have been sick approximately 5 times since the beginning of january with various forms of a cold & one nasty virus which I actually stayed home and slept for 19 hours--not fun. I also had a visit to the ER a few weeks back when I was innocently doing dishes and a very large pot fell off of its hook & landed squarely on top of my head making me dizzy & nauseous so I was promptly sent in a taxi to the Good Samaritan Hospital right in the middle of finishing my first Wedding Cake.

Looks Lovely doesn't it? It's really not exactly how I originally envisioned it unfortunately but I didn't have the time I originally expected -- my fault for not getting it clarified at 7am when class started vs. 9:30 am when chef said 'why don't you turn it in today at noon--you can work thru clean up.' Envision several mor white lilies with more slivery blue & some other accents in silvery blue on the icicles & the icing design on the bottom.... Or more like my "practice cake" below.

In hindsight I think I would have forgone the crystal legs & set the cake flush on the square. I will note draping a square cake is uber challenging, but I did a pretty kick as job for my first time :)

Also I entered a scholarship contest with a friend. Soup & Bread was the name of the game and though we didn't win...I think we got a pretty awesome soup recipe out of the deal. We did a seafood chowder & pretzel bread below are a few pictures of documentation of our practice runs...
We couldn't decide between a Lamb & Vegetable Soup or the Seafood Chowder so we made both to decide...

Raleigh taking a break while things were simmering....

Our friend who joined the soup.... he came to a crushing end...haha bad joke sorry... there were also mussels, nova tidbits, leeks, carrots & potatoes in the chowder.

I also went to my first wine club gathering at Rex Hill with Megan, Phil & Raleigh...
We got to try the AtoZ fresh from the case less than 2 days in its bottle--I was geekily excited by this fact :)
After trying 5 different wines we headed out to lunch & then home....Traffic was kind of heavy & Phil & Megan didn't make it 20 minutes before they'd passed out cold in the back seat--viscious being that I am with a camera, OF course I took photos :)

It was just a short week later that I experienced my very first professional NBA game :) I went with Ricki, Meg, Brooks, Raleigh & his friends Heidi & Jared. An AMAZING display of antics & fabulous basketball--even if you don't like basketball I feel someone could be completely entertained by all of the antics going on between periods. Who knew?! they don't show the in between stuff on tv! But here are a few memorable moments from that day...
me, ricki & meg
ricki, meg & brooks
Raleigh
Heidi & Jared
Mascot Mania- it was "Blaze's" Birthday apparently so all of his buddies came to the party i.e. the LA Laker's Mascot, the Oregon Ducks & Oregon Beaver's Mascots & various other pro NBA team mascots...What a hoot!

Celebrating our win! ...no portland isn't #1 but we came out number 1 at the end of this game :) 102 to 79

....Did I mention they put these crazy skits up on the board at random times? Hilarious!

I also took a little weekend adventure in early march to get out of town and see some things that I had yet to in the beautiful pacific northwest....it is amazingly gorgeous btw my pictures don't really grasp the entirety of it. I began in portland with my cute little Ford Focus rental...silly me I didn't take a picture, I'm usually not so thoughtless when photo documenting but many photos were taken while driving...:) I started by driving to Tillamook on the Oregon Coast and then proceeded to drive North thru Manzanita, Cannon Beach (where the movie Goonies was filmed) I made sure pictures of Haystack rocks were taken. I then drove thru Astoria and decided then to drive to Seattle to visit my long lost friend Kim... It was delightful! we went to an amazing Spanish Restaurant called Taberna del Alabardero had some small plates & temparnillo plus we got a fireworks show from across the river that was an amazing treat. Let the slide show begin!

This is me on my merry way to Tillamook. I stopped at the Cheese Factory & bought cheese :) Then proceeded to drive north along the coast. The Estuary where the Columbia river meets the Pacific was my first stop & I stopped at random other picturesque spots in Manzanita, Hug Beach, An amazing pulloff Lookout point just before Cannon Beach & lots more....

Hay stack Rocks & my delicious turkey sandwich with cranberries & cream cheese in Cannon Beach....

The Astoria Area.....The Bridge from below....

The View from me driving over the bridge....

Just the walking path below the bridge in Astoria....

Horseback riders on the beach in Washington....

A nifty mural in a small town just past Astoria in Washinton...

And the finish! Seattle :) there are a few more pics from this trip that I'll add at a later date :)

Well that's all for now and I'll make my best efforts to add a little more later as there is but I'm running out of time! Need to do some homework :)

A New Year!

2010-01-31T08:10:00.000-08:00

Happy Sunday one and all it is the last day of January 2010 and I am finally breaking down and doing a new blog posting. Things are changing and rapidly. I survived cakes class which there will be some pics to come -- my friend Stephanie from class has this amazing slr digital camera that she has been letting me use to take pictures of my stuff....and my pictures are now more my quality "edgy" type photos of food that my cybershot was just not equipped to take. But I still love her.

Now where are these delicious photos you say?

That's just it, they are on her camera as I keep forgetting to bring a flash drive to school for her to put them on. Hence why it is the 31st of January vs. the 1st of January that this update is occurring-- I was waiting for the pictures....and couldn't wait any longer!

I went to Houston for Christmas to visit my brother, mom & brother's girlfriend-- visiting the family was the highlight of the trip and I also got a special visit to the emergency room to get my lip stitched back together the night before christmas eve....it made two boys cringe if that tells you anything of the looks of it & the doctor even had quite a face about her when she looked at it :) The fun part of that, and if you've ever had stitches in your face somewhere you know they cover you up so you can't really see BUT it's one hell of a puppet show let me tell you! It was so hard not to laugh as she was stitching me up because it was such a cliche` hand shadow with a needle & thread in hand. Awesome. So after eating soft solids for two weeks I had lamb to celebrate on New Years day & it kicked some tail.

My return to Portland was great and I didn't get near what I wanted to accomplished before being thrust back into the hustle and bustle of 4:30am rise and shine followed by anywhere from 9 to 13 hours a day at school/work :) So if you're ever wondering why I forgot to send a birthday card or why I didn't call back....take a peek at the schedule and you have your answer :P If you require in detail a mad hatter spread sheet it could be yours... but only upon request.

As for classes-- they're going well. Crazy, but well. Cakes was a bit stressful & we are on to plated desserts now.

After one hellacious week of things going a bit south both in & out of class, I feel this morning I have the attitude of "it's sunday-- a new day, in a new week & tomorrow is a new month in the new year...so lets make the best of it."

Happy New Year Everyone! Hope your February is a great one & all the months that follow only get better :)

Pictures to come soon, I promise :)

yours in cake,
Court oxo

Finally A REAL break in classes!

2009-12-12T16:32:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving and the month of November have vanished and December has arrived and is not slowing down.

Here we are after the Martha Stewart Dinner that Phil, Megan & Ricki prepared. Ricki's sister & Megan's brother, as well as fello P & B student Hiro & his wife were among the guests.

Only 5 days until a two and a half week break from classes. The intensity of this last week and the week that is to come make me long for the break desperately. The days seem to be blurring together as of late in a crazy way.

I've learned so many different things and am thrilled to be making president's list in all of my classes! Below are just a few of the fabulous things made as of late.

Charlotte Royal

Pecan infused Creme Carmel with Carmel garnish

Another version of the pecan creme caramel...

Apple Turnovers with passion fruit coulis & creme anglaise garnish.

And Brioche...

We're doing mousse cakes and frozen desserts next week so more pictures will come. I'm happy to say I will be going to Houston for a week over christmas to see my mom, brother & (practically sister in law) Melissa. I can't wait.

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Ok OK I know.....

2009-10-30T17:35:00.000-07:00

So I'll admit I've been slacking....let's face facts I haven't been putting "blogging" at the top of my priority list. For those of you who read my blog on a regular basis I do apologize, but the truth is School. is. crazy.
I am deep into my 3rd term and very proud that I have a 4.0 average....yay me! I will toot my own horn and be proud of myself darn it! to give you the run down my life is about to get even busier once I find my second job.....however FIRST I must get a driver's license.

...one might think this a simple task and ask "Courtney what can possibly be the problem?"

The problem is this my friends... I am in class from 6am to 12pm then I work until 3pm....some of you may still fail to see what the problem is, but there's this teensy weensy thing about the fact that they stop testing at 4pm and when it takes me 15 to 25 minutes to get there depending on traffic both walking or otherwise and then I have to take a number and get called before 3:59.

...I have been to the DMV 3 times this week playing the crapshoot that is the "will I get called in time lottery" right up there with the "how many hours can I waste at the DMV this week lottery?"

Needless to say the nice lady at the window as I'm holding back tears of utter frustration actually was extremely sympathetic and told me that there were two offices that did testing on saturday....unlike the ass hole I delt with on wednesday....LOVED him! He wasn't there today so he's probably the reason my number didn't get called today since they were short handed....

SO tomorrow morning, bright & early I will be heading to the DMV for the fourth time this week...La-ti- freakin-da......

You may ask, what's the big deal, not having a license--you don't drive, you have a bus pass....well folks would have loved to witness me being asked to leave a drinking establishment last friday because my license expired on my birthday.....mortified and frustrated were the feelings that bubbled to the surface....Great day let me tell ya.

Also until I have said license I can't apply for another job.....PROBLEM....So there you have it. That is probably the most exciting bit of drama that has presented itself as of late.

Looking forward to Halloween--my favorite holiday. Minnie Mouse, just in case you're wondering, is my costume of choice this year.

Am also looking forward to hiking in Government Camp on Sunday! yay snow! wooo!

Until next time, Same foodie time, same foodie channel.

oxox

Sorry!

2009-10-08T15:25:00.000-07:00

A quick "I'm sorry" to my dedicated reader pool of 2. My schedule has been a little more hectic & life in general has been a little more social.

Yay!

I got my first term grades and am so extremely happy to say that I have an A for the first term of classes and am hoping that I will do just as well for the second term :) I am enjoying many things....one of them at this moment is some peach, macadamia nut & ricotta cheese foccacia bread that kylee made in lab for her project next week....mmmmmmmmmm. The other has been numerous restaurants & what not.

Myself, Megan, Ally, Brooks & Raleigh went to Departure for my birthday last friday... it was amazing & the company was too! The dancing that ensued after dinner was ruccous & wonderful and my 29 year old body felt every inch that of 60 after sleeping on Ally & Brooks' apartment floor with Megan... ouch. Se` la vie!

The weekend was filled with pickling at the Alberta house where good food was eaten, friends laughed and then....we attempted to go dancing AGAIN. Not nearly the fun of friday & we were all tired on sunday as I awoke at yet another slumber party....this one much more comfortably arranged :)

I am currently in Bread class.... I have made 3 baguettes a day for the last 3 weeks.....that's almost 50 baguettes....as well as approximately 4 different kinds of bread everyday for the last week and 1/2.....lots o' carbs....grrrr.

but yum!

Next week we get to choose our breads so I am going to attempt some gluten free masterpieces that will hopefully be scruptious and wonderful. Wish me luck!

Pray to St. Honore` for me!

Learning Jewish Traditions....

2009-09-20T11:42:00.000-07:00

So some of you may know I work odd jobs picked up at the career services office in addition to my swank, very valued job at the library. Most recently I have been working for two rabbi's who run services and ceremonies out of their home.
This in itself is daunting, I personally cannot imagine having large sit down gatherings at my home every week that involve food, dishes and all the preparation. But the Rabbi's are wonderful people and like my work so they are going to use me for a regular basis....how regular is up in the air but I already have another 3 or 4 days set up tentatively already :) yay!

I was beginning to sweat finding some regular side work to fill in the gaps from the library paycheck....

Right now I'm sitting in the gazebo in my Auntie's back yard enjoying this beautiful day & wearing a sweatshirt ....a warm one... which makes me ever so happy! It is sunny & the sky is blue.....couldn't ask for a better day really. I am going to the library at some point to return books, but other than that things have been pretty well thrown between work, sleep and school.

Thursday we went out to the Rougue Brewery since Meg had friends in town and I must say you know the P & B is definately beginning to get to you when you begin to pipe in public. Yes that's right we made Ali & Ricki made paper piping cones and were piping mustard or whatever was available onto plates....I only wish we'd had more paper....

on that note completion of the week of cakes was not as successful as hoped but all finished products came out beautifully. Breads are next, it's our last week of Baking 102. I can hardly believe how quickly the 6 weeks has gone by!

ttfn. xo

p.s.

2009-09-11T13:41:00.000-07:00

Today was better than yesterday.....but could have been better! It is friday however & I can start allllllllll over again on monday :) Hope everyone has a great weekend!

I am creme caramel-ed out! ....but I could go for another dish of my vanilla pecan creme brulee....

Ugh...

2009-09-10T17:15:00.000-07:00

So today I woke up on time & thought to myself "It's going to be a good day today, this morning just feels good"...HA well then I got to class. After blundering my infusion (not really but I didn't do it the way I should have) then somehow screwing up my creme brulee ( we'll find out how bad tomorrow) then ALMOST having to make my pastry cream all over again, first because the dumb flavoring compound burnt to the bottom and then because it almost oozed out every edge of the plastic wrap, I didn't get my creme caramel started so I put my strained pecans from my infusion into sugar and spread them out to put them in the oven to caramelize & toast for the top of my vanilla pecan creme brulee.....well someone changed my timer and didn't inform all the people in the oven....hence oh what's that smell? yes that's right the nuts were smoking in the oven....sigh...I thought at least I can get my muffins done with everything being mise en placed yesterday......I'm melting my butter & as I am pulling it out of the microwave it slips every so delightfully from my hands and onto the floor.....Ta da! my day!
bon appe-friggin-tite!

Hood River & More....

2009-09-06T21:15:00.000-07:00

Friday was a day of great relief. First test. First practical. First time I've stayed out until 1:30am in a loooooooooooooong time. Oh what fun however.... Ginger pale ale at the MASH Tun mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

These are the crazy folk I spend much of my free time with in the two pics above from left to right are.... Raleigh, Natalie, Ricki, Megan & Phil....and we've all aquired nicknames....we'll leave it at that.

In the world of baking this week:

Practical & first test go swimmingly! Peanut Butter cookies dipped in chocolate....chocolate sabotage slowed me down but I kicked tempered chocolate butt!

Also made tarts!

Fresh Fruit Tart with Apricot Glaze & a Pate Sucree Crust

and

Almond Creme Tart with a Pate Brisee Crust

Also as a note.... I know I promised yummy recipes & I will try to share, but they are all formulas, not recipes ie. the ingredients need to be weighed in oz. or g. Sorry....but keep reading I'll adapt them someway!

The Wild wild west.....not really just a busy schedule...

2009-09-01T19:22:00.000-07:00

Ah the weekend how I do miss thee....A splendid Saturday was spent in the Rose garden near Hoyt Arboretum....I say this because many people call where the trailblazers play "the Rose garden" I am referring to the international rose test garden....oh the scent of roses on the air and the sun in the sky.

I got some color to boot! I was joined in this adventure by Megan, Ricki & Chewy (Natalie got called into work unfortunately)

Not sure if the roses were good enough to eat, but the picture makes for good rose garden fun! We did get hungry though & eventually went out on my maiden sushi voyage...in THE NORTHEAST...

I got to try a number of things and even the seaweed salad was yummy, unusual, but yummy. Usagi or Eel is what I chose to try and it was yum-a-licious if I do say so. The edamame however was quite yummy to with its pods of salty goodness. I tried a roll of some sort with avocado & salmon (raw) the avocado and rice were yummy the texture of the salmon however... not to my particular liking.

Sunday was filled with laundry, ironing and work followed by COOKIE-palooza in class this week in class. Byselkex, Peanut butter dipped in milk chocolate, Straussburg with apricot jam & hazelnuts, Lintzer cookies, Biscotti & Almond Macaroons.....
Here's a few pics with more to come!

Happy Eating :)

Feels a little off today....

2009-08-28T12:33:00.000-07:00

So on the cusp of crummy news from home about my cousin who I'm super close to I've gone and allowed myself to be mellow dramatic and think of all the other things that I'm missing and piling that on top of stupid stuff out of my control.....i.e. I'm feeling a bit homesick today.

Everything is so much more than great I'm just having a day. Ice cream was fabulous & so was the strudel. My brownies were sabotaged however from both a miscommunication with my partner & I discovered after some research that someone had put salt in the chile powder (that went into my brownies).

Hopefully a haircut, and hiking with the girls tomorrow will help de-funk my mood....or maybe I just need a beer.

It's been a crazy week...I thought today was tuesday if that says anything.

2009-08-26T18:50:00.000-07:00

So today is wednesday if you all didn't realize & even though I called julie yesterday on her birthday....I still thought today was tuesday. Sunday evening threw me a bit. I thought I'd be finished working around nine....it was instead 11 and almost midnight before I actually got into bed & fell asleep.

5am does not come so easily with 5 hours of sleep.....and so the week began. We made Apple strudel on Monday and it's waiting in the freezer to be baked until friday when we are making ice cream.

Yesterday we partnered up and made peanut brittle it was fabulous. Ricki was my partner again today and here she is posing with our hard work....i believe Natalie is laughing in the background.

Bannana chocolate chip bread & Ricki put dates in hers....On a rather different note today was my first classroom injury! yay! I burnt myself.

It was a rather bone headed thing but I am blaming the person who stuck her enormously too full pan of bread on our cookie sheet. If I hadn't needed to leave it in the oven longer I would not have burned myself.

see--

what you can't in this picture is that my wrists look like they have carpet burn all the way around them....Thank you dry skin + industrial sanitizer = nasty nasty paper cut type skin irritation.....hopefully vaseline & antibiotic ointment will keep it at bay. Until then I'm forced to strap on gloves.

below is another beautiful shot of my banana bread. Bon Appetite!

So I missed a few days....I apologize.

2009-08-23T12:45:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you're all just gripping the edge of your seats in anticipation for a new entry right?

Well I have suddenly discovered that it's difficult to have homework, work time, a life, school time and sleep time & still blog....did you see I said "a life"? I went out for happy hour on friday with some gals from class that turned quickly into me not getting home until almost 11:30pm ( remember I wake up at 5am sometimes earlier if the auntie happens to be awake at 4 (!!!!!!!).

It's character building....I will adjust eventually it's just going to be a challenge at times. I finished my homework this afternoon and have roughly 105 terms & 13 questions due friday from chapter 4....however there are 2 chapters in between as well with 35 more definitions and 8 more detailed questions 80 pages worth of reading....did I mention we covered a 14 chapter book last week? The test friday went swimingly I think I may have missed 1 at most :) Our managerial serv safe test is this coming friday so I need to keep up the studying for that as well on top of all the other homework.

Wish me luck!

On a fun note: I made watermelon pudding yesterday.

those are white chocolate shavings on top. Though I wish I could say I was creative enough to come up with this on my own....I got it from a Gourmet magazine. I know, "watermelon pudding?" but ice cold it has that watermelon quench to it plus a smooth slightly creamy coolness of a gelatin sliding down your throat.
My next idea is to do this with other fruits...blueberry lemon pudding anyone?

Until next time! Happy Weekend & Happy Eating!

My first accomplishment....

2009-08-20T18:21:00.000-07:00

So today we made pizza dough!

I'm quite proud....it was one of the more perfect looking dough balls. I know the pic is a little fuzzy....however it looks pretty much just like that. A ball of dough. Tomorrow we're making sauce and having pizza I'm quite excited. We also sliced & diced fruit today for smoothies to go with our pizza :)

I am happy to say that I managed to keep from slicing my own flesh unfortunately I did end up bleeding by the end of class. The sanitizer used to clean and to wash dishes with is quite drying and the edge of my fingernail parted ways with my flesh putting forth a healthy bit of blood drippage.

Yipee....but there cookies waiting for me at the library :)

I've almost made it through my first week of class....next week we're making Apple brown betty & Ice cream :) my favorite!

I think the girls at my workstation & I are going out for happy hour tomorrow to celebrate our first week of class.... yay!

until next time happy eating!

day 3....

2009-08-19T19:02:00.000-07:00

So to give you an idea....I'm tired. My brain is tired. We've covered 14 chapters in 3 days....that should give you an indication of the intensity of the program. Though I will say it is getting easier to wake up at 5am.

...as long as I get to bed before 10 :)

My "project" today was trying to get out of the basic computer class I'm supposed to take as part of my curriculum....Graphic Designer in need of a computer class? sounds like someone barely got there degree or wasted their money....I am not that person so I suppose I could go for the easy A ++++++++ but uh I really don't wanna :)

I would rather focus on more fun things....like scholarship competitions! Which I am currently working on! The one due next friday is a menu competition and I am cooking up one he-yeck of a constitution day menu :) will share after the deadline of course...just in case :)

Well anyways I should get a move on I have pants to hem...ugh.

:)

Chocolate c-h-o-c-o-l-a-t-e!

2009-08-18T13:36:00.000-07:00

Today I ....not quite mastered the art of the "parchment paper piping bag"....quite amusing when you can get Chef to say it 3 times fast. Tempered chocolate was the name of the game today among other things, I must say piping buttercream is NOT comprable to piping chocolate...chocolate is Much more challanging... I need practice. Enough said.

Library work is slow & is giving me plenty of time to fill you folks in on the small stuff because nothing super exciting has blown this way... yet....

"My First Day of School" by C. Goldsmith

2009-08-17T18:03:00.000-07:00

I had my first day of Culinary school and though excitement was high right along with irritability due to the hour in which I had to leave...everything was great. Chef Bruce is amazing and entertaining; which always makes those early am classes that much easier to bear.

We are beginning at the beginning with safety & cleanliness first...and we have to be certified :)....that's cer-ti-fied, not certifiable. So already I have homework, 3 chapters of studying and a test friday & a test next friday and I'm guessing that's how it will go...minimum...because today was the easy day remember? yeah so they make you get up and extra half hour early on the easy day to throw you off..........tomorrow tomorrow.

If I seem rambly blame it on the fact that I've been awake for 14 hours now and forcibly alert for the majority. It's 6pm and I'm just getting home. I foresee this as the average from here on. I digress....

We will be making Pizza on friday! yay fun....sheer bribery on the part of our teacher I'm sure...but I think it's going to work.

until tomorrow. Eat Well, Be well....sounds good but I'm in this to be a pastry chef! Fat chance of that happening! :)

Yay only 3 days to go!

2009-08-15T11:29:00.000-07:00

So I woke this morning full of excitement because in less than 3 days I start class. Though I am not looking forward to the fact that I have to be out of the house by 5:30am I will survive...maybe. I will by the end of the day today be officially completely unpacked & settled in and working on the laundry I've accumulated. Tomorrow however I'm excited to say I am working from 3 to 8 pm for a private party making $15 an hour....um yay! Hopefully it will be the first of many jobs as such to supplement my library job...though I also applied at Sur La Table for a part time job...so my guess is I will be busting butt on a daily basis from here on out...and I'm quite pleased about it. I have felt darn lazy so this is just the trick to put things back in order!

Anyways I should scoot along now...unpacking and what not to do since the auntie has cleaned out the closet!

ta!ta!

Hooray for Friday!

2009-08-14T09:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a day full of fun filled things. It was my cousin Zacky's 27th birthday and the ironic thing is it was spent just as I spent my 27th birthday. Happy Hour at Henry's in Portland with my Auntie & my cousin Erica. It was over some very yummy straciatella & pistachio gelato that Erica asked Zack what's different about "27" & I began to think of my coming birthday and pondering the difference between then and now. So much can happen in just two short years. I think if I'd had to make a guess then I wouldn't have figured on having moved to Portland and returning to school...well I had already been pondering the return to school very passingly but it wasn't to follow a true passion it was to get a means to a better end... and in Marquette no less not thousands of miles west.
It was yesterday when I was standing in Powell's bookstore (what has to be the Mecca of all book stores) in the cooking section that I thought to myself " if I had to be completely honest I can't remember a time when I felt this good & this whole heartedly sure about a decision I've made for myself" I just keep taking things a day at a time and try not to stress about anything trivial.

Change is good. And I can't wait to start class & work on monday!

And Zack from now on I will try my best to write in my blog no matter how mundane...just for you. I definately don' t want a repeat of the scolding I got yesterday...I have never had someone quote me word for word so well to stick it to me.

Hard work & a long walk lead to good things!

2009-08-11T19:18:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it really wasn't hard work, but the walk was 4.5 miles yesterday from homebase to school. Yes folks I thought to myself "why take the bus when I have to legs?" so I went and I lived, however was a sweaty mess when I arrived for orientation. Thank goodness I had baby powder & a shrug to somewhat cover the fact that my tank top was soaked thru the back...ugh can you say gross. But don't worry it did dry up by the time we got out of orientation at twenty to six.

I also had a job interview setup yesterday & got locker number 102...what are the odds? Oh and the job interview was today and got the job on the spot! How great is that?! I am now the newest Library Assistant at Western Culinary Institute. I'm super geeked...I mean this isn't just a library it's a culinary library! full of books and what not allllllllll about food!!!!!!!!!!

I'm a bit geeky I know but I can't wait to start!

So other than not really having too many people to talk to which will hopefully change Monday....things have been great and slowly getting organized. Now off to relax a bit and maybe have a dilly bar :)

Nothing beats a good treat!
Until Next time!

2009-08-09T21:27:00.000-07:00

Just a random note, but damn does it feel good to be 96% unpacked and organized! Orientation tomorrow and one week until class starts! Oh and a job interview this week! yay!

A friend of mine threatened that he wouldn't read my blog unless I posted yummy recipes...so just an fyi I will be posting random yummy recipes just for you dan!

Happy Reading & Happy Eating!

Julie & Julia

2009-08-08T10:33:00.000-07:00

So on Wednesday I had the privilege to go to a pre-screening of Julie & Julia with about 80 other students and faculty at WCI (my new school) and I have to say it was absolutely amazing. It was the ideal movie for me to see just before starting school. If felt like an affirmation that I was doing exactly what I was supposed to be at exactly the right time.

I found that when I laughed at things in the movie, yes they were funny, but they were silly, dramatic, yet passionate idiosyncrasies that I myself often do.

And I find myself chomping at the bit to start school...

Things are moving along and I have my first job interview next week. Hopefully it is the first of many as I am finding I may need two jobs to get enough hours to pay the bills...thankfully most jobs here pay $8.00+ per hour!

But I really need to get back to unpacking! So until my next moment/ ephinal burst...which was really wednesday, but I didn't get a chance to get to the computer after the movie (I was a bit tired) this will have to tie you over. In the words of Julia Child, Bon Appetite!

It's official! I have relocated.

2009-08-04T16:06:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day of the "vacation" bit of my cross country move. After 4 days in a rented house, a family wedding and 3 more days spent at the ocean - tomorrow everyone but me catches their flights home to their respected living places.
Here I will be just myself & the auntie beginning to unpack and settle in! However I am starting with a bang! My darling Kim is coming down tomorrow to see me and we are going to a special gourmet dinner & a special pre-screening of "Julie & Julia" thru the school. I'm very excited! I promise to write more once I'm settled btw the ocean here is --refreshing :) Until next time!

The Initial Beginnings of a Move via Airplane...

2009-06-24T11:22:00.000-07:00

So I officially have 20 days that have nothing but cleaning and packing involved and 35 days until I'm hopping a plane for my first run to Portland. I'm finding that this is an adventure just in the packing alone! I've never tried to move via airline before, but I've found that I am shipping at least 7 boxes...minimum. Wish me luck! I'm in desperate need of it!

It's a challenge. I will promise to let you know how it goes as often as I can before I actually move...