Hello everyone!
Today is the calm before the storm. Why you ask?
Tomorrow is the very last day of my professional cooking class. Tomorrows class is more important than the past two years of culinary school combined. It is the most important day I've had thus far. Why is it so important? Why will it determine the fate of my immediate life, and the life I will lead for the next few years? Why am I freaking out!!?!?!?!?! Well....you'll have to read on to see :)
But before we get to that - lets get a few things out of the way first....
My morning began with breakfast as usual....
Today's breakfast consisted of 1 egg in a basket, a veggie sausage pattie, activia yogurt w/ blueberries, skim milk & coffee.
Going....
Going....
Going...
Gone..!
Going...
Gone..!
After I finished my breakfast - I made a nice HUGE mug of tea and began this very post!
There will be a couple of changes with my blog....
as soon as I quit being lazy lol. What will the changes be?
Well - first I will be making a change to one of the tabs (music, restaurant, hotel, curly head, etc.) at the top of this page. What kind of change? Well - seeing as I only have 2 or 3 hotels listed under the "hotel" tab, I'm going to get rid of that tab all together and make an "about me" tab.
I will talk about myself, tell why it is I do what I do, what my inspiration to start this blog was, I will make a list of different posts that I think are noteworthy, and show the things I've seen, the places I've gone, and the things I've done since I began my blog in February. (Such as my trip to L.A., getting my first tattoo, when I made my ginger bread house in pastry class, etc).
The second change I will make will be removing the picture of me eating a cupcake at the top of my blog. Why? Because my hair is 10 inches shorter and I don't think the picture is accurate to the curly head I am today! I will have another picture taken of me eating a different food item. Not sure what it'll be yet....I'll surprise you.
I recently made a delicious discovery....
A few days ago I was scheduled to go into work at work at 7 a.m. Problem being, I didn't wake up until 6:59 lol. (Good thing I only live 2 minutes away from Kroger!) Seeing as I woke up late I just had enough time to get dressed and run out the door. (I'm proud to say I got to work by 7:06!) Unfortunately I didn't have enough time to make breakfast, or pack a lunch like I usually do!
Come 11 a.m. I was sooooo hungry - which can be quite a scary sight to see. I'm far from a pleasant person to be around when I'm hungry. I'm like a monster. A very grumpy monster.
After about 2 hours of hunger pains I thought... "Why the hell am I letting myself be so hungry? I work in a freakin grocery store for crying out loud!!" After I got over the shock and awe of being too stupid to grab something to eat I headed over to the "healthy" section.....I was on a mission - a mission to try a Clif Bar for the very first time!
What drew me to Clif bars in the first place? A lot of bloggers I admire eat clif bars to tide them over during the work day, before and after working out, or just for a snack! These bloggers have written very good write ups on these bars - so I decided I needed to be that blogger to you guys! I need to teach you my ways :)I really like the philosophy behind Clif bars (found on their website):
"Yes, we admit it... we're a company that loves food. We love learning about food, cooking food, talking about food, and especially eating and sharing food. Good food provides health, joy, and energy, and is a delight to the senses. And food, made right, can make the world a better place. That's why we use organic ingredients in all our products. Food grown organically- without the use of toxic pesticides or synthetic chemicals - is better for the planet, the body and the soul. And all our food is free of trans fats, hydrogenated oils, and high fructose corn syrup. We recognize that food matters to our families, our communities, and our planet - as our food choices affect the physical, social, and environmental fabric of our lives. We can't invite you all into our kitchen to jon us for a meal, but we're excited to have a way to share our food with you."
The very first Clif bar I tried was "Oatmeal Rainsin Walnut"
This bar was surprisingly delicious! I loved it! This bar gave me enough energy to finish my 8 hour shift at work with ease, and without any more hunger pains. Talk about filling me up!
Now I'm not one to usually like eating energy bars or protein bars, because I'd much rather eat food I make from scratch. But I think these Clif bars are as close to scratch as I'm ever going to get when it comes to protein/energy/cereal bars!
Although these bars contain a lot more sugar than I would like to consume - the rest looks pretty darn good to me!:
Calories: 240
Total fat: 5 g
Saturated fat: 1 g
Monounsaturated fat: 0g
Trans fat: og
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium:130 mg
Potassium: 310 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 43 g
Dietary Fiber: 5 g
Sugars: 20 g
Protein: 10 g
The next day I decided to give the "banana nut bread" flavor a go!
Although I liked this flavor very much - it tasted too much like a dessert for my liking. The oatmeal raisin walnut taste more like a meal substitution, which is what I want during an 8 hour shift at work! So the next time I eat one of these bad boys - i'll save it for dessert time.
(The nutrition value of this bar is almost identical to the aforementioned one)
Want to learn more about Clif bars?
Check out their website!
Who else belts out to the Bohemian Rhapsody in their car/house when no one is around.....?
...I know at least one of you have!!!
I am far from ashamed to admit that I've done it 3 times this morning - with the fluctuations in pitch and everything. I can be very theatrical when it comes to singing and dancing lol :)
If you've never had the pleasure of "rocking out" to this little tune - I suggest you start now....
Now let's talk about why tomorrow is so darn important.....
I've been majoring in the Culinary Arts program at Sinclair Community College for the past 2 1/2 years. During these past 2 1/2 years I've learned far more about food than I ever could've imagined.
I've learned: how to build a proper fine dining menu, all about mis en place, how to prepare meals in short periods of time with efficiency and consistency, balancing flavors/textures, about the industry and how it works, and most importantly I've learned that I never ever add enough salt :) and much much more.
I am currently taking "Professional Cooking" which is the very last class of the culinary arts part of my degree. (I still have 2 classes to take in the fall before I can get my certificate - although neither of these classes have anything to do with culinary). This class is indeed a cooking class, and this class is where I put everything I've learned up until this point into (for lack of a better term) action. Technically, this is the class that determines whether or not I can be a chef.
If you've been reading my blog for a while then you know all about this class and how it works, but for those of you who haven't been with me very long - here is the course objective and the course description:
The way the class works is that each week we have a "mini exam" on a different course of the traditional 4 course meal (the first week was soups, the second week was salads, etc).
During these mini exams we would have about 1 1/2 hr to prepare these meals and present them to the chef, and to the class for thorough evaluation. During the evaluation we would be graded on presentation, taste, portion, our knife skills, etc.
To catch some of you up to speed, here are the blog posts where I spoke about the meals in which I had to prepare:
All of these mini exams were preparation for tomorrows class - the class where I would put it all together, and show what I am really made of.
Here is the breakdown of tomorrows final practical exam in my chefs words:
What does it all mean?
Here is how tomorrow works:
When I come into school I choose a mystery basket. And in this mystery basket are the contents of what I will be using to prepare my meal with. I have to use every single item from the basket in one way or another, but I may also use ingredients that aren't in the basket. I have 1 hour to build a menu using these mystery items and then 4 hours to prepare a 4 course meal for 4 chefs. Scary? Very. The timing in which I bring out each of the meals is very precise and premeditated.
Seeing as I'm the 2nd of 3 students to prepare food - these are the times in which my food should be ready and sent out to the dining room for the chefs evaluation. If I do not send my food out in time - I will get big time point reduction:
I have to be at class at exactly 8:15
My soup or appetizer (haven't decided which yet)should be sent out at 12:15
Salads - 12:25
Entree (and sides) - 12:40
Desserts - 12:50
If I don't pass this class I will not be able to get my certification in the fall. Which means I won't be able to become a certified chef by the time I'm ready to graduate.
I know what you're thinking "why don't you just take the class again in the fall?" - this is because the class isn't offered in the fall....and I know what your next question is "why wouldn't you just take it again in the winter?" this is because I'm moving to Florida in January to live with my cousin for a little bit and find a good job. SURPRISE!!
Yep - It's official. I'm going to be moving to Florida in the beginning of 2011. There isn't any work for me here in Ohio - if I want to really flourish as a pastry chef, i'm going to have to get out there and build up my career by working at as many restaurants in as many different parts of the world that I can. What better place to start than somewhere with family, and with a huge tourist community?
Why is it so important that i have my certificate prior to then? This is because i will have a better chance of finding jobs with my degree, and I will make a lot more money than some random girl coming off the street wanting to cook.
So cross your fingers, wish me luck, and (if you're religious)PRAY that I do an awesome job tomorrow!!!!
Send A LOT of positive energy my way please ++++++++++ :)
While going through my daily "blog check" today I came across a lot of pictures that I find interesting, cool, beautiful, and wonderful in one way or another:
Let us begin.....
[[Today’s music]]
LA ROUX – BULLETPROOF
I like both the live version and the actual music video. So I’ve provided both
You’re welcome J
“Been there done that messed around
I'm having fun don't put me down
I'll never let you
sweep me off my feet
This time baby I'll be bulletproof,
This time baby I'll be bulletproof.”
[[Today’s restaurant]]
OKLAHOMA JOE’S BBQ – KANSAS CITY
I recommend you watch both of these videos.
They are both very informative, and really give a great feel as to what ‘Oklahoma Joe’s ‘ is all about!
They are both very informative, and really give a great feel as to what ‘Oklahoma Joe’s ‘ is all about!
[[Today's kitchen gadget]]
KITCHEN ISLANDS
[[Today’s news]]
SALMONELLA CASE RISES AS RECALL OF CONTAMINED EGGS GROW
"Although it's still unclear exactly how many people have become sick with salmonella after eating contaminated eggs, it's a lot. And the toll is rising.
For the three months ending in July, there were 1,953 cases of salmonella sickness reported, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CNN reports. The usual number of cases for that period would be 700, a CDC official said in a conference call Thursday. So that could mean 1,200 or more people got sick from bad eggs.
"If there are indeed more than 1,000 cases, that's a large outbreak," Michael Doyle, professor of food microbiology at the University of Georgia's Center for Food Safety, tells Shots. During the salmonella outbreaks linked to tainted peanut butter a few years back the reported illnesses amounted to a few hundred, he says.
"The magnitude of this outbreak is eye-opening," he adds, and the cases so far bolster previous epidemiological evidence that eggs are a primary source of salmonella infections for humans."
Want to read more?
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2010/08/20/129321965/salmonella-recalled-egg-contamination
[[Today’s random]]
ICE CREAM CONE STREET VENDOR
Poor guy just wants his ice cream…I’ve watched this over and over again lol. I love it.
[[Today’s food clip]]
ARE PICKLED PIG LIPS THE NEW LUNCHABLES?
“Meet Remy Mumby, the ten year-old host of the web-video series Food Oddities. In the video above, Mumby goes to town on Balut (a bloody duck embryo cooked inside its shell). We hope his parents know of a decent gastroenterologist.”
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/feast/Are-Pickled-Pig-Lips-the-New-Lunchables--100571984.html
[[Today's curly head]]
SERGEYENVA KORSHUNOVA
Attention ALL curly heads!!
Want to be recognized for your beautiful, crazy, and all natural curls?
You must provide:
-Tell me why you love being a curly head.
-Fill me in on what makes you a unique curly head.
-Give any tips or secrets you might have about maintaining hair like yours.
-And send 2 photos – so you have a chance to put your curls on display!
(If you would like me to provide a link to your blog, facebook, myspace, twitter, etc. for the rest of my readers to see – then also throw that in there! The more exposure you get the better!)
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