When you stand on your feet for hours, chopping, washing, peeling, stirring, and measuring, and then you finally "plate up" your creation...and your instructor cuts into it with a knife, and tastes it with her fork...pauses, and then looks up at you and says "Very nice." It is quite the thrill for me.
Creating disastrous food happens as well. In my food failures in the kitchen at school, my eyes have filled with tears and I have almost lost it in a crying tantrum. I haven't done that yet though, I've managed to keep it together. I am normally not the tantrum type, but something about cooking (and prepping food for 3 hours) makes me feel a wide range of extreme emotion. Which is also thrilling.
But the spectrum between feeling accomplished, proud, and excited about a meal that you have created versus being frustrated, upset and disappointing with how your "meal" turned out (or burned) is why I love cooking. You never know what kind of day it's going to be- one that goes outstandingly or one where you hold back that burst of tears.
I am really enjoying school for these reasons. I have never been in school for something that I am so interested in. When I come home, I get excited about making coffee and reading my text book on how to cut up a chicken. The only thing that has held me back from experiencing this enthusiasm for school so far has been exhaustion, and even that is exciting. I like coming home at the end of classes and being tired, because I feel like I have worked hard- and it took a few months of working (not as hard) to appreciate that feeling.
My classes are 5 hours long, and so you really get to know your fellow classmates. We work in teams, so it is a social experience as well as an artistic creation. I wouldn't enjoy it half as much if I wasn't engaging in team-work simultaneously.
Sometimes, in the middle of winter, I like to experience things that remind me of warmer and sunnier days. This may mean using lotion that smells like coconut, listening to the beach boys, or baking a key lime pie. Something about experiencing things associated with summer through my senses makes me happier as I remember that once upon a time, I was wearing shorts a t-shirt instead of four layers of thermal underwear. All that to say, here is a recipe for key lime pie that I'm going to make this weekend:
Recipe by Paula Deen:
KEY LIME PIE
One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup key lime juice
1 tsp. grated lime zest
3 eggs, separated
one 8 inch home-made graham cracker crust
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 cup sugar
Preheat the oven to 325. In a medium bowl, combine the milk, lime juice, and zest; blend in the egg yolks. Pour the filling into the crust. For the meringue, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the sugar until the mixture is stiff. Spread the meringue over the filling; spread it to touch the edge of the crust all around. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
My first day of culinary school went like this.
Woke up at 6 am, noticed that the sun does not appear that early. Got ready for class, ducking in the bathroom where the space heater kept it nice and toasty for as long as possible. Ventured out to my car in the dark, which was covered in a layer of ice. As I went to open the door, I realized that it was frozen shut. I've never encountered this problem before, so I wasn't sure how to go about it. So I just pulled on the handle really hard. Apparently too hard, because it came off. I stood there in my chef outfit in the icy cold dark amazed, as I held the broken off piece of handle of our car door in my shivering hand.
So I crawled into the drivers seat from the back seat, because luckily the door to the back seat opened without that handle breaking off as well.
I drove to school and accidentally cut someone off in traffic, who then proceeded to honk at me for 15 seconds straight. I understood after the first 3 seconds that I had upset this driver, so I'm not sure why the following 12 seconds were necessary. As I was waiting for this angry driver to pass me (and I'm pretty sure make an obscene gesture at me), I realized that he/she was pulling into the same parking lot as I...
and it occurred to me that he/she may be a classmate. So I slowed my car down and sneakily parked at the other side of the parking lot, so that I would not start my education out with enemies due to my poor driving skills.
Class was fine until our first assignment. I read the recipe wrong and made a vinaigrette that was half oil and half salt. I also accidentally dumped an offensive amount of pepper into the mixture as well. It tasted so wretched that my instructor made me throw it in the garbage. I was the only student who made inedible salad dressing that was dumped into the trash can.
Lastly, to complete my first day, I read my schedule wrong and showed up 20 minutes late to my second class.
Hopefully this movie that I am apparently in has a happy ending. Kevin told me that this experience is allowing me to begin culinary school with a great deal of humility. I guess that's one way of putting it!
Woke up at 6 am, noticed that the sun does not appear that early. Got ready for class, ducking in the bathroom where the space heater kept it nice and toasty for as long as possible. Ventured out to my car in the dark, which was covered in a layer of ice. As I went to open the door, I realized that it was frozen shut. I've never encountered this problem before, so I wasn't sure how to go about it. So I just pulled on the handle really hard. Apparently too hard, because it came off. I stood there in my chef outfit in the icy cold dark amazed, as I held the broken off piece of handle of our car door in my shivering hand.
So I crawled into the drivers seat from the back seat, because luckily the door to the back seat opened without that handle breaking off as well.
I drove to school and accidentally cut someone off in traffic, who then proceeded to honk at me for 15 seconds straight. I understood after the first 3 seconds that I had upset this driver, so I'm not sure why the following 12 seconds were necessary. As I was waiting for this angry driver to pass me (and I'm pretty sure make an obscene gesture at me), I realized that he/she was pulling into the same parking lot as I...
and it occurred to me that he/she may be a classmate. So I slowed my car down and sneakily parked at the other side of the parking lot, so that I would not start my education out with enemies due to my poor driving skills.
Class was fine until our first assignment. I read the recipe wrong and made a vinaigrette that was half oil and half salt. I also accidentally dumped an offensive amount of pepper into the mixture as well. It tasted so wretched that my instructor made me throw it in the garbage. I was the only student who made inedible salad dressing that was dumped into the trash can.
Lastly, to complete my first day, I read my schedule wrong and showed up 20 minutes late to my second class.
Hopefully this movie that I am apparently in has a happy ending. Kevin told me that this experience is allowing me to begin culinary school with a great deal of humility. I guess that's one way of putting it!
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Indy Mardi Gras?
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| Indiana isn't big on Mardi Gras. But I managed to find some garland, beads, and a mask at the dollar store to put together a wreath! |
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Happy New Year!
It has been so long since I've posted. Life has been busy but now that I have a cold, I have time to sit still and write.
Christmas flew by. We traveled to Louisiana on Dec. 17th and drove all day, stopping to eat lunch in South Missouri at a Mexican restaurant. We spent time in Ruston, then Benton, then Alexandria and a little time in Baton Rouge. We were able to see family and friends that we've missed so much. It's only been 4 months since we moved but it feels like longer.
I was nervous about going back to Louisiana for Christmas because I didn't want to become too homesick. There were a couple of days when we were there that I kept thinking "when can we move back down here?" But I kept remembering why we are in Indy, and I keep coming back to the peace I have about living here. There are so many reasons why we are here, and it has been fruitful. Yes, it's uncomfortable, living 14 hours away from the state that your family lives in and that you grew up in. But when I remind myself that the purpose of life is not to try to be as comfortable as possible, I feel better. I want to try to grow and learn and stretch myself and somehow make a difference in the midst of doing so.
Being home was therapeutic. I felt like I was on a tropical island for half of the time, on the days where it was warm and breezy and humid. There were tornado warnings on Christmas day, and I found myself in the closet with my mom and my cousin while my dad stood outside in a yellow poncho smoking a cigar and observing the swirling clouds above him. Luckily, we were fine. Luckily, Dad didn't blow away, although Mom's nice patio furniture did fly across the backyard right before my very eyes. It was nice to have community coffee and to not be insecure about my "accent", but most of all it was nice to be around loved ones!
On the way back from Louisiana, as our plane was landing in Indy, Kevin and I saw some strange white stuff on the ground, covering everything. Of course it was snow. Everything is covered in 3-5 inches of snow right now. I don't know how to deal with it. Guests at the hostel have caught me staring out the window with my mouth hanging open, just looking at it. It's so strange to us. I keep having to ask questions, like "do I walk on the snow or the ice?" or "what happens if my car becomes completely covered in snow? What do I do?" or "What happens when the snow melts? Is there a flood?" I'm not ashamed of my ignorance- I have to ask questions or I will never know, right?
Our firefighter friend Tony picked us up from the airport and didn't laugh at any of my questions about the snow. When we walked into the hostel, we were greeted by guests and I was filled with happiness to be returning to a place full of people who are always open to talking and sharing their stories, and often their food. With that being said, I was given toast with honey and butter and listened to the update of hostel life, while meeting a new guest from Spain who recently moved here to teach Spanish.
Something new and exciting that has happened: Kevin and I no longer live in our "basement bunk." We moved into the house next door! This house is an extension of the hostel (I'm not sure if I've mentioned that). It is where the hostel owners lived before moving to a Bed and Breakfast that they recently purchased in town.
So we have upgraded from a room the size of a closet to having a kitchen, a dining area, a living room, a bathroom, an office/hobby room, and a bedroom. This is a huge blessing! I am so happy to be above ground. The basement of this house acts as the hostel- there are 3 private rooms and a bathroom underneath us that guests use. It is quieter than living underneath the kitchen next door. It is also warmer.
So we have been busy moving in our stuff. Which didn't take long because all we had was enough stuff to fill a bedroom. We found a free couch and hopefully will be receiving a free kitchen table and tv. I was able to pack some things from home as well to bring back- like my pots and pans.
I start culinary school in about a week. It is still dark at 7 a.m. here, so I will be starting classes before sunrise (7:30 am). It's going to be hard to get up and get into my car in the freezing cold and also in the dark. But I'm excited to start!
We have been blessed with a couple who are moving into our old room next door. They are going to take over on our days off (Monday and Tuesday) as well as some nights. Kevin and I get along with them very well and we are excited to get to know them. They both enjoy people and are content with living in our former room. I am going to be sure to have them over to our house as much as possible though, because I greatly empathize with life in the basement.
Today I cooked our first meal in our new kitchen- chicken and dumplings. My mom told me that there is something in chicken broth that will help with my cold. I hope she's right!
I will try to post more pictures of the other rooms once they are picked up. As always thanks for following and supporting us!
Christmas flew by. We traveled to Louisiana on Dec. 17th and drove all day, stopping to eat lunch in South Missouri at a Mexican restaurant. We spent time in Ruston, then Benton, then Alexandria and a little time in Baton Rouge. We were able to see family and friends that we've missed so much. It's only been 4 months since we moved but it feels like longer.
I was nervous about going back to Louisiana for Christmas because I didn't want to become too homesick. There were a couple of days when we were there that I kept thinking "when can we move back down here?" But I kept remembering why we are in Indy, and I keep coming back to the peace I have about living here. There are so many reasons why we are here, and it has been fruitful. Yes, it's uncomfortable, living 14 hours away from the state that your family lives in and that you grew up in. But when I remind myself that the purpose of life is not to try to be as comfortable as possible, I feel better. I want to try to grow and learn and stretch myself and somehow make a difference in the midst of doing so.
Being home was therapeutic. I felt like I was on a tropical island for half of the time, on the days where it was warm and breezy and humid. There were tornado warnings on Christmas day, and I found myself in the closet with my mom and my cousin while my dad stood outside in a yellow poncho smoking a cigar and observing the swirling clouds above him. Luckily, we were fine. Luckily, Dad didn't blow away, although Mom's nice patio furniture did fly across the backyard right before my very eyes. It was nice to have community coffee and to not be insecure about my "accent", but most of all it was nice to be around loved ones!
On the way back from Louisiana, as our plane was landing in Indy, Kevin and I saw some strange white stuff on the ground, covering everything. Of course it was snow. Everything is covered in 3-5 inches of snow right now. I don't know how to deal with it. Guests at the hostel have caught me staring out the window with my mouth hanging open, just looking at it. It's so strange to us. I keep having to ask questions, like "do I walk on the snow or the ice?" or "what happens if my car becomes completely covered in snow? What do I do?" or "What happens when the snow melts? Is there a flood?" I'm not ashamed of my ignorance- I have to ask questions or I will never know, right?
Our firefighter friend Tony picked us up from the airport and didn't laugh at any of my questions about the snow. When we walked into the hostel, we were greeted by guests and I was filled with happiness to be returning to a place full of people who are always open to talking and sharing their stories, and often their food. With that being said, I was given toast with honey and butter and listened to the update of hostel life, while meeting a new guest from Spain who recently moved here to teach Spanish.
Something new and exciting that has happened: Kevin and I no longer live in our "basement bunk." We moved into the house next door! This house is an extension of the hostel (I'm not sure if I've mentioned that). It is where the hostel owners lived before moving to a Bed and Breakfast that they recently purchased in town.
So we have upgraded from a room the size of a closet to having a kitchen, a dining area, a living room, a bathroom, an office/hobby room, and a bedroom. This is a huge blessing! I am so happy to be above ground. The basement of this house acts as the hostel- there are 3 private rooms and a bathroom underneath us that guests use. It is quieter than living underneath the kitchen next door. It is also warmer.
So we have been busy moving in our stuff. Which didn't take long because all we had was enough stuff to fill a bedroom. We found a free couch and hopefully will be receiving a free kitchen table and tv. I was able to pack some things from home as well to bring back- like my pots and pans.
I start culinary school in about a week. It is still dark at 7 a.m. here, so I will be starting classes before sunrise (7:30 am). It's going to be hard to get up and get into my car in the freezing cold and also in the dark. But I'm excited to start!
We have been blessed with a couple who are moving into our old room next door. They are going to take over on our days off (Monday and Tuesday) as well as some nights. Kevin and I get along with them very well and we are excited to get to know them. They both enjoy people and are content with living in our former room. I am going to be sure to have them over to our house as much as possible though, because I greatly empathize with life in the basement.
Today I cooked our first meal in our new kitchen- chicken and dumplings. My mom told me that there is something in chicken broth that will help with my cold. I hope she's right!
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| This is our living room. We are not finished furnishing/decorating it yet, but this is a start! |
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| Kitchen where all the cooking magic happens |
I will try to post more pictures of the other rooms once they are picked up. As always thanks for following and supporting us!
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