The End of 2010

And our year comes to a close!

After a rocking start to 2010, we are ending on a little better note. After leaving behind a decent life in Wyoming for the rainy PNW in Portland, I feel like I am in a much better place finally. With a new beginning and new job, I almost feel like a big kid!

I am very thankful for all of my family and friends and what this past year has brought us all. So, good luck with all of your New Year's resolutions and here's to you and yours and to a fantastic 2011.

Some more new beginnings

This past week has seemed to just fly by! It's crunch time at the M and we are starting to squeeze every venue for monies.

This past weekend we traveled to Wyoming for B & R's wedding bonanza in the ever beautiful Cheyenne. After some much needed family time, Love Actually, and a 12 minute rush to get ready, we headed to the church for their ceremony.

The ceremony was a very nice and was completely entertaining by the small boy sitting in front of our party. Though this little boy was totally out of control he made me realize that kids really aren't bad, they are truly a reflection of their parents and the parenting skills. So in reality, I don't dislike kids, I dislike people. This kid was spanking his mom, in the Catholic church, screaming no and jumping up and down on the pews and chewing a wad of 9 pieces of gum in his mouth. If this had been one of us...someone would have been smacked, told to knock it off or taken out of the church.

After the ceremony we headed to the train depot for the reception and some fun times with friends. Needless to say, it was a fantastic time and I'm glad it's finally the holidays.

 

The dancing, the drinking and the spillage of the spirits all led us back to memory lane. It was great to see everyone again for such a joyous occasion and hope that there are many more to come. And thank you all, for once again putting up with the Day aka my craziness.

So, here's to new beginnings for our friends.

Tip for the Day: As the priest said, "You get mad at the ones you love the most." And remember it's only as good as you put in, so take and be happy and enjoy it with your friends and family.

Vitamin D in the PNW

Since the rain and gloom have graced Portland with it's annual presence, it would seem to be that time of year when everyone starts talking about how to not stay depressed in the PNW. One of the most common ways to avoid depression and biting off someone's head that I have heard of is to take some daily Vitamin D. Another is to hit up the tanning beds for a few minutes and in some places, such as the M, they have the UV lights to provide some much needed "sunlight" to get that calcium and Vitamin D we all need.

Now, I understand that some people are more depressed and deficient than others; however, what the doctor may prescribe sometimes seems a little ridiculous. I work with several people who have been prescribed over 2,000 mg of Vitamin D...DAILY! I mean holy cow, if you have to take that much...sheesh, y'all need to think about vacationing in the sunny parts of the world instead of staycationing here. Obviously, the Vitamin D is not just to help with depression but to help make up for some of that calcium loss during the gloom.

So, if you're planning on coming up for a visit, be prepared for little to no sunshine and some of your friends may be popping little chewable Ds, so don't be alarmed. And it's days like this that we have to enjoy, it may have been cold but it was sunny and beautiful. Thank you Mother Nature.

Tip for the Day: It is always a good idea to forecast out where you want to live next. Be sure to look at all seasons and the typical weather, no just location, schools, transportation and such. We will see if this panda bear makes it through a wet winter...

Thanksgiving for the Culinary World

With turkey day only a few days away the stores are quickly becoming filled with disgruntled home cooks looking to make the perfect Thanksgiving dinner. The shelves are packed with processed and prepackaged stuffings, breads, sauces, gravies and turkey recipes. And the Christmas items are already out and being purchased.

In my few trips to the grocery store I have seen more than one person floundering about with stacks of papers, recipe cards and pictures trying to match up the cards with the foods provided on the shelves. I am here to say- make up your own recipes. Everything does not have to match the recipes! What makes the food good is how you make it. Add your own twist to this year's Turkey Day-try deep fryin' your turkey or how about a cranberry and cornbread stuff instead of the stuff out of the box (though it is actually quite delicious). Also, don't forget to thaw your bird out!

Also, please note: We are culinary students, when you see us please remember we are people, not a walking cookbook subject to your abuse about how you don't like that or wouldn't serve that to company. If you're going to harass us about our ideas, don't ask at all. You seem like a grown-up, you be creative. Tip for the Day: Everyone gets a little testy during the holidays, do not take it out on innocent bystanders. That's why you get the family together and you can be testy at each other :) Family is important during the holidays. They ground you and remind you about home if you're out and about. So make time for the ones that will listen to you when you get uptight during the holidays because they put up with a lot of your crap. And though family is important, make time for you because the holidays can be stressful. :)

As much complaining as I am doing, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year. Surrounded by family, good food, booze and football, who could ask for anything better? This Thanksgiving, though away from most of my family, will prove to be no different. For the past few years, I have bounced back and forth between my Grandma's house in Wyoming and home in California thus being able to experience everything from turkey to pheasant, classic mashed taters to the ever so delicious butterballs. One day, I hope to have the patience to host my own Thanksgiving dinner with my own family with a little bit of everything that I've eaten over the past years. This year, I will be spending the holiday, enjoying a day off from the M and seeing some familiar faces from home and meeting new ones from Portland. And all of the above will be included.

So, here's to you and yours for this holiday!

The M

After a month working at the M, the Island Boss took some much needed time off leaving the fate of the hotel to me. You wouldn't think that ordering, taking inventory, stocking items, loading and unloading while being everyone's bitch for a week would be that hard...actually it is.

Since I had actually never called in an order it was a learning process to begin with. On top of not knowing the actual names of anything because of the Island Boss' nicknames for things were different than what they actually were. And since I hadn't actually been at the hotel for very long, getting to know what everyone ordered or which ones were slow movers or not, I was bound to make mistakes.

While I was on my own, the banquet kitchen had asked me to pick up a few shifts to help them with the busy schedule. And right after, I was promptly banned from the kitchen because I missed some big items. So, after all the missed orders, and being yelled at and getting through a week completely on my own, I now have a better understanding about food cost, ordering and time management.

Tip for the Day: Always do your best and don't let anyone tell you, your best isn't good enough. And yes, of course there is always room for improvement.

I have not forgotten

October has proven to be a wee bit of a busy month. New job, travels, friends, family and all that life is throwing this way.

I have not forgotten and will definitely have some catching up to do! With the impending rainy season upon us, there will be more time spent inside, gazing over the overcast city skyline.

As I sit here in the Denver International Airport, I remember the last time I was here- nervously making my way back to Laramie without a plan in the world to move my life to Portland. I have now been back twice to the Rockie Mountains and it is still hard to leave. However, Portland is starting to grow on me as long as the rain keeps at bay for a little while longer.

Classes right now...Nutrition and Costing and Purchasing...where to next, no one even knows.

Tip for the Day: Everything in moderation.

So tired...

3:45am up and dressed (so really up by 4:15). Out the door by 4:40 and on Big Ol' Blue and down The Hill.

Now for those of you who have not heard, this hill...The Hill, is pretty steep. Even the locals try and find a way around the hill. This past week I have now successfully biked up this bad boy. The first time I got to the top I threw my hands up in celebration at my awesome accomplish and my celebratory actions were returned by all the cars on the hill honking and cheering for me...instead of honking at me!

With the great hills of Portland, I can make it to work in about 5 minutes, depending on how long it takes to get up the other hill. From the moment I get to work, I'm a workin'. Straight through until I leave and head to class. Every day is on average an 18hr day. So needless to say, I'm a little tired...still. For my nutrition class we are required to record what we have eaten for three days and calculate our caloric, fat and other nutrients. With the new schedule, my records indicate that besides the salad and soup and 36 oz of water, I also consume about four ounces of Sour Patch Kids, 1/2 pint of Ben and Jerry's and at least one grilled cheese sandwich on any given week day.

There are several added perks such as having to taste EVERYTHING that comes in, including the new multi flavored truffles, new fruits (such as pluots and stone fruits), and any foods that I haven't tried, steel oats and the soup of the day. Not to mention the attractive delivery guy that I am forced to see twice a week. So, here's to hoping that I get more used to waking up at 4am and will survive the next year in one piece.

Tip of the Day: Sleep is important. But nutrition is also important. Sour Patch Kids do not count as a nutrient. Take the time to find out your daily caloric, fat, carb, protein, fiber and fluid intake. It's actually pretty cool what you'll find out...

Real Life is here...aka new full time j-o-b

It has been a while.

Time for some catch up!

After my wedding crashing hoorah, my first full week of work began. My new job title, lowly as it may sound, is the Receiving Clerk for the Portland Waterfront M. My boss, a Hawaiian born Filipino, who is as crazy as all of the other Filipinos that I know, loves her roots, is a dedicated family woman and according to most, never been happier than to have me working for her. She has been doing, her job as the Purchaser and my job stocking everything by herself. Though we are not the smallest people that work at the M, but we are very tiny people. Tiny people lifting 60 lb boxes and stocking things that even the tallest people have a hard time putting up on the shelf. What can I say, we're amazing.

My shifts start at 5am and since public transportation does not run that early, I have started riding my bike up and down the hills of Portland. Since, it was due for a tune up and the change in elevation did a number to the pressure in my tires, I thought it would be a good idea to ride it anyway. For two days I rode around with flat tires, peddling down hill. Big Blue (my bike) is now scheduled to have his tune up. I'm going to look like a midget body builder pretty soon. I was unaware that so much happened in the wee hours of the morning. And all of the people that I work with are so friendly and always say good morning. It has taken a few days but I think I have finally started saying good morning back.

I spend a lot of time in the walk-ins dating things, throwing product away, organizing and stocking and restocking. Something that most people have a hard time doing. If it's old, they think if they leave it there, it will go away. It's not my job to get rid of it, but I do...because health inspections are usually a surprise. Even though I stock everything as 'first in, first out' and making sure that the older product is more accessible than the new, these assholes will still dig for the best stuff, grab stuff from the back to get the newer stuff and not throw away boxes or trash when it's empty. I'm amazed that half the people that work in the food industry have jobs because we're on the good end of safety and sanitation.

My boss, the Island Boss, has me walk with her whenever she does orders, takes inventory and has me attend meetings. Essentially, I am learning the purchasing aspect for when she is away or unable to make an order. I am taking the Purchasing and Costing class and I am learning more at my job than at the thousands of dollars school that I am attending. I have even been able to cook and prep food in the kitchen. It's a good all around job.


But through it all, I really do enjoy my job. I am working hard, which is something that I didn't do a whole lot of in past jobs, not to say that I'm not a hard worker but because all of my past jobs were in my field, I was good at the things that I did in my comfort zone. Now, I'm not in my comfort zone so I have to work a little harder, but I'm still good at the things I do. 

Tip for the Day: There is such a thing as growing up. But most of us will still always be a kid at heart.

Wedding Crasher!

I figure with a full time job on my hands, my availability to go and do fun things is going to decrease. Last night, there was a wedding being thrown at the restaurant next door...live band and everything. In my aggression to try and get some sleep, I wandered down to angrily glare at the drunken guests.

When I arrived at the scene not 30 feet from the building I was approached by some of the wild guests. Well, what the heck I thought. Free booze, free dancing and free food. I'm was a big fan of Indian food and all of the other food combinations that were scattered about the tiny room. The Man, this is the name this guy actually introduced himself as, showed me around and introduced me to several people. Within the few hours that I was there, I only met the bride whose name was...Lola....Lana...something with an L.

After several hours of dancing, we were told that we had to move the party inside. I think we were being a little loud, the whole reason why I went down in the first place. I ended up going home eventually mostly because my body was so sore from the day's activities. I woke up the next morning body sore and and feet throbbing. The weekend is now also the only time to run errands and enjoy my time alone. So, I ran to the store to grab some essentials. While I was waiting in line to check out, I happen to over hear the conversation going on behind me about Will and Lorie's wedding. As I turned the two men talking stopped abruptly. All three of us just stared at each other, awkward smile and then the "Were you at...did you...?" asking all at the same time.

It was a nice adventure before real life started.

Tip for the Day: Wedding crashing- free and exciting. If you wedding crash do it right, like John Beckwith and Jeremy Grey. Know your stories and have a good time. Now, go grab your suit and make someone throw their inhibitions to the wind.

Recovery, Accountability & Lake Erie

After playing Villa de Danica for almost two weeks, I think I am finally in the recovery stage. A deep clean of my house was in need and now all that's left is to clean the ceiling. So, Villa de Danica is officially closed until the holidays.

Today in class we had our salad practical. About half way through someone found a pot of water on stove overflowing all over the stove, into the drip tray, behind the stoves and all over the floor. Someone had started filling their pot and left it and apparently forgot, thus creating Lake Erie all over the kitchen. I know there are a few people from class who do read this, so here's a recap. After someone found it and announced that it had overflowed, he left it there to finish his practical. Chef Cabbage asked the person who was responsible to take care of the mess. Silly me to think that someone would take accountability for their actions and clean up Lake Erie on their own.

After finishing my practical, I started to clean up our station. Dropping and running seems to be a nice theme of my classmates, once again. As I started to throw trays of uncleaned dishes into the dishwasher, I looked over to see the stack of dishes that people had just left. Frustrated by the fact that we are now 6 months through and into week 4 of this class people are still not cleaning up after themselves, I yelled something like, "You guys can't even clean your ----ing dishes on salad week?" It's not really that hard and you won't end up with a pile of dishes to do at the end. The comment was followed by Chef Cabbage making fun of the fact that I had said something about the dishes again.

I walked over to grab some dishes to put away and found Lake Erie still at its prime in the middle of the floor. A solid hour after it should have been cleaned up. Further frustrated by my inept, lazy and selfish classmates, I yelled some more profanities and went to grab a mop and bucket. Still needing to clean up my own mess, I began to mop up the water while having the rest of the class slosh through the water. "Seriously?" was all I could say. And they just looked at me with this annoyed look. Seriously? Several people came by and asked what I was doing. Seriously?

I aggressively but politely recruited another classmate to help me clean up the mess and it started to go by more quickly. We finished cleaning and I went to go and clean up the rest of my station. To put it bluntly, I was livid and wished karma would kick in at this person. Chef Cabbage came over and started to thank me for cleaning up. I told him it wasn't about being thanked, it is the fact that people in this class need to take accountability for their shit and clean it up. As I huffed and puffed and blew all my food into the compost, he told me to take a deep breathe. He said I was already upset about the dishes when I found the water and I should have left it at the dishes; done my good deed for the day and let someone else clean up the lake. I went for a walk.

Later I apologized for getting so mad. He told me I had a conscience.

Not that I need to be reminded of this, but classmates, you guys need to get it together. I'd be a pretty great dishwasher and so would 3 other people in the class because we're always the ones doing your dishes. It's a good thing I can multi-task. do your dishes, clean up your mess and get my own stuff done. It's a good thing I know who'll be getting a solid externship and job. One way thinkers don't do well in the kitchen...that's why we have trash collectors.

Tip for the Day: Once again, be accountable...jerks.

Timber's Soccer

Yesterday we were lucky enough to experience our very first Timber's game against Puerto Rico. Little Pearly is here for a visit and to commemorate the return of some more Wyoming/Colorado we decided to pregame it before heading down to the stadium. Originally we had planned on everyone meeting up here and then heading over but everyone seemed to be running a bit late. So, in the process Little Pearly and I proceeded to go through a better half of bottom shelf vodka with orange drink. By the time that we met up with everyone our happiness level was the equivalent to the end of the first quarter of a UW Cowboys game...even if we were losing.

Free nachos and beer-Thank you "Ladies" and Man

It took us the better half of the first half to figure out what color we actually were, usually we are green but for some reason this game it was black and white. After cheering for the opposite team for almost 40 minutes, we, and by we, I mean our entire group was confused, finally realized we were the black color. Just like most stadiums we were limited to purchasing only two drinks at a time and since there was no 7th inning stretch, booze sales stopped at the 80th minute. Our first run resulted in a awesomely discounted domestics and free Philly Cheese Steak Nachos. Thank you man from the Timber's Army for your conversation, discounted beer and nachos-great recommendation and I owe you.

In the 85th minute the Timber's scored and with sunflowers in the air, PGE Park exploded in song and cheers. By this time it was very apparent that no one really knows how to pregame it like Wyoming and Little Pearly and I were very much jubilated. So, dressed in green (instead of red) Little Pearly, McAsian and I made our way to the Irish Pub with their double decker bus for celebration and good music....or so we thought.

We celebrated, along with a bachelor party and the music was terrible. The Puerto Rican Irish bartender and I had several discussions about what makes a true Irish and why there weren't more people here celebrating. Week day games, especially before a holiday, are not cause enough for great celebration. The Irish Pub is also usually the last stop on everyone's trek from the Park. Needless to say our game experience for the first time was fantastic and I can't wait to go to more games. The fans are loyal and true. It was so much better watching from the stands rather from the rooftop-it's a more authentic feel. And for those of you who thought we were 'out of control', ha- clearly you have no sense of adventure to enjoy all the things that life throws at you in the moment. You will not survive the Army. It will be great to see the stands fully packed come next season. *insert Irish cheer

Tip for the Day: Everyone is accountable for their actions, including me. Don't treat me like a child. No matter how much fun you are having always be responsible and for the most part I am, especially in the city. I will jump without knowing where or when I will land but I will make sure the adventure ends up safe. I am no one's problem but my own, and you are your own problem. If you are going to hurt yourself, of course I will catch you before you fall. So the tip for today-be accountable and be responsible. Make good decisions!

White Hairs

It's been a while since I got a hair cut. The last time I got it cut was at this fabulous place in Laramie- Flux Studios owned and ran by my awesome friend Trina. Since then, I'm too scared to have anyone else cut my hairs. Yesterday, I was standing in front of the mirror contemplating how the day was going thus far and what my plans were going to be for the rest of the day. That's when I noticed them.

Now, I have always had a small cluster of white hair at the very top of my head  (hehe, my dad also has a patch of white hair at the very top of his head). And whenever I would go get my hair cut, I would just get them cut or if someone saw them they would rip them out of my head. So, the white hairs haven't been tended to in some time now. And they seemed to have started their own colony directly in my part and on the top of my head. I'm beginning to look like Rogue.

In the instant that I noticed them, I suddenly freaked out and realized...O.M.G. I'm getting old. Yes, yes, I realize I am not that old but holy cow! I would say 60% of my friends are married, getting married and/or have kids or are pregnant. I am one of the few that do not have a stable job and/or is still going to school. When I was 19 (yes, not that long ago) I gave myself a list of things that I wanted to do before I turned 30. And now, that time is quickly approaching and my list has been pushed to the back burner. So, now it's time to get back in the saddle. Finish the things that I've started and stop being scared of growing up because growing up happens. I fished through all of my things and found my 30s list. Time to "finish an unfinished project".

Things to do Before I'm 30 (the old and the new):
-Visit all 50 states
-Visit all 7 continents
-Get my bachelor's degree
-Pay off all my debt
-Be happy
-Get my master's
-Grow a garden successfully
-Fall in love
-Live in a new place
-Take a road trip by myself
-Finish an unfinished project
-Run a marathon
-Climb a mountain
-Build something from scratch
-Write a book
-Fall in love...again...get married...?...for real
-Ski all season
-Go to the Philippines with my family
-Be in charge of someone's well being...aka get a dog
-Hike the John Muir or through the Red Woods
-Learn how to fly fish
-Raft the Colorado
-Siblings only getaway
-Make my own wine
-Go to church, voluntarily
-Eat something new
-Visit home more often
-Volunteer, voluntarily
-Get a job

Tip for the Day: No goal is unattainable. Bumps happen along the road but don't let those stop you. Pick yourself back up because you have people to support you through the good, the bad, the ugly. Good luck to those of you who also have goals to still complete...

Beef- It's what's for Dinner

Foundations III is where we get all or at least most of our meat education. This week we are working on beef, lamb, pork and veal. Today we got fabricate a big chuck of beef. I was lucky enough to fabricate the harder of the three cuts and learned a lot. I was also lucky enough to work with another group today and get a feel for how other groups work together.

Meat can be a very expensive thing. And it is also a learned skill that can actually be pretty useful. As I learned today, there is a TV show that had groups of people try to fabricate a leg of beef. Only one group was able to do it. Obviously, not everyone is going to go on a TV show and have to fabricate some sort of meat, but the skill is nice to have to help save money.

During my undergrad I was so poor one year that I was involuntarily a vegetarian. I wasn't too upset about it, better diet, I felt better and less money was being spent. I still have a hard time eating pork but burgers and steaks are delicious! Now a days, I'm almost back to the poverty stricken college student, the difference now is that my tuition also pays for some of the produce like meat. The LCB diet is great. And now that we are able to break down different meat and know how to shop for the good pieces at a great price. So, this week we'll have to see how the plates turn out...

Working with another group, was amazing change. For the first time in a group, I didn't feel the need prove myself, I just felt like I was learning right along with everyone else. No one second guessed me, because we were all on equal groung. I also didn't feel the need to slap anyone in the face with some sort of product. But, I'm still willing to stick it out with the group I was given.

Tip for the Day: Marbling, or the fat throughout the meat, is a good thing. If you see a lot of marbling through a steak and the price is good and marked as Choice grade, buy it, enjoy it, savor the taste of quality at your Safeway price.

The World is Not Fair, again.

One of the things that keeps me in school are the instructors. We've had Chef Shotgun, Chef Keep You on Your Toes, the Baker/Trainer Chef, and now we have a comical duo- Chef Bacon and Chef Cabbage. A lesson that I am constantly being reminded of is that the world is not fair. Not that I expect it to be.

In this final foundations class, we have weekly written exam, knife skillz tests and a black box practical. The black box is a random dish that we created during the week to make perfect for a test grade. For these black boxes, I am incredibly prepared. So if you miss a class and ask for my help, yes I will help you but carrying you is not my job. This last black box I did carry someone and got a dish that I excelled at during the week. This person, took parts of my prepared product, was constantly complaining on how things were different from the book (maybe if you showed up to class, you'd know what was going on) and scored better than I did and had to add in a comment, "Don't be mad at me because I do better than you". By the way, your welcome for the help ass.

After I got our grades back, I was upset. Rightly so. I work hard and made a beautiful plate that came easily to me to create. So instead of leaving me alone, this person tried to make a joke out of his better success and I told him not to talk to me, for his own safety you see. So what did his 12-yr-old self do? Went and told Chef Cabbage that I was in a bad mood and pissed because he had graded me unfairly.

Chef Cabbage (named because it rhymes) is one of the many chefs that I have started looking up to for his knowledge and advice. He called me over and asked me, "It's not fair is it?" He wanted to know why I was upset and I explained to him that I was by no means upset at him for his grading. Obviously there were things wrong with the plate and he knows what he is talking about. I was more upset at the fact that the definition of hard work is not met at the same standards by all. Chef Cabbage explained to me, the further along we get through the class and the program, the harder we're graded because they get to know us better. Of course, that makes sense. We're pushed. That's why we're here. And if it made me feel any better, from what he's seen, he'd hire me. Thank you for the ego boost and confidence for the weekend. And I appreciated him taking the time to find out why I was upset and try to help me figure it out.

This weekend was also Picnic Palooza for LCB. It is an annual get together outside of the city that Chef Shotgun puts together and cooks all the food. And it is very obvious that he looks forward to this every year. This year, our administration said, if less than 150 people show up, this will be the last year that they put this on. Life isn't fair. There are so many people who did not want to go because they thought it was stupid and to be honest, if I had not had a ride, I would not have gone. There was good food, and it was interesting to see everyone out of uniform, playing volleyball and chatting. And Chef Shotgun was disappointed when we headed out. We really were there for him. Life isn't fair when you work hard for something and are passionate about it and it goes by unappreciated. Hopefully we will have another picnic next year.

Tip for the Day: Wine helps ease the days woes. Everything in moderation. But so does comfort food. So the next time you need something to add to your comfort food, add on some Country Gravy:
2 slices chopped bacon
1 oz clarified butter
2 oz flour
1 pint whole milk
Dried thyme, sage, black pepper

Render bacon and butter. When crispy remove bacon and make a roux with the fat and flour.
Heat milk in separate pan with dried herbs to rehydrate.
When roux is ready let cool and temper in milk.
Whisk in tempered product into hot milk and reduce at least 25 minutes.
Serve on top of Southern Fried Chicken, Pan fry anything...

Inspiration

As of right now, this is something I am lacking.

Foundations III, our last foundations class, allows us an opportunity to be creative with our plates. And still I feel uninspired. I think it has something to do with the impending winter weather of constant rain and dreary clouds.

Alas, still feeling a lack of inspiration...

Tip for the Day: ....I've got nothin'.

Food on Top of Bread and Eating with your Hands

Since moving to Oregon, there has been one thing that I have been searching for-Ethiopian food or Moroccan food. The way these dishes are normally served is on top of a crepe like pancake and with no silverware. Thus, food on top of bread and eating with your hands! And since Portland is best known for its food, I figured this would be the best place to look. I have heard horror stories about some pretty bad places to eat and the good places were never open when I could go.

A friend of mine works at a small Ethiopian place that K Dub and I had found on accident one day. Last night a group of us headed down to Bete Lukas for some much needed food on top of bread. It was a quaint little place on the second floor of a small building right off the main road. It's a small place and family own and run. My friend works pretty much as the sous chef in the kitchen. The owner, Peter, is a quick-witted, hilarious, Ethiopian man with a good heart. He looks after his employee, my friend, and cares greatly for his customer's well being. While talking to him, he compared his restaurant to a hospital; people come in with a need and he tries to alleviate their aliments through awesome tasting food and good company.

Ken, MER and I ordered the beef and veggie combos mostly because we didn't know how to pronounce half the things on the menu. And when it arrived I was so excited!

Like a kid in a candy store. I had finally got what I had wanted and been searching for! Not too spicy and very filling. They provided an extra pancake and we plowed through most of what was there. The spicy beef stew and chickpeas were delicious and hit the spot after a long day. The spices and mixtures blended so well together and the honey wine would have been a pairing.

There are also a few other places to get this delicious food but I am glad that we were able to see a friend in action and meet new ones. It's making the SE a more desirable place to reside in...Next on the list I think we'll head to the Moroccan place. We're looking for at least eight people to go on this adventure. Eight people gets you an entire goat and I'm sure an interesting experience!

Tip for the Day: Food is a people pleaser and brings a lot of people together. It makes people happy when they taste something good and something they have been craving. So make great food and enjoy!

Shun

Before coming out to Portland and even before working at WS, I had really never heard of the kife line, Shun. They are one of a few well-known lines through the world and are truly based on tradition. Shun knives are created using centuries of knowledge of samurai sword making. Home base for these kinves come from Japan though there are several distributors and stores throughout the world. They are light weight, beautiful and expensive knives.

Working at WS has made me somewhat knowledgeable on the 12 knife sets that we carry. And the line that we carry the most of is Shun and I am by no means, an expert on these knives. I really want a Shun because I like the way they feel and since they are meant for the main purpose of slicing. Recently Shun came out with a new line and so the the presidents of all of the regions had a meeting to discuss the new line and go out and check them out in the market.

Last night at work a group of Japanese men walked into the store and the Boss and I greeted them with an slight reference to relatives of mine... They were men on a mission and headed straight to the cutlery section. So, I walked over to ask if they wanted to see any of our knives. Ha, little did I know I should have asked, "Would you like to see any of your knives?" The first man turned around and said we had a beautiful display of knives and introduced himself as the President of the Northwest region for Shun. The man to his left, the Owner of Shun knives, visiting from Japan. Let the smoozing commence!

After chatting with them about their visit, I promptly hustled over to inform the Boss. After several minutes they looked around the store, thanked us and left. Quick visit but it was neat that came to our store. The Boss and I started talking about their visit and they had told him, "If you need anything let me know!" Why thank you, I'll take a 10-Piece Bob Kremmer block set please.

Tip for the Day: Know your products! You'll never know who is going to drop in and ask questions or admire your displays...!

Foodie Friends

One of the things that is great about going to culinary school is that you meet a lot of people who are interested in some of the same things you are, food and libations. The down side to this is unless you have other friends, these are the only people you hang out with. Please do not fret culinary school friends (what little of them I have left), this is merely an observation, I still heart most of you.

When we all get together or even a few of us, it seems like for the most part all we talk about is food. And if we're not talking about food the conversation will eventually lead to food. Now talking to people outside of the conversation looking, they are completely intrigued by the banter and showing off that sometimes happens. However, for those of you that hate working 9 hour days and then coming home to not only keep working but also to have to talk about work some more, this is somewhat similar. Though food is our life and we are passionate about the things we are doing, there are some days when we just need a down day- no work, just play.

I do realize that we are all in school, but dear foodie friends it is not necessary to show off what you know about food since we are all learning the same things. Also, while we are throwing a party for us all to enjoy in the 100 degree weather, criticizing the food just makes people grouchy, constructive criticism can wait until the following day, so stop being a pretentious ass. In addition, it is unkind to just take things from the hosts' house because you think it is funny. Unless you are a good friend and it's a habit between friends, just don't do it.

The benefits of having foodie friends do weigh out the saggy negatives. Every party, even our White Trash party, was paired with some delicious trashy foods. We compare notes in the kitchen and out of the kitchen, we practice cooking our chicken and starches and creating different dishes from our foundations. We know or hear about all of the cool places to eat and where to go for the best products. Going to restaurants is pretty rough too, but that's a whole other thing in itself. We know how to have a good time and entertain the people around us.

Tip for the Day: My dad always had to remind my brother and I (our sister is the angelic one) about humility. And as much as I toot my own horn, his reminders have toned us, or me at least ;) ,down quite a bit. In the food business, be proud of what you serve and serve it with a little humility on the side.

First the Puff, now the Chocolate

I respect the Puff, and now, I respect the Chocolate. This week we are finishing up our final week of Patisserie and Baking, THANK GOODNESS! Over the last six weeks I have decided that being a pastry chef is not in my future. Patience is key and I feel trapped in a box, in class there is limited time for creativity, for me at least. There is little repetition to apply what you have learned to new areas. Though I have learned a lot, this is an area that I am glad to know the basics. As time goes on, I will for surely add to my knowledge.

This week is candies. Truffles, sour candies, caramels, toffees, brittles. The last two days we have also tempered chocolate. Chocolate, unless it's in ice cream, is not one of my favorites. To temper chocolate takes a lot of patience. We had to do ours twice. It was constantly setting up on us, chocolate was on everything and we were just running out of time to get our products on the mirror. To prevent finger tipping we threw on gloves, making it a little harder to not get chocolate on everything and to stir things. Aside from the chocolate, everything else was easy to put together. There was so much effort put in to the chocolate that as much as I dislike chocolate now, I do, like the puff pastry, have a lot of respect for it's production.

Tip for the Day: When dealing with melting chocolate, have a designated outfit is always helpful. OxyClean is also a good thing to have on hand.

Wine Tasting in Oregon

Most of my wine tasting experience has been in California. Beautiful, hot, refreshing and always in good company. Wine tasting in Oregon is about the same, but the view is so much different and not very hot. It's hard to explain but it's almost brighter, more clear. Though part of our adventure took us through the dismal, burb area of Hillsboro it was still a lot of fun. Thank goodness we just passed through.

Now, just as a note, we did hit up the Garlic Festival right before our wine tour. And for the most part it was a good thing that we all did this activity together. Aside from the occasional burp, we were ok. We got to see elephant garlic in its many forms, ice cream, beer, pies, sticks, soap, you name it, it was probably there. Tip for the day: Do not consume copious amounts of garlic before wine tour and then talk about throwing up on said wine tour with a tummy full of garlic. Just a thought, but it does add to all the fun!

Our wine adventure took us to five vineyards, Apolloni, Shafer, David Hill, Patton Valley and Adridi, and on some great turn a rounds through the country. The weather was beautiful and we couldn't have asked for a better day. And though D Dub was driving, he was able to enjoy many pinots and our ridiculousness. By the end, we had tasted 12 too many Pinots and eaten an entire block of cheese. Our palate for pinots had blended them all together and we only tasted one Merlot in the whole day. We savored the difference and enjoyed so many variations. It was a good day, garlic, wine and good company.

To be fair to Oregon, they have some decent wines for the region. My companions on my trip had very different tastes compared to mine but this makes it all the more interesting. It was a great experience and I'm glad that my palate and opportunities give me a chance to taste so many different wines.  However, I have yet to find a wine from Oregon that I can say, "Oh my God that is amazing!" It's not to say that I haven't enjoyed most wines that I have tasted. Wine is an art and I would never tell an artist that his or her works was bad, but honesty is our best critique sometimes, so yours is just not my cup of tea. Being on the same latitude as southern France you would think that the wines would be similar in taste and for the most part they are, just have a little more added to them. They are unique to the area.

Again, the day was a success and I was glad that K Dub could enjoy some time with D Dub. So, if you come to visit, I know of some great places to go for tasty wines, beautiful sights and delicious foods. Until our next adventure.

the What Fest 2010

Every year my friend Marko puts together an awesome time in between Powell and Cody, Wyoming. At a little bar, with free camping and the Wyoming wilderness surrounding you various bands from the region come to play for you, for fun, for free. People from all over travel to have a great time and meet up with old friends and meet new ones.

This year, after a whole slew of events, I made my way from my Portland studio back to the Cowboy State for some much needed home time. After frantically putting together my pastries and getting lost in the SE trying to find the TomTom, I headed to the airport to pass the traffic time with my cousin, her husband and his parents. It was the little bits and pieces of the Rockie Mountains that kept coming to me that reminded me why I wanted to head back home. Right after we caught up, I hit the road about 3 hrs later than I had intended. Within my 9 hour drive to Missoula, I had some nice conversations with myself, had some me time and finally got to see the stars again. My arrival in Missoula resulted in only a few hours of sleep and then back on the road to the camp site in Wyoming.

I arrived with Star Wars cookies in hand and was greeted by familiar faces and an Olympia. And so started the hours of debauchery. Tent city took over most of the area and the river ran wild. I set up the Nutshell in heart of what would later be bongo city in the early hours of the morning. The first night, as always, was amazing. Various bands such as the Upbeat Project, RatTrapper, the Patti Fiasco and Jalan Crossland rocked out for everyone. With old and new friends, we danced our little hearts away. Piggly Wiggly was soaked in the goodness from the festival and after 14 hrs of driving, 2 hrs of getting lost and the increase in elevation to help me out, I finally slept like a baby.

The next day passed in a blur. The bongos and steak cook off woke us all up early and we tried our best to recover for the day's up and coming events. I found my friend Timateo and we enjoyed the weather and some much needed catch up time. We all took a quick "shower" in the fast paced river and cooled down our 2nd degree burns and even got to watch the port-a-potties get emptied. I think throughout the day, I took 3 naps. And then after a game of Cops and Robbers and a few more naps, it started all over again! Music until the early hours of the morning and people being fully entertained with themselves. I continued to eat my sammich, Sour Patch, and PBR diet. Early Sunday morning, I took down the Nutshell and packed up the car and started my unwilling 14 hr trip back to Portland. As I drove away from Edelweiss, my heart twinged.

This trip helped me realized something. My heart belongs to Wyoming. But more importantly, I realized that your friends can some times disappoint you but you have to enjoy the time, what little time it is, with them. You can always have a good time, if you want to have a good time. I thought this trip was going to be a lot harder for other reasons than the driving. One of the most important things that we want, are to see the people that we care about happy, no matter how much it hurts. It's so easy to be mad at the things or people that hurt you. But to realize in a moment that you are in a better place and in that moment you are happy, washes away the being mad, even just for a moment. Wyoming is my home and oh man do I miss it. I have learned some of my most valuable lessons there and I can't wait to go back again.

The What Fest is just one of the things that makes Wyoming summers. For those of you who are ever in the area, this well worth your time to come around and visit. The success of the festival is all based on donations and it all goes to the bands. So, thank you What Fest! It was great seeing all of you and thanks for making it an awesome time!

Respect the Puff

Puff pastry is delicious savory or sweet. Packed with 1/2 pound of European butter, making it from scratch makes it even more derishous. It took us two days to make our puff pastry and from there we turned it into palmiers, pastry cups filled with pastry cream and fruit, turnovers, napoleons, and several other fattening and scrumptious things. Two days of mixing, folding, resting, folding and sheeting. Apparently, puff pastry was also the result of an accident. A lot of work for an accident.

A two day process that led to so many light and flaky pieces of goodness, I thought to myself, what's the difference between this homemade one and the already packaged one. So I bought some packaged puff and tested it out. Wow, once again, homemade things are just that much better than the processed stuff. It's hard to describe just how great the differences are, but if you should feel so inclined to make your own puff pastry, it is worth tasting the difference for yourself.

Though puff pastry is now for the most part commercially made, think about all those times when it was made by hand and those people who still do make it by hand. Two days to make about four pounds of puff pastry. Respect the puff.

Tip for the day: Fat in moderation for delicious goodness. Too much fat makes it melty and not as flaky. Don't squish the puff, you will lose the layers.

BreakIn' City Life

Today was one of my few days off and McAsian and I decided to really use the day. Through our sign ups for great deals in Portland, McAsian found coupons for ridiculously inexpensive sailing lessons. Unfortunately it was a bit on the cooler side and so we opted to use the tickets at a different time. So instead we stopped by a local billiards place for McAsian to apply for a job and perhaps grab some inexpensive food. They weren't open so I suggested a place that just opened up down the street from my house. A classy little restaurant and lounge called Element. After an exciting adventure of trying to find a parking spot we walked into the joint and our greeter seated us at the bar and turned out to also be our bartender.

Element is a local, organic, everything from scratch place. Tasty food, limited local brews but has some great potential. Our studly bartender provided us with some great conversation, cheap finds and recommendations to see and do. McAsian and I turned it into a business meeting...to be discussed later.

Our early afternoon adventures took us out to LH Park. It was like being in the 'burbs in the city, really nice and it looked pretty safe. We parked the car and headed out to the grassy knolls to lay in the sun. After some more brainstorming and several cat naps (about an hour) we headed back to the car so we could head to a local bar for a free show and some evening fun! As we approached the car, we noticed shattered glass all over the ground. After chatting with the locals, they told us that they had had several smash and grab break ins. Well add us to the list. Several calls to the non emergency dispatch and a hefty clean up, McAsian finally filled out her over the phone police report. It seems that PDX only sends officers down if there is an emergency...yeah. But all is well. No one was injured and the things that were stolen are easily replaceable with money.

Needless to say, our evening was cut short but we still had a great day. McAsian and I decided to start another blog to document "Adventures of our Favorite Four Letter 'F' Word...FREE!" so be on the look out!

Tip for the Day: Look on the bright side, things could be worse. And don't forget smile.

Star Wars Day

Today was a day that I connected with my true inner Asian. After a class of starting puff pastry, soft rolls and croissants, I headed home to finally play with the Star Wars cookie cutters I recently purchased after three months of waiting. While I made my sugar cookie dough and got the cutters ready I turned on some classic anime and danced along to Thriller during commercials.

After a stressful day at work, leaving an hour later than normal and calling the local authorities due to a suspicious character yelling at us and trying to open the door, I made it back to my cookies. Frostings ready and cookies all cooled. I popped in number III, Revenge of the Sith and started another Star Wars marathon. I checked my fb and found that my awesome sister completed my SWD by posting a subway improv skit of Princess Leia confronting Lord Vader in IV. It was amazing.

However, after continuing to decorate my cookies, I have yet another reason to be thankful that I am not a full time baker. Patience is not one of my stronger qualities but I will take the time to make quality Star Wars cookies. As you can see, I ran out of steam to finish decorating. I wish I liked sweets more in order to appreciate the time and effort that bakers put in to making pretty things like cookies and tarts. And of course there is an added cost of having to purchase frosting and cutters and icing, another expense. Regardless, of the baking downfalls...best day ever. May the force be with you.

Tip for the Day: "Control, control, you must learn control!" When decorating, patience and control makes for steady lines and even decorating, if not, they get all scruffy lookin'.

Dear Manboys:

Dear Manboys of LCB-

I am one of those people who values my personal space, this may or may not come with the selective cases of OCD. But more importantly, I value my personal space especially if I don't know you and have given you NO indication that it is ok to come within my bubble. With the tight areas in the kitchen, I have come to grips that we will all be working in close proximity to each other. However, this still gives you no right to come into my bubble uninvited just because you feel like "it will better your chances of getting to know me". I am having to constantly mentally and physically cleanse myself from your creepiness.

I am here to learn, I have no intention of spending time with you outside of class. Do not patronize me and speak to me like a child. Or anyone else for that matter. I am not a dog, so don't pat me on the head and say, "Good job, Dani" when I cleaned a table, it's part of what we do in the kitchen, you should try it too. My name is not Sweetie, Girl or hey you, I have the poor judgment to call you by your name to your face so please use mine. Yes, I know how to use a computer. Brush your teeth. Just because you don't do your homework or know what you're doing does not mean that I also do not know what I'm doing. Thank you for your help but I am here to learn and make mistakes. And you reading me the instructions isn't really helping, we've established that I can read now.

Being nice or standing next to you does not mean I want to be your friend or date you, I'm just standing there or I really am just being nice. When you ask me what I am doing on the weekend or on my time off, please do not invite yourself or take it as an invitation, I'm responding to your question. Stalking my friends and I is a guaranteed result in a restraining order and the end of your budding chef's career when you lose fingers. You are also here to learn and we are paying someone a lot of money to teach us, not for others to recite the entire lecture back to you.

There are 7 women in our class. Disrespecting us is not in your best interest as many of us have proven. Many places may be male dominated, it makes what we accomplish more unique and in many cases, less cookie cutter. With places like the VQ, women are proving we are an incredible asset to the kitchen and to the culinary world. We are a growing force in this industry and so far in this program, we're on top and proving you wrong for putting us down. We know we have faults and we are all still learning. And in the kitchen we set aside our egos and chauvinistic crap. We get our stuff done, accept constructive criticism, and treat you with respect, so don't treat us like we're below you. If you admit that you are wrong, when you are, it helps the learning process (ladies too...).

Thanks.

Tip for the Day: If you are eating food produced from our class I recommend eating food made by one of the women or the Carpenter. The majority of the others in the class do not wash their hands.

The Finger

I wish this was some clever tale about the homeless who flipped me off for not sharing my pizza from K Dub with him. Unfortunately this is just another my wounded finger story and an observation of Portland's medical experts. As mentioned in another social network, it has taken me 24 years and a few weeks too late for me to actually listen to my parents. When my dad told me I should go to the hospital after I was attacked by my paring knife, I really should have gone. Well, I DID finally go...my finger for the most part had healed but was still swollen and incredibly painful.

After calling around, I found a pretty reliable health care facility and headed there after class, in full uniform and knives. I would have to say the highlight of the day was getting my vitals checked by the studly male nurse, who reappeared several times during my hour visit. He was also the second person to ask me if my injury was going to be on workers comp. I also found that I have lost weight since started culinary school. Now with pastry and baking, one can only hope that it stays that way. The doctor came in, asked me again if this was a work related injury, again I replied no, as I refused help at school. After several semi painful tests, she could find no reason why my finger still hurt or wouldn't bend. Her solution and I quote, "Let me go look at my anatomy book to double check that the tendons and nerves wouldn't be in that area." Seriously?

She came back with the same response and then said, "Seeing as you're a chef or on your way-this isn't a workers comp, right?-I think you're going to need your fingers. I'm recommending that you go see the hand surgeon." Seriously? Seeing as you just had to double check with your book, yeah I'll take that recommendation just to make sure and thanks for covering your ass. So, hand surgeon on Monday.

Up until today I was totally convinced that the digit was fine and that by going to the hand surgeon I was making up for not going the first time, when my parents told me to go. Today, on a extended work day, I dropped a Breville blender on my finger, not even on my hand...on the finger. It's like the equivalent to a small Le Cruset pot in weight. I watched the cut split back open and I saw the inside of my finger. Before it could start bleeding, I regressed back the test and bandaged that sucker up. Clumsy-then I ran into the giant trash dumpster in the stock room. I'm like PoHo in a china cabinet.

So, lesson learned again...Tip for the day: before a long day, eat some carbs. No one wants to hear "Granola bar? I want a cheeseburger" or suffer several accidents throughout the day due to lack of awareness.

Baking and Not Baking

This week marked our start of our second session and the beginning of Pastry and Baking for some of us. After two days of baking biscuits, pies and tarts, I'd have to say, I must be one of the worst bakers. Being down a digit also makes the process a little slower as well. One doesn't realize that you do actually use all of your fingers to do every day things. As far as my finger goes, heading to the doctors tomorrow to find out if I will need surgery an/or physical therapy. Woot! So for the time being the digit is in a splint and we have ceased on the self appointed physical therapy.

Yesterdays biscuits were a bit overworked and huge. But they make pretty great sandwiches. Today...ha today we used some of our pie dough to make derishous apple pie! Or what we thought would be derishous apple pie. Mama MER and I have sat next to each other and started our own little group like in the last class. Today we broke up the ingredients to get and got ready to bake. After we got all of the ingredients we started putting everything together to make our pies. I put our topping together and MER got our filling together. Then after a while, I started to look at my filling mixture and noticed that it had started to bubble, in the bowl, just bubbling and looking really gross. But seeing as I was the last one to finish the day before, I decided to just keep going. Bubbling couldn't be bad. I thought we may have a weird ingredient in the mix or maybe not enough. We put our pies in the oven and continued doing our doughs for the following days.

We checked our pies and noticed that they looked different from everyone else's...they were over flowing with goo, like really overflowing. After talking to Chef we decided that it was due to too much liquid from our lemon juice and not enough cornstarch, all of which MER got for us. Now, as a side note, cornstarch is what thickens and makes the pie have that syrupy part to it. So, if you don't put the cornstarch in or have enough it'll be too liquidy. After about an hour we took the pies out and took a look. Not bad, just super gooy and crispy on the outside. MER tasted hers and said it had a funny taste. Well it was our first try and all. I decided to take it home anyway, maybe I could salvage it when I got home.

MER decided to walk with me and then she asked, "So, what container was the cornstarch in? The round one or the plastic container?" I almost smacked her. "The cornstarch was in the box, with the picture of the corn on the front," I told her. Well, that explains it all; the weird melting, bubbling, gooy mess and the weird taste, we must have put something not right in the mix. The world's worst bakers at your service. "So, what did you grab then," I asked. MER gave me a guilty look and said, "Baking soda." Are you freaking kidding me.

TIP FOR YOUR LIFE: READ THE LABELS. What if you wanted chicken but were allergic to apples and the chicken was served with carmelized apples and you ordered it anyway because you didn't read the whole thing. I should have double checked but seriously read your labels to know what you're working with....Needless to say, I would not give anything away that I myself would not eat, so the pies were promptly thrown away.

Happy Birthday America!

After spending the last few "Freedom's Birthdays" in the West and various countries, I have to say spending this one in Oregon was one of the more interesting! For the past few weeks there seems to be a parade for just about anything here in Portland. It's America's freaking birthday, was there a huge parade heading through downtown? Ha, no! Interesting. Though a parade does not illustrate our patriotism, I still feel like Freedom's birthday ranks a bit higher than the Rose Festival (oh she didn't! yeah, yeah I did).

Other than that, 4th of July in Portland is pretty entertaining! We all enjoyed plenty of sweet music by our local bands and then got ready for our rooftop bbq and fireworks show. For the first time, everyone who came contributed to our fine feast and we had plenty of libations to go around. The communal grill was lite and getting its use all day. For the most part, everyone up there shared their food and each others company. We got to watch a half field of the Beaver's victory over the 51s. As the game came to a close, the rooftop started getting pretty packed and it started to get a little chilly.

So, we hunkered down in our prime places and got ready for the after show fireworks. Before our show in Portland started we started to see all the fireworks in Washington. From my rooftop we had a 360 degree view of everywhere and could see the whole horizon just exploding with fireworks. Then suddenly there were tons of fireworks going off right behind the building, level with the deck. I don't think I've ever been that close to fireworks before. Then the Waterfront Show started and then the PGE Park show started. We had almost two hours of fireworks all around us, it was awesome! The night before people had set off fireworks for hours and the party continued all night long on the fourth. After several adventures, we made it to the beginning of the morning. Happy Birthday America!

Picture: Our spread for the day, homemade zucchini (from the farmers market) bread, fresh caught the day before grilled salmon, Omaha burgers, grilled portabello mushrooms with caprese salad toppings, grilled zucchini with Parmesan cheese, chips and salsa and baked sweet potato fries.

Tip for the Day: Again, clean as you go. It makes the night more enjoyable and the next day a little more bearable. Also, it is easier when cooking, to utilize all of your cooking methods, so as great as everything looked, there was a lot of grilling going on. So if that's your plan, always have a back up plan, in case your cooking method bails on you...

No more breaks

While doing my undergrad work, I couldn't wait for weeks off and breaks and even during the first few weeks of LCB I couldn't wait for our first three day weekend. However, now for the first time, I can't wait to go back to class. Since my hours for work during break are less for some reason, I am even more bored. Up until yesterday it was great being outside and walking around and exploring parts of Portland that I didn't have time to get to before. Now it's raining, again. I've been told that it'll warm up after the 4th...I've heard that before (it'll warm up right after the Rose Festival).

As nice as not having a schedule is, I'm bored. I'm so bored that I have started to set up my schedule for the upcoming cycle...waking up at 5:45am. My work out schedule has been a little quirky and so now I have to rework it into the new schedule. The ever impending rain makes it really hard to be outside and Poho (K Dub's dog) and I are beginning to suffer from a bit of cabin fever. While it was raining, the apartment complex decided that this would be the day/days that they would pressure clean the outside of the building. So, all the windows have to be closed tightly...dogs aren't allowed at my place so we're stuck at K Dub's with the one little fan recirculating the hot air.

I think I have watched at least a season of the various TV shows on Netflix, watched Poho watch me from across the room, cleaned, done the laundry and contemplated surviving the next six weeks just on pastries. I have also begun my self appointed physical therapy for my finger as it is finally starting to heal but no longer bends on its own. Right now I have no time line or deadlines to get things done so I got most of my errands run at the beginning of break. This would be the time that I wished I had a car so Poho and I could take a trip to the coast or anywhere really. And for the most part everyone is still on vacation or hanging out with their families.

Oh my god, the sun is poking itself out! I think we're going to try and enjoy this for a bit.

Tip for the Day: Don't try and clean with a dog following behind you remaking a mess. Lock them in the bathroom, clean and then clean the bathroom. Sorry Poho...sorta.

Dancing, Death to BP and some SCAC

This past Tuesday, McAsian and I headed to the very interesting bar of Dantes for one of my favorites, Slim Cessna's Auto Club. Based out of Denver (woot) they are group of energetic guys playing up some alternative country. They are currently on tour of the West Coast and home. So if you get a chance to see them, you should http://www.slimcessnasautoclub.com/ .

When we arrived we soon discovered that we were the pretty much the only people there and we were pretty sure that the ones that were there thought we were lost. Again, my color coordination with the city of Portland never ceases to make me stand out. We picked out a table to hang out at before the bands started, me wearing white and sitting with the only other girl in the bar. The place reminded us a little of Dantes Inferno and we reminisced about the days of the Honors Program from our undergrad days in Wyoming. We ordered some PBRs and waited.

The first band, and for the life of me I cannot remember their name, was a sweet four person local band that performs weekly in the NE. My favorite was their chicken renditions, made me want to get up and dance all by my lonesome self, but alas we did not. The second band...oh my. We found out later that the lead singer from the second band was a local regular to the bar and though he had been vetoed many a times to play, he still was right there up on stage. If he wasn't cussing, he was talking up on his soap box about something ridiculous. His adultery, man whore ways, his song about death was dedicated to the CEO of BP were only the tip of the ice berg. If you removed him, the band was actually not too bad. Though some of us had to excuse ourselves from hysterical laughing during their performance, we got through it without getting punched in the face.

Then SCAC came on, and I had looked forward to this show all month. Right off the bat they were drinking, singing and having a great time. And our little group of misfits in a bar were having the time of our lives, dancing our little hearts out right up front. At one point I looked up and realized that the rest of the crowd had given us two feet on every which side of us to avoid our dancing. The show was a little shorter than I would have liked but they did come back for an encore. I hadn't danced like that in a while. Even though I hadn't seen them in a couple of years, they were just as much fun as the first time I saw them in Denver (thanks C & S).

After our adventurous walk home (no interstate hopping this time), we made it back to K Dubs to kick it with Poho and ended up crashing there. The next morning we realized just how active we had been but was thankful that it was nothing too bad. McAsian had apparently been dropped on the floor and was suffering from a bruised elbow, my ab muscles, either from laughing or dancing are still sore as are my feet, our friend was short a debit card and no one was in jail or broke anything. Success. The pictures...oh the pictures; dear future employers...

So, thank you once again Slim Cessna's Auto Club for a sweet night in Portland and good luck with the rest of your tour!

Tip for the Day: Walk through the city in groups, you have more fun...

a ridiculous Day Worldwide

This morning I checked my stats for the for the first time in a few weeks. I hadn't been getting very many hits so I considered taking down the stattracker. But this morning I looked and ridiculous Day is up to 14 states and 6 countries! Though some of those people in those countries will be returning to the United States, it is still really neat to see it on a map. Last Thursday hit a record high of visitors and when I went back to see what the entry was, I laughed as I realized it was the attack of the knife.

So, Thank you everyone who is reading and keeping up with me. I hope that you are being entertained :) and some of the tips are helpful. It gives me another reason to keep on writing.

Summer Break in Culinary School

Ah, the slowed pace of vacation has made me lazy.

I have now had to actually make myself food now that there is no class to satisfy my hunger. But I have at least been practicing the skills and techniques that I have learned, I mean isn't that what school's about? The lack of schedule has also allowed me to let my finger heal a bit since I'm not cutting or scrubbing anything. I probably should have gone to get stitches, but as it is too late now it is healing on it's own and I can almost start to bend it without hurting!

Since summer has started for LCB, it has been in the mid 70s and pulled me outside to our rooftop to enjoy the weather. Unfortunately, it has also caused me to fall asleep on my back and thus only tanning my front very VERY well. So now I look like a ying and a yang...The nice weather has also brought out some of the local crazies and fun goers! Last Saturday K Dub, Poho and I came across All the apparatus, a local band that performs in Pioneer Square. Full of energy and sometimes rotating members, they were fun to watch and dance to and I'm hoping to catch them again this weekend. Our local Sleeping Bag man seems to be minus a sleeping bag and a belt, and the Blue Man is as blue as ever.

Since it is break, most people have gone home for the week. I am actually staying to house sit for K Dub and hang out with Poho for the week. This should be interesting. Polo has managed to eat K Dub's last down comforter and she had to go buy a new one so I could sleep here. Objective as of 9:40am today: keep an eye on the comforter while Poho is around. So far so good, but you never know. Day 1 almost down, 6 more to go.

Tip for the day is being interchanged with Recipe of the day.
Recipe of the Day:
Pan-fry Eggplant

Eggplant
Seasoned All purpose(AP) flour
Egg wash
Panko
Oil for frying
Salt and Pepper

1. Cut eggplant into 1/2 rounds and season with S & P
2. Pass through flour, egg and panko.
3. Heat oil in saute pan. Make sure there is enough oil to go a little more than half way up the frying item to prevent a line in the middle.
4. Test oil. When it's ready, place rounds in oil and fry until golden brown and flip.
5. When ready, take out and place on paper towels. Slice in half and serve with your sauce or dip!

War Wounds

Chef Shotgun said, "You'll never own your knives until you cut yourself." I thought he was kidding. People cut themselves on the first day we got our knives. Then people managed to cut themselves in the most unusual ways. I kept saying to myself how lucky I was to not have cut my self that bad.

Well, today was our final plate day, and the final day of everything Foundations II. I was stoked. My plate was coming along nicely, I had all my things mise en placed, a good pace to finish and everything was cooking to perfection. Then I got to my garnish while everything was in the oven, and started cruising through them. The first one, perfect! Half way through the second one, I hit a snag on the potato, the potate slipped out of my left hand while my right continued the motion and THUNK. Right into my left index knuckle, straight into the bone.

After wedging the assailant out of my finger, I realized I was bleeding onto almost everything. And then I realized, "Shit, that hurt!" and then I realized, "I just said that out loud". And then noticed, Chef Keep You on Your Toes, standing behind me while my hand dripped blood into the sink. "Sorry," was all I could get out. Her response, "Ok, do you want to try and wrap it real fast and continue, or do you want to go to the hospi-". "Bandage me up I have to finish this!" I bled through two band aids and two finger cots, had no idea where I left off in my groove and was suddenly very confused and lightheaded.

I finished, -3 points on my plate for stupid things that I knew to fix but had by then managed to grab every pan out of the oven with my bare hands and suffered from PTSD whenever I picked up the red potato to try and finish. Hoping to still pull my solid A, so we'll see. The most positive thing out of the day, one serious war wound that is about to be dumped into salt water or diluted hydrogen peroxide and my chef comment for the day, "you have a lot of potential, you just have to keep an eye on the small things".

I am just fine, aside from a momentary freak out where I thought I might need stitches, which I probably still might need, and that I might not finish my final. Final finished, and now it is time to enjoy the wonderful Portland sun that showed itself today! Summer break, here I come!

Tip for the Day: It's the industry, if you can't stand the heat, get outta the kitchen. And if you cry like a baby, just make sure the ones you want scared of you don't see you or read your blog see you do it.

Naked Bike Rides and TV Shoots

It's Pedalpalooza! Promotion of alternative transportation, sustainability and bike awareness. Saturday marked a joyous occasion of fun filled bike events. The one that we attended: the Annual Naked Bike Race, I also jogged a quick block earlier with some clothed bikers. The important thing to focus on is alternative transportation. The naked part, though highly entertaining was for the awareness part. Please be weary and share the road! There were so many partial "costumes" and such. The only thing that everyone was concerned about was why we were still wearing clothes. Apparently people participating for their own cause don't always understand the concept, hello I took the bus and I'm walking with you. Aside from some other awkward encounters, the night was very successful. KW, LA and I were even able to enjoy a lovely 40 block stroll home, through the sketchy SE, over the grated bridge and through the wanna be gang asking for directions. Thank you Portland for reminding me that it's still the city.

Our Sunday was successful for Chef Passionista (a classmate). Some friends from class and I helped her film a segment for her TV audition tape for the future O Network. Her focus is improving couples relationships through the joys of cooking. Her concept is great and I wish her the best of luck in the competition for her own show. Hopefully by tomorrow the clip will be edited and I can post the link for you to vote! As awkward as filming was, it was still a lot of fun!

This week marks our final week in our first session and this will all hopefully end with a gold star for me to pin to my coat. All of our tests have been pushed up which actually may be a good thing. Our final black box plates are due on Wednesday...so it's off to do some more studying.

Tip for the Day: You won't always get a police escort while you ride naked but remember to enjoy the little things in life. Also, black pepper can be your enemy and white pepper is ok to use. Don't over season, but don't under season, you must find a balance in the force.

The Coat

So if you know where to look and who to talk to and how to dress, you can find some pretty sweet deals around town. First and foremost, The Coat. This a recent experience for me though I have heard stories from classmates and chefs.

The Coat I refer to is my uniform coat, it's white with that infamous blue ribbon and for some reason really makes you stand out in a crowd. Usually I have time to go home and change before I decide to go places; however, the other day some of us left straight from school to enjoy some doings in Portland. This meant, no change of clothes and The Coat was staying on.

As shallow as it sounds, The Coat is the best networking tool. We had the owners of the eaterys coming up to talk to us about our past, present and future doings. On the down side of The Coat, it's like it's the world's free up close and personal Food Network and Yellow Pages. We gave more advice on where to eat and places to go in town. While I was waiting outside of the Vd doughnuts I got tons of questions about the doughnuts. Apparently even though I don't work there or have any idea how to make doughnuts, The Coat gives people a false sense of knowledge about everything food. Helping people is always nice, but sometimes people seem like they are taking advantage more than anything.

Another day, I stopped by the grocery store on my way home from school to pick up some basics. Biggest mistake ever. Even with all of the free samples and good deals I get for being in culinary school, the grocery store is never a place to go in The Coat. I think that day, I helped at least 10 people plan their dinner menus and baking needs. I should have listened to Chef Shotgun. Chef Shotgun had mentioned the worst time to wear your coat is Thanksgiving. And after the grocery store experience I have no want to test his theory.

But like I said, networking and the free samples and helping people isn't all that bad. The Coat has it's ups and down but hopefully in the end, they'll see past the coat.

Tip for the Day: Explore. It's really the only way to get to know your surroundings. It's also where you will find the best dive places and quirky hole in the wall eaterys that just may become your favorite!

Keepin' it Clean

It has been a long and busy week and with finals quickly approaching it is bound to get busier. I'll start doing a better job of posting when things slow down a bit. As our second session comes to a close, we are FINALLY beginning to get a good groove for dishes and our schedules in general, this also includes life.

As you can see from the picture, I was still working on trying to keep up with my dish stack. Aside from LA (the guy at the end of the table), pictured is just about every pan that I used and parm polenta, with roasted Cornish Game hen, candied apples and sauteed broccoli. Keepin' it clean was something I finally mastered today. Our table aside from one person, was able to keep up with all of our dishes. And the kitchen was pretty darn clean today. The dishes is also an entire kitchen fiasco most of the time. So we'll get it hopefully by graduation.

I've also gotten to the point where I am finally getting my budgets together and my house in order, work schedules and figuring out more things to do around Portland. I have found several local places to shop for inexpensive groceries, sweet dive bars with some Wyoming friends and multiple trips to Voodoo. Money is still pretty tight so it helps that I am starting to get to know where to go for the good deals and even free stuff. My work schedule is still very random since I am still new but I have also recently discovered the Buffalo Exchange and the coat (I will explain this one, later).

Today I found out that Portland is one of the places where prostitution is NBD (no big deal). No don't worry, I'm not going to pimp myself out, that's a lot of work. Though this could be an option for income (!) it is more of just an interesting fact. This also explains the burritos and the strippers. For those of you who don't know, one of our new favorite places to eat is a burrito joint that happens to share a bathroom with the strip club next door. The burritos are that good. And as we found today, the strip clubs/brothels here in town are like the local grocery stores. Keepin' it clean=stay away from the grocery store clubs and don't be trashy in the kitchen.

Fact for the Day: Speaking of Cornish Game Hens, these are actually chickens...baby chickens. And trussing your birds before they go through a traumatic experience through an oven is the best way to cook them. Not only does it guarantee even cooking but it makes the bird hold it's shape well. Also don't forget to let 'em rest before you cut 'em up. They can only take so much trauma at a time...

Empty Fridge?

For the past two weeks, my mind has kind of been all over the place and not really focused on the necessities of life, like eating or going grocery shopping on a normal basis.

Funny thing is, I'm still alive and not starving. When I looked in my fridge I noticed that I currently hold the best bachelor(ette) fridge. There's no food, just condiments and beer, oh and rotten milk. When I saw this, I thought to myself, what the heck? How am I still kickin'? Not that my friends and family would let me starve but seriously, don't even feel hungry!

Then I remembered, ha I go to culinary school. I eat on a constant basis, tasting all my foods and then eating most of the 2-3 meals we make a day. Every that isn't eaten at school, makes it home for about 10 minutes and then I eat it again. So the food doesn't actually stay around for too long. KW and I also eat together at least twice a week for our Dexter nights, usually after I get back from work.

Dear Family and Friends, don't worry, I'm really not starving. It is just an observation. Thank goodness for culinary school!

Tip for the Day: Make sure your basics are always covered. Mirepoix usually consists of carrots, celery and onions, those are your basics.

Top Chef

It was a great week, frustrating but great!

On Wednesday we finally finished up our days of egg cookery. I managed to flip my egg into the stove and onto the floor several times. I made my overhard eggs 7 times and still didn't pass, they were either underdone or overdone or broke in half. My overeasy eggs Chef Keep You on Your Toes actually did mine for me, and my sunny side eggs (yuck) were a bit under done the first time or over done and still slimy the next. Needless to say, I really dislike eggs for the time being.

However, all of this was quickly put behind me, seeing as I am currently eating an egg with homemade biscuits. On Wednesday, there was a Top Chef tent parked at the square and they were doing cooking demos and having a meet and greet...of some of season 3 (the one when Hung won)'s chefs. CJ and Bryan. Bryan is actually from Portland and came to chat with the class after mine. A few of us headed down to the square to check it out and our good friend Mama MER put us on the list to watch the demo.

While we were waiting Mama MER told me to come with her as she headed to the Top Chef trailer. When we arrived, CJ and Bryan were standing there in the back chatting. So, we got to chat right along with them. We talked about school, who we were and what we were up to. Both guys were really nice and very studly for some Top Chefs. They told us that we would get into the demo, and we did. Got right up front. CJ led the demo and made us braised veal with bacon and red wine marinated apricots with a radish and parsley salad, garnished with sauteed garlic shoots. It was awesome!

Tip for the Day: Just because you win a competition doesn't mean people will like you. Just do your thing and be proud of the things that you put on your plate. And even though people may not like you, try really hard not to piss off your fellow chefs.

Movin' on Up!

This weekend went by in kind of a blur. After much deliberation and convincing, I got the go ahead to move into a new apartment. Benefits of not having Craig living outside my window, more natural light, the view is pretty sweet, I can have my windows open and it's a much nicer apartment. The downsides I have found are garbage and recycle take out on Monday mornings is brutal with or without the windows open.

The cause of the move besides wanting to get up off the ground floor? Well, it's actually cheaper. But then Friday evening I started to hear a dripping noise. It took me a while to find where it was coming from. The dripping was coming from the ceiling in the bathroom but there wasn't actually any water coming into my apartment. I went to go change the laundry and found a waterfall coming from the ceiling in the hallway. I called maintenance to come and fix it. Then there was this awful smell coming from the ceiling and wall in my room, from where the water was landing. Despite the smell I decided to stay since I was so tired.

The next morning the smell was ten times worse. I ran up to the office and asked them to let me move into my new apartment. They said yes, so I started packing up the cart and movin' on up. As I was moving I started meeting the people on my new floor. This is when I found out, I had been inhaling poop water all night. Some guy above had clogged his toilet, didn't turn his water off and had tried to plunge it for a few hours as water poured out everywhere.

So, it's been a week since this happened and the fans are still blowing, trying to dry up the smell. But now I live up on a sweet floor with a great view and a little more usable room.

Tip for the Day: Plan ahead. You can never go wrong with planning ahead. And there is always time to be spontaneous.

Catch-up!

It's been a bit, last we talked about soups. This past week we worked on vegetable cookery, sauteing, braising, pan frying, deep frying and piping veggies. Potates (aka potatoes) were also a whole day to themselves and I found, that potates in fact are not my thing. This was also the first time since I've started that the majority of what I made this week was less than passing. Mistakes are once again ok. I was such in a rush that I just wanted everything to get signed off rather than put something of quality on the plate. Well that won't fly in the real world.

It was a busy week, with work for WS and I had the opportunity to work with a local catering company, Catering at Its Best, for an event that Nike threw. Needless to say, my first real experience in their makeshift kitchen for catering was excellent. I had tons of fun, ate copious amounts of sushi, steak, mashed taters, homemade desserts and more. For four hours we plated, salads, dinners, garnished desserts and dished up late night appetizers. I got to dance, network and was introduced to the sweet sweet world of catering. Well worth the 2am trek home.

This past week, I also learned, there is such a thing as too much butter unfortunately. When sauteing you never want to have the plate look greasy or the sauteed green beans to be sloshing in the fat across the plate. I wish it weren't true. But potates with lots of butter are still great. We also braised red cabbage and had to taste it on its own. Mine was a bit under cooked but cooked or not, probably one of the more unappetizing things I have eaten on its own. Now with beef medallions would make it derishous (and it does, see a recipe in Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking).

The Whiner has been laying pretty low, his constant whining has become part of our every day drawl. But we have a new contender for the names list! The Peanut Gallery. And it is not a group of people, but one person, who has successfully managed to peanut gallery lecture all on her own, asked every question that has been answered already and pushed us over our cooking time into our clean up time. She is thus named the Peanut Gallery. She's also the lazy person of our kitchen, instead of getting everything herself she'll yell to everyone to see if anyone has any extras. And when I say yell, it's her high pitched whiny voice carrying across the room. Like there isn't enough obnoxious noises in the kitchen already.

This week we are starting pastas and egg cookery with final plates on a full breakfast plate. My egg flipping will be put to the test. Ravioli, fettuccine, pesto and breakfast will make this week probably fly by...or so I think.

Last night was the Starry Light Parade to kick off the start of the Rose Festival. And with the Rose Festival, there are tons of coupons and sweet find all over town. I missed the Starry Light Run due to WS but had planned on wearing the Ewok costume to run the 3.1 miles, next year. On the sweet finds list is a new Dutch Taco, aka savory Waffles, cart. Going to check it out tomorrow. Looking forward to the weeks festivities and I promise I'll be more on top of things!

Tip for the (Last) Week: Before the famine in Ireland, the average Irishman/woman, consumed 10 pounds of potates per day. So the tip...VARIETY, DIVERSITY or you will starve if the time comes to that...

Unfortunately, the pictures from last week refuse to load.