Midterms Behind Me, Homework Ahead of Me

Hi friends!

Happy Saturday!  Midterms are finally done (oh thank goodness) and I’ll get my grade for the whole week sometime on Monday.  I’ve seen grades for the written and identification portions (rocked ‘em!) and the knife skills portion (rocked it!) but I don’t know my grades for the improv cooking segments.  Yesterday I used two leafy veggies for my salad that weren’t what I thought they were and so it ended up CRAZY bitter.  Apparently I used radicchio thinking it was red cabbage (oops) and used escarole thinking it was green leaf lettuce (another oops).   Guess I need to hit up the produce section and get a little more cozy with random leafy veg!   My instructor gave me credit though for taking a risk in the kitchen, even if it didn’t turn out as I’d planned – that was a very kind thing for her to say.

Then last night was the big benefit event that we Bauman students were working for externship credit.  By 10:30 last night I was ready to drop after having been on my feet (and awake) since 4:20 in the morning.  It was an interesting evening.  As it turns out, we weren’t cooking on the line as we’d thought – we mostly did food prep, plating, food running and clean up.  It was a really great learning experience and I have to say that I have SERIOUS respect for people in the restaurant / catering industry.  It is hard work and requires a LOT of stamina and a LOT of “go with the flow” mentality.

Here are a couple of pics snapped with my phone.

The event was held at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art:

However, we were set up in a tent behind the building.  Check out the huge rental oven!

Food prep before the dinner service started (all of the electricity was provided by a generator just outside the tent and when I got home last night, MSP said I was talking extra loud!)

The chef on the left is Kyle Mendenhall, Executive Chef of The Kitchen restaurant in Boulder, and on the right is Hugo Matheson, Co-Owner and Executive Chef of The Kitchen.  It was really an honor to get to work alongside these men – one thing I noticed was how CALM they were during the all of the chaos and excitement.

By the time I drove all the way home from Boulder, it was almost midnight.  You guys know this fuddy duddy is usually in bed at 9:00.  (When I’m really tired I get about as whiny and cranky as a 2 year old toddler that missed a nap.)  Some of the other students were staying to dance and enjoy the benefit once the ‘work’ part was done.  I just didn’t have anything left in the energy tank.  I realize that I missed out on an opportunity to spend some fun quality time with my classmates but it was all I could do to keep my eyes open on the drive home.  I even missed an exit on the highway and ended up just lost enough that I had to pull over and get out my iPhone to Google Map myself back to civilization.

I had only water to drink yesterday, but feel hung over this morning.  I often feel that way when I stay up too late the night before, which is partly why I’m such a stickler for getting to bed on time.  Does that happen to you?

Tired as I was this morning, I got up and WORKED OUT!  I have to credit our “December DSD challenge” for staying on track (otherwise I may have given myself a pass).  I got up a bit before 7, had my coffee and lounged around and then we strapped on our heart rate monitors to do some Wii dancing.  High heart rate today was 173!!  We did that for 45 minutes and I just have to say that MSP took me to SCHOOL in “Just Dance” today.  Usually this is one game that I can beat him at – but he was on fire this morning!  And unfortunately I will have Donna Summer’s “Hot Stuff” song stuck in my head the rest of today….

And now, the weekend of homework begins…. so far I’ve dreamed up:

Northern Italian Eggs Benedict on Sage Polenta with Porcini Mushrooms and Yogurt “Hollandaise”

and

North African Crepes with Almond Fig Filling and Sweet Balsamic Reduction

I have four more to come up with, one to prepare, run the ingredients through nutrition software, write 2 pages about one of the regions, and write a recipe analysis of the one I prepare.

I think this will require more coffee… 

See you on the other side of the homework!  Thanks for posting your exercise info – keep it coming for the challenge!  You are all doing a FABULOUS job!

– Shari B. =)