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6/29/05-Wednesday
9:00am-Cakes I'll up my entries again soon. Last week was insane with preparing for job interviews, writing my paper, and preparing fo my final practical on mousse cake. Which I aced! I received full points on my cake that I was worried about. What a relief. Friday night I was elated! Now it's starting to hit me that I'm half-way done with the program. We had a scare this weekend, Saturday early morning 2:00 am someone tried breaking into our house through our little bathroom window downstairs. I was asleep dreaming that someone was actually breaking into our house, was coming down the hall way, then threw an axe at the bed. I tried ignoring the dream when I heard footsteps in the hall way, but then the axe came at me and I was up! About a minute later I heard voices outside and saw lights. I looked out the window and there were cops in my neighbor's yard. I thought they must have had everything under control and went back to bed worrying about not having a weapon. We have an alarm, but not all the windows have sensors. We just have police alarm we can push near our bedroom. I had to get up early for cake club, I went downstairs about 5am , felt a breeze, looked to my left and the window was wide open. My oils by the window were place outside in a nice neat row. Someone tried breaking in. They trampled through my minnie vinyard breaking the stakes and dropped a chincy steak knife in the garden. An officer came out to collect the knife and write a report. Our neighbors said cops passed through their yard with search dogs. A very strange night. But, everything is ok. Our windows are locked well know. Nothing was stolen, just a fright. Saturday we drove to Smithrock state park. Oh, so beautiful and magical. We met michelle and Curtis there. Had a wonderful Meditteranean Feast with Wine in the evening, hiked the towering red rocks, and dipped in the crooked river. Came home Sunday eve to rainy Portland. I best go, it's time for open lab and I have French Buttercream to whip up. Rich felw out to Salem , Mass. this morning. I fly out Friday morning. Jerry is getting married Saturday. I wish I was on the plane now! I might not have another entry until Monday. |
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6/24/05-Thursday
11:59pm-Phone interview I haven't posted this week in preparation for a big phone interview with Bouchon Bakery. They are the bakery opened by Chef Thomas Keller of "The French Laundry" in Napa. The interview went well, but I lack bakery experience which could break me. I have restaurant kitchen experience, but...may not be good enough. What an opportunity though! Must sleep. Tomorrow I finsh my Strawberry Orange Cheese Mousse Cake. Not real happy about my start on it. Saturday morning I have cake club then go to Smithrock for a Solstice excursion. Happy Summer! |
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6/20/05-Monday
11:30pm-Post Tiki Friday I passed my Tiramisu practical with an "A". I could have done better visually, but not bad for my first Tiramisu. Saturday I baked Ciabatta bread and Pineapple, Macadamia Nut, Coconut Rum Macaroons. I was in a tropical mode. Friday night we drank rum at Mark and Maggies house where they converted their barn into a Tiki lounge with beach and firepit. Entertainment and meatballs. Saturday we met at "The Alibi" for drinks and meatballs then stumbled over to "The Jasmine Tree" for the worst Mai Tai's ever! We are the geekiest of Tiki Culture crowds, we don't turn down drinks! People were gagging. So sad. Sunday we took the "Wiki Wiki Bus" to 4 home bars, rum punch galore and meatballs. We topped it off with a Poo poo platter party over Mark and Gem's house. We have much in common, new friends. A dramatic thunderstorm hit the area around 8'sh in the evening. The sky turned orange and pink. Very tropical. Back to school dragging my feet. Atleast it's cooking school. Today Chef Ginger demo'd ice cream and Sorbet. I prepared a Champagne Sorbet. Plated it up with a crepe and strawberry coulis. We had to do crepes as it wasn't very tastey with the sorbet. A little weird. I'm writing a paper on Alton Brown trying to win a little scholarship money contest. Happy Solstice! |
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6/15/05-Wednesday
10:30pm-Mousse Last night I practiced my chocolate tempering. I used my new microwave to temper the chocolate. My heating pad kept the temperature at a failry even 85-88 degrees. I've been refraining from buying a microwave so long, but I need to defrost butter and warm up sugar and chocolate now. Try bringing cold butter up to room temp. in an oven. Today Chef Peggy demonstrated how to prepare Tiramisu and a Caramalized Pear Charlotte. Tomorrow I start my Tiramisu for the Practical Friday.
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6/9/05-Thursday
10:00pm-Charlotte Royale and Art Show After school Rich and I drove to Bridge City Comics to support Curtis's art show opening. We paint with Curtis in his barn on the weekends through summer and in our basement through the winter. It's first Thursday which means all the artsy neighborhoods have gallery openings. Wine, nibblies, and schmoozing. Rich's art was up last month.
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6/8/05-Wednesday
10:20pm-Gateau St. Honore'
Baking, mixing, and assembling the several Gateau St. Honore components was a little hectic, but I finished on time and with an "A". The meringue for my chiboust had lumps in it , but I was able to re-whip a new batch of meringue without jepoardizing timely completion. I feel like things are coming together and I can work with more ease and grace. The class is at about 17 students now, lowest ever. We are getting along much better now that there is more room in the kitchen. We are bonding more as a team, it feels good. This evening's weather was clear and warm 70's. After a week of drizzle and cold this is soooo welcome. I'm having strange mood swings between the overcast and even the minute sun breaks between the clouds. uhhg! just want sun! and I got sun this early eve I planted more flowers ..foxgloves, poppies, parsley, petunias. Rich arranged the furniture on the patio. We sat in our furniture for the first time and stared into the twilight sky and saw 2 fluttery bats. The first bats of soon to be summer! Rich arranged the Daturs (Angel's Trumpets) near the furniture so the trumpets hange over our heads. Intoxicating scent! We also tasted the Hard Cider this eve. It's ready for bottling. A fulfilling evening. |
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6/7/05-Tuesday
10:00pm-Custard
I adore custard for it's creamy soft flavor and texture. You can introduce so many flavors into it. Each class has been tough on the old will power...this is the toughest yet. |
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6/6/05-Monday
9:00am-Web Site back up Friday I passed my practical with an A! I thought I was doomed for sure. I double prepped my brioche dough for a fallback. My brioche turned out gorgeous. I put in much extra effort on the broche practicing last week and it paid off! Friday Rich and I invited Shawna and Ian over for a creature feature. We watched the remake of "Dawn of the Dead". What a scary remake! It was creepy! The new zombies run fast, really fast. Super scary! The level of gore was high. The Zombie mall scenes were dramatically shot. Not often are remakes up to par, but this one blew me away. Saturday I had my first Cake decorating Club meeting followed by baking club. Cake Club might be held every Saturday. I'm mentally working on accepting that my summer Saturdays will be booked . The encouragement iiiisssss.....we are making the Dalai Lama's 70th Birthday cake!!!! Unsure if the Dali Lama will actaully attend. Details are in the making. But wow! I'll happily give up my Saturdays for the Dali Lama. Saturday night was "girl's night" with Hillary, Pam, Lacey, Lori, Patty, and Katie. Much wine, rum, and decadent cheeses, chocolates, strawberries, and cookies. We tried to catch a "Satan's Pilgrim's" show afterwards, but it sold out. Hillary and I met up with Joe and his friend Francis from LA and ended up at "Bar of the Gods" for drinks until midnight. I pleasant night cathing up with friends I haven't seen since last month. Sunday I had a nice long walk with Hazel and ended up back at her place for a fabulous cup of coffe and a chat with her husband and my old co-worker, Joe. It was pleasant to catch up on their lives. Rich and I then went out for lunch and a beer. Moosedrool Ale is my new fave brown Ale. The label, a drooling moose. I'm an easy sell with cute labeling. After lunch we scored a fine discounted set of patio furniture!!!Found a bench, 2 chairs, coffee table for 50% off at Cost Plus World Market. Rich is treating it with sealer this week. The patio is almost complete! I must get ready for a jog. I see alittle sun between the rain clouds. |
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6/2/05-Thursday
8:30pm-More Brioche It's a little lonely in class lately. I've been so focused on my work I haven't really made friends much. I'm not exactly an extrovert either. |
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6/1/05-Wednesday
11:30pm-Brioche & Strudel My web domain went down. I knew it was around this time of year to pay it again, but I didn't get the warning since my old email was in the domain server's database. oops. |
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